Part 2 - Court of the Jungle
February 3rd, 4991.
So as it turns out, both I and the Eye of Onyx were wrong about me. I was now King of the Rainwings, thanks to some low-hanging fruit and my wonderful gun. It's almost like poetry, the way life was rhyming around me. When I succeeded, I failed; when I failed, I succeeded. I didn't want a throne for myself, and yet I had one after I abandoned my patroness. Rather than having power in my homeland, I had free reign in a land no one really knew anything about.
The first day of my new reign was spent getting a big, fancy tour and parade of the (rather generically named) "Rainwing Village". It was a quaint, peaceful little place, a collection of huts and treehouses built out of bamboo and vines. Hammocks and hanging beds hung from many branches, some with little dragons napping comfortably in the afternoon sunlight. Brightly colored dragonets frolicked and flew around us, not paying much mind to this stranger and the crowd surrounding him.
As I was escorted around, I observed my new subjects, a Tribe that Phyrria had very little experience with in the modern age. They weren't tiny, but I couldn't help but feel like an ostrich amid peacocks and flamingos as I towered above them. Clearly an evolutionary trait, as I witnessed them navigate the dense foliage, passing through tight spaces I had no chance of squeezing through. Their tails were prehensile and strong, enabling to dangle from tree branches like monkeys. Some tried to touch my tail and my stinger, and I had to shoo them away - the last thing I needed was for one of them to get accidentally poked, and have to send someone out to get brightsting cacti to cure them.
What really caught my interest, however, were their scales. They weren't just used for camouflage, but were used as a form of communication, in a similar way that the Seawings used their bioluminescent scales. At least, that was what I thought was going on, as they changed their colors. As they talked to me and each other, their scales would flash different colors, but often yellow or pink. I had no idea what the colors meant, but I made a mental note to get one of them to help me learn the intricacies of the Tribe.
"Hey, what's that building?" I asked, as we passed a large, spherical structure close to the center of the village.
"Oh, that's the hatchery." Grandeur explained, as we passed it by. "It's where we keep our eggs and hatchlings until they're old enough to roam around."
"Like the Mudwings?"
"In a sense, yes. There are couples that raise their own dragonets, but those tend to be rather rare. Queens of the old bloodline like myself used to raise our own dragonets, but my daughters..." She paused, her scales flashing dark blue. "...Let's just say you don't need to worry about any challenges from them."
There were a lot of questions that came to mind when she made that statement, but one look at her face made it clear that this was a sensitive subject. Not something that should be brought up first day on the job. So I merely nodded, and continued to follow her.
"And this," She spoke again, after a minute of walking, "Is the Palace, your new home." I looked up, and saw the largest treehouse in the village, built around the largest tree I'd ever seen. It wasn't especially large, roughly the size of the old servant's quarters back in the desert. The largest room was the throne room, with a large hammock serving as a throne in front of a carpet leading all the way outside. In the back were storage rooms, filled with various fruits and jewelry and other trinkets. The bedroom was upstairs, with a hanging mattress and a retractable canvas roof, but little else. Out of the many windows, I had a panoramic view of both the village, and much of the jungle beyond.
Definitely an improvement over my previous living situation. As much as I enjoyed my old workshop, there were times it could get as dark and gloomy as a dungeon.
As I looked around my new home, considering what kind of personal touches I could add (raising the height for the doors and ceiling felt like a must), Grandeur said, "If you'll excuse me, Your Highness, I must go to inform the rest of the kingdom of their new king." Her scales didn't change, nor did her expression, but I'd been around enough lying dragons to hear the slight undertone of disapproval when she spoke. I couldn't blame her, of course. I was the exact opposite of her: Big, male, monochromatic, young, foreign, inexperienced. I couldn't be any more not-Rainwing if I tried. I wouldn't be surprised if she resented having her throne given away to some rando for doing a trick shot, and I didn't blame her one bit. Even so, the fact that she remained committed to the rules and was helping me in this process spoke volumes about her professionalism and integrity.
Left alone with my thoughts, in the middle of my new kingdom, my head felt out of sorts, abuzz with activity as I processed all this information. Outside, there was a lush garden spreading out beneath the treehouse. Needing to clear my mind, I hopped out the window and flew down to the garden below, landing in the middle of a dirt path.
