Moonwatcher's Sister (Qibli x OC)

Chapter Eleven: Visions

Picture isn't mine

Starseeker's POV:

"I can't set you free," Moon whispered to the wall that night, after Kinkajou and Carnelian were asleep. She had told me everything she had found out while Qibli and I were hanging out.

Do I really seem evil to you, Moon? She buried her nose in a pile of moss, but I knew she couldn't hide the answer from him. No.

We don't know what really happened back then, after Clearsight and Fathom tricked me. We can't be sure the tribe ran and hid and gave up their powers because of me. I mean ... nothing I did was awful enough for that.

Moon rolled onto her back and gazed up at the ceiling while I curled up next to her. I'm too tired for this cow poop. I wanna sleep! I whined, but my complaints fell to deaf ears.

What about the things they knew you might do, in the future? Is it fair to judge me for possibly dreadful deeds I never even did? We all might do terrible things. Your friend Turtle might kill his sister. This SkyWing in your cave might smother Kinkajou in her sleep just to shut her up. The IceWings might conspire to murder Peril, or you might let a killer escape, or you might send a friend to certain death.

What are you talking about? Moon asked the question we were both thinking. Do you know what's going to happen? Have you had visions of all those things? She sat up, dislodging me from her side. Do you already know if I'm going to free you or not? He sighed.

Moon, I told you. With a prophecy gift as advanced as mine, I can see all the possibilities. I see futures where you free me, and futures where I live like this, trapped in the dark, alone, for thousands more years. All your choices spiral off into different futures. The visions you've had are only brief glimpses of the most likely outcomes; you see them about as clearly as you'd see a dark cave with one burst of flame. And they could still all change.

So you could manipulate me into freeing you, Moon pointed out causing me to groan silently. You can see exactly what you need to say to make me say yes.

A long pause.

That's not fair, Moon. What can I say to that? Anything will sound like a trick to you. But it's not manipulating you if I tell you that what I'm going through now is torture. That's just the truth. This is not what the tribe planned for me; Clearsight would not have wanted this. How can I not tell you these things, if they might convince you? However, he went on, I cannot make you do anything. You make your own choices. That, unfortunately, is the essential problem with prophecy. Every dragon has the power to choose their own future. He let out a low, sad chuckle. Except me, of course. Ironically.

You're going to haunt me for the rest of my life if I don't free you, aren't you? Moon asked.

He chuckled again. I'd argue that this is not so much "haunting" as it is "clinging desperately to my only conversational companion."

At last Moon and I fell asleep, straight into another night of dreams about the Jade Mountain Academy collapsing around us and our friends. Now Darkstalker's face from the scroll loomed over the whole nightmare. A warning? A promise? Was the fall of Jade Mountain something that would happen if she freed Darkstalker —or something that would happen if we didn't?

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

          After Carnelian woke me up from under her wing again, which seems to be how I usually wake up now, we made our ways to the music cave. Once we made it there, we met up with Moon and the rest of our Winglet, along with Anemone's.