Wings of Fire • Dragon of Secrets [2]

Chapter Nineteen

Stratusstream led Brisktail away from the Royal Caves to her hidden alcove under the infirmary. The tired young dragon flopped down immediately. Stratusstream chuckled at him, walking over to her cauldron. She took a bowl from her shelf and dipped it into the liquid, bringing it to him and setting it down on the ground.

     "Thanks," Brisktail croaked, taking the bowl and drinking from it. Some kind of stew, he didn't bother to check the contents. He trusted Stratusstream enough to know that she wouldn't harm him.

     The dragoness sat down across from him, flicking her tail as she watched him eat. She seemed to be planning her words. When he was finished, she gestured to her bed of caribou skins.

     "You can sleep here. You look like you've been up for ages," she chuckled, standing up and moving to the back of her cave. Brisktail mumbled his thanks as he stumbled over and was knocked out.

- ❈ -

"Don't listen to him," the voice said, familiar in tone.

     "Don't listen to who?" Brisktail asked, looking around the black expanse but finding he was unable to move. Stone pressed in on him from all sides.

     "You are not like him. You are not what he says."

     "Who is saying what?" Brisktail called out, "Who are you?"

     No dragon answered him. Brisktail kept on calling out, hoping to hear the familiar voice again, but she was silent. Brisktail didn't know why he was here or how to get out and the longer he stayed the lonelier it got. Soon, he knew that no one was coming. It hurt. He felt like he was expecting someone but they never came.

- ❈ -

Brisktail woke up to a blizzard. The wind howled and battered the island above them. The cave entrance used to be partly submerged in water but throughout the winter the seawater nearby had slowly begun freezing. Now only a little bit of water lapped at the rock, the rest of it being ice.

     "Morning!" Stratusstream called cheerily, walking into view. She was busy storing away baskets of dried herbs.

     Brisktail sat up slowly, rubbing his head. "Shouldn't you give those to the infirmary? They're running low on herb stocks. Windwhipper's spies have been sabotaging them."

     "Hello to you too," Stratusstream said, giving him a scolding look. "Honestly, you come back home and you don't even greet those worried for you? You didn't even come to see me! Where did your manners go?" The dragoness chuckled as she shelved a basket of dark green leaves. "Did you leave them in the Forest Kingdom?"

     "How long have you known about that?" Brisktail asked, slightly irked that she seemed to have ties to the farthest corners of Ventus and she had never told him.

     "You have your secrets, I have mine. I stumbled upon the PineWings a long time ago."

     "Great. Thanks for answering my question," Brisktail mumbled under his breath. He looked around.

     "You won't always get answers, Brisktail. Sometimes you'll have to look for them to find them."

     Brisktail perked up in pride. "Actually, I don't have to anymore. Watch this:" he took out his pebble from his pouch, held it up, and said, "When did Stratusstream discover the Forest Kingdom?"

     The pebble jumped in his talons slightly and replied, "When she was a dragonet she got lost in the woods with her brother. Snakeroot found them and tended to them until they could leave."