Chapter 28

A/N: [Morgan Freeman Voice]: After five months of nobody caring about this fanfic, the author finally decides to update.

Wondering why this chapter is chapter 28 despite the fact that the last chapter was 26? Well, it's because I was 5,000 words into writing chapter 27 (which, for the record, is some good shit) when I realised that I didn't want to release it right now. That'll come later. So here we are, I guess.

Also I know parts of this are pretty bad. I just needed to get it out there right now, otherwise it would've been delayed for another half a year.

The low thrum of volcanic activity shook the room. The basalt that lined the walls wasn't all that porous, but still allowed a decent amount of heat through.

Shimmer paid no heed to it whatsoever.

"…is it really you?" Gecko asked, slowly rising from the ground and stumbling over to the bars on unsteady legs. "No, it can't be. I must be dying, yes, that's it, dying from the lack of water and the incredible heat… and you are an apparition conjured up by my mind to remind me of what could have been!"

He pressed up against the bars, reaching through to try and touch her while the back of his other hand pressed against his forehead. "Oh, woe is me-"

She slapped him. Hard.

He recoiled from the blow, and for a second she was afraid he was simply going to topple to the ground. A smidge of concern grew in her heart.

Then he grinned, and the concern was replaced by an overwhelming amount of hatred.

"So, did you find that you couldn't stay apart from me after all?" he asked.

She picked up the bucket and prepared to fling the water at him through the bars.

"Nonononono don't!"

Shimmer feigned and he flinched, sticking his tongue out so he might at least catch some of the water. For a second he seemed shocked that he wasn't drenched. He unfroze, watching as she walked over to the side of the room and poured the water into a trough which transported it into the cell.

Then she dropped the bucket, assumed her disguise again, and prepared to leave.

"Shimmer-"

"Fuck off."

As she ducked through the entrance and began plodding back up to the surface, she revelled in Gecko's panicked cries. Part of her felt disgusted, but another felt… vindicated.

She paused at the top of the incline to readjust the bucket, which was beginning to slip.

And as she stood there, she heard the sound of soft, mournful sobs echoing down the corridor behind her.

She thought back to several years ago, back when Kiwi was still a child. He'd gotten into a flying accident and scratched up his face. It had left a scar.

She remembered him calling out for her, with the same mournful, reverent tone.

She sighed.

Goddamnit.

Dropping the bucket and the disguise, she took quick, deliberate steps down the incline into the holding cells. Gecko was curled up against the bars, trying to stop the tears but obviously unable to.

It took him a few seconds to realise that she was there, but when he did his eyes lit up with a light she didn't realise she'd missed.

No. She shook her head.

He sniffled, reaching through the bars. "Sh- shimmer?"

"Shut up."

She sat down on the opposite side of the bars. "You have ten minutes, so you'd better start talking."

So he did.

~what am I doing~

The fire crackled, dying down a bit as another bit of kindling was consumed. The embers around the edges of the fire were darkening, slowly crumbling to ashes as sparks spiralled into the night sky.

Licks of flame cast their flickering light onto two figures, huddled in shawls and blankets, sitting on opposite sides of the fire. One was a young man with a fledgling beard and an airy smile upon his face, and the other was a massive yellow dragon.

They made for an odd pair.

But that wasn't important.

"Let me…" the dragon began, pulling the blanket around his shoulders. "…tell you a story."

Sighing, the man sipped from a small wooden cup. "Is it one I've already heard?"

"No."

The dragon gestured towards an empty flask discarded on the ground, grimacing as the cold mountain air hit his exposed arm. "Blame the liquid courage, but I think it's about time you found out the full story about how I came here."

The man raised an eyebrow, taking another sip. "That's a tall order."

Yellow guffawed in response. "Oh, Jasmine, there's lots of things you don't know yet. Besides, it's almost time to set everything in motion, isn't it?"

Jasmine sighed, looking off to the side as he scratched at his face. "That's true. Before you begin, though, did I tell you about Rosie?"

"What about her?" Yellow tried to ask nonchalantly, avoiding eye contact.

