"This is the place." Iris says. "The one place I remember."

Her fur blows in the dream wind, which scatters gold across our pelts, flecking both with unusual color. All around us, flowers with the coloration of Iris's ear tufts and the same petal shape as the Sorrowful Lilies of the Factory spread their pollen into the air, their gold and copper streaked petals straining upwards as if trying to get a better taste of the sun. It is only an illusion Iris and I have created in our mind, somewhere between our two consciousnesses, but when I see the flowers trying to reach the celestial beacon perched on the celestial dome, I want to believe that all of it is true.

Far beneath the sky, we stand near the top of a gently sloping meadow, where a single tree, unique in shape from all its kin down below, stands proudly above the legions of delicate blossoms. Its leaves pour down from either side so that the tree itself appears to be crying.

"What's there to remember about it?" I ask. "We've only seen trees in the courtyard. They're cool, but I don't know why you'd be sentimental about one."

Iris wreaths her body around the long bundles of leaves, "No, this is important."

"Important to what?" I ask, fur ruffled.

Iris narrows her eyes. It's the one expression she's mastered, a scrutinous glare. "I don't know yet."

"Is this like the Auspicia thing?"

"Yes."

I walk around her, tail flicking with fire, and peer over the edge of the meadow. The land curls like a furled lip and disappears there. Beneath us, further down than I could fall without breaking my back open and then some, are more trees, but it looks like a single tree replicated far out as our minds will allow- a placeholder? Whatever really lies beneath the steep drop, if this is taken from a real place lodged in the back of our shared memory, what lies below is unknown to us both.

With a startled yelp, I watch as the willow tree disappears, its branches shrinking in on themselves until there is nothing left but air and the scent of smoke. I awake, startled, to a similar landscape, treeless. Instead, the fake grass, notably softer now, greets me and Leto's dark head peers through the door.

"Request for Torch and Iris?" Leto asks.

"There's no one else here to request," responds Iris dully.

"Don't be like that," Leto insists. "Are you ready?"

A rim of fire bursts up around my neck, fueled by my own excitement, and Iris's ambiguousness fades from my mind. Jowls pushed upwards into a grin, I ask: "We get to go?"

"We get to go." Iris confirms.

"Debriefing is already taking place. Of course, they'll wait for your presence to review essential information, as you two are the crux of the mission, but I would still hustle." Leto cracks a smile, mirroring my own, and even Iris tries to imitate the gesture (though she ends up just baring her teeth). "Really, we must be going- now, honestly, are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." I say, feeling hungry as the time I first entered the dining hall, although this is no simple desire for food. The dizzying sensation only builds as we trek down the halls together, down into the depths of the castle where the sun is further away from us than ever. I catch Iris tensing against me, but she says little. Her eyes, colder than the deepest recesses of space, fix mine, and I wonder not for the first time if I really understand what she's trying to tell me.

When we enter the room where the debriefing is occuring, Marie turns with a curt glare and remarks, "You're late."

"Apologies," Leto mumbles, stepping out of our way. "Begin?"

"Right, well..." Marie twitches her ear impatiently before going on as if she was never interrupted at all. "This is a major issue regarding one of the drop zones for the portals we'll be opening in the Veil. There's a tribe of nomadic desert Canira, also known as the Pyre Canira, who refuse to move out of the way. We've already coordinated our drop locations to affect as few bystanders as possible, but this... this is just the best solution we're going to get. Any further into the desert and fighting will be damn near impossible for even our best Defenders." Marie says. "You'll be accompanying a few of our own on a diplomatic mission. You are to support them with force if the situation turns volatile, otherwise, it is supposed to be merely an experience. You two could both use it."

"So we'll be travelling with who, exactly?" I ask. "Not that I'm not sure we'll be working with great... uh." I look to Iris for assistance, but she does not respond. Her eyes are fixed firmly on Marie, as if she could stare a hole through the blue Canira.

