#runaan's in for a ride

[salty-and-spiraling]

What I think the scene will be like for each song… *not gonna do all of them. Just the ones I find interesting*

"The Mage Wars"

Either it's Zubia giving the dragang a history lesson or it's Aaravos sharing some ancient knowledge with Claudia & Terry. Either way I'm excited to learn more about the Mages Wars. Sounds cool

Rayla"Reborn/Unfinished Business"

Rayla's defo getting unghosted. We've been waiting for years and finally it's here! This "Unfinished Business" is gonna be about her dead assassin members coming back to vogue for her.

"Why Are You Doing This"

I think this is gonna be smth like Callum having dreams with Aaravos and learning about Leola. The next few songs will prob be connected to this too.

"Lissa"

Soren might reunite with his mom this season, either that or this is just a flashback scene. There were hints in s6 abt Soren and Lissa but this just makes me think they're gonna reunite!

"The Orphan Queen/An Old Friend"

This is definitely gonna be a flashback w/ Aaravos and the Orphan Queen. Aaravos is reminiscing with Claudia about his old friend.

"Eternal Night"

I think this song is gonna play when Aaravos and Claudia end up raising the dead.

"The Novablade"

I think this scene will be a flashback of Aaravos being stabbed w/ the Novablade and being imprisoned.

"When A Star Dies"

I think this will be a flashback to either Leola's death or Laurellion's. Or, another possibility is that Aaravos finally gets powerful enough to kill one of the Cosmic Judges (hopefully the Merciful One)

"Brothers, Brothers, Brothers"

Callum and Ezran are likely gonna have a falling out when Runaan comes around so I hope this scene will be them making up. Ezran needs comfort and his brother, so does Callum.

"I Miss Her/Forgiveness"

This might be about Soren either missing his mom and forgiving her for leaving OR missing Claudia and forgiving her for siding with Aaravos.

"This Changes Everything"

This might be where Team Zym learns about Leola. This is one I'm particularly excited about.

"Starlit Serenade"

I'm not sure what this title implies but I hope it's a flashback w/ Aaravos and Leola. Not sad or game changing but just fluffy, wholesome memories.

"Leola's Last Wish"

Leola flashbacks! Will we finally find out what her last wish was? Or maybe it's her being revived? I can't wait to see!

TDP Season 7 soundtrack titles are shown here, spoilers ahead!

[fandom-susceptible]

I know people have already talked about this scene before but I wanted to break it down myself because I love it so much. Little Lira yells "Rayla! Callum wants to have ten babies with you!" and everyone's reactions just kill me

Poor Callum has been doing so well with these kids, he's gonna be such a good dad one day, and he knows EXACTLY where he went wrong that produced this result and he also knows there's NOTHING he can do to stop it

Ethari is clearly the first of the elves to start to process what she said. Rayla's so distracted. Runaan frankly just looks tired.

:3 Rayla doesn't look upset at the concept though, just surprised. And Stella is literally just the :o meme.

Lira looks so pleased with herself. This little girl lives for chaos. She has done this on purpose. The smallest child here is convinced they're about to die (figuratively). The middle child is just trying to figure out what the big deal is. Callum is going for damage control.

He also knows this little girl did this to him on purpose. Ezran has absolutely said shit like that out of context to get him in trouble.

Rayla's recovering, has to blink to process what just happened. Runaan is like I barely signed up for one child, I'm not babysitting grandchildren yet. He's reconsidering whether being alive is a good thing. Ethari is connecting the dots between Lira's mischievous nature and Callum's frantic reaction.

He's the first elf adult to fully grasp what's just happened, and this is fucking hilarious. He brought this on the poor boy by unleashing Lira on him without warning him.

Runaan and Rayla have a strong like father like daughter moment as Ethari just loses it laughing. What was this household like when Rayla was growing up? How often did this happen? Ethari is the dad with all the puns that make them both groan and Runaan threaten his life, you can just tell

The laughter sinks in and Runaan visibly remembers why he likes being alive. Rayla is more concerned about how funny Ethari finds this than the statement itself. You can see her thinking Moon help me, Dad, please no.

Lira is so proud of herself. She made Pride Papa Ethari cackle. Callum isn't sure what to do but is fairly certain he's not in trouble. Runaan is vaguely amused at how much this hit his husband in the funny bone. We can no longer see Rayla's expression.

god I love the Moonfam parts of this episode. Runaan is so fucking done with having guests, Callum is a good partner and is gonna be such a great dad one day, and Ethari and Rayla are both just so happy to be home and together again

[kradogsrats]

okay so any bets on where the romantic boat ride with the baitlings is going to fit in

[comicaurora]

Hello! As a thorough enjoyer of Overly Sarcastic Productions and also a rabid fan of The Dragon Prince… was there anything that you did like about S7 or thought was especially well done? Obviously it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and there were certainly parts of the show that were disappointing, but I’m curious to see what you might have enjoyed. (If there’s not anything that’s fine too!)

I think the premise of Aaravos's zombie army, "any soul that died with unfinished business is fair game," was a brilliant way to constantly gutpunch the audience with surprise heartbreaking cameos from tragically dead loved ones. I was not expecting Zombie Avizandum, but it made perfect sense - he died in terror for his wife and son, desperately reaching for them! Of COURSE he got to be a rage zombie! Sir Sparklepuff, Betrayed Revenant? Poetic justice. It's just a shame Viren wasn't there to see it.

Ezran having complicated feelings about the guy who killed his dad? Good! Let the paragon process messy feelings like grief and rage! Even if I thought the execution was made awkward by looping it into the Magic Nuclear Deterrant arc, I thought letting Ezran confront Runaan directly in the end was excellent and well-earned.

Runaan's arc going from accepting his death to tearfully embracing his life? Excellent! Runaan immediately being ride or die for his daughter's cringefail human boyfriend? Hell yea! Runaan taking continuous L's all season? Honestly kind of hilarious jfc let my man live

Prince Karim is another very interesting villain whose death I think is cool but whose absence from the story I think will broadly strip it of much-needed depth. Karim thinking he's so profoundly important to the story, clearly convinced he's the tragically betrayed rightful heir, utterly nonplussed when reality fails to cooperate with his vision - fascinatingly narcissistic in the most classical sense. He's infatuated with his own story to the point that he doesn't realize he's not even a player.

