Wings of Fire: A Twisted Future - Broken Visions

Chapter 19

Quietkeep watched the IceWing whip around and spit insults at the audience, their tails lashing in accusation. But they couldn't prove anything. Indeed, Permafrost had assaulted Bracken before but... that wasn't anything. Nobody could prove that Permafrost had taken the MudWing somewhere. In fact, Quietkeep could say that Permafrost had spent most of her time with him for the past few days, sharing her odd experiences with him and together trying to figure out what was happening in this peculiar school. 

He knew that this was probably a terrible idea... but it wasn't like he had such advanced seer powers like Clearsight and could plan out each future whenever he wanted to. This dragonet could only hope for the best. 

''Wait!'' he exclaimed just as Cardinal was about to fetch an expelling paper. Every head swiveled around to stare at Quietkeep, all curious and hostility sparking in the depths of their optics. ''Permafrost is innocent!'' The crowd exploded, some of them advancing on the NightWing and hissing, raising their chins as if they had more power than he did and growling at him. Pondweed split from her group of teachers and came up to this little group, lashing her tail, and it quickly dispersed to Quietkeep standing lonely on the ledge again. 

''Don't force your snout into other's business,'' the RainWing muttered, narrowing her green eyes at him, then followed the students, stopping them from falling into a big mold of flesh and panic. Quietkeep lowered his head with a sigh, stepping forward and pushing through the crowd to get a better view of everything. 

''Get lost, pipsqueak!'' a SeaWing hissed, swatting the NightWing away with his tail. Splash. ''You're too small for this type of talk.'' The blue dragon turned back to watch Permafrost defend herself from the other students. From Quietkeep's angle, it looked like only Heron and Eel were trying to stop the students, Sorrowsoarer was talking with Cardinal and Frigid, Fennec was nowhere to be seen. 

''Shove a tuna up your snout,'' Quietkeep retorted, ducking and diving under the SeaWing's underbelly and then jumping back up in front of him, continuing his little journey to the center. Splash snorted, but clearly, he had nothing better to say. Clearly, calling a smaller dragon pipsqueak was as good as he could think of. Quietkeep certainly wasn't the best at insulting or roasting or whatever, but he could think of a few more things than pipsqueak. 

''Expel her already! She's clearly done something to that MudWing!'' A SandWing called. Permafrost rounded onto the SandWing and Quietkeep realized it was Swelter.

''Go steal a rat, sandsnorter! Your family will really appreciate such a feast!'' The IceWing snapped back, making Swelter step back into the midst of the lashing tails and wings with his head ducked. Moments later, just as Peregrine was about to say something from her hovering spot a few meters above everyone else, receiving a glare from Permafrost just at the sound of her voice, the gong in the entrance hall let out a warbling bellow. 

''Alright, alright, everyone, go back to class!'' Heron hollered above the voices of everyone else, leaping into the air to be more visible. Most of the gathered dragonets swept away, grumbling and spitting at Permafrost as they passed, but a few stayed. Then Frigid stepped away from his argument with Sorrowsoarer and ordered the remaining few to the academy, getting assistance from Pondweed and Cardinal.

Quietkeep remembered that one day he got his claws on a schoolwork paper with a fragment of Moonwatcher's Scroll written on it, describing how to mask the thoughts of dragons all around you. Since then Quietkeep had lived a much more peaceful mental life, though even swallowing every voice and forcing them into water wasn't strong enough for that day. Dragonets were constantly buzzing with insults, some of them planning good roasts against Permafrost for later, though Quietkeep had a feeling Permafrost must've written a scroll with a billion roasts for every dragon she'd ever encountered and the thought of 'what could've she written about me?' distracted Quietkeep from the thoughts rumbling in the school corridors.