Storm Season

Chapter Sixteen

Monsoon beat his wings to climb higher into the air, despite his overworked muscles protesting with every movement. He powered forwards and upwards, making his muscles scream in agony, but he didn't care. He was filled with a sudden intense urge to get as far away from this section of forest as fast as possible, no matter what. He sped through the crisp morning air, the bright sun shining directly in his eyes, irritating him slightly. He slowed down to let Alpine take the lead and to keep pace with Parrot. The landscape had changed as they flew during the night, the sparse trees and craggy boulders replaced by lush forests and rolling plains of grasses. Monsoon couldn't drag his mind away from the words of the ancient NightWings. There's no way that dragons from another continent have been killing dragons for centuries. Right? He had a hard time believing that was the case, despite everything else they had said being true. Something just didn't sit right with him about it. There has to be another explanation, he thought with determination. I'll figure out what's really going on, eventually. To his surprise, Boa snapped him out of his thoughts, flying up on his side.

"Hey, I was jus' thinkin'," he said, looking rather embarrassed, "Could ya maybe put in a good word for me with Alpine?" He ducked his head as if expecting Monsoon to laugh at him.

"A good word? For what? Is she going to hire you to be a SkyWing servant?" He asked, only half teasing. Boa glared at him, his snout wrinkled so much that it reminded Monsoon of an old tortoise.

"No you snail brain," he said, his ruff pulsing orange with irritation. "I don' know how you even ended up with Parrot in the first place."

"Careful," Monsoon warned, his voice instantly as cold as his frostbreath. It was one thing to insult him or anything that he did, but to bring Parrot into it made him unusually angry.

"Sorry," Boa said, ducking his head again, "But you're jus' so bad with subtlety an' hints."

"Speak for yourself. We saw you trying to get closer to Alpine last night. Don't think we didn't."

"Y-ya saw? I-I mean of course ya did, yeah, that was my plan the whole time." Monsoon rolled his eyes at his friend and he smiled back sheepishly.

"If you like her, go talk to her. It's not like she's going to set you on fire, right?" He shook his head frantically, bright green streaks flashing across his scales. Monsoon laughed.

"Not so tough after all, huh Mr. almost-a-rainforest-scout?" Boa frowned at him.

"Bein' scared of fightin' and bein' nervous around a girl is two different things." He shrugged, bobbing up and down in the air. "I was just askin'," Boa said, deflating a little.

"I'll see what I can do," Monsoon said, grinning at his friend. They flew on in silence for a while longer.

Alpine led them over rolling hills covered in dense grass and shrubs, making a wide arc back towards the mountains, closer to the Sky Palace. Gradually they descended, working their way closer to the base of the mountains. As they got closer, Monsoon could see the entrances to several large caves. A feeling like hundreds of ants crawling over his scales spread across his body, getting stronger the closer he got to those caves. Alpine shifted her wings, veering straight towards the unsettling holes in the mountain. Monsoon hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to trust his friend or his instincts more. Parrot glided up, nudging his side with her nose, then took off after Alpine and Boa. He shook his head, beating his wings to catch up with the others. When he arrived, Alpine was just settling herself in the entrance to the largest cave, peering into the darkness. He got the feeling that the cave was staring back just as intently as Alpine was staring in.

For a long time, nothing happened. The four dragons sat side by side waiting for something to change. By midday, Monsoon was growing restless. It felt like an eternity had passed, but he knew that it had only been a few hours. Something about the strange feeling the cave gave off had made him less talkative, which he assumed was true for the others as well, which made the wait even more excruciatingly boring. This is ridiculous, he thought, I have to move or I'm going to lose my mind. After only a few more minutes of shuffling his talons and swishing his tail, Monsoon stood up, shaking out his wings. The others all jumped, startled by the unexpected noise.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm really bored," he said, shaking his wings again.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Parrot said, looking relieved, "But I am too." Monsoon smiled at her, glad he wasn't the only one going slightly insane from the silence.

"So what exactly is supposed to be happening?" he asked Alpine, shifting his weight from talon to talon. She turned her attention away from the tunnel, irritation etched across her face.

