An icy breeze whistled through Zoltar’s ears as he flew over
the lush landscape.
It was almost dark by now, the sun having set behind them
long time ago. Only the faint whisper of yellow clinging to the horizon told of
what had come before it. Many peaks still remained before they reached the open
savanna, but with the rate at which the light was fading, they would have to
find a place to spend the night before they’d reached it.
They’d been flying for almost an hour, passing a few
scattered villages carved from the forested slopes along the way. It had been
many heart beats since he’d seen the last one though and he assumed that they’d
cleared the Wind Talon part of the mountains.
“We’ll need to land soon,” Voltron’s deep rumble of a voice
broke through the silence as the Lightning Talon slowed to a glide.
“Don’t you think we should try to reach the grasslands
before resting?” Oren asked, glancing below them, “It’s not really ideal for us
to land here.”
Zoltar scanned the ground below. Oren was right. Sharp
spikes of rain worn rock jutted from the trees coating the steep mountain
slopes. Landing would be difficult and even with his night vision, the thick
tree cover would all but render his surroundings pitch black.
“It’s getting too dark to navigate. We’ll have to find a
place to rest until first light,” Voltron continued, studying the ground below.
“What if I took the lead?” Zoltar asked, wincing at the look
Voltron gave him, “I can see well enough to lead us to the grasslands. It
should only take a few more hours. We could find a place to rest then.”
Voltron let out a low growl, but Oren interjected, “Oh that
would be great. I really don’t want to try to land in that.”
He pointed at the ground with a flick of his tail.
Voltron snapped at Oren, his white teeth flashing despite
the lack of light.
“What?” Oren almost yelped, ducking away from Voltron, “He
can see better than us. Besides what’s he going to do anyway, run away with the
tail casing still on?”
“Fine,” Voltron snarled, casting the Wind Talon a glare,
before whipping his head around to face Zoltar, “But don’t try anything Shadow
Talon. A fall from this height would be fatal.”
He lashed his tail, the sleep barbs on the end bristling. Zoltar
knew exactly what he’d meant.
“Yes Sir,” he said, dipping his head as he swooped into the
front.
…
Zoltar wasn’t sure how long they’d been flying for when he
caught the glimpse of grasslands spreading out over the horizon, but he guessed
that it had to be midnight. The moon was at its highest point, it’s milky rays
casting the distant savanna in shades of silver and shimmering blues.
“We’re nearly there. I can see the end of the mountain
range,” Zoltar called out, looking over his shoulder at the two dragons
following close behind him.
The breeze carried away most of the words, but he was sure
he heard Oren say something along the lines of “finally” and “I told you he
could do it”.
There was no mistaking the rumble that imitated from Voltron
though, as he cast the young Wind Talon a scowl and swooped into fly beside
Zoltar.
“Where,” he asked potently, his massive wings pounding the
air around Zoltar.
“Look for the reflection of the moon on the grass just
beyond those peaks,” Zoltar said, trying not to flinch away from the Lightning
Talon as he pointed to the horizon.
It took a moment, but Zoltar could see when Voltron spotted
it. He seemed to relax and his wing beats became slower.
“Good job,” he said, shrugging as if it were nothing before
dipping back to fly besides Oren.
…
Before long, the three dragons cleared the last of the
mountain range and soared out onto the vast open grasslands. The thin blades
danced in the cool moonlight as if listening to a song that only the night
could hear.
Zoltar slowed to a glide, dropping back beside Voltron and
Oren, “Do you want to land? It should be easy enough now that we are out in the
open.”
“No,” Voltron said, much to Zoltar’s surprise, “You’ve shown
that you can be trusted…at least enough to navigate for us. If we continue
flying at the rate we are, we will reach Viper Rock by late morning tomorrow.
Besides it will be easier to cross these plain tonight. Coming morning, we’ll
have to deal with the sun and it can get blistering hot out here.”
The Lighting Talon cast a glance at Oren as if expecting an
argument, but the Wind Talon was silent as he stared out at the horizon, his
eyes filled with excitement and wonder.
“Very well,” Zoltar couldn’t help, but smile as he banked
around and took up head position again. Voltron trusted him…well at least a
little anyway.
The heavy drum of wings against the sky filled Zoltar’s ears
as the three dragons flew into the night.
…
Zoltar’s wings were growing heavy by the time the first
blade of sunlight pierced the darkness hanging over the land. They’d flown
straight through the night.
At first Zoltar’s wings beats had matched those of his
companions, but by the time the stars had begun to fade, he’d found himself
having to push harder and harder to keep pace with the larger winged Wind
Talons. He now realized how greatly he’d underestimated their speed and
stamina.
As the sun slowly climbed, the sky growing brighter with
every passing moment, Zoltar realized how far they’d flown over the night. The
Wind Talon Mountains were a distant blemish in the sweeping grasslands behind
him and up ahead he could see the coiling head of Viper Rock. They were almost
there.
A deep purr of content radiated from HIM as the sun brushed
his damp scales, seeping into them and driving out the night’s cold.
Voltron, who was flying just a wings beat behind him, now
soared up to glide beside him. The new light bounced off his azure blue scales,
causing them to shimmer like ocean waters.
“I think I can take the lead now,” Voltron said, beating his
wings to cut in front of Zoltar.
“Yes Sir,” Zoltar whispered, dropping back. He’d hoped the
Lighting Talon would have warmed up to him a little given his help, but he
seemed as cold as ever.
“Just a little way to go,” Oren said happily, popping up to
fly beside him.
Zoltar almost missed a wing beat, startled by the young Wind
Talons sudden appearance.
“Don’t let Voltron get you down,” He continued as he flexed
his back spines, “You saved us a lot of time. Without you, we would have had to
land for the night and would only have made it to Viper Rock by early evening
at best. Just give him some time. He takes a while to open up to new dragons,
but he’s not so bad once you get to know him.”
He winked, brushing wings for a moment before speeding up to
fly beside Voltron.
Zoltar smiled as he watch Oren. The young dragon was
beginning to grow on him.
As they flew, the warmth of the sun grew, beating down on
Zoltar’s black scales. The initial comfort it had brought him was now replaced
with an energy sapping heat that beat down on him without mercy. Even the
lighter colored Wind Talons seemed to be feeling the burn of the sun, panting
as they flew.
As the silhouette of Viper Rock neared, Zoltar found his
stomach beginning to form a knot. How would Shriken react to seeing Voltron and
Oren? Would he even allow Zoltar to explain before attacking or fleeing? What
would happen when he realized that Felistia wasn’t here? It hadn’t exactly been
the original plan for Zoltar to meet him rather than his sister. He didn’t even
like him. He’d only tolerated Zoltar because Felistia had made him.
Zoltar gritted his teeth, trying not to focus of the
insufferable heat on his scales.
What if the Ice Talon wasn’t there at all? Had he even made
it out of the Ice Kingdom? Shiler knew that her jewels had been stolen by now
and after what he’d seen of her, he could only imagine how she’d reacted. Had
Shriken even managed to contact the Wings of Freedom? What if he didn’t have
any news? What would Zoltar tell the Wind Talon Queen then?
“Stop,” Voltron’s rumbling voice abruptly cut through Zoltar
thoughts and brought an end to his growing panic. It was time.
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