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Haru moved through the shadows fluidly, his body shifting and gliding as though he was part of the shadows themselves. Perhaps, on some level that was true. Over the months since he'd parted with Mikuko he'd spent time honing his skills.

Losing her, for he had lost her little by little through his own insecurities, had given him time to change--a purpose to throw himself at. He had thrown his broken heart into it, his whole body and soul until he was consumed with it. It was better to not think about it too much.

Yet, he did still think of it despite himself. He thought of Mikuko, the wind in her hair, the smile on her face--the dream of her home she'd been planning. At night, he would dream of her with her wings gliding over air. Flying, always flying away from him and leaving him far behind her.

It had been part of the reason for the break-up, this nagging feeling of not being good enough. He knew that Soren had felt the same way to some extent. It was probably the way they'd grown up. But he didn't want to blame his mom. He didn't want to blame anyone anymore.

That's what he had learned in his isolation and then in reuniting with his brother. Blame seldom did anything. In the end it was just words, words that often wounded you more than anyone else. But there were still times that he would dream of Mikuko flying away, leaving him behind. Despite everything, the dream still made him wake with tears on his face and lurching feeling in his stomach.

His brother's voice made him turn, and head over to him.

Ronin had set out with his brothers to look for Tasma. He had little need of sitting still long--it wasn't in his nature. Since he'd been old enough to leave the mountain he had. His nature was to wander, to look at the far reaches of the world and see what lay beyond that valley and the next...and the next...and the next...

It had been not only his love for his sister, but his honour. He felt honour bound to go find Tasma. She was of his blood, and blood meant something--it meant a lot. In your blood you carried your idenity, the genes that make up what you are and who you are.

Ronin had been born without wings, destined to stay grounded--that was fine by him, he did not miss it. He was sensible about it, and he never felt lacking in any way. But when he had taken to wandering he had taken it upon himself to look for dragon or dragon blood to bring back to his mother to help expand her clan. She had never asked him to, it was something he just felt he needed to.

He frowned at Soren's easy dismissal, "How many? Don't you think we should check it out?" Where there more actual dragons here? And why? Where they friendly or enemies? Would they be something he could take home to the Clan? Would they be interested? He seemed far too serious for someone of his age, but when he was on a mission he became entirely focused.

Tasma flew over one of the few paths through the mountains. The farthest side of the mountains from her own home was sparsely populated. In fact, Tasma had seen no-one at all there, living or walking through, though it seemed the paths were used infrequently by travellers who were confined o the ground, or needed to come to ground to rest after flying.

But the path that caught her attention now had seen some heavy traffic in the last few days. There were tracks leading in one direction- west, always west, away from the eastern sea and towards Dream Valley.

Tasma flew closer to inspect the tracks. She was no great shakes at tracking, but she knew the tread of a hoof when she saw one. Many hooves of many sizes had passed; a few might have been cloven. She followed the track back from where it came and found evidence of large and hasty camps; rubbish and charred wood strewn across the ground.

Tasma wrinkled her nose and glared. What a rotten group of people, not to clean up after themselves. This place may not be strictly in her territory, she was protective of the mountains as a whole and was extremely offended. She frowned deeply and took off back the way she came, filled with righteous fury, her wings shaking off whatever lethargy had plagued her the last few days.

She followed the fresher tracks and came across more camps. The tracks seemed to go the same way with no deviation, no-one broke off and went to camp in their own place. It was like a pilgrimage, she thought. A pilgrimage or… and exile. No-one really comes to these mountains. Where would they come from?

Used to having her questions answered after one good long adventure exploring the edges of her territory and beyond, Tasma continued along the path. She flew directly across it unless her third distracted her into searching out a river or her hunger grounded her to eat- she preferred not to eat while flying due to the risk of dropping whatever it was you were eating and missing out.

Tasma found a section where the long-standing trail path diverged. The path heading south into the mountain range directly and, presumably, straight into Nightmare Valley was unexpected and lesser-used. The trail Tasma had followed here from the west continued on towards the East and Dream Valley, in its meandering and windy way.

Tasma flew down closer to inspect the trails. The south-leading trail seemed undisturbed, from what she could see. The entire body of travellers had continued down the western road. Tasma’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. Since when did people all travelling together stay together all the time? Shouldn’t some of them decide to stop somewhere, or even to split from the group? Nightmare Valley wasn’t on everyone’s treechange list, but surely some people would have been tired and opted for a closer destination.

The signs of passing were fresher here. There were more signs of disturbance and even Tasma could tell lots of people had been there recently. She had made good time over the past afternoon and achieved the distance of the people travelling on foot in a matter of hours instead of days. She found a comfortable outcropping, settled into it and dozed off, certain she could catch the littering and untidy people later on.

Lilina took to the air in an odd hop to better see the person and what she was pointing at. She landed close and squinted at it. "Similar," said Lilina. She plucked up the weed, examineing it closely. "It looks like someone's had a go of stomping on it and it might not work quite as well, but better something that nothing."

