Forgotten Legends (DRAFT VERSION)

Chapter 20

The blizzard let up early the next morning.

Fire was the first one awake, and he quickly went about melting the mounds of snow that had built up around the team during the night. His unnatural heat woke Coal, who startled Sun, who tumbled off the top of the heap and landed on Cotton's tail. It was only after a lot of hissing and snapping at one another that they finally gathered their bearings and began searching for the trial again.

Cloud requested Coal take the lead and for the others to fly on ahead, volunteering to stay back with Meadow who had "strained a wing" the evening before, and was flying at a painfully slow pace. It wasn't long before the others were out of sight, and the two were left alone to their scheming.

After a couple of hours, Cloud signaled for them to take a break and they swooped down to a small semi-frozen pond. "Do you think this is working?" Cloud inquired as Meadow trudged toward the water and sunk in up to his wings with a contented sigh. "And aren't you cold?"

"Yes, and no, not really," Meadow responded. "It actually feels really nice. Good for sore joints and wings. You should try it."

Recalling his last incident with water, he shuddered and vowed never to be caught so vulnerable again. "No, thanks." He watched the hatchling swim in happy circles. "Are you sure you're not a water-dweller? You seem to enjoy that a lot."

"Pretty sure," Meadow answered, dipping below the surface and reemerging with a bluegill between his teeth. "Mph dosmt make amny smense though." He paused, realizing he wasn't coherent, and took the fish out of his mouth. "If I were a sea dragon, wouldn't I have gills and webs? I don't think I'd look like this, do you?" He flopped his wings pointedly.

"You could be a hybrid, though, couldn't you?" Cloud suggested, then immediately wished he could stuff a talon into his mouth.

Meadow blinked, and Cloud wondered if the thought had ever crossed his mind. But a moment later, he was shaking his head. "Not possible. It's forbidden for dragons of different tribes to mate, let alone have an egg."

Cloud thought that law sounded ridiculous, but he shrugged, deciding to change the subject. "So, how long have you been a Dream Leaper?"

Meadow sighed, shaking his wings and clambering out of the water, his talons melting the snow underneath him. "Long enough," he answered. Cloud took that to mean always. "And if you think I didn't hear what I did, you're wrong. I did. I just wish I knew who said it."

"And you couldn't tell just by being near them? Like, you didn't recognize their voice?"

"Everything was disoriented," Meadow replied. "My powers aren't exactly...strong. But I heard their words loud and clear, 'Don't worry. I have a plan. And when I succeed, you won't have to worry about those weakling Defenders anymore.'"

"Wow," Cloud breathed, "and why do you think it was one of the team?"

"Who else could it be?" Meadow questioned, picking up his fish. "There are only a few dragons who know we exist, and eighty percent of them are here with us." He began searching through the weeds for something.

"But that's not really enough to proof to say anyone on the team is a traitor and...er...what are you doing?"

"I'm going to make a pouch," Meadow answered, "to put the stones in. Fire and Cotton are going to get tired of carrying them, so I thought I'd help out." He pulled out several long reeds and settled against the shore to begin weaving. "Who do you think is the mole?"

Cloud hesitated, knowing what his answer would be, but how his friend was going to hate to hear it. "I think...I think it's Cotton," he confessed. Meadow's head shot up in alarm and Cloud hastily went on before the hatchling could get too carried away. "She's been angry with us since we began, she hasn't had any trouble telling us how much she hates us, and she's been around for every bad thing that has happened."