- Chapter 3-

"HIDDEN!"

Xavier was right about to dive after his friend when he spotted another flash of light in the corner of his eye. He swerved, narrowly avoiding a searing red bolt just like the one that had struck Hidden. It still managed to graze his right hind leg, sending through it a jolt of pain followed by complete numbness.

He whirled about, scanning the mountains below for the source of the energy bolt only to spot two more hurdling straight toward him. Thankfully, without the element of surprise the bolts were easy to dodge. As Xavier spun higher into the air, he shifted his scales to the dull greys and blues of the overcast sky. More of the bolts were fired his way, but none came even close to hitting him.

At least they can't see me when I'm camouflaged, he thought, feeling relieved when the bolts finally stopped coming his way. They must have some kind of advanced tech though. It's not like those energy bolts are magic, that'd be ridiculous!

His eyes landed on a pair of dark spots far in the distance, around where the bolts of energy had come from. They were dragons, no doubt about it, though of what kind Xavier wasn't sure. They seemed to be wearing some sort of armor that masked most of their appearance. Bad memories of his time in Doyousai began to resurface.

Having given up their assault, the two armored dragons instead began circling over the woods like a pair of vultures. It took only a moment for Xavier to realize what – or rather who – they were looking for.

Crap! Hidden!

Xavier tucked in his wings and dove straight toward the forest like a bullet. He cursed himself for having almost forgotten about his friend.

Gotta find him before those other two. He fell right around here, so…

WHAM!

"AK!" Xavier yelped as he slammed face-first into a thick branch. He spun out of control, smacking into a few more branches on his way down before tumbling into a heap on the forest floor.

Guess you should've taken those tree-gliding lessons seriously instead of sneaking off to play games, huh Xavier?

Xavier blew pine needles off his snout and started to pull himself up, only to stumble and fall right back down. The leg that had been grazed by one of the energy bolts was still numb and difficult to move, forcing him to hop along on the other three in search of Hidden.

While the forest floor here was much less dense than that of the Mud Kingdom, the sloped terrain in places made balancing on only three legs troublesome. Xavier hopped and limped ahead in the general direction that Hidden had fallen. He was beginning to worry that he was going the wrong way when a familiar shade of pale yellow popped out from between the trees.

"Aha!" he audibly exclaimed, immediately clasping his maw shut and darting his eyes about for any sign of the unknown dragons. For all he knew they could be right nearby, lying in wait for him to come to his friend's aid.

But what other choice do you have?

He continued his approach to where Hidden had landed, carefully placing his steps to make the least noise possible. He was still camouflaged, but that brought him little comfort.

His breath held in his throat when he got a clearer look at the SandWing. Hidden had landed on his back atop a large bush. His limbs were splayed out at his sides, his body covered in cuts and bruises.

He's not dead. He…he can't be! Panic was beginning to bubble up inside of Xavier, but it quickly dissipated when he noticed the SandWing's chest gradually rising and falling.

"Hidden!" he whispered, his guard dropping as he hopped over to the SandWing's side. "Hidden, are you alright?"

Hidden let out a low moan, glancing over at where Xavier's voice was coming from. His face was twisted in pain and confusion.

"Why are you whispering?"

"There's a couple of armored dragons flying around here. They're the ones who shot you!" Xavier hastily explained. "Come on, we need to get out of here!"

Hidden grunted, barely managing to roll himself off the bush. He flopped down onto the ground with a heavy thud.

"…feels like…got hit by some kinda…tranquilizer…" Hidden moaned between failed attempts at standing himself up.

"Hidden, be quiet!" Xavier hissed. Every scale on his body felt like it was about to jump right off. The armored dragons could be moments away from finding them! He needed to get Hidden out of here. They needed to get back to the cave.

But what if the armored dragons saw the shuttle flying into it? his mind worried. Xavier shoved the thought away; he needed to focus on getting Hidden out of here first. He reached down to hoist Hidden up, only for the sound of wingbeats to stop him in his tracks.

Two dragons were approaching.

Xavier's body felt like it had been struck by HiveWing paralysis venom. He rapidly looked between Hidden and the direction of the wingbeats. His mind screamed a million different contradictory orders at him with each passing second.

You've gotta run!

But what about Hidden? You have to save him!

But you can't save him if you get captured!

