Alex stood there, sounds fading as he processed those words. The fate of our world depends on you… He heard the other dragons talking but didn't process any of it. His heart raced, pounding against his chest, his stripes pulsing rapidly. He had always wanted an adventure, a chance to be a hero. But now that the chance was here, he didn't know how to respond. He noticed Kinkajou was the only one looking at him, concern written on her face. Then he heard his name. He didn't know what was asked, but he nodded anyway. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Kinkajou walking to him, vaguely hearing something along the lines of 'are you ok?' before he fell over, unconscious.
—-
Kinkajou caught Alex before he could fall completely. Her heart fluttered slightly as she looked upon his unconscious features. Moons, he is adorable. I hope he doesn't destroy the continent… Kinkajou was so lost in Alex's features, she didn't even realize she was staring until she felt a talon on her shoulder, blinking in surprise before turning to see Turtle. "You're staring Kink." Kinkajou smiled sheepishly as she put Alex on her back."He just looks so cool with his glowing stripes. Is it a crime to admire?" The RainWing let out a small huff and lifted her snout, pretending to be offended. "You know that's not what I meant Kinkajou."
She side-eyed him before smiling and poking Turtle's side with her tail. "I know you big goof. I'm gonna take our supposed Savior or Destroyer to the med cave." She began walking away when she noticed Turtle's expression "Turtle, I'll be fine. I'm like, way bigger than him. Plus magical death spit and camouflage scales." Kinkajou flashed a smile at her SeaWing friend before walking out, somehow unnoticed by all the other conversing dragons.
She hummed quietly as she walked the empty halls of Jade Mountain, the only sound coming from her talons as she walked and Alex's breathing. After a minute or so, Kinkajou entered the med cave, which was surprisingly empty. "Huh. Guess they left early." Kinkajou wondered aloud, going to the back of the cave and placing Alex on an open cot. She then sat down herself and looked over Alex, who was breathing steadily with an occasional hitch, but for the most part, he seemed perfectly normal.
Kinkajou took this time to really look at Alex. She did indeed see that she was much bigger than the sleeping dragon, nearly three times his size. Heh, now I'm not the smallest dragon. She looked over Alex's features, even gently lifting one of his forelegs and looking at his paws. They weren't too dissimilar to Kinkajou's talon, she mentally noted as she brought her own and compared the two. Alex's paws looked like a mix between hers and some sort of feline. She put his leg down and went back to idly looking at his sleeping face.
Once again, Kinkajou didn't realize she was staring until she felt a warm talon on her shoulder. She turned to see Sunny sitting next to her, also looking over Alex. "I really had hoped we were done with prophecies… and now we've got a new one with a new dragon we know nothing about." Sunny sighed as she finished speaking, her tail resting over her talons. 'I'm sure whatever happens, this new dragon is gonna make the right choice. Just look at him. He looks like he wouldn't destroy a continent, definitely not." Kinkajou said, turning her gaze back to the sleeping dragon.
"Maybe not, but like Tsunami said, looks can be deceiving. I'm all about trusting and believing but… Pyrrhia itself is at risk, Kinkajou. Even I know now is the time for taking precautions. That's why we're sending a message to the Queens to discuss this." "But… they might kill him. They might only hear the destroyer part and decide then and there.." Kinkajou said, hints of blue appearing on her scales. "Glory definitely won't do that, you know that as much as I do. Neither would Queen Ruby or Queen Snowfall. They're all fair and reasonable."
Sunny was right. Kinkajou knew the Queens were reasonable and wouldn't sentence Alex to death instantly, but she still found herself worrying for the new dragon. The two sat in silence, watching Alex, though Kinkajou seemed a bit more entranced with him. Sunny noticed this and smiled softly before standing up. "Don't get too enamored with him." She giggled at Kinkajou's reaction before walking out, leaving the two alone.
I don't feel that way towards him… He's a potential destroyer. I just think his stripes are really cool. But the more Kinkajou looked at Alex, the more she doubted her own words. Perhaps she did find his stripes really cool. Or perhaps he wanted someone to love too. Turtle had Peril, Moon had Qibli and WInter, while Kinkajou had nobody. If it wasn't for Anemone's stupid love spell, I could've been with Turtle… Even now, years after it had all happened, Kinkajou was still confused when Turtle was in the picture. She loved him, but as a friend, yet she couldn't help but feel more towards her goofy Seawing friend.
