Hey, guess what, guys?

... It's a Blue Moon this month! So in honour of that, I'm gonna post an update on this story. Don't expect too much of this very often though, sorry to say. :P

Don't own the Hawks, and prob'ly never will!

Return to the Festival Terra

"Demons? What demons?" Weaverbird asked urgently, but Gladepool shook his head and would say no more. Weaverbird bared her fangs in a grimace. She exchanged a worried glance with Silverglow.

"What are we going to do?" Piper broke the silence, "These 'demons' probably have half the Dragon race held hostage there, at least!" Aerrow frowned and determinedly put his fist in his hand.

"We're going to go over there and save them. If Gladepool could get out unnoticed, maybe there's a chance that we can get in." Piper looked at him like he was crazy.

"And just how do you propose we do that?" Piper asked skeptically. Aerrow smiled at her.

"We'll find a way." Was the sky knight's only reply. Weaverbird stroked Gladepool's crest down one more time before padding over, her sapphire eyes like chips of blue ice.

"Then we'd better start planning." Weaverbird stated firmly.

*

Aerrow, Piper and Weaverbird moved stealthily through the rows of imprisoned Dragons. Getting back onto the Festival terra had been relatively easy, much easier than they had expected.

Silverglow had volunteered to distract the guards by posing as an escaped hostage. Peregrine and Seychelle had offered to help in case the silver Drake needed backup. This allowed the new Storm Hawks and Weaverbird to sneak in undetected while he led the guards on a wild goose chase through the Wastelands. Once inside, they'd rally the kidnapped Dragons and fight their way out.

They had expected it to be unpleasant, but what they found on the festival terra was worse than they had thought. As far as they could tell, none of the Dragons had died, but some looked not far off. There wasn't a clearly coloured scale in sight; they were all tinged with grey. Hopeless, dull eyes winked at the group from the shadows and dropped scales littered the ground, crunching under their feet. Piper even caught a few particularly emaciated Dragons watching their progress rather… Hungrily. She and Aerrow made sure to stick close to Weaverbird.

"Something tells me that we won't be able to fight our way out." Piper whispered to Weaverbird. The Dragoness rumbled in anxious agreement. They hunkered down among a group of mother Dragonesses to avoid the glowing, red eyes of a suspicious guard. Weaverbird swept her human companions within her wings as though she were protecting her sleeping kits. The guard stared at her menacingly and she hissed in a way that might say: 'stay away from my family or I'll claw your muzzle off.' The guard bared his obsidian teeth and continued his rounds.

Piper shuddered behind Weaverbird's wings; the guards were terrible looking beasts, like emaciated black gargoyles carved from volcanic glass. They had enormous bat-like ears that swiveled to pinpoint a foreign sound with deadly accuracy. Their muzzles were round and doglike, tipped with a keen nose with wide nostrils. Long, black, serrated teeth jutted out from the upper and lower lips, grating together unpleasantly as the guards clacked their jaws together in warning. A foul stench rose from their cloak-like wings and their tails were tipped with venomous stingers. The guards were larger than most of the Dragons and their curved, dark purple claws grated menacingly on the stony earth of the terra.

Piper whimpered slightly in fear and pressed herself into Weaverbird's warm scales, listening to the beating of the Dragoness' hearts. She looked at Aerrow as he squeezed her shoulder and nodded encouragingly. The soft hum of Weaverbird's Dragon crystal filled the silence and gave off a comforting warmth that warded away the evening's chill. Weaverbird poked her head into the hollow formed by her wings.

"What are those things?" Piper whispered her question. Weaverbird shook her head in a bewildered manner.

"Nothing that comes from Atmos, I can tell you that much." The Dragoness replied, "I would guess that they're evil spirits, or wraiths, trying to invade Atmos during the Blue Moon. That's the only remotely logical answer I can come up with at the moment." Weaverbird pulled her head back out of her wings and surveyed the area briefly. Then she peered back at her charges.

"We're going to make camp here for the night. I'll spread word of the plan to the other Dragons and make sure they know to be ready for tomorrow. You two get some sleep; you'll need all the energy you can get."

"So we're still going through with the plan?" Piper clarified. Weaverbird nodded.

