Free | Aukliff (Older!Auklet x Older!Cliff)| Wings of Fire Fanfiction

Chapter Four: Tsunami

(Cliff's PoV)
Cliff took Auklet to the library next, because he could. He liked reading enough, but he didn't love it. Still, Cliff liked the library a lot. It was a peaceful sort of place, and it was very quiet--

"AUKLET!" someone boomed.

--well, usually.

A vaguely familiar dragon with deep blue scales bounded over, wrapping Auklet in a huge hug. "You made it! I almost forgot you were coming today! I'm so sorry I wasn't there for your arrival!" The dragon pulled back to get a good look at Auklet. "Three moons! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you!"

"Hi, Tsunami!" Auklet said brightly in greeting. She had returned the hug enthusiastically, and although she didn't greet her older sister with quite the same energy, Auklet still seemed happy to see her.

Oh. Tsunami. Cliff remembered who this dragon was now, and he probably should have remembered sooner. One of the founders of the school, a Dragonet of Destiny, who had stopped his grandmother, and a daughter of Queen Coral.

Which made her Auklet's older sister.

"How old are you now? Four, isn't it? Three moons, has it been four years since your hatching already?!" Tsunami embraced her sister once again.

Auklet laughed. Her eyes were so bright with happiness. She didn't look that much like Tsunami, but there were some similarities. A certain confidence, a determination in their eyes, the same curve of their snouts, and the royal starburst pattern on their wings.

"I'm really sorry that I wasn't there to meet you," Tsunami repeated.

"Oh, that's okay," Auklet replied. "I wasn't alone."

Cliff, who kind of had been feeling left out while Auklet and Tsunami had their family reunion, felt uncomfortable as Tsunami turned to examine him with green eyes. "Oh. Hello," Tsunami greeted him in a very polite, forced way. Her stripes flashed something to Auklet, but Cliff didn't have to be able to read Aquatic to see the question on her face. Who's this?

"I'm Cliff," Cliff answered, before Auklet could say anything.

"Oh!" Tsunami relaxed. "Queen Ruby's son, right? I think Peril mentioned you. Don't you like to sing?"

Auklet turned to him curiously. "You do?"

Cliff felt even more uncomfortable. "Well--um--"

"I mean, that was a loooooong time ago, so I understand if it was just a childhood thingy or something, but I think Peril mentioned you made up your own songs? She said it was really cute, I think," Tsunami went on.

Cliff coughed awkwardly. "I still do, but it's kinda a private thing." Cliff did like to sing. A lot. He also still sometimes wrote songs. But he didn't share those with anyone.

Not anymore.

"Ah." Tsunami changed the subject, much to Cliff's delight. "So, Auklet, have you had the pleasure of exploring our amazing library yet?"

"I was just about to, actually. Cliff was giving me a tour--"

"Oh, he was? That's nice of him. I can give you a tour, though! I mean, I'm Head of School and all," Tsunami interrupted. "I probably know the school better."

Cliff frowned. He understood that Tsunami was a hero and a Dragonet of Destiny and a teacher and all, but he decided that she wasn't his favorite teacher.

Plus, Auklet would probably agree to let Tsunami give her a tour, and then Cliff wouldn't be able to talk to her and--

"Cliff can give me one, it's fine," Auklet was saying, as Cliff snapped out of his thoughts. "The Head of the School is probably busy, anyway."

Tsunami frowned. "You're right. I have to memorize a bunch of names and guide dragons and generally be helpful to students. But if you're sure--"

"I'm sure, Tsunami." Auklet smiled at her sister. "I'm not a newborn dragonet anymore."

Tsunami continued to frown. "Well...alright, then."

"Bye! See you later!" Auklet gave her sister one last hug, then turned to Cliff, who brightened from his quiet sulking.

She'd chosen to stay with him, when she could've gone with her sister.

"C'mon, Cliff, we can come back to the library later." Auklet smiled at him. Cliff smiled back, relieved, and happy that she was still willing to go around the school with him later. "Anywhere else I should know of?"

Cliff thought. "We can see the pools, and on the way there, we can stop by the history cave. The history cave has some...history."

Auklet laughed, and they waved goodbye to a concerned/grumpy-looking Tsunami and continued, Cliff's heart light with the knowledge that Auklet liked him enough to turn down an offer from her sister and go with him instead.

A/N: sorry this chapter is so short

it's mostly a filler while I attempt to get back to the main plot