Serali walked out of the house. She wanted to be alone for a while. Without really thinking about it, she wandered out of the village along a trail she'd followed often as a child. She thought about her life as she walked along. Sometimes I wish I was just like everyone else. Then she sighed. But which everyone else wold I be like? Would it be better to have been born a dragon, or a normal human? What would it be like to have a normal childhood? But I don't really want to give up anything I have. To be only human, to never fly… No. And to be only a dragon, to not have my magic... to not know all the interesting and wonderful humans I've met? No again. Still, I can't help but wonder.

She stopped her wandering at the edge of the Great Escarpment. She shifted into dragon form and sat on the edge of the cliff, looking out into the desert. The air was crystal clear, with no hint of a breeze to lift the desert dust into the sky. The sand below stretched off into the distance. Serali looked at the horizon, a thin line separating sand and sky. She thought she could see a smudge at the farthest limits of vision. Most days it wasn't visible, and in human form it was much too faint for her eyes to catch, but sometimes she could just make it out. It could be anything, a range of mountains, a cloud, or just a trick of the light. But it never rained in the Great Circle Desert, so it probably wasn't a cloud, and Serali didn't think it was just a trick of the light either. She thought it was a mountain range. She had imagined flying out to it and find out someday. Now, heartsick and wanting a distraction from grief, she decided to make the trip today.

She launched herself off the cliff and circled around back to her lair.

"Serali!" Kethro was sunning himself in front of it when she came in and landed. He noticed her expression. "Is something wrong?"

She sat down next to him. "Yes. My mother... she's died. I always knew I would outlive her, and my father, and my siblings, and their children too, but... I'm not sure I'm ready to face it."

He put one arm around her and nuzzled her softly. "I'm sorry."

"I think I want to be alone, to go somewhere else for a while. I always meant to see what was at the center of the Circle Desert. Do you mind if I go?"

"No, I don't mind at all."

"I don't know how long it will take. At least a few days. But I'm sure you can manage things here without me for a while."

"Probably." He smiled. "You're better at dealing with touchy humans than I am, but I'll try." He hugged her again. She hugged him back, then rose and took to the air.