Summer Rain

SUMMER RAIN
On the whirlwind of promises and opportunities, Buck had disappeared.
Summer's only surviving sibling found himself a job back in the Mud Queendom and left her all alone in their cabin in the Sand Queendom. The winter where he began his job had ended and, as spring was beginning to pass to summer, there has been no word of him or anything from the small misting town of Deadend. Determined to find her missing brother, Summer packs up her small amount of belongings and heads to this fateful small town and begins her quest. Only finding something much deeper in this Deadend along the way.
PROLOGUE
Snow was beautiful.
There was never a doubt about that in the mind of Cedar. But snow was like poisoned wine, sweet and cool to the touch but slowly taking over your body with sweet death 
As a owner of a tavern and an Inn, Cedar had to remind themself about that fact all the time before some poor traveler enters their door with frostbite covering the wings, tail, and legs. But for now? All things were clear and the customers were happy. Loudly chatting to one another, making bets with their gold, mocking each other, and telling embarrassing stories.
Cedar sat behind the counter of the Inn, clearing glasses and dishes to be cleaned with peaceful clanks under the voices. The wind blew strongly against the building and its logs with snow flurrying the windows. But even with the dark storm rolling through the night, Cedar could still make out the figure gaining closer to the establishment.
They weren't any customer, they were hunched and limping. Sensing what's to come, Cedar made their way from the back of the counter to the injured dragon in anticipation.
The door flew open as a MudWing with blood dripping from their forehead and various places along their body busted through the door and shouted.
"It's back! That damn beast took Mallard!" She cried out, nearly close to sobbing.
Everyone turned to look at her, few with confusion, others who knew all too well of what she spoke of. 
"Are you sure it wasn't just a coyote grabbing that runt for a quick meal?" One earth dragon far in the corner harassed.
Mesa was a dear acquaintance of Cedar, she wasn't the type to fool around with anything. Even with or without desperation she would be telling the truth, but the look of sorrow and her wails made it all the clearer.
"Where was Fae last seen?" Cedar asked, running up to comfort the wailing Bigwings.
She sniffed, sucking herself up and trying to regain her composure.
"Me and mallard were trying to find dry firewood as we ran out, I wanted to go on my own but Mallard insisted on helping-" she paused trying not to let herself break more "I should’ve left faer behind, it would've just been me and they all could've be left without me-"
She had sobbed with her composure breaking, she shoved the innkeeper away as she tried to clear her face up. Cedar couldn't help but look around and try to see if anyone could help Mesa.
And then they saw three pairs of bright young eyes hopeful for adventure.
"We can help!" One of them spoke up, he had a white muzzle with stag like horns coming from his head, too excitable given the mess found on their wooden floors but seeing the other two dragons follow this newcomer was promising without thought.
"Me and my friends can retrace your footprints through the snow and find your sib." He gave a smile as he turned behind to look at his companions, in which nodded in agreement.
"Thank you…." Mesa rasped, "please find and bring faer home."
"What are your names?" Cedar had to ask.
"Oh, my name is Buck and this Raven and Jackalope. Don't worry we'll be back soon."
The trio rushed out into the snow, galloping through the night and blizzard to find the tracks Mesa left behind. Cedar gave a quiet thanks for their bravery of rushing out into the night.
But they won't weep for the foolish and ill-informed.
I - A VOICE LIKE SUMMER RAIN
The mild sprinkle and rustling of leaves made things peaceful. The only peace found in times like these.
Summer missed the trees and rain but she couldn't stop and enjoy being back within her homeland when she reminded herself as to why she even made the trip home in the first place.
The mud clotted up her talons as she kept her pace leading to a covered bridge. The forest was dense and impeccable, making it nigh impossible to simply fly in like most other townships.
I'm really backwoods now aren't I? Summer had to think to herself after seeing how dark the first got even in the daylight. But it was all so infinitely serene. Her talons echoed in the covered bridge as the river it held itself over rushed wildly without filling the bridge with its call.
