- Chapter 9 -
"I…" Amber started, then stuttered, as if she was unsure of what she was going to say. "I… don't know what to do now."
She stood in the snow, her talons now numb and senseless, her back turned away from Nimbus' body and Frostbite as well.
The IceWing sat nearby, staring at his mother, but he kept his snout shut. There was nothing to be said.
The atmosphere was grim and lifeless, much like the carcass that laid nearby. Although it was already late into the night, it seemed as though the slopes of the snowy mountains grew even darker.
Do not think this is your fault. You've taken the blame for enough things that you are not guilty of.
Frostbite stared down at his small claws as the late SkyWing's words circled around in his head, repeating their dreadful melody until they were carved permanently into his memory.
But… but this IS my fault. Nimbus was right before. I'm dangerous to my family without even trying to be. Now, he is… dead. And Mother…
He tilted his head up at the clementine SkyWing, who continued to ramble on to herself. "Are we… supposed to take him somewhere?"
…she can't even think straight. And Topaz… she's all alone… I'm the one who deserves to be alone, somewhere far away, where I couldn't hurt anyone ever again. I… I should run away, Frostbite reasoned, but then decided that it would only cause more pain for Amber if he did. She had already been broken by the loss of Nimbus- losing another family member would shatter her heart beyond repair.
Although he knew that Amber loved him parallel only to Nimbus and Topaz, he thought himself unbelonging- unworthy of her affection. Frostbite felt as though he had caused them nothing but tragedy.
If it weren't for me, Amber and Nimbus could have lived happily every day and never argue. They could call the Sky Palace their home, where Topaz would be surrounded by gemstones… But because of me, we have to live in a town away from the other SkyWings. Because of me, Nimbus isn't alive. Someone… someone even tried to kill me! All of this! All of this because I am an IceWing!
The tragic thoughts Frostbite was berating himself with put a heavy weight on his consciousness. His heart continued to sink lower than it ever had before. Yet again, he allowed tears to escape his glossy black eyes.
"The general…" Amber continued to mutter to herself. "The general will be rather disappointed. Why, they sent Nimbus back to us for the sole purpose of keeping him alive. If only I hadn't… If only I hadn't…"
"A-adopted me," Frostbite interrupted in a quiet, wobbly voice.
She turned her head toward the tiny IceWing with a surprised expression, as if she had forgotten he was there.
"Oh, moons, Frostbite!" she exclaimed, her voice much more clear and magnified. "Please, don't say that," she continued as she began to walk to his side. "This is already a… tough time, and I'm sure you could imagine how a mother feels when one of her dragonets says something like that." She tried to wrap her wing around him, but he pushed himself off of her.
"Get away!" Frostbite cried. "Look at all the horrible things I've already done! I'll only hurt you more!"
With a wounded look, Amber turned to him. "Frostbite, you know that none of this is your doing-"
"Stop saying that!" he yelled back, letting his true feeling emerge. "You know none of this would have happened if I wasn't around!"
"No, Frostbite!" Amber roared back, startling him with her sudden change of tone. "None of this is your fault because it's all mine!" She paused for a moment, catching her breath. Frostbite shifted his head back, confused by her words. "Look," she started again, "you didn't choose to be raised as a SkyWing. You didn't choose to make me leave the Sky Palace. You didn't choose for Nimbus to follow you out here. That was all me! I chose to leave the Sky Palace because I wanted you to live somewhere safer. I chased you out here because I was worried about you. I chose to adopt you because I wanted you- because I love you." She stared him in the eye, her gaze confident and assuring. "I see more in you than any normal SkyWing ever could. Now, I want you to see more in yourself. I want you to see more than just some IceWing who thinks they don't belong with a loving family. Nimbus said it himself- being a SkyWing isn't about how fast you can fly or what color your scales may be. Being a SkyWing- no, just being a good dragon is about who you are inside, and inside of you is the purest heart in all of Pyrrhia. You let the actions of other dragons convince you that IceWings are terrible creatures, but the truth is that if this awful war weren't being fought, it wouldn't matter if you were a SkyWing, IceWing, SeaWing, or even a NightWing- I'd still love you the same. All that's truly important is that you are yourself, and you accept yourself for what you are, SkyWing or not."
