Ajax leveled his heavy-lidded gaze in Eclipse’s direction, “We won’t be for much longer if we don’t get any water,” he said softly. His voice was deep and gravelly, but there was no malice in it. He would accept his fate, whatever might come. No, that’s not true, said a quiet voice inside. I don’t want to die. Throughout his desert travels, his third eyelids had crept across his eyes, but it was never enough. Smog brought fresh irritation into his dry eyes. He blinked again, so hard it was painful, doing whatever he could to stay awake.The orb of burning red had settled into the city-broken horizon, stifled by the desert smog of Possibility, trapping heat, but numbing the sun's rays.
Eclipse carefully unfurled her wings, jogging across the dark asphalt to allow herself an easier take-off, favoring her recovering wing shoulder. Shard's smaller, quicker wing beats alighted to the air beside her.
The comfort of gentle flight was unreal now, only a few days out of the Scorpion Den. Unbridled freedom, and the slow but progressive easing of the injury in her shoulder. The desert city had promised her brutally that she would never know flight again, a promise that had been all but crippling to her. She only had Tobias to thank for breaking that promise.
The Lunarwing kept close to the short buildings, carefully flaring her wings instead of fully driven flaps to maintain her air.
Eclipse glanced up, her attention drawn away from vague thoughts to the movement, stirring of wingbeats in the stifling city air.
Dragons approaching from the South, heavy evening light cast across pale and fiery scales.
Her eyes sharpened, Eclipse turned lazily away from the hanger, gaining height, watching the unsteady trio closely as she quickly closed the distance.
Scratch that- there were four dragons. Dangling in the arms of the pale one, another colorless form, slightly smaller, leaner. The fire-colored ones had four wings each, the redder of the two presenting a cautiously familiar hue.
"Eclipse slow down."
The Lunarwing jerked back suddenly, slowing as Shard panted up to her side again, tiny wings beating desperately.
"Where are we going?"
"Sorry."
Eclipse glanced up again toward the approaching group, angling her wings again to descend as they disappeared behind the short buildings.
"I'm just going to check something out. Stay close."
"Vel?"
The Rainwing's scales were a ghostly color, devoid of emotion and greyed with illness.
Eclipse landed awkwardly, swooping at an angle over the building to land among the other dragons, stumbling slightly as she unbalanced. Shard dropped down beside her and quickly slithered beneath a folded silver wing, dark eyes watching wide the strangers.
"Vel, you're here? You are alive? Wha-"
The Lunarwing froze, her eyes glancing from the red hybrid to land frozen on the silver, near-dead Cloudwing hanging in the Rainwing's trembling arm.
Oh, there were questions. Questions that refused to come, evaporating as quickly as they flooded in. All she could do in that instant was stare.
@_-Captain BRM-_
@Amer