The Twin Islands-Wings of Fire

Artemis

"So what exactly does this tunnel look like?" Mamba asks, prodding Artemis with a stick she'd picked up a few minutes earlier.

"It doesn't really look like anything." The Nightwing replies, moving her wing to smack Mamba in the snout as she dances out of the way. "It's basically a place darker than it should be."

"Nice description. I could really feel the depth." Darkstalker comments, making Artemis groan and roll her azure blue eyes.

The weird looking dragonet had become a little more irritable and mellow than before. Also, not as timid as she used to be. Taking charge when she knew she needed to. Something had changed inside of her recently. Something critical.

"I really wish we had Seaglass's' glowing scales" Artemis muttered, sidestepping a stray log as rain poured on overhead.

"And his night vision." Potent says, making Artemis jump. She had nearly forgotten he was there. The Sandwing shocked her by coming along. Didn't he hate everybody?"

"Everyone but Mamba." Darkstalker thought for her. Artemis hid a smile. Darkstalker was right. It was a tad obvious Potent had taken more of a liking to Mamba than everybody else. It made sense, though, the Rainwing had the attitude of a Sandwing for crying out loud.

She cast a glance at her friend, who was chasing Tempest with a fuzzy brown spider on the end of her stick.

Maybe not all Sandwing.

Artemis's steps began to slow, and she furrowed her brow in concentration. Something was off here..

"Ah-ha!" She cries, whirling around and racing to the side of the mountain, Immediately scanning it for any sign of the tunnel. Where was it? It couldn't have vanished, could it? Maybe it was only open during the day when the shadows were visible. Suddenly, the mountainside and plants around it swallowed up her arm, making her jerk back and leap in joy.

"Talk about enthusiastic." Mudpuddle giggles.

"I found it." Artemis breaths, pulling back the ivy that had covered up the tunnel. Yep, when she turned her head, she could definitely see a darker outline than the rest of the shadows.

"Whoa." Tempest blinks at the tunnel, her violet eyes glowing like giant fireflies. The faded light from the moons gave her a eerie metal look, and her lightning bolts seemed like melted gold. "That certainly has a 'darker than it should be' feel."

"Hey." Potent arches a brow at her. "Sarcasm is my thing."

"That wasn't sarcasm." Tempest protests, flapping her big wings and scattering raindrops. A stray leaf stirred up by the breeze smacks into Artemis's snout. But she takes no notice.

"Stay here." She says excitedly, spreading her waterlogged wings. "I'm gonna go get Seaglass and Snowfall."

"Me too!" Mamba shouts, hooking her arm with Artemis's, beaming.

"Got it." Tempest snakes her long neck into the tunnel, giggling as half of her snout disappears.

Artemis rolls her eyes and gives Potent and Mudpuddle a look like, watch her please, and takes off into the trees as Mamba broke into a run.

Mamba doesn't stop the colors flowing through her scales. Excited gold spirals and star bursts explode over her dark green and black camouflage as she races to where they left Snowfall and Seaglass. Artemis has a bit of a difficult time keeping up with her, but succeeds in making it back anyway.

They're surprised to find Seaglass and Snowfall standing wingtip-to-wingtip as they stared into the rain. Mamba smothers a giggle, creeping up silently behind the two. A little guilty, Artemis follows less soundlessly. But they don't break their gaze from the blanket of dark clouds that swirl and drift over one another like dragons in flight. They're talking in whispers, inching a bit closer now and then.

Artemis smiles at them, knowing they'd be a perfect match for one another.

"Well that's adorable." Darkstalker says. Artemis swore she heard him giggle faintly afterwards.

"Psst." Invisible Mamba suddenly whisper-yells, scaring Seaglass so badly he leaps into Snowfall's wings. Which makes Mamba laugh hard enough for Artemis to join in.

A flustered Snowfall shoves Seaglass to the ground, backing up and flapping raindrops from his wings. The Seawing is splayed on the ground like a fish, gasping for air and clutching his chest.

"Never do that again." He says in a strangled gasp as Mamba pops her head above him, smirking and switching her scales to match his. Giggling, she pulls him up.

"I absolutely will."

"What are you guys doing here." Snowfall hisses, raising his head and blasting a spurt of frostbreath at the ground.

Artemis can't help but frown at him. "We found the tunnel." She says simply, sitting down and folding her wings.

"Couldn't you have come and got us, oh I don't know, in a little less night-mary way?" Seaglass shoots at glare at Mamba, who snorts; amused.

Artemis shrugged. "It was her idea." She gestures to Mamba, who smiles appreciatively.

"No regrets." She spreads her wings, which are now green that's almost black dappled with silver.

Artemis laughs, getting to her feet. "Well, come on. That tunnels not going anywhere, but we better if we want to get to the islands."

~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe we're doing this." Tempest clutches her head, making a sort of scared squeal.

"Neither can I." Darkstalker says sadly. Artemis frowns, absentmindedly twirling a few strands of grass between her talons.

"I'm sorry, Darkstalker. But you know it's the only way Solar can be stopped."

He sighs. "Oh trust me. I know."

"Have any tips?"

"Ah, yeah. Don't die."

She laughs softly. "That's helpful." But her sarcasm rings with playfulness.

"I'm going to miss you." He says truthfully, and Artemis steps into the tunnel last after Mudpuddle. Her scales begin to crawl like bugs had slipped underneath. She shudders at the thought.

"I'll miss you too."

"Whoa." Seaglass's amazed gasp rings out through the tunnel as he reaches the top of the slope, staring at the three doors set before him.

Artemis squeezes in beside him, breathing a plume of fire to light up the doors. The already faint red light brightens, and she catches flashes of auburn, gold, and silver.

"Which one?" Mamba says in a whisper, and Artemis's talons hover in front of the doors.

"Silver." Tempest answers softly. "It's the silver door."

Artemis breathes a deep sigh, looking around the tunnel at her friends. With a small push, she opened the door.