It had taken considerable planning on her part to make sure she was able to pull all of this off. Even when Rhaegal had whispered the idea to her in hushed tones she had chewed her lip in consternation about how she could escape the watchful eye of not only her parents but her brother Jax as well. Despite having passed their first winter, nights still found the majority of them flopped on the fur-covered floor of their birth den. It was spacious due to their father’s size and how their parents had expanded it before their birth and they each had more than enough room to stretch out, yet still they had a habit of piling atop one another even as the nights grew warmer. And so with careful planning she had made sure to situate herself on the outside of her family circle, pretending to roll over in her sleep to get even closer to the opening.

As the first rays of sun cracked the horizon and streamed into the den she stood silently, casting one last look at the family she loved. For a moment she thought she saw the light reflecting off one of Embla’s aquamarine eyes and it caused her to do a double take, ensuring that her sister wasn’t watching her actions. She knew Embla often didn’t sleep, at least as much as the rest of them did, with her mind always whirling with some question or another but Bastille loved her sister more than anything. Her mind at ease that none of them had heard her rise she padded quickly to the small clearing outside of the den.

She was sitting on the ledge that overlooked a good portion of Moladion, watching the sun’s rays reflect off the Aplos River and the lake, when she heard someone approaching. Quickly she stood, her long gold-tipped tail waving at her heels as she saw the familiar form of Rhaegal appear from the mountain path that led to the den. “Shhh,” she whispered with a smile on her face, just to remind him that her family lay sleeping just a few feet off. She let him approach however until they both stood looking over the ledge with the world below their feet. “This is why I love living up here, always reminds me that there’s so much world out there to explore,” she says, her voice hushed with more than a little awe as the sun streaked red and gold across the sky.

For a moment she hesitated, feeling an unfamiliar churn of butterflies in her stomach, then turned back to the brown-capped boy, pushing her nose into the corner of his check. It had become a kind of greeting of theirs ever since they had raced off to Glorall. They stood almost nose to nose these days, though Bastille may have an inch on him in height she liked that she could easily look into his eyes. She pulled back smiling, a mischievous glint in her ice-blue eyes as she nipped at his ear, “Race ya!” she whispered before flying past him.

Like hellions they flew down the mountainside, the gold cape on her back catching the sun and flashing as if she were a ray of light herself. Rhaegal kept up easily, the rocky terrain and steep slopes as natural to him as they were to her, the benefits of growing up in their mountainous home. They each seemed to beat the other over certain distances. With his long, slender legs he easily outdistanced her when the ground flattened, but when they came upon rocks or logs her thick, powerful legs gave her the advantage. The whole time laughter rang out from her parted muzzle, a huge smile plastered on her face until they finally reached the small gathering of other yearlings.

At the sight of Semele her smile widened, her tail sweeping in wide frantic arcs as she was obviously glad to see the girl would be coming with them, though Bastille had only met her once the she was instantly likeable. “Hey Semele!” she said stepping out to rub shoulders in greeting with the smaller girl before dipping her head to the other brothers, “Viserion, Drogon, good to see you again!” Then in a flash they were off with the encouragement of Rhaegal’s slightly petulant attitude, out of the mountains and following the river as it led them to the marshes of Iromar. She had seen much of the swamp from her mountain perch, the water from the sea still glinting in muddled pools and rivers, but she had never seen it up close. She stuck close to Rhaegal as they crossed the border of the swampland, like he too distracted by the new sights and smells to really pay heed to it anyway. The danger of it all sent a little chill running down her spine anyway, one that she liked all too much.

Eyes of pure ice flashed around, jumping from the birds flapping overhead to the tall swamp-grasses, to the way water pooled underfoot beneath her weight. One gold-tipped ear flicked errantly at Viseron’s words, but it was only Rhaegal’s voice that brought her gaze back to his and she smiled, the look a bit devious on her slender, fox-like face. “It’s awesome!” she exclaimed, picking up her speed to keep up with him as they delved deeper, eyes alight with the endless possibilities for adventure laid out before them.