Out of the Rainforest

Armored Scavenger's fan-fict. 
This is the first part of the second scavenger series: Scavenger Series #2: The Four Terrors
 The prequel of this story and the finale of the first series is the Second Scorching.
The next and second part of this series is The Ancient Beast.
Enjoy reading and comment if you want! :)
== Prologue ==
Before the Scorching...
The world was in chaos.
Jeremy looked out the window during the night. It was frightening to look. He knew the blood moon was an omen, he just didn't know what form it would take. When the messenger brought news of the king's death, everyone became wild. It seemed like it was every man for himself. Before long, fights broke out in the streets, houses were in flames, and there was no one to stop it. No one was in control.
And it wasn't just in his town, but in towns all over the continent. The omen did not confine itself to just one country. All of royal blood perished that night. Entire families, dynasties, kings, queens, and even the children. It was pure evil. No one was in charge, so now people began to put themselves first, hoping to take charge themselves. With no one to stop them, everyone seemed to do what they wanted, knowing they would suffer no consequences.
Jeremy rubbed his sore eyes and walked away from the door when he saw another blaze of fire. We humans can destroy ourselves faster than what we have built up for years. It only takes a spark to ignite it all.
Jeremy looked into his books. They comforted him. He hoped no one would disturb him, and he hoped even more that he himself would not be part of that chaos. He read the reports of the killings. One family was poisoned, another was executed by rogue guards, and another was found impaled. There were more and more, the list was long. All royal blood had been shed that night. Almost at the exact same moment. It was no coincidence. Jeremy knew the visions had to be true, but he never wanted to believe them.
What good is being a prophet when you don't even want to see the future? He sighed and flipped the page as he heard another scream from outside. His visions were never good, so he kept them to himself. He figured he'd let fate take its course. What could he do? He felt like it was a curse, seeing nothing but destruction and evil. He wished he never had this power, the power to see into the future.
He felt a sudden stab of pain in his head. Not again...
He closed his eyes and saw deep into what was to come. Fire, lots of fire in this vision. And steel, blood-stained. But then...an odd serenity. Brisk wind, the bright moon, trees. Then the moon turned blood red. The vision then ended.
He opened his eyes. Hmm...odd. My visions always end in some sort of atrocity... 
He pondered, then walked to the door. The rays of the morning sun shone through the window. He bravely walked outside. The sun made everything look yellow and bright. He looked around. People were walking around, and it seemed they had changed. They were not mad, nor crazy, nor violent. They were helping each other. They were giving each other food, water, blankets, whatever somebody needed. The buildings had broken windows, doors were destroyed, and some places were just piles of ash and burnt wood. 
There was an odd sort of peace and realization. The community was once broken, but it was being mended. People saw the errors in their ways, and after realizing what they had done they destroyed the monster that lived inside of them the night before.
Jeremy looked up at the sky. Fluffy clouds were traveling east with the yellow sky slowly turning blue. He thought about his vision. Maybe this time...I can help, I can help stop it this time. 
He went to his neighbors and helped rebuild. Even when humanity seemed like a monster itself, there was always a layer of love, kindness, and sense of helping that people just might dig out.
Jeremy helped his neighbors. He knew his future was going to have bumps and bruises along the way, but if he managed, maybe, just maybe, he could help his future descendants avoid some of his troubles.
He thought about the prophecy he would write later, but little did he know that it would become infamous and, unfortunately, true.
== Part 1: The Rainforest ==
=== Chapter 1: Peace Once Again ===
The dragon war was finally over. Peace once again came back to Pyrrhia. But Avocado couldn't feel that it was true.
The sun was shining brightly down on her as she napped in her hammock. It was sun-time, her favorite time of the day. She always looked forward to this moment when she could forget all her troubles and just rest and replenish her energy. Her snooze was interrupted with bad dreams, however. Ever since the NightWings moved in to her home, she could never feel safe anymore.
Like most of the other RainWings, she was outraged when she found out about the horrific experiments the NightWings performed on her tribe. When they agreed they would behave and accept Queen Glory as their ruler, Avocado just couldn't believe that.
So everyday she worried that the NightWings would do something again. She was almost certain they would assassinate the Queen or slaughter her tribe. She even thought her most feared nightmare would come true, that bad dragons would find out about her animus powers and use her for their own personal reasons. Whenever she went to sleep, she always woke up every once and a while to make sure she was still at the place she last knew she was. During the day she just wanted to sleep, just to get some rest.
