Misfits of Vernada ~Wattys2016~

XXXIV

By: @Creepakilla

Zappy

                Zappy's heart felt like lead, but at the same time he felt strangely elated. He couldn't place the satisfaction, but the depression? Easy.
So that's what happened to Cobalt, he thought grimly. What'm I going to do? I promised Birch... But I can't hurt Moon... Maybe Birch'll understand... But she doesn't know Moon... He sighed in disgust and shook his head as he wandered aimlessly up the stone passageway.
"Zappy!"
The bronze dragon started as a call echoed down to his attentive ears, bouncing and reverberating off of the stone walls.
That sounds like—
"Moon?" he yelled incredulously.
Maybe she's changed her mind!
"Moon! What's going on?" he roared again.
"Zappy!" The sound of furiously clattering talons met his ears and he leapt forward, nearly crashing into the purple dragon as they both rounded a corner together.
He spread his wings and rested unsteadily on the stone walls, anxiety whirring through his brain.
"What's wrong, Moon?" He noticed a strange scale or something hanging from a string around her neck, but couldn't be bothered asking about it just yet.
"I need you to go back to the mainland, Zappy," she said hurriedly. "Stop the war for me! Please? Then I might start thinking about coming back; if you don't come back I'll know you're happy without me and that you know I'm okay on my own, okay?"
Zappy drew back from her, flaring his frill; insulted at the thought. "Moon. Get it through your scaly head! We need you to come back, not me!
"Do you think Flamer let you leave the Stormriders for your sake? Do you think Freedom got Darkfire for you to help you? You think Darkfire's family—who have no idea who you are!—nursed you back to health to save you?
"Freedom helped you for the second time! I was captured and hurt and mocked in the Stormriders' capital—and the only thing that kept me going was you, Moon!"
He saw the wonder, the fear, and the awe in his sister's eyes and hope flooded his being.
"All these dragons have been helping you because they can sense that Vernada needs you! If we go to the tribes and prove to them that we can get along the war will stop! You're special, Moon! You've got Bloodlust for a reason! Why are you the only one who can't see that?"
A shudder rippled down Moon's purple length and she stepped back slightly, uncertainty plain on her snout. "But—Obsidian will use me... How can I be—"
"That's just it, Moon," Zappy said, and stepped forward eagerly, sensing that her will was wavering, "Obsidian wanted to use you like that to taint you. If you had obeyed you would've grown calloused. You would've turned into your worst nightmare—but the fact that you ran away gives you power. Proves you have power.
"Please, Moon! Even the k'lrak, who had no idea dragons even existed helped you! Don't you see?"
"I... I don't know, Zappy. Sometimes—" The distress on her snout was killing him, but he forced himself to wait; hear her out; help her by listening and comforting. "Sometimes I think... well, wouldn't Vernada be better if I'd never hatched? If my egg had never been laid—or I was dropped instead of Flamer's hatchling this wouldn't be happening and everyone would be happy! But instead you're—even the sea creatures're—"
Zappy felt a disbelieving laugh welling up and couldn't suppress it. "What!" he chortled. "You don't honestly think that, do you?"
She nodded, avoiding his gaze.
"Moon," Zappy said gravely. He was going to be honest and nothing else. "If you had died at hatching I would be as normal as every other Sharpshooter—lazy, lazy, and... well, lazy. I would never've been able to bear life in Keen Forest—and Firelily would be dead. I would, too. If I wasn't influenced by your Bloodlust I would've died fifty times in Militia. If you come back we can make peace between the tribes and Flamer and Firelily can go home."
Moon stared down at her talons, her wings shaking. Zappy watched anxiously, not daring to hope but hoping anyway, with all his might.
Moon finally looked him in the eye after a good minute of tense nervousness. There were tears in her eyes.
"Zappy," she said in a shaky voice, "you should be a darned poet!" She leapt forward and tackled him in a giant bear—dragon—hug.
Zappy slammed back against the wall with a breathless, "Oof!" He wrapped his bronze wings around her and clenched his golden eyes shut against the tears seeping out.
"I'll come back," she whispered. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. I'll come back."
Zappy felt a wave of relief surging through him as Moon tightened her grip, hugging him like she'd used to when they were small.
"Ow—Moon—can't really breathe—" he gasped suddenly, and she jumped back, laughing and shaking tears from her eyes. A choking sob forced its way out of his throat and into the air and he laughed, too.
"I s'pose I'd better tell the others," Moon said finally. "Who'd you bring?"
