Chapter 26

Be ready to meet new dragons.

Windracer was surrounded by scrolls. Stacks of scrolls, walls of scrolls as high as ten dragons, scrolls as far as he could see in every direction.

There was so much to read. Surely the answers he was looking for had to be here somewhere. How would he ever find them all in time? How could he possibly come up with a plan before the war tore the whole continent apart?

"Oops," said a voice from the next aisle as a pile of scrolls went tumbling, scattering all around Windracer's talons. Lagoon's face poked out of the wreckage and grinned at him. "Oh, hey. There you are."

"Please be careful," Windracer said. He started picking up scrolls and re-stacking them as neatly as he could. "I need these."

"For what?" Lagoon wrinkled her snout. "Does the prophecy say 'A bunch of scrolls are coming to save the day'? Because I don't remember that part."

Windracer picked up the next scroll. How to Save the NightWings and RainWings. "See?" he said, "The answers we need are all here." He unrolled the scroll, only to find it completely blank inside. Smooth, empty parchment stared back at him, indifferent to his disappointment.

"Come on, you silly scrollworm," Lagoon said. "We could use your help."

"Give me a minute. I just need to find the answers." Windracer spread his wings, knocked over another stack of scrolls, and turned in an agitated circle. Had the walls of scrolls gotten taller? He picked up another scroll: How to End the War of SandWing Succession. "That's what I need," he muttered, rolling it open. But it was blank, too.

Lagoon was still waiting. "Just one moment," Windracer told her. "I'll be right there, I promise." He pulled a shimmering golden scroll out of a pile. Surely something so beautiful had to have something useful in it.

How to Apologize to Arid.

Windracer sighed. He knew before he unrolled it: blank, blank, blankety-blank.

"Hey," Lagoon said. "Are you okay? Come on, wake up!"

It wasn't Lagoon's voice anymore - and someone was shaking his shoulder - and Windracer blinked awake, muddled and still sleepy. He shook his head and the pain ricocheted around inside. He tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but his infected leg flared up every time he moved it.

Six or seven or maybe eight dark blurry shapes surrounded him. Beyond them, trees as tall as two Morrowseers towered over them all. Crickets chirped somewhere in the grass, and, not too far away, an owl hooted.

"Who are you?" Windracer gasped, or tried to.

One of the shapes came close enough for him to make out the features of a bluish-black dragonet a year or two younger than himself. "I'm Knowledge," he said. "Don't mind me. I'm just curious about you. I've never seen a hybrid up close before. This is my friend, Mightyclaws."

"Hello," piped up a friendly voice from one of the other NightWing dragonets. Windracer guessed he was Mightyclaws.

"I really like those scales by your eyes," said another dragonet behind Knowledge. "The ones that look likes tears. I wish I had ones like those. I'm Mindreader. But don't worry, I promise I'll stay out of your head."

The other dragonets laughed uproariously, as if that was the most hilarious joke in Pyrrhia history. Except for Knowledge, who rolled his eyes sadly.

She can't read minds, Windracer knew. Even in spite of her name, she has no powers, because she didn't hatch under the moons. None of these dragonets have scales by their eyes like I do. They must be some sort of symbol of the NightWing powers, so others can know what they're capable of.

"Where are we?" he blurted.

"In a forest," one of the other dragonets said. "I think."

"That's Fearless," said Knowledge. Then, to his friends, he said, "The scouts will be back any minute. They'll be expecting us all to be asleep."

"Scouts?" Windracer repeated.

"They're using your magic spearhead," said yet another NightWing dragonet. Her dark purple scales shimmered with purple underscales scattered with hundreds of extra silver scales, sparkling along her belly, neck, tail and legs like starry freckles. "They're trying to find Possibility so they can take you to the doctor. At least, that's what I heard."

"And Poisondart?" Windracer asked.

"You mean the RainWing dragonet," Knowledge said. "Back home in the rainforest, where he belongs. He's lucky he has a good home. Us, not so lucky."

"Can you help us?" asked the starry dragonet. "I'd love to have a new home, with lots of food and pretty night skies and soft fluffy beds!"

Almost in unison, all the dragonets sighed longingly.

"I'll do what I can," Windracer promised. "Now, can you please keep it down? I'm really tired and in a lot of pain, and I'd like to get some more sleep before we have to get going."

"Oh, sorry," said the starry dragonet. "We've been keeping you up, haven't we? I told them we should have let you sleep, but they were all like, 'He's been asleep all day, Stargazer, we need to make sure he's not dead, because if he is then he can't save our tribe'. And I said, 'Okay, but please be gentle', and they were and that made me very happy." Then, upon seeing the exasperated look he was giving her, she quickly added, "I'm gonna stop talking now."

