Wings of Honor: Bad Moon Rising

Chapter 13: Truth First

"Sonemover, please."
"Go."
"Please." I said softer.
"Leave." He said more quietly, with a growl to his voice. I got up, folding my wing. I stopped at the entrance.
"If it means anything to you—"
"GO... away."
I hung my head, letting him go. I faded away into the darkness, feeling the shadows reach out to hug me. They were probably the only embrace I would get for a long while. A single tear fell down, loosing itself in the maze of corridors in Jade Mountain. I finally happened across Marvin, he noticed immediately.
"You okay Grace? How's Stonemover?"
"He... he knows."
"You told him?"
"Yeah. He doesn't want to talk anymore"
Marvin just looked down at the ground and nodded.
"I get it. At least you went out on your own terms, that's commendable. I just hope he'll see that soon enough."
"I really want to go back and apologize."
"What for? For telling him the truth Grace? Did he cast you out?"
"Yyyeah?"
"Okay. Don't go back. Give him the day, at least. But show that you're still there, you're still there for him. And understand that nobody has been with a mind reading dragonettes for hundreds of years. You have to warm people up slowly."
"But... he thinks I'm reading his mind all the time. I'm not, I have my crucifix!"
"I know Grace. They... don't know it yet. They just don't."
Marvin walked up to me. I felt his warm hands rubbing my side. He took a deep breath.
My poor Gracebringer. "We have to stay strong, no matter what people say or want us to do. We have to stand firm, to show them that we are here, and aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I know, and this is always the hardest part, but you have to keep looking forward. Head held high? For me?"
He smiled, I smiled back. He pushed my head and neck a little higher. He was a little short now, so I took up the slack.
"Better. Come on. Let's go home and get a real meal. You can visit him tomorrow with a C ration, see if he changes his mind."
"Okay." I mumbled.

Marvin filled me in from what he overheard with Moon and Darkstalker. Moon was starting to get more information, and was even doubting whether or not she should even release Darkstalker. That night, after an informal dinner, I lay just outside of the pup tent. I missed its warmth, and Marvin knew that. Before he retired, Marvin draped one of the blankets over me.
"As soon as we get back into town, I'm gonna buy a tent big enough for the both of us."
I chuckled. "It's gonna be too big for you to carry."
"Maybe... that's why you'll be carrying it. Ms. 'I wanna tent so bad.'"
We chuckled, he went off to bed and slept. I stayed awake while Marvin took FOREVER to doze off. I tried to block out his nightmare. It was another one of him parachuting down into an unknown country, an unknown place. Here, on the ground, at least, he was beginning to recognize some landmarks, and he had his enchanted compass in case he got lost.
I tried to focus on the webs in my mind. They surrounded a single point, an evermoving present. Strings branched out into little photographs of the future. So many different futures. A lot of them branched off of eachother, or looped back in on themselves. Some ran back around and converged back on a single event, a lot of them did that. It was a complete mess of tangled strings.
This wasn't a web, this was a mishmash of yarn that the wind had caught, and sent it into a loose tangle all over my head. But I took a deep breath and began to trace the lines. It was all well and dandy, and nothing really branched off of this line, and... I spoke too soon. Immediately, this one path split off like five times. The strings were different thicknesses, which I guessed were their likelihood of happening, but it was still a mess. I shook my head and exited this realm. This place was FUBAR. It was too complicated, too confusing. I would need Marvin's help to navigate it, or at least a pencil and paper to draw a map and not get lost. I sighed. Listening to the crickets and the late evening birds, I fell asleep.

