Chapter 4:
"Wake up!" Demanded a strange voice in the dark. "Wake up!" It demands again. "WAKE!" One final time the voice yelled out. Windwhisper's eyes flickered open, peering around slowly he realised he wasn't in Jade Mountain anymore, or even Phyrria. He shot up in shock, arising onto his talons his head darted all over. The bright vibrant sky was gone, replaced by a purplish smog, not only that, the purplish atmosphere covered every inch of where his eye could see, no sounds could be heard. What? Where am I! He pondered to himself, his heart racing. Looking around, there were no dragons in sight. Upon more inspection he made a stunning realisation, laying on the rocky ground was what seemed like a battleground. Everything's destroyed. What could this be? A longer inspection at the area led him to a mountain, but it seemed so familiar. Could this be... Jade Mountain?! Quickly he traced up the side of the mountain, finding a small opening, the one he knocked Blaze out of. Inside, everything was destroyed, holes in walls, hallways blocked by fallen rocks. No.. this can't be.
"And it's not." A gentle, feminine voice let out a small sigh afterwards. Windwhisper peered over to the direction of the sound, spotting a strange pearl white NightWing, strangely it had a small glow around it. "Come.. We have a few things to talk about." Just like that the spectral NightWing turned and left down a hallway. Should I follow it? Well.. it's not like I have much choice here. Windwhisper decided to follow it, leaving a sizeable gap between him and it. Deeper inside the mountain, the stranger and more different it became. The two reached the Grand Hall, or, what was left of it. Windwhisper's eyes widened open. Inside, deep in this place, was a strange room, the room had no floor, only a bottomless pit that seemed to go on forever. Only floating rocks gathered over the pit. The spectral NightWing had stopped to make sure he was following. "Don't worry about the fall, there's an updraft." It spoke softly and reassuringly. Then it glided softly over to a strange platform. For a minute Windwhisper decided against going towards it. But then he saw something flash through his mind, it was his father. Without thought Windwhisper leaped off the edge, floating calmly through the updraft that led him to the platform.
"What's going on?!" He demanded off the spectral NightWing. "Where-." The NightWing hushed him silently. Looking forward a small doorway appeared.
"I do hope you are okay with flowers." It spoke softly again, in that tone a mother would make when putting their dragonet to sleep. The door creaked open and on the other side was a complete change of scenery. Inside was a luscious patch of grass, neatly placed in lines covered by a stone pavement. "You should remember here." The NightWing started walking onto the stone pavement. Windwhisper looked around some more before making an assumption of where it was.
"This is.. Menagerie Island, my home." Windwhisper said, baffled at the scenery. On the horizon was a lowering source of light, a pink sheet covering the sky, it was truly a wonder to behold, and he could see it everyday. But something that caught his eye was a small podium near the end of the garden. That was never there before. They both wondered over to the small podium and on it was a small, copper brace with a dark blue jewel in the middle of it. Windwhisper didn't seem to pay much attention to it. "What's going on? Who are you!" He demanded. The NightWing flinched backwards at the sudden yell.
"I guess.. this is where I start explaining." The NightWing frowned walking over to what seemed like nowhere until a small table appeared out of thin air. An animus?! Can't be, but what could do this kind of sorcery? "I, am Decipio, and I know where your father is." For a moment Windwhisper was taken aback. My father! She knows? The NightWing slouched down at the table. With a small movement she beckoned him over to sit. Cautiously Windwhisper sat down on the opposite end of the table. "Now, for where you are, you are in an alternate realm of Phyrria, my world of Phyrria. Here I control the very grounds, air and time of day. And for your father, he's trapped, in that brace you saw on the podium." Windwhisper quickly brought his attention to the brace. His father, that close. "To release him you most run me some errands." Errands? What could this be?
"And what are you insinuating? What needs to be done?" He demanded desperately. Instead of a reply she handed him a small scroll, inside it was a set of instructions. 'Collect the wind dragon's souls, active each animus touched beacon. Strike the jewel with Boreas' Feather.' "Wait, Boreas' Feather? That exists? I thought that was just-."
"A fairy tale? Young dragonet, all stories come from somewhere. This was no exception." Her tone began to change, leading itself away from the kind, motherly tone. "However, if you chose to accept this, you will not be able to stop. If you leave it too long the jewel will take your soul, if you remove the brace, you will die." I'll die? Windwhisper was stuck in a loop, this could well be the only chance to find his father, but, it could kill him. "So?" Decipio stopped his thoughts. "What will it be?" The brace began to float over, resting gently in front on Windwhisper. Silence fell, Decipio's state seemed to linger, Windwhisper couldn't quite tell what she was thinking or feeling for that matter, just this blank canvas. Is there even a choice in this matter? Windwhisper looked from the brace and back to Decipio.
