If Glory Missed

Chapter Twenty - Adventure's End

"Onyx! Onyx, are you alright?!"

Clay's voice broke free from the jumble of SandWing cries. The screams of Blister still echoed inside her mind.

"Yeah, yes, I'm alright Clay," Onyx replied, forcing herself to her feet. Only then did she realize that the pain in her leg had not only subsided but disappeared completely. Only the small marks where the poison had entered her bloodstream remained. Although practically microscopic, she was sure the marks would leave scars.

As Clay forced his way through the crowd to her, she noticed the unbalance of his stride. Clay was limping.

"What happened to you?" she asked as he approached her. The wound looked nearly identical to her own before she had taken the antidote. The veins in his leg stood out in a deep purple and his entire leg looked unnaturally pale.

"When I used the Lazulite Dragon, it seems that the penalty was getting the same wound you were being healed of," he shrugged as if him taking her injuries was simple. As if any dragon would have down what he did.

"I don't know why you would do such a thing," then in a much quieter voice she whispered, "Thanks."

Clay smiled at her in that sweet look of his. Before either of them could say another word, the rest of Onyx's companions showed up to check in on her, including a funny looking yellow SandWing that walked between Starflight and Hawk. That must Sunny, the one they were all so worried about, she observed with interest.

"Nice fighting skills!" Tsunami nudged Onyx's shoulder with a smile.

"It was a little too violent for me," the small SandWing grimaced with a glance at Blister's blood-covered corpse.

"But it's over now, Sunny," the NightWing reminded her kindly, eliciting a strained smile from her.

"What now?" Hawk asked, putting his wing over Peril's back. She snorted in disgust and slipped his wing off her shoulder as he protested.

"I know what I want to do," Glory noted, glancing at her tattooed body. "Thorn told me that the Scorpion Den has specialists in removing unwanted tattoos."

Clay frowned as if all he wanted to do was take her pain away just as he had taken Onyx's.

How does a dragon like him even exist in such a cruel world?

"We should probably head back to the Sky Kingdom and help sort out the mess there," Harrier informed them, going to stand by her brother. "I would imagine the rest of you will want to go find your families?"

All of the dragonets nodded in unison causing Sunny to laugh.

"I guess this is where we part ways then." Onyx didn't even pose it as a question. They all knew that this was the end of their chaotic and dangerous adventure.

"We don't all have to part ways," Clay looked to Onyx with a nervous smile. "You could come with us you know."

"I wish," and surprisingly, she really did wish to stay with this strange band of misfit dragons, "But I need to be here, serving my fellow SandWings and trying to restore this kingdom to its former glory. To how it was before this whole mess with the SandWIng heirs ruined everything.

Clay nodded. Surely he had expected this answer from her, but he still looked disappointed.

"Off to another adventure then," Tsunami exclaimed as the group split ways.

And although they had to be apart, they would never forget the time they spent together saving lives and stopping a war.