Wings of Fire: The LightningWing

Chapter 9 - A RainWing

Something was off. He felt droopy and lazy, and for some reason, he compared his feelings to those of a RainWing's. Chattering was all he could hear, but he was motivated to stay on the ground. Shock heard muffled moans from where he laid, guessing it was Maroon. He felt soft wood under his back scales, ruffling them until they were comfortable. "They're up!" Someone said, tromping over to the dragonets. Shock forced his eyes open, watching dragons emerge from trees, their scales shifting to bright purples, pale blues, dark reds, and other bright colors streaming their scales. He shifted his head to see Beluga still knocked out, acting like he was paddling through deep water. Hazy, Shock felt like he was completely positive about everything, and he really didn't like the feeling. A RainWing propped Shock and his friends up, showing them the nation of colorful dragons. The scrolls were right, he thought. Shock tried to stretch his wings, but they were bound in tight vines. Vines?! He yelled in his conscience. Vines, the weak pieces of scrap found in a rainforest, tied down his wings? That was just outrageous! Even though Shock was angered, whatever the dart had in it had made that thought go from "WHAT? VINES? HOW IN THE WORLD?" to "Wow, these RainWings are resourceful." He wished the dart wasn't so annoying. Maroon, the happiest she'd been, shook her bound wings and fluttered the tips, tearing some of the vines with her huge wings. The RainWings started examining Shock, who growled before feeling the positive surge through him. He couldn't help it. "Go away." He mumbled, shaking the bounds and tearing at the bamboo flooring. He was sitting on a huge yellow bamboo platform, built from the RainWing's talons themselves. Maybe they weren't lazy. A few minutes after he woke, the dizzy, perfect feeling drained from his scales and the RainWings had removed the bounds. "All new!" A RainWing shouted, turning their scales a vibrant pink. Another less joyful RainWing approached behind the first one. "What is that THING?" He snapped, pointing a claw at Shock. Shock leapt to his feet and growled, snarling his teeth at the RainWing. "Oh, don't be rude, Toucan! They're just visitors!" The first one said. Toucan's scales were dark blue with stripes of a bright red. "Well, what is that thing? Tell me that, Paradise!" The young dragonet shook her head and examined Shock. He looked away and found Maroon snarling at an elderly RainWing, and Beluga crouching behind her. WHAT ARE THEY DOING? We are clearly trying to make allies with these dragons. I mean, I HAVE A PROPHECY TO FULFILL! Shock growled under his breath and stood to examine Paradise. She lowered her head and tried to see his cyan wings until Shock flared them to show her. "Pretty! Can you change color? Wait, let me try." Paradise shifted her pink and purple scales to the cyan tone of his wings, and the rest of her scales were purple, like his. She looked like a LightningWing. "Goodness, Paradise, calm down." Toucan directed his attention to Shock. "What are you doing here?" Shock stared at the RainWing's features, a light yellow searing through his scales. "I need a RainWing." Shock barked, gritting his teeth. Toucan whirled around and flew off, completely ignoring Shock. Shock bared his teeth at the blinding shadow powering away. Paradise smiled. "Don't mind Toucan, he's a big grump. Hey, I could be your RainWing! What would you need me for? Oh! Wait, would I have to leave the rainforest?" Paradise jibbed on about coming with Shock, while Shock kept his eyes on Maroon. "Back off, pumpkin!" Maroon snarled, clawing at the elderly RainWing. The RainWing retreated back and put his talons forward, showing mercy. "Please," he begged. "I come to help. I am a healer." Beluga jumped out from behind Maroon and spread his wings, flapping them at Maroon. He stood in between Maroon and the healer, shooing Maroon off. "It's okay, he's friendly." Beluga pleaded, even though Maroon still eyed the healer suspiciously. Paradise lifted her head and stopped talking to see where Shock was staring. She slid her wing over Shock's to calm him. "Oh, that dragon over there is our oldest healer. He's almost 248 years of age! His name is Canopy. He won't hurt your friends, you know." Shock did know. Though he was more worried about his friends hurting Canopy. The poor dragon was helpless against full trained and accessible dragonets, especially Maroon. "Paradise, I'm not scared of Canopy hurting them, I'm afraid of them hurting Canopy." Paradise cocked her head and brushed his wingtip with hers, soothing him. "They won't. Hey, on the bright side, my brilliant mind has said that I will be your RainWing! For what, I don't know, but I'm sure it will be FUN!" The tiny RainWing jumped in circles. "It's actually a prophecy." Shock said as Paradise's eyes went blank. He knew plenty well that the RainWings were attempting to stay out of one prophecy, but at least this one only required one. Yellow and green tore through her scales. "We are forbid to go in another prophecy . . . but it'd be fun, so I'll do it!" She jumped around Shock, who purposely tripped her with his tail. Really, Shock wasn't wanting to admit to Paradise that they had to leave. Maroon and Beluga would do anything to leave, but this was Paradise's home. Maroon bounded over to Shock, Beluga trailing behind. Canopy immediately flew away after the two dragons left. "When are we leaving and have you found the darn RainWing yet?" Maroon snarled, so close to Shock's ear that he could feel her breath. Paradise smiled and flapped her wings at Maroon, who batted her away. "I'm here!" She yelled, smiling and squinting her eyes. Maroon lifted her wings and started into the air. "Then let's go! I'm tired of this creepy forest." Offended, Paradise tucked in her wings. "It's that bad?" She echoed. "No, Paradise, it is wonderful. We just . . . we just need to go to the Mud Kingdom now." Paradise's eyes flew open and she stuck out her tongue. "Fine, the muddy, goopy place . . . but anyway, let's go before nightfall!" The dragonets jumped into the air and flew out of the rainforest, letting their wings glide and sift through the wind. Paradise soared next to Shock, with Beluga in front of him. Maroon led the way to the MudWing Kingdom. Honestly, Shock wasn't too sure he wanted to go the goopy Mud Kingdom, off of what the others had said. They sliced the sky for the rest of a day until a huge patch of mud came into view. Shock had read multiple scrolls on Pyrrhia, and one had said that travel from the rainforest to the Mud Kingdom was always on the opposite side of the Diamond Spray Delta, which connected to the Diamond Spray River, a guideline to the Sky Kingdom. "Could we, um, maybe, well, just . . . stop for the night?" Beluga bellowed, flying in place. "I'm tired and, well, and I'm tired." Maroon moaned and grunted, wanting to get on with the Mud Kingdom and leave. "I am NOT sleeping in mud again." Maroon snarled, hovering in front of Beluga. Paradise flew around Shock two times before announcing, "I could go on until sun time. Well, that's in day, so . . . I'd don't want to sleep in mud either." He scales turned to a yellowish pink and she twirled in circles. Eventually, Beluga had convinced them to stop and rest, buried in mud. Maroon was angry and snarling all night, but Shock woke convinced that a MudWing was coming.