Chapter 3

A tsunami of indecipherable images crashed into Runner's mind with thundering ferocity. A rapidly expanding cloud of crimson. Bloodstained bubbles. Lifeless gray-green eyes, open but empty. Scattered pink orbs. Bared teeth in a cunning grin.

Then, as soon as it had come, the pounding vision receded. Runner came to his senses and opened his bleary eyes with a groan. As he regained focus, he realized that there was a curious crowd surrounding him on all sides. They whispered and exchanged heated conversations.

"Fennel, did you see how it happened?"

"No, I just heard a FWOOMP and a THUD and then suddenly everyone was rushing to the Gold commons! Naturally I went with them."

"Was he having a vision?"

"But he's only half NightWing. I don't think it works like that."

"How would you know? You're just a SeaWing."

"How dare you talk like that to royalty! Apologize to Princess Monsoon this instant or I'll pluck out your teeth."

"Give him space!" A deep voice shouted. Mud brown talons clamped onto Runner's shoulders firmly and amber eyes met his dark purple ones. "Runner, are you alright? It's Clay."

Clay, Runner thought dizzily. One of my heroes. Fun meeting him like this.

"I'm fine, just a headache," he croaked out loud and gingerly rose to his talons. Most of the onlookers had dissipated, but his winglet was still clustered next to him, along with a few bigger dragons. He guessed that they were teachers who had flown to his rescue. Tsunami was among them.

"Oh squid tentacles, why must I deal with things like this when Sunny's also Head of School," she growled, her gills pulsing furiously. "You're Roadrunner, aren't you? What just happened there? Are you hurt?"

"Let him take a breather," a pale green dragon suggested. She flared her leaf-shaped wings and clasped a talon onto Tsunami's shoulder, steering her toward the doorway. "Clay can sort it out. You'll be okay, right?" She asked Runner.

Runner nodded as his brain continued to feel like a puddle of sand. "It was just a migraine," he insisted, although it had been nothing of the sort.

Tsunami gave a snort, but marched to the doorway and gestured to a royal blue SeaWing dragonet. "Monsoon, you should go to your cave or visit the prey center. There's no point in gawking over here." She shepherded the dragonet into the tunnel with the LeafWing at her heel.

Runner twisted in a circle. Only Clay, a SandWing and the rest of his winglet were left, but all of them were staring at him as if he'd grown five heads. With a jolt, he realized that the SandWing was the dragon that had caused his seizure-vision.

"Taipan, you can go too," Clay said. The pale yellow dragonet gave a barely perceptible nod and practically flew out of the cave. Runner caught sight of strange claw scars on the sides of her neck as she disappeared in a heartbeat.

What a peculiar dragon. She seemed so frightened, but why would she trigger a near heart attack in me? And there's also the fact that I've never had a vision before. I'm pretty sure I wasn't even hatched under a full moon.

So why would a prophecy power surface the day I step into Jade Mountain Academy?

Runner didn't get to speculate any further, since half of his winglet pounced on him eagerly. Even Magma looked legitimately concerned.

"You freaked us out! What was that?" Cinder roared, his huge wings engulfing Runner's entire body in a hug.

"You were practically convulsing on the floor! We ran and called for help as fast as we could since we thought that you were dying," Auklet added breathlessly.

"You look sick." A little blue and violet shape appeared at his front talons. Runner peered at it and realized that it was a dragonet no more than four years old. She had fluorescent stripes on her underbelly and a graceful snout.

It's Seaglass, he guessed. He had seen the dragonet before, when his parents' friends came to visit. She had been accompanied by the RainWing Kinkajou and the SeaWing prince, Turtle. Now, Seaglass crouched next to him with a small frown.

"Really, I'm one hundred percent fine," Runner mumbled as he shot a meaningful glance at Clay, who was standing near the door with uncertainty.

"Are you sure?" The MudWing began.

"He is, Dad," Cinder interrupted. He pointed a wing at the shadowed tunnels. "Just, like, go, okay? Go talk with Mom in the kitchen or something. You're totally embarrassing me."

"Alright, alright, son," Clay relented and swept away, casting one last worried glance at Runner.

"You're his - ?" Runner sputtered as soon as he was out of earshot. I'm clawmates with the son of the prophecy MudWing?!

Cinder waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, now tell us EXACTLY what happened. I mean, I got him to leave for you so you owe me one."

"Don't try to gloss things over," Moraine suddenly interjected. "You were mumbling things like 'blood' and 'chaos'. Which is totally not concerning, by the way." She sat and started flicking her tail again. Runner was starting to wonder if she had a chronic nerve disease.

After a beat of thought, his wings and tail slumped. "Alright, alright, I'll talk." He gave in and described every flash, every blurred image that had ripped through his head like claws through scales.

There was a long note of silence as everyone blinked.

Finally, a dragon with iridescent teal and honey scales emerged from the back of the cave. The sunlight from various windows danced on her huge butterfly shaped wings, and splatters of black sparkled like gemstones. Runner was momentarily dazzled by her beauty before he snapped back into grim reality.

"Caterpillar," the dragon said with a graceful lilt to her voice, which was like a songbird. "That sounds like a vision to me," she continued.

"A vision?" Auklet repeated. She had backed away from Runner's side and was studying him intently. "But - surely - I mean, is it even possible? Since you're, just, half, you know…" she trailed off uncomfortably. "No offense."

"Your mother is Moonwatcher, right?" Seaglass murmured. "The first NightWing in centuries to have mind-reading and prophetic abilities?" A wave of orangey purple rippled across her back.

