Wings Of Fire (WOF) : A dark family affair

Chapter 10

Nightjar woke up with the sun's rays caressing her dark scales. She was in front of the cave entrance and the river in the forest below, with the glitter of this daytime star, like small crystals. The river was calling her to refresh herself and she gladly accepted this invitation to hydrate her dry throat and decided to get up to stretch her body. The air of the morning dew was fresh and a change from the stale smell that hung around their old prison.

As she tried to stand up, she felt the weight of Maple's soft wing. She must have gotten close to him since she was almost glued if not totally. "Are you finally up?" he whispered softly.

- Yes" she said, barely awake and at the same time a little embarrassed by the kindness of her friend.

She wanted to stay here to rest for eternity but seeing the day again after almost a week of confinement gave her courage to wake up. She could finally begin her journey. Maple's questions from the night before had slightly disturbed her sleep. Of course she wanted to find answers, but could the truth really be so bad ? From what she saw of Maple's experience, it could be. "How are you doing ? she asked him, worried about the revelations from the night before.

- Better than I would have imagined to be honest, he asserted, I'm trying to discern what's real and what's not, and I'm keeping it in perspective. I already knew what had happened in reality but maybe... I just wanted Hornet to explain.

- I see, if you ever need to, we can talk about it again.

- Don't worry about it. I've bothered you enough with this. Now it's your turn, if I may say so.

It may have been selfish on her part, but Nightjar wanted to dedicate herself to this very thing. This conviction, this desire to discover this unknown reality had been swirling around in her head for too long.

After Maple released her from his delicate embrace, they headed for the water source. Once the two travelers were able to satisfy their appetites with the help of a few unlucky deer, they flew up the Diamond Spray River to the Sky kingdom. Once they arrived there, they could finally head south to the sand kingdom.

This journey took a few days, alternating between walking and flying to rest their wings and legs. They had no trouble feeding or resting and did not encounter any dragons on their way. During that trip, they both learned from the life of each other. Maple happily told her more about his life with his parents. He said that he had felt it necessary to tell her everything in order to be honest with her, but for Nightjar, this may have been his way of saying goodbye to them for the last time. She had listened to him carefully, hoping silently to heal the deep wounds that had been embedded in his memories.

As they flew, Nightjar had begun to tell of his life in the community with his siblings : "We were very close to each other.

- Because of your compulsory service ? he asked curiously, coming closer to hear her better in the air.

- No, long before that. I was very lucky to have been accepted by them. Despite what I am, they accepted me as one of them without question.

- Simply because they don't care about the difference between you and your origins.

- I don't know. It may sound hypocritical but I hope they don't worry too much about me, stated Nightjar

- It's normal to feel a bit guilty, don't worry about it. But they should worry because your own brother literally saw you get captured before you could even cross the border, he laughed.

- Oh give me a break with that. Admit it, I was unlucky.

- Or incompetent and clumsy," he added, poking her with his tail.