The Sailor and the Dragon-Sinbad x Reader

Chapter 17: One Conflict Ends, Another Starts

I own nothing
Chapter 17: The Great Coalition

"HAH!" Bullcharge roared as he easily swatted away the magic blast.
Training had been going excellently these past few weeks. Thanks to the eagerness of the warriors to put an end to the war and the borderline tyranny of Forestshade's teaching methods, many more silver wing dragons were appearing. It had been rough to start, (W/N) having to demonstrate the power of their forgotten magic and gradually exposing the others to magic (made more difficult by the fact they had one magician and having to rely on the Sky Mirror which was minuscule compared to a magic user), but over time, they got the hang of it. Some were more skilled than others though. Icesheer was still struggling with lower power magic while Bullcharge had revealed himself to be quite the prodigy at deflecting magic (this is the last hint you're getting). (W/N) looked down at the training dragons with satisfaction. This could work, this had to work. Cloverheart swooped down to her side, also watching the session.
"I never thought I'd see a day when our people would gain the tools to protect themselves from magic."
"It is quite something." (W/N) agreed.
"You're quite something, (W/N)." She looked back at him as he continued to praise her. "We're here because of you. You made this possible."
"You give me too much credit. Forestshade deserves the praise."
The male shifted. "No, you don't give yourself enough credit. Forestshade told us the story. You naturally unlocked the power and she found you after. This was all thanks to you."
She felt her cheek heat. "It's not like I did it on purpose. If I'm getting credit for doing something accidentally, then my friend deserves half the credit for exposing me to magic."
Cloverheart clicked his tongue. "Ah yes, the mysterious Wavereader. Why isn't he here? We could certainly use the extra power."
"This is dragon business. I told him to stay behind to watch the company."
"Is he not part of your tribe? Does he not have a warrior name?"
She lowered her head. "I...I needed to prove that I'm still a warrior first. I hear the whispers of other dragons, even from my tribe. Some think that my loyalty has...swayed. I wanted to prove them wrong."
"Whoever said that could go shove their heads in lava." He assured her. "In my opinion, no one has been trying harder to save us than you, (W/N). You should be proud of that."
"Thank you. You should be proud too. What you did and you were willing to do, that took guts."
He chuckled. "Honestly, I was worried your mother was going to crush me. I don't think I've thanked you for your help back there. Why did you vouch for me?"
"I suppose you reminded me of Wavereader. The way you spoke and your conviction, it was almost like he was speaking. I guess that made it easier to trust you."
The male looked at her sharply. "You care about him a lot."
She gazed at the sky. "I do. He's been my best friend for a long time."
"No, you love him."
She blinked at him. It had been so sudden and blunt, but with the sharpness of truth that cut any argument she may have. He continued.
"I've noticed it. You look longingly at the sky and the way you talk about him, it's undeniable and I'm not the only one who's noticed. Ambertail been chatting up Bullcharge about her worry about you two."
"Big mouthed lizard." (W/N) growled under her breath.
"Have you told him? About your feelings."
"Not in such clear words...we both know we'd do anything for each other, but...I don't think I realized how I felt until now...being away from him for so long. But he's an infamous flirt. I don't think he would ever want that kind of a relationship."
"Then he's a fool who can't see how lucky he is."
She blinked again. Cloverheart had a surprisingly high opinion of her despite the short time they had known each other and the shorter time they had been allies. Before their conversation could continue, Forestshade roared at them.
"Cloverheart! Get your tail down here for training before Bullcharge wears himself out!"
"I suppose that's my call." He joked before turning back to her. "(W/N), it may not be my place, but perhaps you could consider being honest with him."
He then walked off, leaving the female to sulk.
"War is much easier than love."
Funnily enough, Forestshade heard her.
"Tell me about it."
