Percival staggered to his feet, a splitting pain echoed throughout his skull. He squinted against the sun's harsh rays, where was the welcoming shade of Maddox’s tent? It took a few moments, waves of ache washing down his body before Percy could even begin to recall what occurred last night. There was…Sylvie, Sylvie, and Trench, he and Maddox had been sent to accompany them back into town and get them adjusted. They hadn’t been able to because of an explosion, the forest… along with Amber’s home, had been eviscerated. He didn’t want to spiral trying to dwell on Amber’s situation, all he noted was that wouldn’t have caused him to be stranded…what else happened? He froze in thought, only picking up the sound of wind whistling over his head and the occasional scurry. Percival’s eyes flickered as if the answer would appear before him, as if thinking about it hard enough he could will it into existence. He looked up, nothing but crags surrounding him, gravel making getting out of here normally impossible. Percival bit the inside of his cheek, the gears turning inside his mind before a sound cut off his train of thought entirely.

A croak.

His ears swiveled this way and that, where had that come from? Who had that come from?

Another croak, followed by a small trail of pebbles falling from a nearby ledge high above Percival.

In a few bounds, he reached the cliffside, raising to his hindlegs to get a better view. His sudden movement caused whatever was up there to freeze or at the very least stop vocalizing. Scrunching his nose, he bit back his better judgment and reached out a paw, his digits lengthening to resemble claws as he dug them into the earth. Wings sprouted down his arm as his wispy tail formed into a more serpentine build, his snout becoming armed with pointed fangs until he was fully shifted into his wyvern form. It sent chills down his spine, it made his skin feel itchy and uncomfortable…but it was necessary to traverse the steep terrain. Scrambling up the cliffside, his claws caught on an edge and he was able to pull himself up, it barely took seconds before he discovered the source of the croaking.

 A frog companion settled itself beside Kip’s unconscious form, as soon as its beady eyes had caught sight of Percival it escaped into his spacedust. The sight sent another flash of pain through Percival’s head as he shrunk back into a fox, he had chased Kip onto that… beast, holding on for dear life in hopes it’d land soon but Kip’s grip had begun to slip and-

 He clawed at the side of his head, they landed at the bottom of the chasm, Percival had rolled to the bottom while Kip got caught on this shelf. It took a few moments to recuperate before he could stumble his way to Kip, fatigue aching his muscles Percival rolled Kip to face him. Other than a large inflamed bruise running down his side and a few scraps etched into his skin, he wasn’t bleeding profusely, and there wasn’t a knot on his head thank Augustus! He pressed an ear against Kip’s chest and to his relief, a rhythmic beat calmed his churning stomach.

 “Now, what’re we gonna do Kippy Kat?” Percival mumbled, somewhat to Kip but mostly to himself. He knew changing forms would work but after that? What if he poked his wyvern head out and got shot down immediately? If others were around…wouldn’t they have helped them, however? Maybe not if they were clinging to that horrific beast, but even if there was a risk of being harmed, it’d be worth giving Kip at least a chance of being safe, Kip wasn’t him, they wouldn’t hurt Kip. 

 It was a tight squeeze but he fit his draconic body onto the ledge, gently clasping Kip in his talons, it only took a few beats before they were airborne and Percival could get a full view of their surroundings. There was…nothing. Just rolls of mountains as far as Percival could see, not even trees decorated their faces. Flying higher wouldn’t help, should he just pick a direction and go? No direction led to a change in scenery, they’d hit something eventually and it was better than standing around waiting for home to find them. Just as he was about to start a large form collided with his wing, knocking him off balance he flailed to catch himself before catching sight of what had hit him.
“Sorry!” The stranger called behind them, Percival was awestruck at their fleeting appearance. It looked like a dragon but…with no legs? 

 His brain couldn’t even process what it had just seen before a giant winged deer flew past him, following the first. Then a dragon came soon after, all seemed normal until he realized they were carrying a giant draconic turtle. He shook his head, what were those dragons? Were they dragons at all? Why had they not gawked at his wyvern appearance? The first one even apologized to him! Filled with excitement Percival quickly followed after the group, riding the wind’s circulation he had caught up with the dragon and her turtle companion.

 “Hi!” He called, the dragon turned to face him and slowed to match his pace.

