Wings Of Fire: Whisper In The Shadows (book 1)

Chapter 3-Storm

I dreamt of my brother. Can you dream of someone as clearly as if you've met them if you've...well...never seen them? Because I can picture him exactly. He's a regular, blue Seawing, with a soft rounded snout and head, four gills, glowing patches and a thick powerful tail.

But from his lower tail to the very tip, his admiral blue scales fade to deep purple and then to red at the end.

His glowing patches have a slight silverish hue that shimmers like moonlight, his gills also shine when he twirls in the deep, blue ocean.

He has amber eyes that generate kindness and intelligence. I look at them now, he stares back, and begins to smile.

But all of a sudden, a confident voice slices through my dream tearing the vision of my brother from me just like what happened to us when we were young.

"Storm? Did you even hear what I said?" She asks.

I frown. "Sorry, what did you say?" I ask.

She rolls her purple coloured eyes.

"Can I come with you? To find your brother?" She repeats.

"Wait, how did you know about that?" I ask, confused.

"Ummm well, I was eavesdropping on your meeting with my mum when you asked her if she's seen him, and well... you talk in your sleep."

I blush at that and then I comprehend something she said. "Your mum? You're Queen Glory's daughter?"

Now it was her turn to blush and she nods. I sit up to see her better and just that simple movement shoots pain through my ribs and chest. I wince and raise my eyebrows at the same time.

She really is gorgeous. Shining blackish, purplish scales that seem to glow with a soft bluish colour when the sunlight hits them.

Her underbelly, neck, ruff, and wing membranes, is a shimmering ombre of green, blue, purple, and a hint of magenta coloured scales which are dotted with a galaxy of twinkling whitish silver scales, like a rainbow nebula fell from the sky and just vomited all over her stomach and wings.

Her torso is shaped like a Nightwing, but with a Rainwing tail, ruff and horns. As my eyes move upwards, I see silver chains wrapped around her horns and interlocking in the middle. Probably a sign of royalty.

The next thing I notice is a small lump of tawny-coloured fur with black patterns on it that is lying lazily on top of the dragon's slender head. A jaguar cub, huh? I only ever see pet sloths and birds clinging to their owners, never jaguars.

A burst of sunlight shines through the skylights in the healing pavilion, lighting up the Nightwings/Rainwing's silver crescent scales beside her eyes, like perfect, half moons. There is something strange about her eyes though, they seem to shift subtly in colour, from blue to yellow to green and back to blue.

"So can I help?"

"Hold up, I don't even know who you are- wait, are you the one who saved me?"

It all starts to come back to me. I remember being attacked by a Nightwing and a small blur of black and rainbow barreling into him, knocking the attacker off me.

I look up at her frowning, Why did she do that for me? And why does she want to help me find my brother?

"Yeah... sorry about barreling into you," She smiles awkwardly. "And I'm sorry about bugging you about coming with you to find your brother, I know I just met you yesterday but I need something, anything, to do. Everyone around here just eats fruit, sleeps, or goes to boring meetings."

Should I?

Some part of me begs me to say yes to this brave dragonet but I couldn't live with myself if something happened to an innocent dragon, plus, for all I know, she's actually trying to kill me like those five other dragons tried. I don't think she is though, if she was then she wouldn't have saved me from those attackers.

I've seen her fight though... She's definitley very skilled...that can't be a coincidence...

But for some reason, I trust this dragon, as if my gut is telling me that I'll need her one day... But some other part of me doesn't want her to get hurt, and she may do if she comes with me...

"I'm sorry, I can't let you, it's too dangerous," I decide.

I watch her glittery face fall in despair and my heart twinges. I reluctantly stand up from the hammock I'm lying on, ignoring the burst of pain in my ribs, and thank the Rainwing healers for nursing me. They brush it off and inform me that I should be feeling better in a couple of days.

Before I walk out the door, I can't help but think of the Rainwing princess and glance back at those beautiful scales. I know I might not see her again so I hesitate before asking her: "What's your name?" I watch her head shoot up, her eyes full of hope before she says: "Belladonna."  I lift my head to meet her gentle gaze. "It suits you..." I think about letting her come with me again, but I know I can't let myself put her in danger. My heart thumping in my chest, I suck in a breath, turn, and fly away.

I try to fly between the trees, but my large wings won't let me do it. I've seen Rainwings swinging from tree to tree as if they do it every day. Well, okay they do do it every day and I guess they have that unique tail which makes it much easier.

I sigh and land on the ground. Maybe I should just walk, it's better than making a fool of myself in front of- I look around and see a sloth eyeing me warily, -fluffy forest mammals.

I hear a rustle behind me and I spin around hopefully, before smacking myself in the head with my tail. What was I expecting? I look around anyway and my heart sinks as I realise the trees and bushes are empty. It must've been a monkey or a bird. Or that very judgemental sloth.

Eventually, I start to see the lush green grass and tall trees of the rainforest slowly fade into a muddy swampland. I frown. Time can't have passed that quickly, could it? I shrug an my foot sinks into the mud by another inch. Before I realise what's happening, I'm whisked into the air and next thing I know I'm hanging upside down by one foot. I'm stuck in a trap. Oh great.

"Is that a dragon stuck in a tree?" A familiar voice questions. My heart leaps out of my chest and does a little twirl as I see her step out from behind a bush. With her pet jaguar eyeing me warily from where it's perched in a makeshift sling around the dragonets neck.

"Why, it looks like it must be," I say.

"Well, that wasn't very clever of that dragon to step into a prey trap! Do you think I should help him?"

"I'm sure he would appreciate it very much." I grin.

"What a good opinion you have," She says, before clambering up the tree and saws at the thick rope with her sharp talons.

"Well, this is embarrassing," I say, grinning despite myself.

"It sure is," Belladonna teases. "But I promise not to tell everyone I saw you like this," she stage whispers.

As the rope finally drops, so do I. But I'm saved by a pair of talons. "Thanks," I say, just before Belladonna drops me on the ground which I'm 99% sure was on purpose.

"Oops." She smirks.

"My saviour," I say with a grin as she lands beside me gracefully.

I attempt to stand up but I stumble back when the blood returns to my hind legs. Bella catches me before I fall.

"See? You need me," She says, nudging my shoulder lightly.

My stomach flips as she grins at me.

"Yeah," I say softly. "I guess I do."

I turn so she doesn't see my cheeks set on fire and glimpse something in the bushes, cold eyes, staring straight at us. I squint trying to see into the bush more clearly, but in a single heartbeat, the mysterious eyes vanish completely.