(Timeskip)
Almost a full year of this conflict, of training, strategizing, realizations, would all end that night one way or another. They would infiltrate the Tribe of Sharp Rocks' village and either destroy all the magicians, or die trying. Considering the massive casualties from their last attack, (W/N) opted instead to take a party of 29 dragons with most mastery over silver wings, one for each magician. Icesheer and Blitzscale would return with the others to the Tribe of Fallen Stars and wait. If the party did not return before dawn, they would know they were dead and would prepare to evacuate to the Sindria Trading Company with a single message: Avenge her. (W/N) prayed it wouldn't come to that, but in the case of her death, she had asked Blitzscale to deliver a letter to her mother with instructions to tell Sinbad about her feelings. At the very least, he would know should the worse happen.
With Bullcharge and Cloverheart on both her flanks, (W/N) lead the party under the cover of darkness towards the village once more. As they approached, (W/N) glanced down at the water. A small part of her hoped she would see the body of Wildthorn or any of the others so they could at least bury them with honor back home, but this wasn't the time for that. They could honor the fallen dragons by killing those magicians. Cloverheart overtook her as a patrolling party approached them. The outsiders held their breath, preparing for a fight, but the patrol stopped. In the lead was a massive black dragon covered in scars and a more refined looking white dragon, who had a wicked burn like scar on half his face. Cloverheart nodded to them and without a word, the lead dragons let them pass.
"We'll head through the hidden tunnels." Cloverheart went over again. "That will give us the quickest route to the main chamber where they're hole up at night."
"Our guys are hypnotized. Please don't hurt them." Bullcharge pleaded. "The other guards will look the other way."
"Got it." (W/N) assured as she looked at the rest of the party. "Your orders are to incapacitate the hypnotized dragons. Do as little damage as you can. The magician you are to kill without hesitation. Remember your training and defend yourselves however you can."
Their whole strategy centered upon separating the hostages from the magicians. Hopefully, removing the puppeteers would make them more docile, and magicians would be helpless against the silver wings. There were their Borgs to consider, but the physical might of dragons in their bestial form would be more than enough to shatter the barriers. Hell, (W/N) had heard stories about dragons in their human forms breaking Borgs if they got close enough. It should be simple, but their previous attack should have been as well. With every wingbeat, dread crept into her. What if something went wrong again? She shook her head. Those kinds of thoughts would get her killed. She had to focus on seeing the mission through till the end. Too soon, the war party emerged on the underside of the village. It was much more beautiful than (Y/N) had ever expected. Home's carved into giant stalactites, small hanging gardens, caverns illuminated by soft blue glowing stones, and large waterfalls that came from somewhere feeding an intricate waterway that followed through everything. Clearly the Tribe of Sharp Rocks was more aesthetically inclined than she had ever given them credit for.
"It's beautiful." She muttered to herself.
"Thank you." Cloverheart said, hearing her. "Usually it's a lot more rowdy than this, but the war has made everyone more silent. Hopefully the caverns will be filled with laughter and noise again soon."
"We'll take it back. I swear it."
The two natives guided the party through the shadowed pathway out of the direct line of sight. A few dragons kept watch but nodded to them as they passed, their eyes pleading for help. Eventually, they came to a large, circular cavern with a massive luminous crystal hanging overhead and a large fortress of cavernous stone in the center. Cloverheart has told them this was the meeting hall for the tribe, but now it was where the magicians were keeping the leaders and the top warriors. At the gate were two massive dragons with magicians on their backs. Both of them wore the same uniform as the dead one, but (Y/N) only then took note of a symbol on it. It was a bit far to see, but it was there. It was odd and vaguely familiar.
Bullcharge growled. "Those are two of Olivestar's best captains: Sharkcatcher and Owltalon. They won't go down easy."
"Fortunately, we outnumber them." Ambertail pointed out. "The others will keep them pinned until the magicians are dealt with. Hopefully that will stop the hypnosis."
Cloverheart nodded. "When my mother returned after the battle, she was dazed and confused, but she almost sounded like her old self for a moment. The magicians quickly got her alone and she was right back to being a puppet. That's how I realized what was going on."
