Hidden Flame

Chapter 2

"Peril!"

She turned around quickly to face a distressed mudwing, staring back at her intently.

"Oh, Clay, what do you need?" she asked nervously.

"Uh, can you tell me anything about what I did last night? Everyone says I was with you."

"Uh, yeah, sure. You came to me for help after eating some weird mushroom. You were all dizzy and crazy."

She made sure to leave out one important fact, in which he could never know.

"Oh, ok. Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem."

She watched him walk away, and sighed. Internally, she was panicking, but she couldn't let that show. A couple of months later, she went to the healer's office for the first time, and she found out she was expecting an egg.

"Yes, yes, peril, right?" asked the bright green rainwing.

"Yes, that's me," she replied curtly.

"So, what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing."

"Really?"

"Yes. But I have some news that you might want to hear."

"What?"

"You're expecting an egg."

"Great joke, but what's really going on?"

"That's it, the truth."

"WHAT?!"

She stormed out, her claws fizzling under the stone floor. "This cannot be happening, it cannot be happening!" mumbled the shocked skywing.

"Hmm?" answered a peppy voice.

"What's up Peril? You look like you just saw Darkstalker!" she giggled.

Peril looked up at Sunny, her tears steaming the second they touched her scales.

"Sunny, go away. I need to be alone right now."

"Peril? Peril! Why are you crying?"

"Seriously, please, just go away!"

"Alright, if that's what you want." The sandwing hybrid sulked away, looking more and more pissed every time Peril looked back.

I need to go, she thought. I need to leave. I can't let anyone know about it. Never. She thought, determined. And so the next day, she looked around her cave, thinking of how many adventures she'd been on since the day she arrived at Jade Mountain. She turned her back on the cave and walked out the entrance. She walked down the long hallway to Clay's office (or cave but not for sleeping) and looked at him. "Clay," she began, "I'm leaving. Maybe for a few years, maybe more. One day, I'll be back, but I want to explore the world. I will be back, for sure."

She left the cave in tears, almost running down the empty hallways.

"PERIL! PERIL!" Clay yelled behind her, but she kept walking until she got to the edge and flew as far as her wings would carry her, as far as she could get from Clay and everyone she once knew in Pyrrhia.