"What do you mean he's gone?" Cinder demanded.
"I don't know." Canopy admitted. "He was right with me, I turned around for two seconds, and then he was gone!" Cinder buried her head in her talons with a sigh.
"Find him." She demanded.
"We looked everywhere. He disappeared at the same spot as the rest of them did."
" I don't care." Cinder exclaimed. "Find him"
~*~*~*~*
"What?" Crimson and Ember questioned at the same time.
"Crimson? Who are you talking to?" Another voice asked.
"Ember."
".......Was that a joke? Does Hope have you making jokes now?" A dark green dragonet appeared and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hope." Ember repeated in shock. "You have Hope? You know where she is? Is she alright?"
"She's fine. And all we hear about from her is stuff about 'Embie' Ember this and Ember that." Ember grinned. That was his sister alright.
"Could you go get her, Boysen?" Crimson asked.
"Why do I have to get her?"
"Because if you don't, I'll punch you."
Boysen rolled his eyes, but walked down one of the dark hallways.
"Who's looking for me?" Crimson questioned.
"Cinder." She froze.
"That's impossible."
"No it isn't. She created an entire rebellion dedicated to help hybrids, all because she lost you."
"No,"
"It's true! See?" Ember held up the engraved chakram that every member of the Colors of the Wings had. Crimson's eyes raked over it.
"I thought she was dead." She whispered.
"Trust me, I know the feeling." A loud shriek cut through the air and Ember found himself being tackled to the ground by a small black whirlwind.
"EMBIE!!!!!!" Hope screamed.
"HOPE!" He yelled back, hugging her tight. Their mother's necklace still swung around Hope's neck as they yelled. She was alive. Ember couldn't quite wrap his head around that fact. They were okay, and if they were fine, then surely their parents were too. Right?
"Can you two please stop destroying my eardrums and take us to Cinder?" Crimson asked.
"Who's Cinder?" A shimmering blue dragonet asked.
"Don't worry about it. Just go find Fox and tell him we're leaving. Now."
"Are you takin us someswheres Embie?" Hope wondered. He grinned. Oh how he had missed her.
"Yea, I am"
"Will Mommy and Daddy be there?"
"No, but we'll find them soon, alright?"
"Okie dokie."
~*~*~*~*
Don't kill anyone, don't kill anyone, don't kill anyone... Joy's mind was on a loop of this one thought as she snuck around in perfect camouflage. She had slipped away in the night and was now currently wandering the Seawing palace, searching for any sign of where they might be keeping Kelp. But every time she spotted a Seawing, her rage threatened to destroy her cover. Sure, she could go on a murderous rampage and kill every Seawing in sight, but it was probably smarter to keep her cool. That was much easier said than done, especially with Joy's temper. She turned into a side corridor and stopped. Cells lined the walls, and the whole room was deathly silent. She snatched a set of keys off the wall and slowly walked down the hall, looking in each cell. One at the very end caught her eye, and made her breath catch in her throat. A lone turquoise-colored Seawing was huddled in the back of the cell. His scales were coated in blood and bruises, and he looked starved and tortured. But the dragon's eyes still shone bright with hope and familiar memories. A faint smile toyed on his face, as if he were remembering a time when life was better. Joy quickly unlocked the cell door.
At the squeak of the cell door, Kelp glanced over. But there was no one there. That he could see anyway.
"Joy?" He asked hoarsely, hoping that he was right and not just losing his mind.
"Oh Kelp," a whisper came. Joy appeared before him and dropped down to hug him. He could've cried with happiness.
"I knew it," he whispered, not daring to speak any louder. "I knew you'd come." She sobbed in response, holding him tighter. Finally she pulled away, staring at him with worried eyes.
"What have they been doing to you?" She demanded, red seeping into her scales.
"I'd tell you if I knew you wouldn't kill the whole tribe." He joked. Joy shook her head and kissed him. He inhaled deeply, savoring every second of it.
"I'm gonna get you out of here." She promised.
"I don't doubt that you will."