Hearts of Fire and Ice

Chapter Four~ Jasper

I flew in between the mountains, through the valleys, and even splashed through the Diamond Spray River at one point during my voyage. It felt amazing to be out and about, away from the hustle of the Sky Palace... and away from my mother. She was probably home by now, and probably worried about me... But I didn't care. I was free for a moment in my life.

I was coming up on the western border of the Sky Kingdom, the border we share with the IceWings. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was turning shades of orange, yellow, and pink. There were also dark clouds gathering off in the distance, and they appeared to be moving closer. 

Hmmmm, that's odd. Must be a storm coming, I thought to myself. I guess I had better head back to the palace. 

The storm moved rather quickly. Thunder rumbled in the distance. I knew I wouldn't make it home in time, even with my powerful SkyWing wings. Mother would be furious with me, but I could worry about that later. I needed to take shelter or I would be risking getting struck by lightning if I continued flying. 

I swooped down towards the ground below me. The mountains were smaller in this part of the kingdom and I knew eventually they would become a snowy tundra the farther I flew in this direction. The hills would be the perfect spot to wait out the storm. I shivered and wrapped my wings around myself. It was chilly here, but not freezing. At least there wasn't any snow. 

The storm continued to move in. The sky darkened with the arriving clouds and occasionally light up with a flash of lightning. The rain began to fall. Slowly at first, but then faster and harder until it was a full on downpour. The rain was running down my scales and soaking me, making me even colder than I already was.

There was a rustle. Something was moving. I whirled around and said clearly, "Who's there? Show yourself immediately!" 

A faint voice came from the shadows, "I don't take orders anymore." 

"If you knew who I was, you'd definitely take my orders. Now, show yourself!" I commanded again.

There was silence. The only sound was the splashing of the rain and the rumble of the thunder. There was somebody out here with me. Did they want to kill me? If Mother knew about this... 

Another dragon walked out of the shadows. She was an IceWing, and she was walking cautiously. She looked me over and began to circle me, cautiously, as if she expected me to suddenly attack her. And... she was beautiful.  

The rain continued to pour down and lightning flashed on the horizon. My crimson scales were becoming drenched with the precipitation from the storm. The IceWing continued to circle me. She was the average size for her age, about seventeen going on eighteen, and she had pale blue scales the color of ice and snow glistening in the morning sunlight. But her most distinguishing feature was her eyes. Striking azure blue eyes that pierced through the night and looked straight into my own deep brown ones. She kept circling me, glaring at me. 

Finally she spoke, "Who are you? And what are you doing out here?" Her voice was commanding, although I could detect a little anxiety.

 "I could say the same for you," I responded, unfurling my massive wings. The IceWing didn't seem the slightest bit intimidated. 

"Well, I'll say that I happen to live around this area, and I monitor the Ice-Sky border quite closely," she hissed and flicked her tail.

 "Well, I was just out for a nighttime flight until this storm hit," I nodded. "And you happened to have found me here,"

 "I see," The IceWing continued to circle me, as if she was studying my every move. Lightning flashed again and thunder rumbled. The rain continued to pour. 

Suddenly, the IceWing whirled around to face me, her azure blue eyes meeting mine once again. "I'd better leave. If you're smart you'd do the same."

 "I like your eyes. Very unique," I smiled. 

The IceWing scowled. "Careful what you say there, SkyWing. Although I'm happy you like my eyes," she looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed at what she said. "Now I really should be going," she flicked her tail again and turned to leave.

"Wait!" I called. The IceWing turned around and gave me a puzzled glance. "Before you go... May you please tell me your name?"

 "Why would you want to know my name?" The IceWing asked. There was confusion in her blue eyes. 

"Just because..." I trailed off. I didn't really have a reason.

 "Fine then. My name's Snowdrift." The IceWing shook her head. "And you?"

 "Snowdrift... I like it."

"Just tell me your name!"

 "Fine, it's Jasper."

"Jasper..." Snowdrift tilted her head slightly to the left. "It's odd for a SkyWing."

 "I get that a lot," I said. 

There was a pause. Snowdrift and I stood staring at each other for a few moments. Then I said, "So Snowdrift, can I meet you here again? Same time tomorrow night?" 

Snowdrift shrugged. "Sure, why not. And... Jasper? You can just call me Snow." And with that, she took off into the pouring rain. 

Snowdrift. Snow. A pretty name for an IceWing. I had a feeling I would be seeing much more of her.