Wings of Fire: The Rainforest Monster | ✔️

~ The Rainforest Monster: Chapter 12 ~

They were lucky to avoid any IceWing patrols - Sunny heard one coming, which gave them time to hide down in the rocky landscape - and they landed some time after dark on ground that crunched ominously under Hare's claws.

"Is this snow?" Clay asked, poking the dirt.

"No," Starflight said in his know-it-all voice. "It's just frozen dirt. We're going to be really cold tonight." They'd chosen a spot at the base of a short cliff, which would help block the wind.

"And we shouldn't use fire," Tsunami said bossily. "We can't risk being seen."

Hare smiled and stretched. The cold didn't affect her as much as it did the others, meaning she didn't mind not being able to use fire.

Dainty appeared at Hare's side, covering herself with Hare's wing. Hare looked at her and blinked. "What are you doing?"

"You give off a little warmth," Dainty replied. "And I am super freaking cold."

Hare was about to protest, but she just sighed. "Alright, come on. Let's go lay with the others."

Hare and Dainty walked over to the group side-by-side, Dainty remaining under Hare's wing the entire time. Jambu watched Glory as she settled down. He rested close by her, but he refused to get any closer than a dragon-width to her. Kookaburra buried himself in the comfort of his mother. Liana laid away from the rest of the group. The dragonets cuddled close together the way they always did. Hare joined them, lying beside Tsunami. Dainty curled closer to Hare once they were laying down.

Hare woke when the sun was rising. She had just finished stretching when she noticed something in the sky. She yawned and blinked so she could focus on it better. It looked like...

But it couldn't be. He was dead.

But why does it look so much like my father?

The dragon landed next to them and nearly gave Starflight a heart attack. "IceWing! Look out! It's - oh. It's just Glory."

Hare felt her heart drop a little. She knew she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, Fjord was dead, she'd watched him die.

Yet she couldn't help but get a little excited at the thought of seeing him again, now that she knew he was her father.

"Where did you go?" Jambu demanded as his sister shifted her scales back to their normal green color.

"I went to find the palace," Glory replied.

"Idiot!" Kestrel scolded. "You could've died!"

"But I didn't," Glory argued. "I found something. There was a building, too far south to be the palace. There was smoke rising from the chimneys. It must be where Blaze and her army are camping."

"That would make sense," Starflight said. "Nobody but an IceWing could survive a day in their palace."

"So what do we do?" Clay asked.

"I have an idea," Nightingale said. "Some of us can go. RainWings, I mean," she added as Tsunami perked up. "We can disguise ourselves as IceWings and easily blend in, especially since we're able to shift some of our features to fit in better."

"Oh yeah, Glory did that when we were meeting my mother!" Clay exclaimed.

"So we go in, fetch Blaze, bring her here, and then go from there?" Glory said. "Sounds good to me. Who's going?"

"I am," Hare said immediately. "I want to meet my aunt."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Kestrel pointed out. "There might be dragons there looking for you."

"I'll have help," Hare replied. "I'm going."

"Me too," Glory said.

"I'm going with you," Jambu told her.

"Can I go?" Kookaburra asked, hopping up and down. "Pretty please?"

"You can go," Liana said before Vanilla could speak. "But only if I'm with you."

"I want to go!" Dainty chirped.

"That's six dragons," Nightingale said. "The rest of us can stay behind, too many dragons will look like a threat."

"And we have a job to do," Ringtail added, looking back at the dragonets.

"I'm assuming you all know what IceWings look like," Glory said, shifting her scales back to the IceWing disguise. They matched Fjord's perfectly. Hare couldn't help but look away. Seeing her friend look so much like her father sent a burst of pain through her heart.

Glory noticed this and blinked at her apologetically, then shifted her scales so they were more purple than blue. Hare nodded gratefully.

The others shifted their scales to white and blues and grays. Their spikes grew in length, their claws became more sharp and hooked, and their snouts changed to look more like an IceWing's. Their tails grew small spikes like those on the end of Hare's tail. Their eyes became a dark blue, each dragon's varying a little in different shades. Hare couldn't help but notice that Dainty looked the prettiest.

If only she had as much brains as she does beauty.

"Alright, we need names, in case anyone asks," Glory announced. "I'll be Caribou."

"Penguin," Jambu said stiffly.

"I'll be Shiver," Liana said. She poked Kookaburra. "If anybody asks any questions, you're my son. Your name is Zero."

Kookaburra nodded.

Dainty tilted her head. "Uhhhh, oh! I'll be Hare!"

Hare sighed. "I'm Hare."

"Oh, right. Then I'll be Pengu-"

"Already taken," Glory interrupted quickly. "You're Everest. Got it? Good, let's go."

There was no way to sneak in through the fortress. Glory sighed and led them down to the snow. Hare smiled as it sank in between her claws. She wondered why the desert sand didn't feel nearly as nice.

"We'll have to go in as IceWings," Glory said. "We need to look like soldiers. Can you all do that?"

"Of course we can," Jambu snorted. "What do you take us for?"

"Right," Glory murmured, glancing at Dainty. "Hare, you take the lead."

Hare nodded and marched up to the door of the fortress. She heard the others crunching through the snow behind her. Hare knocked on the door, then stepped back.

When the door swung open, a heavyset SandWing with broken claws peered out at them. "Eh?"

"Greetings," Hare said politely. "My name is Hare. I'm here to talk to Queen Blaze."

"What'cha got to do with Blaze?" the SandWing demanded.

Hare opened her mouth to argue, then took a deep breath. She couldn't fight with this soldier, they didn't have time for that. They needed to get in talk to Blaze, and quickly.

"I'm here to meet her and deliver a message," Hare said. "I think it'd be in your best interest to let us in. Imagine Blaze's reaction when she finds out you met her niece and didn't let her in."

The SandWing blinked. "Ah, you're Hare, ain't you? Why are all these IceWings with you?"

"We met her on the border," Liana replied. "We were already on our way here, so we continued the journey with her."

"I thought she was already in the rainforest when- Ow!" Dainty pulled her talon away after Glory stomped on it. The RainWing had her eyes narrowed at her as a warning look.

"Eh, very well." The SandWing stepped aside. "Come in, I'll bring you to Blaze."