Wings of Fire: Prencia - Message in the Bottle

SUMMARY (BOOK FLAP)
Wolverine has just graduated from his very last year of school, and he knows adulthood will be hard - especially when he’s the eldest of the IceWing heirs. But, things only get harder when a mysterious message in a bottle washes up off the coast of the IceWing kingdom. Will Wolverine be able to figure out what is up with this bottle - before someone villainous does?
THE PRENCIA PROPHECY
When the sky falls, 
Tribes will unite
And collapse the walls
That contrast and divide.
Use our power for the greater good,
And soon,
We’ll have enough wood
To build walls with gates.
PROLOGUE
Hatred.
Hatred made home in Jasper’s heart. It lived there.
Hatred - not towards the IceWings, but to the NightWings. 
She was a NightWing, a NightWing who knew IceWings were right and NightWings were wrong, that IceWings were harmed and only fought back to defend themselves.
The war between the IceWings and the NightWings happened forty years ago. There was a dispute between where they would settle after the IceWing-NightWing hybrid heir was born. An IceWing prince and a NightWing princess had a dragonet, a dragonet that would spark conflict.
“Would we become one kingdom? If so, how would that work? Where would we settle?”
That was the question.
The NightWings wanted to stay in their region. They claimed they would have a hard time adapting to the cold. As for the IceWings, they wanted to stay, since they would have a hard time adapting to the warmer temperatures of the NightWing kingdom.
And that made the NightWings attack.
They attacked the IceWings, pouring soldiers into every city. Furious, the IceWings fought back, recruiting armies to file into every NightWing village.
The war soon simmered down, is what the newspapers claimed.
Truly, the war was going strong. There were looks of resentment worn on every NightWing face every time they saw an IceWing, and likewise for IceWings towards NightWings. 
It was known as the Secret War to the NightWings and IceWings. No other tribe noticed, but it was there. It was there...tearing Jasper apart.
A “secret” aspect to it was about the organization called the IAC, or the IceWing Annihilation Council. They’re doing everything in their power to eradicate the IceWings. Win the war. 
And why did Jasper join?
She wanted to sabotage them. Tamper with the files, make “mistakes” that can be harmful to their plans. Anything that came to her mind, really. 
And that helped her get an inside view. 
Which meant that she knew about the final plan. The plan that would cause mass destruction. 
Which was why Jasper needed to tell an IceWing that they were being attacked. 
And she needed to be chary the whole time. 
But how?
She would send an IceWing an enchanted message in a bottle. She’d enchant the bottle to head specifically to the IceWing coast. The IceWing who gets the message will be warned about the attack and warn more dragons, which will save them. But, they still wouldn’t know who wrote and sent it, which meant Jasper wouldn’t get in any form of trouble.
It was a plan she had spent weeks perfecting. The enchanting wasn’t any easier than the planning. She was only nine years old - a young adult, and she was still learning about her animus magic.
But she was positive it would work. Her pride never wavered.
She’d send the message in two days. Just two days! Two days and she’d save the IceWings. 
CHAPTER ONE
Graduation day.
Wolverine honestly thought it would be a cheerful, exciting day, where he would hug his friends so tight their scales come off after they were handed their hats and certificates. He also thought it would be a sunny day - which, yes, was rare in the IceWing kingdom - but since it was a very special day it would be sunny, like for last year's graduates. 
But no. It was the complete opposite of that. 
Loren was out sick, which was normal for dragons that went to Wolverine’s school, which was in the snowy tundra. 
Summit was in the washroom for thirty minutes polishing his scales and fixing up his frill, which was also normal, since he’s a very tidy dragon. 
As for Clima, she was talking to her other RainWing friends, which was, you guessed it - also normal.
Not on graduation day, guys! This is our very last day of school!
It could’ve been ANY. OTHER. DAY. Just not today.
What he did do was sit on the bleachers, the ice-cold metal biting at his scales. He didn’t mind it, since during assemblies - which were an hour long - he had no choice but to sit there. And right now, he could leave whenever he wants, which makes it less painful. But he wanted to stay there. Stay there and mope about graduation day being anything but perfect.
The clouds were heavy, as if something was pressing on them to make them low and gray. Snow was draped over the awnings and the wind sent a chill up Wolverine’s spine. The air smelled salty from yesterday’s showers.
A flower grew through a crack in the pavement under Wolverine's feet. He snapped it off its stem, the milky, sticky sap bleeding through its tough green body. The petals were tender and silky, the pollen rising to Wolverine’s nose. He sneezed.
He threw the plant onto the pavement again.
Spread your seeds, little flower. Let them grow in the cracks of the cement, too. Let another miserable dragon pick it once it grows up.
Wolverine saw Deliah stomping towards him, catching frosty air in her nose and blowing it out again.
“Hey. So, we’re getting married in a week,” Deliah sat down on the bleacher beside Wolverine. 
Wolverine had an arranged marriage with Deliah. He didn’t want to marry her. His mother, Queen Heidi, made him marry a CaveWing from a rich family so they could have heirs. Wolverine, himself, would never inherit the throne. Only his little sister, Everest, will, since she’s a princess and he’s a prince.
Mother! Why are you making me marry a random CaveWing? Wolverine had moaned when he received the news. And accepting on my behalf? That’s going too far.
What? It’s the IceWing and CaveWing tradition. Arranged marriages. They’re completely normal. Besides, Mother knows best. We can’t have you having eggs with a dragon that has no standards, Queen Heidi had explained. 
Deliah was fine with it. She didn’t think marriage was that big a deal. Also, she didn’t have a special dragon she liked. But, Wolverine did.
He knew it was wrong to love Debrah. But he did anyway. Who cares if he loved Deliah’s sister? He was going to do everything in his power to avoid the arranged marriage he was set up for because of it.
But the bad part is that Debrah is also having an arranged marriage. And she was okay with it, just like Deliah. 
And an extra bad part is that she’s moving away, too, since her soon-to-be husband is all the way in the CaveWing kingdom in Debrah’s hometown. 
Life was a sour thing for Wolverine in general. Even graduation day, which was usually a great day. A sunny day.
“Mhm,” Wolverine replied to what Deliah had said. He gave her a blank stare and soon looked back down at the flower he had thrown away.
The bell.
DONG.
DONG.
DONG.
DONG.
The noise made Wolverine’s stomach curl up into a ball. Wedding bells…
“The ceremony is starting!” 
The wedding ceremony.
But no. It was the graduation ceremony, and the principal was calling that out, not the priest at the wedding. Wolverine wiped away a sweat that was starting to freeze on his face.
Clima and Summit soon scooched over to Wolverine.
“I think I look great. Just in time for graduation!” Summit giggled. 
“Summit, you’ve got to stop acting like a girl. Even I don't even spend as much time in the washroom as you,” Clima rolled her eyes. 
Dragons ran to their spots on the bleachers. A SandWing sat behind them, his breath falling onto Wolverine’s neck. He shivered. 
“Welcome, students, staff members, and parents!” The principal whooped, raising a flag that displayed the school colors. The crowd roared tumultuously.
Being on the lowest bench, Wolverine hated how the crowd’s hollars hit him from behind. 
Debrah and Dixie sat down next to Deliah, who was sitting next to Wolverine.
Wolverine peered over to see Debrah. She was pretty: she had a freckled snout and viridian eyes, and her wings were wide and elegant. 
“Debbie, I bet you’re gonna be on the awards panel again,” Dixie guffawed. 
“Shucks, Dixie. Though, you know I can’t be on there every year,” Debrah said half-sarcastically. 
Wingbeats flooded the air. A quartet of dragons was gonna perform a dragon-airshow-something, Wolverine never paid attention so he didn’t know what it was called.
While the dragons did acrobatic twists in the air as they do every ceremony, Wolverine looked for his mother on the parents’ bleachers. He soon found her by noticing the two guards sitting next to her. She was also taller than the other dragons and there were gold rings around her horns. Nearby was Queen Ember, with her assistant, Agnes. Wolverine recognized her the same way he recognized his mother: jewelry, bodyguards, and assistants. 
“That’s it for this year’s dragon airshow!” The principal clapped, cuing the audience to clap as well. 
“Look, it’s Loren,” Clima pointed to the SkyWing shoving through other dragons to get to their bench. 
