Wings of Fire: The Great War for all Pyrrhia

Right, um, I should've put this up earlier, but I should probably warn people. The first chapter is a bit gory. It's not much more than Wings of Fire is, but if you're not comfortable with that, you might not want to read chapter 1, even though it's a bit important. So sorry that this is late, and I hope it helps!
== Prologue ==
Queen Snowfall stared at the map spread across the clear ice, her forked tongue flicking in and out of her mouth.
Suddenly she lashed out her spiked tail and slammed it down on the map, shattering the ice beneath it, tearing rips in the paper.
"No order!" she roared, her tail lashing back and forth in rage.
A guard peeked his head in. "Is everything all right, Your Majesty?" he asked.
"No," Queen Snowfall spat. "It is most certainly not all right."
The guard looked at her in concern. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes," she snapped. "I'm fine, but I'm not fine with the way they rule their kingdoms."
The guard hesitated. "Whose kingdoms?" he asked.
The spikes on Snowfall's tail clattered as they hit the wall. "All the queens! Especially Queen Thorn, she spat. "There is no order to her palace or her guards. She can't even keep her subjects in order."
The guard was obviously hesitant to question his queen but he spoke up anyway. "Pardon my asking, Your Majesty, but why do we care what they do?"
Queen Snowfall looked out her window at the driving snowstorm outside. "Because it's unfair," she snarled. "It's unfair that they get the high, windy, mountains, the rolling, sandy, hills, and the bright, colorful, rainforest."
"But we can't do anything about that. We have the Ice Kingdom. And that is fair," the guard insisted.
Queen Snowfall snorted. Peace loving dragons, she thought bitterly. Thinking their world is perfect all the time. "But it is not fair! We were only put up here because they can't survive it. We got the worst place on Pyrrhia because they had excuses. I'd like to see them try to run my kingdom." She laughed darkly. "They wouldn't stand a chance."
There was a small pause. The guard shifted, his spikes clattering, unable to think of anything to say.
"I'm done with the way the other tribes are running their kingdoms. Pyrrhia would be much more orderly if I ran them all."
The guard looked at the queen, his dark blue eyes orbs of horror.
"Well?" she snapped.
"I – well, I –"
"Come on!" Queen Snowfall snarled.
The guard took a deep breath. "It's not that I don't think you'd be a good queen, but surely the other queens won't agree to that."
She pondered it for a moment. "I suppose you are correct."
The guard breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll just have to overthrow them," she added.
"You can't do that!" the guard blurted.
Queen Snowfall sent a razor sharp glare at the guard. "What?" she snarled.
He squared his jaw and lifted his snout into the air. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I don't believe that that would end well for our tribe."
"'Our'?" she echoed.
The guard shrank back slightly. "Sorry, your tribe."
Queen Snowfall nodded in approval. "Better. But you are still accused treason because you questioned your queen."
The guard froze in horror. But then he finally listened to what his brain was telling him and ran to the nearest exit which turned out to be Queen Snowfall's window. His claws slipped on small fragments of ice that had been knocked loose. But then he dove out her window and flew out toward the Sky Kingdom.
Queen Snowfall smirked slightly. He would most likely warn the other queens of the war she was waging. And that was exactly what she wanted.
•       •       •       •       •
Queen Ruby sat on the highest tower in the Sky Kingdom, looking over her subjects.
Down below her, the market was bustling with red and orange wings. Dragons called out to passerby's, trying to lure them over to buy their supplies.
Queen Ruby turned and looked out to the northwest. If she strained her eyes, she could see the snow glimmering on the frozen ground.
But then the sun shone on something much nearer, catching her eye. There was a white shape, winging his way over toward the palace.
"Guard," Queen Ruby called.
Immediately, an orange guard appeared. "Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked.
"Prepare a welcome party. I myself would like to attend."
The guard was obviously puzzled. "Y – Your Majesty? I'm afraid I don't understand."
Her tail flicked irritatedly. "We have a guest," she said. "Best to greet them graciously."
The guards eyes flicked to the white shape that was getting closer. "Yes, Your Majesty. Please, just give me a few minutes to arrange it." Then he flew off of the balcony down to the barracks.
Queen Ruby turned back to the white shape. He was close enough now that she could see his slow, faltering, wing beats. She frowned. What was so important that Queen Snowfall had refused to let her messenger rest?
Queen Ruby sent a look of disgust to the barracks. The IceWing was now only a few minutes from the palace. They would be ready by the time he was already there.
Queen Ruby stretched out her wings. This IceWing was too tired to do her any harm. Why couldn't she go alone?
She launched off the tower and flew out to meet the IceWing.
When she reached him, she paused to hover in the air, and he did too. And that was when she realized that this wasn't the normal messenger.
The IceWing struggled to catch his breath.
"Well?" Queen Ruby snapped. "What message does Queen Snowfall have for me?"
The IceWing shook his head frantically. "Queen Snowfall did not send me,"  he gasped. "I came of my own accord." He paused. "Queen Snowfall wants to rule Pyrrhia!" he blurted.
Queen Ruby snorted out a blast of flame. "I was wondering how long it would be before someone snapped. I'm just surprised that it wasn't me."
The IceWing looked at her in horror.
"Tell me, is Snowfall currently in the market for a partner?" Queen Ruby asked.
"I came here for help!" the IceWing cried. Then he turned and flew off towards the Kingdom of the Sand.
The welcome party reached her at that moment and the orange guard flew up to her side.
"About time," Queen Ruby snapped.
"Would you like us to go after the IceWing?" he asked, glaring out at the retreating white shape.
She paused. "No, let him go. I have other matters to attend to."
She flew back to the palace and dove into the barracks. "I need a messenger. A fast one, preferably."
The soldiers all glanced around the room.
"Well?" Queen Ruby snarled.
Finally a crimson dragon with strong looking wings was pushed forwards. "Y – Your Majesty," she stammered, falling into an awkward bow.
"You'll go to the Ice Kingdom," Queen Ruby said. "You have as much time as it takes me to write the message to get ready." She went to leave, but turned back. "I hope you can stand cool temperatures." She grinned. "I hear it gets quite cold there."
•       •       •       •       •
Thorn flew over her palace, looking at all the SandWings with pride. Everything seemed to be in order. But then she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Thorn turned and looked. Three young SandWing guards were all grouped together, watching her intently.
She dipped her wings and dove down towards them. As she landed, she gave each of them a nod. "Is everything in order?" she asked them.
"Um," one piped up, but shrank as she turned her attention to him. "Well, we were patrolling the walls when we saw an IceWing coming over here. He reached us, said he needed to see you, then passed out. We took him to Cactus."
"I would've done the same thing," Thorn said, nodding.
The soldiers looked proud and they straightened their shoulders.
"Please, show me to Cactus."
The young SandWings looked to each other and nodded. Then they flew up into the air. Thorn flew close to their tails.
Cactus was their healer. Thorn knew exactly where she stayed, but it was disrespectful to just go. She liked to be as nice to her subjects as possible.
The three of them swooped down by Cactus's tent and Thorn could hear raised voices coming from it. One she recognized as Cactus, though the other was unfamiliar.
"You don't understand!" cried the one she didn't know. "I have to see Queen Thorn! It's an emergency!"
"I'm sure it is," Thorn heard Cactus exclaim. "But you are in no state to go anywhere!"
Thorn landed on the sand and swept into the tent. "Relax, Cactus. I'm here." She turned around the tent and saw Cactus's pale, almost white scales, and another dragon that actually did have white scales. Pure white, white as freshly fallen snow.
