Essential Escape

A collab fanfic between Crookedstar and Grouse.
== Prologue ==
There was an eerie silence to the marsh. Not a reed whispered. The creeks were oddly still. Even the toads appeared to sense it- no raspy croak broke the quiet.
But the echo in Pond's ears was almost too loud to bear.
"In a week, we attack! Prepare yourselves! No dragon is to be spared! The rainforest will be ours!"
Pond buried her head in her talons. It was all too much. Fear welled up inside her, making her legs feel weak. She slid to the mud with a soft groan.
"Hey, hey. It's okay." A warm tail twined with hers, and kind brown eyes blinked in front of her.
"Oh, Slough," whispered Pond. "I'm scared."
Her bigwings nodded slowly. "We all are, Pond. But we can do this. I won't let anything happen to you."
Looking up at him, Pond could believe it. He was so strong, and he would do anything to protect her and her siblings. But another frantic thought raced into her mind.
"What about you, Slough? Will you be okay?" The question burst from her mouth, and she took a deep breath, trying to suppress the immense terror that was coursing through her.
Slough's eyes widened. "Pond, I..."
She gave coughed slightly, a small, choked sound. "Promise me," she muttered to him, her voice cracking. "Promise me you'll be okay."
He hesitated, then dipped his head, pressing against her. "I promise, Pond."
She nodded, curling against him. She stared ahead, at the lush line of greenery that marked the beginning of the rainforest- the territory of the RainWings.
But soon to be ours.
The sun was just starting to rise, illuminating the sky. Dew shimmered on the ferns. Pond sighed. She wished everything in the world could be as perfect as it looked.
Shakily she rose to her talons. She was exhausted- she hadn't slept at all last night- but she needed to train alongside her siblings. They would need her.
"No," a kind voice interrupted her thoughts. "Pond, you need to rest."
She turned to Slough. "But the queen said we need to-"
"I don't care what the queen said. You're tired and you need to sleep. I'll bring you something to eat when you wake up, okay?"
She nodded numbly, too tired to protest. Sprawling back down on the soft sleephouse floor, she closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly.
"Pond! Wake up!"
Slough's voice was urgent.
"What?" muttered Pond, still groggy from sleep. He gripped her arm and tugged her along.
"There's an urgent meeting," he explained rapidly. "We can't be late."
Slough dragged her beside her siblings and fixed his eyes on a brown shape in the distance. A general, flying towards them.
What's going on?
The MudWing general alighted on the wet earth. His small amber eyes scanned the crowd, and then he spoke.
"Attention, fellow MudWings!" he called in a rough voice. "The queen has issued a new order. There's been a change of plans in our- strategy."
This can't be good...
"Instead of attacking in a week," the solider declared. "We attack-" He paused to leer slightly, showing blunt yellow teeth. "-tomorrow."
== Olingo ==
"Be careful!"
Olingo swung from one branch, reaching for the next with his talons. At the sound of his mother's voice, he twisted in midair, trying to glimpse her through the leaves. He faltered, his claws scraped the branch in front of him, and he was forced to wrap his long tail around it.
Hanging by only his tail, he quickly pulled himself up, embarrassed. "Why'd you call out?" he shouted down to Sapodilla, his voice accusing. "I almost had it!"
"I know you did. Now come on, it's feeding time!" Sapodilla replied.
He clawed his way down the moss-clad trunk with a hiss of annoyance. He was hurrying to catch up with Sapodilla when he crashed into something. At first, he saw nothing. Then there was a ripple, and a dragonet the color of rainwater appeared in front of him.
"Zorro! What were you doing?" Olingo asked, entwining his tail with his brother's.
The small RainWing rubbed his blue shoulder, wincing with pain. "Watch where you're going, Olingo! That hurt!"
"Watch where I'm going? How about you avoid standing in my path while camouflaged?" Olingo suggested.
