Reviews:
Nova'sGirl: Glad you liked the chapter so much! I already replied this review by PM, so no need to repeat that, right?
DayFuryQueen: OOOHH YEAH! PARADISE, STOP BEING OBLIVIOUS! It is such a shame he was a crush on Amethyst that he doesn't notice how Polar feels... But I ship them! PolarxParadise! Thanks so much for reviewing! I LOVE YOU! I already replied to you with the review by PM, so I don't think I have to repeat myself... You know, I should stop reply by PM or else what else do I say when I reply to the review in the chapter? XD
Guest1: Can you make yourself a name so I don't have to call you guest? I can't unfortunate accept Lilac for this part of the story because all RainWing shots are full, but luckily, when they go to the Rainforest, lilac will be there! I promise.
Zilla0128: Dear me, this will be long... I might sum it up a bit. I will go into the backstory of each OC as the story goes on, so just be patient. I promise I will! It just takes time. Paradise does suffer a bit from PTSD. The author's note was done on a whim, so I am sorry about that. I will most likely not do a quote and quote to emphasize something again. Thank you for telling me. I will try to dwell into love more because I am still a beginner with love, so I might make it deeper as we go. I am still a bit new! I am terrible with grammar, so errors were expected. I tried to go over this chapter, but probably failed. :/ I will follow your advise, which I did because I took my time more for this chapter and got it much longer. My goal was to AT LEAST 1000 words for each chapter, considering some just do a few hundred, but I am well over that for the chapter alone, without all these notes, is over 4000. :D River does have something more going for him besides looks because that would be just shallow! And it is a well know fact that he is terrible at pickup lines, which is part of his personality. I didn't take your criticism the wrong way and fully embraced it. Thanks so much!
WolfForstTheAlmighty: That is fine. That happens to all of us! And yes! I AM NOT ALONE! SHIP IT! :D
Guest2: Why thank you for the info! You can check below for her job. I ran out of places, so I added more jobs. Thanks so much! And I ship those shippings too! Thanks for giving me the idea for Eagle and Siren! :D
Saying it was a bit awkward was an understatement. The chatter was long gone after Polar kept trying to pry into Paradise's past, which immediately caused him to shut everything out and leave him in a terrible mood. Hey, it was her fault for being nosy! She kept trying to accuse Paradise of being a liar (which, of course, was not said out loud but the statement was still there.)! Paradise was furious and grumpy, a lot like Eagle, he realized, much to his annoyance. Polar was really upset and kept trying to get Paradise to slip something, and Amethyst was just plain confused.
"Stupid IceWing," Paradise muttered under his breath as he shot a glare at Polar, which she only gave him a cold stare filled with determination in response. She obviously didn't trust him completely, and perhaps this was a trap to get him to slip... He stiffened at the thought and warily glanced at the IceWing, who was engaging in a small talk with Amethyst, who looked a bit lost, but went along with everything anyway. Poor Amethyst. He kinda felt bad for the NightWing because she had no idea what was going on and was dragged into Polar's accusations.
Why was the IceWing so curious to find out if he lied or now, which he did, but that wasn't the point!? Why can't she just shove her snout out of my business and just give up!? Stupid hot IceWing! I blame you, Egypt, for my gigantic mess! His heart clenched at the mention of the other dragon's name at the sudden realization of saying his name after so long.. How long has it been since then? A long time, that's for sure... Egypt... I'm sorry. I failed you...
He just kept walking, walking to forget, walking to keep his mind off of...him, but leaned forward when he heard the two girls mention his name. He tried to focus on what they were saying using his SandWing hearing. NO, he was NOT eavesdropping, it was...just for safety. Yeah. Talking about him gave him a right! This totally wasn't an invasion of privacy...
~OoOo~
"What's Paradise saying?" Amethyst asked curiously while glancing at the SandWing, who was muttering about...IceWings, hotness, pasts, and...Egypt? What is Egypt? Amethyst tilted her head thoughtfully with a small smile on her face thinking about the possibilities of what Egypt was. Maybe it is a old myth! Maybe it is a weird animal that is fictional! Or maybe it is the name of city that is in a world where everything is ruled by scavengers and dragons are just fictional and is filled with sand and pyramids!? Amethyst shook her head at the absurd idea. Nah, that's impossible. No dragons.. Maybe a title of a scroll instead? She didn't know Paradise liked to read. That is, if Egypt was the title of a scroll, and if Paradise did like to read. She couldn't imagine any dragon not liking to read. A world without scrolls would be like saying she didn't have... No. Amethyst shook her head at the thought. Best not to dwell on that. She tried to resume her talk with her friend.
