Memories

Chapter 5

Mangrove stands over us, his wings shifting through shades of green & crimson. Orchid is sitting nearby, trying to figure out how to get the flowers from spilling out of a vase while she's flying. Iris is sitting beside me, trying to look confident & mature as she attempts to convince her parents to let her stay. It doesn't work very well, as her scales are a sad blue-grey.

Orchid walks over & greets me kindly. I respond sweetly: "Hello, Mrs. Orchid."

Mangrove clears his throat. "Orchid, I love you, but I'm trying to be stern here..."

"Aww! I love you, too!" The bubbly dragoness hugs her husband & goes back to packing Iris's things.

Iris looks her father dead in the eyes, & starts pleading, "Please can I stay, dad?? I have a social life here!!"

Mangrove massages his temples & lets out a sigh, "I just can't, sweetie. I don't want to lose any of my family for even a short time."

Orchid walks over with Iris's travel chest. "Iris, sweetie, it's time to go," she says sadly, a guilty purple-orange tugging at her ruffs.

Iris sobs & hugs me tightly, basically wrapping her entire snake-like body around mine. I hug her back, burying my face in the taller dragoness's chest.

Iris pulls away from me, wiping the tears from my cheek. She turns towards her parents, who are looking at us with conflicting colors racing across their scales.

Mangrove sighs for, like, the four millionth time, "You know what? If it means do much to you, maybe I'll let you stay..."

Orchid smiles & pulls Iris aside. She whispers in the loudest whisper ever whispered: "Bring her home for break."

Iris's scales turn bright crimson & I'm sure that I would look the same if I were a RainWing. Mangrove chuckles & flies back to the rainforest. Orchid winks at us & follows him.

We walk over to Daisy & her families, who are all doting over each other. Clay is telling Sunny how much she grew since they last saw each other. Peril & Sky are catching up. Daisy's twin brother, Scorch is trying to convince her to come home so that he can keep her safe. Except, Scorch is mute, so he's using sign language & his little sister, Amber is interpreting. Sunny & Sky's oldest daughter, Perfume, is trying not to laugh as her little brother, Mesa, attempts to make his tales of history class sound entertaining to their little sister, Sandy, who does not look impressed.

A deep blue SeaWing lands on the ledge & her triplets run to greet her. Ebb is the first one to reach her. He looks like a smaller, less wrinkly Webs, who hasn't given up on life yet. His jewelry is decorated with clam shells, which he collects. Next is Hurricane, a powder blue & light pink dragoness. Her pearl crown is adorned with conch shells, as are her earrings, one of her necklaces, & her bracelet. The last one is Pearl, who is dripping with pearls, pearls, & more pearls. A pearl encrusted nose ring hangs from her nostrils. She looks almost identical to her mother, except that her scales are a slightly lighter color & the triplets all have hazel eyes.

The dragoness addresses her dragonets, "Alright, which of you wanna stay, which of you want to go home?"

Pearl says, "I think I'm gonna stay."

"Pearl, take this into consideration real quick: Blaze decided to vacation in the kingdom of the sea. With her family," her mother says slyly. "By the way, Velvet caught word that I was visiting you. She said to give you this."

The SeaWing holds out a little wrapped package, which Pearl quickly snatches, saying, "I'm going home!"

Hurricane waves Scorch over & he wraps a wing around her. The kind dragonet looks up at her mother, saying, "I'm gonna stay here. Scorch & I just became official!" Scorch nods, trying not to blush. Hurricane's mother smiles & nods in understanding.

She turns to her son, who, sometime between him walking over to her, & everyone looking at him, gained a bespectacled tribrid hugging him tightly, begging him to stay at school. The SeaWing looks at his mother helplessly, "I guess I'm staying." Mesa cheers & does a little happy dance.

The SeaWing mother nods & turns back towards the doorway, "Alright then, Pearl, let's go." Pearl's gift was apparently a new bracelet with a red garnet & a pearl strung onto it, because she is now wearing it & staring at it as if it was the mist perfect thing ever created. She naps out of her trance & nods, following her mother back to the kingdom of the sea.

Soon, the rest of everyone's family members leave & we return to our classes... With boulders blocking the entrances & exits.