Glory was starting to get anxious.
And for good reason.
.
There had been reports from the mudwings of scavengers in the swamps.
Or humans as they were now called.
.
And she was not happy with the things that were occurring.
They were chopping the trees down and taking all the resources from the Swamps and Rainforest.
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The trees that the Rainwings cherished so much. It made her sad. And quite angry too. She knows that you are not allowed to eat any of them but she was getting an urge by now.
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But what could she do about it?
That's right…she could do so much about it.
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And that is what she did.
" Deathbringer?" she called.
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He was quite the loyal one. He would always be hanging outside the door to protect her from any dangers or he would be there for anything she might need.
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" Yes?" he asked.
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" I need you to gather some guards or scouts, I am heading out to the Swamps." she relayed. She had to do this.
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He sighed.
"Is this about the trees again?" He asked.
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Well that was quite rude of him. " Yes Deathbringer! I need to do something about them lobbing our saplings down!" she said. She was getting a little impatient with him.
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" We already discussed this, something needs to be done about it!" she added.
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" But they are just doing a couple, you don't need to put yourself in potential danger for such things," he retorted. Like he knew about such things. She could care for herself.
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" Deathbringer I will be fine," he tried to comfort him.
He still was not content with the idea one bit.
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" You can even come with me if you would like," she added in quickly.
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He finally accepted what she was doing and did as told. Her little offer buttered him up. She also knew that their dragonet would be safe back here. Orchard would take good care of Mulch.
.
Finally they could get things done.
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He gathered for her a couple of Rainwings and at least two Nightwings.
Apparently not too many of them were worried about it either.
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It was no army but it would do.
It was just a couple of pests they were dealing with anyway.
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What was the worst that could happen?
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At least Mangrove was with them. Orchard's loving mate.
Her purple, slightly grumpy friend was always reliable whenever she needed him.
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And this time was no different.
He gave them all a quick rundown of what was going on so they would all be on the same page with each other.
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They promptly flew off into the forests and trees. The Swamps were not too far away from the pavilion. It would not make anyone sore at least. Well Jambu might be an exception. He was just as lazy as any of them but she loved her brother dearly all the same.
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The smell of the waters and bogs were starting to fill their noses.
It stuck to high moons.
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That means they were close.
The trees broke and they flew over the glades keeping close to the edge of the Rainforest.
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In the distance were plumes of smoke they noticed immediately. That did not look good, what in the three moons was going on over there? She almost did not want to know.
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But they pushed on.
It was early morning so it was a bit hard to see.
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But the lights in the distance led them on their way.
They were not in the place where they were headed too.
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That worried her quite a bit.
The clouds in the distance were also worrying.
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They were sure to get down low so they were less likely to be seen right from the get go. It was a good decision on her part. Jambu was a little loud though.
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He was asking far too many questions.
Mangrove was getting the same idea. He promptly grabbed him by the snout so he would shut his trap. Jambu looked annoyed.
.
Much better.
No noise, no worries.
Right?
.
But her mind was still racing even after she could think now. She was really hoping this was an isolated incident and was not part of something bigger. Perhaps it was Just some morons being greedy again. Glory hoped this very much.
.
They were getting closer.
Her ideas about it being an isolated incident started to fade away.
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The lights for earlier also confirmed this.
The odor of fire was getting stronger.
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" Deathbringer, tell them to get on the ground." she whispered.
He obliged quickly.
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They all stopped their flight and hugged the ground.
The water was slimy and filled with bugs and muck.
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They got close to the place where the smoke lived.
The sounds of the glades drowned out their own sounds as they stalked closely.
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She put a talon on her mouth to signify them to be quiet.
She peered over the grass to see a sight.
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She gasped.
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An encampment.
Filled to the brim with scavengers and other…creatures..
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And they were hauling off trees of all sizes.
Hacking them down with brutality and no mercy.
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They were making things as well.
War machine, Glory recognized them anywhere.
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She also saw some strange ones with pointy ears.
And four legged things that stood as tall as a cow.
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They hauled them off to some place in the far distance. It made her blood boil. She was angered. What were they doing?! So many poor animals were homeless now. And they were ebbing closer to the center of the woods.
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It would be only time before they chopped the entire rainforest down.
What was going on?
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The more she looked the more apparent it became.
The area was heavily guarded and protected.
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Guarded against dragons.
That was not a good sign in the least.
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She turned over back to the group.
" We need to get out of here." she whispered.
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Deathbringer and the rest nodded.
She turned to Mangrove.
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" I need a message sent to the mudwings." she said.
He listened intently.
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She sent off Mangrove to go warn the Mudwings.
He nodded and headed off to Queen Moren's Palace.
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He was a bit old for crap but he could do it.
Mangrove wanted to do it anyway.
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If he did as told she would know in the hour.
And then they might get some help.
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If they were lucky…