"After that, Cloverheart and I looked for the magician that had fallen into the water and found him half dead on the shore, finished him off, and brought him to you guys." His friend explained. "So killing them might be enough to save them."
"That's reassuring." Windweaver sighed. "Well, it shouldn't be too much trouble to get past these two."
The green winged heir nodded. "The fools can barely tell the tribes apart, they just know I'm Oliverstar's son and Bullcharge is my friend. If a few of us approach, they probably won't know the difference. Except you, (W/N), they know who you are."
"Figures." She hissed, before turning to her friend. "Ambertail, can you go in my stead?"
"My pleasure." She almost purred.
Three other dragons were chosen, those on the heavier side, and the rest of the party watched from the shadows as the group of six approached the guards. Cloverheart walked to them confidently.
"Let me pass. I must converse with my mother."
"Our orders are to keep everyone out." Owltalon spoke hollowly.
Cloverheart growled. "This is important. As the future leader of the tribe, I have a right to discuss this matter with her. Let us pass."
"We will not." Sharkcatcher responded. "Leave immediately."
"This is ridiculous." Bullcharge roared, putting the attention on him so they wouldn't notice the other dragons getting into position. "Cloverheart deserves to be in there! He's pretty much our leader by now since all Olivestar can do is plan battles and listen to magic users!"
"Bite your tongue, you runt of a lizard!" One magician finally snapped.
Cloverheart grinned maliciously. "So the puppeteers can speak for themselves."
In the split second before the magicians could realize their trick had been discovered, the dragons were upon them. The hypnotized dragons fought viciously to shield their captors, but the numbers and speed of their attackers was overwhelming. Bullcharge had actually immediately yanked off the magician who had insult while two of the volunteers pinned Owltalon. The apparent runt of the lizard made the human pay dearly for his words as he screamed for help, smashing him against the ground like a sea otter with a clam before his barrier gave out. The wyvern wing in no time reduced him to a broken, bloodied lump that even (W/N) winced at the sight of.  The other magician had more luck as Cloverheart and the other dragon fought to subdue Sharkcatcher. He fire off a spell at the heir who covered himself with his wing. The magic was blocked, but the less experienced Cloverheart was fazed long enough for Sharkcatcher to shove the other dragon away and swipe him in the face. (W/N) immediately charged to help her new friend, Windweaver behind her. The magician spun as her head collided with Sharkcatcher's, causing him to rear up in pain. Cloverheart then pushed his hindlegs into the warrior, knocking him off balancing, allowing not only for the pouncing Windweaver to knock him to the ground, but giving Ambertail the opportunity to pull the magician off him. As the two warriors and their other ally rushed to pin down Sharkcatcher, (W/N) watched from the corner of her eye as Ambertail chomped down on the screaming magician. For a moment, his Borge held out, only to shatter as Ambertail clamped down on the enemy, shaking him and sending him flying into a wall with a splat. With the magicians dead, the previously hypnotized dragons seemed dazed and confused. Cloverheart got off the older warrior and looked at his face.
"Sharkcatcher! Come on, snap out of it!"
The older male groaned. "C-Cloverheart? What happened?"
The heir sighed. "Thank goodness. You were hypnotized by magicians."
That seemed to get the dragons' attention as Owltalon swung up.
"Magicians!?"
"I can't explain everything right now, but we're going to free the leaders. Go into the village and tell everyone we've been betrayed and stay out of sight until our party returns. Go now!"
"Y-yes sir!"
Still confused, the warriors flew off as the rest of the party entered the stone fortress. The halls were long and narrow, seemingly identical, but Bullcharge and Cloverheart knew exactly where they were going.
"The first thing hatchlings learn is how to navigate in here." The feathered dragon explained. "In the case of an invasion, they come here to hide from the enemy."
"Make sense." (W/N) agreed. "I know I'd get lost in here pretty easily."
The party immediately froze as something putrid reached their noses. Cloverheart peaked his head into an upcoming tunnel.
