Chapter 2 - The Sky Calls; I Will Not Answer

A/N. Why isn't Cliff an option for characters? This is ridiculous. That, or I'm blind.

This isn't going to be a plot heavy fic, although there might be some down the line, and is more of a slice-of-life-y self-discovery type story. This chapter in particular is more of an interlude/transitional chapter to the next part, hence the length.

The stone was a part of the mountain, and the j stands for "jade". Turtle recognised Peril's breakdown and guessed her subsequent reaction, as it was something he'd probably do, and blamed himself. It's symbolic; no matter where she might be, she could always be close to Jade Mountain. It's not all that clever or special, but, hey, he was emotional and sleep deprived, what else could he do?

The description is subject to change.

The clouds floated past, aloof. The wind whistled merrily. One lonely dragon soared with soft strokes on gilded wings. It had been a couple hours since she had left Jade Mountain, and it was safe to say she still hadn't recovered from the words said last night. It was one thing to have it said to your face, one thing to be whispered of as you entered a room, but it somehow hurt more to know what dragons say when she wasn't there. She should've expected it; she should've known that what they said would be worse, with no fear of being burnt alive and nothing else to hold them back. But… somehow, it hurt so much more.

And… Peril liked Starflight. Or, well, didn't dislike him. He reminded her of Osprey, and, although there was pain in the memory, it was like a part of him was still in her life. She wanted him to at least not hate her…

Her talon tightened around the smooth surface of the stone. She couldn't change that now.

The conversation with Clay had gone as well as it could've, all things considered. Ruby didn't come out of nowhere to interrupt, she didn't have a massive breakdown (she could do that later) and he didn't try and stop her from leaving - he was shocked, sure, and sad, but there were no real objections. He had asked her reasoning, and she told him. Well, most of the truth. She didn't tell him about the whole eavesdropping thing, but she told him the way she had to constrict herself. She told him that she didn't want to complicate things with Ruby. She told him that she wanted to… explore.

The last part was kind of true, but was mostly tagged on to make it seem less anyone's fault (he'd probably blame himself otherwise). But it got her thinking.

She could do anything she wanted, now.

Anything.

Okay, maybe not gardening, but still, that was a lot of freedom.

Scarlet was being handled by Ruby and her guards, and Peril did not want to deal with her. She'd probably accuse her of leaving to team up with the ex-queen or something. But that also meant that she didn't have to worry about that. Ruby had dozens of trained guards on the lookout for Scarlet, better at her in everything other than maybe combat.

Unlike before Jade Mountain, she truly had nothing to do.

Peril exhaled, her hot breath leaving trails of steam in the sky, dancing with the oranges and yellows of the setting sun.

She had no idea what to do.

Zero.

…But that's fine for now. She had the rest of her life to figure things out. After all, wasn't this how it was for normal dragons? No definite purpose in life, just making your way through? Although, she should probably avoid cities and towns for now, unless absolutely necessary. That cabbage guy might still be mad.

She shook her head. Finding a place to sleep was her main concern right now - shelter and heat weren't things she had to worry about, but vegetation would be a problem.

If she recalled correctly, there was a town near here - It was close to the mountains (a skywing's preferred territory) and a major river (malachite river or something like that), so she had visited on account of hunting Scarlet.

The dragons there had the least explosive reaction to her of any town she visited, but it was far from pleasant. The dragons there… They were cold. Not in the stand-offish, hateful cold she's got from concerned parents and angry adults, but a frost so piecing that it felt like death.

Maybe it was her. It was probably her.

So, the idea of avoiding dragon settlements was doubly true in this case. There was something nagging at her, though.

Peril wanted to know how she would see a town when she wasn't focused on finding Scarlet. What would she notice? She never paid much attention to dragons other than Que- than Scarlet before.

Dangit. She was on a streak, too.

Anyways, perhaps the reaction she got was due to her abrupt intrusion in the everyday of the town, and she was just projecting her fears onto blank faces.

…That was a thing, right?

It sounded like a thing. Kind of like the things Osprey used to say.

…

There was a decent ledge on the mountain over there that she used last time. It'd been a long day; she should get some rest.

Yeah.

Below, a young dragonet watched a golden-red streak glance the evening sky, eyes widening.

A shooting star! A wish!

But… what if the star was busy, or if someone else had a wish? Did every shooting star only grant one wish? The dragonet internally gasped. What if she took someone else's wish! Maybe their wish was more important!

She could wait longer.

She could wait.

Peril watched the stars twinkle sagely, suspended in the night sky. Another thing she overlooked in her undying devotion to Scarlet. They were… pretty. She wondered what Clay thought of them, considering he had lived in a cave most of his life.

It had just been one day. She's been alone before. She can manage. Just breathe, in and out.

A/N. Sorry if this chapter felt a bit awkward, but it's necessary. Also, in the last part, Peril doesn't know about the sky hole. Please drop a follow or favourite if you enjoyed! Feedback greatly appreciated!