Stardust

"To what ends do we work towards?" a pitch-black Imperial sighed softly to himself as he gazed up at the stars from his place among mountains, away from the Tempest Spire and its bright lights. "All this... din. I tire of it. All the rabble ever does is to work endlessly. To what ends... do they work towards? I don't understand."

The stars spoke of nothing and only glittered across the skies.

The Imperial sighed once more and his shoulders and wings sagged with the movement. All the constant chore of working made no sense to him. Perhaps this place was simply not for him? But it was where he was born. Yet, he felt happier away from... Everything. Should he simply leave? With how much everyone worked, dragons that went missing went unnoticed. It would be so easy...

"Is it right? Shall I just leave? Won't they fret? Perhaps they will..." he mused as the stars continued to shine. "If they find me, I will return. For now... I go." He slowly stood up and peered around at his surroundings. If there were anyone lurking in the shadows, he didn't see them. Yet they didn't stop him as he spread his wings, which were small and unsuited for long flights, and took off into the skies. If anyone gazed up at the skies, they'd perhaps see a shadow flying and no more.

He flew and flew, watching the ever shifting sands disappear from his view and the warm glow of Ashfall Waste grow. Someday, he'd like to explore this particular land, but for now he needed to find a new home. Some place where he didn't feel like he was suffocating from constant work. His wings strained to carry him across Ashfall and he felt fatigued. A short rest was certainly in order and so he tilted himself towards a favorable area with little smoke and ash. The smoke was manageable but not the ash. It was everywhere and he grimaced once he realized some of it got on his scales. He swiftly and quietly reprimanded himself that no journeys would leave a dragon's scales clean. For now, though, he'd rest and he did so, carefully positioning his head so he wouldn't breathe in the ash.

Hours later, the sun and winds welcomed him as he soared through the skies, shaking off the sleep. Slowly, yet surely, he made his way out of Ashfall and into the Windswept Plateau.