Well, I didn't quite expect this to take a week. But it's here!
To Blackberry Avar: Wow, that's a lot of reviews. You do bring up some good points, and I do plan on using some later in the story. I won't go into specifics because, well, spoilers. And no, I don't have a chess dot com account. Heck, I don't even play chess (I did it once and got utterly destroyed).
I'll admit, despite this chapter being the new second longest chapter (6k words!), it's not nearly as action packed as 'Enter the Mindscape'. Still, I really hope you enjoy the chapter!
POV: Cyclone
"I only show this to people who I want to be friends with".
"Yeah, Cyclone. We should be friends".
The words Current told Cyclone 2 years ago were flowing through his mind. After all, it was the first time anyone outside of his family showed him genuine kindness. Ever since, Cyclone could always rely on Current to stick up for him.
But now? He wasn't so sure.
I'm a wanted dragon. Never would Cyclone have ever thought he would be thinking those words. Breaking the law wasn't his speciality, after all.
After waking up early and watching the sunrise, he and Harvey flew north. Cyclone's destination was his parent's surface home, where they might be staying.
He wasn't entirely sure, however. The time of the year was prime for Hurricanes to strike the surface. Or, as some Seawings called them, Cyclones. It was more likely that his parents were currently at their underwater home.
A few clouds dotted the sky as Cyclone flapped his wings, the sun starting to wear down on him. It didn't help that his ribs still had an occasional burst of pain, although it was way better than it was originally.
Harvey was currently riding on his back, but they agreed that once they got closer to Cyclone's destination, he would hide inside his pouch. "Would be wise to do", Harvey had said.
After a few hours of flying, Cyclone began to recognize several of the islands. One of them was an island filled with trees, which he had nicknamed "Jungle Island", back when he was still 2 years old.
"Gee, that island has a lot of trees", Harvey observed, noticing the island. "Someone probably had a bunch of seeds and decided 'This is perfect for the island in the middle of the ocean'".
It wasn't that funny of a joke, but Cyclone still laughed at it. "That joke wasn't even that funny, why am I laughing at it?!", he exclaimed.
"I just have that talent", Harvey replied, shrugging.
Soon after, Cyclone landed on an island that, unlike Jungle Island, was devoid of any trees. Instead, it was mostly sand and grass, with a few patches of rocks.
"Alright Harvey. Unfortunately, it's time to go in the pouch", Cyclone said, allowing Harvey to climb off his back.
Harvey sighed. "Ah well. It's for the best then", he said, reluctantly climbing into the pouch. "Make sure you don't drop this boy into the sea".
"If I do, it won't be an accident", Cyclone jokingly said, followed by a childish giggle. In the pouch, he also heard Harvey laughing.
Once the laughing subsided, he peeked his head out of the pouch. "Gee, it's been a few weeks since I've been in here", Harvey said. "Smells pretty bad though. Jesus christ, what did you put in here?".
Cyclone didn't remember putting anything inside his pouch, aside from his moon rock and that one…. oh. The fish I caught this morning.
He reached into the pouch, trying to feel for the fish. "Yikes! Watch where you put the claw, Cy!", Harvey yelled out from inside.
"Sorry!", Cyclone shouted back.
After feeling around for a little longer, Cyclone found the fish and pulled it out. It reeked of a smell so bad, that he nearly vomited from it. He threw the fish back into the ocean, hoping that no other Seawings would have to smell that.
"Gee Cy, don't leave your lunch in pouches", Harvey commented. "Anyhow, let's get moving!".
The sudden change in tone confused Cyclone, but he didn't say anything about it. He took off from the island and continued moving North. Gradually, his nervousness about seeing his friends and family again overtook his mind again.
What if they don't trust me anymore? Or what if they just take me straight to Queen Coral? Cyclone knew it was unhealthy to panic about this, but his mind couldn't help it. It didn't help that the sun was beating down on his scales, wearing him down
Finally, after flying for another hour, in which Cyclone had gotten lost for a moment, he finally found the island. Palm trees dotted the island, but not nearly as many as Jungle Island had.
