Starcrossed

Chapter 12: Dragonflame Cactus

So, SO sorry I couldn't update sooner!

Peril was great, although everything she touched that lived burst into dust and ash and fire and flames, so. Which was awesome if you weren't the one burning to death, of course. Winter didn't talk to her much which everyone was fine with. Icicle, on the other talon, hissed at Peril in the cave "halls" and scowled at her, growling, "Scarlet scum." Then Peril would flick her tail alarmingly close to the IceWing, and Icicle would jump back with a yelp, leaving Peril laughing her head off.

Starseeker, who was the total opposite of Peril, felt every hour when Morrowseer hadn't attacked more suspicious...but Lily helped with that.

Moon, it seemed, had more nightmares and visions, but he didn't know how to help her.

Starseeker was about to step outside of their cave when Moon stopped him. He turned curiously to her frightened face. "Moon?" he said.

She flinched back at the sound of her name and fidgeted with her claws.

"What is it?" he asked cautiously. Another vision? Bad dream? He touched her dark wings with his and squeezed her talons reassuringly.

Moon was breathing quickly and her eyes were darting everywhere as if there was an invisible RainWing somewhere about to spray venom in her face. Finally, she met his eyes. She bit her tongue like she was about to say something, but tore away his gaze to look her her talons.

"S-Starseeker, last n-night I thought I heard —"

"GUYS!" Kinkajou shrieked, dashing into the room so fast she just looked like one yellow-pink blur. "We're ABOUT to have BREAKFAST, and you guys are so late we had to wait for you two, you lazy banana snails! Come on!"

Starseeker and Moon exchanged a sheepish smile and reluctantly followed a bouncing Kinkajou out of the cave, though he wondered what Moon was about to tell him. Maybe she can tell me tonight, he thought. Probably a vision or something.

They met up with Winter, Qibli, Turtle, Peril and smiling Lily in the Prey Center. Moon immediately looked around and tried to make herself smaller and Starseeker mad a beeline to Lily's side at a stone bench, where some fruit were piled on. Moon sat next to Kinkajou and Turtle at another nearby table.

Lily's ruff turned pink. "You like fruit?" she said, tossing him a mango.

"It's the only thing I ever tried to eat," he said, biting into the fruit.

"I was only on the NightWing island for a short amount of time, but I tasted the pile of flesh and bones they call 'prey' and it is absolutely disgusting," Lily shuddered and munched on her food gratefully. "I can't imagine having to eat that for my whole life."

"I agree. That's why I try to eat as little as I can until I visit the rainforest again," he said.

"Can't Moon go all the time? I mean, I assumed so, because —" she said quickly.

"No no, you're right," Starseeker said, "Moon can, because she's," he escalated his voice down to a whisper so the others couldn't hear, "because she's...was...the tribe's...oh, you know."

"But you couldn't?" said Lily, looking astonished.

He shrugged. "None of them could, except for the older dragons."

"That's awful," she shook her head. Lily glanced down at the fruit, looking sick.

"Yeah," he said, gazing at a blueberry for no particular reason, thinking of the other NightWing dragonets that never got to go in the rainforest at all.

Now he felt sick, too.

"Oh!" said Kinkajou suddenly, jumping up, causing the strawberries in her talons to roll aside on the floor. She dashed over to Queen Glory, who was just finishing off a few strawberries and was about to leave.

Turtle and Moon walked over to her, followed by the other members of the Jade Winglet.

"Oh — hi, Kinkajou," Glory said, spotting the RainWing. "Listen, I really need to go now, I'm late for the meeting with my friends — can this wait?"

"Exactly!" said Kinkajou. "We wanted to come to the meeting with you!"

"Did we?" said Peril. Kinkajou ignored her, staring hopefully up at the RainWing queen.

"Oh...Kinkajou, I'm not sure —"

"Icicle gets to attend, and you don't seem to mind that," Moon pointed out at her friend's aid.

"All Icicle does is brood and been sparkly in the corner, frowning at everything and making unnecessary suggestions which are ignored," Glory said.

"Well, can't we just go this one time?" Kinkajou pleaded.

"Oh, all right, but ONLY THIS ONCE because I don't have any more time to argue with you," Glory said sternly, leading them out of the Prey Center and through the yawning cave halls. She was about to step into a cave when there was a yell from behind her.

Starseeker looked around and saw Moon clutching her head, wings shuddering uncontrollably, gasping.

"Moon!" he yelled. What's wrong? Moon, what's wrong? 

"What's happening?" Turtle exclaimed.

"Are you okay? Moon?" said Qibli.

"Would it help if I knocked her out?" Peril suggested evenly, holding up a talon.

"NO!" the Jade Winglet yelled at once.

"Don't — don't go in the cave!" Moon gasped.

"What's wrong with her?" said Icicle, who was suddenly there with a look of disgust on her face.

Tsunami poked her head out of the cave, confused. She walked out of the cave, followed by Clay.

"Is there — anyone else in the cave?" Moon said, half pant half yell. She was still holding her head, her pained expression was hard to look at.

"No, Sunny and Starflight are a little late," said Clay. "I'll take her to the infirmary, you guys start the meeting."

"NO!" Moon yelled. "Promise me you won't you in!"

"Okay, we promise Moon!" Qibli said, panicked.

"What is it?" asked Winter. His head spun to Starseeker. "You must know! You're her brother!"

"This has never happened before!"he said, searching wildly through his memories. "Sometimes she had —" He stopped himself before saying, Sometimes she had really bad headaches because of her visions.

Tsunami frowned and took a step back toward the cave.

"Stop!" Moon yelled, and with an ear splitting boom, Starseeker's life flashed before his eyes and he was blown backward.