Chapter 12

Let's meet some of the other dragon queens of Pyrrhia, shall we?

It didn't take long for Windracer and his friends to reach the Mud Kingdom. Especially since it wasn't that far from the Sky Kingdom. Even so, he'd spent the entire flight going over what he'd say to Queen Moorhen in his head. One wrong word could lead to things going in a very horrible direction.

When the group finally landed outside a palace made entirely out of the same material as the mud-and-plant-made sleephouses that were built to house several dragons, they found themselves surrounded by MudWings carrying spears. Windracer wasn't too surprised at that, since SandWings, IceWings and SeaWings were the MudWing enemy in the war. But he'd hoped, after sending his message, the tribes would be more open to dragons outside their species...

"State your business!" bellowed the largest of the guards, his spear pointing right at them.

Before Windracer could speak, Auburn padded forward, the mud squelching underneath her talons. "We're here on behalf of Queen Moorhen's request," she said calmly. "She wishes to speak to my son, Windracer."

Eyebrows raised, the guard lowered his spear. "My apologies. We didn't expect to see you all here so soon." He gestured to the palace with his wing. "Please, you may proceed."

Gulping nervously, Windracer padded towards the MudWing palace. Loud squishing sounds from the mud signaled that Arid was rushing to join him before he felt the familiar hot-and-cold scales of her wings brushing against his. Stopping at the foot of the palace entrance, the male hybrid called, "Queen Moorhen?"

Moments later, a russet-colored head poked out of the entrance to the mud-and-plant-made palace. Then the rest of the MudWing's body followed. She was big, as big as Morrowseer, or maybe even bigger. Various gemstones were embedded onto her head and ankles, which provided the only clue that she was the queen.

Moorhen's eyes landed on the dragon who called her name. "You must be Windracer. Not quite how I pictured you, but I suppose you can never tell with hybrids. May I speak to you alone?"

Windracer looked over his shoulder at his friends. Auburn would be fine, since SkyWings and MudWings were supposed to be allies, but who knows what the guards would do to the others when he wasn't looking.

"You don't need to worry," Moorhen said. "I'll be sure those who have accompanied you will be safe in my kingdom." MudWings couldn't read minds, obviously, but she had been able to read the expression on Windracer's face. It was the same expression she wore whenever she was worried about her fellow MudWings.

Now reassured, Windracer nodded and followed the queen to an open swamp.

"Anyone who isn't a NightWing is aware of how mysterious and secretive they are," said Moorhen. She allowed Windracer to climb up onto her back to avoid sinking into the mud as she walked on. "What I can't believe is how you strived to expose all of your kind, even if only half of your blood belongs to them. Me, I would do anything to protect my tribe, but, then again, I suppose we can't all be MudWings, can we?"

Windracer shook his head awkwardly. "No, I...I guess we can't," he said. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you maybe tell me a bit more about MudWings? I only know what I've learned from Bog while we were all hiding under a mountain."

Moorhen glanced at him over his shoulder, a ghost of a smile on her snout. "Ask away, young one."

In between questions about Windracer's powers and the prophecy, the kind MudWing queen was happy to explain MudWing life to him. She told him that MudWing dragons had breeding nights once a month, and then the couples likely never saw each other again after that. The mothers laid their eggs in warm mud nests protected by walls of hot rocks. They were so safe that the mother never needed to check on them, and the dragonets were usually born whenever she wasn't there. The firstborn, or bigwings, as they were called, was always the biggest, and his or her first task was to help the other dragonets out of their eggs by cracking their shells from the outside.

"So from then on, the bigwings takes care of all the others," Queen Moorhen said. "Just like how I watch out for all of my tribe."

"But, if the group is so tightly knit," Windracer mused, "And MudWing mothers don't know which dragonets are theirs, how do you choose an heir to the throne?"

Moorhen frowned. "I have yet to think about that. My biggest concern is protecting my fellow MudWings. Burn promised us immunity from attack for the next hundred years if we helped her win. If we don't...she'll destroy us. She is a powerful enemy, Windracer. A lot more powerful than you, and she's an enemy I don't intend to make."

