[center][h1]Chapter 20[/h1]
[h2]5019[/h2][/center]

        “AAAAAH, STAY AWAY FROM ME!!” Moonlight suddenly yelled at the top of her lung and curled into a ball at the far end of the cavern.
        Tidal stood there, shocked, she had never seen her react like that before. As she took a step closer, Moonlight let out a sharp but almost-cute yelp and curled tighter, shivering visibly.
        The SeaWing just stared at her. For all her years under Queen Coral, she had always known what to do or say. Even back in Night City, even when her emotions took over and she cried. Even then, her mind had worked overtime to proceed and get back on her feet.
        But here, it felt like she was frozen in place. Had it been any other dragon, she would have been able to talk to them, hug them or punch them depending on the situation. Now it seemed like she had lost control.
        The previous day when they left Night City, they were all happy and relaxed. Moonlight said she enjoyed not feeling the oppression from DarkStalker anymore, although she did point out that she missed his conversation and quirkiness. Tidal was sure back then she would make up for it, her sassiness could overcome anything.
        She wasn’t certain anymore.
        Moonlight was in distress and she had to help but she couldn’t come up with any idea to remediate the situation. She looked like she was afraid of Tidal, but why?
        The SeaWing tried to gently murmur to her but Moonlight refused to reply and when she offered to cast a spell to help with getting better, the black dragoness shrieked as if she had been violently hit and threw her back against the wall as if she had wanted to climb it backward.
        Tidal hastily took a step back and Moonlight calmed down, her wings drooping by her sides which heaved under her erratic breathing.
        Reluctantly, she walked out of the cave, keeping an eye on her for as long as she could.
        Maybe she just could cast a spell on Moonlight without telling her, just a small one, it doesn’t have to do much, just protect her, cure whatever disease she got... One that when she would explain to her, she would understand...
        “[i]No Tidal![/i]”, she slammed her claws in the sand, “[i]You cannot break her trust like that, she would never forgive you...[/i]”
        The SeaWing dragged herself next to the firepit and flopped on the ground.
        “[i]At least,[/i]” she thought, “[i]I can still enchant the cave so that no one will enter it to attack her.[/i]”

        As she was circling around the firepit they built the night before, trying to find ideas of what to do next, she heard talonsteps coming from afar. She turned her head and took a defensive posture.
        A dark dragon materialized in front of the forest, it looked quite tall and she had to crank her neck up to meet the eyes of the NightWing. But before she had time to identify the incomer, a gentle voice resonated from them.
        “I came to see her, how is she?”
        It was Moon, the NightWings’ seer.
        “How... I mean, I... she is inside and is very afraid... I mean, you probably have read that in my mind already.” she reply with some bitterness in her voice.
        Moon looked at her with a smile.
        “I have learned not to invade others’ minds without their consent, even by mistake.” she said politely, “So, unless you give me full approval I will not read your mind.”
        The SeaWing stared quizzically.
        “You can trust me.” she smiled again.
        “I... guess”, she replied unconvinced.
        “And if that can reassure you, I already know [i]almost[/i] everything.”
        Tidal could feel a hint of pride and sassiness in her voice. [i]She[/i] would know about those things, she [i]was[/i] the queen of Sass after all...
        “Wh-what?” she sputtered.
        “Well, aren’t you surprised that I’m already here?” asked Moon.
        Tidal blinked unsure what she meant by that. The large dragoness was right in that she didn’t expect her but Moon was known all over Pyrrhia as being her tribe’s most prolific seer since ClearSight, according to what the SeaWing gathered from the rumors she heard... Whoever that [i]ClearSight[/i] was.
         “I guess my son’s better than I thought...” Moon continued.
        “W-who?” Tidal cocked her head.
        “My son, Sheerluck. He has been watching over you ---well, technically, over Moonlight--- ever since she left the RainForest.”
        “I guess that explains why Glory didn’t go after her then...” replied Tidal after a moment.
        Moon chuckled a little and nodded gently.
        A gust of wind disturbed the trees above them and Tidal shivered.
        “So... what now?” she asked while she stared absentmindedly at a few leaves rustling.
        “Now, you leave it to me.” Moon said as her face turned serious.
        The tall NightWing spun around then entered the cave swiftly. Tidal hesitated, maybe she shouldn't follow her...
        The wind rose again and she quickly trotted right behind her, remaining a safe distance away. 
        Moon approached Moonlight slowly and laid down in front of the curled dragoness. 
        For a brief moment, her face contorted like she was in some pain and her eyes shut tightly. When she looked up again, they had donned a milky-white veil from edge to center, where not even a single black dot tainted the now diaphanous surface, which shone brightly in the dark cave. 
        Moon turned her gaze on Tidal as if she wanted to stare at her soul and uttered in a low rumbling voice:
		
[center][i]“Beware of one whose cloak is dyed,
For what you are is what she fears.
In light and dark, resentment and anger hide,
Them choice to bring smiles... or tears.
In a scroll the answer lies,
In a scroll their demise.
For both need rescuing.
And ancient past retiring.”

