The World Turning

Chapter 23: The World Is Yours

Winter flew into the bright light while shielding his eyes until eventually the shine faded. He felt lukewarm air surrounding him as he smelled the scents of old stone and lavender. He opened his eyes to see a gray tinted sky covered by dark clouds, and a kingdom made of stone. One that appeared to lay within a mountainous area.

Winter gasped with realization as he figured where they were at. "This must be the Night Kingdom!" He looked around wearily to see that the landscape looked different than when he was here months ago. It seemed much more lived in and less dusty than when Darkstalker had brought the NightWing's from the rainforest here. And he also noticed there were many more buildings here than there was before. Large stone buildings dotted the sides of cliffs and ravines, and linen banners draped over what looked like small homes that littered the area. A lot of the buildings were also colored with pale shades of blue, violet, and brown. Not exactly the Night Kingdom Winter remembered. "What's going on here?" Winter asked while landing next to a nearby shady tree. "Are we in the past?"

"Yes, and no." Lunae quickly answered. "It seems more likely that the area we are currently inhabiting is a memory. One created from Darkstalker's recollection of his old home land."

"So he hasn't turned back the clock yet?" Winter let out a sigh of relief. "But if this is a memory of his then..."

"He should be here." Lunae finished Winter's sentence. "But something feels strange."

"Yeah. I don't hear or see any signs of other dragons around. It's as if the place is completely devoid of life despite looking lived in." The IceWing said with a nervous glance around the location.

Lunae also proceeded to take a glance around. "Maybe Darkstalker was successful in tempering his emotional stability when he passed through The Embryo? We should look for him."

Winter nodded and started to fly around the town while keeping his wing flaps as silent as possible. Although he figured that may have been pointless when he recalled Darkstalker's ability to see the future. "I really hope our meeting doesn't end in a battle." Winter gulped as he scanned the area for any sign of the massive dragon.

"What exactly do you think you're going to say to him? The dragon was willing to eliminate your whole race. If you plan on trying to negotiate with him then you may be the worst possible candidate for the job."

"I know, but I have to try!" Winter looked on sorrowfully. "I... Don't want to kill anymore. Even a dragon like him. Besides, there's some good in him. He did return the two dragonets safely to us, remember?"

"Yes. Although it is very likely he did so out of guilt for his mother's death. Our last encounter with him proved he still holds great disdain over the IceWing tribe."

"Maybe, but that just means I have to be prepared to defend myself. I'm not going to attack him unless provoked, and that's it!"

"Ok. If that's truly what you wish then so be it. This will be a trial for us all I assume." Winter thought it sounded like Lunae was only willing to compromise due to his trust in him.

"Thank you Lunae. I promise we'll come out of this ok!"

Winter continued to fly around until he eventually came into view of a rather large looking plaza area. The plaza itself was surrounded by what looked like stores, vendors, and social meeting area's as well as a large looking platform in the center that most likely served as a stage for speeches or concerts. The plaza also split off into four sections that each led to a large building. Winter recognized one of them as the Night Kingdom's library. But most noticeable was the silhouette of a large dragon flying around the northern entrance.

Darkstalker! Winter quickly landed near a small unassuming stretch of trees as he watched Darkstalker land on the center of the plaza's platform. The ancient NightWing then looked up at the sky before Winter noticed that the clouds overhead were beginning to move seemingly out of Darkstalker's line of sight. It was as if they were making way for him to join them up there.