Wings of Honor: Saving Grace

Chapter 2: Rest & Recovery

I shook my head clear.
I was teleported, I knew that; but where I was teleported was another matter entirely. But I was surrounded by familiar trees and forests.
Comforting, but also worrying at the same time.
The place was near Jade Mountain. At the same instant, I passed over our old camp.
Then, suddenly, a roar echoed through the valley. I shivered, I recognized that call.
I spun around and flew as fast as I could. Pulling my wings in, barely pumping to keep speed. Our hill shot underneath, Jade Mountain fell into view, as well as silhouettes.
SkyWings!
I flared up hard, casting a huge shadow over them.
At the next instant, spears began to be hurled at me.
Shit!
I tucked in my wings, diving through into the Great Hall. I crashed into the hall, rolling over and coming to rest on a far wall, a cloud of dust surrounded me, making me cough. Before I could even realize what just happened, a halibard was pointed straight at my neck.
The SkyWing soldier, decked in armor, snarling at me. DON'T MOVE.
I clamped my eyes shut, cowering into my corner.
"Wait! Stop!" A voice I recognized called out. A sandy colored shape ran up. "Put that down." She swatted the weapon away. She extended her claw to help me up.
I won't hurt you.
I grasped her warm hand. She helped me back up.
"Sunny?" Clay came limping up.
"It's the NightWing who rescued the dragons from the explosion!"
Clay looked me over. Really? This is her? She's... big. Even bigger than me.
I shrunk away at that comment.
"But she attacked Queen Ruby." The soldier said.
Queen Ruby?
There was a ruby red SkyWing there. And she was also the one at the center of the guards.
Did I just buzz a Queen?
More dragons started gathering. Their chaotic minds pressing down on me. It gripped my temples, trying to push the migraine away. Too many voices to stuff into raindrops.
"Is-is she okay?"
"Here. She's hurt. Let's get her to The Healing Cave."
I felt arms under me. I tried to help myself up and walk, but I kept collapsing under the pain of weight. Thankfully, Clay was there.
"It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay." What's this NightWing doing here? And was she the one who rescued all the dragons from the history cave explosion?
The history cave was some distance away from everywhere else. The stone walls providing mental insulation. He laid me on the large slate table, but I was feeling a lot better.
"I'm-I'm okay now Clay."
He still was suspicious. "What are you doing here?"
I groaned, sitting up.
"Jade." Was all I managed to mumble. Then everything started to spin.
"Easy now." He pushed me down. "Jade? Do you mean the Jade Winglet?"
I weakly nodded.
"What about them?"
"They're-" I whined when he placed his claws onto my raw scales. "They're in possibility. Moon, Qibli, Kinkajou. Kinkajou's hurt. She's at a doctor in Possibility."
"What?" He gasped."
"What is it?" Tsunami busted in. "It's you!"
"Yeah. It's me." I didn't even realize I transmitted that telepathically.
"The students who left-" Clay began.
"What about them?" Tsunami cut him off.
"They're in Possibility. Kinkajou's hurt." Clay relayed what I said.
"Ooh." She looked down, then straightened herself back up again. "What about Winter?"
Wow. She managed to remember his name. Or maybe because he was a travieso. "We went to the Ice Kingdom. He'll be back at Possibility though."
"Mm Hmm. And what are you doing here?" She pointed a talon at me.
"I'm-" I began, but then realized I couldn't tell her. "I'm... on a mission."
"A mission?" Clay asked.
"Well, this mission could get get a lot of other dragons hurt." What is this dragon thinking?
I groaned to shift, using all my strength and determination to put her fully in view.
"I have a name you know." They all turned to look at me. "It's Grace. Gracebringer."
Tsunami just looked at Clay, then disappeared down the corridors once more. I collapsed back onto my stone slab.
Clay adjusted me back onto the table. "It's alright. She's just a little wound up, that's all."
I chuckled. "Aren't we all."
I thought about telling him about the time he slept walked, but I decided against it.
If they need to know, then they'll know.

Clay finished bandaging my scales. "It was quite a tumble." Ye said, not including the fact I was facing down frostbite as well.
Although... I kind of enchanted my crucifix so that I could go into harsh temperatures and survive.
But that was then.
They gave me Moon and Kinkajou's old cave... which was ominous to say the least.
Carnelian had survived the blast, but she had sustained a lot of damage. She was in and out of a coma, and her Queen Ruby had come to see what the hell just happened.
It was a perverse comfort that I had an entire cave to myself, only because their occupants were either CASUalties or Missing In Action. And it isn't even my cave, it was theirs.
I settled into Moon's jungle floor bed, just barely large enough to be fully off the floor. My tail forced to drag along the stone floor.
The sting of my scrapes and burns and numbness. Clay bandaged them good, but they still hurt to touch. I should've had Marvin leave the gauze, that would've at least helped.
I let out a long exhale, drawing up a dust cloud. I held my breath until it settled, so I wouldn't cough.
"Dang you Marvin!" I slammed the floor with my tail. He was the one who said I should do this. He just got back from going AWOL with Winter! He went on a risky commando mission, and got himself cut off in the wilderness with no supplies, no weapons, and no backup.
I shook my head, shivering from what memories I gleaned.
He saw his Grandpa. He was so far gone he saw his Grandpa. And his compass. H-how did that even- I don't know. I didn't enchant anything while he was gone, I swear. How that inscription got there is beyond me.
I exhaled again.
Any questions I'll answer in the morning. I havnt sleep for... God know how long.
I was exhausted, and let myself fall into blackness once more.

I saw them again.
But I was closer this time. We were talking. I couldn't make out any words, but I definitely saw the faces and recognized colors.
Turtle and Peril.
But we flew peacefully over the forests. There were no dangers this time. Nothing jumped out and scared us.
We just... flew.
The air on my wings, the peaceful sounds of nature below us, the chirping of the birds. The crisp morning wind, the kind that just... fills your body with energy.
It was wonderful. I wished it was real.
Just... peaceful bliss.

But then I awoke to a commotion. I looked up to see dragons bounding down the corridor. I shook myself awake, following them.
I still couldn't decipher anything from anyone's minds. I was still too groggy, and it was too chaotic. I just shut them out, opting to watch with blurry eyes and muffled ears.
By the time I made it back out to the entrance, I noticed they were all SkyWings. A couple guards were flying back.
I sat up, listening and trying to rub some clarity into my eyes.
"I see orange scales ... " The scout said.
I felt, even without my mindreading, a huge wave of terror fell over everyone. Instantly and fully waking me.
"It's Queen Scarlet," Ruby whispered. "You were right. She's still alive."
And coming to kill you, I bet, Peril's fiery mind thought behind me in cover of the hallway. Since I wouldn't do it for her.
Peril had a flashback. I shook my head clear, carefully making my way up to Sunny. She was the next closest person to Marvin to being warm, even in the midst of chaos.
What would Marvin do? What would Marvin do?
Recon. We need to know what we're facing. Who we're facing. Is Goldman here? Then we can figure out what needs to happen.
I tried moving forward, trying to see around what was going on. They were all convinced to fight Scarlet off. Ruby was a better Queen anyway. But they all started taking off. I sidestepped to avoid getting thwacked by wings or whipped by tails.
"Where are you going?" Turtle called. I turned to see Peril starting for the entrance, Turtle tailing her. "What happened to stealth?"
"I have to protect Clay!" she called back, spreading her wings.
"What about everyone else!"
Peril was already too far away to hear his response. But then Turtle spotted me in the shadows. He froze and gulped.
I nodded at him, spreading my wings and going after the entourage. Moving to chamo as I swooped around them to get into an oblique position.
I spotted the adult, bright red dragon sweeping up towards us. What caught my attention was that she was carrying something. But she was moving all over the place, I couldn't see what it was.
Needless to say, I was already calling forward my ice breath, in case she tried to hurl a dragonflame or something else.
"Traitors!" she shrieked. "All of you! Disloyal cowards!" Scarlet lifted whatever she was holding and shook it at them. A shiver ran down my spine. I recognized it as a dragon head. Who's head? "I destroy anyone who opposes me! I will have my vengeance and I will get my throne back! This is just one of the dragons I'll kill - and you'll all be next!"
In one swoop, she flung it towards us, sweeping around to fly away.
One of the guards caught the head. My attention shifted from the fleeing SkyWing, or the head... until the shivering SkyWing turned and I recognized it.
Sunny's blood curdling scream echoed around the mountains. Clay caught her as she fell out of the sky.
I felt like I was being strangled, I couldn't draw a breath. A fire was rapidly growing in my chest, quickly threatening to engulf my heart and soul. I bared my teeth, looking back towards my target.
That dragon head... was Glory's.