"So maybe it runs in your family?" Cinder suggested.

"Nope," Magma called from the corner. She was staring at a scroll, but her ears were perked and alert. "NightWing powers aren't genetic, unlike animus magic. They occur if the dragon was hatched under one or more full moons. So, care to affirm or deny the possibilities?"

"I… wasn't, I think," Runner stammered. The pounding headache that had plagued him before was gone, but it was replaced with worry.

I don't have prophecy powers. I wasn't hatched under a full moon.

Was I?

"Could an animus have enchanted your egg, or you?" Auklet wondered.

Runner recoiled in shock. "Who would - I mean, why?"

"I suppose it's possible," Magma said. "However, why anyone would do that is beyond me. I'm going to the library to look for more scrolls, preferably on NightWing powers and such." She rose from her rock stool and strutted out of the entrance.

"I'll come," Caterpillar volunteered.

"Did I ask you?" Magma snapped, a talon still in the air.

"Don't be so hotheaded," Moraine barked. "But I mean, you're a SkyWing, so little chance of that."

"Besides, my mother is the librarian," Caterpillar pointed out. "I can help you find whatever you want more easily." She arched her brows at Magma, who huffed a puff of smoke.

"Fine," she grumbled, and swept away with the Pantalan dragon at her heels.

Runner felt a heaviness settle in his stomach. This was the most confusing thing to ever happen in his life. He was desperate for answers, but where to find them?

"You should write to your mother," Seaglass suggested from under Auklet's protective wing. She twisted around and grumbled," Get off me, Auk, you're flattening me!"

Auklet stepped away with a grin. "Hey, it's my duty to protect you. Turtle and Kinkajou made sure of that. And it's princess to you," she added with an exaggerated air of pompousness.

"Stop acting like Aunt Anemone!" Seaglass giggled, a burst of rose blossoming on her forearms. Then she turned back to Runner. "Really. I mean it. Moon must know what to do."

Runner heaved a sigh. "You're right," he admitted. "I just don't want to cause her trouble and be a bad son."

"Don't worry about appearance too much," Cinder advised, nudging his wing. "Being in a pickle doesn't mean that you're a bad son."

"Bleh, pickle," Moraine grunted and started to swish her tail. "Pickles are slimy. And gross."

"Fish are slimy and gross," Cinder retorted defensively. "Pickles are delicious."

"They are not!" Auklet protested. "Fish are the bestest food ever!"

"No, coconuts are," Seaglass interrupted.

"Traitor," Auklet teased and shoved the little dragonet playfully.

"I'll go write the letter to Mom," Runner announced amidst the hubbub. He stepped towards the tunnels, then turned back at the last moment. "Don't worry about me too much, alright? I'll figure things out."

"Only if you support the Pickles Are Awesome Club," Cinder yelled as Moraine tackled him to the floor.

Runner couldn't suppress the smile that crept into his face. "Pickles aren't too bad," he agreed as he headed to his sleeping cave.

Dear Mother,

I hope you and Dad are doing well! I'm settling over here at Jade Mountain Academy, which is pretty cool. Im in the Gold Winglet. I've met my clawmates and my winglet, and they're all pretty nice. One of my clawmates is a hybrid like me! He's super nice and funny. My other clawmate, though, is a little murderous -

No. Runner scribbled out the last sentence. The last thing he wanted was to pile unnecessary worries onto his mother's already large heap of responsibilities. He dipped a claw into the ink bottle and continued to write.

My teachers are nice, and I'm excited for classes to start tomorrow!

However, something strange happened today. When a SandWing dragonet came into my common cave, I fell and saw a series of images in my head. I saw the eyes of a dead dragon, and blood, and terribly frightening scenes. It was like a vision, but I've never had this happen before. I don't think I was hatched under a full moon, either. Do you know why this would happen?

Other than that, I'm doing well. I miss you and Dad. Oh, and please tell Queen Thorn and Queen Glory that I send my greetings.

Your loving son,

Runner

There. Runner carefully rolled up the parchment and tied it with a piece of string. It was late afternoon, and the shadows that slanted from the sole window were getting longer and longer. He planned to ask one of the teachers to send a messenger with his letter, then spend the rest of the night in the cave. He was hungry from not eating all day, but a prey center of rowdy dragonets was the last thing he needed.

The corridors were practically deserted as Runner turned into the wing of staff caves, which looked similar to the students'. However, there was a door at each entrance, scrawled with a name on each one.

"Hey! Are you lost?" A dragon poked her head out of a stone office. Runner recognized her as the pale green LeafWing from earlier who had steered Tsunami away from the havoc in the cave.

"N-no," he stammered. "It's just... there's this l-letter that I w-want to send to m-my mother. Is there a messenger av-vailable?"

Well I butchered that, didn't I. Why do I keep on embarrassing myself?! He berated himself with gritted teeth.

"No problem," the LeafWing teacher said with a smile and retrieved the scroll from Runner's talon. "I'll send someone in the morning. In the meantime, maybe get some good sleep in preparation for class tomorrow!"

"Thank you," Runner said gratefully, then realized that he didn't know the dragon's name. "Uh, you are...?"

"Willow," she replied. "Go along now!" She turned and slipped back into her cave.

Runner heaved a tremendous sigh and retraced his steps. Willow was right; he felt exhausted, and he needed to rest.

The sandbag was soft on his scales as he drifted into a fitful sleep.