"Ah- yes! I'll be doing much of the talking," yells a voice from the back. Avery lopes frowards from Marie's side, and I'm surprised I didn't notice her earlier. There's an assortment of crystals and plant matter around her neck, as well as several packs thrown over her back, held between her unsteady wings. Her legs trembling from the effort of keeping it all up, she tells us, "This is my first real field work, actually."

"My first Defender mission, too." cheers a gray Canira in a thick scarf. Like Avery, she has huge, white wings covered in feathers, a stark contrast to Iris's skin-covered appendages.

"Charmed." snarks a third, final Canira, who resembles Marie, though she's a little sleeker and has none of Marie's markings or excess fur. "Kailn, by the way. I'll be keeping you rookies in line- and the Pyre Canira, if it comes to that."

"What do they look like?" Iris inquires.

"A lot of desert Canira breeds look a lot like Torch, believe it or not." Avery says.

"And we won't be in a building or artificial structure," Iris continues, ignoring her response.

"No."

"Good."

"You've got communications, the return portal, and rations, naturally," Marie informs Avery, running her piscine tail down the side of the soft pink Canira. Avery seems to bolt upwards as she does it. I don't think it's nerves, nor intimidation, in fact, I've never smelled the likes of the scent that Avery is giving off right now. It's something like fear, and concern, but more... intimate. Iris scrunches up her snout as well.

"G-gotcha." Avery says, ears lowered. "We should go, guys. Entry portal's down the hall." The walls pull away to reveal another hallway, only lit once or twice by hanging lights that levitate in the air, alight with orbs with no discernable power source, and at the end is a hole in the fabric of space itself. It does not emanate the same dangerous energy the Factory portal did, but there's still the uneasy feeling the the world just ends there.

Skye and Kailn jump through first, while Avery stands at the back. "Go on," she says, her voice a little too kind, and Iris and I step through together.

There is no darkness, and this time, thankfully, I do not pass out. We just walk through one end and appear in the 'desert', like stepping through a door.

What a door it is.

Iris and I are shocked at once by the plainness of the landscape, which is only exceeded by how big it is. There's no other, fancier word for it that captures how vast the skies are or how deep the sands. Big echoes out around us in every direction, through the endless blue and yellow dotted only by the sun overhead.

I know at once that it is the sun, that it must be, and even though I'd imagined it a thousand different ways I'm awed by the magnitude of its light. It's like looking directly at the Auspicia with all six wings manifest, blinding and terrifying, but its rays are so warm and natural. I feel them seep into my fur, think, Yes, this is the way it was always supposed to be, ancestral memory ringing like a bell through my bones.

"I didn't know it would be so big." Iris says, numbly. "There's nothing else here. It goes outwards into twin infinities on either side..." She holds herself steady as she paces through the sands.

The rest of the group follows behind her in casual disorder. Still awed, I feel the sand numbly beneath my paws. It's like there's a full layer of flesh between them and the warmth beneath me- in fact, that might be the case. I find myself bolting before I can stop myself- I don't know where I'm running, I just want to run. My paws change rhythm from a casual gait into a run, and even Iris falls behind me. All I can see is sand and the blinding light of the sun reflected across the land, blazing with heat. Fire erupts around my neck and tail and I've never felt so alive.

My heart pulses as I pick up even further, tongue lolling, and now I can feel the wind over my fur. The air here bursts with energy, and all I want is to submit to it, to let instinct take over and bring me somewhere past the edge of my own being-

"Torch?" Avery yells, and I look back to see the group.

My chest heaving up and down, I return to them, admitting, "Sorry, no idea what came over me there." No clue, but I loved it.

"It's fine. You're actually heading in the right direction. According to the briefing, we only need to head towards the sun at about this time of day." Avery nods, "And from there, we use the stars to navigate." My paws twitch beneath me, but I dip my head along.

"That way?" Iris asks, flicking her tail in the direction of the sphere of light overhead.

"Yes." Avery tilts her head.

"That's no good," Iris growls, her eyes narrowing as she stares into the distance. "We're not alone."