"I thought you'd go around me!" Zorro protested, still nursing his bruise. A flash of white scales appeared on the spot when he touched it, then slowly disappeared as the pain faded.
"Zorro. You were invisible," Olingo pointed out. "I couldn't see you!"
"Oh. Well, we don't want to be late for feeding time!" Zorro dashed ahead, his cerulean tail vanishing among the ferns.
Olingo trailed after him, tripping on roots. Finally, he hoisted himself up a tree, looped his tail around a branch, and propelled himself forward, opening and closing his wings in quick flaps.
Bursting through the trees, he stretched his tail out only to realize that there was nothing to grab, and landed with a thump onto a amber dragon who was munching on a papaya. "Huh? What?"
Olingo leaped off of him, alighted on a platform where the fruit gatherers had dropped off a large pile of berries, mangoes, and bananas.
Popping a talonful of raspberries into his mouth, Olingo offered a round red fruit to the silvery creature around his neck. Silky accepted it and began gnawing on it, content. The sloth was adept at clinging on to him, even while he tree-glided, and he enjoyed having her.
Taking a mango and devouring it in several bites, he could see the sun was almost at its highest. Leaving the other RainWings to enjoy the fruit, he fluttered up to a hammock.
Spreading his copper wings to allow the sunbeams to reach them, he breathed in deeply. Silky curled up against him with an agreeable, "Hrrrble!" He felt as though he was absorbing the warmth of the sun, letting it fill him up until he was recharged. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep quickly.
He awoke to a pair of green eyes in front of his snout. "Hey, Olingo!" greeted a familiar voice.
"Hi, Auroral. What've you been doing?" he asked her, stretching.
Auroral grinned, as if she had been hoping he'd ask. "I learned how to tree-glide today! Now we can do it together!"
Olingo smiled back at her. Auroral was his sister and the kind of dragonet who always had a scroll with her. He was glad that she had learned how to do something that was actually fun, instead of reading. "That's great! It'll be fun!" he told her.
"Come on, let's go find Zorro!" she stated excitedly, yellow zigzagging through her peach and pink scales. "I saw him earlier, he can't have gone far!"
"Yeah, we can find him as long as he's visible! Olingo laughed, and explained what had happened.
"Oh, Zorro," Auroral sighed. "He's probably eating right now! Let's go see!" Auroral took off, swooping down towards the fruit platforms.
"Coming!" Olingo unfurled his wings, prepared to take off.
Then, just before he ascended, he scented something unfamiliar. "Auroral, wait! Do you smell that?" he called to his sister.
She paused and sniffed, then wrinkled her snout. "I think it's . . . smoke," she remarked.
"Smoke? Like, from fire? But . . . there is no fire here!" Olingo pointed out. He turned to the trees. "Nothing I can see. Looks normal!" he yelled to Auroral. And then he saw the flames.
== Auroral ==
Auroral watched her brother's eyes widen with shock and fear just before she saw the fire herself. Thick black smoke was pouring into the sky, the bright orange flames devouring the treetops. A paralyzing fear engulfed her, and she wanted to flee but couldn't, her mind was whirling with fright.
As Olingo's cry of alarm rang out, she glimpsed something in the air above her. A flash of dark brown scales. She tilted her head upward, feeling more terror course through her as her eyes landed on the dragon plunging towards her, fire streaming from his mouth.
"No!"
Sapodilla's shriek brought Auroral to her senses. She skittered backward on the branches as her mother slammed into the attacking dragon, acid green fear and orange shock racing through her scales. Cries of surprise and fear split the air. The rainforest was under attack.
"Come on!" Olingo's voice was higher pitched then usual. She whipped around to see her brother with his wings spread, splashes of lily green zigzagging across his ruff.
"But-" Auroral didn't know what to do. She shot a glance behind her at her mother, who was desperately lashing out at her opponent, whose scales glinted in the sunlight with the colors of the mud.
A MudWing!
