A/N: So- Hi my fellow Pyrrhians and Pantalans! I just wanted to say that-
I just wanted to ask y'all to vote, drop a follow, and comment (This is the biggest one, please comment you guys). I also just wanted to know if you all are having a good day/night. I'm excited because school is ending next week so WHOOP! But I really hope you all are doing okay.
I stared down the painting. How had I come up with this? No, no, no, even better-
Who was this?
I felt a lump form in my throat. I must be imagining something- odd. There is no way in the history of the Summer Palace that this- I dragged my claw lightly over the SeaWing- is me. No way, no how. It's just a trick of my imagination- right? I peered closer at the form of the SeaWing.
Nope it's definitely me. I concluded when my eyes were staring straight at the spikes of an IceWing.
I took the painting under my wing. My mind still racing with thoughts.
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When I got to my cave I placed my painting to the side of my bed. I'll deal with you tomorrow. I thought. "Night, Kinkajou." I whispered to the sleeping dragonet.
I slipped into the cool water of my pool. The moss padding felt amazing under my aching scales. I pulled the seagrass blanket over my head, not wanting to feel the rest of the world around me.
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Skua's nightmare:
Screaming.
A blood curdling sound.
I grappled with the SkyWing, I was losing energy with every tug and tussle.
The SkyWing thrashed violently as I shot a blast of frost breath. It clawed at my underbelly.
I felt my voice join the chorus of screaming that came from my people. I shrieked in agony as the SkyWing dug its claws deep into my chest.
With all my remaining energy I pushed the SkyWing down into the water. Deep, deep, down. Just like it had down with its claws in my chest.
I was the only one to resurface.
I saw more SkyWings come to aid their comrades-in-arms. I froze in shock. My body limp on the water's surface.
Luckily, a passing SkyWing thought I was dead. Then, a plan hatched, if I stayed still enough then they wouldn't notice I was alive.
I froze limply. My body weak from the loss of blood. I suddenly felt my head swirl with darkness until-
"Princess! Princess Skua! Wake up!"
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I felt cold talons violently shake me. "Wha?" I muttered. Winter pushed something into my arms.
"I want you to look at my scavenger."
"Uh- Okay?" I said in a questioning voice. What had harbored this? "I'm just going to get Moon to help me. I'll meet you at the library."
Winter rolled his dark blue eyes, "Fine, I'll bring him there." I scampered away to get Moon.
Kinkajou came along with me. "Asking for your help! He must really like you!" She yelled enthusiastically. "Budding romance! I love school drama!"
"Um- No, I'm pretty sure he still hates me." Moon's claws clicked to the right side of me. Her head was down, as to not draw attention to herself, I presume.
"Hi here, Kinkajou, Moon, Skua, Carnelian." Starflight greeted us. I honestly didn't know that Carnelian was there. "Carnelian? You received a letter with Queen Ruby's seal.
"Thank you." Carnelian reached forwards and took the letter from the NightWing. Moon and Kinkajou jumped back in surprise.
CLINK CLINK CLINK
We turned to see Winter, he was holding a cage, most likely it housed Bandit. Kinkajou's face lit up, "Aww, Bandit is so cute!" She remarked excitedly.
"Did you build all this?" I asked Winter.
He nodded, "All the stuff inside. I thought he'd like it, but he's hardly used any of it." Winter's face basically flipped the scroll and suddenly his expression was sour. "I thought scavengers were curious and unpredictable, but he's been unbelievably boring." Winter scowled, "I've been feeding him fruit, so he's eating fine. Why won't he do anything?"
Moon and I peered down at the small thing. He was curled in furs and his expression was helpless. "Maybe he's depressed." I pointed out.
"Bandit's a scavenger, Skua. Next you'll tell me the cows and fish in the prey center are moping." Winter snapped.
"I actually have a theory. Maybe scavengers are a lot more complicated than we dragons would think."
Moon boosted me in my rant. "He could be lonely."
Sunny brushed up between Kinkajou and I, "That's true! Scavengers usually live in packs. I met one who was happy with just the company of dragons, but Flower was kind of special."
"Bandit might be special!" Winter yelped.
Carnelian snickered, "He might be delicious." I rolled my eyes as she walked away.
"So, what? Should I get another scavenger, just to keep this one happy? What if that one gets depressed, too?"
"Or you could make friends with it." Moon answered in a tiny voice.
"What?" Winter picked up Bandit's cage in a blind rage. Poor Bandit was tossed around, barely able to hold onto the bars of his cage. "How am I supposed to do that? This is useless."
"Don't feel bad, Moon; He's just worried about Bandit. I thought it was a good idea."
"Thanks, Skua."
"Winter clearly doesn't like hearing good advice." Kinkajou muttered. "Glory once told me that IceWings and NightWings and SeaWings have always hated each other, but the scrolls she read didn't say why."
Kinkajou's purple flower bobbed up and down. "Winter or Icicle might be able to tell you, Kinkajou." Moon tried.
"Ha ha, can you imagine them telling me anything?" Kinkajou's scales shifted to mimic that of an IceWing's. "We don't share IceWing secrets with mere RainWings. Haughty sniff." Moon and I giggled at Kinkajou's imitation of Winter.
"I'm glad you two are getting along. We spent a lot of time working out clawmates." Starflight smiled a bit, he looked so proud of himself. My heart couldn't help but melt for the blind librarian.
Carnelian looked displeased with his statement. "Well, maybe you could move me to a cave where there's less talking all the time." She said the last part so bitterly it stung.
Kinkajou looked slightly outraged- well, more dumbfounded than outraged, "Skua hardly ever talks. She talks more in her sleep than she ever does when she's awake."
"Exactly what I mean. You talk all day and Skua talks all night."