"Darkfire, Firelily, Flamer, and Freedom." Zappy counted them off on his sclaws, grinning at the delight on her snout.
"Four out of six of my favourite dragons and a good friend! Sweet!" Moon couldn't suppress a chuckle, and Zappy beamed; he'd been afraid that he would never hear that sound again.
"Who're the fifth and sixth 'favourite dragons'?" he asked curiously; he couldn't resist.
"Pebble and Cricket," she replied quietly.
"Who's Pebble?" Zappy asked, feeling a stab of jealousy: another dragon vying for Moon's attention! He'd only just gotten his sister back and suddenly everyone wanted her!
"My father if it weren't for Bloodfang," she replied with an amused gleam in her golden eye.
Zappy realized he hadn't yet asked her why she only had one eye and took his opportunity. "What happened to your left eye?" he asked, concern colouring his tone. "What happened?"
Moon tensed like she'd been stung. "Bloodfang," she said tightly, and turned away. "When're we leaving, huh?"
"As soon as we can!" Zappy wanted to get away before she changed her mind and followed eagerly as she lead the way back up the tunnel to the open air.
As soon as his sclaws met the outside world Zappy leaped into the sky, enjoying the sensation of freedom; he was a wild hunter of the air, ferocious and feared by all other creatures. Not even a k'lrak in the mighty ocean could hope to compete with the wild beauty of a Sharpshooter and Stormrider flying together.
Zappy beat his wings and caught a warm current of rising air, gliding higher toward the sun. He didn't ever want to stop flying, but eventually forced himself to dive down toward the island that protruded from the glittering waters like some kind of really strange, really giant wart.
"Success!" he bellowed loudly, roaring his triumph and happiness out for all the world to hear. "She's coming home! Moon's coming home!"
He heard a joyous bugleing roar and saw a dark shape launch into the air.
"Darkfire!"
Zappy heard the happiness in Moon's voice and grinned, beating a wing and skitting to the side before he got sandwiched between the two dragons, Moon arcing down and the Stormshooter powering up.
"Moon!" A tear slid out of Darkfire's eye and abruptly disappeared, whipped away by the grasping wind. "You did it, Zappy!" he crowed, and then rammed into Moon, sending them both whirling wildly toward the earth as he wrapped his wings around hers.
Zappy chuckled as he heard Moon yelling to let her go; they were gonna fall; and Darkfire suddenly realized their danger, desperately disengaging moments before they would've crashed.
He beat his wings; arced up; and twisted down after them, freefalling toward the hard ground. The wind screamed in his ears and he flicked them back in annoyance, growling slightly and releasing a small plume of smoke.
The island drew nearer and the wind changed slightly, slapping his eyes so painfully that he needed to close his second pair of eyelids to see.
Zappy tucked his wings in tighter and felt the air change from a harsh slap to a gentle caress, flitting over his head and trailing long fingers over his bronze neck, tugging slightly at his wings and running along the length of his remaining body and tail.
Zappy grinned toothily and snapped his wings open, hanging suspended in the air for a few moments, drifting down the last few metres to land upright in the grassy glade that took up the top of the island.
He thumped heavily onto his front sclaws, digging his talons into the rich, dark soil. Freedom stood a few metres away, head lowered and tail flicking dangerously as she watched Moon and Darkfire.
She nodded frostily as Moon waved before turning back to Darkfire.
Zappy caught her eye and tilted his head curiously, jumping back a step as she let her hurt show. She looked absolutely miserable and he had to work hard to keep from making an expression of pity. He knew it would only anger the proud Sharpshooter.
Zappy quickly turned back to Moon and let his overwhelming happiness well inside once again.
"Feeling better, Moon?" he asked mischievously, barely containing his joy and excitement. "Nothing like a flight and a hug to get ya mood up!"
Moon stared down at her talons, but Zappy saw the amused gleam in her eye and felt a thrill of pleasure ripple through him once again.
"What's going on!"
Zappy turned back just in time to see Firelily cresting the top of the island with Flamer's brown form a metres below.
"We heard roaring, and—" The young dragon stopped short and wobbled in the air, nearly staggering back into Flamer and narrowly missing the other dragon's dark wings as she angled her tail wildly. "Moon! Oh, Zappy, you did it!" She pounced onto the grass and bounded for Moon, tackling her and flipping them both onto the ground.
Flamer softly lit on firm ground and watched the two young dragons affectionately; Zappy pretended not to notice the tears trickling down her snout.
When Firelily finally released Moon Flamer took her place, wrapping her brown wings around the purple form and running her snout along Moon's horn lovingly.