She racked her mind for what she remembered about MudWings. Fire, when warm enough. Holding their breath for up to an hour. Blood eggs. The thoughts came in a dizzying jumble that did nothing to suppress her growing panic. Then her mother's scales flashed white as the MudWing slashed her snout, and Auroral yelped as Olingo's wing struck her. Her brother leaped to help Sapodilla, who shoved him back.
"No!" Sapodiall wailed. "Find Zorro! Run!"
The MudWing was fighting harder then ever, slamming into her with his powerful body while he raked his talons at her underbelly. Agony pierced Auroral's heart as she realized what her mother wanted, an agony worse then she had ever felt before, worse then rolling off a platform during suntime.
"Come on," repeated Olingo. His voice was choked. "We need to find Zorro."
Auroral cast a final fleeting glance back at her mother, then took a deep breath.
She's be okay. She has to be. And Zorro needs us!
Auroral nodded urgently. There wasn't any time to lose. She leaped off the branches, following Olingo as he swooped straight into the battle. Auroral gasped.
It was the worse thing she'd ever seen. MudWings were everywhere, breathing fire. The huts were alight, smoke billowing into the sky. Green scales radiated fear as they clashed against brown ones.
"Zorro!" Olingo cried. Auroral repeated him, calling as loud as she could.
Where is he? Think, Auroral! Where would he have gone?
The answer hit her like lightning. Of course. Zorro spent a lot of his time in the hatchery, cheerfully reporting any newly hatched dragonets. And the hatchery was...was...
"Olingo!" wailed Auroral. "We need to go save Zorro! He's- he must be- in the hatchery!"
Olingo's eyes grew huge with fear as they landed on the flaming structure. "Come on!" he yelled, diving towards the burning vines.
The entrance isn't on fire, not yet! We can still make it!
She dove at the entrance, Olingo at her side. They burst into the room. Auroral coughed and closed her eyes, stung by the smoke. When she opened them again they landed on the scorched body of a RainWing dragonet that Olingo had balanced upon his back. It was Zorro.
== Olingo ==
Olingo stumbled under his brother's weight. The smoke wasn't helping, everything seemed to blur in front of him, every breath he took felt like inhaling poison.
We need to get out of here!
Breaking into a run, he pushed Auroral towards the hatchery exit. "Go!" he coughed. "Go!" They had Zorro, now they needed to escape!
As they burst out of the hatchery, Olingo spread his wings and leaped into the air. Zorro's weight nearly brought him crashing back down- his brother was limp and heavy.
Oh, no! He can't be dead. He can't...
Beating his wings harder, he burst above the treetops, Auroral panting behind him. "Where..." his sister gasped. "Where will we go?"
Olingo couldn't think of an answer. "Somewhere safe," he promised her. "First, I need to see if Zorro is okay."
Fear flickering inside of him, he slid Zorro onto the leaves.
"Hurry," whispered Auroral urgently.
Olingo nodded. He ducked down next to Zorro. The young RainWing didn't seem to be breathing. No, wait- there was a faint, shallow rise and fall of Zorro's chest. He was clearly very weak...but he was alive!
Looking up, he twined his tail with Auroral's. "He's still alive. I'll carry him. We have to go, now." Heaving his brother onto his back, he glanced into the distance.
Where will we go? Where will we be safe? 
Olingo didn't know what to do. But for Auroral's sake, he needed to act as if he was confident about where he was going. "Come on," he told her, taking flight. As he soared higher, he gazed down at the broken, flaming rainforest. Then his eyes landed on something. The burning, shrieking figure of a RainWing. A moment later, she collapsed onto the leaves and lay still.
Twisting away, Olingo felt tears well up in his eyes. He saw Auroral bury her face in her talons. Sapodilla had saved them...but they had left her. To save Zorro.
Taking a deep breath, Olingo tried to feel any signs of life in Zorro, who still lay sprawled upon him. Oh...I hope it was worth it.
