Floating through endless space... scarlet wings drifting on nothingness... the Skydancer soars, over the world, no longer a part of it, merely an inhabitant of this grand void. She sings softly, her high, clear voice a strange and ethereal sound.. Others drift by, bright stars, close enough to see but never to touch. She wants to speak with them, to hear their stories and share her own, but must it be now? There will be time, later... there is always time in eternity.
But what's this? The sky is ablaze, falling to pieces as she watches. Streaks of light fall towards the earth. Something awakes in her, a fire and energy, a purpose, things she has not felt in a long time. Spying a gilded streak close at hand, she dives, collides with it, absorbing its energy into herself. A strangely chilling warmth fills her bones, and suddenly her wings are folding up, unable to support her anymore. A weight falls on her and she falls, then feels no more.

A light appears in the darkness, pulling her mind up, into a new world. It is strangely distant; she sees only dimly, hears as though underwater. There are dragons here, some like her, others not. She hears them talk of a great catastrophe. The night the stars fell, they call it. She tries to speak, to ask them what they mean. Her voice is hoarse and raspy. They pay no attention, aside from giving her water to soothe her throat.
She drifts in and out of a mindless haze. Images keep appearing in her mind, of a place like this, but not, and of a space in between; the images fade away too quickly, lost forever. She feels nothing but cold, as though she were surrounded by ice. Her wings feel limp and lifeless. Her voice is fading...

Something cuts through the haze, bringing her from the darkness into sunlight. A sound? A song! For the first time in what feels like centuries, she feels warmth and strength return. She stands on shaky legs, following the clear notes through the air, gently stretching her wings, allowing them to extend, catching the air, lifting her the tiniest bit with every step. Soon she's dancing, shimmering scales sending flecks of light dancing with her. Finally, she opens her mouth, determined to put into words this melody she hears. Nothing comes out but a thin whisper. She pauses, sinking slowly back to the ground. A small sigh escapes her. The music is gone now, the haze threatening to crowd back in. But... maybe she can push it back? Keep it gone? The thought of mindless drifting now seems horrifying to her. Never again!
She wanders a short distance and finds a large, boxy, whitewashed building. Dragons are searching frantically outside of it. When one of them sees her, the group rushes over, unleashing a wave of words, tumultuous, discordant. She tries to say something, to ask for music, but again, nothing comes out. Instead, she merely holds up one talon. The group quiets. She nods, a quiet thank you for the silence.
A high, clear note sounds again. Her ears perk up and she stands, shifting her weight to her hind legs as she peers into the sky for the source of the sound. Another note, then another, and suddenly she feels herself moving again, running, leaping and gliding a few paces before landing and moving on. She hears more cacouphanous words, worried shouts, scratchy, unrhythmic footsteps, but shuts them out. The music is back! She stretches her wings again, testing them, and finally- she leaps into the air, flapping her wings as hard as she can. She feels the wind under her wings, feels the song come to a crescendo as she soars. She can follow it now, and she does, flying for miles and miles, oblivious to all but the song.
When she finally lands, it surprises her to see where the song has led. Her talons sink into snow at every step and ice is slowly creeping through her veins. The music is softer now, yet more comforting. She knows she is almost there. But what's this?... the music slows, coming to rest on a low, warm tone. She sinks into the snow, closing her eyes and trusting the music. She doesn't know why, but she feels it led her here for a reason. She quickly drifts into sleep, a gentle lullaby guiding her through the darkness.

Some time later, she wakes in a warm den. The chill is gone from her bones and she feels... different, somehow. A note reaches her ears again, no longer the haunting, ethereal music that guided her here, but a very real sound. She opens her eyes to see a cozy den. A covering at one end, which seems to be a door, swings open. A blue Fae comes in, humming along with the tune. "Hello!" She chirps. The Skydancer opens her mouth to ask where she is, and again, her voice fails her.
The Fae seems to understand and sits down beside her, gently stroking her feathers. "My name is Spirit, and this is Sanctuary. You've been on the edge of death for days... it's good to see you're still with us." The tune from outside stops, and a smattering of applause is given before a new melody begins. The smaller dragon stands up to leave. "I hope you will excuse me... we have visitors from another clan today, and I have to attend to them." The Skydancer surges up, surprising the Fae, who scrambles backwards a few steps. "Hold on, you shouldn't be up yet-" she gasps, then, as the Skydancer looks at her, a silent plea in her eyes, she relents. "Very well, I suppose there's not much I can do to stop you," she says, smiling. The Skydancer nods her thanks and follows the little Fae into a large cavern, well lit by lanterns and by a large bonfire, around which are clustered a large group of dragons, some of whom have instruments. The Skydancer joins them, listening with rapt attention as they play song after song.
When they are done, the visitors dissappear into Spirit's den for a few minutes. The Skydancer paces impatiently, deaf to the questions of the slightly confused dragons that surround her. The silence itches at her. She longs to hold one of the visitor's instruments, to make those beautiful sounds herself... but now they're exiting the cavern, waving goodbye to the others. Someone taps her shoulder, and she turns to see Spirit, holding a wrapped package. "Follow me," she instructs. The Skydancer does so, sparing only a regretful glance for the now mostly empty cavern.
Spirit leads her to a den filled with warm blankets, lit by a fire glowing behind glass. She taps the glass a few times, listening to the clink sound her claws make on it, then notices the Fae offering the parcel to her. She glances at her, puzzled, then carefully pulls away the wrapping.
Inside is a simple harp, wooden with gold accents. "I asked if you could have one of their instruments, since you seemed to enjoy their performance so much," Spirit explains. The Skydancer's heart leaps. She delicately draws one talon across the strings, thrilled at the sound it made. She beams happily at the Fae, plucking the strings again, and again. After a moment, she pauses, carefully laying the harp aside. Stepping out of her den, she etches a word into the dust on the floor. "Ruby?" The Fae says aloud. "Is that your name?" The Skydancer nods, then writes something else. Is this room mine? The Fae nods. "Whenever you are here, this room is open to you. You are welcome to stay as long as you want." Finally, the Skydancer adds one last phrase and steps back. Thank you. Spirit smiles, then flies away.

Ruby named herself the clan's musician. She practices her music often, and those who hear it always say afterwards they thought it "angelic", "breathtaking", and "haunting". On occasion, she will sing along in silence, sounding out the words in her head with the tune she plays. The lyrics of these tunes can often be found later, scrawled across the walls of her room in her precise, spidery handwriting. She stays in her den most of the time, mindful of the cold that seeps into her bones faster than it should. She still longs for the music that brought her here, the strange, ethereal notes... but regardless, she is content to stay where she is, blessing the inhabitants of Sanctuary with even an imitation of this.

by Azurys

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