Storm Season

Chapter Seventeen

"What?" Cried Monsoon and Alpine in unison. Monsoon recoiled violently, nearly tipping himself over in the process. Parrot and Boa had turned an unsettling shade of lime green. Alpine growled, side stepping protectively in front of them, but everything was fuzzy and moving too slow. Everything was all wrong. Nothing should have ever come between him and the answers he so desperately needed. He knew from the day that he woke up that he needed those answers and there was nothing that could get in his way. Then he met Parrot. She had postponed his quest for the truth, not necessarily stopping it. But now, here in this cave, so close to his past, it was her and Boa that stopped him. Nothing could ever replace his friends, not even the truth behind his past. Alpine was still facing off with the battered old MudWing when a strange calm washed over his scales. He stood up slowly, brushing one wing over Parrot's back as he stepped forward.

"No," Monsoon said, his voice surprisingly clear as he spoke. "We'll leave. I don't need anything as much as I need my friends." He looked the old dragon in the eye defiantly. Monsoon spread his wings to shield the two RainWings from view and slowly stepped backwards, herding them out of the cave. The MudWing gazed at him with a blank expression as Alpine used her body to shield Monsoon as best as she could. As he pushed Parrot and Boa out into the setting sun, the old dragon stood, joints creaking, to follow them to the cave entrance. He watched as the group made their way onto the ledge behind them.

"You don't have questions?" he croaked, as Monsoon spread his wings to take flight.

"Not at the price of my friends," Monsoon said coldly, his anger and disappointment spilling over into his voice.

"I see," said the old dragon, the slightest hint of amusement brushing over his dust covered sales. "I had friends. Long time ago. Gone now," he said, his eyes hooded by his memories. He beckoned Monsoon closer, ignoring Alpine's growl of disapproval. Monsoon hesitated, curiosity warring with anger in his head. His curiosity won, sending him toward the old dragon. He tilted his head expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"Know your questions," he rasped in Monsoon's ear. "Know who you are. Who you were." Monsoon glanced sideways at him, disbelief enveloping his thoughts. A laugh bubbled its way up from his chest and caught in his throat. Monsoon cleared his throat, embarrassed by the strange strangling sound that he'd just made.

"There is no way," Monsoon said as soon as he'd regained control of his voice, "that you know who I am, or who I was or anything about me at all. Because if you did know me, you'd know that I would never hurt my friends." He stepped back, turning his back on the old dragon. As he walked away, the old MudWing spoke again.

"Come," he said, beckoning Monsoon into the cave.

"No. I'm not leaving my friends. I also don't trust you, considering you wanted to kill them,"

"Fine," the ancient brown dragon sighed. "Then you wait." Without explaining, he stood and turned back into the cave. The darkness swallowed him quickly, the light of the torch bobbing away was the only indication of where he was. Alpine growled deep in her throat.

"I don't like anything about this," she said, hostility dripping from every word. "I've never had a reason not to trust them, but now they just gave me on. Her majesty will be hearing about this." The blazing orange sunset engulfed Alpine's scales, making her nearly invisible. She lashed her tail as Parrot and Boa cowered behind Monsoon. As the sun slipped below the horizon and the three moons crawled their way above the peaks of the mountains, the old dragon returned. As he neared, he set the torch in a holder in the wall. He sat at the edge of the cave, holding a small leather pouch.

"This will answer," he said gruffly, thrusting the pouch into Monsoon's talons. The weight of the pouch surprised him. For being only the size of one talon, it weighed a considerable amount. Whatever was inside was smooth and round, almost like a river stone. Monsoon worried one claw at the knot on top of the pouch.

"No!" The MudWing barked in his raspy voice. "Not here. Not ready yet," he said, calm now. Monsoon jumped at the sudden command, his claws tingling with instant fear. He slipped the pouch into one of the pouches around his neck. The MudWing nodded approvingly.

"Who are you?" Monsoon asked, his suspicion still apparent in his voice. The old dragon shook his head, eyeing Monsoon wearily.

"Name, not important. Monsoon important." Monsoon's jaw dropped. He had never told this dragon his name, he was sure of it. So how did he know? Monsoon whirled around, tail poised above his head, wings flared and teeth bared.

"How do you know my name?" he growled through his teeth. He felt Boa and Parrot both change their stances at his sides. The old dragon just chuckled, his low, grating voice dissolving into a coughing fit.

