Chapter 4: The Journey Begins

Mamba was awake, but she didn't move. Nor did she want to. She lifted her neck to look at Bloom and the SilkWing hybrid, Spinnersilk or something. Mamba hadn't caught her name.

I'll ask later, Mamba thought as she laid back down. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt something touching her tail. She turned her head to look and saw a large bird pecking at it. Nice, breakfast! She turned her tail a bright color and inched it away from the Bloom and the hybrid. The bird followed dumbly, continuing to peck uselessly at it. Mamba opened her mouth and was about to spit venom when she realized how careless that would be.

They're both right there. Anything could go wrong. Stupid me. She slowly disentangled herself from the other two. Once she was out, she flicked her tail back and jumped at the bird. The bird squawked and flapped its wings, but Mamba bit it before it could move. She spat the feathers out and set it down, walking over to Bloom and shaking her wing.

"Wake up, it's morning." She said loudly, shaking Bloom's wing, which went up and smacked her lightly.

"I'm up, I'm up," Bloom's muffled voice said, "kind of."

Mamba poked the hybrid with her tail. "You too."

She sat up without a fight, yawning a bit and looking around.

"Hmm...what time is it?" She said, then looked up at the canopy and answered her own question. "It's mid morning. We should get moving."

Mamba picking up the bird she had killed and ripped it into a few pieces. "I caught breakfast while you two were sleeping," She said, tossing a piece to the SilkWing and then to Bloom. The other RainWing flinched and turned green.

"Ew, ew, ew," She said, backing away from the feathery meat. "No way. I'll find some fruit." Bloom walked into the dense undergrowth and disappeared. Mamba looked at the hybrid, who was carefully plucking the feathers out.

"You can have Bloom's share. I'm not that hungry," Mamba said, handing the meat to her.

"Thanks," She took the meat and started plucking the feathers from that piece. "Silverspinner." She said after a moment of silence.

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Silverspinner." She said quietly.

"Oh, uh, thanks. I, um, didn't-"

"It's alright that you didn't know. You've never met me before, so I didn't expect you to." She smiled at Mamba, who sheepishly grinned back. "Thanks,"

After a few minutes, Mamba and Silverspinner were eating the bird, talking between bites. Bloom half flew into the clearing and dropped a couple of fruits on the ground, then grabbed her bag. "Alright, let's get moving!" She exclaimed, stuffing the fruit into the bag and tying it to her body. The other two did the same and started walking at a brisk pace.

It was early afternoon, but they were still energetic. They had shifted into a vertical line, taking turns at the front to clear the path. Bloom was first, then Silverspinner, followed by Mamba. They were reaching the edge of the rainforest, as the trees were much more sparse now.

"I think this is the Rainforest Kingdom border." Silverspinner guessed. "The trees disperse right here." Mamba and Silverspinner moved up next to Bloom to look at the few trees in front of them. "So...do we fly now?" Bloom asked, then spread her wings.

"I guess," Mamba said, beginning to pump her wings. The dragonets took off and flew up. Mamba hovered next to Silverspinner, while Bloom stopped next to her. Jade Mountain was visible in front of them, and the Kingdom of Sand behind it.

"Well, where do we go?" Mamba asked Silverspinner.

"To the river, I guess." She answered, then started forward. Mamba and Bloom followed, glad they could rest their legs and use their wings instead. After thirty minutes of flying, they landed on the river bank. The river was calm here, small minnows darting in the shallows. As they landed, a turtle on a piece of floating driftwood dived into the water. Bloom trotted to the water and watched the minnows curiously, while Silverspinner walked around the area, inspecting it. Mamba watched Silverspinner frown, then call them to her.

"Bloom, Mamba, look at this."

They both trotted over and bent down next to the SilkWing hybrid.

"What is it?" Bloom asked.

"Talonprints." Silverspinner answered, a tint of worry in her voice. "Not SeaWing or IceWing, since it's not serrated or webbed. RainWings don't leave the rainforest much, and SkyWings are much farther up north." She eliminated the tribes.

"So, either SandWing, MudWing, or NightWing." Bloom said, and Mamba finished. "SandWings are closer, just over the mountains. The question is what a SandWing is doing on this side of the mountains."

Silverspinner shook her head. "Whatever it is, I don't want to find out. Let's get out of here."

They followed the river north, and only landed when it started getting dark.

"I'll try to start a fire, you two get food." Silverspinner ordered, already collecting sticks. Bloom flew over to the nearest tree and inspected it for fruit. Mamba walked over to the river and waded in.

The river was a bit faster here, and much chillier. Mamba stopped, the water covering two thirds of her legs. She moved her talons around under the water, until something slimy touched one and she closed her talon around it. The fish thrashed around, but Mamba brought it up and threw it to the bank before it could wiggle free. She repeated it a few times before she waded back, shivering.

"You should probably warm up." Silverspinner chuckled. She had gotten a blazing fire going, and Mamba gratefully sat next to it. Silverspinner had laid the four fish out, and was wrapping two of them in leaves. She placed the wrapped ones in the hot coals, then handed a raw fish to Mamba.

"One cooked, one raw for each of us."

Bloom landed on the other side of the fire, holding three small fruits. "There's like, no fruit around here," She complained, then popped the fruits in her mouth. She opened her bag and pulled out the fruits she had collected earlier, then ate those.

"I guess you'll have to eat meat." Mamba said, the took another bite of her fish. "Have you ever tried meat?"

"No," Bloom muttered. "I guessI'll try it."

Silverspinner finished her fish and used a stick to push the fish out of the fire. She unwrapped both, handed one to Mamba, and ripped a small piece off of hers. "Here."

Bloom took the meat, grimaced, and put it in her mouth. She chewed slowly, then swallowed. "Better than I expected." She said, then grinned. "I still prefer fruit, but I guess I'll eat meat too."

Mamba finished her fish and laid down. "'Night."

Silverspinner curled up, and Bloom wrapped herself up in her wings. "Goodnight." They said simultaneously. Mamba fell asleep almost immediately. They still had a long way to go.

Where ever they were going.

Thank you for reading!