Every time Aaravos does one of his Count of Monte Cristo style monologues where he reveals horrible secrets to an old enemy he's about to kill it's extremely fun and rad

Rayla being forced to confront the nameless cannon-fodder moonshadow elf assassins who died offscreen back in season 1 was a nice way to narratively reaffirm how difficult, painful and courageous it was for her to make the call to spare the princes and save the Dragon Prince. It cost real lives, and she's deeply regretful of that, but not of the choice she made which ultimately united the kingdoms and ended the war. Also I feel like Rayla didn't get much else to do this season so it was nice to let her actually confront some emotional stakes.

[cosmicpoutine]

ride safe, runaan

[raayllum]

Timeline season things thanks to the new pictures

So we know early on in the season, presumably, Ezran and Corvus arrive in Katolis and have reunited with Callum (who has likely flown from the Moon Nexus to Katolis to check on his home/brother) and are riding Aegis and Embertail, Janai and Amaya's hotcat mounts. They will likely also reunite with Soren and Opeli here.

We also know at one point that Ez, Rayla, Runaan, Aanya, and presumably most everyone else ends up at the Banther Lodge thanks to these images.

We also know that Rayla (and Runaan) are going to go to the Silvergrove, where Rayla meets with some kind of Keeper for some kind of Moonshadow trial. I'd place this around 7x03 or 7x04 latest.

With the latest image in mind, we can construct some other details.

I thought at first glance that this picture was depicting the journey to back Katolis, given that Ezran and Aanya are there on said hotcats and Corvus is there. However, Soren is also there (riding with Corvus) which means that it can't be on the way from Lux Aurea to Katolis (at least not the premiere trip), so it must come after.

Whatever they're flying to is either something they're worried about, or something that looks worrisome from the sky. Callum is also not in shot, but he could just be flying with his wings > needing a mount. An alternative is that he went with Rayla and Runaan to the Silvergrove, and perhaps Ezran and co. are travelling there to reunite with them, or even checking up on Zubeia.

Things that could worry them from the Sky:

Visibly destroyed or corrupted places, such as the Moon Nexus, Silvergrove (broken barrier?), or even the Midnight Desert (though I don't think there'd be that many clouds if that was the case). This could even be the place with mushrooms where Zubeia is resting, since Soren and Corvus know the way + Aaravos could have incentive to interrupt her healing, but Zym isn't in shot with them either, so... maybe? I think the Silvergrove could make a lot of sense and be time effective, so we'll just have to see.

[dragon-susceptible]

Different Path Taken Ch16: The Cave

My truck broke down on my way home from work the other day and I've been told I have a very expensive repair to do before I can get it back on the road, which my normal mechanic couldn't do, so this chapter got a bit delayed. It ended up being really long, and I didn't even cover everything I wanted to cover - I have more in my head for how that last conversation is going to go, but I think I'll just cut back to it for a clip in another chapter maybe, because it's already nearly 5k long as it is.

Corvus really wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.  He’d tried to sleep lightly, to stay aware of the elves around him, but he couldn’t let himself fall to exhaustion when he was trying to escape with the princes, and they didn’t seem inclined to kill him, so eventually he had to succumb to tiredness.  This had all become rapidly out of control, and he was still confused about what was going on.

They had killed the king, but somehow, convinced the princes to travel with them willingly?  There was a large egg - he assumed it was a dragon egg - with them, and he had no idea where it had come from or why they all had it.  The princes trusted them, and for some reason, it seemed the woman - Andromeda - had been telling him the truth, that they were protecting the boys.  They had gone to significant efforts to help Ezran, to make sure both boys were safe after the incident on the ice.  It had been no fault of theirs that the avalanche had hit them all, and they’d suffered for it too.  One of them had even been giving Ezran a ride on his shoulders.

Andromeda hadn’t harmed him when she caught him following.  They hadn’t even tried to stop him or warn him off.  Their leader also hadn’t killed any of the soldiers that were attacking him at the river, and had turned and fled once the children were out of reach rather than going down fighting as Moonshadow elves were generally known to do.

The leader - Runaan, he thought they had called him? - had slipped out of the cave a little while ago.  The girl who had been sleeping with him, the one he’d called his daughter at the Banther Lodge, had followed him not long afterward.  Andromeda was awake across the cave now, stirring but clutching one of her hands close to her chest with a sleepy grimace.  He could see bruising creeping up her wrist past the short glove she wore on that hand, which was mirrored on the other younger elves’ hands.  One of the older ones had that arm in a sling, so he couldn’t tell, and the one who had threatened him yesterday wore gauntlets that covered too much to be sure.  Their leader’s left arm had similar bruising on his bicep under the silver ribbon that they all seemed to wear.  It was obviously something magical, but what did it mean?  Why would they wear something that obviously caused them harm?

It didn’t matter.  He had to remember what he came here for.  He just needed to get the princes alone long enough to find a way to escape with them.  No matter how kind the elves appeared to be for now, he couldn’t forget how dangerous they were, even wounded.  He couldn’t even be sure they all were wounded.  The one threatening him the night before certainly didn’t seem to be reacting to any kind of pain where he was kneeling by the fire, feeding it with his right hand.

Somehow, Corvus was well aware the elf was watching him, or at least paying attention to him, despite how he didn’t look up and his hair fell over the nearest eye.

The princes were waking up.  Callum woke first, stretching and then carefully removing himself from the large coat the boys had been wrapped in instead of the blankets that had been used to cover the entrance.  He tucked his younger brother back in gently and crept over past the fire where he could lean on the wall, near the elf with the broken arm and Corvus.

“Morning,” Corvus greeted, unsure what else to say, not quite able to call it a good morning to the boy’s face.

“Good morning,” Callum said as if startled, straightening his back abruptly and then giving Corvus a sheepish sort of grin.  He was already fiddling with his charcoal, his sketchbook halfway to his lap. “Um.  Hi.  What’s your name again?”

Corvus smiled reassuringly, sitting up cross-legged to face him. “It’s Corvus.  Your aunt Amaya sent me.”

To his surprise, this didn’t seem to reassure the prince much. “Right.”

Corvus showed the boy his palms. “It’s okay.  Right now the important thing is we make sure your brother is okay.  Then I’m supposed to bring you home safely.” It wasn’t news - he was sure Andromeda had told the other elves what he wanted before, and sure enough none of them reacted to his words.  Andromeda herself was yawning and sat up in her place, rubbing her bruised hand

“Oh.  We’re not going back to Katolis.” Callum said bluntly and looked down at his sketchbook, opening it up and beginning to draw as if what he’d said made some sort of sense.

Blinking, Corvus couldn’t help spreading his hands in confusion. “Look, Prince Callum, I know things are probably scary right now, surrounded by assassins in an isolated cave, but -” wait, how was he going to finish that sentence while also surrounded by assassins in an isolated cave?