Once she exited the long, narrow bridge she was met with a face of a bustling logging town. Far into the mountains for dense forest but still close enough to the swamps to receive heavy summers and winters.
She sighed and began walking into the beast, adjusting her few satchels around her body in the hopes everything is closed still. Summer didn't even know where to begin in this small town, so she darted to the first public location she founded, a general store from the appearances.
Whipping her talons, she entered the establishment to find a bell chiming and that she was the only one in the store as it is.
Must always be this sleepy for being this desolate. She couldn't help but think.
She made her way deeper, viewing all of the canned items in jars. Boxes of bandages and first aid, toys for the dragonets that would be hatched here. Even several scrolls and a talonful of books brought over from the newly discovered continent. All in all it was a store that was needed for a place like this, filled to the brim with supplies needed for loggers and hermits alike with polished dark oak floors and friendly teal painted walls.
Summer heard voices coming from a doorway situated behind a counter, slowly she made her way over as another MudWing came out of the doorway.
"Good day to you ma'am, I haven't seen you around here before. Just passing through?" The dragon in front of her was twice her own age with pastel brown scales and circular glasses in a golden frame. He was rather calm, but not that welcoming.
"Paying a visit." She sighed.
"With a voice like that it makes me think that you're a performer, but we're not a popular destination for venues." The clerk leaned forwards, resting his arms on the counter and getting closer to Summer's own level.
"I wish it were more fortunate circumstances but I'm looking for someone. My brother came to Deadend in the winter for a logging job for a local Baron but he hasn't written back to me since winter. And well it's getting closer to summer and that has me worried."
The clerk pensed. "We do have a problem with missing dragons here, but it was always locals and never a worker from outside the town. Do tell me, what was your brother's name?"
"Buck."
"Buck?"
"Yes, he looked like a whitetail buck. His muzzle was completely white and his horns sprouted into antlers." Summer gestured to her own horns. Akin to Buck's own but smaller and more refined. It was a curse that both of them would look like deer, their Bigwings initially wanted to name Summer fawn for her delicate appearance and varying white spots all over her body. But the troop decided Summer would've been a better name.
"I never heard of that name, but I might've seen him in this store before." The clerk responded, tapping his claws on his chin.
"You mentioned missing dragons, is there anything you know of about it? Or where to look for missing cases." 
"Well ma'am." He stiffed and stood back up. "I myself don't try looking into pits that would make me cry, the best resource you can go to is town officials. The building they're located in is at the very end of the row; very hard to miss. But I recommend getting yourself a place to stay before nightfall as the woods are still filled with dangers. Bandits, bears, wolves, you name it. The inn is past the end of the row of buildings and a little deeper in the thicket but it'll be easy to see when you get close to it."
Summer nodded, turning to leave but paused and turned back to look at the clerk. "Can I have your name?"
"Oh yes, I don't think I've ever introduced myself. The name's Bison."
"Mind is Summer, thank you for your help Bison." Summer gave a solemn smile before leaving towards the door.
Her talon pushed it open with a bell chime before hearing.
Poor thing, I hope she doesn't go and try to find it.
Summer heard the voice and turned towards where Bison was, but he already was gone. So she tried pushing the ominous message down and headed out to the street.
The clouds have since begun clearing up and left the dirt road running through the town soaked and littered with puddles. Summer savored the sun when it shone on her scales.
It was a long road ahead but nothing was going to stop her from finding her brother.
A few other dragons began moving about as well, some young, some her age, some much older than her. This town seems like the kind where everyone knew each other as many dragons stopped off to the side and chatted with one another. Even a herd of dragonets ran past her, splashing the soaked earth at her.
She huffed and tried thinking a little more positively as she was in a humble little town that didn't bore holes into her side as she walked down their main street.
And there it was, a building clad in brick and mortar with a plaque reading the date it was built. The town hall as it was, seemed to be a good bet for Summer as she stepped on the stairs leading up to its doors and entered the reception room.
Only to be met by a snarl and hissing match between two parties right on the clean marble floors.