Now that everything was quiet, Windracer's tiredness caught up with him and his eyelids started drooping.

"Wait," he said suddenly, having remembered something. "Do any of you know a dragon named Moonwatcher?"

The dragonets all looked at each other, their snouts masks of confusion.

"Who?" asked Mindreader.

"Moonwatcher," Windracer said. "We talked to each other once before. I mean, we talked with our thoughts. That's what I think these scales by my eyes mean. I think they're a symbol of the powers I got from the moons. Is there any other NightWing you know that has scales like these?"

"No, sorry," said Stargazer, shaking her head sadly. "And I know everyone."

Mightyclaws looked suspicious. "How can there be a NightWing with powers we don't know about?"

"We didn't know about him," Knowledge said, pointing to Windracer.

"That's different," Mightyclaws insisted. "His mother is a SkyWing, she had him in the mountains. We were all laid on the volcano."

"All but one of us, apparently," said Knowledge, scratching his chin. "I'll bet one of the mothers hid her egg someplace off the volcano, where the moons could reach it."

"I wonder who was brave enough to do that," said Fearless.

"Not mine," grumbled Mightyclaws. "Which is TOTALLY unfair."

Windracer sighed. "Thanks anyway. I just...I thought you would have known them. Let's get some sleep."

Unfortunately for the hybrid's tired eyes, the scrabble of claws from between the forest trees heralded the appearance of a dragonet smaller than the others, perhaps three years old. She raced into the clearing and gasped, "They're coming back!"

Immediately the dragonets scattered to patches of grass that had been arranged into soft nests for them to sleep on. Half of them dove into the grass and pretended to be asleep while a few of them curled around Windracer.

With a flapping sound, Cleverclaws, Risktaker and Wisdom landed in the clearing, the spectacled NightWing holding Windracer's spearhead in his talons.

"We've found Possibility," he said. "We'll fly there in the morning."

Windracer didn't remember much, aside from a few things he picked up between fainting spells. He was so tired, he could barely open his eyes. How serious was his infection? Was it life-threatening? Was he going to die?

He didn't want to die like this, far away from his friends and his mother, not before he had done anything to save them and everyone else being plagued by the war and Morrowseer's wicked plot.

He remembered waking up to the sound of the wind in the sky. There were tears creeping out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He remembered whispering Arid's name and begging her to come and save him.

Please, Arid.

I'm sorry.

I need you.

I love you.

He could hear voices, but none of them belonged to whom he was desperate to see.

"He's getting worse," said Risktaker.

"We're almost there," Cleverclaws said. "I can see the Great Five-Tail River. The town should be right around here."

"I see it!" cried Wisdom.

Windracer strained to open his eyes and see if it was true, but his head hurt too much.

"Where's the healer's hut?" asked Greatness.

"We'll have to spread out and look for it," said Cleverclaws. "Try not to attract too much attention, we don't know how the residents will react to a plethora of NightWings landing in their town."

"Probably not well," Ristaker said. "They all know what Morrowseer did. They'll think we're on his side. That we're looking for the dragonets of destiny."

"We are," said Wisdom. "Just not for the reasons they might think."

Windracer fell asleep again.

He woke up when Cleverclaws landed, jolting the hybrid a little.

"Sorry," he uttered.

Then there was the sound of rushing talons, and voices calling out Windracer's name.

"I'm here," he tried to yell, but it came out all quiet and croaky.

Talons touched his scales, and he recoiled as the pain flared up.

"What did you do to him?!" demanded a familiar voice.

Arid!

"It wasn't us," promised Greatness.

"We're trying to save him," Risktaker said.

"He's the only one who can help us," said Wisdom.

"Likely story," Arid growled.

"Arid," Windracer managed to say in a weak voice. "They're telling the truth."

For a long moment, it was quiet.

"Windracer," Arid gasped. There was not an ounce of anger in her voice. Her talons brushed his neck, and he willed himself to not flinch away. "W-what happened to you?"

She'd stuttered. Arid never stuttered.

"Morrowseer happened," he breathed. "Risktaker and Cleverclaws saved me. Arid...I'm sorry. The beach...the things I said...Arid, I'm so sorry..."

She caressed his snout. "I know, I'm sorry, too. But I'm here now. You're gonna be okay, I promise."

"Where are the others?" he asked.

"We're here," said Lagoon's voice, somewhere behind Arid.

