Venturing: Forge Moon

We had arrived upon the moon kingdom. A dark place version apart from our own Vastertown. But none the less, it was more or less the same thing anyway. As we had arrived upon the doorsteps of the kingdom, we flew upon the hard grounds below us and folded our wings. Ling had said, she had wanted to talk with the moon royals; Dawn and Atrox about the troublesome problems that awaits for our respective towns. But somehow, me and the other officers of the unit felt something else was lying in wake. Despite the difference of viewpoints, our objective remained the same however. As Ling stepped forth towards the silver door in front of us, me and Kyro looked around the moon kingdom a bit. Perplexed by the new surroundings. The moon kingdom was an old town. Worn out houses filled with holes and peeling paint. Their doors were broken or bent that one push upon them would make them fall to their back or front sides. Allowing passage to invade upon the homes of the inhabitants that live here.

However, we had realized that the moon kingdom was lacking in citizen resources. As no one but the royals was living here at all. Me and Kyro, having noticed that were a bit worried about the future of the moon kingdom. But our thoughts were dashed when we turned our attention towards the broken front door which Ling had knocked over. She was looking quite embarrassed about the situation laid in front of her. But, she ignored our fixed gazes upon her and the door as we all entered through. Exchanging the moonlight from the outside with the darkness that awaits for us upon the first room inside of the castle walls, we looked around. The first room was huge with many doors lurking in every corner of our visions. “This had became a horror attraction however…" I heard Zander muttered with his eyes shifted from one view to another. A nod came from Natty who agreed with the black dragon. Kyro looked worried and his attention was towards Yang who kept staring at the white door in front of her.

Upon it was a white note which she ripped from the surface of the door itself. As she motioned us to gathered around, she held the note up and far from her for the others to see what was written upon the note. It was small sentences and all of them were right to the point however. No need for former hitting around the bushes with hints and foreshadowing about. But the words chosen and written upon the paper was an interesting thing to look at however. As our eyes were transfixed upon the first clue settled before us, Yang read it outloud perhaps towards ourselves or herself. I would not know. The first clue said something about the three signs that the dragon would go through. It is in order however. But the words mentioning the three signs was generic and confusing for us non moon folks. Regardless, I frowned while Kyro rubbed his chin and closed his eyes as he pondered silently to himself. Yang shoved the note towards Zander before running out the door unknowingly. We looked at her in surprise as she disappeared from view. Zander looked to me. I shrugged before following right behind her.

'Maybe she knew where and what the first note was about…' I trailed to myself, spreading my blue wings upon the midnight moon and sky as I flapped them upon the ground. Ascending me upon the night skies above. I flew above the towns and buildings rooftops, they were not small compared to our buildings back at home. Yet while ours were a union of colors and unique; the colors here upon Moon kingdom were the same. Unified by one color, it was nearly impossible to know which town house was which upon arriving into the kingdom shortly. I lowered my head and stared upon the small grounds underneath of me as I flew Southeast towards the bottom of the Moon kingdom. I saw roads, alleyways and sidewalks all interconnecting into one another. All into one big path. Where does it lead? I shook my head. Even I do not know the answer to that question. Despite my head getting sidetracked by the complexity of the kingdom, I had managed to find Yang running down the sidewalk. Coming up across a unique red sign that appeared before her. I noticed that she slowed to a stop upon acknowledging the sign and gaze upon it. It was the time I landed adjacent to her. So tucking my wings I flew downward. Landing upon the grounds beneath me. With my feet touching upon the grounds, I ran across the street and reunited with Yang who looked over to me with a surprise look upon her face.

“How… Why did you find me here?" “What were you doing running off like that?" I questioned her, ignoring her first. She fell silent and remained quiet as the ringing echoed our ears. I had unknowingly held her shoulders with my claws. Digging lightly into her scales. Her head hanged and gaze upon the grounds beneath us before looking up and spoke, nearly muttering underneath her breath as her eyes directly stared upon me. “I am looking for the royals. Dawn and Atrox. It was a surprise that the kingdom remained empty, even after the years I had left from the meeting long ago." “They probably changed establishments." I suggested, releasing her as Yang frowned and looked away. Staring upon the walls to her left before speaking to me indirectly, “I doubt it. This sign says so. The note we had found at Moon kingdom supports the claim. So it is doubtful that the two royals we worked with so much would retire and disappear just like that…" She was trailing, a lost of words from her. I kept staring at her before shaking my head. Shifted my attention towards the red sign and raised my walkie, pressing upon the side button before responding to the rest of our unit.