"Amethyst?" called a loud voice next to her. She smiled at Polar, who was looking at her worriedly. Polar had acted a bit cold at first, but they soon found a common ground when she found out that Polar liked reading and writing, too. Polar's writing was interesting because her writings that involved a fictional but realistic writing about a scavenger's point of view about dragons. It sounded interesting, and Amethyst really did want to read it. Sadly, it was still in the process of being planned out and written.
"Sorry, what?" she said with a small smile to her IceWing friend, who gave a rare smile in return. She didn't understand why everyone thought she was so cruel and cold. Well, okay, maybe she did act like that at first, but it was just a matter of breaking through her shell. A little like me, she thought. Rumors...they're almost never true. Polar may act cold, but after getting to know her, she was very sweet. Don't judge a scroll by its cover, which described her perfectly. Amethyst has a few secrets of her own.
"I said, what do you think about Paradise?" she said in a hushed voice, while glancing at the SandWing with narrowed eyes.
"What about him?" she asked her, Polar still analyzing the SandWing.
"Don't you think he's hiding something?" she said, and narrowed her eyes further when Paradise stopped muttering and briefly looked sad, distracted, and...was that guilt?
"No, of course not! Why would anyone, including Paradise, hide anything! Hehe..he..he..." Amethyst said nervously while avoiding the curious gaze of her friend. Paradise wasn't hiding something, but, to be honest, she had something she'd rather other dragons not know, as well as that "other" dragon.
"If you say so..." Amethyst did a small sigh of relief when she didn't feel the penetrating gaze of her friend. It was as if Polar could read her completely. She felt the same way with Paradise, but in a different way. He couldn't read her like she was a scroll display like Polar did, but was observant in a different way. She quickly tried to change the subject to a story she heard.
"Anyway, did you hear about this rumor of a ghost in Jade..." Paradise heard Amethyst say, which he then tuned her out. There was nothing else about him, so if he continued to listen in that would just be an invasion of privacy, and that wasn't nice. NO, the eavesdropping earlier was definitely NOT an invasion of privacy!
Paradise sighed, Polar was trying to drag poor sweet Amethyst into her assumptions even though she was right. He was hiding something from his past to everyone, but it was dangerous to pry into his hated mistakes. Everything about him was dangerous and it would only drag them into his spiral of family issues and secrets and all that. This was HIS burden to carry, and his alone. If it was shared, their lives would be in danger like all his old friends, from dangerous enemies, especially his backstabbing best friend, Coyote. Or maybe Rattlesnake fits him better instead of Coyote. The poison of his family seeped into his blood and changed him completely, or perhaps he was always like that, but Paradise was too blind to see it. But he would never make the same mistake ever again. Friends...
Friends only bring pain. They turn on you when you need them most, or they will die because of you, and you have to live with the guilt. Friends...Paradise was better off without any. That was the heavy, terrible truth, no matter what his dream was. It would be impossible to accomplish because of the terrible person he was.
~OoOo~
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously as he peeked over his canvas to Polar, who was standing over an...ice block?
She blinked slowly at him. "I'm trying to eat this whole. I'm ice sculpting, you lizard brain!" she stated with a roll of her eyes, using her frostbreath to keep the ice from melting.
"Ice sculpting? What are you sculpting?" He leaned over Polar's shoulder, and paid no attention to the glare directed at him. He was just curious! It was a part of him. He needed to know everything for his own safety, but it developed into a habit or a thirst for knowledge, but not exactly from scrolls. He wasn't the smartest dragon when it came to learning things in scrolls, but he could do it if absolutely needed. He prefered hands on learning, or seeing things with his eyes.
"None of your business," she said with her usual cold demeanor. He sighed in disappointment as he looked back at his canvas. To be honest, he was just winging the painting.