“I told you,” Andromeda yawned, patting her mouth tiredly.  She stretched, standing up slowly before sinking back down into her blanket and pulling it around her bruised arm. “The princes are traveling with us willingly.”

“After you kidnapped them.” Corvus retorted, indignantly.

“Callum?” young prince Ezran mumbled, rolling over and then blinking blearily over at them. “Oh.” He yawned. “What’s going on?”

Callum dropped the conversation immediately, setting his sketchbook and charcoal aside to go back to his brother. “Hey, buddy.  You feeling alright?”

“I’m okay.” Ezran sniffled and wrinkled his nose, looking down at himself. “But why am I in someone else’s clothes?” He squinted down at the fabric. “Ram’s clothes?”

The elf with the broken arm, who seemed to be the healer, gave a tired groan and finally sat up from their bedroll. “We needed t’ get you dry so you could warm up.  Cold kills fast when it’s wet.”

Ezran paled a bit and squeezed Callum’s arm where it was slung around him. “Right.  Thanks.”

“Your clothes should be about dry by now, and there’s a blanket hung in the back of the cave you can use to change.  I do want those back.” The shortest of the adult elves other than Andromeda said, tone not unkind as he nodded to the boy, pointing out where Ezran’s clothes had been spread out near the fire to dry. 

“Oh.  Thanks Ram.” Ezran wriggled free of the coat wrapped around him and his brother’s arm, and stumbled a bit fetching his own clothes from the sheer length of the pants around his legs.  Ram helped him up, as did Callum when he stumbled again on his way back to change.

Why were they being so gentle with the princes?

“Speaking of the cold,” the healer said, looking over at Andromeda. “How about you?  How’s the hand?”

Andromeda shrugged. “Mostly I’m warm again.  The bound hand is still chilly, though.  I can’t seem to warm it up.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Can you move it?”

Andromeda held her hand up and flexed the fingers easily enough, though she winced with the movement. “Yeah, still moving.”

“Good.  Y’ haven’t lost blood to it entirely.” The healer frowned, and scrubbed their face tiredly with their good hand. “But if it’s still cold it’s not enough.  The whole arm could start to die off.”

Shrugging helplessly, Andromeda said, “Isn’t it going to fall off anyway?”

“The hand, yes, and the binding will keep the death from that below it, but if the arm above your binding starts to die off from the cold, there might be nothin’ I can do until it’s too late.” The healer said, still frowning.

Andromeda winced. “Ah.  Right.”

Ezran emerged from the back of the cave straightening his quilted jacket with a wrinkle of his nose and offered the clothes back to the elf he’d called Ram. “Thanks Ram.  Here are your clothes back.  I’m sorry I had to take them.”

“Your life was more than worth the trade, Prince Ezran, never you mind.” Ram said with a dry chuckle. 

“Why is that?” Corvus had to ask. “Why are you all protecting the princes?  And Prince Callum, Prince - King Ezran, why are you traveling with them so willingly?”

A rustle behind him made him sit up straighter and a shadow fell over him.  The hair on the back of Corvus’ neck stood up as the imposing leader of the assassins’ troupe reentered the cave with near-silent steps and made his way to the fireside.  He arched a brow at Corvus and casually directed a question to one of the other elves. “Has he been this chatty the entire time?”

“Only since the boys woke up.” The healer replied with a yawn. “Wish they’d have slept a bit longer.  Moon knows I could have used it.”

“Sorry we woke you,” Ezran said quickly.

The healer smiled kindly at him. “You’re all right, Ezran.  It’s more the stranger’s voice than the noise.” They jerked their head toward Corvus and leaned back on their good arm, looking back to the leader as his daughter slipped past Corvus to join the princes by the egg. 

Corvus stiffened at the girl’s familiarity with them, how she patted Callum’s shoulder and how they all smiled at each other.  It had barely been a week since the letter arrived to the Breach.  How were they all so familiar with each other already?

“How are you feeling?” The leading elf asked Andromeda, tone softer, and he glanced over at Ezran as well. “You seem to be in better shape this morning, young prince.”

Ezran nodded quickly. “Much.  Thanks, Callisto.”

The healer shrugged but smiled softly at the boy.

“I’m all right.  My arm’s still cold, Callisto said it’s not getting enough blood flow, but everything else is better.” Andromeda reported. 

Their leader pursed his lips, but his bright teal eyes just flicked over to Corvus and he didn’t press the question. “If everyone is once again thinking clearly, we have some decisions to make - not the least of which what to do with this one.”

This one?  Corvus rankled under the disdain but he looked back at the elf with his shoulders square, staring him down.  Unfortunately, his attempt didn’t seem to make much of an impression, with the elf just raising an eyebrow and turning away dismissively. “My name is Corvus.” He tried for a bland tone, but only the children bothered to look at him, and the young elf just raised one eyebrow at him skeptically.

It had been a while since he felt quite this powerless in a room surrounded by warriors.  Amaya’s soldiers weren’t nearly this casually threatening.

As the healer yawned, lips pulling back to reveal sharp fangs, he acknowledged privately that Amaya’s soldiers also weren’t quite as alien as these elves were.

“What to do with me?” He challenged anyway. “Haven’t I proven I’m not here to cause you any harm?  I just want to take the princes home safely.  That’s my only objective.  What happens to you all isn’t my concern.”

“We can’t allow that.” The leading elf replied flatly at the same time as Prince Callum said again, “I told you, we’re not going back with you.”

Corvus took a chance and zeroed in on Prince Callum instead of the leading elf. “Your Highness, I really don’t know what the elves have told you, but your Aunt Amaya just wants the two of you home safe.  We don’t know what’s happened with the king yet -”

“He’s gone.” Prince Callum cut him off, and grimaced. “And the elves didn’t convince us to go with them.  It was kind of the other way around.”

That brought Corvus to an abrupt halt. “What?”

“They sort of blackmailed us.” One of the younger elves - the one with the knives - said with a wrinkle of his nose.

What.

“How could two human children - no offense intended, your Highnesses - no matter how powerful they are to their own kingdom, blackmail five Moonshadow assassins?” Corvus asked, flabbergasted by the very suggestion.

“Six,” The youngest retorted with a scowl at him, her long ears laying back like an irritated dog’s.

“The egg.” Andromeda replied, her tone softer than the other elves were using, and she nodded across the cave towards it. 

“We found the egg in Lord Viren’s dungeon.” Prince Callum said seriously. 

