"Eclipse?" whispered a soft voice.
Eclipse groaned, rolling over to find the little SandWing she shared a cave with staring into her soul.
She jumped, causing the SandWing to flinch away.
"Three moons. . ." Eclipse mumbled.
"Sorry!" Ostrich yelped. "I didn't want to wake you but it's almost time to meet our winglet! I'm excited! I think. And kinda nervous." I wonder how Qibli feels about it. . . I never did get the time to ask.
"Our winglet?" Eclipse grumbled, pulling herself from her rainforest bedding. She was never really a morning person, and neither was Moon. I wonder if she's awake.
"Yes," Ostrich said, her body shaking with both excitement and panic. "The students we'll be learning with. Dragons from all different tribes." I wonder who our RainWing will be. I've never met one before.
"Oh," Eclipse yawned. "Yeah, our winglet. First real day of school. Got it."
Ostrich quickly rushed towards the cave entrance, her tail tucked in the neat spiral Eclipse had seen most SandWings hold them.
Then, with a sudden jolt, she remembered what she and Moon had heard the night before.
Killing is easy enough. . .
She shivered. If someone at the school was planning a murder, she could figure out who. If anyone could find out about it, it would be her and Moon, she was sure. And if a dragonet was murdered, none of the queens would want to send anymore dragonets. The school would fail.
The sound of the bronze gong being struck reverberated through the halls - BONG BONG BONG - three times.
Eclipse ducked out of her cave and followed behind Ostrich quickly, watching carefully incase she were to accidently step on her tail.
The SandWing was smaller than her, the height of her head finding itself in the middle of her neck. Eclipse didn't want to accidently knock her over or something.
"That's the first warning, I think." the little SandWing said. A SeaWing and a MudWing rushed past them in the hall, nearly bumping into Eclipse, who hissed at the MudWing before he could. He shrunk back and continued forward, his wings now tucked as close to his body as he could get them.
"We have to figure out where our meeting cave is." Ostrich worried. "We're in the Silver Winglet."
"Sepia is in our winglet too, right?" Eclipse asked without thinking. She wondered if she could reach out and find the dragonet who hopefully knew where she was going.
"Yes," Ostrich said, her worried mind completely missing any intentions behind her question. "I think that's how the 'clawmates' work. Whoever your sharing a cave with is in your winglet."
"Ah," Eclipse nodded. "Make's sense."
She reached out with her mind, searching for the MudWing. From what she could gather in the short time she knew Sepia, was that her mind was a mix of worry and determination. Her mind was also quite goopy, as all MudWing minds were.
Eclipse finally delved into the right mind, feeling the familiar sinking feeling of mud. Wow, I've never seen a SeaWing before. She's suppose to be the queens daughter. She's very pink. . . and shiny.
"Uh," Eclipse motioned for Ostrich to follow her. "I think I saw Sepia turn this way."
"Ok," the SandWing nodded.
As she led them down the tunnel, she noticed dragons noticing her. She lifted her head, wanting to seem unbothered and confident within the sea of thoughts, both negative and positive.
Oh, there's the NightWing that was going to fight the IceWing queen's nephew.
Seems stuck up like all the rest of the NightWings.
She's kinda scary looking.
I could beat her.
Mostly they were thinking about themselves though. There were only a few who noticed her and who she was. What will they think of me? was the prevailing whisper in all their minds. Will anyone like me? What if I say something stupid?
She didn't catch any thoughts about strange dreams or murder plans though. Although she didn't think it would be that easy.
Eclipse led them away from the Great Hall and toward where Ostrich had led her before. Eclipse turned down a side corridor lined with hanging scrolls; as she followed, Eclipse noticed quotes drawn on each one. She passed them all without bothering to read them. At the end they turned into a space full of iridescent green sunlight.
It was like stepping into a dream. Scrolls were everywhere, simply everywhere, in cubby holes along all the walls and more racks and cylinders around the cave. Every corner had a spot to curl up and read in: sometimes a rock ledge, sometimes a pile of moss or an arrangement of carpets. Most of the members of her winglet were here including Sepia, who was quietly sitting alone, her eyes wondering around the room periodically glancing at their winglet.
