Bigwings

Chapter Three

SOIL

Soil disliked the fact that his siblings hated him. So what if he pranked them sometimes? So what if he was sometimes too bossy, in their opinion? Weren't all bigwings like that? Awesome with tiny bad qualities?

"Soil," Sienna hissed at him, poking him in the shoulder. "Keep walking." Ah, yes. He was in the rainforest, amidst the rulings of Queen Cockatiel. A queen. A dragon who isn't fit for the position she's in. Someone who needs to die. Why do we have queens, anyway? Why can't we decide who our leader is? 

"We're going to have to fly," Dartfrog said, giving Rosebush's charred wings a concerned look. "I don't have to go up there," Rosebush said. "I really don't. I have to stay down here. Mother will yell about me about being imperfect again." Soil checked the feeling to make sure he was having it. Was it...pity? Pity for the daughter of the RainWing queen? Idiot, he berated himself. 

"I will explain that it's not your fault, my--er, Rosebush," Dartfrog said. Rosebush sighed a shivery sigh, whatever was left of her wings drooping. "I will help you fly up," Branch offered. Rosebush smiled gratefully at him, and Soil caught Dartfrog shoot the yellow RainWing a hateful glare. Is Dartfrog...in love with Rosebush? Soil wondered.

"Get on my back," Branch said. He was very broad-shouldered and strong-looking. Soil thought he'd have no trouble helping Rosebush up into the treetop village. "Let's go," Auburn snapped. "I don't want to stand around here forever.

Branch lifted off, flying strongly and confidently, Rosebush's talons wrapped trustingly around him. Dartfrog hissed and followed them. Soil flew. The humid air pressed even harder onto him. He squinted as overly bright sunlight got into his eyes. 

"Over here!" called the brown RainWing, Leaf, who was standing on the platform in the treetops. The party landed. "Ugh," Sienna said, shaking out her wings. "Far too sunny up here." Kumquat gasped. "HOW CAN IT EVER BE TOO SUNNY?" he demanded. Soil thought that for a grown dragon he acted very childish.

"Where will you take us?" Auburn demanded. "To Queen Cockatiel's palace," Branch said haughtily. Rosebush had climbed off of him and was standing a distance away from them, her tail coiled around her back talons. "Rosebush, you can come with us," Dartfrog offered. "As I said, I'll explain everything to the queen." Rosebush thought for a moment and then nodded.

All Soil's senses were on high alert as the team of RainWings led them through the treetop village. Several curious faces poked out of unusual homes but then peeked away just as quickly. Soil was shocked that there was a palace in the treetops. It was made of stone and marble, the tops of the towers covered with glistening emeralds. The towers had guards on them. The guards' scales were bright red, a reminder to every RainWing out there that they existed. "Ugh," said Grapefruit, shivering. "I do not want to be a guard. They go to sleep SO LATE instead of a few hours past noon like us! And even then they sleep in the palace instead of outside. What a disgusting job." 

Soil eyed the RainWing. He could not believe she was talking to him. Aren't you supposed to be my captor? he wondered as they entered the palace. What kind of captor speaks to their prisoner? Her scales were now bright pink dotted here and there with yellow, and she was looking straight ahead, a giant smile on her face.

The inside of the palace was stunning. The floor was covered in green and silver carpet. The walls had weavings hung on them: weavings of the rainforest at night, weavings of panthers leaping through the air, weavings of the three moons shining high in a starry sky. Between the weavings, small patterns made of emeralds were embedded into the wall.

"We're going to the throne room, yes?" Sienna asked Dartfrog. Soil could hear the resentfulness in her voice. He knew how much she disliked other dragons. "Of course we are," Dartfrog said. "Didn't we mention it as we were walking here?" "Just checking."

Dartfrog (who appeared to be the leader of the party) led them through winding hallways. Finally, they reached the throne room. Where Cockatiel is. Should I kill her? But then won't her daughter ascend the throne? Oh, wait: she has two. Vine and Rosebush. But can't they just duel for the throne? No, Vine will just win, since Rosebush's wings are damaged. Whatever. I don't have to kill her.

There was a giant golden throne that was a few feet above the floor in the throne room. It was studded with emeralds (what was it with the emeralds everywhere?) and had a giant weaving of a dragon who was most likely Cockatiel standing in front of a bunch of bushes and trees, a superior tilt to her head and a triumphant look in her eyes. Soil was very tempted to set the weaving on fire.

Cockatiel's scales were pale grey with lines of yellow near her underscales. She had a twisted silver crown atop her head. It had rubies on it rather than emeralds. She had small orange tourmaline stones between the scales outside her eyes. Her tail was curled around her seated body and her wings were folded. 

"Bow," she said, her voice unreadable. Soil found himself bowing, although it filled him with supreme disgust. "Ah, Kumquat," Cockatiel said as they rose. "You brought more MudWings to work for me?" Flecks of pale green appeared on Kumquat's body and vanished almost instantly. "N-not exactly, Your Majesty," he stuttered. "They're Earth's siblings. They are here to, uh, take him home. We thought we should bring them to you." Cockatiel surveyed the group and her eyes narrowed as they fell upon her daughter. "Rosebush," Cockatiel hissed, her scales not changing the slightest bit, "What happened to your wings?" Rosebush arched her neck. "Earth's sister set them on fire," she said, her voice matching her mother's. Cockatiel barked a laugh. "I'm sad she didn't set your face on fire," she snarled. "Then you would be dead." 

Rosebush glared at the queen. "If you hate me so much," she demanded, "Why don't you kill me yourself?" Cockatiel sank her claws into the armrests of her throne. "Because then everyone will think that I am a barbarian," she said. "The second coming of the SkyWing queen Scarlet, killing dragons for no reason. I really do wish I could kill you. You are a mistake. There was not supposed to be a second egg in Vine's clutch, but I thought that it would hatch a charming little prince, not a fool like you. I really regret not smashing it or killing you the moment you hatched." 

Soil felt yet again the accursed feeling of pity for the RainWing queen's daughter. Why am I such a softie? he asked himself. 

"Listen, Cockatiel," Auburn snapped. The queen riled up, flaring her ruff and turning it red. "Just give us our bigwings and let us go. I hate you, I hate your subjects, I hate your whole kingdom. I will gladly leave, but I won't until I have my brother. Give him to us right now."

"First of all," said Cockatiel, "You must call me Queen Cockatiel. Second of all, you didn't need to mention the part about hating my kingdom and subjects, because you are just wasting words. I don't care about your opinions. I also hate you, too, by the way, because most MudWings are stupid, except for your brother because he was raised with us. I want you to leave as quickly as possible and not set anything else on fire. So, you will get your brother back. Grass, go fetch Earth." A bright red RainWing (Soil assumed she was another guard) nodded and ran off through one of the side doors.

A few minutes later, Grass returned, leading a MudWing the color of dry dirt. His eyes were the exact shade of Auburn's, and his face was wearing a wonderful smile. This was Soil, Sienna, and Auburn's true bigwings, Earth.