Wings Of Fire: Trust Fall

Chapter Four

"Blister!" Landslide roared, lunging towards her. "Look out!" She slammed her burly build into the SandWing princess and rolled across the glade.

Blister woke up almost immediately and kicked her off with a hiss. Landslide shook her head and pointed to the flaming forest. "Fire!"

Thunder rolled overhead as Blister nodded. The SandWing shot into the stormy skies above the forest. Landslide followed, sweeping and weaving past plummeting branches. At one point, she had to duck under a falling tree, which had succumbed finally to the blazing axes below. Finally, just finally, she emerged into the blustery, ashen expanse. She caught Blister's pale figure like a sliver of moon on the horizon and angled her wings to follow her.

It wasn't long before the rushing winds behind Landslide caught her up to the SandWing. Blister glanced at Landslide with dark, shadowy eyes. "Thank you."

"Wait, really?" Landslide tilted her head, doing a small somersault in the air. "Since last year my tackling would just be seen as annoying."

"Well," Blister stopped to genuinely smile, which caught Landslide off guard, breathless. "you saved my life."

"That's what heroes do!" Landslide boasted playfully. She couldn't help refer back to her dream. Maybe the Dragonets left me because I'm a hero. They figured a hero can take care of themselves or even SAVE OTHERS WITH THEM.

But then, she had a darker, more likely theory. But what if this was wrong? What if they left me, actually...

Because I'm a traitor?

"Alright, we're approaching our island." Blister announced calmly, angling her wings down to the nearest chunk of land. It looked as if a piece of earth was just sticking from the ground, surrounded in sharp pillars of rock and caverns. Landslide studied it closely as she landed. Doesn't look like any SeaWings are here...

"Um, Prin-QUEEN Blister?" The MudWing quickly corrected herself. "You said this is our island, but why aren't there any SeaWings here? Is this your island?"

Blister looked over her shoulder. "No. You must be referring to the Summer Palace. This isn't it. This is the midway rest stop. I'm meeting a few friends here."

"Oh." Landslide nodded, fluffing out her wings against the bitter, stiff current of wind. Catching Blister's motion to sit down, Landslide crouched to sit, shifting to get comfortable on the rough stone, which was dotted here and there with shrubs.

Blister fell back and swooped towards the other side of the island, where what appeared to be a SkyWing and a...

NO. WAY.

Blister is friends with a NightWing?! Landslide thought, flabbergasted.

It seemed like hours, sitting there, watching the conversation. Hours. Hours of NOT SPEAKING TO AN ALL MIGHTY NIGHTWING.

In reality, it was only five minutes. Five minutes before the scream.

Landslide watched in horror as Blister's tail drove through the SkyWing's heart. A SkyWing. Her old ally.

The MudWing charged forward and stopped just barely so she could peer over the edge, where the SkyWing crashed in a broken heap on the rocky shore. Landslide blinked in horror and turned her glare to Blister, watching the NightWing soar off from the corner of her eye. "What are you doing? Why did you kill her?"

"She provoked me first." Blister said flatly, looking down at her bloodstained claws and tail. "Besides, it would've done my dear older sister a favor."

"Killing her ally?" Landslide hissed.

"Burn doesn't consider her an ally." Blister rolled her eyes, annoyed by Landslide's rage. "She's with the Talons Of Peace."

The ones who raised the Dragonets... Landslide remembered. She felt like throwing Blister off the cliff right then and there, but her talons were rooted to the ground. Stupid claws. "So... they're real?"

"Of course." Blister confirmed. "But I'm not too sure you'd want this one alive. Once she finds out what your high and mighty sister did, she'll be on her tail."

Landslide froze, falling serious. "W-What did my sister do?.." She wasn't too sure she wanted to know.

Blister shook her head. "I'll talk to you about it later."

But I want to know now! Landslide internally pleaded.

Blister slithered off towards a cavern gouged into the side of a massive rock. Landslide followed, eyes traveling around the cave. It looked as if it were inhabited before, with glass panels that caught the light of the rising sun, brightening the room. A pile of sticks and stones lay in the center, on top of charred chunks of wood. Four barrels stood in the back of the room, smelling of fruits and fish.

Blister laid herself down in the back of the cave, stretching her wings, and began to doze off.

"Sleeping?" Landslide questioned. "Now?"

"I promised a rest stop..." Blister mumbled, allowing sleep to wash over her.

Landslide sat down to watch the sunrise with a sigh. What did my sister do?..