Unfortunately for the riders, their break was relatively short. It did not take long for the wing leaders to return with new instructions and ill tidings. As the acting Captain, Taecyeon confidently took the fore to explain. “Good news first. We’ve been given leave to handle the situation as we see fit. The guards have been instructed to provide whatever assistance they can and we are to make sure our insignias are visible at all times.” While that was cause for some degree of celebration, none of the riders reacted, waiting for the other foot to fall.

            “The bad news is everything else,” Taecyeon scowled with a frustrated exhale. “There is no surviving coordinating flight master and the Commander they do have has little experience with working with dragons. The mercenaries they did have either switched sides or died in the first exchanges and there are only a handful of loyal formers left. Some are still in the air and the others are either resting or recovering from sustained injuries. We won’t be coordinating with them since we’ll be taking their place and they’ll be worrying about the ground forces outside. Now, I’ll let Doojoon explain the next part,” he started, gesturing at one of the wing leaders that surveyed the outer walls earlier.

            The tall rider stepped forward and nodded in understanding. “Our priority first and foremost will be to cull the numbers of dragons in the air,” he explained, gesturing above them where swooping beasts of varied colors weaved patterns in the sky. “They are wary of the archers in the city and so don’t risk coming low during the day, but at night they make surprise attacks on the buildings. That’s how the flight master was lost in fact,” he explained with a resigned shrug. “The formers will take evening duty for us so we won’t have to patrol at night so that’s something. We also know about the three wings in the air with riders and we won’t worry about them yet. Not until they show their hand. For now, the wilds are our concern. Once we’ve taken care of that problem, we can better assess what the riders are doing and whose side they’re on.”

            “To that end, we’ll split the groups into two teams. Doojoon and Dongwoo with me. Insoo’s wing counts as two. You’ll need to designate another leader. And Kan will be with you as well,” Taecyeon explained, glancing around the gathering to make sure everyone understood. When no one objected or had anything else to say, he nodded in satisfaction and went on, “We’ll take the first flight. Try to stay low and see if we can’t draw them down into the archers’ range. If not, we at least want to make sure they can’t do another pincer attack from above and below.” He nodded at Insoo and Kan first before he gestured for Doojoon and Dongwoo to follow him.

            “Okay,” Kan spoke first, glancing at Insoo to make sure they were on the same page. “Our job is to rest and be ready to provide support if and when something happens. They’ll let us know when it’s time to switch out and we’ll go from there. I’ll leave the wing leader situation to you, Soo,” he nodded and then moved off to speak with his wing directly.

            As Insoo approached them, Taekwoon felt his stomach knotting and he didn’t exactly know why. Gunwoo unhappy, his dragon informed him before the wing leader started speaking.

            “The situation could be better. We are outnumbered and as a whole, we are lacking the training needed to better our odds,” he explained realistically, making sure he didn’t focus on anyone for too long. The comment was clearly aimed at the newest members, but he was doing his best to stay neutral. “That being said, we are all still members of the Stardust Battalion, which means we’ll just have to be a little more careful,” he pointed out solemnly. “Jinyoung. I’m putting you in charge of the new wing. You’ve got the experience and you’ve seen me do it enough to make the tough calls you might have to.”

            Jinyoung seemed surprised by the promotion, his face paling slightly at being singled out. But he didn’t refute it and simply took a quick breath. “Understood.”

            “Chaerin. You’ll remain with your group. Normally, with a gold, you’d be the wing leader, but you don’t have the experience. Watch Jinyoung and maybe you will be one day,” he told her firmly before his attention drifted. His gaze settled on Daniel. “You’ll take Jinyoung’s place in our wing. A bronze for a copper.”

            Daniel practically blanched at the change and he looked at his group with wide eyes. “Y-yes, sir,” he stammered, ducking his head at the betrayal of his tongue. Nearby, Eljo shifted uncertainly, peering at the rest of the dragons that would soon be his wing mates.