Avery, Skye, Kailn, and I must look baffled, because Iris clarifies, "Bearing of 20. Group of seventeen-odd Sentients, their auras and speed indicate aggression."

"What?" Skye asks.

"There are a bunch of angry Sentients over that way." I translate, gesturing in the general direction. As I do so, I notice that there are a cluster of brown specks on the sprawling horizon, growing more obvious in form as they come closer. Not all of them are the same species. I see the arced, grotesque necks and ugly skinned faces of several avians, as well as a few long-faced equines draped in scarves in fabrics. Outside of Quill, I hadn't seen avians on this planet, nor any ungulates, but here they are (and they sure don't look happy to see us).

"We need to fly out of here." Skye spreads her wings.

I look to my non-existent wings and draw in a deep breath. Kailn, to my right, looks no more thrilled about her own chances. Avery sizes up my bulk and shakes her head, lifting a purple crystal with the back of her paw. "Marie? Marie, are you out there? We've got a hostile party."

I catch 'Canis' and several exclamations before Plumeria's voice echoes out of the speaker in a loud burst of noise, "Those utter scum-" and disappears. Avery's eyes widen and Iris's jowls twitch.

"Is that a good sign?" I ask.

"I don't know! One of them must be light-based, they're jamming our signals." Avery whines.

"Looks like we're taking them on, then." Kailn snarls. Steam rises from her back, curling into nothingness as it reaches the air, and I cough up a stream to smoke to match it. It's nowhere near as impressive, but as Iris nears me, looking at me as if I am all she needs to fight for, I still feel invincible.

"Ay, visitors this way!" crows one of the avians, the ugly faces of its face quivering.

"Step down," calls a Canira from the center of the group. Their fur is ratty and brown, and they can speak with confidence even at a full sprint. They show no signs of exertion or slowing as they come closer to our small party. "If you surrender your wares now, we'll have no need to... well, rough up the merchandise."

The four of us stand in a protective circle while Avery tries to get the crystals working, but they've all lost their luster. "Try us," Skye snips.

"I think we will." whinnies one of the equines, and Iris jumps out of the way before their hooves hit the sand.

The air whips up into a frenzy of battle, and I click my tongue but no fire comes out. My throat rumbles with hesitance. If I was to hit one of them straight in the eye, as I have Obsidians, would they...

No. I shake my head and fire a stream of quick, non-lethal sparks (I hope). They sputter out on the thick fur of my foes, and with a snarl, I dodge another attack. The equine is joined by one of the avians, which is even uglier face-to-face. It lets out a sharp cry as its claws tear at my back. It's all I can do to leap out of the way and try to run back off across the desert sands, and Iris, from a distance, is surrounded by no less than five aggressors, though she's holding them. She looks to me and glowers, shooting a bolt of lightning that hits one of them in the face. The avian locks its wings and goes down in the sand, twitching feebly.

"Are you-" I ask, and a Canira slams me against the sand. My fire blazes around my neck to no avail and I let out a high wail of distress.

I'm pinned and their teeth are at my neck.

Iris leaps over, extending her wings and knocking an equine to the ground before snarling at the Canira, "Do not hurt him. It will be the last mistake you ever make."

"You won't need to. We're stepping down." Avery says from the turmoil, her voice louder than the chaos of the fray. She hurls the bag onto the ground, and our own battered packs slide off as well as we offer them up. I'm relieved as the Canira backs away from my neck, its mangy fur dancing with embers where I burned it. It bites off the crystals around Avery's neck, which fall to the ground with the frayed cords attached.

"Smart move." says one of the leading bandits, and they begin to retreat. The defeated stumble back to their paws, and we lie, heaving and exhausted, in the sand as they walk away.

"We could've held them off." Kailn snorts.

"Or we could've died." Avery says. "This is why the Auspicia didn't want us to bring them onto a field mission. Fifty pawsteps in and we got ambushed."

Kailn corrects her, "You could have died. You have no combat ability whatsoever. Iris and Torch, two utter novices, both outperformed you."

