Dragon Prince: A Warrior's Journey (Under Editing)

Chapter Fifteen: Midnight Desert

As they rode through the forest, Callum and Sierra looked around in wonder at the magical forest surrounding them. Everywhere they looked was another creature they had never seen before, each more bizarre and exotic than the last. Nevertheless, they doubted they would ever get used to so many magical beings and plants... They had been in Xadia for several days now, and they felt as amazed as when they first arrived.
Once settled, Callum's eyes fell onto Rayla's back. The sunlight trickled through the thick trees above, casting a gentle glow on her snow-white hair. His best friend — whose posture was normally straight as an arrow, ready for anything — sat slouched atop her Shadowpaw. She had been quiet all day, not even snapping at him for being annoying, or making any sarcastic quips as he struggled to ride Barak. The few times he had caught her eyes, they were unfocused and missing their normal sparkle. He hated seeing her like this. She was always so animated and passionate, even when she was upset or angry. Today... She was a shell of her normal self, completely numb. It pained Callum to see her like this; he desperately wanted to help any way that he could.
But as they traveled, Sierra saw the sunlight flickering overhead. She raised an eyebrow and looked up, she saw a winged figure flying overhead. "Umm... Guys?" Sierra gazed at the sunlit canopy overhead warily. "I think someone's watching us."
After about three more hours of traveling, their mounts stopped, reacting to a nearby presence.
"Someone's coming!" Rayla warned lowly, she jumped to the ground, she drawing her weapons in a reverse grip.
Then, after a tense moment of silence, someone dropped in front of them and turned around to look at them with a smile. The person is a female Skywing elf. Her right eye is golden and her left eye is cyan. Her light purple skin has white markings on her face and she has a pair of dark red wings. Her wind blown hair is in the mix of cyan, blue, and white. She has two different horns is placed on the top and side of her head, the upper ones being small and brown and the lower ones being bent and white. She seems to be wearing white and light blue shirt, thin dark brown jacket with white sleeves, woven leather bracers, gray leggings with light blue features, and tall, gray thigh-high boots.
"Hello travelers," said the Skywing Elf. "My name is Nyx. I believe you want to cross the desert, I can make it easier for you."
Rayla lowered his sword. "Hello Nyx. I'm Rayla." She eyed Nyx warily. "But no thanks, we can manage."
"I doubt it." Nyx crossed her arms at them. "In the desert during the day there is a hellish heat, and at night there are snakes that suck souls. So don't be offended, but a Moonshadow Elf, a human Sky Mage, and a Sky Perian is unlikely to cope." 
"And how are you going to help us?" asked Rayla.
"Follow me." The team looked at each other and rode after Nyx towards the starting of the desert. Around the same time, a tall creature have started walking from the horizon.
"What is that?" Sierra asked Nyx.
"That's an Ambler," said Nyx.
The sight of the Ambler reminded the two humans of a camel and a giraffe with extra fur. It has brownish-white fur mixed in with blue and beige. The Ambler has a huge, round saddle strapped onto its back that's big enough for everyone to be in and another saddle strapped near the Ambler's head.
"On it," continued Nyx. "You will overcome the Midnight Desert in one day."
"And what do you want for the appointment?" Rayla asked suspiciously. "Because, I don't think you help everyone for free."
Nyx rolled her eyes. "Nooo... Maybe you're a little right... But not in this case."
"And why is that ?" asked Rayla.
"Well, how come it's my own not to help." Nyx pointed to both Sierra and Callum.
"Why are you pointing at us?" asked Callum.
"We are connected to the Sky Arcanum." Nyx soon looked at Callum and Sierra. "Those who are connected to the Sky help each other in times of need."
"Very well." Rayla nodded with a firm frown. "Lets get going."
Ambler lowered his tail that helped the Moonshadow Elf, the Sky human mage, the young Storm dragon, the Sky Perian, and their mounts onto the Ambler and into the strange saddle that has some boxes.
The clouds became streaked with orange and pink across the horizon ahead of them, and as the sun set like an aflame ember. The ball of fire shone brightly in their eyes. But surrounding them were miles and miles of scorching earth.
As they rode, the team watched as the sky become dusky. The desert sky was slowly becoming bright with dusky colors of amber and dark blue.
But with this scorching heat, some of the team has trouble adapting to the desert. They're used to the calm and cool weather in Katolis, but not the hot and blazing heat of the desert. They had water earlier, but it was slowly being absorbed and there's not a single cloud for miles.
As they continued running over the unchanging desert, riding through the waves of dry heat, Callum had lost track of time. He snapped out of his dazed state when a peck of green appeared on the eastern horizon. It grew larger and larger, till dense chumps of bright green palms, surrounded by thickets of vines and rubbery bushes, birds and animals scampered between the fronds. Many tracks circled the ring of precious greenery.
An oasis.
