Cacti sat uneasily beside Queen Ventifact, her mind racing. The queen's voice was warm, but each word felt like a weight pressing on Cacti's scales. She couldn't shake the thoughts of Tumbleweed, the former advisor who had vanished under mysterious circumstances.
Simmer already suspected foul play, his grief was evidently raw and unresolved. But Ventifact... she had no idea. She didn't know how no one has seen Tumbleweed ever since the day he disappeared. As the SandWing queen reminisced fondly about Tumbleweed, Cacti's claws dug into the velvet cloth. How could she possibly tell her? As the new advisor, it was her duty to represent the SandWings, but revealing the bitter truth risked breaking the SandWing queen who had already endured so much. Cacti swallowed, forcing herself to stay calm. She needed to find a way to tell Ventifact without shattering her. "I actually haven't heard anything from Tumbleweed," Cacti said slowly, choosing her words with caution. She didn't want to alarm the queen or plant any misleading thoughts. "In fact, no one has seen him for quite some time..."
The queen's face showed concern, her snout angled slightly in surprise. But the glint of enthusiasm still remained in her obsidian eyes. She tilted her head, confusion clear in her gaze, unsure of what Cacti was trying to convey. Ventifact's voice softened as he asked, "He retired, didn't he? Surely, he's fine... just taking his rest somewhere, seeking solitude. That's the truth, isn't it?" Her words lingered, hoping to find some reassurance in Cacti's reply.
"I'm sorry, I've only just heard about him..." Cacti murmured, his neck drifting away from the queen's gaze, as if trying to slip away like a fallen leaf carried by the river's current. Even with Cacti's careful words, Ventifact sensed an unsettling hint: Tumbleweed might have met a silent end. Cacti becoming the new SandWing advisor was evidence enough of a replacement, yet no one seemed to question Tumbleweed's disappearance. Why hasn't anyone asked about Tumbleweed's whereabouts or condition? The lack of concern festered in Ventifact's mind, like obsidian tendrils unfurling in a crystalline pool. Neither the Talons of Peace, the council, nor Nebula had mentioned him. It was as if the entire kingdom had forgotten. Perhaps Tumbleweed had simply withered away, an irrelevant dragon lost to time. But Ventifact couldn't let go of him. The thought of no one caring enough to look for Tumbleweed cast a heavy pall over her heart
"I am not suggesting anything bad happened to him," Cacti said, her voice faltering as she tried to clarify. "It's just that I—"
Queen Ventifact raised her talons, her eyes fixed elsewhere, not meeting Cacti's gaze. She gestured with a commanding sweep of her hands, signaling for Cacti to cease speaking.
"I... I must take a moment to cogitate on this," Ventifact declared, her voice laden with gravitas. Her head inclined as she grasped her stuffed snake, lost in rumination. Her eyes clouded with melancholy as she pondered theory after theory, striving to uncover any plausible rationale for Tumbleweed's continued well-being.
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