"So, when're we leaving?" Darkfire asked abruptly, bounding toward Zappy happily and rudely interrupting his thoughts. Zappy suspected that the dark green dragon was as anxious to get away before Moon changed her mind as he was.
"As soon as we've said good-bye," he decided.
"Good-bye?" Darkfire looked slightly mystified. "Who to?"
Zappy scowled. "To the K'lrak, of course. None of this would've happened without their help, so it's pretty rude to just vanish without thanking them."
"Oh."
Zappy snorted a puff of smoke and rattled his frill in disgust. He flipped over his tail and plummeted off the edge of the cliff without another word, gasping slightly as the wind from his fall attempted to snatch his breath away.
The bronze dragon quickly snapped his wings open and hung suspended for a few moments as he tried to locate R'tan.
He swung his head around and flicked his tail, spinning his body around to face the opposite direction before finally spotting the young K'lrak's sleek, dark head a kilometre or so below, diving among the rocks and seals in the restless water.
He furled his wings and dropped like a stone.
"R'tan!" he roared when he was mere metres away from the sea-creature and she nearly jumped out of her skin, leaping into the air and diving deep under the surface before he could blink.
Zappy chuckled and settled onto the nearest rock, tucking his wings tightly against his scaly hide.
"Hhh!" he gasped and jerked back, coughing and spluttering as a sudden wave of ice-cold water washed over him.
"Oops," R'tan said sweetly, but Zappy caught the mischievous gleam in her dark eyes. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."
Zappy glared at her and snorted salt water out of his nose. "Of course you didn't."
"Was that supposed to be sarcastic?"
Zappy sighed and ignored her, shivering slightly in the chill breeze. There was no remorse in R'tan's eyes, he noticed; only laughter.
He huffed a small plume of flame and beat his wings at her awkwardly. "We're, um... leaving, I guess," he said eventually.
R'tan's face fell. "Already? Did you manage to convince Moon, or are you giving up again?" she asked slyly.
Zappy chuckled as he trailed his tail through the waves. "Nah, she gave in. Sorry for leaving you so soon—but I never got to explore those caves with you that you were telling me about, so I'll be back one day!" He winked and her expression brightened.
"You will? Good. That'll be fun!"
"Are you, Gra'den, G'yern and your other brother coming back with us?" Zappy asked, cocking his head curiously.
"Nah, D'nef's fallen for one of the girls here, and J'ran's invited Dad to stay for awhile. Me and G'yern have decided to hang with him for a bit." She grinned.
Zappy nodded, forced to reluctantly accept their decision. "Alright," he said, splashing water at her with the blades on his tail. "Give the most heartfelt speech of thanks you can come up with to your father and J'ran," he joked with a wink and grinned toothily. "And—thank you, R'tan. If it wasn't for you I never would've kept searching."
R'tan looked embarrassed. "Uh... That's—okay?" she said uncertainly. "I was happy to help!" She grinned.
Zappy nodded and unfurled his wings, raising them high in the air; tips nearly touching. "I'll see you again if I can," he said. "But first I need to get my sister back home!"
He leapt, muscled hind-legs launching him high into the air above R'tan's head and waving flipper. A few strong wingbeats sent him arcing above the island and he roared the assembly call Vertigo had taught him, calling all dragons within earshot to gather.
Flamer bugled a reply and launched skyward; Firelily bugled a reply and leapt to her feet, flying through the air toward him moments later; Darkfire bugled a reply and raced toward him, spiralling and flipping in delight.
Moon and Freedom were nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Moon?" Zappy called, desperately trying to not believe that she'd changed her mind. "Where's Freedom?"
Darkfire tilted a wing and slid to a stop next to the worried dragon.
"Freedom went ahead as scout so we don't run into an ambush—there is a war going on, ya know—she said you'd understand," he yelled back.
Zappy nodded. "But where's Moon!"
Darkfire shrugged as Flamer and Firelily approached, a worried expression on his snout. "You seen Moon?" he asked over his shoulder.
They shook their heads.
"She—she just disappeared," Firelily said softly.
The four dragons waited anxiously. Zappy couldn't stop the dread creeping into his heart.
Finally, Moon answered in ringing tones and they saw her swift shape speeding toward them like a shaft of purple lightening from the bottom of the opposite end of the cliff.
Zappy crowed and flipped over backward before diving down toward her. "Come on, Moon!" he roared. "Let's get you home!"
He banked steeply and straightened himself to begin their long flight to the mainland