Wings of Fire: Revenant

Chapter Seven

Needless to say, Clay was more than a little surprised when he woke to a very enthusiastic SkyWing standing over him.

"Um ... did I miss something?" he'd asked, shooting a quizzical look at Peacemaker.

"We seem to have acquired a few more volunteers," Peacemaker had explained.

With three new dragons helping out, work on the garden sped up exponentially. Out of the four students, Cliff was the largest and the strongest, and his huge wings made him remarkably fast, even with all of his heavy jewelry weighing him down. Peacemaker suggested that he at least take off the tail bands to make things easier for himself, but Cliff seemed to have perceived that as a challenge, because he then started hauling loads of soil faster than they could dig them up.

Seeker wasn't far behind Cliff when it came to physical prowess. A lifetime of carrying metal and swinging hammers had given her impressive upper body strength, and her forelegs rippled with muscle as she dug.

Auklet didn't have much by way of athleticism, but seemed thrilled just to be helping. "My mother would have a fit if she saw me doing this," she said, holding up her muddied talons with a delighted grin.

They were moving so fast that by midday they had all the new soil they needed, and by early afternoon they were filling up the very last of the newly dug garden beds.

"I think that's all the help we're going to need from you, Clay" Peacemaker said. "The rest is mostly going to be planting."

Clay gave a long stretch and rolled his broad shoulders. "Well, if you're sure, I won't say no to getting a little extra rest before class tomorrow."

"Thanks again for everything," said Peacemaker. "You've been a big help."

Clay acknowledged his words with a contented smile before raising his soil-flecked wings and sailing away.

"So how does this work?" Cliff asked, dancing on the tips of his claws as Peacemaker pulled the satchel full of seedlings towards them. Far from tiring him out, all the activity had only seemed to increase the SkyWing's nervous energy. "We just dig a hole and stuff them in?"

"There will be no stuffing here today," Peacemaker declared as he flipped up the satchel cover to reveal the plants inside. "You gently pick them up at the base," he continued, demonstrating with a tiny tomato sprout, "then you lightly poke a hole in the ground, and then you gingerly place the roots into it, and then you softly sweep some dirt over them."

"I'm about to softly fall asleep," Cliff returned. "Don't you have something more challenging I can do?"

"You could try sitting still and being quiet," Peacemaker suggested wryly.

"Oh, hardy har har," said Cliff as he crawled to the top of a nearby boulder and plopped down with his wings spread. "You are absolutely hilarious."

"Could I give it a try?" Seeker asked, prodding the satchel with her talon.

"Of course," Peacemaker replied, pointing to a spot a few spaces away from the sprout he had planted, "you can put it right here. We want to give it room to grow."

Seeker nodded, gently removing another tomato plant and doing as Peacemaker had demonstrated. This sprout was taller than the last, causing it to droop under its own weight when Seeker placed it in the ground. She tried to push it back into place, but it only flopped forlornly in the opposite direction. Seeker frowned, shooting Peacemaker a discouraged look.