Wings Of Honor: Heart of Ice

Chaper 1: The Very Next Thing

I hung onto Grace as best I could. The rain made everything slippery, though I found a good purchase in her scales.
I couldn't look ahead. I wish I had gotten those tanker goggles when I had the opportunity, all of ten bucks, though I wouldn't have a purpose for it for four months. And they'd be extra weight, because we all know how much soldiers liked to steal things.
The rain kept flying into my eyes, even squinting wouldn't help. It was only once we started patrolling, I could somewhat see. Finally taking out my glasses and letting them take the brunt of the rain, I scanned the forest as best I could. Nothing. Nothing of notice. Just animals. Birds nesting in trees, owls and squirrels in their little tree knot caves, various other creatures taking shelter in the rain. It didn't help that the rain also blurred my vision, causing wavy and almost indecipherable images. Just the sight made me queasy, but I swallowed hard and kept searching. Searching for that poor IceWing.
"M-m-maybe we should go back." Turtle began with his concerns. I knew all too well of his doubts and discomfort. And to be honest, that clearing again, we passed it for the fourth time now. But I kept scanning. "Maybe he's halfway to the Ice Kingdom already." I silently shook my head.
"I don't think so," Qibli made my argument for me. "Not with Bandit. He wouldn't fly too far with that cage - scavengers don't handle this kind of weather as well as we do."
"Says the Sandwing." Who can't even survive a little drop in temperature. I'm sitting pretty. This is my element, I'm cool to be effective right here.
I had always liked the rain. It brought down the temperature, and made the air more humid. I like cooler and wetter weather, I felt more alert, and it was easier to deal with than say... hot and dry weather that plagued us in the summer. Especially when the wind kicks up dust, and covers the whole Central Valley in haze. With my trench coat on, and the rest of my uniform, they protected the majority of me from the rain and being completely drenched. The inside lining keeping me somewhat warm to avoid shivering. Out of everyone here, I was probably the most comfortable.
Then I heard a noise, other than Grace or Moon or the fuzzy buzzing of Skyfire.
"Wait!" Moon cried, grabbing Kinkajou's tail just ahead of her. "I heard him! This way!"
Grace swooped down to follow her down into the trees. Moon also seemed to be blinded by the rain. Before I could even register that we were a little low, Moon suddenly rammed into a tree, disappearing from sight. I followed her with my glasses and saw that she had righted herself, dropped down, and was advancing on foot. Grace banked around and we came to as gentle of a landing as we could. Following her on foot, and under the cover of the trees, I could be more effective with my glasses.
Suddenly, I felt a familiar presence pass by my mind. I instantly triangulated it, swinging my head and glasses to the sound. There, clear as a dim white amidst the navy and forest green.
"Contact. 40 yards, dead ahead, Icewing." I whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. I felt like punching myself for not detecting him sooner. I put away my glasses and traded it for my MKB, just in case he tried to pull any of Icicle's business. I heard him talking.
"Go on, get out of here. I know it's raining, but it's better than the Ice Kingdom, trust me."
"Winter!" Kinkajou suddenly yelped. "That's him!"
Moon breathed a small plume of fire that lit up the surrounding area. While I already had the white silhouette of Winter, now it was enhanced with depth and his surrounding environment in the light. Grace surprised me, surging forward and nearly causing me to tumble back.
"By all the snow monsters, what are you doing here?" Winter demanded while flapping his wings, spraying rain sideways towards us.
"And we found you!" Kinkajou focused on our triumph. "We're amazing!"
Winter looked back at his gold cage. I knew he could see Bandit from where he was. He was mainly trying to avoid the other dragons.
"I'm not going back to Jade Mountain." He sad. Well that makes things easier. "I'm going to look for my brother."
"I thought so," Moon said before I could even think. "We want to help you."
That. Right there. I was onboard in an instant.
"We do?" Turtle began, alarmed at the group think rapidly engulfing everyone here.
