WoF: Scavenger Hunt

Ch1 : Page 3

Moray and Tang walk back to his hut where he lays the scrolls on his table.
Two of the scrolls were snugly sheathed in dried seaweed. A method of protecting non-waterproof scrolls that he had perfected. Though, Tang was not willing to share this discovery because it gives her a step up over her coworkers.

"It's this one." She pointed to the one that wasn't wrapped.

Moray undid the ties and opened the scroll. He was met with an onslaught of information.

THE WAR IS OVER, PROPHECY FULFILLED!
NEW QUEENS AND NIGHTWING SECRETS REVEALED!?

The scroll is denser than the others, suggesting that it was particularly long or multiple were included. "Wow. This really is going to be unbelievable."

"It's the biggest thing since the Scorching!" Tang announced. "To think, we've been war free for a few weeks now and I'm already making deliveries to all the kingdoms! Right now I have to get a message to Queen Glory. I've heard she's scary, but I don't see how a RainWing coul-"

"A few weeks? RainWings? Queen Glory?" Moray asked, confounded.

"Yeah, I told you I was delivering to the rainforest today." She explained as if he was being difficult.

"I thought you were joking! I didn't know there was a new queen. Let alone a scary RainWing one."

"That's what the scroll tells you! Why don't you read it instead of keeping on blabbering to me?"

"I- Nevermind. Do the others hold any other surprising information?" He felt the annoyance from her brain and stopped letting it influence his own feelings.

"Jeeeeeez, just read them and find out. One's a wanted poster from the Sky Kingdom about some loon on the loose I thought you'd like to study or something. The other's a story about a dragon encountering a thing-a-ma-whatever that killed Queen Oasis."

"Thanks, I'll read the most intense last so-"

"Yeah I know you'll read them, what else do you do? Definitely not clean as often as you should." She said sassily, glancing around at the mess. "I gotta go, I have to deliver these by mid-day and there's a big possibility that I might get lost looking for the palace and maybe tranquilized accidentally." She explained as she started exiting.

"Wait, tranquilized? Why? How accidentally? And, I do more than just read! I also write and... build sand castles!" He yelled as she lifted off towards the forest. She disappeared over the treeline. "I'm aware of how boring I am, you don't need to remind me." He muttered under his breath.

Tang was sometimes infuriating and he was glad when she left, but still he missed her through the days she didn't visit. She was his only family that cared, after all, and the only dragon he could safely interact with.

Doing as he said, he was saving the longest scroll for last. Whatever took up the most of his time, because he had a lot of it to fill. He grabbed one of the wrapped scrolls and peeled off the top seal. He was quite proud of himself for this design. It was held closed by tree sap because it sealed the lid completely around and repelled water. Moray thought the way he made them was very innovative but he wasn't going to think through the process of making them to himself again. He pulled the scroll out and unrolled it.

LOOSE AND DANGEROUS

AVOID AT ALL COSTS, ALERT AUTHORITIES OF ANY SIGHTINGS

The headline stated, then showed a drawing of a gruesome looking SkyWing.

Last seen fleeing the kingdom of sand.

Delusional, desperate, and dangerous. Hand over any information regarding the location of former Queen Scarlet to SkyWing officials. Not doing so puts you and your loved ones in immediate danger.

Well. That's alarming and a bit more intense than it needed to be. I wonder why she, of all dragons, was fleeing. After going crazy? Tang was right, he did want to study this some more. Her face was interesting to theorize about, it looked twisted with rage and superior to everyone. An interesting document to keep. He slid open the hidden drawer on the desk and placed it in.

This is where he kept his 'possibly could get me killed' items. That is, if anyone were ever to discover him or his house. There had been a few close times in the past when dragons had been patrolling the beach. They had been NightWings each time. Fortunately, he had been lucky enough to be out of his house and able to duck down until they lost curiosity in it.

He knew that dragons were not fond of hybrids and the NightWings would probably kill him like they did his parents. He couldn't leave any sort of hints as to who he was just laying around. Though, he wished he could hang up the picture of his parents but it was much safer in the secret drawer. For now, he just has to live with the picture of his grandparents watching over him.

He dug around in the drawer and pulled out their photo. He mostly resembled his mother, a NightWing. He even had her signature shooting star pattern on her wings. Though, his wings weren't all black like hers. His transitioned into a deep blue near the end, like the sky far after sunset. His largest scales did this, too.

His father on the otherhand looked to be the most beautiful, extravagant dragon to ever exist. Even though Moray hasn't seen very many dragons to base from, he was sure of this. His mother wasn't too unfortunate either, but very dull compared to his father. He was a hybrid of Rain and Sea, he outshone even the most exotic of birds and butterflies this world had to offer. The colors displayed in the painting were no justice to his brilliance.

Moray wished he inherited even the slightest bit of beauty that his father held. The slender, elegant form or the decorative patterns and vibrant colors. The charming face that smiles too much as Moray remembers from his childhood. Or just the ability to actually use his bioluminescent scales voluntarily.

Sadly, he had inherited more SeaWing than RainWing and more NightWing than SeaWing. He couldn't change any of his scale's color, he didn't have decorative webbing, wasn't beautiful. His face permanently looked chubby and his cheeks squish up weird around his face and teardrop scale when he grins. Actually, his whole body is built looking chunky. NightWings and SeaWings both have sturdy builds, mutate those together and you get me, ChubbyMcChubbsface. He kept thinking to himself.

Breaking himself out of his self-pity trance, he remembered his father was unjustly named Primrose. An ordinary white flower with nothing special about it as a name for the most glamorous dragon in Pyrrhia. Contrary to that unfair name, his mother was rightfully named Cometwing for her falling star wing scales. Moray wished he was named something cool for his falling star patterns, or maybe 'Dusk' or 'Abyss' based on his copping. But instead, he was named after a stupid looking eel.