Hello again, my friends!
Here we are with another update! Before I begin, I appreciate the feedback from those who review.
But, onto more important news: I suppose some of you will have noticed that Finding Peace has cover art. Well, this art was made by DONOVAN94. All credit goes to her, she worked really hard on it and I am grateful for it.
On a related topic: The Wings of Fire community will be getting a brand new fanfiction written by DONOVAN94. She has written fanfics for many fandoms (her most popular trilogy of fanfics, the Heart of Fire trilogy, is one of THE most popular stories on The Hobbit fandom of this site.) Now she will be posting a Wings of Fire story in the coming weeks. I will not say much about this fanfiction, but I think you all are in for a very big treat when this story of hers is posted. As one of the people who got me hooked on reading Wings of Fire, along with her passion and art for this series: I can't encourage her story enough when it comes out.
Now, without further ado: Let's take flight!
This was not what Peacemaker was expecting for his second venture into the Dream World: The world, literally, turning upside down…and encountering a peculiar SilkWing, who held his talons in her own as he dangled in the open air. If it weren't for her, Peacemaker was not sure what would happen to him if he kept falling through the sky 'below' him.
Despite what was going on and the confusion Peacemaker had of the situation, the SilkWing was just smiling away at him. Almost like it had been a while since she had seen another dragon like him.
Before he could say anything more to the SilkWing and thank her for her help, he heard Tempest in the distance.
"Peacemaker! Where are you!?"
"Peace! Wait up!" Cliff shouted not long after Tempest.
He finally saw the two running through the forest above him…yet while he had been "falling" towards the sky: Cliff and Tempest were just fine, their feet on the ground.
This was so confusing…
"Guys!" Peacemaker shouted for his friends.
Thankfully they heard him and had skidded to a halt. Looking towards Peacemaker and the SilkWing, Tempest, and Cliff had different expressions cross over their faces over what they were seeing.
Cliff looked utterly confused over what was happening. It was clear to both him and Cliff that a 'Land Shift" had occurred, but like Peacemaker he was trying to wrap his head around how it happened.
Tempest looked confused as well, but her confusion seemed to be mixed with curiosity. Peacemaker remembered her saying that she had not actually witnessed a Land Shift…so Peacemaker was unlucky enough to because in one. But her confusion was quick to change.
"I'll get you down!" Tempest shouted.
"Oh don't worry! This will end shortly!" The SilkWing interrupted Peacemaker. "They normally en…"
"Gravity!" Tempest shouted. Seconds passed, and Peacemaker felt nothing happen. The SilkWing continued to flap in the air, holding him up. He tried to flap his wings, but he felt no air under them (why could the SilkWing hover, then?) "Gravity!" Tempest repeated.
Nothing happened. This earned her an annoyed look from Cliff.
"Uh…Hello down there? I don't mean to sound rude young one, but it's perfectly…" The SilkWing said, until Tempest, with frustration in her voice, shouted again.
"I said Gravity!"
The next thing Peacemaker knew the world became as it should as he and the SilkWing felt something pull them back towards the ground.
Unfortunately, this force was gravity realizing that something was wrong. So he and the SilkWing were falling.
The SilkWing landed on the ground before him, and Peacemaker unintentionally landed on top of the SilkWing.
"Oof!" Both Peacemaker and the SilkWing said as they landed on the ground, though Peacemaker felt like he had landed on something soft…
"Young one, if you don't mind?" Came the voice of the SilkWing, underneath him.
Startled that he had landed on top of the older dragon, Peacemaker just about jumped off of her, using his wings to wipe off imaginary dust.
"Sorry…" Peacemaker apologized.
"Oh no worries," The SilkWing said as she stood up, shaking her gray butterfly-like wings as she stood to her full height. Looking down at Peacemaker and the others, who walked up beside him, her smile returned. "My my…cannot say I have seen dragons your age here…"
Peacemaker glanced at Tempest, who was eyeing the SilkWing with intrigue. He remembered how the presence of the SilkWing made her confused, especially when she lacked an aura like the three of them. It looked like she wanted to bombard the SilkWing with a thousand questions. But when Tempest's gaze fell on Peacemaker, she instantly stepped towards him, her wings wrapping around him.
