Escape: A Wings of Fire Fanfic - Editing

Accused

Chapter 7

Later that day.

"Glad you were patrolling this morning?" Chestnut teased Alligator, thinking back to how loud his complaints of the cold had been before the SeaWings arrived. The two were on the ground, simply chatting after they had eaten, though still on guard.

"I suppose so," Alligator said. "But I still would've liked it better if it was warmer," he added with a laugh.

"It wasn't that cold," Chestnut countered.

Alligator opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by a voice bellowing, "WHAT SECRET DEAL?" The sibs looked out in the direction of the voice, then at each other in confusion. That was in the camp's direction... I hope no dragons from the other sides are above us and noticed.

"What was that?" Alligator asked.

"That almost soun-" Chestnut was cut off by another audible shout as the two sibs climbed up a nearby tree. He stopped talking and moving to listen.

"-ADMIT IT!" the voice yelled.

"Sounded like General Swamp," Chestnut finished.

"It did," Alligator confirmed, certain but still confused.

And yet before they could theorize, four SeaWings came up to them and began pushing them towards the commotion.

"What's happening?" Chestnut asked them in confusion. They seem aggressive... What did we do?

One of the sea dragons growled, "Don't play the innocent. You know exactly what just happened." He looked like he wanted to kill them for whatever had happened. Whatever they were being accused of having done.

"No, we don't," Alligator corrected.

All four dragons snorted in disbelief. They must've coordinated that, Chestnut thought in amusement not fit for the situation at hand as the SeaWings pushed the sibs onto the open beach.

"We found these two in the trees up there," one of the SeaWings called once they were in view of the important dragons on the island. "Exactly where the spear came from."

What spear? Chestnut thought. He looked out at the circle of dragons. Several soldiers of all three tribes, Princess Blister, General Swamp, Piranha, King Gill... Oh.

Tempest, lying on the ground, a spear in her chest. Ah. That spear.

"We didn't do that!" Alligator protested. "We don't know anything about it!"

"So someone else snuck past you and did it? And you're the worst guards in the Bay of a Thousand Scales, is that what you're admitting?" Piranha barked.

"Listen, wet nose," Alligator snapped, "you don't know anything about guarding on land, so take your sanctimonious-"

Chestnut watched both him and Piranha in worry. If he angers them, we won't be able to get out of this alive. Especially Piranha. She seems to have a temper. And I don't doubt she'd be willing to kill us.

"I demand that these murderers be executed!" Piranha roared.

Chestnut felt his eyes widen. So this is how I die? Accused for something I never would've thought about doing?

"Piranha!" Gill tried to protest.

"It wasn't a MudWing! It was probably her!" General Swamp pointed a claw at Blister. "She never liked Tempest! When you weren't here, she was always complaining about how loud and smelly she was or how everyone always worshiped her like pathetic big-eyed manatees!"

"That's rather inaccurate," Blister protested, her tail tapping the sand, likely in frustration. "I've never compared anyone to a manatee in my life."

Alligator and Chestnut watched the powerful dragons arguing about their death. They're practically joking about our demise! Do they not care about their soldiers? What will they tell our sibs?

Piranha's tail lashed furiously. She whirled towards Blister. "Kill these MudWing assassins right now, or your alliance with the SeaWings is over."

Oh no, Chestnut thought. He was pretty sure Blister would rather keep her SeaWing alliance. Goodbye, world. Goodbye, Fawn. Goodbye, Amber. Goodbye, Morass. Goodbye-

"Touch one scale on their heads and you lose the MudWings forever," General Swamp hissed.

They both glared at Blister. Alligator and Chestnut anxiously glanced at each other.

"SandWings," Blister said coldly. "Search the island. Thoroughly. Turn over every log, climb every tree, wade into every pool. Find the dragon who did this. It will be a SkyWing, or an IceWing, or one of my sister's SandWings - any SandWing who doesn't belong here. When you find that dragon, bring it to me, and I will kill it, and then we can move on from this foolish distraction."

The SandWings all followed her orders immediately. After seeing how effectively they did that, Chestnut exhaled in relief. They'll find someone, and we'll be okay. We'll survive.

"And if you find no one?" General Swamp challenged.

"Then," Blister said, "it must have been one of your MudWings, don't you agree?"

"I do not," he snapped.

"What are we going to do without her?" King Gill mourned over Tempest.

This may have been bad for you, Chestnut thought scornfully, but imagine being the one accused for something we didn't do! I imagine you wouldn't take it well, hm?

"She's only one dragon," Blister answered. "We'll win the war. Bring me Queen Coral and I'll explain how."

No one replied. Silence fell, everyone waiting for the SandWing soldiers to come back.