Now that the war was over there was no more fighting. That made her happy, even though she wasn't really affected by it in any way. The dragonets of destiny decided to build a school at Jade Mountain to teach dragonets from each tribe to live together in harmony. Avocado wanted to join the academy very badly. She thought it was the coolest thing since dragonfruit, that was at least until she realized that NightWings were allowed to join.
She didn't want to believe that NightWings were all bad, but it was hard to see any good in them from the way they acted. She hoped when they started to become healthier they would become grateful to the RainWings, maybe even friendly.
She didn't want to disappoint the Queen by telling her that she didn't want to go. But she was also pretty sure that the Queen would understand. Avocado felt like Glory had the same feelings towards the NightWing as she did herself.
It was almost evening when Avocado finally woke up from her slumber. Surprisingly, she didn't feel tired at all. The RainWing stretched her wings and took off towards the village. She liked to sleep a little further away because it was more quieter in her own sleeping spot. She gazed as the tree-houses finally came into view. At least ten dragons were in the vicinity, either eating, talking, or just moving about. Avocado landed on the platform of one of the houses.
It was a plain tree house and only one dragon was inside.
"Good evening, Marmoset," greeted Avocado.
Marmoset was sitting in the corner organizing different kinds of flowers. He was a kind, but slow dragon who everyone loved but wouldn't depend on. He was Avocado's childhood friend, and every once and a while she would visit him to see what he was doing. Avocado remembered when they were little dragonets and they used to explore the forest and find new things everyday. Eventually, for some reason she couldn't remember, they stopped doing that and went their own separate ways. Avocado used to count and put fruit into neat piles, but ever since she became one of Queen Glory's messengers she had a new job.
Marmoset welcomed her in and gave Avocado a beautiful lilac. Avocado never forgot how charming and polite Marmoset was. She was glad he didn't change one bit. She couldn't say the same for herself.
=== Chapter 2: Night Exploration ===
Before long it was nighttime. Avocado and Marmoset talked about the latest napping strategies when the idea of going out caught their mind. The two left the tree-house and flew into the night, with two of the moons and hundreds of stars lighting the way.
Avocado landed near a creek down below in the under-story. Loads of tropical fish and creatures loved to hang out around the water. Avocado remembered being a dragonet and watching the colorful fish for hours at a time with Marmoset and some other RainWings. It was sort of a special place.
A beautiful orange and blue fish came near the surface and lazily stared at the two big dragonets. RainWings like Avocado and Marmoset could never imagine eating something so funny like that. They loved their fruit just fine.
The rainforest was just as exciting at night as it was during the day. Noises from all sorts of creatures filled the air, along with the water from the fast moving stream. Avocado hadn't been up this late for a long time, but she wished she had done it more often. She then came up with an idea.
"Hey, Marm, guess what!?" she asked excitedly.
"What?" replied Marmoset, yawning.
"Let's see if we can find the animals by just listening to their calls!" she suggested.
"I don't know..."
"Oh come on, Marm. It'll be fun, plus the night will make things interesting. Oooorrrrr you can just go home, by yourself." She knew Marmoset didn't remember the way. He would have no choice but to play with her.
"Fine. What animal?" he asked.
A caw caw came from the trees. "Who made that?" she asked. She knew it was from some bird. She just hoped Marmoset could find it.
After taking his time he eventually found a tree with a beautiful bird sitting in it. "Found it. Toucan. Now your turn."
"Ok. Just try me," she said, pumped up.
Riiibit. Riiiibiiit. "Find that animal!" he said.
Avocado laughed. "Ha. You make things too easy." She flew down to a small pond below and carefully picked up a tiny green frog. She held it out to Marmoset triumphantly.
He muttered under his breathe. "I don't think I want to play this game anymore..."
"Come on Marm. Don't be a rotten pile of clawmentines. One more. Then we can go."
Marmoset was about to take off when he had a second thought. He looked back at Avocado. How could he say no to the face Avocado made when she really wanted something? He sighed.
"All right. One more. We clear?"
"Crystal."
Marmoset hovered with Avocado in the air, listening for a sound to use.
Avocado heard chirps, howls, and the creek, but nothing interesting.
"Heard that? Nothing. Come on, let's go," urged Marmoset.
"Wait hold on, what's that," she asked. Marmoset rolled his eyes, until he heard it himself.
It was a slithering noise. Too loud for a snake. Avocado looked at where the noise seemed to originate from. "Over there!"
Marmoset looked, but before both could see what it was it disappeared into the shadows.
"Not cool," commented Marmoset. "Please Avocado, please let's go home now. It's getting too late."
"Oh all right, Marm. Let's go," sighed Avocado, disappointed because they couldn't find out what the strange noise was.
