Wings of Fire: Holocaust of the Skies {FINISHED}

Chapter 12

"Gavin! Are you okay?" Grapefruit then shifted his scales to its normal colors. He examined Gavin's wounds, frowning. "Why didn't you go hide?" Gavin huffed, still struggling to get up. "I guess the SkyWing already spotted me," he says. "I had no choice but to fight."
"That bite wound on your neck looks nasty. Stay here," Grapefruit then galloped away into the darkness. Gavin waited, laying his head in the dirt. Mental note: SkyWings are very powerful and strong, Gavin thought to himself. Maybe he should've used his animus magic to avoid getting hurt so badly, but he still didn't want to waste it. Can animus magic be wasted ? The magic must be infinite, its just that your soul can be wasted. Gavin glanced down at his chest. Was his soul okay? He didn't use his magic too much except for levitating things and casting one spell. He didn't feel much different, though the tingling in his talons had stopped. The pain in his neck and shoulder ached as he shuffled his legs, even a little.

Grapefruit came back with thin vines and giant leaves in his mouth. He crouched down and began wrapping the leaves around his neck and shoulder. "I'll take you to the healer dragons when we get back to the village," Grapefruit says as he tightly tied the vines around the leaves so they would stay on his neck and shoulder. "Can you fly?" Grapefruit asks. Gavin slowly lifted into the air as he flapped his wings, wincing in a bit of pain. "Yes," he says. "Alright, come. Take it slow."

  ☾ 

Gavin stayed in the healer dragons' hut for about two days straight. The healers fend him fruits and gave him water to drink, but he had to admit, he was feeling a bit better. Grapefruit, Cherry, and Hoatzin visited him every hour or so, keeping him company. It was very lonesome in the healer dragon's hut because the RainWings apparently don't get hurt often. Gavin slept a lot during those two days, and his body was already healing the wounds very well. Gavin used a little of his animus magic to reduce the permanent scarring, only because didn't want any scars on him. It didn't seem cool.

Gavin rubbed his neck, softly scrapping his talons against his scales. At least was pain was gone. Gavin quietly got out of the hammock that was in the healer dragon hut and walked outside of the shelter. He spread his wings, bathing in the precious sunlight. 
"You, NightWing!" a sky blue RainWing landed beside him. "Queen Glory wants to see you." Gavin nodded, leaping off of the platform of the healer dragons' area and dodging trees as he flew to the queen's treehouse. He was glad that Queen Glory decided to speak to him on the day he was feeling much better from the SkyWing attack. He still wondered why a SkyWing was in the Rainforest Kingdom. 

Gavin landed onto the vine walkway of the queen's treehouse, and he trotted through the white flowers that hung in the doorway. Deathbringer wasn't next to Glory this time, but she still looked calm and comfortable in her throne. "Your Majesty," Gavin bowed, trying to sound polite and elegant. "I am here. What do you need to speak to me about?" Glory pet her sloth's head. "Gavin, I have thought through about your request to use the RainWing military," Glory says. Gavin's ears perked up. He forgot all about that. Glory folded her wings close to her body. "I will accept your request. This war is vile and it needs to stop, but Gavin, you also need to help me protect the RainWings if there are any attacks before we assault the SkyWings." 

Gavin nodded, swaying his tail back and forth. "I will help," he says. "Good. I will organize a battle training session later today. Gavin, thank you for your help." Gavin smiled, pride and joy running through him. "You're welcome, Queen Glory."

Gavin glided around the Rainforest Kingdom, watching the adult and adolescent RainWings form into six groups on each platform that was originally used for suntime. The dragons had made target statues made of leaves and vines so the RainWing soldiers can practice their venom shooting. Some RainWings were full-time pacifists, so they used their sleeping darts as a weapon instead of their deadly venom. They had a separate training. 

The younger dragonets were practicing drills on where to hide during an attack. Gavin could see the RainWing dragonets scrambling to hide somewhere on the forest floor and camouflaging. The RainWing eggs were also hidden with the younger dragonets on the forest floor. 

Gavin also helped train the RainWings fighting skills for when they're going claw-to-claw with another enemy. "Come on, Heliconia! Slash your claws at me!" Gavin grinned as he dodged a yellow and red 7-year-old RainWing attack. Heliconia cried, "I'm trying! Just stop moving," before she finally was able to claw at his front leg. Gavin winced in a bit of pain at the cut, but he smiled. "Great," he says. "But you need more training, Heli." Heliconia snorted and flapped her wings softly. "Whatever," she says.

When it was suntime, the RainWings almost immediately stopped the training and went to their sleeping areas. The rainforest dragons were already sprawled out on the platforms and the other dragons were already asleep in their hammocks. Even with a few RainWings snoring, it was quiet except for a few birds chirping and the breeze making the leaves and plants of the rainforest rustle. Gavin decided to also take this time to sunbathe. Taking a nap in the sun's warmth cleared his mind up from the chaos and drama he had experienced before. The SkyWing attack would sometimes linger in his mind when he slept, but the warmth would push it away, as if it was some mind guardian that protected him from bad thoughts and memories.

Gavin relaxed his muscles as he laid on a platform and spread his wings out in the sun. Now that he was able to use the RainWing military and stop the war, what was his plan, exactly? The SkyWing fortress is filled with SkyWings. Big, powerful SkyWings that would tear a RainWing apart if they wasn't careful. Queen Andesine's palace is almost a world away from the Rainforest Kingdom. Could the RainWings be able to fly all the way over there? They probably wouldn't have enough stamina. Gavin sighed as he flopped his tail. I'll think of a better plan later, Gavin thought. 

   ☾ 

Gavin yawned, waking up in the middle of the night. His stomach growled with hunger. He hadn't eaten any meat in days. The RainWings would give him fruits to eat, and he didn't want to hurt the pretty birds of the rainforest. Gavin got onto his feet. There should be lots of animals on the forest floor. He then spread his wings and hopped into the air to take flight, before quickly plunging down through the canopy. He kept diving down, gradually slowing the speed of his diving by opening his wings little by little so the friction of the wind automatically slows him. Gavin then landed on the ground, staying as quiet as possible.