"Great Ancestors."
(W/N) pushed next to him and nearly threw up at the sight: the rotting, maggot infested corpse of a dragon. He had no visible wounds that could be discerned from the rotting meat, so only one conclusion could be reach.
"Magicians."
Cloverheart nodded. "The magician controlling must have been reassigned to my mother, and they couldn't have him revealing the truth."
Windweaver pulled next to them, his eyes wide. "Duskstar!"
"You know him?"
The smaller dragon looked at his paws. "He is...was...the leader of one of our enemy tribes. I didn't expect to find him like this. We may have been foes, but he didn't deserve this disrespect. They didn't even bury him."
Ambertail hissed. "They're starting to kill leaders now. They can't get away with this!"
"And they won't." (W/N) growled. "This ends now. My friends, carry the spirits of not only our fallen allies, but the desecrated spirit of Duskstar so that our enemies will know eternal punishment!"
It was like a switch flipped in their minds. Where before they had been stealth and cautious, the sight of a dead leader, disrespect and left to rot, fueled an anger so powerful it made the dragons rampage. With Cloverheart leading, the party stormed into the central hub where their foes were holed up. The magicians barely had time to react as the dragons descended upon them in a furious storm of claws and fire. The puppeted dragons fought, but were carelessly yanked out of the way as the magicians were torn to pieces. Cloverheart and (W/N) did not stay to partake in the massacre, having a much bigger target to secure. At the far end of a tunnel was a large steel door.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" (Y/N) asked.
He nodded. "She's my mother, I have to save her, no matter the cost."
Confidently, he walked up to the door and knocked.
"Mother, it's me. May I come in?"
"Cloverheart?" An empty voice responded. "What are you doing here?"
"Mother, please let me in, I need to speak to you."
There was a moment of pause, (W/N) feared they would have to claw their way through, but the was a long clank as the doors slowly opened. The second Oliverstar's face became visible, Cloverheart pounced at her. The two rolled into the darkness before the son put all of his weight onto his mother's head and jaws, keeping them firmly pinned.
"(W/N)!"
The dragoness raced in, searching for the magician. A blast came from her, a second slow enough that her wings guarded her. The faint glow of her wings illuminated the room to see her foe. The magician was small, most magician's being on the slender side. Yet even for a magician, he was frail looking. There were shadows under his eyes, which held a broken gaze behind the searing anger he was sending her. Still, she did not waver, her throat vibrating with a low growl as the magician aimed his staff at her.
"You..." He hissed. "You should have died."
"It'll take more than your parlor tricks to kill me." She declared. "Your allies are dead, the leaders will come to their senses, your crimes will be exposed, and we will make certain your kind never try this again."
"I don't need them. I just need to kill you. That's all she wanted us to do. If I do that, then it will be worth it."
(W/N) snarled, her legs ready to pounce. "I will give you one chance: tell me who sent you, and you might live to see the morning."
The magician answered in a spell that (W/N) easily batted away as she leapt. Her claws tore through the Borg and then the human. In his final breath he croaked.
"Mother! Forgive us!"
He was then still, his blood seeping to the stone floor. (W/N) breathed a sigh of relief. It was done. But as she looked at the blood on her claws, the magician's final words rang in her head. Something told her this was only the beginning. But the true mastermind of this tragedy could wait, now they needed to reassemble the leaders. She turned back to Cloverheart, who stepped off his now limp mother.
"Is she okay?"
He nodded. "She's fine, just resting."
"Cloverheart! (W/N)!" Bullcharge and Ambertail raced in, both covered in a substantial amount of human blood.
"The magicians are all dead!" Ambertail reported.
"And the one controlling Olivestar is as well. Our attack was successful, this war is over. Bullcharge, can you inform your tribe that it's safe and to gather healers? I think it would be best if Cloverheart were here when his mother woke up."
"Of course." He then turned to Ambertail. "Wanna come, Ambertail? I could use the extra wings."