"Don't ever run off again," Tempest whispered. Her voice towards him was stern, yet he could hear the relief in her tone and the way she hugged him. Pulling away, Tempest's green eyes looked him over, likely wanting to see if there was any injury. "I'm just glad the Land Shift wasn't as bad."
"That was a Land Shift?" Peacemaker asked, his eyes blinking as he remembered what Tempest had said earlier, about how the Dream World altered itself.
He didn't think it would be so literal…let alone that what he'd been caught in was not "worse."
"How worse can a 'Land Shift' be?" Peacemaker asked, hesitantly.
"To the rare, and unlikely, Land Shifts: The ground could become lava," Tempest said. Unconsciously, Peacemaker moved one of his feet away from the grass. Afraid that, any moment, it could engulf in flames. Proving her point, Tempest continued. "That's why we need to stay together. Shifts don't appear to happen spontaneously around Somni."
Knowing this made him relax a little bit. Sure the Dream World was dangerous, but it seemed that Somnus dragons could apply the same rules as the Waking World. That, Peacemaker realized, was why she wanted him and Cliff to stay with her. So they wouldn't encounter a Land Shift.
"Thanks, for saving me," Peacemaker said, smiling at the SeaWing.
Tempest smiled at his response, brushing her wing against his. However, her gaze turned to the SilkWing, who was reorienting herself after landing on the ground (and having Peacemaker land on top of her.)
Cliff stepped towards the older dragon, smiling.
"Thanks for making sure our friend didn't drift away," He said.
The SilkWing looked down at Cliff, giving him a suspicious gaze. Peacemaker admitted that seeing her gaze down at Cliff was odd. At first, she seemed calm and cheerful when she interacted with Peacemaker and Tempest. Yet around Cliff, it was like she was afraid he would lunge and attack her.
"Well, I couldn't leave another dragon behind like that…believe me I've had troubles with how the gravity acts in this place," She said, walking passed Cliff with a rough brush of her wings. Seeing this made Peacemaker want to snap at the dragon. He did not like how she had just treated Cliff, even if she had saved him.
"That was a bit rude," Peacemaker muttered under his breath. "You don't know Cliff."
"Well, apologies then, young one." The SilkWing said, waving off Cliff.
Despite the treatment, Cliff seemed relatively calm. Instead of snipping back at the older dragon he merely walked passed her and stood beside Peacemaker and Tempest. Cliff glanced at him, giving Peacemaker an assuring smile. Even if he wasn't bothered by the SilkWing's treatment, it did show that he appreciated his concerns.
Tempest broke the coldness in the air by speaking.
"Who are you?" She asked, walking up to the SilkWing and proceeded to circle around her, her curiosity on full display. "How did you get into the Dream World?"
All questions Peacemaker had. Though the way the SilkWing acted was…peculiar. There was something about her accent that he noticed. It didn't sound Pantalan…let alone Phyrrian. Almost like a blend of the two accents.
But for Tempest, her curiosity was clearly in the realms of how the SilkWing was here.
At her questions, the older dragon arched a scaly brow.
"Well…I don't know about dreams, young one," She responded, confused. "But my name is something I can answer: Silverline."
Like a "Silver lining" Peacemaker assumed. He supposed that fit her name. Peacemaker stepped forward.
"My name is Peacemaker, the SkyWing is Cliff and the SeaWing is Tempest," He introduced, gesturing to his friends as he spoke. "I admit…I've never seen a SilkWing before."
At this, Silverline frowned at being called "SilkWing."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Uhh, SilkWing…that's what you are, right?" Cliff asked, raising a brow at Silverline. "Butterfly like wings, antennas…"
"You must be confused, SkyWing," Silverline answered. "I've been called many things across the continent, but never a 'SilkWing.'"