Frostbite was stunned, his mouth left ajar. Never before had he felt so wanted- so cared for by someone else. For a moment, he even considered smiling before the severity of the situation began to sink in once again. He stared at Amber, who looked as if she was trying not to cry, then turned toward his father's resting body.
Although he remained silent, Amber knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Listen," she spoke gently, "I know you must be tired. Please, go home now. As much as I hate the idea of saying this aloud, I'll have to go talk to Canary. She'll know what to do, but I doubt she'll be able to detain the boulder for its crimes. That boulder… it came out of nowhere. Why, oh why did the wretched thing have to come now of all times?"
The boulder- it didn't come from nowhere, Frostbite recalled, causing his heart to beat faster.
"Mother," Frostbite stated, unsure of how she might react, "the boulder… It didn't start moving on its own."
Amber presented him with a puzzled look.
"It's just that, after the boulder came, I saw a red tail in the mist for a few moments, and think it belonged to whoever I saw flying behind you before."
She did not look any more enlightened than before.
"Well, what I'm trying to say is that I think that the other dragon pushed the boulder toward us, and, well, I think they were trying to hit me with it."
Frostbite thought he saw the SkyWing's pupils shrink.
"Please, Frostbite, say that isn't so," Amber cried out, a prime example of how he did not want her to respond. Frostbite did not want to cause her any more worry than what she was already going through. "I can't bear the thought of any of this being on purpose, especially if the intent was to harm you."
"You… you mean you don't believe me?" the small IceWing groaned.
"I refuse to believe such a dreadful idea! Why would anybody want to harm you?" Amber stated firmly, although she started to shiver more vigorously. Whether this was because of the dropping temperature or fear of his words, Frostbite could not say.
"Mother… I think we both know the truth…"
She saw the IceWing's wings begin to droop and he tilted his head to the snow. "Dreadful, dreadful times we're living in," Amber sighed uneasily. "Well… if you're certain of what you saw, I suppose I can bring it up with Canary." Her words of reassurance made Frostbite feel just a little better. "Now, please, go home. Topaz is worried about you, and I doubt she likes being all alone this late at night. Look… I just need a moment. I will return to you later. I promise. "
Frostbite obeyed, but not before wrapping his arms around her neck in a caring embrace. He felt no difference in temperature between the snowy ground and her smooth scales. Finally, he turned his back to Amber and spread his wings.
"See you soon, Mother."
With a running start, he was off, lifting his small body into the air. He flew with tired, heavy wings, yet his heart felt even heavier.
(Transition)
If it were not for the dim torches shedding their warm light into the dark sky, Frostbite never would have seen Diamond Spray Town far below him. How long he had been away, he was not certain. All he could think about was what he would tell his four-year-old sister if he decided to say anything at all.
I'd better not, he concluded. Amber would be able to tell her of her father's shortcomings in a more subtle way.
Frostbite himself was unsure if what he saw really had occurred.
Perhaps this is nothing more than a nightmare. I've been having a lot of those lately. But deep down, he knew that he was not inside of a dream.
Luckily, it was still so late at night that no other SkyWings would be present to witness Frostbite's descent upon the small settlement.
He flew down in a spiral pattern, overlooking the dark caves on the hillside. Not a light nor a sound emanated from any of the homes, not even his own.
Frostbite thought this was strange- Amber usually kept the small torch burning on the wall. She claimed this was because Topaz was afraid of the dark, but both of them knew that it was their SkyWing mother who truly felt uncomfortable in the dullness of the small cave.
No, somebody must have extinguished the flame on purpose, someone who did not want to be seen. Someone like…
…a murderer. Topaz! She could be in danger! I might already be too late!
With neither concern for his own safety nor a plan for confrontation, Frostbite shot through the cowhide covering and into his home.