“Hey guys,” Loren said, his voice stiff. He seemed anxious. Anxious, but not sick.
“I thought you were ill and at home!” Summit made a flabbergasted expression at Loren. 
“No. Don’t tell my parents, but I faked being sick so I can avoid them. It’s so awkward now when I’m around them,” Loren whispered, his head thrashing from side to side as if he was looking for something. 
“Why do you believe that?” Wolverine cocked his head to the side.
“I think they’re mad at each other, and I’m always sitting between them, smack under the glares they give each other,” Loren tapped his claws together. 
“But it’s graduation day! Besides, isn’t it dragonet behavior to fake sickness to your parents to get out of things?” Deliah chimed in.
“Maybe a little, yeah! But trust me, if you were in my situation right now, you’d understand,” Loren hung his head.
“We’re still not gonna let you hide from your parents. Even if they seem to hate each other, they love you,” Clima stamped her foot, signalling for him to run off and find his parents.
“I guess,” Loren took off, searching for his mother and father.
“Poor Loren. I bet he thinks his parents are getting divorced,” Debbie said sympathetically. 
“Well, I’m certain they are,” Delilah shrugged. 
“Deliah! Keep your spirits up for Loren. It’s the least you can do for him right now,” Clima scolded.
Divorce.
That must be the answer. 
I can marry Deliah, then get divorced.
But wait...that wouldn’t mean Debbie would divorce her husband. Hmph…
A dash of white appeared on Clima’s scales.
Oh no. Not a thunderstorm. I thought today couldn’t get any worse. 
Clima was known for her scales that correspond with the weather and time of day. It was even in her name. Clima. Climate. And in some ways, it was unfortunate because Clima couldn’t control her own scales’ colors.
And flashes of white only meant one thing: a thunderstorm is approaching.
“Guys, I think it’s gonna rain! Look at Clima,” Wolverine pointed to the flickers of white along Clima’s body. 
A drop of rain fell onto Wolverine’s nose.
Not my perfect day, rain.
Not my perfect day…
CHAPTER TWO
The indoor auditorium was choked with dragons. It wasn’t as spacious as the field. 
“At least we finished the dragon airshow in time! After all, our performers work so hard,” The principal nodded.
The leather seats were soft and warm, which was better than the ice-cold bleachers.
The curtains rolled out of the way, and the student council came out onto the stage. 
“Hello, everyone! Let’s have a kick-start with this graduation ceremony and get on with the awards panel!” The student council president, Swan, announced.
Swan’s voice went blurry. Wolverine looked over at the giant clock situated on the left wall. 
Ten forty-five.
	We’ll finish in thirty minutes.
	Thirty minutes and I go home. I go home and I never see Debrah again.
Thirty minutes and I go home. I go home and I marry the dragon I don’t want to marry.
	Thirty minutes and I go home. I go home and I never get the throne, because I’m a useless prince.
Thirty minutes and I go home. I go home and I’m an adult…
	“Wolverine! Three moons, Wolverine! You’ve been spaced out for the past five minutes! Your name is being called, go on stage!” Clima punched Wolverine’s shoulder.
“What?” Wolverine muttered, lifting his talon from his forehead. He straightened up in his seat.
“Clima said your name is being called. You’re getting an award,” Summit said happily, nudging him.
Wolverine stood up clumsily, his legs wobbling. He went down the aisle, which was narrow and cluttered with old play tickets and bags that once contained shrimp chips.
Wolverine was on stage within minutes. The spotlight caught him. He had no place to hide.
“Wolverine, for leadership!” Swan read off a certificate, and handed it to Wolverine affably. 
He noticed Debrah was missing from her seat. 
	Oh. She must be somewhere near me. Hmmm…
	Debrah was two dragons over to the right, holding up a certificate as well. Wolverine didn’t notice his friends were waving at him until he saw Debrah wave back at somebody. Wolverine’s head snapped to the side. He noticed Summit and Clima grinning at him from afar. Loren winked at him from next to his two stone-faced parents. Wolverine forced a smile. 
Then Wolverine saw the clock.
Ten fifty-one.
 	No! Please slow down, clock. I never want to go home, I never want to leave Debrah, I never want to marry Deliah, I never want to become an adult!
	Wolverine took a deep breath. He felt the air run down to his claws, to his wingtips, to his tail. 
	Wolverine hated to say it, but he was more glass-half-empty. He always wanted to be optimistic, but it was just so hard when all he ever got was a large dose of bad luck.
Everyone in his row of dragons started marching off the stage. He followed along.
	You’ll fix this, Wolverine. You’ll fix your life.	
***
Wolverine was glad he didn’t go to a boarding school, like many other dragons.
The dragons who attend boarding schools spend a lot of time away from their parents, so there’s tons of homesickness involved when going there.
And that’s why it’s great to graduate from a boarding school: you’d see your family again, your beloved family - after a whole school year!
And for Wolverine, who saw his parents at the end of every school day? Not so special to see them. Especially when one of them arranged a marriage with a dragon he didn’t love.
So when Wolverine, Clima, Loren, and Summit left the theater, they saw their parents, but it wasn’t as exciting as it was for other dragons.
Loren’s parents were ornery and long-faced, especially when they were soaked in rain. 
Clima’s parents were all the way on the other side of the street, waiting for Clima to run over to them and jump into her father’s wings. 
Queen Ember, Summit, and his siblings who had come for his graduation were encrusted with guards, and so was Wolverine’s mother and his siblings. He joined them.
“Ember,” Heidi nodded to her formally.
“Heidi,” Ember nodded back.
“What was graduation like? Was there confetti? Please tell me there was confetti!” Everest chirped, slithering past Frostbite and a guard.
“Yeah. Just a little, in the beginning,” Wolverine sighed, playing with the tassel on his graduation hat.
“Why are you sad?” Everest asked in her serious voice.
“I’m just tired. It was a really long ceremony,” Wolverine lied.
Everest’s face lit up again. She chortled.
“Okay, let’s go home,” Heidi told them, tipping her head down to look at them.
The four of them made it to the palace. 
“Did you forget?” Frostbite whispered slyly.
“Forget wha-”
Then Wolverine remembered.
There’s a party. Right here, waiting for me. My mother invited millions of my cousins and my father’s friends that I’ve never even heard of.
“Congratulations, Wolverine!” Heidi and Rupert called out with joy.
Why can’t my friends be here?
Why can’t Debbie be here? It’s her last day in town.
“Thanks, guys!” Wolverine hugged his parents loosely, same with his siblings.
“Why can’t my friends be here? Oh, and what about Debrah, Delilah, and Dixie?” Wolverine stammered.
“Oh. They have their own parties at home. Debrah’s is really big and important, since she’s moving away, not just getting married. And she needs to be with her sisters at that party. But right now, we need to focus on you!” Heidi’s voice climbed to a higher pitch. She stroked Wolverine’s horns.
“That’s nice,” Wolverine laughed nervously.
I want to be at Debbie’s party right now, Wolverine thought, disappointed. 
“Let’s get some snacks!” Everest bounded over to the kitchen, opening the cabinets to look for something to eat.
“I’m coming, too,” Frostbite shuffled over to the kitchen much slower than her, looking over his shoulder to smile at Wolverine.
“Okay, I’ll get something as well.” Wolverine followed them in.
Soon, Wolverine and his siblings were curled up on the couch, talking about how it’ll be like when Wolverine and Deliah get married.
“I don’t even know how marriage works, really,” Everest mused, chewing on the skin of a ham.
Wolverine opened his mouth to explain, but his mother came along.
“There’s going to be fireworks in the courtyard. Let’s go,” Heidi beckoned for them to come with her.
Outside, the sky was black as raven feathers and the reeds were prickly against Wolverine’s talons. Wolverine heard a gentle hiss among the song of the crickets, and a ribbon of fiery light shot up to the moons’ height and bursted into a supernova of color, the sparks disintegrating after making a loud boom sound that made Wolverine wince. Another hiss followed, and everything - even the crickets - went silent after that.
Then a flamboyant array of sparks flew up again, then rained down, only to obliterate like the previous sparks.
One firework after another, all until Wolverine actually had a smile on his face for one time in his life.
I want to be a spark. I wouldn’t be alone. I would fit in. I would have the same goals as everyone, the same appearance as everyone, and have the same heritage and blood as everyone. There would be no mistaking that I am just a spark, a spark like everyone else.
