The True Tale of Morrowseer

Chapter 4

Morrowseer eyed the nervous young animus dragon with some distaste.

He looked like an opponent that would be easy to defeat in battle. His name was Stonemover  and he was a bit younger than Morrowseer.

They were standing by a rock, not far from the half demolished fortress. Stonemover kept wringing his talons and looking over his shoulder. Morrowseer let out a soft hiss. Were they seriously trusting this nervous animus? In Morrowseer's opinion, animus dragons should be brought down. They couldn't be trusted for all the gold in the world. Especially after what happened with the Darkstalker.

It's the IceWing blood, I'm sure. Stonemover had a smidgen IceWing in him, since his ancestor was half IceWing. That was two thousand years ago, but Morrowseer still thought that even a drop of a different kind of blood would mean traitorous activity.

"So," Morrowseer said menacingly. "Do you think that you can build a tunnel to the rainforest? And from there, a tunnel to the Kingdom of Sand?"

Stonemover shuffled anxiously. "I think so?"

Morrowseer snorted. "I don't think I like that question mark at the end of that statement. Can you, or can't you? Yes or no?"

"Yes?"

Morrowseer felt like throttling this dragon. "Fine. Then go ahead."

Stonemover took a deep, shuddering breath and placed his claws on the rock. It was actually a boulder, a huge, massive boulder that was taller than Battlewinner.

It looked like it was slowly melting away. Morrowseer hid his horror with a snarl. "Is it done now?" he asked.

"I-I think so." He rubbed himself with his talons, as if he were cold.

Morrowseer stepped right into the unsettling feeling and walked down the tunnel as if it were nothing. He heard Stonemover scampering behind him, but he didn't turn to look back.

After a minute or so, they reached the end of the tunnel. A soft light reached them, and Morrowseer took a deep breath. The air was so fresh, unlike the horrid smoke that they had to breathe on the volcano. He turned to Stonemover. "Kingdom of Sand. Now."

Stonemover gulped. "O-okay," he muttered

Morrowseer flicked him with his tail angrily, wishing that he had a SandWing barb on the end

The animus ducked his head and began to scratch at the earth, overturning bits of moss and other rainforest plants. 

Morrowseer took in a quick breath as a realization hit him. The tunnel could come out of anywhere in the Kingdom of Sand! The Scorpion Den, in the middle of an oasis - oh, and the stronghold! Morrowseer lashed his tail.

"Stonemover, stop. Go to the Kingdom of Sand and find a good entrance for this tunnel, then make it come to the rainforest."

"What!? The Kingdom of Sand? Fly there!?" Stonemover began to wring his talons furiously. Morrowseer wanted to bite his claws off to make him stop. "I can't do it. I'm sorry. I can't."

"No one ever thought you could," Morrowseer growled. "You're just a weak RainWing on the inside, and you're going to fail our tribe."

Stonemover opened and closed his jaws, as if he was going to say something. Then he finally clamped his jaws shut and nodded mutely.

"Good."

Well aware of Stonemover's confused and hurt expression, Morrowseer swept majestically towards the tunnel and back to the Night Kingdom. He thought that he could hear the whisper of wings behind him, signaling that Stonemover had begun his journey to the Kingdom of Sand, but it might have been the wind brushing against the leaves instead.

Morrowseer felt as if he were choking when he returned to the smog-filled island. His throat ached, and the air seemed even more sharp and unwelcoming than usual.