Back in the underground cave system that made up the Fittus, Exploded blinked slowly as he stood. He flared his wings for balance, his heart pounding.

His cave was dimly lit by a torch made of wood which was suspended from one side of the walls.

By far, this was the strangest dream he’d had, and wished that his dreams were more pleasant, even for one night.

But he quickly forgot his dream when he remembered that at this time, in first hours of the morning, the Fittus members were allowed outside. Exploded’s morbid mood melted away as he lifted his wings and flew down the hallways, flipping excitedly every so often.

He engaged in dangerously fast flying, very nearly knocking over several dragons moving at a slower pace. He felt a twinge of remorse, and slowed down slightly.

The exit came into sight, and he saw the gloriously blue sky, in sharp contrast with the brown earth. He didn’t check his pace but soared directly upward, feeling the wind against his body. The feeling of high, fast flight, enveloped him; this was a dragon’s home: the sky! He soared through clouds, and raced the wind.

Finally, he angled upwards and strained his muscles to gain all the altitude possible. He became short of breath but pressed on. Suddenly, he was thrown forward, losing control of his wings.

Panic descended on him, but his attempt to level his wings only caused him to flip several times. His lungs burned, so he cleared his mind and again tried his wings. Several seconds later, his wings were level, and he now had control of his path.

He assumed he’d been caught in a high-speed air stream, and that if he spend any longer in it, he’d be too far away from the Fittus. So, he forced his wings into a position (not without much difficulty) that allowed him to exit the jet stream.

For a while, he allowed himself to fall and regain his breath, his previous excitement at flying evaporating. He turned back towards the Fittus, flying slowly towards it. Then he realized that he'd been brought so far by the jet stream that he needed to take another one in the opoposite direction to return on time.

So, with greater caution, he ascended. He again grew short of breath, and so he inhaled as much as he could, and then threw himself into the jet streams.

This time, he was able to control his flight more quickly, and he tried to enjoy the flight as much as possible (which wasn’t very much, as the predicament of his lungs outweighed most else).

Once he saw familiar territory, he angled himself and pushed out of the jet stream. He hovered below it, forcing himself to breathe normally in the thin air.

So he was thrown wildly off balance when two shapes rocketed past him and into a jet stream.