Everyone went inside, murmuring about the show. Wolverine’s moment of ecstasy had burned away, just like the sparks from the fireworks
Morning came as quick as rain after a strike of thunder, and Wolverine wasn’t pleased.
What now, Wolverine?
You find a job. A place to work.
But where do I start? 
Wolverine moaned, flipping his yarn blanket off himself, landing it on the floor beside the bed. 
Then, an idea came to Wolverine’s mind. It bursted in his mind, like when you squeeze a fully-ripe fruit a little too hard. 
Wolverine felt motivation sit on his every scale. He threw the blanket back on his bed and he went to the washroom to clean himself up.
I can try working for one of my friends! Maybe Clima. I can be her assistant in the school she teaches. 
The cold water left from the sink stung on Wolverine’s face, but he didn’t care. The pancakes he was eating that morning were burnt on the edges, but he didn’t care. A crow attacked him on the way to Clima’s school, but he didn’t care. He was in too good of a mood for any little thing to bother him. Even the snow that he had to wade through to get to the administration office’s front door.
Wolverine greeted the dragon at the desk with a weak nod. Icy sweat trickled down Wolverine’s forehead.
“How can I help you, Prince Wolverine?” The desk dragon said in a dreary monotone.
“I’m looking to be employed for Ms. Clima,” Wolverine stuttered at “employed,” anxiety suddenly drilling into him. 
What if Clima says, friends and business don’t mix well, or something? I really can’t be doing this.
Life is moving too fast for my brain to process…
“Actually, she doesn’t have an assistant yet, so you’re in luck. But for the first two-or-so days, you’ll be...an intern. Unpaid. That’s how it works around here, after all,” The desk dragon didn’t even look at Wolverine. She just sat slouched over a piece of paper, jotting down smeary, inky words Wolverine couldn’t read.
“Got it. Thanks,” Wolverine sighed. 
He trudged over to the door marked “CLIMA,” his feet squelching with sleet and slush. 
In the classroom, Clima sat on a bean bag chair circled by dragonets. She was holding a book in her talons, reading to them, in a friendly and warm voice.
“Wolverine! What brings you here?” Clima said, folding the book closed after tucking a tree bark bookmark into the page she left off at.
“I’m your new assistant,” Wolverine tittered. He looked down at the cold stares of the dragonets that were sitting on the carpet. 
“Really? Oh right, you had to start looking for jobs today. Well, welcome!” Clima stood up from her seat.
I’m probably going to mess up. No, not probably. I will mess up. One hundred and one percent. I have no experience with such young dragons. I mean, they’re only three years old.
“I’ll show you where everything is, okay? And I’ll make sure the little ones are showing you around when they need to, too,” Clima said, guiding Wolverine to the schedule that was pinned to the wall.
“Um, okay-,” Before Wolverine could say anything else, a dragonet started biting on his wing.
“Ow!” He exclaimed.
“Sacramento! Don’t do that again, or you’ll miss recess, okay?” Clima scolded. Sacramento gave Clima a guilty look, eyes glittering.
“Go play with your friends, now,” She said, pushing Sacramento towards a group of other little dragons.
She must’ve been raised around dragonets or something. I’m only a few years older than my siblings, and they are very responsible on their own.
This is gonna be a nightmare, and I know it.
CHAPTER THREE
My day in a nutshell…
I found a job working for my friend at a school. 
A school of obnoxious three-year-olds, Wolverine thought, two dragonets on his shoulder and one on his lap. The other ones played on an indoor hopscotch mat, while the others picked out scrolls to read.
This is temporary, this is temporary, this is temporary… 
Deep down, Wolverine knew that it was gonna be a while before he found another job. A job that doesn’t require being surrounded by wailing dragonets.
But it was gonna be temporary, regardless of how long Wolverine will be there.
“See you tomorrow!” Clima said, opening the door, where a line of dragons rushed in to get their kids.
Dismissal...my favorite part. The only good part.
And that desk dragon said I won’t be paid until at least two days have passed. Hmph…
For once, Wolverine felt elated to be back home. Usually, he would return from school, like every other day. But now, his life is an adult life, where he would be relieved to be away from work again. 
Work. One achievement. One out of three.
Now all I have to do is get out of my currently arranged marriage and tell Debrah how I feel...
I’m fixing my life. Bit by bit. But each task will get harder. And I need to be prepared. 
The next day, Wolverine had to go to his sorry excuse for a job: taking care of dragonets with Clima.
They had to go to the icy beaches so the dragonets could play. 
They wore bear hides lined with sheep’s wool to stay warm. They took ten minutes just to get all fifteen dragonets suited up. 
On the coast, it was cloudy and depressing, and it wasn’t a sandy coast - it was just snow. A thin layer of snow patched over crusty dirt. 
Wolverine sat on a round calcite boulder, watching as the dragonets scampered about, kicking pebbles at each other and looking at insects which they sometimes sneaked into their pockets. 
Then, Wolverine found something wobbling on the surface of the ocean. Something cylindrical and covered in wet bits of sand. There was something white inside it. Wolverine raced over to it.
What is that?
Wolverine waded through the water, scooping up the item into his numb talons.
A message in a bottle. What could this paper say? Maybe it’ll tell me my fortune? Maybe even a good fortune, like you’ll marry Debbie one day instead of Deliah?
He propped himself up against the boulder he was sitting on before.
He popped off the cork, sliding the paper out.
The paper read:
“Danger is coming. Warn all the IceWings. Danger.”
What could the danger be? 
Who even sent this?
Wait...maybe this is just an artifact. It could be hundreds of years old.
But the paper looks really well-preserved, even after all this time…
Wolverine heard Clima whistle, signaling all the dragonets that they were going back. 
At the school, Clima was reading to the dragonets again, on the same bean bag chair. Meanwhile, Wolverine was deep in his thoughts about that message, crouched in the corner of the room.
Maybe this has something to do with the war. Maybe there is some dragon with insight. But how would they have insight on an upcoming attack? Only NightWings would know that stuff, and we’re the ones they’re against, anyway.
“Wolvaween,” The dragonet with a speech impediment had waddled over to him, tapping him on the shoulder to pull him out of his thoughts.
“Hm?” Wolverine snorted.
“Time fow wunch,” He prattled, pointing to the door where every dragonet was exiting the classroom holding pouches of food their parents had packed for them.
Wolverine stood up groggily, nudging the dragonet who had woken him out the door.
“Why were you in the corner the whole time? You are supposed to be learning about our system here,” Clima took her stylus out from behind her ear and wrote something on her clipboard that made Wolverine’s stomach do flops.
“I just...nothing. There shouldn’t be an excuse. I’ll try and stay engaged tomorrow,” Wolverine promised.
“What’s that thing in your jacket pocket?” Clima asked in an interrogating voice.
“Why do you ask?” Wolverine replied shakily.
“I need to make sure that you don’t have something unsafe with you on campus,” Clima said in the same tone, this time snapping her head up to look at Wolverine. He gulped.
“I just picked up some trash. No-one likes litter, right? Not good for the environment…,” Wolverine waved the bottle at Clima. 
“Hmmm, okay,” Clima shrugged. “You can go now.”
Wolverine dragged himself through the clumps of snow and mounds of ice, looking for the teacher’s lounge. 
Soon, he found it. It was a wooden terrace, and on it was a table surrounded by teachers on benches. 
“Prince Wolverine! I heard you started working for Clima!” A teacher said, dropping her bowl of coleslaw on the table. Her face went rosy.
Another teacher hid in her shadow, tearing into a thin piece of steak. “Hello,” He greeted simply. 
“I’m Surf,” The teacher in front of the shady dragon said, waving her webbed talon at Wolverine. “I used to teach dragonets in the SeaWing kingdom, but I moved here to get married.”
Marriage…
	Stop it, Wolverine. Just stop it.
	“That’s cool,” Wolverine choked out.
“Have a seat…,” The shady dragon half-whispered, patting the spot on the bench where he wanted Wolverine to sit. 
Wolverine shuddered as he sat down.
“Do you have anything to eat for lunch? Doesn’t look like it,” Surf questioned. 
“Oh...no actually.” Wolverine hadn’t thought about that. 
