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For most, a dragon’s best memory would be their first flight.
At least, it was Strohl’s fondest memory when he was just a dragonet.
His father had taken him out to the cliffside that overlooked his village’s entirety. From up the mountainside, with the sun rising beyond the horizon to bathe the fields and roads in its morning glow, Halia had never seemed so alive then.
Strohl remembered how the wind felt on his folded wings; how it beckoned him forward to leap into that endless sky, despite the way his heart hammered in his chest upon looking down from the cliffs.
When he finally found the courage to take the leap of faith, he was stricken with terror as he plummeted towards the ground. But once he had spread his wings to catch the current, the sheer exhilaration that washed over him when he finally took to the clouds was unforgettable.
Perhaps that’s what Strohl was hoping for when he offered to take Will to that same cliffside.
Except now, as they sat together on the ledge, there weren’t any rooftops or farmland to soar over anymore. Instead, it would merely be the remnants of the crumbling walls and rubble of what had remained of Halia.
“Are you sure it’s okay to be up here?”
Strohl’s ears had perked up at the sound of Will’s voice. He tore his gaze away from the view, focusing on the dragon beside him and how brilliantly the Elda’s deep blue scales captured twilight’s dying light in its iridescent shine.
“There’s a strong draft right about now,” Will murmured, his feathery antennas twitching.
“It’s perfect timing then.” Strohl brushed his wing against the tightly curled buds attached to Will’s shoulder. “We’ll be alright.”
Will scratches at the fur around his neck, glancing down at his talons.
“You don’t have to carry me. I’m fine with just looking from up here.”
“Oh please— carrying you would hardly make a difference.” Strohl snorted and was promptly met by Will’s tail flicking him. “Hey!”
The Elda wrinkled his snout at Strohl, his mandibles chittering and clicking as he laughed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Night was falling upon them now; the wind picking up to blow east towards the rising moon with the stars soon to join.
The tension in Will had eased away. Without further delay, Strohl felt Will nudge him and he hunched down. He grunts as the other dragon clambered onto him. Will was mindful of where he stepped: being careful not to put too much pressure on any joints, which limbs to tuck in until he fully settled on Strohl’s back.
“Ready?”
“Mhm.” Strohl feels Will’s claws grasp the fabric of his overcoat. “Ready.”
Raising his chin to the skies, Strohl straightens up and steps back. He adjusted to the added weight, taking deep breaths to calm the familiar pounding in his chest.
One breath in. One breath out.
And Strohl jumps.
They’re both descending rapidly. Rocks and foliage whipped past them in a blur. Will’s grip on him tightens and Strohl banks, catching the air before they could fall any further.
Then they were flying.
With the steady beating of his wings, Strohl flew by the barren fields and Halia’s ruins became specks below them. He carried them higher and higher; the cool night air carried them as far as they could go toward the moon.
Strohl could hear over the whistling wind in his ears Will’s excited clicking. Out of the corner of his eye, the Elda had craned his neck outward for a better look.
“The stars!” Will trills. “I’ve never seen so many of them!”
Strohl followed his gaze upward to where the stars gleamed like a silver net casting over the darkness. The surrounding craggy peaks and the distant sands of the Tradia Desert were all bathed in starlight.
“Beautiful. Isn’t it?”
They were breathtaking sights, yet, it seemed to pale in comparison to Will who beamed brighter than the moonlight.
“Yes…it does.”
The two of them circled around Halia. Strohl’s home village was even more unrecognizable from above. He could still pick a few features out from the debris, but the sheer amount that was lost weighed far heavier than the dragon clinging to his back.
“I’m sorry there isn’t much left to see,” Strohl said. “You used to be able to look down and watch the dragons below go about their lives. I wish you could have seen it like that.”
“I know I’ll see it someday,” Will responded assuredly. “Until then, I do wish for my wings to grow soon.”
Strohl felt Will’s arms wrapping tightly around his neck and his head resting on Strohl’s shoulder.
“Then maybe I could truly fly alongside you.” Will paused, his voice gone soft. “If you would have me?”
His answer came in an instant.
“More than anything.”