~ CHAPTER 19 ~

"Research is SO boring," Peacemaker complained, gazing over a scroll in his talons. "Do we have to do this?"

"You're the one that offered to help, Peacemaker," Cliff said, lying against a wall with his eyes focused on the scroll he's holding.

Snow and his friends were currently in one of the small, private study rooms provided by the library, with a hefty pile of scrolls gathered in the center (courtesy of Starflight). The bland, cavernous room was an appropriate backdrop for the mind-numbing process of filtering through countless scrolls.

But unlike the last time he came here to do research, Cliff and Peacemaker had decided to join him. And despite Peacemaker's complaints, Snow was really happy his friends were there by his side.

"Soooo," Peacemaker began, "just to be clear, we're looking for information on that comet that you think gave you your magic scavenger power, right?"

"Yes, Peacemaker," Snow said, looking through his fifth astronomical scroll.

"And the reason we're doing that, is because you think the comet might give us a clue as to why you're unaffected by that 'curse' Avarice created, right?"

"Yeah," Snow replied, not looking up from his scroll. "Or it might at least tell us something."

"But we already found all the information about that comet," Peacemaker said. "It's known more commonly as 'The Orb in the Sky,' it resembles a fourth moon, and it passes over Pyrrhia approximately every one thousand years," he listed in his best teacher-impression. "There was even a painting of it that we showed to Cactus before she left yesterday, and she confirmed it was the same one."

He was right, of course. Finding that information about the comet was surprisingly easy. I suppose it only happened four and a half years ago, so it wouldn't be difficult to find reports of it, Snow thought. But that was the extent of what they could find. Not much else was said about it, so they turned to reading about other kinds of comets and astronomical events, in hopes of unearthing more clues.

"We have to find out as much as we can, Peacemaker," Snow said. "I'm sure that if we just keep looking, we'll find a lead eventually." I hope.

"What makes you so sure that there's even a 'curse' that makes scavengers sound like gibberish to dragons?" Peacemaker asked, not-so-subtly trying to strike up a conversation to get out of doing research.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Snow said. "Ask Green what his name is."

"Uh, all right." He turned his attention to the scavenger sitting beside Snow, who was fiercely trying to read a scroll of his own, though these scrolls were far too complicated for his level of comprehension. "Hey Green, what's your name?"

"…Green," he replied, looking up to meet the large eyes of the dragon.

"What did he just say?" Snow asked Peacemaker.

"He said 'yibb' or something. Is that his real name?"

"No, his real name is Green. He just said Green. How could you have heard anything else? Even if we were speaking two different languages, you'd hear 'Green'. Something fishy is up, and we've got to find out what it is."

"Whoa," Peacemaker marveled. "That's awesome."

"…I wouldn't call it awesome," Snow said. "But it definitely proves something magic is going on."

"I can't believe Avarice is evil," Cliff mentioned, still scanning through his scroll. "I mean, everyone knew she was kinda iffy for wanting to kill all those scavengers, but the history scrolls really made her out to be some hero."

"Well, her name is Avarice," Snow pointed out. "Her parents kinda doomed her to be a bad guy with that name."

"How did she even manage to curse all the scavengers or whatever?" probed Peacemaker, having entirely given up on reading through the scrolls and just eating some strawberries from his pouch instead.

"That's another thing we don't know," Snow answered. "There are loads of theories in the scrolls I've read as to how she began the Scorching, but no one knows exactly what she did to convince all those dragons to suddenly massacre the scavengers."

"I wish I could've lived back in the day when dragons and scavengers used to get along," Peacemaker lamented.

"You and me both, pal," said Green, patting his scales.

"Maybe she was an animus?" Cliff suggested. "And she cursed all the scavengers using her magic, and then convinced the dragons that they were just an infestation of dumb insects that needed to be exterminated."

"I don't think she was an animus," said Snow. "She had been trying to convince dragons for a long time that they needed to get rid of scavengers. But everyone ignored her insane request and continued to co-exist with them. If she was an animus, why'd she wait so long to cast that spell?"

