The Dawn’s Dusk - 16. Chapter 16- Falling on Purpose

"We all gotta eat a biiiig breakfast today!"

The bustling I heard around me urged me to awaken. My newfound friends were all in squill form and were seated around a long table outside. The food spread was impressive. One of the whelps handed me a roll full of cefs. I usually disliked cefs, but I was hungry and didn't hesitate to eat them. They weren't nearly as bad as I remembered. As I bit into a second roll, I had the fleeting thought that Emery would have really enjoyed them.

When we all had our fill, I took the time to say good-bye to everyone except the Walker family. Amber and Clover even tied a small sachet of gifts around Aris Sir Walker's neck. The added weight was nothing to the alpha.

"Don't forget us, you hear?" Shire insisted from beside Violet.

"I will never forget you and all the help you've given me," I responded. "And I promise to visit!"

I shifted into my wyvern form without much difficulty. As the Walker family began to stretch for the long flight, I did the same. The muscles on the back of my legs were still sore from all the running. But my wings didn't hurt to the same degree. The stretching felt great. Sir took the lead, taking off first, with his mate, Lady, right at his side. When the whelps turned to look at me, I realized that they wanted me to go up next.

Though I lacked grace in the way I leaned upwards and flapped my wings to gain height, I soon corrected my balance and caught up to the older wyvern in front of me. A glance over the back of my wing revealed that the whelps were right behind me. All four of them watched me closely as if I'd drop out of the sky at any moment. The thought of their warm concern made me smile.

I had been told that we were on an island, but seeing it with my own eyes was an experience I'd never forget. My heart thudded in my chest when we rose higher than I had ever risen during our practice sessions. When I glanced down, I noticed how the island was massive and mountainous. The valley itself was green, but the trees at the base of the mountains were a darker green. As we flew past the stone walls, they reminded me of a clasp that held a gem in place.

I understood then why the amphipteres had chosen the isolated island as a home for elementals. It was paradise, and the view from above was breathtaking. When I finally tore my gaze away from the island, I could see the colors shifting in the sky. The hues reflected on the surface of the water and made it seem as if the ocean was a massive, living thing. Gliding towards it filled me with a thrill I hadn't felt since I was a tiny whelp. I closed my eyes as I concentrated on the wind flowing around me and my core felt light and free.

As dawn approached, I felt the now-familiar tingle beneath my scales. Any lingering nervousness I had about being out in the open sky settled down after that. All I felt was the joy of flying. The fear I carried with me was but a small speck in the back of my mind. Every time I felt the air flowing inside my expanding chest, my worries diminished. Lightning and the sky were no longer my enemies if I was able to breathe freely.

The first hour or two of flying over water and through low clouds was such a new experience that I paid no attention to any of my dull aches from the previous day. However, during the fourth hour, I began to feel a stiffness in my legs and the desire to land. I saw one of the whelps stretching and cycling his legs in the air and began to copy him. The movements provided only a temporary relief, but it helped.

Around the fifth hour, we saw the mainland in the distance, and my heart began to race. Soon. I'd be home soon. Lia began to perform aerial tricks that her brothers tried to imitate with less skill. She urged me to try, but I shook my head. In time, I might try other flying techniques. But what I wanted right then was to see Owin and Emery's faces.

When we landed in front of the gates of the estate, we shifted into our squill forms. The back of my neck and the muscles along the back of my shoulders burned as I stretched. But, I paid them no mind when I was recognized right away, and we were all urged inside. Owin and Sepherus came running out of the doors to greet us halfway.

"Rhy-Fry!" Owin cried out as he gave me the tightest hug I had ever received. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I felt his warmth. "We looked everywhere for you! A few betas said they saw you being grabbed by an amphiptere and Emery and I haven't slept this whole time, and I'm just so…"

My eyes widened as my brother slumped against me. I struggled to hold him up just as Sepherus reached out to carry him in his arms. Relief filled me when I realized he was breathing and had merely fallen asleep. A smile formed on my face when I noted Owin's mating mark. He had finally stopped running away from his own feelings. When I finally glanced up, I noted that the Vis had bags beneath his eyes, as well.

"Thank you both for worrying about me," I said before I gazed towards the open doors.

"Go. He's in his quarters," Sepherus supplied with a smile.

'Thank you,' I mouthed before rushing inside, taking the stairs two at a time, until I arrived at the Eld's room. I burst through the door, likely giving the poor Scholar a heart attack. But he was ready for me by the time I leapt into his arms. The chair he had been sitting in clattered onto the floor.

"My Enthale," he whispered in a broken tone of voice. "Have I finally succumbed to sleep? If this is a dream, I don't wish to awaken."

"This is no dream," I insisted as I wiped away my tears of relief. "I'm home."