She blinked in surprise but nodded. "Oh...um...Sure!'
They took off and (Y/N) watched in disbelief.
"Well that was certainly unexpected."
A groaning drew their attention back to the fallen leader. Her Hazel eyes, now focused, fluttered open and turned to her son.
"Yuan?"
"Mom!" Cloverheart pressed his forehead gently to hers. "You're back! Thank the ancestors you're back!"
(Y/N) watched the tender moment, feeling like an intruder. All this time, she hadn't considered what Cloverheart had truly been feeling, and she could imagine the weight lifted from his shoulders now that his mother was free. She dreaded the idea of having to face off against her own parents. The leader then noticed her and her eyes widened.
"Y-you? (W/N)?!"
The younger dragoness straighten up. "Good evening, Olivestar. Do you recall what has been happening?"
"N-no." She admitted. "It's...faded, like a dream."
"A nightmare, more so." Cloverheart said somberly. "Mom...you started a war."
Her eyes were filled with horror. "I...I what!?"
"You were being controlled by a magician." (W/N) explained. "He commanded you to start a civil war and he and his allies gained control over other leaders. You've been like this for a year now."
"A...a whole year?" She could barely believe it before shooting to her paws. "Wait, is anyone hurt!? How many did we lose?!"
The two looked down.
"Unfortunately, there have been casualties." (Y/N) finally answered.
Oliverstar looked ready to be sick. "Ancestors, forgive me. How could I have let this happen!?"
"It wasn't your fault, mom." Cloverheart insisted, draping a wing over her. "Those magicians came under the guise of those merchant, you couldn't have known what would happen!"
"Merchants?"
He bit his cheek. "I suppose I haven't told you how the magicians got in. I promise to explain everything."
"Later. For now, let's gather up the leaders and send word to other tribes. This war is finished."
(Timeskip)
A week of recovery was necessary before a grand meeting would be held at the Isle of Stars to decide where to go from here. It had been a grueling task explaining to hostages what had happened in the last few months. Some were enraged, some disgusted in themselves, others horrified. The worst of it had to be from the Tribe of Raging Tides, the tribe that Duskstar had led. His daughter and heir, Swayingpetal, cried out in despair at the discarded corpse of her father. She had nearly killed Oliverstar, blaming her for their suffering before being pulled away by (W/N) who consoled her. She didn't blame the dragoness, she needed someone to blame right now, with the death of her father and her new title as a leader. Oliverstar took little time to rest, organizing the shifts to help the wounded and working tirelessly to help her tribe recover. Every dragon now looked at her with either pity or disgust, whispers of her being the one to start this spreading amongst the ranks. Cloverheart consoled his mother as (W/N) stamped out the gossip. The leader did not need this, she was a victim like the rest of them.
Eventually, the tribe leaders, or representatives for those too injured for the journey, followed (W/N) back to her home. The returning warriors were hailed heroes and showered with praise and admiration (Blitzscale shoved a barrel of ale in (W/N)'s face and told her she earned it), while the newcomers were met with skepticism. Blightstar, who first and foremost greeted her daughter, immediately ushered them towards the Isle of Stars. Before joining them, (Y/N) sheepishly asked Ambertail to head back to Reim and tell the company she was alive and coming home soon. The golden dragon slyly smiled at her, but silently agreed to the favor. Now on sacred land, the leaders of all of the coastal tribes gathered in peace, an event which had not happened since the days of the Arcanic War. Tensions were high as Blizzardstar and Graystar were outright hostile, Miststar was apathetic, and Blightstar was unreadable. Besides Olivestar and Swayingpelt, the new leaders were Ghoststar, Eveningstar, and Meadowstar, all of whom either looked uncomfortable or were glaring at Olivestar. Blightstar straightened herself.
"Never in my time did I believe that I would be leading peace talks on our sacred land. I suppose we should be fortunate this conflict has come to a peaceful resolution."
"Hmph." Graystar growled. "I'd hardly call this peaceful. We have lost dragons because of what? The recklessness of rival tribes!"