            “I would arrange us differently if we had the time, but right now… it’s too close to actual combat,” Insoo admitted with a grimace. “Just remember your training. Trust each other. And follow your Wing Leader,” he instructed sincerely. His attention shifted slightly to the regular Aerie members and he added in a somber voice, “This will be the toughest fight of your lives. Our lives,” he added belatedly. “But this is part of what we signed up for. Stay strong, and may Bahamut watch over you all,” he finished, stepping back to signal he was done but staying close in case anyone wanted to speak with him.

            Taekwoon very much did, but he waited to make sure no one else needed to see the other man first. Only when the way was clear did he drift close, realizing quickly that Insoo was apparently expecting him. “What news do you have?” Taekwoon asked softly, the knot in his belly still there.

            It hardened further when Insoo looked down with a sigh. “Apparently, Yongguk was the latest flight coordinator the King was talking about. He was sleeping in one of the buildings that a wild managed to collapse. He didn’t make it,” the rider admitted with an aggrieved expression.

            The knot in his gut twisted and Taekwoon gasped, more for Jinki’s sake than his own. “That’s… unfortunate,” he murmured, at a loss about what else to say.

            “Yes. It is. I know Jinki was hoping he’d come back and help take over when all this was finished,” Insoo said, shaking his head. “He wasn’t the only loss but… he was one of ours.”

            Taekwoon pursed his lips and shook his head as if to clear it. It was upsetting but now was not the time to mourn. They had larger concerns, though he couldn’t shake the dread the other man’s unexpected death conjured in him. “And what of Jungsu?” he asked with a poorly concealed shudder. Not for the rider, but Insoo at least appeared to understand.

            “Like Taecyeon said, we’ll leave him be for now. If anything changes though…” he trailed off, looking at Taekwoon intently. “I want you watching him. You’ve got the eyes and the instinct. If you see something happening, let me know. Don’t try to act on your own,” he stated firmly, one finger in front of Taekwoon’s nose.

            “Yes, sir,” Taekwoon snorted, though even he couldn’t admit that the warning was at least partially necessary. Hear that, Jong? he called to his dragon.

            Yes. But must we wait? Could just say rider is doing something… he hinted in the least subtle tone possible.

            Terrible, his rider retorted with a roll of his eyes.

            You want to, the copper grumbled, knowing his rider’s deepest inclinations.

            At least I have the grace not to say it, he scoffed, the humor fading swiftly. Besides, I think we’ll have more than enough to worry about without creating more troubles for ourselves this time, he added, glancing up to follow the dragons launching into the air for their first run.

            Jonghyun noticeably grumbled through their bond and sighed. Maybe right.

            “Taekwoon?” Insoo asked cautiously when the other rider chuckled at the comment.

            He quickly waved off Insoo’s concern with a shake of his head. “Just talking to my dragon,” he promised. “He’ll- We’ll beha- good,” he finished awkwardly, stumbling over his words in a strange cross talk sentence.

            His Wing Leader gave him a raised brow look before bursting into a weak bemused laugh. “Get your head straight, rider,” he commanded gently, smacking the younger man on the shoulder as he moved to walk past him and check in with the other wing members.

            “Good idea,” Taekwoon sighed as he bit at his bottom lip. The sound of dragons calling out above them made him look up again and he couldn’t help the worry that gnawed at his gut once more.

            “What did he say about Jungsu?” a familiar and not unexpected voice asked at his shoulder.

            Taekwoon turned to look at the obviously tense Chaerin and shook his head. “We’re just supposed to keep an eye on him. If he stays where he is, we’re fine, but if something changes…” he trailed off, leaving it to her to fill in the blanks.

            “But what if he’s…” she hesitated, teeth digging into her bottom lip as she struggled with whatever she was going to say.

            “What?” Taekwoon prompted, tilting his head to the side.

            “Different,” she finished, brow furrowed and expression worried. “He feels different,” she admitted, shaking her head. “A lot could have happened in the moons since we parted,” she explained, her lips. “And I find it extremely odd that Fantor was the city he fled to prior to them turning against Kokoshir.”

            There was that. It was something that had crossed Taekwoon’s mind too, but he had nothing more to go on. Definitely a thought. Just an inconclusive one. “The timing feels strange too,” he admitted, voicing the concern he’d only mentioned to his dragon. “Why attack Kokoshir now with the Dawnbringer Battalion and Tiamat on the move?”