Much to his relief, he saw nothing unusual inside the dwelling but the yellow eyes of his sister who had been fast asleep just moments prior. Frostbite's sudden appearance had startled her awake.
Moonlight peered through the opening behind him, illuminating his pale scales in the dark room.
"Frostbite!" she shouted, sticking her head out from the furs on her bed. He had expected her to sound scared, or even happy to see him after she had been alone most of the night. Instead, her voice seemed outraged.
The IceWing's eyes were well adjusted to the darkness by now, so he could see Topaz crawl onto the floor and march over to him with an unhappy expression. "I have a few things I'd like to say to you."
Oh brother…
"One. Why did it take you so long to get back? I put out Mother's torch so nobody would think she was home." She began to tower over him, her yellow eyes staring down at him like two of the moons in the night sky. "Two. How dare you interrupt my beauty sleep by bursting in here." Topaz' tone became more playful. Frostbite even saw her start to smile. He smiled back.
"How long have you been rehearsing this speech in your head?" he asked her jokingly.
Topaz ignored him and smirked. "I mean, seriously, you ran in here even faster than Thunderstorm. Anyone who saw you would've thought you were being chased by an assassin!" Frostbite's grin faded.
Maybe… maybe I was being followed! I flew all the way home in the middle of the night all by myself. I would have been an easy target for the murderer if they wanted to tail me…
"Whoa, Frostbite, it was just a joke," the young SkyWing clarified, bringing him back into reality. "Unless… you know something that I don't. Well, we both know that's impossible. Ha, ha! Oh, I almost forgot! Three."
"You're really going to let me have it, aren't you?" Frostbite sighed sheepishly.
"No," she said surprisingly tender. "I missed you, you big iceberg." Topaz moved next to him and brushed the tip of her wing with his. "Brr, you're even colder than usual." He just shrugged. "Anyway, it was unbelievably brave of you to stand up to Father like that, but I hope you two made up. I really don't want to hear any more fighting." She looked up at him with a sparkle in her eye. "Speaking of Father, where is he? And Mother, too? I thought they would follow right behind you."
Frostbite closed his eyes. He still was unsure of how truthful he would be with his explanation.
"Oh, let me guess," the goldenrod SkyWing joked. "The 'assassin' got them. Yeah, right."
"They're just… busy," Frostbite replied. "Mother told me she'd be back soon."
"Oh, 'busy.' That makes everything so much more clear now." Topaz responded, rather sarcastically. "You know what? I'm not going to ask for details right now. Goodnight, Frostbite." She left the IceWing's side and leaped back onto the furs atop her bed. She laid flat, folding her talons then resting her head upon them.
Frostbite, too, returned to his sleeping place. His blankets felt soft and warm, although he may have found a bed of snow to be preferable.
"Goodnight, Topaz."
"Mother better get back soon- I want to scold her too."
Frostbite's eyes drifted to his Mother's now empty sleeping place which did not often remain empty during the night. He stared at the archway the lead to his father's now vacant room and silently wept. Spreading his wing to cover his face, the troubled IceWing curled himself into a ball, letting his tears soak the furs on his bed until sleep found him and carried his mind far, far away.
(Transition)
The first thing Frostbite saw upon opening his eyes were his talons. What was once covered in scales of pale blue were now shining a vibrant, bright red.
His eyes widened as rapidly, he turned his head to see the rest of his body. Sure enough, the rest of his scales had turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. His wings and tail appeared much larger than they had before.
"I don't believe it!" the new SkyWing shouted ecstatically. "My wish came true! I really am a SkyWing!" Bright light shone all around him as he continued to admire his claws, opening and closing his talons in the pile of furs he had been laying on. Suddenly, he heard Topaz' voice coming from across the room.
"Uh… yes, you are. Is that… unusual somehow?" she asked, sounding genuinely confused.
Without looking up, Frostbite responded. "Oh, cut it out, Topaz. I know you're just messing with me."
"T-Topaz? Surely you aren't referring to me. My name's Moonstone- you know that."