Lord Viren had his own dungeon?  Corvus bit his tongue to avoid interrupting, even more confused by that concept.  What did he mean, Lord Viren’s dungeon?  Since when did he have one of those?

“He was hiding it.” Prince - no, King Ezran said with a sad frown as he petted the egg’s dim surface. “We don’t know if Dad even knew about it.  If we get the egg home to its mother, maybe the Dragon Queen won’t be angry anymore.  There won’t be any need for vengeance, so we can have peace again.”

Corvus’ heart softened, moved by the boy’s obvious faith in this concept, but he looked warily around at the elves. “And you all were convinced by this argument?” He asked skeptically. “I think his idea is possible, but I’ve always heard Moonshadow elves are particularly vengeful, and savage.  Why would you stop long enough to listen?  Why not just take the egg yourselves and run it back to Xadia?”

“Believe me, we considered it.” The knife elf said with a sardonic lilt to his voice, and shrugged, arms folded over his chest.

“My daughter was moved by their cause.” Their leader said, seating himself by the fire with his legs crossed, nodding at her. “We could not take vengeance for a death that was yet to occur.  We agreed on a temporary basis . . . but circumstances have made it clear that there is far more to this situation than it appeared on the surface.  The princes are now an integral part of this plan.  We need them to bring the egg to Xadia as much as they do.  Peace with the human kingdoms may or may not be possible.  That is up to the judgment of the Dragon Queen, we have no bearing on it.  But the egg must live, and these boys must survive with it if we are to discover who the real enemy is.  We did not kill King Harrow, tracker.”

Corvus’ jaw tightened. “Cut the lies, assassin,” He retorted. “We already know that’s why you were in Katolis.  Why are you trying to pretend otherwise?  That’s why I don’t understand why the princes are so willing to go along with this plan.”

“They didn’t kill Dad,” Ezran snapped firmly, and Corvus did a double take at the ferocity in the boy’s tone.

Prince Callum put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and looked just as serious when he met Corvus’ eyes. “He’s right.  The last time I knew where the king was, he was safe, and okay, and one of the elves was with me.  The rest were with Ezran.  They didn’t leave our presence for the rest of the night, until the assassin binding that they had sworn to his death fell when we were all miles from the castle.  Whoever killed the king, it wasn’t them.  We’re sure of it.  That’s the other reason we’re not going back to Katolis.  Whoever killed the king is probably after the heir too, and I can’t let them get to Ezran.”

They were sure.  They had seen the elves, been in their presence, when the king was killed. “This . . . assassin’s binding.  What does that mean?” Corvus asked carefully, brows furrowing as dread settled in the pit of his stomach.

If they were right, what had General Amaya found when she went back to the castle?  Who had really killed the king?  Would she know?  What would they be saying about the Crown Prince going missing the same night?  Well, not missing, they were supposed to go to the Banther Lodge, so presumably everyone expected the boys to be alive, at least. 

“Moonshadow assassins take an oath binding ourselves to the deaths of our targets.” The leader said after a minute of awkward silence, and his face was hard and cold when Corvus looked at him. “It does not matter if we are their cause of death, so long as they die.  The king’s binding fell near dawn.  The other remains, and continues to grow tighter the longer no blood is spilled for it.” 

The ribbons on their arms.  All of them were wearing them.  So they were all suffering from a slow, agonizing amputation.  Corvus winced at the very thought of it.  They all still wore one, though. “So your other binding . . .”

“We believed it bound to Ezran’s life, yes.” The older elf said evenly. “With the Dragon Prince alive, however, there is no life lost to avenge.  The subject of the oath is no longer valid, which removes its target.  There is no escape for us.  It does not benefit us to harm the young Crown Prince now.  However . . . his life may help us in another way.  If he follows through with this peace he claims to wish for, then this war may ease, which is an . . . ideal few of us believed possible under his father’s reign.”

“King Harrow was a good and compassionate king,” Corvus argued, frowning, and immediately regretted it when the elves all shifted around him at once.  None of them moved too quickly but he swore he could feel the temperature drop several degrees as they all stared at him.

Their leader chose not to address the statement directly. “It is in our best interests to ensure all three princes remain alive and safe, and make their way to the Dragon Queen in Xadia.  You complicate things, because while you claim your goal is the safety of the human children, you propose to bring them back into the heart of Katolis, where they were betrayed and their father killed by someone on this side of the border.  They will be safer with us.  We have a vested interest in keeping them alive.  For whoever you may trust in Katolis, there is at least one who has betrayed you, with enough confidence or support to expect success.”

General Amaya always said not to trust Lord Viren.  Lord Viren had been the one hiding the egg of the dragon prince.  He was the one who was closest to the king, along with General Amaya, and despite the elf’s menacing words Corvus simply could not believe that Amaya would kill her brother-in-law.  She adored Harrow as the father and stepfather of her nephews, one of the men her sister had loved in life.

“Prince Callum,” Corvus asked carefully, suspicion overtaking his concerns as he realized the elves were probably right, the boys were safer with them. “Who was with King Harrow when you saw him last?”

Prince Callum blinked. “Oh, uh . . . well I didn’t actually see him, I guess?” He admitted awkwardly. “But he was in his room, and Lord Viren had literally just stepped out from talking to him so I know he was okay.  Soren and a lot of the Crownguard were by the door, too.  He’s the head of the Crownguard, Soren.”

Lord Viren had been the last one to see the king alive?  At least from this information.  Wasn’t the head of the Crownguard Viren’s son, too?  If the two were in league, then it wouldn’t matter which of them saw the princes last - they might have just barely escaped the castle with their lives.  Corvus’ mind raced as he put the pieces together.  General Amaya wouldn’t be in direct danger, he thought, but she wouldn’t have all the parts of this puzzle.  This was bad.

“Why?” King Ezran asked quietly. “What does it matter who Callum saw with Dad?” His little eyes were welling up with tears when Corvus looked up at him and his heart ached for the boy’s grief.  

He couldn’t imagine losing his father, let alone doing it so young. “The elves might be right,” He admitted. “Lord Viren had the egg, Lord Viren was the closest to the king, Lord Viren was the last one seen with the king before he was killed.  General Amaya doesn’t trust him, and he seems to be the main common thread through all of this.  You won’t be safe in Katolis until we find out the truth, either way.  I’d like to get some news back to the General,” He said bravely to the leader of the assassins. “To let her know I’m with the boys and that they are safe, and that we’ve been betrayed from within.  She’ll be able to figure out what to do from inside the country.  I’ll stay with the princes, and I’ll work with you to keep them safe.  The last place anyone will be looking for them is over the Xadian border.”