The next morning was the same routine. Marvin set his watch and an alarm to wake us up at the crack of dawn, around 5:30. We had breakfast, then made our way back to Jade Mountain Academy. He notably left his rifles, only electing to bring his pistol. He also brought the medic bag, slinging it around him.
"Just in case. Less weight, greater flexibility right?" I just have a bad feeling for today.
We arrived at Jade Mountain and snuck in like usual. Joining Moon for her classes. After sitting through what Marvin described as "An APUSH class' worth of history." Moon joined the rest of her winglet and another in a cave slightly further inland. A low, what we could only describe as "warbling" noise echoed throughout the caves as we followed Moon follow Kinkajou. The strange noise seemed to vibrate everything inside me, rousing a strange, tingly feeling from the reverberations. When we finally reached the cave, we emerged to a cacophony of various musical sounds. Marvin compared it to a strange brass bowl—a singing bowl, that his mother had, that she used to entertain her students. A gift his father got her during his voyages overseas. The cave had high, smooth walls, that concentrated sounds and echoed them around. We found a not so quiet corner of the room where nobody was, and set up there. We quickly recognized Anemone, and her classmate. A small SandWing that Moon recognized as Ostrich. She held what Marvin recognized as a harp, but largely shaped to match a dragon's wing. Ostrich was plunking at the strings with her claws, trying to sound them out, but everyone was mostly drowned out. Umber was next to her, plucking at a base guitar thing, trying to match Ostrich.
"Let's join in!" Kinkajou cried happily over the music. She grabbed some plump looking empty plants, which made a rattle it noise when shook, as if they were filled with gravel or something.
Maracas! Marvin commented.
Using her tail, Kinkajou passed moon a strange wooden box. It was as long as half her arm, with wired metal outcrops, or tounge looking devices, on the sides of the box. When she plucked one of them, a twangy noise came from it. It sounded slightly different for each one.
Hah! Reminds me of my one half year at band class before I took STEM. I got to play the Clarinet, Trumpet, Trombone, and the flute. God I could never get the darn flute to work.
I laughed, seeing memories of him swing around a ridiculously long brass instrument. But the clarinet, he seemed to like that. That and the trombone were his favorites. But we were cut off, shivering under the frosty mind of an approaching Winter. Moon and I couldn't even imagine Winter preforming of any kind. Simultaneously, Kinkajou spotted Moon and thought the same thing about her.
Moon — too shy to make music — sad, she's missing out.
Strangely enough, her thoughts were a little fuzzy, harder to read. Probably because of the music and everyone's chaotic thinking. Although Moon understood enough, and focused her attention back on the box. She tried to feel determined and stubborn, which she kind of was in Marvin's mind; instead of everyone else's opinion of her being downcast and small.
All of a sudden, Qibli came bounding into the cave and made a bee line to a set of drums. Commandeering them from a confused SkyWing. He started to play, and Moon took notice. For once, Darkstalker left her mind for the first time all day. I silently nodded, listening to the base make my insides all fuzzy.
Qibli drummed with his head and soul, almost like he was drumming and dancing simultaneously. His tail rapped a large base drum behind him, while his tallons scattered from one snare drum to the next. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Anemone grab her brother, she and Turtle started dancing. Soon after, Kinkajou, another Rainwing, and a Mudwing joined in.
The Rainwings were a magical sight. Their shapes whirled together, their scales shimmering from one color to the next to the rhythm of Qibli drums. But I felt an almost depressive mind.
Moon wished she was brave enough to dance, or at least to drum along with Qibli.
Maybe one day. She mumbled.
I looked back at Marvin. He was thinking of smaller parties where he and family friends danced. He could dance somewhat, although he was very reluctant. And then he noticed me staring.
Don't ask me to dance Grace.
I giggled.
Turning back, Moon and Qibli noticed each other. He passed her a smile. In his head, there was a circle of Sandwings, all beating on drums next to a small desert pool. The flickering torch light, spurred on by the dancers. I noticed he had no family there, but the Outclaws were. Trusted friends, and a larger, leader Sandwing was dancing with them. Outclaws. Thorn. Safety. He thought with a smile. Then the vision melded back into the beating of drums.
Moon was happy, and I noticed too. The drums echoing off the walls drowned out any and all thoughts. It was like our heads had cleared, and all our worries were melted away for that instant. It worked for non-mindreaders too. Qibli's mind was moving at a more slower, average speed, compared to the other dragons. He was completely immersed into the pounding the drums below with his talons. I started humming along to the beat, letting my neck and head sway. Marvin patted with his hand and nudged me with his boot to the rhythm. We just enjoyed the music as it came.