"…Hmm," Cliff hummed thoughtfully. "Good point. Something must've happened… right around when the Scorching started, that gave her the power to curse the scavengers."

Snow regarded what Cliff said for a moment. I've been only reading up on comets that have passed over recently. What if I check for comets around the time of the Scorching…?

He shuffled through the pile of scrolls they'd all collected from Starflight, looking for any that detailed old cosmological events, until he finally found one.

Astronomy: From Before the Scorching until Today, he read in his mind. He unrolled the scroll and skimmed through to find if there was anything useful.

That's when he saw it. He was so startled he almost dropped the scroll. It was a painted image of the very same comet staring back at him.

'The Orb in the Sky,' he read mentally, 'passed over Pyrrhia the day before the Scorching. Some say it heralded the beginning of the age of dragon dominance.'

Snow looked back to the image of the comet just above the text, and the resemblance was uncanny. It was definitely the same comet that had just passed over… except, it seemed much brighter than the more recent renditions.

"I've found something interesting," Snow said, still mystified by his discovery.

The two other dragonets and Green gathered around Snow to take a look at his scroll.

"No way…" said Cliff, his eyes scanning the text.

Green seemed appropriately confused as he looked at the scroll. "I know I'm learning to read dragon script and all, but I'm not quite at this level of reading yet. What does it say?"

"It says that the same comet passed over right before the Scorching began 5000 years ago," Snow explained.

"That can't just be a coincidence," Peacemaker said, fully engrossed in the research now. "And is it just me, or is it way brighter than was in the other drawings?"

"I thought so too," said Snow.

Peacemaker dug around the pile of scrolls sitting beside them and pulled out one of the earlier ones they'd read. He scanned it briefly before turning it towards the others.

"Look at that," he said, pointing at an illustration of the comet that passed over 4 years ago. It was definitely much dimmer comparatively.

"Maybe it's just artistic license?" Snow suggested, though it was hard to believe that a scientifically minded dragon would purposefully draw an image incorrectly for artistic purposes.

"Look at this part near the bottom," Cliff said, pointing to the scroll Snow found.

Snow's eyes followed his claw, and he read aloud, "It is theorized that Avarice harnessed the energy of the Orb in the Sky, and used it to initiate the Scorching."

"You don't think…" Cliff began, looking deep in thought.

But Snow was sure of it. "She took some of the comet's light, just like I did. And it gave her some sort of power that let her curse the scavengers."

"Apparently she took a lot more of the comet's light than you did," Peacemaker pointed out. "I mean look how bright it used to be."

"This must be why the curse doesn't affect me…" Snow said. "Now I know for sure that the comet is the reason I can understand scavengers. It's all connected."

The comet… Snow mused. It's the reason dragons can't understand scavengers… and the reason that I can.

He wasn't sure what to do with this information, but every piece of the puzzle brought him closer to his goal. Closer to solving the mystery of his power, and the mystery of the curse.

Satisfied with their breakthrough (and entirely tired of research), the three of them decided to call it a day. Peacemaker and Cliff left the library to enjoy their leisure time with their respective group of friends, as they did on most days.

Snow felt a little bad for eating up so much of their free time to do research. He hoped their friends didn't mind too much (especially Cliff's posse of SkyWings; he seemed like he was in high demand among them).

But before leaving the library, Snow strolled over to Starflight's desk. He had been meaning to return the scroll he borrowed about the tales of the Dragonets of Destiny, and pick up the next scroll in the story. He and Green had just finished the second scroll, and were eager to see what happens in the following installment.

As he approached the desk, he noticed that the blindfolded dragon was deeply focused on a pile of short parchments scattered in front of him.

"Um… Starflight?" Snow said when he arrived at the desk. "I'd like to return my scroll and borrow a new one, if it isn't too much trouble."

"Oh! Sorry Snowball," Starflight said, finally looking up in the general direction of Snow. "I was a bit distracted by this… conundrum. I have the next scroll in the series ready for you right here."

"Thank you," Snow said, as the two of them exchanged scrolls. "…If you don't mind me asking, what are you having trouble with?"

