Wings Of Fire: Closing Eyes (Prequel To The Last Day Series)

Epiphyte - 26

   The announcement was pulling at the edges of Epiphyte's mind.

    What was it? He wondered, glancing at Beige flying beside him. He was probably right- sometimes the radios could be wrong, especially if some of the protesters did break in to try and stir something up.

    Epiphyte sighed. He'd been on edge since he lost Splinter, and even more so once he saw him in the park.

   The sight of him still haunted him. The sight of his entrails and bones rotting away, slowly being replaced with a plant- made Epiphyte nauseous. He'd rather die than his body and mind slowly rot away from his control. 

     There's nothing you can do about it now. 

     Up ahead, Epiphyte could see Bloom waving to him. She was pointing to the ground, between the rows of the buildings.

    "What?" Epiphyte shouted, startling Beige.

    "Ice cream!" Bloom bellowed back, pointing again. "You want some?"

     "YES," Beige shouted, shooting ahead Epiphyte, sending him spinning. With a laugh, he righted himself and flew after his friend.

     There was a little ice cream shop in a smaller part of the City, with the tallest of the buildings reaching four stories, unlike the massive skyscrapers of the inner City. The shop sat on a corner, with indoor and outdoor seating along the sidewalk, named "Khepri's Korner."*

    Epiphyte landed, and Beige was holding the door for him. Cool air drifted over his snout as his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit shop. Palm leaf fans were cooling down the joint, and a SandWing was leaning over the counter, trying to scrub out a stubborn stain.

   "Oh," he said, looking up. "Excuse me-" He cleared his throat and squinted at a flashcard on the counter, adjusting his glasses. "Welcome to Khepri's Korner!" He said in a grand tone. "We have smoothies! We have ice cream! We have- other, not cold dessert-related food items!" He smiled, his talons figdeting. "Take any seat you'd like."

    The shop was empty, other than apparently Khepri and the group. There was a large booth at the corner of the shop, with one of the two windows open.

    "How about over here?" Crab suggested. Agate nodded and leaned against him briefly. An awful, jealous feeling took Epiphyte by surprise. What? he thought at himself. There's no need to be jealous of their love. Even if you've lost yours.

      "This is good," Epiphyte said, sliding into the booth. The others followed, and Khepri came to the table to take orders. They gave him their orders and he went away, yelling at a dragon who was in the back the orders.

    "What do you think is happening with the attack right now?" Beige asked, resting his arms on the table.

    "The usual, probably." Landslide shrugged. "Dragons dying and getting infected."

    "Yeah," Agate sighed. "It's sad."

    "It is," Crevasse said as Exo hushed Jellyfish who was complaining about the heat. "I hope this is all over soon so we can get back to normal,"

     "It will be," Bloom said, taking her talon. "And we can go to every beach and eat ice cream all day!" 

      Exo smiled. "I like the way hot sand feels on my scales."

      "What are you, a SandWing?" Epiphyte joked.

      "Hey, not all of us like super hot sand. It's really hot in the desert." Beige said. "I like cooler sand in the shade of palm trees. Very tranquil."