They flew together to the village. They said good-night to each other and went to their own sleeping hammocks. Avocado dreamed of finding the mystery creature. She then officially decided that was what she was going to do tomorrow.
=== Chapter 3: Marmoset (Not To Be Confused With Marmoset the RainWing‘s Marmoset) ===
The bright morning sun woke Avocado up just before noon. She stretched on her hammock and opened her wings, flying to the village. She cheerfully greeted everyone she met on her way to the Queen's tree-house.
For most of the day, Avocado listened to Glory talk about her plans, which Avocado found quite boring. All she talked about was assigning jobs, settling some minor disputes, and a lot about the NightWings, which she seemed to talk about everyday. Eventually, Glory told her to deliver a message to the healer's hut, and then she could go do whatever she wanted. Avocado hid a yawn and gladly went to do her job.
On her way to the hut she ran into Marmoset, who was doing his regular job of flower collecting. He was humming his favorite tune when Avocado called him.
"Hey, Marm! Guess what!" she yelled, practically in his ear. She loved to sneak up on her friends, and she loved their reactions even more.
Marmoset was so startled that he almost dropped his basket of sorted blue and orange flowers. "What!" he blurted, thinking something was wrong.
"Are you coming with me tonight to see that mystery creature again? Will ya?" she asked, hopeful.
"Well, er....no. No, Avocado," he said, trying to spare Avocado's feelings.
But Avocado felt hurt. "Bu-but why?" she asked, befuddled.
"Well...lots of reasons. Well, there's the fact that I need to sleep and I, um, I have a job to do, you see, and...," he explained. He then continued on his way. Avocado, however, followed him.
"That's not it, is it? You don't like me, right?" she asked. She then started to wonder where she went wrong.
Marmoset, however, looked at her with big eyes. He was shocked to hear those words coming from her. "What! No, that's not it Avocado. I like you, I really like you. You are my best friend. How can you say that?"
He stopped in mid-flight to look at her. Avocado then questioned him again.
"Then why won't you tell me, Marm!? Best friends tell each other everything. Buddies don't lie like that. And I know you were lying."
Marmoset sighed. He looked down at his basket of flowers and explained, embarrassed. He was pale from horn to claw, top to bottom.
"Woah. Are you okay?" asked a concerned Avocado.
"Well, truth is, I have been terrified ever since yesterday night. I never told you this, but I'm afraid of the dark. And that thing gave me nightmares and sent shivers down my spine. I can't go back, Avocado, I just can't."
Avocado had streaks of dark-purple and blue-gray swirling around her. She felt so awful for taking her best friend somewhere he was terrified of, and then asking him to go with her there again.
"Oh, Marmoset, I didn't know. You don't have to go with me, I'll go by myself this time. Okay?" she said, "I'm sorry. I feel awful."
Marmoset was sympathetic. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't know, I should have told you from the start. Just...just be careful. Ok, Avocado?"
Avocado's mood changed drastically again. She beamed. "You can be sure I will! When I get back you will be the first to know what I found," Avocado then coiled her tail around Marmoset's.
"I'd like that. Now, go find that thing so I can stop worrying about it. But don't be reckless."
"Reckless?! Me?" she squawked, outraged.
"That is the general term, is it?" said Marmoset, with a know-it-all tone.
"Oh, all right. But only cause you said so. I will prove to you I can be just as professional as you," she announced, holding her head up nobly.
The hours went by and Avocado found the place she was at last night. It all looked different in the sun's light. Giant trees grew there, however, they began to shrink the further she looked. At the horizon the edge of the forest could be faintly seen. To the west she could see the mountains in the distance.
Ok mystery thing, time to find out what you are, she thought as the sun finally went down. She perched in the tree, listening for a slither or looking out for a shadow.
=== Chapter 4: Dark Encounter ===
The night was filled with all sorts of noise, but not any mysterious, spooky slithering, and no shadowy sneaky figures lurked around. Before long, Avocado thought she might just give up if this was all she was staying up for.
However, every once and a while something stirred in the thick of the rainforest, but she could not catch it in time. It always got away, no matter how fast she reacted. Avocado couldn't even get a good glimpse of what it was. So she went back to her perch and waited for the next thing to come out.
It seemed she would get nothing accomplished tonight until she heard something rustling at the base of a tree near the one she was on. She gracefully and quietly glided down to the under-story of the forest. Here, all sorts of creatures lived busy lives, though it was quieter since it was night. She examined the tree the noise came from. On closer inspection, she could see large claw marks and broken branches scattered on the ground.
What could have made this? she wondered.