"She's fine, you great big goof. She's just… a bit disappointed that the dragon that kept showing up back home isn't coming back anymore. For a second, she thought I'd scared him off! Can you believe that?"

"Well, he did stop visiting after you waved at him. Which, by the way, why did you do that?"

Jasmine shrugged. "I panicked. A wave is a perfectly good method of communication! Besides, it's not like I know their language."

"I keep telling you, it's not that hard!" Yellow countered. "Look, it's like this; ẉ̢͚͕̼̹͍̫̤̺̰̦ͮͨ̐̐ͧ͠h͛̃̋̋͏͎͔̙͔͜ą̶̯̘̻̖͉̺̱͚̻͍̻͆ͮ͌̀͊ͨͤ̓ͩͩͩ́ͅͅa̟̳͈̹̦̞͖͍͓̣͓̥̞͍̿̇ͥ̓͗ͧ̚͡͠ạ̡͖̖͍̪̾ͬ̌͌ͥ̂̿̏͋́̚̚͠t̢̺̲̬͕͇̗̠̜ͯͫ͐͌̿̈́̈̈́ͦ̅̓̏̔ͦͦ͠ ̶̮̭̟̭̰̞̞̜̼͒ͥͥ̌͆̏̀̽̐̈̓̔̾̑̒͐̂̓̚͟h̓̊͒̉̒ͤ̌̂̍̚͏̶̛̠̩̬͙͓́͢eͮ̇ͬ̾̂ͨ̿ͨ̽̊́҉̶̳͎͓͓̘̪͕̰̟͕̫̀ ̸̵̢̤̙̙͔̰̗̗͉̪̻͈̇͂̇ͫ͐̀ͤͦ͆̔͋͐̆ͥ̃̋̑f̵̯͈̠̞͉̻̤̤͎͙̮͓̭̫͚̪̺̪̻̈͑ͭ͌̂͆̾̉́͐͢͟͠ủ̶̵̫̲̳̮̳͚̬̟͚̝̭̇̇̎̒̋̀ͧͥͤ̍̄͝ĉ͚̗͈̰̜ͤͮ̐̆̉͊̽ͥ̏͊̽ͮͤ̇ͪ̅ͮ͜͡."

The scavenger rested his head on his chin.

"…no idea what that just was."

"It was 'hello, there'"

"Sounded like you were gargling with marbles."

"Urgh." Yellow threw his arms into the air, and then immediately retracted them into the shawl. "I guess you'll just never learn."

"And I'm alright with that. Anyways… what was that about a thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes!" the dragon exclaimed, throwing his head back and grinning. "I'd forgotten!"

"Is it a story?" Jasmine asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Because you know I'm a sucker for stories."

"You're in luck, my dear fellow, for it is indeed a story!"

"Turn the showmanship down a notch; you're speaking like a man possessed."

"…you're no fun."

"Get on with it, and I'll see about getting you more drinks."

"…it all started seven years ago, on a night juust like this…"

I was but a young, dashing dragon with naught to my name but my smile and dashing character-

"You've used the word dashing twice in the same sentence, and I seem to recall you having quite a large inheritance."

"Hush, you. Now, where was I…"

~meet me in the woods~

it was a night just like this; dark, mysterious, with an air of the unknown about it. I was a young, dashing, absolutely fabulous dragon, and had decided to take the time out of my rather busy schedule of parties and hungover afternoons to trek into the woods and really, truly, find myself.

Of course, I was about half an hour into my journey before I realised that I didn't much care for the outdoors. Ironic, isn't it? Regardless; there I was, dirt on my perfectly manicured feet, sweat slicking my scales, and my pack digging into my ribs painfully. It was torturous, and before you interrupt, Jasmine… yes, I will admit that I wasn't quite as fit as I might've made myself out to be.

But I digress.

Imagine my surprise when, suddenly, the heavens exploded with light! Ah, it was a symphony of noise and colour that streaked the sky that night, a perfect symphony of chaos that crescendoed in a brilliant burst of fire and a resounding BOOM that shook the very mountain I stood on!

