Wings of Honor: Tales of Pyrrhia

Chapter 30: The Last Eagle

Marvin's mind was overcome with silence. My own vision was blurry with tears.
"Marvin," I whispered, as I lay down next to him.
I tried brushing against him, but he wouldn't wake up.
"Marvin. Wake up. Please."
I nudged him again... but he didn't respond.
I lay my head on his chest, feeling his rapidly fleeing warmth.
I hummed to him. My song, the song my Mommy taught me.
"Moon?" I heard Qibli ask.
I kept humming.
"Moon. Stop." Suddenly, Kish's voice broke through.
I looked at him and snarled.
"He's gone, Moon. At least give him goddamned respect."
I ignored him, nuzzling his hand. But it fell against his side, unresponsive.
"Moon. He's gone."
"No." My voice broke. "He can't be."
"Moon." Travers tried to say.
"He saved us. I saved him. He can't be dead!"
"Moon," Travers said again.
"No! Maybe I can still hear his mind. He's still a little warm!"
"Moon. Stop." A dark blue Kinkajou with tears running down her face.
"Moon, let him be," Winter said.
"No! He's alive! I can hear him!" I wrapped my tail around him, but McManis and Kish worked it off. Qibli and Winter grabbed hold of me and dragged me back.
"No! Let me be with him! I need to be with him!" I kicked and screamed.
"Moon! Stop it!" Qibli surprised me with the sharpness in his voice.
He looked me over, as if in disbelief himself. Then, he hugged me. He started crying himself.
I looked over at Winter. Blue streams ran down from his closed eyes as well.
We cried for what seemed like an eternity.
I wanted to be with him, but Qibli wouldn't let me.
Kish took off his helmet. "He was a good soldier."
"A good leader," Reed commented.
"A good man," McManis said.
The whole squad agreed.
All but one.
"Travers, come on." McManis nudged him.
"He's not dead." He plainly stated.
"Travers..."
But he only looked up at him, tears in his eyes.
"But he's not dead McManis."
I saw in his mind, that he truly believed that.
Wait! I hear something!
My eyes widened!
Suddenly, Marvin coughed, rolling over and groaning.
"Marvin!" "Captain!" "Lieutenant!" "Marvin!"
Everyone rushed onto him. Marvin groaned and tried to sit up. McManis held him up with his claws, Travers and Kish knelt next to him. I was up above him the next instant.
"Ahh." He groaned. "What happened? You all look like I crashed a funeral."
"You kind of did," Kish said, beginning to laugh.
They all began to laugh.
McManis pulled him into a hug. "Oh my God Marvin, don't you ever do that to me again."
"Do what? Promote you? You deserve it, McManis."
So you do remember that. McManis blinked, holding him.
"H-how did you survive that? We all saw you take your last breath. You died, Marvin!" Qibli exclaimed.
"I did?" Yeah. Everyone thinks I did.
He looked over at all of us, then settled on Travers. We all looked to Travers. He was looking down at the ground, but his mind was clear.
"He wasn't dead. I told you, McManis." He looked toward him, as if he was innocent.
"You... casted a spell to save Marvin?" Kish asked.
Travers nodded, almost imperceptibly.
"Well... thank you, Travers, again." Marvin softly said.
Travers smiled a little. But Marvin finally looked up at me. The soldiers moved out of my way as I lowered myself to him.
"Moon." He said with a smile.
"Marvin." I choked saying his name, tears flooded my eyes again. I thrust my head into him, I felt his warmth and peace. His warm hand caressed my head for a moment.
I'm okay Moon.
You are. I thought I lost you. Even the voice in my mind breaking.
To be honest... so did I.
I lifted away when wingbeats sounded behind us. The clatter of guns training on the landing Nightwing.
"At ease. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already." The slithering voice of the person who nearly killed Marvin, twice!
As if that was any more comforting.
You killed Marvin.
You killed our officer.
I will not let you live.
So much hate and anger emanated from his squad.
McManis and Kish helped Marvin to his feet. He took tentative but strongly defiant steps forward. Goldman towered over him.
"Goldman. Long time no see."
"So you managed to defeat me. A noteworthy achievement."
"Yeah, I guess so."
I heard a soldier scoff.
Classic Marvin. Always downplaying himself.
Goldman snorted.
"But I must call a ceasefire. You have earned this victory."
"Earned definitely." Marvin chuckled.
"You have won by pure luck. But as for your determination, I have mine. You have won this battle, but the war is still ongoing" Goldman growled.
"Then so be it." Marvin separated himself from his supports, standing strongly against him. "I'm not going to rest easy until you do Goldman. Remember that."
"I know. And I expect no less from such potent advisories." The evil Nightwing looked around slowly. Then cast a long gaze at me. "But one must think: what if there weren't foes to begin with?"
A sharp headache began to form, but no vision came.
"I wonder what would happen if there were no Moonwatcher, or Qibli, or Turtle, or even Peril or Kinkajou?"
A terrible realization came over me, I saw Marvin have the same thing.
"I have looked into the future, and I must offer a forecast: there might be a bad Moon rising. I'm only going to say this to you and your friends Marvin: catch me if you can." Goldman laughed in a burst of maniacal laughter.
A light purple vortex opened up behind him, he stepped through it.
"Travers!" Came a yell.
"I'm holding it open!"
"So am I!"
"Me too!"
Qibli, Turtle, and Travers all looked to be struggling beneath an invisible weight.
A vision crashed into me.