She waited but nothing happened. Avocado looked around constantly and looked hard into the dark but to no avail. Whatever that was, was gone. Vanished.
She was about to go back to her tree when she heard a branch break suddenly. She turned her head quickly to the direction of the sound, and this time she caught a brief glimpse of the mystery creature. She dove to the spot where she saw it, but it was already gone. Again.
What is this thing? How is it so fast!?
Avocado heard another sound and this time when she looked she saw more of the thing. It was black, like its surroundings, which explained why it was hard for it to get caught. Avocado and her curiosity kept her going. She was determined to find out what the thing was, or who it was. It was some sort of creature, or maybe even a dragon, but for all she knew it was Marmoset! She then realized it might be leading her somewhere. She took the risk.
She didn't realize that she was nearing the edge of the rainforest. In a few moments she could be at or near the clearing. That was whatever she was pursuing wanted. To drive her out of her home.
Avocado didn't notice it until it was too late. Suddenly, without her realizing, the trees suddenly shrunk or began to vanish. She looked back and the rainforest was right behind her.
"Hello, RainWing. I see you were following me," said a quiet voice out of nowhere.
Avocado jumped. Who was that! The thing? She didn't know what was going on.
"I see you don't know where I am. Funny how that works. My, how rude of me, I should introduce myself." The voice spoke again, this time a bit more audible.
A dark figure swooped down from a tree behind Avocado, from the rainforest. Avocado could clearly tell it was a dragon, and specifically what tribe.
NightWing.
"I see you can see me now, RainWing. Too bad it is the last of anything your eyes will ever lay eyes on. At least you get to see a great sight like me," the voice chuckled, a male NightWing.
Out of nowhere three NightWings the color of the night appeared from behind Avocado. She was trapped, and the path to the rainforest was blocked.
What have I gotten myself into?
== Part 2: Beyond Home ==
=== Chapter 5: Narrow Escape ===
Avocado looked for any window of opportunity, even the smallest. However, no such chance came in the few seconds she had. So she would have to make one herself.
As the three NightWings closed down on her, she had only one thing she could do. She had never used her animus powers for violence, maybe mischief, but never to intentionally harm another dragon. So with her powers she built up a growing ball of light. She remembered making one of these when it was too dark to fly home and it helped her see in the dark. She wondered what would happen if she made it a hundred times stronger...
"Hey! RainWing! What are you doing!?" asked one of the NightWings. Soon they would be on top of her. Even if they didn't kill her, they would eventually find out her abilities and use her for themselves.
The lead NightWing urged the others to hurry up. "Come on! Get a move on. We don't have all night, you know!" he barked. The three NightWings changed from approaching slowly, hissing and baring their fangs to charging at her at full speed. Avocado had run out of time, her ball of light would have to do. It was still smaller than her head, but it was bright like the moons. It was white and it was hot, even Avocado had a hard time being near it and feeling the heat from it.
She decided it was now or never and she hurled the ball at her assailants. Then she used her magic to guide it just in front of them. They stood there, looking at the ball, trying to comprehend what it was. Right when they were looking straight at it, Avocado closed her eyes and the ball exploded.
Then screams rang out in the night. From a distance away, any dragon could have saw a bright explosion of white light in that area, but no one except for Avocado and the NightWings were there to witness it.
Avocado opened her eyes and saw what she had done. The three dragons who where on the floor in front of her were laying down or rolling on the ground in pain. The grass was black and some of it was burning in flames. In the moonlight she could see that the black of the NightWing scales was not entirely theirs. A large part of each dragon was burnt and ugly black scales showed where it hit. But what made Avocado really curious was that they were clutching their eyes, howling in pain.
A voice behind her shouted. "My eyes! I can't see anything! OWWW, they hurt! AHHH!!!"
She turned around to see him. He was not burnt like the others because he wasn't in front of the ball. But the ball must have blinded him or at least destroyed most of his vision like the rest of the NightWings. Avocado went over to him. She hadn't wanted to hurt them, but they were being mean to her in the first place.
But when she was almost near him, he screamed. "We will get you RainWing! We'll kill all of your pathetic tribe and your head will be on a pike! We're gonna slaughter your queen. Mark my words! YOUR DEAD! OWWWWWWWW!"
As much as she wanted to help them, as much as her guilt weighed her down, there was nothing she could do. The damage was done and they would harm her no matter what now. She doubted their threats would be carried out.
She heard wingbeats. More dragons were coming this way! No, no, no! No one can see me like this, with THEM! I gotta get out of here.
She didn't know who was coming her way, but she wasn't going to be there when she found out. How could I possibly explain all of this!? The NightWings will hate me now when they see what I have done. I can't risk it. But what if they can't figure out who it was or find me? Will they harm some poor RainWing for revenge? 
