After The Othermind Book 1: Calm Before The Storm

Warning! Spoilers for book 15 (and the rest of the third arc too). Don't read this story unless you have finished book 15. Also, some of the pages for characters in this story will contain spoilers. 
Note: This will be canceled. 6 books was waaaaay too ambitious (even 1 would be hard to finish) and the characters were not as developed or interesting or likeable as I wanted them to be. I will start a new story however, which will be out on fandom and other sites in 6 months to a year or maybe longer. A few ideas and concepts from here and a few of my other pages will be implemented into that story.
This is the first book in the 6 book After The Othermind series written by WoF NCS Fan. 
This book is from the point of view of my OC Apis.
Feedback would be appreciated. If you have any ideas for the story, put them in the comments or message me! 
Hope you enjoy!
=== List Of Major Characters ===
Apis
Thistle
Shadow
Oakleaf
Sunset
Pollen
=== Blerb ===
Safe...for now.
The othermind has been defeated and peace has been brought to the continent of Pantala. A new school with the goal of getting the different tribes together, named Lake Scorpion Academy, has been opened for both Pantalan and Pyrrhian dragonets to attend. 
Apis, a HiveWing dragonet who has began to attend Lake Scorpion Academy, is glad that the Pantalan tribes are finally at peace. However, many dragons still hold a grudge against the HiveWings, giving Apis a hard time making friends. 
Apis eventually befriends a LeafWing named Thistle and a LeafWing-SilkWing hybrid named Oakleaf. 
One day, using her Leafspeak powers, Thistle overhears the plants 'talking' about a new threat that has recently emerged after the othermind's defeat. A NightWing named Shadow has a prophecy about this new threat soon after. 
Apis, Thistle, Oakleaf, and Shadow, joined by two SilkWings named Sunset and Pollen, try to figure out what this new threat is, and more importantly, how to stop it. But it turns out to be much, much more dangerous than anyone could expect. 
=== Prophecy ===
If the islands are not found,
If the eight-legged are not stopped,
Dragonkind will fall.
If the trap is fallen for,
If the plan is not seen through,
Dragonkind will fall.
Your enemy lies behind another,
Choose the wrong foe and the world will be smothered,
Dragonkind depends on it.
=== Prologue ===
Beech stretched his wings, ready to leap into the air. He could finally fly freely without having to worry about carnivorous plants around every turn. He pushed himself off the ground and spread his wings, feeling the cool air brush his scales. 
Beech looked down at the lush forest beneath him. This served as a reminder that the LeafWings were free now. They weren't in constant danger anymore, whether it being from HiveWings or the dangers of the Poison Jungle. 
Despite knowing he was safe, there was a part of Beech that didn’t feel that way. Maybe it was just his instincts. Maybe it was the fact that for most of his life, he had to be on edge to survive. 
But it felt like something different. It felt like something new. Something even more dangerous. 
Probably just another false vision, Beech thought. 
Beech had always worried about things that didn't exist, but felt real to him. He had thought he was having visions, but none of his worries ever came true. His fears of underground dragon tribes trying to destroy the world and organizations trying to wipe out dragonkind were just figments of his imagination. 
But this time, those fears felt more real than ever. 
Beech looked at his surroundings. He had decended lower and was closer to the massive tree canopy. 
Everything is fine, he reminded himself, though wasn't really sure. 
In the corner of his eye, he spotted another green dragon. As he approached them, he realized it was his friend Birch. 
Birch was the opposite of Beech. Birch was outgoing, curious, impulsive, and carefree. Beech really needed some carefreeness right now. 
"Hey Beech," Birch flew up to Beech first. "What are you doing?" 
"Just flying," Beech replied. “Feels good to not have to worry about being eaten anymore.” 
"Well, let's fly together, then!" Birch exclaimed. 
Birch joined Beech's flight and the two chatted, which as he had hoped, took his worries off his mind. Mostly. There was still this feeling inside him that something bad would happen any moment now. 
Without warning, a shadowy figure dashed up and grabbed onto Beech. Dark grey, cloth covered, talons dug into his scales. He arched his neck, then lunged forward with lightning speed to deliver a bite. 
But it was no use. His attacker reached out another talon and grabbed his snout with their razor-sharp claws. They then put some sort of heavy metal muzzle on Beech's snout. 
Only then did he notice that the dragon attacking him had eight legs instead of four. 
What are they? Beech wondered. 
"Beech!" Birch dashed towards him, trying to fend off his attacker. But another dragon silhouette sliced through the air, grabbing her. 
The dragon attacking Beech suddenly slammed him into a tree. A sharp, stabbing pain rushed through his head. Everything around Beech doubled and went blurry. 
"Beech!" he faintly heard Birch's voice shout. Everything was fading into darkness. 
* * *Birch helplessly watched Beech's attacker carry his unconscious self off into the distance. 
"Beech!" she faintly cried before she was knocked unconscious as well. 
