Into the Woods

== Introduction ==
Ever look up at the old oak tree above your head or the magnificent valleys down yonder, and just wonder about the beauty of nature? That’s what Into the Woods is about, inspired by my adventures at the forest creek near my grandmother’s house, and biking trails on Coyote Creek. It taught me to look at the squirrels leaping from branch to branch, and the turkeys calling in the distance, that nature was not meant to be conquered or tamed or protected, but befriended, because we, as humans, are not different from it, but a part of it.
== Chapter 1 ==
The RainWing stalked her prey through the thick jungle, careful not to make any sound. The kookaburra was drinking at a shallow stream through the misty morning, and with every step, the dragon came closer, until just at the right time-
“Kudzu!”
The kookaburra flew away instantly, startled.
The RainWing turned around, agitated, to see who had called her name, but she had recognized their voice easily as Papaya, her brother. How dare he ruin her perfect chance!
“Papaya! You scared it away! I was about to start singing!”
“Oops, sorry.” said Papaya emotionlessly.
Kudzu was a bird enthusiast, trying to find and record all the bird species. She often left the rainforest, for the ones there were so familiar, but that kookaburra was just sitting there so stupidly, and she had never heard their sound before, except in the distance, and Papaya had ruined it!
Frustrated, Kudzu flew over Papaya. “Why did you even call my name?!”
Papaya said “A bunch of SkyWIngs came here, and they want to see you.” He shrugged. “I dunno why.”
Kudzu wondered why SkyWings would come to their rainforest, they even had the biggest kingdom in all of Draconis Isle! And then request to talk to HER!? Kudzu was the normallest RainWing ever.
Except for leaving the Rainforest so often.
Except for hanging so many bird feeders outside her window.
Except for having zero friends among her friendly neighborhood.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t the most normal RainWing around, but hey; there were probably stranger dragons?
She followed Papaya through the Rainforest, around their small RainWing town; Treetop View. Stares followed Kudzu as she flew across the canopy. The other RainWings probably thought stuff like isn’t that the bird dragon? Or There’s that RainWing who always leaves the town.
Hey, she’d heard worse, if that was even what they were thinking.
As Papaya led her above the trees, Kudzu made out six orange, red, pink, and yellow shapes up ahead, probably the SkyWings. 
The SkyWings flew over to the siblings, and one stared at Kudzu. “Is that the RainWing?” He asked gruffly.
A second one gave an approving nod. “Yeah, they said she was blue and orange.”
The first SkyWing looked at her blue scales questioningly, until the second SkyWing spoke again. “Our queen wants to speak with you.”
At first Kudzu was astonished, the QUEEN? HER? The words didn't seem to fit together. Sure, the RainWings and SkyWIngs had a steady relationship, the RainWings trading them rainforest fruits and lumber in return for the SkyWing’s plentiful ore, but why would KUDZU see the QUEEN!?
“Uh, wouldn’t you see my queen first?!” squeaked Kudzu as Papaya stared blankly at her and the SkyWings.
The first SkyWing gave a husky snort. “We already talked to your queen. She said we could ‘borrow’ one of her dragons as long as we gave them back” He smiled satisfiedly. “Doesn’t look like she cares that much about her tribe.”
A third SkyWing spoke. “You have one hour to take what you wanna take, you’ll be away from home for a while.” 
Kudzu had flown home as fast her wings could take her, told her parents why she was leaving, and then flew straight to her room, where her pet scrub jay, Pepper. Kudzu had found her as a chick out in the country where she had fallen from her nest, but after putting her back in the nest, her mother refused to take care of her, so Kudzu did instead, and now she was her pet. 
Pepper looked at Kudzu, probably wondering why she looked so busy, until Kudzu held out her arm, a taught signal for Pepper to hop on it. If she left Pepper behind, her parents and Papaya would probably forget to feed her, and besides, it was fun to have a friend, even if they didn’t speak the same language.
Kudzu, in one fluid motion, strode across her room to her window, where tropical rainforest birds were eating fruit hanging from feeders, and a startled orange hummingbird flew away from a red flower as soon as it saw Kudzu. Since she would be gone for a while, Kudzu figured it wouldn’t hurt to put out all the fruit she was saving for the birds, and hope the rain watered her red flower.
Next, she walked over to her bed, where on the footrest was a tiny clay hummingbird, carved with intricate detail. It was a gift from her now dead grandmother, who said it was a good luck charm, and it had sparked Kudzu’s interest in birds.