It was large, hundreds of yards across. There must have been some sort of spring in the middle to provide so much lushness in the middle of the desert. A semicircle of sandstone cliffs curled around the back of the oasis, rising high around it. The beautiful ring of green is clearly easy to defense.
As they headed to the oasis, they approached a clearing.
After all that sand and heat, the huge oasis's center was amazingly beautiful. Water burbled and spilled from the ground in the middle of the clearing, forming a radiant pool. Around it grew bright green mosses and ferns, overhung by palm trees.
"See that barrier?" Callum and Sierra both nodded when they saw the magical blue barrier surrounding the oasis by Nyx's comment. "It'll protect us from the Soulfangs outside of the oasis."
The group dismounted the Ambler with their mounts behind them and started putting up camp at the oasis. They put up their tents and Callum helped collect the campfire wood, letting Sierra use strike up a fire to put the stacked wood aflame and placed a pot of boiling beverage over the fire. Rayla soon gave them some delicious paste that should keep them full at least a week.
"Callum?" Sierra spoke up next to his side. "Would you show me some of your sketches?"
"Sure!" Callum said, jumping up to get his sketchbook. He quickly returned, opening his sketchbook to one of the early pages. "So, this is my first family portrait."
Sierra looked at the picture, her eyes softening at the telltale signs of an earnest child's first attempt at a large project. The portrait showed two sloppily-drawn adults and a young boy standing between them, holding a baby in his arms. On the following page was a simple circle with angry eyes. "The beginning of the artist's journey."
"Something like that." Callum grinned. "Go ahead and flip through. Just stop when you get to the one I did of Zym and me. The pictures after that aren't done."
"Of course." Sierra slowly began to flip through the book. She was aware of Callum watching her, even while downing a mouthful of the broth.
As she looked at the evolving pictures, Sierra truly felt as if she was getting to know the young boy who had won Rayla's heart, more than she would have through one or even twenty conversations. She watched as the family portraits became more detailed, the expressions became more radiant and human, the angry circle became a grouchy glow toad.
She looked long and hard at the faces of King Harrow and Queen Sarai. For so long, they had simply been Katolian rulers. Then, King Harrow became the murderer of Thunder and Queen Sarai was killed by Thunder. However, they looked like the kindest couple in the world. To Callum, they probably were.
Sierra returned Callum his notebook. "Nice drawings mate."
"Thanks." Callum smiled at her. "The Xadian drawings are some of my favorites."
After that, everyone started talking about lighter conversations. Callum and Sierra both noticed that Rayla was walking away from the camp by herself. Sierra looked at Callum and nodded to him with sympathy.
"Rayla needs a friend, Callum," said Sierra as she gently took hold of Zym. "Go to her." He smiled at her encouragement and took off after Rayla.
"Rayla?" Callum had saw her leave earlier and went after her. A small part of her brain realized he had called for her, but she couldn't make a sound, let alone move in his direction.
When he didn't get a response, Callum ventured out into the night, and saw his friend a short distance away. He smiled in relief. "There you are, Rayla, I was about to—"
Rayla didn't acknowledge him. Her breaths had become frantic and shallow, one hand pressed firmly against her chest as though it could pull more air out, and the other shaking uncontrollably at her side.
"Rayla! What's wrong?" Callum looked around in alarm, arms out in front of himself in defense, or at least an attempt at one. "Is something out here? Were you attacked? Are you hurt?"
The elf finally noticed his presence, but couldn't do more than shake her head no. Callum was confused for a moment, looking around to be sure nothing was about to jump out at them. When he was satisfied that they were alone, he stepped over to his friend and crouched down at her side. Callum placed gentle hands on her wrists, getting a better look at her face. When he saw the frightened look in her eyes, he had a sudden realization. He knew that look all too well.
"Rayla," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle. "I...I think you're having a panic attack. I used to get them all the time growing up. Just...here." He leaned her forward slightly so her head was closer to her knees. "Panic attacks are scary, but you're going to be okay. All we have to do is get your breathing under control." He got down in a more comfortable sitting position close to her, keeping his hand on her wrists the whole time. "Rayla." Callum's voice felt far away, but the hands on her wrists were reassuringly steady. "Look at me, please."
Rayla looked at Callum, her eyes both wide and full fear of her situation as he said gently, "You need to breathe."
Her breathing started to calm down as she looked at the warmth in Callum's gentle green eyes. The look in his shows warm sympathy, empathy, and compassion towards her as she slowly calmed down.
"Perfect!" Callum beamed at her. "You did it, Rayla! How are you feeling now?"
She took in a deep breath, the first proper one she had been able to take in quite awhile. "Much better. I can breathe now. Um..." Rayla wiped at her cheeks, realizing for the first time there were tear tracks running down her face. She glanced at Callum as a pink blush grew across her face. "Thank you for helping me, Callum...ugh. I'm so embarrassed." She leaned her head into her hands, looking up at the sky, wishing she were invisible. She was grateful Callum had been there to help, but...him seeing her like this...
"Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, Rayla!" he said earnestly. "My mom used to say that sometimes our mind gets ahead of our body and spirit. When that happens, you need to make yourself slow down and breathe so they can catch up, and help you work through your problems. Your mind must have just gotten ahead of you tonight, that's all."
"Yeah," she scoffed. "You could say that..."
Callum knew she was probably still working through some things in her head, and let a few moments of comfortable silence pass.
"Wanna talk about it?" asked Callum gently.
Rayla smiled at him, appreciative of the gesture. "Villads told me pretty good advice. He told me that life is like a river. You can't see too far ahead, and you don't know where the bends will take you. You can't control it; all you can control is yourself. And as long as you know yourself, who you are and what you stand for, then wherever the river takes you, you'll always be right where you were always meant to be."
"He said that?" Callum said in disbelief.
"Shocking, I know," she replied. "I actually found it quite beautiful, and in the moment it really helped me. I've always known who I was. I've always been so sure about everything, what I stand for, where I belong. But now..." Rayla paused. The thoughts were hard enough to deal with, but getting the words out was proving to be equally difficult. "Ever since we met, Callum, ever since we found Zym's egg still alive, my entire world changed. I always believed humans were evil, no exceptions, just as I was taught. But now I know that isn't true at all. In fact, almost every single thing I had ever learned about humans was completely wrong. My people were so focused on revenge and vengeance that nobody ever even considered trying to find a way toward peace. Now that I see the big picture, I understand how flawed our beliefs were. So I'm left questioning almost everything I have ever been told, everything I was raised to believe." Callum let Rayla take the time she needed to continue, and didn't interrupt her thoughts. "Then...I spent my whole life training to be an assassin. I had to work extra hard to overcome the stain my parents left on our name's reputation. I woke up early, stayed late, and trained. All my free time was spent finding ways to be faster, stronger, stealthier. Becoming an assassin wasn't just my goal, it was my entire life. And when the time came to actually fill that role... I failed. Completely, and utterly, failed. When I saw that guard's eyes, when I saw your eyes, even...I couldn't bring myself to do it. Everything I worked so hard for, gone to waste. All because I felt pity. Don't get me wrong..." She glanced over to meet his eyes. "I am very, very glad I didn't kill you. Or the guard, for that matter," she added quickly. "I am truly happy that I was able to find this new path. But still...being an assassin, or at least training to become one, was a huge part of me. It's who I thought I was, and now that's gone. So when I think about what Villads said...knowing what I stand for, knowing who I am....I don't know the answers to those things anymore, and that makes the 'river' so scary. Everything I once stood for is wrong. I'm still trying to figure out what it is I do believe in now. And as far as who I am, now that I'm not an assassin... I mean, who am I?"
"You're a protector," Callum said simply, after considering it for a moment.
Rayla leaned her head to the side, still resting on her knees. She looked at him curiously. "A...protector? What do you mean?"
"I mean, you failed at being an assassin because you have a huge heart." Callum met her gaze boldly, but kindly too. "You care about other people. You're compassionate and empathetic. You protect the people around you, the people you care about, physically and emotionally. You literally protect us day in and day out, using the skills you were taught to use to kill, to instead keep us safe. You tried to protect my feelings when you found out my stepdad died, because you didn't want me to get hurt. When we found Zym's egg, you gave up everything you've ever known in order to do what was best for the world. You're a protector, Rayla. That's who you are."
She stared into his eyes, with a look he couldn't place, but didn't say anything right away.
"Don't get me wrong!" he said quickly, worried she might take him the wrong way. "You're a lot of other things too! You're funny, a little ornery, and pretty goofy..." His voice trailed off and her blush returned. "But I think at your core...that's who you are. You believe in doing what's right, and what's best for the innocent creatures who can't protect themselves."
Rayla couldn't stop the smile that was growing on her face. His sweet words made her feel a little embarrassed — she wasn't used to such compliments — but they did help ease her mind.
He reached up, wiping tears from her cheeks as softly as he could. She managed a small smile at him. "Thank you, Callum...I'm — I'm sorry for shutting you out. It's hard for me to trust people and to open up to them, as I'm sure you can tell." They both chuckled. "But I'm lucky to know someone who cares enough to be patient with me. I...thank you." 
"And I'm lucky to know someone as amazing as you, Rayla." He gave her an earnest smile. "I want you to know, you are deserving, and you are good enough. You have a big heart, and...you're strong, fast, and beautiful—" Callum was interrupted by Rayla's lips gently meeting his own. But they didn't notice that Nyx and Sierra both quietly high five each other, while Zym watched on curiously.
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By the next sunrise, the team woke up and gotten ready for their journey. They have mounted their furry companions and rode up onto the Ambler's tail into the saddle. They were facing east, where the sun was rising and where the Storm Spire is at. Rayla looked over her shoulder and smiled at the sight of her boyfriend, which didn't go unnoticed by Sierra and Zym.