Kingdoms Falling

Chapter 2

Art by DragonNeverLoves
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"GALE!"

Meadow sprinted across the sand-blasted shore, holding his wings up high as the grains showered down upon his back. He shifted his gait, letting the waves crash up against his legs as he ran. The sea mist clouded his glasses and he shook his head in the attempt to clear the lenses.

Silence greeted his call.

He breathed a tiny plume of hot air, slowing to a fast walk, wacking his tail against the water in annoyance. He turned to scowl deeply at the great wall of stone blocking the sunrise, shivering slightly as he spotted his shadow stretching across the land like an almost constant reminder that there was more to him than met the eye, a darker side that was not quite ready to come to light, and, if he had his say, never would.

"GALE DUSK!" he roared again. "I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! ANSWER!"

The wind howled and leaves floated from their perches in the distant trees, but there was no sign of the gray dragon.

Huffing, Meadow circled the shore once, and then settled down at the water's edge to wait. Paintbrushes of color streaked the sky with oranges, blues, and pinks. Daylight was upon them. There was no telling how much longer he had. It reminded him of another time, almost another life.

"I'll come back. I promise."

He had made an oath, eighteen years ago, that he would return. He promised Gale that nothing would happen to him, that he could handle himself while the older hatchling worked out a way to get him away from the Undersea Kingdom. But Gale had never come. Meadow had remained trapped on Watterlaek, and he never saw Gale again. It had been eighteen years since he'd last been there, and Meadow wondered if Gale ever really cared about him.

A stick snapped in the forest behind him. "Gale?" He wheeled around hopefully, his wings twitching, ready to throw himself around his old mentor, but the dragon standing there definitely wasn't the gray hatchling.

"Uh...no...sorry," Cloud rumbled. "Just me." His ears swiveled as his sightless gaze looked past Meadow. "You seemed upset, so I thought I could..." He stopped there, as though realizing he'd been interrupting something. "I can...go...if...if you're meeting someone. Yeah. That's what I'll do. Sorry again." He cautiously began to feel his way back up the ledge. It was a painfully slow process, and he lost his footing twice on the slippery slope.

Meadow sighed, trying not to sound too disappointed. "No, it's okay," he said. "You can stay. I don't think he's coming anyway." He shook away his gloom. He had wanted to believe that Gale was still out there somewhere, looking out for him, like he'd promised. He should have known it was nothing more than a newborn's fantasy. 

"He?" Cloud questioned, tilting his head curiously as he started down to the shore once more. "'He' who?"

"Gale Dusk," Meadow replied bitterly. "My so-called friend." He curled his wings and swept his tail closer and slumped against the sand. A few tears rolled from his eyes, and he wiped them away with a sniff. "It's probably just as well," he muttered. "He's probably just some grouchy old sea-dweller by now. He probably doesn't even remember I exist."

A large blue wing suddenly wrapped around him, and he shot his captain a sidelong glance as Cloud settled onto the sand next to him. "This is about your family, isn't it?" 

Meadow winced at the accuracy of the guess. His throat felt raw, and he couldn't form the confirmation, so he just nodded. 

"I'm surprised you haven't begun searching yet," Cloud admitted. "What, with how eager you seemed before. Is something stopping you?"