Peacemaker looked at the others, they looked just as confused as he was. Peacemaker had never seen a SilkWing before, but he knew what they looked like. The only other dragons who looked like a SilkWing were the HiveWings, but even then there was a huge difference between the two despite having insect-like wings.
"Then…what are you?" Peacemaker asked.
At this, Silverline grinned. Her butterfly-like wings raised up.
"Why, I'm a BeetleWing of the Southern Rainforest!"
This made Peacemaker's eyes widen in shock upon hearing the name "BeetleWing." He didn't know much about Pantalan history, but he did know about the origins of the SilkWings and BeetleWings. He knew that originally BeetleWings, alongside the LeafWings, were the original inhabitants of Pantala.
At some point in Pantalan history: some NightWing seer had traveled to Pantala and married many BeetleWing males, and had children with them. Some of these children eventually founded the HiveWing tribe, while others resembled the BeetleWings but outbred them, leading to the formation of the SilkWing tribe.
While the name of the NightWing seer could not come to Peacemaker, he did remember enough history to know that BeetleWings were no longer alive. Not for three thousand years…
"That's…impossible," Peacemaker said, looking at the others to see if they were as confused as him.
For their part, Tempest and Cliff were confused but did a better job of hiding it.
Cliff looked at Silverline with skeptical eyes, wondering if she was pulling his tail.
While Tempest, on the other talon, was visibly processing everything.
"Well, young one, it is quite possible," Silverline said, lowering her wings as she turned to a tree. "Plus: I don't have Silk…I do have this:"
Opening her mouth, Silverline revealed that she had two very sharp fangs…like a RainWing's.
Next thing Peacemaker knew, a black liquid flew from her teeth, and landed on a nearby tree…making a hissing noise as the wood began to melt from making contact with the black liquid. A liquid Peacemaker had become accustomed to seeing: RainWing venom.
"That's…not flamesilk," Cliff said, eyes widened.
"I am not fortunate enough to have such a gift, SkyWing," Silverline responded.
"It was said…BeetleWings had venom, like RainWings," Tempest muttered, looking at Peacemaker and Cliff. "Guys…I don't think she's pulling our tails."
It was no secret to Peacemaker…she had to be telling the truth.
But BeetleWings were extinct…thousands of years ago. It was even longer since BeetleWings lived on Phyrria when the tribe and the LeafWings traveled west across the ocean.
"How…long have you been here?" Peacemaker asked slowly, looking at Silverline. Another question formed in his head that could help narrow his question. "Who is the Queen of the RainWings?"
At this question, Silverline frowned. The way she looked at him almost made Peacemaker think he had asked her the most offensive question (if that was indeed the fact, part of him wanted to apologize then and there) but he stayed focus. He needed to know.
"Young one…there is no RainWing Queen…let alone is there any Queen. What rock have you lived under for the last one hundred years since the Scorching?"
One hundred years since the Scorching? Peacemaker thought. That's impossible. "Silverline…it's 5018 AS."
Silverline's head snapped towards him. Her expression was serious, at first, but her lips twitched into a large grin like she was about to laugh at him.
But when she looked at Cliff and Tempest, both of whom were just as serious as Peacemaker, the doubt that spread through her mind became as clear as day when her grin disappeared and her eyes widened when neither Peacemaker nor the others were joking.
Slowly her eyes blinked as her head dipped down.
"I…ahem…well that's…" Slowly she looked up at the three of them. The realization that the world had, literally, passed her by. "That might explain how some structures were put up so fast."
"We would love to explain further, Silverline," Tempest began, looking at her forearm, specifically at the glow of her aura. "But we are on a bit of a time limit. We need to reach a destination, and fast."
Silverline looked at the glowing aura around Peacemaker and the others. While her confusion was visible as day, it seemed she knew that their aura had a purpose.