"Then maybe it's time for a change," Windracer suggested. "Things have remained the same since the Scorching, at least that's what I've heard. What if we tried something new? Like MudWing parents actually getting to know their dragonets, or choosing queens based on who's the best candidate instead of focusing on royal blood?"

The queen of the MudWings gave him a sad smile. "There is wisdom in your words," she said. "But I'm afraid the times are not so easily changed on Pyrrhia." She turned at started heading back the way they had come. "We best get you back to your friends. MudWing or not, you're their bigwings."

"Speaking of MudWings," Windracer said, "Can you help us find Bog's family? A caretaker of ours said he came from a blood-red egg that was laid somewhere in the Diamond Spray Delta." He wasn't sure if 'caretaker' was the best word to describe Kestrel, but he didn't know what else to call her that wasn't an offense.

"I will see what I can do," Queen Moorhen said simply.

There was no party for the dragonets this time, but they were still welcome in Queen Moorhen's kingdom. Even Ocotillo, Storm, Arid and Lagoon were being treated kindly by the guards who held them at spearpoint moments ago.

Moorhen had laid out a sort of impromptu banquet for their guests, after learning that they'd yet to have lunch. Bog, of course, was having the most fun, stuffing food in his maw and wallowing around in the mud like an overexcited one-year-old. He didn't mind being tripped by the tails of the camouflaged RainWing twins, so long as it meant he'd fall in the mud and get more dirty.

Windracer was sitting by a pond, trying to wash the mud off his talons, when four more MudWings arrived. Windracer realized they were dragonets, not yet full-grown. The biggest one looked like he came to around Burn's shoulders, while the smallest dragon was about two-thirds the size of Bog.

Curious as to what the newcomers wanted, Windracer followed them as they approached the queen.

"We came for info you sent regarding the blood egg," said the biggest dragonet. Windracer guessed he was the bigwings of the group. Then the littlest one jumped in with an arsenal of questions. "Do you know what happened to it? Did it hatch? Who came out? Where's the dragonet?"

"Who's asking?" Windracer said.

Bog rose up out of the mud to see what was going on.

The four dragonets looked at the two. "I'm Alligator," said the biggest one. "This is Squelch, Sepia, and Newt." The smallest one, Newt, waved at Bog.

"I'm Windracer, and this is Bog," Windracer answered.

Alligator's eyes fixed on Bog. "Are you the dragonet who hatched from the blood egg?" he asked. "Are you our missing sib?"

Bog flexed his talons nervously. "I think so? I mean, I do know I came from a red egg, but I don't know where, exactly..." He trailed off when he noticed the warm smiles the siblings were giving him.

"You're our brother," Squelch said, gripping Bog's talons in her own. "You should have been with us all along."

Windracer left to give the siblings some space. The last thing he wanted was to be buried under a dragon pile in the mud. He found Arid and Lagoon talking nearby and went over to them, eager to reveal what he had learned about MudWings.

The two females listened to their friend with interest, with Lagoon jumping in after he had finished. "So, where are we going next?"

"Well," Windracer said with a smile, "I've been thinking that Queen Coral would be interested in meeting her long-lost daughter."

Lagoon's eyes lit up with excitement. "Are you suggesting we head to the sea?"

"As long as it's okay with the others," Windracer replied, glancing nervously at Arid. He knew from reading her thoughts that she had plans of going to the ice and sand kingdoms at some point.

Thankfully, the IceWing-SandWing hybrid didn't look all that upset. "We'll go wherever you lead," she paused, then finished with a warm smile, "Bigwings."

Windracer thought his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He didn't care whether that was supposed to be a pet name or not, he knew Arid was right. He wasn't a MudWing, not in the slightest. But he was their leader. Their friend.

Their bigwings.

The sound of splashing mud brought their attention to Bog, who was padding over to meet them, his siblings following. "So, where are we headed next?"

Sepia frowned at her brother's question. "You want to go with them?" she asked, nervously.

"You can join us," Alligator offered. "There's more fighting ahead, and we can always use another strong dragon at our side."