"What are you painting?" Polar asked with raised eyebrows at the mash of different objects. It was like different Kingdoms were pushed together in different parts of the canvas organized like columns. The first was the Rainforest, then the swamps of the Mud Kingdom, then the warm sand of the Sand Kingdom, then the deep sea of the SeaWings, and etc.
"None of your business," he said, smirking a little to the IceWing, who snorted and resumed carving her ice. Paradise ignored the sarcastic IceWing to glance at sweet little Amethyst who was attempting to draw the night sky, which looked a bit messy.
"I should really stick to reading," she said with a pout as she examined her failed drawing.
"Hey, it's not THAT bad..." he said in an effort to cheer her up. So maybe it wasn't the best, but it wasn't a total fail, either.
"No, it is. I've always liked to draw, I've just never actually had the skills..." she trailed off sadly, looking at her talons.
Seeing the little NightWing sad made him feel...well, it made him feel sad, too. He didn't know why, but he liked seeing Amethyst happy. He liked her when she was happy, and that cute smile of hers. "Well, why don't you try to draw something you know well, or have seen before?"
She laughed softly. "I'm a NightWing. You don't think I've seen the night sky before?"
"Well, no, I just meant...um..." Dang, how'd he manage to mess things up? Why did he always mess things up? He not only messed up everything, but was a coward to top it all off.
"I know what you meant. Hmm..." She snapped her talons together. "I've got an idea! I'll draw you!"
Paradise blinked. "Wait, what?"
She angled the canvas to face away from him, so he could see the small NightWing's head behind the easel. She grabbed some sandy yellow paints and set to work. "Hold still."
Paradise obliged, smiling a little as Amethyst painted.
~OoOo~
"Aaand done!" Amethsyt cried triumphantly, and turned the canvas around so Paradise could see. It wasn't bad, there was a lear outline of a dragon, a SandWing, that he could see, and it was in the same pose as him. But...maybe it was his imagination, but the SandWing looked like him... Coyote, the backstabbing lizard brain. He blinked rapidly, trying to get Coyote out of his head, and the painting did look like him, it was a pretty good portrait.
Amethyst tilted her head, in a way Paradise might have found cute if he wasn't busy trying to drown memories of the past. "Paradise?" she asked gently. "Is there something wrong?"
He snapped back to reality, realizing there was another dragon beside him. "No, no, nothing's wrong, it's just...I don't know. It looked like someone I used to know. But it's a really good drawing. You should show it to Polar," he added, wanting to change the subject before she inadvertently got him to say anything else.
She brightened, and walked over to the IceWing, still meticulously carving. Paradise still wondered what she was carving. Whatever it was, it looked almost finished, as the hunk of ice from before was almost gone now. Finally, Polar chipped off the last piece of ice from her sculpture. Paradise attempted to maneuver his away around Poller who was blocking his view, but sadly, she batted him away and told him to let her finish the last details. He argued back saying he just wanted a peek and slowly engaged into an argument with the girl, but a small giggle brought them out of their daze.
"You guys are sure getting along," she said with a small smile on her face as Polar turned away in embarrassment vs. Paradise who just smiled sheepishly.
"Paradise, let me work or I will shove this tool down your throat," Polar threatened as she held up a small metal thing that Paradise had no idea what it was, but considering it was a tool that was strong enough to break the ice and sculpt it, he quickly dashed away. Facing his canvas, Paradise pretended to paint and act like the narrowed eyes of Polar didn't bother him. Satisfied with what she found, Polar turned away to finish the small details of her works after moving a drawing Amethyst to block Paradise's view. Amethyst gave him an apologetic smile before continuing to draw while Paradise sighed in disappointed. Darn it, he was really curious now!
Muttering under his breath about stupid stubborn IceWings, he added small details to his painting. He gently swirled a black colored paint across the whole top of the painting. He took a dark purple color to blend it in with the black. He then slowly added bright silver stars to speckle the night sky. He smile softly as he stepped back to admire his completed artwork. Well, almost completed anyways. He grabbed the paintbrush and added the last thing he needed to finish the masterpiece; his signature. Instead of his name, he signed a small silver wave symbol at the bottom right corner. With a satisfied nod, he once again to admire his finished canvas. He gently smiled at the night sky that loomed over all the kingdoms.