Avery mutters, "Fine. I'm a liability. And I wasn't even strong enough to do anything... oh, Verhamera's tails, what if we starve? What if we burn or freeze to death? Do you know how much desert temperatures can fluctuate within a single day?" She paces, wings aflutter, and her tail droops.

"I still have a few communication crystals." Skye says. "I stuffed them in my scarf."

"You- you what, now."

"It's a travelling scarf. I can lodge things into the folds. Once I had a pet kaanin I kept in there, but he kept wriggling, so... sorry, I'm guessing this is a bad time." Skye's gold eyes trail downwards. "Um, point is, I have crystals. No food though."

"They can get to us within a few hours." Kailn sighs. "Good catch, Skye."

Skye perks up, and grips the scarf with a paw and pulls it off. Multiple crystals fall out into the sand, all corded like Avery's were, and Kailn picks it up with one paw.

"Hello?"

The crystal lights up and begins screaming with static, more furiously than it did when we were on the verge of being attacked. I recognize the noise from the Factory, but hearing it here, out where we're safe from them at last, takes me back fast. I find myself pressed against the sand, one paw over my exposed ear, and Iris's jowls twitch with aggravation.

"Oh, right. Hope." Kailn's tail swings around in a wide arc as she turns to face Iris, glaring at her harshly as the sun overhead. "Are you kidding me?"

"What does Iris have to do with it?" I yell over the screeching.

Kailn buries the crystal in the sand, muffling its infuriating noise. "Hope is the alignment that correlates with the light base."

I tilt my head and Iris narrows her eyes.

"Nine elements, or bases, from which we get our elemental magics. Nine alignments, each corresponding to one of the base elements. The alignments are passed down through heartlines, or reincarnations, so they're more of a temperament thing, but they also have potent elemental magic, especially with gifted magic users."

"Like the Keeper of Hope herself." Avery says.

"Precisely."

"We could go." Iris says.

"Alone?" Avery and I ask at once.

"Neither of us are going to tire before you are." Iris says, glaring at Avery and Kailn. "Torch and I will be fine."

She's not wrong. I look up to the sun and even knowing we have no food, no shelter, and nowhere to hide, I've seen so much worse in the Factory. How could I be afraid when I'm free and the light of a star burns down on me?

"N-no!" Avery says. "I am not letting you two go. Our best bet might be if Skye flies in for help." Avery says, and Skye nods, her gold eyes round with concern.

The static cuts off and a voice sounds through the crystal, dark and husky. "That won't be necessary." It is cut off by more noise, this time a sound like sand shuffling against flesh, and Iris twitches with discomfort. The others are just staring
Skye tries to sneak her muzzle around and throw the crystal up so that it touches her mouth. "Hello?" she asks. "Helloooooo?"
"Look behind you."

The crystal slides of Skye's snout and we all turn to see two lithe, canine shapes- one Canira, and one whose ears are much sharper- coming closer and closer.

The sharp-eared canid rushes up to us, and I notice the odd color of her eyes. They're blue, with azure rims and an icy center. It sihlouettes her pupils, which are fortunately a normal color. She's lanky, brown in color, and her bushy tail swings lazily across the desert sands. "You're the poor lot who got robbed, eh?"

"So we are." Avery says, "Who are you?"

The other Canira approaches, and I stare dead-on into a face so similar to my own that I feel like I'm dreaming. His eyes are green instead of amber, he has a scattering of spots across his thick coat, and as he turns to the side I notice his tail is not bundled the way mine is- but none of it matters, not right then. My heart pulses and I spark up, just slightly. He nods to me.

"We rob robbers," the red Canira says, "and thieve thieves. Your packs are back at our camp, and though we dislike cutting space in our area, if you must open a portal home, you may tend to your business and leave."

Avery nods, and the group follows the two canines in silence. I know that the slimmer, darker one can't be a Canira, but then what is she?