She ran one claw across it’s folded right wing, each feather carved in eradicate detail. Kudzu felt like she should take it with her, just in case.
After packing some fruit in a bag, she hurtled down the stairs, said good-bye to her parents again, and-as she left the house-hugged Papaya, who had just entered the doorway, and left with a dragon-like surprised expression on his face, unlike what he usually looked like(Pepper pecked him on the way out, which left him more surprised, probably wondering what just happened).
== Chapter 2 ==
They had just arrived at the steps of the Sky palace.
Well, Kudzu and the six SkyWings.
Strangely enough, as they soared over SkyWing castle town, Kudzu got no weird looks at all, like a six year old RainWing with six skyWings(six and six) flying over to the palace wasn’t strange at all, and in Kudzu’s opinion it was very strange, that and the SkyWings reactions.
One of the SkyWings knocked on the palace doors, and it was opened by a bored looking SkyWing guard.
One of the six SkyWings whispered in the new one’s ear and-after giving Kudzu many judging looks- they let them in.
The palace was huge, the walls were studded with rubies and expensive furniture was littered about. Kudzu could tell the throne room wasn’t far.
The six SkyWings left and one who had opened the door turned to Kudzu. “You shall wait here.” he said in an oily voice, and he too left, folloWing the other SkyWings out of the room.
Kudzu watched as Pepper flew off her shoulder and across the room, out of sight. 
Kudzu almost freaked out right there and then, SkyWings wouldn’t recognize Pepper as her pet, more like a free lunch.
“Pepper! Come back here!” Kudzu bellowed as loud as she could, and when Pepper didn’t come back, but responded with an indignant squawk, Kudzu ran after her. 
When she caught up to Pepper, she saw something… odd. Pepper was pecking viciously and squawking at a mossy green LeafWing(with cute glasses) who looked Kudzu’s age, who was running around screaming. There was also a tough-looking dull brown MudWing who was covered in scars and looked older than Kudzu’s father, who was brandishing a spear at Pepper and trying to impale her with it, shouting something about dinner.
Kudzu wondered why a MudWing and a LeafWing would be at the SkyWing palace, before remembering that the MudWing was attempting to kill her pet.
NO SIR.
“HEY!” yelled Kudzu, trying to be intimidating but likely failing. “PUT THAT WEAPON DOWN!”
The MudWing turned to her with a bored expression, forgetting about the LeafWing. “Who do you think you are?” He growled.
“My name is KUDZU and that is MY PET!” She snarled.
“That bird?” asked the MudWing, pointing to Pepper, who had now knocked off the LeafWing’s glasses and was now attacking his eyes.
“Yes.” said Kudzu. Why was Pepper so angry? “PEPPER!”
Pepper turned around and stopped attacking the LeafWing and flew onto Kudzu’s shoulder, giving her an aren’t you proud of me? Look.
The LeafWing had now gotten up and put on his glasses, which rested awkwardly on the bridge of his nose. “Uh-sorry, I have a bunch of acorns in my bag, i hear bluebirds eat them.”
“SCRUB JAYS!” said Kudzu. what would the SkyWings want with a RainWing, a MudWing, and a LeafWing.
“Thats what i mean to to say!-Thats what i mean to to say!” said the LeafWing quickly, and sprinkled some acorns out of a pouch around his neck and threw them onto the ground, where Pepper flew down to immediately and ate them, giving the LeafWing vile looks.
The MudWing spoke again. “Why are you here?” he asked plainly.
Kudzu sighed. “I don’t know…”
The LeafWing said matter-of-factly. “But aren’t we goin in a miss-”
Just then, a door behind swung open, and the SkyWing from before was standing behind it. “May I present,” he bellowed seemingly as loud as he could, his voice echoing off the walls. “Snapper of the MudWings, Clove of the LeafWings, and Kudzu of the RainWings!”
Huh, so their names were Snapper and Clove, Snapper sure fit his name.
Also, they were apparently in the throne room.
Guards with armor and spears were lined up in rows against the walls(they looked hungrily at Pepper), and portraits of past queens or elegant poses draped the walls, but the post striking thing was the Queen, Queen Ibis. She was sitting upon a throne made of a material Kudzu had never seen before, and wearing a gold crown studded with rubies. Kudzu was so distracted by the room that she hadn’t realized Clove and Snapper were walking towards the queen, so she had to run to catch up.
