Always - Moonbli

1. Butterflies and Destinies

Moonwatcher

Moon gazed at the sunset. It was so beautiful, in shades of pink, flame, violet and blue, like someone had splashed paint over the sky. She wished she could just enjoy it, carefree and problem-free, just the way she was in the rainforest alone with her mother, but no. She had a lot of problems. One problem causing all the other problems, in fact.

Darkstalker.

Moon wasn't sure what she should do. 

He's a monster, whispered a voice that sounded like Winter's in her head. He killed his own father. You shouldn't trust him. Moon knew this was true. She had heard all the millions of thoughts about Darkstalker when he first arrived at the Night Village. All the hostile, furious, terrified thoughts radiating from the NightWings. She had heard all the ghost legends, the childhood fears, the wild nightmares, all of them featuring Darkstalker. How every single NightWing had been afraid that he would crawl out of the earth and kill them all for revenge.

Which he did.

Well, not the revenge. But he did crawl out of the earth (more like split apart a mountain, anyway) and suddenly appeared in the flesh. And then all the terrible things he'd supposedly done started replaying in the black dragons' minds. He was the reason they left their perfect kingdom, the reason they were starving and powerless, the reason they now had a RainWing for a queen. Yet there was a part of them that couldn't help trusting him.

Just like how Moon felt.

Which was worrying. If he did start murdering everyone, would she stop him or would she help him? Would she get so tangled in his web that she would start believing everything he did was right? Moon hoped not. She hoped she would be the kind of dragon who would stop Darkstalker, even if he was one of her closest friends, in order to save Pyrrhia. At least, she thought she would do that.

Moon sighed. This was so confusing. If only she had someone who could help her sort out this mess - wait. Kinkajou! The little RainWing could help her! Moon completely forgot that Kinkajou was alive and well. I can ask Kinkajou to tell me what to do, thought Moon happily. She might not have a straightforward plan, but she still is a lot of help. If I can find her, anyway. Moon hadn't seen her best friend for days, not after she told Kinkajou to sneak around the Night Kingdom.

Moon turned away from the horizon. Now she was facing the Night Kingdom. It must have been a wonder in its day. But right now, all of it was in ruins. Shambling, crumbled, overgrown ruins. Moon heard the faraway voices of NightWings calling to each other and saw small black shapes flitting over the Great Diamond, where Darkstalker probably was. 'Oh, you're so pretty,' said a voice right in front of her, making her jump. Who in the name of the three moons was that? Moon squinted at the air. There was no one, as far as she could see. Only a lovely red butterfly fluttering around a dandelion. The butterfly flapped away from the yellow flower and smashed into thin air. Thin air that yelped and shimmered into a small yellow dragonet.

'Kinkajou!' Moon cried, delighted. The RainWing had been staring indignantly at the dazed butterfly, but now her attention turned to Moon. 'Huh - MOON!' Kinkajou flung her wings joyfully around the NightWing. 'You were doing that NightWing thing, melting into the shadows! I didn't even know you were there!' she chirped happily.

Moon returned Kinkajou's goofy smile. 'I'm so glad to see you,' she said, relieved. 'I really need your help.' Kinkajou grinned. 'Oh, sure, no "hi, how are you, doing great, thanks", just "ack I need help now now now please",' she cracked. Moon laughed. She had really missed the fun RainWing dragonet's enthusiasm and jokes. 'Yes, I'm good, thanks for asking, but I've got a problem.' 'Hmm,' said Kinkajou thoughtfully. 'A giant all-powerful mostly evil nightmare murderer who rose from the earth?' Moon sighed. 'Yes, the giant all-powerful mostly evil nightmare murderer who rose from the earth.' 'What do you want me to do about that?'

'Well, I need advice. I need to know if he's really the dangerous nightmare dragon or just one of my friends. That's where you come in. You need to sneak around the Night Kingdom and stay close to him to figure out his motives. Anything suspicious you need to tell me, Kinkajou. I have to know if we want Pyrrhia to be safe. And please be careful. Be very, very careful. Don't you dare die, or get hurt, or -' 'Oh, STOP THE SILLY NAGGING, MOON. Don't be a worrysnout. I can take care of myself just fine, even though your worrying is a bit sweet,' said Kinkajou, rolling her eyes. 'But what if -' 'BYE I'M LEAVING.' 

The RainWing turned around and leaped into the air, shimmering and disappearing before Moon's eyes. She sighed. 'Bye, Kinkajou. Please be careful. See you again, she whispered to thin air. Moon stretched her wings and forlornly stared at the red butterfly, who had resumed its pursuit of the dandelion. Oh, Kinkajou, she thought sadly. I wish you could stay longer.

Moon turned to the sound of light, silvery music drifting from the Night Kingdom. She decided to check it out on the notion that it would be way more interesting than just moping around. The NightWing spread her wings and soared into the sky, the starry silver underscales on her wings shining brightly. After flying for a few minutes, she was circling over the Great Diamond, as Darkstalker called it.

The music was coming from five NightWings at one corner of the square. They were playing on an array of stringed instruments, creating a lovely, light melody. Delicious scents from cheese, fruit, roasted boar, potatoes and other delicacies were rising from a long table at another side. Stringed colourful lanterns cast pink, blue, yellow, red and green light onto the stone. Dragons whirled around in the middle of the Great Diamond, twirling and thumping their tails to the music.

It looked like some sort of party.

Moon touched down in the centre of the dancing dragons. She hurried on with her wings folded by her side, trying to look as small and inconspicuous as possible, as she had tried for the few months she was in the Rain Village and the couple of days at Jade Mountain Academy. It wasn't working very well. Dragons gave her suspicious, wary glances as she edged past them, and some stopped dancing to watch her nervously creep past them. She wasn't popular before, and she certainly wasn't now, what with her powers and bringing back 'the Darkstalker'.

Moon quickened her already fast pace and darted throughout the partying NightWings, heading straight for a tall building with large windows. It had fallen into disrepair over the course of the past two thousand years, but most of it was still standing. This was her favourite place in the whole Night Kingdom.

The library.

Moon sighed with relief when she finally shut the oak doors behind her and couldn't hear the shouting, laughing and music from outside. She breathed fire into a small lantern sitting on a oak desk and, with it dangling from her claws, flew to the highest shelves where the most salvageable scrolls were. There were only a few, most of them being taken to the volcano island, but the ones there were quite helpful, exciting and interesting themselves.

Moon relaxed for the first time that day and flitted around the shelves, picking out the scrolls she wanted, and then flew down to a corner of the library. She slipped outside, clamped her claws on a soft purple rug, dragged it back in and curled up on it.

Okay, Destiny, she thought. I'm ready for you.