The Price of Magic

~ CHAPTER THREE ~

HONEYDEW

The Market was as busy as ever, even though there had been a cactus bomb attack only a few minutes ago. Dragons hustled around, scanning the shops and stalls and buying and selling wares.

Honeydew breathed in the hot desert air as it mixed with the cool air blowing in from the mountains in the east. The Market was her favorite place in all of Possibility. But today she couldn't spend hours staring at little trinkets she knew she couldn't afford, because she had a mission. She had to find a little dragonet's mother and return him safely home before nightfall.

Window-shopping would have to wait until tomorrow.

"Where did you last see her, specifically?" Vapor asked, glancing around wearily at the other dragons. Cloud pointed ahead, and they followed his lead.
"Uh . . . why are we looking for a random dragonet's mother in a crowd full of strangers?" the SeaWing asked uneasily.

"We made a promise to Cloud to help him find his mom," Honeydew explained, turning a blue-orange color on the edges of her wings. "There was a whole line of dialogue before I bumped you into this mess. You don't have to come with us. There are a ton of inns in Possibility for you to say in." She paused a moment. "Whoa, that's a lot of 'in's."

As they continued walking, Honeydew scanned the crowd for SkyWings. She saw a lot of SandWings, a SeaWing or two, a couple RainWings, no IceWings, an occasional MudWing, some alarming black NightWing scales, and an impossibly large amount of the fierce mountain dragons. Each time she noticed one, she pointed them out to Cloud. Each time, the dragonet shook his head, saying that that wasn't his 'Mommy'.
"I'm getting kinda sleepy," Cloud started yawning as the sky turned red and orange, like an angry RainWing, and the moons slowly began rising on the horizon. "Can we go home yet?"

"We don't know where you're home is," Vapor sighed, looking around at the nearly-empty streets. Suddenly she roared and slapped herself on the forehead. "ARGH! I AM SUCH A BRAINLESS SALAMANDER!"
"Technically, you're . . . um . . . nevermind," squeaked the SeaWing, folding his wings uncomfortably against his sides.

"Wait, what?" Honeydew shot worried glances at her friends. "How are you a brainless salamander, Vapo - oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," she said, realizing it too.

"Cloud, where do you live?" Vapor asked the tiny SkyWing.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "I'll show you. Follow meee!" He spread his wings and awkwardly propelled himself into the sky. For a few moments he wobbled and it looked like he'd fall right back down on the ground, but then he regained his balance and started pumping his wings.

Honeydew tried not to laugh as she leapt into the sky after him, and was eventually followed by the strange SeaWing. Vapor stayed on the ground, glaring at her sling as if she hated it long enough, it would go away.

"Oh, Vapor, I-" Honeydew began, swooping down to land next to her friend.

"No, it's okay," the IceWing cut her off. "Go ahead and find Cloud's mom. Someone has to close up shop and explain to Slate why we didn't get any customers today." She clenched her jaw.

Honeydew gave her a sympathetic glance, her scales turning green, white, and black. Then she took a deep breath and evened out her colors, before jumping back up after the SeaWing and Cloud again. She watched as Vapor returned to the little shop alone.

Possibility was a big town, and from up here, it somehow seemed even bigger.

By the time they finally reached Cloud's house, the sky was the color of a purple NightWing, speckled with stars the same way one of the night dragons' wings were. The three moons shone in the sky, two of them full and one a crescent so thin Honeydew could barely see it at all.
"I'm guessing you're kind of the silent type, huh?" said Honeydew, with a slight flick of her tail.
"Yeah, sorta," the SeaWing looked a little bit uncomfortable. There was a long silence before he spoke again. "My name is actually Minnow . . . I hope you don't mind." He rubbed the back of his neck.