Madi quietly woke the others as the sun was beginning to rise. They began walking again. It only took them a little over half an hour to find the Meade bus station building. Madi went inside to buy tickets while the others waited outside. Once she had the tickets, she walked back outside and handed the tickets out. She looked around the group, "The bus should be here soon. It'll take us to Starkville. Then we'll have to walk the rest of the way."

They waited on the benches for the bus to arrive. They talked about what they would do whenever they got back to the group. Astrid was going to see if she could transfer to the Ember kingdom and Eclipse wanted Madi to join the clan. She might not be a dragonkin, but Eclipse thought she should be able to live in the kingdom. It's not like she was clueless about the kingdom.

She would have to talk to her parents about it. Eclipse was pulled from her thoughts by the loud screeching brakes from the bus. They each scanned their tickets while they got on. Madi led the group to the back seat that was able to hold four people. Eclipse sat on the far left side followed by Madi, Ash, then Astrid.

Once the bus started moving, Eclipse decided to nap. She was awakened only minutes later by Madi slightly nudging her. The bus was stopped at a redlight and Madi nodded her head towards the window behind them. Eclipse turned around to look through the window. She quickly turned back around with her heart feeling like it was going to burst out her chest.

Madi took Eclipse's hand in hers, "It's okay, we noticed them before they noticed us. We'll get off at the next stop and try to get another bus."

This somehow calmed Eclipse down and she sunk into the seat. Perhaps Cole and Nite noticed their purchase of a bus ticket. Madi was right, the best thing would be to get off at the next stop. Eclipse was even more relieved to learn that the bus turned while Nite continued driving straight.

It took an hour until the bus reached its first stop. The group got off and then went into the bus stations together. Madi walked up to the front desk and bought new tickets. Once they got outside, Ash led the group to the side of the building, "I know the plan is to get a new bus and all, but won't they figure out we're no longer on the bus and find out the new bus we're on?"

Madi thought for a moment, "I guess you're right. Any other suggestions?"

Astrid leaned against the side of the building, "We could just fly. It'll be quicker than a bus as well."

Madi shook her head, "I can't fly like y'all can."

Eclipse smiled a bit, "I wouldn't mind if you tagged along with me."

Madi sighed as she gave in, "Okay. But you can't transform here. There's too many people around."

With that, Madi led the group towards a fenced in field that had grazing cattle. Madi helped the other over the barbed wire fence before climbing over as well. Woods surrounded the majority of the field and they started walking to the far side. Cattle watched the kids with curiosity as they were walking. One calf approached the group and then would buck around happily as if it were a dog.

Once they walked for a bit into the woods, they decided that they went far enough. The three kids shifted. Eclipse laid down so that Madi could easily get on her back. Once Madi was ready, they took off towards the clouds. Eclipse was sure to fly steadily so that Madi wouldn't fall off. She would look back occasionally to check on her. Madi seemed to be loving the experience.

When they made it just over the clouds, they began to glide, occasionally flapping to remain above the clouds. Madi would occasionally glance at her phone to see if they were still heading the right way. They flew for a few hours until they decided to take a break for a while.

Madi took a few cans of chili out of the bag and passed them out along with spoons. They ate in silence while they listened to their surroundings. Eclipse found the singing of birds calming. They took a short nap after they were done before continuing on their way.

They had to land again as it got darker so that Ash could ride with Astrid. They didn't fly for long because Ash felt like he was going to be sick. They found a spot in some woods to sleep. Eclipse didn't sleep much since she was too busy thinking about Star and what she must be feeling. At least they would soon be together again and heading back home.

There was a snapping of a twig in the woods that caused Eclipse to bolt upright. She looked around at the group to find that Astrid also was awake and heard the noise. They both stood up slowly and looked around at the surrounding trees. Eclipse walked away from the group before shifting to better blend in with the darkness. Astrid did the same.

The two spread out a bit before walking through the trees searching for the origin of the noise. After finding nothing, they both returned to the group. Neither of them shifted back as they laid down. Eclipse didn't relax for the rest of the night while she surveyed their surroundings.

As the sun began to rise, Eclipse shifted then woke up the other two. Madi could immediately see Eclipse's worried expression and frowned as she stood up. She kept her voice low, hoping only Eclipse would hear, "Is everything alright? What happened?"

Eclipse shook her head, "It's nothing. We just need to go."

Madi's frown deepened and she put her hands on the ground. Eclipse watched out of curiosity as a plant was beginning to grow. Madi told them that she had a strange ability, this must be what she was talking about. A red rose bloomed at the top of the stem. Madi picked the flower and held it out to Eclipse. This brought the faintest of smiles to her face despite their situation.

Astrid walked up to the two, "Okay love birds, we should really get going."

Eclipse blushed as she took the flower and grabbed Madi's hand lightly. Astrid grabbed Madi's phone from her pocket and started leading the way. They stayed quiet as they walked through the woods, occasionally stopping when they heard something.

They were able to walk for half an hour with no trouble. Eclipse had to take a break to use the bathroom. The group continued walking as she went behind some bushes. When she was done, she had to jog to catch up with the group. Once she saw the group she froze.

They were talking to someone. She didn't recognize who it was so she slowly approached. She stood behind Madi and looked the stranger up and down. He looked oddly familiar, well, at least his eyes. Eclipse tugged on Madi's shirt and slightly pulled her to the side.