"Recklessness!?" Ghoststar challenged. "We were victims of magic! We would have never started this conflict ourselves!"
"If anyone's responsible, it's Oliverstar." Swayingpetal growled. "She's the one who let those filthy magicians into her tribe and lured us into their trap!"
Cloverheart snarled back, but his mother held up a wing. "She is right, if anyone is to be held responsible, it should be me."
"Olivestar, how did this happen?" Miststar asked.
"I suppose it began more than a year ago. A ship strayed into our waters. Typically we chase humans off our territory, but with the poor weather, we had to dock them."
"They had children on board." Cloverheart added. "It would have been cruel of us to leave them."
"Go on." Blightstar insisted.
"After the storm had passed, I offered some of my warriors to tug their ship back to the mainland. The leader, a woman, thanked me, and promised to return this act of kindness. She claimed to be a merchant and offered valuables for our hospitality. Of course I accepted, and a month later, the ship returned with the gifts...and those magicians. I went to check the haul, and that's where my memory ends."
"I see." Blightstar nodded. "It would appear your entire exchange was a setup, Olivestar."
She growled. "I feel like a fool."
"Hardly." Eveningstar argued gently. "How many of us would've fallen for it ourselves?"
"Dragons are dead because of this!" Swayingpetal yowled. "My father is dead because of her idiocy!"
"Bite your tongue, stone heart!" Cloverheart roared at her.
"She's hardly wrong." Blizzardstar hissed. "Olivestar chose to accept a gift from and nearly destroyed us all!"
"She should be punished!" Graystar exclaimed.
(W/N) rose to her paws and roared loudly, stopping the hostile words. "Silence! Oliverstar is not to blame for this! Conniving magicians took advantage of her kindness and made puppets of our tribes. Do not forget what their goal was: to turn us against each other! Are we going to continue their work now?"
The more hostile leaders seemed to settle as the neutral ones smiled at the dragoness's wise words.
"We must not forget, our enemies are the magician, and we know for a fact their master is still at large. We should be working together to find out their identity and bring them to justice."
"I agree with (W/N)." Miststar stated. "We can't afford for this to happen again. We must find the source as soon as possible, before their leader figures out we've weeded out the rats."
There were murmurs of agreement, though Swayingpetal still looked vindictive. Blightstar gazed down at her daughter.
"(W/N), if these were merchants, could your allies track them down?"
She nodded. "Yes. I would need to ask Wavereader for the extra manpower, but an investigation could be done, though I believe these are different merchants then us."
"Different how?" Meadowstar asked.
"Merchants rarely travel with children, less so in dangerous waters...that is, unless the children are the cargo."
Cloverheart's eyes widened. "Slavers."
"Afraid so. Slavers are difficult to track, but it shouldn't be too hard to determine whose ships were sailing in those waters at the time. I swear, we will find them."
"If I may change the topic." Ghoststar interceded. "I would like to hear more about the magic resistance power your dragons have obtained."
"Agreed." Eveningstar said. "I would like my dragons to have this if magicians are going to try to make slaves of us!"
(W/N) looked to the leaders of the coalition, who nodded in agreement. Like at the previous meet, she told the leaders of the silver wings and of Forestshade who would teach their warriors.
"Which is why I ask you to join the Dragon Coalition." (Y/N) ended. "Our enemies have grown. We face a threat that we have not seen since the Arcanic War. Like our ancestors before us, if we are to survive, we must stand together."
"You want us to ally with our enemy?" Blizzardstar growled before Miststar extended a wing to him.
"(W/N) speaks the truth, Blizzardstar. We cannot afford to fight each other at this time. We must be united."
"I swear my allegiance to the coalition." Oliverstar said without hesitation. "(W/N) has proven herself a noble dragon. I would be honored if you would accept my tribe."
The (S/C) dragon smiled. "We'd be happy to have you."
"Then I shall accept as well." Ghoststar proclaimed.
