Umber flew in circles above the town of Possibility. He scanned the crowds below, concentrating on finding that familiar ruby red hide. Every time he saw that familiar shade of red his heart would flutter in excitement before descending only to pull back at the last second as he realized it wasn't Flame but just some other SkyWing.
By the Moons there were a lot of SkyWings here.
After nearly tackling several dragons Umber released a sigh and alighted down on top of a nearby gazeebo. His talons gripped the loose shingles in apprehension. This place is so big...bigger than I thought it would be, he admitted. He had assumed Possibility was just some small town between the Sky and Sand Kingdom. He had pictured is like a quaint little village with maybe one small market place, where everybody tipped their hats to each other when passing and probably spent the days farming or quilting or doing something rustic.
But he was quickly learning that it was certainly NOT like he imagined. At all.
It was a huge, boisterous place with restaurants, shops, and even a souvenir shack. Not to mention there were SkyWings all over the dang place. How was he going to find Flame now?
As if on cue, a commotion in the streets made Umber turn towards the sound.
Like an aggressive hippo lunging into a fast flowing river, Flame came barreling into the crowd. Dragons awkwardly but swiftly tried to move out of his way as the scarred SkyWing frantically pushed through them.
At that point Umber already knew things had gone wrong.
"Flame!" he called and went to jump down from the gazebo but paused as another ruckus shook the crowd. He lifted his head to see a second SkyWing trying to breach the throng of pedestrians, although her larger size was making it difficult.
"Flame! Come back!" she yelled, stretching her long neck to see above the stream of dragons. Umber balked in realization. That must be Avalanche, Flame's mother!
They shared the same intense orange eyes and angular face. The resemblance was uncanny.
Remembering Flame Umber quickly turned his head back in the direction he had seen his friend running. His heart dropped to his stomach when he couldn't find the familiar dragon but a moment later he heaved a relieved sigh as he saw Flame. The scarred dragon was running towards the bridge that connected the town across the river.
Umber watched as Flame climbed onto the railing and jumped off with wings spread wide. He caught the high winds that were coming off the turbulent river, using them to climb higher into the sky. Just as he took off Avalanche finally broke through the crowd to the other side of the street.
She spun around in frantic circles, calling out to her son. She hadn't seen him take off. Finally she sat down and buried her face in her talons, her shoulders shaking as sobs wracked her frame. Dragons cast her confused glances but mostly just walked around her like a stream around a rock.
It broke Umber's heart to see her so distressed. Whatever had just happened between Flame and his mother, it hadn't been good. He was tempted to go down and comfort her, perhaps even bring her along to find Flame.
But he didn't have time. Flame was already a minute dot in the expanding sky, shrinking with every passing second. By the time he convinced Avalanche to listen to him Flame's trail would be lost.
He cast a sympathetic glance towards Avalanche before taking to the sky in pursuit of his kinda-sorta-boyfriend.
Umber had forgotten just how good SkyWings were at flying. No matter how hard he pumped his wings Flame still remained a speck against the vast blue sky, diving in and out of clouds like a fly buzzing through the mist.
The SkyWing was going north for some reason, following the main artery of the Great Five-Tail River up towards the ocean which birthed it. Umber had never been to this part of Pyrrhia before.
He had been following Flame at full speed for nearly an hour and the burning in his lungs, wings and heart were aggressively reminding him he couldn't keep this up forever. At least I haven't lost him...yet. Oh Moons, I hope he lands soon. I feel like I'm going to plummet from the sky at any moment.
After another several minutes Umber finally saw the mouth of the river approaching. It began with the slow widening of the waterway, thickening like a snake swallowing a meal until it flared open like a flower to greet the salt water.
The strong sea breeze rocked Umber's steady flight and the air quickly became warm and salty. At this point Umber was beginning to panic. Surely Flame wasn't going to keep going. Unless you were a SeaWing it was a death sentence to fly over open ocean without knowing where your next landing opportunity is. Otherwise you risk exhaustion, your wings will give out and you will plunge into the ocean only to drown.
Umber's tight chest relaxed when he saw Flame descend towards an approaching island.
It was a couple miles off the shore, shrouded in sea mist and flocks of screeching seagulls. A lush forest carpeted its rolling hills and as Umber got closer he could see stark cliffs of red stone and soil braving the violent impact of the tide.