“So you understand,” King Ezran brightened. “We have to do this.  It could end the war, and it’s safer than going home.”

“Ezran’s got to stay alive if he’s going to take the throne and bring about this peace we’re all working for,” Prince Callum said firmly, looking down at his brother. “And right now, the best way to make sure all of that happens is to get the egg to Xadia.  Well, alive.  Get it to Xadia alive.  And that’s where we’re having a problem right now.” He touched the egg with a reverent hand and a frown. “It’s getting dimmer by the hour, Callisto.  What do we do?”

The elven healer shrugged their shoulders helplessly. “I dunno, lad.  I work with elves, not dragons.  I don’t know a thing about what to do for it.  Cold clearly isn’t botherin’ it by itself, or bein’ in a cold dungeon on a pedestal would have done it some harm.  Maybe it was just that much colder?  I haven’t the faintest idea what to do about it, though.”

“There has to be someone nearby who can help,” King Ezran protested.

“Runaan,” The knife elf said thoughtfully. “We need someone who knows things about dragons, right?  Someone with experience in crossing the veil.  The only elves who might know something are well over a century old.”

Corvus frowned at him. “And they’ll be back in Xadia, not here in the human kingdoms.  Where do you expect to find someone like that?”

“If we step outside we can see Lunar Peak, can’t we?” Ram pointed out, holding his leader’s gaze thoughtfully. “We should go there.  The Guardian may know something helpful with the egg, or at least she will be able to offer us some kind of advice about what to do next.” Which mountain was Lunar Peak?

When Corvus looked back over at their leader - definitely Runaan - in confusion, the older man wetted his lips and looked down at the fire thoughtfully, resting his chin in his hand, covering his own mouth as if covering up his shock at something.  His eyes were unfocused but narrowed in on the fire. “It’s possible.” He admitted after a moment. “That may help us with the egg, but it does not fix Andromeda’s blood flow problem.  Callisto?”

“Normally, I’d just use Bloodbloom,” The healer - Callisto, Corvus tried to put the name to memory - “But that doesn’t grow this far west.  We don’t even get it in Moonshadow Forest outside of the healers’ gardens.  The only thing I can think of this side of the mountains would be Leechleaf, but I haven’t got any, and it’s the wrong season for it.”

Leechleaf was poison - but Moonshadow elves were known to be resistant to poisons.  Corvus frowned. “If you need herbs, there’s a town just a little ways down the mountain,” He said. “And if you need help for an egg, there might be a vet in town that has an idea.”

The knife elf looked to Runaan, and he grimaced. “As much as I am loathe to agree with the human on anything, if a veterinarian has any ideas, it would be quicker than a trip up Lunar Peak, and we have precious little time to spare.  That said, this is very obviously a dragon egg.”

“We could take it down there,” Prince Callum suggested. “Look, you’re right, it’s obviously a dragon egg.  So if any of you takes it down there, people are going to be able to guess that you’re elves.  But if Ezran and I take it down there, and we just say we found the egg near the border, we’re on our own, we’re trying to hatch it, then it’s just a couple of kids who don’t know any better.  Way less noticeable.”

Callisto hummed thoughtfully, tapping their own knee in thought. “If we’re sendin’ someone to town anyway, I’d like to see if there’s any Leechleaf at the local herbalist or apothecary, too.  But - I don’t suppose you lads know how to tell good herbs from bad?”

They both shook their heads. “Not unless you mean herbs in our dinner,” King Ezran admitted. 

“Ram knows the herbs well enough for that,” Runaan mused. “And he is less noticeable than the rest of us, save for Rayla.  He will need someone else to watch over the princes more subtly, though, and to cover him if he needs a retreat.  Rayla should go with them.”

“Me?” his daughter echoed in surprise, her ears pricking forward and then tilting back when her father looked at her.  Corvus tilted his head as he tried to read the body language. “You’re trustin’ me with this?”

The older man raised his eyebrows at her with a glimmer of a smile. “You have snuck past every guard I have ever put you under, Rayla.  Staying out of sight of the humans in this village should be nothing to you.  Just ensure nothing goes wrong, that the boys and Ram get the information and supplies that they need and they aren’t followed.  If they are being followed, don’t engage.  Kite them up here.  We will deal with it.” He turned his gaze back to Ram. “Rayla is in charge of security.  Keep an eye on yourself, but let her worry about the princes.  If she tells you to hide, you do it.  Are we clear?”

Ram nodded with a glance at Rayla. “Crystal.”

“Rayla?”

“Yes sir.”

“Callum, Ezran, focus on finding a veterinarian and seeing what answers they will give you.  Do whatever Rayla tells you.  She will keep you safe.  Clear?”

Both boys nodded, and they worked together to put the dragon egg into a pack that young king Ezran shouldered. “Got it.”

“Good.  Ram, Rayla, come here.” Runaan stood up again and both younger elves approached him.  They seemed to know exactly what he was doing, as they both held out their hands.  He drew something on each of their palms. “Mystica Humana.”

Corvus was quite sure he hadn’t blinked, and yet it seemed like he had, for the two young elves standing in front of him had been replaced with young humans who strongly resembled them.  Their horns and tattoos were entirely gone, leaving them both looking much softer.  Their hands had five fingers as well.

“Remember,” Runaan was saying firmly, looking hard at them both. “Without a spell focus like a gem, this is only a visual illusion.  There is no substance and your horns can still touch things.  Touch as little as possible with that false finger, and watch your horns.  Not that I expect that to be a problem for either of you.”

“Your short jokes aren’t funny, Runaan.” Ram said flatly.

Rayla snorted and looked over at her companion, looking him up and down. “You look weird without your markings.”

“Me?  What happened to your face without yours?” Ram challenged.

“Children.” Runaan folded his arms with a stern look at them both and they stopped immediately. “You should be hidden enough, but still, Rayla, don’t let anyone realize you’re following the princes once you split up in the village.  If you’re ready, off you go.”

Both young elves nodded very professionally, and they ushered the human princes out ahead of them.

Corvus watched them go, anxiety burning in his chest as he watched his charges leave his sight once again.  He’d only just caught up to them and now they were gone.  Sure, coming back, ideally, but still . . . once they were out of earshot, he asked, staring at the ground instead of daring to look at the leading assassin, “What can I do to convince you to trust me?  I’ve been convinced.  I’ll help you get the princes to Xadia and to the Dragon Queen.”