Bog shook his head. "I'm no fighter. Besides, my friends need me. And no offense, but I don't really know a thing about MudWing customs."

"The MudWing guardian that brought Bog's egg under the mountain died from injuries she sustained in a crossfire," Windracer explained quickly. "All we had were a SandWing, a SkyWing, and a SeaWing to take care of the six of us. But it wasn't really all bad..." Windracer wouldn't let himself be caught saying anything ill about the guardians, especially when Kestrel was one of them.

Little Newt started bouncing up and down, ignoring his own disappointment with Bog's decision to stay with his friends. "Good luck with that prophecy!"

"Thanks," said Bog. "Maybe after we've stopped the war...I could come back?"

"You're one of us," Alligator said with a smile. "You can come back anytime."

"I hope you do," Squelch said. The others nodded.

Windracer looked from Bog to the four MudWings that were his friend's siblings. He could hear all their thoughts, the siblings' sadness at their brother leaving so soon, and Bog's concern for his brothers and sisters, and how much he was hoping they'd still be alive when the war finally ended.

But if Windracer had to do with anything, he'd never let the lives of innocent dragons be lost in a fight that their tribe had been dragged into.

He snapped back to reality when he felt Arid's wings brushing against his own. "So, what now, bigwings?" she asked with a warm smile.

Windracer returned her smile. "We'll be like the MudWings. We'll stick together. No matter what happens."

Bog looked at the pair, confused at their intimacy, while Lagoon just sat and watched, a smile the size of Pyrrhia on her snout. Whether it was directed at her friends' relationship, or the idea that they'd be heading to the ocean very soon, she wasn't sure.

Webs dragged his long, aching body out of the river he'd been hiding in. Shocked, to say the very least, at the wording of Windracer's message. He'd already been informed of Morrowseer's prophecy being fake from Auburn, but the idea of so many dragons fighting over something that wasn't even theirs made him feel sick to his stomach. He'd risked everything he had in the Kingdom of the Sea for practically nothing.

Just when the poor SeaWing thought it couldn't get any worse, he noticed three dark shapes in the forest, waiting for him. He spun around, but a new dragon loomed out of the river and blocked his escape. Black spiral patterns gleamed in the moonlight.

"Webs," said the other SeaWing in a horribly pleasant voice, "I thought we'd never find you."

Webs drew his talons through the riverbank mud. "Nautilus," he said. He hated the tremble of fear in his voice. "I have important news for the Talons."

"You don't say," said Nautilus. "We all heard that message. You never told us the NightWing could do magic." His voice became a growl as he said that last sentence.

"We didn't know," Webs said, truthfully. "He's been a mystery to us ever since he hatched. The prophecy never really said the dragonets had to be purebred, or that they couldn't have animus magic."

"Have you forgotten that the prophecy is fake?" asked a voice from the shadows. Webs recognized Crocodile, a MudWing new to the Talons of Peace. In his few meetings with her, she'd been sympathetic. Perhaps he had one ally here.

"Morrowseer's prophecy is fake," Webs said, "But Windracer's is very real. We've been going about this all wrong. Perhaps, if we let the dragonets pave the path for themselves..."

"Do you not see how much trouble they've caused?" Nautilus interjected. "Queen Scarlet has practically been standing on the tallest mountain shouting, 'I have the dragonets of destiny! They're all mine!' Those dragonets don't know what's best for them, which is exactly the reason we counted on you to keep them hidden and safe!"

"Maybe not," Crocodile said. "Something happened in the SkyWing palace yesterday, remember? We don't have any clear reports yet, but Queen Tourmaline has sent out message scrolls saying that Scarlet is dead. Killed by an IceWing prince by the name of Frost."

"Queen Glacier's son?" asked one of the figures, in a voice as smooth and clear as a frozen-over lake. Polynya, Webs thought. Of course the one living IceWing that was associated with the Talons would recognize the name of Glacier's dragonet.

A murmur went around the circle of dragons. There were seven including Nautilus, as far as Webs could tell. He wondered if he could fight his way past seven dragons.