The IceWing turned to Thorn, the spikes on his tail clattering. "Queen Thorn," he said, falling into an awkward bow.
"None of that," Thorn said, helping him up. "You are our guest. What's your name?"
The IceWing fiddled with his sharp claws. "My name does not matter. My message is what matters."
Thorn sighed softly. "Fine, relay your message."
"I come with a warning," he said, sounding as though he had gone over this in his head. "Not from Queen Snowfall, but of my own accord."  He took a deep breath. "I don't know what caused it, but she was suddenly upset about how the other tribes ran their kingdoms. And today she said that she would overthrow the other queens so she could rule all of Pyrrhia."
Thorn flared his wings. "What?" she roared.
The IceWing nodded his head. "I didn't know where else to go so I came here. I hope you don't mind." He ducked his head, as though he was upset.
Thorn put a wing around the IceWing. "I'm glad you came here. You've come a long way. Why don't you get some rest?"
The IceWing nodded. "Thank you, Queen Thorn."
Thorn nodded and went to leave. "I'll write a message to the other four queens immediately."
The IceWing jumped. "Wait!" he called.
Thorn turned back to him. "Yes?"
"I can't believe that I forgot to tell you. Um, I went to Queen Ruby first and she wanted to join Snowfall," he murmured.
Thorn refused to lash out and tear someone apart. She took a deep breath. "Fine, the other three queens," she spat.
Thorn went and flew out of the tent to her room at the palace. She immediately got a piece of paper and some ink and wrote out a message.
This is a summons for all the Queens of Pyrrhia,
I, Queen Thorn, have heard some strange rumors about issues in the Ice Kingdom. This is a meeting in which you will come to give information on this topic, if you have any. Then we will plan our course of action, if we find anything of any importance. 
Sincerely, 
Queen Thorn.
Satisfied, Thorn called, "Six-Claws!"
Immediately he came up into her room. "Yes, Thorn?" he asked.
"Could you please get someone to copy this letter twice, and then dragons to take one to Queen Glory, Queen Moorhen, and Queen Coral?"
Six-Claws cocked his head. "Pardon my asking, Thorn, but why aren't you doing it?"
"I would if I had the time, Six-Claws, but I don't. I have a guest to attend."
== Chapter 1 ==
Dew's eyes fluttered open. She looked at the treetops above her in confusion. She went to sit up when her chest suddenly started burning and stinging.
Dew gasped and laid back down on the ground, throwing her wing over herself.
A look through the leaves of the trees above her showed her that the moons were up.
"Tropo?" she called hoarsely.
There was no answer, but she honestly hadn't been expecting one. She and Tropo had split up the moment they touched the island.
Dew frowned. She couldn't remember much after they had landed. She knew that Tropo had taken the beach, Jungle had taken the river, Canopy had taken the west side of the forest, Koala had taken the north, and Dew had taken the south side.
Dew went to sit up again but the pain in her chest spiked, forcing her lay down again. That was when she decided to inspect why her chest hurt to much. She found the source almost immediately. It wasn't hard to find. There was a sharp piece of driftwood stabbed into her chest, not far from her heart. But the strange thing was, Dew couldn't remember how it got there.
Dew took a deep breath. She had been taught not to panic. In this situation, it would be best to leave the wood in for then.
Dew was part of a team of elite RainWings called T.O.R.S.U.E.L. It meant Team of RainWing spies under enemy lines. Dew's older brother, Tropo, had recommended her to Queen Glory, and she had approved. This had been her first mission.
Had Dew fallen and gotten herself impaled on a root or something? And then Tropo had found her, but he was so disappointed in her that he had left?
Dew took a deep breath. Tropo would never do that. He always believed in her. He would never ever ditch her.
And another thing. The wood seemed too perfectly carved to have just been there. But thinking about that made Dew's head hurt, so she decided to avoid thinking about it for that time. Dew didn't know if it was the best idea to look around then but she didn't know what else to do. She had to find something or someone.
But just before she got up, a bird warbled in the trees. It was nothing much but the sound brought a rushing torrent of memories.
Dew had been inspecting her area of the island when she had heard the scream.
A pale green had zigzagged down her side but she quickly forced her scales back to camouflage.
Dew had hurried north in the direction of the scream, her anxiety building, threatening to show as a lime green on her scales.
She had reached a small clearing with a pool in the middle, a small island in the middle of that.
The water that Dew suspected was normally clean and clear was tainted with bright red blood. And the source was coming from a white body lying on the small island in the middle of the pool.
Dew had dashed over, her scales a light lime green. It was Koala.
Dew had looked him over, not knowing what to do. There was a sharpened piece of driftwood stabbed into his chest.
Scarlet fury had rippled along her scales. Who would dare attack Koala?
"You'll be alright, Koala," Dew had said hurriedly. "I'll find something to help you."
Koala had reached out and grabbed her talons weakly in his, coughing softly. "It's too late for me. Just save them," he'd whispered quietly. Then his grip had loosened and his eyes became blank.
Dew had blinked back the tears, setting him down gently. "Rest," she'd whispered, closing his eyelids. "You deserve it." Then she'd turned around and jumped into the sky, wiping any traces of a blue-gray that had appeared on her scales.
As she'd flown, searching for the other RainWings, she couldn't stop lime green panic from popping up along her ruff and wings. What if she couldn't find them? What if Koala was the last to be killed?
But as she had reached the beach, she saw Tropo. He was looking at something on the beach, his scales a curious blue.
Dew had breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been attacked yet. But as she had gone to dive to him, a dark shape had emerged from the trees. It was large and definitely dragon.
And before she could've opened her mouth to warn Tropo, a pale green shape had darted out from the trees. "Tropo, watch out!" It had been Jungle. He'd opened his mouth, displaying his fangs to the dark dragon. But before he'd gotten the chance to use his venom, there was a sharpened stake of driftwood stabbed in his chest. The dark dragon had seemingly thrown it.
Jungle paused in mid leap, drawing in a pain-ridden gasp. Dew had felt as if the world had slowed down. She'd watched in horror as his body fell and hit the sand.
"Jungle!" Tropo had cried in despair.
Tropo hadn't seemed to notice but there was another shape that darted out of the forest. This one was a blue gray. She had given a heart wrenching cry and darted out to Jungle's body. Dew had recognized Canopy.
Dew had been frozen in place. All her muscles didn't seem to want to work with her. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't go down to help her friends. She just stayed hovering in the air.
Suddenly the blue gray that had been on Canopy's scales was eaten up by black and scarlet. Her face had contorted with rage and she gave a yell, running across the sand to the dark dragon.
The dragon, who had been approaching Tropo, turned, but not quite quickly enough. Canopy had raked her claws along his scales but it didn't seem to do anything. Then she had snapped her jaw open, spraying black venom all over his scales.
Canopy had stepped back, looking proud of herself but then Dew realized that the dark dragon hadn't done anything. He had paused and looked down at his scales. Then he had wiped a talon over himself, taking some of the venom off. And then he had flung it off his talon and onto Canopy.
And Dew's theory that Canopy's venom just wasn't working had gone away in an instant. She had immediately started screaming, the venom eating through her scales instantly.
But the dark dragon had just turned away and continued to Tropo.
And as Dew had torn her eyes off the shrieking form of Canopy, she saw that Tropo hadn't moved. Dew had gone to cry out to him, to warn him, but the dark dragon had looked over to her and the words had died in her throat.
His dark eyes had gleamed with malice and longing.
He had longed to spill blood.
He had longed to hear the screams of agony.
He had longed to watch as their lives fell apart.
