Night couldn't come quick enough as the kids waited impatiently. The sun was just beginning to set. The group was laying down for the night. Eclipse couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. Soon, she wouldn't have to worry about it.

Once it was completely dark, Astrid stood up and walked away from the group. When neither Cole nor Nite night moved, she gestured for Eclipse that it was clear. Eclipse stood up and made no noise whatsoever when she walked to Ash. She bent down and tapped on his arm before helping him up. She led him over to Astrid, who was already in her dragon form. Her dragon form is the typical void element look most people think of. She was fully black, even her eyes were black. They agreed beforehand that Ash would ride with her while Eclipse scouted.

Eclipse shifted into her form and took off to the sky. She felt free in the night sky, soaring gracefully over treetops. She looked behind her to see Ash holding on for dear life. It's like he thought he would die if he fell off. Astrid was flying slower, it's not every day that a dragon had a rider. Astrid did seem a little uncomfortable but she didn't seem to mind.

Astrid was slowly inclining their altitude as Eclipse stayed just above the trees in front of them. Eclipse watched as they passed trees, fields, and lakes. It was a lovely thing to experience. Soon there was a roaring sound above them. Eclipse looked up to see a strange metal bird way above them. The bird stayed at a constant speed and it seemed it didn't have to flap its wings.

After a few hours of flying, they decided to land in an open field. Eclipse shifted just above the ground and then helped Ash get down. Astrid shifted back and had a huge grin, "That was amazing! I've never felt that free. Even in the kingdom."

Ash seemed to be having trouble catching his breath, he looked towards where Astrid stood but looked through her since he couldn't see, "Speak for yourself. I never wanna do that again."

Eclipse sighed, "Fine, we can leave in the morning if you're more comfortable with that."

He nodded his head, "That would be so much better. I mean," he paused for a moment, "If it's fine with you two. I know you don't like the brightness."

Both of the girls shrugged it off. Ash yawned, "Maybe we should get some rest."

Without waiting for an answer, he laid down. Eclipse was too hyped up with adrenaline to go back to sleep, she walked away from the group and started doing a few laps. Once she felt like her legs were going to give out, she went back and laid down. She was able to go to sleep pretty easily.

Eclipse dream POV:

I woke up with the warm, summer breeze gently blowing my hair in my face. I looked around and I noticed I wasn't in the field with Ash and Astrid. Instead, I saw Cole and Nite starting to wake up. They were still in the same location that we last saw them. How did I get here? I watched as Cole was sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He looked to where he last saw me and then to where Astrid was sleeping.

I could tell when he finally processed that they were gone. He got red in the face from what I assume to be anger. He looked around again and stopped when he looked in my direction. I held my breath and took a step back. He continued to look around and I sighed from relief. I guess he couldn't see me.

He walked over to Nite and softly kicked his arm until he was wide awake. He looked at Cole, "What was that for?"

Cole scoffed, "Look around you! They're gone. I told you we should've just drove straight through."

Nite looked towards where we slept and I heard him curse under his breath. He shifted into his dragon form and I was shocked. He was massive. It's been a while since I've seen an adult in their dragon form. I watched as he sniffed in the air and then took off in the direction we took off during the night. Cole shifted and started flying after him.

Eclipse was awakened by soft nudges coming from Ash. She sat up and looked to the sky. Ash looked too, "What did you see now? I was worried about you."

She stood up while not taking her eyes off the sky, "We need to go now. They'll be waking up soon and start looking for us."

Astrid nodded, "Okay, yeah, we should get going. The only way for them to track us would be by our scent. We need to find a river or creek and hopefully that'll make them confused."

They walked towards some woods in hope of finding a water source. They lucked out and found a decent sized creek. Astrid led the way through the water with Eclipse behind Ash. They went upstream for an hour before finally getting out. They walked for another few hours before stopping for a small break in the safety of the woods.

After a few minutes of just resting, Ash spoke up, "You think they lost our scent?"

Eclipse nodded, "We should get going though."

"Are you sure you're okay to fly during the day?"

Both girls nodded. Flying was the quickest way to get around. As long as they stayed well above the trees then they would be fine. Eclipse looked for a small clearing in the treetops before shifting. She flew up and then hovered while waiting for Ash to lead the way.

Ash seemed shocked to see a metal bird just as the girls were at night. Curious, he began to try to fly closer to it. But the bird was too fast and he eventually gave up. They kept flying for a few hours until Ash started to fly towards the ground in an open field.

He shifted, then looked back to the girls, "There's a few buildings up here, wanna check them out?"

Eclipse shifted back as well, "Sure, but if anything weird happens, we're leaving."

Astrid shifted also, "I'll hang back for a bit. If anything does happen, I'll help you get out of there. If everything is fine, then I'll join you"

They nodded in understanding as the two started walking towards the buildings. Eclipse stayed closely behind Ash until they got to the buildings. There were many people walking around, some briefly stopping to look at the two kids. One woman stopped and examined the kids from head to toe, "Why aren't you guys in school?"

Ash shrugged, "We're already old enough for training."

Eclipse continued, "Yeah, we're on our survival assignment already."

The woman seemed confused, "Training?"

"Yeah. Oh um, what kingdom are we in?" Eclipse asked.

"Kingdom?" The woman was even more confused, "You're in Liath. Do your parents know you're here?"

Eclipse nodded her head slightly, "Well, they know we're in our training. I doubt they know exactly where we are. But it's fine, we're only passing through anyway."

Ash nudged her and shook his head, "Do you know which way the Ember kingdom is?"

The woman shook her head, "I can't say I do, although I might know where we can figure it out. I do have to get to work soon so we'll have to be quick."

Eclipse nodded her head, "Thanks. Oh wait, I need to go get Astrid."

Ash slightly sighed, "I guess you should, we'll wait."

Eclipse nodded again before going back to where Astrid was standing. Once there, she tilted her head and looked in the direction where Ash and the woman stood, "Could you even see us from here?"

Astrid laughed a little and shook her head, "Not at all, I was going off of sound."

"We found a lady that said she could help us find the Ember kingdom. C'mon, once we get back, we can talk to my parents."

Astrid stayed silent as they made their way back to the woman and Ash. The four of them started walking down the sidewalk while avoiding people going the opposite direction. The woman led them into a building that had a sign saying, 'Liath Police Station'.

Astrid looked at Eclipse who shrugged. The woman walked up to the front desk where a man black clothing sat behind the front desk. The man smiled, "Hi there Ms. Robbins. What brings you in here today?"

The woman, Robbins, looked back at the kids then back to the man, "Well officer Thompson, I found these kids by the edge of town looking for a kingdom."

Ash butted in, "We're looking for the Ember kingdom. Do you know where exactly it is?"

Thompson shook his head, "Can't say I do. But you can wait in one of the back rooms while we figure out where the kingdom is."

He got up from behind the desk and started walking down a hall. He kept glancing back to make sure the kids were following him. They stopped in front of an office door which Thompson held open for them, "You can wait here until I have any more information."

The kids thanked him as they went inside. Thompson shut the door behind them. There were only two chairs set up but Ash let the girls have them. Now all they had to do was wait for directions to the kingdom.