The Chosen One- Book One (Editing)

Chapter 13- Last Night

Silverfang trudged wearily out of the forest, stopping at a clearing. She set down her pack, pulling out some firewood and setting it in the center of the clearing. She conjured a ball of flames, swiping at the wood to light it. She pulled out some bedding, smoothing it out and patting it down. The dragon lifted Serpentis from his favorite spot inside the left pocket of the pack, setting the creature under a thin layer of bedding. She took out Steamblade's blanket, spreading it over the bedding and carefully smoothing it out. Silverfang watched as Steamblade entered the clearing, setting down his pack next to Silverfang's. She pulled out a peach and a few nuts, sinking her fangs into the juicy fruit. Steamblade set up his bedding, pulling out a capped container. It was filled with some sort of aromatic soup that had chunks of meat and plants floating around. Steamblade pulled open the lid, sipping the broth. Silverfang handed him a spoon. "Thanks." he replied, eating a chunk of meat. She nodded, picking up his blanket and spreading it over her back. A frosty breeze blew in from the mountains, causing the fire to flicker for a moment and Silverfang to shiver. "Are you cold?" Steamblade asked. "Kind of." She padded over to him, leaning on his chest while wrapping the blanket around both of them. Silverfang heard him slurping the soup, finishing the last of it before packing it all away.

She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. Steamblade looked down at her, a crooked smile lining his face. Everyone else set up their bedding around the fire, tending to it or eating food. After a long silence between them, Steamblade whispered, " I heard you before." Silverfang looked up. "When?" Steamblade poked the ground. "When you and Flashscar were talking while we looked for Icetail." Silverfang lifted her head. "What?" Steamblade rolled his eyes. "You know." Silverfang scooted slightly away from him, embarrassed. "Er..." He looked at her questioningly. "So, is it true?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Of course! You think I would lie to Flashscar?" She moved a bit further away. Steamblade laughed, wrapping his tail around her and pulling her closer to him. "So, you like me back?" she asked. His nod was barely noticable, but it wasn't nonexistent. Closing her eyes, Silverfang sighed in relief. She moved her bedding closer, then curled up where she was. Steamblade extended his left wing, closing it around her. She closed her eyes, tail entwined with his. She fell asleep, and for the first time since the first night, she had no dreams. 

Silverfang woke up, rubbing her eyes. She was still curled up near Steamblade. He was watching her. "What-" she yawned. "-are you doing?" He gave her a crooked smile. "I like watching you sleep." She rolled her eyes, settling back to her former position. "Whatever you say." she muttered, curling up and returning to a deep slumber. Steamblade watched her for a bit more, fed Serpentis a cube of meat, and rested his head next to hers, careful not to disturb her.

Flashscar, miraculously, woke up first the next day. She smiled at Steamblade and Silverfang, wrapped around each other. She tip clawed her way to her pack, pulling out a pen, a bit of tape, a photo, and a wrinkled piece of paper. Scribbling something onto it, then taping the photo onto the bottom, Flashscar tucked the note under a layer of bedding and tip clawed to her nest, falling into a deep sleep. When Silverfang woke up, she brushed Steamblade aside and picked up the note.

In a messy script, Flashscar wrote: Hah. Everyone saw you and Steamblade yesterday- it was hilarious. Especially the look on your face- priceless.

Flashscar ;P

Attached to the end of the note was a small picture of everyone laughing around the fire. In the corner, Steamblade was asleep against Silverfang.

Silverfang turned red, ripping off the photo carefully and crumpling the note, shoving both deep into her bag. She walked over to Steamblade, nudging his shoulder with her nose. He groaned, rolling over. "Steamblade." she whispered. He blinked, smiling when he saw her face. "Hey." Silverfang put a claw on his shoulder, shaking him. "Wake up." When he saw the look on her face, Steamblade laughed lightly. "Someone's in a bad mood." He rose, stretched, and turned to her, nudging her shoulder. "Lighten up. We still got a full day ahead of us. Go get a drink at the pond. I'll follow you soon." Silverfang nodded, disappearing into the trees. Steamblade quietly peeked into her bag, pulling out the photo and note. He read it, smiling. "Flashscar. Why can't you leave yourself out of this kind of stuff?" Quietly and carefully, Steamblade replaced the note and photo and went to join Silverfang. 

Steamblade found Silverfang with her head dipped into the water. He slid next to her, dipping his foreclaws into the clear water. A current washed the dirt off them, and Steamblade splashed some onto Silverfang, who made a face. "Sorry, Silverfang." Steamblade said lightly. He wrapped a wing around her. Still, she moved a bit away, looking in the opposite direction. "What's bothering you?" Silverfang shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it." Steamblade flapped his wings, taking to the air. She sat on the ground, looking at her reflection in the water. Steamblade frowned, looking hurt. Sighing, Silverfang got up and walked back to camp. Steamblade landed and followed her.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me anything, I'll show you my scrapbook." He reached into his bag and took out a wrinkled book and a Polaroid camera. He took a picture of Silverfang, waiting for it to print. A thin sheet of photo paper slid out, landing on the floor. Steamblade picked it up, opened the scrapbook, and secured the photo in the back with a strip of tape. Silverfang leaned onto him, looking at the pictures. The first one was a water dragon leaning on a large fire dragon. A silver egg sat in between them. The next few pictures featured a baby Steamblade, Steamblade growing up, and the dragon entering the Academy. A few more pictures after that displayed the water dragon and the fire dragon getting old and retiring. Steamblade continued to grow in the pictures, going from a small dragon-in-training to fighting some of the best the academy had to offer. Steamblade was displayed winning several awards in mathematics, psychology, science, sports, and more. More photos displayed Steamblade and his friends. Silverfang was on the last page. Steamblade pulled out a pen, wrote something on the white border of the photo, and closed the book. "Sorry." Silverfang said. "About before. I was just embarrassed at something Flashscar did."

Steamblade wrapped his claws around her, pulling Silverfang closer to him. He spread a blanket over her back. She smiled gratefully at him, and the two sat like that for a long time.