Winterwatcher! - Light in the Dark

🌙 Chapter 17 🌙

Moon was still shook by last night's events. It was kind of hard to wrap her head around the fact that a certain IceWing had the exact same nightmare she did. I don't have time to worry about that now. Winter and I can talk it over later, after we find Icicle. If we find Icicle. Moon couldn't believe that she was kind of looking forward to talking to Winter alone.

Focus Moon! I can worry about him later! The Jade Winglet had an IceWing princess to find.

"Shouldn't we um make like a plan of something?" Turtle asked, fidgeting nervously with his claws. "I mean, we can't just walk straight into the old Night Kingdom!"

"Sure we can. It's supposed to be empty remember? Even though this 'Master' must have taken over now." Kinkajou said, examining the tunnel closely. She leaned forward and dipped her face into the black Animus-touched tunnel. "Seems safe to me. But I still don't understand."

"What if Icicle isn't on the volcano?" Turtle asked. It was clear that he was trying every excuse to get out of this mission.

"Those NightWings were talking about a stubborn, rude, female IceWing who was with the Master. Stubborn, rude... that's definitely Icicle." Winter explained to Turtle, and to Kinkajou because apparently she still didn't understand either. "Then they said that they needed to get back to the Master before they got in big trouble. We watched them go through this very tunnel after that. So the Master has my sister and we are going after them to find her!"

"Winter's right," Moon jumped in slightly awkwardly. "We're at least going to find something in there. Perhaps some answers to our prophecy?"

"You mean your prophecy Moon. I want nothing to do with that... thing." Qibli said. He too was a little creeped out by the magic tunnel. Qibli liked everything to have a logical explanation. This Animus tunnel was one of those things that were difficult to wrap your head around. "But I agree. Turtle, it's now or never. You have to make a choice. You're either with us, or you aren't."

Turtle gazed down at his talons. Kinkajou patted his shoulder and smiled down at him, "We need you Turtle."

"I-I'm with you guys no matter what," he finally said. "I was just worried that I would be a danger to you guys."

"Why?" Moon asked curiously. This was one of those rare times when she wanted to rip that SkyFire out of Turtle's library pouch and expose the truth.

"Ummm I-uh never mind." Turtle took it back. That doesn't help Turtle. It doesn't mean I'm not still suspicious.

"There's no going back now," Winter said as one by one they each climbed into the tunnel and emerged soon after in the old Night Kingdom.

"I can barely even breathe," Moon coughed as silt and ash filled her lungs. The sticky, heat from the volcano made her scales feel all heavy and like she would melt at any second.

"How can the NightWings have lived here for so long?" Winter asked, his voice hoarse and deep from the thick atmosphere.

"This place just brings back... memories," Kinkajou said softly, her scales turned pale white. The Jade Winglet gathered together on the shore of the volcano island. A massive cloud of ash filled the sky surrounding the mouth of the mountain. Ruins of the old fortress stood on the side of the island not far from where they were standing. Rivers of cooled lava pooled around the edge of the island where they met the sea.

"This whole island looks completely deserted," Qibli observed. "Can you hear anything Moon?"

Qibli was right as usual. Moon now realised that she should've been listening out for other dragons' thoughts. She had been too distracted by her tribe's old home to even think about trying to find Icicle's mind. While her friends talked about the NightWing tribe's terrible lifestyle, Moon opened her mind to the sounds around her. She listened hard for signs of other life on this deserted, volcanic island...

But found nothing but silence.

Wherever the Master was, he was well hidden.

"We should check the fortress maybe. That seems like the best place to hide a secret organisation of mind controlling criminals!" Kinkajou declared, full of excitement and determination again.

"Doesn't that seem a little obvious though," Qibli said smartly. "If I was to hide myself where I wanted no one to find me, I wouldn't choose the biggest, bulkiest building that stands out against the entire island. They'd want to be very well hidden."

"But the fortress is a good start," Turtle came to Kinakjou's defence. Of course.

"Yeah but I think it's just a waste of time." Qibli argued back.

"How about you find this secret hiding place already then if you're so smart!" Turtle said hurtfully.

"That's what we're trying to do!" Qibli yelled as Kinkajou and Turtle's voices overlapped his and the gang began fighting.

Moon stood by and panicked. "Come on guys we don't have time to argue and fall apart!" She tried to break them apart. "Please let's not fight!" Moon tried to yell over them but it was no use.

"Let's just go somewhere already!" Kinkajou said firmly. This was the meanest tone Moon had ever heard the little RainWing use.

"Where?!" Qibli screamed.

"Enough!" Moon yelled, but she wasn't nearly loud enough to get over their racket. She needed a loud voice to get the group under control. "Winter please tell Qibli, Turtle and Kink that it's not worth fighting over!"

Moon's heart sank. "W-Winter? Guys! GUYS WHERE IS WINTER?!" Moon shrieked. Her eyes darted around as far as she could see but the sparkly IceWing was nowhere to be found. "He wouldn't have just run away! See this is what happens when we lose focus!"

"It's alright Moon, we'll find him. I'm sure he's safe." Qibli assured her, but his charms wouldn't work this time.

"How can you be so sure? You guys were too busy fighting over some silly idea and you forgot to see the bigger picture. We are stuck on a foreign, volcanic island with dangerous dragons amidst! We are always in danger on this islan-"

Moon froze as two black talons closed in around her throat and yanked her off the ground.

Ten strange, unfamiliar NightWings surrounded the Jade Winglet. Moon dangled off the ground in a large, male NightWing's tight grasp. A small, female dragon stood right in front of her dragging an unconscious IceWing along the ground. The IceWing was Winter. What did they do to him?

Qibli wriggled around in a soldier's arms and Kinkajou tried to slip through the NightWing's strong hold.

The female in front of her had a real smug and stuck-up look about her. Moon felt like she had seen this dragon around in the Rainforest before but she couldn't lay a claw on her identity. Until two twin NightWings joined their sister's side. Moon growled at the NightWing once she recognised who she was. Stardust and her brothers glared back at Moon, "Nice try mind reader. We were expecting you."

Next thing Moon knew, she was chained up beside Winter and Kinkajou in a dark, silent chamber. On the way, she was blindfolded so she didn't have a clue where they were. But it was close to the volcano because the temperature was probably at boiling point in that chamber.

"I should've listened to you when you said this could be a trap," Winter whispered, fully conscious.

"It's alright." She whispered back, hoping he didn't feel like it was his fault.

"Oh but it really was his fault," a deep, voice rumbled from the other side of the room. No no no no, please not another mindreader. Moon's scales crawled along her spine.

"Who's that?" She called her voice wavering. She tried to pluck up some courage but she really didn't feel comfortable.

"Wow I thought you would've figured it out already mindreader." The voice said. Please stop calling me that! "No. In case you really were that stupid... I'm the Master. Yes, I am an actual NightWing. You didn't think everyone escaped the volcano eruption did you?"