Heart of the Rainforest

Chapter 12 - Lunch

"So there's nothing wrong with me." Equo said, reaching to grab a fish from the pile on the floor. "They said if it happens a lot and it doesn't bother me, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Oh." Tiki tossed a berry to Akila, who deftly caught it in her hooked beak. Suntime was over, and Equo was back from the healers, and apparently Adder and Lionfish had gone hunting again while Tiki was asleep. "That's good."

Equo smiled, and Tiki felt her heart explode. 

"Um," Mamba began, randomly selecting a large rodent from the prey pile. "I have something to tell you about, Equo."

The dark blue hybrid tipped her head at Mamba, taking a bite from her fish.

Mamba glanced quickly at Tiki, then back to Equo. "So basically, there's a dragonet in my village, and he's a NightWing hybrid, and his mother is also your mother."

She stopped moving instantly. She blinked once, twice at the SandWing, then swallowed slowly and put her fish on the floor.

"What?"

"Basically, your brother lives in my village." She flicked back her wings. 

Equo looked like she couldn't understand the words. She looked at Tiki, then around at Adder and Lionfish, then back to Mamba.

"But- why would she have another dragonet?" She sputtered. "And why with a SandWing - he's a SandWing hybrid, right? And- how old is he?"

"He's three." Mamba tipped her head at Equo sympathetically.

"Why would she have another dragonet after me?" She stared blankly at the floor, looking crushed. Tiki really wanted to hug her. "Was that why she left Father? Because she met a SandWing? And why go back to the NightWings after?"

"Solstice never met her, either." Mamba offered. "He and his father moved to the village when he was about a year old. Before that they were living on their own in the desert."

Equo didn't say anything for a while. She cast a despaired look at Tiki, who carefully twined her tail around hers. She still didn't particularly like touching other dragons after her experience in the SkyWing labs, but she would endure anything for Equo, even if she had to cut her wings off.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Equo said after a while. She looked so sad and so confused. A theory was bubbling at the back of Tiki's mind, but she couldn't focus on it. 

"I'm sorry." Mamba shifted her wings in a way Tiki wasn't sure how to comprehend. "I was too caught up in being free to remember."

"Why would she do that?" Equo stood up and started pacing around. "Why leave Tidepool for a SandWing, and then go back to the NightWings? Does she have other dragonets? Why was she on the continent at all? Why didn't she talk to me there? She must have known I was her daughter."

"From what I hear about her, she's not worth knowing." Lionfish added. Beside him, Adder nodded.

"Solstice's father will tell you more about her." Mamba said to Equo. "He's pretty open about it."

Equo flopped down on Tiki's bed and Akila made a quiet squawk at her. Tiki sat next to her and offered her a small yellow fruit, which she took and gave Tiki a small smile. Equo sliced the fruit in half and offered the rest to Akila, who skeptically took it.

A few minutes later, Banggai landed heavily on the platform outside, and stumbled inside. 

"Hi," Tiki greeted them. "Are you okay with going to the desert?"

"Um," The pale orange RainWing glanced behind them at the doorway. "So. Word got out you're harboring SandWings and SeaWings. And Panther's not happy. And she's coming to imprison them right about now."