She sighed quietly as her wings drooped. The more she thought about it, the more she was saddened by the thought. Am I really that desperate? That I'd fall for the first new interesting dragon? She was so lost in thought that she didn't even see Alex stirring.
—-
Comfortable. That was his first thought as he began to wake up. For a moment he thought that it may have all been a dream. That hope was doused as he felt the warmth of wherever he was, a different warmth than the one of home. God it was all real… Alex slowly sat up, too worried about how or if he would ever get home to notice Kinkajou staring at him. A moment later he did, jumping and falling off the opposite side of the cot. He groaned softly as her head appeared above him. 'I'm not that scary am i?' She joked with a small smile, offering a talon to pull Alex up. Hesitantly, he took it, and was instantly yoinked upwards onto his feet. Slightly nauseous, he grabbed the side of the cot to steady himself. 'Oops. Sorry, did I pull too fast?" Alex responded with a nod, the nausea slowly fading as he took in his surroundings.
They were in a semi-large cave, filled with what looked to be cots and medical supplies. Noticing his look, Kinkajou quickly explained. "We're in the med cave. I brought you here after you passed out." Alex glanced at Kinkajou, who was still staring at his pulsing stripes. "Oh… Thanks…?" "You're welcome. My name is Kinkajou. I was going to say that earlier, but you ran after I said hello." The RainWing replied, flashing a friendly smile. Alex halfheartedly returned it before beginning to walk towards the exit
. "Where are you going?" Kinkajou asked, walking up next to Alex. "Away from here. I'm not a fighter, how could I possibly save or doom this place?" Alex asked as he walked into the hallway, walking in a random direction with Kinkajou following.
"So you're not even gonna try?" "Why should I? This place is completely unknown to me, you included. Why should I stay here where other dragons will see me as a destroyer when I haven't even done anything.?" Alex said, turning another corner. "All very good points. But have you considered how we might be feeling?" Kinkajou asked, raising a brow at Alex. The question made him stop and think. If he did leave, they'd be doomed regardless. But if he stayed, there was a chance he could save them all. A chance that he'd finally get his heroic adventure that he so desperately wanted.
Kinkajou stared at Alex, who had his eyes closed in thought, waiting for an answer. After a few silent moments he sighed. Kinkajou grinned, noticing a sigh of acceptance, as she suddenly grabbed Alex's wrist and started dragging him back to the room the others were in. Moments later they walked in, much to everyone else's surprise, except for Sunny, who just smiled at the two. Alex pulled his arm away from Kinkajou, not even noticing the sudden blush he had as he looked at the dragons around the room.
"Where were you two?" Tsunami asked, glaring at Alex. "He passed out after Moon said the life of Pyrrhia as we know it depends entirely on Alex, so I took him to the med cave in case he needed anything" Kinkajou responded, wrapping a wing around Alex and pulling him close, who just groaned quietly. "Geez, don't remind me…" Moon herself seemed to shrink at that. "Sorry… I probably could've worded it better"
"Kinkajou, this dragon has the potential to destroy everything we know… and you're holding him close?" "Why wouldn't I? If he is a supposed destroyer slash savior, wouldn't it be smarter to instead keep him close and encourage him to do the not-evil thing?" Kinkajou replied, flaring her frill slightly as Alex suddenly tumbled out from between her leg and wing. "It's hard to argue with her assessment…" Starflight said, brow furrowed slightly. "If Alex is to be our supposed savior or executioner, perhaps we could try and get him to trust us or something? Make him a friend and guide him away from the destruction of Pyrrhia." Starflight finished, a talon tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"Why are you talking as if I'm not here? I have sight difficulties, not hearing difficulties."
Alex said, slightly frowning. "Starflight has a point. If we treat him for what he might do, that could probably just make it more likely to happen." Turtle said, once again ignoring Alex, fidgeting with his arm band. Alex just threw his paws up in defeat and sat there, his stripes pulsing steadily as he sat and listened.
"Ugh, I hate when Starflight makes sense." Tsunami said, sitting down with a grumble. "Alright, say we do trust him and all that. Someone still needs to watch him or guide him or whatever." Alex was about to object to being watched like some kind of baby, but he was quickly cut off by an overenthusiastic Kinkajou. "I'll do it!" Almost everyone turned to look at Kinkajou, who was simply smiling. Only Sunny and Turtle didn't look, as if they knew the RainWing probably had different motives other than simply guiding Alex.