I felt a drip of anxious sweat trickle down my face, "What do I say?" I asked nervously.
Kinkajou looked up at me with her magenta eyes, "War and fighting and bloodshed! You must be reading something exciting. Can I borrow it when you're done?"
I covered my anxiety with a nervous laugh, "Um. You know, I think I might head to history a little early, and look at the old maps."
Kinkajou twisted her face with disdain, "Extra time in that dank hole? No, thank you. I'll be there when I have to." I laughed a sigh of relief and trotted off.
Qibli's POV
I walked towards history, calculating the best ways to fall asleep in class without Webs noticing. The old sea slug couldn't probably make out the difference between a camel and a cow for whatever reason.
I only halted when I saw Moon pleading something to Winter. That walrus-snouted-camel-fart. I thought cheerily. "Hey, leave her alone!" I barked at the- confused prince?
Moon turned her attention to me as I started past them. She looked manic. "Stop! Don't go in! No one can go in!" She shrieked, her usually calm and nervous voice was shrill and desperate.
"Whoa, calm down. You're having a panic attack." Turtle tried to ease the NightWing. She's losing her mind. I thought nonchalantly.
"Please listen!" She begged, "Please, please, don't let anyone go in there!"
Look at her eyes- she's terrified. Did Winter do this to her? No, he doesn't know what's going on either.
Voices. So many voices.
"She just collapsed!" Winter looked like he was about to faint as well.
"We have to get her to Clay and Sunny. They'll know what to do." Kinkajou tried.
I spotted the SkyWing that was in our Winglet out of the corner of my ebony eyes, "Hey, Carnelian don't go in there."
The other voices were drowned out by Carnelian's, "Don't go in? Why not?"
"Uh... It needs to air out?"
Carnelian rolled her eyes, "You're an idiot, SandWing. It's perfectly fine in there." She didn't stop, no matter how many protests I tried.
"RU-" Was all I heard before a loud and catastrophic-
BOOOM!
Panic. Everywhere. Everyone.
"We have to get out of here. The smoke-" I was cut off by a fit of coughing.
I heard Kinkajou repeatedly shout out "What do we do?" Her voice was panicked and afraid.
Umber panicked and turned on his heels, "I'm going to get help!"
"Moon, is anyone hurt? Where is Icicle?"
Moon was propped up against the wall, "She's alright, Sora. She wasn't inside."
My clawmate hopped onto his feet, "At least four dragonets were in there."
"Stand clear!" I felt a fiery blaze push past, it was Peril. She ran straight forwards and into the collapsing cave. Only minutes later did she emerge, with the limp body of- Carnelian. All I could do was watch the charred form of our former- friend? Enemy? Acquaintance?
Just then Clay bustled through, his face twisted into every emotion known. But mostly, it was fear. "Sora, how many are still in there?"
Kinkajou answered for the frightened MudWing, "We don't know for sure. At least Tamarin. Peril went back in, too."
Sora sobbed and ran off.
"Sora? What happened?" Said a SeaWing whom I didn't recognize.
Kinkajou's face contorted with sorrow. "There was an explosion... Tamarin..."
A break in the fire. Two dragons emerged, Peril and Clay. Only three bodies. I heard Kinkajou shout her friend's name. "We swept the entire place. We only found Tamarin, Bigtail, and Princess Ice."
Bigtail, Ice, Moon, Winter, Pike, Tamarin, Turtle, Onyx, Kinkajou, Carnelian, Umber, Sora, Flame, Icicle, Mudmaker, Skyfall- "Where's Skua?" I voiced, panicked beyond belief.
Everyone's face muddled with fear, Kinkajou yelled something so quickly it was almost inaudible, "She said she was going to go to history early!" My face contorted with fear for the hybrid. I opened my pale wing and flew, head-first, into the blazing heat.
"Qibli!" Was all I heard before the flames engulfed me.
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The fire lapped at my scales. I didn't care if I died, I only cared if I died trying to save Skua.
"Skua!?" I coughed, the smoke filling my lungs like a toxic virus. She better be alive. She has to be.
I heard coughing on a high ledge. There! I felt my wings beat at top speed. "I'm coming!" I shouted to the SeaWing princess.
My wings drooped with every push forward. I couldn't give in.
I. Had. To. Try.
With one more flap I landed on the ledge. I checked her for injuries. She was burning up- literally. I scooped her in my arms, her smaller form was light but, although it was about 300 degrees (Fahrenheit -Kae) Skua's body was freezing. IceWing genetics I'd guess. Nonetheless, I buried the princess in my wings and plummeted.
I used my wings as a protective shield against the hungry flames. Skua was limp, but she was breathing. I tried to only take in short, irregular breaths, careful not to inhale the ashen smoke that consumed the top of the history cave.
I finally saw the light of the cave mouth. Distressed voices came from outside.
"Where is he?"
"Is he that dense?"
"Why would he do that?"
Everyone gasped as I rose out of the flames that encompassed the cave mouth. "He's alive!" I heard someone screech. I crumpled to the ground with a thud.
"Why did you do that?" I heard the icy and cold voice of Winter demand. I weakly opened my wings, my joints burning with agony.
Another gasp.
"He saved the princess!" Pike, the SeaWing and royal escort of Princess Anemone, said.
There, between my burnt wings, laid Princess Skua. She was alive, but barely.
"Help them!" Someone commanded, but I wouldn't get up.
My mouth was parched, "Get... her... to... the... med-" I couldn't finish the sentence. My head lolled to the side, black spots filled my vision.
There was a whirlwind of frenzied trepidation. I felt Skua's weight being lifted off of me. My own useless body was lifted onto a stretcher and hurried to the medicine cave.
Only when I was set onto a moss bed and my vitals were checked by two confused RainWings did I slowly slip into a peaceful black void.
{2028 words}