Going through the Royal Garden, much like going through the jungle in general, can easily overwhelm the senses. As a Sandwing living in the Sand Kingdom, I wasn't used to a lot of changing environments. You leave the hustle and bustle of the Den or the Palace, the desert is a quiet, monochrome place, with few sounds and few colors to break up the monotony. This Garden, in this forest, was as far away from that as I could possibly imagine. There were every kind of flower in every color, with scents I had never smelled before. Beyond the village, the jungle was alive with a cacophony of animal calls, equally musical and annoying, and I wondered how these poor fools could nap with all this noise. Even so, everything around me was beautiful and alive with color and movement, and soon I found myself lost in the natural beauty.
"What're you doing?"
I stopped examining a strange plant, turning around to see who was talking. I saw no one, until I remembered to lower my gaze. This particular Rainwing was a head-and-a-half shorter than me, looking roughly 24 to 25 with pink scales and green wings and intelligent, analytical eyes. She was looking at me curiously, her long tail curling up behind her like the monkeys howling in the distance.
"Oh, I was just taking a walk." I answered. "This is an amazing collection of flora. Tell me, is this a young pineapple tree?" I gestured to the plant.
"That," She explained, "Is a Pineapple Plant. Pineapples don't come from trees. Common misconception, even among some Rainwings."
"Oh really? That's very interesting. I've never had one before. They tend to be really hard to come by out in the desert." The Rainwing blinked, and then her eyes went wide as she came to a realization.
"You're him, aren't you?" She said, more of a statement than a question. "The one Grandeur conceded to? Our new king?"
"That's what they keep telling me." I answered with a half-joking smile. "I'm Xerophilous."
"I'm Fruit Bat." The little Rainwing said, bowing her head slightly. "I am- I was one of the Queens, when we were taking turns. What do you think of my gardens?"
"Your gardens?" I looked around at the large, beautiful collection of trees, bushes and flowers. "You made all this?"
"I've spent a lot of my time working here." She explained, gesturing to a smaller plot lined with flowers. "I can run my experiments without interruption when I'm in charge."
That piqued my interest. "'Experiments'? Are you a fellow scientist?" I asked. "I specialize in engineering and blacksmithing myself, but I've dabbled in biology. What have you been working on?"
Fruit Bat smiled, eyes lighting up. "I practice botany as a hobby." She explained. "I've been working on a project for several years now, to extract the scents of certain flowers, and find a way to make myself smell like them."
"You've been working on perfumes?" I knew a little about the perfume trade back from the Den, but hadn't seen any indication that the Rainwings used or made the stuff themselves.
"Exactly! The others think I'm crazy, but I know I'm onto something. Here, smell me!" Fruit Bat bared her neck to me. I looked around to see if anyone was looking - I didn't know how forward this was for Rainwings, but for Sandwings this was pretty bold- and leaned in for a cautious sniff.
"Is that… lilac and hibiscus?" I guessed. It was very mild, almost buried beneath all the other scents in the garden (and her own, oddly pleasant Rainwing scent), but it was there.
Her eyes sparkled. "Yes, that's it! I know it needs a little tweaking, but I feel like I'm getting close to a breakthrough!"
"I think you are," I agreed, "And as a fellow scientist and King, I'd love nothing more than to help you with your work."
The little Rainwing beamed, turning a bright yellow. I still didn't know what the color change meant, but I really liked the smile she gave...
The rest of the day went by both pleasantly and peacefully. The Rainwings, being gracious hosts who loved any excuse to party, decided to throw me a feast to honor my new reign. My Tribe doesn't need to eat as often (food in the desert is hard to come by, after all), but after only having some bread and a camel over the course of three days, I was starting to feel a little peckish, and it'd be rude to refuse such offerings from my new subjects anyway.
We came together at a pavilion/arena called the "Arboretum", where several tables were assembled with huge plates of fruit and jungle meats. I was placed at the head of the smallest table, which was placed atop an elevated platform so the whole village could see me. Grandeur sat to my right, Fruit Bat (to my pleasant surprise) to my left. The rest of the table was lined with other, former Queens.
"If you don't mind me saying so, Lady Grandeur," I observed, "As much as I appreciate all the hospitality and the opportunity of being King, I can't help but feel this is all a little rushed. Don't the Rainwings want to be ruled by... well, a Rainwing?"
"I would agree," She sighed, "Except most Rainwings don't want to rule, period. It's a rather common attitude, unfortunately. Letting a drake of another Tribe run things is a little extreme, but I see it as a 'win-win' scenario."
"How so?"
