Wings of Fire; Broken Peace

Part 1 - The Broken World -- Chapter 1

A cold breeze flooded the entrance cave as Birch hobbled towards the dragonets. Sphinx hated the ice kingdom, from what she knew of it. It was cold and felt unusually dry. Even Krill didn't like the underground lake. Sphinx wished she could huddle around a fire with her friends. But, unfortunately, Birch was giving them a lesson on wild berries. As the entrance boulder was closed by Ceja, Birch sat in front of the dragonets, gently spilling a mix of berries out of a leather pouch.

"What can you five tell me about these berries?" Birch asked. He pointed a claw to each differently coloured berry, being sure not to point at the same colour twice.

"That one's an Elderberry." Brimstone responded, pointing to a plump, bluish-black berry. "They have a tangy taste and are usually made into jams. They can be eaten as-is, but need to be cooked to avoid nauseous effects."

"Very well done!" Birch praised. Brimstone's antennae twitched joyfully as she gave a smile to the Leafwing guardian. It was annoying how Birch praised his own daughter more than the other dragonets. Brimstone wasn't even meant to be raised with the destiny dragonets, let alone be an extra to the prophecy itself. There was no mention of a Leafwing, nor Silkwing. But, Birch was the only family Brimstone had, so Brimstone had to stay.

Stupid Brimstone. Echoed Sphinx's thoughts. Wisdom whacked her subtly with her wing.

Don't. Wisdom thought to Sphinx.

Well don't listen if you don't like it.

I can't help it. Wisdom snapped. It was usually hard to clearly understand what everyone was saying through their thoughts. Ceja said it may be the moons. Sphinx and Wisdom hadn't been exposed to the moons since they hatched. So Ceja's running theory is that they needed the moons to reach the full potential of their mind reading.

"SPHINX." Birch snapped. She hadn't realised that she had zoned off, focussing on her own thoughts. Birch gave a snarl. "What's the last thing I said?"

"I believe the last you said was 'Sphinx'." Sphinx responded. She coiled her tail in a spiral, knowing she shouldn't have said that.

"Think you're so funny, hm?" Birch growled, sitting up on his haunches and crossing his arms. Perhaps we could chain you up in the lake, giving you just enough slack to stick your nose above the surface. Birch suggested, his taunting thoughts echoing through his mind. Or you seem to like the heat. Maybe we could stick your talons into a fire, hm?

Sphinx bared her teeth as Birch's lips shifted into a grin. She turned her head towards Wisdom, who looked absolutely horrified. The cave was filled with an awkward silence as Birch threw horrible suggestions at Sphinx.

Ceja stepped in front of the Leafwing, flaring his wing in front of him with an awkward smile. "Spider! What type of berry is this?" Ceja pointed a talon to an orange, lumpy berry, which faded to a soft red at the bottom.

Spider gave a shrug, flicking his translucent wings. "Dunno." He responded, not even trying.

Ceja sighed through his nostrils, small flares of fire wisping from his nose. "Alright then. This is a Cloudberry. Fresh Cloudberries are fairly soft and juicy, although they often have a slightly acidic taste. But they're completely safe to eat raw." He added, tossing the orange berry into his mouth.

"It's getting late." Birch interrupted, pushing large Ceja aside. "You'll find a pile of voles and rabbits in your sleeping cave." He informed.

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Krill was first into the sleeping cave, sitting by the pile of vermin that Birch, or most likely Ceja, had put out earlier. Wisdom still looked horrified about what Birch suggested to Sphinx. It was obvious to tell when Wisdom was angry, scared or upset.