"Moonwalker," Iris whispers, as if to answer my question. "Didn't think we'd see any specimens this exotic out in the middle of nowhere."

"Specimen." spits the Moonwalker, her strange eyes indignant. "And who do you think you are, calling me a specimen?"

"Iris." Iris says. "That is who I am, at least. I'm not sure what it has to do with my choice of diction."

"Oh, they're definitely from the castle. Can we ditch them?" asks the lean Moonwalker, her tail twitching with poorly-masked indignance.

"Hydrougi." The red Canira says.

Beneath us, hidden from a distance beneath one of the higher swells of sand and a steep curve in the land, is a scattering of tents and Sentients, with a rim of protections about the exterior. The ground is strewn with odd colored shards mixed into the ground, making the whole area glow with strange and illusory light, which despite the obvious warning signs seems incredibly inviting. Hydruogi and the red Canira pick up pace as they enter the camp together.

I notice the temperature change at once, even though the sun is still overhead, and I shiver beneath my thick pelt. The land is less inhospitable here, for whatever reason, though it might just be my imagination. The sand is colder beneath my paws and doesn't grind beneath my pads. Several other Sentients, in varying sizes, scamper out from tents, which are domed, unlike any building I've seen yet.

"Why are they so small?" asks Iris.

"They're our young." Hydrougi says, eyes narrowed.

"That's what they look like?" Iris muses.

That's enough. We've properly introduced ourselves, feyra. Now you've come in here, been terribly rude, mind you, even though we gave you your packs back. I believe you owe us an explanation." Hydrougi asks.

"What?" Iris asks, indignant.

"Feyra. It means wanderer." Avery explains.

"I didn't ask-"

"We are three Defenders of the Opphemrian palace, and these are the Keepers of Hope and Determination." Avery announces.

"Audacious claim." Hydrougi snaps.

"Truth." Kailn bows her head.

Several of the Canira and 'Moonwalkers' are paying attention in earnest, now. "D'Jango, you can't believe this, can you?" Hydrougi asks.

D'Jango, the crimson Canira, gives us a sorry glance and shakes his head. "We may be sandrunners, far from the heart of Opphemria, but even we know that Hope and Determination, Lotos and Vivian, died a long time ago." He pronounces the name differently than the Sentients at the castle, heavy on the vowels, but it's definitely the same names.

"We're not Dreamland's Hope and Determination Virtues," Iris explains. "We're from-"

"Another world," Kailn interjects.

"The Factory." Iris finishes anyways.

"Hellbeasts." murmurs one of the Moonwalkers. A silvery powder flies from their fur, much in the way sparks flash from my own. Several of them are rounding on us, looking furious at both us and D'Jango and Hydrougi. The crowd absolutely bursts into anarchy, painted and silk-adorned memebers of both species yelling out in panic.

"No one's ever escaped the Factory. You know that."

"They're lying."

"Or worse, they've been sent here to destroy us."

"By who?"

"The Factory, the royalty, take your pick."

"They're feyra, and they're not adapted to the desert. We can't send them out alone." D'Jango says.

"Oh, we can and we will." Hydrougi threatens, stepping in front of her own Moonwalker kin. "I will hurl all of them into the sands. Watch me."

"Calm down. At this time of the year, portals will be hard to activate, especially when they're already this drained, and we can't let them travel by night. At the very least, do you think the Opphemrian royalty would send out anyone dangerous for a negotiations mission?" D'Jango asks, and I'm shocked he managed to get it right on his first try. Has he dealt with other Defenders before?

"It would be one way to get us out of the way!" cries one of the Moonwalkers, silver dust rising from her pelt. Iris looks to me, confused as I am by the powder, but the 'adults' continue to bicker on around us.

"It's a pawful of days until the Dog Days." a Canira in the front, whose fur is more of a dark orange, insists. "We can't have outsiders here in the midst of that."

"We have no intention of staying that long." Kailn promises.

"Oh, Verhamera's tails, the Dog Days really are coming up." Avery whines, "They'll need me-" Her eyes roll forwards in her head and she passes right out into the sand, which rises, filled with color. There really is something else in the dust here.

