Wings of Fire: Nighthawk

Chapter 41: Helping Hand

Around mid afternoon Nighthawk woke from his nap. He rubbed his eyes slowly with a small groan. There was something heavy against his chest, which ended up being Lobster's tail. He snorted and lifted it off before slowly getting up. Having a long nap was the refresher he needed, for now he felt energized. Lobster was asleep beside him, snoring quietly. So he decided to head outside. Plum greeted him with a big smile on her face.

"Hi hi! How was your nap? Did you sleep good!?" She asked cheerfully. Her long slender tail swayed quickly behind her, which was almost enough to make his eyes hurt. Stopping himself from scoffing, he sat up and stretched his wings.

"Yes, it was much needed. Thank you for your help." Nighthawk said politely. He had no intentions to be rude or disrespectful to this dragon, especially after how much she's helped him and his friends.

"Spectacular! I got your cloak thingy all washed for you! Aaaand your buddy is doing better! His wound was really nasty, what happened? Why is his tail all smashed?"

"He got stabbed by another dragon, and a boulder fell on him. It was quite horrible, and lugging him around here wasn't particularly easy either."

"Aw, unfortunately the healers think he won't be able to fly anymore unless some sort of miracle happens." Plum shrugged a bit. He was surprised to see she wasn't too worried about it.

"Not your fault, not much you could do. All that matters is he's alive. He helped us, so I'm trying to help him. Speaking of which, is there anything I can do for you in return for everything?"

"What do you mean? Like uhh, oh, maybe you can find some fruit for me! Or help me with a new leaf home."

"Whatever works, I believe in mutual gain, always help others if they help you. That sort of thing." Nighthawk shrugged. "I also don't like owing anyone."

"You don't owe me anything." Plum smiled. "But if you want to help I'd appreciate it. Anyway here's your cloak!" She smiled and set it down for him. He picked it up slowly and examined it. It was clean and cozy looking as always. Unfortunately due to the heat and mugginess, he couldn't wear it just yet.

"Thank you, I appreciate this." Nighthawk said with a small smile. He set it down in the hut before sitting up. "Alright, you mentioned you needed help with a leaf home? What specifically?"

"We just need help fixing the wall. It was leaking during the most recent storm we had." She smiled. "I can show ya how we do it! It's kinda like the bandage you put on your friend. Sap goes on the leaf and we stick them together!"

"That sounds simple enough, sure." Nighthawk nodded. "Lead the way." He said calmly. Plum leaped off the platform and flew towards a structure. He followed closely and the two landed on a wooden bridge. He was quite fond of the way their village worked. Wooden paths that reached from the rainforest floor to the top of the canopy. It was incredibly well constructed and sturdy. As they got to the spherical leaf hut, Plum poked her head in.

"Python! We're here to fix your home!" Plum called. "Can you step outside and show my new friend where the damages are?"

"Sure why not?" A male voice called from within the leaves. Soon a yellow rainwing with green and brown stripes up and down his scales came out. "Woah, that's a new dragon."

"Yes, nice to meet ya. Gonna fix your home." Nighthawk said. "Show me the damages."

"Of course. Plum can you get the supplies please?" Python asked. The female nodded and flapped off quickly while Python showed him where the holes and breaks in the wall were. "This shouldn't be too hard. You just spread some sap on the leaf and plaster it to the hut. And don't get any on your face or eyes, it takes a while to wash out and it kinda stings."

"Got it. Sounds good." Nighthawk nodded. He'd done more complicated work before. Plum came back with sap in a wooden bucket and several enormous leaves. He was handed a stick and a leaf. "Hm. Alright then." He shrugged.

"Just dip the stick in here and lather the leaf like so." Plum smiled as she demonstrated. Nighthawk nodded and did just that. As they worked he hummed a little tune. "So where are you from?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh. The sea kingdom, as I said. Wanted to head back, need to head back. There's ah.. a few reasons really."

"Ooo like what?"

"The biggest one is getting Lobster home, because I made a promise to his wife. The second reason is that I want to get home, sleep in my own bed, that sorta thing." It was seeming more and more possible each second, being home. One thing he wasn't sure he wanted to admit was how he felt about Sulu. Despite not thinking about her too much, he missed her. The way she talked, her smile, everything. He sighed deeply before sitting up as he plastered the leaves onto the hut.

"I'd say those are great reasons. You could always stay here though, if you ever need!"

"Yeah I know.. but anyway." He put the last leaf on the hut. "There we go. Gonna see Mojave, if that's alright."

"Of course. Last I checked he was awake. The healers hut is the one with the red flowers on the balcony. You can't miss it. Have fun!" Plum smiled. Nighthawk nodded before flapping up and heading to the specified platform. Once he landed he walked inside and glanced at his sandwing friend.

"Mojave?"

"Hey Nighthawk.." The sandwing sighed. His tail was in a splint and covered in bandages. "These Rainwings are great, very skilled.." He said.

"I see that. How's your back and leg? I see your tail's messed up pretty good."

"My leg is broken, going to take three weeks to heal. They said I might not be able to fly again, huge bummer.. and my back doesn't hurt. They gave me some sort of pain relief cream. It'll heal, but I lost a lot of blood."

"I see.. well we're gonna regain our strength for the next few days, and once we're all ready we can head out. Lobster and I will carry you in a sling, I suspect. But we will get out of here."

"I know. You're a good friend, Nighthawk." He smiled a bit. That wasn't what he expected, but it felt good to hear. He smiled back, knowing everything was only going to get better from here on out.