The Lost Tribe

Chapter 5

Foliage yanked at the rope connected to the trapdoor. To his surprise, it swung right open. The DarkWings aren't used to needing security, Foliage realized. No one has gone near the Stone Wall in years, and all this time the DarkWings have been hiding right behind it. He stared down into the cave for another moment, then jumped through the trapdoor. 

Foliage gasped at the sight before him. It was a dragon -- but not a WoodWing or MistWing, or even a DarkWing. She was bright yellow with stripes of green, blue, and purple on her wings. She looked exactly like a RainbowWing-but that was impossible; the RainbowWing tribe had been wiped out many years ago. She stared at Foliage for a moment. "Hmm," she said, her voice a mixture of shock, confusion, and relief. "You're not a DarkWing." 

Foliage didn't know how to respond, so he said, as if he hadn't had a morning too unbelievable to be a dream, "Do you know anything about the Prophecy of Palem?" "A little," the RainbowWing replied nonchalantly. "The DarkWings think that it should be fulfilled as soon as possible, so they want me to use my magic." Magic! Of course! The entire RainbowWing tribe possessed Glyrite magic -- that was why they had been wiped out in the first place. The WoodWings and MistWings had decided that it was too dangerous for a single tribe to be so powerful, so they formed an alliance and destroyed the RainbowWing tribe. They remained friends for years to come -- until, out of the blue, the war started.

"My name is Daybreak," the RainbowWing continued. "Oh-um, I'm Foliage," Foliage stammered. "The prophecy -- do you think that the 'radiant burst of light' is supposed to come from RainbowWing magic?" "Maybe," replied Daybreak. "I think Glyrite is supposed to be used to knock down the Stone Wall. But-" 

Suddenly, a group of spear-wielding DarkWings burst into the cave. Foliage yelped and dove into a nearby column of rock. He surveyed the soldiers entering the cave -- and to his relief and surprise, there were only four DarkWings. Hardly suitable for guarding a dragon responsible for the fate of Palem, Foliage thought, but there wasn't time to think about that now. He shot a blast of fire through the center of the cave and the guards ducked for cover, giving Foliage and Daybreak enough time to scramble towards the trapdoor. One of the guards lunged at Daybreak with his claws extended in a final attempt to stop her, but Foliage blocked the guard with his tail and he fell back, wincing at Foliage's stone-hard scales.

Foliage and Daybreak hurried out of the trapdoor, and Daybreak slammed it down. They were safe -- for now.