Who knew that flying across the ocean for hours on end could be so relaxing? Wish had been flying East for the whole day, never daring to touch the ground. He had a rough idea of where he was going, and because he was flying there, nobody would know where he was. He wouldn’t dare send the squirrel to tell people, he could get intercepted.

Wish began to feel a drizzle, like little dewdrops on his wings. The drizzle soon started to pour, and then it started pounding. Flying in the rain was frustrating, and it was even harder because he had already been gliding for so long.

Wish remembered something else heavy. Would it be easier if I took off the earring? He thought. I’d keep it safe in my pouch, no harm in that, right? He reached up and brushed the odd piercing. He decided he would, and he would put it back on when he reached his destination.

His mind wandered after this, and it wandered to Pansy. Of course it did, it was natural for him to worry about her. He should probably find a way to contact her without giving away where he is, or what he’s doing.

Flying without the earring felt so free. Being away from the earring was so incredible. Being alone with his thoughts was incredible. This was exactly what Wish had wanted when he built his little house in the jungle.

“It’s going to be OK. I’m going to be fine…” Wish kept telling himself. He knew deep inside that he needed other dragons to talk to. But he wouldn’t worry about that right now. Right now he was flying over the ocean, looking for a large, stony island.

The Volcanic Nightwing Island should be the perfect place for Wish to get away. He would cover up the hole, and hide out on the other side of the small landmass. Maybe he could help it become a luscious landscape again. Wish smiled at the thought. That would be exciting, and a fun project to work on for a few years, depending on how long he needed in order to get away from Onyx.

Just then, he saw something in the distant rain. A large jutting rock out of the ocean. Wish was filled with hope, and he flapped harder in order to get to it. “Hey little squirrel, we’re here.” He landed on the jutting rock, and a little bit farther out, he saw a larger landmass. “I think this place needs a name other than ‘Nightwing Island’, right?” Wish asked the squirrel. “I’ll have to think about it, but it’s going to be great.” Wish leaped off the rock and towards the island, where he would spend the majority of his time.

Probably his whole life, if he had to.

* * *

Wish raised his magically-conjured pickaxe, and smashed it into the rock, breaking it apart into gravel at the spot of impact. He repeated this action again, and again, until he had a wide field of fresh farmland. Or at least, what could be considered a place habitable for most plants with roots.

He walked back into his cottage. He had magically conjured the wood, but had put it together by hand. In his cottage he got out some very delicate saplings. Trees. And bushes. They were going to grow big, strong, and populate this island like they used to.

Wish gently laid the saplings on the gravelly path. He took some of his precious rainwater and hydrated them, with much care. After which he stepped out onto the shore and breathed in the salty spray. He had already decided that he would make an animus-touched object to contact Pansy. He’s been on the Island for only a few days now, but he was accustomed to it now.

Wish picked a pebble off the sand. “I enchant this rock to transform into a fragment of obsidian.” It did as such, and it looked beautiful. “Now, I want you to be able to contact anyone that I’m thinking about, appearing as a haze of smoke in their vision. As long as they have a matching pair of this obsidian.” Wish said. The obsidian began to glimmer a slight purple. “Now duplicate yourself, and fly through the tunnel and into Pansy’s talons. Do not injure any living things on your journey.”

The shard of obsidian began to split, like a cell, and then one of the pieces flew up, and darted across the island, out of sight. Wish was hoping that it would work. He had decided to wear the earring every day, and he would take it off when he needed to do manual labor.

Wish rather liked his new life, and asking the scroll, no one had died yet. Aethia was taking care of her crabs, and doing so very well. Sandy was helping her aunt organize requests from their subjects, and Onyx was still grouping up her forces. Wish really needed to do something about that, although he had no idea what.

He thought that it had been long enough, so he tried the obsidian. I want to see Pansy. She’s all I ever want to see. Wish thought, and he meant it. Soon, a spiral of smoke appeared in front of him. It had a depth to it, as though it reached across space and time.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Woah, that’s new.” Pansy said from the other side of the smoke. “What is this?”

“Look into it like it’s a mirror.” Wish spoke. There was a stunned moment of silence, and then he saw Pansy, as if he was looking through a window, and she saw him. Wish immediately wanted to jump through that window and give Pansy the biggest hug she could ever receive. But Wish knew that wasn’t how the spell worked. “Just… Checking in, y’know? How’ve you been?” Wish asked nervously.

