Wings of Peace

Chapter 7: Back Home

Storm took in her first breath as a dragon. Her scales and talons were back. Storm raised her head, she was in the same clearing where she had been captured.

She looked up in the sky and a SeaWings, a ShiftWing and a wounded BullWing were flying over. When they saw the dragons on the ground, they swooped down to them. Anger flared up in their eyes when they saw the unharmed CloudWings.

"Where were you?"Yelled the SeaWing. She was a blue so pale that she looked white, and her eyes were so dark blue that they looked like two black orbs in her head. She held something in her talon, but Storm couldn't see what."He could be dead because of you!"

The ShiftWing put her wing on the SeaWing."Why didn't you come? Queen Linda is dead, and if she isn't then she will be!"The ShiftWing was dark brown with a chain of pearls around her arm and a broken chain on the other. Her necklace of moonstones was tattered and seemed to be held together with one thread, and her arm gold band in the shape of a snake winding up her arm had some stains of blood.  

The BullWing stood still, tracing the scar that wound up his arm with a delicate talon. He was all black except for a stripe of red that wound down his back like a snake. His eyes were dark brown and a scar ran down the length of his face, starting at his horns to the start of his neck. He looked up at them, then said."Why did you laugh at us? We are now shattered, no more are we whole."Then the BullWing looked at his scar."They are dead because of how selfish you CloudWings are! We sent for help, and nothing came! I bet it's because of her fiancee isn't it?"

Queen Light stepped forward."I'm sorry that we-"

"Sorry? Sorry! Sorry won't save our loved ones! Sorry won't save him!"Yelled the SeaWing, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Look, I'm really sorry, we will try-"Queen Light was interrupted again by the ShiftWing.

"So, you're really sorry, that's not how I see it. You are as sorry as that bush!"She said the word sorry as though it was a rotten animal in her mouth. She turned around and said to her companions,"Pearl, Cole, we leave now."She got ready to take off, then Cloud stepped forward.

"We are sorry, but if you will just listen. We were in another dimension, and had no clue of what was happening here. Other dragons replaced us, and they knew what was happening. My sister and I will fix this, Storm."She turned to Storm."You need to learn how to fight, have Jay teach you. Pearl, Cole and Telona, please come with us to the CloudWing palace in hopes we can find a way to fix this mess."

Storm looked at Jay."When do we start?"She asked.

He took her talons."Follow me."

She nodded and took off into the sky, Turning the dragons on the ground to spots of color.

Jay lead her to the weather teams side of the kingdom. He landed on the flight leader's of a house that had two stories with a gold circle that had an ocean wave inside a cloud.

Storm reached up and traced the groves with her claw."So this is Blue's house? Why are we here?"

Jay pulled open the door."Blue gave me something, I was hoping she will give you something."He poked his head into the house."Blue? Blue! Where are you?"He called.

Scrambling was heard inside, then a tired Blue showed up at the door."Sorry about that, Jay. I was sleep because with Eel's crazy streak, planing weather patterns and helping Storm with-"She stopped wine she saw Storm standing beside Jay."Stupid Eel, trying to lead a kingdom with ChangeWings. Anyway, what are you here for?"

Storm and Jay stared at her."ChangeWings? What are they-"

"What. Do. You. Want?"Blue repeated.

Jay shook himself and lifted Storm's arm that had her silver arm band on it."You said you didn't do anything with this, but she is really good at flying. Can you tell us what you did or give her a new gift?"

Blue looked at them, then waved her wing for them to follow her inside."I know I wrote it down somewhere,"she said, digging through a box with 'Gifts' written on it. She pulled out a sheet of paper with 'Storm' written on the top."Okay, so I gave you the gift of...flight! Not very thought through, but it worked."Then she grabbed Storm's arm and slid off her arm band. She placed the band on the ground then wrote multipul things on the paper, then grabbed the band in her talons and closed his eyes. She stayed that way for a while then handed it back to Storm."Your new gift is, anything you put your heart in or love it you will be exceptional at it."

Storm nodded."Thank you, Blue. How can you do that? I thought only the royal family had magic?"

Jay stiffened while Blue froze in her spot."We don't talk-"

"I want to know! No more secrets! Please, we are going to war."

Blue sighed and looked at her talons."I'm half SeaWing."She looked at her wings and talons."My brother is on the SeaWing island, and some how had the same gift. I am part of the SeaWing royal family, and I think I might be your cousin. Now please leave, so I can get back to work."

Storm nodded and followed Jay to the deck where they had landed. On it was a dark blue CloudWing with a fake wing sitting on the pillows next to the edge. He looked up and saw them."Hello, Storm. It's nice to see my friend lives on inside you."He bowed, then walked over to Jay."You have grown up well. I remember when you were a scrawny dragon, now look at you. My class sure helped you out."He grabbed Jay's jaw and moved his head around so he could see every die of it.

Jay shook off his talon, and grabbed it."Your school did nothing for me, Night. All it did was take me from my family and let me become as terrible as you. I won't let you take her away just because she looks like your friend!"

Night looked back at him coldly."She is beautiful, no wonder you are so protective of her. Or is it because of what Queen Light will pay you when you are done?"Night smacked Jay in the head and talon with his false wing and took is talon back."Eel has her now, and I will help hound in her rebelliousness. Now go away, you pathetic excuse for a dragon."

Jay's eyes seemed to glow red when he heard this."You can't have her! She is not an object! She is a dragon jut like you and me! If you want her, you'll have to go through me."He stood in front of Storm and spread out his large wings.

Storm grabbed his wing and pulled it back."I can fight my own fights,"she said, slipping under his wing. She felt as though energy was being pumped through her veins, and her talons felt as though they could cut through anything."You want me? Come and get me."

Night growled and launched himself at the two CloudWings. Storm and Jay moved out of the way, which caused her to fall off of the deck. She let herself fall as Jay leaped off to fight in the air.

The wind whipped past her and she turned around in the air to see the ground rushing towards her. Storm opened her wings and flew up to where Night and Jay were fighting. She silently flew up behind Night, and hit him on the head.

He whipped around and blasted her with his cold fire. This stunned her and she fell from the sky again. Come on, Storm. Gain back control of your wings, she thought frantically. She felt the cold of the flame spread towards her wings. No, no, no, stop spreading! She willed it.

The blue, cold flames crept towards her wings and throat as the ground got closer and closer. She saw Jay try to swoop down to help her, but Night blocked his path. Jay said something to him, and Night replied with something that seemed to shake Jay to the core. He tried to get past Night, but failed.

Storm felt the cold spread to her throat. Her air pipe closed off, and her wings felt like they were frozen. The edge of her gaze started to blacken as her beating heart slowed. Storm fell through the trees and hit the hard ground.