I am woken up the next morning by Crystal frantically tapping my leg. Lifting my head, I saw her holding her bag, and her things cleared off of the rocks they had been on.

"You have to hide." She says, rushing around the den, looking for things she missed. "They can't find me, and they definitely can't find you."

Who is they? I ask as she looks around one more time. What do they want?

"They want me." she tells me, starting to leave the den. "And if they see you, they'll kick me out and start hunting you down." She pauses. "No, no, they'll kill me too. And my sister. And likely anyone that follows."

Sister?  I follow her out, weaving in between the trees as she rushes into the forest. You have a sister? And why would they want to kill you?

"No time to explain right now. They're already on their way, and from what I've seen of them, they won't be too far behind us." She suddenly stops running. "Can you fly?"

I pause. Can I fly? I had done it before, but not in a while. I can, but I won't guarantee anything special. I finally reply.

"Great!" She grins, moving closer. "Mind if I..."

I move my tail closer to her, and she climbs up onto my back. Placing one hand on my spines and the other on her bag, she crouches down, still ready for attack. "Ready?" she asks.

Just hold on. I tell her, walking to a spot with no trees. Looking up, I start to run towards an open field, spreading my wings a little.

I suddenly hear voices, and I hear Crystal yelling. "That's them!" she shouts. "We can't let them see us!"

All hesitance disappeared, and I pushed down, lifting myself into the air. Trying to keep the movement of my wings steady, I continued to move up, and I felt Crystal shifting around, trying to look for the people behind us.

"I think we're safe." she said after a few more moments. "I don't think they saw us, and if they did, there's nothing they could do."

I continue to fly for a while, landing on a cliff that a little ways off from the cave, far enough that only Crystal could find me. It reminded me of my birth-cliff, only grey rather than silver, and low enough to see the leaves on the trees.

Crystal hopped down, wincing slightly as her feet hit the hard rock. "We're far enough away to lose the patrols, and I doubt they can track us through the air."

Will you stay here? I ask, tilting my head slightly.

Crystal shakes her head. "I'll need to go back, to make sure you aren't in any danger."

Back? I move a bit closer, my tail knocking a few small rocks over the edge. Don't they want to kill you?

"No, they won't kill me unless they see you." She replies. "They're just a little suspicious of my sister and I at the moment. We'll be able to prove ourselves in a few days..." Her voice trails off, as if she's unsure.

I try to think of something to say, to hold her back, but my mind is blank. She's silent as well, and the two of us stay that way for a while, neither one of us meeting each other's gazes.

Be safe, I finally say, lowering my head to touch her shoulder. I'll be here if you need me.

"I will be, and thank you." She grins, running a hand down my neck. She looks at me one more time before running off, her tangled hair trailing behind her.

A/N: I wish I could draw so I could put a pic of happy BFFs Crystal and Evenstar in here... :P