(Uh…this chapter is slightly violent? From this point on, just assume it'll be mildly violent.)
Jackal must've fallen asleep at some point, because he woke up colder than he had before. An odd version of fear seized his tired mind, but it faded as he woke up and heard shallow breathing, like the dragon had been told to always stay silent.
Opening his eyes, still a bit sleepy, he looked at the dragon—an IceWing, if the rare pictures he'd seen and his parents' vivid descriptions were any indication. Almost casually, he remembered that IceWings were on the other side of the war than what Burn was on. This thought woke Jackal up completely, the dragonet rolling out of reach and standing up.
He looked around for Mallow and Caldera, and settled down a little when he saw they had the same confused looks on their faces as they felt. Jackal turned back to the IceWing, and noticed she had been reaching for the spot where his head probably was. She wanted my blindfold, Jackal thought.
"Who are you, why are you in a cave with us, and why haven't you killed us yet?" Jackal decided to fit all three logical questions into a nonsense-sounding sentence.
"I'm Calcite, I live here, and I haven't decided how to best go about that last question." The IceWing replied matter-of-factly.
"How do you live here? Why do you live here?" This time, Mallow quizzed their unwanted guest. "We're a desert away from the Ice Kingdom."
The IceWing—Calcite—seemed to be amused by their questions. It made Jackal slightly more annoyed. "I never quite…belonged here. Long story short, I didn't grow up in this dull place. But I—what do you call it? Oh, yes—'moved' to Pyrrhia. I heard there was a war, and I rather enjoy violence."
Caldera was looking at Calcite like she was dead and rotting—Mallow walked over to comfort her and Jackal began to do the same. The look on the SkyWing's face was a combination of disgust and pure terror. Jackal stood reassuringly beside her while Mallow patted her with her wing.
"Oh," Calcite said. She tilted her head to the side, in such a way it didn't look possible. "You're not apart of those pacifist group are you? What were they called? 'The Talons of Peace?' Oh, yes, that sounds right…" She paused, either considering her next words or otherwise lost in thought.
"I'm not afraid to do what I can to protect my friends," Mallow growled. "So get out before I do something that'll really hurt—for you."
"On the contrary," Calcite said, walking a bit closer. She stopped in front of Caldera, making the small SkyWing whimper, and placed a serrated claw near Caldera's neck. Mallow's growl grew deeper, and Jackal found himself wondering how good he'd be in a fight. "You're forgetting that I said I lived here." The IceWing hissed, and her non-threatening voice vanished, replaced instead by a cold tone Jackal was glad he'd never heard before. "Now beat it before I happily slash the SkyWing's throat."
Caldera whimpered again, Mallow hissed, and Jackal was sincerely considering stabbing Calcite with his tail—even if it would only hurt, and if it might make him have to explain his animus powers to his friends. If she tries, I'll stab her so we can get away, he decided.
Calcite continued to stare at the dragonets. Eventually she pulled her claw away and stepped back to observe all of them. "Actually…killing you would be rather dull, wouldn't it?" Her voice was back to being semi-cheerful in a disturbing way, but her expression was closer to a hunger of sorts, if Jackal had to guess. "How old are you three?"
Mallow looked at the two, who both nodded—Jackal had forgotten, for a moment, that he shouldn't be able to see them. No one seemed to notice except for Caldera, who made that same thoughtful-sounding noise that she had made a few days ago. Mallow looked back at Calcite, and Jackal wondered if he was imagining the small bit of fear in her voice: "I'm six, Jackal is four, and Caldera is three. My name's Rose Mallow, not very happy to meet you."
"Okay," Calcite said. She seemed to look a bit disappointed for a moment before cheering up again. "I can work with this. Now, I have something fun planned. I'll be back; don't even think about leaving this cave, or you might find yourself unable to wake up from your next nap."
And with that, she flicked her tail and left.