Misfits of Vernada ~Wattys2016~

XXXI

Moon

  Moon lifted her head, and saw in shock Zappy in the water. She stared, questions rushing through her mind, as well as relief.

'How did he find me? How did he get over the sea? He's alive!'

Then he rushed forward, the joy evident in his face.

Moon jerked back, away from Zappy. In her week of self-exile, she had almost come to believe that even being near her friends would hurt them.

As Zappy landed on the ledge in front of him, her heart nearly broke at the confusion and worry in his eyes.

"Moon?" he asked, stepping forward slowly.

She shook her head, stepping away from him, her wings out.

"Zappy –," she began. The scars on his neck were painfully white. Fang's words came back to her – back when he was still Sparkles – and before they arrived at the Stormrider city; "I will dig my claws into him and rip his throat out."

She felt tears prick her eyes, and shook her head again. She had done what Fang threatened to do.

"Its not safe for you to be here," she whispered. "Go, leave me."

"Moon, its fine! I'm okay," he said, the pain on his face breaking her heart. "I'm fine."

But she could tell he wasn't. His voice was husky, and it sounded painful for him to talk. She had done that to him.

"No, you're not okay," she said, fighting back tears. If he saw how hard this was for her, then he would never leave. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, her heart aching for what she was about to do.

"I've decided something," she struggled to keep her voice strong. "You've never done anything for me." The young dragon forced herself to look into Zappy's eyes, and made what she said as sincere as possible, trying not to see the betrayal and hurt in his eyes.

"I don't want to be your friend anymore. I don't regret doing what I did. I'm going to stay here, and you're going to go back. We're finished. I was only your friend back in the hatchling caves so I would have someone to talk to, none of the other Stormriders would be near me because of my strange colouring." She shrugged, struggling to keep her emotions in. "And now I have no need for you, so you can go."

She turned, partly to add to the effect of disinterest, but mostly so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. Or she the betrayal in his.

"Moon?" she heard Zappy cry, hurt in his voice. "Y – you don't mean it, do you?"

It took all her strength to not turn and throw her wings around him. Instead, she blinked back the tears and turned, snarling.

"Of course I do! Go away!" she snapped. Zappy stared at her, and everything about him dropped, his wings, his tail, his frill, his head. Tears glistened in his eyes, and he turned, nodding slowly.

"If that's what you want," he whispered, padding back to the water. "I – I'll go. Goodbye Moon."

Moon forced herself to stand until he had vanished under the water. Then she collapsed onto her seaweed nest and wept. She didn't stop, crying for Zappy, that she had to be so cruel. But it was the only thing she could do to make him go away.

######

L'rin woke her, poking her with his webbed claw. Moon just turned away, not wanting to talk to him at the moment.

But he persisted, poking her more. Finally, she spun, snarling.

"Go away," she snapped. The young k'lrak leapt back in surprise. "Sorry," Moon muttered. "I don't feel like talking right now."

"Okay," he said, turning back and going into the water. "Pop says you need to eat," he gestured to a small pile of fish beside Moon, and vanished under the waves.

Moon scowled, knocking the fish into the sea. It was better that she didn't eat, that she died. She didn't care.

"You need to eat," a voice said, and she looked up to see J'ran.

"I'm not hungry," she muttered, turning away. But the k'lrak persisted, climbing out of the water and moving in front of her.

"You need to eat," he said.

"No I don't," she snapped.

J'ran sighed, sitting down beside her.

"You didn't mean it, did you," he said. It wasn't a question.

Moon looked up, pretending ignorance.

"Didn't mean what?" she muttered, not wanting to talk.

He sighed.

"What you said to your friend. You didn't mean it. So why did you say that?"

"Do you think I enjoyed it!" she cried. "I did it to protect him. I – if he's around me, I'll hurt him. I can't go through that again."

"So you're doing it to protect yourself," J'ran said.

Moon frowned, shaking her head.

"No... I'm doing it to protect him."

J'ran smiled, patting her arm.

"He knows the danger. And he's willing to face that. Your not willing to lose your best friend, but is this any better? You've lost him as well as if he is dead. Are you happy?"

Moon was silent, considering what the k'lrak had said.

"As long as he is alive," she said, but she knew it was a lie. She would never be happy, but if he was safe, she could survive. "As long as he is happy."

J'ran nodded, and slipped back into the water.

"He wants to be with you Moon," he said. "Won't you let him?"

Moon looked into the k'lrak's blue eyes and shook her head, though it pained her to.

"No. Not if it means he gets hurt," she whispered.