Wings of Fire • Dragon of Warriors [3]

Chapter Twelve

Time under the earth passed by seamlessly. Days blended into nights because there was no sun to speak of and there was no real way to tell the difference. Quickclaws soon lost track of time and forgot how long ago they had entered this cold, dark world.

     "Are we there yet?" Thunderclap asked, Rainwind chiming in not long after.

     "Yeah! When will we get there?" she added, hopping after Brisktail.

     After several days without food, Quickclaws was at a loss as to how she had so much energy. The PineWings had barely fed them and the last real meal he had had was right before the graduation. That seemed like ages ago. Right now, he barely had the strength to talk. Quickclaws trudged along slowly, claws sore after stubbing them so much on the rough stone. He just wanted to feel the wind under his wings again.

     Brisktail stopped abruptly, causing Quickclaws to bump into him. He blinked in confusion as his friend squinted at the compass.

     "What is it?" Rainwind asked, leaning over his other shoulder.

     Brisktail shied away, ruffling his wings and casting shadows across the cave. He dimmed the light on his shoulder. "Bloodworm? Are you up there?"

     Quickclaws looked up. He wished the fire was brighter so that he could see. Silence swamped the group and the cave echoed loudly enough that he could hear small... slithering noises. It was disturbing, standing in pitch-blackness, only able to hear something moving overhead. Quickclaws strained his eyes but he couldn't see anything.

     Without warning, a face appeared out of the gloom. A pale, ghostly white skull with enormous dark eyes. Quickclaws could have sworn that Rainwind screamed louder than him.

     The emaciated dragon chuckled. "Is that you, Brisktail? The glare is bright but I remember your smell. Who are the others with you?"

     "My friends Quickclaws, Rainwind, Thunderclap, and Lightningtail," Brisktail announced, gesturing to each.

     Quickclaws awkwardly ducked his head, nodding to the stranger. His face was terrifying to look at. The CaveWing looked them over, drawing in a breath slowly, then smiling.

     "Hello, my name is Bloodworm. I take it you did not come merely for a visit?"

     Brisktail shook his head. "We need your help. Do you know how we can get up to the surface?"

     "Yes," the dragon replied, taking a step backward. He flicked his tail and Quickclaws realized it was wide and flat. "Follow me." They turned left, the cave sloping up steeply. Bloodworm had no trouble walking up the path, moving slowly but never losing his footing.

     Quickclaws was a different story.

     It's the stubbed claws, he thought to himself. He kept slipping as he ascended, though he was left at the back of the group so he didn't bring anyone down with him. Quickclaws eyed Bloodworm's progress and saw that the other dragon was barely using effort to pull himself up – how was he doing that?

      Thankfully, the slope evened out soon. Quickclaws sighed in relief and followed the group with more ease. The air felt different here – less stale than the deeper parts of the cave system. It held a bit of moistness and... life to it. Was that a breeze? he thought as he felt the air move around him.

     "Where will this take us?" Rainwind asked.

     Bloodworm flicked his tail to the right. "The next turn will take us to a cave infested with rats, where my family was trapped in until they could be freed. Ironically, the rats were diseased so they couldn't eat them while they were there."