The Silver Reckoning

Chapter 39: To Be as One

The sun was slowly beginning to set in the horizon, casting its long shadows over the valley and sending a pulse of orange, yellow and purple through the sky. The green glossy trees glowed softly in the dying light, their leaves swaying like waves as the night breeze washed down from the mountains. There was movement throughout the valley as many a dragon slowly made their way to the abandoned caves scattered along the range. Others were going to be forced to spend the night in the open sky, as there weren't enough caves for the entire army.

A shining mirror-like light moved slowly through the air, catching many glances from down below. Silver let out a soft sigh. The afternoon sunset was a beautiful sight from the valley, but it was also insanely annoying. She could feel the glare of the sun against her shell, and was forced her to squint slightly.

She glided down to her old cave and landed in the shadiest spot she could find. Almost instantly the glare disappeared. She felt herself relax, but didn't move to go into the cave just yet. Instead she sat down on the edge of the cliff leading down into the valley, and simply admired the view.

She remembered this sight. This used to be one of her favourite spots to think back when she lived in the valley. The only reason she didn't use it much was because of her brothers, constantly moving in and out. And her mother, constantly asking what she was thinking about.

With a growl she shook her head, not wanting to get too immersed in memories of the past. She needed to be focusing on the future. It was difficult to believe that, one way or another, tomorrow would be the end of A.O.D.H. For a long time the dragon hunting organisation had been apart of Silver's life. Her father had grown up there, before he escaped, and they had always been on the edge of everyone's minds. But, finally, they would be no more.

A dark purple dragon flying up toward the cave caused Silver to move away from her train of thought. She smiled slightly as the drake glided in and landed beside her.

"Hey," he said, seeming a little solemn.

"Hey," she replied, tilting her head, "Everything alright."

He responded with a slight smile of his own, "Yeah, just wanting this all to be over."

Silver nodded her head in agreement, "I think we all are."

Retrix turned to sit beside her, looking out over the valley. She watched him for a moment, wondering what he was thinking about. It was obvious something was bugging him, but she couldn't quite figure out what. She knew it wasn't the nerves caused by the pre-battle adrenaline.

"Hey," she said, gaining his attention, "Follow me. There is a place I want to show you, a place I used to go to a lot as a hatchling."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I had a lot of fun there. It helped me pass the time quickly," she smiled.

"I wouldn't mind that," he responded.

The two of them took off into the air, Silver quickly taking the lead. The glare was instantly back on her shell, but this time she couldn't care less. It had been a long time since she had seen this place, and she couldn't help but wonder if everything there was still intact.

At first she had a little difficulty remembering where the entrance was, but when she recognised the feel of her elronium nearby it was a rather quick find. She glided down to the ground and landed softly in a small clearing near an overhang in the mountain. Retrix looked around in interest, wondering what this place was for.

"Just give me a second," Silver said as she sorted through the many fallen leaves on the ground, slightly surprised that they were still managing to hide the entrance to her secret cave.