Wings of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom | ✔️

~ The Hidden Kingdom: Chapter Twelve ~

Wind howled around Hare. Waves crashed against the side of the cliff. She laid with her wings over her head. She was tired from traveling for half the day with no breaks.

Morrowseer stood on the cliff edge, scanning the sky. Hare noticed a shape flying in the distance, and Morrowseer must've noticed it too because he fixed his eyes on it.

Soon enough, a SandWing landed on the cliff beside Morrowseer. She fixed her eyes on Hare. "I see you brought her." She smiled. "It's good to see you again, Hare."

"I wish I could say the same, Aunt Blister," Hare grumbled without moving.

Blister shifted her wings. "Well, let's change that, shall we?"

Hare lifted her head. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Blister signaled for Hare to follow her. Hare got up and walked over to the edge of the cliff, standing between her aunt and Morrowseer.

"Our NightWing seems to be a very useless pawn in our plan," Morrowseer rumbled. "He's dreadfully slow in situations like this, but he's the best one we have."

"You have no other NightWing dragonets?" Blister asked. "None that can take his place?"

"We have one," Morrowseer replied, "but she's more useless than him. All she does is get on everyone's nerves. Not even her own group can stand her."

"How pitiful," Blister said, shaking her head. She patted Hare's head, making a tsk sound. "If only you could take his place, Hare." Morrowseer shot her a glare. "There's no wings of sand and ice."

Blister waved her talon dismissively. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm just saying."

Morrowseer huffed. "Well, if we want things to work, we need someone to convince the dragonets to choose you." He looked down at Hare. "Which is where you come in."

"What do you expect me to do?" Hare hissed.

"You are of importance to that little group," Morrowseer said. "If the NightWing can't convince them to pick Blister, then you can."

Hare snorted. "My friends still openly insult my mother to my face. They won't listen to me." She shot a look at Blister. "And why would I ask them to choose you if it means my mother dies?"

"My dear niece, you need to think about what's better for the tribes," Blister said with a sly smile. "The SandWings need a strong queen who has a brain, and also someone who is willing to help the other tribes." She clapped her talon on Morrowseer's shoulder. "And that queen is me. If your friends choose me, both the SandWings and NightWings will benefit."

Hare looked out at the crashing water. Blister had a point, her mother had shown little to no interest in helping the other tribes benefit. Blister would use her power to help out the NightWings.

But it'd hurt the RainWings.

"What good is a queen who always adds her own cruel twist onto her promises?" Hare said. "The RainWings will suffer greatly if you take the throne. One tribe will thrive, while the other struggles."

Blister flicked her tongue and glanced at Morrowseer. Both were clearly wondering how Hare had figured out their plan, but neither said it out loud.

"That's just how the world works," Blister said instead. "Not everyone can be happy."

"But a queen should focus on her tribe, not throw her dragons into battle for another," Hare insisted.

Blister snorted. "And you think your mother will be any better? She'll throw dragons into battle for no reason except her own pleasure. She gets a kick out of war."

"She can change," Hare protested.

"Then what makes you think I can't?"

Hare hesitated. She wasn't sure how to argue with that.

"Then Blaze can be queen," she blurted.

This raised a laugh from Morrowseer. "Blaze is no smarter than a headless chicken. Do you really want to give your tribe a useless queen?"

"The SandWings aren't my only tribe," Hare argued.

"No, but they're the ones you should be focussed on," Blister said.

Hare looked away. "The decision is not mine to make. My friends will make the choice they think is right."

"Should our fate really be in the claws of dragonets, though?" Blister asked.

"It's what the prophecy says," Hare replied. "And if you don't want your fate to be in the talons of dragonets, then don't use me as a last resort."

Hare wasn't sure if they remembered that she was the youngest of the group of dragonets.

Morrowseer sighed and rubbed his snout. "If things are to work, we'll need your help."

"Find someone else to help you," Hare snapped. "I'm not going to do anything in your favor."

Hare spread her wings and leaped off the cliff. She flew as quickly as she could. She couldn't hear anyone behind her. When she finally looked over her shoulder, she saw the specks of Morrowseer and Blister still on the cliff, clearly still talking. Hare let out a breath of relief. She'd lose them soon.

Hare pounded her wings. She didn't know how to get back to the island, but she wasn't going back there anyway. Morrowseer made a mistake by bringing her here, and he'd made an even worse one by trusting her.

Hare was going to find her way back to the rainforest.

She was going to save Starflight.

She was going to save the RainWings.

The NightWings would not win. If they wanted a new home, they'd have to go somewhere else, because Hare was going to save the RainWings.