But above all, he had longed to kill.
Dew had felt as though her heart wasn't beating. He had been going to kill Tropo first, just to watch her fall into pieces. Just to watch her be consumed by rage and act out rashly, just like Canopy.
Dew had dove. She would have to make it in time. She had to. Tropo's life had been depending on it.
But she had barely started to dive when there was a stake in his chest.
Tropo had gasped, his scales flooding with white and lime green.
He had staggered backwards, then fell on the sand and moved no more.
"No!" Dew had cried. She had tucked in her wings for an even faster dive when something had hit her chest. It had taken her a few seconds for the pain to register.
But then it had and Dew had screamed. It felt worse than anything she had ever felt.
And almost immediately, her body had started to shut down.
Dew's scales had flared a lime green with panic and she had already started falling. But she couldn't die. Dew had fought desperately, but nothing had stopped the black from fully engulfing her vision.
And as Dew had felt herself falling through the leafy tendrils of the trees, a bird had warbled indignantly, and then Dew had been unconscious before she hit the ground.
Dew sat up, despite the pain, released from the memories. Surely that hadn't really happened? Surely she had just hyperventilated of something like that.
But everything fit. Why there was a scattering of leaves and a small dent in the sand below her. Why there was wood stabbed in her chest and why nobody had found her.
But another question arose. Why was she still alive? Koala had died and there was no way Canopy could have survived her venom. Koala's wound had been spot on. There was no possible way he could have survived.
But hers was inches from her heart. Had he simply missed? Or did he want her to survive for something?
Dew knew she had to find them. Their dead bodies.
She choked back her tears at that thought. They were really dead. She would never see them again. Tropo would never talk to her again. She would never hear his voice except in nightmares.
Dew limped through the trees and out onto the beach, her wing wrapped around her chest in hopes of stemming the blood.
And immediately her hopes that she could've imagined the entire thing dropped like a rock.
There were three bodies scattered across the beach, all white as snow.
"No," Dew whispered softly.
She hurried to the first body, closest to the trees.
He had a stake stabbed in his chest and he flopped lifelessly as she picked him up. It was Jungle. Dew couldn't help but drop him in horror. She winced as he thudded onto the sand. Then, trying to avoid looking into his light blue, unseeing eyes, she closed them gently. Then she took a deep breath and stepped away from him. She did not like staring at Jungle's dead body, though she didn't suspect anyone would.
Then she went to the next body to close their eyes too. But as she looked at that body, her stomach heaved and she shut her eyes tightly
The body was ruined from the venom and Dew couldn't recognize Canopy at all. Dew didn't want to look long enough to see if she could close her eyes. Dew wasn't even sure if Canopy had eyes left to close.
Opening her eyes slightly, she saw the blackened ruins again and Dew fought to not throw up, barely winning. So she stepped away from the body. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't help you," she whispered softly.
Dew felt bad that she had almost thrown up at the sight of Canopy. It seemed disrespectful that she was so disgusted at how she had died. It must have felt so so bad. Dew couldn't even imagine.
Finally she turned to the last body. The water was closer to it now, since the tide had risen.
Dew couldn't hold back the tears at the sight of Tropo's body. He lay on the sand, his wings sprawled out on either side of him like broken leaves.
His scales were white but his chest was stained a deep red with blood.
"Tropo!" she cried. She ran to his body and collapsed next to it, sobs shaking her gray shoulders. "I'm so sorry," she said softly, resting her head on Tropo, not caring about the blood she was getting on her.
Then suddenly she remembered something. Dew lifted her head off of Tropo and looked up at the starry sky. "I'm so sorry, Koala," she said shakily. "I couldn't save them. Any of them." Then she fell into sobs again.
Finally after she had cried for a few minutes, Dew lifted her head and forced back the tears.
She had to go back to the rainforest. She had to inform Queen Glory of the deaths.
Dew choked, barely keeping the tears back. It was her duty. She had to. Dew was certain that any of the others would've immediately left. They would mourn, but they wouldn't cry until they had delivered the news. They would be safely back at home before they did anything.
Dew sniffled, looking around the beach for anything that might help stem the blood flow.
Finally she found a gathering of seaweed that had washed up on shore. Dew grabbed a piece, cut it off from the rest.
Then she waded out into the water to rinse off the blood and take out the wood. She just had to do it quickly, being out of the water before sharks came to investigate the smell of blood.
Dew gasped at the coldness as she went out deeper but hurriedly began scrubbing the dried blood off her scales. Then she dipped her head under to rinse off the blood on it.
After she got it all off, she took a deep breath and pulled the wood out of the wound.
Blood came out from it, spreading out into the salty water. Dew pressed her talons against it, stemming the blood flow, though the action sent screams of pain throughout her body.
She stumbled, feeling faint, her scales flaring a lime green, a color they had been far too often the past few nights. She couldn't pass out. The water and the sharks would kill her as surely as the murderous dragon on the island.
Dew slipped under the surface. But she quickly shot back up, snorting sharp, metallic, salt water out of her snout.
She spread her wings to help her stay afloat and took deep breaths, stuffing the seaweed in before she could convince herself otherwise.
Dew's talons slipped off the bottom a moment later and her eyes almost closed, but her wings kept her afloat.
She continued her deep breaths and looked out into the oceans. She was fairly sure she could see shark fins heading towards her.
Dew couldn't make herself go back to shore, so she launched herself out of the water, wincing from where her wings were sore from falling.
The pain was horrible, but she hardly felt it compared to the emptiness inside her.
They were all gone. Funny Koala, insightful Jungle, sweet Canopy, and encouraging Tropo. She would never talk to them again.
Dew forced back the tears that threatened to come to the surface, camouflaging her scales to the sky around her.
And before she could stop herself, she glanced back at the beach littered with her friends, wondering how she could've possibly survived while they did not.
== Chapter 2 ==
Dew blamed her tears on the sharp wind that lifted her wings and tugged at her tail. She had promised herself that she wouldn't cry. It would only make her trip take longer.
The pain in her wound had dulled to a deep throbbing, but Dew wasn't sure if it actually had or if she was just losing feeling in her chest, which would be worrying.
A glance over to the eastern horizon told her that the sun would rise within a few minutes of then. And a glance beneath her told her that she had just reached the mainland.
The island that T.O.R.S.U.E.L. had been sent to had been in the ocean between the Ice Kingdom and the Sky Kingdom. They had been there about a lead on a dragon who was supposedly provoking Queen Snowfall and Queen Ruby. But that was just a theory.
T.O.R.S.U.E.L. had been sent to scout out the island and, if given the opportunity, neutralize the threat.
But it seemed as though the dragon had neutralized them instead of the other way around.
Dew shuddered as she thought back. The way that dark dragon had just appeared out of the trees. It seemed impossible. And the accuracy with which he threw the stakes of wood.
But Dew then thought that he didn't have perfect accuracy. She was still alive, after all.
Which then brought back the thought that he had wanted her to survive for something.
Dew glanced around, suddenly feeling as if someone was watching her fly, watching as she tried to delay the inevitable.
She took a quick look to her scales, making sure they were camouflaged. And they were.
Dew breathed a sigh of relief. She had been taught well. Even with all the emotions running around inside her, they didn't show on her camouflaged scales.
Suddenly Dew started. She had just thought of another question. If everyone had been following protocol, then they should have been practically invisible. Certainly not immediately discernible from the background, especially to another tribe. A NightWing might have been able to see them, having lived next to them for years.
As Dew thought back to the memory, the more she felt as though it could be a NightWing.
