Starling's Darkness |A Wings of Fire Fanfiction|

Chapter 3

No....no....NO!
Starling's thoughts were a flurry as he watched helplessly as Lucite plummeted downwards into the gorge.
He felt as if his ears were going to explode with the loud pounding of his heart, as he watched his friend fall.
She's going to die.
The thought struck Starling like a boulder jarring loose from one of the cliffs around, and slamming right onto his head.
You have to do something.
By now, the other dragonets and their teacher Magma, had flung herself as fast as she could to plummet down to catch Lucite.
Starling knew he couldn't save her, even if he tried now.
He watched, his dark blue eyes wide as Lucite was about to hit the gorge, he closed his eyes, waiting for the sickening thud, but.....
There was nothing.
No dreadful sound echoed.
All the students had fallen silent, and Magma had caught herself, halfway down the canyon.
As Starling blinked open his eyes and looked down.....
Lucite was gone.
Magma soared upwards to meet Starling and the other students, looking just about as puzzled as everyone else.
"What happened?!" A red dragonet chirped, staring at Magma with wide yellow eyes.
Magma turned to Starling, without answering him.
"A shadow hides within."
Magma spoke, her gray eyes unfocused as she spoke to Starling. Suddenly her lively, yet stunned considering the situation, light came back to her eyes, and she looked at Starling.
Starling felt like he couldn't breathe. First his friend had probably died, now his teacher was talking nonsense? The odd part about that was it seemed awfully familiar.
"W-where's Lucite?!" Starling sputtered.
Magma shifted her gaze away from him.
"All I saw was a shadow. It took her." Magma replied, still looking a bit dazed.
Starling had no idea what to do, so he slowly flew back to the ledge where the other dragonets were waiting. When he had landed, they had all tried to ask him questions about Lucite, or comfort him, but it all sounded like slurred gibberish. He wasn't listening. How could he listen? The only thing on his mind was this dull ache that he might never see Lucite again.
As Starling was flying home from school that evening, alone, thinking about how his mother would react he paused. His mother had seemed freaked out by Lucite at first, maybe he shouldn't tell her...
Maybe he shouldn't go home.
Starling eyes widened and his mind began to race. There had been to sound of Lucite hitting the canyon, there was no proof she was dead. Magma had said that a shadow took her, could that mean another dragon saved her?
Starling's heart felt like it was going to burst with this hope.
Lucite could still be alive...
And if she was, he had to find her.
Starling gave his home, which was only about a two more minute flight a sidelong glance, whirled around, and took off into the sunset in the direction of the Agate mountain gorge.