 “Hey?” Getting a good look at her face she had three sets of horns, all spiraling outward like sunrays. Her scales glimmered yellow in the light, navy freckles peppering her cheeks and ears. A row of scales ran from her head all the way to her tail, which ended in a rounded stump.

 “Uhm, where are you guys headin’?” He suddenly felt embarrassed, about how quick he’d been to chase after this group just because they’d been nice to him, maybe they hadn’t even realized he was a wyvern.

 “Oh uh, Franny!” She shook the turtle dragon who snorted awake, blinking wearily. “What’s this place called again?”

 “Whu- huh?” A shaky, gentle voice billowed from his jagged jaw, Franny stretched his neck out, twisting his head to face the dragon. “Whaddya say?”

 “What’s the place we’re going called!” She yelled, having to beat the sound of the air rushing around them.

 “Oh uh…Lingmell!” Franny responded before retracting his head back into his shell. “Should only be a few moments!” His voice echoed from inside.

 The dragon turned to Percival, a warm smile had grown on her face. “Lingmell, we’ve heard that, while it's one of the smaller towns, they got killer roasts!” She licked her lips. “Haven’t had any since Porthcrawl, but it was way too fishy in my opinion.”

 “You just don’t like seafood!” Franny piqued, earning a small laugh shared between the pair.

 “Whatever! Anyways,” Her attention turned back to Percival. “ where are you headin’? Same place?”

 “Oh uhm, yeah I guess.” He shrugged, the question tickling the back of his throat.

 “You guess?” She copied, only for a few seconds after to gasp. “Are you like us!?” Her head bobbed excitedly, a foreign trill singing through the air. “Goin’ wherever the wind takes you? It’s great isn’t it?” 

 Percival was taken aback by her explosion of excitement, just like us? The phrase warmed his heart. He took on an apologetic tone. “No, I’m just trying to find our way back home…”  

 “Our-? Oh, heads-up-” The dragon started before cutting herself off, looking forward Percival yelped as the face of a mountain stared them down.

 While the rest of the flock was able to gracefully curl around its edge, their wingtips hovering over its stone surface. Percival on the other hand shot upwards, clawing up the mountainside before launching himself over the edge to join back with the group. The dragon didn’t say anything, but a curious smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

 “As you were saying- our way? Where’s your partner?” She looked over his back as if expecting another dragon to have been following him.

 “Partner? Oh, nothing like that.” He blinked, clearing his throat. “He’s my uh- friend, he’s hurt though…” Percival gestured toward his talons that still gripped Kip’s resting form. “Do you know if there are any doctors in Lingmell?”

 The dragon’s eyes followed to his talons, an indistinguishable emotion washing over her face before being quickly covered by one of curiosity. “I’d have to assume there’s at least one, but I don’t know if they have the tools to care for someone like him.” She shrugged, tossing her head toward Kip. “Lingmell wasn’t built with dogs in mind, you’ll see when we get there.”

 Percival bit the inside of his cheek, not built with dogs in mind? It couldn’t be primarily phoelines, he was sure only nebulruffs could be dragons, and that a species like phoelines wouldn’t have a form built for the aquatics. And what was this about not having the tools? What about Kip wouldn’t warrant their assistance?

 “Wow.” The gasp caught him off guard, the dragon’s maw was agape as her eyes locked on the far side of his head. “Did whatever get him get you too? You got like- a huge gash on your head.” She winced for him, but as soon as shock plastered into Percival’s expression she quickly backpedaled. “It’s not that bad! I know some Faes could get in there and clean it up for you. Put some salve or gel or whatever it is in there.”

 “Why are you being nice to me?” He blurted, Percival had more questions but this had been the one nagging him the entire time. “I’m a wyvern, we don’t even know each other, how can you be so kind to someone you can’t trust?”

 The dragon looked confused, but it quickly shifted to insult, her brow furrowed. He could see the questions flicker through her mind, but she drawled out a simple question of her own: “Why shouldn’t I be?”

 He wished this question had stumped him, but Percival had heard the answer over and over again in his puppyhood. “Because I’m a wyvern. I’m…not like you.”

 The dragon shook her head, absolutely taken aback at such a statement. “So? Franny’s not like me, should I just drop him?” She gestured toward the doe flying a few paces ahead of them. “I’m not like her, should she have turned me away from her flock?” 

  “Well, no but-” Percival quickly began but was cut off even faster.

  “Then why does that matter?”