            “Could be they don’t know,” she offered, though her voice was weak, as if she didn’t believe her reasoning herself.

            A darker thought occurred to Taekwoon and he remembered one of Jinki’s worries. “Is it possible that the riders with him are from Tiamat’s Aerie?” he asked cautiously, keeping his voice low to make sure the sound didn’t carry. Chaerin’s eyes widened at the thought and she opened as if to speak but stopped, frowning. “I only ask because Jinki mentioned once that there had been word of more riders than usual in Fantor. Unknown riders,” he added with an uncertain shake of his head. “At least I’m pretty sure he was the one that told me that…” he trailed off, briefly doubting himself because it just felt so far fetched.

            Mate agrees. Yours did say that, Jonghyun confirmed, allaying Taekwoon’s immediate concern.

            “When did you hear about this?” Chaerin asked, mildly confused.

            “Before the winter moons. Like I said, he didn’t make a fuss about it. I think he was overwhelmed at the time,” Taekwoon shrugged, not looking directly at the other woman.

            “I thought Aerie Masters were supposed to be discreet,” she murmured with a bemused expression and a raised brow.

            Taekwoon glared at her then, annoyed at the comment. “He’s my mate. Of course we can share certain things,” he grumbled, though the words felt slightly hollow. Heavens knew they’d kept some things from the other even with their relationship the way it was.

            “Oh?” Chaerin prompted, sidling just a bit closer as she leaned in his direction. “Are there any other tidbits of information you’d care to share then?” she asked almost coyly, a playful smile on her lips. Taekwoon leaned back a hair and gave her a suspicious, sidelong look. “Oh!” she gasped a heartbeat later, expression shifting into surprised chagrin as she took a step back and shook her head. “Sorry. My… dragon half seems to have taken a liking to you. Or your dragon. Not sure which,” she admitted with a mild grimace. “Though I suspect you already knew that. Or were beginning to realize,” she sighed, shoulders slumping in embarrassment.

            “My dragon’s been more active too, since Tiamat’s awakening,” he tacitly agreed, looking away from her anyway. “But in answer to your question, no. I do not have anything else I wish to share from the Aerie Master,” he stated with a soft snort. The brief spot of levity fell quickly though when he settled on the original point he was trying to make. “If they were from Tiamat’s Aerie and Jungsu joined up with them after the split, it would make more sense about this unrest issue. “

            “What do you mean?” she asked, crossing her arms loosely over her chest.

            Taekwoon shook his head and shrugged once. “Well, it’s easier to conquer, or destroy,” he added with a grimace, “a divided or weakened city. I can only imagine the same tactic would work for a country too,” he scowled, recalling one of Master Historian Kibum’s many lessons. That one at least had stuck.

            “True,” she conceded with a sigh. “I guess there’s too much we don’t-”

            “Oy!” she was interrupted by another rider jogging over to check on them. It was Jungkook. Of course. “What’re you talking about?” he asked with a curious smile as he looked between them.

            Taekwoon and Chaerin exchanged quick glances and he answered, “The challenges of the days to come.”

            “Yeah? So are we,” he grinned, nodding back towards where the majority of other riders had congregated. “Come on. You should join in,” he encouraged, loosely grabbing Chaerin’s wrist and pulling her along.

            Chaerin’s face registered surprise. “Eh?” she chirped, awkwardly following in the other rider’s wake.

            Taekwoon snorted and shook his head. He had to give him credit. Jungkook was stubborn and determined. “Coming,” he shrugged, moseying after them as he tried to continue putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

            Planning for what might come was all well and good, but it didn’t count for much once they were in the thick of things. The first day, they were mostly lucky. Dongwoo’s wing lost one dragon and rider and two other dragons were badly injured enough that they probably wouldn’t be able to return to the fight on the morrow. Such happenings made Insoo, Jinyoung, and Kan’s wings that much more careful in the air when it was their turn. Death on the very first foray made it all too real…

            Their wings were skittish and wary, chasing only the easy targets and leaving the majority of wilds alone. Unlike a fevered battle, the extended games of cat and mouse that they played were exhausting in a different way. Taekwoon hardly fought at all and yet, when they tiredly returned to the safety of the city, his entire body ached as if he’d been in training all day. Jonghyun and Jongup were noticeably winded too, having worked extra hard to be on offense and defense as much as possible.

