Wings Of Honor: Heart of Ice

Chapter 6: Hide Then Seek

"Moons," Glory muttered, staring over our shoulders at the corpse. I knelt down to close his eyes, muttering a prayer. "This is bad, Winter. Bad for your sister, bad for the peace of the rainforest." When I looked up back to her, I noticed dark red was growing along Glory's wings and spine areas. Some even rubbing off on Grace, her wingtips a blood red.
"The NightWings are going to set their heads on fire." Qibli agreed. "No, wait. They're going to set the closest IceWing's head on fire. Winter, I hope your skull is as thick as it looks."
I only walked back up to Grace. I have seen many dead bodies in my day, but never dead dragons. You never quite get used to it. I'll never get used to dead dragons. Especially dragons who look like the one you're supposed to care for.
Suddenly, I realized Winter was staring at Moon, like he was trying to get her attention without speaking.
Moon, don't look now, but Winter is looking at you.
Sue turned towards him, a confused look. He tilted his head questioningly, an obvious signal. All three of us shook our heads. Icicle's mind wasn't anywhere nearby.
"If Icicle sees you four, she'll know you're here to stop her," Glory said. She gave Moon a worried glance. "Let's get you somewhere safe."
"And you," Moon pointed out back to Glory.
The queen snorted, as if she was pretty sure she could handle anything anyone threw at her. That's the mindset that got me into this whole predicament, in more ways than one. She led the way back to the royal pavilion.
"What happened?" Kinkajou yelped as soon as she saw us. She leaped up, her scales shifting into spirals of orange and lavender. "Did you find her Uh-oh, Winter looks mad. Well, actually, that's how he always looks. Is he mad? What happened?"
Deathbringer was there, too, stamping around, making the platform shake, and "accidentally" ripping flowers off the vines.
"By yourself?" He roared at Glory. "With four little dragonets to protect you?"
Hey! Grace is by no means little! I wanted to yell in real life.
Grace just giggled.
"Excuse me," Winter objected. "Dragons my age are seasoned warriors where I come from. We guard the queen all the time in the Ice Kingdom."
"Don't get your tail in a knot." Glory said to Deathbringer. Her sloth was already clambering up her tail onto her back again. "My top secret invisible guard was following us, too, and you know it."
"But I wasn't." He protested. That caused me to raise an eyebrow.
She gave him an exasperated look. "You can't always be," she said in a low, surprisingly affectionate voice that perfectly lined up with what I had assumed about the queen and her bodyguard. "So calm down and trust me to take care of myself."
"Says the dragon who got herself chained up in a lava prison," Deathbringer muttered, getting the final word in.
"The important thing is that we know the IceWing is here," Glory said.
"She is?" Kinkajou squeaked. "Actually here? In the rainforest? Right this minute?"
Yup. Right here, right now. Somehow hiding from the Rainwings, while killing any vulnerable Nightwings she can find. Everyone's in danger.
Winter looked like he was contemplating the trolly problem, like really thinking it through. Although, to be honest, I would choose to kill the one person. For the greater good... right? But as soon as you place a friend, family, or someone I know on the tracks... well... let's just say they take priority over someone I don't know, unless they tell me otherwise.
Glory's tail lashed back and forth as she began issuing orders. "We need to organize teams to search, starting here and spreading outward. I also need you to come look at something for me." She brushed Deathbringer's tail lightly with her own.
Likely to identify that body over there. He's a Nightwing village Nightwing, at least knows more people than Grace or Moon.
Stop being so morbid for once.
Okay. I can't really help it.
"As for you all," Glory said, turning to Winter and Moon and Grace and Qibli. I already knew what was coming, sighing. "I think the safest place is the dragonet wingery. It's not far, it's already well-fortified, and I'll double the guard to protect you."
"What?" Winter cried, flaring his wings. "You can't lock us up with a bunch of new-hatched dragonets! I need to look for my sister!"
Glory shook her head. "I'm sorry, Winter. But if anything happens to you, the IceWings will declare war on us, and I wouldn't blame them. Keeping you safe is the most important thing." She hesitated. "I promise to let you speak with her when we find her."
"Unless an overzealous NightWing kills her first!" Winter shouted. Lashing his tail furiously. "You can't promise me you'll keep her alive! I know how NightWings are — they'll kill her the moment they see her!"
"I am their queen," Glory said with the steely ferocity of a determined leader, "and I will not let them do that."
"She's my sister!" Winter roared.
"Exactly!" Glory snapped back. "So you're in danger from her and from the entire tribe of NightWings, once they find out what she did! I'm not having any more dead dragons in my rainforest today."
Qibli walked up and laid a hand on Winter's back foot. Surprised, he whirled around, snarling.
"Stop arguing with her." Qibli whispered through his teeth.
"She's not going to give in." Kinkajou agreed. Behind her, Moon nodded, along with Grace, adding the weight of two mind readers to that suggestion.
Glory was already turning back to Deathbringer and a pair of scout leaders. Winter shoved Qibli away. He was not done fighting about this. Judging from his face, there was no way he was going to sit quietly with a bunch of baby dragons while an enemy tribe chased down his sister. I braced myself for the impending plan.
"Listen," Qibli hissed, shoving him back. "If you keep arguing, she'll add even more guards. Just agree, and then we'll sneak off. It's the only way."
Kinkajou's eyes went wide and her scales turned an odd shade of yellowish-green. But Moon was nodding again. Grace looked back at me, I agreed.
"We'll figure it out." Moon agreed in a whisper.
"We'll make sure you're the first one to find your sister." Grace took up the rest.
Winter ground his teeth together with a barely audible screech that sent shivers down my spine. He wanted to fight, to go after her alone, if need be; probably preferably. He was a lone wolf, and did not like taking orders,
But... even he was beginning to come around that Qibli's idea was much better. Agreeing.