“Well, I can lend you a slice of cornbread, but other than that, I already ate a large fraction of my lunch,” Surf sighed ruthfully.
“It’s alright. At least I have something to eat. It was my own irresponsibility, really,” Wolverine took the cornbread from Surf’s talon, and bit into it.
“How’d you get on yesterday with lunch, hm?” Surf clawed at her salad, dropping bits of eggplant into her mouth.
“I didn’t eat yesterday, either, because I had to learn about the schedule in Clima’s classroom,” Wolverine admitted shyly.
“Clima? No, she’s a very sweet dragon. She would allow you to go off and eat lunch,” Surf retorted.
“I know, I told her that I would be eating lunch at home,” Wolverine swallowed the last of the cornbread.
“Why?” 
“I need to learn about the classroom. I won’t be able to get another job for a while.”
I think I might’ve said too much… 
	The shady dragon stood up from his seat. “I’m gonna go now,” He said, adjusting his collar. “Goodday, Prince Wolverine.”
Wolverine found it unsettling how he only said it to him. Wolverine shuddered again.
“Thanks for the cornbread,” Wolverine smiled at Surf, standing up, too.
“The least I can do…,” Surf’s voice was drowned out by the dragonets’ interposing voices as he got closer to their lunch tables. 
When the day ended and Wolverine could go home, it was like a breath of fresh air. He could finally fall onto his bed, and forget every bad thing in his life.
As Wolverine was curled up in a blanket, he heard something roll out of his pocket and clink on the floor.
The bottle. And the vague message in it.
	Wolverine took it in his talons. 
I’ll find out what you’re trying to tell me soon enough, mystery dragon.
	I know I will…
	He clutched the bottle tightly in his arms, and fell asleep.
In the morning, many things were on the floor. On the floor, shattered, broken. 
“Three moons,” Wolverine said, eyes wide as ferris wheels, as he paced through his room. 
Frostbite and Everest came bounding into the room, confused.
“Frostbite, Everest, be careful! There are shards of glass on the floor, you can hurt yourself!” Rupert, Wolverine’s father, scolded as he ran after the two dragonets.
“What happened?” Wolverine asked Rupert.
“An earthquake, that’s what! An earthquake that happened overnight. Rumor has it that this is the first time in forty-five years that an earthquake this powerful struck the IceWing kingdom!” He responded, stopping Frostbite and Everest from going any further into Wolverine’s room.
Why is everything flashing before my eyes? I got a job, I found a strange bottle with a message in it, and now, the first earthquake in forty-five years has struck Prencia? This can’t be for real.
“Let’s get cleaning. As for Wolverine, run to that school you work in, check if they’re closed or not,” Rupert commanded.
Frostbite and Everest started squirming through the room obediently, sweeping up the shards into groups with their wings for easy disposal.
Wolverine arrived at the school, only to find a big red banner saying: 
“NO SCHOOL. CLEANUP ALL DAY.”
Great. And today was the day I was finally gonna get paid. 
Wolverine stormed back to the palace. 
“It’s closed,” Wolverine sighed.
“Just what I thought. Well, how about you lend us a talon then?” Queen Heidi told him, picking up the remains of a smashed clay pot.
***
After what seemed like an eternity of cleaning, Wolverine, his family, and their butlers and maids were finished.
“Hey, can I go to the beach today?” Wolverine asked his mother abruptly.
“Why?” She wondered.
“I just want to...um...relax, you know,” Wolverine shrugged.
It had been a lie. He wanted to find more clues on the beach as to what that bottle was about. 
“Alright then. Be careful out there on your own,” Heidi said. 
“Mother, I’m an adult now. You don’t have to worry about me,” Wolverine groaned, starting out the door.
“I’m only getting used to that,” She cackled, heading up the stairs.
At the beach, it was not much different from the day before. Frosty, chilly, and the water was pulsing back and forth like a swing, as it usually does.
Maybe I’m getting a message that was for someone else.
	You never know…
	Wolverine then noticed the boulder he was sitting against yesterday.
It was not the same.
It was tipped over, like a turtle shell-down. 
And in the spot where it had to be sitting was a perfect pivot in the snow, as if there was something a bit lower underneath.
Wolverine kneeled down against the crater.
The boulder would’ve made a wider dent.
It was true. Plus, the pit was square-shaped. 
Wolverine shoved away the snow to reveal a sheet of wood. Then, he spotted a pair of rusty hinges on one side of the plank.
A trapdoor. 
Wolverine was fully committed to checking what was inside, until a thought washed up in his mind, like the bottle had washed up on the beach: Curiosity killed the cat.
CHAPTER FOUR
Wolverine was intimidated by the room that had opened up before him after clambering down the ladder under the trapdoor.
There was a massive stone plate, bearing an inscription of the whole alphabet.
What am I supposed to do with this?
	Wolverine walked nervously up to the plate of letters. He set a claw on the letter “A.”
The letter lit up. Wolverine flinched.
It reminded him of Aquatic: different symbols lighting up on the SeaWing’s body to say something. 
Wolverine then tapped the letter “P.” Then “P” again. 
He soon touched an “L” and an “E.”
Apple, Wolverine thought, amused.
Then, something started flashing rapidly. A series of letters, showing up on their own without Wolverine touching anything. He watched in awe, his whole body stiff.
He soon made out that it said:
“You found me.”
Wolverine didn’t know how a stone plate of glowing letters was talking to him. 
Maybe this is an animus enchantment. It has to be. That earthquake must’ve been artificial. It was...leading me to this bunker.
	“Who are you?” Wolverine typed, intrigued. 
“J.”
“A.”
“S.”
“P.”
“E.”
“R.”
Jasper…
	“I’m Wolverine. Prince of the IceWings.”
“Oh, no…,” The letters flashed. “If you’re Prince Wolverine...then you’ll be assasinated.”
“I’ll be what?” Wolverine flashed back. Assassinated? By who? What is going on here? Or is this all just some sick joke?
	“Have you seen anything suspicious recently?” The keyboard flickered.
Wolverine recalled the strange dragon he had seen near Surf on the teacher’s lounge.
“Yes,” Wolverine responded. “A dragon...RainWing features...strange cloak. Was hiding wings for some reason.”
“That has to be Barry,” Jasper said. 
“Barry?”
“A NightWing-RainWing assassin. He wants to kill you and your family.”
“But...why?”
“It’s complicated. If we ever meet up in real life, I will tell you everything you need to know. For now, keep me updated by going down here and typing out what happened. Stay safe out there.”
Wolverine said “Okay,” and heard nothing from Jasper after that.
When Wolverine came home, all he did was lie down in bed and try to process what had just occurred down on the beach.
Mother always told me to put what happened into simple phrases…
	Went to the beach, found a keyboard. Talked to an animus. Learned I was gonna be assasinated.
	And with that, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
***
Wolverine didn’t realize he had been asleep.
“Wolverine! It’s time for lunch!” Frostbite yanked the blanket off Wolverine’s bed, ice from the peculiar beach trip raining to the floor.
“More glass? I thought we cleaned it all!” Frostbite whined.
“No, your big brother just went to the beach,” Wolverine smiled down at him, patting him gently on the head.
“Did you find any cool shells?”
“No,” Wolverine giggled, hopping off the mattress. 
“Let’s go eat lunch, already!” Everest was standing nearby, hitting her tail against the open door to get their attention.
“I think I’ll take my lunch to the park,” Wolverine told them. “Can you get a basket ready for me?” 
“Yes, Wolverine!” Frostbite nodded. 
“But may we ask why?” Everest inquired judgmentally.
“Oh, I want to check in on my friends…,” Wolverine trailed off. 
He felt a sudden pain. A realization kind of pain.
Debrah must’ve moved away to the CaveWing kingdom already. 
“Alright!” Everest piped.
Wolverine left through the palace gate, strolling through the snowy streets. A songbird was nestled comfortably in a nest made of snapped twigs and crinkled leaves. 
Wolverine remembered when he first met Debrah…
What to read...what to read, Wolverine said to himself when he was four years old, browsing the school library.
	Ow! A small CaveWing had been seated on the floor, reading about avifauna. 
	Sorry! I didn’t see you, Wolverine soothed. 
	It’s okay, The CaveWing laughed softly. You look as if you’re having a hard time finding something to read. Can I help?