"Yes." Grace plainly said, nudging him with her wing.
"Yes!" Kinkajou blurted out again, further solidifying the intent of our group. "I diddnt know we did, but now I totally do!"
Aye that young dragon. While shaking my head, I noticed Bandit's cage again. Dropping down, I ran over to it.
"Psst! Hey kid?"
He appeared out from behind his bed of blankets. Obviously cowering, and drenched to the bone. A wave of pity fell upon me looking at his figure. The door was open, but he stayed in his cage, only looking towards me. "It's me, kid. Marvin." Now he recognized me, making his way over. "Hey kid, how-are-you doing?"
"I'm... c-c-cold."
"Yeah, that's the rain." I undid my jacket, passing it to him. I was instantly met with the frigid waters, but I just grit my teeth. The wet met me, and I just crossed my arms.
"T-thank you."
"No problem."
"You can't come with me," Winter said. "I'm going to Queen Glacier. I need to explain it all to her and get her to help me find Hailstorm."
I looked back to Bandit, remembering the Kingdom of Ice, Bastogne in the wintertime.
"Hey kid. That white dragon, Winter, you know him? He's going somewhere, somewhere you can't follow. You follow. You die. Hey, kid!" He dropped to his knees and crumpled. "Hey man. Get up. Stay strong."
"What is there to stay strong too?" I saw the terrible longing. This kid was about broken. I felt his headache in my own chest. Longing for his family, longing for his parents. He just wanted to go home, same as me.
"Hey, kid. I'm the same. I got lost, now I'm here. I don't know how, I don't know why. I want to go home as much as you do." His eyes widened. I offered my hand through the bars, motioning him forward. He hesitated for a moment, then got up and took my hand. I took the sharp pang of uncomfortableness I gained from him. That longing increased to the point of me shedding a tear, but it was lost to the rain. Damnit. I'm not a councilor. Momma is though. I shook my head clear. "Listen up and listen close." I grabbed the small sheet of paper that I hastily scribbled a map. A square with a triangle sat atop it marked the campsite. A rocky drawn semi-circle with the initials J.M.A. were written underneath for Jade Mountain Academy. I hastily scribbled an X with a pencil in the quickly dampening paper, I leaned over it to shield it as much as I could. "It's not to scale, but it's a map of the area. This," I pointed to the 1st grade shapes which were supposed to be a house. "That's my campsite. There's food, water, and shelter there." I passed the paper to him. "Where did you use to live son?"
"I... I don't know. S-somewhere cold, snowy. Not here."
Ice Kingdom. I started scribbling on the other side in the best dragon I could manage. The claws and other symbols I mymiced as best I could. "Any landmarks, places you remember?"
"Um." The poor guy shook. "A cliff? A big cliff. And... the ocean?"
"Good, good, that's good. Anything else you remember?" I wrote down his interpretation as best I could.
"Far away from the dragons. At least three day's ride away from them."
Three days.... On foot. I signed it in my own initials in dragon. I passed the paper to him. "Go to the camp and collect yourself."
I drew out my compass, getting my bearing. Finding north, and pointing.
"That way's north. That lines up with this." I showed him how to read my map. "This is north, so if you keep going this way, you'll end up at the camp." He nodded. "Remember, if you loose your way, the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west." I followed it up with the illustrations I quickly drew for him. "Find the camp. There's plenty of supplies for you."
Suddenly, a huge migraine buckled down on me. I groaned in pain alongside Grace and Moon.
"Marvin!" I heard the boy cry. I looked back, Moon was being held up by Kinkajou, Grace was nearly on the ground, I was up against the bars. I felt my wet jacket come over me again, while Bandit left for something.
"Grace," I started weakly, stumbling to my feet. "Are you- ARGH!"
Pain rocketed through my body. I fell into the mud. While I quickly supported myself by my shaking arms, something took hold of my voice. Eerie sounds, and a voice that was not my own. It was deeper, older, worn.