I still recall standing there, chest heaving, being gently rained on by red-hot bits of rock as I watched bits of the forest catch on fire… utterly gobsmacked by what I had just witnessed.

Of course, I had to go and see what it was.

It took me the better part of an hour and a complete disregard for my own safety- I scrambled over ledges, ran along riverbanks, even climbed a tree to see where the thing was! It was exhausting- and this isn't an exaggeration, Jasmine, stop laughing- and I was completely winded by the end of it.

But I'd found it.

Different people know it by different names. Once upon a time, your people would've called it a meteorite. In our dialect, we'd have called it a Skydrop. But I believe it was the denizens of this continent that came up with the best name for it;

Starfire.

And as I dragged myself over the final ridge the skydrop had left as it bounced along the ground to come to a rest against an upwards incline, I found myself seeing exactly why they called it so.

It was a behemoth of almost incomprehensible mass and weight- I don't think our entire village would've been able to lift it if we'd tried. And it crackled and hissed and popped, rivulets of molten rock running down its sides and pooling in the ground around it. It radiated heat like some sort of positively eldritch furnace, a forge for the weapons of the gods.

I must've stood there for a solid minute, revelling in the insanity of it all.

I knew exactly what it was. Almost all Lightwings had been trained to recognise Skydrops on sight. But it had been actual centuries since I'd heard about one being found! And nobody had seen one land ever before!

Needless to say, I was absolutely ecstatic.

Then the Silverwings emerged from the forest.

Now, old pal, this is a tale of times long gone. Back then, the Lightwing-Silverwing relationship was much akin to a long-abandoned beaver dam. Still there, to be certain, but slowly breaking up.

My first instinct was to defend myself against them and try to claim the Skydrop for my tribe. It was entirely possible that they'd retreat, since they didn't know what I was capable of.

And then… then they emerged from the woods.

They were held aloft on a litter by seven burly Silverwings, being fed grapes by an assistant. The instant they looked in my direction… oh, instant fireworks.

Yes, Jasmine, this is going where you think it is. Oh, don't give me that look! You would've done the same!

fine, that's a lie. Still, can you blame me?

You can?

Shut up and let me finish.

They beckoned me towards them, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker. They told me that they knew the state of tattered communication between the Lightwings and the Silverwings and claimed that they'd help me fix it. I'd be renowned as a hero!

Now, I was never a particularly talented Lightwing. In fact, and you'll know this better than most, Jasmine… I wasn't much of a Lightwing at all. Granted, I struck up great conversations… but that isn't really what we were about, you know.

It was all practise and trying to figure out the best way to use our magic and making sure we could never hurt other people with it. It was great if you were a scientist, or an educator, or similarly inclined… but it meant that there was no place for the people like me…

the ones who just wanted to have fun.

So, before you cast the first stone, I ask you this.

Would you have done any differently?

your silence speaks volumes, my friend. Yet I am not so naïve as to believe that I haven't made massive mistakes, and that this was one of them. All I ask from you is a bit of perspective, and- hopefully, if it is not too much- your sympathy.

Besides, I wasn't ever in it for the fame. I just wanted people… who could understand me. And believe me, they understood. I think they knew what it was like, honestly. Even to this day, after everything that has happened… I can't bring myself to hate them.

Just despise what they stand for.

But all that came later. Right now, I forfeited my claim on the Skydrop, and… they took me home.

Oh, they were a sliver of moonlight, that night, just a whisper of a promise. I still remember it; satin skin fluttering in the gentle glow of moonlight, spine arced like the supine curve of a swan's neck, the heady musk perforating the air-

Alright, stop hitting me! Ow! Fine, I'll stop!

Sourpuss.

Anyways, the next morning we were all exhausted, having done adult things all night long, and before you throw that stone at me let me remind you that nothing about these brilliant exploits will ever reach your delicate ears, ya pansy.

Ow! Alright, I'll get on with it.