I thought no-one would ever notice, Wolverine snickered.
	I recommend scrolls about Queen Oasis. They’re very informative, The CaveWing drew a rolled up scroll from the bookcase, dropping it in Wolverine’s talons.
	I’m Debrah, by the way. But most dragons call me Debbie, Debrah said, giving Wolverine a toothy smile.
	I’m Wolverine, Wolverine replied shyly.
	Wolverine sighed deeply. I guess that chapter’s over.
	As Wolverine dug into his lunch, he felt something cold and sharp zip across his lower back. Wolverine heard a splitting of his scales. 
Wolverine made an unintelligible noise, kind of like a growl.
What is going on?
	He touched his back with one claw, dabbing the wet surface. He felt a flash of pain slither up his neck. 
Huh?
	Wolverine looked at his talon. There was a slight residue of something red, probably blood, from the spot he heard the noise and felt the pain.
Something ran past him, a dark, shadowy presence.
“Barry,” Wolverine said randomly, throwing his lunch on a nearby bench and starting to zigzag through the street, to nowhere, and he knew it was nowhere because he was running straight to a clump of fog.
Soon, trees and shacks rendered into view. It was that point he realized no-one was outside, and he was alone. There was no sound other than the cutting and his own grimacing. He didn’t feel the wind caressing his back. Nothing. The world was nothing.
Just him and Barry. Him, death, and Barry. 
Wolverine still didn’t hear anything. 
He wheezed, gasping for air. How long have I been running? How far have I travelled from home?
He didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He just wanted to vanish into a desolate corner somewhere and hide, like an armadillo curled up into its shell.
Stop and think, Wolverine.
What’s happening to your family?
If Barry’s not attacking you, they must be getting attacked. 
But why would Barry leave if I’m not dead yet?
I couldn’t have possibly outrun a RainWing. They’re so...agile...and slender. Like snakes.
Three moons, I bet I’m still bleeding. I need to find a nurse…
My life is moving too fast.
I’m in the story that has the bad ending. The bad ending where I never get to tell the one I love how I feel, the ending where a war is boiling and leaving damage that’s beyond repair. The ending where I die because of some assassin. The ending where I die at nine years old. 
Mother always told me that you are the author of your book…
You write your story.
I don’t want to die…
So I don’t die.
After that, the whole world was blinded out. It was a black nothing. 
At least for the time being.
***
Wolverine woke up with a fire lamp above him. It had a warm, fuzzy glow that was mighty dissimilar to his experience outside. Wolverine couldn’t feel his body, as if he didn’t exist, or his nervous system was down.
A friendly voice wafted into his ears. It felt so soft and mellow that he thought he could cuddle with it. He didn’t even know what it was saying.
A blurry figure moved over Wolverine’s face. The voice said something again. 
Then, Wolverine could feel everything. He was truly awake now. 
Wolverine wished he had stayed in his calm state of mind. Not feeling a single thing or having a care in the world. He felt the blistering pain from before, stirring in his back. It felt as if the knife was still there, dragging through his flesh. Wolverine wanted to cry.
“He’s staying here for maybe a night or two and then he’s coming home,” The voice said, every word finally determinable.
Staying where?
	Where am I?
	“Okay, sounds good,” A more familiar voice said. He couldn’t see the source of that voice, though. It was tucked away out of view, like a figment of his imagination.
I’m probably dead.
 	Even if I’m not, these are my last few moments, anyways...
CHAPTER FIVE
“What’s happening?” Wolverine asked the voice, doing his best to release each word. “Why did I pass out?”
“You were bleeding. And, blood loss leads to lack of oxygen, which then leads to you passing out,” The nurse said. 
Wolverine squirmed up against the headboard of the bed he was lying down on.
“Do you know why you were bleeding?”
Wolverine felt his heart accelerate. His abdomen seemed to squeeze in tighter and tighter. His bones were hard and stiff as stone.
“No,” Wolverine lied.
The nurse wouldn’t have believed him if he said it was because of a RainWing-NightWing assassin with super-speed. After all, he was still dazed and confused from what had happened out there.
“We already treated her major wound,” The nurse said, “But we have a few more small cuts to tend to.”
Wolverine shivered. Barry must’ve been really angry…
	“I think you should sit back, try to distract yourself,” The nurse said, taking a scoop of liquid-y medicine into the palms of her talons.
Well that’s easy.
	Wolverine could only think about one thing: what he would tell Jasper.
He so, so badly wanted to know who Jasper was. They were just flashing letters for now. Flashing letters that could mean absolutely nothing. 
“We’re done.”
Wolverine didn’t even wince. 
“Try not to look at your wounds. It’ll make you panic, and the last thing you need is more trauma,” The nurse mopped her brow, walking out of the room to talk with another hospital worker.
Wolverine was glad he was somewhere warm. 
Somewhere warm, with cuddly voices and fire lamps illuminating his face.
Wolverine didn’t know how long it had been since the attempted assassination.
And he knew he shouldn’t rest. Not when his family is in danger.
He imagined Frostbite in his position, or Everest. He couldn’t let that happen to them. 
And he couldn’t let anything worse happen to them. 
Oh...my job…
	He never, ever wanted to go back. Even if it meant nowhere to work and earn money. He couldn’t go to the same place his enemy resides.
Barry…
	Clima would probably replace him, and he’d be out of ideas of where to go.
And...
Barry would probably follow me to my next job. It makes sense. Wolves only hunt where the rabbits are. If the rabbits are in the meadow, they hunt in the meadow. If the rabbits are in the forest, they hunt in the forest.
	Wolverine knew it was a checkmate. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
Or, I could wear a disguise. Hide my appearance. Use Barry’s strategies against him.
	That’s all I can do. For now. 
***
“You have a visitor,” A new voice stated. 
Wolverine tipped his head. He saw a male dragon scribbling on a dark-blue ledger. His face was gloomy and bored-looking.
“Who is it?” Wolverine stretched out in his bed, splaying his talons and reaching for the roof. He yawned louder than a yak.
“Surf,” The doctor said. “Doesn’t she work in the same school district as you?”
“Yes…,” Wolverine remembered.
“Thought so,” The doctor let out a low chuckle, which soon died halfway through its duration.
Wolverine saw the familiar cyan SeaWing waddle into the room reluctantly. “I’m the one who found you on the street. And, if it helps you remember...I gave you a slice of cornbread on your second day at the school?”
“Oh.”
Wolverine felt very impolite. He knew he had to thank her.
“Thanks for helping me. In a more drastic way this time,” Wolverine said, wishing to be more enthusiastic. 
“Why were you bleeding?” 
“I can't remember that,” Wolverine sighed.
“Maybe you have amnesia,” Surf said, trying to be as empathetic as possible. 
Wolverine felt guilty. Or a bad case of lying…
	“I feel fine. Plus, I remember everything else,” Wolverine gave her a small smile. 
“Your family just walked down the hall. They’re worried about you,” Surf remarked, fidgeting with her claws.
“Did Clima, Loren, or Summit stop by?” Wolverine asked hopefully.
“Unfortunately, no. But they’re sending you good thoughts,” Surf sat down on a leather ottoman. Her brow was knitted together sorrowfully. 
Why is everyone so worried over me?
	How much did I even miss?
	“Well, I believe you would like some time alone,” Surf stood up from her seat, starting for the door. 
Five minutes later, Wolverine was sent a wooden tray of hospital food. Wolverine didn’t care what it was, he felt so hungry he would eat absolutely anything at that point.
He shoved several spoonfuls of dry, bland string beans into his mouth. Normally, he would scrunch up his face and stop eating but he continued eating until the plate was clean. 
“You ate like a locust!” The nurse came in shortly after he was finished eating. 
Wolverine laughed. 
I’ll make the most of my situation.
***
My last hour here.
 	I’ll finally be home! 
	Wolverine couldn’t stop twitching, he was that happy. He couldn’t even remember his mother’s face, or Everest’s shrill laughs. He would soon hear them and see them, hug them so hard that his wounds would start bleeding again…
Wolverine spent the hour reading a scroll about the anatomy of a SkyWing (after all, he was in a hospital.) It was long and confusing, but Wolverine cared about almost nothing at that moment.
“Come on, Wolverine,” The nurse smiled. “You’re going home.”
