Wings of Earth || Waking Spirits

CHAPTER ONE || LAWFUL CAVES

I walked through the wide-open cave entrance, torches lit the entryway in a horrifyingly beautiful way. This place is horrifying itself! I don't want to see all these Icewings, all they have done is hurt me. At least there are other tribes to keep me safe. As I entered the great hall my head started to ache, so much speaking and ranting from other dragons, and the Icewings were the loudest. Of course. "Hey! Mudwing-Icewing dragon!" I turned my head to the noise, it was a yellow and blue Silkwing! I walked over to them slowly, once I was close to them I spat out one word. "Hey," as I spoke I felt my throat close up and my head throb... isn't this an issue only mind-reading Nightwings have?! "I'm Lemon, this scroll says I'm in the Gold Winglet with a Mud-Ice dragon!"
"Cool... where did you get that scroll?"
"Over there," the small dragonet pointed to a Sandwing, they looked pink under the fiery lighting of the school, or, well maybe they are just pink. Who knows? I stared at the Silkwing but felt too anxious to say another word, instead running to the Sandwing. ran to the Sandwing. I've never been the best at stupid first impressions, why do they matter when you can get to know me over several days? Anyways once I got to the Sandwing they looked at me with a warm welcoming smile and spoke, "Hey! You must be Permafrost. I'm Rattlesnake, do you need a map and a list of all the dragons here?"
"I... uh, I do. Yes, I do." My face became warm as if lava was being poured on it. "Alright, here you go," Rattlesnake handed over two scrolls. I stepped a bit away from Rattlesnake and opened the map, I traced it with my talons as I tried to find my cave, and... aha! It's the last one as well. It better be quiet. I closed the map and made my way to the sleeping caves. Everything in this place was loud but the caves looked utterly beautiful compared to the boring white tundras of the Ice Queendom. The walls of the caves had small signs of wear and tear from almost one hundred years of teaching, it's surprising they have kept the same librarian through all of it. Soon enough I was finally at my sleeping cave! 

As I walked into it I noticed a large silk tapestry hung on the wall, it was of the old principle... Sunny I think? I went to one of the lower beds and stepped onto one of the leaves covering it. "Owch! Hey! What was that for!?" A tiny Nightwing with some rainbow scales poked its head out of the leaf blanket. "Sorry! I didn't see you!" I said as the dragon wiggled out and stared at me with a funny yet angry look, I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "Hey, don't laugh, I can see the future so I know when you die," the dragonet dragged out the dying part for what I assume is a dramatic effect but it sounded so funny so I bursted into laughter but as I did she growled and I quickly shut up. "Sorry, sorry. What's your name?"

"It's Prophecymaker, I'm the 'Rainwing' for the Gold Winglet but I'm also half Nightwing."
"Cool, I'm Permafrost. I guess I'm the Mudwing? Or am I the Icewing... hopefully I'm the Icewing."
"Did you not check the list of who's in your Winglet?!" Prophecymaker seemed strangely surprised, grabbed a scroll from a hanger next to her bed and opened it. "You're the Mudwing! Why did you wanna be the Icewing?" I cringed mildly at the word Icewing, does nobody know how horrible Icewings are!? "It's personal stuff," I said softly, Prophecymaker nodded and curled up under the leaves again. "Wait! I can't fly up to the other beds here... can I have this one instead?" I hate explaining things so frantically but I'm not gonna let myself sleep on the floor like how I used to. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Didn't know," she grabbed her scrolls, got out of the bed, flew up to a hammock hanging from the roof, and laid in it as she let out a deep sigh. I sat down on the leaves and stared at my front talons. Is this place gonna be kind to me? I mean I already have had a nice talk with 3 dragons but that's not all of them... Will my brothers be here to hurt me?! The thoughts whirled in my head until... "why do you look so freaked out?" I looked up and an average-sized Icewing stood in front of me, I felt frozen in place as my throat closed up and no noise came out. I tried to remember a calming exercise a prison guard taught me... breathe in for 5, hold for 5, breathe out for 5, hold for 5, and repeat. As I did, I noticed myself calming down so much more that I was able to speak again. "I'm just thinking. I'm Permafrost," I tried to focus on something behind the Icewing, to make it seem like I was looking at his eyes when I really could never even dream of that! "I'm Weasel, I'm an Animus Icewing," he seemed to have a wispy cold tone but it was oddly warm as well, like a warm sunny day with a cold wind. An Animus? I thought as I formed my next sentence to not appear like a total capital 'L' Loser. 

"Will you curse me??"
I blurted out before I could even think of 4 more words. "No, I only curse dumb Skywings who boss me around. Haha! Just kidding, I don't like cursing dragons, because, like hurting dragons isn't cool? I never understood not cursing others, but I won't so I don't get my organs all over the floor like that one dumb Icewing," as this Icewing spoke I noticed he wasn't as formal and rude as other Icewings I've met... like do you hear how he speaks!? He's like a Sandwing stuck in an Icewings body, freaky. "Anyways, I'm gonna put my scrolls in one of these bed things... three moons they look so uncomfortable compared to the Ice Queendom! I used to live with some dragons who did fishing stuff with a couple of Icewing-Seawing hybrids. They were some of the oldest dragons ever," as he spoke he flew up to an empty bed and I assume put his scrolls down. Weasel hopped down, turned to me, and flashed the warmest smile a cold Icewing could... it made my heart warm and I didn't even notice I started smiling also before he had left. "Ha! Look at your face! You look like you're in love," Prophecymaker yelled down at me which caused me to jump in fear. "I'm not in love!"
"My momma had that face every time my dad came around after the Nightwings moved!"
"Well I'm not your mom, I'm not even a girl!" I felt my face get all warm again so I threw my scrolls down and stormed out of the cave to go explore as a way to get my mind off of things.