Wings of Destiny: Throne of Echos

Chapter Four

      Dwale freezes and Noodle blinks surprised, Vera grips the letter as anger washes over her like a tidal wave. She growls under her breath and Dwale wraps a wing around her. "Hey, hey, Vera, it will be okay, maybe.... Maybe you should help him, I mean, it seems like it's serious." Vera shakes Dwale off of her as she keeps re-reading the letter over and over. She takes a deep breath to calm herself down before closing her eyes and twitching her ears, listening to the bubbling of the lava and the chatter in the market. She opens her eyes again, "Fine," she says, "But I'm not going alone, Noodle, you come with me." Noodle looks surprised, and then even more surprised. "M-me? Are you sure my Queen? I mean, Dwale would be so much better at this than I would." Vera shakes her head, "No, I want you to come with me. I feel like there's more to you than you let on, and plus, you'd be more entertaining to travel with." Noodle smiles and jumps up and down with his tail wagging rapidly behind him. Dwale flicks his wings uncomfortably before speaking up, "Maybe I should go," Noodle stops and his ears flatten against his head as Dwale continues, "Noodle isn't much of a fighter, but I am, you should take me with you." Vera looks between Noodle and Dwale, before shaking her head at Dwale, "No, I'm taking Noodle with me. I want you to take care of the kingdom while I'm gone, and no matter what, make sure that King Cole is not notified of this, so that means, don't and I mean absolutely don't tell Moth. She'll tell Cole in an instant." Suddenly, a wave of heat washes over the three dragons as someone appears next to them.

      Vera freezes and her ears flatten as she thinks that King Cole had been watching them the whole time before she hears a much more gentle voice than Coles, "I'm coming with you." Vera spins around to face Huego who looked much calmer than when Vera last saw him. Vera opens her mouth to speak, but Huego uses his talon to keep it closed, "I'm coming with you whether you like it or not, I'm not letting you walk into danger just by yourself and that thing." Noodle jerks his head to look at Huego and stomps his foot definitely. "I am not just a thing, I am a stupid and adorable thing." Huego chuckles and shrugs. "I'm going with you nevertheless, I don't want anything to happen to either one of you." Huego turns and walks out of the stand, he looks around the dragons around him, most of them were ignoring him, but some were bowing or asking for treasures, Vera sways her tail behind her before she hears Dwale speak, "You know, I need to tell you something before you go, in case something happens to you." Vera looks back at Dwale and follows him into a corner of the stand. "Yeah?" She says confused and curious. Dwale sighs and crosses his paws over one another. "Well.... It's about our marriage, well soon to be marriage," Vera groans and turns around to walk away, but Dwale stops her before speaking again, "I don't want it either, I already love someone else." Vera stops in her tracks, and before asking who it was, she sees Dwales eyes drifting over to Noodle and her mouth drops open. "You.... You're with Noodle?" Dwale nods silently, looking embarrassed and scared, like she was going to yell at him for being in love with the second most adorable and sweet dragon she's ever met, but she shakes her head and smiles at Dwale. "Don't worry, I love someone else as well, if he loves me back I have no clue, but I hope he does." Vera smiles and glances at Huego and Dwale laughs and nudges her. "Well, that's good, but uh, good luck out there, and uhm.... Please protect Noodle for me, I don't want him to get hurt out there ...." Vera nods, "Of course, I promise that I won't let anything happen to Noodle." Dwale smiles and hugs Vera, and she awkwardly wraps her oddly shaped wings around Dwale. Dwale had very fluffy and feathery wings, he had six of them, each with white and golden yellow feathers on them, but unlike every other dragon on the island, Vera's wings were different. Everyone had wings with feathers or fur, but her wings were bright blue but mainly a bright gem like green and black on the edges, with white spots around the sides, but her wings had no feathers, they barely had bones, they always felt so light and fragile like they could rip just as if they were paper, and she had four of them, when they are all spread out, they looked like hearts in a way, like a butterfly, that's what Fern said they reminded him of, something called a butterfly.