Another thought quickly followed.
Sapodilla did not die for nothing. I will get Zorro and Auroral to safety.
He clutched Auroral's talons in his.
"Follow me," he ordered her softly.
Twisting away from his ruined homeland, he glided into the distance.
== Zorro ==
The first thing Zorro was aware of was the sensation of being carried. His nostrils stung, the acrid scent of smoke filling them. He opened his eyes and for one terrifying moment, he couldn't see. Blinking, he finally cleared them, brushing away powdery gray ash.
Groaning, he flexed his talons slowly. What happened? Where am I? He began to recall, then wished he hadn't. Big brown dragons. Fire. Breathing fire. The eggs . . . crushed. Burnt to dust. Gone. His claws automatically rose to his head, as if trying to push the memories out of it.
No, no, no. They have to be okay. They have to be safe. Peaceful in the rainforest. Happy. Playing with dragonets. Fun. Sapodilla and Olingo and Auroral and me. All safe.
"Sapodilla," he whispered. "Sapodilla."
"Olingo," came Auroral's voice from his left. "Olingo, he's waking up."
Zorro realized that he was lying atop of his brother's back. "Sapodilla," he repeated. "Where's Sapodilla?" His voice was hoarse, and barely more than a rasp.
"Come on, Zorro. We're going to land now," Olingo responded without answering his question.
"Sapodilla will be there. She's waiting for us. She flew away when the brown dragons came," Zorro whispered to himself.
He felt Olingo descending, then Auroral's talons gently lifted him and lay him on the ground. It wasn't the soft, wet rainforest soil. It was uncomfortably squishy and clung to his scales. He raised his head only to let it flop back down, feeling dizzy.
"Zorro." Olingo's voice cut through the darkness that was threatening to envelop him. "What do you remember?"
"Fire," Zorro replied. "Lots of fire. Really hot. Big brown dragons. Breathing fire. Fire. Lots of fire. Lots and lots. . ." He trailed off slowly.
"What else?" Auroral questioned. "Anything else?"
Why can't they just let me sleep? "Um . . ." He blinked groggily. "Hatchery . . . on fire. Burning." Trying to think straight, he added, "What? Is there anything else?"
Olingo and Auroral exchanged meaningful glances. "Zorro . . ." Auroral started, her voice dropping off. She stared at her talons. "You tell him," she told Olingo in a choked voice. Zorro was startled to see tears glistening in her green eyes.
What's wrong? Is Sapodilla here or not? "Where's Sapodilla?" he demanded aloud. He craned his neck, searching for her, only to gasp as the movement stung his throat. Ow!
"Zorro, Sapodilla . . . didn't get out of the rainforest," Olingo responded. His wings were drooping, and Zorro wanted to make him feel better.
"Then she'll have found somewhere not on fire to wait for us," Zorro assured his older brother. They could go back now and find Sapodilla. She'd be waiting for them, and when they found her she'd wrap her wings around them and draw them close.
"No, Zorro. Sapodilla won't be waiting. There was too much fire." Olingo leaned forward and took Zorro's talons in his. "Listen," he added, as tears began to drip down Zorro's snout. "We have each other. We can survive. We'll be fine."
Time seemed to stop. He felt grief pierce his heart, feeling more like a physical pain than anything else.
"No." Zorro's voice was thick with grief. He sank to the ground, trembling. "Nothing will ever be fine ever again." His scales were splashed with all sorts of colors. Dark blue-gray with sorrow for Sapodilla and his home, pale green for fear of what was to become of them, fiery red for anger at the brown dragons for coming and ruining everything.
Despair washed over him. He allowed Olingo to help him up and brush the mud away from his scales. As Olingo supported him, he felt warm fur press against him. "Rrrrp?" purred Silky questioningly. "You saved Silky," Zorro murmured. "But not Sapodilla?"
Category:Collaborations
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)