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Heat. Burning smoldering heat it was the first thing that hit them. Enough that they felt as if they were suffocating from the throat up. Their talons scraped against the floor. the wind blew through the mountains and rattled their necklace causing it to scrape against their golden scales. Golden scales. But they're not meant to be golden. They haven't been for a long time. They shouldn't be here. They aren't meant to be here. But they are. They're trapped here. They know someone else is there their heart leaps when they see them but who are they again? His gaze is soft and loving. "I have to go I'm sorry I shouldn't- I have to go," They said not meeting his gaze.
They launched themself from the peak and up into the sky. The way the wind caught under their wings felt so wrong but they felt so free. He called to them from behind the name pierced through their mind like a blade
"Pyrite. Pyrite wait. What are you on about?!" They stopped flying with a start never had being called by the wrong name felt so right or was it the right name but felt wrong? They kept flying trying to ignore his voice even though it didn't get quieter no matter how fast they flew.
Eventually, their attention drew back to their necklace claws grasped around it though something in the back of their mind was screaming not to they prepared to pull it off.
"Hailstorm!"
The mountains were gone replaced by sunny green grass and the suffocating heat was gone replaced by gentle coolness.
"I'm sorry I didn't want to wake you I know you haven't been sleeping well but you were twitching and struggling like you were having a nightmare. I'm really really sorry if it wasn't." a voice said the tone was anxious and apologetic but it stirred them from sleep immediately.
"Eagle?" They replied.
"No, it's Mandrake, Hailstorm was it about her again?" They were now aware of a green dragon curled beside them, his tail had curled around theirs and his eyes darted about with worry before meeting their gaze. Hailstorm sighed their memory of what had happened before was slowly trickling back.
"I was back in the sky kingdom I knew it was all wrong I was trying to get back. I wanted to get back to you, back to winter and back to-" They were about to say myself but referring to themself now as 'myself' never felt quite right.
"I'm sorry, I want you to know you're safe here now they're all gone. And if they weren't I'd come find you even if you forgot who I was I would find you." Mandrake curled his head around to meet Hailstorm's
"I would, because I love you." He said the words made their heart swell.
"I love you too." They let out a deep breath. Pyrite would still linger with them and Mandrake couldn't fix that but he made it better. Leaving the ice kingdom had made it better and Winter was happy to allow them to stay in sanctuary.
A small orange butterfly fluttered past Mandrake took notice to it immediately.
"I didn't know you had this species in Phyrria." He noted with fascination.
"I didn't ethier we didn't really get anything in the ice kingdom." The golden shimmer in it's wings reminded them of the golden shimmer Mandrake's scales emitted in the sunlight.
"I'll have to take you to the poison jungle soon. Sundew says everything has calmed down since. I think you'd enjoy it." He smiled at them.
"Maybe someday."