This wasn't too much of an indiscretion; back in the olden days it wasn't considered all that taboo for different tribes to mate. In fact, none of what I did was all that bad- and no, Jasmine, I'm not trying to downplay what I did.

I know.

Rather, it was the sum of a series of events that had been set in motion several years back, perpetuated by a power-hungry maniac.

Them.

You see, what I didn't know as we copulated well into the night was that the Silverwings had been waiting on this impact for months at this point. Apparently, this particular meteorite was infused with a certain type of magic… a certain blend that could completely immobilize a Lightwing.

Yes. I don't know how they knew that's what it would do, or how they knew it. All I know is that bits of that meteorite could- albeit temporarily- suspend a Lightwing's powers. And, of course, we didn't know. How could we? The last Skydrop we'd ever interacted with was almost a thousand years ago, and it's not like one could research its magical properties without any samples.

So, the next morning they woke me up early, and told me there was a crowd waiting outside.

And I was elated.

So, naturally, we emerged onto the balcony and the crowd is going absolutely bonkers! The noise, Jasmine, it was a positively deafening roar of pure passion! I felt like the proverbial gladiator out to fight the lion.

I remember quite clearly the crowd going silent for a split second. Then my sweetheart grabbed my hand and hoisted it in the air!

Ah, the cacophonous symphony. I loved it.

And, buoyed by the rush of adrenaline and endorphins, I followed them back inside.

This went on for… I don't know, exactly. Less than a week, for sure. But I was in a haze through it all. I think they might've been slipping something into my food, come to think of it. With that in mind, I'm grateful for the night I finally realised the truth.

After one of our sessions, I found myself craving a midnight snack. In my defence, we'd just gone at it for a really long time, and I've never been a light eater. Regardless, I extracted myself from my darling's embrace, tiptoed across the marbled room so as not to wake them, made sure not to let the door creak as I let myself out, and then headed down the stairs smack dab into the middle of a meeting of Silverwing diplomats.

Now, years of sneaking down to get snacks and seeing my parents studying around the kitchen table had given me the perfect skillset I needed to avoid detection by these highly trained military professionals. Quick as a bee, I dove behind the kitchen island and hid there, listening to them talk.

It took me about twenty seconds to figure out what their plan was.

It took me about twenty-one seconds to realise that I was in over my head.

It took twenty-five seconds for one of the diplomats to realise he craved some chocolate sauce on his sauerkraut, walk over to the counters, and happen upon me lying prone on the ground.

What happened next… wasn't pleasant.

Suffice to say, it was three days later that I woke up in a dinky little cell with several fractured ribs, a whole lot of bruises and bleeding… it sucked. But like, there were other Lightwings with me!

I'm ashamed to say that my first instinct was to obfuscate my role in what had happened. No, I definitely wasn't the type of person who would sell a newly discovered meteorite to another species before his own!

A few solid kicks to the stomach robbed me of my tongue. And a strong hold on my windpipe meant I was no longer so strongly inclined towards lying to them.

So, after I told them what had happened, they all collectively had a go at me. Then they left me in a corner of the cell, bleeding and bruised and broken; both in mind and in spirit.

Now, in hindsight, I have absolutely no way of knowing whether these Lightwings had been paid off by the staff to turn me against my own people. In fact, I'm not sure if they were Lightwings at all.

Alas. Live and learn.

Two days of no food and very little water later, they took me back upstairs, where my sweetheart encouraged me to turn my back on those curs that had beat me to a pulp and left me for carrion in the depths of the dingy palace dungeons. Being delirious as I was, and not especially eager to want to anger my dear, I agreed.

And that was their downfall.

They thought they had me.

They swept towards me, curves rippling in the gentle moonlight and rumpling the cloth covering their wings. As they drew close, plump, bodacious lips gleaming, my mind cleared.

I realised what was happening to me.

I was gripped with fear so intense it hurt, burning me from the inside out. As they circled me, slithering in sinuous waves and sighing softly as they pricked my ear with their teeth, they must've assumed that my quick heartbeat and sweat were excitement, not terror.

