Tales From The Temp Folder

[HOH] (BMR) Grace Got You Bravo Plan

So this was a scene for WOH: Bad Moon Rising, the alternate path (story arc?) that I had for it. Now that I've decided to commit to going with the alternate book path, it kind of left all my previous work redundant. So guess what I'm going to do with it?

So yeah, this was what the alternate Grace Got You chapter would've looked like. I did recycle a lot of the dialogue for the actual story, but this one goes on the completely different tangent. I also may have gone too far off the deep end here with precognition being able to see "the spirit of Moon," and, to be honest, I also took "artistic liberties" in the book path as well. Heck, I already wrote it, and I've already stated before that I build upon what I write. If it's as ridiculous as I think it is, well... tough beans, I'm gonna have to live with it too.

Also, I haven't really polished this part, since I committed to the book "Alpha" path, so it is technically unfinished. (The actual path is already published. I will not expand on this path, unless my situation changes. Please do not request a continuation. I am not working on this path anymore.) Maybe it should have also been split up into two chapters, but I won't change it now. Since I'm not going to use it, I won't sink any more man hours. Maybe I might flesh out the Bravo path fully. But that will require a ton of time. Effectively restarting from book two in the Wings of Honor series. So don't expect it to happen anytime soon. If at all.

The context is the same as the regular book. You can pretty much look at the book lead up, it's fairly similar.

That night, I didn't sleep.
I waited until I knew Marvin was asleep and dreaming.
He was so worried about me, about Darkstalker and Moon.
"Oh Moon," I mumbled in the dark. "I wish I could go talk to you. You would know how this feels. You're friends with Marvin. You could help."
Suddenly, it clicked for me. I had Marvin's Captain pin. I could camouflage. I had my venom if it came to it. I could go scout out Jade Mountain myself. Maybe even find out more about Anemone, or leave a note for Moon or something. Yes! That's what I can do!
Carefully, I got up and walked away, so as to not wake Marvin.
I took off into the dark night. I could still kind of see, and I knew where Jade Mountain is.
The dim moonlight lit up the land beneath me. The trees blurred together to form a bushy floor. The grass glistening in the moonlight. The dark stone cast small beams of moonlight back at me.
Soon, I saw the big cave of Jade Mountain appear out of the dark fog. I turned to camouflage, carefully gliding in. There was no one to meet me there. But I sensed a couple dragons were awake. I looked around, there was a small map of the school still laying on a table. The same table Fatespeaker was at. Humming while I looked over the map.
Wasn't Moon with the Jade Winglet Marvin said? I think so. So that would be here, here, Fifth cave on the right. Got it. And the library is here, maybe I can find some information there. I'll start there.
I made my way through the gym and down the halls. I had to squeeze against the wall when a large, drowsy Mudwing appeared.
He was still sleeping, and snoring. Sleepwalking. He nearly ran into a wall, but I grabbed him. He grumbled, then tried walking into the wall again.
"Okay Clay. Clay's your name right? Your room is down this way." I remembered the teacher caves. Leading Clay down the hall, still invisible, until we finally came across a small hall of doors.
"Umm."
I saw one door labeled Sunny Principal
"Sunny'll know what to do."
Gingerly leading Clay up, I knocked on the door. I heard a rustling behind it, then a Sandwing, not too bigger than me, still wiping sleep from her eyes, opened the door.
"Do you know what time it is— Clay! What are you doing up?"
Clay only responded with a snore.
"Oh dear." He's sleepwalking again. "Come on Clay. Let's get you back to bed."
Sunny came out and took Clay. She looked down the hall. I almost thought she saw me, but then she yelled down the hall.
"Is there anyone there?"
I froze for a moment, not knowing what to do. Marvin would've screamed at me, but I ducked around the corner, I uncloaked myself, then stuck my head around the corner as if in response.
"Only me." I plainly said.
"W-who are you?" Sunny asked me.