Sunbeams filtered down through skylights in the roof and windows along one wall. Each of the holes was covered with something thin enough to let the light through but strong enough to keep the wind and weather out. Eclipse tilted her head towards the closest one, studying it. It was emerald green, with traces of veins branching through it.
Leaves. she realized.
Eclipse lifted her head and noticed Starflight tilting his head towards her. His mind was always comforting to dip into. There was nothing ever hurtful in there. His brain was busy, but he never thought of her as "not a real a NightWing" or "dangerous and untrustworthy". He was like her, a stranger in his own tribe.
"Eclipse?" he guessed.
"Hi, Starflight." Eclipse said with a smile. Eclipse began towards him, flicking her tail. She was always kind to him, but she would never admit she had a soft spot for him. Maybe because he was the only NightWing who accepted her for who she was.
It's the NightWing from the prey center. Threatening her majesty's nephew. Despicable.
Eclipse sauntered up to his desk, smiling as he grinned. "How have you been." she asked.
"Oh, I'm trying." he chuckled sadly. "The school still needs a few things, but I'm happy you decided to come."
She was only protecting her sister. She looks nice, talking to the librarian like that. Maybe it's just because he's another NightWing. But she walked in with that SandWing.
"Well, Moon talked me into it." Eclipse confessed, Anemone's thought twinkled among the other more negative ones. "Thank her."
"I did," he said.
NightWing. They captured and tortured my friends.
Eclipse huffed, feeling the burn of resentment from the RainWing. "I wondered if she'd already come down."
"Who came in with you?" he asked her.
"Oh," Eclipse breathed. "Ostrich."
"Ah," Starflight said. "Then we're only waiting for the SkyWing. Here's your library stamp in the mean time." he slid something out from under the desk.
"Library stamp?" She furrowed her brows curiously. She'd seen the thought cross Moon's mind once.
"We're testing out a system," he said. "When you borrow a scroll, you bring it up here. Each one has a unique carved stamp on the end, like yours. I'll stamp your name scroll with that to show that you checked it out, and then when you bring it back, we stamp your card over the first image to show that it's been returned. Does that make sense?"
"Yes," Eclipse nodded politely, turning her stamp over between her claws.
"Here's a pouch to keep it in." he fumbled under the desk for a moment before pulling out a soft black leather pouch on a silver chain. Eclipse slipped the stamp inside the pouch and put the chain over her neck.
"Thank you, Starflight." Eclipse said.
"Of course, let me know if I can help you find anything," he said.
"Ostrich," Eclipse turned to her friend. "Do you want one too?"
"Oh, no thank you." Ostrich held her talons up. "I don't really read much."
Eclipse nodded, stepping back to sit by her friend, who had made her way over to sit beside Sepia.
She doesn't seem dangerous. Or even mean. The RainWing thought. The IceWing was still slightly appalled by the stunt she'd pulled in the prey center the day before to even realize how she'd treated the dragons around her.
BONG! BONG! The gong warned again, the sound only repeating twice this time. Eclipse began to understand the process.
She heard him before she saw him, the last dragonet raced down the hall and turned into the library abruptly. His mind was almost as dull as his scales, but mostly he was thinking about how much better he was than the rest of his clawmates and everyone here, and weather it would be ok if he skipped class to go kill something. Were all SkyWings the same? Three moons. . .
Eclipse realized she only knew two of her classmates names, all the rest were strangers. Other than Anemone of course, but she was just as much a stranger as the rest of them.
"Ah," Starflight sighed, "Thrush, yes?"
"Yeah," he said, breathing heavily. "Sorry I'm a little late. Got lost in the halls." he huffed a laugh.
BONG! the final warning echoed in the halls.
"Looks like you made it just in time." Eclipse noted, which earned her a cheeky grin from the SkyWing.