Starflight sighed. "I've been trying to figure out how to make a 'book,' which is a fancy Pantalan way of organizing information into little sheets of parchment that are bound at the edge."

Oh, it's those things Green talks about sometimes, Snow realized.

"But I just don't know where to start," Starflight continued. "Probably doesn't help that I'm blind," he muttered.

"Psst," whispered Green, hidden within the bag on Snow's back. "Tell him that he has to prick two holes into the edge of each page first."

"You have to prick two holes into the edge of each page," Snow repeated to Starflight.

"And make absolutely sure they're lined up," Green whispered.

"And make absolutely sure they're lined up," Snow added aloud.

Starflight regarded Snow with a curious look. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense. And then I'd insert the strings through and sew them together."

"And then add a layer of glue to the spine so that it's stabilized," Green said, a little too loudly this time.

Snow quickly covered it up with an exaggerated cough. "Ahem, and then you add a layer of glue to the spine, for… uh, stabilization."

"I see," Starflight said pensively. "That certainly would make the pages more liable to actually stick in place."

"Y-yes, that's correct," Snow hoped. Geez, what have you gotten me into this time Green?

"I had no idea you knew so much about books, Snowball," Starflight said, genuinely impressed. "I was under the impression that they were completely foreign in Pyrrhia."

"I-it's nothing…" Snow said. "A friend of mine told me about it."

Starflight nodded. "Well dragons are full of surprises sometimes. I appreciate the help regardless." His talons felt across the scattered pages in front of him. "Such precise work is going to be tricky though…"

Snow felt a pang of sympathy for the blindfolded dragon. What he'd been able to accomplish while being blind was already astounding to Snow, but this task seemed particularly difficult without the use of sight.

"Tell him you'll do it," Green whispered.

"I – I'll do it for you, if you'd like," Snow obliged before he had time to think.

Starflight smiled towards Snow warmly. "That's very sweet of you Snowball, but I pride myself on being able to achieve my goals despite my impairment. It might take a few attempts… or a few dozen attempts realistically…" he drifted off into deep thought.

"I insist," Snow said. "Please."

"Hmm, well having a fully formed book that I can inspect and work off would be very helpful. All right then, you can bind this one book for me." Starflight gathered up the pages neatly into a stack and passed them to Snow. "But if it proves too difficult, don't feel embarrassed to come back and return them, okay?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you Snowball," Starflight said. "And I'd love to meet your friend that knows so much about books someday."

"Y-yeah, maybe someday…" he murmured. "Okay I gotta go now, bye."

Snow rushed out of the library before Starflight could question him further. He passed by the Arts and Crafts room, as per Green's instructions, and picked up all the necessary equipment required.

Finally, he arrived at the privacy of his sleeping cave.

"Green," he said as he put the bag down and extracted the scavenger from within. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry, I got this," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And besides, you saw how Starflight looked. I couldn't not offer to help him. He's like, my second favorite of the Dragonets of Destiny."

"But do you actually know what you're doing?" asked Snow.

"Of course I do!" Green huffed. "Who do you think you're talking to, birdbrain? I'm an expert at crafting stuff. Are you forgetting I made the bag on your back?"

"Making a book is a little different than a bag…"

"Well you're in luck, cause binding books was the first thing my parents taught me. That was their main job after all." He looked at all the pages and equipment Snow had placed on the floor. "…These pages are a bit bigger than I'm used to, but nothing a little effort can't overcome."

"Need any help?" Snow offered.

"Nah, I'm fine." He picked up the needle Snow had retrieved earlier and held it like a shortsword. "I've missed crafting anyway. It's been way too long since I've made something."

He began laboriously poking two holes into each page, making sure they lined up with the previous one. This is gonna take a while…

"Dragons are so behind," Green said. "I couldn't believe it when you told me they hadn't figured out books yet. I mean scrolls are just cumbersome after they become too long."

"Well the Pantalans figured them out… so really only the Pyrrhians are behind," Snow argued.