Madi bent down so that Eclipse could whisper in her ear. With another glance to the stranger, Eclipse kept her voice very quiet, "I don't recognise him, but he has the same eyes."

Madi raised an eyebrow and Eclipse explained, "The same eyes as the person who attacked me back at the training grounds. The same as Cole's. I don't think he's a dragonkin nor a human. I think he can shapeshift."

"You mean like a kelpie?"

"If they can shift, then yes, I do," She replied while looking the stranger up and down. Madi nodded in understanding and walked back to the group. She whispered to the others and immediately, they took a defensive stance. Madi apologized to the stranger before walking back to Eclipse.

She took her hand in hers and started walking away from the strangers. Eclipse kept glancing back at the stranger. She watches as he shifts into, lo and behold, it's Cole. She narrows her eyes and stops. Madi looks back at her and slightly gasps, "You're eyes. Why are they glowing?"

Eclipse paused and looked at Madi while she stumbled on her words, "They are? How is that even possible?"

She looked at Astrid whose eyes were also glowing. She looked back towards Cole and shifted. Astrid and Ash did the same. Eclipse nudged Madi onto her back before she ran off to a safe distance so that Madi would be safe. She ran back to the group and narrowed her eyes at Cole.

There was a voice behind them causing Eclipse to look, of course it was Nite. He spoke in an even voice to hopefully calm the group, "Listen. We don't need to make this difficult. We aren't going to hurt you."

Eclipse kept looking between Cole and Nite. Her gaze finally stopped on Cole as she thought he was currently the biggest threat. Not to say Nite wasn't a threat, but Eclipse's instincts were taking over. A void grew around both Eclipse's and Astrid's feet though neither of them noticed. Nite kept talking, his voice growing louder and shaking slightly, "Just calm down. We don't want to hurt you, I swear."

Astrid turns her gaze to Nite. Ash continues looking back and forth while growling. Eclipse focused on going invisible, she knew it worked whenever Cole had to do a double take. The only thing giving away her position was the void that still surrounded her feet.

Eclipse looked around when she heard movement around them. There were other people coming out from the thick underbrush. Her flight response kicked in and she took off to the sky. The void created a barrier around her as she flew higher and higher. She couldn't see due to the void obstructing the area around her. She is forced to go back to the ground so as to not be in the open.

Once she lands, the void stays as it is for a few moments before retreating just around her feet again. She looks around to see people approaching her, she must not have gotten far from the original location. Also, she must've been back to normal since clearly, the people could see her.

She narrows her eyes at the people who circle her. She could hear yelling from behind her. She freezes. She knew that voice. It was Madi. And she didn't sound happy, nor did she sound scared. She sounded very angry.

The people didn't lose their focus on Eclipse. Oh what a mistake that was. Eclipse watched as Madi put her hands on the ground. A wall of plants headed straight for the people, there was a bone chilling cracking sound as it hit the people. Eclipse closed her eyes and focused in the void around her feet until it disappeared. Then, she focused on going invisible again.

She flew over the plant wall and carefully nudged Madi. She got the hint and climbed onto Eclipse's invisible back. They took off in a run, Eclipse made no sound whatsoever as she ran. It was as if she were a ghost. She ran as fast as she could for five minutes.

Madi climbed down once they stopped and Eclipse shifted and came back into view. Eclipse looked Madi up and down for any injuries and was relieved not to see any. Madi surprised her by throwing herself at Eclipse into a hug, "Are you okay?!" She sounded like she was holding back tears.

Eclipse pulled out of the hug, "I'm fine. Really, I am," She paused and her eyes widened slightly, "I need to go help Ash and Astrid. I'll be back, I promise."

Madi tried grabbing Eclipse's hand but she couldn't grab it before Eclipse was already gone. Eclipse ran quickly as she shifted and went back to being invisible. Her footsteps were silent as she approached. She avoided looking at the people lying on the ground near the plant wall. Astrid had a void surrounding both her and Ash.

Her invisibility faltered a bit due to the stressful situation. It happened just long enough for one of the people to see. Attention from the void was turned to Eclipse's area. An idea popped into her mind. She could lead everyone away while Ash and Astrid got away. It would be just like the young warrior in the legend.

She focused on one person's feet until a void opened underneath them. She didn't feel guilty as the person disappeared. She did the same for three other people before coming visible again and running through the gap. Sure enough, she was being chased. Not everyone was chasing her but the majority was. At least enough for the other two to run.

She continued running while occasionally glancing back. Once she glanced back and saw Ash and Astrid taking off in the other direction, she was ready to take off to the sky as well. The only problem was that she was now deeper in the woods and the treetops created a sort of barrier. The farther she went, the more trees there were.

The trees got so dense that she had to shift in order to continue. Probably not the best choice when being pursued by kidnapping maniacs. Eclipse was beginning to get tired but her adrenaline kept her going. But did it really matter? Not really considering that these people seemed to be a step ahead of them. People seemed to appear right in front of her, forcing her to stop. She tried to open a void around her but she was too exhausted.

There wasn't even enough room to shift. Despite being exhausted, she continued to try to use her abilities, anything would be helpful. She focused on going invisible. The world began to fade and there was a ringing in her ears. She tried her best to remain standing but the world felt as if it were spinning. She stumbled forward as the world went black around her.