D'Jango looks to Hydrougi and she scoffs. "Get her to the medic. The Defenders can go onto the light halls, to eat and rest, and I'll have the Scyran guard on..." she leers. "These two."

Several of the lither Moonwalkers step forwards, all of whom are adorned in bones and have heavy wrappings around their legs, and we watch as the group is split. Skye and Kailn go without much discontent, and that leaves us, completely alone in an alien world.

Iris and I share a meaningful look, planning our next move, and she announces, "Excuse me."

One of the Scyran guard turns. "Yes?"

"If this isn't... inappropriate. I'd like to know what the purpose of your attire is."

Iris. What are you doing? I'd say this wasn't part of our plan, but Iris always seems to have a plan. It just happens to be a plan that she lets exactly no one in on.

"You really are from another world, aren't you, shady?" laughs the Moonwalker closest us. She's clearly feminine, which was hard to tell from appearance alone, because she's wearing a dragon skull, horns and all, over her own face.

"I believe we explained this already." Iris tilts her head, confused.

"Well, for starters, we derive our powers from the moon and sand, and most of our magical capabilities arise from haemo generation. See the shards of crystal beneath us, or the powder that arises from us when we get angry? That's from magic in our bloodstreams, released through special glands."

"So the magic is in your blood."

"All Sentient species have it, but aye, that's how it goes." another Moonwalker, this one with a thick necklace of bones and several dark lines traces across her back, answers. "As for the bones, Sentient soul magic often remains with the body, so this is our way of carrying our comrades on with us after their death. It helps, because we can only generate so much haemo, or risk depleting our own bloodflow. If you're injured, though, you can use that-"

"Hence the leg injuries?" Iris asks.

"Absolutely." a third says. "But there's a strict code behind it. It takes years to learn how best to harness that power without harming yourself, and how not to go overboard."

"Wow." I breathe.

The Moonwalkers laugh amongst themselves, and I try to appear more dignified.

"We're here." one of them says, and I'm glad for the rest. Their camp is utterly huge and the rounded den before us looks comfortable and promising. Inside, there are pelts sprawled across the ground and murals painted with inks and dust across the ceiling, depicting a day and night sky. In the center is a black orb where the sun should be, with a ring of white light around it.

"Are you going to go?" asks Iris.

"We're supposed to guard you." the first Moonwalker says.

Iris lies down in a pelt, glaring at them.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." I say for Iris. "I think we're just nervous."

"Understandably."

"Hm." Iris says, "So, what's with the name?"

"Ours? Well, legend has it that at the beginning of Dreamland, when all the species were first formed from the tails of the all-powerful Verhamera, there were a group of Canira who were given no abilities at all."

"Verhamera." Iris runs the name over. "She's the goddess."

"Yes. She's like a Canis, but much larger, with three sets of horns- that's where the name Verhamera's horns comes from, since the Canis bear her symbol. She has thousands of tails, from which she can warp the very fabric of time and space. She used them to pull us into being and form the very planet we now walk on, or so the legend goes. Anyways, these Canira had no home, so they were pushed far into the desert, where there was little prey and water. One of Verhamera's guard, the Terreskians-"

Before Iris can interject again, the second Moonwalker explains, "Like us, but with the stars on their pelt and smaller ears. They have two tails and wherever they go, life thrives in their wake."

"Yes. That. Anyways, this Terreskian took pity on the Canira and took the stars from her own pelt and placed them behind their eyes. She breathed cosmic dust into their blood and gave them the appearance and powers we have today, but this used all her energy. Her body became the moon Procyon, and we follow her across the desert by night, walking in her light to hunt."

"That's very beautiful." Iris whispers. "And there are more? More species, I mean?"

"So much more."

"Is the desert a hub for organic life, then?"

"No, if anything, it's the sparsest place there is." the third Moonwalker laughs. "But it's ours."

"Yours." Iris blinks, unsure of how to continue.