"Oh, me? I was just passing by. I heard of the school and wanted to check it out for myself. I just got here, aaaand there was nobody else there, soooo I kind of let myself in, if you don't mind. But then I say your Mudwing friend there nearly walked off the edge. I figured he was a teacher and followed the maps back here. If that's alright."
Sunny eyed me suspiciously, but not ungreatful.
What's a Nightwing doing here? I thought they were all still in the Rainforest with Glory. She talks with a different accent. And the scale behind her eye, it's... more clearer than Fatespeaker's. But she was just passing by and helped Clay? This isn't like the Nightwings in the village, she's more like Starflight.
"I'm not exactly like any of the tribe Nightwings; if that's what you're thinking. I just overheard Queen Glory thinking about it and wondered, 'huh. That's be a pretty cool place to visit."
"Thinking?"
I backed up a step, shaking my head.
"Talking! I meant talking!" Shoot! Think of an excuse! What would Marvin say? "Sorry I always mix those two darn words up. I don't know why. Can't help it."
"Oh." She was a little suspicious, but understanding. "Well... you're welcome to stay for a little while, since you already flew all the way over here. School starts in a couple days."
"I don't know attending though. I'm willing to bet you've already made plans and everything."
"Oh no!" Sunny perked up, shaking her head. "Everything can still change!" Especially if Clay's friend arrives. She growled mentally. "And you can sit in for classes. Not officially, but you can attend."
"Oh. Well thank you." I twiddled my claws. "Well, I should get back to my camp. Um, where should I bunk?"
"There's an empty cave near the underground lake. You can stay there."
"Sure. Thank you..." I trailed off.
"Sunny. I'm the Principal here at Jade Mountain." She seemed proud of that title.
"Alright 'Principal' Sunny. Thank you for having me."
"Of corse."
I nodded, before walking away. I heard her struggle with Clay once more.
"Alright Clay, work with me here..."
I giggled.
I turned tail and began making my way to the library. Right outside, I heard a mind still working away.
No. Wasn't this the shelf we organized by date instead of alphabetical? I don't know why we did that, it's too complicated. Why did I even agree to let Sunny convince me. I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time.
I sighed, looking at my Talons. I could already tell he held Sunny in the same regard I hold Marvin. But he was tortured by something. Something related to Sunny.
I turned to silently step in, but my tail caught a scroll rack, sending it down all over the floor.
"Oh." I let slip.
The shape behind the desk in the far corner shot up. "Who's there?"
"Oh. Me." What else could I have said?
The dragon, who I recognized as another Nightwing, canted his head.
Who? What's your name?
"Oh. Grace. My name's Grace. I-" Oh frick. I messed up. "I-I'm just passing through. Traveling through. I thought Jade Mountain was pretty interesting and wanted to come check it out."
She sounds nervous. Why is she nervous? The school's supposed to be a safe place.
"Oh. The um... the school looks really nice. Really safe." Not really. I would not like to eat under stalactites. Sharp things, even if they are strong. Just no.
She sounds doubtful. Is she lying? What is she doing here?
"And um... by the way, I heard you guys have scrolls on like history stuff? I've kind of been living under a rock and could really use a refresher."
"Um... sure. I think they're over there. Aisle 4."
"Ah. Thank you."
I started to walk off to the aisle he mentioned, but he had hesitant thoughts.
Wait.
I stopped.
What does she look like?
I froze. But... what else could I do. I took his claw in mine. Letting my mind open to his.
Woah. She's... beautiful.
I shared a mental image from Marvin with him. Who I looked like. But that only made him question more.
"Wh-who are you... Grace?"
"I'm... I'm no one. I just... want to help."
With that, I cloaked myself and snuck out to the cave mouth. I watched him out in the open, his mind spinning in all sorts of directions. I noticed again the bandages over his eyes, the scars on his face.
He was blind. He was blinded from the volcano. The volcano that nearly wiped out the Nightwing tribe. Starflight was scared, he was scared of so many things, and had so many good reasons for them.
