Wings Of Honor: Heart of Ice

Chapter 4: The Nightwing Village

A Nightwing - the one with "ugly thoughts" - slowly stalked along the banks of the river, staring at Kinkajou. His forked black tongue flicked in and out, and his expression was calculating. I tracked him, my sights set on his center mass. I breathed slowly and deeply, steady, finger on the trigger.
A few steps ahead of him was a RainWing, dappled green like forest camo, but not completely camouflaged. She splashed into the river and over to Kinkajou, frowning.
"Oh, it's you," Kinkajou said. I had never heard that tone of gloom from the little RainWing before, already setting off hundreds of alarms. If Kinkajou didn't like someone, I didn't like them either. "Hi, Bromeliad. I thought you were Orchid." I trained my rifle onto Bromeliad.
"What are you doing back here?" He demanded. "You were supposed to stay at that school the queen sent you to! I told her you were a terrible student and would definitely fail or run off, but would she listen? Mysteriously not! And now here you are, so I suppose I was right!" And a bunch more angry thoughts I buzzed out through my focus.
"I'm doing something important," Kinkajou snapped at her. "I'm here to save the queen, if you must know!"
Winter and I caught the shifty expression that crossed Obsidian's face. Moon was right. Maybe this dragon's thoughts were as dangerous as they sounded.
Obsidian's watch turned up, for whatever reason, and his gaze landed on Winter. Thankfully me and Grace decided to go chamo. His tail began lashing furiously.
"An IceWing," he hissed. "In our rainforest. Don't just lurk in the trees, friend. Come down and say hello."
That looked to be the exact last thing Winter ever wanted to do. Despite, he reluctantly spread his wings, only to be caught by Moon's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't let him bully you," She whispered to him. "He's afraid of you. He's planning how to be as cruel and commanding as possible because he wants to see you squirm."
He's right. Grace said to me.
Keep it together Winter.
"I don't squirm for anyone." Winter snarled under his breath, but I still heard it.
"I know," Moon said. "You shouldn't. You're a much better dragon than he is. You're ... you're a much better dragon than most anyone." She then ducked her head to look down at her claws.
By the look on his face, he was self conscious of what she just said. He just blinked at her with a distant stare right through Moon.
"Not me, though, right?" Qibli said, playfully nudging Moon with his mischievous grin. "He's not better than me. I'm awesome, right? Like, the most awesome?"
Then Winter's reaction when she smiled back. Without hesitation, the way I would do if it were my own family, especially Daddy. Winter was a curious dragon. He spun away and left to the ground, advancing obliquely towards him.
The NightWing guard sat back on his haunches, inspecting the dragons suspiciously as Moon and Qibli landed on the riverbank as well. We stayed in the trees. Grace gave me a stable-ish firing platform. I dug my elbow into my chest, letting the gun weight support itself, so I could focus on tracking.
Having a NightWing's gaze on him, traveling over him as he was a confirmed enemy and he was just toying with the best way to eliminate him, made Winter look like he wanted to smash in some faces with his tail. He scraped his serrated claws through the damp layer of leaves on the forest floor, causing me to shiver in discomfort at the sound. Grace finaly decided to uncloak herself and join the others on the ground. I never let off my sights for even a moment.
"You're the peculiar dragonet," Obsidian said finally, narrowing his eyes at Moon. "Failed school already? Did they realize you can't talk and send you back? What's with the multicolored escort?" He squinted at the dragons around her, landing on Grace and Winter. "Exactly who are you?"
"None of your business," Winter growled.
Obsidian's brows went up and he eyed Winter even more closely. I could only imagine in Winter's mind, he wanted to slash that smug, superior looking expression right off that dragon's face.
"We're here to see Queen Glory," Qibli said. Winter and I were interested to hear a note of hostility in Qibli's voice as well. From what I'd seen so far, he usually got along with everyone, or... at least tried to, especially for first impressions. "And trust me, she'll want to see us, so don't be a camel-sniffer about it."
"I have to take you to the Night Village." Obsidian said haughtily. I shivered."That's the protocol for new dragons in the rainforest. We'll send her a message, and if she wants to see you, she'll come find you there."
I can't go there. That's where-
I know. Just stay cloaked.
"Um, no." Kinkajou said. "Hello, I am a RainWing, not a 'new dragon.' I live here! I'm practically the queen's best friend! And I'm taking my new friends to see her right now."