The most apparent structure was the stone/wood house his parents had constructed. In the past, coming here usually meant Cyclone was in for the most boring time of his life. Constantly going to festivals and laying on the beach all day long has that effect.
He landed in front of the house, the door looking the same as ever. Wooden blinds covered the windows, preventing the sunlight from shining inside. This place could use the leaves from the Rainforest.
There wasn't much else noteworthy about the house, so Cyclone cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. The house was pretty empty, which confirmed the fact that his parents were most likely not here.
Since he determined his parents weren't here, Cyclone opened up his pouch. Harvey immediately jumped out, clutching his moon rock.
"Whew! It was boring as hell in there", Harvey said. "I should get a joke book next time".
"Joke… book? What's a book?", Cyclone asked, his voice echoing throughout the house.
Harvey looked at him in shock. "Uh… What do you use to read?", he asked.
"Scrolls. They're these rolled up pieces of paper that you can write on", Cyclone explained.
The shock disappeared from his face. "Oh. That's what the things in the Rainforest were called", Harvey said, talking about the scrolls he had seen. "Interesting".
He then took a look around the house, the objects dwarfing over Harvey. "Is this your home?", he asked.
"W-Well, technically yes", Cyclone replied. "But there's also an underwater home. Most of the time, that's where I live".
"Ah, so like a vacation home", Harvey observed.
"Uh. I-I guess?", Cyclone said questionably. Never in his life did he think of a vacation when coming here. But technically, it did fit the definition.
Harvey continued to look around, making sure to stay close to Cyclone in case any dragons barged in. While he seemed fascinated by the place, Cyclone himself was becoming bored. Just seeing the shell on the wall makes me bored.
"So, Cy, what now?', Harvey suddenly asked, after spending a few minutes trying to climb up a table. "No one else is here".
Cyclone shrugged in response. "If my parents aren't here, they're probably at the underwater house".
Harvey was silent for a moment, trying to climb the table again. "Then… I think you should go down there", he spoke.
This startled Cyclone. "B-But you can't come with me!", he exclaimed. "Scavengers can't breathe underwater!".
"Yeah, I know. It's human, by the way", Harvey said, looking a bit down. "We can't just sit inside a house all day long, doing nothing".
"Y-Yeah. But I'm concerned for you", Cyclone said worriedly. "You're probably a prime target for Darkstalker".
"H-Heh. Yeah, I am", Harvey said, forcing out a chuckle. "But what else are we supposed to do? Get out lawn chairs and just lay on the beach, getting a tan on?".
Much of what Harvey said did not make any sense to Cyclone. "I-I have no idea what you just said".
"Sorry. It's a human thing", Harvey said, a little embarrassed. "Regardless, you should get going".
"I didn't even agree to this", Cyclone protested. He really didn't think it was smart leaving Harvey alone again.
In response, Harvey sighed. "Well, I guess it's your choice. Although, I feel like we might be safe for a few days".
This mystified Cyclone. "W-Why?", he asked.
"Well, you said how the Sky Kingdom was better for hiding", Harvey explained. "So, he probably thinks we're trying to hide again. After all, who would have the balls to fight the big scary dragon".
I mean… it's a possibility. I'm still concerned about him though.
As Harvey explained his theory, Cyclone heard the seagulls outside squawking, followed by a loud splash.
"Hold it", Cyclone whispered out. Harvey shut his mouth, probably also hearing the splash. Who is it? Did my parents decide to come up today?!
Talonsteps were heard outside, causing Harvey to dive into the Kitchen. Better they see me than him. No idea how I would explain him. Shortly after that, a voice could be heard.
"Hmm….. This house.. seems good.. to use….", the voice droned. Cyclone didn't hear any responses, so he assumed this dragon was alone. "Will… inform Bulga and Plankton….".
What's with this dragon's speaking? The long pauses between words and the droning voice were making Cyclone slowly go crazy. It reminded him of his history teacher, but somehow even more boring.
