Chapter 23

Hide gestured for Suna to follow him, sneaking glances at Takashi every so often, as he trailed the three dragonets.

Hide looked up into the sky, noticing the sun was setting, and fast. He quickly darted forward, once the Sand'Tail kingdom was on the horizon. The four dragonets began flying faster, as Hide's wings beat as fast as they could.

"Hide! Slow down! We can't keep up with your speed!" Tsuki called.

Takashi had a blank expression; once his eyes met Hide's, he shrugged, and beat his wings faster, flying under Tsuki, and Suna. He bumped under their talons as he drifted beneath them. Tsuki looked down, seeing Takashi, and his wide wingspan. Hide heard her wingbeats stop, and only heard Suna, and Takashi's.

"Suna, there's just enough room for you to take a break. It's fine, I can carry you both." Takashi offered.

"No, It was only the feathered one who needed a break. I simply like falling behind so it looks like I'm forcing you three to the Kingdom. Although by now, the outriders are headed back to their dens. If you look at the ground, from above; it looks like the dunes are moving. It's only Sand'Tails moving for their dens." Suna explained.

"Why not just fly?" Tsuki asked.

"Our shadows. If there were any enemies in the dunes, and saw the shadows of who they were there to assassinate, they'd have an easy way to go in for the kill." Suna replied.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. But why not just bury and dig your way through the sands?" Tsuki asked.

"Too much work," Suna answered.

Hide looked down, to see Suna correct. Below them, he saw the dunes seemingly slithering, like snakes the golden color of the sands was slithering slowly toward the castle in the distance.

"I see the den, you guys ready to land?" Hide called back.

"Yep We're good" Takashi replied.

Upon those words, Hide quickly dove down, catching Suna off guard. He quickly shot down, keeping pace with Hide effortlessly. He watched Hide carefully, as he made his landing into the small pool outside of Tai's den. Suna landed with grace, like how Tai had landed before. His wings were slightly spread, and his tail was brushing some sand off of his talons and legs. Hide watched in awe as he cleaned himself up. He looked like a glorified salamander with wings, but he couldn't help but stare. It was like he was commanding the continent's attention.

Takashi quickly landed by being pelted into the ground at his speed. His spread talons didn't help him stand or walk properly in sand, unlike Hide, and Suna, who had webbed talons for easy sand walking. Tsuki simply walked like it was second nature. His large wings were able to help him slow down, but he got a good mile away from the den because of his talons, and speed.

"Takashi, are you sure you don't want us to get you something to help you walk on sand? Maybe a thick leaf from a tree? You can't just crawl everywhere." Tsuki said, a pitying look on her face.

"I'm perfectly fine. Unlike you fancy dragonets, I wasn't raised to land gracefully, I was raised to land functionally. I can't really do that in the sand when it moves all the time and gets stuck in my ears, and just- ugh- It's disgusting." Takashi complained.

"Well, one would say that mud is disgusting for the same reasons." Hide said, stretching his flowy tail out.

"I mean, they weren't comfortable, but they kept us safe. The other dragonets and I would practice landing and slide on it. Even emergency slides and dives were a daily ritual for our practices." Takashi said, stumbling his way into the den, which had begun to glow it's beautiful pinks, oranges, blues, and yellows in the dark.

The dragonet simultaneously looked around the den, and it's beautiful flora, and greenery along the walls, which were hard to see in the daylight, as they recharged their colors.

"You sounded like a fun dragonet to hang out with." Hide said sarcastically, as he looked out the den, seeing the three moons rising. One in the east, west, and northern directions.

Tsuki shivered, then got up to drag Takashi into the den.

"I know you can't walk, so I'll help," Tsuki said.

She quickly walked up, and dragged the large dragonet into the den, just barely. Hide got up with a groan, and dragged Takashi the rest of the way inside.

"Honestly Tsuki, should I make sure to save you extra on our meal runs so you can grow?" Hide asked.

"Don't sound so cruel. My family grows slowly." She protested.

"I thought you didn't know your family?" Hide asked, a smug look on his face.

"I don't. Arison said he knew my mother but also said that she was in a bad state of mind. He even said that she grew very slowly, and looked like a two-year-old dragonet when she was four. Maybe slow growth runs in the family." She said.

"Can't you see he's manipulative? He's a shit father and an even worse royal guard." Hide snapped.

Takashi swatted Hide's face with his barbed tail. When he looked up, Takashi had a warning glare in his eyes.

"Don't test the waters of my patience. It only goes so far upstream." He snarled.

"Yeah, like you know anything about water." Hide spat.

"Um. Is anybody cold? I'm very warm, you know." Suna offered, breaking the silence between the boys as they stared at each other.

Hide looked over to Suna with a smile, and nodded. He got up and slowly walked over to Hide, seeming to wait for Takashi to settle down, as he cautiously looked at him.

As Takashi sat down next to Tsuki, Suna sat, looking pleased, his warmth radiating off of him like the sun rays from earlier in the day.

"Thanks." Hide whispered.

"Anytime. I know how cold this place gets for normal dragonets. I'll stay as long as you need me." He replied, smiling.

Hide soon looked out of the den, setting his head on the cool sand. He realized it had been a while since he slept, or ate last. His thirst was killing him, and he just needed to rest to take his mind off of things. In his peripherals, he saw Suna setting his head on his talons, as he looked outside as well. Looking to his left, he saw Tsuki, who had fallen asleep, and Takashi who looked beat, and on the brink of sleeping. Closing, and quickly opening his eyes constantly. Hide curled into his wings, and began falling asleep. He could feel the lids of his eyes become heavy, and at that moment, he thought of his home. The Kingdom of Night, which was probably going frantic in his absence. Arison and Queen Kastra were probably losing their minds. If Hide remembered how Kira had acted, he was probably driving Arison away from the Night Kingdoms' allies, instead pushing him to check places like the Kingdom of Ice.

When he woke, he noticed Kira nudging him.

"You left me behind. You abandoned me, Master Hide." He said, his wings drooping.

"I found him passed out in the middle of the desert, being covered by sand, when I was off getting food. He told me about what happened the last time you two had interacted. He said by the time he had woken up, it was morning, and you all were gone. He apparently left to go find you and was greeted by the heat. He went further in the south and had been so exhausted from flying, and the heat, as well as stress, that he just collapsed, and woke up when I had come out this morning for breakfast." Suna explained.

"I looked everywhere for you, your highness. I couldn't find you at all. Where have you been? Arison would kill me if he had found me with you, but I needed to make sure you were safe, sir." Kira pleaded, his talons glued together with pleads.

"Damn right, you worthless pile of scale and bones." A voice called from outside the den.

Hide looked up sharply, seeing Arison, and his guards standing outside of the den, pure rage in his eyes. He watched as Arison scanned the room before his eyes landed on Tsuki.

"Tsuki? Is that you?" He asked, a spark rising in his eyes.

She looked at him, clenching her jaw tightly.