Pansy’s scales shifted to a bright red, with blue surfacing once and a while. “Terrible!” She yelled. “I thought that you were caught by Onyx! I thought you were dead!” She looked at her talons. “I cried myself to sleep every night, I was distracted during a council meeting by the thought that I’d never see you again.” She tried to reach into the smoke to give him a hug, but her wings just passed right through it. She pulled them away, looking sorrowful.

“I thought about you every day. I wanted to see you, and I made a spell.” Wish told her, wiping joyous tears from his eyes. “You just have to be thinking about me, and you can see me.” He knew he couldn’t go through the smoke, so he just smiled. “I’ve never been so worried in my life. I knew that you were OK, thanks to the scroll, but I missed you. So much.”

“So that’s what this is.” Pansy said, gesturing to the rock in her talons. “Why can’t I see where you are?” She asked, looking behind him, into smoke.

“Safety reasons.” Wish replied. “I actually like it here. It’s a pleasant calm, constantly.” He looked around the island. He had populated the other side with saplings already, and they were beginning to grow taller, and with thicker trunks. No noise but the wind. “I’d rather keep it that way, until Onyx either gives up or dies.”

“Wish!” Pansy yelled, worried. “You can’t do that! The forest needs you! I need you!”

“I need you, too, Pansy. But I can’t go back to Pyrrhia. I can’t go back to civilization. You know how much danger that would put me in.” He said to her, keeping calm.

“So take me with you!” Pansy told him. “We could live together, wherever you are, right? That would be the best solution.”

“Y’know,” Wish told her. “The rainforest needs you as queen, to keep things stable.” He said. “The dream is that we could live here together, but not right now. Not while your people need you.” He said, sounding sincere. “Now, actually, how’ve you been? What’s new?”

Pansy took some deep breaths to calm down. “Well, we’ve started working on a new curriculum for the Writing Classes. They will now also be taught about story writing, when they are old enough.” They talked. They talked a lot. It was almost like Pansy was there, although the absence of a hug took away from the experience. Wish liked this, it was even better than the silence of the Island. Wish decided that he would give it a name.

He wanted to call this Island Steininsel.

“That’s an odd name.” Pansy told him truthfully. “But whatever you think fits. So, would you mind telling me where this Steininsel is?”

“You know I need my secrets. I can’t tell anyone, just in case Onyx gets people to tell her where I’m located.”

“You can trust me though, right?” Pansy said comfortingly. “I wouldn’t leak your secrets even with a death threat.”

“That’s sweet, but it’s better safe than sorry. And I do trust you, Pansy. I trust you more than anyone ever.” Wish tells her kindly. Wish had been taking up Pansy’s dream and looking at himself with a more positive angle. He’s a super nice dragon, able to trust anyone at first glance. He is smart, solving problems like a champ, and being able to do math in his head super fast.

He’s hoping that he can put those to new use on Steininsel.

“I’ve got gardening to attend to, I’ll catch you later!” Wish said. Then he thought about the smoke closing, and it did. Wish really did need to garden, the plants were getting thirsty. He needed to keep them alive long enough so that they could repopulate the island, and stay that way this time.

More rainwater spent on the bushes. He hoped that they appreciated all he sacrificed for them. Maybe he should get a leafspeaker to visit him, and tell the plants that Wish is working hard to keep them alive.

Wish decided not to, as his secret was supposed to be, well, a secret.

His activities for the day progressed, most of which were quite relaxing, such as drawing, taking a swim in the warm ocean waters, or just singing to himself. Although, during said activities, Wish’s mind was stuck on one thought. He couldn’t stop thinking about Pansy. He could really use a hug right now.

Now that he was thinking about it, Wish needed hugs constantly. His life was so stressful, and full of doubt and pain. Then again, you can solve those problems, you MAKE things happen, like the resourceful dragon you are. Wish caught himself in the act of talking himself down, and reversed it, like Pansy would want.

He would just keep thinking about what she would want him to do.That made sense. He reached into the pouch on his left side, and pulled out the pansy flower ice sculpture. He stroked its petals gently. I can make it on my own. I’ve got this.

Wish stood up straighter, and looked around at the things that he was doing. He was doing them, and they felt good. Like this is where he belongs in this world, like he was meant to fix things.

He liked the sound of that. Wish, the keeper of peace and order. Yeah, he can do this! He will do this!

Trotting around his little island, he felt amazing. Fantastic. He felt renewed.