Unshattered

Chapter Eight

Soaren was croaking as he said, "Aqua, are you seeing this?"

But the SeaWing had disappeared when the RainWing had just magically come back to life.

Magically...

He couldn't put his claw on it.

How did that RainWing live? Or has it been alive all this time and was just sleeping? But what about the other three dragons whose wounds had healed and their scales were utterly untouched and unharmed?

The fourth RainWing's scales started radiating with colour and sunshine. Her scales dimly beamed a neon mint green and blinding bright pink.

A sloth hung on the branch next to the window of the hut. The furry creature climbed down and made its way to the RainWing's back. It snuggled happily there as the dragon's eyes were in complete shock.

"W-What happened?" She stammered. She stroked the sloth's chin as she did. She looked around in confusion. "Three moons, am I in the afterlife? Am I dead?"

Snowstorm spoke up. "Well, you were dead, and no, this isn't the afterlife...YOU DESCENDED FROM IT."

He examined her closely and kept muttering to himself words that Soaren couldn't make out from.

The IceWing gently and politely poked the RainWing's wing, who flinched as he did and winced.

"Ow," she piped up, "it hurts. Actually, EVERYTHING HURTS."

"Okay, just lay down and rest for the time being, alright?" Snowstorm reassured. "What's your name, by the way?"

"I'm Paradise,"

Snowstorm nodded. "Alright, well, Paradise, just lie down until you get better. I'll try and aid you when any part of you starts to hurt. Just, for now, try and go to sleep, it'll be easier for the pain to go away that way, and while you sleep, I'll put some bandages where it hurts the most, okay?"

Paradise nodded sheepishly and laid down. She closed her eyes as her sloth laid down beside her.

In only a matter of seconds, the RainWing fell fast asleep.

Soaren could see where she was hurting the most, there were bruises all around her body, patches of purple and red scales here and there.

Snowstorm got the bandages and started to wrap them around the bruises.

The SkyWing was still looking at Snowstorm's bracelet.

"Where did you get that?" He finally asked him.

The IceWing looked at him strangely, then realised he was talking about the bracelet around his wrist.

"Oh," he said, scratching the back of his head, "I, uh...don't really like talking about it much..."

"Oh, um, that's fine..." Soaren mumbled, shifting his talons nervously.

Snowstorm gave him an empathetic look. "Oh, alright, I tell you."

After Snowstorm told Soaren his little story, the SkyWing honestly didn't know what to say to that.

Should he say: "Wow, that's so cool!" or "Oh my goodness, I feel so bad for you." or "No, really?!" or -

"That's...both interesting and sad." Was what Soaren managed to say instead.

Snowstorm shrugged. "I guess so,"

"How is an IceWing living in the Rainforest, though?" Soaren asked out of nowhere. He felt like it was a rude question and started regretting asking him that.

"Oh, well," Snowstorm said. "I was...kind of...kicked out...?"

The IceWing's ears suddenly perked up. He turned his head around to the entrance and saw Queen Glory and her bodyguard swoop inside the hut.

"So how are the patients?" Glory asked. "Except for...you know..."

"Um...well...not dead..." Snowstorm said. "They're actually completely fine."

Glory gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean not dead? Paradise is very much dead, we all saw her get stabbed by the mystery dragon, who Deathbringer DID NOT CATCH. She collapsed on the floor and - THREE MOONS, IS SHE BREATHING?"

The queen's expression was not different from the reactions of Soaren and Snowstorm.

"Er, yes," Snowstorm declared, "She's-"

But before he could finish, Moondrift came bolting into the hut, making everyone there jump.

"Gah! Three moons!" Deathbringer yelped.

"Oh right, you're still here," Glory said to him.

"Glory," Moondrift gasped, she looked over at the distance and pointed to the mountain peaks beyond the trees. "You have to go to the Academy. You need to see this."

Deathbringer looked at her skeptically and yawned. "Well, wherever you're going, my queen, I follow."

***

Even though Soaren had nothing to do with this, Glory invited him and Aqua to come along with them.

They only flew for a short period of time, and (AN:when I say 'short period of time', I mean literally one minute until they arrived.)

Glory landed beside Deathbringer as Moondrift led the way. Soaren and Aqua walked behind them all curiously.

They all went rushing into the entrance where a young female NightWing stood there in panic.

"Your Majesty!" The NightWing cried, she tipped her head towards the inside of the school. "I...I don't know how it happened...I didn't have any visions and I didn't hear any thoughts on what just happened..."

Soaren saw that the NightWing has the same silver scale teardrop on the corner of her eye as Moondrift.

"It's not your fault, Moonwatcher." Glory said affectionately. "But what exactly happened?"

Moonwatcher sighed and pointed to one of the sleeping caves. "In the Silver Winglet, your Majesty."

Glory nodded and thanked her as she walked inside the school.

Moondrift was already ahead of them, she was in the cave where Moonwatcher had told the queen.

Soaren wondered what happened. There's a school in Jade Mountain? Hvitur never told me anything about a school here. But then again, he hasn't been out of that pit ever since the war and the whole prophecy and stuff, so it would make sense that he didn't know.

When they entered the cave, they all gasped.

A pool of blue blood surrounded an IceWing in the center of the cave. Aqua screamed and Glory's emerald eyes were as shocked as ever.

The IceWing was dead.

And someone murdered him.

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