~[/i][/center]

        “Well, that was er... ominous, to say th...”
        “C’mon, stop yapping and help me now!” said a voice beside her.
        Tidal didn’t notice the yellow blur which zoomed past her before it was right under Moon’s wing, as the seer was dangerously tipping to her side. The golden brown dragon was ready for it even before she could understand what was happening. And then it hit her, she had seen him when Moonlight came to confront her in the Sea Kingdom and mysteriously disappeared when Coral threatened her. What was he doing he...
        “C’mon help me, please! I cannot hold her for long.” He pleaded.
        Tidal didn’t even think, she rushed under Moon’s other wing and braced herself as the large NightWing collapsed on them, making them ploy under the weight.
        “Let’s bring her to the campfire outside.” Sheerluck said in a breath.
        Tidal nodded softly and helped him carry her as best as she could.
        Ever since she had known about NightWings and their powers, she had wondered if it would drain them mentally or physically like when she had tried doing some strong animus spells.
        Moon was pretty renowned all over Pyrrhia and even in Pantala as [i]The Greatest Seer Since DarkStalker[/i], a title that, from what Tidal gathered, she resented both for what the name implied and who it was linked to. The little SeaWing had always wanted to meet her and ask her so many questions, she wanted to know so much about it, but now was not the time and she felt annoyed that those were the circumstances under which they had to meet for the first time.
        At Sheerluck’s suggestion, they gently let her slide down on the ground and Moon grunted a bit, holding her head in her talon.
        “I haven’t had a prophecy with such strong images in a long time...” as if she had read Tidal’s mind and for a bit, Tidal almost shut herself down at the idea, before she remembered the words she had said and felt slightly better. “And to be frank, I did not wish to have those again.”
        “I didn’t think it would be so taxing to have vision.” Tidal candidly replied.
        Moon sat on her haunches and nodded to her son.
        “It usually isn’t but this one brings bad memories. The kind of which I hoped a strawberry had cleared.”
        “What?”
        “Oh er... forget I said that.” She quickly uttered waving her right wing wildly. 
        Tidal looked quizzically between Moon and Sheerluck, she wasn’t sure what to make of it. Neither looked like they wanted to give her any answer so she just shrugged it off and turned her gaze back at the cave entrance.
        Moon breathed out through her nostrils in a long winded sigh.
        “I wish I could tell you she’s going to be fine...”
        “Then tell me the truth.” Tidal interrupted.
        “She projected strong feeling of hatred and when I probed further I saw images of you.”
        “Me?” Tidal felt confused. 
        “You were... torturing her.”
        “WHAT?! I would never do that!” Tidal protested.
        “Well, that’s not what she thinks...” Moon paused and looked at the sky for a little bit. “From the bits I’ve gathered she seems to relive the same moment over and over where she is being tortured on scene by a powerful animus dragon... you.”
        “But... why? Why would she dream of...” Tidal froze as if she had figured out something very important.
        Moon looked at Sheerluck for a bit then back at Tidal. The large dragoness gently sipped on some hot liquid from half a coconut she was holding between her talons.
        “Moon,” Tidal said coldly, “if my studies are correct, you knew DarkStalker better than anyone else alive.”
        Moon blinked and put down her makeshift mug, her face looked somber and she nodded solemnly.
        “I did.” She closed her eyes and continued. “And I wished we’d finished with him, that I would never had to confront him or anything related to him anymore.”
        She grabbed a pouch from around her neck and opened it slowly. From it, she retrieved what looked like a small earring.
        “This... is what we used to save the IceWings when [i]He[/i] cast a spell on them. We were very happy when we realized that after his disappearance the effects of his spell also dissipated and no new IceWing were affected. Perhaps we were just lucky. No one knows how he formulated it...”
        Moon dropped the ring in Sheerluck’s extended talon and he rushed away to Moonlight.
        “Wait!” Tidal tried to go after him but Moon unwrapped a wing in front of her.
        “It’s better that way.” Said Moon before holding another mug for Tidal to take. “This ring was infused with a spell that blocks all of Darkstalker’s ones...”
        Tidal slowly grabbed the goblet and sipped some of the drink, it smelled like herbs and fruits and despite being hot, felt refreshing as she swallowed it. For a moment, her stress lowered and she closed her eyes. A flash of bright colors surrounded her, the blue sky above her traversed by a mighty rainbow, the ground under her talons was a nice pastel green as if it had been painted by a dragonet. When she opened her eyes again, the real colors felt dull and the atmosphere grew heavy again, she quickly drank another bit hoping to get the effects once more but when it didn’t happen, she stared back at Moon with questioning eyes.
        “I... could cast a spell to protect her, I could heal her with spells, I-I...” Tidal hesitated and Moon laid down next to her.
        “You could but that would not be wise.” Said the dragoness softly. “Right now, she fears you and your magic. The earring is not related to you so she will probably accept it better than if you go ask if you can heal her.”
        “But I co...” Tidal stopped immediately when Moon frowned at her and looked down at her claws. “Sorry, that was stupid.”
        “What she experienced was from Darkstalker’s own life. But I’m not sure how that’s possible. Sheerluck told me that she had mentioned him several times like he was addressing someone before you even arrived and it seemed to have continued after, even including you talking to them. But neither he nor I couldn’t understand what that was.”
        “Well...” Tidal looked intently at the fire. “It is indeed a spell from Darkstalker that Moonlight had discovered when she entered Night City...”
		
