As the ground rushed closer, Earth refocused on the pyramids, tossing the allure of the city away in favour of his original goal. Khafre grew in size as he dived towards it, one side faintly lit by the city’s shine, giving him enough of a warning to finally open his wings. Fighting against the wind, the feathered appendages spread slowly from his sides, arching his dive into a rapid glide. Angling with his tail, the blue-green dragon dropped into a swift series of turns around the second-largest of the three, repeating the dance he’d performed for Menkaure. Far larger than its brother, and standing on higher ground than the final pyramid, Khafre towered over the surrounding archaeological sites, rising from the sand like it had always been there. And yet, as he flew over the shadows at the foot of the pyramid, Earth could distinctly remember its construction. The way so many of his humans had poured their lives, their painfully brief lives, into the raising of this monument to their leader’s afterlife. It had confused him a little at the time, but by then he’d grown used to not understanding his wonderful humans and the lengths they’d go to for what they believed in. And now, so many years later, Earth could not help but think they’d won in the end. Their leader was not forgotten, even as the desert itself tried to reclaim the tomb of him, and that was about as immortal as humans ever got.
– Chapter 7: Sand and Blood, "Down to Earth", @deerwatcher78
This is currently one of my favorite chapters, along with Ch. 5. Moments of anxiety are mixed with moments of complete calmness. Earth needed to be alone with his thoughts and he found solitude in the skies of Cairo. In the silent grandeur of the pyramids. Only the night and the distant light of the city. I found this part peaceful because of the grace of the flight over the desert.
However, my heart broke more than once while reading. And something tells me there's more to come.
I'm fascinated by Earth's dragon design in fic, especially the way other artists draw it.