"Very well…" Silverline said, nodding. "I assume this destination is not the Marshes?"
Tempest shook her head.
"No, it's a village. Here in the rainforest."
At this, Silverline's expression brightened with curiosity.
"I assume you are going to see the tiny glowing dragons?"
"The what?" Peacemaker found himself said, eyes blinking in confusion. Cliff shared his confusion as he gave the BeetleWing a skeptical gaze with a brow raised.
To her credit, Tempest seemed to know what the dragon was talking about.
"If that's the case, then yes."
"Well then," The BeetleWing began, stretching her wings. "Hopefully the next time you visit, you can explain more. I would absolutely love to know what is going on here…"
Then, as quickly as she had appeared when Peacemaker had been caught in the Land Shift, Silverline was gone. As in, literally. She had vanished faster than Peacemaker could bat an eye. Looking around the dark forest, he could not see any sight of the BeetleWing.
After a while of trying to figure out what happened, the realization that he had met a BeetleWing returned to his mind. Once again, her appearance caused more questions for him. As well as how an almost five-thousand-year-old dragon looked…young.
"Do you really think she was a BeetleWing?" Peacemaker asked, quickly trotting after Tempest as she walked through the dream world version of the Rainforest, Cliff not far behind them.
"Honestly, I'm just as confused as you are," Tempest answered. "But…did you hear her accent? It sounded like Old Phyrrian…it couldn't be easy to fake."
"She also did not seem at all surprised at what kind of dragons we are," Cliff added, walking faster so he was beside Tempest. "Pantalan dragons are familiar with our tribes, but interactions are still few."
He had a point, the way Silverline looked at Cliff: It almost seemed like a natural response to her. Peacemaker did not know much about the history of Pyhrria in the first centuries after The Scorching (Three Moons, he didn't even know what the Scorching was now that he thought about it.) But what he did know was that the formation of the Seven Phyrrian Tribes took a long time.
Perhaps the BeetleWings were at odds with the SkyWings? That would definitely explain Silverline's immediate distrust of Cliff.
After Cliff's comment about Pantalan and Phyrrian relations, the three had largely remained silent as they traversed through the Rainforest. At first, the dream version of the Rainforest seemed unfamiliar to Peacemaker. Slowly but surely this changed as he realized that they were nearing the village of the NightWings.
As they drew closer to the boundaries of the village, the trees suddenly opened up, revealing a village filled with huts that were well constructed. Compared to the RainWing village in the trees, where treehouses were built into the trees themselves, the NightWing huts had a much different appearance, constructed in a way that gave the NightWings some difference compared to their RainWing brethren.
Peacemaker, while only a hatchling when the NightWing village began to stand on its own, knew that the NightWings took great care in expanding the village. While the NightWings would differentiate themselves from the RainWings in how they constructed their village, they did not want to overuse the precious resources of the Rainforest. Thousands of years living near a volcano, with scarce resources, made the NightWings be wary of overuse of the resources.
By the time Peacemaker was two, it had thrived. Despite the shapes of the huts and the outdoor structures of the village being obscured in the Dream World, the outlines still made Peacemaker smile when he realized that he was, in a way, home.
No NightWings were awake during this time, as shown by the glows coming from within the buildings.
The sleeping NightWings were not the only source of light in the village, however.
Peacemaker spotted specks of light hovering from building to building. Each one a different color, no bigger than strawberries. As the three walked closer to the various specks of light flying around, Peacemaker saw all of the specks stop…almost sensing their approach.
"Uh…Tempest…" Peacemaker whispered, nervously as he saw the lights stop. He wasn't sure what they were. But after the land shift…he chills that riveted up his spine back in the Waking World returned, his apprehension growing. "What…are those?"
Tempest did not answer, or at least didn't hear him. Instead: she walked towards the lights, unfaltering.
"Tempest!" Cliff hissed.
As she approached the nearest specks, Tempest held out one of her talons, her index claw extended.