“Ling to Zander Kyro and Natty. Please read the first clue for us." I stated. Awaiting a few minutes later until a response came from my walkie. During that time, our attention was to the red sign in front of us. It was pure red. A white string of letters make up a word. But it never said stop or anything else. The letter was jumbled. An arrow symbol was pointing leftward. But we were unsure of what that was. As I awaited for our answer or explanation, I noticed in the corner of my eye, Yang already shuffling her feet forward and moving to the corner of the sidewalk. She was perplexed by something. Perhaps interested upon what was located in the left side of the street. As I watched her move to the corner, she turned towards the left side and gaze in the following silence. Then shook her head while her claw raised and motioned me. I tilted my head to one side and frowned. A thought entered my mind. But I had ignored it. Walking to her side, I turned to the left side of the cornered street and there. My eyes widened as I noticed in a good distance from where we are, an same white sized arrow was pointing leftward. Towards an alleyway that was plainly hidden from our view. We gaze at one another, warm smiles emerged from our faces as we ran. Forgetting about the red sign and its jumbled letters. As we ran a good distance and neared against the white arrow, we slowed down and shifted our attention leftward. Towards a dark alleyway that awaits us.

“Where are you guys?" I heard Zander spoke over the walkie as I pressed the side button again and muttered, “We are near the red sign. Currently now on the white arrow pointing left. We found an alleyway. We have reasons to think that Atrox and Dawn had fled through here." “Do you really think that Dawn and Atrox just fled like that? It was so uncharacteristic of them." “It is." Yang replied instead of me as I nodded in response while Yang echoed her answered once again, “FInd us upon the alleyway. A white arrow will point towards the left." “Where is it?" “Just find it." I growled and the conversation ended there as I lowered my walkie and stared down the alleyway. It was so pitched dark and impossible to see anything inside. Save of the lamp that faintly drives away the darkness from its surrounding. But even that we would not know where that is too. With a breath, I exhaled and closed my eyes. Opening them afterwards before nodding silently towards Yang who smiled rather quietly. Her face was warm somehow as her attention was straight to the horizon, she walked. I followed behind. We disappeared through the entrance of the alleyway.

Pitch darkness awaits for us inside. We could not even see anything inches away from us. The walls were rough upon our claws as we used them for guidance through the darkness that lurks upon our eyes. We walked straight. But we were unsure of alterative alleyways and paths that would lead us astray. We had found nothing upon the alleyway as we walked further in. Deeper upon the alleyway with our eyes up front towards the horizon. Seeing nothing up ahead. It was a good time before I breathed quietly. It was deep perhaps long. As my attention was to Yang. “Think this alleyway is long somehow?" “I think so. I could not find the end or a white door in front of us. Did we take the wrong one?" “DId someone fooled us into thinking that this was the alleyway and purposely lead us astray towards a fake one?" Many questions filled our minds. None of which were answered however. It had left us with mixed emotions. The majority of them were anger and frustration. So few emotions were surfaced upon our faces. But we did our best to seal them all in hope so not showing how we truly feel against our enemies. Whomever they are however.

As we continued walking a few more steps, Yang planted her feet upon the ground. Her wings spread, signaling me to retreat. As I nodded, acknowledging the thought, we fled from the alleyway. Back upon the surface, we had exited from. We turned our attention towards the street, noticing that the white arrow was already gone. “So someone had decided to lead us astray." Yang muttered to herself as her eyes were already upon the street's surface. I nodded quietly before radioing in the other officers. Yet nothing. I tried again, hoping to get a response. But the result was the same. As I turned towards Yang she rubbed her chin and frowned, her eyes were raised to meet up with mine. But her face was not warm. Rather cold as her thoughts fling side to side in her head in ponderance of what was going on.

“Did we go through a white door or something?" I questioned her, beating the soundless atmosphere above us as she shook her head, frowning in result and frowned in response. “I do not think so. I would had seen or felt a door in front of us however." “Or a knob." I finished with agreeance, she nodded afterwards and sighed before lifting her head towards the night skies and muttered something underneath her breath before turning back to the alleyway behind us. “Or do you think that all of the alleyways met in the surrounding Moon kingdom were all connected by the white door somehow?" “All?" I questioned, interested in her perplexed thought. Yang nodded silently towards me and shifted her attention back to the alleyway again before walking in front of it. She was silent. But thinking. Her brain racked in the thoughts and suggestions that filled her mind. Her wings were folded behind her, still and stationary. I walked to her line and raised my claw towards her shoulder, she flinched in response but gaze over to me. A warmth smile drifted between us before we entered back into the alleyway.

“According to my thoughts…" Yang explained, raising her claw in the air “What if the whole kingdom was surrounded by just one alleyway. One alleyway that would bring an true entrance/exit towards the kingdom?" “That would be quite interesting." I started, nodding in agreeance as she smiled back and continued her explanation. She went on to say about the single alleyway that inhabits a white door, in according to the white note from the Moon kingdom's castle however. This perhaps lines in with Atrox and Dawn disappearing from the surface of the moon. Leaving behind someone in their wake to rule over the emptiness of the kingdom itself." “Who else had an relationship with Dawn and Atrox to take over their leadership upon the abandoned kingdom?" I questioned Yang, who shook her head and frowned. Shrugging her shoulders in silence as her eyes stared up front to the horizon. Keeping the silence between us however.