Five souls. Dangers unknown.
They must maintain balance, or else the world will fall under their absence.
Watch the skies for an eagle that flies
Watch the homes for dangers unknown.
Someone is coming to shake the Earth
The tribes will tremble from a mighty imbalance.
Thunder and lightning shall mark their presence.
Be it him, or her, they must prove their worth.

"Moon!" Marvin yelled over the unearthly sounds.
Five souls.
"Marvin no!"
He ran up to me.
"Moon, I have to go! I have to go!"
"No! I can't lose you!" I felt him running his hands at my feet.
"You won't! I've... been with you! I've always been with you! Just like you've always been with me!"
"Marvin! Hurry it up!" McManus swung his arm.
He hesitated for a moment, then beaconed me to come closer. I did. He whispered into my ear.
"Just remember, I love you, Moon. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
"Marvin!"
Kinkajou grabbed me, as Marvin wheeled around.
"McManus! Travers!" He pointed.
The squad members passed large bags to the three men.
Marvin ran up and grabbed the basket, opening it one last time to see the pale white Nightwing egg.
"It'll be safer with me!" He looked up and over his squad one last time. I felt him hesitate over his words. "Sergeant Kish, you have the comm!"
"Sergeant has the comm!" Kish yelled back, tears in his eyes.
"Sergeant has the comm!"
"Sergeant has the comm!"
The squad repeated over the etherial roaring.
He looked over at us one last time. Taking a shaky breath.
"I'm going somewhere you can't follow! But just know, I'm still behind you! I've always been behind you, just like others have been behind me! Tackle your duties to the best of your abilities! I will see you all in Paradice men! My last order to you: Hold fast!"
"Yes sir, Captain!" Kish yelled, making a salute. The rest of the squad saluted. I raised my claws and mimicked the soldiers, as did my winglet. A lot of the dragons did the same.
Marvin only nodded and smiled, grabbing the bag next to him. Stay good Moon. I'll come back for you. I'll always be looking for you. Remember that for me.
I will. Tears welling in my eyes, choking me. I-I love you, Marvin!
He paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder one final time.
I... love you too Moonwatcher.
I saw one final tear fall, and land on the slate.
The next moment, the three of them disappeared through the portal. It vanished into a purple cloud.

Marvin's mind was gone.

An eerie stillness was cast over Jade Mountain. So much damage was done, but we were alive. Marvin at least made sure of that.
The soldiers did their best to dispose of the bodies, and clear off the destroyed tanks and other dangerous things. Sunny offered them to stay at Jade Mountain.
"No, thank you Sunny," Kish said. "We just can't stay here. All due respect to you and the other dragons, but we're going to Sanctuary. We have a home there."
I only nodded slowly when I heard that.
Kish took a long look at me. I see a lot of Marvin in Moonwatcher. I hope she'll visit.

I did.
The first thing that you see when you step into their barracks is a large picture of them. All of them. How they were before they left.
Goldman smiling. Marvin smiling. Travers, McManus, and all the others, standing in front of their plane.

I stayed at Jade Mountain, completing my studies. But it wasn't the same.
It would never be the same I guess.
Qibli would come up next to me and drape his wing around me. "He hasn't gone anywhere." He would always start.
"I know." I would always admit. "But... it's not the same."
"It was never supposed to be the same." Turtle appeared. "That's the way stories work."
"We have to move on, now with what we found in this adventure." Qibli piggybacked off of Turtle.
Then I was enveloped by rainbow wings. "I miss him too Moon. But we have to do what he says: move on."
Winter was standing not too far outside, staring up at the sky. I sat down next to him, everyone stayed behind us. He didn't say anything, only kept looking into the sky. Looking up at the beautiful night sky, with its moons. The beautiful moons.
"He's up there." Someone said. "He's waiting. He's coming home... soon."