WINGS OF FIRE- The Forgotten Island

Chapter 11: Healing

Opal limped through the tunnel, reflecting on the conversation she and Shulker had.
"Why did he think I wanted to be with him?" She asked herself. "I just want him with me because he's my friend."
It was only a while longer until she entered the herb scented cave.
"Opal." Said a GemWing a few paces ahead. He was not Rutile or Selenite. Much rather, he was a shade of blue, fade to green from head to tail, with red, orange and yellow patches here and there. His wings were purple as a deep pink colour lined the edges. Not quite as colourful as her mother Rainbow Quartz, but still with plenty of colour.
"Opal," Larimar said beside the GemWing, "come lay down here. I told Tourmaline what happened."
"Come here." Tourmaline said in a gentle voice. Opal nodded and laid down in the nest. Opal shifted around until she was comfortable. She left her right foreleg and her left wing available for Tourmaline to look at. Tourmaline looked at the stick wound first. It throbbed as he put his talons to it.
"Looks deep." He said finally. "What made this?"
"This Critter stick here." Larimar said, pointing to the stick on the rock-ledge beside her. Tourmaline looked over at the stick.
"Hmmmmm."
                                                                                                      . . .
Shortly after, Opal emerged with a few leaves wrapped around her wound. Her wing had been supported with wood, to keep it stable and in place. Apparently, Opal had dislocated her wing in the fall, so Tourmaline told her to go easy on it.
"You alright?" Shulker asked, helping to support her.
"Yes," Opal replied, "Tourmaline said, not to fly too much, but I should be good for the group race."
"What's that?" Shulker asked curiously. He looked at Opal's wing nervously.
"It's a race to see which lesson group has learned the most." Opal explained, "It's to test each group, in a fun kinda way."
"Gotcha, gotcha." Shulker said. He looked to the sky dreamily. The shock took over his face, as though he suddenly remembered something.
"I have to go." He said suddenly, "my tribe will be wondering where I am."
Opal smiled nodding.
"Use red berry juice to fool them into thinking—"
"I killed. Yea I will."
Shulker flung his tail up like a scorpion, summoning a rift. He looked back at Opal and smiled.
"Good luck in your race!" He said before leaping into the rift and disappearing into it. Opal looked after him smiling. She sat there for a few minutes before leaping off the ledge and gliding down to the main entrance below. From there, she made her way to Sea, who was resting on an elevated ledge. Opal wove through GemWing families, all resting for a while. She reached Sea's ledge and called up to her.
"Hey Sea!"
Long groaning answered her.
"Wha—what?" Came Sea's voice. The familiar blue head peered over the stone ledge. Sea looked around, trying to spot who spoke to her, until she looked down to see Opal, staring up at her.
"Opal!" Sea said, gliding down to her. She smiled and put her wing around Opal and squeezed slightly, into a hug,
"Careful," Opal warned as Sea began to hug her tighter, "my wing is— Ow ow ow."
Opal ducked out as her wing started to hurt. Sea looked at the wing and suddenly realised with shock.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" Sea cried, "what happened to your wing?"
"I fell and landed wrong." Opal said shrugging it off. Sea slithered to the left wing to inspect it. Her thin, pink tongue flicked in and out at she looked at it. She then made a sarcastic "that explains it all" face at Opal.
"I dislocated it." Opal burst out. Seasnake stared at her bewildered.
"Let me help you." Sea said, slithering by Opal's right. Sea helped her make her way back to her sleeping cave. She helped Opal settle in her nest.
"Thank you." Opal said gratefully.
"I'll go get Quartz and she can sit with you."
Opal watched at the end of Sea's blue tail disappeared into the tunnel. As soon as Sea was gone, Opal reached out, as far as she could reach, with her left foreleg, and grabbed the nearest scroll from her scroll rack. She read the words labeled on it, The Lost Garnet. Opal loved this story. She unrolled the scroll to the first chapter.
Chapter one: A Secret Heir

Pyrope woke to the sound of talonsteps, in the hallway outside. Her bright red ears flew up as Spessartine, her brother, strode in, a grim look on his face.
"What is it Spess?" Pyrope asked, a concerned look on her face. Spessartine turned to her.
"Oh it's nothing." He replied, putting on a small grin. Pyrope gave him a skeptical look. She got to her talons and strode out of their cave. The stone hallway that guided her to the main cave seemed cold and empty today, as if the walls had gotten smaller, closing in on her. She looked ahead and it seemed as if the main cave had gotten further away somehow. Something was up, and Pyrope could tell it was not good. She reached the main cave to see it crowded with GemWings. Pyrope strode over to the Aythem pile and grabbed a few crystals. She then flew up to the ledge she usually sat and—

"Hey Opal." A voice interrupted her and shocked her out if her zone. Opal looked up to see Quartz beside her, still looking after the egg. Quartz looked at Opal with a concerned expression. Opal leaned back and returned the scroll she was reading back into its place, then turned her head to look at her friend. Quartz was staring at the small painting of a rainbow diamond Opal made a few years ago. It was still hanging straight and true above the scroll rack shining ever so slightly from the bright, illuminous crystals that hung from the ceiling.
"Hey Quartz," Opal said tiredly, "how was the rest of your day?"
"Tiring." Quartz replied, "I had art lesson after our Quartz lesson. And that was a long lesson!"
"I feel you," Opal said chuckling, "Art lessons feel like they last forever! It feels like an eternity before you leave!"
The two GemWings laughed over this. Opal wiped tears away from her eyes. She loved having Quartz around.
"Will you stay with me?" Opal asked, "just until my wing heals?"
"Yes of course!"
Quartz sat beside Opal and flung her wing over her.
"Alright," Quartz said, gesturing to Opal's injuries, "tell me how that happened."