The air at the empty dock started feeling heavy, like everything was holding its breath. Not a sound came from the old ropes - just quiet so deep it muffled the far-off cries of birds. A soft wind slipped between crumbling walls where ships used to crowd, bringing salt and rot, yet mixed in… another scent altogether. Sharp. Noticeable. Saturno stood still, his pale blue-gold coat glowing faintly despite the fading dusk, nose twitching. Not scared - no - but something stronger pulled at him, taut beneath his skin. He caught it just barely, a soft trace under salt air and wet bark, easy to miss. Yet for him? Sharp as thunder after silence. That one fragile blossom, moonpetal, ghost-pale and fleeting, found nowhere but deep in old lands they once roamed. Beside him, Shadow fidgeted - her silvery-black seraph wings, normally soft-lit, now drinking in the thickening shadows, shrinking her silhouette into the hollow dark. Though she always hesitated around strangers, it was the dock’s suffocating silence that gripped her tonight, worsened by thunder brewing far off. She edged nearer to Saturno, brushing her slender snout along his side. A faint shiver ran through her frame, silent but impossible to miss. "It's okay, kid," Saturno muttered, his tone gentle even if his gaze stayed locked on the far-off edge of the sky - nothing but thunder rolling in He talked about the weather, yet thoughts flooded in - driven by a familiar smell. Moonpetal. That single trace stirred echoes buried in old blood, maybe memory, maybe warning. Though he worried for Shadow’s well-being, some gut pull tugged him toward where the fragrance rose. Brushing it aside seemed wrong, almost like denying a truth etched into the night sky inside him. The distant storm wasn’t just building anymore - no, it was tightening. Huge clouds, dark and swollen, twisted like something hurt, lit now and then by quiet bolts that showed their hulking shapes. Air pressed down, dense with coming flood and rage. Rain came slow at first, big icy drops thudding on old wood planks, stirring up small waves in still pools. We’d better get under cover, Saturno,” Shadow murmured, words thin against the growing gusts. Cold jolted through her - she hunched her shoulders, instinct kicking in from how she always held back around others. Eyes flicked up at clouds thickening, then into the maze-like dark between old factory shells, before landing on him again, needing direction, something steady. Saturno stared - really stared - at her. Those silver-black feathered wings of hers were tousled just a bit, her gaze open, edged with still fear. Keeping her safe? That’s what mattered most to him. He knew he could lead them both toward an old broken-down building, squeeze close inside, then wait out the chaos. He knew this pick made sense - kept things steady. His gentle side pulled hard, yet Shadow’s quiet ask cranked that pull way up. Yet the smell... it stuck around, nagging at his mind like a scratch he couldn’t reach. Almost like a thread pulling him back - faint memories, older than their aimless travels, maybe even meaning something real. He didn’t need proof; deep down, he just knew - the breeze dragging that scent through air also brought the coming storm. Stay put, hide under cover, and rain would wipe it clean, blur every trace until nothing remained. Missing this could mean never finding it again. He gave her a soft push using his nose, strands of his light-colored hair touching her cheek. "Yeah, I get it, love... Still - notice that scent?" Shadow cocked her head, cautiously catching a whiff. Unlike him, she couldn't quite lock onto those ghostly hints - her link to the old spirits wasn’t that strong. Maybe she sensed rare plants, or just stale air from long ago, yet missed whatever lay beneath it all. "Kinda sweet... dried blossoms?" she whispered, eyes still fixed on the clouds above. Saturno sighed, a warm breath against her ear. “It’s more than that, Shadow. It’s… a trail. A memory. It calls to me.” He paused, weighing his words carefully. “It feels like family. Or what’s left of it.” Her eyes opened a bit wider, like something had just clicked deep inside that pale gray gaze. Blood ties - yeah, the idea felt empty for both of them, floating loose without anchor. Quiet tension built up between them: could this even pay off? The breeze got stronger, whipping through the bare outlines of the dock area, shaking wobbly metal panels. Rain started coming down hard, a thick sheet of gray sweeping fast over the waves. Far-off lightning wasn’t quiet anymore; low rumbles followed each flash - rough warning signs before the real chaos hit. Saturno scanned the distant line where sky met land. From past the harbor, carried on the wind, rose a strange smell - drifting over toward those rough, shadowed bluffs bordering the barren shore. Tough trek when skies stay clear, much worse now with a storm pushing hard at their backs. Hold on a sec. Duck into cover. Let the chaos pass. This way kept things calm, made sense at least. Kept both him and Shadow outta harm's way. What his gut pushed hard for - quiet concern winning over bold moves. Keep going. Chase that dim path, the faint echo of something once known, straight into where the storm’s building up. Sure, it made no sense - risky, shaky, nobody knew what’d come next. Yet if this really meant kinfolk, even just a scrap from their broken history… would he walk away? Would he handle looking back years later, knowing he skipped the chance, let the weather drown out maybe his only tie to where they came from? He glanced back at Shadow, noticing how calm she seemed even though she kept to herself, how she never doubted him once. Whatever he decided, she’d stick by his side without question. Her faith in him felt like a burden sometimes - yet it gave him power too. This choice wasn’t only about him - it belonged to both of them now. The choice didn’t hit like lightning - more like heat rising, quiet and sure, filling his ribs until doubt faded. Born a seraph, built for uncharted paths, chasing what’s real instead of safe. Yet feeling tugged by something deeper: belonging, maybe even love, pulling him toward kinship he couldn’t walk away from. He dipped his chin, softly brushing his nose against Shadow's face. "Keep moving," he whispered, tone steady, filled with calm strength this time. "Stay on the trail." Yet watch each step. Side by side." Shadow still felt uneasy, yet her muscles eased a bit near him. Her gaze lifted to meet his, catching the last glow of daylight before shifting where he pointed - toward churning waves and jagged rocks ahead. With just a faint tilt of her head, barely noticeable, she answered. That tiny move said it all. No words needed - it was trust showing through silence. After one slow inhale, Saturno spread out his glowing star-touched wings - threads of pale gold and ocean-blue shimmering faintly under the fading glow just as thunder rolled near. He opened them wide, not looking to soar yet, instead pulling focus inward, getting ready for what had to come. Nearby, Shadow copied him exactly, her compact dark-flecked silver wings held tight against her back, feet set firm like stone. The wind screamed wild, tugging at their fur and tails without letup. Rain poured hard, icy and steady, washing out where water met air above. Still, Saturno caught an odd spark inside him - clear and sharp. Off he went, strong legs tapping quiet on soaked wood, heading for the rough trail curving along the edge up high. Right behind came Shadow, ears flat, matching each stride like it meant something deeper, showing she’d ride through what’s coming, no matter how dark or steep. The empty docks vanished under the fury of the storm. Though weaker now, carried off by heavy downpour, the smell kept tugging at them - like a thin line of hope tangled in thunder and dark skies. Moving ahead despite it all, Saturno’s gentle nature burned steady, sharp with purpose, shielding his quiet friend while they stepped deeper into what no one could predict, hunting a ghost from the past that maybe held the way back. Around them, everything cracked apart, swirling in gusts and sheets of rain; yet inside their bond, something small but bright refused to dim, cutting through the mess without a sound.