It was a beautiful place, but why was Flame coming here?
He saw Flame land down on the on the west side of the island on a white patch of beach. Even from this distance Flame's red scales sparkled in the sun before he disappeared inland and into the trees.
Several minutes later Umber landed on the same patch of beach as Flame had, although instead of gracefully alighting down it was more of a crash as he careened into the soft sand, his lungs burning and wings aching. He rolled onto his back and sucked in air with gorging gasps as he waited for his heart to either explode or return to its normal pattern. All the while the tide washed towards him and nipped at his tail before playfully retreating back to the sea.
It took him longer than he'd like to admit to recover from his marathon of flight; he certainly had been slacking in his training ever since the war ended. Despite his pain he let out a stocky chuckle.
If my sibs saw me like this I wouldn't hear the end of it!
Finally he heaved himself to his feet and shook off the sand. By the looks of it the island was uninhabited...at least by dragons. There were plenty of animal tracks criss-crossing though the beach but only one set of dragon prints.
Those must be Flames, Umber noted. The deep gauges in the sand were quickly disappearing as the wind drifted across the beach. With renewed haste Umber scrambled to follow the trail before it vanished. I need to get to Flame. I don't know what happened between him and his mother, but I swear I will be there for him. He swallowed a shaky sigh. I just hope I'll be able to help him.
He followed the prints as they climbed up the sand-dunes, through the spiky grass that cut Umber's feet and finally disappeared as the soft sand abruptly met the mossy carpet of the forest floor.
Umber took a deep breath of the earthy scent that lingered in the air, mixing with the salty hues of the ocean and the sharp pine of the trees. The sunlight brushed through the leaves in sparse splotches along the ground like giant talon prints made of light, coaxing him to follow as they went deeper into the dense forest.
The brown dragon heeded their called and slipped beneath the canopy of leaves. He had lost Flame's talon-prints, but among the many scents that teased his nose he could detect the SkyWing's characteristic aroma. It reminded Umber of burnt cinnamon...in a good way.
It's been a while since I tracked a dragon with my nose, Umber fretted. Now-a-days he mostly just used his smell while hunting and to identify teas. With a pang Umber realized all the hard-earned skills he had learned during the war were ebbing away...but maybe that was a good thing.
Focus, Umber! he scolded himself, pushing the thoughts away. Get to Flame first and THEN you can have a moral crisis.
With an iron will Umber tracked Flame through the forest, following the scarred dragon's smoky trail as it hopped from branch to branch. As he went deeper into the woods his skills began to seep back from where they had been dormant in his mind. Soon enough details that would have slipped his notice prior suddenly became painfully obvious.
Talon marks on the roots, snapped twigs still hanging onto their branch by a thread where someone's wings obviously snagged, and scratches along the bark of trees that could only have been made by scales scraping their surface. All tell-tale signs of a dragon.
With each clue Umber began to pick up speed, tumbling through the forest with his heart pounding in anticipation. His scent is so strong. He has to be close...
Umber skidded to a halt as he entered a clearing of ferns that huddled close to a wide stream. On the other side of the clearing the trees thinned before the land dropped away in a cliff, tufts of long grass clinging to the rim. Further out he could see the ocean dance and spin, the rolling breeze tousling the soft ferns.
All these details briefly passed through Umber's senses, but he paid them little attention. His mind was anchored on something else.
Partially obscured by the feathery branches of the ferns was a red scaled dragon, his hunched back towards Umber.
Flame! Umber jolted.
The SkyWing's shoulders were trembling as he wept by the bank, his sniffling chokes mixing with the gurgling water as it rushed past.
Softly Umber stepped forward, not wanting to startle the SkyWing. "Flame?"
The red dragon whipped around, revealing blood-shot eyes and damp, glistening cheeks. At first disbelief painted the SkyWing's face before it was replaced with melting relief. "Umber..." Flame whimpered, weakly stretching out a talon towards the MudWing.
Umber's talons barely brushed the ground as he bound across the clearing and into Flame's waiting arms. The SkyWing used wings, arms and tail to hold Umber close and the brown dragon returned the gesture.
