Wings of Fire: A Lone Grain in the Sand

Chapter 8: Rest in the Rainforest

  Cactus woke up on a lush, leafy floor. She tried to stand, but pain made her think otherwise. The SandWing looked around, she was laying on a bed made of leaves from the rainforest trees above. The throbbing gashes in her sides and legs were wrapped with large banana leaves. The damage that Grit had done to her was pretty bad, most prominently the deep cuts in her throat and sides, as well as burn marks decorating her scales in blackened spiral patterns, and a rather painful concussion. Cactus had no idea how she had survived that arena, let alone escape it. No doubt that Burn's forces would be bent on finding her and Nameless. The SandWing only hoped they could stay hidden and survive this whole thing.

A whoosh of wind swept into the clearing, and a shadow flashed across the dusky skies. Cactus huddled closer to the ground, hoping to the moons it wasn't SkyWings. Her injuries would make it easy for one of Burn's lackeys to imprison her again.

With another whoosh, a dragon landed in the clearing and swept his wings across the ground, scattering leaves everywhere. Cactus looked up at the dragon, a RainWing the color of rain, a dark, deep blue with black starry wings. Another dragon, Nameless, landed behind the RainWing and looked for Cactus, finding sweet relief on his face when he saw she was okay. Nameless and the RainWing walked up to her.

"Cactus! Oh, thank the moons you are still okay!" Nameless bent down to hug the SandWing, backing up suddenly when she yelped in pain. "Sorry.." he said, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"That's alright, Cactus said. "Who's this RainWing?"

"His name is Einstein." Nameless explained, "He said he's a healer, he's going to help with the wounds. Don't worry, he's trustworthy."

"Hello!" Einstein said, a few bubbles of bright colors she couldn't make out popped up over his scales, "Oh, I'm sorry about that." Cactus saw the RainWing turn one of the dials of the collar around his neck, and the colors on his scales shifted and changed until he looked like a jet black NightWing all over, complete with zigzag patterns of silver scales on his wings and his eye color changed from a baby blue to a deep violet.

Cactus was astounded at what this RainWing did, all she knew about their tribe is what was tought in scrolls, that they were lazy and stupid vegetarians. But Einstein had quickly pulled away the banana leaves from her wounds and flapped up to the canopy above, returning a moment later with more, as well as some glowing sap from somewhere she didn't know. He spread the smeary sap over the wound on her leg and wrapped it in long leaves able to circle her leg many times. Einstein then did the same with all of her other wounds along her sides and talons, avoiding the bleeding gashes in her throat.

"Hold on just a moment." Einstein reassured, and with a whoosh of his sparkly wings the RainWing was sent soaring into the trees overhead. Einstein returned in a few minutes with a ball of silk thread and a sharp piece of stone. "Do you mind?" he asked Nameless, who then blasted the stone in hot flames, sterilizing it. Einstein bent at Cactus's side, attached the silk to the needle, and began carefully stitching up the gashes in the SandWing's neck, occasionally applying that sappy substance to his work.

In mere minutes, Cactus couldn't feel her wounds or pain anymore. That sap was numbing every gash, scratch, and burn on her scales.

"What is that sap stuff?" she asked Einstein.

"It's a special solution I crated myself. Different saps from the rainforest trees, mixed with dragonfly blood and a few different herbs as well. I don't normally use it for healings, but then again, RainWings almost never get hurt this badly" The RainWing explained, shearing the silk thread as he finished stitching up the wounds in Cactus's throat, finishing his job by applying more solution and wrapping his work in more banana leaves to protect the stitches. "There," he sighed in relief, "Finished. They should be healed enough to walk on here in a few days. Although, I would advise not pushing yourself."

Nameless scooted Cactus into the tree line so she could sleep. Then with a few wing beats filling the air, the two dragons were gone, and Cactus drifted off to sleep.