Wings of Fire; The Creed

Epilogue

Spray was pretty sure that he wasn't coming tonight either. She had been trying to convince this SkyWing, Sunfire, that no one was coming. When Spray met her, she had already been waiting for a few days. She said that this other SkyWing had visited her a few times before she met Spray, but she wasn't entirely convinced.

Not that Spray cared. She was just happy that she had an excuse not to go home. Spray bit back some tears that were welling up inside of her. It had already been a few days since Bubble told her to leave, but she still felt like her emotional wound was fresh.

Spray traced her claws across her braided golden wire bracelet. She remembered the day she received her first and most precious piece of treasure. The golden shine of the bracelet danced cheerfully in the light of the setting sun. The glow was a stark contrast to the icy grip of loneliness she often felt.

Was he ever really my friend, or was I just a short-term solution, she found herself thinking. She shook her head. She refused to believe that. She grew up with Bubble, and she knew him. She knew him too well to think that he was like that. So, why did those thoughts constantly haunt her?

"You moping in the shadows again?" Sunfire asked, brushing wings with Spray.

Spray smiled sadly at Sunfire, but she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the SkyWing. There was something that Sunfire wasn't telling Spray, but she didn't want to pry.

"I am not moping. I-I am... I am merely leaking from my eyes," Spray said stubbornly.

"Ah, yes. Okay," Sunfire said, a small look of disappointment.

Spray looked up at the small orange SkyWing, who was looking off into the Rainforest Kingdom with a wistful look.

"He is coming tonight. I can feel it," she said in a soft voice.

Spray tried joking, "Didn't you say that the night before? Oh, and the night before that too?"

"Well, yes..." she mumbled. "B-But this time I'm right."

"Mhm," Spray hummed in skeptical agreement. She gazed off toward the rainforest also, however, she wasn't thinking of some made-up SkyWing. No. She was thinking of her parents. They would be so disappointed and worried if she showed up at home, alone. And worse, all of those memories she had of Bubble were all inlaid into the tides, the sands, and the trees. If she went back home, all she would think about how lonely she was.

"I think I hear him!" Sunfire whisper shouted.

Starburst strained her ears but she couldn't hear a thing, other than the sounds of tree leaves rustling in the wind, and the distant sounds of a storm rolling in from the sea.

"I can't hear a thing," Spray admitted. She looked around through the ever-thickening canopy of the rainforest, but she didn't see anything either. "Are you sure you aren't going crazy?"

Sunfire ignored her and continued to lean forward from the tree branch they were hiding on. Her claws were digging so deep into the tree, that Spray would not be surprised if the tree suddenly came alive and whacked them off.

Suddenly, Spray could hear the sounds of distant wing beats, too. Huh. She wasn't making up this mystery dragon.

After a little while longer, she saw the leaves of the canopy shifting as a large thing moved through them. The canopy burst open, and a massive red dragon, wearing a black cape (or something along the lines of a loose cloth over their back) burst out from the canopy.

Sunfire made a strange, high-pitched pitched excited sound, and jumped down into the clearing below. The two SkyWings thumped their wings and did some strange twirls and the sky.

Is this some kind of weird SkyWing greeting? What is this?

Spray jumped off the branch and glided down to the side of the clearing, landing close to the bushes and other plants on the edge.

The SkyWings finally landed, Sunfire had a huge, cheesy grin, and the larger red SkyWing twined his tail around Sunfire's.

The large SkyWing looked around and spotted Spray. He spread his wings, pushing Sunfire behind him, and he hissed at Spray. She wheeled back, staying out of attack range for the SkyWing, but something told her that even that distance wasn't safe.

OH GOSH! OH GOSH, OH GOSH, OH GOSH! Please don't hurt me!

"Wait! Alpine!" Sunfire cried, "She is with me. Please don't hurt her."

Alpine backed down slightly, showing a look of concern to Sunfire, "She is? But... when?"

Sunfire pushed past one of his wings, brushing them lightly with hers, "I met her a few days ago. We have been keeping each other company ever since."

He looked over at Spray, who was nodding furiously. Sunfire came up and stood next to Spray, and Alpine calmed down. He was radiating suspicion, but Spray was safe... for now.

Alpine walked up to Spray, the light from a golden emblem that was holding his cape thing, (which now with closer inspection looked like a black hood) reflected the sunlight, temporarily blinding Spray.

"Tell me about yourself. Who are you?"

Spray hesitated. She wasn't sure whether she SHOULD tell him, but she also didn't see why she shouldn't.

"My name is Spray. I am a SeaWing who lives in one of the SeaWing villages south of the rainforest. I... Uh... I was flying back home when I found Sunfire."

Spray felt uncomfortable as Alpine eyed her. She sat there, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Can she come with us?" Sunfire chirped. She was absolutely bursting with excitement.

Alpine started to shake his head furiously.

"No. No. No. I can't take her with us. I am already going to be in enough trouble as is for bringing you."

"Oh, come on," Sunfire whined. She nudged him in his should, "She could be useful."

"What do you mean I can be useful? To what? Or who?" Spray asked, with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Alpine is a part of a group of freedom fighters. They fight all the injustice in the world, and make everything fair."

She looked at Alpine, who had a very indifferent face. His wings were twitching, but he hid his emotions well.

"What can I do, though?" Spray asked.

Sunfire smiled, "Well I am going to join. I want to fight all the injustice and bad things in the world too! You should come with me and join!"

Alpine interjected, "It is very dangerous though. We have lots of dragons who would be perfectly fine killing us. You will need to be trained. I am still not sure about this."

"Oh. Come on. Please? For me?" Sunfire asked, tapping her snout up against Alpine's. Spray suddenly understood why she stayed put for so long.

Alpine smiled kindly at her, then looked over at Spray, "Only if you want to."

Do I want to go with them? What if Bubble heads home looking for me and I'm not there? She thought, well, if he didn't want me to start hanging out with new dragons, maybe he shouldn't. Let's see where this takes me.

Spray nodded her head in agreement and looked at Sunfire and Alpine. Sunfire was jumping up and down and Alpine made a very strange face that Spray couldn't even begin to unpack.

"Well then," he said, "Welcome to The Creed."