Even Alex was slightly shocked at the statement, twisting his head to look at Kinkajou. Tsunami looked like she was about to disagree, but instead just sighed softly. "Alright, anything that he does is your problem then Kinkajou." She simply nodded in response and before anybody could say anything else, Alex was suddenly on her back as they were running down the hall, Kinkajou giggling gleefully, while Alex was yelling at her to stop.
—-
Peril watched as the two ran down the hall, her tail flicking, "Everyone saw how fast she volunteered right?' She asked, looking at the other dragons, who had been watching KInkajou leave. "I can't be the only one that saw it." "Ya, that was pretty quick. But it's Kinkajou, you know how she is." Said Moon, slightly smiling. "Nope, this is different. I saw how she stared at Alex, not to mention how she took him away. She stared like how I used to stare at Clay." Peril glanced at Clay after that, the Mudwing shuffling slightly.
"Peril, you can't really be saying what I think you are, right?" Asked Qibli. "It sounds exactly like what I'm saying. You all are too nice and mushy to see it. But she's obviously in love with him, in one way or another. I've seen how she stares at us too, Turtle especially." Peril gestured to all of them. "I think she's jealous. Or whatever the Kinkajou equivalent of jealousy is."
"Well…" Began Turtle. "I wouldn't be too surprised. First she had to deal with Anemones love spell for me, and after that she didn't know what was real or not, even after it was removed. Then Winter got with Moon and Qibli… So I imagine she probably just feels alone or left out." Turtle said. He half expected the other three to object, but was instead surprised when he saw them nodding. "She's had a rough last couple years…" Said Qibli. "Not to mention he is kinda cute and neat looking, with those stripes of his." Said Sunny, surprising everyone in the room.
"What? Just cause I'm not interested in relationships doesn't mean I don't admire other dragons." Sunny replied to their shocked expressions with a small smile. "Well, If anyone can lead someone to the good path, it's Kinkajou. Maybe it's time she gets something for once." Said Turtle.
"Whatever she feels towards him, I want you five to help watch him. We don't know anything about him. Just make sure he doesn't do anything questionable or suspicious." Tsunami said. "With the fate of Pyrrhia itself at stake, we can't afford mistakes."
Everyone nodded in agreement as they stood up; the winglet was going to find Kinkajou and Alex. Tsunami, Clay, Sunny, and Starflight going back to their respective duties.
—-
"Slow down!" Alex yelled, holding onto Kinkajou with his arms around her neck. Kinkajou just giggled as she ran into their dorm, the very spot Alex had first arrived. She stopped next to the fire pit as Alex promptly slid off of her, groaning quietly as he stood on shaky feet. "Has anyone ever told you that you're kinda crazy?' "Oh ya, multiple times." Kinkajou replied with a giggle. Alex flopped onto one of the cushions, which was roughly three times his size, with a small grunt. "What have I gotten myself into…" He wondered aloud. Suddenly he was surrounded by bright pink scales as Kinkajou curled up around him. "H-hey!" "Sorry, it's just this is my cushion. I always sit here." Alex was about to respond when he suddenly yawned loudly. "F-fine, whatever. Just don't squish me" Alex grumbled, momentarily looking into Kinkajou's eyes, who looked back. Moments later he found himself drifting to sleep in Kinkajou's embrace. A quiet snoring signaled he was sleeping, and soon after, Kinkajou was asleep too.
A few minutes later, the rest of the winglet walked in, and upon seeing Kinkajou curled around Alex, hints of purple, magenta, and gold on her scales. They glanced at Peril, who smirked. It seemed She was right after glanced uneasily at the two before heading to their own corners. Soon the rest of them were asleep, quiet snoring and mumbling filling the dorm.
Alex rolled over in his sleep, unintentionally snuggling closer to Kinkajou, who was still curled around the small dragon. He grumbled quietly as Kinkajou shifted in her sleep, pulling Alex onto her chest, where he promptly curled up. He was barely aware of his surroundings, but one thing he was aware of was the warm body he was laying on. He had a faint memory of yesterday, probably the most active day he's ever had. It wasn't until he heard quiet whispering in one of the corners that he groggily lifted his head, yawning loudly as he looked in the direction of the whispering. He saw Moon, Qibli, and Winter with their backs turned to him.
"You're not as quiet as you think you are" Alex said, noticing he was on Kinkajou. With a small blush he slid off of her chest as the other three turned to look at him. "How did you hear us?" asked Winter, squinting at Alex suspiciously. Alex just yawned again, looking around the room. "Considering my sight difficulties, my other senses are enhanced to a degree. Hearing especially. Plus you're the only ones talking." Winter looked like he was about to respond, but instead just grumbled quietly. "Good morning Alex." Said Moon, offering a small smile to Alex.
