Wings of Fire: The Rainforest Monster | ✔️

~ The Rainforest Monster: Chapter 15 ~

Hare wasn't sure how long it took her to wake up. When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by dragons. Her friends.

She pushed herself up, wincing a little. Her head still hurt, but it was only the pain of a normal headache now.

"She's okay!" Sunny cried. "Oh, I'm so happy you're alright. I was so worried he'd accidentally killed you."

"Hare is far too strong to be killed by such a simple fool," Kestrel said lightly.

Hare smiled. She couldn't help but notice that even Glory and Jambu were there. Glory had a bandage where the knife had been and there were fresh claw marks over Jambu's eye. Hare noticed dried blood between his claws and running down his talon. He must not have cleaned his talons off yet.

"Good news." A sky-blue RainWing flapped over to them and landed beside the others. "She'll be okay. She'll just need a little extra rest, but she's able to return to her usual activities."

"Thank you, Bullfrog," Vanilla said, dipping her head. "Do you have any updates on Mangrove?"

"Mangrove?" Hare climbed out of the hammock that she'd been laying in. "You found him?"

"He was waiting for us when we got home," Ringtail explained. "He said he went to the Kingdom of Sand to try and find any signs of Orchid, but he couldn't find anything so he came back to find us."

"We brought him here to get checked on even though he has no visible injuries," Nightingale put in.

"He's okay," Bullfrog said. "You're all good to go. But you." Bullfrog pointed at Hare and poked her chest. "The minute your head pain gets any worse, come back here. Immediately."

"Okay." Hare nodded in understanding. Bullfrog eyed her for a minute before turning and walking to a table. "I'll give you one more treatment before you go."

"I know how to treat myself," Hare insisted. "One of our guardians taught me."

"Well, while you're in the rainforest, you're under my care." Bullfrog grabbed a leaf-wrap and gave it to Hare. "Meaning you'll be treated when and as I deem necessary. So, take it."

Hare sighed and took the leaf-wrap. She opened it, revealing a pile of poppy seeds, peppermint, and ginger. Hare swallowed the herbs and shuddered at the slightly bitter taste.

A purple RainWing crossed over from the otherside of the hut and joined the group. Hare waved at him. "Hi Mangrove."

Mangrove just nodded in acknowledgement.

"Drink lots of water," Bullfrog told Hare. "And be careful. For the love of stars, please avoid hitting your head."

"I will," Hare promised. She turned back to the others. "So now what?"

"Let's discuss this somewhere else," Ringtail said. "Somewhere more private."

"Wait," Glory said. "I want to get Silver first."

Liana sighed. "Of course. Come on, I'll take you to the shelter."

Liana led them out of the hut and through the trees. "It's in the center of the village," she explained. "Right by the hatchery."

"The hatchery?" Hare asked. "Don't RainWings use nests?"

"Nope!" Dainty flipped over a tree branch as she flew over it, curling her tail around the branch. "We bring our eggs to the hatchery. The parents get to keep their eggs separate, of course. No one wants to get their dragonets mixed up."

"What's the point of the hatchery, though?" Hare asked.

"In case there's complications during the hatching," Dainty explained. "We have dragons posted in the hatchery who are specifically trained to help with things like that. There's a whole program for it. Vanilla is one of those dragons."