NightWing. Never really met one of them before. Then again has anyone? Their not suppose to have powers anymore which makes me feel a lot better about being trapped in a room with one. She's pretty though, so I guess that's a bonus.
Wow.
"Alright," Starflight began. "Now that everyone is here we can introduce ourselves. I'm Starflight, my favorite color is green, and I didn't live on the volcano like most of the rest of my tribe. I am also blind." he added nervously. He seemed to be debating weather this 'introduction' thing Sunny wanted them to do was actually worth it, then about if the school was actually worth it.
"My name is Boto," the RainWing started, a nervous twitch spiking within his brain. "My favorite color is light pink and I live in the Rainforest with the NightWing tribe since their volcano exploded."
His scales had turned lime green at the edges but soon was replaced by deep red. His mind flicked in Eclipse's direction but his eyes stayed focused on the ground. But that didn't mean any of the other dragonet eyes didn't stare at her like she'd grown a second head.
"My name is Anemone," the SeaWing princess announced. "I am the daughter of Queen Coral and the next in line for the throne, since my sister has passed it down to me. My favorite color is blue."
"My name is Changbai." the IceWing spat. They all waited for her to continue but she never did.
"My name is Sepia," the MudWing said, her voice just above a mumble. "My favorite color is red and I like mud."
Some dragonets chuckled.
"My name is Ostrich," her little SandWing friend spoke up. "I live in the Scorpion den and my favorite color is white."
"My name is Thrush," the SkyWing said. "I am a soldier in Queen Ruby's army and she is the best queen. I like orange."
Now all eyes were turned to her as Eclipse waited patiently for her turn to speak.
"My name is Eclipse," she started. "I didn't live on the volcano either, and instead was kept hidden in the Rainforest until the tribe moved there. My favorite color is purple."
She didn't live on the volcano? questioned Boto's mind, his temper dampening.
That's why she looks so much healthier than the other NightWings. And shinier. Sepia's mind rattled.
So she is Moonwatcher's sister then? I think that's her name. Anemone thought.
Just another NightWing. Rang the IceWings mind.
And choruses of questions and assumed answers to those questions bombarded Eclipse's head from Ostrich.
"Alright," Starflight said, clapping his talons together. "That was good. Now, today is a more relaxed day. All the classes are laid back so you can get used to the new school and how it works." They're supposed to be laid back. I wonder what Tsunami could have her class doing. his mind wondered. "Today we are discussing what the tribes do differently than others. For instance, today's discussion is about food. What do all the tribes eat and how do their tastes differ from one another. Ostrich, would you like to go first?"
Ostrich bristled and nervously cleared her throat.
"Well, SandWings don't eat much," she started. "Normally all we really need is a lizard or snake here and there."
"Yes," Starflight began in his teacher voice. "SandWings, biologically, tend to not need or want larger food portions. Living in the desert, food and water is scarce, therefore your body has adapted to that way of living. Eclipse, want to go next?"
"Oh, well. . ." she didn't know how to start this. Talking about her tribe wasn't really her favorite pass time. "Living in the rainforest made eating whenever we needed or wanted to easy, I guess. I did most of the hunting while Moon gathered berries and wild fruits. We switched every now an then so we could both learn how to gather and hunt."
"And how do you hunt?" Starflight asked, slightly leaning forward. He was thinking about some kind of venom in NightWing saliva.
"Like any other dragon I suppose." she responded.
"Well, interesting enough, I found out while on the island that NightWings have a sort of venom or poison in their saliva. NightWings stalk their prey, bite them, and then leave it to grow infected. They come back after maybe a day or two and sniff out the prey they've bitten. I saw an Albatross once on the island after being bitten by a NightWing. It's wound was covered with maggots and it seemed to be decaying." he said, shivering slightly. "Although, I think it becomes more prominent after being used regularly. I certainly don't hunt that way, therefore I have no venom in my saliva. And it doesn't seem like you do either. Fascinating. . . Sepia?"
The MudWing jumped and shook herself, preparing herself to answer and listen through another short lecture.