            The only real positive, other than the fact that the situation of the city itself was relatively unchanged, was that no one else suffered any major injuries or deaths that day and that they’d more than given as good as they got. Plus, Jungsu and his wings of riders remained on the outskirts, just watching. It was slightly unnerving. Taekwoon suspected they were simply biding their time and learning what they might be up against if they chose to move. He hadn’t seen any motions to indicate the other man had any sort of control over the wilds, but it was still noteworthy that none of them ever tried to attack the three wings. At the end of the day though, he found he didn’t really care. He was just tired and it took real effort to make himself eat. Nor was he the only one. Conversation was minimal that evening, though Insoo made a great effort to visit all his wing members and offer words of encouragement and praise.

            Taekwoon was grateful for it. Especially when he couldn’t miss Wing Leader Dongwoo sitting against his dragon with his head in his hands. A mildly injured Taecyeon had to try and give him a pep talk, but it was obvious the rider took the death and injuries in his wing very hard. A sick feeling stirred in Taekwoon’s stomach and he exhaled shakily.

            That won’t be us, Jonghyun denied firmly, laying his tail atop Taekwoon’s lap again and pressing his rider closer.

            He wanted to agree. To believe without question, but after the day, it was difficult. No, he eventually convinced himself to respond. He could feel the echo of promise coming from Jongup and he nodded. After all, we did promise Jinki we’d be back. Jongup nodded and Jonghyun gave a snort, a nonverbal but sufficient response. Taekwoon could feel the sentiment and that was enough. He took one final look at the other riders and their dragons and then closed his eyes, willing sleep to come. Fortunately, it did not take long to claim him.

            The second day was noticeably better. Acquainted with the reality of their situation, the wings came together with a fierce determination and focus. The two teams staggered their approach, splitting time spent in the air into three different marks: two in the air – one mark for each team – and one on the ground for recovery. It was as equally exhausting as the former day, but they were able to maintain their spirits and their numbers without too many injuries. What was more, they’d managed to cull quite a few wilds in the process. Enough that it seemed as if Jungsu and his group were starting to take notice, or at least become interested in them. And, spending more time with his dragon surfaced, Taekwoon was starting to notice signs that maybe there was more going on than he’d originally noticed. As Chaerin had mentioned, it did seem as if Jungsu felt different. Like Chaerin had always felt but also… uncomfortably like Kevin. It unsettled Taekwoon and made his dragon half hover closer to the surface.

            Unfortunately, Wing Leader Doojoon’s dragon was injured in one of their turns, along with two other dragons including Daniel’s. They had to shuffle some riders around to make up for the losses. With only one death but five major dragon injuries, they were down a wing and everyone felt nervous about that reality. Taekwoon could only thank the heavens that his own dragons were relatively unharmed. Tired and grumpy, but otherwise mostly free from injuries. Despite being mildly injured, like his dragon, Insoo made his rounds again, offering encouragement and support. This time, Taekwoon noticed the other Wing Leaders were doing it too, spending more time with those who had injuries or whose dragons were injured. Even Jinyoung tried, though he and his dragon had also sustained minor injuries during the day.

            On the other hand, the remaining formers that no longer needed to watch the skies were helping the city protectors make small bits of progress in the defense of Kokoshir. One got lucky and managed to destroy a supply cache with a well placed boulder drop and another died mid flight, peppered with arrows, but took out an entire squad of foot soldiers when it crash landed in their midst. They were not large victories but every little bit helped.

            The evening was not as restful as it could have been though. Falling debris became a real threat as the wilds picked up the trick they’d seen earlier and attacked the city from high above, forcing the Aerie riders to take turns patrolling in the dark with any formers that were rested enough to do so as well. If it was meant to make them tired and on edge, it worked.

