Wings of Honor: Saving Grace

Chapter 21: Losing The Battle

"Moon." I was swept almost sideways by the stormy rain. My large wingspan catching every gust threatening to flip me over. "Moon! Wait up!"
Oh. Thank you Moon. It's so nice to hear your mind again.
I felt her take a shaky breath as Jade Mountain loomed over us.
"It's good to hear you again Darkstalker."
We both landed, but Moon walked up to me. I winced as she withdrew the scroll from my pocket.
Who's this other dragon I sense with you?
My eyes widened, I shook my head, trying to motion her not to mention anything about me. Instead, she looked at me with hard eyes.
"Gracebringer is with me. She's an animus mindreader, like you."
I felt the ice run over through Moon's mind. He knew.
They all knew now.
While Marvin would've preferred someone as powerful as me to remain a secret advantage, I didn't think I would have been betrayed by one of his best friends.
"Moon." I started.
Is she dangerous? Darkstalker said over me. His deep and lumbering voice sounding like centipedes slithering over my disheveled grave. Just the tone alone.
"I don't know." Moon spoke honestly, meeting my eyes with a determined glare.
What else could I do but recoil at her sudden aggression. But then I had to come from her angle. To Darkstalker, Moon's friend, I was his enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and so Moon was trepidatious of me!
"I'm not a threat." I splayed my wings, letting them rest against the ground. "I just want to talk over the decision you're about to make."
Suddenly, Moon lashed out towards me, teary eyed. "YOU CAN SEE THE FUTURE! Why can't you tell ME what happens?"
I took another breath, trying to smooth it out. But she kept looking at me.
You think you know better than me, so prove it.
I don't think you should do that.
Now I was the one under scrutiny. For one: I didn't want to take a suggestion from a monster, although we aligned this time. However, Moon was angry. Part of me wanted to show her the future, to show her what allready will happen, but I also knew that if I did that, my future will be changed. For better... or worse.
Marvin's words rang through my head.
"We just have to stop him from changing the future. It doesn't matter if we tie or if we win, the future remains safe."
I remembered Scarlet's royal challenge, I saw how close Goldman was to carry out his plan. We tied then, just barely.
How do I make sure we win this time? Or at least make sure we just not loose.
Free Darkstalker, or don't. There was no middle ground this time.
Join Moon, or become an enemy.
Betray, or blindly follow.
Control my destiny, or surrender it to a someone else, maybe worse.
"Moon." I said softly, barely over the rain. "Do you really want me to show you what will happen?"
Moon just lowered her head, looking severely at me. "Yes."
"Okay." I said, out of breath.
I carefully walked up to her, reaching out my hand.
Suddenly,
NO!
It was as if the ground shook. Moon and I recoiled away from each other. I looked at her, panic stricken. She looked more confused than suprised.
"What do you mean no?" She said to him.
I can't let you do this Moonwatcher.
"Why not?" She countered before he could get another word in.
Because... because...
"Because why, Darkstalker?" Then she turned towards me. "You both have been very cryptic! You have hidden behind a mask ever since I met you, and I've been trying to do something for you." And then she looked me dead in the eye. "And you didn't even give me a choice. You left when I needed you, when Kinkajou needed you. You could've used your magic on her, but you didn't. You said it wasn't safe. We shared our visions together, but you still kept hiding from me. I can't trust either of you!"
She turned to walk away.
I stomped my foot. "Because if any of of change the future, he wins!"
Moon stopped. Time froze. It was as if a Nor'easter suddenly blanketed the entire valley in snow.
"Who?" She asked.
"Goldman." I hastily responded. "He's trying to kill you. To stop you from allying with Marvin in the future."
Moon blinked at me. "Wait. Your scavenger?"
I nodded, continuing. "We think Goldman's going to ally with Darkstalker to take over Pyrrha-"
No. Darkstalker boomed loud enough to shake my from my speech. I would never ally with a killer and murderer as bad as he.
"Shut up Darkstalker!" I stamped my foot and flared my wings, done. "I've read what you'll do. You'll betray Moon, enchant Winter, imprison her friends, and nearly extinguish an entire tribe! You're never getting out." My sight drifted back onto Moon. "Not on our watch."
But that outburst triggered Moon again. She spread her wings and flew off with Darkstalker's scroll once more.
"Moon!" I chased after her. Following her further where she finally found a grassy space on the side of another nearby mountain. Jade Mountain was still relatively close by.
But I couldn't land there immediately. I was too big for a safe landing. I did a low pass, just so she knew I was there, then found a large enough space for me to attempt landing. Flaring, and then pulling my wings in as much as I could, I practically dropped out the sky. The ground gave way a little under my weight, but I found purchase with my claws and started making my way up the mountain towards Moon.
Only now, Darkstalker's tone changed. This wasn't the neutral and collected voice anymore, this voice was argumentative, displeased, and even concerned.
Not good.
As I got closer, and more into my effective range, I heard Moon's voice cracking under his scrutiny. A wave of sorrow and sadness suddenly rose to meet me, instantly causing my eyes to tear. I blinked them away and kept climbing, I tried to control my breathing, but the emotions were still running through me as clear as the dawn behind us. When I finally emerged over the top, I found Moon curled up in a circle, leaning over the scroll layed out in front of her. She was reading so intensely, she barely even registered me.
Moonwatcher, don't. Don't read that. You shouldn't read my scroll. It's not all good.
I brushed his voice away, turning my attention back towards a crying Moon. I heard her soft sobbs, I saw the small, glistening tears tool down her cheek and down her snout, drippling onto the tan, aged paper.
"Moon." I softly spoke out.
She turned her head slowly to me, and now I truely saw her sorrow. Tears ran down from her eyes. Real tears this time. Eyes half closed, her brow crunched up visibly, and her entire body tense, even to the tip of her tail curled around her front claws. She was in terrible pain, and enveloped in sadness and guilt. I had to part this wave of emotion just so I could get to her. It was like fighting against a tsunami, greater than the world could even imagine. Trying to stop a planet, a star, a-whole-damn solar system.
But I tried anyways.
I wrapped my wings around her, trying to carry off even just a part of her darkness onto my back. I let my colors shift from reds, to whites, to pale greens, to blue. But I stayed. I stayed with her.
Her world shattered around us, but we held each-other firmly. I whispered it's okay to her. If I could take off some of Darkstalker's assault, I did. I shielded her with myself, until the worst assault had passed. It felt like an eternity compressed into only two or so minutes, but we held.
I held her.
When she finaly managed to blink away the tears, to shift her neck, and look me directly in the eye, she sighed. She hung her head, letting it lay on the soft grass, tickled with dew.
"I..." she began, "I thought he was a friend. I thought he was someone I could learn from. I... thought... he could teach me to use my powers for good."
But then she looked back at me. I felt the familiar sting as another wave of tears struck against the both of us.
"I don't want to hear him anymore." Moon said, looking up at me. She brushed a claw against my dangling cross. "I don't want him... anymore."
And with that, she buckled into my wing... and cried.
I cried.