She tapped it with her wand and it disappeared. "Thanks for your help. That plant keeps a potion longer so you don't have to make a little of something every month, you can make a vat of it in january and finish it before you need to make a new one in June."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Soren. "After we find Tasma, I am going home to my girl, and you can do what you want. but speaking of finding, the blip's moving at quite a clip now, but we might be able to cut through this path and find it before it outstrips us."

Tired of talk, he ploughed ahead, going at a clip closer to jogging than running as it would be easier to keep the pace up. He wanted to be back enjoying lunch with Lilina, not baking in the heat reflected off the stone of the mountains.

The untravelled path was long and all Soren could use to identify their proper course was a sonar beacon in his head. Thankfully, the beacon had stopped, but while it was stopped close as the wing flew, the path constrained their journey and they had to go North and then West to find it.

Their pace dropped off as they went but they did not stop- there would be time for stopping when they reached the beacon.

The other, larger beacon, Soren noticed, had not moved. Not even a little, from what as he could tell. That was strange; people moved all the time.

Their path through the mountains was heading, he knew to a back trail through the unincorporated mountains. He hoped he would find what they were looking for around there, though it would suprise him if anyone blessed with wings would still follow an old and unwieldy trail.

Haru felt the sweat streaking his skin, the summer heat coming up off the dirt like searing waves of heat. He took the corner and jumped backwards stumbling at the same time and he went sprawling in the dirt.

He gave a great big huff as he looked up at her giant green frame. "TASMA, you scared me!" He breathed out again closing his eyes and slowing down his breathing. He should have known that she'd do something like this.

Ronin couldn't help but smile when he saw Tasma, "It's good to see you." He hadn't seen her for--it seemed liked forever. "We've been looking for you, I've missed you."

It was true, he had missed her dearly. Yet, at the same time--he wanted Soren to lead him to the other spot of dragons or dragon descendants. "Soren tracked you done, he says there's someone else nearby."

Her head was heavy, dull. It felt as though she was lifting a great weight out of the water. Memories like rivulets of water drifted down, but she couldn't grasp at them that easily. Nothing made sense. The bright sun had her sweating, and she squinted up at the sun when she remembered, Valiant

Briar Rose shot to her feet, her head throbbing enough to make her sick as she tried to walk. Something jerked her back, and she fell to the ground in pain.

"ROSE!" A small voice cried as she tried to figure out what had happened.

"Val!" She cried out to him as he came up to her face.

His little claws touching her, and stroking back the soaking wet hair. "I thought you were dead," his voice was wobbling and she felt her heart thud heavy in her chest.

"No, I wouldn't leave you like that," she hugged him tighter as she looked back at her leg. She was chained in an iron to the wall. What had happened?

"You told me to go, that I needed to run. But I couldn't leave you, not with them coming. I can fight," he puffed out his tiny chest at her.

"No," her voice was strong, wild with fear. She remembered coming here with him, bringing him on this trip just the two of them. His whole family was of the sea, and he was born a dragon. He'd needed some time to himself, some time to see what it meant to be a dragon--so she had brought him this way.

And then---

She searched her mind frantically, brilliant flashes of colours and thoughts surfacing and then sinking back into the recesses of her mind.

But there was one thing she did remember, they were coming.

"You need to go," she commanded him. "I've told you before, you have to go."

Valiant puffed up his little chest, "I won't go. You wouldn't leave me, I won't leave you."

Her heart soared at his bravery and his love, yet she could feel the tears stinging her eyes. If he would just go...He would be safe. She needed him to be safe.

He left her exasperated, He wouldn't leave her . They were both going to get captured and it was going to be all her fault--and his stupid fault for not listening to her. "You have to go Valiant, if they get us both then no one will know. You have to go, you have to warn others. You have to leave me," she begged.

There had been fires and burning. They had gone with the refugees as they came. They were searching for dragons and dragon recessives.


Please, leave me. I can die, I can be captured, I can be a slave, but not you. Leave me please, I won't be able to protect you from them, I can't fight because I'm scared what will happen you.

"Please, Valiant," but her words died on her lips as she saw wings across the sky.

A Dragon. Was it a savior or--or---

Why had she ever decided to take Valiant on a trip? No one would expect them home for weeks, no one would know to look yet if something happened.


She concentrated hard, "Come closer Valiant." He moved to her at once, obedient in almost everything but his leaving her. He loved his aunt, it wasn't honourable, he wouldn't do it.

"Behind me," she whispered as she looked to the skies. The area shimmered around them, and instead of herself and Valiant there was Valiant and she looked around the same size as him. "If someone comes, you stay back. Don't fight." But she knew he would, "Stay back. I can surprise them if need be."

Please let it be help.

She had not seen the faces of those who were following them--she couldn't identify her enemy only that there were many of them and they were coming for her.She was terrified about what they would want. But the people here had drugged her, and brought her here. She'd woken up chained.

She was being offered up as a sacrifice, as something to to give the people more time.