A Past That Can't Be Forgotten

captured

Mandarin was invisible. As usual. Flying with the others, who had no idea that she was there. Except for Peacemaker. He was flying separately from the group. Mandarin glided up beside him and butted his side.

"What the—" Peacemaker started, but then realized who it was.

"Hey Red."

"Don't call me that."

"Manda?"

"I hate you."

"What are best friends for?"

Mandarin paused. She'd never really had a friend, let alone a best friend. Interesting.

Cliff dove down into a nearby river, Mink and Auklet following.

Peacemaker rolled his eyes at them and smiled. He dipped in the air current and flew down beside them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Just a break," Auklet said, casting a grateful glance at Cliff, who probably could keep going without any stops with his huge wings.

Auklet was a Seawing, and Seawings didn't have much practice flying long distances, mostly flying underwater.

They were already at the edge of the rainforest, and Cliff had said they needed to go over the kingdom so they wouldn't be spotted by anyone. Thistle stood by the edge of the water, his tail dipping in.

Mandarin flicked her tail against Peacemaker and swerved him towards Thistle. The hybrid understood immediately and sat beside him.

"You don't like the water?" he asked casually.

"I'm a Sandwing. There's hardly any water in the desert."

"Well, you'd better get used to it!"

"What do you—" Thistle let out a yell as Peacemaker shoved him into the river, laughing his head off.

Thistle came back out with seaweed on his head. "Seriously?" he grumbled, casting an annoyed glance at Auklet and Mink, who were giggling uncontrollably.

Cliff stretched his wings and groaned. "Let's go, shall we?"

Thistle spat out a mouthful of water at Peacemaker and grumbled. "Why didn't Mandarin come? It was her great idea after all."

Mandarin rolled her eyes and took off into the sky, relaxing as the sun warmed her scales.

They started to fly over the rainforest, above the canopy of her kingdom. Peacemaker was nervously fiddling his talons together.

"HALT!" a voice snapped from a tree. Cliff and Mink started back in surprise.

"Who said that?" Mink said softly.

"WHAT is your business in the rainforest?" another voice growled.

"We were just passing through—" Cliff started.

One by one, a swoosh sound whipped through the air and landed on Mink, Cliff, Auklet, and Thistle's necks.

All four of them dropped into a net, knocked unconscious.

"YOU IDIOT!" one dragon shouted.

"I said DON'T SHOOT THEM!" two Rainwings materialized out of thin air, grabbing the net.

"Sorry..." a blue one said sheepishly. Mandarin recognized the other one as Mango.

"Just leave them here," Mango said, shaking his head.

"They have no business with the rainforest, but we will report this to the Queen."

The blue one looked under Auklet's wings carefully. "This one has pearl necklaces. Could she be royal like Deathbringer told us?"