He heard more talonsteps, then another loud splash. The dragon was gone, disappearing as quickly as it came.
"Cy, you should go follow them", Harvey said, sticking his head out of the kitchen. "I'm mildly concerned what that dragon meant by 'good to use'".
"I-I don't know. Darkstalker is still out there-". Cyclone began, before being interrupted.
"Don't worry about me, man. I appreciate it a ton, but the time is ticking", Harvey insisted. "I'll be here, probably doing some stupid shit".
That doesn't really convince me too much. But deep down, Cyclone did want to follow the dragon. And no matter how much he insisted to stay, Harvey would keep saying he should go.
After some more thinking, Cyclone sighed. "Fine. If you're caught by anyone, I-I'm going to really hate you", he said, only half joking. "Stay safe, alright?".
Harvey gave a… whatever the equivalent to a claws up was. "Don't worry about it. Now get going!".
Cyclone ran out of the door, his pouch thumping on his chest, knowing he didn't have much time. He ignored the hot sand on his talons and dove right into the ocean, hoping the dragon wasn't too far ahead. At least his pouch holding the moon rock was waterproof.
His hopes were dashed pretty quickly when all Cyclone could see were fish. No dragons in sight. Crud. I was too slow, hesitating to go and all that.
Well, he wasn't going to go back. Cyclone had a feeling Harvey would tell him to just go find his parents, no matter how much he insisted on not doing that. Guess I better do it.
Quickly, Cyclone found the unusual rock that he had always swum by whenever they returned from the surface. From there, it was mostly a straight shot to the underwater house, where his parents were most likely staying.
As he swam through the ocean, Cyclone stopped to admire some of the coral reefs. Many different colors dotted the reef, while tiny fish swam through it without a worry in the world. Relatively speaking, it was a small reef, but it still covered a lot of space.
What was unusual, however, was how Cyclone had stopped to admire it. In the past, he had simply swam by, only giving it a short glance. I guess seeing the surface has made me appreciate this view more.
Past the coral reef, the ocean got more boring, as much of it was just a bunch of huge rocks laying on the seafloor. Sometimes, Cyclone thought the trip was even more boring than the stay at the surface.
Finally, he saw the underwater house. It looked just as it always did, with the stones creating a sturdy structure. Nearby, some seaweed moved back and forth with the ocean currents. As a younger dragonet, it always fascinated him seeing them move like that.
Standing in front of the house were two dragons. It was a little hard to tell from a distance, but he thought one of them looked like his mother. The other one was a mystery, though. Just to be safe, however, Cyclone didn't risk getting closer.
The two dragons appeared to be having a conversation in Aquatic, although Cyclone couldn't quite pick out what they were saying. He was too far away. I'll wait until they finish, before swimming closer.
He stared at the dragons, focusing on trying to pick out what they were flashing. Cyclone was so focused, that he initially didn't hear the shark behind him, creeping up to bite off his tail. At the last moment, however, Cyclone whirled around, his eyes widening in panic.
All logical thought left his brain as his fight or flight response kicked in (well, fight or swim away). Panicking, Cyclone swam around the house and hid behind it, hoping the shark wouldn't dare get closer. His heart was pounding, the blood rushing through his head and back.
The shark had worried him so much that he completely forgot about the two dragons in front of the house. At least, until one of them swam right up to Cyclone.
"What... are you…. doing here?", the dragon flashed, giving Cyclone an incredibly suspicious look.
"U-Uh….. Shark out there", Cyclone replied, shaking.
"Sharks… they're so stupid… thinking they can… eat a Seawing", the other dragon said, somehow managing to replicate the droning voice from the surface, even though they were underwater. "You… know that… right?".
Before Cyclone could think of a response, another Seawing appeared out of the corner of his eye. "Algae! What in the world are you doing- CYCLONE!".
Suddenly, wings covered his face as his mother basically tackled him. Cyclone felt like he was being squished, as Bulga squeezed him under her hug.