Wolverine tried to get up as fast as he could - which wasn’t very fast. He took off his white hospital bracelet and set it on the nightstand. He blissfully strided towards the door and opened the door to see his father, and only his father.
“Father? Where is everyone else?” Wolverine asked in a rushed tone.
“They’re at home. We can’t afford anything bad happening to them,” Rupert said, his point obscure.
“What does that mean?”
“You were most likely attacked by someone. We can’t have such important dragons going out alone onto the streets - especially women,” Rupert explained.
“Oh…,” Wolverine said blankly. 
They’re not wrong.
	But does that mean if we do want to go outside, we’ll be surrounded by guards? I hope not.
	“Let’s go home, son,” Rupert said eagerly. They both left the hospital, out onto the street. Rupert pulled Wolverine close by his side, wrapping one wing around him and looking left and right suspiciously.
“Father, It’s fine. Let’s not worry so much,” Wolverine soothed, unsuccessfully.
“We can’t keep our eyes shut, Wolverine. It’s not safe out here,” Rupert raised his voice. It wasn’t common for him.
***
They were at the palace.
It felt like a new place to Wolverine. He asked again to himself: How long has it really been? Who knows, maybe Everest is already a queen and my mother is dead.
	“Wolverine!” His siblings raced up to him, jumping into his wings.
“Go easy on his wounds! He’s still recovering,” Heidi pulled the dragonets back a little. Wolverine hugged them, just not too tight.
“I missed you,” Wolverine told Everest and Frostbite. 
“But, I have a question,” Wolverine lifted his head to his parents. “Will we be able to leave the house anymore? Father said that I was probably attacked and that it’s not safe out there.”
“While that is true, Rupert,” Heidi turned to him, “Wolverine has a job. He’s an adult.”
“I guess so. But be careful, okay, Wolverine?” Rupert said sternly, putting a talon on Wolverine’s shoulder, then dismissing him.
I need to talk to Jasper.
	This is super important…
	And Jasper needs to know I’m okay.
	I don’t even know what pronouns Jasper uses, that’s how little I know.
	Wolverine had a leisurely few days of recovery, then he was up one morning feeling better than all the other days. Those days had all been hazy - he couldn’t remember what exactly happened or how many days it was.
After Wolverine washed his face in the water barrel, he galumphed down the stairs to the dining room.
“You’re going back to work today. You prepared?” Heidi said as she poured a vase of tea into individual glasses for everyone. 
“Yep,” Wolverine replied simply, seating himself. He adjusted the vinyl placemat in front of him and pushed the candelabra to the very center of the table. He smiled generously. 
Breakfast was grilled pancakes topped with raspberries. Wolverine was off to work within minutes.
Once Wolverine was outside, the first thing he did was turn his head in all directions. Barry.
	Wolverine didn’t want to act like his father; paranoid and antsy.
But he couldn’t help it. He was the target of an assassin, and the worst part was that that assassin was working in the same school as him. 
I wonder what Clima will say to me when I arrive at school. 
	Finally, you’re back! She’d say kindly. Right? 
	Wolverine, faking that you’re injured is no way to handle work. That’s so childish of you, She might say. I hope not…
	“Hello, Wolverine,” Everyone seemed to say to him. Even dragons that didn’t talk to him before the assassination attempt. 
I hate this random respect.
 	Surf offered me some of her food, saved my life...now what? She’ll magically teleport Debbie back here so I can tell her how I feel about her? I don’t even know anymore. I want to be like everyone else.
	A spark. One spark in a firework. 
CHAPTER SIX 
Nothing suspicious happened as the day progressed.
Wolverine thought it was too normal. Barry had to be out there, watching his every move.
But he felt good. Busy, but a good busy. Productive.
He was getting paid five copper coins every hour. He thought it was pretty good for his first day earning money.
Wolverine even forgot Barry and Jasper at one point. That’s how much better he had felt since the attack.
When Wolverine came home from his first day earning money, he grinned from horn to horn. He was gonna show his family his first coins, his first money earned.
But something strange was going on when he stepped into the palace. He saw his parents and his siblings all dressed up. 
Wolverine’s heart started thrumming hard against his chest. It’s either a funeral or my marriage. And the only good possibility is Debbie’s marriage.
	“Wolverine, I’m sorry I didn’t mention this to you earlier, but today is Summit’s wedding day. We just got the news that it was pushed to today instead of three days from now. So, follow your father and get dressed, okay?” Heidi whispered to him.
“Really?” Wolverine made a tight sigh of relief. He made a few more shaky breaths before wandering into a closet with Rupert to put on his tuxedo.
“This was my old tunic,” Rupert told Wolverine after gently clicking the door shut.
The suit was woven with silky fabric and lined with a thick cloth material on the inside to keep you warm (since it was an IceWing-made garment.) It had a smooth ruby red tie hanging from the collar. A small yellow boutonniere was sitting on the left. 
Wolverine quite liked it. He wondered what Summit and the rest of his friends would be wearing.
“Do you like it?” Rupert asked out of the blue.
“Yes,” Wolverine replied. He was empty of words.
As Wolverine and his family left the palace, Wolverine asked, “where is this ceremony happening anyway?”
“It’s happening at the SkyWing Church courtyard. There will be lots of dragons there, so please stay close,” Heidi told him. 
SkyWing Church?! That’s so far!
“But isn’t that one kingdom over?” Wolverine said in surprise.
“We’re going on a dragon train. Those don’t take so long,” Heidi said, pulling Frostbite away from a stranger. 
Dragon trains. Stuffy crowds of dragons flying in sync. AKA my worst nightmare.
***
Wolverine felt sore all over.
Every bone wanted to snap and every muscle wanted to deflate. He didn’t even have the energy to breathe.
Everyone else seemed fine. Like they’ve done it many times before.
But it was worth it. Summit was one of his best friends, and he couldn’t miss his marriage.
Wolverine noticed a bunch of dragons from school. They were from when he was five. They were tall and slim and mature now. They were all socializing - laughing, talking.
Wolverine felt awkward. Like a freshwater fish in a saltwater lake. 
And he knew what happened to that fish. The fish died.
	He pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He decided he should at least try to find Debbie.
He knew it was a weird idea to try to tell her how he feels - during someone else’s wedding. Not just anyone’s wedding, but Summit’s. 
Wolverine’s heart dropped to his stomach when he saw the three CaveWing sisters, among them being Debrah. She was wearing fishnets on her wings and she had a pretty metallic necklace around her neck.
Go over there and say something…
	“Hi,” Deliah said before Wolverine could say something himself.
“Hi,” Wolverine replied, trembling.
“Oh, Wolverine! You’re here. You look worn out, can I get you some water?” Debrah asked. 
Good old observant Debbie. I wish I was around her more often.
	Dixie cackled. “Is that your father’s suit?”
Dixie was kind of observant, too. All of them were. But mostly Debrah.
Wolverine looked at his sleeves. They were kind of long for him. And his tie seemed to touch the ground.
“Maybe?” Wolverine replied.
“It looks good on him, Dixie,” Debrah retorted scornfully. Dixie rolled her eyes.
“Do you know where Summit is?” Wolverine wondered.
“He’s getting ready, you can’t see him yet,” Deliah said boredly, examining her claws shortly before turning away from them and heading to the snack bar promptly. 
Wolverine looked up at the sky. It was already scarlet, fading up into a deep purple. The clouds were streaky and pink, hanging above the setting sun. The chorus of crickets sang among Wolverine’s feet.
Then, a flash of light soared over the moons, which were just showing up in the evening sky. A shooting star.
You know what to wish for, Wolverine.
	Wolverine cast his wish. The shooting star dissolved into the blackening sky above, never to be seen again.
***
Wolverine had spent thirty minutes sitting at the snack bar with Deliah. He didn’t know why Summit was taking so long in the dressing room. Summit always takes a long time, but not thirty minutes. 
Wolverine looked at a clock inside the church. It’s already six fifteen. 
	Wolverine took another sip of his apple cider. Maybe you can tell Debrah right now. After all, you’ve been doing pretty much nothing for the past half hour. You can do this. Just dig inside yourself, really deep, and pull out the courage you need.
 	But, even if you do tell her...what will she think?
	Put your insecurities aside already, Wolverine! You need to get a hold of yourself!
	Wolverine stood up. 