Her scales turned mint green. "Simple. Worst case scenario, If you mess things up badly enough, then maybe someone will step up to challenge you, kick you out and become the proper Queen we need. On the other claw, maybe you aren't completely useless, and can keep the kingdom going long enough for one of the dragonets to take over after you. Either way, your arrival might just be what we need to get the Tribe out of our rut."
"Uhhh... thanks?" I said, unsure how to take that. Quickly changing subjects, I motioned to the other dragonesses around us. "There seems to be an awful lot of ex-Royals here."
"They're volunteers." She explained, leaning in so only I could hear. "When my daughters failed to live up to what was expected of them, I stepped aside to give the rest of the Tribe the opportunity to rise to the challenge. Unfortunately, my kin are rather averse to hard work, so we could never find someone who wanted to rule full-time. They like the prestige, but not the responsibility. I would come back every now and then when the Tribe needed me, but even I'm starting to find the task of corralling these dragons to be more difficult than it's worth. So I arranged a system with the other volunteers, so that we take turns ruling every month or so."
"I take it that wasn't working out so well," I deduced, "If you were having a challenge going on today?"
Grandeur shrugged. "The Village hasn't burned down," She said, "And some dragons took the job more seriously than others, though that's not exactly saying much." She glanced over to Fruit Bat, who was peeling and eating an orange from the bowl. "That one spends most of her time working on her experiments in the garden, but she seems reasonable enough."
Grandeur then nodded to one of the other dragons, a wide variety of large and small, brightly and dully-colored Rainwings. She pointed to a large, gray-black dragoness, playfully fussing with a sloth in the crook of her arm. "That's Exquisite," She explained, "Our resident crazy sloth-lady. She thinks they're as smart as dragons, and treats them like they're her dragonets. She's also strong enough to break a tiger's back, so don't go saying any of that to her face."
She then nodded to a large, fat yellow-orange dragoness, filling her plate with as much food as possible. "That one's Dazzling," She continued, "Our resident glutton. As Queen, she'll agree to anyone's petition so long as they provide her tribute. Namely food. Not exactly the smartest dragon you'll ever meet, either."
To my immediate left, Fruit Bat was already seated with her plate, chatting with another Rainwing with yellow-purple scales. "That dragoness next to Fruit Bat is Splendor. She keeps tabs on all our travelling Rainwing merchants, listening to all the gossip and news they pick up along the way. And then there's-"
"Oh hello there!" Yet another Rainwing greeted me, waltzing up to our table. Despite the high heat and humidity, the air around us suddenly felt icy, as the dragonesses glared at the newcomer. She was tall for a Rainwing, almost as tall as me, with magenta-pink scales and purple wings. She strode up to me on long, graceful legs, her tail swaying with her hips. She focused her green eyes upon me, with a sultry, "come hither" look, and alarm bells started ringing in my head.
"So you're the new king, huh?" She said, more a statement than a question as she looked me up and down. "'Zero Fillies', was it?"
"Xerophilous." I corrected.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I have trouble pronouncing foreign names. My name is Magnificent. I'm sure you already figured that out." She extended her wings, taking a dramatic pose before all of us. Grandeur was rolling her eyes, and Fruit Bat and Splendor stared daggers at her.
"What do you want, Magnificent?" Grandeur asked. "Your seat's with Dazzling and Exquisite."
"Oh, I just wanted to introduce myself to our new king," She purred, "And make a proposition."
"And what would that be?" Fruit Bat jeered. "Being a glorified decoration in the throne room?"
Magnificent sniffed, ignoring her. "King Zero Filies," She said, "If you're looking to have a Queen, look no further than me."
I was a half-second away spitting out a mouthful of wine when she dropped that bombshell. Did she just go from introductions to marriage proposal in less than a minute?
The other dragonesses scoffed and snickered. "Spirits, girl!" Exquisite declared. "I knew you were thirsty, but you should ask him out on a couple dates before you offer yourself like that!"
Magnificent's scales flashed orange as she glared at her, before continuing, "You may be our King now, but that doesn't mean you understand us or our ways. You need someone to help you learn the ins and outs of our people. Someone with prior experience with the crown. Someone who represents all the best qualities of the Rainwings."
"The best qualities?" Fruit Bat scoffed. "You? Everyone here knows you're the worst Queen. You only took the job because you wanted the praise and tribute!"
