Of Sand and Snow

Chapter 10: Discordant Music

(The song for this chapter is Tough Love by Avicii)

Moonwatcher walked up to the door and knocked a few times, then grabbed the handle and opened it. She immediately saw Qibli reaching for the door on the other side, with Winter in the kitchen behind him.

Winter raised an eyebrow, "Why did you knock if you were going to let yourself in anyway?"

Moon rolled her eyes, a light lilac blush on her cheeks, "I didn't know if you'd be preoccupied or anything."

"It's been five minutes!" Winter retorted, a deep blue blush now on his cheeks.

"Well... she's not wrong per se," Qibli joked, chuckling at the prince's eyes widening.

It was then that they noticed a dragon behind her, who walked in the space and gawked at everything, "Wow! This is so neat! Needs more bones."

"Nightshade?!" The two spoke in unison.

"Hello! I'm back," she paused, "or maybe not because I've never been here. But I think it still counts."

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Qibli asked.

"Oh, I've got a little issue. And I need some friends to help, for some fight-y stuff," Nightshade replied, making claw motions.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Qibli continued, his mind immediately going into strategic mode.

"Well... it all started sometime after you left," Nightshade explained.

They all gathered together in the living room to hear her tale. She explained that a gang of rogue sand wings moved into the area and claimed it as their "territory." They told her to beat it, or they'd force her out, and she refused. A close encounter with some stingers later, and she immediately flew to Sanctuary in hopes of finding them. She just reached the town and was going to ask around when she ran into Moon.

"She was just thinking about... how much she liked you as friends. And I said 'hello! I know them!'" Nightshade elaborated.

"Nightshade, we're not an army. A whole gang?" Winter exclaimed, shaking his head.

"I know, but I just thought... well, I don't have anyone else really. And I don't want to lose my home," She replied in a defeated tone, her eyes going to the floor.

"I can get in touch with Thorn, see if she could possibly help. It wouldn't do well to have gangs roaming around the lands," Qibli offered.

Nightshade immediately perked up, her tail almost wagging, "Really!? Oh, thank you thank you!"

"Before I can do that, I'd like to find out if they're anyone that she would recognize. Criminals or other nasty fiends," Qibli offered.

"Oh, right right. I remember them all being sand wings. Um, a few of them had scars and stuff, really scary looking," Nightshade continued. "Oh, and their leader was a big meanie. They called him Striker, just... bleh!" She made a face as she said his name.

Both Qibli and Winter went ghostly pale, though more noticeable on the sand wing. His wings fell to his sides and his tail uncurled. It was if his soul was torn out of his body and suddenly thrown back into it. Moon blinked, now very aware that something was wrong. She'd only seen Qibli this afraid once or twice before. Whoever this Striker was, he was someone that was significant to Qibli.

His lip quivered as he spoke, eyes alight, "How quickly would you be ready to travel?"

"Me? Oh, like... tomorrow tomorrow. Not tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow. I'm really tired," Nightshade explained, nodding rapidly.