Will they find the shuttle?

You need to do something!

"I think they fell over here!" a voice bellowed. Xavier nearly yelped in fright. He caught a glimpse of crimson scales and gleaming armor between the needly treetops.

"Xavier…" Hidden moaned. Xavier stared into the SandWing's pleading eyes for a moment. He was out of time.

"I-I'm sorry Hidden. I'll…I'll…" He was cut off by a pair of SkyWings swooping down. With a speed he didn't even know he was capable of Xavier leapt up into the nearest tree and clung to its sturdiest-looking branch. He pulled his body in as tightly as he could, though the branch still sagged a little under his weight.

Please don't notice please don't notice please don't notice!

The SkyWings touched down a few paces away from Hidden. They were each very large and well-built, their muscular (and rather strapping) bodies almost completely covered by angular, jet-black plates of armor. Each also carried a long metal spear, thin trails of smoke slithering out of small holes in their pointed ends.

They were almost identical, though one of the SkyWings was missing an eye while the other was missing a horn. As the two approached Hidden, the one-eyed SkyWing spoke in a gravelly voice.

"See, what'd I tell ya? This eye never lies!"

The other SkyWing didn't respond, instead stepping closer and pointing her spear at Hidden.

"Hey, SandWing," she began in an authoritative tone. "What're you doin' in the Sky Kingdom?"

"Sky…Kingdom?" Hidden grunted, still trying to stand himself up despite the effects of the energy bolt clearly not having worn off. "Wait, are you the ones that shot me?"

The one-horned SkyWing let out a low growl. It did little to intimidate Hidden, though it certainly sent shivers down Xavier's spine. "I'll ask this again. What are you doin' in the Sky Kingdom SandWing?"

The other SkyWing lurched in closer to Hidden, bringing the two nearly snout-to-snout. "Are ya some kinda spy or somethin'? Is Thorn plottin' against us? Huh?" The one-horned SkyWing jabbed her companion in the side to get him to back off.

Hidden stared at the two SkyWings for a moment, confused. "Uh, who's Thorn."

"Wha-Whadaya mean who's Thorn?! Are you tryin' to play us for fools?" the one-eyed SkyWing blurted.

The one-horned SkyWing simply grunted. "Hmph, you're a pretty bad liar for a SandWing," she said with a grimace.

Hidden frowned. "I don't lie," he stated coldly. "Look, my friend and I aren't from around here, and we're just trying to find our way home. Now could you get your pokey murder sticks outta my face?"

The one-horned SkyWing let out a brief chortle at his brazenness, but the other didn't seem amused in the slightest. "And where is this friend of yours?" he asked.

Hidden stared at the SkyWings for a moment, Xavier hoping and praying that he didn't give him away. Instead, Hidden's eyes fell upon the duo's spears, a spark of curiosity lighting up in his expression.

"Hey, were those what you shot me with? I'm guessing so since they're smoking. Are they some kinda plasma canons or something? Wait, wouldn't concentrated plasma just have melted through me? It didn't feel like a bullet though, definitely pure energy. Unless the bullet was actually a really tiny stun device…"

"Hey! I asked you a question SandWing!" the one-eyed SkyWing barked, only for the other SkyWing to motion for him to back down.

"Get the collar," she commanded.

"But…but you saw that RainWing too!"

"Yeah, and do you want to be the one to tell the Queen that there's a RainWing running around her kingdom? She'll have us all scouring the mountains for days! It'll probably have ran back to the rainforest by then anyway."

Xavier felt his claws digging into the branch at the mention of him as an it. What did these SkyWings have against RainWings anyway? He couldn't remember any conflict between Aero and Azalea back in his own Pyrrhia.

Whatever the case, the one-eyed SkyWing didn't question his companion any longer. He reached into a sack slung on his side and pulled out a metal collar. Hidden stared at it with a mix of curiosity and trepidation as the SkyWing reached over and snapped it around his neck.

"What's this thing for?" he asked.

"It's to make sure you don't get too far away," the one-horned SkyWing replied.

"And what if I do?"

The SkyWing drew a claw across her neck, and that was enough to silence Hidden. The two SkyWings readied to take off, only for the one-eyed SkyWing to pause.

"Wait, what about that ship we saw?"

