Wings Of Fire (WOF) : A dark family affair

Chapter 17

The embers of the campfire crackled softly as they burned by themselves and the wind blew lightly, rustling the leaves of the trees beside them, filling that small, questioning silence from Nightjar and Maple. Indeed, both were confused and this announcement strangely left the mud-winged halfling speechless. "I thought he didn't want to tell us," she thought in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to tell us," Maple said, echoing Nightjar's thoughts, "What made you change your mind so suddenly ?

- Let's say... Let's say I have been convinced.

- By Charming ?" Maple tried, obviously knowing the answer.

- That is not the point, he replied, clearly embarrassed.

- Then she knew all along...", reproached Maple.

- Hmmm..., Nightjar cleared his throat, trying to change the subject, You still haven't answered Maple.

- Well, I thought that if we knew each other's reasons for doing this in that misadventure, it would be easier to... collaborate, so to speak".

The speaker stood up and reached for his precious pouch nearby. Nightjar had not questioned its content, convinced that it was only money. Obviously, she was wrong. From inside, he pulled out some sheets that were already decorated with words. Nightjar recognized, with a touch of shame and guilt, the poems she had secretly read. She didn't let on and pretended to read for the first time the paper that Dandelion had given her. This time, however, she was able to read the entire work, but she noticed that some of the verses at the end were incomplete.

Maple came closer to read it and at the end of his reading, he spoke to the poet : "I had heard about your poems. I think it's very nice, he commented.

- Thank you.

- I had heard about you vaguely from my brother, informed Nightjar.

- I don't think I'm wrong in saying that you could have gone on to make presentations, Maple added, You had real potential from the rumors.

- Rumors are rumors, but I'm flattered, thanked Dandelion, unconcerned.

- Why are you showing us this poem ? she asked, pointing to the piece of paper.

- Simply because, he paused for a moment before resuming, Because it doesn't come from me. I didn't actually write it.

- Hold up. What do you mean ? she gasped, Did you copy from someone ? she tried.

- More or less.

- But you did share them in the Sky Kingdom in your name, the green dragon reminded.

- Oh, exclaimed Dandelion, That is just a small detail.

- Come to the point, Maple snapped, Unless we continue to play this mindless game of trivia.

- I'm getting to that. I'm getting to it," he stopped, "First I have to explain some details of my life".

"My father was a silkwing and my mother a skywing. My father, like me now, was an upholsterer in Possibility and he and my mother had met in the market by chance. They began seeing each other regularly until they ended up living together and having my egg. However, my father was not alone at first. He had a daughter with his former partner who died of an unknown disease in Pantala. He had flown with her egg to Pyrrhia where he had settled in this city," he explained, pointing with his chin to the nearby city. It was still in full activity visibly since the lights were still lit on both sides and music was coming from the streets.

"This young dragoness, he continued, was only a few months old, and when I first saw her she was barely a year old, and even though we didn't have the same mother, we got along well right away. I considered her as my real sister. Her name was Butterfly. She was a pure silk wing. Her scales were a very rare orange for her tribe. We would play, walk between the streets and mess with our kind and warm parents like any other dragonets," he said with a slight smile.