Frostbite turned his attention to the owner of the voice, baffled by what he had heard. All the objects in the room appeared to be in their usual places. The table was still in the middle of the room, the two other beds were still tucked away in the side of the cave, and the skin-covered opening was still located to the right of his bed. Still, there was one unignorable difference- everything was made out of ice. Icicles hung from the ceiling like the stone stalactites the loomed over his own cave, threatening to break free and shatter on the floor into a million icy pieces. The ground, polished and colored light blue was so clear that Frostbite could see the apricot eyes of his reflection staring back him.
Suddenly, he began to feel the bitter cold nibbling on his red scales which were no longer resistant to the frost.
He looked to where his SkyWing sister should have been, but found a small IceWing instead- an IceWing that seemed to be the same age as Topaz. She had a long snout with a slender neck. The spikes on her the back of her head lifted curiously as she gave him a puzzled look.
"Jasper, are you ok? You're looking at me weird."
"Jasper?" Frostbite repeated, darting his head back and forth in the new environment. He felt dizzy and was sure the spikes on his neck would have risen- that is, if he still had them. "Who's Jasper? And who are you?"
"Um… you're Jasper, remember? I didn't think I'd have to tell you this twice, but my name is Moonstone. Did you just wake up from a crazy dream or something? You're acting very bizarre."
"Dream," the puzzled SkyWing thought aloud. "It that was this is? A dream? And all of this is just some strange reflection of my home?"
Moonstone kept staring at him strangely.
He looked back at his talons and frowned. "So that means… I'm not really a SkyWing."
"By the moons, you're acting odd," Moonstone declared. "Maybe Mother will know what to do."
"Oh, Amber's here?" Frostbite asked excitedly, looking at the icy reflection of his Mother's bed. There was nobody in it.
"What? No!" the small IceWing responded, looking rather uncomfortable. "Who's Amber? Our Mother's name is Tanzanite! Tanzanite! T-a-n-z-a-n-i-t-e! You're really starting to scare me."
"T-a-n… is that how to spell things? Sorry, I don't know how to read or anything."
"Oh, I wish she was here to sort this out," Moonstone complained aloud as she placed a claw on her snout, "but Captain Phalarope is keeping her busy." She then turned and scowled at him, causing Frostbite to shift back in his bed. The last time an IceWing glared at him, things did not end well. "I just don't understand how you could forget your own Mother's name, and yet, you're still her favorite dragonet."
"I… I'm Tanzanite's favorite? I'm flattered, even though I haven't met her."
Her black eyes continued to pierce through him. "She might say that she loves both us the same, but we both know that isn't the truth. Obviously, she likes you more- why else would she have given you that big ruby earring while I'm left with nothing!"
Abruptly, Frostbite felt a small weight appear on his ear. He lifted his claw beside his head to handle the new object. As he rubbed the hard item between his talons, he realized that it felt similar to the earring he wore outside of the dream; although this one was placed on his right ear rather than his left. After removing the artifact to examine it further and holding it out in front of him, he realized that it appeared virtually identical to the teardrop-shaped sapphire he owned in reality; however, this one was fabricated from a ruby with a golden outline.
"Oh, I'm sorry you feel that way," he stated innocently. Gently, he tossed the earring to Moonstone. She looked surprised, but managed to catch it in her talons. "Here, I don't really need this, and I'm sure you'd be happier with it than I will. After all, this is only a dream, but I hope Topaz doesn't feel that way about me…"
She looked at the gemstone in her claws, then back to Frostbite with a curious expression. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. The new SkyWing could tell that she was too confused to speak. He would be too if he were in her situation.
"I think I'm the one who's dreaming," Moonstone spoke, eventually. "But I think I'm starting to understand why Mother likes you so much. You didn't need to do that, but you gave up the earring you've been wearing for as long as I can remember just because you thought it would make me happy."
Frostbite gave her a sweet smile, and she returned the glance.
Finally, a pleasant dream made its way into the Frostbite's troubled mind. He felt a small weight lift off of his shoulders as slowly, his vision became blurry, his focus shifting back to reality and the trials that soon await him.