Chapter 6
Prancer felt dizzy. The room was spinning around him and he couldn't feel anything.
Half-Cavewing. Half-Cavewing, his brain kept saying. He still didn't believe it. I am supposed to destroy the Cavewings yet I am one of them. No, this must be a trick, a misunderstanding, ANYTHING!
Amethyst almost seemed to read his mind. "I know what you are thinking, but no this isn't a trick, I am your true mother."
"But.. THAT MAKES NO SENSE! HOW COULD MY DAD BE A WEBWING AND MY MOM BE A CAVEWING! YOU TWO ARE FROM TWO DIFFERENT TRIBES!"
"Calm down, dear," Amethyst said. "I know this is a lot for you to take in but I will help you through it."
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND. WHY AND HOW ARE YOU MY MOM!"
Prancer was in a full panic mode. Everything that he knew about in life felt like it was crumbling away from him, everything he trained to do, everything he wanted, fell away from him. He tried to run away from them, run away from all his problems, but he smacked right into a wall and went unconscious. He could hear voices around him but he couldn't open his eyes.
Am I dead? No, I'm alive. I can hear Flint's voice talking to Amethyst. I can't picture why Amethyst would be my mom and then send me away to be with my real dad but a fake mom? Why would Frisky agree to pretending to be my mom? Oh, wait it's because my dad was a Webwing and my mom was a Cavewing isn't it. If either of the two tribes knew about what I truly was, then I wouldn't be alive. They would have hunted me down until they killed me. That still doesn't answer my other question though. Why did my dad love a Cavewing than another Webwing? What made him break the rules of our tribe and her break the rules of her tribe. They must have known the punishment for having me so why did they risk it?
It felt like days before Prancer was able to open his eyes again. He could hear dragons snoring but couldn't see them. He felt something leaning on his side and turned to look at it. It was Flint sleeping beside him with one of her wings around his body, almost as a sort of blanket for him.
Flint is the weirdest dragonet I've ever met. First she saves me, a Webwing, then she sleeps next to me, when I'm not even a part of her own tribe. Super weird.
Prancer got up and looked around the space he was in. As far as he could tell, it only looked like him and Flint in here, but then where did Amethyst go and where were they? Prancer could barely see in the cave, there were no light pockets in the ceiling.
Is this how Cavewings live, Prancer thought. How can they see where to move around when it is pitch black?
Prancer looked back towards Flint. He saw spots around her scales shine bright and surround her with light.
Oh, I see. Cavewings have fluorescent spots around their scales that can lighten up to provide light for them to see. That is a pretty useful ability. Us Webwings can't light up the area around us and instead have to open up cracks in the ceiling to allow light from the surface to seep in. I remember a section of the cave systems collapsed when a construction crew was trying to open up new cracks in the ceiling for light. Everyone got out but no one has been able to clear that pathway.
Prancer saw lights coming towards him and saw his true mom, Amethyst step into the room.
"Hello, are you not going to panic again?" she said.
"No, I have time to think in my brain and I think I understand why you did what you had to do. You had Frisky take me in with Hopper so that I could live a safe life without you having to worry about you two being found about. It must have been hard for you but you wanted me to be safe."
"I'm glad you understand why I did what I had to do. Believe me, we wanted to stay together and to keep you with us but it meant we would have to be on the run with you away from both of our tribes forever. It was safer for you this way."
"I still don't understand, why did you choose a Webwing instead of a Cavewing?"
Amethyst laughed. "That dear, is a story for another time. Look, it seems like your friend Flint is waking up."
Friend? Flint wasn't my friend, was she? Didn't I want to use her knowledge to find the artifact for my tribe. But after hearing about what I truly am, wouldn't it feel wrong to betray one tribe for the other. ARGH, this hurts my brain, it was simple when I was on one tribe, now it feels like I owe both tribes, EVEN THOUGH I HATE CAVEWINGS!
Prancer looked at Flint and Amethyst.
Except these two. I would fight for them but any other Cavewing? Nope, I don't want to.
Flint walked over to them. "Hey sleepy head, promise not to panic like you did before?"
"YES, I ALREADY SAID THAT TO AMETHYST!"
Flint smiled, "Ok, Grouchy head, I was just wondering. So, has Amethyst explained everything to you?
Prancer gave her a "you serious" look and Flint then realized what he meant.
"Oh, you figured that out by yourself didn't you."
Prancer nodded.
"See I told you Webwings were very smart, you figured it out by yourself and aren't trying to run away anymore! This is great!"
"You know you seem to know a lot about me even when I don't say it," Prancer observed.
Flint giggled. "Well I am expediently well at noticing dragon behaviors and understanding how they feel. You right now are trying to keep a mean face on to try to act like you aren't weak, but on the inside, you are a jumbled mess still trying to figure out everything that has happened to you in these past few days. Believe me, if I was in your place, it would be confusing as well."
"Thanks for that observation," Prancer grumbled. "How long have I been asleep?"
"You mean knocked out?" Amethyst said. "I would say three days."
"THREE DAYS?!" Prancer almost panicked again but Flint caught him and calmed him down.
"Don't worry, you are safe here. We are very far away from any Webwings who are trying to capture you and away from Cavewings as well, just in case."
"Thanks," Prancer said, slowing down his breathing and feeling his heartbeat return back to normal. "Where are we?"
"We are at that cave that you attacked me three years ago," Flint said. "You know that is a very rude way to greet a new dragon."
"Seriously Flint?" Prancer said. "Have you forgotten that our tribes are AT WAR? I SAW YOU AS THE ENEMY THOSE YEARS AGO! I am still wondering if you are tricking me now."
Flint brushed his wings with hers. "Oh, you goofball, I already told you, I have no reason to be plotting against you. I just want to help you out with bringing our tribes to peace."
Prancer smiled at her. "Oh, I don't know. It seems like that face you give me when you think you've won makes you evil."
Flint laughed and flicked water with her tail into his face. Prancer sneezed and tackled Flint into the lake. They both wrestled underwater before appearing above the water laughing and climbed out to dry themselves off.
"Looks like someone is finally having fun," Amethyst observed.
"Oh, give me a break mom."
It still felt weird to Prancer knowing that this Cavewing was his true mom but it kept disappearing the longer he was with her. He hoped that his father, Hopper, was still alive.
Oh Hopper! I wonder what happened to him? Did the Webwings punish him as well? I swear if any of those Webwings put a claw on my father I will TEAR THEIR HEADS OFF!
Prancer stumbled back at this thought, almost into the lake but Flint caught him.
"Prancer, you okay?" she asked.
What did he just think? Wanting to hurt his own tribe? Shouldn't he be attacking the enemy? But are the Cavewings the true enemy? I mean my tribe wouldn't care what I did, they would execute me as soon as they could get their claws on me. I should be wanting to fight them, but then again they are my own tribe. I don't know, this is hurting my brain.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Prancer lied. "I just need to give my mind some time to rest."
"Come on," Flint said. "You've had so much time to do that. Besides, we have to figure out how to stop this war between our tribes."
"How do you expect to do that Flint?" Prancer asked.
"I'm not sure but Amethyst says she has an idea."
Amethyst stepped forward and looked at both of them. "Now listen here you two, we can't just go try to find this artifact by ourselves. We would most likely be captured or killed."
"Come on," Prancer said. "I can take them!"
Amethyst nodded her head disapprovingly, "Not against the whole Webwing or Cavewing army. No, we need help and in order to find help you two need to go out there." Amethyst pointed to the lake that led out to the surface.
