Kilgore

"This is the last one. Jasmine...I can't tell you how grateful I am and how much I appreciate what you do for me."

"Of course. I couldn't stand to watch what she does to them."

Gorre lifted his head and his mane shifted in the wind.

"The winds are starting to pick up...are you sure you can make it?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Gorre flinched slightly at the sharp tone Jasmine's voice took. It wasn't something he'd heard before. He looked down at the pearlcatcher.

"Are you ok?""

Jasmine looked up from securing the tiny bundle tightly to her chest.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I just don't understand..."

She trailed off and shook her head.

"Nevermind. Everything is secure, take good care of my pearl, please."

Gorre held the pearl tightly and nodded. Jasmine spread her wings and took to the air, the new moon making even her white body disappear quickly into the night.

"Fly safe, my friend...Return home quickly."

---

The night air was cold. Not too cold at this point, but enough that Jasmine had to pull the covers over the tiny ridgebacks face. It would be a short trip this time, as she'd spent most of her energy already. She'd gone to the Southern Icefield and Ashfall Wastes, so she was aiming for the Sunbeam Ruins this time. Close enough to make it a short flight, but far enough away from Dragonhome that she wasn't worried about the baby running into them again. She looked down, trying to gauge how far she'd flown already. It looked like she had flown over the heart of the Tangled Wood already, and looking forward she could start to make out the large waterfall at the edge of the Sunbeam Ruins and she started to hear the waves crashing below her from the sea.

"Mama?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tiny voice. She looked down and saw a pair of brown eyes peering up at her.

"Oh...Oh, no, honey I'm not your mom. I'm taking you to her though! Just go back to sleep."

The little face held her gaze for a moment before retreating back into the bundle. Jasmine adjusted the cloth as a fierce gust of wind tugged her wings. She chirped and flapped hard, trying to catch her balance.

"Stormcatcher, not tonight...Please not tonight..."

Her pleas were lost as the wind picked up. The crescendo had decided to play with the sea, it appeared, as the powerful combination of grass and salt filled her nostrils. Powerful gusts started to swirl around the sky, tossing her around like a leaf. She let out a scared shriek as she pulled her limbs towards her body, desperately trying to protect the bundle.

"Please, stop!"

Her cries were sucked into the storm as lightning flashed and rain started to lash against her face. Struggling more and more as the wind picked up, she could only hold her wings as steady as possible and hope she could come out the other side. That possibility was almost immediately dashed when she felt a searing bolt of pain across her left wing. She felt a spray of warmth across her face and realized she suddenly was off centre.

"My wing!"

She flapped uselessly as whatever had hit her had torn through her wing. Lightning flashed again, illuminating a flying chunk of debris for only a moment before she slammed into it. The newly formed crescendo sucked the barely conscious Jasmine into its funnel, and she could've sworn she saw the silhouette of the Stormcatcher before everything went dark.

---

As she slowly came to, Jasmine was aware of a half hot, half cold sensation. She groaned and raised her head slowly, vision stating to focus and come to her. It was bright. Exceedingly sunny, and her upper body felt incredibly hot. She turned to look, seeing she was washed up onto a deserted beach, the waves lapping at her legs and tail. She pulled herself from the water, sitting up groggily.

"Where...?"

She looked around at her surroundings, seeing massive jutting pink crystals surrounding the island she'd landed on. Looking up, she saw the top of the massive observatory the Arcanist called his domain.

"I got blown from the Ruins clear across to the Starfall Isles..."

It was then that she noticed the tiny footprints leading from her position up the beach and towards the rise. She couldn't see anything past the ledge.

"Oh no..."

As she folded her wings, she winced in pain. She examined the hurt one and it actually wasn't that bad. A lot of superficial chunks had been gouged from from the forearm of her wing and a good slice that would definitely need to be repaired was in the membrane. A few test flaps revealed that although painful, she would fly. She sighed in relief and sniffed the air, detecting old scents. No one was around. She poked her head over the ridge in time to see a large guardian male fly off with the hatchling in his claws.

"Well...I guess he found my note..."

She waited until they were out of sight before she went back down to the beach and set off towards home.