"Find out soon. Not now," he said as soon as he'd regained his composure. Without another word, he turned and strode toward the cave entrance, flicking his tail decisively. Boa growled and sprang, pinning the old dragon's tail to the ground.

"I have plenty of reason to hate you," Boa hissed, his voice quiet and dangerous. "Don't do anything you'd regret." The MudWing Twisted his neck around to stare at Boa, his teeth bared. Boa snapped his jaw open, touching his tongue to his two longest fangs. Monsoon watched, his anger wavering, as Boa's claws drew blood from in between the old MudWing's scales. Monsoon stood frozen. What should he do? If he attacked the MudWing, would Boa attack as well? If he tried to knock Boa off, would the MudWing attack Boa? Or him? Or both of them? I need to do something, Monsoon thought to himself. Before he could complete his scenarios, the MudWing lunged underneath his own wings, snapping his jaw shut on Boa's forearm. Boa shrieked, blood streaming down his leg, turning his attacker's teeth red.
"NO!" Monsoon and Parrot cried in unison. Monsoon was in motion. He didn't realize it until he felt his talons slam down on the dragon's back and shoulders. He felt his claws dig into the brown dragon's scales, felt them become slick with blood that was not his own. The old dragon growled, releasing Boa's leg in the process. Monsoon was flung into the cliff wall as his opponent bucked, his blood soaked claws losing their grip. He heard Boa roar in pain and furry as he lay dazed against the rock. He struggled to his feet, pain flaring along his ribs. As he staggered towards the fray, he watched a bolt of flame shoot across his sight, squinting at the sudden brightness. Alpine darted across his field of view, slashing at the massive MudWing, dodging his swipes and blasting fire at his exposed underbelly. She was surprisingly skilled and nimble for a kitchen servant. He couldn't shake that thought as the strength returned to his legs and he charged the MudWing once more.

Monsoon hadn't seen Parrot since the fight began, but he'd assumed that it was simply because she had used her camouflage to hide herself and stay out of the way. He had not expected, however, for her to use it to flank the MudWing and clock him in the side of the head with a rock so large that it could only be described as a boulder. The massive mudWing faltered mid-step, then fell, unconscious to the stone below. Boa roared his fury and triumph into the gathering darkness. The brown dragon lay in a pitiful lump, as if he hadn't just been actively attempting to harm them. Although admittedly, Boa did deserve it. Monsoon curled his tail into a harmless ball and sat down next to Parrot, flanks heaving. She brushed her wings against his and leaned into his shoulder, reassuring him as much as she was herself.

Alpine poked her head out of the cave first, after dragging the unconscious Mudwing back inside. Boa strode past her, shaking out his muted green wings as if to dislodge the cave dust that had collected there.

"I dunno how anyone could live in there," he said with a hint of disgust in his voice. Parrot laughed, making Monsoon smile. He glanced down at her, with her head leaned into his shoulder and wing wrapped around his back.

"We should leave," Monsoon said, standing up slowly. His body ached from when he connected rather unhappily with a stone wall. He unfurled his wings slowly, letting the moonlight wash over his black scales. He stepped gingerly towards the ledge and touched the pouch that contained the mysterious object gently with one claw, tracing it's outline. He shivered at the prospect of finally getting answers to any of his questions. He looked behind him to see the only three dragons in the world that he could trust with his life. He smiled, despite the pain that enveloped him. Boa was the first to throw himself from the ledge, his green scales shifting and rippling to a deep blue and disappeared into the night sky. Monsoon followed close behind, hearing the others follow banked and flew higher into the mountains, scanning the cliff faces for a cave to stay the night in. Alpine shouted something incoherent, and dived towards the mountain face. She touched down in a large cavern and breathed a plume of fire to guide the others in. The four dragons curled in close to each other, the fear and stress of the day pushing them closer together than usual. They sat in silence, their wings brushing and tails thumping against one another as they lashed them across the floor. Finally, Monsoon laid down, the stress of the day taking its toll. He let his wings flop to his sides, laying his head down to rest. He felt the weight of the strange object thump against his chest as he moved, reminding him of all the questions he had about his past. Parrot laid her head between his wings and closed her eyes. He felt her breathing deeply soon afterwards.

Tomorrow, he thought as he drifted to sleep. Tomorrow, I'll finally find my answers.