"Hello, little ones!" Tempest said, her voice suddenly filled with life as she grinned at the lights.
The lights then converged on her…spinning around Tempest so fast that the light caused Peacemaker to wince at how bright the specks were.
One of the specks landed on the tip of Tempest's claw…the SeaWing's smile not lowering an inch. She looked back at Cliff and Peacemaker, gesturing them to step towards the light.
Albeit hesitantly, Cliff stepped forward first causing all of the lights to circle him. Standing only a few feet from him, Peacemaker saw what it was that circling Cliff.
From inside the light, Peacemaker saw tiny bodies. Two sets of wings on each of their backs. Closer inspection…and he realized what the tiny bodies resembled: Dragons…tiny dragons with glowing wings.
Blinking, Peacemaker saw the tiny dragons get close to Cliff, who looked about ready to swat at them until one of them landed on his nose.
"What…are they?" Peacemaker asked as he stepped closer to Cliff.
"Spirits," Tempest answered the tiny dragon that had landed on her claw tip now hovering around her. "They're one of the inhabitants of the Dream World."
"They're dragons," Cliff observed as he visibly struggled not to smile at the tiny creatures that flew towards his open palm as he raised it.
"Not really dragons," Tempest shook her head. "Spirits alter their appearance, based on their needs or wants. Father says they prefer dragons, for some reason…"
Suddenly, as if to confirm Tempest's words, the small creatures in front of Cliff all shifted their appearances…turning into tiny versions of Cliff. Then: Peacemaker heard tiny voices start to sing in unison.
"We the dragons of the sky
We can fly and fly and fly
We go up so super high
We the dragons of the sky
And we know my mom is best
Better queen than all the rest
She come save us from this mess
We the dragons dragons dragons of the sky!"
Peacemaker and Tempest could not stop the laugh that came out of his mouth. Despite the dragons being so small, voices squeaking like a Scavenger's, they recognized that the spirits were mimicking Cliff!
When Cliff realized this, the scales over his cheeks turned redder than his scales.
"Seriously? Of all the songs I've sung, they chose that one?" Cliff groaned as his blush intensified.
"They really love it, it seems," Tempest laughed as she stepped forward to Cliff. "It seems they love the dreams you have…"
"Well, could they love it without turning into me?" Cliff muttered.
Despite not having the attention of the spirits, Peacemaker admitted it made him smile as he saw the small creatures interacting with his friends. He never expected to see such…playful creatures in this world.
"What do they do?" Peacemaker asked as he approached Cliff, wondering if he could get the attention of a few.
"Dad says they can cause good dreams," Tempest answered as she let one spirit fly around her, its wings flying as fast as a humming bird's. "In some cases…he thinks they even can turn a nightmare, into a good dream."
Raising his talons towards the spirits around Cliff, he edged his claw tip towards one. He wondered if any of them had seen his dreams?
As the tip of his claws touched one spirit, glowing a sapphire color, the tiny creature turned to face him…its bright eyes meeting Peacemaker's light blue ones.
Only for the spirit's wings to grow dark, and slow its wingbeat speed. Its eyes widened upon seeing Peacemaker...
…a loud scream escaped its mouth.
Catching the attention of the other spirits around Cliff and Tempest, all of the creatures turned their attention to Peacemaker. Soon, all of the tiny spirits were screaming in terror when they saw him. Just as quickly as they had gathered around the three, they fled in flashes of light, leaving Peacemaker and the others in the middle of the NightWing village, alone.
Blinking his eyes, Peacemaker glanced at his friends, both, especially Tempest, seeming just as confused as he was. He had no idea why the spirits fled, but part of him felt a pang of guilt surge through his chest at the thought that he had frightened them. They seemed innocent…what had he done that frightened them all to the point of screaming in terror?
"Why did they fly away?" Peacemaker asked, feeling his wings drop, almost like the guilt he felt was weighing them down.
