Longtail

Made by Minstri



"Excuse me? Have you seen a clay coloured mirror with fiery eyes? He's speckled all over."

It must've been the twentieth time he asked today. The dragon he was speaking to, a timid guardian with honeydew protrusions, shook his large head and walked away. Longtail resisted the urge to flick his tail in agitation. The tents in this camp were rather narrow and, well, he wore his name well. One could think he was a miracle the guards didn't arrest him for harassment for being up and about everyday asking the same question to every face he crossed for an entire week but he had answered similar queries almost as much as he'd asked it.

Who in a refugee camp wasn't looking for a lost loved one after all?

---

It'd been about 3 months now since he recieved the news that Sarda was MIA.

He had never been considered anything close to courageous or headstrong but within a few days he'd sold everthing he owned and was well on his way from the Ashfall Wastes to the Southern Icefields. He'd been moving from refugee camp to refugee camp ever since he made landfall, trying to find any shred of information on Sarda's location. It wasn't always as simple as dealing with the occasionnal rude dragon; some of the locals took poorly to him looking for a child of the Flamecaller. They were part of the reason these camps existed in the first place, after all. It had led to violence on a few occasions but so far he'd been lucky with the reaction of passerby.

He felt guilty for it.

It didn't deter him in the least and neither did the remarks that he was probably dead or the occasionnal threat that if he was found he would be killed.

Or that his funds were dwindling by the day.

---

His lifesavings had run out 8 months ago.

He should've gone back to the Ashfall Wastes then and either pray to the Flamecaller that she bring Sarda home to him or settle down for a bit and save up for a second trip.

Instead, he sold what was left of him for coins.

The Emerald Webwings had been all too eager to hire him as one of their own. By that point he'd gotten himself a small reputation in the camps and had even met most of the Company's members at some point. They were all refugees, all desperate to have a life that didn't involve begging for scraps and lodgings, not that there was much left to go around these days.

It wasn't an easy life. Death was a constant companion; Faces came and went almost as frequently as treasure did but he remained. While he couldn't search for his missing mate as freely as he did, there were more dragons asking for him now, covering more territory faster than he could. Or at least, he hoped so. He was well aware he was the only one at this point to believe there was a chance Sarda was still alive but he hoped they were honest enough to ask anyways.

he deserved to have closure, if anything.

---

For the first time in two and a half years, Longtail doubted.

The eldritch patterns carved into his skin were new but there was no doubt on the speckled Mirror's identity. Sarda was alive, standing a few steps away from him. A long time ago, he'd dreamt about this scenario so much he had every word, every actions planned down to the most minute details; Now, with his mate glancing at him suspiciously, he didn't know what to do. How was he the one to be misrecognized? Even under his helmet, his hide was the same, he hadn't changed.

... Had he?

What was left of the dragon he once was, under the scars and the green livery of the Emerald Webwings? The soft body afforded by life as a baker had been the first thing to go, replaced by hard lines, scars and calloused palms. He'd lost part of his tail in a fight for his life, devoiding his name of meaning. His timid nature had been swept aside the moment he threw his old life away, his gentle manners cast aside to fit his new one. The kindness in his eyes had been the last thing to go, replaced by a cold, jaded glare as the deaths of those he knew started to take their toll.

There was nothing left of Longtail the soft-spoken baker living a quiet life in the Emberglow Hearth. Nothing left of the dragon Sarda loved.

A familiar numbness settled in his limbs and he made to leave. There was no point to this; no point to anything, really. If Sarda had any desire to come back to him, clearly he could have done so a long time ago. Who he was now was irrelevent.

What a mess. He'd think on it later.

Maybe.

"Hey! You! Are you Sarda?" He heard a familiar voice ask with unrestrained astonishment.

Cantabrian. He was here for business after all and he wasn't the only Webwing on site. The Guardian was about the last remaining soul on Sornieth to have faith in finding out what had happened to the missing Mirror still.

"Yes, I am. Who are-"

"By the Eleven, your mate's been looking for you high and low ever since you went missing!"

"Longtail? No, he wouldn't, he-"

"Longtail! What in the void are you doing? Don't tell me you've got cold feet now!"

Longtail stopped, flicking his tail in agitation. He didn't have enough left to have to be careful now. He turned back, seeing surprise on Sarda's features as he realised who the strange dragon that had been quietly staring at him was. The realisation didn't sink until he removed his helmet and revealed a face that was all too familiar for the Fire dragon.

"Hello, Sarda. It's been a while."

Fear, pain and guilt, plain to see in his orange eyes. Maybe he should've felt something in return. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them as Sarda seemed to struggle with the situation. Cantabrian was merciful enough to break it.

"I guess you two have a lot to catch up on? There's an inn down the street that serves some pretty decent hydromel and rents rooms." The Guardian produced a small coinpurse he tossed at Longtail who caught it begrudgingly. "There should be enough to cover your time there. You know wherre to find us when you're done. We'd still need you for the contract but let us know if you'd rather not stay until it's done."

With that Cantabrian walked off, leaving the pair to stand in awkward silence once more.

"I.. You didn't drink." Was all Sarda could manage.

"Guess I didn't." Longtail shrugged and headed towards the Inn.


"Things changed."

---