“We don’t need your help.” Callisto said with raised brows and an amused sort of tone, smiling almost pityingly at him.

Runaan was giving him an appraising look when he dared to look up at him. “Tell me everything you know about this Lord Viren character.” He said softly. “Then we will see.”

“If I tell you, can I send a message back to General Amaya?” Corvus asked. “Just enough to tell her I’m with her nephews, and that they’re safe.”

The elf tilted his head at him and raised a single snow-white brow. “Asking me how to earn my trust and then bargaining when I give you an answer is not helping your case.”

Corvus tried to hold his gaze, but there was something cold and critical in the older man’s eyes that convinced him he didn’t have a chance. “Lord Viren is the High Mage of Katolis.  It was a position King Harrow invented for him - as I understand it they were friends in their youth . . .”

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

over and over again

rayllum sadwich post s7!! happy valentine's day, and thank you to @blu-on-main for beta-ing this!!

One way or another, life resumed. People chattered dully, in the background to Callum’s still-ringing ears. Rayla removed her head from being buried in his chest, and he tucked her dusty hair behind her ears, pressing his lips firmly to her forehead.

“You alright?” Was all he asked, trying not to sink to the ground on trembly legs, trying to be strong for her.

“I think.” She blinked up at him, the most gorgeous thing he never thought he’d see again. “Are you?”

“I think,” he echoed, and finally made himself look around at the damage despite knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to process it, not entirely.

They might have wandered around aimlessly for hours, or maybe it was mere moments. It was hard to tell. But whatever the case, the evacuation began, and he couldn’t be more glad for it.

Ezran, along with Aunts Amaya and Janai, went back to the Banther Lodge. Amaya had wordlessly passed the information to Ezran that Callum would be joining Rayla and Runaan in going back to the Silvergrove. He doubted his younger brother was pleased, but all of them were too tired and shell-shocked to have productive conversations.

Departure was slowed by fatigue and sheer numbers–figuring out where Astrid was going, organizing rides for everyone, sending word back to the Sunfire camp, and talking about sending a search party for Soren and Corvus–but was made much less dangerous by the eradication of the corrupted creatures, the threat of nightfall no longer dooming. Runaan and Rayla, in typical Moonshadow fashion, had slipped away through alleyways–of course the fallen city was fireproofed, he realized belatedly–with their mounts, Callum following guiltily. 

Seven years. That should be more than enough time to patch things up. Or at least begin to.

Rayla offered him a hand up onto her mount, and he stalled.

“I've got wings,” he said lamely.

Her smile was tired, but no less brilliant. The most amazing thing he'd never expected to get to see again. “I know you do. Just come on.”

He accepted, scooching up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She was covered in dirt, thin, and still shaky, but she was okay. One way or another, she was okay.

He hardly dared to believe it.

ao3

[kanerallels]

I'd say that I don't know why Queen Aanya became so ride or die for Ezran so quickly but A) they have exactly matching traumas and she totally gets how he's feeling about Runaan, and B) I also would be this ride or die for Ezran because I love him

[ladyandherbooks]

I loved how excited Rayla got when she was trying to decide what to tell Runaan. You know she's been waiting to tell him everything in so long. And now she finally gets the chance to tell him about her adventures over the last 2+ years.

I hope she rides this just got my dad back high for a long time, even with everything going on.

[aria-bun]

I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

In which Corvus realizes something. Co-written and edited by the wonderful wonderful @sorinethemastermind. I write the Corvus POVs, they write the Soren POVs Also on Ao3 and it has a playlist!

Corvus didn’t bother to travel through the night. The moon didn’t reach down here, so at best he’d loose the trail. At worst…

Well, he didn’t want to think about that.

Early the next morning, he mounted Buckeye an resumed following the trail. 

There wasn’t much to look at on the journey; all the trees and bushes looked the same, the only irregularity being the trodded down grass from the trail he was following.

From the way it was formed, the person in the back of the group was making it more obvious. The sureness in the path made it look like they had a clear destination, so either Rayla, Callum, or Runaan were leading it. 

Which meant Soren was the one paving the way for Corvus to follow a safe distance behind.

Around midday, he stumbled upon a small clearing. He dismounted from Buckeye and crouched to the ground. Footprints were more visible in the dirt compared to the tall grass he was travelling through before, and he recognized the imprints from Soren’s boots.

Corvus had remembered Soren telling him about that. The standard issued boots had too thin of soles, in Soren’s opinion, and when he had become captain, he had gotten a new pair with thicker soles. Before that, Soren had told him, he had gotten the shoes half of a size larger and wore two pairs of socks.

A circle of stones and charred remains of wood made up a burned-out firepit in the center.

This is where they stayed the night prior.

He tied Buckeye’s reins to a nearby tree, giving his tailbone a break from riding a horse.

Corvus glanced at one of the trees, surveying its branches, before starting to climb it. He figured getting a glimpse at the treetops might help him find the group.

He also just wanted to climb a tree. He hadn’t had time to just do that for a long time.

His feet found small curves in the branches to latch into, and his hands pulled him up further and further. The branches got smaller the higher he went, and the ground further away. He could still faintly hear Buckeye’s breathing and light knickering from below.

He finally saw a bit of sky for the first time in several days. There were plenty clouds, but he could see the hues of blue breaking through them and feel the warmth of the sun on his face.

From the top of the tree, he could see the treeline cut off to make way for a flowing river, then resume on the other side. The trees on the opposite side of the river were less thick, and past that, he could see large mountains.

They were headed to Xadia.

Why where they-

Corvus paused for a moment. Runaan and Rayla were both elves from Xadia. They probably had lived in Xadia before all of this.

Things actually decided to make sense if he stopped to think about it.

Soren should do that more often.

But he knew that Soren did. He had asked him before, and even though his thought process was always all over the place, the pieces connected like a puzzle.

Whether it looked like it or not, Soren always had a plan.

It was one of the things he loved about him.

Wait what?

Corvus almost lost his footing on the branch he was standing on, scrambling to grab onto another as he fell a few feet down. He caught himself on a thicker branch, the wind getting knocked out of him from the way he had landed.

What was that?

Did he love Soren?

He paused for a moment, staring at the ground through the branches, yards below him.

He was in love with Soren

Soren. His best friend.

His only friend.

Well shit.

Carefully, Corvus climbed back down the tree, making sure not to slip as he made it to the bottom. 

Buckeye knickered knowingly, nudging his arm with his snout.

“You’re not helping.” He deadpanned, staring at the horse.