"You live with the fire-based Canira, though. The Pyre Canira." I ask, thinking of D'Jango.

"They're the sun to our moon. Our alliance has lasted reigns- tradition has bound us well, but it is also what threatens to tear us apart." the third Moonwalker says, sadly.

"They are asking us to run far from here." the first Moonwalker says.

"It's a lot to leave behind. Moving into another pack's territory could be dangerous for us, as could moving towards 'uninhabited' land, where bandits are common, but we don't have much of a choice. The land beneath us teems with magical energy, in part due to the powder released from our own fur and how many of the dead have been buried here. It is a perfect place to open a portal between worlds." the second finishes, spitefully. "Someone always has to move out of the way, I suppose."

The second Moonwalker, the one with the necklace of bones, sighs, "Emra wouldn't stand for this."

"We know, Kasik. Your sister would fight the Obsidians herself." the first Moonwalker dips her dragon skull and presses against Kasik, the second Moonwalker. "No offense."

I get to my paws. "No offense? We're just as in opposition to the Obsidians as you are! We barely escaped with our lives from years upon years of torment, and we only came because Vivian told us that we should come here to get help."

"You met the Vivian." the third Moonwalker says, numbly.

"Yes! And she's risking her life, right now, to protect those dying inside of the Factory. She might even be dead after the mission she had to go on to get us out." I say, something burbling inside my throat. "We don't know."

The three of them are silent.

Outside, there's a high, sharp cry, and Iris's ears twitch. "Is someone in danger?"

"No. That's the nightly howl." The first Moonwalker says. "We should go."

"And what about guard duties?" asks the third.

"Bury them in the sands. I trust these two." She opens the tent, and we follow to find everyone, Canira and Moonwalker alike, are assembled at the center of the camp in a massive circle.

"Really, Ira?" Kasik says, incredulous, though she's following too.

"Let them howl. Do you really think they're dangerous? I don't." Ira shakes her head. "By the way, my name is Ira, and this is Kasik. The third, the youngest Scyra, is Beru. We'll... we'll have a talk with Hydrougi about what you've told us. We might have to reconsider things."

They disappear into the crowd, and I see Skye and Kailn, but no Avery. Iris races over, headstrong as ever, and I follow.

"Is Avery okay?" I ask.

"She's fine. In communications with Plumeria and Marie right now, likely." Kailn reassures us.

"We might get to leave tonight!" Skye grins. "Thank goodness, all this sand is getting in my paws. Ouch."

"Skye." growls Kailn.

"What?"

Around us, the circle erupts into noise. It starts with Hydrougi and ripples around as the whole group bays moonwards, a beautiful, striking sound unlike anything I've heard in the Factory or the castle. I lift my head to join them, and Iris, on the opposite side, joins me. Her voice is high and raw, and though it's not a conventionally beautiful sound, it is honest, and I have never been so in love with her.

It was never a possibility before, love, but... we could be in love, if we wanted to. It's safe here. We could be something, anything, whatever we want. My tail flares up tremendously, and in turn, her body glows in a yellow light, as if her heart has become a small sun. We circle each other, illuminated, and I can feel other heartbeats, other worlds, and the presence of something greater shines through both of us. I can feel it reaching out through my chest, and when she is close to me, something locks in. She sighs softly, but she does not look me in the eye. I catch a flash of her irises, which are now tinged with gold, and she draws her muzzle close to mine.

"I can feel them." Iris tells me. "Light."

I nod.

"This world... even in the most sparse areas, the most desolate ends, it teems with life..." Iris murmurs, but even at her quietest her voice shakes the desert. She sounds like Avery, or like Heilin and Natrina. She is something beyond herself right now.

The howl fades away around us. Everyone is staring now, wide-eyed, at Iris and I, our light reflecting off every surface, every glittering gram of sand, and every strand of fur.

