Chapter 7
Changing
It had been two weeks since Iceberg's death. The hybrids remained in hiding, but with each day, Pelican grew more apprehensive, like there was a bomb inside her heart going tick- tick- tick and it would go off soon, but she didn't know when.
Bloodspiller sat slumped against one wall, Treejumper sitting in her lap. Catfish sat on their right. To their left sat Falcon, Pelican, and Salamander.
On the opposite side, Startail and Cerise sat on the right of the tunnel entrance. Hurricane and Mange sat on the left. Ocelot was curled up in the coil of Mange's tail.
For a moment, they just sat there, the hybrids and the outcasts, their faces shadowy masks, longing with questions but not knowing how to say them, until someone broke the silence.
"We have to leave," said Pelican.
"But we can't!" Bloodspiller cried, distressed.
"We'll be caught for sure," Treejumper fretted.
"I'm with Pelican," said Falcon firmly. "We've been trespassing upon these dragons' space for far too long. We can't stay here, trapped and cramped like a bunch of lizards! I escaped with the hope of freedom. This isn't freedom!
"This is as bad as the prison!" Falcon continued. "I'd rather be free and then be caught than be safe here. We need to give these dragons some space."
"Hear, hear," said Mange.
So they put it to a vote: Mange, Falcon, Pelican, and Salamander thought they should go; Catfish, Treejumper, and Ocelot wanted to play it safe.
"Really, Pelican," said Bloodspiller, squinting. "I didn't think you would be the type to go all dangerous."
"I'm not," said Pelican uncomfortably. "I just- I have a really bad feeling about staying here. Aren't we endangering our friends?"
"Why are they hiding anyway?" Ocelot asked curiously.
"We were banished from our own kingdoms," said Startail sadly. Pelican looked from Startail's deformed wing to Cerise's crooked tail.
"But what happened to your wing?" Ocelot questioned.
"Ocelot, that's rude!" Mange hissed, shrugging her shoulders frustratedly. Pale yellow scales rose and fell like the shifting sands.
"I'm afraid I couldn't say," said Startail, looking uncomfortable. "NightWing secrets, you know..." She paused, a flicker of doubt shadowing her face for a moment.
Pelican was silent. In her opinion, it kind of looked like a lava burn. Not that she had any idea what that looked like, but... was the secret NightWing home near some kind of volcano? Obviously Treejumper didn't know, because she'd been raised in a cave, and Bloodspiller had said she didn't know either.
"But we're getting off track here," said Falcon impatiently, narrowing his eyes. "We need to find a good place to hide."
"We can't go back to the Sand Kingdom," said Mange regretfully.
"And the Sky Kingdom is too close to our prison," said Salamander.
The SeaWings? Hurricane asked.
"Most of the Hybrid Hunters are SeaWings," said Pelican, shaking her head. "And Catfish and I are the only ones who can breathe underwater."
"Can Salamander hold his breath for an hour?" Ocelot asked suddenly. "Totally irrelevant, but I kinda want to know."
"I'd rather not test it," said Salamander, shrugging his shoulders.
"Anyway," said Falcon, "I think we should go to the rainforest. I know, for some of us it'll be totally horrible, but it offers a lot of protection, as long as we stay away from the RainWings."
"That does make sense," said Pelican, nodding.
"Let's put it to a vote," said Bloodspiller for a second time that day. "All in favor of going to the rainforest- say 'I'."
"I," said Pelican, Falcon, Catfish, Mange, Ocelot, Treejumper, and Salamander.
Bloodspiller paused. "I say we go, because that's what Iceberg would have us do."
.
The sun was setting. This was the time of day that Bloodspiller always marked a tally on the prison wall. Pelican saw the crimson dragon's talons twitch.
"Day 1,000," said Bloodspiller quietly. She looked around. "Guys, today would have been day 1,000."
Pelican didn't know why this felt so special. It wasn't her one thousandth day since capture. That was Bloodspiller. But yet something felt important.
She looked up at the three moons in the sky- one gibbous, two half moons. They shone down on her with a light that reflected off her scales with a silvery tint.
"Wow, Pelican, your scales are the color of the moon," said Treejumper. "You should tell dragons you're a MoonWing."
Pelican looked down at her scales in surprise. She smiled. "And you should tell dragons that you're a... a LeafWing."
Treejumper giggled. Ocelot sloshed through the wet grass to join them. "Salamander could be a QuicksandWing," Ocelot suggested.
"Gosh, that's good," Treejumper reflected. "'Cause it's like muddy sand. And Bloodspiller can be a BloodWing."