He stared back at him, unblinking, before nibbling on Corvus’ sleeve.

He blew out a breath, petting Buckeye on the muzzle before mounting again and to the other side of the clearing, where the grass was freshly trodden.

[fandom-susceptible]

I return to the Dragon Prince fandom with the following post

First of all, can we talk about how Runaan just has not changed clothes since he woke up from being dead. This man is still wearing his ripped up assassin pants. Didn't even change before going to invoke a formal ritual to clear his daughter's name.

Also this is just a really sweet Ruthari moment, the united front to protect their daughter.

And on a less wholesome note, that little scar on Runaan's hip that his ripped up pants and riding-up shirt are showing is gonna make me act up.

Edit: so I've rewatched the episode with his revival at the end of season 6 now and must correct a mistake. That's not the same pink they use for his scars. Which means that is one of two things.

Adonis belt (hot)

Hip bone (angst, having lost that much weight starving himself)

either one is better than a random scar, but the TDP art style with shading leaves it somewhat unclear to me personally as to where that line actually rests in relation to his skeleton, which would answer the question of which it is

[elise-the-potato]

Silly little runaan doodle I drew on a long car ride

(It's kinda bad since I drew this on my phone with my fingers on the notes app in a car and it was wonky)

[cosmicpoutine]

Was thinking about your Ruthari biker au and went, “what if they go sleigh riding… but it doesn’t end up with Runaan riding a sleigh. 😏”

i aint ever seen snow in my life but i do assume this is what happens when you go sleigh riding

[winterstorm032802]

Okay. I. Think. My. Mind. Is. Clearer.

I think I'm okay now with the whole trailer. I don't feel like throwing up. I'm just a tiny bit lightheaded, but very little. Okay.

The trailer.

Amazing.

There's a song for the first time in a trailer. Yes, I've been looping the song.

Callum is falling, why? Probably to gain a connection with the Stars as the Celestial Elves have (are they called Celestial? I forgot.) Karim looks stupid. I hate this dude. But he does make for a good plot.

There's loads of explosions, and Ezran is on the field. The question is what he's fighting with cause he doesn't have a weapon. I'd theorize that he tried peacefully talking to Karim and the others but failed (cause Karim sucks), and then the fight begins.

Rayla and Callum make it to the Starscraper (obviously). That horrifying Elf does look like Runaan, so it's probably the same nightmare thing that Callum is also going through cause he was in Finnegrin's cabin with Aaravos. They might both be having nightmare, have to get past what clouds your mind to enter the Starscraper type thing.

Aaravos is crying, it kinda hurts cause he's just lonely. That's the most I can tell with how he feels (he's good at keeping his cards close to his chest). The dark mark over his Star sign is gone, meaning he was stabbed, but not in that flashback of sorts.

Soren is bloody. I have no idea why. He seemed to be separated from Corvus for him to look so beaten then to hitch a ride on Pyrrah (yay, she's here).

I know there's plenty more that I haven't spoken of (missed maybe), but I've cleared my head enough to have got these thoughts out.

Also...

Someone, please catch Callum. PLEASE!

[dragon-susceptible]

Different Path Taken Ch13: Banter

This chapter might end up being longer, but I have a suspicion that the plot things I'm about to address in the next section will end up being chapter length all on their own, so this might be it for chapter 13. It's a little reprieve from the plot that's mostly just everyone getting to know each other, filling out the banter I wrote last week, and doing a tiny bit of exposition about moonshadow culture.

It's kind of just a filler chapter but it's cute so you're getting it anyways. I could probably try and fluff out some more "getting to know each other" dialogue from this, if enough people really think it needs it.

To make things a little harder for the tracker to find them, Runaan had turned them up an icy slope for a more direct path to Xadia.  Callisto could see the logic, but it didn’t make it any easier on them without their left arm to balance.  They relied a bit on their glaive to keep their footing and could see it getting even harder for the human children to keep up.  While the trail was somewhat harder for them, humans seemed to have more trouble on even the easiest of mountain paths. 

Skor was watching Ezran struggle with a complicated look on his face.  When the boy stumbled, he was the first to help him back up.  As the slope grew steeper and the way grew icier, Ezran started to slip more and more.

“Do you want help?” Skor finally rasped, after helping him up yet again. 

Ezran looked up at him, clearly remembering their conversation from the night before. “Um.  Yeah.  The egg’s heavy though, and it pulls me backward, so - can I, uh . . . I don’t know if this is rude.  Runaan said I could hold onto the horns.”

Skor smiled crookedly at him. “Yes.  Most kids do.  I’ll feel the weight, but it doesn’t hurt.”

“Okay.” 

“Wait, you got a ride from Runaan?” Callum asked, sounding almost flabbergasted as Skor lifted his little brother to his shoulders.  His hair was all swept to the same side, leaving the braid Callisto had given him on display, and Callisto’s heart did something odd and frankly objectionable in their chest at the sight of him with the child. 

Ezran was nodding. “The night we ran from the castle, he carried me so we could run faster.  It was really fun, he’s even faster than Soren!”

“I bet,” Callum agreed with a glance up the trail at Runaan.

Now that they knew who was following them, and didn’t know what was ahead, their leader was up front to forge the path.  Andromeda and Ram could handle a single tracker in the rear.  They didn’t know what was coming next. 

“Keep close together.  If someone slips, I want them caught.” Runaan ordered over his shoulder.

Andromeda was humming a familiar old traveling song as they walked.  She wouldn’t sing it without some prompting, Callisto knew; not with Skor on the mission.  No one sang around him much anymore, which was a shame.  He missed the music.

Ram was still giving her and Runaan unimpressed looks as he followed along.  With the path so narrow, he really wasn’t ranging to the sides, but every time he met Andromeda’s eyes she snickered and he glowered.  Rayla rolled her eyes at both of them and kept pace with Callum.

Callisto wasn’t sure how long they walked, focusing on keeping their breathing even and their footing steady.  Their arm ached in its sling, but they took some comfort in the pain, knowing it was at least still . . . alive.  For now.  The bindings were leaving bruises on the others’ wrists and Runaan’s arm now.  It wouldn’t be long before they lost blood flow to them.

“I’m bored.” Ezran announced, pouting when they looked up at him, and their heart ached abruptly at how he slumped so comfortably between Skor’s large horns, and the fond little smile on Skor’s face when he tilted his head as if to look up at the boy. 

“Just walkin’ is kinda borin’.” Rayla agreed. 

“So we should talk!  Try to get to know each other a little better.” Callum suggested brightly.