He heard Tempest and Cliff approach him, draping their wings over him.
"I don't know…" Tempest admitted, looking around at the dream world version of the village, most likely looking for any spirits that were nearby. "I always remembered spirits as never wanting to leave my father and me alone when we travel to the Dream World."
"Do you think…my dreams scared them?" Peacemaker asked, thinking back to his nightmares, the reason for this journey in the first place.
"Even if that were the case, your nightmares should be altered to good dreams in their presence," Tempest explained. "If your dreams even scare the spirits…" She suddenly paused, not finishing what she was about to say.
Despite this, Peacemaker knew exactly what Tempest was going to say:
Then his dreams were more serious than thought.
"Okay, okay we need to focus," Cliff said, nudging his wing into Peacemaker, urging him to look at the SkyWing. Cliff walked so he was in front of both of them. "Tempest, you wanted to bring Peacemaker here to the NightWing village for a reason, well…we are here: What is it you wanted to see? What can we do to help Peacemaker, right here, right now?"
Cliff's words had an immediate effect on Peacemaker, even if they were addressed to Tempest. He needed to focus on what they came here for. Tempest clearly had a plan, they just needed to remain focused. He couldn't let how the Spirits reacted to him affect him, otherwise, he'd just burden his friends.
When he looked at Tempest, he saw her nodding at Cliff's words having just as much of an effect on her as it did Peacemaker.
"We…we need a Spirit," Tempest answered as she walked away from the two of them. Now, her head was analyzing the various buildings of the village. Peacemaker wondered what she was looking for. After turning her head and neck, to look at a hut behind Peacemaker and Cliff, her eyes widened with excitement as she held up her talons. "Little one, come here."
Confused, Peacemaker turned to the direction of where Tempest was talking to. On the roof of one hut (that Peacemaker recognized as one of his old primary school friends), Peacemaker spotted a glimpse of a violet light…a spirit.
For some reason, it had remained behind while the others fled from him.
The spirit hovered in the air, not moving an inch.
"Little one, come here," Tempest repeated her words, though Peacemaker felt more power behind them.
Slowly but surely the little creature flew towards the three of them, but with great reluctance. After a minute of waiting, the spirit covered towards Tempest's open talons. Its tiny dragon head refused to look in Peacemaker's direction.
When she saw the fear in its eyes, Tempest gave it a reassuring smile as he stroked one of its tiny wings with her talons.
Tempest's protective aura glowed brightly momentarily. In turn, the spirit's own glow increased.
Seconds later, Tempest's glow returned to normal. The spirit now hovered over her talons and turned to Peacemaker. Floating towards him Peacemaker could see that the little creature's eyes were no longer filled with fear.
Instead, he caught a glimpse of sympathy in its violet eyes. Whatever Tempest had done, it must have known about his nightmares.
Eventually, the spirit landed on the tip of his snout and looked into Peacemaker's light blue eyes with its own.
Careful now, Peace. It may be the current trend, but that is the original.
In a flash of violet light, Peacemaker saw his environment change all around him.
The village shifted from a dark atmosphere with vibrant colors, to how he had always known it: shades of green, the chatter of animals, the rays of sunlight peeking through the leaves of the trees.
Yet the most peculiar thing Peacemaker noticed…was how larger everything was.
It was like he was a year old again.
This became prevalent when he noticed someone in front of him…someone big. Looking up, Peacemaker felt joy fill his heart when he recognized the dragon's light yellow scales and the scar over his snout.
Qibli! Peacemaker wanted to shout, but his body was moving on a will of its own.
An example of this was how Peacemaker stood up on his hind legs and was holding out his talons to reach for something in the SandWing's talons.
Something made of gold…
Qibli's signature earring, the very object that had saved the minds of almost every dragon on the continent from the evil schemes of Darkstalker.
When the SandWing reached down with his talons to drop the earring into Peacemaker's own talons it was at that moment the NightWing/RainWing hybrid remembered this moment. It was when he was only a year and a half old when he and his mother had been living in the village for six months.