Magnificent smiled, the first fake smile I'd seen in days. "You say that," She retorted, "Like any of you are different. Look at all of you: A Sloth-hoarder, a fat-ass, a gossiper, a stinky nerd, and an old quitter." She pointed to each ex-Queen in turn, ending with Fruit Bat and Grandeur. Their scales turned red and orange, and I didn't have to be a Rainwing to know that she'd struck a nerve with each of them. Grandeur's scales didn't so much as flash, but my time with Sandwing Royalty taught me to recognize the clenched jaw of someone biting back a venomous comeback or a fireball to the face. Fruit Bat looked down, her scales turning a blue-gray, and I wondered if there was more to her fascination with flowers than mere scientific curiosity.
"If you're going to have a Queen," She continued, "You need someone who can look and act the part. And besides, I know how to make the job fun." She gave me a playful wink, as her tail brushed against mine under the table.
Three Moons, I thought, She's worse than Blaze. No, she's WORSE than Blaze. Oasis would slap Blaze upside the head if she was ever this obvious.
I was getting increasingly annoyed with this bright pink THOT. I didn't want any part of her drama in my personal or political life, nor did I want to be caught in the middle of this petty feud between former Royals. I just escaped a kingdom ruined by court intrigue, I wasn't going to let it take down another.
Putting up a polite mask to hide my irritation, I said, "Thank you, Magnificent, I'm flattered. However, I've only been King for a day. I've travelled a long way to get here, and frankly I'm not ready to make any kind of commitment at this time. I'll take your offer under consideration when the time comes. In the meantime, please, take your seat."
The former queen blinked, then shrugged. "Suit yourself, Your Highness." She said, taking her leave. "I can wait." The raspberry dragoness turned and went to her seat at the far end of the table, hips swaying and tail raised a little higher than considered appropriate. As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned to Grandeur and Fruit Bat.
"Yeah," I whispered, "There's no way that's happening." The two Rainwings smiled, Grandeur nodding approvingly.
"Good to know," She said, "That our new King doesn't fall for the first dragoness who lifts her tail at him."
"Well, my mother didn't raise me to be a fool." I replied. "A dragoness may be pretty on the outside, but it's the heart and mind on the inside that makes her special." I glanced back at Fruit Bat, giving her a playful wink. She smiled, her scales once again flashing pink.
The rest of the evening went on without incident. There were celebratory dances and songs celebrating the reign of their new King. There was a fair amount of drinking of alcoholic beverages, usage of "herbal substances", and tons of partying and frivolity well into the night. I kept imbibements to a minimum, preferring to keep a sober mind my first night. Instead, I spent much of the night talking with Grandeur and Fruit Bat, talking about the Rainforest, other Kingdoms, other Tribes. For the first time in weeks (hell, in months!), I felt relaxed. I didn't have to look over my back anymore. No more assassins, no more intrigue, no more enchanted jewelry. And as much as I hated to admit it, no more Burn.
For the first time in years, I was truly free...
That night, as I slept in my new bedroom, in my new home that was the Rainwing "Palace", I dreamed of my old home. I was back at my workshop, working on another crossbow. Unlike the Xero Model, it was thicker, with multiple levers and latches and springs inside. I found my paws moving of their own accord, building this new construction before my eyes. Behind me, I heard my door open and close behind me.
"I thought I'd find you here." I recognized the voice as Burn, but there was something... off about it. "What are you working on?"
"Nothing much." I said, though the words weren't my own. "Just working on a prototype for a repeating crossbow. If this design works as well as I hope, it will double, if not triple, our rate of fire. Granted, we can only fire three or four shots at a time now, but-"
"Oh, is that all?" She asked. "I was afraid you'd be wasting your time in here, messing around with that silly thing. Come, we're going to be late."
"Late?" I asked, turning away from the table. "Late for wha-?"
I flinched, terrified by what I saw. Burn looked like she'd just been butchered by someone just as vicious and cruel as, well, herself. Pieces were missing from her face, her neck, her wings and body and tail. Her wings hung limp and broken at her sides, her tail crooked from snapped bones, her horns pulled out of their sockets. One eye had been clawed out, and blood drooled out of a mouth lacking several teeth and a burnt tongue.
"Late for the slaughter." She growled. "The slaughter that you caused."
My room fell away. Everything swirled and swayed like oil in water, and soon I found myself in the rainforest. In front of me was the Rainforest Village... or at least, what was left of it. Everything was on fire - treehouses, hammocks, the gardens. Even the egg-shaped hatchery was ablaze, collapsing to the ground below. Bodies littered the ground around us. Dozens of Sandwings, Seawings and Rainwings surrounded us, their corpses burned or torn apart or covered in arrows.