"We might as well, since we're here already. I'll make sure you stay well out of sight of the guards. Go to sleep." She ruffled their hair before pulling her head out of the hollow of her wings and wrapping them more securely around the two Storm Hawks.

Piper settled herself next to Aerrow, who was resting in the curve of Weaverbird's paws. He had leaned against the Dragoness' forearm and was rubbing his chest with one hand. The other hand rested lightly on his midriff. Piper couldn't help noticing that he was deathly pale and his face seemed a little drawn. Aerrow's peridot eyes stared out into space. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face and lingered on his chin before falling away.

Piper squeezed his hand and he blinked a few times, registering the physical contact. He shifted slightly to face her.

"Hmm?" Was the only inquiry Aerrow made. His voice was laced with discomfort and exhaustion. Piper's eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"Are you okay? You haven't said a word all night." Piper murmured gently. Aerrow paused for a moment and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine. Scars are just acting up a little." He looked away for a moment. Piper stared down at her hands.

"Are you afraid?" Aerrow asked softly, breaking the silence. Knowing that she couldn't hide it from him, Piper bit her lip and nodded slightly. Aerrow hesitated a second before putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him, "Me too."

"Really?" Piper looked at him. He smiled slightly.

"A little." Aerrow replied, shrugging. Piper leaned her head on his chest. His heartbeat pounded in her ears. They sat in silence for a long time. Piper looked at Aerrow briefly, wondering if she should say something, but found he had fallen asleep. His heartbeat coupled with the slow, even sound of his breathing soon lulled Piper into a fitful slumber.

*

"Piper, wake up." Piper felt someone shaking her shoulders and reluctantly opened her eyes to find it was Aerrow who had woken her. She sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes.

Aerrow had somehow extricated himself from his sleeping position and was crouched in front of her. One of his blades was drawn, but not lit. Piper was about to ask what was going on, but Aerrow pressed his finger to her lips. His eyes were wide and he was clearly on edge. Piper blinked, but kept silent.

Aerrow pressed one hand to Weaverbird's crystal and looked at Piper pointedly. She did the same and immediately heard Aerrow's and Weaverbird's voices in her mind.

'What's going on?' Piper asked. Weaverbird shifted slightly before replying.

'The guards are getting suspicious. Stay on your guard and be prepared to fight or to run if it comes to that.'Piper gave a mental nod and waited, her hand still on the crystal. She reached around to her staff and pulled it from its sheath. Aerrow caught her eye and nodded encouragingly. Piper nodded back, but couldn't help but notice that he was still awfully pale. Piper extended her thoughts towards him.

'Aerrow, are you sure you're okay to do this?' She asked.

'I'll be fine, Piper, I promise. Besides, it's not that bad.' Aerrow reassured her. He smiled slightly. Even though he tried to hide it, but Piper could sense the pain behind his thoughts. She brushed a tendril of concern against his consciousness before focusing on her surroundings again.

They heard a series of rustles, clicks and low growls outside the walls formed by Weaverbird's wings. It was followed by a low stream of hisses, and snarls that was punctuated by soft soothing chirrups. Piper frowned; it was a conversation spoken entirely in Dragon-tongue. Weaverbird rumbled uneasily and the pulsing of her crystal's light sped up slightly. Aerrow frowned and adjusted his grip on his blade.

'Weaverbird, what's happening out there?' Aerrow asked urgently. His muscles were tensed with apprehension. The two Storm Hawks felt Weaverbird's thoughts enter their minds and curl behind their eyes. Suddenly, the warm darkness of Weaverbird's wings was gone, replaced by a clear view of what once was the festival terra. Piper fought back a surprised gasp as she realized that they were watching the proceedings through Weaverbird's eyes.

A group of wraiths was leering at a pair of Dragonesses. One, from what they could gather from Weaverbird, was fairly old. She was a dark, slate grey with dark, black eyes. She had no kits, for hers had flown from the nest long ago. The grey Dragoness stood in front of a much younger one with rosy pink scales and a very rounded belly. The younger female was quaking with fear and the older one had taken a fighting stance, despite her slight, bony frame. The wraiths clacked their teeth and licked their lips menacingly. Weaverbird translated for Piper and Aerrow as the confrontation continued.