Iris lifts her head, and announces to the group, "There is nothing like this in the Obsidian's domain. All the life that does exist is caged or squirreled away. Their legs, like yours, are well-muscled from running, but they do not run for the joy of it. The sharp scent of adrenaline, like yours, rises from their bodies thick as smoke, but theirs is a poison they must down to keep themselves alive. Those born there nurse on fear and a hollowness that never leaves, a space where hope curdles and dies..." Iris shakes her head. "We are of the Factory. I don't know what proof you need, but I can give it- I am not of your world. I am an electric, synthetic being, from a synthetic world, and I ask that you heed my warning. I ask that you carry forth my hope and live, live for the sake of this world and everything like it."

D'Jango and Hydrougi exchange a look, both speechless, and Hydrougi's front paws collapse. She falls into a bow, "It is them," and everyone follows, one by one. I catch Kailn and the other Scyras close to Hydrougi, and my heart leaps, and even Kailn and Skye bow, though Skye's tail is wagging furiously. I barely notice them, overwhelmed with Iris's light, and then, slowly, I feel her ebb away from me. It's like rising from a long, fitful dream, but I'm not sure if this is the dreaming or waking world.

Into the center of the circle, Avery leaps, pack around her back and all her crystals around her neck. "I'm so so so sorry I'm late."

Hydrougi jolts to her feet. "What?"

"I'm sorry, uh, we're opening a portal right now, guess we'll just back out of the way for now- wait, why is everyone bowing?" Avery looks around, confused.

Ira steps forwards, and whispers something to Hydrougi. I don't make it all out, but I know I hear 'Vivian' at least once. Whatever it is, Hydrougi looks to D'Jango, and they both nod. The way they stare at each other is... familiar. "I guess we'll be stepping out of the way." Hydrougi says, like she can't believe it herself.

"We'll require a few Defenders to protect the pack from potential rivals, but we can't argue with the will of the Virtues of Dreamland- in spirit, if not in fact." D'Jango nods, and my heart warms with his approval.

"What did you do?" Avery asks us.

"I have no idea." Iris says.

Hyrougi cuts in. "Regardless of what might have taken place here, you are eloquent speakers, and kind souls. Admittedly, it's a little telling that your 'Defender forces'," she says this with contempt running off her voice like pure poison, "were ambushed by mere bandits, but I digress."

"Oh no- we're all novices-" Avery says.

"As I guessed." Hydrougi smirks.

"Hydrougi, be gracious." D'jango nudges her, with his shoulder, though he still keeps his muzzle pressed close to hers.

"Thank you," Avery responds, "For everything. Your hospitality, your compliance, I know this must be hard, but-"

"You are the ones saving the world. All we're doing is moving out of your way." D'jango inclines his head as Hydrougi does the same, and they bow as a unit. "We're honored to have met you- the true Keepers of Hope and Determination, and their acolytes."

"Acolytes." Avery sounds incredulous.

Iris tilts her head, a satisfied smugness she's borrowed from the other Defenders flitting across her face. "Salutations."

With that, we step back into darkness, and the darkness subsides into the familiar smell of the castle. I feel trapped, as if someone's squeezed my midsection to the point of bursting, but with a deep exhale I steady myself. "We're home."

"That was awful." Avery says, as if it'd just dawned her seconds ago, and then she bursts into near hysterical laughter. "Awful, awful, I messed up so many times, you two must think we're protecting a bunch of ingrates-"

"It's fine." Iris's voice is cold, but I catch a glimmer of sympathy in her eyes as she faces Avery. "You did what you could. We just took over from there."

I nudge Iris, "And you were incredible."

"I guess," she says, staring down at her paws. "Well, one thing for certain- when we are done with all this," she snarls, as if 'this' is just a chore that has to get done sooner or later, "I want to run."

(A/N: well this only took three weeks to complete. you can blame this chapter for f*cking my update schedule over for who knows how long, but now it is over. if you notice grammar errors or parts where it "cuts off" please tell me because i'm sure i screwed up somewhere

also leto= twist i am in the process of fixing that in previous chapters rn but she needed a rename)