They stayed like that for a while, holding each other while Flame's sobs violently shook both their bodies. Umber felt a stream of tears hit his head as they dripped from Flame's chin in droves. Umber wished so desperately for something to say that would calm Flame down. For a magic word or sentence that would make everything better. That would stop the pain coursing through the SkyWing's body. But nothing came to mind. Instead he just held the red dragon, stroking his back until the SkyWing was gasping for air, his sobs turning to retches.
"Flame, you're going to make yourself sick!" Umber nudged them apart to give Flame some space. He continued to rub Flame's back in soothing circles. "Shh, it's alright. Just breathe. Slowly now. In and out. Just listen to my voice, alright? In and out." With one shaky breath at a time Flame got control of his breathing. He leaned against Umber as weakness overtook his body, his orange eyes dull and swollen.
"H-how did you find me?" Flame sniffled out, his face slick with tears. The SkyWing reached up to no doubt aggressively wipe the moisture away. The small scratched under his eyes suggested he had been less then gentle in his previous attempts. Umber gently grabbed Flame's talon to stop him.
"I'll tell you later. Right now let's get you fixed up. Just a moment," Umber advised. Remembering the hanging-moss he had seen on a nearby tree he quickly swiped it from the branch and dipped the soft lichen in the fresh stream. He brought it back to Flame and began to dab the SkyWing's irritated eyes. Flame sighed in relief as the cool water soothed the abused flesh.
"Thanks," he murmured and took the moss from Umber and continued the action. Stay tears were still falling but for the most part the scarred dragon had settled down, although a heavy aura of anguish clung to the SkyWing's scales like tar. It manifested in the slouch of his shoulders and the emptiness of his eyes. The fiery spark that so often flickered in the SkyWing's gaze was gone. It was if he had been scooped hallow.
Umber repressed a shudder. I've never seen him so upset before...what happened with his mother? Oh pleaaaase don't tell me Ochre was right about the boyfriend...or what if it's something worse? All those fears that Flame had been building up... that his mother didn't love him and hated him...oh Moons don't let it be that.
Umber took a breath, bracing himself for the answer to his question. "Flame...what happened? I was in Possibility when I saw you running from your mother..."
"So you saw that, huh?" Flame asked regretfully and Umber nodded.
Flame moved the moss to his right eye while his bottom lip began to tremble. Umber could see the strain in the SkyWing's face as he held back more tears. "She's replacing me, Umber," he snarled. "I went there hoping to get answer but instead all I got was a: Go away! I've got a brand new family now and deformed dragonets aren't fucking allowed!" Flame's voice was raw and hoarse, shaking with fury and betrayal. "She didn't send me to the Healing Center to help me; she was just getting rid of me!" He crumbled the moss into a ball and threw it into the stream. It settled gently atop the rippling waves before sinking.
The MudWing stared in bafflement. "Wha – did she say that?"
Flame hunching his shoulders together tighter and wrapping his wings around his body as if braving a bitter wind. "She didn't need to. The fact that she threw out my bed and graphicolls got the point across just fine."
Umber's wings drooped in sympathy. "That's terrible," he comforted, inching closer. He forced his way past Flame's membranous barrier as he nestled next his broad chest. The scarred dragon refolded his wings closed and pulled Umber in tight.
"I knew this was going to happen!" Flame seethed. "Ever since I got this scar she's hated me. I'm a hideous freak...my own mother is disgusted by me." He took in a shaky breath. "No one wants me."
"I do," Umber softly chimed in. He hesitantly reached his snout up to land a tender kiss on Flame's cheek. It was salty and damp but Umber didn't care. "And for the record...I think you're absolutely gorgeous."
Flame's face became a contortion of opposites as his eyebrows were still drawn together as if in pain while at the same time a weak smile pulled on his lips. He bent down and nuzzled Umber on the forehead. "Thanks," he breathed. "You make everything better."
Umber's heart felt as if it had expanded to fill his entire body. Every inch of his was tingly and warm. After several moments of silent embrace Flame lifted his head.
"So how did you find me?" he asked.
Umber tucked his head under Flame's chin, letting the heat from the red dragon's body seep into his scales. With a sigh he explained how Starfish had spoken to him, saying that Flame had likely gone to Possibility. Since Starfish hadn't been able to go Umber had went instead and arrived just in time to see Flame take off.