"Leave us alone!" The grey Dragoness demanded, "There is nothing here for you." The wraiths laughed; it was a horrible sound, like the rasp of nails on chalkboard, but far more menacing. They leaned down to stare at the old Dragoness intently, blood-red eyes narrowed.

"Oh, but there is," The lead one rumbled back. He leaned towards the grey Dragoness and inhaled her scent. He bared his obsidian teeth in a wide grin, "Still lots of life left in you…" He sniffed again, this time in the direction of the rose-coloured female, "And even more inside you." The wraith's grin widened even further. The young Dragon shrank away and whimpered in fear. The wraith snorted and shook his head.

"But that," he continued, "is not why we came. The stench of humans is strong here," the wraith roared and snapped his jaws shut inches from the grey Dragoness' muzzle. She didn't even flinch, "Where are you hiding them? We know they are here!"

"There are no humans here," The old Dragoness snarled back, baring fangs worn with age, "Perhaps you foolish death-rats should have your sniffers checked!" The wraith roared again and swiped his claws across his adversary's face. The Dragoness shrieked and fell to the ground. The wraith put his paw on the fallen Dragoness' neck and leaned in towards her. Weaverbird shut her eyes and looked away, even cut off Aerrow and Piper from their shared sight, but nothing could disguise the terrible heart-wrenching screech and the horrifying silence that followed.

Piper swallowed, breathing heavily. Aerrow wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close in a comforting gesture. She buried her face into Aerrow's chest in an effort to shut out the howls of despair that clawed their way out of the pink Dragoness' throat.

Aerrow had his hand on Weaverbird's crystal to ask what they were going to do, but a rumble of warning emanated from her throat, indicating to Aerrow that he must stay silent. He could hear the grating of the wraith's claws against the ground and his breathing as he sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of his quarry.

Before the wraith had even realized what had happened, Weaverbird had scooped her charges up inside her wings and was holding them pressed to her flank as she galloped away full speed. The wraiths shrieked and pursued Weaverbird as fast as their ungainly forms could go. Weaverbird forced herself to run faster than she had ever run before; if she could just reach one of the hidden caves, they would be safe.

Weaverbird uttered a long, high whistle as she ran and a series of musical notes answered. Weaverbird warbled the end to the tune and dove inside the cave that opened in the rocks just as a wraith reached out to claw her tail. The rock slab that acted as a door closed behind her just in time and outside the wraiths gave a shrill cry of frustration. Weaverbird sighed and opened her wings, allowing Aerrow and Piper to tumble out. The two humans staggered unsteadily to her feet. Weaverbird nudged both of them with her snout to ensure that they were in one piece and trotted swiftly off down the tunnel. Aerrow and Piper hurried after her.

"Well, that was a close one." Aerrow remarked, still a little shaky from the adrenaline. Piper nodded emphatically and Weaverbird rumbled in agreement. The Dragoness paused after a moment with a sorrowful sigh.

"Poor Sharptongue… She was an example to us all. I only hope the wraiths allow her to be buried instead of desecrating the body. And as for Petalrose… well, I'm surprised she hasn't miscarried yet, to be honest. She's had a rough time, between losing her mate and now her Protector…" Weaverbird trailed off and shook her head.

"Protector?" Piper asked. Weaverbird nodded.

"A midwife, basically. Icetalon was mine when I had Brightpearl and Swiftsilver. Sharptongue was Icetalon's teacher." They continued down the tunnel in silence until Weaverbird stopped and uttered another musical password. A new doorway opened and the trio entered a warm, roomy cave, furnished with various pillows and blankets. Weaverbird settled herself on a silk cushion and lay with her head on her paws. Piper and Aerrow made themselves comfortable. Aerrow looked around.

"Are you sure the wraiths won't force one of the Dragons to open the door for them?" Aerrow asked finally. Weaverbird rumbled slightly.

"Perhaps, but even if they did, they couldn't get in this particular chamber." Weaverbird replied. Aerrow raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Because," Weaverbird replied, "Only Icetalon and I know the password now. This was my parents' den when they were alive." Piper's eyes widened as it dawned on her.

"So, you mean…?" Piper trailed off. Weaverbird smiled at her.

"That's right Piper. This was where I was born."

There's the end of that chappie. I'm messing around with the next one, but I can't guarantee when it'll be up for viewing. Sorry guy! I still hope to see lots of reviews though... *wink wink*