Eventually, they were at the feet of the throne, and the Queen leaned towards them. She looked at Snapper and Clove and waved a talon dismissively. “I’ve been told you two already know what you’re doing, so I don’t need to tell you much,” She leaned towards the SkyWing who had opened the door. “SCORCH! Take these two Gentledragons to their guest room.” She turned to Kudzu. “So, I feel like I’m to need to explain everything to you.” She said dryly.
Kudzu nodded vigorously, stunned by what was happening into silence.
Queen Ibis sighed. “Well, there’s been a large and unexplored region of the Sky Kingdom we have been ignoring for quite some time, and we thought that maybe we should pay attention to it and it’s possible resources, so we’ve organized a team of experts to explore it and find out what secrets it holds. Clove the LeafWing seems to be an expert with plants and identifying them, same with Snapper for land animals, and since you’re a bird expert we thought it useful to recruit you.”
Kudzu’s jaw gaped. “HER?! USEFUL!? For a QUEEN!? This day was getting better and better.
Scorch had led her to a fancy room in the palace, and told her that she would stay there until the next day, which would be the day they left. She made a makeshift bed for Pepper out of one of her pillows, and just sat on her bed, thinking. The window caught her eye, and Kudzu realized it was night already! 
Kudzu just stared at the twinkling white stars, it was so relaxing, she did it at home too, when she couldn’t sleep. Kudzu soon felt her consciousness slowly drift away, into the soft enfolds of sleep, thinking about the day to come...
== Chapter 3 ==
Kudzu stared at the rolling hills in front of her and the other explorers. Just beyond them was the territory they were sent to explore. Queen Ibis had given them a map that morning, and sent them off. 
Clove stared at the golden grassed hills,he probably wasn’t used to it, the LeafWing kingdom being a forest. Snapper didn’t look intimidated by the distance at all, he looked intimidating. He wore several weapons strapped to his back and one that looked like a scythe but an axe head on it’s other end, attached to his arm. He insisted on bringing them with him, even though they weren’t likely to encounter anything that their venom, teeth, fire and claws couldn’t handle.
As they soared over the hills, the land smoothed out the farther they flew, and Kudzu even saw a few dormant volcano craters, full of shrubs and grazing deer and turkeys.
Then there was the forest.
As the three neared it, Kudzu noticed it was massive! On the map, it looked the size of one of her claws!
They landed near the forest, in a patch of bushes. Apparently, this was the land they’d been set to explore.
As soon as they landed, a thought struck Kudzu. This forest looked like where Spotted towhees where described to live. Now, they were thought to be extinct, thanks to the dragons prizing their eggshells and feathers. But no dragons ever went here, could some of the birds live here!
Kudzu was so lost in thought, she almost didn’t notice Snapper speaking. 
“You gonna go in or not, daydreamer?” he growled grumpily.
Kudzu focused back on reality. Clove and Snapper were sitting near a clear patch of trees, waiting for her. She ran over to them, ignoring Snapper.
They trudged through the forest for what felt like an hour. Kudzu saw several squirrels, chickadees, bushtits, and a steller’s jay(of which Pepper seemed to get in an argument with, squawking and screeching at it, of which the other jay returned), but no Spotted towhee’s. Kudzu should have told herself not to get her hopes up.
Eventually, after Clove getting all nerdy and talking to Snapper about the variety of trees here, which Snapper ignored, they found a clearing in which Snapper said to set up camp. Quen Ibis had giving them many things they could use, several knifes and saws, a bug net(for interesting bugs and, in Kudzu’s mind, whapping Clove if he got annoying), a folded tent, and some fruit(adequately civil) and dried meat(yuck). Kudzu gave Pepper some acorns she had found on the forest floor then got to work recording what birds she had seen.
Bushtit, chickadee, steller’s jay
That was boring.
Kudzu was focusing on her notes when Clove walked over to her. “Hey, uh, RainWIng, since where gonna be together for a, uh, long time, maybe we should, you know, get to know each other?” he said in a tiny voice.
Kudzu snorted. “My name is KUDZU, LeafWing, I thought I already told you.” 
Kudzu did NOT want to get to know this nervous, annoying dragon.
It was almost midday when Snapper said they should go exploring again. After her talk with Clove, Kudzu felt rather annoyed by the LeafWing, but went along anyway. He was probably just like Papaya.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)