There were some NightWings that had left the rainforest awhile ago and Dew was fairly sure, now that she thought about it, that she had seen the scattering of silver star-like scales glittering under the dark dragon's wings. And his eyes were a deep gray, almost black, matching that of a NightWing. And there were a lot of NightWings who hated RainWings. Dew couldn't understand why. How could you hate a RainWing?
But they did and practically their entire motive of life was to bring down the RainWings.
Dew growled softly in the back of her throat. It might be a little hard once she got back to the rainforest to see NightWings, knowing that one of them had killed Tropo.
Her wingbeats faltered and the wind blew a tear out of her eye. She was still having a hard time believing that they were all gone. It just brought a fresh wave of grief to wash up on her shores of sorrow every time she thought about it.
Dew drew in a deep shuddering breath and stopped herself from caving in. She had to make it.
But wouldn't it just be better if T.O.R.S.U.E.L. just disappeared from the face of Pyrrhia? What use was it if one dragon survived? They couldn't do anything to help.
Dew's wingbeats slowed slightly and she dropped a few feet. What could she do? What use was it for her to go tell everyone? Why couldn't she just die and leave all the troubles behind her? It would certainly be easier.
Dew shook all the notions out of her head. None of the others would be having those ideas. She had to get a grip.
Maybe everyone was right, Dew thought despairingly. Maybe I am the wrong dragon for the job.
Everyone had said she'd never be a good spy. Nobody thought she'd be good at it. But Tropo had pressed on, despite what everyone had thought, asking for Queen Glory to allow Dew onto the team. And she had finally allowed her.
I failed him, Dew thought. He believed in me and I failed him.
Dew growled as tears fought their way to the surface. Why couldn't they just stay away? They weren't helping. And they still hadn't been exhausted. They had endless pools to use, it seemed. Dew hoped that one day she would stop crying. That one day she'd forget everything just for a moment. Just a moment so that she could enjoy herself. But that seemed so selfish. Why should she get to enjoy herself if they'd were all dead?
She knew Tropo would tell her to enjoy herself if she could. Never forget them, just stop blaming herself. After all, it wasn't her fault. She couldn't have stopped anything.
But Dew knew that wasn't true. Koala had died and given her warning that there was something dangerous on that island. If she had found Tropo quick enough and just acted, he would still be alive. She couldn't say the same for Jungle and Canopy, which seemed horrible.
The sun rose over the horizon, slowly lighting up the mountains below her. Dew knew that the sunlight would make her feel better and keep her flying for longer, but she almost wished as though it hadn't risen. If it had just stayed below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep black, everything wouldn't seem quite as normal. After all, nothing could ever be normal again. Never in Dew's life would she ever feel normal.
Dew looked out in the direction of the distant rainforest. She could see a glimmer of green on the horizon, but that was the only sign of the rainforest.
It was so far. Dew wondered how she expected to make it. It was probably four days of flight. And that wasn't including stops. Dew wouldn't allow herself to sleep though. Just rest. Sleeping would allow nightmares to penetrate her mind, and she wouldn't be able to keep them out. She was having a hard enough time already when she was awake. If she was asleep, there'd be nothing to stop them.
Dew shook out her wings and set her course straight for the Rainforest Kingdom. She would make it. She would deliver the news. No matter what happened, she wouldn't stop until she had delivered what she needed to. Even if it was the last thing she did.
== Chapter 3 ==
As Dew flew, a dark storm began to appear over the Claws of the Clouds mountains, right in her line of flight. She adjusted her course to avoid it, or to at least skirt the edge of it, but it kept expanding. 
Soon it extended for miles and there was absolutely no way around. 
Dew gritted her teeth. She'd just have to fly through it. She needed to get to the Rainforest Kingdom. That was her first priority, one that was high above her own wellbeing. 
As Dew flew towards the storm, she could see settlements along the river. She saw SkyWings and couldn't help but wonder what they were doing. Were they getting ready for the war that Queen Ruby might soon be waging? Or were they living their lives as normally as ever, oblivious to everything that was happening at the palace?
If Dew looked out, she could sometimes see her shadow flicker along the ground. She hoped no one else would notice. Sometimes it was distorted, but sometimes she could see her form clearly. 
Night was just starting to fall when the first wave of rain hit her. It was gentle at first, but then it began to beat down on her scales. She didn't bother to try to camouflage her scales then. It was night and no one would be able to see very far in the rain. 
Dew squinted through the rain, looking around from any sort of landmark. But her vision was heavily impaired by it and she could hardly see her own talons in front of her face. 
Then the wind began to blow, driving the rain right into her eyes rather than on top of her. It pushed her back and she was hardly making any ground. It seemed every wingbeat she took, she was pushed back two. 
Maybe it'll be better higher up, Dew thought. Maybe the wind won't be as strong.
She tilted her wings back to fly up when suddenly and sky lit up and thunder boomed in her ears.
Dew yelped in fear and stopped to hover in place. The air was crackling with electricity and Dew looked around, hoping that the lightning's next target wasn't her.
The lightning struck again, this time near enough that Dew could feel the heat from it. The thunder was the loudest sound Dew had ever heard, and she wouldn't be surprised if her eardrums had burst. They were ringing so loudly she couldn't even hear the rain that was pounding into them.
Dew knew she had said that she wouldn't stop, but it appeared as though she had to. After all, what was the point of surviving an assassin to immediately be killed by a thunderstorm?
Dew tilted her wings to shoot down towards the ground, though she didn't know exactly how far it was. Last she had seen, it had been several hundred feet below her. But that had been right before she had entered the storm, and that had been about an hour before then.
Dew opened her wings to slow her fall. She was reaching the mark that she had last seen the ground. But she didn't see anything below her. Not as far as she could see, but that wasn't that very far. 
Dew warily continued descending, never taking her eyes off the expanse below her. Then, so suddenly that Dew didn't have the opportunity to stop, the ground appeared below her. 
She fell heavily onto the water-soaked ground, her talons giving way beneath her weight. 
Dew gasped in pain as her wound spiked with white hot pain. She pressed her head onto to ground, fighting to stay conscious. It seemed wrong to not be moving her wings. She hadn't been flying for that long, right? How long had it been?
Dew tried to remember when she had left the island but was having a hard time. The clearest thing about that island in her mind was the stark red pool where Koala had been lying and the corpses of her brother and friends. The rest was foggy. 
Dew took a few deep breaths, then looked around. She could no longer fly around in the midst of that storm. She'd have to wait until it passed. Preferably somewhere out of the rain. 
Dew stumbled over to the wall of the cliff she landed on and eventually found a small cave. 
She walked in and did a quick sweep of the cave. There were some bones in the back, but they were old and of small animals like rabbits and squirrels. Dew had to assume that a fox or something had lived there a few years previous. But it was empty then.
Dew settled at the entrance where the wind whistled loudly in her ears, drowning out the sounds her mind might create. 
She stared out at the raging storm outside, blinking the misty raindrops out of her eyes. She planned on just watching and waiting until the storm passed, but apparently her body had other plans. 
Her eyelids started to droop but Dew forced them back open, green almost showing on her scales as panic flooded through her. She couldn't fall asleep. She wouldn't allow herself. She shuddered at the thought of all the things she might see if she did.
But exhaustion took hold of her and Dew fell asleep. And with it came the thing she had been dreading. 
In front of her stood Tropo. But it wasn't as he usually was, grinning from ear to ear, his scales shades of golden and pink. This Tropo had scales white as snow, a bloody hole in his chest and a blank stare.
A sob tore itself from Dew's chest. She ran at Tropo, trying to pull him into a hug, but she fell straight through him. 