A burst of guilt entered Cyclone's mind as he realized what it must have been like for his parents. Their son just disappears without a trace. They must have worried every night, wondering if I was dead or not.
After a few minutes, his mom finally pulled away from the hug. "Come inside, Cyclone. We should talk", she flashed, tipping her head towards the front.
Behind her, however, the other dragon still had a look of suspicion. "Your… son? What about…. our deal?", he flashed.
"Algae, we'll worry about that later. I need to catch up with Cyclone", Bulga flashed back. She pulled Cyclone towards the front entrance. He couldn't tell if this was a 'good talk' or a 'bad talk', as it was always hard to tell what his mom was thinking.
They entered through the entrance, which reminded Cyclone of the many times swimming through it after a sucky day at school. Which was usually everyday.
The inside looked the same as it had when they first left for the Night Kingdom. How long ago was that? It's been a couple of weeks at the least. In the corner of the room, his seaweed bed sat there, looking as comfortable as ever.
Bulga gestured to the stone table, which was used to eat meals underwater. Even though Cyclone had been doing that for his whole life, the concept suddenly felt strange, thanks to his own adventures on the surface. Eating nothing but fruit for weeks has that sort of effect, I guess.
Since they were underwater, seats weren't needed, so Bulga swam over to one side of the table. Cyclone swam over to the other side, not quite knowing what to expect. His mother was usually an unpredictable dragon.
"...I-I'm sorry", his mother flashed, so weakly that Cyclone nearly missed it. "I… I can't believe you were out all alone..".
Huh? "W-What are you apologizing for, mom?", Cyclone flashed back.
Bulga looked away, appearing to be ashamed. "Your dad and I… let you go. Without a concern about you".
"You mean…. when I flew off that morning?", Cyclone asked.
She nodded in response. "I can't believe we let that happen…", Bulga said, looking back at Cyclone. Her face was in shambles now, which he had never seen before. '"I'm such a bad mother".
Immediately, Cyclone swam over to his mom and gave her a hug. "No mom…. you helped me feel better after school. For a long time, you were... the only one who treated me like a dragon", he said, trying to comfort her.
For a little while, there was no response. The two stayed in a hug, with no words being said (or flashed). It felt really nice, with Cyclone leaning into his mother's body. It made him momentarily forget the events of the past few weeks and how he was basically on the run.
Finally, Bulga pulled away from the hug, a happy expression on her face. "Thank you for that, Cyclone", she said. "I do wonder, though. How was it working with Darkstalker the past 3 weeks?".
A confused expression appeared on Cyclone's face. "U-Uh…. What do you mean?", he asked.
"Huh? When you went missing, Darkstalker contacted us", his mother explained. "He said that you were currently working to be an apprentice for him, after finding you alone in a forest".
That story sounds… slightly concerning. "I-I see", Cyclone replied, not quite sure what to say next. Would telling his mom the truth be a good idea… or not?
His mom made that decision for him. "Is that… what you were doing?", she asked, looking at Cyclone with some concern.
"Not… exactly", Cyclone admitted. "I went to a lot of places. Darkstalker was a pretty interesting dragon to be with".
Bulga gave him a confused look. "So… what about your pouch? It seems pretty beaten up".
Cyclone looked down at the pouch. Sure, there were a few holes punched into it, but it was still usable. "H-Heh, Darkstalker showed me h-how to fight", he said. It wasn't a complete lie, since he did get attacked by his minions.
Bulga seemed to look less concerned. "I wish I could have been there", she said. "I really, really want to spend more time with you, but we're currently working on selling our surface home".
This surprised Cyclone a little bit. "W-Why?", he asked. Plankton and Bulga were both big fans of the place, which is why they went up there every summer.
"Apparently, some of the elite Seawings are really interested in it", Bulga replied. "Something about 'Gifts' and 'Royal Business'. It's kind of weird, but we're being offered a fortune for it".
"I-Interesting", Cyclone simply replied. Internally, however, he was really confused. What was so special about that boring place?
"So, sadly, I need to go", Bulga said, swimming towards the front door. "By the way, I think your classmates are over at the school".