== Part 1: Lonely ==
=== Chapter 1 ===
Golden beams of morning sun filled Apis's eyes. She stretched her four orange wings, yawning. It was her first day at Lake Scorpion Academy, a school newly formed with the goal of helping bring peace to Pantala. 
She looked out of her small, oval shaped window. Instead of seeing the dry, empty savanna that in the past surrounded the Hives, thriving forests stretched as far as the eye could see. 
Pantala is at peace, she thought. The endless lush forests that now covered the continent served as a reminder of that. 
However peace didn't mean that there weren't any grudges. Apis had noticed that lots of SilkWings and LeafWings had tried to avoid her ever since the othermind was defeated. Just a few steps in the opposite direction or a few words telling Apis to go do something else. 
Apis couldnt blame them. What the HiveWing queen had done to both the SilkWings and the LeafWings was horrible and unacceptable. But not all HiveWings were bad. Didn't other dragons see that? 
She hoped that at Lake Scorpion Academy, the dragons would ignore past experiences and focus on making peace. 
* * * 
Lake Scorpion Academy was a massive collection of treehouses, all connected to each other via wooden walkways. Flowering vines of every possible hue were draped across mahogany railings and neatly thatched roofs. Wingless SilkWing dragonets could be seen walking freely and joyfully along the walkways while winged dragonets glided from branch to branch. 
It's beautiful, thought Apis. 
She lifted her wings and leapt off the thick, rough branch she was sitting on. She darted towards a medium-sized treehouse with "Welcome To Lake Scorpion Academy" carved in massive letters above the door. A large, sturdy-looking wooden platform extended from the front of the treehouse. 
Apis descended quickly yet elegantly onto the platform. The wood was surprisingly smooth. The loud chattering of both dragonets and birds filled the air. Apis dashed up with excitement toward the pale-brown door, reaching out a talon to open the unusually low doorknob. 
Its probably so small dragonets can open the door by themselves, Apis realized. 
The door slid open. Inside the treehouse a SilkWing a few years older and slightly larger than Apis sat curled up, reading a book. The SilkWing jumped to her feet, turning to look at Apis. 
"Hi!" said the SilkWing. Her scales were a dark shade of cyan with shimmering flecks of purple. White triangular patterns ran through her wings. "I'm Palmfly. I'll be one of your teachers at Lake Scorpion Academy," 
"Hi, I'm Apis," Apis introduced herself. "I'm really excited to start school here." 
"That's great!" Palmfly responded cheerfully. "Today you can just explore the place and meet some of the other dragonets here. Tomorrow is when classes start." She then pointed to a poster on the wall that Apis had noticed but hadn't read. "Here are the Winglets, which are the groups you'll have most of your classes with." 
"Thanks," Apis replied. 
She turned to the poster. It read in neat, consistent, handwriting: 
________________________________________
Winglets 
Forest Winglet: 
Apis the HiveWing 
Oakleaf the SilkWing-LeafWing 
Thistle the LeafWing 
Pollen the SilkWing 
Sunset the SilkWing 
Shadow the NightWing 
Sky Winglet: 
Horntail the HiveWing 
Gecko the RainWing 
Fern the LeafWing 
Hawkmoth the SilkWing 
Sawtooth the SilkWing 
Cockroach the HiveWing 
Ocean Winglet 
Swallowtail the SilkWing 
River the SeaWing-MudWing 
Jungle the LeafWing 
Aloe the SandWing 
Sting the HiveWing 
Cecropia the SilkWing 
Desert Winglet 
Ringlet the SilkWing 
Acacia the LeafWing 
Eucalyptus the LeafWing 
Longwing the SilkWing 
Cloud the SkyWing-IceWing 
Parrot the RainWing 
Grassland Winglet 
Dusky the SilkWing 
Bumblebee the HiveWing 
Cliff the SkyWing 
Mink the IceWing 
Auklet the SeaWing 
Aspen the LeafWing 
_____________________________________ 
All the names from Apis's Winglet were unfamiliar. She had never met any of those dragons before. She wasn't sure whether that made her excited or nervous. What if they rejected her, just because she was a HiveWing? That had happened countless times before with other dragons. Why would these dragons be any different? 
Well, the NightWing probably won't have any grudges against HiveWings, Apis told herself. 
She stepped carefully onto one of the hanging walkways. It bounced and jiggled a bit but was surprisingly sturdy. She took another few careful steps, then began to walk normally. 
Both dragonets and flocks vibrantly colored birds resembling flying rainbows glided from branch to branch overhead. 
Flying would be nice, Apis thought. She lifted her four wings, then pushed off the wooden bridge. The cool breeze softly brushed her scales. The air was filled with the sweet scent of flowers. 
A massive treehouse with a dome shaped roof made entirely of foliage stood on thick stilts that reached down to the forest floor. The words “Assembly Room” were carved above the large door, which was already open. As Apis got closer, she could really begin to feel the immense size of the treehouse. It looked as if it could fit hundreds of dragons inside. 