"If the dragonets are loose in Pyrrhia, how do you suggest we find them?" Nautilus asked.

"I don't know," Webs admitted. He had no idea where the dragonets might go. Where they could go without potentially encountering one of the SandWing sisters, or Morrowseer and the NightWings. Perhaps the Rainforest Kingdom is the only place that's safe...

"We'll have to find them ourselves," Nautilus mused, "Even if it takes us a hundred years to do it. In the meantime, I suppose we'll have to consider our backup plan." He scratched his gills thoughtfully.

Webs felt a wave of fear wash over him. "Please don't hurt them. They may be the only ones who can stop this war!" Then he realized something. "What backup plan?"

"I never said we were going to hurt the dragonets," Nautilus said, ignoring the question. "Have a little faith in the prophecy, Webs."

"Yes, don't worry," Crocodile said reassuringly. "The Talons of Peace wouldn't put all their eggs in one nest. It's a good backup plan."

Webs looks from one shadowed face to the next. He saw nothing friendly in Nautilus's eyes.

"I don't understand," he said. Was there something about Windracer's prophecy that he didn't know about?

"Of course," Nautilus said, "That means you would be a problem."

Webs barely had time to say, "What?" before Polynya flung him down onto his back. "What are you doing?" he yelped. "I'm one of you! I've been with the Talons of Peace for seven years!"

"I know, Webs," Polynya said. The amount of fear in her voice was equal to his. She hated having to kill other dragons.

"We're the dragons of peace," Webs pleaded. "If we kill each other, aren't we just as bad as Burn and Blister and Blaze?"

"Sorry, Webs," Nautilus said. "Peace is more important than any one dragon. And you would disrupt our backup plan. We're doing this for your own good."

Webs heard the horrible echo of his own words - the same thing he'd said to the dragonets whenever they complained about life under the mountain. It's for your own good. Peace is the most important thing. He'd believed it when he said it. No doubt Nautilus did, too.

Nautilus gestured with one talon. "Rip out his heart."

Polynya flinched at his words. She leaned in and whispered to Webs, "I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to come to this, believe me."

Whatever she had been about to do next, Webs would never know. Because Crocodile cannoned into her, knocking Polynya into the undergrowth.

Webs didn't hesitate. He flipped upright and shot into the sky as fast as his wings would carry him. He heard shouts below as Crocodile struck out at the dragons around her, then the sound of wingbeats as she flew after him.

"Thank you," he called back to her, twisting his neck to see her heavy brown shape soaring behind him.

"Where will you hide?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know. But I need to find the dragonets. I need to talk to Windracer, tell him I'm sorry."

"You should go home," Crocodile said, tilting her wings to swoop under him. "From what I hear, Queen Coral is in a merciful mood these days."

The thrill that ran through Webs from horns to tail nearly took his breath away. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. "She'll never forgive me, not after everything I did. It's not just that I deserted her during a battle. She must know I'm the one who stole her egg for the prophecy."

"You might be surprised," said Crocodile. "Isn't she supposed to be one of the greatest queens in history? At least, that's what all the SeaWing scrolls say. Perhaps she'll forgive you. Why not take the chance, if it means you can go home again?" When Webs didn't answer, she added, "It's up to you. I'm just telling you what I've heard. Good luck, either way."

"Good luck to you, too," Webs called. She vanished into the trees, and he found himself wondering where she would go now.

He missed the sea with every scale on his body. He missed the palaces, the currents, the whale songs, the feasts, the gardens...the other SeaWings.

If the Talons of Peace are done with me...if I promise her I'll be brave this time...

Maybe I can go home again.

And so we find ourselves transitioning from the first book to the second. As far as I know, all the SeaWings in the Kingdom of the Sea will remain as they are, with Lagoon being a sort of replacement for Tsunami. Not intentionally, though, because I doubt any dragonet can really replace Tsunami.

Like I said before, no Chameleon the RainWing. If there was, the IceWing Talon of Peace would still be called Cirrus.

Anyway, who's excited about going to the ocean? Besides Lagoon, that is.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur