Wings of Evolution (WoF AU)

Chapter 32

Echo of resistance

Base four was a place that Uhar hadn't been able to properly examine the first time he'd been there. Tsunami had a way of rushing everyone that most dragons wouldn't understand unless they met her.

Base four was between the mountains and the swamps, on a rocky cliff that overlooked the most used battlefield that the resistance held. It was a good strategic position, close enough to the skywings for quick help and close enough to the rainforest that most of the fleeing rainwings had made it their home.

It was almost a city at this point, dragons milling about the streets, some in armor and some watching the sky anxiously as the group arrived as if hoping that it wasn't news of a nearby army. Glory took everyone to the command rooms, gathering the leaders and making sure everything was in order.

"Tsunami will be back fairly soon, we aren't sure when but just a few days or maybe a week. We got to the icewings and started the process for an alliance. I need everyone prepared for any likely possibility for whatever the next move will be."

Foam tilted his head, watching Glory, "alright, I'll get the generals on that. Do you know any other specifics?"

Glory shook her head, "only that it's most likely we will go on the offensive."

After that, Uhar wandered away, observing the battle-ready soldiers and wondering if the icewings would make the Kiaen fight, they weren't suited for combat and would be pointless to send into battle, Aurora had to know that, so what would the icewings use them for? Supply lines? He hoped it was supply lines.

Uhar walked around the place, ignoring the huge dragons that watched him pass with wide curious eyes. He ignored the masses that milled about and the shouts from one dragon to another. He even ignored it as loud horns blew and dragons picked up the pace, a good portion leaving the market and heading south. The horns of war.

Uhar wasn't sure what to really do with his life. The icewings had conquered his people, finally. But what now? Uhar might go down in history or he might not. He could head back home and act as a translator for the icewings, or he could stay and keep pretending that he knew anything about war.

He looked to the south, wondering if it was alright to watch the growing battle, but he eventually decided against it and continued wandering the mostly empty market.

He heard words though and followed them, peeking into an alley and seeing a dark blue Rainwing sitting on a box, speaking to nothing. Uhar had heard of insanity, and he was somewhat sure that Starflight was close to it, but this dragon didn't seem insane. She was smiling at nothing, eyes perfectly clear and mouth slightly open as she continued speaking.

"A vat of dreams built from nothing,

Which only empties as you try to draw

You see them but never feel them

You've heard them but don't know them

And every chance you get." She stopped and started over, thinking deeply on something as she read from a page.

Uhar didn't think he'd made an audible sound, but she looked up anyway, eyes sparkling gold in the dim light of the alley, "why hello, stranger. What can I do for you today?"

Uhar shrugged, "I don't know. I just heard your strange poetry."

The dragon nodded, "well yeah, I'd assume you heard it, otherwise you wouldn't have responded because you'd have been deaf."

Uhar blinked, "if I was deaf then none of this matters because I wouldn't even be in this camp right now."

She nodded, her scales shifting from dark blue to a dull green. "Yep, we're thinking now." she got off the box and stood on her hind legs, stretching upward into a very unstable and moderately uncomfortable looking position, "do you ever wonder how strange it is to walk on four feet? Technically dragons aren't built to be bipeds, but I feel like they could do it with practice."

Uhar gave her a strange look, "never heard that one before."

She nodded, and sat back down, "Yep, very few dragons think about it, which is becoming increasingly obvious the more of you I ask." Uhar frowned and didn't respond but the dull green dragon didn't really care, "anyways, I think you're probably confused, most dragons are when they talk to me, so I'd appreciate it if you just rolled with it and didn't ask questions as I try to beat information out of you."

Uhar nodded and she nodded back. There was a lot of nodding going on there, but it wasn't awkward. Nope, not awkward at all.

"Anyway, I've been here for a few weeks, and I thought I'd seen every dragon there was to see, but then I saw you and now I'm wondering how many others I missed..." she frowned and looked off into the distance, "yeah. I really don't want to keep looking so I'd appreciate it if you told me what you are."

"I'm a cavewing. We live in caves."

She sighed, shaking her head, "well that's far too self-explanatory. Say that again in your native tongue."

Uhar frowned but repeated it in the language of the caves.

The dull green dragon smiled finally and nodded, shifting her scales back to the dark blue he'd found her in, "ah, much better. This place is very dry of culture but somehow you're different. It's good to know that some dragons have names that don't end in 'wing'." she frowned, scales shifting to a lighter blue, "now if only I could corner one of those sparkly dragons... say, Uhar, what do the snow dragons call themselves?"

Uhar blinked, he hadn't told her his name... let alone the cave version of it. "Icewings. And uh... how do you know my name?"

She shrugged, "it's written all over you, Mr. Echo. Though I like your cavey name better..." she adopted a thoughtful look, "Mmm so they're just another wing then, oh well."

"You know my name but I have no idea what yours is."

The blue dragon looked genuinely startled at that, "oh! Interesting, now he's asking me my name. Tell me, you don't know some type of strange dark magic that could enslave me if you know my name? That happened once, and it took three name changes to get out of, so I would really appreciate it if I didn't have to repeat that experience."

"Um. I'm pretty sure I'm magicless?" Uhar said with a confused glance behind him, "I was just asking."

The blue dragon nodded, scales shifting into a pattern of blue, green, and white, looking at him intently, "alright, I believe it. if you have that ability, you don't know about it. You can call me Moth."

"Um, thank you?"

Moth nodded, looking back down at the paper, "now, I imagine you have a lot of questions, I don't have a lot of answers, so how about we just part ways as acquaintances."

"Alright?" Uhar said, turning to leave.

But Moth jumped upward, wings spreading somewhat as she shouted, "OH! AND IF YOU SEE GLORY PLEASE TELL HER I'M SORRY!"

"For what?" Uhar asked, wincing at Moth's sheer volume.

"For disappearing into thin air and never saying goodbye! See you later Mr. Uhar the cave dragon!"

When he blinked, Moth was gone.

Uhar had never been happier to see someone gone. Moth had been... exhausting. And confusing. But part of Uhar suspected that she was that way on purpose, who knew, maybe it was a battlefield tactic, to get the enemy so confused that they underestimated you.

Although the more Uhar thought about it, the more convinced he was that Moth was just that way all the time without trying.

As he left the alley behind him, Uhar really hoped he would never see Moth, or anyone like Moth, ever again. This was a once-in-a-lifetime type thing, if it happened more than once he would probably die.