New Flames

Chapter 28

"Flame?" Hearing Ardor's voice at that moment was like being poked between the ribs.

His muscles wished they could ignore it.

"Let me sleep-" he wailed internally. He didn't remember the last time he'd slept so lightly, without remembering anything of what he'd dreamed of.

However, today was not the day to pick a morning fight.

He obediently stretched and proceeded to poke his head outside his sleeping cave groggily.

Ardor was there, standing with Placoid. The two dragons were wearing satchels, as well as their sashes.

They looked expectantly at him.

"Landslides and storms!" He thought. He must have slept in.

"Ire ssaid you might have wanted some extra ssleep," Placoid said, looking worried. Flame quickly fixed his bewildered look.

"No," the SkyWing growled, his voice still half asleep, "I overslept. Thanks for waking me up."

Ardor and Placoid exchanged a look, in complete silence.

"What?" He asked, the sharp edge of his voice finally setting back in.

Ardor let out a little giggle as she waved her talon. She seemed to not sense his tone at all.

"Oh, nothing. Just don't believe I've ever heard you thank us before. Despite all we're willing to risk," she said, her voice purposefully theatrical and her wings flicking.

Placoid's look was deeply concerned. Flame was sure the SeaWing would have intervened to patch her words if he hadn't responded first. He didn't want to witness a fight.

"Neither do I," he realized, despite Ardor's almost deliberate attempts to taunt him.

"Yeah..." Flame admitted, "I could have been hmm- More thankful."

Ardor gave him a surprised look and laughed again. "Oh. Don't worry. I was mostly not serious.."

"She wass exaggerating," Placoid chimed in, a smile forming on his snout as he shifted his weight.

"Even so," Flame responded, slowly, "thank you. For doing this."

He remembered Ire's words, the worry in her eyes as they'd spoken.  "I'll keep you both safe," he added, "I'll try."

"For real. Not just for Ire."

Placoid relaxed. Ardor smiled.

"We know that. You are a fighter - it was obvious even before you tried to attack some guards or Ire," she declared, as they walked towards the cave's exit.

"Or you," Flame added, grinning awkwardly, as he grabbed his satchel, and Treen's scroll.

"I'm ssuddenly feeling a ssinking feeling that I'm not ssafe here," Placoid declared all of a sudden.

Both SkyWings looked at him.

Silence fell.

And then their crooked, wholehearted laughter filled the sky as they flew together towards Summit Central.

-/-

"Mom! Please, everything will be ok," Flame grumbled, as his mother held him in yet another tight hug, her wings wrapped around his back.

"I know, Gemstone. But I just don't want to leave you again, you know?"  She said, her voice slightly ragged.

Flame caught a glimpse at her face. He could see that she was fighting back the tears that were clouding her sharp, small eyes.