How to Find Your Fire

(WoF) Chapter 9: Journey

By TidalClaws (thedragonshifter)

(TidalClaws' Pov)

From the moment he had met Starscale, TidalClaws could tell how sad and depressed the young Nightwing was. When they first met, she was pretending to be cheerful and happy, but really, she wasn't. Over and over he could hear "I'll never be able to return. Im an outcast. And that's when he understood. She was banished and i ran away.

Both of them kicked off the soft and grassy ground and flapped their powerful wings when Tidalclaws heard yet another series of thoughts enter the back of his mind. We're being followed...

He jerked his head almost backwards and accidentally crashed into Starscale, who shot him a glare and then turned her head to gaze at the two dragons behind them. TidalClaws just hovered in the air and stared at the Nightwing and the Rainwing, with fear plastering all over his face. "Nighthunter!" Starscale cried in relief as she threw open her wings and flew towards the small Nightwing.

They both hugged eachother tightly and TidalClaws let out the breath he had been holding. "HEY! WHAT ABOUT ME?!? YOU CANT FORGET ABOUT ME! CAN'T I GET SOME LOVE HERE? I NEED LOVE AND IF I DONT GET ANY YOU GUYS ARE ALL FAT KINKAJOUS!" the Rainwing shouted out the top of her lungs. TidalClaws just flinched from the sudden loudness, with only a hint of a smile on his face. The thoughts running in the Rainwing's head were giving him a headache. How could a little dragonet have such LOUD THOUGHTS?

"I didn't forget about you, Cicada." StarScale said warmly. Cicada beamed and playfully shoved Nighthunter, who steadied himself with a sly smile. TidalClaws stayed out of the way, watching them with slitted eyes and studying their thoughts and after a few minutes of them talking, he decided that they were no threat.

"Im sorry, but I won't be coming home tonight.. I wont be coming back home ever." Starscale sighed sadly. The two dragonets were silent until Nighthunter let out a sad whimper.

They were soon surrounded in a sphere of saddness, with the two family members hugging and exchanging sad last words. Cicada just sat there watching with a bored look on her face. TidalClaws could tell that she wasn't part of the family and wasn't really moved by StarScale leaving. Though, in her head, she did have a bit in her.

Then, StarScale and TidalClaws turned away from the dragonets and continued on their way in silence, but TidalClaws should get used to it. He didn't talk much because when he did it was awkward.

"Where exactly is Sancuary?" StarScale asked randomly as she broke the silence. TidalClaws hesitated, recalling to when he had studied the map of Pyrrhia. "Across the... Mud Kingdom and by the Sky Kingdom border." He responded before a chill ran down his spine. Across the Mud Kingdom and by the Sky Kingdom. What if the Seawings are looking for me? They wouldn't hesitate to go across the Mud Kingdom... but they wouldn't care enough about me.. would they?

He looked behind him and searched the space around him to see if there were any extra thoughts flowing through his mind but he could only hear StarScale's. He honestly felt bad about reading her mind every second but he couldn't help it. I cant trust every dragon that i first meet and i can't turn my mind reading off.

He lifted his head from staring at the blurry ground to star at StarScale, who was a few feet ahead of him. She's ahead of me? But what about my animus bracelet? Doesn't that make me faster then other dragons? Then he noticed how large her wings were. She MUST be at least a little bit Skywing. He realized. But what about the blue star scales on her wings? Normal nightwings have white scales but she has blue? And her eyes.. normal Nightwings have black eyes but her's are.. such a beautiful blue!

StarScale turned her head to gaze back at him but TidalClaws quickly turned away before he would seem creepy. Dont stare! Dont stare! DONT STARE! He faced forward and noticed that they had just exited the rain forest, tearing through the last bits of vine and breaking into the grassy area that separates the forest and the swamp.

He swirled his head back and forth as he searched for the tiniest movement of blue or green scales, but there was none. He sighed in relief as he turned back towards StarScale in front of him. Im an Outcast, ill never be able to return to Queen Glory and NightHunter. He wouldn't have deserved the life he could have been given.

Again TidalClaws was filled with sympathy for for her. He could tell that she used to be a happy dragon but all of that went down hill recently. He turned away and fixed his gaze ahead and scanned the ground once more, silently listening to StarScale's wing beats as he followed her. He didn't pay attention to any of her thoughts, even though he could hear them as if she were speaking to him, because they were all the same.

"We're in Mudwing territory, be careful." TidalClaws heard her say from his side. His mind flitted back to the four Mudwings who had threatened to skin his scales off and sell them at the Scorpion den, he couldn't help but shiver at the memory. But they were faking it anyway. Mudwings wouldn't even try to fly across the whole of Pyhhria.

The ground turned to mud as they flew over many quagmires and he could just faintly see dark brown bodies staring up at them through the mud. They never moved a muscle to confront him, however. He could tell how confident StarScale was but she too frequently looked down with a worried expression.

The Mud Kingdom was an endless stretch of muddy swamp ahead of them. Though, just of his vision he could see HUGE mountains rising out of the ground and their peaks lost in the clouds. All we have to do is to just keep on flying.