It had been the first time Qibli had visited since the War of Pantala.
Naturally, Peacemaker had missed the mate of his best friend. He wanted to know everything that he had done during his time away from the Rainforest. He followed Qibli everywhere that day: from the village entrance to the RainWing village in the trees to a small stream where he and Moon loved to visit (looking back, Peacemaker realized he should have given them much needed privacy) and eventually his departure from the Rainforest that evening.
Vaguely he remembered a question he'd asked Qibli as they headed to the hut Peacemaker and his mother lived in.
"Can I see your earring?"
To this day, he had no idea why he'd asked the question. The only thing he remembered was that he'd been completely mesmerized by the golden earring that had, literally, saved the continent.
Qibli thought nothing of it and had handed Peacemaker the earring.
As the golden earring touched the center of his talons, he felt the coolness of the gold that warmed in the center of his palms.
And, just like before, Peacemaker smiled brightly at the object.
Then, something happened that Peacemaker did not remember occurring: All of his surroundings turned black. The village disappeared, the warmth of the rainforest descended into a chill.
Looking up in fright Peacemaker tried to look at Qibli, a friendly face, for comfort as his heart began to beat rapidly.
Instead: Peacemaker was greeted with the sight of a shadowed adult dragon glaring down at him with burning ember colored eyes.
It was him…the same dragon from before.
Before, he felt fear and helplessness when he saw the dragon that had attacked him.
But now he only felt one emotion: Anger.
"Fragment," The dragon spoke in a low voice, almost like a dragonbite viper's hiss. "Staple. Self."
Who are you?! Peacemaker wanted to shout at the dragon. But his body refused to obey, instead: It just stood there.
Finally, the dragon was gone.
The next thing Peacemaker knew the earring was out of his talons, taken by Qibli. The SandWing smiled down at him, saying something that made Peacemaker smile. Whatever it was he said, Peacemaker could not remember.
Then he was gone…Qibli vanished and Peacemaker was back with the spirit, Tempest and Cliff.
Blinking, Peacemaker felt his head grow light as he almost lost control of his feet. If it wasn't for Tempest or Cliff's swift action in supporting his body, he would have fallen.
When he regained some control of his equilibrium Peacemaker stood back up, giving his friends grateful looks. The spirit was hovering just as it had been before his vision, though its eyes were now filled with curiosity.
"Guys…I saw Qibli…" Peacemaker said, rubbing his head with one talon. "He…handed me his earring. Then I saw…the dragon, from before."
"We know," Cliff said, giving Tempest a look. "We saw it."
"The spirits here typically remain with the NightWings," Tempest explained as she approached the tiny creature, holding out a claw so it could land on it. "Spirits flock to large groups of dreamers…they know our dreams. And, because dreams are connected to memories, can recount memories we may have difficulty remembering."
That's why Tempest wanted to bring them here. So the spirits, who have likely followed the NightWings for moons how long, could recount some of his memories. However, while he remembered much of the memory of Qibli. He did not recall the shadowy dragon…
"Then, why can't I recall the other dragon?" Peacemaker asked. "Is it one of my missing memories?"
Tempest shook her head, though she herself seemed unsure.
"Whatever it was…I think, seeing as how we've encountered it before, in your dreams and the Dream World, it might have been with you since you were a dragonet." Tempest explained, but in a way that almost sounded like she was piecing things together.
"But…why at that moment?" Peacemaker asked, trying to shake the unease of the fact a creature from the dream world had stalked him for most of his life. "And why did it start affecting my dreams recently?"
Tempest did not answer, just looking down at the spirit in deep contemplation while it glowed brightly on her claw.
Meanwhile, Cliff seemed curious.
"Tempest," He said, stepping away from Peacemaker, so he was facing the SeaWing. "There is something I noticed…" Glancing at Peacemaker it seemed like the SkyWing prince was just now realizing something. "Qibli's earring, its Animus touched, correct?"