No matter how different we are, we are all under the same sky. The pain; the suffering; the joy; the sadness; the memories; we all share it all in one world and under the same sky. One life, one world, one sky. All under the same sun and moon. We are united no matter how much divided, as long as we look up at the same sky that connects us all. (1)
"Polar, it looks great!" Amethyst exclaimed who startled Paradise out of his daze. He glanced over his canvas to see Amethyst crowding around Polar's ice sculpture with Polar having having a satisfied look in her eyes.
"I want to see!" Paradise exclaimed as he scrambled away toward his two...acquaintances. Not friends, but acquaintances.
"Humph. Sure, lizard brain," Polar stated with a blank face as Amethyst stepped aside for Paradise. Paradise gasped in surprise. The ice block that was only up to the middle of his chest at first was now chipped away to creat a fine beauty inside.
"Can I hold it?" He asked in an awestruck voice. Polar glanced at him warily while briefly glancing at her sculpture, before giving an improving nod. She gently picked it up and brought it towards him.
"Just don't break it, lizard brain. It took a long time for me to carve it." Ignoring Polar's insult, he cupped his claws as she gently placed the artwork in his hand. He gasped at the fine detail and how it small it was; it was half the size of his claw. From the huge block of ice to the fine masterpiece baffled other dragons, but Paradise understood. It was a lot like a blank canvas when it first begins to paint. Ice sculpting and painting were a lot alike in more ways than it was just considered art.
"Who are the figures?" He asked softly as he gently cradled the art, afraid that it would fall and break. He examined the fine detail of two small dragons holding claws while running. One was bigger than the other and had a huge smile on her face, while the other seemed to have a mask on her face, but you could see the gentleness and joy on her face if you examined it carefully. It was almost too real; almost. "Why did you chip the chest?" He asked with a frown because the smaller dragon had a small chunk missing from her chest. It was a huge flaw. Seeing the fine art in his claws with his own two own eyes, it was hard to believe that Polar made a mistake on her sculpture when she did it so carefully. She handled it so delicately.
"I didn't. I did that on purpose."
"Why?" It baffled him. Why would she do it on purpose? It just doesn't add up.
"Look at it closely," was the only reply he got. Paradise peeked curiously before his eyes widened greatly.
"A heart?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, worried that he saw something wrong. He closely examined it just in case, and, indeed, he saw a heart shaped hole carved into the ice.
"Yeah..." Polar looked away sadly. She couldn't pain herself to look at her masterpiece, knowing what the symbol meant. She stared at the ground in pain when her talons began to tremble as memories flooded her mind.
"Why?" was all he said as he glanced at the IceWing and saw something very wrong. Was Polar...crying? "I-I'm sorry! Please just stop crying!" He panicked as he fussed over the dragoness. This wasn't the Polar he liked! The Polar he knew was cold, sarcastic, even menacing! But not this fragile girl who was weeping for no apparent reason!
"Sorry!" Polar said as she covered her face in shame as she tried to contain the pain and suppress the sobs, but no avail. It-it was just too much!
"No need to say sorry!" Paradise cried as he continued to panick. What do you do when a girl cries!? HELP! Red warning lights flooded his mind as he continued to stare at the obviously upset girl. What do you do to help a girl!? This situation was just plain proof of how alone he was for so long.
"I-I just miss her! Aurora!" She cried as the tears flowed down as the blurry image of the dragon came to her mind. Aurora!
"Aurora?" Paradise echoed back. Who was that? Her mother?
"Aurora was-Aurora was-HIC!" Polar hiccuped. Paradise walked over and rubbed comfortable circles on her back.
"Breath in and out. Let it all out..." After a few minutes, Polar finally calmed down enough so that she didn't hiccup in every five words.
"Aurora was my sister," she explained.
"WHAT!" Paradise yelped in surprise. A sister?! Did she die? That would explain the empty heart because she was dead. What happened!?
"Huh?" Said the quiet Amethyst as she silently observed the scene. She felt that it was best that she stayed out of this. She had a feeling that this moment was important and best not interrupted between the two friends, as much as Paradise seemed to deny it.
Polar's sniffles dies down and everything just gushed right out of her. "Aurora was my sister. When I was only three and she was six, she just...left. Got up and left me at the mercy of my family. I have no love for my family except Aurora and she me. We were like two peas in a pod. We were as close as can be. When she just left, it was like she took my heart with her. I feel empty without her. I despise my family and as much as I wanted to hate her for leaving me, I can't," Polar said as her voice began to quiver.