"As will we." Eveningstar spoke for himself and Meadowstar.
Eyes turned to Swayingpetal, who was still seething at the ground. She dug her claws into the stone.
"I will not forget the Tribe of Sharp Rock's role in all this...however." She took a deep breath. "My quarrel is not with you, (W/N). You seem a fine dragon, and a trustworthy one as well. My tribe will join this alliance."
(W/N) looked around in satisfaction. The war's wounds would take countless years to heal, but she was confident finding those responsible would ease the anger. For now, the tribes were at peace and the company had a new coalition to call allies. She gazed at the east sky as the stars fell.
She would be with her friends again soon.
(Timeskip)
Before the dawn of the next morning, (Y/N) sat at the edge of the volcano, waiting. She would depart immediately back to the Sindria Trading Company to report what had happened and announce their new allies. She would also be introducing the new residents and representatives. Now that the coalition had grown, she could no longer be the sole dragon representative at the headquarters, so representatives from the tribes would return with her. The newer tribes would return home and decide on representatives at a later date, but Icesheer, Blitzscale, Windweaver, and Cloverheart would return with her. A new dawn was approaching for the tribes, and she greeted it warmly.
"I thought we'd find you here."
She turned to see her parents smiling at her. They both walked over and joined her in waiting for the sun to rise.
"Do you have to leave so soon?" Moonfall asked.
She nodded. "I have to return to the company. I've been gone a year, so they'll probably need me back. Knowing Sinbad, Ja'far's probably ripping his hair out over his antics."
Blightstar smirked. "Are you going to tell him how you feel when you get back?"
"You read my letter!?" Her daughter snapped.
"No." Her father assured. "We just know you and matters of the heart well enough to see the signs."
(Y/N) felt her cheeks burn again. Serious, did everyone know?
Blightstar draped a wing over her. "You love him, dear. There's nothing wrong with that, and you certainly could have picked less worthy suitors."
"Personally, I don't think anyone is worthy of our daughter."
Blightstar flicked her mate's ear with her tail. "You're her father, you hardly count."
"Hey!"
(Y/N) looked down. "I...I want to tell him, but...Sinbad is Sinbad, and as scared as I am of him never knowing how I feel, I'm more scared of losing him, losing our friendship."
Her mother tilted her head up. "The choice is yours, but speaking as your mother, I believe that you'll always be haunted if you don't tell him the truth. He's your best friend, he deserves to know the truth."
The young dragoness smiled, only then noticing something. She and her mother were almost at equal height now. When had that happened?
"Thanks mom."
"What's that?" Moonfall asked suddenly.
The dragoness looked to where he was watching and saw a speck of gold moving towards them as the eastern sky began to seep with light. (Y/N) squinted and recognized the form.
"Ambertail?"
"I thought you sent her to the company to give a report." Blightstar said as (W/N) rose to her paws.
"I did. I told her to stay there and wait for us. It's almost a full day's journey anyways, she shouldn't be back by now. Something's very wrong!"
The family all rose as Ambertail approached as high speed. She suddenly dropped, crashing into the platform in front of them, struggling to breathe. (Y/N) raced to her friend's side.
"Ambertail!"
She tried to help the golden dragoness to her feet as Blightstar told Moonfall to get Autumnfang.
"What are you doing here?" (Y/N) asked, trying to help her breathe. "You should be Reim right now."
"I...flew...straight back...as...soon...as I...got there." She pushed out.
"Why? Why did you make that trip? You could have collapsed over the ocean!" Then dread seeped into her. "Did something happen at the company?"
Ambertail nodded weakly. "Yeah...it's Wavereader. (W/N)...he's been taken as a slave."

And just like that, we're back in the manga. Sorry if this whole arc was lesser quality guys, I really wanted some tribe drama. Also, apologies for the delay, school and work are kicking my butt and November is a super hectic time for my family. On another note, to my fellow manga readers, ya'll know the mess we're about to jump into.