Poisonous Rage

Chapter Four

"We come from a continent named Pyrrhia. My... girlfriend, Moon, saw this place in a vision. We came here to find out why. Turtle and Tsunami can breathe underwater, because they're SeaWings, and I made a raft I could pick up and fly with until I got tired, where I could rest," Qibli explained.

"Turtle, Tsunami, Qibli, this is my girlfriend, Sundew," Willow introduced.

Joy spread through Sundew at that sentence. "Nice to meet you," Turtle groaned. Qibli and Tsunami nodded in consensus.

"Alright, you guys rest," Willow told them. As the two walked out of the prison, Willow yawned, her tongue arching up and her face scrunching adorably. Sundew smiled. Willow turned to her girlfriend and saw the expression on Sundew's face. "What?" Willow asked.

"You're cute when you yawn," Sundew teased. Willow rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Speaking of which, I think I'm going to go get some sleep."

Willow's brow furrowed. "Where?"

"I'll probably just curl up on some leaves," Sundew answered.

"I'm not letting you sleep on the ground, cold and alone. Come on. We can sleep at my hut," Willow suggested.

Sundew blushed but nodded. "Alright, lead the way."

Willow took off into the air, with Sundew close behind, and in just a little bit of time, they landed outside a small hut.

"Shh. My dad's still asleep," Willow whispered.

"Wait, you still live with your dad?" Sundew asked.

"You don't?" Willow responded. "In my village, you live with your family, unless you have a mate or a special circumstance. Then, you can move into your own hut."

Sundew thought about this for a moment. She understood why it made sense, but having to live with her mother her whole life sounded horrible. The two slipped inside, treading lightly so as not to wake up Willow's father.

They walked slowly and quietly through the house until Sundew's wing bumped a jar and it fell to the ground with a crash.

Sundew and Willow froze. After a moment, there was a thump of talons, like a dragon getting out of bed. "Willow?" Willow's dad mumbled, coming out of a room and rubbing his eyes with one talon. He froze when he saw Sundew.

"I can explain!" Willow cried. Her dad raised one eyebrow. "But it's kinda a long story. Want to wait until the morning?" Willow asked.

"Explain," her father responded.

"I'm from the other LeafWing village. When I was a dragonet, I chased a frog into the jungle, met your daughter, and we fell in love. We've been meeting each other almost every night at the spot where we first met and I don't care what other dragons think about us," Sundew explained fiercely.

Willow's father blinked. He opened and closed his mouth. "Huh," he finally answered.

"I'm really sorry, Dad! I should have told you, but I was worried you'd be angry. But what Sundew said is true," Willow apologized.

His face softened. "It's alright, Willow. It sounds like a complicated situation. If Sundew makes you happy, I'm more than okay with having her here. But can I ask why you are here?"

"Well, so, I left-" Sundew began.

"It's a really long story!" Willow blurted.

Willow's father and Sundew both frowned at the pale green LeafWing. "Alright," Willow's father said slowly, "we don't have to talk about it tonight. I'm Oak, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." Sundew responded. Oak nodded his assent and turned to go back to his bed.

Sundew waited a moment before turning to Willow. "Why didn't you want me to tell him?" she whispered.

"He would freak out if he knew what was going on and what the PoisonWings had done," Willow whispered back.

Sundew wrinkled her nose. "We are not PoisonWings! We're LeafWings!"

Willow rolled her eyes at their eternal argument. "Well, we're not SapWings, either. Just because we don't go around stealing the Book of Clearsight and burning down Hives doesn't mean we're sappy and useless."

Sundew sighed. "Let's just go to bed." Willow nodded and curled her tail around Sundew's. The two walked into Willow's room, claws clicking on the wood.

Willow's room was rather simple, with a bed of carved wood in the corner. A few pieces of furniture were shoved to the side to make room for plants of every color, shape, and size in pots or just growing on the walls. Willow blushed. "Sorry that my room is a mess. I love growing plants, and I'm very disorganized. Also, unlike some dragons, I can't just tell the plants to grow."

Sundew closed her eyes and concentrated on the plants. Each one seemed happy and well-watered. She could tell Willow cared for these plants.

The two LeafWings stepped carefully around the pots before reaching the bed. They looked at each other awkwardly. "You first?" Sundew suggested, gesturing to the bed.

Willow curled onto the bed, sliding over to make room for Sundew. Sundew stood there for a moment, blushing, before sliding in next to Willow.

Their tails instinctively curled around each other, and Willow gave Sundew her crinkle-smile. Sundew planted a kiss on Willow's forehead and pulled the other LeafWing closer to her. Willow snuggled into the curl of Sundew's wings, and Sundew drifted off to sleep, comforted by Willow's warmth.