At the end of the story Flame cracked a smile. "If I had known you were chasing me I would have stopped. You should have yelled out or something."
Umber scoffed. "I was huffing and puffing enough as it was, I didn't have any extra lung power to yell. I was just thankful you landed here at...this place..."
"It's called Prince Egret Island, named after some SkyWing prince," Flame informed. The two pulled away from each other but their tails remained entwined. Flame stared out over the stream, through the trees and towards the ocean, his gaze deepening with familiarity as if looking at an old friend.
Going off of a hunch Umber quietly spoke. "Have you...been here before?"
Flame was silent for a moment. "This is where I was hatched."
Umber balked, his eyes widening. "Really?" He had assumed Flame had been hatched in some Talons of Peace camp.
Flame slowly nodded. "My mother kept my egg here to keep it safe. Once I hatched she took me to the Talons of Peace and left me with them." His voice became bitter as he spoke the last sentence. The well-traveled lines of tears on his face surged again as he blinked away the growing dampness in his eyes. "That was the first and last of my hatching-days she ever showed up to. All the other years she was away in the Sky Kingdom."
Flame made no reaction to remove the tears so Umber quickly reached up and brushed it away. He let his talon linger of Flame's face, cupping his cheek and pulling their foreheads together. "I know how heartbroken you are about all this. I know it's not fair and I know it hurts. Just..." he paused, not knowing what to say. What would Starfish say? Or Zephyr? What would ANYONE more qualified than him say?
"You don't have to face this alone, Flame," he finally muttered. His voice was unsure but he continued anyway. "I could have – or Starfish would have –"
"No. I had to do this on my own," Flame responded and lifted his head up to fix his eyes on Umber. "I had to find out for myself why she... why she was ignoring me." He swallowed hard, his head hanging low. "I guess I got my answers."
Umber coiled his tail tightly around Flame's. In the sky a bulbous cloud passed over the sun. The vibrant colours of the forest dimmed and the sparkle in the stream and ocean waned.
I feel so helpless, Umber lamented. He stole a few glances towards Flame but the SkyWing still wore the same empty expression, although sometimes moments of pain and anger shifted his features. How can I ever help him if I don't even understand what he's going through? I've never had to worry about my mother loving me. I had my sibs for that but...who does Flame have?
A moment later the cloud had passed and as it went the returning warmth seemed to waken nature. The ocean surged against the cliff, the sea foam shooting high in the air, the trees stood taller and the stream bubbled contently as it captured the sunlight and shattered it into a thousand shimmering shards. Umber felt his own scales brighten and he watched Flame from the corner of his eye. Well...he'll always have me at least. That's for sure.
The sun was now an unseen presence directly above them, its light warmth spilling out but the orb itself hidden by the thick leaves. It was already high noon. With a jolt Umber remembered Starfish. The SeaWing was probably either already gone or leaving soon to find Flame in Possibility.
"We should go back to the Healing Center." Umber nudged Flame's cheek with his snout. "Starfish will be getting worried." He pulled on Flame's wing but the red dragon remained planted in place. Umber cocked his head to the side. "Flame? What's wrong?"
Flame closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them, his jaw setting. "I don't want to go back." He spoke deeply. "My mother sent me there to forget about me...if I go back it would be like...accepting it." Flame's dull eyes hardened as sparks of ice seemed to ignite behind his gaze, growing cold and spreading through his body with a stiffening shudder.
Umber's heartbeat quickened and he swallowed nervously. "But...if you don't go back to the Healing Center then where will you go?"
The shards of ice thawed for a moment and a weak smile parted his lips. "Maybe I'll just stay here." He spread his wings and motioned to their surroundings. He turned to Umber, his head lowered shyly. "You could join me... if you wanted. We could just stay here and be hermits together."
The MudWing pursed his lips, letting out a sigh through his nose. "We could do that," he agreed while taking a step closer to Flame. "We could spend the rest of our lives hidden away from what hurts us...but to be honest, I don't think I could do that."
Flame jerked his head back and looked at his talons, hurt plain across his face.
Umber raised his talons defensively. "No, don't get me wrong. It's just... you deserve so much more than that."
