"Imani, I know this question's going to sound strange, but do you want children?"

Feeling herself lulled by the noon sun upon her dark hide, Imani slowly turned to regard her mate. A dandelion puff was resting near her claws, and when she looked upon it again, all the seeds had scattered, leaving clumps of white fluff upon the grass.

It also left a bare dandelion head, and she didn't know what to think. One part of her realized that the dandelion had spread its life upon the meadow and those seeds would flourish. Yet another wanted to replace all the seeds and make the dandelion whole again. It looked forlorn and lifeless, like it was missing a vital part of what it was.

Just like Yharil. Neither of them had recovered from their last encounter, and she couldn't bear to look upon him in such a distraught state. Unfortunately, he suffered alone, for it didn't seem as if anyone in the Dragonhall had enough empathy to realize that Yharil's usual blank temperment was now touched with deep sorrow.

Imani batted at the dandelion fluff for a moment, taking a moment in vain to pick up the seeds and place them upon the dandelion before looking upon Mikanil again.

"Children?"

"Yes, I heard about many places offworld where dragons have clutches and the children bond to the candidates which are present at hatching. Sort of like Silvaura, but they're more active than we are in bringing candidate and dragon together. Besides, you're looking especially gorgeous today, and I'd love the chance to have a fertile union with you."

"That's a huge commitment, Mikanil. Even if we're not raising our children together, it still means our genetic line will be present somewhere. Are we truly right for each other in all ways?"

"What do you think, Imani? I want you to decide."

Imani was silent for a moment, laying her head upon her foreclaws and watching a preying mantis balancing on a blade of grass. For a moment, it fought to keep its balance against the light breeze that stirred the meadow, but once the winds calmed, it glanced around for insects to prey upon.

Trying to keep herself perfectly motionless, Imani still caught the attention of the preying mantis. It fixed pale green eyes upon her white ones, cocking its little head as if trying to discern whether she was friend, foe, or just another fixture of its territory. She gazed back with amused interest, at least until familiar golden eyes flashed upon her memory.

How long would it be before the memory of Yharil would pass from her thoughts? It had been months since she had broken Yharil's heart, but for all she knew, it could have been yesterday.

"If you want to sire my clutch, I am not one to stop you, Mikanil. Perhaps we can bring a youngster of our own back to Silvaura so we can raise him or her. But do you have a location in mind which will host our little ones?"

"Yes. Draco's Inferno Weyr. It is a small Weyr, but it is in need of rising females to lay clutches. The clutch that resides on the sands is very close to hatching, and I've heard we will be welcomed if we choose to follow after Barneyth and Lessarth."

Without hesitation, Imani nodded and stood up, watching the preying mantis fly up into the skies. Yes, that was her place, far up in the heavens. Wherever this place deemed Draco's Inferno was, she would rise there. Besides, it would certainly take her mind off all the guilt she had been feeling over the past few months.

She spread her wings, feeling the wondrous breeze stroke her as she too ascended into the clear blue heavens with Mikanil twining around her. She welcomed his touch, nipping his tail playfully when he brushed it past her face, only to tuck her wings in close and dive when he tried to catch her.

The antics continued for hours until the sun had nearly dipped below the horizon, until the two were too exhausted to remain in flight. With no natural ability of teleportation, Imani knew that they had to reach the Luna Portals, and that would mean flying to the sacred magical plane when the moon was at its brightest.

That time would not be until midnight, so she was more than content to remain by Mikanil's side. It wasn't long before a careless sleep overtook them both, and they remained until midnight, twined around each other.

Twilight passed, and time crept closer to midnight, when the portals of the planet Aura that led to all worlds would open for only a fleeting moment. Imani snapped awake, feeling as if restless spirits were surrounding her, trying their best to guide her someplace.

The Luna Portals! With that resolve overtaking her trembling mind, she tackled Mikanil several times, each effort becoming more frantic until he finally moaned and looked up at her with drowsy yellow eyes. He staggered to his feet, trying to cuddle her, but she would have none of it.

"Imani, what's wrong?"

"The Luna Portals, you lazy idiot! It's almost midnight!"

"Oh man, there's always tomorrow night, Imani... Let's just sleep here for a while. You were so warm, so soft..."

With an annoyed hiss, Imani swatted her mate with her wing and launched herself into the starlit sky. Being so young, she didn't fully understand why such a change had come upon her so suddenly. She only knew that she needed to be at Draco's Inferno now, but she needed to release that frenzied panic within herself before she could be at peace again.

Though it tore at her complete being, she knew she needed to get as far away from Mikanil as she could, and the fact that he was her beloved mate meant nothing to her. She needed to rise far and high, she needed to evade every dragon in her path.

Imani knew this was her moment, and with a deafening roar, she caught the thermals in her wings and rose higher into the sky than she had ever risen before.

With his drowsiness far forgotten, Mikanil launched into the sky and tore after his mate, struggling to keep up with the agility that her sudden heat had brought upon her. Every tactic he tried in keeping up with her, she sensed it far in advance and countered it with a steep dive or high ascension. Despite his strength, Mikanil found it difficult to match Imani's speed.