"I know it was Aurora's dream to meet other dragons and leave to explore the world. When I heard she ran away to Jade, I wanted to go after her, but... I was too afraid. I was too weak. I loved her more than anything, but I was afraid of the outside world and afraid of the possibilities. That was my only regret. I tricked my parents into sending me to Jade using reverse psychology and I am trying to find her right now. In fact, I don't even know why I am telling you this right now." Polar laughed bitterly.
"Maybe it is because I trust you." Maybe it is because I trust you. The weight of those words meant so much more than what it seemed. Polar was putting all her problems that weighed her down and shared it onto his shoulders... She trusted him... Can he do the same? Paradise had a rough life and was wary of everyone. Can he trust this girl and share the weight and guilt of his past? Can he? Actually accept people and make friends? Find his dream? It doesn't matter right now. He knew what to say.
"Your burdens aren't your to bare alone," he stated with a small smile to the IceWing who froze. Slowly, as if the words finally processed in her mind, gave a huge smile in return.
"Thank you..." was all she said as she walked over and picked up the statue from Paradise's claws. "This missing heart is a reminder of my goal: to find my sister. Coming to Jade may gave the answers I want..." Paradise nodded in understanding because that was a lot like him. He clutched the red pouch around his neck that felt warmer as those words. Can he find his dream like Polar her sister? Maybe his dream can't be accomplished, but Polar's can. Maybe he can help...
Suddenly, a blood curling scream echoed the mountain and made Paradise's heart stop. Did they find him? Was someone in danger? What is going on? Was someone hurt? Questions flooded his brain as Paradise froze in place.
"What happened!?" yelped Amethyst and Paradise's head snapped in her direction. He forgot she was there, and apparently so did Polar, if the dumbfounded look was anything to go by.
"Let's go!" Polar yelled as she leaped into action, dropping her sculpture in the process. She sprinted out of the cave with the two dragons in tow, following where the noise was coming from.
Laying on the ground was an ice sculpture shattered on impact, never to be repaired to its former glory again, but only a sign on what is about to come.
~OoOo~
"What's going on!"
"Is someone in danger?"
"Where are those three running to?"
"I am scared!"
"Food..."
"I have bad feeling."
"Where are the teachers? Did something happen?" The students murmured as they peaked out of the cave, watching Polar maneuver around dragons gracefully while Paradise was forced to shove dragons out of the way.
"Opps! Sorry, coming through! Sorry for that!" Amethyst apologized to every dragon as she used her small body to duck the dragons Paradise shoved away
"Paradise, someone is going to get hurt if you keep doing that!" Amethyst scolded as she had to dodge the body of a NightWing.
"Sorry!" Paradise yelled over his shoulder as he tried to catch up with Polar who was much farther ahead of them. "Polar, wait up!" Paradise sighed in frustration as Polar didn't even bother to answer back. "We have to hurry," he told Amethyst who nodded in understanding. They tried to move faster with Paradise watching how Polar swiftly dodged any dragon who was crowding the hallways like it was a dance. Beautiful.. Wait, what? Paradise shook his head and ignored that thought as he focused on the task on hand. Finally, they stumbled into Polar's back as she waited not so patiently for them.
"Took you long enough."
"Well, sorry, but not everyone is as agile as you. I am bigger then you and Amethyst, you know!" He said defensively with his pride a bit wounded, thank you very much.
"Yeah, yeah, we got it, idiot," Polar said with an annoyed look in her eyes.
"Well, didn't you trust this "idiot" with your past?" He shot back when Polar flinched at the reminder. Paradise decided to change the subject when his chest tighten with guilt.
"Did you check what is happening?" Paradise asked curiously when Polar responded with a shake of her head. "Well then, let's find out as they moved towards the entrance of the room where the shout came from.
"What the-!" Polar gasped.
"Oh no," Paradise said as he stared at the sight.
"What happened!" Amethyst shrieked when she flung her hands to cover her eyes at the sight.
"What is going on!" yelled Siren who stood beside Eagle who starred emotionless at the sight. Next to the sight was a shocked RainWing, white with fear.
"Amber! Shard! Sunstone!" The RainWing cried out when tears overcame her and her body trembled.
