Wings of Fire | The Half-Breed Tales

Chapter 3

Quill opened his eyes a small crack. Through the small window provided in the cave, an unnatural seeming light streamed through. Quill had grown up in the deep palace, where the light was always dim, and everything had a blueish green tint to it. Living on land felt odd and unnatural. He wasn't used to it. He caught a glimpse of Sobek still sleeping across from him. Crimson and Mango were to his right. Mango was snoring softly, something that sounded like the soft murmur of a fish swimming past a waving patch of seaweed. He didn't mind the snoring, or the puff of smoke that emerged from Crimson's snout when she talked quietly in her sleep. Sobek was completely quiet, not making a sound. The only thing that was moving was the slight twitch of Sobek's tan yellow tail. Quill got up as quietly as he could, stretching out his talons and wings, letting out a large yawn. He wasn't sure when the classes began; he had forgotten to ask Queen Echo.

Quill wasn't sure if he should risk waking up any of them, he wanted to savor this peace and quiet before Mango and Crimson woke up. He still didn't know Sobek all that well, and, he certainly didn't want Mango and Crimson bouncing all around him. Now that he'd met a happy SkyWing, he knew he preferred them grumpy and grouchy.

Out of the choices Sobek was the least likely to be annoying so, he decided to wake Sobek up.

Carefully walking over, he prodded the SandWing's shoulder. Sobek let out a long, mumbling whine, rolling over to his other side

He tapped him again, and this time, an eye opened up a crack in annoyance. "What-"

"Shut it!" Quill hissed quietly, pointing at Mango and Crimson. "Don't wake them up. That's something we both can agree on, right?"

Sobek sat up now. "Oh," he whispered back. "I forgot I wasn't in the desert anymore. Sorry... And... Why did you wake me up?"

Quill sat next to him. "I don't know when the classes start. I didn't want to be late; it wouldn't be good for my reputation, you know, being the prince of the SeaWings and all, I can't have other dragons thinking badly of me."

Sobek grinned. "Ah yes. Wouldn't want the princely nature to be gone, right? Anyway, classes start very soon, actually. At dawn. I don't know why I don't hear any dragons waking up, though."

"Well maybe most of them are RainWings," Quill suggested. "Or maybe, they're just quiet."

"I'm reluctant to wake them up," Sobek said. "We don't want a bunch of happy, screaming, bouncing dragons running in a mob around the palace, do we?"

"They could indeed break something," Quill agreed worriedly. "I hope Queen Echo won't take it too personally. She can be very angry when she wants to. She's scary, sometimes."

"Yeah, but that's when she wants to be angry," Sobek pointed out.

"True." Quill agreed.

"Let's go?" Sobek tilted his head questioningly.

"What about.... them?" Quill pointed a talon at Mango and Crimson. "I'd feel a little bad, just leaving them there--"

"Don't worry about them," Sobek said nonchelantly, a mischievous grin appearing on his face. "They'll wake up in due time. Come on, have some fun while they're not here to attack us with butterflies and rainbows... or whatever SkyWings-- happy ones, for that matter- and RainWings do for fun."

"Is that even fun?!" Quill hissed back. "They might be upset!"

"We can atone for it later. C'mon!" And with that, Sobek pushed Quill toward the entrance of the cave.

"SOBEK!!" Quill screeched accidently.

Crimson and Mango opened their eyes.

"Curse you Quill!!" Sobek yelled, then scampered off, dragging Quill with him. "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!"

"Wait-" Quill heard Mango and Crimson protest.

As they scampered through the hallway, they finally saw dragons gathering at a cave entrance. Maybe this is the class for us? Quill thought.

"Is this it?" Quill asked Sobek.

"I guess so," he replied. "This is..." He turned his head to look at a letter carved in the stone wall. "It says Cave A. I recall someone saying 'Cave A.'"

Crimson and Mango finally came running up the entrance, their expressions questioning. "Why did you run?" Mango asked, panting. Her scales were flitting from red to orange.

"You looked like you saw a ghost!" Crimson said, her voice wavering, gray smoke curling from her nostrils.

They seem oddly worried for us after we deserted them. Wait-- I mean, Sobek deserted them. Not me.

"Well, it was Sobek's fault--"

"We thought we were late for class and had no time to wake you up," Sobek said, putting on a perfect mask on honesty. "Sorry."

"Oh," Mango said, a smile coming back. "That's okay. All is forgiven!"

A roar erupted from the cave, and dragons came running out in fear. "A strange dragon has come to kill us!!" A RainWing cried. "If only that MudWing hadn't challenged her!"

"This activity isn't safe, as I thought," A NightWing grumbled, running past them.

"What was that...?" Quill said, startled.

"Sounded like an angry dragon," Sobek said matter-of-factly.

"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!!!" Mango screeched, terrified, her eyes wide, and her scales turning a ghostly white color.

"Calm down, Mango!" Crimson said, nudging Mango's wing with hers.

Quill shuddered. That sounded like a roar he'd heard in his vision-- just deeper and more fierce.

"I want to know what dragon made that sound," Quill said firmly. "I don't know about you guys, but I will find out."

Sobek stared at him. "I'm not just going to leave the Prince of SeaWings in that SUPER CREEPY CAVE where a murderous dragon could be lurking. Do you really think I'm that heartless?"

"Yes," Mango said.

"Shut up, Mango," Sobek snapped.

We'll be coming too," Crimson said firmly.

"Wait, WHAT?!!" Mango said frantically. "I didn't agree to this! Anyways, but I bet Sobek is scarier than that dragon in there!"

Quill shook his head. "You guys confuse me. I'm going in."

Quill took a shaky step forward. Talon after talon, he was walking normally- mostly because Sobek was walking normally beside him. Sobek seems strong. He could defend me, right? But before he could think of what Sobek might do, his mind went to the vision he had the night before- about a dragonet being stolen, if he remembered correctly. The dragonet had roared, and so had the NightWing that flew after her to try and save her. They sounded similar- they must have been a daughter and father. But who was that standing over him? It didn't match the dark blue that was Queen Echo.

But if that wasn't Queen Echo... Who was it?

Quill reached the entrance to the cave, and there he saw the dragon who'd created the chaos- and she was staring right at him.