Chapter 8

The Rain Forest

Crane landed in the forest just after Frostbite. The Rain Forest was strange yet beautiful, but also rather noisy with insects buzzing all around.

"What do we do now?" asked Crane shaking out her wings.

"Eat," stated Frostbite sniffing the air, he immediately dislikes the forest, it was far too hot for his liking.

"Sounds good to me," said Crane as her stomach growled, "what do they have in the Rain Forest to eat anyway?"

"Squirrels, sloths, if there is a river probably fish," answered Frostbite, "let us look for a river and drink."

"I think I hear one," said Crane tilting her head, "this way."

With that Crane strode off into the forest followed by a grumbling Frostbite, who did not particularly enjoy just wandering blindly through the forest.

"Finally," Frostbite grunted as they emerged into a clearing. He had been having problems in the forest, with all his extra spikes catching in vines as well as the warms getting to him.

"The river is cold," said Crane kindly, "it should help with the heat."

"I thought I was the doctor," joked Frostbite, as he dipped his head to drink. When he finally raised his head, he saw Crane had taken off her bandages and was rolling in the mud of the river bank.

"That is very unsanitary," said Frostbite in his disapproving doctor voice.

"Actually," said Crane, "Mudwings gain strength from their natural habitat. Muds also have many healing properties for Mudwings."

"Interesting," said Frostbite thoughtfully.

"Fish!" cried Crane racing past him and downriver into the trees.

"Wait," called Frostbite but Crane did not hear him, "oh well."

With that Frostbite raced after Crane. He found her at a bend in the river with a large fish in her mouth and any other in her claws.

"Here," she said with her mouth full, handing Frostbite the other fish.

"Thanks," he said as he took a large bite out of the offered fish.

"There is more where that came from," cried Crane jumping back into the river

"Ahhh," a new voice shrieked.

Frostbite drop his fish and bared his teeth, preparing his Frostbreath. Crane jumped out of the river and backed away. Then suddenly a greenish-blue shape jumped out of the river and land on the bank. A Seawing.

"Why did you grab my tail," asked the Seawing indigently.

"I thought it was a fish," Crane stuttered, feeling very foolish.

"What is a Seawing doing here?" asked Frostbite suspiciously.

"What are an Icewing and a Mudwing doing here? Aren't you two enemies," asked the Seawing tilting his head, clearly puzzled.

"We are," stated Frostbite.

"Then why are you not, you know, killing each other?" asked the Seawing even more puzzled than before.

"We are allies at the moment," said Crane coming forward, "we were both on the bad end of a misunderstood situation, where both sides think we work for the other."

"How did that happen?" asked a curious new voice from behind them making them jump.

A peculiarly colored Sandwing with black a long row of black scales running the whole length of her body slithered out of the tree with a puzzled expression on her kindly face.

"Why are you here?" asked Crane equal puzzled

"Some dragons were trying to kill us," replied the Sandwing matter-of-factly, "so we are laying low, which is what you are doing too. You were right that is a really bad misunderstanding."

"Sandstar!" exclaimed the Seawing clapping a talon to his head, "what did I tell you about reading minds?"

"You can read minds?" asked Frostbite suspiciously, "how?"

"I am half Nightwing," said the Sandwing simply, "my name is Sandstar and this is Slipstream. You are Frostbite and she is Crane."

"Yep," said Crane not minding that this strange dragon knew her name Crane had taken an instant liking to. She reminded Crane, of her youngest brother, Umber.

"You are half Nightwing," echoed Frostbite.

"Yes, she is," said Slipstream as if it was completely normal for him to travel with a mind-reading hybrid dragonet.

"So, they do all have powers?" said Crane, she had never really believed the stories.

"Only me, that I know of," said Sandstar sadly, looking at her talons.

"You are naïve aren't you," said Frostbite scathingly, "you are telling us all this. We are strangers to you."

"I know you are fine," said Sandstar innocently, "I saw it in your mind, sorry."

"Please refrain from reading my mind," said Frostbite angrily.

"Sure," said Sandstar sweetly.

Suddenly they heard a loud crashing in the woods followed by some very colorful language.

"What was that?" asked Crane.

"I sense any other mind here," said Sandstar, "I think it is any other refugee. A Skywing, male."

"Should we go meet them?" asked Crane, "Mudwings and Skywings are allies in the war."

"No," said Frostbite, "that is a very bad idea."

But the other dragonets did not listen to him and were already heading in the direction of the noise. Idiots.