Lotus

Chapter 26

I finished tying off the bandage, and tucked in the excess on the ends. Looking over my handiwork one last time, I made sure everything was in place. "Does that feel okay?" I asked.

Sunbreaker nodded, brushing his talons lightly over it. "Yeah, it does. Thanks, Kamala."

I smiled weakly. "Just...be careful with it."

He matched my smile, then wandered off, probably to find Shadowglide. I took the remainder of the paste I made for his wound, and smeared it over my scrapes. I didn't bother with a bandage for myself, knowing the paste would dissolve into my skin pretty quickly.

"I was able to send messages to the other teachers," Kosan said, coming up behind me. I jumped slightly, but turned to face him.

"That's good."

He rubbed his forehead, sighing. "I don't think it will matter that much, though. I heard some people talking about it already."

I frowned, not really liking the sound of that. I was worried to think how dragons would react to something like that. I didn't have to wonder about it for long, though.

"Kosan! Cairo! Something terrible has happened at Jade Mountain!" Another SandWing, the same color but slightly larger than Kosan, burst in. She whirled around for a moment, then froze when her eyes caught on me.

She shrieked, and backed up against the wall. "They're here!" She shouted. Looking to my right, she spotted Kosan. "Kosan, get away from there!"

"Mom," he said, moving slowly towards her. "Calm down. What's going on? Why are you freaking out?"

His mom took a deep, shuddering breath, then seemed to settle down a bit. "I heard that Jade Mountain was recently attacked by IceWings." Her eyes flicked to me again. "And you're in here with one of them!" She pressed herself against the wall again.

"Mom, you need to calm down, and look at me." After a few moments, she did. "Good, okay. What you heard about Jade Mountain was correct. It was recently attacked by IceWings." He paused, waiting for her breathing to slow. "But she isn't one of those IceWings. She's one of my friends, in my winglet."

His mom seemed to fully relax at that. "Oh, thank goodness," she said. "Sorry for freaking out like that. I...guess I'm just a little on edge."

"It's alright. I can understand why," I replied, smiling softly.

"Mom, this is Kamala," Kosan said, looking between us. "And Kamala, this is my mom, Negev."

"Kamala," Negev said. "What a pretty name. Though unusual for IceWings."

"I guess it is," I said, shrugging. "I'm not full IceWing, though. I'm half RainWing."

She froze, then looked me up and down, seeming to notice the few pink scales I had for the first time. "A hybrid?" Negev asked quietly, and I nodded. A polite smile came over her face, but it seemed forced. "Ah, yes. I guess the name does make sense now." She looked away from me, and turned towards Kosan. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

He looked a little confused but nodded. They moved into a separate room. I only heard hushed speaking from where I still stood, but I had a bad feeling about it. I tried to ignore them, turning back to the herbs and bandages I had used on Sunbreaker, when I heard a loud outburst from Negev.

"--not have a hybrid in my home! Don't you know what--"

She was immediately shushed at that, but a little too late. It was clear what she thought about me, and it hurt more than I cared to admit. I wasn't really surprised, though. I swallowed hard, and went back to ignoring them.

They came out a few minutes later, both looking rather frustrated. They hid that behind polite faces, though, when Sunbreaker and Shadowglide, followed by Tombolo, entered the room.

"There you guys are," Kosan said, looking at them. "I was just about to come find you. I just wanted to let you know that I asked my mom, and she said it would be alright that you could stay with us until we figure out what to do."

They exclaimed happily, and thanked Negev. She barely nodded as they did, instead staring darkly at me. I held her gaze for a moment, then looked away uncomfortable. I mumbled something about going to find Cairo, and I left the room.

-----

I sat up, still unable to fall asleep. It had been several hours since the conflict with Negev, but it still replayed itself in my mind, not allowing me to sleep. I sighed inwardly, then walked to the back door of the house, stepping outside.

I took in a deep breath, and tried to clear my thoughts. It didn't work. My mind kept circling to Negev, then to what I should do now, then back again. After a few moments of staring silently at the stars, I figured out what I should do.

I went back inside, and quickly packed a small bag of food and medicinal herbs. While I wasn't sure I really wanted to do this, I knew it would be better for the others if I wasn't there. Negev would be much more considerate to them, and besides, I didn't even know if I would be able to go home when the others did, considering my father's last scroll. I doubted I would be welcome here for an unknown amount of time.

I figured I would go find Sienna, and I wrote so on a small scrap of scroll I found, leaving it where I was supposed to be sleeping.

Then, with only a half-formed apology at the back of my mind, I took to the air, letting the pale moons guide me.