Caldera woke up to a strange noise. She realized, as she became more aware of the world around her, that it was Mallow humming. It was a song that Caldera never heard before.
As she sat up, Caldera noticed the ripple of Mallow's scales slightly changing color. When she stood up and her talons audibly clicked on the wood floor, they stopped abruptly. "Am I going crazy," Caldera began, "Or were your scales changing color a few seconds ago?"
Mallow looked over her shoulder at Caldera, and sighed. "No, you weren't." She said. "And I know you've probably seen them change a lot, but…you know how I said that I wasn't a normal MudWing?" Caldera nodded. "Well, I'm not…I'm a hybrid."
Caldera's eyes grew wide, and she gasped a little. "What kind?" She asked quietly. "If it's not too personal."
"RainWing." Mallow blurted. "My father was a RainWing. My mother was a MudWing."
"Was?" Caldera echoed.
"My mother died in a battle, my father was killed by one of my aunts when she found out that me and my sibs were hybrids." Mallow explained. "That was when my brother decided it was my fault, and claimed to be the oldest. I was kicked out of the troop; only my littlest brother liked me anyway. We were sent into battle when we were only a year old, and when we were two the only sib that I don't refuse to acknowledge died."
"I'm sorry." Caldera said. "Does the dragonet you babysit know?"
Mallow grunted, then said, "His parents knew when I first ran into them. I would tell him stories, and he's a good guesser, so he could tell that I was a hybrid in the way I described how my sibs looked." She paused, then said, "Okay, as soon as you're ready, we'll head to his house."
…
It was mid-afternoon when they reached the next oasis town. It wasn't long until Mallow announced that they were at the house.
It was a two-story home, built with blocks that were most likely made out of sand. It had four holes for windows, with fancy lace curtains shielding an onlooker's view of the top two windows. Mallow walked up to the wood door and tapped lightly. It didn't take long for what sounded like a lock to be released and a SandWing head pop out.
"Ah, Rose Mallow, just in time!" The SandWing said. She seemed worried. "I thought you would be here sooner." Caldera felt a small twinge of guilt. She would be if I wasn't here, she thought.
"I'm sorry, ma'am." Mallow replied. She brushed her wing against Caldera's head. "I brought along someone for Jackal to play with."
The SandWing looked at Caldera, and then her eyes when to wear her wings should be. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. Yes, yes, Jackal would like someone to play with him. Be wary of his tail, though; if you do get hit, there's emergency supplies in the kitchen." She rushed out the door, and started walking away. "He's on the second floor!" She called.
Mallow looked at Caldera, then shoved her in with her wings. "Come on. I want you to meet the dragonet that I also pity." She walked into the house, lightly shoving Caldera up the steps and into an open area with a small bed, a large bed, both made out of straw, and a training dummy. And, in the corner was a small SandWing about the size of Caldera, maybe a little bit bigger.
"Hey, Jackal," Mallow said. The SandWing turned to her, with eyes that seemed more dull than they should. Beside him was a piece of cloth, and he tied it over his eyes. Caldera realized he must be blind. "Meet Caldera. She's a SkyWing—she doesn't have wings. I brought her here to keep you company."
Jackal stood up, and walked over to Caldera. To her, it seemed like he moved reasonably confidently for a blind dragonet. "Hello, Caldera." He said. "I was wondering why Mallow was taking so long."
