Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 89: Wanting [Part 1]

~This came out later than I planned, but better late than never, I suppose. Let me know what you think! Otherwise, enjoy!

-NFD

~~~

I limped slowly through the dark forest with my ears perked to listen for danger, trying to ignore my pulsing headache. My right forepaw sent hot spikes of pain up my leg whenever I jostled it too much, but I stubbornly kept moving. 

Anari said it was too risky to wander the island alone because we didn't know what lurked here. She claimed part of it was not knowing any landmarks, too, but I disagreed. Somehow, I felt like I knew this island like the back of my paw, even though I didn't recall seeing anything like this—I probably would if Anari wasn't still suppressing my memories. 

Still, I avoided going to the lake. From what Anari had described, that place seemed to be the core of my memories here, and while I was curious, I didn't want to mess up my chance. That didn't mean I couldn't explore, though!

I had never seen so much green before. Dozens of different plants I had no names for surrounded me, some growing from the ground, some hanging from the trees, and even others that grew on other plants. Despite the abundance of green, there were other colors, too. Browns, blacks, blues, purples, and even some red. I heard a lot of things as well. Strange things. I assumed most of them came from animals, but there were others, and it all made the forest feel so alive. It was all new and exciting.

One sound, however, triggered something in me. A soft scrape of something against leaves rang out behind me, so I cautiously turned around—careful not to anger my paw—and peered into the darkness. I couldn't see anything, but my mind insisted that something was there. "Why under the sky are you following me?" I asked warily.

To my surprise, a black and brown dappled dragon slipped out of the foliage, their grey eyes watching me cautiously. They hummed softly, their voice a higher tone like mine, telling me they must be female. "That's an odd choice of words. Why the sky?"

I backed up a step, growing nervous. I didn't know this dragon, but she almost looked like one of the two that chased me. I was panicking back then, so most details were fuzzy. "Who are you?" I warbled, neglecting to answer her question. I didn't trust my former master anymore, I wasn't sure about the so-called 'Dragoness of the Moon,' and I didn't know any other gods, so I compromised.

The female blinked. "Huh. So, you really don't remember much," she mused. "I'm Splinter. I am your father's friend, so I have no ill will against you. I apologize if I scared you when we first met."

I looked her up and down, uncertain. If she was the same dragon that chased me, then she was probably the one Auroon said would keep her distance to avoid 'overwhelming me.' "What... What were you before?"

"What was I?" Splinter warbled, tilting her head. 

"Before I forgot," I huffed. "Were you family? A friend?" Not that I trusted her word, but I was curious what she'd say.

"Ah." She smiled. "I suppose I'm technically family, although not by blood. Then again, your family kind of... disowned me for a little while, so I'm unsure if I'm still part of it."

I stared at the strange dragon, beyond confused. What was that supposed to mean? How could she be family but not? Family was family, wasn't it? Nobody could change that on a whim, or so I thought. At least Anari's explanation made sense; she was just a friend of the whole family, particularly Auroon. 

"It's complicated," Splinter added with a wince. "I'm working on fixing things."

"So, if you were family, but not by blood," I mumbled slowly. "Then, how were you family?"