She whirled around, her eyes glistening with tears. 
"You were there," Tropo said, disappointment evident in his voice. "And you let me die."
"I'm so sorry, Tropo!" Dew cried. "I – I don't know what happened. I don't know what held me back."
"You wanted me to die, didn't you?"
Dew looked at the ground as tears dripped out of her eyes. "No, Tropo, please. You know that," she whispered. 
Tropo stared blankly at her. "No matter what you say, I'll know the truth."
Then Tropo disappeared, only to be replaced with the ghostly white shapes of Jungle and Canopy, their tails twined. Each of them had a blank stare like Tropo, though Canopy's form was unharmed. Jungle, however had a hole in his chest like Tropo. 
Dew started sobbing at the sight of them. They had never announced that they loved each other. Dew had stumbled upon them one day, so she was the only one who knew about their relationship. But Dew knew they loved each other more than anything and would've protected the other with their life. 
Dew knew that either of them would be more heartbroken than Dew was, if they had survived instead of her. Probably so much so that they decided that their life wasn't worth living. 
And without saying a word, both of them disappeared, only to be replaced by Koala.
"I – I'm sorry," Dew cried before he could say anything. "I tried to save them, but I couldn't."
Koala looked almost like he was pitying her. "Just know that their blood is on your talons."
Then the dream abruptly disappeared. Dew started awake to find tears streaming down her face, her wings spread out beside her like broken leaves. 
Dew sniffled and sat back up, wiping the tears away and getting rid of all the gray on her scales, camouflaging it to color of the stone around her, which wasn't that different a color.
A glance outside told her that the sun was lighting up the horizon to the east and that the storm had passed. 
Dew shook out her wings, knowing she had slept for longer than she had wanted to. And now that she had slept, she knew she couldn't again. At least not until she told Queen Glory.
Dew winced as her wound throbbed. She glanced at it and saw blood seeping out from underneath the seaweed. But she couldn't do anything but readjust the seaweed and stuff it in tighter. 
Dew fought to stay conscious as she did it, a feat that she had done multiple times in the past few days. And she only barely did. 
Dew took a deep breath, shook her head, trying to clear it, then opened her wings and flew up into the early morning sky.
Her wings were already sore, and she had only flown for about a day. The mountain peaks were glistening in the dawn light, the rain on them not yet dry.
Dew wondered briefly if she should've found a river or lake to wash the new blood off with. It would taint her camouflage if she didn't. 
She hardly thought anyone would look skyward and notice a small spot of red, but she decided that if she found somewhere, she would clean it. And, if she cleaned it well, then perhaps it wouldn't get infected. That would certainly be a large addition to her growing list of things that went wrong. After all, she couldn't delay her journey any more than she already had.
Dew closed her eyes, beating her wings to rise higher into the sky. Even without seeing the sky, her scales could change to whatever color it was. It was a special skill Dew had and something only she herself could do, other than Tamarin, a blind RainWing. Everyone had asked how, but Dew couldn't answer that question. It was just something that happened. 
Dew opened her eyes back and looked at the land below her, hoping to find a river or lake nestled in between the mountain peaks. 
As her eyes scanned, she saw a river, running down from a snow capped mountain, ending in a crystal clear lake. It looked good, other than the SkyWing settlements on the shore. 
Dew tilted her wing to fly down towards where the river was running into the lake. It would probably be far enough that they wouldn't see her. And if she kept her scales camouflaged, then the chances lessened. 
Dew landed softly on the rocky shore, making sure to keep the settlement in her sight as she walked out to the edge of the lake.
The clear water lapped softly at the pebbles on the shore and Dew almost felt bad for the blood she was about to taint it with. 
Dew paused and lightly pulled the seaweed out from her wound. Her wound wasn't bleeding at the moment, but the seaweed was incrusted with dried blood. 
Dew went to discard the seaweed but thought better of it. She had to leave as little a trail as possible. Instead she placed it on a rock near the shore. Then, opening her jaw, she put two large blobs of venom onto the seaweed. 
Instantly, a small sizzling sound filled the air. Dew glanced to the camp, hoping it wasn't loud enough to carry. 
After hardly a minute, the seaweed was gone. The venom was still there, but it would disappear soon. That's what venom did. It only disintegrated things for a limited amount of time before it stopped and just became something small and inconspicuous. It would evaporate in the sun after a bit and almost disappear entirely in rain. And, if neither of those happened, it would just sort of decompose and turn into nothingness after awhile. But all the same, Dew would wash it away with the water after she had rinsed the blood away.
Dew waded out into the water, gasping as ice cold water hit her scales. She should've been expecting it though. After all, it was snowmelt from the mountain above. 
Dew, shivering, lightly rinsed out her cut with the water, watching as the water turned a light crimson around her. 
Finally, once it was clean, she walked out of the water and carefully splashed water over her venom, carefully watching the camp for any sign that they were getting suspicious.
After rinsing her venom away, she opened her wings and flew up into the sky, looking down at the SkyWing camp. One small dragonet looked up for a moment and it seemed to Dew that they were looking straight at her. But soon their attention was pulled away and they ran over to another dragonet. 
Dew breathed a small sigh of relief and made sure her camouflage was good. It was, like most always. 
Dew turned her attention back to the rainforest ahead of her. She hoped she wouldn't have to stop again. It cost her too much time.
Later in the day, Dew's wings began to give out. She had to keep going. She needed a way to keep going.
Dew had half a mind to take a bit of venom and put it on her talon. But the other half of her knew that was a stupid idea. While yes, it would hurt and keep her going, it would ruin her camouflage. Venom scars didn't fade or disappear. They stayed with you forever, unless you had animus magic or something to make them go away. But Dew didn't, so she knew she shouldn't use her venom. 
Dew looked down and poked her stab wound. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew it was there from the way it was throbbing.
The pain spiked almost unbearably and Dew gritted her teeth. But the action had done what it had needed to. The pain made her wings snap with energy. It wasn't real energy. Just something that would last her a little while. Then she'd poke her wound again, and again, and again. She wouldn't rest. She wouldn't fall asleep. She knew she couldn't. Then she would reach the Rainforest Kingdom and, if it happened that way, she wouldn't care if she died soon after. Then she'd see them all again. 
== Chapter 4 ==
So it went. Dew, whenever her wingbeats began to falter, poked her wound and kept going. This caused it to bleed, but Dew didn't care anymore. If someone saw her and brought her down, so be it. She wasn't even carefully keeping her scales the color of the background. If they wanted to be, then they could, good for them. But if they didn't, oh well.
The fourth day dawned, cloudy and wet. It wasn't a storm like what she had encountered over the Claws of the Clouds mountains a few days ago. The rain was barely more than a drizzle, and there was almost no wind. The sky wasn't thick with dark clouds; they were a light gray and the rain was off and on.
Dew swiped a particularly large drop out of her eye and tried to focus on the forest outskirts of the forest. It seemed to be swaying, but she knew that was just her vision. 
Dew's wingbeats faltered and she shook her head. She didn't have to fly much longer. She'd be there soon. Just an hour or maybe a bit longer. Dew couldn't tell exactly how far the center of the rainforest was. Not with what her vision was doing. 
Dew took a deep breath and turned all her thoughts to keeping her wings beating. That was all she had to do. Even if she didn't know where the center was, she'd keep flying until she reached it. 
Dew kept her breathing steady, trying to make herself take in deeper and longer breaths, like she had been taught. It would help her not to get as tired. But at the moment, it didn't seem like it was helping. But Dew was probably too tired to notice a difference. She could hardly keep her eyes open and her wings flapping. But she knew she was close. She didn't have to try to hold on much longer. After that, she could just relax. 
It stopped raining around midday, but it was still cloudy. Dew began to worry. Would anyone go out for suntime if it was cloudy? That was how she had planned to find the queen, but what if she wasn't there? How would she find her then?
Finally, just as Dew was nearing the middle of the rainforest, the sky began clear. In a few minutes, the sun was shining as brightly as if nothing had happened.
As Dew flew, she began to see spots where the canopy didn't reach all the way and the shafts of sunlight that fell onto platforms beneath the trees, where RainWings were lying, asleep. Dew dipped her wings and shot through the canopy. 
She was immediately enveloped in the sounds and smells of the rainforest, something that was all too familiar to her. 
Dew pushed the memories of Tropo away and turned to scan through all the RainWings that were sleeping. She knew Deathbringer would be with the queen, so that would certainly help her locate her.
Finally, as Dew had almost given up hope that Queen Glory was out there, she saw a large wooden platform. Deathbringer was standing guard over the queen, who lay in a large patch of sunlight, her sloth dropped around her neck. Dew recognized Deathbringer the moment she saw him, even through the swaying of her vision. It just seemed to be something about the way he held his wings. 
Dew's wings gave out with relief and she fell to a skidding stop on the platform, only a few feet away from the queen. 
"Hey!" Deathbringer turned to Dew, looking angry. "What are you trying to accomplish with such reckless flying, especially near the queen?"
Dew fought to stay conscious, holding her wing to her wound. "I have to talk to Queen Glory," she whispered. 
"What?" Deathbringer said. "Speak up."
"I have to speak to Queen Glory," Dew said loudly, meeting Deathbringer's eyes. She was surprised he hadn't recognized her yet. He had talon taught all of T.O.R.S.U.E.L.
"I'm not going to wake the queen during her suntime," Deathbringer said, frowning at her. "So you best come back later." 
"You don't understand!" Dew cried, hysterics edging into her voice. "I have to talk to her now!" She was so close to having completed her mission. Once she did, she didn't have to worry anymore. 
"Something's not right, Deathbringer."
Dew whirled around to see Queen Glory standing up. 
"Tranquilizer dart," Queen Glory said. 
And then, with a soft noise, there was a prick of pain in Dew's neck.
Dew's eyes grew wide. She whipped her talons up to her neck and wrenched the dart out. But she was too late. It had done its work. Dew stumbled, tripping over her own talons. 
"Don't you understand what you've done?" Dew shrieked, trying to steady herself. "I can't – I won't –"
Dew's eyelids started to droop. She had to do something, and fast. Dew extended her claws and dug them into her forearm.
Dew screamed. The pain felt so much worse than the wound in her chest had. But she dug her talons in deeper and with more force. She had to stay awake. She couldn't fall asleep. She couldn't.
"Stop her, Deathbringer!" Dew vaguely picked out Queen Glory's voice. "She's going to hurt herself." 
Suddenly her talon was pulled away and held back, making her fall down. But Dew was determined not to let the tranquilizer dart do its work. She had set her mind to it. 
Dew stretched out her neck and bit her forearm, biting down as hard as she could. Then she tasted something sharp and metallic. It took her a moment to realize it was blood. 
Suddenly there was the weight of another dragon on Dew's back. Her neck was pulled away from her talon and through her swimming vision, Dew saw bleeding teeth marks. 
Dew struggled against the dragons restraining her, but her vision started to go dark and her limbs were weakening. 
"I can't!" Dew cried, putting all her strength into an attempt to break free. "I can't see them again!"
"It'll be alright," someone whispered in Dew's ear. "I promise. Just rest." 
"I can't!" Dew screamed. "They'll come back! I can't bear to see them again!" Dew's strength began giving out and she slowly couldn't resist anymore. 
"I can't," she whispered just before she fell unconscious. "Not yet. I have to tell you. . ."
•       •       •       •       •       
Tropo was stalking toward her with white scales. His eyes were blank, and the wound in his chest was bleeding. But as he got closer, his scales began becoming transparent, showing the bone beneath them. 
He came ever closer to Dew, but she couldn't move. All she could do was stare in horror. 
By the time he was right in front of her, he was just a skeleton. "This," he whispered, "is what I'll be reduced to. And it's all because of you." 
Dew shut her eyes tightly, but it made no difference. He was still there as clearly as if she had her eyes open. 
Wake up! Dew screamed at herself. Please, I can't stand this!
Then, slowly, Dew's eyes flickered open. And the moment they did, everything was numb, her head was filled with cotton, and she couldn't move a muscle. And despite the numbness, Dew could feel throbbing in her arm and in her chest. 
Then Dew remembered everything that had happened. After everything, she hadn't even relayed her message. 
Dew forced her eyes to stay open and looked at the wooden roof above her. She assumed she was in the infirmary in the RainWing village. 
That was when she noticed the hushed voices of dragons talking. Dew pricked her ears while still pretending to be unconscious. 
"We don't know what that wound is from," said one. "We'll have to ask her when she wakes up." 
"Are you sure that's the best plan? What if something happened? We don't want to worry her."
Dew winced slightly as flashes from the island came back. The stake in Tropo's chest, his scales changing to white in an instant. The dark dragon's eyes that seemed to draw you in. 
Dew closed her eyes and took an imperceptible deep breath. She had to keep it together. No matter what, she couldn't fall into despair. Not after everything she had just been through.
Dew opened her eyes again and looked around without moving her head. She wasn't even sure if she could move at all. It was dark outside the windows and she could see a faint shaft of moonslight filtering onto the floor. So it was night. Either she had been unconscious for about half a day, or some time longer that she couldn't comprehend.
Dew tried to flick her tail experimentally. It took a lot of concentration, but finally she got it moving. But sadly it was louder than she had intended. It fell loudly onto the moss. 
"Shh!" The two healers stopped talking. "We were talking too loudly. It's about time for her next tranquilizer dart injection." Dew closed her eyes and heard them walk over, keeping her scales impassive even as her panic grew. She couldn't allow them to do it. 
Finally, as they were right next to her, Dew opened her eyes. "Please don't."
The healer standing next to her screamed and jumped away, their scales flaring with a light green. 
"I don't want another." Dew tried to sit up but fell back with a wince. Her right talon was wrapped up tightly with bandages, probably where she had bitten herself. Then there were layers of more bandages around her chest, where the stake had been. 
The other healer, still obviously startled, stayed by her side. "But you need it," he insisted. "Those wounds are bad."
Dew drew in a sharp breath as she tried to move. "I'll survive," she said through gritted teeth. 
The healer at her side exchanged a look with the other one. "Actually, that's the problem. We're not sure if moving around will allow you to survive. We've been told to keep you unconscious, just in case."
Dew kept her face impassive, as well as her scales, but on the inside, she was trying calm herself down. She had said she didn't care if she died, as long as she relayed her message. But now that she knew how close she had actually been to death, it scared her. Much more than she wished it did. 
"Very well." Dew settled on the bed. "I have a message for Queen Glory."
"We'll get her in the morning," the healer said. "You should rest."
"No!" Dew exclaimed. "Not tomorrow! Now! Queen Glory will want to hear this! She won't care what time of day it is."
"You're right. I won't." Suddenly Queen Glory appeared in the doorway, her scales a light orange with curiosity. "I must apologize, Dewdrop. I couldn't recognize you."
Dew tried to get up to bow, ignoring the use of her full name, but Queen Glory walked over and put her talons on her shoulder. "No, stay down. You need to, with those wounds. And, if you're ready to tell me, then I'd love to hear the story behind them."
Dew shook her head. "These don't matter."
"Where's the rest of T.O.R.S.U.E.L.? And I didn't think you were the one to report back. I thought Koala said he would."
Dew looked down at her talons. "I'm not here for that kind of report," she said quietly. 
Suddenly there was a rustling outside. Dew looked up to see Deathbringer walk in. He looked at Dew and at her bandages, wincing slightly. 
"Do you think we could have a bit of privacy?" Dew asked. She didn't want the healers to hear what she was about to say. Especially if it might spread panic. 
Queen Glory nodded. "Yes." She flicked her tail. 
The two healers, giving polite nods to the queen, stepped outside. Deathbringer went to leave as well. 
"Not you, Deathbringer," Dew said quickly. "You have to hear this." Once Dew was sure that the healers weren't listening, she took a deep breath. "I have come to inform you," she said in a small voice, "that T.O.R.S.U.E.L. has been eliminated."
Deathbringer's eyes went wide. "Eliminated?" he said softly. "Completely?"
Dew looked down and nodded, forcing her tears back. "We weren't alone on that island," she said in a shaking voice. "There was someone – something else – there with us. We didn't know what happened. It –" Dew choked on her words and took a deep breath. "It took us out, one by one. Koala was the first."
Deathbringer sat down heavily. "I can't believe it," he whispered. "All of them. I didn't think that was possible." 
Queen Glory twined her tail with his, then looked back to Dew. "What happened?"
"We landed on the island," Dew said, "spreading out as we had been taught. I was scouting out my area when I heard a scream. I ran over and found Koala. He had a wooden stake in his chest, and I couldn't do anything for him. I was too late."
"It's not your fault," Queen Glory said softly. "You couldn't have done anything more."
Dew blinked furiously, but continued. "I went to go find Tropo; to warn him. I found him on the beach and was about to go to him when something emerged from the trees. It was dark and I couldn't tell any of his features. But. . ." Dew hesitated. "But I think it was a NightWing. I believe I saw the silver scales on the underside of his wings." 
Deathbringer went stiff. "A NightWing?" 
Dew gave a hesitant nod. "But I'm possibly wrong. I don't know. I almost hope I am." 
"What happened after that?" Queen Glory asked, though it seemed to Dew that she could expect what was coming. 
Dew took a deep breath. She didn't want to say anything else, but she had to do it. For her queen. "The Ni– the dark dragon started to go to Tropo, but then Jungle appeared. He told Tropo to watch out. I don't know why he was there instead of at his post, but he saved Tropo. For –" Dew took a deep breath. "For a few minutes, at least," she whispered. "So Jungle drew the dark dragon's attention, but he – he fell. After that, Canopy appeared. I assume she was with Jungle. And then something happened." Dew hesitated. "She tried to get him with her venom but nothing happened. I don't know why. Then –" Dew winced as she remembered Canopy's corpse. "Then he wiped it off himself and shook it onto Canopy. And it immediately started to burn through her scales."
"Invincibility," Queen Glory muttered, starting to pace back and forth. "Could it be. . ." She turned to Dew. "Was the NightWing large? Bigger than the biggest dragon you've ever seen?"
Dew shook her head, thinking back. "No, he seemed normal-sized."
Queen Glory sat back. "I suppose he could always find a way around that. But it doesn't seem like Darkstalker to sit back and hide in the shadows. He'd make it known to the world that he's back."
"Darkstalker?" Dew asked in horror. "But – but I thought he was gone. For good." 
Queen Glory glanced at Deathbringer then looked at Dew. "I don't know. I have been assured many times that he's gone, with no way for him to come back, but I don't honestly believe it. I believe he could come back and endanger my subjects at any point." 
Dew silently hoped that she had forgotten about her story in her wonderings about Darkstalker, but she looked at Dew expectantly. 
"I'm sorry, Dew," Queen Glory said. "I know you don't want to say anymore, but you have to. As your queen, I want you to do what's best for you, but I have to know what happened." 
Dew took a deep breath, then continued, this time in a whisper. "He went towards Tropo and killed him in a moment. Then he threw a stake of wood and it hit me. That's where I got this." Dew gestured to her wound that was wrapped up, and it throbbed. She specifically didn't want to go into detail about Tropo's murder. It was too horribly vivid in her mind. She couldn't talk about that. 
Dew took a deep breath. "Then I woke up and found them," she whispered. "And after that, I immediately started flying back here."
Deathbringer got up and started pacing. "Why did you survive when everyone else's wounds were spot on?" he mused aloud. 
"I've been asking myself that question," Dew said softly, "and only one answer has shown itself: that he wanted me to survive for something." 
Deathbringer met her eyes. "Why though?" he said, a frown creasing his face, though he wasn't asking her the question.
Dew shook her head. "That's something else I am incapable of answering. And I'm not even sure I want to know the answer."
Deathbringer turned to Dew, giving her a sad smile. "You've done wonderful, Dew," he said. "Thank you for coming all the way back, even when you were wounded. Even I couldn't expect myself to be able to do that." He patted her head lightly. 
Dew's eyes filled with tears and she dropped her head, trying to keep from sobbing. "I didn't want to," she whispered. "I wanted to give up. I don't want to live without Tropo. I don't know what I'm going to do." She sniffled and wiped a tear away as it slipped out of her eye. 
"Hey, hey. Don't cry." Deathbringer put a wing around her. "I know you're sad. A lot of dragons have lost someone they loved. I did too. But it never helps to cry. The best thing we can do is to pick ourselves up from the ground and stay strong. That's what Tropo would want, isn't it?"
Dew nodded. 
"So why don't you do that?"
Dew looked up at Deathbringer. "I don't know if I can," she said softly. "I don't know if I have the strength."
"I know you do, Dew. It'll be hard, but I believe you can. Alright?"
Dew nodded and swiped at another tear, forcing the others back.
"Right, get some rest. You've told us enough."
Dew saw the look Queen Glory gave him, but he gave an equally stern one. Dew wanted to please her queen, but she couldn't make herself say anymore. She wasn't even sure what else there was to say. 
Deathbringer and Queen Glory went to leave. 
"Thank you, Deathbringer," Dew said softly. 
He glanced back. "Just rest, if you can."
Dew nodded. "I'll try," she said. 
Then both the RainWing queen and Deathbringer were gone, leaving Dew alone, though she wasn't for long. About a minute later, the healers came back in, though Dew had rolled onto her side and was pretending to be asleep. 
"Oh, shh," one of them whispered to the other. "Don't wake her up. She needs to rest."
Dew closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could sleep now. She didn't have to worry. She had said what she had needed to say. 
Then, out of exhaustion from the days and days of flying and lack of food, Dew fell asleep.
•       •       •       •       •       
When Dew woke up, it was night again. She had to assume that the RainWing healers had given her a tranquilizer dart to keep her asleep, because there was no way she would have slept for a full twenty-four hours without it.
Dew moved slightly and looked at what was giving the room light. Her eyes landed on it but it took her a few seconds to realize what it was. It was perfectly spherical and was floating quietly over a wooden stand, casting a silvery glow around the room.
It was a moonglobe, from the moonglobe tree planted by Queen Glory years and years ago in a dealing with the late IceWing queen, Glacier.
The sight of it brought back one horribly clear memory. It had been four years ago, a few months after Dew's seventh hatching day.
"What are we doing?" Dew had hissed softly, glancing at the darkness around them. Small patches on moonlight shone on the ground and she had nervously edged away from them.