        The sun had almost finished its course through the sky when Tidal ended her story. She had told her everything she knew, even going as far to mentioning the book her friend was carrying.
        When she looked back at her, the large dragoness’ attitude appeared different, as if something had cleared in her mind.
        “I’m not sure, but if I understand you correctly, Darkstalker is punishing anyone who leaves his influence by reenacting the death scene of his father, Prince Arctic as themselves.”
        “Didn’t this happen right before the NightWings fled the City? How could he put this into a spell.”
        Moon raised an eyebrow.
        “Right right, animus magic, I should know...”
        Tidal contemplated her mug and Sheerluck refilled it. She turned her head to thank him and he waved a wing before sitting down in front of the fire opposite to them. The SeaWing hesitated to ask so the large NightWing intervened.
        “How is she?”
        “Better for now but she won’t accept the ring...”
        Tidal sighed softly, feeling a bit better yet slightly annoyed. She wished there was something she could do. Maybe animus magic could help but which spell to cast, if any. She can’t just cast a spell on a dragon, even to save them. Not without their consent anyway. Maybe she could try to cast one to read Darkstalker’s spell. Yes, that would be a great idea to know exactly what he wrote, she thought.
        She reached into her backpack and pulled a piece of scroll and a pencil but as she was about to start writing, a black wing gently weighted on her wrist and she stared back at Moon.
        “No more spell in front of her.” The black dragoness whispered.
        Tidal blinked twice and turned her head to the cave. Moonlight stood there uneasy, her eyes veils shining in the setting lights. She just looked as beautiful as when they were together in Night City. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to bring her back and live there... [i]No Tidal, you can’t think that![/i]
        Moon glanced at her quickly and she feared that the Seer might have read her mind and she suddenly felt uneasy and ashamed but at the same time relieved as if she had realized she needed someone else to know how she felt even though it would have been better that she had given her consent first.
        She would have to ask her later about it.
        The little black dragoness shivered a bit, her snout up in the air as if she was smelling something. She moved hesitantly towards the group and eventually sat next to Sheerluck. The SeaWing felt a tinge of jealousy over it but kept it to herself. 
        For a while, all dragons remained silent, only the winds and the birds could be heard. Tidal shivered a bit as a cold breeze came from the North, she almost expected an IceWing to appear all of a sudden. She had tried to say something but Moon had discreetly interrupted her before she could emit a sound.
        Moonlight seemed like she couldn’t face anyone as she kept looking down at her claws, her wings tightly held against her sides and her tail curled between her legs. The large dragoness and her son appeared unfazed, as if not caring although they still remained silent for the time being.
        After what seemed like a long while, the small NightWing turned her head to the larger one and after a silent exchange, Moon gave her one of the fruits that they’d gathered earlier with a little smile. Tidal felt somewhat hurt not being included in the exchange and shuffled a bit to sit better.
        Moonlight looked at her and she stared back but all she could see was the uneasiness and the fear of her constantly moving gaze. She would imagine that she couldn’t see her anymore as she used to when they were in the Night City and she wondered if it would play against her. She wanted so badly to do something to save her. Even if it meant casting a spell against Moon’s will. 
        “[i]But it’s to make things good, right? ... But who gets to decide what’s a good thing? ... And if I do this one, then dragons would always be asking for spells or they’d keep telling me my choices were wrong...[/i]”
        Thoughts were fighting hard in her mind, she wished she could just ignore them and do what her heart tells her to. She looked up at Moonlight but the dragoness had looked down again.
        “I... think I’m going to sleep again.” She said softly before raising on her legs and walking back into the cave.
        As she was about to disappear in the darkness, she stopped and turned her head, looking towards the camp.
        “Thank you for being there.”
        Then she was gone.
        Tidal looked up at Moon and as if she had read her mind again, the black dragon said:
        “Sometimes, it's just hard to tell what's good and what's just easy.”
        “I... did you just...” Tidal wasn’t sure if she wanted to be mad at her for reading her mind or thankful.
        “After a while, you don’t need to read minds to understand people.” Moon replied in a soft voice. “Good night, Tidal.”
        “G-good night.” She hesitantly uttered.
        Fighting her urges to get back in the cave, she reluctantly clawed at the ground to soften it and laid down, the air was warm enough to sleep there for the night and her dreams would hopefully let her rest more or less peacefully.
        Moon and Sheerluck posted themselves at the entrance of the cave.
        “[i]In case I decide to go there and be with her... But as an animus, there’s not much they can do against me anyway.[/i]”
        Her thoughts were quickly dismissed as she fell into a deep slumber and a world just as living.