A Promise To The Stars

Chapter Four

You're alright, keep going. The little dragon told himself, rising into the sky with zero regrets in his minds. Obsidian, the dragon who had kept him captive for so long, had finally gotten what was coming to him.

Obsidian's pitch black feathers scarred his mind, preventing him from thinking of anything else. He felt his stomach churn, as he imagined the gruesome scene if they would have stayed with him.

He'd slaughter Amber and him slowly, painfully, one by one, ripping off their limbs. The pain was unimaginable, Obsidian was truly unpredictable when angry, and any wolgan who'd dare stand near him would suffer the consequences.

Sulphur didn't feel any remorse towards him, not even a hint of it as he pushed himself forwards, his wings beginning to get tired from the flight. He and Amber had been traveling through the skies for a while now, his wings were heavy, as if he were carrying all of Tyriath on his shoulders.

"Are we almost there?" he whimpered to the wolgan ahead of him, not able to stay as strong as he wanted to be. From ahead he could barely tell that she nodded, as the sunlight was beaming straight into his eyes, and he could only see her as a dark figure looming in the distance.

Sulphur's heart was thundering against his chest, as he pumped his wings as fast as they could go, all the energy draining from his body slowly. She was already far ahead of him, swirling through the sky like a bullet.

She glanced back at him, as a blissful smile graced across her lips, and she kept moving forwards with glee, swinging left to right as if she weren't tired. He panted heavily, the wind trying to blow him back wasn't doing any good.

Her pale feathers brushed against him as she caught up to his speed, glancing over at her as she pumped her wings faster. They soared in circles around each other, and Sulphur let out a burst of fire, and it lit up the sky like fireworks.

Afterwards, he was blown back by the wind, and his wings were now sore once again. He huffed, and lowered himself to beneath her, and she kept going without a second glance. A sudden surge of pain drummed against his heart, and he then continued to fly, feeling the weight of the world press up against his back.

"The only thing that could make this worse was if Obsidian was here... or perhaps the cowardly Beryl who would lecture us to death." He muttered to himself, rolling his eyes and moving forwards again, the thoughts crowding his mind.

One kept returning back into his brain, and that was... where did Obsidian take Asteroid? When he heard him talking about her, he couldn't help but wonder where he took her. She was the only guardian that he didn't despise, and she was the one to go.

Sulphur could imagine the crimson blood red staining her killer's talons, as he glanced at her corpse one more time before abandoning it. The thought itself made chills race up and down his spine, as he hissed through clenched fangs, which made Amber look behind her to make sure he was okay.

He gave her an assuring nod, and twitched at the gory scene he had created in his mind. Surely, it wasn't true, Asteroid was alive, whether Obsidian liked it or not. That's what he told himself, eagerly wanting to know the truth behind the horrid disappearance, but that'd be his truth for now.

He gulped, and stared forwards at Amber, and wondered what she was thinking. I wish I had the powers to read minds, he said to himself, nodding to his thoughts.

A burst of happiness stirred inside of him, as he realized that Amber was now going downwards, and into the forest, in between two large trees that spiraled up into one. She landed on a branch, and swung herself downwards to meet the ground with a sigh.

Sulphur followed close behind. Finally, he thought, and dropped down beside Amber, whilst shaking the sweat off of his feathers. She then sat down, her tail wrapped around herself unsteadily, and took a final glance back at where Sulphur was, then closed her eyes whilst panting tiredly.

He straight out collapsed with a loud thump, and rolled on his side, feeling the fresh dew of the grass engulfing his feathers. He stretched his arms out, and put his head on his paws with a yawn, darkness immediately clouding his vision as he closed his eyes.

When he awoke, he felt a jolt of pain strike his temple, as he blinked up, only to see that an apple had fallen on his head. He grumbled, and blinked up at the bright green leaves that coated the rest of his vision.

Sulphur's head rolled to the side, only to see Amber who was snuggled up against him, and he felt a wave of comfort. He took a deep breath, and got up with a yawn, glancing from side to side.

She was snoring quietly, her talons grasping onto his claws. He had his wing curled up, shading over her, as he pulled her closer to him, the warmth of her feathers brushing onto his, and he felt safe. He closed his eyes once again, the soft leaves piling onto his back from above, along with the occasional apple which struck his spine.

Sulphur snorted, and felt Amber sink away from his grasp, and he let go, blinking his eyes to see her standing up. He peeked up at her eyes, a soft smile was graced across her face. She gave him an assuring nod, and started to trot across the forests floor.

He got up sorely, and stretched out his wings with a loud yawn. She giggled, and waited for him as he stumbled towards her slowly, his vision being quite groggy. He blinked at her a few times, and flicked his tail up like a scorpion, watching her pale feathers disappear into the leaves.

There were flowers dotted all around, their colours blooming into his vision, it was the most beautiful scenery he had ever witnessed, being cramped in the cave all his life. He saw Amber crawl up into the apple tree, and position herself right above him with a smug look on her face, as if she had just configured the best plan in the world, and was about to pull a prank on him. She then glanced up at the apples above her, and he gave her an uneasy look.

She knocked a few down at him, and they clunked against his head before he could even protest. She fell back in a fit of laughter, and peered down at him with a joyful expression on her face.

He grinned back, and leapt into the trees, his tail snaking behind him through the air. He swiveled his body through the snarling branches, and met her on the top. She giggled, and poked him with her talon before descending down into the labyrinth of twigs.

Sulphur grinned, and slid down the trunk of the tree, and then retreated back into the warmth of the grass. He bathed in the sunlight, rolling around in the golden rays. It felt so nice to be free for the first time in his life, away from confinement within the cave.

He sank back into the welcoming grass, stretching out his talons as they hit up against the trunk of the tree. Sulphur grunted, and took another glance up at the pale yellow dragon who was now quite far away, only her tail to be seen as it slunk up into the branches of the tree.

The breeze rushed past him, and he took a deep breath, into the fresh air, and for once, it didn't smell like granite or coal stinging his nostrils.

Smiling, he closed his eyes once again, as leaves drifted down from the branches above himself, leaving him camouflaged within the forestry. The cave's cold, harsh arms were letting go of him, and he was free now. For once, he felt happy, safe and secure in the warm embrace of nature.