Apis landed on the wide wooden platform in front of the Assembly Room. Looking into the doorway, she could see a raised platform at the back of the room. A large blackboard hung on the wall behind the platform. 
She stepped into the room, taking in her surroundings. The brilliant yet glaring rays of sunlight from outside were replaced with a much weaker, calmer light radiating from several flamesilk lamps. 
In the corner of the room, two small, wingless SilkWing dragonets sat on the floor, talking quietly to each other. The sound of their conversation was so faint that Apis couldn't even make out a single word. One of the dragonets was a dull maroon, dotted with spots of pale orange. The other was a bright teal color, striped with iridescent lime green and magenta. 
Should I say hello? Apis wondered. One one talon, those SilkWings could be potential friends. On the other talon, they could be the kind of dragons who still resented the HiveWing tribe. The feeling of rejection hurt so much, and Apis wanted to avoid that pain as much as possible. 
Well, it was worth a try. 
"Hi," Apis said to the two dragonets, waving a talon in a friendly manner. 
The two SilkWings jumped, startled. "HiveWing," one of them harshly whispered, though Apis ended up actually hearing him. They both walked hurriedly out of the treehouse, shooting wary glances behind them. 
You predicted they would be like this, Apis told herself, trying to cover up her sadness. But it didn't help. The feeling of loneliness was too strong. 
Apis took a deep breath, trying to move on. She walked slowly with her head down, towards a doorway on the other side of the Assembly Room. Beams of dazzling light flooded her eyes as she stepped onto the suspended wooden walkway connecting the Assembly Room to the rest of Lake Scorpion Academy. 
There's still more here to explore. I really hope there's a library, Apis's mood instantly lightened from just from thinking about it. She loved reading. Books were an escape from all the chaos happening in the real world. They took you to places far away from your problems and worries. 
Apis lifted her wings, then took off into a hover. The wooden walkways behind the assembly room split into two paths, each going in the opposite direction. A signpost stood in the area where the walkway split with an arrow pointing toward each path. The arrow pointing to the left read library in curvy handwriting, whereas the arrow pointing right read sleeping treehouses. 
She zoomed in the direction of the library, powered by excitement. She wasn't going as fast as she would have if the SilkWings hadn't just ran away from her when she tried to say hello. That sad feeling still existed in the corner of her mind. 
A massive treehouse with a dome shaped roof made of woven flowering vines soon appeared from behind the foliage. It was grand but also gave off a vibe of peace. 
Just looking at it gave Apis a sense of calm, but also a feeling of adventurousness. It made her want to explore the whole library and just sit and admire its design at the same time. 
Apis landed on a hanging walkway and entered through the wide, open entrance of the library. 
It was even more breathtaking from the inside. Rays of sunlight shone through the leaves making up the roof, casting a spectacular emerald-green light across the interior of the library. Shelves filled with books towered sky-high above Apis's head, with sturdily-constructed bamboo ladders so SilkWing dragonets could reach the top. 
Apis wondered how a single tree could support all of the library's weight. Maybe it didn't. Maybe it had extra stilts or supports, or its weight was spread across multiple trees. She leapt into a hover and began to browse through the massive variety of books the library had to offer. 
A book that particularly caught Apis's attention was titled Legends Of The Lost Islands, A Possible Third Continent. She had recently heard whispers here and there about the possibility of a third continent existing. Apis didn't take these rumors seriously, but still wondered what would happen if one really did exist. What would a third continent look like? Would dragons live there? What would they be like? A plethora of questions began to float through her mind. 
Apis gently pulled the book out of its spot and flew down to a cozy nook between two shelves. She lay down, curling her tail and opened her book. 
________________________________________ 
Legends Of The Lost Islands, A Possible Third Continent 
There have been many tales about a third continent, most likely made entirely up of islands. These stories were once regarded as mere myth, though recently more and more dragons are beginning to believe that there is in fact, really a third continent somewhere out there. 
Sightings of unusual-looking dragons have been reported flying both in and from the most likely direction of this potential third continent. Some witnesses even claim that the dragons they saw appeared to have eight legs, unlike any tribe on either Pyrrhia or Pantala. If this is true, then there either has to be a third continent or a tribe on Pyrrhia or Pantala that hasn't been discovered yet. Since Pyrrhia and Pantala are both very well explored, it is much more likely that these eight-legged dragons come from another continent. 
________________________________________
Apis slammed the book shut, trying to process this information. Even more questions than before suddenly sprang into her mind. If those sightings of unusual dragons were indeed another tribe from another continent, why were they now coming to Pyrrhia and Pantala? Were they just exploring? Were they planning to eventually settle there? Was this book even an accurate source? There was a chance it wasn't. Not all books are. 
Apis needed time to think about this. 
 
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Genre (Prophecy)
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Genre (Mystery)