Always - Moonbli

10. Prophecies and Peaches

Qibli

Qibli had been getting more frantic by the second.

He was even more panicked than Winter, who'd been pacing, randomly taking to the air and worrying ever since his cousin and Moon had gone to scout for a cave that they could sleep in. That was a long while ago. Now the moon was out and shining brightly above them.

Kinkajou and Turtle seemed relatively calm, but even they started to look anxious when the sun dipped out of view. By then, both Qibli and Winter were raving, thinking up possibilities that you can only think up in the most extreme state of nervousness.

So you had to excuse him when he practically screeched as soon as he saw the two of them emerging from the darkness unscathed. 

'Calm down, I'm fine! Honestly, Winter, get off me!' whined Nightfrost, batting away her overprotective cousin brother with her talons. She threw her wings around him, anyways, grinning at his relieved expression. 

Qibli immediately went over to Moon, all of his worry and happiness probably showing on his face as clear as water. She definitely noticed it because she was smirking at him in a most un-Moon-like way. Nightfrost had been teaching her. 

'What took you so long?' he cried. And without thinking, without waiting for an answer, he wrapped her in a hug.

She stiffened before relaxing and hugging him back. Qibli drifted away for a bit in her warm embrace, and then broke away. 'Aw, look who's happy to see me,' she teased. 'Shut up,' mumbled Qibli, mortified at himself. He was seriously thinking about yelling, look over there! and escaping while she was distracted, but was saved of the embarrassment by Kinkajou.

The RainWing leaped at Moon and barreled her over, sending them both crashing onto the ground. 'Moon!' Grinning, Qibli left the NightWing to untangle herself from the pineapple-loving rainbow explosion and went over to where Nightfrost was describing what had happened.

Moon and Kinkajou joined them at the part where Moon fell into quicksand, and they passed around food as they listened, enthralled. 'Can I have the scroll?' asked Winter finally. Nightfrost fished around in her ice-dagger sheath for a moment and handed over an ancient, musty scroll.

Qibli leaned over Winter's shoulder and read it. When he finished, he looked up, feeling part excited and part worried. Also part resigned to the fact that he and his friends were definitely the ones to stop Nightmare and Darkstalker in one fell swoop. 

'If this qualifies as good news for us, we really need to see a doctor,' he joked weakly, just to break the silence. Winter rolled his eyes and Kinkajou snorted. 'So, do we leave now?' asked Turtle, fiddling with his skyfire armband. 'I guess we do,' replied Moon.

They didn't manage to find a cave to sleep in so the Jade Winglet slept out in the open, the cool night air doing nothing to help anyone except the IceWing cousins. At dawnbreak they were up and ready to go, and since they had eaten the previous night, no one was really very hungry.

Except Turtle.

Anyways, they continued towards the Claws of the Clouds Mountains until mid-morning, when they rested near a large river.

That was when Moon began spouting a prophecy.

They were sitting in a loose semi-circle, all of them deep in thought, when Moon suddenly cried out in pain. 'Moon?' asked Qibli anxiously, rising to his talons. The NightWing didn't reply, just whimpered and crouched down.

Her eyes turned glassy and gained a faraway look. 'Moonwatcher!' hissed Nightfrost. It dawned on Qibli that somehow, during their little side-adventure, the princess and the NightWing became friends. But that thought was pushed out of his mind by sheer worry as Moon straightened up.