Listen, And The Stars Shall Speak

Reunited

Canopy bolted through the headquarters of the Colors of the Wings, before slamming into Cinder's office.

"Canopy? What's wrong? What's happened?" She demanded.

"He found them." Canopy said breathlessly. 

"Who found who?"

"Ember. He's back. He found the missing hybrids. All of them." Cinder froze, her heart stopping. 

"Even...."

"Yes."

Ember glanced up as Cinder crashed down before them, letting out a cry at the sight of Crimson. The red dragonet smiled waveringly, and dove into her sister's arms. Hope and the other three dragonets stared on in shock.

"What?" Ember asked.

"Crimson never smiles." Fox declared.

"Or cries." Hope piped up.

"Or feels." Whisp added. 

After a minute, Cinder turned to face them, her wing still wrapped protectively around her sister.

"Well Ember, I need to figure out a proper reward for you." she proclaimed. 

"No need." he insisted, hugging his sister tight. "I got what I needed." Cinder smiled.

"So this must be Hope." Hope gasped.

"Embie! The pretty pink dragon knows my name!" she hissed.

"Yes. She knows lots of things about you." he replied. Hope squeaked.

"Is she a magic dragon like Auntie Firefly?" Cinder smothered a laugh.

"I am not magic."

"But you're pink!" 

"That doesn't imply that I have magic powers."

"BUT I LIKE SPARKLY PINK MAGIC DRAGONS!" Crimson rolled her eyes.

"Give up now. You can't win." she advised.

"Duly noted." 

~*~*~*~*

Shore, Ander, and Rin ran through the Rainwing village, their scales nothing but a blur. Rin sprinted past a dragon stacking fruit, and clipped his wing, causing him to fall back into a pile of guavas. 

"Sorry Mangrove!" she yelled, still rushing by. They slammed to a stop at the door of the healer's hut. Shore stopped too fast and ended up falling on his face. Rin glanced down at him with a slightly concerned expression. 

"I'm okay." he replied in a pained voice, getting to his feet. The door to the hut opened, and Joy's eyes widened at the sight of her dragonets.

"Is it true?" Rin questioned.

"Is he here? The stars are being mean and won't tell me." Ander exclaimed.

"Is he alright?" Shore said worriedly.

"Yes, yes, and yes. Now calm down." Joy announced. It was no use. Her confirmation only made them freak out more. Ander attempted to dive past her, inside, but Joy caught her and held her back. 

"Can we see him?" Shore asked.

"In a little while." Joy promised. "He's going to be fine but he's a bit beat up right now. The healers gave him a sleeping dart to help him rest. You can see him later when he wakes up."

"But I wanna see Dad now!" Rin protested. Joy grinned slightly.

"He wants to see you to, but for now he needs his rest."

"But-"

"No buts!" Joy exclaimed. "And if you want to be helpful, you can go tell Rainkeeper and Pear."

"Okay." Shore agreed. The girls stared at their brother in shock and despair. 

"And the healers are under orders to keep you away from him for now." Joy added. Shore's face fell. Joy smiled. "Yea, that's right. I know all your sneaky plans, so you better get used to it." 

~*~*~*~*

Pear sighed. It had been days since she last spoke to Rainkeeper, and despite how angry she was at him, she did miss him. Apple had stewed in silence for a few days, but she had come around and forgiven her father. But he knew better than to just waltz right back in. Pear paused, spotting an envelope with her name on it resting on the table. She picked up and opened it.

Pearest The Fairest~

Remember when I used to call you that? 

I know you probably hate me and most likely never want to see me again, but I figured I'd try anyway. And besides, this way you don't have to look at my punch-able face. 

But, if by some miracle, you do want to see me, and are willing to give me a second chance, I'll be in our spot. The tree, you know the one. Maybe I'll see you there.

~Rainkeeper

P.S. Tree-Bud is just as mad at me as you are, in case you were wondering. He's started throwing kiwis because they hurt more.

Pear grinned slightly. Pearest The Fairest. He hadn't called her that in years, not since they were kids and he had gotten annoyed with her calling him Rainy all the time. She thought for a minute before leaving the hut, and setting off for the forest.