Andromeda chuckled. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, Callisto said something on the boat about your horn jewelry being important.” Callum said, and Callisto blinked, mildly surprised he’d actually heard that. “Can we ask about that?”

“Mine’s just decorative.” Ram shrugged, indicating the silver ring that rested on the upper curve of his right horn.

Andromeda shrugged. “My rings are decorative too, and the chains,” she admitted. “But the cuffs Runaan and I wear at the base of them, here -” she pointed them out. “Mean we’re married, that’s probably what they meant.”

Callum nodded along until she said that part and then startled, frowning. “Wait wait, are you saying you two are a thing, or?  Because I thought he said something about Rayla having another father and how he’s also her father, so I just assumed -”

“Not to each other!” Andromeda rushed out as Callisto burst out laughing at the poor boy’s confusion.  Even Skor cracked a smile at that one.   Andromeda and Rayla both looked up to Runaan at the same time as he chuckled, the sound carrying back even to Callisto’s ears.  He must be in decent spirits then. “Not that he’s - well.  We both have husbands back home, not that I would have all that many objections if I didn’t.” Andromeda said, apparently in fine form after her flirty morning.

Maybe her heat really was coming on early.  Callisto pitied her, dealing with that as a mated elf away from home had to be difficult.  It was hard enough for them being alone, especially since their attraction had finally decided to rear itself up a few years ago when they got closer to Skor.

Runaan hummed and didn’t bother looking over his shoulder, but his amused tone was clear enough as he added onto Andromeda’s explanation. “Andromeda is a little young for my taste, and I’ve never had much interest in the fairer sex.”

Callisto snorted, and then barked out a surprised laugh when Skor piped up dryly from beside them. 

“By ‘much’, he means ‘any’.”

Ezran tilted his head curiously at the same time as Skor tilted his head to show his smirk, and Callisto felt very fond of both of them.

“Never understood that, myself,” Andromeda mused. “How one could be so exclusively interested in one thing.”

Runaan finally deigned to cast a grin back at them. “Have you met my husband?” He teased smugly.

“Yes,” Ram said dryly. “And though it may come as a surprise to you, not everyone enjoys feeling dwarfed by their partner.  I know you don’t feel that way around him, but everyone else does.”

Runaan shrugged again. “Your loss.”

“You’re both gross.” Rayla informed him bluntly. “And ye need t’remember to close your bedroom door all the way.”

Even his ears turned red. “Rayla!”

She huffed at his back. “It’s your own fault.” She informed him loftily, and Callisto cackled at her snark even as her father stubbornly refused to look back and meet anyone’s eyes.

“Soo, what does your husband do?” Callum changed the subject abruptly by asking Andromeda, looking a tad nervous, and Callisto supposed they couldn’t blame him when Runaan’s shoulders looked that stiff, and a human couldn’t read the mortified flattening of his bright red ears.

Andromeda was still chuckling at Runaan when she turned to face the boy. “We don’t really talk about our families in the forest outside of it,” She hedged gently. “It’s not really our way.”

“Oh.  I’m sorry.  Never mind then.” He said quickly, and Callisto’s respect for the boy went up.  Seemed both princes had been taught to respect the cultures of their allies.  This boded well for them.

Ram took pity on the boy. “That’s rich considering the topic you were all just on Runaan about.” He pointed out.

“Hey, wait,” Rayla cut them off, scowling suddenly as she dug in her pockets.  She held out her vial of moonberry juice, which was empty. “Who drank my moonberry juice?  It wasn’t me!”

“I didn’t do it,” Callum said quickly. 

Rayla narrowed her eyes at him. “Well Ezran’s been on Skor’s shoulders, so I know he didn’t do it,” She said. “Who else would it have been?”

Callum gestured wildly around them. “There’s eight of us!  There’s five other people that could have done it!”

“They all have their own!”

“Well you were just fighting with Ram the other day, maybe he did it.”

“I would never!” Ram sputtered. “If I needed food from anyone else’s packs everyone knows you can just ask Skor.”

“Well I didn’t do it!”

“Children, please.” Runaan said loudly from the head of the trail, and for once his tired tone didn’t even seem to penetrate their ears. 

“Someone must have!” Rayla threw up her hands. 

“How did I end up in this discussion?” Ram wanted to know.

“You didn’t have to keep talking,” Andromeda pointed out.

“For that matter, it could have been anyone!  Didn’t Andromeda borrow your tent last night?” Callum said. 

“Excuse me?” Andromeda yelped.

“Uh, guys?” Ezran said, and Callisto glanced over and followed the boy’s gaze up the slope.  Their eyes widened as they saw the snow beginning to shift above them.  Skor swore under his breath at their side.

It was spring.  It was fucking spring, and they were on an icy slope under an avalanche waiting to happen. “Everyone shut up!” They snapped, hissing quietly.

“Guys!” Ezran barked, louder, and that got everyone’s attention.  Even Runaan paused at the trail head to look back, surprised.  Ezran pointed up the slope at the snow. “All the noise is cracking the ice.  If we don’t quiet down, we could start an avalanche!” Ezran whispered as loud as he could.

“Got it.” Callum squeaked.

“Not a peep.” Rayla agreed. 

“Just for the record, the toad is glowing moonberry red.” Ram pointed out, but his voice had dropped too, and he pointed at Bait.

The glow toad grumbled at them, and Callisto smothered their amusement, suddenly all too aware of their precarious position on the slope. 

“You have no proof!” Ezran protested. 

Callum scooped the toad up to keep talking, and it burped quietly in his face.  He winced. “Yeah buddy, he definitely did it.” He said apologetically.

Rayla huffed in frustration and shoved her empty vial back in her pocket, storming off up the trail.  Callum leaned over towards his brother on Skor’s shoulders. “I think she’s hangry.”

“I’m habsolutely hurious.” Rayla replied, unable to stop the little bit of a smirk pulling at her mouth even as she tried to glower at them.

The glow toad’s digestive issues, however, weren’t quite finished, and being picked up appeared to make them much, much worse.   Suddenly, their lively trek up the mountainside became much, much more dangerous.  The toad burped so loudly it echoed off the mountainsides, and the ice above them cracked - and didn’t stop cracking. 

“I don’t suppose you have a spell for this?” Callum squeaked.

“Nope, just run.” Runaan replied, tense, and whirled around to herd them all towards the down hill path. “Get behind a rock formation and hold positions!” He barked over the building roar of the snow.

Callisto fled with only a glance back to ensure Ezran was still firmly held on Skor’s shoulders.