#the derelicts

“Up early again as usual.” Haze’s voice was low and husky, like charcoal on stone. The Coatl sat down next to Rook and began rolling a smoking blend. “Want a smoke?” Rook nodded and took the cigarette he offered her and lit it silently. After a few long pulls she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“I’m so tired Haze. I just want to sleep but all I do is stare at this stupid compass.” The needle spun faster and more erratically as if it had heard the insult. She groaned and snapped it shut, slipping it back into the pouch on her hip. Haze put an arm around her affectionately and ruffled her already disheveled crest.

“Don’t lie to me Rook,” he teased, “ you never slept much even before ya got that thing. Ya got that busybody Lightning blood. None a’ ya sleep half as much as ya should. Always tryna get everything done.” Rook chuckled, he wasn’t wrong after all. The sun crested the horizon and light flooded the rolling hills, turning the sea of grass surrounding them to spun gold. Relief flooded over her as the sunlight hit her face, it would be time to move soon. Moving always helps with the nervous feelings.

“Thanks for the smoke, Haze. Let’s go rally the troops.”

After much yawning, shuffling and bleary eyed good mornings, the rest of the Derelicts were packed and almost ready to move. The scrappy group of dragons looked weary but content. Rook took out the map and gestured for everyone to gather around.

“Alright so we’re here-” She tapped a claw on a mark she’d made  “which is about 16 miles from the border of Light and Lightning. We’re into the arid lands now, thank the Gods.” Everyone chuckled in response. The past week had been a soggy hell. Who knew the territory devoted to the Sun and Light could rain so much? They were headed towards the hot, dusty land of Lightning now though, and soon they’d be missing that rain. “We head South West from here, down this valley,” her claw trailed along the old map, “and into the Carrion Canyon. It’s the easiest way into the Shifting Expanse, and the most importantly the most discrete. Tensions with beast clans have been too high along the border for us to use the normal passes. Even if we were to utilize the magical energy needed to shift into our full dragonforms it’s still too high of a risk. There have been confirmed reports of Guardians, Ridgebacks and even an Imperial in dragonform being overtaken by the Beasts and slain. We are not terribly large dragons, nor are we a large clan.” Rook looked over her crew, there were three Wildclaws, a Coatl, a Pearlcatcher and a Mirror at the moment. “We are strong, but we need to be smart too. The Beast Clans are fighting like they never have before, and we aren’t part of that war this time.”

“And what about the dangers of the Canyon?” Kibuuri, a sinewy female Mirror with a pinstriped hide of earthen colors twitched her crests. “We’ve all heard the rumors…” The Pearlcatcher at her side nodded his head in agreeance.

“And as far as we know, that’s all they are. We have no way of confirming if these rumors are true or if they are just old wives tales. We can confirm what’s happening on the border however. We’ve seen it with our own eyes. Right now that’s the best we’ve got.” Unease rippled through the group.

“I don’t like this, Rook. I trust you, but I have a bad feeling.” Kibuuri was unhappy, her lips drawn up in a slight snarl.

“Pipe down, Kibuuri you’re just paranoid, a canyon is a canyon is a canyon. Ain’t nothing different about the Carrion one than any other.” Almond, a lanky Wildclaw with a mess of sloppy pale hair picked at his teeth nonchalantly while peering at the map. “I say we do it, screw dealing with a mob of fiesty harpies.” The discussion dissolved into bickering back and forth about routes, travel times and whether or not they could win in a fight against a mob of fiesty harpies.

Surprisingly it was the quietest member who spoke up, Duskin, the third Wildclaw of the posse, cleared his throat and let a growl rumble out of his chest. “Arguing gets us nowhere, we must keep moving. There is no other way than the Carrion Canyon.” He stared unflinching at his clanmates, hoping his eyes did not betray the fear he felt in the pit of his stomach. He’d seen more of the Shifting Expanse than everyone other than Rook, and he knew she felt the fear as well.

Rook sighed and looked at Duskin for a long moment before looking back to the rest of the Derelicts. “We have to keep moving. One way or the other we need to get to the Shifting Expanse, and we’ve got ground to cover.” She rolled up the map and slid it into her satchel, turned and started walking down the hill. Duskin followed her and soon the rest of the apprehensive clan did as well. Haze waited to take up the rear like usual, making sure everyone was alright along the way. He gave a nuzzle to his mate Kibuuri as she passed him, and waited for Dima, he and Kibuuri’s other mate, to catch up. The dusky colored Pearlcatcher came to a stop next to Haze with a trouble look on his face.

“I’ve never doubted Rook before, Haze.” The Pearlcatcher twitched his whiskers, his eyes sad. “Something doesn’t feel right. She seems scared, I’ve never seen her scared before.” Haze cupped Dima’s head in his hand and kissed him gently.

“Have faith in Rook. She’s doing what she thinks is best for us, and she’s never let us down. She’s more worried than all of us put together, and she’s trying to keep us all alive.”

Dima smiled and nodded, “I know, it’s just been such a long moon. We need rest, we need refill our rations. We’ve done nothing but walk for weeks and we’re running out of supplies.”