The NightWing shifted his wings slightly and flicked his tongue through his sharp teeth.
"Kinkajou," Moon said, touching her clawmate's shoulder, trying to get her to stand down. "Actually, if we go to the village, I could see my mother ... and we could ask whether anyone's seen Icicle."
"Oh - all right," Kinkajou agreed. "But I'm going because I want to, not because anyone is telling me to." She flared the ruff behind her ears at Obsidian, turning an orange as she did.
He gave us a nasty smile. Like that one 1st Sergent I met in Tunisia, literally got away with murder... over an ammo box containing a peanut butter sandwich.
"Well, come along, then."
"I'll go tell Queen Glory you're here." said Bromeliad, lifting off into the trees.
We followed behind the others. Me and Grace stood alongside Winter as the rear flank guard, much to the angry glances of Winter. But mainly, it was so we could keep an eye on Obsidian. Something about him didn't quite rub right with me. Then again, nothing rubbed right with me about any of this. Even in the past, the Rainwing village was still somewhere I didn't quite exactly want to be. Not just because the two times I visited, I was either imprisoned or run out of town for a crime I didn't commit. Maybe I could plead for amnesty if I brought back Grace? No, I would never give her up like that. Even if it cost me my life.
Winter kept thinking as we walked. Probably because we were going into the belly of the beast. He didn't like Nightwings period, and here we were, delivering him right to the Nightwing tribe village. I wasn't sure which dragon to train on.
Obsidian could very well be planning a coup-d'etat, while Winter looked like his first instinct was to kill every Nightwing he could see, possibly including present company.
Grace shivered. I rubbed my hand on her back.
I really don't like this.
I know, just... keep your head on a swivel. Stay alert.
I felt her close her eyes, trying to look into the future again. I turned myself around to view her front, giving her sight.
We made audible contact with the village before we even made visual contact. The sounds of wingbeats echoing around the trees, the terrible crackling of branches being broken free from their trees, and even the distinctive blows of a hammer. It sounded like we walked in on a construction site. I could smell the distant but delicious smell of meat being cooked over a fire, instantly making my mouth water with hunger. Then I heard a low growl emanate from Winter. When I looked, he was looking down, at the ground, but obviously meant for his stomach.
I grabbed the ration I meant to give it to him before. Making myself visible.
"Psst. Winter." I caught his attention. I opened the tin of bacon and cheese, withdrawing the sick concoction. "Here. Have some of this."
"What's this going to do?"
"It's gonna save your image, next, sanity. Just eat it." I threw it up to his mouth with a high arcing, so he could guarantee catching it, which he promptly did in his mouth. I saw his face scowl at the strange taste.
Yeah, nobody likes those.
I gave Grace the fruit bar while I filled up on the sugar tablets.
Then, I made out dragons with black scales dead ahead. As jet black as the ones I cared most about.
Two of them crossed a dirt path ahead of us, apparently requiring a patrolling guard detail. Must be a strategic position. Obsidian left to talk with the forward group in low murmurs, I couldn't make out what he said through Moon.
I can't hear either.
Okay. Stay vigilant.
Several of the Nightwings passing by also passed us glares. I wasn't sure if they were at Winter or at Grace, I was invisible. I saw Winter had cueled his claws in, as if he was prepared to fight. But taking on the whole Nightwing tribe, in the rainforest, it was suicide any way you look it. I really hope he didn't try it, but knowing his Icewing 'liniage,' anything was possible at this point.
Then Obsidian beckoned Winter and the rest of us forward with his tail. The two road guards stepped aside to let them pass, smirking in the horribly superior NightWing sort of way, same as I saw on Obsidian.
"What do you think those smug expressions are for?" Qibli said loudly to Winter. "Doesn't seem like NightWings have anything left to be smug about, right? I mean, they've gone from claiming to be the most powerful tribe in Pyrrhia to homeless and pathetic and bowing to RainWings."
All three guards bristled, flaring their wings.
That was the absolute wrong thing to say right now Qibli.
"What's wrong with bowing to a RainWing?" Kinkajou demanded.
"Qibli, quit making things worse." Moon hissed.
"I was just wondering," he said calmly, with a wink at Winter.
Then it clicked for me. Winter knew what he was doing, and it had worked. Qibli's words had, on purpose, riled up the NightWings and made Winter feel better at the same time. Now that was a hell of a friendship if I ever saw one.