"We're supposed to be waiting," she said with a small frown. "Like we have been."

"Exactly," Monsoon said, exasperated. "We've been waiting here for hours. Nothing's happened other than all my legs cramping." Parrot clamped a talon over her snout, trying -unsuccessfully- to smother her giggle. She did however succeed in irritating Alpine further.

"We wait here, and they come to find us. That's how it works."

"Don't seem to be workin' too well to me," Boa chimed in. The large SkyWing groaned, cupping her forehead in her talons.

Monsoon grinned at Parrot, happy to break the silence for a while. He pulled her into his shoulder with his wing, resting his chin on top of her head. He could feel her heart beating, thumping rhythmically under her scales, close to his own. She sighed, nestling her head closer to his scales. Warmth flowed through his body, warmer than any sun time that he'd ever had. It doesn't matter what I find, I'll never leave her side. The thought slammed into his mind out of nowhere. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he was certain that he could never leave Parrot's side. Monsoon watched as Boa inched his way closer to Alpine, then immediately moved away again. Should I…? Boa's mind asked over and over again, getting stronger when he stepped back and shying away when he got closer. Poor Boa, I really should say something for him, he thought, shifting his weight. As he was about to draw a breath to call for Alpine, a new sound reached his ears. He froze, listening intently as panic flared in his chest.

The faint clicking of claws on stone from deeper in the cave reverberated off the walls. Click…. Click…. Click…. A rock clattered down the tunnel catching the attention of the others. The talonsteps stopped. Monsoon strained his ears, leaning forward over Parrot, his breaths coming in short gasps. Click. Nothing. Click. He couldn't tell if he was imagining the sound or if he was really hearing it. Click. That was definitely closer than the others. Tap tap tap. Scrrrraaaaape. The sound of something heavy and metallic being dragged across the rock floor made him wince. Ssssscccrrrraape. Whatever it was thumped against the cave wall, shaking the ground below his talons. Click…. Click. A shadow moved at the back of the cave where it curved, heading deeper under the mountain. A dragon's snout poked around the bend, then retreated. For a long, agonizing moment, the cave was silent. The snout reappeared, inspecting the four newcomers, silently judging them. The dragon breathed a plume of fire, illuminating the dull stone. It crept closer, this time holding a torch in one talon. He lifted it above his head, throwing it's feeble light as far as possible.

"Who?" he asked in a deep gravelly voice. The dragon was an old battered MudWing, his brown scales glinting amber in the dim light. He stopped halfway between them and the back of the tunnel and sat down.

"My name is Alpine," Alpine said standing up. "I am the head servant of her majesty Queen Ruby." She gave a slight bow to the dragon in the tunnel.

"And they?" he asked, gesturing towards the trio.

"They're with me," Alpine said, an air of authority laced her voice.

"Do they have it?" he asked in his gravelly voice.

"I do."

"Show me." Alpine dug under her wing and produced the pouch that held the pendant. Carefully, she unwrapped the small dragon. She breathed a small plume of fire which glinted off the polished steel pendant. The dragon nodded, seemingly content.

"My friends here have some questions that they hope you could answer," she said, gesturing towards Monsoon.

"They do not have the symbol?" The old dragon questioned.

"No, they don't. All I'm asking is that you answer their questions." Alpine said.

"Who is asking?"

"I am," Monsoon said, his voice shaking. The old dragon turned his eyes towards Monsoon, making his breath catch in his throat. He tightened his wing around Parrot, trying to draw strength from her.

"You," croaked the old dragon. "You have questions?" He stood slowly, the struggle etched onto his face as he took several steps closer. His face was expressionless as he sat again, studying Monsoon from horns to tail. Monsoon twitched his tail nervously. Why is he looking at me like that?

"Y-yes," he stammered, his nerves taking over. The old dragon sighed, smoke curling out of his nose. Strange dragon. So different, must be hybrid. The old dragon's thoughts bounced into Monsoon's head, rattling around, making him uncomfortable.

"Fine," he said at last. "You two, come," he pointed one claw at Alpine and Monsoon in turn. "But those two, die."