"It's not just books. Dragons don't have a lot of things we have," Green said, still poking holes into the pages. "Like weapons."

"We have weapons. Like spears and… um, other things."

"Those are nothing," Green said with a haughty chuckle. "We've got ballistas, catapults, trebuchets, and all that fun stuff."

"…I don't know what any of those words mean."

"Well hopefully you'll never need to. Scavengers are pretty desperate to have a defense against dragons, so they've spent a lot of time trying to find ways to kill them."

A fresh wave of guilt passed through Snow, as he remembered how difficult life must be for scavengers thanks to dragons. They have to come up with all this stuff just to defend themselves from us… They're living in constant fear and terror.

"I'm sorry," Snow said, holding his head down.

He heard Green release a drawn-out sigh. "You're blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault again, Snow," he said, not looking up from the page he was working on.

"But I feel like I have to apologize… on behalf of the dragons… or something," he mumbled.

Green laughed. "Pretty sure that's not how that works. I don't represent all scavengers, and you definitely don't represent all dragons, Snow. But your heart's in the right place."

What good does having a heart in the right place do, while so many scavengers continue to suffer, Snow wondered hopelessly.

He watched Green bind the book in silence for a little while after that.

It really is impressive what those dexterous little scavenger hands can accomplish, he admired. His parents used to do this kind of thing as well…

"Hey Green," Snow said. "You said you came with me to Jade Mountain to find your parents, right?"

"…That's one of the reasons, yes."

"Have you… made any progress on that front?" Snow asked.

Green sighed, shaking his head.

"Come on Green, don't tell me you're giving up on them."

"I'm not giving up," Green said. "I just don't have any leads. I don't even think there are any scavenger dens around here."

"Then let's go over what we know. How did they go missing?"

Green sighed once more. "Three years ago, we were all sitting in the hut together, eating breakfast. Then they decided to go down to town to get some more supplies… and they never came back. Simple as that."

Snow's heart tightened with grief every time he heard the story. Green must've been so worried and afraid and lonely. Why would they leave and not come back? Snow wondered as hard as he could, looking for an answer.

An answer reached his mind; the same answer that always came to mind whenever he asked himself that question. The answer that he desperately tried not to think about. Dragons.

He shook his head, trying to physically shake the thought out of his mind. Even if it was the most likely possibility, he didn't want to think about it. And he would never dare say it out loud, especially since the thought had seemingly never crossed Green's mind.

"Maybe they got lost and ended up in a different den?" Snow tried.

"Yeah, maybe," Green said, stitching some of the large pages together. "Or maybe they got tired of raising a brat like me and decided to live a better life elsewhere."

"No way, they wouldn't do that," Snow argued. "Everything you've ever told me about them makes them sound super nice and pleasant. Not exactly the type of people who would abandon their son."

"But I was just a kid back then. Maybe I'm just remembering what I want to remember."

Snow slumped a little.

"Oh don't go looking so depressed," Green said. "I really don't care what they think. I just want to know why. And that's why I'm gonna find them."

If they're out there… I'll help you find them, Snow thought determinedly. And I'll make a world where dragons and scavengers can get along… so that no child ever has to be left alone because of something dragons did.

"Besides," Green continued. "My life is pretty great. I'm living in a mountain full of dragons! How many scavengers can say they've done that?"

"Approximately one," Snow answered.

"Exactly! I'm making history. Don't worry, I'll make sure to say nice things about you when I write my autobiography."

Snow rolled his eyes and curled down near Green, settling comfortably around him. He laid his snout on his talons, content to just watch Green go through the motions.

"When I'm done with Jade Mountain Academy," Snow said. "I'll take you to every scavenger den on Pyrrhia. Until we find them."

He caught Green smiling out of the corner of his eye. "Looking forward to it."

Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter is a bit all over the place! I wanted to cover the research scene, but it was not nearly long enough to be its own chapter. And I'd been meaning to address the Green stuff as well for a while. So I merged them into one chapter, but it kinda came out looking like two separate chapters shoved together. I hope you all still enjoyed it!