Years had gone by, and Crescent looked forward to every full moon. He'd prepared days in advance each time, sticking closely to his father's birth charts, which then soon became his own.

He'd tracked each NightWing that had laid eggs and would plot when they would hatch, and hope it would be his turn to give them gifts.

He stood now outside his home, made of marble and moonrock and set quietly along the street. Bushes of dark green and blue leaves fluttered in spacewinds that ghosted along the surface of the First Kingdom. His wings shivered in the wind as he paced back and forth between the bushes.

"Crescent?" Came the sound of his mother's voice. She liked her head out of the beaded curtain that was their home's entrance. A beautiful garland of water floated suspended around her neck, and two sapphire colored fish swam round and round in circles.

Crescent looked up from his talons. "Good morning mother." He said, although the world was dark. The sun hid behind the earth far, far away, and it would be a few days before the harsh daytime were to plague the moons again.

"You didn't sleep." She said, and paced out into eh garden. Her watery necklace drafted around and wove around her spines and horns like a snake. The fish stared bug-eyed at Crescent. His mother Luna was a Tide Turner, and manipulated ice and water as easily as breathing.

"I was too excited." Crescent smiled. He unrolled the scroll from under one wing and stared meticulously at the birth chart he had scrawled with black paint. White dots that were supposed to be stars shone out starkly from the black on the paper, and Crescent had written pairs of names by each of the largest stars. "It will be Masterful and Swiftfoot tonight. They're having twins."

"And how do you know that?" Luna chuckled. The water now floated aimlessly to circle both dragons' necks, as they stared out at the silhouette of Pyyrhia, shrouded in darkness.

"I can practically hear them crying out." Crescent said. He paced in place, nerves jittering. "I can see them in my mind, rocking in their egg. They're talking to each other."

"Mind readers then?"

"I think so. I can't wait to meet them."

"You are such a smart boy, Crescent." Luna leaned over and kissed her son squarely on the cheek, right under the beauty mark in the corner of his eye. "Those dragonets will cherish what you give to them."

"I can only hope so..."

"Oh." Luna said, backing away to pick at a weed in the garden. "You've been summoned to the palace. The Queen has asked for you."

"Uh oh. Am I in trouble?"

Luna laughed lightly, and fed some of her water to the bushes. "She is asking for your help. It is a great honor."

"In that case. I shall be going." Crescent said. He rolled his birth chart up and stowed it away on the windowsill, before kissing his mother on the top of her head. "I'll be back before I go out to the planet."

"Promise? Your father is making dinner."

Crescent smiled and unfurled his wings. They curved outward and hooked into the air like they were used for climbing cliffs. "Promise."

He then took a running start and soared off into the atmosphere. His wing membranes rippled in the winds and the light of a million billion stars lit his way as he went.

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The Palace of the First Kingdom was on the far side of the moon, a tall spindly structure that anchored itself to the moon's surface with several tunnels that looked like tree roots. They twisted off in all directions and swarmed with clustered of pale grey and white dragons. Some glinted purplish or green in the light. Others were freckled with starry marks and other still were burned black from the harsh rays of the sun.

Crescent flew to the reception chamber's balcony, where billowy white curtains fluttered in the winds, like wings spread open wide to greet visitors.

"Mother I don't see why this training is so important!" Came an indignant voice. It seemed familiar to Crescent. He stepped into the chamber from the balcony.

A smallish pastel MoonWing paced the floor at the simple throne of the Queen. Crescent recognized the adornments and jewelry she wore. It was Princess Eclipse.

"If you are to one day defeat me and take my throne," came the soft and regal tones of the Queen- "then your skills must be honed to perfection. That's why I've hired you a tutor." She looked up, and pinned Crescent with her comet-blue eyes. "Ah, and here he is."

Eclipse whirled around on one foot to stare Crescent down with a furious expression. But her face softened when she actually saw him. "This guy!!? Mom you must be joking. Ask Corporal Crater! Or Jupiter? What about Polaris?"

"Enough fussing, Eclipse. I did not raise you to hold such disrespect." Queen Centauri stepped down from her throne and crossed the smooth stone floors to Crescent, where she politely nodded to him. It was almost a bow, but bowing was not a fit gesture for such a regal figure.

Crescent however did not hesitate to drop to his knees and spread his wings and tails wide. "Your Majesty. I-"

"No need, young man." She said sweetly. Crescent rose to his feet again and Centauri stepped to the side, sweeping her braided tails to gesture broadly to her daughter.

"May I present my oldest child, Princess Eclipse. I've summoned you to ask a favor of you."

"Mom don't-"

"My daughter has trouble with gifting as of late." Centauri continued, without a second glance at Eclipse, who was practically fuming. "And you have been one of the most thorough and accomplished Gifters the First Kingdom has yet to see."

"Well, thank you. Really." Crescent stammered, shuffling his feet.

"I want you to teach her how you do it. For it seems I have failed as a mother to do so myself."

"Mom stop. You haven't failed as a mother." Eclipse interrupted. She turned to Crescent. "My brother Castor is the best gifter the royal family has seen. She teaches just fine. It's just...." She scrunched her snout in frustration. "It's difficult for me."

Queen Centauri smiled warmly. "So then it is only a matter of practice and a good mentor." She spread a wing over Eclipse's back and hugged her. "Crescent. Will you do this for me? As a favor to the tribe? We cannot have a Queen who can't gift."

Eclipse looked away in embarrassment.

"Of course. I'd be honored." Crescent said, his face practically lighting up. "I can show you the birth charts my father taught me. They help, I find. You'll be making the most powerful NightWings in the world."

Centauri removed herself from her daughter and walked back to there throne, where her servants milled about and offered her drinks. Eclipse looked up from where she had been staring at the floor and dared to smile at Crescent.

"Good. You start on the next full moon. Which is, not very far now, is it?" Centauri chuckled. She laid across her throne that looked like planets strung together, and tipped a glass of sparkling liquid into her mouth. "What a great team I've made. Yay me. I'm not a failure after all."

Eclipse sighed loud enough for her mother to hear and stormed out of the room. Crescent however stood still.

"Well? Oh. You're waiting for me. How polite." Centauri smiled. "You are dismissed, sir."