The Claws of Night And Rain

Chapter 11

They had landed in Possibility and a Hippo lunged into the water when their talons hit the ground. Firefly was already eyeing the town for any sign of a doctor and Rainwatcher nervously glanced at Kinkijou. 'I still can't hear her mind.' He worried 'Please be alright' He'd gotten over his small crush ever since Moon mentioned a dragon called 'turtle' Rainy didn't want to be rude, but he couldn't imagine bubbly Kinkijou with a dragon called Turtle.

"Where's Qibli?" Rainwatcher yelped

"You squishy papaya" Firefly teased "He's gone to get directions for a doctor."

"Oh" Rainy breathed. Possibility wasn't much like he'd imagined. He thought it would be more... greener. But it was the desert, so he guessed a few plants hanging from houses were as green as it could get. Winter and Hailstorm were having a quiet conversation about Pyrite.

"Wait. The dragon who gave me the necklace looked like me" Hailstorm hesitated "Like Pyrite. How was that possible?" 

"Pyrite must be a mask" Moon guessed "So whatever  dragon wears the necklace, they turn into Pyrite."

"Hmm." Winter said and Qibli flew overhead.          

"I got directions!" He waved a map above everyone and they flew after him, Hailstorm staggering back. Winter looked at the small desert buildings in disgust. "This place has no order to it." Qibli laughed at his judgemental face. 

"Your igloos don't look like this?" He asked 

"We don't live in igloos." Winter snapped "Not aristocrats anyway."

"Oh that's right." Firefly mused "Didn't you say you were related to someone important?"

Moon chuckled and let Qibli fly past to lead the way. "Yes." Hailstorm snapped "We're Queen Glacier's nephews. Everyone knows that.  I guess you wouldn't."

Rainwatcher growled, accidentally a bit too loud. Firefly snorted and supposedly shook it off. 'How does she do that? She doesn't seem to care about what other dragons think.'

'Maybe she got used to it.' Moon offered. 'Or she just doesn't care about Hailstorm'

Rainwatcher snorted, then realised they were getting a lot of weird looks from the dragons below them. 'Firefly's wings! My wings!' Rainy realised. There were only two dragons in Pyrrhia with opposite wing from their tribes. The two dragonets of Queen Glory, and King Deathbringer.

"So your non-igloos don't look like this?" Qibli asked after a while 

"Our cites are carefully planned. Your ranking depends on where you live" Winter explained harshly. "Order is built into our architecture. The only thing built into this architecture is absurdity."

"I love it." Qibli said "It smells like freedom."

"It smells like rotting water buffalos." Winter growled 

Moon smiled and Firefly snorted again. "The only thing that smells like rotting water buffalos is you" She mocked. 'Moon looks like she agrees with Qibli' Winter thought 'And Firefly. I don't smell. Do I? Was she joking or not? RRRRR'

Rainwatcher loved this about Firefly, she would always get in dragons heads to mess around with them. And then Rainwatcher got the joy of hearing their thoughts spin around.

"Does Sunny know about this place?" Moon asked as they landed a few buildings away from the doctor. "It seems like her dream come true."

"Well, it's not quite as utopian as that" Qibli pointed to a sign that read 'DESERT MUNCHERS GO HOME' There was a swap green mudwing who had a bandage around his right arm and he looked pretty sick. They stopped at a hut that was the doctors.

"Hello princess." The SandWing said "I didn't know you'd be back so soon."

"Hey Meerkat." said Firefly "This is Kinkijou and she got hurt really badly."

"I'll take the patient in, you all wait out here." Meerkat replied, taking the leaf-bed from Moon and Winter. 

"We'll stay with Kinkijou" Winter said, with his 'Oh, so Royal' tone. 

Meerkat stepped back "Mayfly is pretty strict about her space. One of you can come in with the Rainwing."

"Moon can go" Firefly said "I'll put one of my guards in with her as well- Azalea?"

There was a ripple in the air as an invisible Rainwing walked past. Firefly walked behind the building and Rainwatcher followed as it lead to a beautiful garden. She placed herself underneath a tree and Rainy sat down next to her. Qibli entered next and Winter and Hailstorm eventually came. Winter headed straight for the window and Hailstorm followed.

"She looks nothing like an Icewing!" Hailstorm objected

"Shoo! Get out of my window! You're blocking the light!" A voice yelled from the inside and Winter yelped. They ran over towards where Firefly and Rainwatcher were sitting.

"Can I see that pouch?"  Rainy asked "The one Hailstorm wore"

"I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE THAT OFF!" He yelled "I'll DIE if it ever does!" Everyone looked at him strangely "All right, I hear myself"

Rainwatcher ripped the pouch open where it was stitched and a piece of  paper fell out. 'This doesn't look like a normal animus spell' He thought. The paper read 'Enchant this paper so when any dragon wears it on a necklace they shall become a female skywing named PYRITE.' then in small letters 'With the following conditions...' Rainy flipped the piece of paper over and it read 'Completely loyal to queen scarlet and the SkyWings.

Insicure and weak

No memory of there former identity 

Compelled to wear this necklace at all times with life or death urgency.'                                                                                                                         

'They must've added the last bit after the first spell didn't work' Rainwatcher thought 'How does this paper work though? I thought only animus dragons could only say the spell aloud or think it. Hmmm' 

"Winter... what are you doing?" Firelfy asked as he put the letter back in the pouch 

"I sense a bad idea coming" Qibli agreed "Don't do it Winter"

Winter hesitated for a moment, holding the pouch in his talons. His mouth opened and closed, like he wanted to say something. "I- I want to try it on." He said after a while. "If Hailstorm was like that for two years, then I want to see what it's like."

"Pass me the pouch first" Rainwatcher said, holding his talon out "I need to make a minor adjustment."

Now, everyone was staring at him, but Winter finally handed Rainwatcher the pouch. He opened it up again and the paper fell out. Rainy carefully tore off the bit that read 'Compelled to wear this necklace at all times with life or death urgency' And handed it back to Winter.

"There" Rainwatcher said proudly "Now it should be easier for us to take it off of you."

"Smart." Firefly agreed, although Rainy didn't like the tone of surprise in her voice. 'I can do smart things too.' He thought harshly then immediately took it back 'Not like that- I mean- I didn't' Then he realised Firelfy couldn't read minds.

Winter grabbed the pouch and slowly put it over his head 'Here we go' He thought and the necklace lay over his neck.