"We're going," Tropo had whispered triumphantly, "to the moonglobe tree."
"I didn't think that was allowed," Dew had said softly. 
"No one ever said that," Tropo had said, darting from the shadow of one tree to another, his casually camouflaged scales blending into the background automatically. 
Dew had followed his lead. "Then why," she had growled, "are we sneaking around if we're allowed to?"
"You need to work on your camouflage," Tropo had answered back immediately. "Trust me. I think you'll enjoy this."
"I need to work on my camouflage?" Dew had said incredulously. She had pressed herself against the trunk of a tree and shifted her scales to those exact colors, even adding a patch of moss and the woody texture.
"Yep," Tropo had answered. He had poked her tail. "You definitely need to work on it."
Dew had growled and come back into view. "Alright, fine. We'll go. But I'm not happy with it."
"I didn't expect you to be," Tropo had said back. "Come on."
Dew had followed Tropo's lead and soon she had been able to see a silvery light shining onto the trees and the ground.
"Oh, wow," Dew had breathed a moment later when they had come into view of the moonglobe tree.
It had been bright and icy, small glowing buds shining on the branches of ice.
Dew had walked over to the tree, taking special care to have her scales camouflaged. It was nearly double her height, though not nearly as high as some of the trees of the Rainforest Kingdom.
"It is beautiful," Tropo had agreed from her side, even though Dew hadn't been able to see him. "Want to climb it?"
Dew had turned to the sound of the voice with an incredulous look, even though he hadn't been able to see her. They had gotten good at figuring out how the other was feeling, even without seeing each other.
"I couldn't do that," she had hissed quietly. "I know that that is definitely not allowed."
"Well, don't you want to?"
Dew had shaken her head. "No. Just to look at it for a bit would be really nice."
"Alright." 
Dew had gone over to a grassy spot on the ground and sat down, staring at the moonglobe tree and its perfectly carved branches of ice.
She had cocked her head slightly, hearing Tropo walk away. But then the sounds had stopped.
"Tropo?" Dew had whispered. 
"Yeah?" Tropo had answered. He had just sounded like he was a few feet away from her.
"I thought you left," Dew had said after a moment. "It sounded like it."
"I wouldn't leave you," Tropo had said, though Dew had noticed a slight nervous hint in his voice. That had meant he was most likely lying.
Dew had wanted to question it, but she knew she shouldn't. Tropo could keep secrets. He'd never tell her.
Dew had turned back to the moonglobe tree, frowning as she had tried to figure out what Tropo might be lying to her about.
She had vaguely heard Tropo stalking away, the leaves beneath his talons crunching slightly, but she hadn't questioned it.
Dew had gotten up and walked over to the moonglobe tree, brushing her talon against it. It had been as cold as ice, probably because it was, just enchanted to never be able to break or melt.
A branch had snapped off in the distance and Dew had frozen. She had camouflaged her scales as best she could and stayed still. 
A RainWing had soon come into view. Dew hadn't known her at that point, but she had soon learned that it was Canopy.
She had walked out from the forest and walked over to the moonglobe tree, sitting down in front of it and staring at its branches.
Dew had hardly dared to breathe, though she took small breaths that had hardly disturbed anything. Maybe a few specks of dust, but nothing more.
Please go, Dew had thought. What are you even doing here in the middle of the night? She had paused for a moment. Well, someone could use that argument against me. After all, what purpose had she had that night? Saying that Tropo had told her to go would not get her out a prison if she truly hadn't supposed to be there.
Dew had turned her head an infinitesimal to check behind her. She hadn't been able to see Tropo anywhere, which had been a good thing.
Then she had remembered that she had heard him leaving. I can't believe it, she had thought, incredibly indignant. He left me. It's almost like he knew that this RainWing was coming.
Dew had turned back to the RainWing. She had still been staring at the tree, with a dreamy expression on her face. 
Maybe I can get away without her noticing, Dew had thought hopefully. She looks lost in thought.
Some sort of animal had moved in the trees behind Dew. While the RainWing in front of her hadn't moved and her expression hadn't changed, her ear had twitched, then moved in a way that made it easier for her to have listened. 
She's still listening, Dew had realized. It may not look like it, but she is. So I just have to wait until she leaves.
That had been a sentence much easier thought than done. The RainWing had sat, staring out at the tree, for hours. Still, Dew had waited, her muscles tensed and aching. But she hadn't been able to move. Not until that RainWing had been gone. 
Dew, probably only an hour or two before dawn, had nearly decided that the RainWing had fallen asleep with her eyes open. But then, a branch had cracked suddenly and the RainWing had disappeared before Dew's eyes. 
Dew had strained her eyes, barely picking out the RainWing's form. She had been crouched down low to the ground, her eyes scanning the trees. 
Another RainWing came out of the trees. He had looked kind and brave, two things that didn't normally mix. Dew had later figured out that this was Jungle. He had looked around, then had walked up to the moonglobe tree, picking one of the globes. He had then set it on his shoulder and walked off, disappearing back into the dark forest, the silvery light slowly disappearing from Dew's sight. 
Dew had turned back to where the other RainWing had been, but she hadn't been able to find her anymore. At first she had just thought that maybe she had taken her eyes off her, so therefore was not able to find her again. But then she had heard wingbeats and a few leaves had been knocked off the ground. So Dew had known that the RainWing had taken off and flown away. 
Dew had held her breath for a minute before she had finally let it out. She had known that both the RainWings were gone.
Dew had looked up and through a few gaps in the canopy, she could see that the sky had been lighting up. It had been nearly dawn. She had been standing there longer than she had originally thought. 
Dew had held back a groan and shook out her talons, getting blood to flow back into them. She had stretched out her neck, then had tried to hold back a yawn. She hadn't expected to spend the whole night hiding from someone. 
"You did it!"
Dew had jumped as Tropo had appeared out of nowhere barreling towards her. Then she had been enveloped in rose pink wings. She had never seen Tropo so happy in a long time. 
"Wait, what?" Dew had said, pulling out of Tropo's hug. "What did I do?"
Tropo had beamed at her. "You completed the test! As soon as Deathbringer gets these results, you'll officially be a part of T.O.R.S.U.E.L.!" 
Dew had gaped at him. "No way," she had said. "Really?"
Tropo had grinned. "Yep! Those two dragons that went by were part of it. Canopy and Jungle. They were the ones who thought of it, and Deathbringer accepted the proposal."
"But – but everyone said –" Dew had stammered. 
"You know, Dew," Tropo had interrupted, "you should really stop listening to what everyone says. How else are you supposed to do something that everyone thinks you can't?"
Dew had fallen silent, trying to think of a response, though she hadn't been able to.
"Now come on!" Tropo had said excitedly. "Let's go see Deathbringer! Then you can start training with me, Koala, Jungle, and Canopy."
"Do you think we could rest first?" Dew had said as Tropo had started to pull her towards the RainWing village.
"Let me give you your first lesson," Tropo had said, opening his wings and launching off the ground. "Sometimes, you don't get rest. Sometimes you have to stay up for about forty-eight hours at a time. So start working on that."
Dew had quickly followed him and together they started weaving in through the trees. They had both been silent. Dew hadn't been able to comprehend that she had really become a part of T.O.R.S.U.E.L.
But now, four years later, Dew was completely part of T.O.R.S.U.E.L., but couldn't comprehend that everyone else in it was dead and that they weren't coming back.  
Category:Literature
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Wings of Fire
Category:Fanfictions (Unfinished)
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Semi-cannon
Category:Fiction