Wings of Fire: Clouded Visions

Chapter Thirteen

"I can't believe it!" Turtle breathed just as the other three dragon guards gasped.

"I know!" Sunbeam almost screamed.

A vast clearing shown before them. Rolling hills extended far and wide with a blue sky to blanket over the hills. Colonies of massive, full trees covered patches of hills beautifully.

"These are where all the missing dragons have gone!"

"I know!" Turtle enthused. His face slowly turned to a frown, however. "But then...why did the evil bring all of them here?"

Sunbeam shook her head after a moment of thinking. "I don't know.... That is strange."

"Is it safe to go out?" Asked Sunbeam.

"I don't know. What if it's a trap? What if something happens to us?"

"Good point. I think we should report back to everyone else. We should hear what they have to say and then come back."

"Yes. That's a good plan. But let's hurry. I want to explore it and see if Moon and Kinkajou and Winter are in there."

Sunbeam nodded and they wasted no time.

...

"I don't get it." Glory scoffed, peering at the dead end of the tunnel. "Didn't you say there was supposed to be like a whole world or something?"

"Yes! There was! We all saw it, right?" Exclaimed Sunbeam. Turtle and the three guards that they were accompanied with nodded in acknowledgement.

"So did it just...close off then?"

"I don't know.... I don't even know what that place was."

"I do." Tsunami blurted out from the back. Everyone turned to face her.

"It's what Pantala used to look like."

"How do you know?" Queen Glory remarked narrowing her eyes.

"Turtle and I swam to Pantala. When we were there the LeafWings told us all about what Pantala used to look like."

"Well then..." started Sunbeam, "if you're sure then...we'll go there."

"Well hang on." Started Turtle. "Usually we have Moon to remind us about the prophecies but we don't. Are there any clues? Like, it said that the Silk and Rain and Hive will leave and know one will know. But we do know. Almost all of the tribes are missing. What else do we need to pick out?"

"Good point." Glory nodded.

"Moon mentioned something about the sea and sand will clash into the snow. And also something with the mud and sky and leaf stirring or mixing or something? And it was into the fog."

"That makes seven tribes. The NightWings are missing in the prophecy."

"Of course they are." Snorted Glory rolling her eyes.

"So that means we should go to the NightWing tribe." Suggested Sunbeam.

"What about all the missing dragons?" Tsunami asked.

"I don't know...." Sunbeam sighed in frustration, her textured white scales rippling with anger. "Well...maybe an idea is forming." She tapped her foreclaw to her smooth chin.

"I can go to Pantala flying non-stop. I'll get there at midnight at the earliest. Glory and Tsunami and two guards can go to the new NightWing kingdom and figure out if there are any clues there."

"I'm not sure I like you going alone..." muttered Glory. "But I think it's a good plan and franky, right now, I don't see any other way."

"So...you'll let me go to Pantala by myself?" Asked Sunbeam, her voice pitching slightly higher.

Glory narrowed her eyes and sighed, "I guess. But be careful, ok?"

"Thanks. I promise I will."

Sunbeam realized she didn't need permission from Glory but it didn't matter now. She said yes anyway.

As the group headed back, Sunbeam's stomach churned like the white foam that swirled along the crisp blue water. Was this a good idea? There was no turning back. Sunbeam came down here for one mission, and that was to help stop the evil that was slowly taking over the continents.

Sunbeam hadn't really pieced together how the evil was taking over but...she guessed that's why the evil had made it so confusing...so they wouldn't guess how the evil was taking over.

On top of that, Sunbeam didn't even know who or what the evil was. However, she recalled in the prophecy that it said "we're coming" so it must be at least more than one dragon. Maybe a pact. But who?

...

After all the goodbyes, and discussing the plans, Sunbeam and the group did a quick recap.

"So," started Tsunami, "Sunbeam will go to Pantala while Glory and I and two guards fly to the old NightWing Kingdom. Everybody else will have to stay put down here but you all have fresh food and water to last you a while and Glory and I will come back. And hopefully Sunbeam too." Tsunami cast a worried glance over to Sunbeam, her expression an open book inked with worries.

"Yes, and hopefully when we come back," added Glory, "Qibli will be healed and we can figure out how to get this forcefield thing down so that Cactus, Thorn and Qibli can escape." The queen concluded.

"Plus," Turtle spoke his casual, laxed tone, "I have my animus touched bowl with me." He demonstrated by placing a fish in the bowl. "Twice as much, please." He said. Instantly, the same exact slippery, silver, shiny fish slapped in the bowl, shining and ready to be eaten.

"Perfect." Tsunami flicked her tail. Hopefully everything is alright with Sunny and Clay and Starflight at Jade Mountain Academy. I haven't seen them in ages. Her sorrowful thought whispered at the back of her mind.

Knowing their assignments, everyone glanced at each other and nodded in depart. As a group, Sunbeam, Glory, Tsunami and two guards flapped up and up out of the black void colliding into the warm sun. Before Sunbeam departed from the group, she squeezed Glory and Tsunami tightly in a hug.

"Be safe. Come back down in the hole as soon as you can." Glory commanded.

"I will." Promised Sunbeam.

I wish there were some way for us to communicate. Her mind whirred with worry.

"I'll be fine. I'll come back if anything happens." Explained Sunbeam again.

"Ok...." Glory gulped, "goodbye, Sunbeam. I'll see you...sometime."

"Yes. Goodbye guys. I'll be back before you know it!"

With an assuring smile, Sunbeam thundered across the sandy plains, traced around the IceWing Kingdom which for right now seemed relatively normal (but Sunbeam couldn't worry about them now) and entered onto the border sky of the ocean that would lead her to Pantala.