The predator had grown docile, it appeared.

Again, I emphasize. They thought they had me.

They didn't.

With a burst of magic I haven't been able to replicate to this day, I wrenched myself from them and teleported back into the woods. Incidentally, I ended up in the same place the Skydrop had landed.

There was nothing left there except a massive impact crater.

I retreated to my village, only to find it abandoned. As far as I could tell… they'd been massacred.

The guilt weighs down on me to this day, Jasmine. And for the first few hours after I discovered what had happened… I was a mess.

What finally roused me into action was the distant shouts of Silverwing soldiers. I ran for days; trekking cross-country, sticking to the thickest forests, keeping off the beaten path. I ate naught but berries, almost poisoned myself…

And eventually I emerged on the coast.

I didn't know much about boat building. But I built a small, rudimentary raft, with the idea that I could leave, and try to rest and recuperate. I planned to gather my senses, and then return to lead an offensive against the Silverwings.

What's that? It was a good plan? Of course it was a good plan, I thought of it!

guess I walked right into that one, huh.

With that, I set out to the fabled continent across the sea, resolved to right my wrongs…

"…and met the lot of you."

The fire had long since gone out; only a few smouldering embers remained. The moon hung high in the sky; it was past midnight.

Jasmine took a small sip from his flask.

"I remember meeting you. Half starved to death, washed up on the shore. It took a long time to nurse you back to health, and you refused to talk about your past."

Yellow took a big swig. "And now you understand why."

They sat in amicable silence. The night was chilly, but not uncomfortable. Yet.

Yellow had spent the past few years honing his powers; practising on other people, trying to figure out how they worked. He'd made a plan… a massive one.

The pieces had already been set in motion.

"So, this is what we've been fighting for?"

Yellow sighed. "Yes. Are you still with me?"

Jasmine didn't hesitate.

"Yes."

~cue Fortunate Son! Oh, that just sent me on a mental tangent about the Hivewing-Leafwing war. Takes "The trees are talking!" to a whole new level, doesn't it. Also, "They're in the trees!" "No, corporal, they are the trees."

Blue was utterly terrified.

It wasn't often that he ended up as terrified as he was right now. Usually, either his ADHD or Green would've snapped him out of it, at this point.

Unfortunately, Green was currently having a panic attack, and his ADHD was staying suspiciously silent.

Perhaps because he had no idea what to do.

"Green!"

He clamped down on her arm, trying to stare into her eyes but finding that she had screwed them shut; her breaths were coming fast and short, and her hands were trembling. If it hadn't been for his prior experience with this, he would've thought she was having a stroke.

"Damnit, Green!"

He hated feeling this useless. Any problems he and Green faced, they faced together. And now that she was incapacitated…

Shut up! His mind screamed. She needs you!

He couldn't even use his special talent; chances were, having him inside her mind would freak her out even more.

And so, with a lack of any ideas… he improvised.

He wrapped his arms around her shaking form, drawing her into a tight hug. For a few seconds, she resisted, but then she melted into the embrace.

"Breathe, alright? Breathe with me."

Her breathing slowed, though not by much. Still, it was progress.

"You're doing great. Just keep going…"

Slowly, Green stopped hyperventilating. Her breathing was still coming in short bursts, though, and it almost hurt to watch.

"I- I-" she struggled to speak, and Blue hugged her tighter.

"No, don't speak, it's fine."

"I- I took memories from him, Blue." she wept, latching onto his arm so tightly that it must've left a mark.

Despite his best efforts, he was unable to stop a shudder from passing through his entire body. Green began pulling away from him, assuming he was disgusted, and he refuted the claim by pressing his lips against her cheek.

"No, it's fine-"

"And I sent them on that quest." she continued, trembling. "Qibli and Moon. God, I thought it would buy us time but now they might be hurt, they might-"

She bit down on her first, and Blue looked at her, stunned.

"Green, I-" his voice wavered. "-you tried your best."

She was openly sobbing now, and Blue did his best to comfort her. On some level he knew that everything would be fine, that things seemed hopeless now but that they would be better later.