Oh, I do need to talk to Current. "Alright, thanks mom", Cyclone flashed back. They waved to each other, before Bulga swam out of the house again, presumably to talk with Algae, the strange dragon.
Now that I think about it, Algae's probably the one I saw on the surface. The pauses in the Aquatic he used were very similar to the ones Cyclone heard at the house. Whether that was important or not, he didn't know.
First things first. I need to get to the school. Hopefully, Current would be there and he could help out him and Harvey.
Ok, that's being a little hopeful. Realistically, that wasn't likely. Cyclone would have to tell Current the entire story and somehow convince him to join him on a dangerous mission. And his own convincing skills were awful.
The pouch lightly bounced on Cyclone's chest as he swam out of the house once again. The school was a decently far swim from here, but it was shorter than the trip from the surface home. It was also far more exciting.
Cyclone swam through the ocean, admiring the coral reefs nearby. Why there were so many coral reefs near the house, he had no idea. In the past, they were always a blur, something he saw everyday. No reason to admire them back then. The surface really has changed my viewpoint on the ocean, hasn't it?
Around him, fish were swimming throughout the corals. Unlike the ones closer to the surface, however, these ones were big. Most of them were bigger than Harvey, which was slightly unexpected, but Cyclone wasn't surprised. After all, scavengers were pretty small. Wait, what was the word Harvey said? It started with an H….
As Cyclone got closer to the school, he could start seeing various Seawings swimming about. One of them appeared to be holding a fishing net, which was filled with numerous different fishes. Poor fish.
The school came into sight shortly after, looking like it did when break began. The words 'Have a great break!' were still carved into a rock near the entrance. It looked like no one was even here.
Come to think of it, why would my classmates be here? After all, if Cyclone was gone for three weeks, that meant there was still a month of break left. There was no reason for any dragon to come see the school.
Then, in the corner of his eye, Cyclone saw two Seawings approaching from the side of the school. Maybe they're just passing by? But, just to be safe, maybe he should go hide again.
He swam over to the statue of the principal, which was not very well made. On the pedestal, it said the words 'Knowledge is Key', which Cyclone thought was slightly ironic. This place feeds me extremely useless information that I'll never use. Why would I ever need to know who the Seawing Queen was 700 years ago?
The two Seawings swam right up to the front of the school, where Cyclone was a minute ago. As they did, he realized that he knew who the Seawings were.
Current! And…. Pearl? What are they doing here?
At first, all they did was stare up at the 'Have a great break!' sign. Neither of them flashed their scales, just simply floated in the water.
Then, Current broke the silence. "This place looks very very different than it did yesterday!", he said, before being whacked by Pearl's tail.
"You've made that same joke 4 days in a row now", Pearl flashed back. "Think of something new for once, Current".
"Gee, Pearl. Did you really have to whack me that hard?", Current said, wincing a little.
Pearl rolled her eyes in response. "All I'm here for are updates on the surface situation. Some jokes are funny, but not yours", she said, scolding Current.
Cyclone was shocked by Pearl's words, before he realized she was giggling. "Acting serious is really weird! How do other dragons even manage it?".
"Just think of how you would talk to the queen. Wait, that's an awful example, considering how much the queen hates me", Current joked. Beside him, Pearl giggled again.
This sent a jolt of jealousy through Cyclone, but it went away quickly. I know I like her…. but why would she like me back? Besides, who couldn't love Current, with his jokes and kindness.
"Alright jokester, tell me about the scavenger situation", Pearl flashed, her expression serious once again.
Current nodded, his expression also becoming serious. "According to the Rainwings, the scavenger managed to wriggle away from Darkstalker", he flashed. "In addition, his Seawing ally escaped from the Rainforest".
A shocked expression appeared on Pearl's face. "Are the rumors true then? That both of them are immune to Animus Magic?", she said.
"It's likely, but the council isn't entirely sure", Current replied, shrugging. "I heard an interesting story about the Seawing, however".
