Dragon Rider (#Wattys2016)

Goodbye Heroes

Thea's POV

Recap:

Eventually everyone separated, we will mourn tomorrow, I said, for tonight we rest.

We, the riders, left then for actual camp beds that had been set up in nearby tents or for medical tents if they still needed to be healed or at least bandaged. I had a feeling that Storm and all the dragons would spend the night outside the city, as I sat down in a random tent that Fai was already sleeping in. I found myself looking at the bandages that covered multiple wounds I didn't even know I had. I soon laid down and went to sleep.

End Recap

When I woke up there was a set of fresh clothes laying on the foot of the camp bed. I yawned and changed into the clothes knowing that Fai probably had gotten them for me and she was gone from the tent. I grimaced as I stretched, feeling how sore all my muscles were, and lethargic despite the fact I had just woken up.

I reached out with my mind, instantly searching for Storm. I could feel his mind relatively nearby and awake, I'm coming, Storm told me the moment I spoke to him.

I smiled to myself, all right. Tell the others too, won't you? I'll wake all the riders up. We'll meet you where we left you. I take it we're going to find all our group's dragons, and give them the funeral they deserve?

Of course, Storm said.

I then felt for all my friend's minds and woke them if they weren't awake and told them where to go, and if they were then I just told them all where to go. As I left the tent, I found myself already felling down knowing what I would be going through today. I stopped in front of Storm who nudged my hand; I rested my hand on his head. Are you ready? I asked gently, knowing that Storm was taking this much harder because he was more likely to blame himself for the deaths.

Storm raised his head and looked at me, I will never be ready for something like this, but I know what I must do.

I smiled at him, when did you become this mature?

Storm huffed at me gently and I took a step back to get a good look at him, realising something I had completely forgotten about in the events of yesterday and my relief of seeing Storm safe this morning. "Storm," I said stunned, completely forgetting to speak in my head.

What? Do I have blood somewhere? I thought I got that all washed off, Storm grumbled.

No, it's not that, I said staring at him in awe, it's– it's, well, perhaps it's better for you to see with your own eyes.

Storm entered my mind and started looking at himself through my eyes, wow. He said stunned. I couldn't agree more, my dragon was no longer the silver-white colour that'd he been since he hatched. His wings remained the same colour, but he had scales of many different colours decorated his body. There were patches of black, navy blue, different shades of red, yellow and black, blue-green, different shades of brown, different shades of blue, purple, different shades of grey, and even a patch of orange-red scales that changed into black a moment later. There were scales that looked like wood and had what looked like moss growing around the edges. There were scales that streaked red, orange, and yellow that looked almost like feathers. There were patches of scales that were an off-white colour, which had stripes of brown-red running through them. Another section of scales had black surrounding them and a middle part that changed from blue to white and seemed to zigzag down Storm's body. There were many patches that had different shades of blue. One section was dark green, while another was black and blue, and another section was black and green.