"It prevented Darkstalker's enchantments from affecting the minds of those who wore them," Tempest nodded even though she still seemed confused.
At this, Cliff paced around. Peacemaker wondered what it was his friend was thinking about.
"Obviously Darkstalker was defeated at that point," Cliff wondered aloud as he walked back and forth. "So, could the magic from the earring, I don't know, seeped into Peacemaker? Did it attract…whatever that thing was?"
"Animus and Somnus magic don't blend well, Cliff," Tempest said, letting the spirit fly up into the air above them. "I can use Somnus magic in the Waking World, but it is limited. But if Somnus and Animus magic made direct contact with each other: They would automatically destroy each other."
"Then how was it that thing appeared in front of Peacemaker?" Cliff asked, his voice raised.
At that Tempest did not answer. Instead, her head lowered. Uncertainty filled her. They had found the dragon-like creature interacting with Peacemaker's own mind years prior. But Peacemaker felt they lost leads.
Closing his eyes, Peacemaker struggled to think of anything in his memories that could give him an idea of how they could proceed. What happened after Qibli's visit?
He'd had a farewell meal with his mother at night…she was going to travel. Moon and Kinkajou discussed a schedule on who would look after him.
Then, the next day Peacemaker didn't feel well…
…
…
He hadn't felt well.
Peacemaker's eyes widened.
"I got sick the day after," Peacemaker said, abruptly standing up, surprising the others when he had spoken so sudden. "Last time we were here, I talked about how I got sick? It had happened the day after Qibli left the Rainforest!"
Tempest looked at dirt for a moment when he said this, visibly rolling what he had said through her mind. Then, she was pacing.
"It can't be a coincidence," Tempest muttered. "You touching an Animus touched object, getting sick the day after…you said no one knew how it happened? Or why it left?"
Peacemaker shook his head, remembering vaguely how he had been confined to his bed for another week even when his nausea and headaches had subsided. He remembered feeling so impatient, wanting to play with his friends out in the rainforest.
He still had no idea what was happening, but with everything that was happening now, the earring and the creature…they had to be connected to his missing memories and nightmares. Somehow.
"Is the spirit willing to help again?" Peacemaker asked, looking at the spirit as it floated curiously around the three.
"I can…" Tempest began. However, she was interrupted when the protective aura around her began to flicker.
The same happened to Peacemaker. Cliff's aura was in the same state as well.
It was happening…their time in the Dream World was dragging on Tempest's mind.
"Three moons, not now!" Tempest swore, her breathing suddenly heavy as her eyelids grew black. Looking at Peacemaker, she trudged forward, almost falling over until Peacemaker quickly caught her. "I can…I can do it! I don't want to leave here until you are safe! I can do it, just let me!"
Looking into Tempest's tired green eyes, he saw her desperation. He saw how she desperately wanted to help him. She wanted to give him the answers he sought, and to stop the nightmares. She was willing to push herself that far for him.
But Peacemaker would not let her do that, not for his sake.
"I know," Peacemaker said, urging her to look up at him. "But…only when you are rested."
The SeaWing looked like she wanted to refuse, wanting to push forward despite her fatigue. Her gaze was steeled and strong. But Peacemaker looked at her with just as much resolve.
Slowly Cliff's wing draped over Tempest's, staring down at her with knowing eyes.
"You've done enough for now," Cliff encouraged her.
Peacemaker felt Tempest's body struggle to stand back up, to fight the fatigue that was weighing on her. But at this moment Peacemaker felt like her body was being weighed down by boulders. He did not want to know how she was feeling right now.
Eventually, Tempest reluctantly nodded at them. Looking up at the spirit, who remained to hover with a worried look, Tempest's aura briefly glowed brightly. Whatever Tempest had told the spirit, it nodded in agreement and flew off.
"Okay…you win…" Tempest muttered, closing her eyes. "Re...Return…"