Iridescent - A Turtlejou Short (WoF)

What Do You Call One-Shot Chapters

"Shoo!" The MudWing at the door huffed, waving her talons one final time.

The flutter in Turtle's chest momentarily withered. "Please," he murmured, wringing his own claws together. "I - I want - I want to see her."

"Mayfly," a soft voice murmured behind him. Qibli. Turtle half-turned his head, folding his wings against his sides and flicking his tail unhappily.

The SandWing watched him through troubled eyes; eyes dark like obsidian and bright with concern. Of course - they had just left a flaming SkyWing alone, by the river. Poor Peril - but she'll have to wait.

"For the last time, no!" the MudWing healer barked, flaring her wings. "The patient must be left in peace."

"It's a minute!" Turtle protested suddenly, spurned by a fierce rage into stepping forward, his dark green eyes slanting down to meet hers.

In his chest, his heart beat again; it was a weird little jump. Like a tiny SandWing barb had stabbed directly into his spine; electricity, pulsing through his veins. Under his scales. In his chest. He couldn't breathe...

Couldn't lose her.

Perhaps she'd seen something in his eyes; Mayfly took a deep breath and stepped back, her gaze dark and critical as she assessed him. Behind him, he felt the sudden heat as Qibli brushed their wings; a gesture of support, and of comfort.

He knows how much I want to see her, Turtle realised with a brief jolt. Just another spark in the electric shower, ricocheting down underneath his gills.

I might never see her again...

But suddenly, the MudWing was no longer there - and he was tumbling, tumbling forward, to land on his foretalons beside her.

"Only you," Mayfly growled, flicking her tail against Qibli's chest before the young SandWing could step inside. "Only the ones who love her."

Love...

Shocked into silence by the MudWing's words, Turtle blinked. Dumbfoundedly gathering his talons under his body, he stood up and began to numbly walk; it was a little building, to say the least. Thatched of roof - he briefly wondered how often it had caught fire - and cemented together, the walls seemed to glow an unnatural shade of cream. The corridor narrowed at unexpected corners, forcing his wings to cramp uncomfortably against his flanks. And she lives here?

So does Kinkajou, he reminded himself. For now.

I could take her home...

Kinkajou. A cold ocean wave couldn't have shocked him better from his bewilderment. Briefly, the wall fell away to an entrance - he half-stepped inside, and came face to face with an empty room.

No Kinkajou. Keep looking.

Twice more he arrived at an empty room - the bedsheets neatly-arranged, billowing in the wind as if awaiting the welcoming touch of scales. Once, he stumbled across a forlorn-looking SkyWing dragonet, who lay wrapped in a bundle of quilts. The dragonet shied at his approach; he tried a smile, but the youngster only cringed further.

Still not Kinkajou.

It was the last one - he could see the end of the wall, the dead stop - when he found her. So white it took her a minute to place her from within the sunlight and fabric and walls; the heavenly glow which almost made him feel as if he were in the presence of an angel. Slowly, sharply, Turtle inhaled - then exhaled. Deeply.

She lay wrapped in bandages, head to scale - yet still parts of her called out to him. Her face, resting slackened against a pillow, and talons, curled tightly against her chest. Prehensile tail coiled tightly round; Turtle resisted the urge to slip his own tail into hers and instead, simply looked.