----48 hours ago----
Imperial hovered, alone and powerful in the center of the sky.
The stars slowly snuck across the midnight sky, the flaming streak of a galaxy arm stretched from one horizon to the next, faded only around the territory of the largest moon.
Perception and Oracle had set long ago, leaving their superior to rule the night alone. Without the glow of the Scorpion Den lights or a veil of clouds to suppress them, the celestials shone with a haughty glory.
Whitestar stared deep into Imperial's silver and white glow, the feeling of moonshine across his parched scales gentle and soothing after the relentless abuse of the sun.
Apple, Alyssia, and Austin were asleep, safe within the cover of the jagged cliffs above. Rocks faded to sand, the ocean of dunes, the stretching neverending rolling of silver-struck grain. Despite the way the moon and stars bathed the desert in pale light, the Icewing's wintery scales still shone, out of place and cold among the cliff face.
They had been flying for two day cycles now. Austin's wound was healing well, though the thought of it only reignited Whitestar's guilt at not healing it himself from the start. It seemed strange to do it now. A full two days and then suddenly deciding to offer some drastic help. At least he could still argue that he didn't want to overuse his power.
Only for emergencies.
Whitestar sighed, slowly, stiffly rising from his place among the crags. Eclipse's voice seemed to grow more and more vivid in his mind with each hour that passed since Imperial's full. It worried him, sometimes, that maybe he was starting to lose his mind. Worry that the spells the last several days had required were actually affecting him. Worry that the heat and the scarcity of water in this tortuous place were chipping away his sanity faster than his powers could.
Or maybe he just missed her. He could always be overthinking it.
Or maybe he was underthinking it.
A faint, prolonged hiss of frustration arose in his throat, stimulated by the torrential thoughts. The flight through the desert was lasting longer than it should have. Whitestar, of course, wanted to fly as far and as fast as possible, despite the dizzying heat. He was strong enough to go on without rest- farther than possibly any other dragon on the continent that wasn't a Solarwing.
But Apple was just a Rainwing. She had never had to push herself to the limit like this. Never had to endure the relentless pounding of the sun, and the inconsistency of water between the stretches. Austin was too weak to bear the sun for so long, and Alyssia couldn't bear to watch any of the other three suffer so much. They rested often.
Too often.
Finding the cavern in the rocky desert mountains had been the only exciting development since leaving the den. It had been an obvious choice of shelter, and a relieving sign that the Kingdom of Sand was starting to fade into the tail end of the Cloud Mountains.
None of them had expected to find the leftovers of the Rebellion checkpoint inside. They were on the right track. More right than Whitestar could have ever hoped for. And now he knew which way the escaped dragons were heading.
Which way Eclipse was heading.
The cavern had presented a breach in an underwater spring, giving them not only fresh, but cool water. It provided shelter, and there were scraps of supplies.
Whitestar didn't want to leave the others. It stung- the guilt sending ripples of fear, of dread, shaking through his heart.
But the cavern was a safe place for them. For now. The desert would end soon, and they knew which way to go.
He couldn't stay in this ocean of sand any longer. He seldom admit he was leaving now out of fear. Fear for them. Fear of what would happen if the trial of the desert induced insanity, if he lost himself.
The Icewing perched motionless upon the cliff ledge, a stiff, night wind tugging at his dry, shimmering wings. His own thoughts blared loudly in his head, amplified by the deafening silence around.
Whitestar leaped, kicking off the cliff, sending stones clattering over the mountain. Cold air engulfed his body, cupping beneath the wings which scooped the midnight breeze like the thick waves of the ocean.
(AAAHHHHHH I"M SO SORRY.
I had to keep Whitestar going somehow
)
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