Tsunami swished her tail. With the war over, she could finally return home in peace. Having eliminated the threat of the three queens, and chosen sunny's mother, her way home was relatively peaceful, compared to her last visit. Even as she swam, her memories of her last visit flooded her mind.
All right, Seaweed brain. Riptide's goofy grin even as he flew towards almost certain death. He began to flash a pattern as she looked back, but he couldn't finish it, because he clashed into a skywing.
Tsunami shook her head. Her heart began to beat erratically, at the thought of Riptide. Why? Riptide had lied to her, and almost betrayed her. She had no idea why she would be attached to him. Then, her thoughts took a darker turn. She thought of the day he was imprisoned. The gut wrenching pain at having to fight for him. Then, she thought of her mother, and her recent death.
Blister had wanted Tsunami's little sister a little too badly. Badly enough to threaten the Queen. Blister eventually, almost raided the seawing palace, and grab Anemone. Her mother had died in the "argument" that erupted. Now, Anemone ruled as the queen, at least, as far as she knew. Tsunami reflected on the weight of the rulership. Having everyone relying on her, even if they didn't know her, as part of the prophecy, that was tough. Having everyone know her, and have her make decisions? Her friends had been a talonful, and they'd only been six. Never mind an entire species of dragon. She felt bad for her little sis. She didn't know how Anemone could handle it. Slowly, as she swam, she began to recognize the territory. She saw the island where they found Kestrel. Eventually, the cave entrance to the summer palace appeared. Tsunami slowly swam in. Her gills flared out, as she lit her stripes to get a better view. The tunnel looked the same as ever. However, upon clearing it, pure devastation greeted her eyes. The remains of the summer palace. Everything was charred, and blackened. Everywhere she looked, Dragon remains, some half rotted, others pure skeletons, littered the floor. Tsunami's breath if her family, Auklet, Anemone, or even Riptide, was in the ruins. Tsunami surfaced, and even more devastation awaited her. Dragon corpses still littered everything, however, here, There were bamboo structures, as though it were already under reconstruction. There was the occasional seawing, sometimes lounging in the sunlight, others working on fixing the ruins, but they all seemed relatively happy.
"Hey" She called out. The seawings that weren't fast asleep all turned to look at her. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Would you know where my sister is?" She decided to ask. One of the workers shook his head, and another answered. "The queen has all the females out hunting, if they're of age, that is. The rest are in the palace, being watched by the queen herself." Tsunami nodded her thanks then thought of something else. She did her best to sneer. "And the traitor?" she hissed. She hoped she seemed intimidating. One of them nodded. "The Dragonets took him, but his son is out on the outermost islands, Standing guard, not that we trust him, mind you." Tsunami nodded her thanks again, and vanished under the water. Where to first? The outer islands, or the undersea palace?She decided finally, that she could use some real aquatic lessons before she went underwater. She slowly turned, and swam back out into the open ocean