"Imani, this is too early! You can't be ready to fly now! Wait till we're at the Weyr!"

"If you're going to pursue me, come for me now or give up!"

Not too far from the evening flight, another dragon was watching the unfolding drama from his post upon the cliffsides. The starlight and weak moonlight glistened upon his dark silver hide and revealed a shining but bitter resolve in his golden eyes.

He tentatively took a step toward the edge of the cliff, watching the blurs of dark blue and green fading into the horizon. Normally, he would have retreated into the shadows which bestowed upon him the meaning for his name, but love tears at even the hardest of hearts.

"Come for you now... I never thought I'd be insane enough to take such a dare."

As Imani screamed a challenge her struggling mate, Yharil answered with a roar of his own before sprinting off the edge of the cliffside and catching the rushing wind in his silver wings. As he soared high into the heavens, tearing at the air with the pursuit of hope, a single thought crossed his overwhelmed mind.

"What changes come upon all of us on a moonlit night..."

Meanwhile, Imani was still caught up in the rush of her mating flight, hurling taunts and threats at Mikanil every time he came too close. She was tiring, but knowing that Mikanil would have her for his own if she gave up brought a new surge of energy within her. Within moments, the moonlight revealed a sight which would have stunned anyone not in the rush of flight.

The ground beneath Imani and her two suitors faded into darkness, and swirling rifts shot out of nowhere, scattered throughout every inch of the space before them. Beyond the violet and silver-streaked blackness of each Luna Portal, blurs of color rushed in from all around, all were winged creatures diving into the wormholes which would lead them to their desired destinations.

Imani felt no hesitation as she glared at the writhing wall of indigo-silver. The knowledge of her location, even it was just a name, empowered her to keep her sights fixed upon one small area of the Portals. Without another thought, she slipped into the Luna Portal which would carry her to the skies above Draco's Inferno Weyr. Little did she know that two other dragons were in fast pursuit.

Indeed, even Mikanil knew nothing of his competition, but Yharil was more than willing to risk the wrath of his two companions. The familiar surroundings of their home disappeared, replaced by a blur of violet and silver blackness before they were launched into foreign skies.

Having more knowledge of the Luna Portals than Mikanil, Yharil knew to keep his wings close to him as the Portal launched them into the darkened skies above Pern, giving him a high burst of speed without much effort. The twin moons were both present this night, causing his metallic hide to shine with an ethereal radiance. As she turned to see if Mikanil was still pursuing her, Imani bugled in surprise as she found a silver dragon within her reach.

"Yharil?!"

"None other shall have you, my love! Surrender to me! I'll show you understanding and caring like you've never known!"

Struck into shock from the power of Yharil's tone, Imani found the dark silver body trying in vain to twine around hers. The gentle breezes of Aura were now the buffeting winds of Pern, and try as he could to stay in flight, the exhausted dark silver couldn't remain in the sky. The windstorm was making it difficult for him to balance his advances with trying to keep his wings open.

He had neither the stamina nor the full resolve to complete the action of love, and just as Imani was ready to feel herself surrender to Yharil, he had already fallen into the dark void of night below her.

But Mikanil was coming another direction, and the strong winds were in his favor. As he found his mate drifting upon the gale in confusion, he took his opportunity to seize her, twining around her and completing the union between himself and his beloved.

She struggled for a moment, still caught up in the panic of her flight and having one fragment of her spirit wanting the love of Yharil. Finally, Imani surrendered to that warm body of the one she loved, losing herself in the wonder of her first true flight and the overwhelming love for Mikanil that dissolved all other distractions for one long, sweet moment.

"Imani, who was that dragon? He seemed almost familiar."

"Mikanil, how would you react if I told you I found another who loved me?"

"Well, that's only too obvious now. But we're not humans, Imani, and I can't expect you to keep your loyalty to me forever. Dragons were not meant to limit ourselves like that. I know Aikath somewhat loves me, so I would be a hypocrite to restrict you."

Imani sighed, turning her eyes to where she had seen Yharil fall and seeing nothing. Mikanil said nothing, merely pulling himself closer to his mate and twining her wings with his, beginning the gentle freefall toward the ground.

"Mikanil, that was Yharil..."

The green dragon gazed into his mate's eyes as they gently descended, keeping his face expressionless as Imani glanced back at him.

"Do you love him, Imani?"

"I may. I may not. This is not the time to decide such things, my love. Let us find the ones who lead Draco's Inferno so we may have permission to use their laying grounds."

There was silence between the two mates after that, just the gentle reassurance of love. Yet within the shadows of a foreign world, there was one who remained alone and forgotten. Though the feeling was all too familiar to him, never had it come with such intensity on a world he knew nothing about.

Realizing there was no way to return home and there was no one he could trust, Yharil threw his head back against the wind and screamed his anguish, cursing his idiocy and his entire soul until the pale gray light of Rukbat cleared the horizon.

He knew all too well that there would be none to hear.