Wings of Honor: Tales of Pyrrhia

Chapter 18: A New Normal

I stayed next to Marvin while Clay worked on him. His mind was relatively peaceful now that he was asleep. I knew he trusted me, so completely that it scared me. If I asked him to go on a mission to stop the Japanese from invading, all by himself, he would complain but still carry it out.
He didn't like being micromanaged, he wanted to have control over his own destiny. He could see the bigger picture and still act on small manners, but he couldn't lead a lot of people. He still needed someone higher to tell him what to do. I shivered.
What if he believed I was that someone?
I felt the warmth of Qibli's wing drape over me. Turtle seemed to be looking over him, probably wishing he could heal him.
"This would be so much easier with animus magic wouldn't it?" Qibli stated.
Me, Turtle, and Clay just gave him the stink eye.
"What? I'm right ain't I?"
Turtle seemed to have cloudy eyes, he closed them and a tear streamed down his face. He missed his powers, and I couldn't blame him.
Sometimes I wished Jerboa the Third never took away all animus powers. He was one of the few dragons I knew who used his powers for good. He didn't do anything to anger anybody, except for Darkstalker.
He helped us, he helped the world.
I balled my claws, strangely angry at everything that I had to live with now. My friend, he was normal. But he wasn't how he wanted to be. I hung my head, I couldn't stand being here anymore.
I walked out, back to our cave. I snuggled up on my bed of leaves, the smell reminded me of the jungle. The way things used to be. Back when my powers were secret, my friends weren't in danger, when the tribes were finally getting along, and conflicts and wars seemed to be behind us. A tear formed, the coolness running down my face. A vision formed painlessly, from Marvin's memories.

They were similar, days of being at his house with his family. The only thing he needed to worry about was when they should have dinner. Back when the world was... normal.
I cried.

Not that I didn't want to be here like this, but it felt all too much to handle. My friends, they were hurt, harmed in one way or another. So much was happening, so much. I heard Kinkajou slink in.
"Hey, Moon."
"Hey," I said, still half sobbing.
"Are you thinking about Marvin?"
I just looked up at her, and I saw her scales turn a shade of blue and grey.
"He's going to be okay you know." Her scales regaining some of their color. "Like you said, he's a big bad soldier, and this is what they do. At least, what scavenger soldiers do."
I just looked down, tears still streaming.
"Come on Moon, cheer up." She tugged at my wings. "I don't like it when you're sad like that. What happened to the shy, cheerful Moon who stopped Darkstalker?"
That drew a smile from me.
"There we go!" She jumped up, gold and pink rippling across her scales.
"What's all the commotion?" Qibli stuck his head in.
"I'm just trying to cheer Moon up." She said playfully. I couldn't hide a laugh.
"Oh. I can imagine this is a lot to take in Moon."
I just nodded slowly.
"It's... just..."
"You don't have to tell me. I know." Qibli offered a smile, drawing one from me.
"Aww! But I wanted to know!"
"Oh, Kinkajou." We both laughed.
"Fine then, I'm gonna get some mangos with Tamarin. At least she talks to me." She took off down the hall.
"Hey. We talk to you too! Aaaand she's gone." He walked over to my bed, drawing his wing over me again. "Anything you want to talk about?"
I shifted my wings. "I don't really know." I turned to look into his dark, glassy eyes. Eyes that I knew were incredibly observant, Qibli was a great person to talk something out with.
"Do you remember school...?"
"Yeah, before you told me about your secret. It's a lot better really, don't you think? You don't have to worry about keeping that huge secret, or having an ancient evil dragon always whispering into your ear."
I laughed, he was right, things were better. In a way.
"Yeah but... do you remember... before the explosion, before Scarlet and Darkstalker?"
Qibli paused for a moment. He sighed.
"I do. Why do you ask?"
I looked away.
"It's just that..."
"Sometimes you wish you could go back?"
I nodded slowly, looking up at him again.
"Well... would you give up everything you learned? Everything you fought for? Because that's kind of what you would need to do to stay in the past."
He was right again. If I wanted to go back, what would I have to give up? The triumphs I won, the knowledge I learned, maybe even my friends too.
I shook my head, signaling my answer.
"There you go. That's the Moon I like."
I smiled at him.
"Why don't we take a flight, just check up on Marvin's squad? Just to see where they are."
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Actually, there's something I want to try. Meet me outside, I'll be right there."
He dashed down the hall, leaving me in my quiet but not so quiet room. All the thoughts and dreams of the dragonets here brushed alongside me.
Maybe this was better, better than how it used to be at least. A sense of normality. A new normal.