Wings of Fire: Possibility

Chapter 17

O B S I D I A N

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Obsidian roused from an uncomfortable slumber as the dawn sun peeked through the vine roof. Ravencaller was still sound asleep beside him, and he felt himself blush as he tried to snuggle closer to his companion. Even though he was asleep, Ravencaller seemed to welcome the company, and lifted his wing so Obsidian could get slightly under it. Obsidian sighed as he settled down again, closing his eyes and relaxing for the first time in days.

The peace was unfortunately ruined by Stomiidae walking through the front door. "Rise and shine, boys!" He said with enthusiasm. "We're having a group meeting, so it's time to get up."

Obsidian growled to himself as Stomiidae versed from their hut, and Ravencaller gave a big yawn. Obsidian hurriedly pushed himself away from him, hoping he didn't notice their cuddle, but Ravencaller didn't say anything about it as he stretched. "I wonder what this meeting is about," he mused while slowly walking out the door. Obsidian sighed again and dragged himself up and followed.

Pretty much everybody was in the center clearing, circling Stomiidae as he counted the dragons present. Cobia was by the nurse hut, still tied up, and looking on with scorn in her eyes.

"Alright! Now that everyone's here I'd like to announce that we have new enemies in the jungle." Stomiidae said, and a few of the loyal dragons gasped.

"Now it's nothing to worry about too much. If we all work together we can stop them easily."

Obsidian didn't think this was true, since Urchin and Whale were pretty beat up yesterday.

"I know some of you have doubts, so that's why we're going to the Deepwing Palace to recruit some more allies." Stomiidae said, getting pretty much everyone excited. Obsidian glanced at Cobia, and her hateful face was now screwed in horror.

Ravencaller seemed to have noticed her too, and was now full of concern.

"Not all of us will be going, since I need a few dragons to stay here to protect the camp." Stomiidae continued, and looked around at the crowd. "Any volunteers?"

Ravencaller immediately raised his talon, and motioned for Obsidian to do the same. "I have a plan," he whispered. Obsidian wasn't sure if he liked this plan, but he raised his talon nonetheless.

Stomiidae's eyes laid on the two dragons and he smiled brightly at them. "I'll choose Ravencaller, Obsidian, Urchin, and Sachem to stay here to protect our camp, as well as our lovely nurse." He emphasized that last part, making Cobia cringe.

The four chosen dragons sat next to the nurse hut, and Stomiidae turned back to the crowd satisfied. "I need more dragons with me so we can recruit as many allies as possible. We leave now!" He commanded, and everyone started clapping for him. Obsidian rolled his eyes. What a bunch of barnacles.

Stomiidae spread his wings and took off, and the remaining dragons flew after him. "I will tell you what to say on the way there!" He called, and when the last dragons cleared the tree canopy, the jungle was eerily silent.

Obsidian was glad he didn't have to fly all the way to the palace, though he didn't quite understand why Ravencaller wanted to stay here. He glanced beside him, and Sachem was adjusting his black and hold horn rings as Urchin itched at the bandaged gash on his neck. Ravencaller sat strangely still, and Obsidian wondered what he was thinking.

Eventually Ravencaller got up and went into the nurse hut, and stayed there for quite a while. Obsidian began to get bored, and he was about to go inside to check on him, but Ravencaller stepped lightly from the hut, and held his claw to his lips. "Don't panic," he mouthed, and pulled out a dart gun. Obsidian jumped as he blew into it, and shot two darts square into Urchin and Sachem's neck. They both looked around wildly, but then slowed down, and collapsed.

"They're not dead," Ravencaller said before Obsidian could say anything. He grabbed Obsidian's talon with his, making his heart skip a beat, and pulled him into the nurse hut, and shut the door behind him.

Whale, who was beat up worse than Urchin, was fast asleep on one of the cots in the room. Cobia was looking at Ravencaller and Obsidian with gratitude.

"Thanks Cobia," Ravencaller said, smiling at her. "How do we untie you?"

Cobia pointed to her neck and shook her head. "I can't speak," she mouthed, and Obsidian felt sorry for her. She pointed to a knot at the base of her neck, and tried to stick her claws to loosen it, but she couldn't quite do it. Ravencaller thought for a moment, and gazed at his talons, then at Obsidian's talons, and brightened.

"I'm not sure how you feel about your small claws, but do you think you could untie Cobia? Your claws could be small enough to loosen the vine." Ravencaller suggested, gazing at him with hopeful eyes. Obsidian didn't really have any opinions on his small claws, so he shrugged and nodded.

Ravencaller smiled, and Obsidian realized how much he loved seeing his smile. "Great, I'll be right back." He nodded at both of them and versed from the hut.

Obsidian got in front of Cobia and began to mess with the vine. He noticed that the vine was tied in a prisoner war knot (something his father taught him), and he started to feel himself get angry. "This is cruel," he mumbled, and he felt Cobia shift uncomfortably.

The good thing about knowing war tactics was knowing how to undo them. Obsidian didn't need small claws, instead, he found a loose strand of vine and pulled, releasing the knot effortlessly. Cobia took a deep breath and collapsed, making Obsidian catch her in his arms. Without asking, she embraced him into a hug, and was shaking uncontrollably. "Thank you..." she whimpered.

Obsidian was terribly uncomfortable, but he didn't want her to feel alone, so he awkwardly returned the hug and let her cry there for a while.

Eventually Ravencaller came back and he released Cobia, who had gathered herself and was no longer crying. Ravencaller was carrying a scroll, and he looked agitated.

"This stupid thing won't burn," he growled, slamming it onto the ground. "I've tried dragon fire, torch fire, and even match fire but nothing will burn it."

"I think Stomiidae made Tetra put an anti-burning spell on it." Cobia croaked, massaging her neck. "I also think you can't rip it either."

"But we need a way for no more dragons to become loyal with this scroll," Ravencaller sighed, scratching himself as he went deep into thought.

Obsidian picked up the scroll and unrolled it, and it had instructions on the top.

The Loyalty Scroll

Make any dragon loyal if you write their name in the scroll.

This scroll cannot be burned or ripped apart.

There were already several names written down, though Obsidian felt relief flow through him as he noticed his name nor Ravencaller's name was there yet. Cobia's name was though, several times, though each time it was crossed out.

"Tetra enchanted it so that Stomiidae couldn't write my name down." Cobia mentioned. "Which is why he tied me up instead."

Obsidian gazed at the scroll for a little while longer, until he sat up with an idea. "Maybe it can't be burned, but can it be frozen?"

Ravencaller and Cobia both stared at Obsidian. "Go ahead and try," Ravencaller whispered in awe. Obsidian blushed and placed the scroll back onto the ground.

He took a deep breath and blew, his ice breath making direct contact with the scroll. He blew at it for a small while until he was satisfied. The scroll was encased in a block of ice.

They all stared at it for a bit, until Ravencaller suddenly picked it up and threw it onto the ground, making it shatter. Pieces of the scroll and ice were scattered all over. and one by one the dragonets smiled at each other.

"Great job guys," Cobia whispered, breaking the stunned silence. "Let's get out of here."