“Where ya going?” Deliah asked in her normal, snooty voice. 
“I need to use the loo,” Wolverine told her brazenly. 
“Okay. Don’t take too long,” Deliah squinted at him. She finished the last of her coconut water. She seemed to be silently ridiculing him for his “father’s suit.”
Wolverine searched the courtyard for any sign of Debrah. Then, he saw her. She was standing under a strand of lanterns, looking out onto the distant mountain range. 
She looks pretty.
	More than usual, anyway. 
	“The bathroom’s to your left, actually.”
“Gah!” Wolverine exclaimed, startled. “What was that for?”
“You were gonna go hit on Debbie,” Deliah snorted like a swine, then laughed.
“No,” Wolverine furled his brow at her and gave her his meanest glare. I can’t believe I’m gonna marry this dragon. What a pain that would be…
	“Besides, how did you even know I liked her?” Wolverine hissed.
“Is it not obvious?” Deliah proceeded to laugh like Dixie does. 
I suppose that behavior is genetic.
	“Well, it’s not like you can do anything about it. You don’t even know what you’re doing at this point. You’re shooting an arrow into the darkness,” Deliah’s laugh faded. She gave him a cold stare as she finished speaking. A colder stare than usual.
Why do you love to beat me down?
	I just gave myself a motivational speech and everything. This was the one night I could finally open up to the one I truly love, not Deliah.
	“Well, see you when Summit finally comes out of that cave of his,” Deliah swished her head towards the dressing room, where the light was still on.
“See you,” Wolverine waved weakly. He didn’t know what to tell Deliah anymore. Nor Debrah.
Maybe Deliah told Debrah about the way I feel about her already. It makes perfect sense why she doesn’t believe in me: because Debrah told her that she sees me as a friend. Just a friend.
	Wolverine! Remember the courage? You need to build yourself back up again. You can’t let some sly CaveWing ruin everything.
	Wolverine came closer to where Debbie was standing. She noticed him. Wolverine straightened his tie. He couldn’t stop sweat from raining down his face. He felt as if he were in a desert. He felt hot all over. His tail couldn’t stop twitching. 
He dusted himself off.
“I have something to tell you.”
“What would that be? And if it’s that Summit is taking an eternity back there, trust me, I know. Like, seriously, what’s the hold up?” Debbie snickered.
Wolverine looked at his feet. Maybe I am making a mistake. I have to stop being stupid.
	“Uh- um, ah- I,” Wolverine didn’t know how to pronounce any words and his vocabulary was shrunk to random vowels. He sighed.
Mother always told you to put things simple. Simple words and simple phrases. 
	“I love you!”
Wolverine couldn’t look at Debbie’s face. He saw a pool of sweat start forming on the concrete under him.
Debrah is not a stranger. She would understand.
	Stop doubting yourself and your every action.
	Wolverine waited so long, but he got no response. He started to question if she was even there. He was just staring down at the ground, and at the lake of sweat he had created.
“The ceremony is starting!” The priest called.
“Finally” and “Took you long enough” filled the air. Wedding bells rang loudly throughout the church. 
Wolverine’s suit was soggy. He was still nervous. 
Wolverine sat next to Clima and Loren. 
“Hey Wolverine!” Clima said cheerfully. “Why are you sweating?”
“Oh, it’s just the suit. It has this plush material inside to warm you and it’s not as cold here as in the IceWing kingdom,” Wolverine answered anxiously. 
“That must be annoying. It looks good on you, though,” Loren elbow-bumped Wolverine. 
Everyone settled down. The whole courtyard went silent. 
Then, an orchestra of SkyWings started playing an exciting tune on many different instruments that got everyone feeling suspenseful while Summit was being walked down the aisle by his mother, Queen Ember.
Wolverine didn’t even recognize Summit. He was a completely different dragon. Now he understood why it took so long.
Shortly after Summit reached the arch where the priest was standing nobly with a document in his talons, Inferno - the bride - emerged, being walked down the aisle by her mother, whom Wolverine kept forgetting the name of. Falcon? Something like that. 
The priest inhaled sharply. He adjusted his monocle and began reading a droning, tiring speech off of the long sheet of paper he was holding.
That part was all a blur to Wolverine. He scanned the endless crowd of dragons for Debrah - who was certainly not nearby. 
There she was. She was seated next to her sisters and parents. 
If only I knew what you were thinking right now. 
I wish I could read minds.
Like a NightWing.
Wait…
NightWing…
Jasper!
I totally forgot to check in on them again. 
They want to save me from the NightWings, and they can’t succeed if I’m not keeping them posted.
The speech went by in a flash, much to everyone’s surprise, and the ring bearer soon came up to Summit and Inferno with a velvety pillow with two rings sitting on top, both shining gold. 
“Do you, Summit, take Inferno to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do.”
“Do you, Inferno, take Summit to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
They slid the rings onto their index claws and gave each other a light peck on the snout as the crowd cheered and clapped, throwing roses at them and to the air. Summit caught one in his teeth and ran off the stage, holding Inferno’s talon. 
Wolverine and the rest of his friends raced up to Summit and embraced him in a hug. 
“Thank you guys!” Summit blushed. He was overjoyed.
“Congrats,” Wolverine told him. 
As Wolverine’s friends and Debrah’s sisters looked at Inferno’s diamond-studded ring and Summit’s plain one, Debrah and Wolverine stood by the sidelines. 
“Wolverine, I know you’re there for me. I deeply care about you and I know you’ve been by my side for, well, forever, but I don’t think it should come to this,” Debrah said. “It’s not our fate.”
Wolverine felt himself starting to well up with tears. His feelings dried up and the world went black and white. He felt as if he were parylized, because there was nothing he could do.
She doesn’t deserve you.
You don’t deserve her.
The planet will keep spinning…
Feel free to wake up from this bad dream now. 
Wolverine tried his best to open his eyes, even though he wasn’t asleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
When Wolverine came home after the wedding, he collapsed onto the bed immediately.
He watched the stars twinkle through the window.
So much wasted time.
	Wasted tears, wasted emotions.
	Wolverine squeezed a pillow in his arms and fell asleep.
Morning came faster than Wolverine expected.
His slumber was brief, for his family came home very late.
He rubbed his snout and rolled out of the covers. 
I really don’t want to go back to work today, Wolverine thought as he poured some coffee into a paper cup to take with him on the way to the school.
Wolverine stopped in front of the double doors leading inside. He sighed a heavy, frosty breath and walked in, tracking the carpet with ice that melted under the ceiling lamp.
“Good morning, Wolverine,” The desk dragon yawned at him. 
“Morning,” Wolverine replied blankly. 
“Hi Wolverine! Just in time. We were just about to visit the beach,” Clima said, quite unclearly, for she had a pencil in her teeth.
Yes! I can talk to Jasper again!
	Finally, some good luck.
After the dragonets put on their wooly coats, they all traveled to the beach.
Wolverine crawled down into the underground room when no-one was looking.
“Hey, it’s Wolverine. Sorry for being gone so long. A lot of things have been happening lately,” He typed on the luminous keyboard. He then waited for an answer.
It came.
“Wolverine, it’s not safe. The attack is coming. It’s coming in about three days. Hurry up and tell someone, anyone. Escape your kingdom with your family. Whatever you can do, okay?” Jasper typed. If Jasper were there that moment, they would look frantic.
“Okay, I will. But, I have to ask: can you meet up in person?”
“I can’t right now. It’s not safe. These NightWings - they’re watching me like hawks,” Jasper messaged.
NightWings? Where even is Jasper?
	“Come when you can then,” Wolverine said finally.
Three days.
	NightWings.
	Rejected by Debrah.
***
Wolverine could hear voices on the courtyard.
They were whispering like thieves robbing a house. 
He didn’t know why there were dragons on the courtyard. 
He didn’t know anything.
He heard some exclamations, more whispering. 
Then, there was a clicking sound, like a crossbow being loaded. 
Wolverine stood up dizzily, waddling over to the closest window. He put his elbow on the windowsill and his chin on his talon.
He then searched for a shape of a dragon.
Then he found it.
A dragon who was a silhouette even when it was daytime. A black dragon. The dragon had flecks of silver all over his arms and wings, and he was, in fact, holding a crossbow.
NightWings.
	Wolverine put on a leather tunic and tiptoed out of the palace.