I smiled. Although my own mind was pondering to. Yet despite answering the question about the importance of the alleyway being the entrance and exit of the moon kingdom. There was something else bothering me. 'Who was the new royal? Is he friendly? Or hostile?" I gulped nervously about those last two thoughts as my mind raced with answers, trying desperately to cover up my emotions and the last two thoughts. Yet it was already too late when Yang pointing to the horizon, pointing to the white door in front of us. She was already smiling, like a hatchling who gotten what she had wanted. As I stared at the door, I tilted my head. Yet the frown persisted upon my face as Yang breaks the line and stepped forth. Grabbing upon the doorknob in front of us and tilted it before opening. Revealing a single brown room before us. Two sofas stands together on one side as the television was opposite from where they were. On the opposite side of the room was emptiness. But we did see a strange looking tilt of a window staring back upon us. As we gaze upon it in silence, we looked to one another and stepped forward. Together as a line.

We walked to the tilted window. But Yang was the first to curiously reached for it. As she placed her claw against the surface of the window, I stepped closer to the window and peered upon the other side. Despite the place being dark, it was flickered to light thanks to a bulb that hangs in the center of the room. It took three flickers before I noticed something at the opposing side of the room. A dragon that held his back against the wall behind it. He looked depressed, stressed and something else. I was not sure what it was. As I heard Yang spoke whispering to me, I tapped against the glass in sequence and she nodded in response. Another whisper escaped from her mouth, but it was not towards me. It was towards herself. I did my best to ignore it however and kept staring down onto the depressed dragon that hung its head and gaze upon the floor.

Its scales were like the seabed when the sun was directly its light upon the surface of the waters. Its wings were huge, perhaps bigger than ours in comparison. With its horns and claws sharp, he definitely looked like a fearsome dragon. But despite a depressed dragon lurking upon the moon kingdom, a thought entered my mind and had been bugging me for a while. As I stepped back from the tilted window, I whispered to Yang who looked to me in response. “Why do you think a dragon is here? Upon the moon kingdom at most? Should he not be with the other dragons at Vaster?" “Good question, Ling. But I do not think it is something we should answer on our own." Yang responded back in a whisper, shifting her attention towards the tilted windows a bit. Her wings shuffled and flapped, creating wind gusts that filled the empty room. We turned around and exited the brown room. Out upon the alleyway where we gathered reunited with the other officers in turn. We had decided to flee back towards the moon kingdom. For two things however.

Returning to the moon kingdom, we all landed in front of the door. But we were surprise by the door already opened before our eyes. We all looked upon one another. Silence was upon our heads as each of us had entered through the door. Thus entering in, we were surprise to see someone waiting for us. A green scaled dragon stands before our wake. Its arms were crossed; eyes narrowed. Wings already spread out to show us dominance. Yet neither of us were intimidated by his appearance or gesture as we remained staring at him until he stopped the act and spoke, “Vaster police. I am Zephyr. Current royal of the Moon kingdom- urk!" But before he could say anything else more into his own introduction, Zander had already pinned the dragon to the ground. His foot was upon his face. Zander growled down at Zephyr while Kyro ran up towards the black dragon. Yang and me followed right behind Kyro. As Kyro helped Zander down from the dragon underneath him, Yang narrowed her eyes and spoke threateningly but efficinaly against Zephyr. She questioned him about many things and topics. But the most important one out of the bunch was the disappearance of Dawn and Atrox.

Zephyr mentioned the two former royals. And how, at first, he never wanted to become a royal after them. But he was forced by the two and committed a series of tests. One of which was us in particular. While we were initially surprise, neither of us were fooled by his stupid story. However, for now we had to buy it since we had nothing else to work with. Despite the two clues and the discovery of the white arrow. In anger and annoyance, Yang turned around and stomped her feet against the grounds beneath her as the rest of my unit were shocked by her true nature. As she disappeared, I spotted Zander already growling at Zephyr and muttered something underneath his breath despite Kyro already holding him hostage. We all left the kingdom underneath his care, despite none of us buying it at once. Our wings were spread, we flew northward. Back towards our home.

However, there was something else in my mind that I never mention to my coworkers. The design of the white door. I had noticed that it was plain as white. Nothing of interest upon it, right? Well, there was something else. Although I was not sure if it was my imagination or real. But a symbol was place upon the side of the door. That symbol was a paw print. However, something else was of interest too. That paw print that I had saw before was split into two. But a tape linked the two together into union despite the two being different unique pieces. As we flew towards our home, I had thought about that particular paw print and its resemblance toward something in the near future. I am not sure what. But I hope somehow that the paw print being broken and link together is not true.

But the worst had yet to begun by the time we had arrived upon Vaster's HQ that we were delivered with a set of letters. And upon our front brown desk.