"You thought you could run from me." Burn growled, now at my side. "But you can't run from what you did. You desecrated my mother, Xero. You lost the Eye of Onyx. You started this war. And now, you will bring death to the rainforest. Look." A flayed claw gestured to the arena, where four dragons were engaged in combat. A Sandwing on one side, a Nightwing on the other, two Rainwings in between.
To our left, Blister was standing above Fruit Bat, forepaws squeezing the life out of her throat. Blood dripped from the Princess's crown and horns, her black eyes shining with the fires of the Village. Her stinger was raised above her head, ready to strike, her teeth bared in a cruel grin. The Rainwing's eyes were wide with panic, her body line with cuts and scratches and stinger marks.
To our right, Grandeur was at the mercy of a large, intimidating Nightwing that on some deep, instinctive level I knew was Nightshade. I'd never seen him in person before, but I'd seen pictures and heard descriptions: How he was taller than most Nightwings (who're themselves bigger than the average Sandwing); How his eyes were the night sky with the last touch of twilight; how his star-scales swirled and twisted like distant galaxies under his wings. He towered over the smaller, older Rainwing, as he pried her jaw open. His own mouth was agape, and I could hear the low rumble of a dragon about to breathe fire. I tried to move, tried to call out. I was paralyzed, locked into place as an unwilling observer.
"They have no idea of what's following you." Burn cackled. "These poor, happy-go-lucky dragons will suffer and Burn, as I have. Sooner or later, whether it's my sister, Queen Coral or that Nightwing warlord, someone will figure out what you did and where you are, and they will come for you. I hope you're ready when they do, because they won't be any more merciful than I would be."
Blister's tail came down. Nightshade breathed flame. Someone screamed, and I don't know if it was one of them, or me...
I awoke with a start. It took me a moment to remember where I was. It was pitch black outside, the gentle tinkle of rain barely blocking out the sound of my own heartbeat. I blew a quick, small blast of fire, illuminating the room for an instant. It was empty, only my handful of trinkets lining a wall yet to be decorated. I was alone. But then again, I was in a tribe of dragons that could turn invisible, so that didn't really mean anything.
No longer feeling sleepy, I stared up at my ceiling, trying to process my dream. My enemies were still out there, still fighting. They could've been looking for me at that very moment, for all I knew. At the same time, I was in a kingdom with a tribe of dragons I knew nothing about, whose capabilities I didn't know, and through sheer, dumb luck had somehow become their king. I was in a position now that, if I screwed this up, not only would I die, but so could hundreds of other dragons whose sole crime was trusting me.
As much as I enjoyed the prospect of being King - of doing things of my own accord without having to beg permission from my supposed betters - I also understood that I had little in the way of experience in leadership, or knowledge of the Tribe I was now responsible for. If I was going to keep my new job (and my head), I was going to need help. I was going to need experts and mentors.
I was going to need the Queens.
Grandeur was already in the throne room as I entered. The former Queen was a hard dragoness to read, not just as a Rainwing, but as a dragoness in general. What did she think of me? Of this situation? That some random foreigner just strolls in during their competition, and through an incredibly lucky shot, takes the throne that she and the others had dedicated their lives to?
"Your Majesty," She said, bowing her head.
"Grandeur," I said, with a certain diffidence. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Clearly." She said, keeping her tone noncommittal.
"I've noticed, you've been less than enthusiastic about me being in charge." She said nothing, accepting the accusation.
"Well, I wanted you to know, I am taking this seriously," I said. "Like, for real. I recognize that this is a very strange situation, for all of us. I also understand the responsibilities that have been placed on me, and I don't want to leave the Rainwings hanging."
"I believe you." She said, her scales flashing yellow for the briefest second.
"Then work with me." I said, earnestly and sincerely. "I can't run this country alone, and you're the best one here at doing that. I need your experience and wisdom, if this is going to work."
"Of course, I understand." She said. She flashed dark blue again, and continued, "My apologies for being rather stiff-necked. With the right experience, anyone can govern, your majesty."
"Please," I said, smiling now, "call me Xero."
"Alright then, Xero," She chuckled, "What would you have me do?"
"I need someone to teach me about the Rainwings, for starters." I said. "This Tribe isn't very well known. I don't know what your abilities are, what your culture and history is like, what you want and need. Before I can even think of making any decisions, I need to know what I'm working with."
Grandeur turned yellow, a bemused smirk growing on her muzzle. "I know just the drake for the job..."