"Wait." Decipio's head perked up. "If you knew all along, why didn't you tell me earlier?" He asked a bit curious on the subject.
"I have a helper." Decipio began to explain, her tail twitching in an odd manner. "And I can only communicate with you when she is near." Maybe it was that NightWing. "Her name is Misfit, I'm sure you've seen her spying on you already." She smirked lightly. "She tends to do that." Something didn't sit right with Windwhisper. It'd been years since he'd heard a hoot about where his father was. And all of a sudden he gets told this. He gazed around, taking in what used to be his home, Menagerie was such a beautiful island. It was meant to be all for them. He saw something off the coast of the island. A purplish smog looming over what seemed to be another island. He had faint memories of this island. He remembered living there before meeting Animorph. There was something strange about that island. There was something that gave it its name 'Forbidden Island'. Later, when Windwhisper stopped gazing out, he peered back to the brace. The impatient taps of Decipio's talons rang out, she had that 'hurry up' look on her, continuously she tapped the table, huffing and puffing in boredom.
"How can I trust you?" Windwhisper finally asked. Decipio stared at him blankly, her talons stopped tapping.
"You know Windwhisper, you ask a lot of questions." She paused for a moment, shifting her stance to straighten up slightly. "We have a limited time her so I suggest you should hurry up and make a choice, time's a ticking." She began to tap her talons on the table again, almost emulating a clock. Windwhisper needed to decide. Soon he reached out towards the brace in front of him, his talons creeping closer to it, the shaking of his paw made Decipio tut slightly. Then he made contact, a giant flash filled his vision, the brace seemed to have hooked onto his right foreleg. "So it's decided, you'll only have one month to do this, or you die." Her voice sounded more sinister than before, but it didn't last long. "I should let you get back to your friends-."
"They're not my friends!" He quickly butted in, slightly offended that she considered them friends, he despised them already, each one. Well, maybe Animorph is.
"That's sweet." Decipio spoke coyly. Something about her didn't seem right, she seemed to shift when he put the brace on. She became less agitated. But he didn't have time to question her as a bright flash of light shifted his consciousness. Drowsily he began to awake, he was lying on something soft, a small thin layer on him. He eyes groggily paced themselves around, it soon became clear that he was in the infirmary. Judging by the lack of dragonets it seemed to be night. A solemn light rested on the small sheet on top of Windwhisper. Its ray revealing specks of dust in the air. Pushing the sheet down Windwhisper winced, looking down at himself he saw that a thick bandage had been wrapped around his abdomen, a small patch of blood coating it. What would Animorph say huh. But there's was no need to wonder that as a small sniff sounded from the bottom of the infirmary bed, it was Animorph. Her eyes gleamed from the tears, they fell down her cheeks like a waterfall. She limped slightly as she walked, a small bandage was also wrapped around Animorph, on the wound Blast had given her on her foreleg.
"Wind.." She babbled out, tears falling with every little hiccup. She lifted up a talon to wipe her tears away, but to no avail as they kept coming. She limped closer to Windwhisper until they were next to each other. Then she slowly and carefully sat on her haunches and rested her head by his neck, being cautious not to touch his abdomen area.
"It's okay." Windwhisper hushed as he rested a paw on Animorph's head, slowly moving it back and forth as he caressed her head.
"You.. reckless thing.." She babbled out once again. Her hiccups sounded every few seconds. "You plummeted.. at least a hundred feet... you could've.." She went silent, almost as if she didn't want to finish her sentence. "You just stopped and fell.. the first one to react was Hazel surprisingly." Hazel eh, of all the dragonets. "He didn't catch you right.. you both tumbled, he thwacked his head on a rock and passed out. And you.. a sharp rock tore into your side.." Again the tears flowed out freely. "I flew over shouting your name... I saw you bleeding and..." Instead of finishing she dug her head into this neck. Letting her tears fall out. You really took it hard huh. He didn't know what else to do besides console her, nothing he'd say would make it better for her. Since they met in Phyrria they got closer, almost like siblings. She was never from Menagerie like Windwhisper was. She wasn't sure where she came from. 'I just kinda happened you know.' She would always tell him when he asked. "I'm so glad you're alive.." A quiet whisper broke the silence. Looking over Windwhisper saw Hazel lying in a weird formation on his bed. He strangely had his snake like tongue stuck out with one leg raised up. Honestly he's so weird. Windwhisper took in a deep sigh, it seemed Animorph's sobbing had cleared up, but she wasn't moving anytime soon. And neither was he. It had begun, Windwhisper's search was close to its end, but for now, some sleep and healing.