            They took longer than normal to get ready on the third day and it was very clear they did not have the energy of the previous one. But looking up, the skies did seem noticeably emptier than they had and it didn’t sound as if there was quite so much movement beyond the city walls this time. Taekwoon could only hope it was a good sign. He prayed it was at any rate. And then prayed that the two wings taking flight first would be alright, as the members of Doojoon’s wing were split into the remaining wings. If only luck was ever so kind…

            The morning marks went by slowly, but they made good progress and stayed mostly safe. It was clear the wilds were starting to thin out, which was giving them room to breathe, but for Taekwoon, it felt like a wave was approaching. His skin itched and his dragon half was antsy. Jonghyun was too, but he personally felt like he was wearing a target. Taekwoon finally understood why when he focused on Jungsu again while they were catching their breath on the ground. Dragon eyes.

            “Soo!” he called, urging Jonghyun to get Gunwoo as well so that he wouldn’t have to look away. He gasped and nearly fell forward when the riders in the air moved before Insoo could get to him. “Jong!” he screamed, desperately trying to get his dragon to convey the warning for him.

            Jonghyun, Jongup, and Gunwoo all howled at the same time, their voices echoing up and through the buildings sharply. It was the only thing that may have lessened the outcome. The three new wings attacked Taecyeon and Dongwoo’s wings savagely, ripping through their ranks with abandon.

            “No!” Taekwoon cried, seeing one dragon plummet and another peel off with a sharp keening howl, the rider missing from its back.

            “Riders!” Insoo shouted first, rallying those on the ground to go help the others.

            Tired, angry bodies scrambled into harnesses as dragons hauled themselves into the air. Taekwoon kept his focus on Jungsu as he led the wings, swinging back around for another pass at the diminished riders before him. They were ready this time though. Despite the losses, they took two enemy dragons down in the next exchange and escaped with only an injured rider. By the third pass, Insoo’s wings had managed to catch up and join the fray, evening the odds considerably. Despite the numbers though, Taekwoon didn’t feel confident. He still felt on edge. His inner dragon raged, making him ill. Dragon sight focused and every sense felt painfully alive. Understanding dawned with a glance at Jungsu who was making some kind of gesturing motion. “Dragons!” he warned, looking up as a pack of wilds took the opportunity to ambush them.

            Swarmed by a small hoard of frenzied dragons, there was no following his wing leader anymore. There was only survival. Taekwoon sank further into his dragon’s awareness, almost literally linked with Jonghyun, and by extension Jongup. Fear vanished as he became the hunter, focused solely on the now.

            Taking his sword in one hand and a riding hook in the other, he freed his harness and jumped from Jonghyun’s back, ready to fly. A dragon wing appeared before him. His riding hook flashed and snagged the membrane. The dragon folded easily, dropping from the sky. It attempted to flap, tearing its wing in the process when Taekwoon was flung away and towards another dragon. His sword growled as he stabbed it into the creature’s flank, pausing as he felt Jongup’s presence nearby. Freeing the blade, he snicked the base of the dragon’s wing and launched himself towards Jongup as it started to careen off in a different direction.

            Torn between two halves, the dragon part of Taekwoon dominated, throwing him into combat with reckless abandon. The human part of him was just aware enough to practically feel when Hwasa died, her life ending like the snapping of a thread. Incensed, his dragon half raged as Ryeowook and Yesung dove to try and save her rider, Moonbyul. Instead of helping, Taekwoon wanted to rend and tear his opponents asunder.

            On Jongup, they fast approached a dragonrider chasing one of their companions. A bronze rider. Jongup was faster and as they neared, he let the blue know what he intended to do. Jongup signaled he understood and when he flew by, Taekwoon jumped off. Falling, his sword cleaved the rider like parchment and scored the dragon’s side before he was clear and in free fall. A copper dragon swooped under him and Taekwoon latched onto Jonghyun effortlessly. His dragon half partially sated and the human side shaken, Taekwoon was almost centered enough to think about regrouping again. But then he felt Youngmin die and his vision washed red.