Where Smoke Bleeds Gold

Chapter Twelve - Strong

Typhoon's scales were slathered thinly with the muddy water she threw up. I was hoping it would make her scales less chapped, and she seemed to do better with it cooling her off. The problem was, the mud was drying to her scales and it cracked off as she slipped on the roof. I suppose she never had to walk up something so steeply inclined before, and maybe the lack of practice was the reason I was holding onto her. I reached a talon out to the roof of the next building, but the sudden movement through Typhoon off balance, and she slipped, pulling me down.
"Almost," I said, holding her tight. I fell back, pulling her with me to the next roof, a sandstone building that held out weight as we stepped onto the level roof. We struggled along climbing the next three buildings before noticing a window open on a multistory sandstone house.
"Kindling?" I called into the building, wondering if he would even be here. The sun was beginning to set on our backs, so I had hoped that he would be home before dark like Flicker usually did. If mother expected Flicker to be home when we were, I assumed she wouldn't be.
"Kindling!" I called into the dark room, trying to peer into the inky blackness.
"Who's there?" A gruff voice asked. I haven't seen Kindling in a while, but I didn't remember him with such a low voice.
"Flare," I said. A little fire lit the room. It crept closer and closer until the face behind it lit up with the sunsets red glow. It wasn't Kindling. Their talon suddenly reached out and gripped onto my horn.
"Do you know where he went?" He said, who I could only imagine was his father. "Are you one of his friends that he says he's been hanging out with?" He asked.
"No, sorry," I said, wrangling out of his grip. He suddenly let go, staring at me.
"Oh," He said, stepping back into the dark room. "If you find him, tell him to come home," He said, walking back. "Tell him I'm sorry," Again, the room was dark, the dragon had left it. It took me a moment to get my thoughts together.
"He's not here," I said, turning to Typhoon. She stared at me, the mud on her face thin and cracked.
"Next?" Typhoon asked, looking up at me. My gaze strayed from her as the sun caught my attention. The tall dark dunes casting shadows as the sun set behind them. In the shadows were two figures, two flames.
"Wait," I said, nudging her to the side. Anyone could be standing outside the gates. Anyone can be traveling through the desert, but... Maybe, just maybe.
"Come on," I said, opening my wings to fly past the wall. We needed to be fast, because if they were who I thought they were, they could be gone before we got there. She began to spread her wings too, hesitantly. I jumped off the building, wings wide as I flew toward the wall. Only one dragon stood at the wall. I could've sworn he had a partner the last time I saw him. He stared quietly at me as I flew over. I hovered in mid air, testing him as I turned to see Typhoon. She stood at the edge of the building, wings midway open. I gestured for her to come with me, but she stood still. Gliding down beside her, I grabbed onto her shoulders.
"Flare?" Typhoon said as I pulled her off the building.
"It's fine. Even hatchlings fly," I said with a push.
"Flare!" She said, but it was already too late. I pulled her a few claw lengths in the air, but she was flapping her wings and losing altitude as she struggled.
"Glide!" I yelled, digging into her shoulders to try and keep her afloat. Even though I beat my wings faster and harder, she still yelled and struggled.
"You guys suck at flying," The guard said from the wall. With a twist I threw Typhoon up at the wall, and she crashed beside the guard. The guard shifted, putting a spear on Typhoon's back.
"Intruders," The guard called, sounding like they couldn't care less. I tried to shove the guard away, but he stayed still like a monument.
"Please," I said, digging my talons into this armor as I tried to shove him away.
"I don't know what you expect," He said, barely giving me a second glance. I stared at him as I heard clattering armor begin to make its way toward us. I suddenly lurched forward, my talons digging under his helmet as he fell back. A giant burn scar adorned his face. His eyes were sharp orange just like Flicker's.
"Go!" I yelled to Typhoon, shoving her off the wall and making a frantic fall after her.
"Glide! Glide!" I screamed after her, pulling up on her neck. Her thick wings stretched as far as they could, but for whatever reason she didn't seem able to get air resistance to ride on the desert breeze. The ground came up faster and faster. Bracing ourselves for impact, I wrapped my wings around the both of us. Not even a moment lasted before we crashed into the sand. The sand was still warm from Sun's rays. It wouldn't be long before frozen winds from the north cooled down the desert. Looking back at the giant wall, any of the guards could've flown to us easily. Yet the way the fires floated still at the top of the wall made me think none of them had the effort to do so.