I felt bad for him, as I snuck away.
There was something on his desk. Someone by the name of Stonemover. I don't know why, but I had a feeling about him. He might know something, something important.
I couldn't find anything specific in the maps. They only went as far as the actual part of the academy. But... there was a tunnel that looked oddly suspicious. It was covered in warnings to not go there, paths too small for a dragon, soft ground here, generally perilous. But it was drawn, same as the other parts of the school, into the map. So that had to be important, right?
It lay a good distance off from the school, but it didn't look like too much of a challenge, especially for a dragon like me, I think.
I followed the map down onto that path.
I immediately noticed the change. Most of the academy walls were painstakingly smoothed, most likely to reduce injuries and make them more comfortable to lean on. There were also those fire globe lanterns placed strategically, so they lit the entire cave fairly well. But here, the walls were jagged, and I had to watch my steps to avoid tripping or otherwise hurting myself. The fire globes ended at the junction, and I had to breath a small plume of fire just to even see. Stopping to catch my breath now and then, before pressing on. Well... until I came across another junction.
The cave split into two, and both looked just as perilous as the other. There was no distinguishing marks or anything.
"Hmm." I unknowingly whimpered. "Which one. Which one to Stonemover."
I closed my eyes, trying to listen for any minds.
Stonemover. Stonemover.
Suddenly, a breeze of air brushed past me. Something materialized in my vision. It was all grey. But then I saw something, a reflection. A dragon, but it wasn't just any dragon. It had that silver teardrop scale, same as mine.
I opened my eyes, and I saw her in front of me. Then darted down the left corridor. I gasped, then threw my claws over my mouth.
Who was that! That's nobody I've ever seen. Wait. Wait a minute.
I do recognize her! I started after her, down the cave path. Following Moon down the right path.
I struggled to keep up. She was moving way too fast, indragonly fast. But after scratching up my arms, legs, and wings, something entered my mind.
I stopped. Listening...
Another scale today. And it's been a while since I've seen her. Maybe she'll come when school starts.
I strained, trying to triangulate that mind, but the caves echoed everything around so as to make things all but possible to determine either in front or behind. Close, or far away.
I gulped. Continuing forward.
One thing I noticed about this mind, was that it was super slow. Not, mentally disadvantaged slow; rather, like it was restrained somehow. Then it hit me.
Like how when Marvin gets hangry. His mental capacity is diminished. Somehow, maybe through his training, he is still able to do actions even when unencumbered, just much slower. This mind was similar. A familiar peckish feeling grew in my stomach, but I knew it couldn't be me. I ate before I left. It hasn't been that long... has it?
The voice didn't sound like the dragon Marvin blocked off from me. Darkstalker, I think his name was. No. This voice was more sullen, depressed, beat down.
I nearly rounded a corner, when I heard scales and claws on stone. But, it didn't sound like how I would expect it to. This was more rock dragging on more rock. Not cringy, but getting there. The ghost of Moon stopped at the corner, then rounded it, out of sight.
The presence was right in front of me. Close enough to where I could hear his heavy sighs. His mind was very depressed, so I began to close it off.
I camouflaged myself before I looked around the corner. There. What my first look, it just looked to be a room inhabited by a single, life sized, stone, statue of a dragon. But with a second glance, this stature was rising and lowering in time with soft breaths. A single torch lay unlit in front of him.
Trying to see through the dark, he blended easily into the shadows, which would've been difficult if I didn't have Marvin's experience. His scales looked more like a stony grey, and he looked like he was being pressed-weighed down. Maybe by whatever kept him here in the first place.
Suddenly, the corner I held onto gave way, sending chunks of stone onto the ground in the loudest most possible crash I have ever heard.
The dragon's eyes perked up, but nothing else moved.
Shit!
Someone's here. Maybe it's Sunny? "Who's there?"
Well crap. Now I've done it. Wait. No, this is the perfect chance.