"Yeah," said Ocelot. "And Falcon can be a MountainWing."
"Oh, because, like, the high altitudes are SkyWing, and they're cold!" said Ocelot. "Imagine a SandWing/SeaWing hybrid. They could be a BeachWing!"
Treejumper burst into giggles.
"A SeaWing/MudWing hybrid could be a SwampWing," Pelican said thoughtfully. "And a NightWing/ SeaWing could be a DeepWing."
"Hey, that's right!" said Ocelot excitedly. "You're really good at these, Pelican!"
Pelican looked down at the tiny dragonet with a shy smile. She still hadn't forgiven herself for abandoning the little SandWing during Iceberg's attack, but Ocelot didn't seem to hold any grudges.
"A RainWing/SeaWing could be a GreenWing," said Treejumper.
"Or a BlueWing," said Ocelot.
"Ooh, a SandWing/NightWing!" said Treejumper.
As the little dragonets continued coming up with hybrid tribe names, Pelican slowed to the back of the group. They had reached a sort of swampland. It had only been a day, but she missed her friends already. The only problem was, every time she thought of them, she came up with more questions.
Why were they banished from their tribes?
Why were they in hiding?
What secrets are the NightWings hiding?
Pelican looked around. If Iceberg were here, she'd be complaining about the wet muck and excitedly looking forwards to reaching the rainforest. Iceberg was always such a good puzzle solver. If Iceberg were here, she would have solved these mysteries already.
"What's the matter?" Bloodspiller asked softly, walking up next to her.
"There's just so much uncertainty," Pelican confessed. "I'm starting to doubt... I'm starting to doubt if hybrids can ever be free."
She looked down at her talons. "I mean, would you rather be free for one day if it meant being trapped for the rest of your life, or be semi-free your whole life?
"And what if freedom comes at the expense of others' safety, not just your own? Think of all the people we've endangered. Catfish, Mange and Ocelot... Startail, Cerise, and Hurricane. Can we ever be truly free?"
"Wow," said Bloodspiller. "That was deep, Pelican."
"Not really," said Pelican uncomfortably.
"Look, the rainforest is within sight," Falcon called out suddenly. It was true. Pelican spotted a few straggly mangroves on the horizon, leading into a majestic jungle.
"Good thing," said Pelican. "I'm getting apprehensive just being out in the wide open. Anyone could see us from above."
"I love it," said Salamander. "Wide-open, free, and muddy!" He paused for a moment. "And it's dark," he pointed out. "Nobody could see us."
"Maybe they couldn't see you, but me?" Pelican shrugged her shoulders doubtfully as she trudged forwards. "My scales are as bright as the moon. Anyone could see me."
"Well, we're almost to the rainforest anyway," said Falcon as the rainforest drew nearer. "So there's no need to argue."
"No need to argue?" Pelican teased. "What happened to the fierce dragon who intimidated our prison guard for fun?"
"He deserved it," Falcon protested.
Pelican had said it in a joking tone, but she knew it was true. All of the dragons had changed since the escape. Bloodspiller had become even quieter, if that was possible, while Treejumper had become more playful and friendly. Salamander had become less gruff after meeting his sisters, and Falcon had lightened up, too.
But what about her? Had she changed, too?
Pelican didn't know, but she didn't know that she wanted to.
.
This whole thing had been a disaster, the green dragon thought. Tidal had been killed by that SandWing/MudWing freak, and Wave had been seriously injured with a skull fracture and a broken wing.
The hybrids had gotten away this time, but they wouldn't be so lucky next time.
Of course they couldn't have gotten far. Wherever they were, they were surely grieving. He had wounded that iridescent dragon. He knew she wouldn't survive.
He landed with a whoosh on the ground. It was a small forest, not too far away from where the SandWings had been found. But there were no talonprints anywhere; no signs that the hybrids might have been there.
He had to find them. All of Pyrrhia was in an uproar. They couldn't allow the hybrids to get away with this. Queen Vigilance had made a mistake 1,000 years ago by not locking the Darkstalker away, and look what had happened to the NightWings! They had disappeared forever.
Hybrids were dangerous. They were seriously unstable, and they needed to be locked away before they could do any more harm.
The hybrids clearly hadn't been here. He had to find another place to look.
Where would they go? Not the Sky Kingdom; that was too close to their prison. The Ice Kingdom would be too cold. They wouldn't risk going back to the Kingdom of Sand, would they?
Maybe the Mud Kingdom?
The green dragon narrowed his eyes.Come out, come out, wherever you are, he thought, hissing softly.
Wherever you are, I will find you.
