The moon had risen into the sky, replacing the sun as it shined its cold light onto the land. Yuki glided beneath it, taking in the scenery as she passed by above. Ahead of her, Ember was looking around, searching for the stop she spoke of before. 

Yuki was glad for the reprieve. They had been flying hard for the last four and a half hours. The time went past what Ember had said due to them having to take a detour around a brewing storm that was marching its way through the skies. 

‘I wonder what exactly she’s looking for,’ Yuki thought.

All she knew was that there was a pit stop of sorts for dragons to land at. She wasn’t sure what kind of pit stop or what to expect. Ember didn’t offer up anything. 

Ember banked left, angling her body towards the ground. Yuki followed behind her, curious as to what she had found that was making her land. They touched the ground at a break in the forest where a hill surrounded by a meadow rose. 

“Found what you were looking for?” Yuki asked as she waited for Erica and Yuna to dismount from her back.

“Yes. We can’t fly in though since it’s blocked by trees,” Ember replied. “I’ll explain.”

When all their passengers slipped off of their backs, Yuki and Ember changed into their elven forms. They all grouped together to hear what Ember had to say.

“The stop is in the forest,” she said. “I saw it while flying, but with passengers on my back, I can’t go there directly.”

“What do you mean?” Yuki asked.

“Normally, I would just drop down and transform into this elf form before I hit the trees. I’ll land right on top of where I need to go.”

“Can’t really do that with people on your back,” Erica commented.

“Amazing observation,” Ember replied with a dry smile. “Yes. I can’t do that. If I did, you all would be falling off of our backs which wouldn’t be good.”

“So we’ll be walking to this stop?” Yuki asked.

“We will. I just want to give a few heads up for you all,” she said. “I will lead the way. No one is to stand next to me except maybe Yuki, but I would recommend that you don’t, if you don’t mind.”

“If you say so,” Yuki shrugged.

“Thanks. Next, when we get to that stop, don’t speak. Let me do the talking. Don’t even move if you can. The guards are very jumpy and I don’t mean that in a good way. Also, we will be taking an oath, or at least, you all will be taking an oath. Yuki might not need to depending on when they make us do that oath.”

“What’s the oath about?” 

“Secrecy,” Ember said. “It’s to keep this place a secret. Not like I believe you all will tell anyone, but it’s just a precaution. They like to be as safe as they can.”

“Understandable. It’s like the angels and how they knocked us out before bringing us to and from the city,” Yuki said. 

“Exactly. We won’t be doing that knocking out though. The oath is plenty to keep anyone from leaking secrets.”

“You can never be too safe,” Akira said.

“We prefer to try and be as pleasant as possible.”

“Is there anything else?” Yuki asked.

“No. That’s all you need to know. Don’t step ahead of me, don’t speak until I tell you to, and don’t make any sudden movements,” Ember summarized. “Let’s get going now.”

Sticking to what she said, she took the lead, marching forward into the forest. Yuki followed closely behind, staying half a step back to make sure that Ember was always ahead but she would be in position to help if something happened.

Ember traversed the trees with practiced steps, never stopping once to look around for her bearings. It was as if she had taken this route hundreds of times before.

“Ember,” Yuki asked, “what was your job before you got stuck in the Coliseum?”

“My job?” Ember repeated. “Why?”

“I was just curious. You seem to know your way through this forest really well.”

“Oh. Well, my job was basically to be a guard,” Ember said. “I would go to these stops a lot to check up on them and do some shifts myself. I get a lot of practice moving around these places.”

“A guard, hmm. That explains why you’re such a good fighter.”

“I get a lot of practice,” she smiled. 

“Is there a lot of fighting at these outposts?”

“Depends on the location. This one is pretty quiet from my times here. It’s a low risk area. In order to get here, you need to cross those mountains unless you want to take the long way which will take a couple of days. The forest is quiet as well. There aren’t many hostile monsters and they aren’t scary. They know better than to go near the outpost.”

“I see.”

“Shush now. We’re getting close.”

Ember picked up the pace and slipped between the trees. From the lack of a trail of any sort, Yuki assumed that almost nobody walked to the outpost. Ember’s way of dropping on top of the area must have been the default arrival optional.

Ahead of them, Yuki spied wooden structures hidden behind the trees. As they got closer, the structures became clearer and clearer. It was a wall of sorts with towers at its corners. Yuki saw glimpses of people standing in them. 

Looking around, she could see why the outpost was impossible to see from above. Trees grew all around it and within the area sectioned off by the wooden fortifications. The entire place looked like it was built with the trees. Leaves and branches covered the tops, obscuring it from view.

Ember stopped in front of the wooden walls. Yuki couldn’t see a door or gate to enter this outpost. The dragons must have taken their ability to fly into account when building this place.

From above, a man landed down onto the ground in front of them. A pair of dragon wings folded behind the man as he considered them with a cautious expression. 

“Hello,” the man greeted, his tone pleasant. “What is your business here?”

“Hey,” Ember replied. “I’m looking for transport into the city. We’re going there for an audience.”

“An audience?” the man asked. “Who are these people that are with you?”

“She is the one that they want to see,” Ember said, gesturing towards Yuki. “The rest are our companions.”

“I see. State your name, position, and city. It might take a little bit before we can let you in.”

“Ember. Head of the Guard. Vernon.”

“Ember. Head of the Guard,” the man muttered under his breath. He paused. Then he looked up, his eyes wide. “Head of the Guard.”

“I’m back,” Ember grinned. 

“I’m going to get the commander real quick,” the man said as he backed away and spread his wings. “Stay right there.”

He flew up and over the walls of the outpost, disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds. Yuki stayed quiet, not sure if she could speak yet as they hadn’t been brought in or taken the oath. There was a lot that she wanted to ask.

A bit later, Yuki heard a faint exclamation from within the outpost. A shadow bursted into the sky and crashed down onto the ground a moment later. A muscular man stood up and locked his green eyes directly onto Ember.

“It really is you,” he said, his voice filled with joy. 

“Hey Marcus. How have you been doing?” Ember asked, leaning on one leg.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Marcus laughed. He went to her and gave her a massive hug, lifting her into the air for a bit. “We thought you were a goner.”

“You doubters,” Ember replied. “But before we get to that, can we go in?”

“Of course you can,” the burly man said. “Come, let’s get you all something to eat while we catch up.”