Wings of Fire Legends • The Blue Comet

Chapter Fourteen

After drinking whatever concoction had been presented to him, and a few hours of rest, Prion was feeling much better than before.

     He woke to the sight of a dark forest. For a moment, he felt confused at the lack of ice. Where was Ptarmigan, and how were Puffin and Chinstrap?

     Then, as his eyes adjusted and he detected the faint outline of starlight on the burnt rainforest floor, he remembered.

     The Third Task. Chin and Puffin returning empty-taloned. The Blue Comet. My Exile. This hopeless mission.

     "He's awake! Good morning, Sad IceWing!"

     Prion blinked and two dragonets materialized out of nowhere. He was laying on a bed of leaves under the temporary village the RainWings had set up, in an untouched part of the forest near the burnt clearing. Earlier, he had helped them put out the remaining fires, thus securing this site. They had offered him a flimsy-looking hammock woven from vines, but Prion had chosen to sleep on the ground instead.

     In front of him, Lemur and another dragonet were smiling at him. Prion smiled back. "Good morning, Lemur and..."

     The other dragonet shifted in the darkness. "F-Fig."

     "Good morning, Fig." She still seemed shaken up from yesterday's attack, and Prion gave her his softest smile to show things would be alright.

     "So!" Lemur bounced closer to Prion, placing his talons on the bigger dragon's and looking up at him in awe. "Are you going to follow Jaguar and your other friend?"

     Prion felt a flash of guilt at how easily he had abandoned Pathfinder. She had seemed convinced he was important beyond her one vision with him, and Jaguar looked at him with hope and gratefulness after he had put out the fires around the remains of his village. Then, as soon they had needed him, Prion had left them.

     I was too tired to continue, he tried to rationalize, but the reasoning sounded flimsy, even to him.

     "Well?" pressed Lemur. The dragonet's eyes flashed in the lightening morning, and Prion was reminded of Puffin. She never gives up until I give her an answer, too.

     But... Pathfinder and The Blue Comet are probably long gone by now. I'll never catch up to them. "I would, but-"

     "But what? You saved the Rainforest! Your ice can put out the Comet's fires! You can stop it!"

     No, I can't. But as Prion opened his mouth to politely turn Lemur away, he caught Fig's eye over the small RainWing's shoulder. She looked at him with tears in her eyes – pain from the previous day – but there was such hope in the way she was fixed on him. Like he was the only dragon who could make that pain go away, or at least make it hurt a little less.

     Prion looked down at Lemur again. He had the same look in his eyes as Fig, although it was harder to see. He held himself high to look strong, just like his Puffin, but deep down Prion knew he was worried more than he should be.

     "You really think I could?" he breathed, then felt the spikes on his back raise in fear that he had spoken aloud.

     "Not if you sleep the day away here," Lemur said and climbed off Prion's talon to slink away through the ferns. Fig took a step forward to pull on Prion's claw.

     He answered the plea in her eyes by standing.

     They led him to a tree carrying several sturdy hammocks. As they ascended into the canopy, he smelled sharp herbs and fragrant mixtures similar to the sleeping drink he had been given yesterday. Lemur and Fig landed on a thick branch where two pale blue RainWings were crushing leaves and mixing pastes.