It was early in the afternoon, just before lunch, when Grandeur led me to a blue drake napping on one of those platforms I saw all over the place.
"Fox, wake up." Grandeur demanded. "There's someone here I want you to meet." The resting Rainwing yawned, his eyes cracking open to reveal deep purple irises.
"Hey there, Grandeur," He mumbled sleepily, "What's going on?" He then noticed me standing right next to her, and this seemed to wake him up a degree, as he smiled and shifted into a more "seductive" position, stretching himself out in the sunlight. The scales around his eyes, down his neck and along his belly shone with iridescence, little rainbows that drew your attention.
"Hey there, stranger." He said, playful and flirty. "It's been a hot minute since I've seen a Sandwing enter our humble domain. Just who might you be?"
"Flying Fox," Grandeur said evenly, "Allow me to introduce you to Xerophilous, King of the Rainwings, and your new boss."
"Ha! Good one, Grandy!" Fox laughed. "Dragons can't rule over other Tribes! That would be silly!" Grandeur held her gaze. The blue Rainwing's happy expression slowly turned panicky, his scales shifting to white and green. "You're being serious, aren't you?" He asked, looking back and forth between us. "Wait, this is the guy who won the Challenge?"
"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you!" I admitted, giving a genuine, hopefully disarming smile. "This whole thing still feels like a dream."
"My King," Grandeur said, "This is Flying Fox, an old friend of mine. Out of any dragon I know, he best represents what I think it means to be a Rainwing. If you need a crash course to learn about our Tribe, he is the expert to go to."
The drake sat up, opening and closing his mouth to speak, but remaining at a loss for words.
"Speechless?" Grandeur said, smiling. "That's a first. I'm afraid I still have a few responsibilities to take care of. I'll leave you two to get acquainted." Before either of us could protest further, she turned her scales invisible, and vanished from our sight.
"Oh Spirits." He apologized, bowing deeply as his scales turned dark green. "I'm so very sorry, Your Majesty. Please forgive me, I didn't mean anything by it, I swear!"
"Fox-" I started.
I flirt with everyone, but I don't mean anything by it, honest! It's just in my nature!"
"Fox..."
"I already have a boyfriend, and things are kind of complicated right now, and I don't know if he'd even be cool with-"
"FOX!" I shouted, snapping him out of his rant. I sighed. "Look," I explained, "I'm not offended. If anything, I'm kind of flattered."
He blinked, confused. "Oh? Really?"
"Yeah. It's nice to know dragons aren't just into me 'cause I have a crown and a fancy chair." I winked. "But seriously, I'm new here. I don't know how you Rainwings do things, and if I'm going to do right by them, I need to know how my new subjects think and live. You think you can help me with that?"
The Rainwing smiled, shrugged. "I can try." He said. "I've never taught someone outside the Tribe how to be a Rainwing before. It'll be fun. But before we agree to anything, there's something I need to know. Two things, actually."
"And what would those be?"
Well," He asked, "What are you going to do, now that you're King?" His scales turned blue, but his expression wasn't sad, but curious. "And another, why did you come to the Rainforest in the first place? Phyrria's a big place after all, you could've gone literally anywhere. We're not exactly on the way to somewhere important."
I paused, considering how to answer. How much should I tell them, about what was happening, about what I did? I strongly doubted just out-and-out saying "There's a war going on next door, and I helped cause it" would endear me to everyone. But beyond that, what did I plan on doing, now that I was King? I wasn't going to sit around all day drinking coconuts and listen to my subjects asking me for stuff - That would be boring.
"Well," I answered, "Let's just say that I... needed to get away from home for awhile. Change my surroundings, start a new chapter in my life, that kind of thing."
"Rediscover yourself, you mean?" The Rainwing suggested.
"Something like that, yeah."
"I get it. You're not the only one I know who's been feeling stuck. It happens to the best of us."
"Yeah. As for what I'm going to do... well, I'm not entirely sure yet. All I know is that I want to leave it in a better place than when I found it. You all have been so kind and welcoming, and I want to do right by them."
He tilted his head, considering my words. His scales turned dark blue, before turning yellow as he smiled again. "Alright then," He said, "I believe you. I'll teach you our ways. By the time I'm done, you're gonna be the best non-Rainwing to ever Rainwing!"
I smiled, feeling better already. At some level I knew, for better or worse, that while this funny little Rainwing wasn't Smolder, he would become my new best friend...