Cyclone shifted on his talons a bit. Whatever Current was about to say, it probably had to do with him.
"For once, we got a description of them. Male, Blue-Green scales, stuttered on their sentences a lot", Current rambled, his expression slowly becoming more concerning. "Sound familiar?".
Pearl thought for a moment. "You can't mean Cyclone, right?", she asked.
Current nodded in response. "It fits the description, certainly. But the thing is, he was apparently wanted for 'Attempted Murder', which doesn't fit Cyclone at all", he continued. "Darkstalker did say he witnessed it, though".
"Cyclone never seemed like the murdery type to me", Pearl said. "Maybe someone really made him mad?".
That sentence, for some reason, really… pissed him off. That's the word Harvey uses when he's mad. I can see why it fits. Suggesting murder can come from simply being mad at someone was…. just awful.
And before Cyclone realized what he was doing, he was swimming out of his hiding spot.
Quickly, however, he froze mid-swim. WHAT AM I DOING?! The noise of his swimming attracted Current and Pearl's attention.
Their eyes widened when they realized who it was. Then, slowly, it turned into two very different faces. One of excitement, one of caution and suspicion.
"CYCLONE! Where have you been the past 4 weeks?!", Current flashed, swimming up to him with a grin. "Three moons, I hope you weren't on the shroom trade".
"N-Nah. Shrooms are not my thing", Cyclone tried joking. Internally, however, he was really nervous. "I've been… to many places".
In response, Current gave him a curious expression. "Like… the Rainforest?", he guessed.
I can't exactly deny it at this point. "Yeah. I-It was nice", Cyclone said. Behind Current, Pearl cautiously swam to be next to him.
"So… are you the one who works with the scavenger?", Current asked.
"U-Uh…. I g-guess", Cyclone nervously replied. It would have been safer to not admit that, but he trusted Current a lot. Pearl, however…
…looked at him like he was the biggest criminal.
"Current… I know he's your friend, but..", Pearl began, before pausing. She appeared to be conflicted, as if she didn't know what to say.
"...I just… feel like we need… to…. talk", she said slowly, her scales flashing weakly.
Huh? I thought she was going to suggest reporting me to the queen.
Current seemed a bit confused. "Huh, I thought you were going to say 'Take him to the Queen'", he flashed, echoing Cyclone's own thoughts.
Pearl looked uncomfortable at that. "I-I was going to. But… we don't know everything… right?", she said. "I just… can't see Cyclone committing murder".
"I agree", Current said, nodding. "Cyclone, you didn't actually do any murdering, right?".
"Well, n-no", Cyclone replied. "I-I guess it would be easier to explain the w-whole story".
And so, Cyclone told them most of the story about his adventures. He left out some details, such as how he had a moon rock of his own, but it was mostly not needed to be mentioned. When he was done, both of them had expressions of surprise.
"W-Wow…", Current stammered out. "That Rainwing…. I can't believe that". Beside him, Pearl was speechless, not saying a word.
Cyclone nodded. "I think…. t-they just wanted an excuse to arrest me", he said.
Current swam over to him and draped a wing over Cyclone's shoulder. "You went through all of that…. alone. I'm proud of you, Cyclone", he flashed.
Before Cyclone could respond to that, Pearl suddenly barged into him, giving a hug. "I'm sorry for d-doubting you….", she weakly flashed out.
This hug feels... nice. Rarely did Cyclone ever receive physical affection, so it felt like a foreign concept to him. It made him think of his life before meeting Harvey and how much he had seen since then.
Shortly after, Pearl pulled away from the hug, which disappointed Cyclone a little bit. He quickly squashed the disappointment, trying to focus on the present.
"So then… why did you come back?", Pearl asked with a curious expression. Next to Cyclone, Current widened his eyes.
"Yeah… if you're on the run from the most powerful dragon, why would you come here?", Current added.
Oh, right. The whole reason why I agreed to come back.
Cyclone shifted on his talons a bit, nervous about what to say. "W-Well, I kind of need… h-help", he stammered out.