"How can you tell? There aren't any windows in here." He asked, still looking around the room. "Well we're all awake aren't we?" Said Qibli, still staring at Alex with that dissecting stare of his. "Just cause we're awake doesn't mean it's morning. If it was, the other three would be awake… What were you three whispering about?" He asked, raising a brow curiously as he looked back at the three. "None of your business" snapped Winter, though Alex noticed them all glance towards KInkajou
"Alright… I won't pry then." Alex turned around and was about to walk to a different corner when he sighed softly and looked back at the three. "I'm sorry if I've come off as rude or uncaring. But you can probably imagine why I'd be like this. Being torn from my own world into a new one, where I'll either save this place, or destroy it. Not to mention that I don't even know if I'll ever get home…"
Alex's ears drooped at the mention of home, remembering the talk he had with his mother before he fell asleep. At the same time, he noticed Moon look at Winter and Qibli. The SandWing nodded as did the IceWing, although a bit hesitantly. Alex looked at the three, confusion on his face. "Alex, I want to show you something" She held out a talon towards him. Alex looked at it confused, though upon seeing Qibli and Winter nodding, Alex hesitantly placed his paw on Moon's. He felt something in the back of his head. He was about to ask what it was when he saw something. He saw himself back home. He let out a small gasp as the vision continued. His mother walked into the hut, smiling softly at Alex. He didn't realize it, but tears were welling up in his eyes and streaming down his face. The vision continued further, panning to the side to show Alex sitting next to a dragoness from his clan, his paw on hers as they shared a kiss.
The vision changed and suddenly Alex saw himself standing on top of some kind of mountain. He didn't know where he was, but he saw what looked to be a Palace in the distance. He looked around him and froze. He saw the corpses of the Jade Winglet and the DoD scattered around him, all horribly mangled. Only one dragon was standing, staring at Alex with tears in her eyes. Kinkajou. She said something, but he couldn't hear it. He looked down at his paws and let out a choked gasp. They were covered in dragon blood. He tried to say something, anything, to Kinkajou, but all that came out was a maniacal laugh as he lunged.
Abruptly, the vision faded as Moon pulled her talon away, looking at Alex. He blinked, breath slightly catching in his throat as he turned to look at Kinkajou then back at Moon. "What… what was that…?" He asked, staring at Moon. "The future. Or at least potential paths. I can't look into it too often or too clearly, but those are two paths I've seen." "So you've seen me destroy everything." Alex finished, sitting down as he tried processing everything. "Yes. But like I said, those are paths. The path you end up on depends on you."
"Savior or Destroyer…" Alex said, staring at his claws. He blinked away the rest of his tears, still struggling to process everything. "There are paths where you save us all, paths where you do the opposite. But one thing I've seen that leads to you either saving or destroying… is her." Moon gestured to Kinkajou, who was still sleeping, sprawled out on her back. "Whether you befriend her or push her away, Kinkajou decides which path you take as much as you do." Moon said, looking down at Alex. He let out a shaky breath as he looked at Kinkajou. "So depending on what i do with her…" Alex looked up at the three, fear and sadness in his eyes. "I'm either a savior or a destroyer" Moon nodded. "I'm not fully certain about Kinkajou and you, but I've seen it enough to be somewhat certain. Take some time to think about it" Moon placed a gentle, reassuring talon on Alex's shoulder, though it nearly squished him considering the size difference.
Alex nodded slowly, looking back at his talons as Moon, Winter, and Qibli stood up and left, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. Alex lost track of time lost in his thoughts. He remembered that he wasn't alone when he heard a yawn behind him. Blinking away a few more tears and wiping them away before turning to see Kinkajou slowly waking up. Standing and stretching with her rear in the air like a cat. He stared momentarily at Kinkajou's position, remembering what Moon had shown him.
"Whatcha staring at?' Kinkajou teased, sticking her tongue out at Alex as she sat in front of him. "N-nothing…" Alex quickly replied, a slight blush on his face. Kinkajou responded with a giggle as she lifted Alex up, much to his disapproval. "H-hey!' "I can't help. You're just so small. The only small things I've seen are scavengers and dragonets." "I-I'm not small! I'm considered big back at home." "Oh really? In which way?" Kinkajou teased, flashing a grin at Alex, who just went silent with a heavy blush. "J-just put me down please." Kinkajou giggled again, setting Alex down.
