Wings of Fire - Eclipse Burning (1)

Chapter 22

"Gone?" Kinkajou cried with dismay. "Why? Where'd he go?"

"I don't know, but Bandit's cage is missing, too," Qibli said. "So I don't think he's coming back."

"Oh," Turtle said. "I saw him leaving, but I though he was just going hunting. I should have stopped him." He managed to pry two rocks free and handed one to Qibli, then another to Kinkajou. Their thoughts fuzzed out into that quiet hum as they slipped the rocks into the library card pouches around their necks. 

"And you didn't think that was an important thing to bring up?" Eclipse questioned irritably. 

Turtle slightly shrunk back from her intense and angry stare but Moon stepped in front of Eclipse. 

"Which way was he going?" she asked. 

"Northwest, toward the forest that's between the mountains and the desert," he said. "Uh. Where are you going?"

Moon and Eclipse both were heading for the mouth of the cave, where they could see sheets of rain pouring outside. 

"To find him." Eclipse said, lifting her wings into the air. 

"In this weather?" Turtle protested. 

"Oh yay!" Kinkajou cried. "Me too!" 

"Are you sure?" Moon said to her, waving one wing at the storm outside. Eclipse hesitated as she waited for Moon to be done talking. They were wasting time, but she didn't feel like leaving her sister alone to search for a dragon that didn't even seem to like her. 

"I'm a RainWing," Kinkajou said. "It rains all the time in the rainforest. Trust me, I can handle it."

"I'm not sure I can," Qibli said, rubbing the back of his head, "But I'm coming with you anyway."

Kinkajou looked expectantly at Turtle.

He shuffled his feet, flickering  his glow-in-the-dark scales nervously. "In this weather?" he said again. 

"If you don't like the rain outside then don't come," Eclipse said impatiently. It came out more hostile than she had wanted it to but her patience was wearing thin. "We're wasting time." 

"Come on, Turtle!" Kinkajou said. "We're a winglet! We're all that's left of Jade Winglet! We should stick together! Also, how can you be bothered by a little water? You live in it. You can actually breathe it. You'll be fine." She bumped his hip hard enough to overbalance him and he took a staggering step sideways. 

"It's different," he objected. "Swimming is not the same as trying to fly while getting blown about and whacked in the face with little balls of water and also lightning - have we talked about lightning?"

"He's coming, too," Kinkajou said to Moon. Turtle sighed in defeat. 

"None of you have to do this," Moon said. "I just - I feel like I owe it to him."

"He's my clawmate," Qibli pointed out. "Also, I am a total expert on evil brothers and sisters."

"And I'm coming with you to keep you safe," Kinkajou said. "Don't argue with me, I'm very menacing." She turned her wings black and bared her teeth, but the pink scales that remained rather undercut the effect. 

She doesn't need you to keep her safe, Eclipse thought bitterly. She has me. She felt a flare of jealously and pushed it down aggravatingly. She refused to be jealous of a RainWing. Moon glanced at her questioningly. 

Eclipse turned away quickly. "Great, everyone's coming along. Now let's go." And she lifted off from the edge, plunging into the cold, wet storm, the Jade Winglet close behind her.