"In what way?", Pearl asked.
"I need to s-sort of… defeat D-Darkstalker", Cyclone admitted. In response, both Current and Pearl gave him looks of shock and disbelief.
"D-D-Defeat Dakstalker?! Are you crazy?!", Current exclaimed, pulling away from Cyclone. "He's a fantastic leader! And even if he wasn't, how do you expect to defeat him?".
"Well….", Cyclone trailed off. He's right, how can we defeat Darkstalker?
"I'm sorry Cyclone, but I don't think I can do that", Current said, shaking his head. "I think your story is real, but my allegiance is to the queen".
Should have seen that coming. Now that Cyclone thought about it, why did he come here anyways? If Darkstalker truly had a spell on everyone, then no one would agree to help.
However, Pearl looked indecisive. "Cy, you're not serious, right?", she asked.
Frankly, he was more surprised by being called 'Cy'. "I-I'm serious about this. He hurt me and especially H-Harvey", Cyclone said, putting on his most confident expression (which wasn't that confident).
"It's just…. he's a scavenger, right? Fighting just to help a scavenger is weird", Pearl commented. "They don't seem worth fighting for".
And just like that, his anger flared back up. "HE'S BETTER THAN ANY OF YOU EVER WERE TO ME!", Cyclone yelled out, his emotions running wild. He quickly realized his fatal mistake when he saw the other's expressions.
Oh no…. Why did I say that?! Pearl looked guilty, as if what Cyclone said was true. Current, however, looked offended and upset.
"I-I'm sorry!", Cyclone flashed out, before abruptly swimming away from the two Seawings. He couldn't handle being around them anymore, not after he said those words. It was probably over for his friendship with Current.
Cyclone swam up and up, towards the surface. He didn't want to see any other Seawings, and what was the point? There was no one else he could trust.
Emerging from the ocean, Cyclone saw a nearby island that seemed deserted. He flew over to it and landed on the sand, his mind still reeling from what he just did.
He sat down on the beach, staring off into the horizon. Tears were threatening to fall out of his eyes, as Cyclone regretted his words. The sun was preparing to fall, as the night sky fought away the blue.
For a good while, it was just Cyclone sitting on the beach. The waves crashed on the beach, then retreated, then crashed again, then retreated. Here, there were no dragons or scavengers or humans or really anything to worry about. Just the crashing of waves and the wind.
Then suddenly, talonsteps were heard behind Cyclone. He whirled around, expecting it to be a stranger, but to his surprise, it was Pearl.
Here comes the scolding, Cyclone thought, turning back to look at the horizon.
Pearl walked over and sat next to Cyclone, not saying a word. Both of them simply stared out at the sunset, which seemed like it wanted to see what would happen next.
After a few minutes of silence, Pearl finally spoke up.
"The sunset's nice, isn't it?", she asked, still looking at the horizon. Her tone seemed innocent and not very serious.
"S-Sure", Cyclone replied. He wasn't sure where Pearl was going with this.
"It reminds me of that moon festival. You know, the one where you nearly got caught in the dance circle", Pearl said, sounding like she was holding back a giggle.
Cyclone's cheek felt hot for a moment. "U-Uh….. I'd rather not remember t-that", he stammered out.
Pearl let out the giggle she was holding in, making Cyclone feel embarrassed. "Well, I think you know why I'm here", she said, suddenly changing to a more serious tone. "What you said was certainly… hurtful. Especially to Current".
"I don't know why I said that", Cyclone blurted out. "I guess I just got really mad at what you two said about Harvey".
At this, he heard Pearl sigh. "I'm sorry for saying that. I didn't… quite realize how much they impacted you", she said sadly.
The sad tone made Cyclone feel even more guilty. "I didn't m-mean to say all that. I truly appreciate what C-Current did years ago", he rambled, finally turning to look at Pearl fully. "First dragon at school to ever treat me like.. a dragon".
He saw a smile creep up Pearl's face. "CURRENT! Get over here!", she suddenly yelled out. In front of them, Current emerged from the ocean, smiling sheepishly.