"A-anyway, since you're my watcher or whatever, what are we gonna do?" Alex asked, still seeing the vision in his head. Kinkajou slowly stopped giggling from the question, brow slightly furrowing as she thought about it "Well Tsunami and them probably won't be having classes for the next couple of days, to prepare things for when the Queens get here to discuss this whole prophecy stuff and you" Alex blinked at the statement. "Alright then. Queens. That's normal. What's next, gonna tell me you've got magic too or something like that?" Alex half joked, a little upset and angry about not being asked his opinion on this. He was the one that was supposedly gonna doom or save everything.
He let out a small grumble before noticing the way Kinkajou was looking at her talons. "Seriously? Magic too?" "Not anymore… It just stopped working years ago after…" Kinkajou's voice trailed off. Alex noticed a small hint of Lime appear on Kinkajou for a moment before it vanished. He didn't know what the colors meant, but considering Kinkajou hid it rather than letting it show, like she did with the other colors, he assumed it was an unpleasant one. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed his talon on Kinkajou's much larger talon. "If it's that bad, you don't have to say anything."
Kinkajou looked a bit shocked from Alex's action, a bit of bright pink appearing as she simply nodded and gave a small smile. Alex returned it and pulled his arm back. "Anyway, I'm not too sure what we could do. I could probably show you around Jade Mountain, but it gets kinda bright. And I don't know how much it actually affects you and all that, so I'm not too sure." Kinkajou tapped her chin thoughtfully as she sat there. Alex shuffled slightly, still thinking of what Moon had shown him. What about Kinkajou could be so important about her? She looks pretty normal… How is she gonna keep from destroying everything? Alex was shaken from his thoughts as Kinkajou poked his nose, drawing a small sniff from him. It was a small one, but Alex could smell that Kinkajou smelled pleasantly, like various fruits. "Hellooo. Kinkajou to Alex. Did you hear me?" Alex shook his head and blinked at her before smiling sheepishly. "S-sorry, I was thinking about home." "Oh, I do that all the time. I love Jade Mountain and my friends, but nothing beats the RainForest. Anyway, since the prophecy said something about a lost city in the mountains and a secret, we could probably ask Starflight for any scrolls on the Sky Kingdom." The vision of Alex and Kinkajou on the mountain flashed through his head. If that was a palace, then maybe it was the Sky KIngdom… That place sounds mountain-y. Alex thought to himself, absently nodding to Kinkajou's plan. Which he instantly regretted as he was once again on her back as they dashed through the halls.
Half a minute later, Kinkajou and Alex walked into the Library. "Will you PLEASE stop doing that?!" Kinkajou just giggled as Alex slid off her back. "But your short legs might not be able to keep up with me!" "I can walk just fine!" Alex groaned softly as Kinkajou giggled again. "Will you at least warn me before you lift me up and dash to who knows where?" "Fiiiine, I'll warn you." Alex sighed and thanked her as Starflight poked his head over the desk "Kinkajou? Is that Alex with you?" He asked, aiming his head in their direction with his ears perked up.
"Yep, just us Starflight. We came here because I had the awesome idea to see if you have any Scrolls about lost cities in the Sky Kingdom and other prophecy things." She said as they walked into the Library. Much to Alex's delight, it wasn't as bright as before. So he could still see, even if things were a bit blurry. "Hmm. I don't know about lost cities, but you're welcome to look anyway. Perhaps you'll find something I didn't"
"Alright, thanks Starflight." Alex followed Kinkajou through the Library gathering scrolls. "I'm gonna look around. Try and familiarize this place." Alex said, beginning to walk away. "Alright, don't get lost." Kinkajou replied, softly humming to herself. Alex wandered around the shelves of the Library, occasionally pulling out a scroll and reading a paragraph or two. Suddenly he felt a sort of pull, like something needed him somewhere. Curious, he followed it away from the SkyWing History section and towards the NIghtWing History. He didn't know what was here, or why he was pulled, but curiosity was stronger than caution at the moment. Nearing the end of the shelf, Alex spotted a scroll with a unique black leather casing, with silver vines embroidered on it. Feeling the pull get stronger as he looked at it, he hesitantly pulled it out and read the title "The Legend of Darkstalker. Who's Darkstalker?" He wondered aloud. More curious than before, he sat down and opened the scroll, beginning to read. However, unknown to Alex, something had just woken in the back of his mind.