But neither of them noticed the soft gasp of the camouflaged dragon in the hall with them or heard her rapidly retreating footsteps.

"It'll be alright." he tried.

He wasn't sure if it would work yet.

~two days later OR I don't know how to transition OR I wrote this entire scene before the previous scene and like it too much to cut it so the tonal shift might give you whiplash~

Pluto had been outside, enjoying the consequences of not having transformed into an eldritch abomination overnight, when he stumbled upon the secret meeting.

It was a brilliant day. A light shower had just cleared the surrounding mountains of mist, and the sun was beaming down with abandon, causing a rainbow to arc gracefully over the mountain. Birds were chirping mirthfully, classes had been- rather suspiciously- let out for the rest of the day, and the entire Gold Winglet was taking a trip down to a nearby lake.

He'd be damned if he wasn't going to enjoy himself.

The fact that he was separated from the rest of the group, completely lost, and stuck in a palm frond wasn't going to change the fact that he was having FUN!

You're not having fun. One of the voices in his head snarked.

"Yes, I, am!" he grunted, pausing in between each word to try and tug his leg out from the dense foliage. He didn't understand how it had happened. Did nature just hate him?

Probably.

"Well, then nature's in for disappointment, because I'm-" he pulled once more, feeling whatever his leg was caught on give, "-having a good time!"

Then, in a brilliant demonstration of Murphy's Law, Pluto found himself teetering on the edge of a gentle incline, off balance, with one leg in the air, falling away from the frond.

"Aw, shi-"

He tumbled down the hill, bouncing off evergreen trees and other miscellaneous plants, and eventually coming to a rest at the bottom of the hill, where he was brought to an abrupt stop by a pool of viscous mud.

For a while he just lay there. He could feel the mud oozing under his scales, and the pine needles stuck in awkward places all over his body, and his bruised ribs aching.

And then, to top it all off…

Told you so.

He did, actually. The cacophony in his head voiced agreement.

"Aaaaargh!"

He extracted himself from the mud, screamed at the sky some more, and then trudged down to the riverbank.

Clay, Tsunami and Fatespeaker watched him stop at the edge of the water, pull a pine needle out of his ear, curse everything mother nature stood for, and then bellyflop into the river.

After a few seconds the Nightwing resurfaced, spluttering water and muttering expletives.

Then they made awkward eye contact.

It wasn't everyday that the teachers found themselves in a situation like this- especially since it was usually the students that were doing something they weren't allowed to do. As it stood, they didn't really know how to react.

"…are you guys disposing of a body?" Pluto called.

"No!" Clay responded. "We're having a secret meeting! Also, it's kind of concerning that that's the first thing you thought of!"

Tsunami conked him over the head. "You don't just go around telling people about secret meetings, Clay!"

"You don't?" Fatespeaker asked. "I told Starlight."

"Ah, damnit."

Pluto began paddling towards them, mindful of the debris-filled wake his body was leaving behind. Fatespeaker tried to hide whatever it was they were working on, but soon realised it was futile, and left it behind.

As he came closer, he became more and more confused. What at first he'd assumed was a cadaver was quickly taking shape, becoming something more… grotesque, more eldritch.

It's probably a casket.

Or a tree.

Or…

For once, the voices inside his head appeared to be completely dumbfounded.

Then each of them simultaneously began insulting the distant relatives of whichever maniac had decided to build that thing, and he found himself slipping back into the comfort of knowing that everything was going terribly.

As he approached the bank near them, he was able to make out a vaguely curved design on whatever it was that they were trying to get rid of. Shaking his head to get the water out of his ears and spikes, he climbed out of the river.

The water cascaded off his body as he stood straight, panting lightly, hands clenched at his sides, spikes plastered to his neck. The sun glinted off his slick scales as he shook his head, sending droplets flying.

He spit out a pine needle and cursed.

"That was straight out of a bad romance novel." Tsunami said. "Well, except that last bit."

For a few seconds, none of them said anything, just looking at each other, seeing who would break first.