 This. This stumped him, he had tried to reason with himself why others looked down on him for being different. For being like Maddox. Why did they care so much? Why was a wyvern so much different than a dragon? What had wyverns done that warranted such a fear?

 “I-I don’t know.” He mumbled, trying to come up with an actual answer.

 The dragon’s harsh stare softened, her voice following suit. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, or what’s been done or said to you, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry that it happened… it makes sense why you’re no professional flyer.” She joked lightly, he didn’t even know her name yet this one dragon had said what he’d been dying to hear for so long.

 She added, her voice more chipper to lighten the mood. “No one deserves to feel unsatisfied with a part of themselves, but to answer your question…I’m nice to you because you look like you’d fall apart if I pushed you over.” She giggled, scrunching her nose.

 Percival couldn't help but smile, being pulled from his spiraling thoughts, he looked ahead and the flock flew in silence, only broken by the occasional comment. If he was being honest with himself, it still felt strange to be in this form, but he wasn’t fearing for his safety, and it did feel good having the wind rush over him. As he pondered about what could’ve been, what could be if he wasn’t stuck in his hometown, the leading amphiptere called to the rest of the group.

 “Lingmell ahead! Prepare for landing!”

 Watching the rest of the flock, they began to glide downward, using their wings to buff against the draft they had created and slow to a much more controllable speed. They all, except for Percival who more-or-less faceplanted into the earth, landed with little issue. The dragon gently placed Franny down before landing on her claws. Releasing Kip from his talons and resting him carefully on his back, Percival followed the group along the dirt path, soon becoming a stone path as they passed a sign welcoming newcomers to the town of Lingmell.

 To his surprise, all the buildings were massive, no nebulruff would be able to push any door open or even walk across the road without being smushed by a passing dragon.  Percy did not need to bow, slink, or watch underneath his talons as the group made their way through the entrance, giftshops and merchants were planted on either side of them, only diminishing as they got closer to the heart of the town. It felt magical to him, all the scales, feathers, fur, all the bright or desaturated colors that shone in the light, how different they all looked to him. A basilisk skittered by, a collection of faes ridding atop its back. A drake and zilant shared gossip outside of a cafe, a trio of young snallygasters following their leviathan parent. Any pairing could be made and seen right before his eyes, and not a scathing remark could be heard. Percival walked freely among these townspeople, earning only passing glances at his facial wound, he relished in this sense of normalcy. As the group reached the town center, they slowed and Percival could tell that if he was departing, it had to be now.

 “Thank you, I’ll try to see if anyone can help my friend here.”

 “No problem, it was fun flying with a new face!” The dragon stepped forward, letting out another trill, though this one much quieter, more polite. “Maybe we’ll meet again, you never know.” She winked. “Good luck and safe travels!”

 Percival bowed his head and turned from the group, who had already headed down another route, hopefully that roast was worth it. Peering around he picked a street and started his search, glancing at each sign in hopes of finding one that belonged to a health center, or any service that could check over Kip’s wounds. Continuing, there was nothing of note but every once in a while, a dragon would stare at Kip’s resting form, a few children pointing up at him before being swatted at by their parents. It was slightly off-putting, especially when they sneered or whispered to each other after, but as long as they didn’t make a fuss about it, all would be fine.

 As if on cue, a dragon walked- or hopped- up to Percival, resting on their strong hindlegs they towered over him. “You’ave a tick on you.” They pointed at Kip, to which Percival straightened his back, inching away from the wandering claw.

 “It’s not a tick, he’s my friend.” This earned a snort, but Percival continued. “We got into a little trouble, is there a place anywhere that has medical services?”

 The dragon shook his head, a scar ran down his throat all the way to his shoulder. “No, not for him. Anything they’d give you would probably kill him.” He cut himself short, as if to add a snark remark but decided against it. “I’d beat it to next town for that unless he gets up and decides to join the rest of us.”

 “That’s…not possible. I’ll just look around some more, I’m sure I’ll find someone-” 

 “You sayin’ I’m a liar?” The marsupial cut him short, his hackles raising. “No one is gonna help that pest. Unless you’re lookin’ to kill it, move on. We don’t need no dogs taking over another town.” He stomped forward, a cloud of smoke billowing from between his fangs.

 Percival started to snarl before feeling movement on his back, Kip was beginning to stir. What was he thinking? Starting a fight in the middle of a town where everyone knew each other would not be one of his smartest ideas, especially when these folks were much more experienced using their draconic halves.

