Whitestar watched from the sidelines as Alyssia sprinted out toward the caravan and the other two slipped away. Apple stayed where she was, her scales shifting to match the foliage but not turning completely invisible. A moment passed and soon, he could hear Alyssia crying and shrieking loudly. He listened hard, trying to make sure he could recognize the English word Alyssia had mentioned as the signal. He shifted slightly, unsure if she was screaming for the diversion, or if she was under attack. He could see several of the humans come out of the machines and try to grab her, and it seemed like there was a bit of debating among them and the more important-looking ones before they finally grasped ahold of her. Alyssia let out one more gut-wrenching scream, and Whitestar hesitated, although it sounded like it might be the signal. But then he saw the sand behind two of the machines shift unnaturally and the humans standing beside it were shoved to the ground. Wingbeats sounded nearby and Whitestar saw Blackout shoot out of the oasis shrubbery, aimed straight for the other Nightwing and his rider. Whitestar followed a moment later, running quickly out into the open and then spreading his wings. The desert sun sliced over his cold scales like a dim fire, burning into his muscles and making it uncomfortable to breathe. He flapped every now and then to pick up speed but kept low to the sand, switching back and forth between running and gliding, skipping off the ground. He rose up more just as he approached the closest transport and the two humans turned too slow to aim their weapons at him. He snatched them up in his front talons and beat his wings to rise back into the air, swooping above the limo in the center of the caravan. He flared his wings a little ways away, stopping sharply and letting go of the humans, sending them flying through the air. It probably wasn't enough to kill them, but hopefully, they wouldn't be a problem. He turned quickly back toward the caravan, soaring directly toward the largest machine. He could see Alyssia standing half inside of it, watching them, and he reach out a talon to grab her, hoping that he could get her away without hurting her. Loud banging sounds erupted from the last couple of humans remaining, and Whitestar veered sharply to the right with a hiss, feeling pain streak up his side and one of his hind legs. He swooped around again, his eyes locking on the last transport in front of the limo. He could hear the small explosions from their weapons coming from the ones in the back of the caravan, and he hoped that Bamboo was handling them fine. He pivoted sharply and dove toward them, waiting for the sting of the iron projectiles as he got closer. One stabbed his shoulder and another grazed his neck, but nothing enough to seriously injure him. Whitestar felt the ice building in his chest and then his throat, the cold sensation seeming to energize his parched scales. He opened his wings again and swooped low over the transport, forgetting his previous resolve not to kill any of the creatures. Ice engulfed the machine and the humans around it, small knife-like shards of ice growing instantly over them and their transport. Whitestar heard their last brief shrieks of fear before they were cut off abruptly by the solid frozen mass. Whitestar circled around again, icy mist swirling out from his nostrils and the sides of his snout. He cocked his head toward the caravan again, trying to find Alyssia among the chaos.