II - FAT CATS
"EIGHT. WORKERS. SIENNA. In five months eight different dragons went missing! And don't get me started on the amount of civilians that went missing while you were in power!"
The two dragons Summer was met by were yelling at each other until their faces could turn red. One was an ancient, heavy set and heavily built MudWing with his horns curling back up to his head and tusks coming from his jaw, while the other was a dark mahogany brown MudWing with a lean build and a sneer that could make any food grow spoiled.
"Well maybe if your workers weren't so foolhardy and could do their job properly they wouldn't get so lost easily!" The younger of the two fired back, leaning on her claws to get closer to the taller dragon's.
"Oh why not go find someone else to patronize your coma induced town if your attitude is going to be so rancid regarding a pile of dead bodies on your talons." The older dragon called back, shoving past Summer on his way out.
The aloof dragoness huffed and turned to enter another room, her face not getting better. The room was finally silent and Summer rubbed her ears.
She thought she was alone for a brief second before the poor receptionist made their debut by getting out from under the counter. They sighed before seeing they had one dragon left; leaping upon seeing Summer slowly getting closer.
"Oh, oh, oh! I'm so sorry I didn't see you there!" They began fussing around with what was spread out across their work space before organizing and addressing Summer.
"So sorry you had to see that. Deputy Sienna and Baron Oak have been at each other's throats." The receptionist gave a small smile trying to seem as if they weren't worried.
"Why were they fighting?" Summer couldn't help but ask as she drew closer to the counter.
They slowly turned to look at the doorway Sienna - or at least who Summer thought was Sienna - exited from and turned back to Summer and sighed.
"We've had problems with many dragons going missing in the forest, most of them locals and workers in the area and Sienna is trying her hardest to manage the amount of cases in her claws. Oak isn't that understanding and expects the utmost performance, even when there's no leads as to where these dragons went."
Summer pensed at the prospect of so many dragons going missing, before asking, "Is it possible I can see her, I'm looking for a dragon who might be on her list."
The receptionist piped up and went to open the door for Summer. "Third door on the right."
"Thank you." Summer began walking down the poorly lit hallway before coming to the large, heavy door. She knocked at it and waited before a face entered through a crack.
"Can I help you?" The deputy asked with a crooked eyebrow.
"Yes I heard you were currently handling all of the missing cases-" Sienna rolled her eyes and pouted.
"No, I have no idea where anyone is, we're working on it." Her eyes narrowed and she began to close the door.
"No wait! I'm going to look for them myself, I just want to know what you know before I begin my search." Summer would plead, getting her claws in the doorway.
Sienna flung the door open with a sneer, before letting up. "Fine, but don't expect much."
The dragoness moved out of the doorway, allowing summer to enter the tight and notably messy office.
"Thank you. I just want a frame of reference but I fully intend to look for him myself."
"Who are you looking for exactly?"
"My brother Buck, I'm fairly certain he was one of the eight missing workers the Baron in the reception area mentioned."
Sienna penced as she sat at her desk. Summer followed suit and sat before it.
"Well good news for you he was part of a trio that disappeared, trying to find a dragon that went missing that very night." She pulled a scroll from a pile sitting on her desk and opened it up to show Summer.
"According to the account, he was last seen leaving the Inn with two other coworkers. Raven and Jackalope. Together they went out into the flurry filled night to find whatever had attacked a dragon and stole another. In the morning after the snow storm a few members of the Inn staff went looking for the trio but their footprints stopped near a briar and no other signs of them consist." Sienna hummed, knowing this case like the back of her claws.
Summer looked down at her own claws and sighed. "Thank you for your time, good luck on your own cases."
Summer stood and turned, paying farewell to Sienna. Soon enough she was back out in the sunlight on the main street, thinking of where she needed to go next.
Well, she needed a place to stay and the area she happened to need and go pay a visit offered rooms for her to sleep in.
What good fortune indeed.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Genre (Horror)
Category:Genre (Mystery)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Mature Content
Category:Content (Helsingvania)