"Alright, I'll bite." Pluto crossed his arms, one eyebrow slightly raised; which, for him at least, constituted complete and utter disbelief. "What's it supposed to be?"

"What?"

"What's-" he hesitated, poking the thing with his leg. It shifted slightly, and he recoiled from it. "-that."

"Well, it-"

"Hey, guys." Starlight stumbled out of the foliage, almost falling into the river before he was caught by Fatespeaker. "I'm here! What'd I miss?"

"Not much-" Clay began.

"-because from where I'm standing it looks like you got some flotsam from the river, shoved it into a bush, used bits of awning to cover up the worst parts, and then summoned a demon to give it some semblance of structural integrity." Pluto interjected.

Clay, rather intelligently, elected not to rise to the bait and continued his discussion with Starflight. Tsunami was not as savvy.

"Pluto, you shut your heretical mouth. Clay cobbled this together in an afternoon for us, and I will not have a word said against it!"

"It's trash." the Mudwing interjected.

"Barely buoyant." Fatespeaker added.

"Wait." Pluto began connecting the dots. "This is a boat?"

"Barely." Sunny concluded, emerging from the woods with bulging saddlebags and a bandanna tied around her forehead.

"Aww, come on!" Tsunami threw her hands up into the air. "Who told you about the secret meeting?"

"Starflight." she responded immediately, dropping the saddlebags next to the boat- right onto Pluto's foot. "And it's a good thing he did, too. This isn't like the old days, Tsunami! You can't just run off willy-nilly without a plan!"

"Well," Clay mused on Sunny's initial comment, ignoring their bickering and Pluto's sudden stiffness, putting the finishing touches on the 'boat' as he did so. "I wouldn't go as far as that. It'll get you guys up the river."

"Up the river?" Kinkajou asked, dropping down from one of the evergreen trees. "Why are you going up there? Ooooh, are we getting new stuff?"

"Kinkajou?" Tsunami asked. "Why are you here?"

"The secret meeting, duh."

Starflight groaned, scratching at his bandages. "Did anybody not hear about this secret meeting?"

Kinajou rubbed her neck. "I don't know, man. You did tell Sunny about it in the middle of a crowded library."

Silence.

As though on cue, the ferns behind them parted to reveal a rather agitated looking Pike, along with nineteen other miscellaneous dragons.

Starflight sighed. "In my defence, I'm blind."

In some sort of delayed reaction, the pain from having his foot trapped under a bag that felt like it was filled with bowling balls hit Pluto all at once.

"aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

As Clay hoisted the saddlebag off Pluto's foot, leading to the Nightwing hopping around on one foot, cursing all the way, the distant sounds of two dragons arguing echoed through the clearing.

"…you're having me on, that's not how almond milk is made."

"Yes it is, you ignorant chameleon. You take the almonds, and you juice them, and that's how you get the milk."

"Almonds don't have milk. COME ON. Also, why isn't it called almond juice then?"

"Because almond milk sounds nicer."

"No. I just… no." Firestorm concluded, pushing his way through some palm fronds as him and the remainder of the Gold Winglet spilled into the clearing. He was arguing emphatically with Brook.

"I refuse to believe-"

"She's right." Anemone, who looked like she'd rather be literally anywhere else, interjected. Pike clutched at his chest, relieved and began making is way over to her.

"Aw, c'mon!" Firestorm protested.

"I've seen it done, dude. I watched as the palace workers juiced the almonds and then added water. You think I wish it wasn't like that? It's positively cursed."

"Well, I- oh, hello."

The entire winglet stopped, suddenly realising that they'd found themselves in the middle of a tense Mexican standoff. Tamarin continued walking for a split second longer, until she ran into someone in front of her.

"Ow!"

"I know the pain." Starflight commented gravely.

"Wait, this isn't the underground lake." Brook suddenly realised.

"Were we supposed to go left at the palm fronds or right?" Anemone mused.

"You were supposed to go right." Pike said, crossing his arms. "And I was supposed to scout ahead. Tell me, Anemone, you didn't just go left in the hopes that you'd lose me, right?"