"What ship?" the one-horned SkyWing asked, though her tone was more of a statement than a question. The one-eyed SkyWing looked like they were about to respond, but they chose against it, instead lighting into the air alongside their companion. Hidden was quick to join them, casting one last uncertain look up at the branch Xavier was perched upon before taking off.

Xavier watched the three flying away until they disappeared from view. They seemed to be heading toward the cluster of lights he and Hidden had seen from the waterfall.

So it is a city, then…

He clambered down from the tree. The numbness in his leg was gone now, yet it somehow felt even harder to stand up straight.

It's fine. It's fine. You'll figure this out.

He started to wander off into the woods, not in any particular direction. He just felt like walking, that was all.

Maybe they'll just let him go. It's me they seem the most worried about.

He could faintly make out the sound of flowing water not far ahead. He tried to focus on that, and the soft crunch of the pine needles beneath his talons.

Just, don't think about it right now. You can't go after him without a plan, right? It's alright. It'll all work out fine. You'll make it home…

His breath caught in his throat. His chest felt tight.

Don't think about home. Just think about the forest. Just think about the river. Just…just…Hidden will be fine. I'll figure out how to save him. I…I have to…

He burped, the tension in his chest loosening for a blissful second before it quickly returned.

I'll figure it out…

He crouched down next to the river, tail curled around his legs.

Just think about the river and the leaves and don't think about the Salvation and don't think about Hidden and Ricky and the fact that you may never get home and…

"Hey, are you alright?"

"YEAGH!" Xavier screeched, stumbling back and nearly falling into the river. Right beside him stood another SkyWing, though this one was dressed in a black leather jacket and had both their horns and eyes. At least, Xavier was pretty sure that they did; they were wearing a helmet that covered their entire face.

Xavier didn't know what to do. He hadn't even noticed that his camouflage had dropped. Was this SkyWing with those soldiers? Was he going to get captured too? All he could do in his uncertainty was sit there staring at the SkyWing. They were a little chubby, and their red and orange scales almost reminded him of…

No, no! Don't think about it, you'll just stress yourself out more, and you won't accomplish anything like that! Just breath. Just…breath…

Xavier had rolled onto his side, his breathing becoming more and more erratic. The SkyWing seemed worried by this, crouching down next to him and wrapping a wing across his back.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. I'm not here to hurt you, okay. I just want to help," the SkyWing reassured, their voice a bit muffled by their helmet. They laid themself down next to Xavier and began stroking a talon right alongside the spines on his back. "Just follow my lead, alright?"

The SkyWing took a deep breath in, held it for a moment, then slowly let it out. Xavier followed suit, the two laying together by the riverside until Xavier finally felt the tension in his chest beginning to let up a little.

He let out a deep breath, and slowly turned himself upright. "Th-Thanks…" he mumbled.

The SkyWing nodded. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Not like it makes much of a difference…"

"What do you mean?" the SkyWing asked gently.

Xavier wasn't really sure if he should be explaining his plight to this stranger, but something about them just felt…reassuring. "It's just, I didn't do anything to help Hidden," he began. "And now…now I don't know what to do…"

"Hidden…" the SkyWing echoed. "That's that SandWing who was captured, right? I saw them flying away with the soldiers not long before I found you."

Xavier nodded. "Is…is he going to be alright?"

The SkyWing took a worryingly long amount of time to respond. "Well…he'll probably be taken to the Queen's palace. If he's lucky, and he doesn't offend her, she might let him go."

Xavier buried his head in his talons. "He's doomed…"

"Hey, hey! Don't worry, I…I think I might be able to help you find him!"

Xavier turned to the SkyWing. "Wait, really?"

The SkyWing nodded, though with a noticeable bit of hesitation. "Yeah, I mean, I'm not sure if my friends will agree, but we can still ask!"

Xavier stared at the SkyWing for a moment, a dozen questions rushing through his head. Why was this dragon so eager to help a stranger? Could they really be the key to saving Hidden? Who were these friends? Why did their voice sound so familiar? And how had they managed to calm him down so easily? The only dragons who were that good at it were his dads and…

"Wait, who are you?" Xavier asked.

The SkyWing stared at him for a second. "Oh! Right, sorry!" they exclaimed, reaching up and pulling the helmet off their head. Xavier almost fainted when he saw the face behind it.

"R-Ricky?!"