The New Prophecy

Chapter 9

Kinkajou talked as we all followed her down the streets of Possibility. She turned her head to look at me, not bothering to stop walking.

"Kinkajou, you should watch where you're going." Moon suggests when Kinkajou turned to look at her.

"C'mon, I'll be fine. BUT are you SURE you don't know where a library could be?"

"Kinkajou, of course I'm sure-" 

The skeptical RainWing let out a surprised grunt as she walked right into a large SandWing. Everyone stops in their tracks, and Kinkajou turns to look up at the dragon the colour of sand.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" She smiles warmly and ignores the look the SandWing gives her. He stares down his snout at her, then he turns his attention to the other dragonets, slowly scanning the faces. When he looks at Secretdawn, his black eyes widen before narrowing.

"You." He hisses at her, pushing a surprised Kinkajou aside. Moon looks over at Secretdawn, catching a thread of fear from a crack in her mental wall. Of course, Secretdawn's expression stays neutral. Her lack of reaction angers the SandWing more.

What is she doing here? Hah. Mom is going to be so furious when I tell her this worm ran away from school. 

The SandWing smirks at his own idea of telling their mother about this. He stalks toward Secretdawn, his barb tail slowly unwinding from the usual tuck-in.

"Nile. What are you doing here?" Secretdawn asks the SandWing-Nile, a frown twitching its way onto her face.

"I could ask the same to you." Nile snarls back, a deep growl emerging from his throat. Everyone backs up, besides Winter and Qibli, who have matching curious and annoyed expressions on their faces. 

"You don't scare me, Nile." Secretdawn's tone is calm, but it's a lie. Her fear is starting to show more cracks in her wall. Moon tries to latch onto the fear, to find out what this is all about, but the threads of emotion slither through her mental grasp.

"Listen, Secretdawn, I could get you into SO much trouble. It doesn't matter why I'm here- Mom and Dad will only care that you deliberately disobeyed them to run from school. Then, they'll be so mad that they won't care about what I do to you anymore." Nile's words drip with inky threat, his barb menacingly pointed at Secretdawn. 

When she gets in trouble, I can do whatever I want to her without having to keep it a secret from mom.

Flashes of a younger Secretdawn being threatened, scratched, cut and thrown across rooms by Nile quickly swim across Moon's thoughts, no doubt memories of Nile's. Secretdawn's eyes flicker from Nile to a narrow alley way behind her, then over to Moon. Her tail twitches slightly, and Moon can feel her wall coming down.

Moon, listen, do you see that alleyway behind me? Tell Kinkajou to follow you, then slowly walk towards it. Be stealthy. I'll distract Nile, then when you get to the alley, motion for Qibli, Winter, Peril and Turtle to go with you. There will be an abandoned building to your left the second you step onto the other side. Once you're all in there, I'll escape. 

How will she be able to escape? Secretdawn quickly puts her walls back up, but Moon can still feel her fear. Nile is nearly twice the size of all of them, and Secretdawn will have no backup if they all leave. Secretdawn looks at Moon again, but I shake my head. She sighs and looks back at Nile.

"Nile, leave me and my friends alone." She can barely get the word 'friends' out. 

"I'll leave you be if you tell me why you're here." Lie. He's not gonna leave them alone.

I can't kill her here, not with all these other dragonets. I could probably take out the NightWing and Secretdawn, but the IceWing and the SandWing will probably be harder. I'm not sure about the SkyWing, and I can kill that RainWing in seconds. Maybe killing one or two of her friends will get her more willing to come with me back to the Scorpion Den.

A string of annoyance flickers from Nile, and Moon looks around for more options. They need to get out of here- fast- before Nile kills them all.

"School field trip." Qibli explains, smirking at Nile. Nile frowns, then a sinister smile spreads across his snout.

"Wrong answer." Nile's barb tail comes down, about to strike Secretdawn, but he's too slow. Winter leaps forward, his jaw opening fast to shoot freezing air at the SandWing. The ice breath coats Nile's front leg, and he shrieks in pain, stumbling backwards. 

We don't wait to see what other damage was done, or what Nile will do next.

"This way!" Secretdawn yells, charging toward the narrow alley. Everyone runs for the exit, and they have to tuck their wings in close to fit in between the buildings. Just like Secretdawn said, a hut stands just to the left of them, and everyone follows her inside. They all sit on the dusty floor, and the threads of fear from Secretdawn are gone.

"Who in Pyrrhia was that?" Turtle asks, worry and fear plastered onto his face.

"My brother." Secretdawn mumbles, tucking her wings in close to her body.

"He was basically plotting how to kill us all." Moon says, grimacing when shocked faces turn to her. 

"I don't doubt that." Secretdawn says, not looking at anyone.

"So....now what? Do we still go find a library?" Peril asks. Annoyance drips through her flame filled thoughts, but it's quickly smothered by the roaring fire again.

"I think so." Moon says, everyone nodding along with her.

"Then let's go!" Kinkajou smiles, walking towards the doorway and strutting forward, everyone following her at a quicker pace again.

(I know that this was a short one, but I wanted a bit more on Secretdawn's past, so here it is.)