My life is moving too fast.
	“Who are you?” Wolverine mustered. He wasn’t even fully awake: he could’ve been dreaming that very moment.
“Is that your business, Prince Wolverine?”
The voice sounded uncannily similar to that of Barry, or the dragon he had seen near Surf at the teacher’s lounge. 
Or that of the dragon who tried assassinating him.
Wolverine’s legs buckled. He had stumbled backwards in fear. 
“Please…,” Wolverine didn’t know what to tell someone who wanted to kill him.
Wolverine knew he shouldn’t have left the palace to see what was going on.
“Who did you hurt?” Wolverine sniveled, looking at the lost arrow on the ground.
“Again, not any of your business,” Barry got closer.
Wolverine worked up quite a sweat, drenching himself snout to tail.
“Leave me alone,” Wolverine hollered. He raced back inside and slammed the palace doors in the dragon’s face. 
Could this be a part of the attack?
	Now Barry is hurting dragons other than me. That is a thousand times worse than before.
	“I have to get my family out of here,” Wolverine grumbled to himself.
Then, he heard a boom sound. It wasn’t loud at first, but more came, one after another.
Wolverine checked through the peephole of one of the palace doors to check if Barry was still standing there. He wasn’t.
Wolverine pressed gently on the door and looked in both directions. He sighed.
Wolverine trotted quickly outside again and tried to find the beach. 
The booms came again, louder and clearer.
He saw more black dragons come out onto the streets. He stayed low, wrapping himself tighter and tighter in his tunic.
Some lights turned on in the neighborhood. The booming must’ve woken them up.
The wind whipped at Wolverine harder than ever, as if it were trying to blow him away. 
Wolverine shivered and made a “brrr” sound. His teeth chattered. 
He swerved through the skeletons of trees and the clumps of stone, hopping over puddles of cold water. 
He finally reached the coast.
Ripples of water lapsed over one another, so fast and so panicky, like the entire town behind Wolverine. 
He peered over to see the palace. The lights were on in there, too.
I’ll come back and help you, Mother and Father. You too, Frostbite and Everest.
	Wolverine creaked the trapdoor open, climbing down the ladder, and hopping onto the stale stone floor. 
“Can you come now?” Wolverine flashed at Jasper using the keyboard. 
“I’m here,” Said a female voice out loud. 
Wolverine jumped. It was a NightWing. A NightWing with glowing white eyes leaving a smoky trail. 
A NightWing had been talking to him?
“Why are you helping me? Aren’t you one of them?” Wolverine gaped at Jasper. 
“Yes. But allow me to share my side of the story, will you?” Jasper sat down criss cross on the stone, gesturing for him to do so, too.
“It all started one night. A night during a blizzard in the IceWing kingdom… 
“I was lying down under a produce wagon, an abandoned dragonet, cold and miserable. I was sleeping with vermin, and I was as dirty as anything. Atop the wagon was another dragonet, an IceWing. She was positioned against a crate of huckleberries, using a tattered rag to stay at least a little warm. We had already caught colds and were in desperate need of attention, being infants.
“Soon, a new dragon came along. He was an IceWing, of course. Pretty tall, wearing a plaid brown vest. He took us home after noticing us all alone. He brought us to his house and fed us and bathed us, treated us like royalty pretty much.
“He was our guardian now - not our legal one, but we didn’t catch the eye of the authorities or anything. He taught us everything he knew and raised us to be great dragons. He even named us, since we didn’t have names before. He named the IceWing Yvonne, because that was the name of his deceased mother, and me, he named Jasper, for my unusual sunset eyes.”
“But...your eyes are glowing white,” Wolverine interrupted.
“I’ll tell you why in the end. Continuing now,” Jasper told him.
“But, the war between IceWings and NightWings was raging. It tried to tear our makeshift family apart, which was heartbreaking because it was all we had, for my guardian, Frigid, had a poor salary.
“And one day, some NightWings showed up at our door and took me away, and landed Yvonne and Frigid in the NightWing dungeon. When they kidnapped me, I was taken to work for the IceWing Annihilation Council, or IAC, for...well, you can guess why, judging by the name of the organization.
“And about my eyes...I was ‘misusing’ my mind reading abilities by trying to help IceWings, and they punished me by creating this white fog around my eyes using one of their animus dragons. Three moons, now, I can hardly see. I don’t even know what you look like precisely. 
“That’s my story,” Jasper concluded. “I tell everyone else that I trust that I believe IceWings were right and NightWings were wrong, just because I wasn’t comfortable with telling them about my ‘family.’”
“Why are you telling me, then?” Wolverine asked as politely as possible.
“You understand me. You have a special someone, or special someone’s, right?” Jasper explained.
“How did you know?” Wolverine asked.
“I read minds, as I’ve spoiled in my story,” Jasper chuckled. “You also could tell by these teardrop shaped scales next to my eyes.”
“I thought no-one would ever understand what I’ve been going through. Debrah and stuff,” Wolverine scratched the back of his horns nervously.
“Of course someone does. And you met that person very recently,” Jasper pointed to herself. 
“I’m so glad you could help me,” Wolverine told her with gratitude.
“It’s not a problem at all. Us underdogs have to stay united,” Jasper smiled at Wolverine. 
“I might be able to help us with my animus magic, but I’m not sure,” Jasper told Wolverine as the two of them crawled out of the bunker.
“You’re an animus?” Wolverine asked, surprised. 
“How do you think I was able to send a bottle specifically to the IceWing coast? Or cause an earthquake? Or communicate with you through a cuneiform?” Jasper laughed.
“Makes sense. But, can’t you use your magic to disenchant yourself? You have that mist partially blinding you,” Wolverine cocked his head to one side. He brushed some snow off himself.
“It was a very complex spell. I’m only learning about my magic. Besides, my sight is inferior to this war and saving my family,” Jasper said. “And your family, of course.”
“I can’t believe you’re giving up so many things, even one of your five senses,” Wolverine helped Jasper up, for she struggled to squeeze out of the hatch. 
“It’s scary. But it will be worth it in the end,” Jasper dusted herself off, too, once she got out of the trapdoor.
NightWings were soon everywhere, and Wolverine caught so much attention. His platinum scales stood out.
“Let’s hide you somewhere,” Jasper looked for places for him to go.
“What about my family? There’s some RainWing-NightWing assassin named Barry out to get them,” Wolverine snapped in distress. His face burned. He thought about the hospital bed he had been in, and how he didn’t want Everest, Frostbite, Rupert, or Heidi in that place.
“W-we’ll do something,” Jasper looked disappointed in herself. 
“But you need to know that he probably knows what we’re gonna do. He has foresight,” Jasper really didn’t want to make Wolverine panic. 
“He does?!”
It only gets worse and worse, doesn’t it?
EPILOGUE
Frigid hated the dungeon.
It was so cold and sad, every corner and every hallway teeming with threads of moss and stretches of spider webs. It looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in hundreds of years. 
He often didn’t know what time of day it was, since there were no windows. It was just endless rows of doors that led to more rooms and more cells. How many did they even need?
Frigid got to see one of his daughter’s faces, but not both. Yvonne’s face was always woeful, ready to burst into tears. Every night he longed to be in the cell across from him just so he could make her feel better. So much loathing and anguish.
There was always one guard, one guard loafing about, so he couldn’t tell Yvonne anything. It was an unbreakable silence. 
Frigid didn’t know what Jasper was doing that very moment. Last time he saw her she was reaching out for him, being scooped up by a burly NightWing. She looked sadder than Yvonne was every day. 
Frigid was told that she was working for the very organization that wanted to destroy the IceWings. 
Maybe their wretched influence already plagued her mind. Maybe he’d never get to see her ever again. Even if he somehow does, she won’t be the same. She wouldn’t even love her sister Yvonne.
Jasper was the only NightWing he knew who possessed a heart. All the others were ruthless. And now there are no NightWings like the old Jasper.
At least Frigid hoped, just hoped, that she was the same and that she’d rescue him and Yvonne. 
He needed to say something to his daughters. But he couldn’t. Not even a simple “I love you.”
The NightWings, the stupid NightWings that turned their backs to the IceWings because of one hybrid heir that could’ve simply been skipped in the line of queens.
Just one “I love you.”
Just one, is all Frigid asked for.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)