Anemone gulped, and didn't answer.

"Well, looks like everybody's here." Sunny said, clapping her hands together.

"EVERYBODY! Hey, pay attention! Yes, I was talking to you! Come on, don't ignore me! So help me god- ah, good. Now, as you all may know, a few of our students went missing a while back."

"Technically, Glory lost them." Tsunami interjected. "But nobody ever brings that up."

"What was she supposed to do, Tsunami?" Sunny turned to her friend. "Keep them on a leash?"

Anemone made a quiet choking sound.

"Probably."

The choking became louder, almost becoming a loud coughing. Pike tried to give her the Heimlich but was quickly shrugged off.

"I mean, at this point, it's clear that we couldn't trust them to not get into trouble. I mean, they just got done saving the world, didn't they? You remember how much stupid stuff we did after we'd just finished saving the world?"

Sunny paused to think. "…founded Jade Academy?"

"Exactly! Dumb shit! Anyways…"

Tsunami knelt, pressing her talons into the mud and then wiping them under her eyes, making her look like a warrior queen.

"We're going to bring them back," she mumbled gravely, "if it kills us."

Carefully, she removed the bandanna from around Sunny's head, and wrapped it around her own.

"And then I'm going to kill them."

Sunny hit her over the head with an empty saddlebag.

"OW!"

"Don't pay her any mind." the headmistress continued. "We don't know why out missing students haven't returned. I mean, one assumes they wouldn't leave us without any information on their whereabouts for weeks on end, causing us to worry about it day and night, willingly!"

She shook her head, trying to rub away the circles under her eyes. "Definitely not. Anyways, it's entirely possible that the reason they haven't returned is that they're injured! Or trapped! Or-"

"-having a good time?" Tsunami interjected. "Let's face it, Sunny, they're probably playing hooky."

Sunny's eye twitched, and she bared her teeth in a malformed, evil grin. "Well, until we're certain they're safe, we're not going to jump to conclusions. For now, we're going to get into the goddamn boat, and go rescue them. Got that?"

"Wait," Brook interjected, finally looking up from her talons "there's like five of you. Wouldn't it be easier to fly there and just carry them back once you find them?"

Clay laughed; a warbling, throaty sound.

"You really think we're all going to leave you behind?" he chortled. "Sunny and Tsunami are heading out, and the rest of us are going to stay behind and study."

The student body groaned at the emphasis on the last word.

"Oh, pipe down!" Starlight complained, raising his voice. "Why, when I was your age I had to rebel against the bourgeoisie, unable to trust anyone but my closest of friends and almost dying multiple times! I would've loved to study at an institution like this!"

Silence.

"…studying isn't interesting though."

"Alright, WHO SAID THAT?"

Fatespeaker had to hold him back to stop him from lunging in the general direction of the dragon who had said that. The entire student body took one step away from him, while Anemone slowly keeled over laughing on the ground.

"Aaaand that's done!" Clay stood up, patting the dust away from his brow as he admired the raft. "It'll get you where you need to go no problem. Hopefully. Now, do either of you know how to row?"

Tsunami and Sunny looked at each other.

"…not really."

"Well, you'll just have to learn." he shoved the edge of the raft into the water, letting it catch the current so it was now parallel to the flow. "Get in now."

Sunny paused.

"What?"

"Get in." he gestured towards the boat, which was looking more unstable by the second.

"Yeah, but… that's it?"

Tsunami, who was already in the water just next to the boat, rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I mean, what did you expect? A farewell ceremony?"

"…it would've been nice." she mumbled.

"Just get in."

The Seawing stabilised the craft as Sunny clambered on, banging her limbs on all the odds and ends and almost getting tangled into the netting holding the raft together. Then they began moving up the river, Tsunami propelling them by holding onto the front of the raft with her talons and flapping her wings as though she was flying.

They were around the corner in no time.

For a few seconds, nobody was sure what to do.

Then Clay turned.

"Well, our one responsible adult is gone. Who wants s'mores?"