As we traveled down the road, I was on high alert. Nightwings just materialized out of the trees, and we were confined to this tiny road, that Grace would have trouble spinning around to meet an attacker if need be. Winter was on edge as well. Once we finally walked into the village, his head was moving as fast as mine was. He looked like he was supposed to be walking into a military training camp. Instead, he was met by some very ordinary village business. Of course, that didn't put me at any ease.
I jumped and ducked when a sharp snap echoed through the forest. I have never spun so quickly in my life. Apparently a squad's worth of Nightwings were grappling with vines, clearing brush and a few small trees. Just clearing out the area. Three others behind them, near the river, were washing various fruits. Next to them. The tell tale sign of smoke and a few flickering flames denoted several campfires. A section's worth of Nightwings were busy roasting pig-like animals over them. I don't know why, but I thought Capybara.
Several others were working to set up the ramshackle housing that were dotted haphazardly around the area. A younger dragon, not unlike Grace when she was a couple of days old, scampered up onto the roof, a bundle of palm leafs in her grip. She was plastering them in, only to have the section of the roof give way under her weight. With a yell and a crash, she plummeted to the ground. Instantly, me and Grace were on the case, as well as a few other Nightwings shouting at her. Grace slammed open the door and helped the young dragon to her feet.
"Are you okay?"
The poor dragonet shook her head and huffed. "Fine. No thank you." And with that, she stepped out with her head raised high.
Okay.
That was rude.
Yeah. At least she's okay. Come on Grace.
We rejoined the group. Kinkajou was talking to Winter and Qibli.
"...but the NightWings didn't want help. Plus they thought it was too sunny up there, like, what does that even mean? How can it ever be too sunny?"
"I know right! How can anything be too sunny? Unless you're in a greenhouse, or something similar."
Kinkajou looked at Grace, then slowly nodded.
"Mother!" Moon suddenly cried. Her whole face lit up like the sun sparkling off a glacier, happiness flooding through our mental links. She flew across the clearing and threw her wings around a tall, thin Secretkeeper.
"Moon!" Her mother gasped, expression going quietly from tired, to startled, to overjoyed. She wrapped Moon in close to her with her wings with fierce affection. I couldn't help but smile. I wish I could do that with Grace. Just be enough to hold her. I blinked away a tear and swallowed, not letting anyone see, not even Grace.
Only now did Winter wander back into my gaze. He looked like he was discovering how a new civilization worked. Like how I was when I first entered Europe, and met my first village village en-march to the front. Then Winter started scanning, I scanned with him. His gaze rested on a Nightwing dragonet and his mother, both washing fruit. The kid trying to help. The mother draped one wing over him, protecting him.
Then there was another dragonet, set up upon a knocked over tree. They looked to be practicing flying. A dragon, which I only guess to be the father, stood beside her. Braced to catch her when she fell awkwardly when her wings couldn't catch the wind. But he had a smile on his face, a fatherly proudness I could finaly begin to understand. His smile was contagious.
But then I noticed Winter tore his gaze away. He looked back towards Qibli and Kinkajou, both happily watching over Moon and Secretkeeper. Even Grace was smiling, watching them reunite. But Winter? His face turned to scowl, much to my confusion. This poor dragon, he looked to be fighting everything good he saw in this village. But why? Maybe for discipline? To prevent him fr9m going soft? That might be it.
Oh this poor soldier. I muttered under my breath.
"What are you doing here?" Moon's mother asked, holding Moon by her shoulders. Oh my moon bud. Did you get thrown out?
Moon curled her wings in, her face falling. "I didn't get thrown out," she said in a soft voice.
Why are you here? Did they discover you? Are they after you?
"I didn't do anything wrong, and nobody - that didn't happen, Mother."
"Shhh," said the older dragon, pulling Moon close again. I layed down to do my best to hug Grace. She understood my gesture, humming happily and motioning to me. Secretkeeper eyed Winter, Qibli and us warily.
"But I did make friends," Moon said. She wriggled out of her mother's grasp. "You should meet them." She turned toward the others and her eyes went wide. A new mind rapidly closed on us. Me and Grace turned to meet a running, unfamiliar Nightwing with a pouch hung around his neck.
"No, stop!" Grace and Moon shouted. "He's not -"
The Nightwing tackled winter, pinning him down. Winter was utterly suprised from this ambush.
"Don't bother struggling, IceWing," said an unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar voice. "You're under arrest."