Chapter 6
Bullfrog
Bullfrog did not go to the prey center.
He hated lying to Moonshadow, but he knew his clawmate wouldn't approve of his real destination: Axolotl's cave.
He peeked into the cave. To his relief, Firefly wasn't there. Axolotl was facing the opposite direction, and Bullfrog couldn't help but notice her tail- the vulnerable spot was bruised, as if she had been bashing it on the rock floor of her cage.
"I don't think you are the one the prophecy talks about," said Bullfrog quietly.
Axolotl turned around, and her eyes were puffy as if she'd been crying. "Bullfrog?" She asked softly. "I thought you were mad at me."
"I was at first," said Bullfrog. "But I trust you, Axolotl. And Moonshadow doesn't think it's you, either."
Axolotl said nothing. She buried her head in her talons. Bullfrog wondered if he had done something wrong until Axolotl spoke. "Thank you," she said, her voice muffled through tears. Bullfrog didn't say what was in his head: but Moonshadow still doesn't trust you.
He also didn't say the other thing that was in his head: I love you.
"You don't seem like the spiteful type," he choked out. She twined her tail around his and his brain went ALERT ALERT ALERT and SHE'S TOUCHING ME! and EEEEEEEEEEE! He attempted a sane-looking smile at her.
"I thought," she whispered, "I thought I could never earn your trust if you knew about my powers. There aren't supposed to be any more animus dragons in Pyrrhia." Her silence wandered uncomfortably, and even though Bullfrog couldn't read her mind, he knew what she was thinking. I wasn't supposed to have been born. "It was so lonely in the rainforest. No friends- who wants to be friends with a hybrid?"
"I do," said Bullfrog shyly.
"Tell me about what it was like in the Mud Kingdom," said Axolotl.
Bullfrog resisted the urge to smile. "I lived with my sibs, I mean, my siblings. Quail was my bigwings, and she was so loving and sweet. Tadpole was always making the worst jokes, but they made us all laugh even though they were terrible. Dragonfly, she was just like her namesake. She loved flying."
He glanced at Axolotl. She climbed into her hammock, smiling sadly at him.
Why does this moment have to END? He thought desperately.
He wished he had the courage to say 'I love you'. But he didn't. "We were a team, a pack. And when one of us was teased, the others would stand up for them."
"I wish I had siblings like that," said Axolotl sadly. "The MudWings, they have that loyal sibling bond." Her voice got low and soft, almost as if she was afraid to voice her thoughts. "I don't even belong to a real tribe."
You belong to my tribe, Bullfrog thought fiercely.
"Yes, you do," said Bullfrog defensively. You just look a little different. Why is that cause to pick on you?" I think you look better than any old RainWing or SeaWing, he thought.
The lanterns on the walls seemed to glow a little brighter.
"How did you know that you were an animus?" Bullfrog asked. "What did you cast?"
"It's actually kinda scary," said Axolotl. "I woke up and heard voices from the study. I peered in through the keyhole, and there they were- the queens!" Bullfrog jumped. "I knew Queen Glory, obviously, and Grandma Coral. But the others, they came as a shock. They were talking about Dad and how he was an animus. I didn't know that. They thought I was an animus, too, and some of them wanted me dead."
Bullfrog felt her tail sort of slip away from his grip, but he held it tighter.
"I knew what I had to do. I slung open the door- Queen Moorhen had a real shock- and I took a vine from the wall. I said, 'I enchant this vine to turn into an opal necklace that protects the wearer from harm of any kind. It can not be lost, stolen, or harmed in any way. It can only be given.'" Bullfrog gasped. "And it turned into an opal necklace."
"It did?" Bullfrog gaped.
"It did," said Axolotl sadly.
"That's a sad story," said a quiet voice. Bullfrog and Axolotl whirled around, Axolotl for the second time in half an hour. It was Moonshadow and Mallard, talon in talon."Axolotl, I know the prophecy wasn't about you."
"Who was it?" Axolotl asked.
"A hybrid dragonet. Half SkyWing, half NightWing. Extremely dangerous. Firescales and the NightWing powers. And guess what, Axolotl? She's the dragon dreamvisiting you."
"Well, how are we supposed to fight off an enemy like that?" Bullfrog asked fearfully.
"I'll get the others," mumbled Mallard, flapping out of the room. A few moments later, Moonshadow had communicated this new development to the others.
"Well, how are we supposed to fight off an enemy like that?" Bullfrog repeated By this time, Blizzard was lashing her tail angrily, Scorpion was clenching his teeth, Ruby looked extremely worried, Firefly looked regretful, and Spidermonkey was a pale green color.
"As a winglet," said Moonshadow. "If we all work together, we can do it. But... Axolotl is in lots of danger. The only way I can see her living is if Blizzard protects her."
Blizzard grunted unhappily.
"And Bullfrog is in a lot of danger too." Bullfrog felt a shiver run down his spine. "Bullfrog, you're too loyal. I can see futures where you jump in front of other dragons to spare their lives and you're dead. Mostly Axolotl."
"But I'm not important," Bullfrog groaned. "You guys have much more chance of saving the world than I do. Besides, what's the point of living in a world without Axolotl in it? She's clearly the hero of this story."
Blizzard snorted. "I can think of a few ways the world would be better without Axolotl in it."
"You may not know it, but a world without you in it is also terrible," Moonshadow argued.
"How do we even know that this dragon is coming?" Firefly asked worriedly. Spidermonkey's scales were approaching dark green.
"I can see it," said Moonshadow simply. "Her name is Blaze, after the SandWing princess. Her mother, a SkyWing named Cardinal, was rogue. She was a Blaze supporter rather than Burn. She was exiled from her tribe and met another dragon exiled from his tribe. Jetclaws was sad and sweet and silly, and they fell in love.
"Their daughter was a firescales and a mind reader and prophecy dragonet. She was dangerous and hated them on sight. They had no choice but try to kill her. They failed. It was then that Blaze realized only an animus dragon could kill her. It was then that she decided she needed to become one, so that she could never die.
"She ran away to the rainforest. Jetclaws had a brother there- Blaze had seen it in his mind. Maybe his brother would know something. The only problem was that Jetclaws had been exiled before his brother had hatched from the egg, and his brother didn't know of Jetclaws' existence.
"Blaze was walking by a window when she saw her father's face. It must have been her uncle. Lucky for her, she heard them talking about an animus! Some wanted her dead. But most were worried about her. An animus! This animus could make Blaze into an animus too.
"The door swung open, and she saw the animus. Half RainWing, half SeaWing. Blaze knew from then on she had to talk to this animus."
Axolotl gasped. "And who was this brother?" She asked. The only NightWing in the room at the time had been...
"King Deathbringer," said Moonshadow.
