The Pest and the Flower: a wof fanfiction by Pastellar and Snowfox the IceWing

Chapter 29 Polyplax POV

Huffing, Polyplax tried to catch up with the LeafWings, but since they left hours before, he was far behind. He wanted to scream, to rage, but he couldn't since he was in the middle of the ocean.

The HiveWing squinted, trying to see past the mist. It was mid-evening, and he's been flying since noon. Spotting a small island to rest on, he glided down, thankful. He landed on a small cliff, a small cave tunneling in it. He laid down, his thoughts busy.

Why did the LeafWings leave Palanta?

Did anyone notice me by the swarm?

Is Hibiscus still alive, and if so, where is she?

Could Fireant be a good replacement for her? Or should I wait till I know that she's actually dead?

With a mute sigh, he laid his head on his talons, his eyes sleepy. It wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap... was his last thought before slipping into darkness.

Polyplax woke up calmly, his talons neatly laid in front of him. The soft breeze calmed him, making him forget why he was there for a split-second.

"C'mon! I saw it over here!' A voice called in the distance, snapping Polyplax out of his soothing trance.

"Explain what you saw again, Riptide?" A second voice said. Riptide...unusual name...wait. They're speaking dragon, so that must mean--

"There it is!" 'Riptide' cried, pointing into his cave. At him. Riptide was a pale blue dragon with strange markings on his scales and webbed talons, underbelly, and spine spikes. The second dragon was a dark greenish grey, and had strange eyes. "So..." The green dragon said to Riptide, "You wasted my time with a dragon?"

"Hey--a dragon with four wings! Four! So take that!" Riptide said, annoyance in his tone. "Commander Shark, sir, this could be a special dragon. Tsunami went on a mission with her brother a couple days ago, saying there might be new dragons out there. This is one of them!'

Shark growled, then stormed into the cave. It was obvious that he always had a sour mood. As Shark neared, Polyplax leaped at him, jumping over the big dragon and trying to fly away.

Riptide had followed him up in the sky, shouting.

"Wait! Wait for me!!!" He cried, his two wings reminded the HiveWing of the LeafWings, which reminded him of Hibiscus.

His four wings were vigorously flapping, speeding across the sky. As Polyplax ventured farther, he saw a huge island--nope. It was a continent.

As he neared, he saw someone in the distance, flying in the clouds. It was Sundew!

She was hovering, waving at someone. Someone came up by her, smiling and carefree. His stomach dropped and his heart soared.

Flying next to Sundew...was Hibiscus.

He tried to make as much noise as possible, then Riptide zoomed past him, saying, "Tsunami!" And was flying toward Hibiscus and Sundew.

Polyplax was left somersaulting, trying to catch himself. He tried to catch up, try to get to Hibiscus, but his efforts were left in vain.

The three disappeared, leaving the HiveWing to himself. Was...was I hallucinating? Is Hibiscus actually ALIVE?! Polyplax thought, trying to fly to them.

The hole in his wing was a minimum injury, considering that he could now fly, but it made him slower than his average speed in the air. Grunting silently, he tucked in his wings and dove down from the clouds, wind whistling in his ears. He saw the ground come closer and closer, so he spread out his wings, gliding down to the lush grass.

His claws dug in the dirt as he landed, a bit sloppy from the hole. Seeing her in the distance, he started to run to Hibiscus.

The thudding of his talons must have reached her ears, for she looked up in his direction. Her eyes lit up, joyous tears brimming them as she started to run towards him too.

"POLYPLAX!" She yelled, smiling with tears leaking from her eyes. As the two dragons met, they collided with each other, hugging each other deeply. "Polyplax...it's really you, right?" He nodded, his head under her chin. Hibiscus pulled back from the embrace, and touched her snout with his. Hibiscus.

Polyplax rubbed his snout on her neck, her warmth radiating like the sun. Letting go of her, he shaped his talons into a heart, a big, goofy grin on his face, quickly fading into sadness. "I think I know someone who can help you. With your voice." He raised his head hopefully with a little confusion. She led him over to a grass clearing, one talon latched on his arm.

"TURTLE! HE'S HERE!" She called to a green dragon. He only had two wings and iridescent scales. He tried to tell Hibiscus that he was suspicious, but she just smiled. He turned over to Polyplax, his green eyes resting on his throat. He must know...

Hibiscus said to him, "you said you have a healing rock, right? Can you use it on him?" Turtle shrugged, mumbling a "let's see" and reaching into a small pouch. A small pebble like stone rested in his palm.

Turtle grabbed the stone between two claws, rubbing it against where his vocal cords used to be.

Polyplax opened his mouth right after, thinking a phrase to say like, "Hibiscus, you're beautiful." Was the phrase he tried to say, but only silence. Turtle sighed, putting the rock back. He abruptly touched his wing, muttering something. Polyplax stiffened, wanting to shake his talon off by instinct.

"Stop that!" He yelled at Turtle, who's eyes widened. "Wait...I'm talking?" He rubbed his throat. The vocal cords didn't seem they were back, but alas he was talking. "I'm talking! Three moons, Hibiscus, you cannot believe how annoying it is when you try to talk to dragons with no voice. Also, how did you know about it? How did he do that? And where are we? Are the HiveWings here? How are you alive? Wh--"

"Shh," Hibiscus whispered, putting one talon over his mouth. "You might need a little rest."