"Kindling!" Typhoon yelled, running away from me. I looked up at her to see her crash into a hug with Kindling like they were good friends.
"Oh, hi," He said, patting her back hesitantly. "Who are you?" He asked.
"I am Typhoon, Nice to meet you, I can not talk good," She said, letting Kindling out of the hug.
"Kindling!" I screamed out of excitement, kicking off sand as I tried to stand up from where we crashed.
"Flare?" I heard Flicker yell, her dark figure was barely distinguishable between her dark scales and the mountainside. Her Firehorn burned brightly as she ran toward me. I managed to jump up in time to give her a hug. I tried to hide suddenly rushing tears in her scales.
"Where did you go?" She asked, hugging me tightly to her chest. "You were gone for so long and I-" She began, the words flying off her tongue. "I am so sorry, little brother," She said, stepping back to look at me. I held my face on her shoulder, refusing to let her see my tears.
"It's okay," I said, completely blissful just to feel her warmth once again.
"No, I should've never said that," She said, gathering me into a hug again. "I won't do it again,"
"Okay," I said smiling. I didn't want to be anywhere else.
"You guys know each other?" Kindling asked. I looked up to see Typhoon playing with his wings, watching as the webbing stretched the more she pulled on them.
"We're siblings," Flicker said, letting me go from the hug.
"What a small world," Kindling said, the features of his face flickering in and out like his Firehorn.
"How do you know each other?" I asked, walking up to Kindling.
"School," Flicker said quickly, jumping beside us.
"Is your tail still doing its thing?" Kindling asked, fire sparking in his mouth to create more light to see. My face flushed red as I looked between them.
"I-ahm," I began, not knowing what to say. I looked to Typhoon, but she seemed too invested in Kindling.
"Dear Creation, you are insensitive," Flicker said, hitting him with her tail.
"No, it's fine," I said, flexing the spikes on my tail to move in and out of a fist like position. I looked up at Kindling, who had awe smothered on his face.
    "I don't see how that's not amazing," He said, bumping into Flicker.
"It's a hatch defect," She said, and I wasn't sure if she was trying to say it was a natural thing or if it was luckily rare. A teal face poked out from behind Kindling, bright eyes fixed on my tail. I suddenly stopped, swinging my tail behind me.
"Where did you go?" Flicker asked me, cocking her head left.
"And who's fishtail?" Kindling asked as Typhoon hid under his wing.
"Typhoon!" Fishtail exclaimed, rocking in the sand.
"Down to the forest," I said, pointing south. "Where I met a bunch of dragons including Typhoon, she's from the ocean,"
"Like a siren?" Flicker asked.
"Everyone is convinced she's a sea dragon," I said. The darkness of the night began to sweep across the sky, stars poking in from the void. It was getting rather dark. "Anyway, where are you going?" I asked.
"We were going to one of the better nests," Flicker said simply.
"Oh," I said.
"Typhoon," Kindling said, catching my attention. Kindling was walking in circles trying to shake Typhoon off from his wings, but she held on tightly. Flicker held in a snicker as they continued their game.
"Would you two be able to help me?" I asked. Flicker gave me a side glance, her face barely visible with the constant changing of her Firehorn.
"What happened?" She asked, pity in her voice. I winced, wishing she hadn't.
"Our other friends were captured by CavernScale guards,"  I said, feeling embarrassed.
"I'd be cool with that," said Kindling, sitting down in defeat as Typhoon wrapped herself in his wings. Flicker stayed quiet for a moment, fixated on Kindling.
"Yeah, I guess we could go," She said.
"Thank youuuu," I said, wrapping her into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," I began, but before I could even get another syllable out, she clamped my jaw shut.
"Don't make me regret this," She said. I nodded, quickly shutting up. Flicker spread her wings, getting ready to fly off.
"Wait," I said, getting her attention. "Typhoon... can't fly," Hoping that it wouldn't be the thing to make her change her mind. She looked at me for a moment.
"Alright," She said, folding her wings onto her back.
"Otherwise, Typhoon and I were going to leave tonight," I said.
"That's rather short notice," Flicker said, momentarily quiet. "Let's get going then," She said, a smile hidden by the shadows.