Cyclone's eyes widened. "W-Were you spying?", he asked.
"Kind of", Current replied, walking over to sit next to Cyclone's other side.
"He was worried about what you said, so I decided to go clear things up", Pearl explained, grinning. "Told you there wasn't anything to worry about".
"I guess so", Current replied, not sounding entirely convinced. "You've changed quite a bit Cyclone", he added, turning to face him.
So it seems.
"I just never thought you'd be the one to challenge Darkstalker", Current continued. "And being the one to team up with a dangerous scavenger, too".
"Harvey's not that dangerous!", Cyclone shot back. "Just… smart and immune to animus magic".
Current gave him a skeptical look, but he didn't push. "Well, regardless of that, I can't come with you on your adventures", he said. "Queen Coral needs me".
Did he get a job close to the queen? "I-I see. It's alright then", Cyclone said, sighing a little bit. It would have been nice to have someone else on their mission, but sometimes, you can't get what you want.
"If it was any other dragon, I'd come", Pearl piped up. "But Darkstalker…. I can't really do that".
Cyclone simply nodded. He sort of half expected them to say no, but it still sucked when it was said. I guess I better get going. Who knows how soon Darkstalker will start searching the Sea.
He stood up, shaking out his wings. "I understand. I wouldn't want to either", Cyclone commented. "But I want to help out Harvey".
"You sure you can't stay, Cy?", Pearl asked. "We could do a ton of fun things here. Catching fish, meddling in royal affairs-".
"Hey! I don't do that!", Current cut in, looking slightly offended. "I mean, what?".
Pearl rolled her eyes at that. "Curr, shut up. But anyways, it would be nice to stay here, wouldn't it be, Cy?", she said, with a gleam in her eyes.
But Cyclone shook his head. "A scavenger needs my help. Plus, I'd probably be reported pretty quickly", he explained.
"I get it", Pearl said with a nod. "Just… be safe out there".
"Be quick too. Don't know how much longer I can handle being around Pearl", Current joked, before being whacked by her tail. "Ow!".
"Don't worry about it", Cyclone said, giving a claws up. "Can you also tell my parents that I'll be away?".
Current nodded his head. "I'll do that as soon as I can", he said. "Good luck, Cy. Wow, that's a cool nickname".
Funny how Pearl and Harvey both thought of the same nickname.
Cyclone opened his wings and took off. "Good luck with your… whatever!", he shouted back.
"Hope to see you soon, Cy!", Pearl shouted from behind.
As the darkness covered the ocean, Cyclone thought of the day's events. It felt like he was cool with Current and Pearl, like always. It should have been a good feeling, right?
Instead, he felt that the resolution was… too easy. Cyclone wasn't completely satisfied with how that wound up, especially since neither of them elected to go with him.
Still, it was nice seeing his mom and friends again. There was a little bit of guilt from not seeing his dad, Plankton, but they weren't on the best terms anyways. Unlike Bulga, Plankton didn't really try helping out Cyclone when he was being bullied. Having a palace job really doesn't leave much room to be with your own son, I guess.
In the distance, the surface house island appeared. After a good night's rest, they would probably leave and go somewhere else. A few minutes passed and Cyclone was landing on the beach.
He found a small fire not far from the surface house, where the sleeping form of Harvey was. Early night, I guess.
Cyclone curled himself up nearby, feeling tired as well. The day's events finally weighed on him, exhaustion starting to settle in. He closed his eyes, his mind once again being taken into the Dreamscape.
And it's done. Leave a review if you have any suggestions!
This chapter was a lot of filler. The start of the chapter was really hard to write up, and progress was pretty slow for the first half. It got a lot easier to write once I had reached the dialogue scenes underwater.
I hope I did write out the scenes well, though. It's probably not the best, but I thought it was good
I have no idea when the next chapter will come. I hope to get it out ASAP, but I do not know when. I might work on The Ultimate Reality: Stories before I move onto the next chapter, depending on my motivations.
I'll see you then!