Auburn was there, too, he could hear her fearfully hyperventilating nearby. She was afraid she was going to lose her son.

"We need to get him to the doctor," Cleverclaws said.

"I can take you there."

Windracer forced his eyes open at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

A young, handsome SandWing came bustling over. "Hello, I'm Meerkat," he said with a friendly nod. "The doctor's hut is just over this way. I must warn you, though, there's not enough room in there for all of you. Mayfly is very strict about her space. Extra visitors can wait in the garden."

"Mayfly?" echoed Princess Greatness. "The doctor is a MudWing?"

"The best in Possibility," said Typhoon's voice from somewhere Windracer couldn't see.

Many dragons would have never thought that any MudWings could be smart enough to become doctors, let alone the best in town. But there was such a thing as exceptions.

Windracer passed out on the way there, but he woke up in time to see a compact structure with walls of whitewashed bricks and a roof of dried reeds with a riot of greenery trying to vault over from the back of the house. A small green flag stuck out of the wall by the door, with the word 'DOCTOR' neatly printed on it.

A brown dragon with a wide, flat face limped outside. She paused for a moment, glancing at Windracer. "Is that a SkyWing?"

"Yes and no," Cleverclaws answered. "He's half SkyWing. The other half of him is NightWing. His name is Windracer."

"I know him," said the doctor. "The magic hybrid with special powers. Never seen him before. What seems to be the problem?"

"He's hurt," Greatness said. "Bad."

Mayfly took a few limping steps forward to examine him.

Windracer realized that the doctor's back left leg and half her tail were covered in what appeared to be frostbite scars - blackened and blistered, with two claws missing. Likely a result of getting in an entanglement with an IceWing during the war.

He hissed in pain as Mayfly's claws brushed his injured leg.

The doctor shook her head. "That looks awful. What bit him?"

"Morrowseer," said Cleverclaws. "We're not entirely sure how it works, but I have deduced it to be something we picked up on the volcano. Any prey animal that we bite gets an infection and dies a few days later."

"Can you help him?" asked Arid.

The moment her eyes landed on the female hybrid, Mayfly glared at her. "What are you doing here, ice dragon?" the doctor snapped with a hiss.

"I'm half SandWing," Arid declared. "And I'll have you know that I'm his girlfriend, and I'm not letting him go in there without me!" She didn't care if their friends were there, she wanted to make it clear that she belonged with him.

Mayfly looked a bit calmer. "I'll see what I can do," she said, "But it won't be an easy task. He'll be lucky to still have his leg when I'm done."

"What?" Windracer croaked. "What are you gonna do with my leg?"

"I'm going to try to save it," she said. "Emphasis on 'try'."

"Do what you must," said Auburn, her voice full of tears. "Just as long as my son lives."

Cleverclaws shifted, and Mayfly pulled Windracer off of him and gently laid him down on a stretcher. "You can come in and stay with him," she said, nodding at Arid. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you."

The beautiful hybrid grabbed one end of the stretcher, and together they carried him into the house. The room was sunlit, clean and uncluttered. The only furniture was a large, plain white table in the middle and a few shelves on one wall that held neatly labeled bottles and jars.

Windracer grit his teeth as he was lifted onto the table, his broken wing and infected leg flopping helplessly on his side.

"I'll start with the wing," said Mayfly, limping over to the shelves. "That'll be an easy fix. After that, I'm afraid I'm not sure."

"That's okay," said Arid, clutching her boyfriend's talons in a death grip. "Do what you have to." Then, to him, she whispered, "It'll be alright. She can fix you. Y-you're gonna be okay."

She'd stuttered again. And her talons were shaking. She was really scared.

Scared she was going to lose him.

Mayfly shoved a bowl full of something into his snout. "Drink up," she ordered. "It's best you not be awake for this."

Whatever it was, it smelled awful, but he downed it in one gulp. He didn't want to see whatever she had to do to his leg. Or feel it, for that matter.

He was already feeling sleepy. "Arid..." He wanted to say something to her before he passed out again. "If something goes wrong, I...I want you to know...I love you. I always have."

"I love you, too," she answered automatically. She swallowed, then said, "But I want you to promise me that you'll make it. That nothing will go wrong. Please, I...I can't imagine a world without you in it."

He wanted to say something, anything, to let her know that he would be okay.

But he was already asleep.

My plan for the next chapter: Windracer's recovery, proper reunion with his friends, and meeting new dragons in Possibility (including some that I have been looking forward to for a really long time).

Have a happy and healthy holiday season!

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