Wings of Fire: Nighthawk

Chapter 7: Lobster

          Sunrise came and the bright shining light woke him up. He groaned and tried to rub his eyes. However he was still tied. "Right.." He grumbled. "You can let me go now.." He snorted. He saw Tempest come over, the red seawing with him.
          "Now hold on." She said, bringing her head down. "I have to make sure you can be trusted. You saved Lobster, but you have quite the infamous record." She sat up and put a talon on Lobster's back.
          "If I was hostile don't you think I'd have been attacking the seawings instead?" Nighthawk responded while struggling around a little. "This is quite unpleasant.. untie me and we can have a civil conversation."
          "Tempest he doesn't seem to be aggressive, and he saved my life." Lobster chimed in. "You're nighthawk aren't you? Heard you been causing a lot of problems for Burn and her sandwings, and the skywings."
          "Of course. I found out she was working with the dragon who turned my life upside down and killed my family." The Nightwing said coldly. He kept moving and struggling to get the binds off. Eventually Lobster let out a sigh and he untied him. Nighthawk looked at him, relived as he sat up and shook his wings off. "Thank you."
           "Of course bud. Thank you for saving me. I didn't know Nightwings were so good at healing. Although we need to question you now."
           "Exactly. Why aren't you with the rest of your tribe?" Tempest asked as she slowly paced around him. "Do you have any mystical powers? Where is the Nightwing home? Have you been sent to kill a specific dragon?" He gave her a confused look, since he hadn't interacted with any other Nightwings, let alone knew where they lived.
           "I don't work with them.." He said. "In all honesty, I hardly know anything about them. I'm not from their tribe. I have no Nightwing parents, they wouldn't know me if I went there either." He said as he looked up at her. "Believe me if you want, but I speak the truth." He spoke confidently and honestly, at least he tried to sound honest. He got a skeptical look from the large seawing, then his head was lifted up by one of her big claws as she looked into his eyes for a minute.
           "You seem determined, yet clueless." She spoke. "Do you have any questions for him Lobster?"
           "One. Do you know who Darkstalker is?" Lobster asked as he scratched his chest a little bit.
          "What?" He had no idea who that was. "No, is he their leader?" He was genuinely clueless on Nightwing history.
          "Yeah he's not working with them. Otherwise he would know who that is." Lobster chuckled a little, then he took Tempest's claw off. "Mind if we walk and talk?" He asked the Nightwing.
          "I suppose that can be done." Tempest walked off to grab the keys then she came back and unlocked the chains and shackles. Then she removed them. "If you slip up it won't end well, keep that in mind."
          "You got it." Nighthawk grumbled and slowly stood up. "Can I get some food please? Quite peckish I am." He stretched his wings and then his arms. The cloak he wore was on the ground next to him, so he put it on. "There we go..that was uncomfortable. Sand is not cozy."
          "Not usually, no. Let's go get something, I know where we can find fruit on the island." Lobster pat his shoulder and proceeded into the forest. The Nightwing followed close behind, thinking a little. They traversed the jungle, which only got a little denser. He noticed the seawing had a slower walk due to his wounds, which were closed but now inflamed and a little swollen.
          "You doing alright lad?" He asked as he paced beside him. "Did my best to patch you up."
          "It'll heal up soon enough, and I'll be back in the action. I probably woulda died of you hadn't found me. I can't imagine how my sister or how Tempest would feel either." Lobster kept walking. He looked around and sniffed the air. "This way."
          "Well ya know, gotta do some good deeds now and then.." He continued to walk. "I got a second chance, I woke up in the middle of a war, and now I'm trying to figure out what to do with my life."
          "Woke up? Are you ancient?" He tilted his head and sat down. "You definitely aren't like the other Nightwings. Less haughty, mysterious, entitled. And you look much healthier than the ones we have seen."
          "I was..." he wanted to think of a lie to tell the seawing, but he couldn't. "To be completely honest, I wasn't always a dragon. I was a human, or what you all call a scavenger. Due to what I learned was Animus magic, I was enchanted into what I am now." He said. Fixing his cloak, he looked down at the seawing. "Lost everything, and I thought I had something good going, and then she was taken away from me as well." He could see Lobster'a confused and mesmerized expression.
          "What!? An Animus? Wow, alright. I didn't know they still existed." Lobster sat down a little. "That's crazy. But hey, we all go through tough times, the best thing we can do is push through and pray for the happy days." He said with an encouraging tone.
          "Only thing keeping me going is the small shred of hope that I can settle down and be happy. So far I haven't had a lot of luck, but.. you're right. Life is full of surprises isn't it?"
          "Definitely! Hah, we always never know what the next day holds. Anything can happen. What I suggest, is you stay with us and help."
          "I suppose I can do that, so long as I get payed. Or generally compensated. Now, tell me about you, who are you, your life story."
          "Oh, you want to learn about me?" Lobster asked with a small smile. "Well then. My name is Lobster, as you know. I grew up in the outer islands up northeast. My sister and I were raised by our guardian named Sturgeon after our mother passed away from a shark attack. Our father attacked us after, but Sturgeon saved us. My sister and I started a general store in a village nearby our home, and shortly after I joined the war. I saved Tempest at a meeting with Blister, and since then we have been rather close." He said, his snout turning a little red. However due to the unique hue of his scales it was quite hard to see.
          Nighthawk watched him for a while, thinking to himself. "Moons, interesting." He said with a slight nod. "Quite the life you had so far, ah? Nice to meet ya mate. Figured there was something going on between you by the way she looked at you."
          "Oh, you have no idea." Lobster would chuckle before sitting down. "She's great, a little loud at times but I'm okay with that."
          "Noted." He saw a banana tree, so he climbed up and took a talonful down. "Here you go lad. Have something." He split the difference in half, then he handed some to Lobster.
          "Thank ya bud." He smiled faintly. "Let's get going shall we? I'll eat on the way." The two started to walk towards the camp, this was the start of their friendship.