I uncloaked myself enough so he could make out my silhouette.
"Are you Stonemover?" I asked.
The dragon took a deep sigh. And without moving an inch, he responded.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Uh huh." I looked over my cards, seeing what I had to deal. At least, until the house played.
"And who are you?"
I paused for a moment, then played by my gut.
"I'm Gracebringer, but you can call me Grace. And, if you don't mind, could I light your torch?"
He said nothing; rather, saving his judgement until he could get a better look at me. I stepped up, fully uncloaking myself, before I lit the room in blue, settling into a flickering orange.
Now I could see him. A statue of a dragon. A Nightwing, but some of his scales looked more of a grey, than the black of some parts of him. Why? I don't know. A curse maybe? Put on by an animus wielder from long ago? Forced to inhabit Jade Mountain forever?
But then my thoughts were cut off by his serious, disused voice. I didn't even notice his thoughts. "Gracebringer." Stonemover chuckled. "What kind of Nightwing mother names her child Gracebringer."
"The kind that's not a Nightwing." I mumbled. Before he could say anything more. I pressed. "Why are you here? Like this, I mean." I motion to some of his stony scales.
He sighed.
"I was born with a curse. A terrible curse."
I gasped lightly.
"You're... an animus."
Stonemover nodded.
That's great! You can enchant something else so we could protect Marvin! You can stop Goldman, he doesn't know who you are!
But then I blinked, I had to be diplomatic about this.
"Wha... what's it like?"
I asked in genuine curiosity. But Stonemover's mind suddenly shifted. Horrible, horrible things came to mind. I whimpered under his burden.
"It's horrible. It's terrible. You're lucky you are all normal dragons, without this curse."
"Is it really a curse?" I asked, not to seem rude.
"Look at my scales, young one. This... is what happens to animus dragons."
"W-why? You did this to yourself?"
Stonemover sighed again.
"I couldn't bring myself to use my powers again. I'd lose my soul."
The way he said it. His old, raspy voice sent shivers down me.
"Well... how about the good things that come from animus magic?"
Stonemover made a dry chuckle of my question.
"Nothing good comes from magic girl."
Girl? Really? "What about helping your friends, or your tribe—"
"I helped my tribe. But I couldn't do the things they asked anymore."
He thought of what he did.
Tunnels? In the rainforest? Wha- why?
"Don't pester me anymore with these questions, young one. I'm weak, and tired—"
"And hungry." I finished for him.
"Yes." He grumbled.
For some reason, a rock passed my vision.
Oh man, I wish I could give him something to eat. I wish I had a D-bar or something.
I looked down at my claws, then suddenly, the rock that was there, it was no longer there. It was replaced by a single, opened chocolate D ration. I picked it up, walking up to him. Before Stonemover could question, I stuck the chocolate bar into his maw.
What's this?
"It's food. Chocolate. It doesn't taste very good, but it'll stop you from going hungry."
Stonemover looked at me, then chomped down on the bar. The horrible screeching of stone. He chewed the bar, light flickering in his eyes as he looked at me.
"Enjoy it." I smiled and nodded, before turning to walk away.
"Wait!"
I stopped. Looking back to meet him.
"Wha- why do you ask me these questions about animus dragons Grace?"
I looked down for a moment, then back at him.
"Curiosity, I guess. But also necessity. I have something... broken.... that can't be fixed without animus magic."
"I see." He rasped. An enchanted item? Depending on the enchantment—
"No, you don't have to offer. I can find someone else. Don't sacrifice more of yourself for me."
I surprised Stonemover.
This dragonet is completely unselfish. How? Every Nightwing I've seen would demand that I enchant something for them. Well, almost every Nightwing.
"Well... maybe if they knew what you did... for them. Thank you Stonemover. I'll come back with more rations where I can."
He looked up to me in awe, as I faded away before him.
"Take care Stonemover."
And with that, I faded back into the shadows.