Moff Wandering: Scavenging 4

            Tag jumped into the center of the demolished building and spun in a circle, assessing the walls around her as Moff set their collection in a pile by what might have been the door.

            “The spot in that corner might work best,” Moff suggested, pointing to the point where the two highest walls converged.

            Tag grumbled out a growl, but apparently, she didn’t see a better option. She snorted again but then lowered her head and began shoving some of the larger debris aside.

            “Let me get the boards,” Moff said, hopping around and grabbing the pieces of wood from the rest of the rubble. “I’m thinking we’ll want a fire tonight.”

            Not that it was particularly cold yet (the fall had barely begun) but they felt the light would be useful. Then again, it might also draw unwanted attention. Either way, there was only one way to find out.

            Probity remained on his perch as Moff and their raptor picked apart the wreckage. Tag clawed at the smaller chunks of stone, and the gravel they gave way to. She snarled and hissed her complaints, but slowly, the area began to clear.

            Moff piled the wood they found next to the wall. They did need the wood, but they couldn’t help but search for more of the dead ketter they’d found the skull of.

            Tag paused, nose near hidden in the pile of debris she’d been dragging. When she next raised her head, a small leather bag was clutched in her teeth.

            “What did you find?” Moff asked. They reached out their hand and Tag dropped her find into their waiting palm.

            The bag had a decent weight for its size, and the contents jingled quietly as Moff bounced it once to test its mass.

            Probity gave a loud chirp and landed on Moff’s shoulder so heavily that they were nearly knocked off their feet.

            “Alright, alright,” Moff huffed, waving off the dragon’s probing beak. “Y’know, even if there is something shiny in here, it’s not going to you.”

            Probity didn’t seem to believe them.

            Moff tugged the bag open and upended the contents into their other hand. A bunch of coin-shaped objects fell out, but none were made of metal. They gleamed even in the dim light of the approaching storm, and all the colors of the rainbow glinted off the smooth surface.

            Scales.

            Specifically, pale opalescent scales that shone brighter than diamonds.

            How interesting. Did the Opal Dragon pass through here? Or did someone just happen to have a bag of their scales on them? Sure, they were used as a valuable form of currency in some places, but that was a long time ago, and Moff had never dreamed they’d find such treasures here. How old was this place? Given the destruction and the way the Desolation Zone tended to wear down everything that existed within its borders, it was hard to tell. Actually, now that they properly thought about it, Moff had nothing to compare it to anyway.

            Tag gave a curious chirp, nudging Moff’s hand with her nose. Pale gold eyes looked first at them and then went back to the scales they held. She too seemed to recognize the importance of what they held. The light glinting off the opal shards cast spots of rainbow colors dancing across her snout.

            Moff just shook their head and returned the scales to the bag. “Let’s get back to clearing this place. We still have a lot to do before nightfall.”

            Tag snorted and turned away, returning to the pile of debris she’d been methodically shoving toward the far wall. Decent progress was being made, though, as Moff had said, there was still a lot to get done.

            They’d just finished tying the string closed when Probity swooped down on near silent wings. He plucked the bag from Moff’s hand and then flapped his way back to his perch on the crumbling wall.

            “Sure,” Moff chuckled. “You just hold on to that for me, yeah?”

            Probity ruffled his feathers and then reached around to preen the down between his shoulders.

            Apparently impatient now that Moff was no longer holding the bag of treasure, Tag reached over and nudged them with her head so hard they nearly tipped over.

            “Okay, okay! I’m getting back to work!”