 He lowered his head. “Sorry, I got it.” Turning back, Percy looked around where the buildings became sparse, he didn’t have any tokens on him, if these folks even took Startokens, and clearly they weren’t open to helping Kip. Trudging away, he shied away from judgemental eyes, suddenly self-conscious about the cargo he carried on his back. Just as he’d gotten comfortable, it was the exact same as his hometown, if not more cruel.

 So that didn’t work, so much for that dragon’s “good luck”. When Percival was a safe distance from Lingmell, which just happened to be a few mountainous ranges, he settled Kip onto a bed of moss and transformed back into a fox.

 Kip was definitely more awake, giving small kicks as if he were stuck in a dream. Percival prodded him with a paw, careful not to antagonize the dark bruise that still decorated the side of his body.

 “Kippy, you alright buddy?” He spoke softly, trying not to frighten the hyena.

Key word is trying, as soon as the hyena blinked awake Kip shot into the air, eyes darting around wildly as he circled for a full view of his surroundings. Percival could tell the regret was instant as Kip crumpled to the ground with a groan, holding his ribs with a paw he raised his head to look at Percival.

 “Did you find Amber? What happened with that beast?” He looked past Percival and to the ranges. “Where are we?”

 Percival clicked his tongue, despite Kip’s stressed demeanor he was finally glad his best friend was up and moving. “All I know is we’re…north? I think, north from Lingmell.” He lowered beside Kip, allowing the hyena to lean against him as he struggled to his paws. “We fell off that beast, I’m not sure where it went nor-”

 “You lost it!?” Kip jerked away from Percival, unable to catch himself he collapsed back onto the ground, this time denying the foxes assistance to instead force himself to his paws. “What do you mean you lost it!? That was our only lead to Amber!”

 Percival straightened his back, hiding his shock with a cough. “Well we both got knocked out from falling through the sky Kip, maybe we should be more worried about where we are? And where home is?”

 “We can do that later!” Kip snapped, Percival jumping backward as the hyena jerked around to face him. “We need to find Amber! What if she’s in trouble, Percival!” He snarled the name, Percival stammering to keep up.

 “Kip, we have more important things to worry about! We’re lost, there's not even the smallest hint of where home is or could be! You’re hurt, I’m hurt! We need to find somewhere to rest and come up with a plan instead of you breaking bones falling down another chasm!” His confidence had been hanging on by a thread since he had awoken and even now with Kip here, he was still his foreign self. “Please listen and relax, we’ll get through this.”

 Kip paused, Percival hoped in realization but watched as Kip’s hair stood on end, a growl rising in the back of his throat. “More important things? More important than Amber? When we haven’t seen her in months? When it's clear she’s in danger and needs our help there are more important things than that? Finally, a chance to ask for forgiveness and you think running back home is more important? It’ll always be there Percival! It’s not going anywhere!” The words left his mouth like toxic sludge, Percival flinching at every bark.

 “Kip you don’t understand, I don’t think Amber-”

 “What is there to understand, Percival?” Kip’s eyes widened in fury, despite being wounded he was able to limp closer, his stocky form inching forward in challenge. “Amber is in danger, that beast has her I know it! Whoever those nebulruffs are, they need to be stopped! It’s what Amber would do-”

 “I don't think Amber is even alive, Kip!” The words seemed to echo through the air as the range fell silent, Kip’s persistent glare made Percival want to shrink into his fur.

 “You don’t think…what?” Kip wrinkled his muzzle.

 “Kippy…you saw it. Amber’s house wasn’t even rubble. You really think she survived the blast?” Percival swallowed hard, his voice becoming more meek by the second.

 Kip was dead silent, his focused gaze falling to the ground as he battled the idea. Still as a statue, Percival crept forward, speaking in a hushed tone. “We have to get home. We can’t survive out here. Not like this. Kip, please-”

 “I don’t believe you.” He stopped him, his voice a forced calm. “Amber wouldn’t give up on anyone, So I’m not giving up on her.” He turned from Percival, hobbling away. “If you want to scurry home, do that. I’ll find a lead somewhere, a beast like that can’t hide.” Kip twisted his neck to face Percy. Silent, his eyes pierced through Percival before he hissed:

“If you’re not going to help me, get lost. I don’t need dead weight, Percival.”

With that, he staggered off.