Scales to Skin

I

Moonwatcher

A few days after Darkstalker was defeated, the Jade Winglet returned to school at Jade Mountain Academy. With Icicle locked away, Umber and his sister, Sora, felt it safe to return to school. I was on my way to class, walking alongside Kinkajou.

"I wonder what we're going to learn about today! I'm sure Sunny has something awesome planned! Oh, I hope I won't have to be able to read! Because of Darkstalker, I never got the chance to learn. Will you translate for me, Moon?" The RainWing turned to look at me with big, pleading eyes. I laughed.

"If you need me to," I responded, and she beamed.

"Thanks! I'm so excited! I hope we get to learn more about the Scorching, and the world when it was run by scavengers! Scavengers are so interesting, don't you think?" I nodded along, smiling, when the boys appeared behind me.

"Hey, Moon, what do you think of my earring?" Qibli said, startling me, "I decided to get a new one since almost every dragon in Pyrrhia has the amber one." I turned and smiled. It was made from obsidian carved in the shape of a star, with little silver dots all over it. It went amazingly with his pale scales and dark eyes.

"It's gorgeous," I said, and he smiled.

"Hey lovebirds, snap out of it," Umber said, rolling his eyes. Color rushed to my cheeks and I started stuttering.

"Oh, no-it's not-we don't-" I fell silent as I saw Winter look down out of the corner of my eye. I quietly walked into the classroom, hoping Sunny would save me from this awkward moment. The little SandWing was talking to Peril, who was wearing some sort of amulet. Shockingly, it didn't burn.

"Welcome, class," Sunny said as we filed in, "Today we will be learning about scavengers. Actually, the other dragonets and I decide that we should test out this lesson plan on you, as you are the winglet least likely to eat these creatures." I nodded. That was for sure.

"Dragons know very little about scavengers, and we want that to change. We ask each of you to go out during this class time to find one scavenger. Over the course of a couple weeks, we want you to record how well they get along, how long it takes for them to trust you, and how intelligent they truly are." Everyone nodded, but Turtle put his talon up.

"What about Peril?" He asked, " Wouldn't any scavenger she tries to touch just burn up?" 

"Excellent question! See this amulet? It was crafted by an animus, my father, actually. It takes away her firescales, but can be removed any time she wants her fire," Sunny explained.

"Now, the forest in between the mountain range and the Sand Kingdom is the best place to look for scavengers. This part of the world is the least inhabited by dragons, so it is the safest for them," She led us to a tunnel in the classroom that opened out onto a ledge. Stretching out far below us were the woods. I turned to Sunny and she nodded, so I took off into the trees.

"LAST ONE WITH A SCAVENGER IS CLEANING MY CAVE!" Qibli shouted as he dove into the trees. I chuckled to myself, landing on the soft, pine covered dirt. I closed my eyes, taking in the scent of the woods, and opened my mind. 

I could hear Peril, thinking joyfully about how she could get near to other dragons now, and how maybe the other SkyWings wouldn't hate her as much anymore. I could hear Umber, cursing himself as he crashed through the trees, eliminating any chance of stealth. I could hear Kinkajou, trying to keep silent but actually singing out everything on her mind, (this mainly consisting of how beautiful the trees looked and how pretty the birds sounded) so I didn't really need to open my mind to her. I could hear Turtle, wondering if he should use magic to find a scavenger, and taking Qibli's bet completely seriously. I could hear Qibli, trying to blend in, but not matching the dark browns and bright greens at all, and scolding himself on his failures. I could hear Winter, breathing quietly, and keeping all his emotions in as he stalked through the forest, though I knew how giddy he actually was to be studying real life scavengers. I could hear Sunny, circling far above the trees, looking out for anyone in need of assistance, and hoping desperately that this was a good idea.