He grasped Flame's talons in his own and took a breath. If there was ever a time to say the right thing, it was now. He just prayed to the Moons that he wouldn't make a bigger mess of things.
"Listen," Umber began. "It doesn't matter why your mother sent you to the Center. Maybe she did it to help you or maybe she didn't but...there are dragons there who truly want to help you and care about you." Umber paused, waiting for Flame to react; to give any indication that he was listening. It was therefore a relief when Flame tightened his grip on Umber's talons, although his gaze still remained fixed on the ground.
"Sora, Starfish, Zephyr, Jet... they all care about you so much," the brown dragon continued. He reached up and nuzzled Flame's chin. "And I care about you. Please don't make me watch you suffer alone."
Flame glanced up for a second, thoughts churning beneath the surface as he remind silent. Umber patiently waited, hoping his little speech had made the impact he wanted. He knew Flame still needed help; abandoning him on this island wouldn't solve anything.
Time seemed suspended in the silence that stretched between them. The stillness agonized Umber but he dare not make a sound. If Flame was going to return to the Healing Center Umber wanted to be sure it was because he wanted to return. Flame had to be the one to decide.
Finally Flame look up at Umber as if asking a silent question and in the moment their eyes met a warm calm seemed to wash over the SkyWing. He closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them he straightened his spine to sit taller, his head lifted in surety and confidence. "You're right. I guess I forgot I actually have real friends now...and I have you." He leaned down and touched their foreheads together briefly.
Umber melted in relief as a large grin split across his face. The SkyWing then pulled away, shaking out his wings and looking around unimpressed. "Besides, it's not like I have anywhere else to go."
The MudWing nodded, but covertly inspected Flame. He was thankful he had been able to convince Flame to return with him, but he knew the damage was far from fixed. The SkyWing's brittle demeanor was a stark reminder of the broken heart buried beneath.
It was going to be a long and strenuous road ahead for Flame to overcome this pain, but whatever obstacles were in his path Umber was determined to be by his side to face them.
Smiling, Umber stood up on his toes and took Flame's lips in a quick kiss. "Then let's head back."
Starfish dashed around his office, aggressively putting things away as he prepared to leave for Possibility. Ravage had left the session just a few seconds prior, but the SeaWing didn't have a moment to lose. He knew he should have left earlier, but it would have been immoral to abandon one patient to go chasing after another. Still, he hoped he could reach Flame on time.
He glanced around the room hastily to make sure everything was in place before rushing to the door.
Let's see, it will take me a little under an hour to get to Possibility...and then I'll have to actually FIND Flame...do I have his mother's address written down somewhere...maybe I should check...
Just as he whipped around to check his file cabinet again he heard a knock on the door. Three precise and aggressive strikes that shook the wooden barrier. Starfish's ears perked. None of his patients knocked like that...and neither did Zephyr. Curious and cautious he formally slid open the door and blinked in surprise as he was greeted by a stern looking female SkyWing. She had a sharp, angular face with orange eyes of the same intensity.
Her eyebrows were angle downwards in annoyance and she was holding a piece of parchment in her right talon.
"Hello," she spoke. "Are you..." she glanced down at the parchment and squinted. "...Starfish?" she asked, finally having found his name on the paper.
Part of him was screaming to get out the door as fast as he could to reach Flame, but the polite and curious part of him held him still. "I am..." he smiled warmly. "How may I help you?"
Suddenly the SkyWing snarled and crumbled the parchment in her fists. "So YOU'RE the slimy, dung-brained beetle that's SUPPOSED to be helping my son?!" She stalked forward, forcing Starfish to scramble backwards. He coughed a few times as he accidentally inhaled the smoke coiling from her nose. As she looked down at him with an expression of complete fury Starfish instantly knew who he was speaking with...the way her eyes burned and the characteristic curl of her upper lip when snarling brought to mind another young dragon.
"You must be Avalanche," he coughed again, trying to suppress the nervous palpitations of his heart.
"Yes," she growled, sticking her smoking snout in his face. "Where. Is. My. Son?"
Author's note:
Sorry this update it late, this chapter is a little longer than normal and I wanted to get the emotions just right! Hopefully I succeeded!
P.S. Prince Egret Island is actually based off my home island :3