Lying on the ground was the bleeding bodies of three dragons with a message on the wall written in blood: These were the first. You're next.
Dun, dun, DUUUUNNN! Cliffhanger! Sorry. Could not resist. The plot is finally starting! If you are wondering, this won't be anything like Dragon Reaper or the other JMA stories. The plot will be a bit different...
Anyways, the polls is closed and I will bring up a new one later on the next update! And a HUGE thanks to Nova'sGirl who helped out with this chapter. A lot. Thank you so much! She helped with adding some conversations and edited the first part. You are the best!
And dang, this chapter was long because the chapter alone was over 4000 words!
Also, go check out three stories, one called The Dragonet Ripper by WolfFrostTheMighty, Chilling by Day Fury Queen, and A Strange Appearance by CrypticScrolls.
Wooh! I finally hit 30 reviews! THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT WITH THIS STORY! IT MEANS SO MUCH!
(1) I got his inspiration from Kingdom Hearts 2, so if you know the similarity, you got it! The idea belongs to them, though I just took part of it and made it my own.
~OoOo~
Jade Winglet: Main/secondary
SandWing (Paradise) Main
SkyWing (Eagle) Main, maybe
SeaWing (Siren) Main
MudWing (River) Secondary
NightWing (Amethyst) Main
RainWing (Yellow) Main, kinda
IceWing (Polar) Main
~OoOo~
Sapphire Winglet: Main/Secondary/Side
SandWing (Scorch) Not sure
SkyWing (Spire) Main maybe, if not, secondary
SeaWing (Hurricane) Secondary
MudWing (Reed) Side
NightWing (MiseryHeart) Side
RainWing (Blue) Main, kinda
IceWing (Shiver) side or secondary
~OoOo~
Teachers:
Librarian: (Irukandji)
Battle: (Vine)
History: (Cairo)
Hallway monitor/substitute: (Orange)
Principle: (Emerald "Emmy")
Healer: (Sardonyx, "Onyx")
Regular teacher/Scroll Manager: (Garnet)
Counselor/Prey room watcher: (Mimosa)
Librarian assistant: (DestinySeeker)
~OoOo~
Quartz Winglet: Secondary/Side
SandWing (Scorpion) Secondary
SkyWing (Sunstone) not sure
SeaWing (Wave) not sure
MudWing (Amber) Secondary
NightWing (open)
RainWing (Diamond) secondary kind of
IceWing (Shard) not sure
~OoOo~
Diamond Winglet: Side/extra
SandWing (open)
SkyWing (Aeolus)
SeaWing (Shrimp)
MudWing (open)
NightWing (Open)
RainWing (Jimbilee)
IceWing (open)
~OoOo~
Opal Winglet: Side/extra
SandWing (open)
SkyWing (Open)
SeaWing (open)
MudWing (open)
NightWing (Open)
RainWing (Guava)
IceWing (open)
~OoOo~
OC Form: Remember, you must AT LEAST submit two OCs. One male and female, and a teacher.
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Tribe:
Appearance:
Personality:
Background:
(Optional)Family history:
(Optional, but preferred)Abilities or/and hobbies:
(Teachers only)Occupation:
~OoOo~
Kate: Paradise!
Paradise: What?
Kate: Do the disclaimer.
Paradise: Why should I? I am a bit busy staring at the bodies, you know...
Kate: I will give you this dried lizards, you know? I know you are still hungry from a couple chapters ago...
Paradise: Dried lizards! Why didn't you say so!? Kate, also known as mysteryreader6626, doesn't own Wings of fire or most of these OCs, except me, Yellow, Vine, and Amber. Hey Kate, where are the lizards? I am hungry!
Kate: Yeah...about that...I lied.
Paradise: ...
Kate: Paradise?
Paradise: ...
Kate: Are you okay?
Paradise: ...NNNOOOOOOOO! WHY WORLD WHY! WHAT DID I DO THAT YOU HATE ME SO!
Kate: *ignores the dramatic yelling in the background* Good. You are okay. You have a role to play, you know. It would be bad if sometching happened to you.
Paradise: I am not okay! I am starving!
Kate: Yeah, yeah. Get out. Bye and review please!
~OoOo~
-mysteryreader6626 signing out