Wings of Fire: Starling's Sky

Chapter 4

"I'm not sure..." Ms. Aster said, eyeing the small golden item in her talons, "I've never heard of this... 'Wings of Power'."

Ms. Aster was covered in shades of brilliant purple and shimmering orange. Her long hook-like talons held the pendant softly.

"Aw!" Mango groaned, shades of blue and orange, "but- you must know something!"

"I'm afraid I don't," Ms. Aster handed the pendant back to Starling, who had carried it to the school.

Starling drooped.

Maybe I won't find my parents.

"You're a Skywing, right?" Ms. Aster went on, "I believe someone in the Sky Kingdom would know much more than me."

"So we go to the Sky Kingdom then!" Mango exclaimed, determined, turning bright red.

"But we have school tomorrow!" Starling protested, "and I have to help father on the farm!"

"Hmph!" Mango huffed, bringing Staring out of the room then whispered, "who cares about school! Lets go now! Finding your parents will be way more fun than school!"

"Alright," Starling sighed, "fine. Let's do it."

"YEAH!" Mango roared, exploding into cascades of bright yellow and pink, "that's my guy!"

Mango punched Starling in the shoulder, making him wince.

"Let's go!" Mango leaped up into the trees, "to the Sky Kingdom! Woohoo!"

* * *

Starling huffed, trying to keep up with Mango as they gild through the trees.

"Come on, sloth!" Mango joked, "we gotta move fast if we wanna be to the mountains by sundown!"

"I know!" Starling huffed, "maybe it'd be faster if we flew above the trees!"

"Okay, big-wings!" Mango joked, leaping up above the canopy.

Starling clambered to follow her; jumping through all the branches and wet leaves, up up up above the trees. The sky was so much more open up here. He spread his wings, stretching out his whole body in the open air. He felt so free up here. He caught up to Mango, gliding alongside her. Mango's scales rippled the same sky blues and pale cloudy whites to match the sky around them. It was hard to see her, nothing more than a peculiar ripple in the sky. Starling looked at the position of the sun, realizing how late it was in the afternoon. It would be sunset by the time they reached the mountains. Would they have to keep flying through the night?

As the sun began to grow lower in the sky and the sky turned shades of red and orange, they were flying over the heart of the Mud Kingdom.

"Maybe we should rest here for the night," Starling suggested, "we can fly to the Sky Kingdom in the morning. We're in the Mud Kingdom. With my colors I could pass for a Mudwing hybrid. And you could make your scales brown. Make yourself look like a Mudwing."

Mango's scales shifted to fit Starling's. The same ocher browns of his own scales reflected on her's like a mirror. Deep and brown like rainforest mud.

"Maybe make yourself look a little different from me," Starling said, "maybe a little brighter brown."

Mango rolled her eyes, making her scales a slightly brighter, more orangey brown, before diving down towards the swamps below. Starling dove to follow her and they landed in the cool mud next to a pond. The pond was surrounded by willow trees and filled with reeds and lily pads. The sounds of frog croaks and cicada buzzing filled the air.

Starling sat down, examining the sun pendant he'd been carrying the whole way here. Then they heard the snap of a tree branch, talonsteps approaching, and voices. Someone was here.