She paused. I can't stay. 
She opened her wings and flew into the night. The rainforest was behind her.
Maybe one day I can come back, when they all forget....
Her eyes watered. Her home was not hers anymore. She would have to find a new one.
=== Chapter 6: New Home ===
Avocado flew as far as her wings could take her away from the rainforest. She always thought about returning, but then she always fought against it. The night would soon end and then she could fly with the sun lighting her way. She needed to sleep, or else she would not be able to go any farther. Avocado was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.
As the sun rose, Avocado began searching for a place to stay. She thought about sleeping in the trees, but some dragon might find her or she might fall off as she was resting. Before long, however, she began to not care where she went, as long as she could lay down, eat, and drink water. Hopefully there was fruit around, and maybe a stream.
The mountains grew bigger and bigger. She had an idea.
Maybe I can go to the academy and stay there for a while. Surely the dragonets of destiny would let me!
She was happy that she now had a plan. Before, she had no idea what she was going to do for who knows how long. Avocado first thought it was going to be easy to live alone with some food, water, and shelter that she would find. But she couldn't even find one clawmentine or banana plant. However, there was a fast-moving creek that she followed towards the mountain range. Jade Mountain towered over the other peaks; it was massive and tall.
At one point, Avocado flew down to a green pasture to rest. There were not many along the way so she took this opportunity happily. The grass was dry as the sun warmed the ground, and Avocado slept almost the rest of the day. When she woke up, she was surprised to see the sun was already setting.
Oh no. I have to find somewhere to go before nighttime. Who knows what is out there? she thought with worry. She quickly stretched and drank from the creek. The water was fresh and cold. It was an acceptable alternative to the juices of the fruit she usually drank.
After her stop she took to the skies once again. The wind was beginning to become stronger and chilly. She shivered and realized the mountains were nothing like her home. The sun warmed her up on the pasture, but now she was going to feel the coldest she had ever been. She didn't even know how 'cold' felt, but she was ready to learn new things.
Desperate, she flew low to find anywhere to get away from the cold. Finally, as the mountains were very close, she found a cave. Hurriedly, Avocado went inside. It was dark, but it was dry and a little bit warmer. Hopefully no one was in there, and no one would come in as she slept. When she realized how tired she was from flying, she laid down on the cave floor. It was hard and rocky. After a bit of searching, Avocado finally found a flat floor with no rocks on it.
She closed her eyes and soon sleep came. She dreamed of the home she left behind, and what the future might hold for her tomorrow.
Don't worry Avocado, it will be alright. I know it will all work out....
=== Chapter 7: Lonely Life ===
The next morning, Avocado found herself shivering on the hard, cold ground. Only a little light seeped in, but she could tell where the entrance was just fine. She yawned as she left the cave, wanting to continue sleeping, but knowing she had to go.
The sky was blue and only a few puffy white clouds dotted it. Cold wind moved them along quickly and far to the east a gray towering cluster of clouds rushed across the sky. Before long the storm would arrive. Avocado decided to find some food and water, then return to the cave to seek shelter from the incoming storm. Hopefully she would find some and not go hungry. Without sun later that day, it was going to make her tired.
The mountains towered over on one side, and green forests dotted on the other. A bit further and soon the rainforest might be in view from up high. Avocado stayed low to the ground, looking for any kind of fruit to eat. It was harder than she thought, and the only thing she could find were some sort of purple and red berries, along with some sort of orange fruit. She took as much as she could carry and flew back to the cave. She made a neat pile and went back outside to find water to drink.
She could not remember where the stream from the day before was, so she looked around for any source of water. At first she explored the forests opposite of the mountains. They were lush, yet there were a lot of rocks on the ground along the way. Animals of all kinds lived there, rushing or squawking away from her as the RainWing came through.
There was no water anywhere, except for a muddy pond that Avocado dared not drink from. Also, sometimes Avocado spotted a dead animal carcass or a pile of bones. Now she had another thought on her mind that she had to worry about.
What if I am not alone?
Her luck in finding something to drink ended up with nothing. The fruit she had collected would barely satisfy her. In fact, the orange fruit seemed to be very dry, and probably had no juice.
Avocado decided to go the other way, towards the mountains. For all she knew, maybe there was something there. She didn't know what was near the mountains, but considering she was going to be in the cave for a while, and that the storm was approaching quickly, it was worth a look.
With her wings flapping as fast as she could, Avocado flew quickly back to the cave and then over the rocky hills. The higher she went the colder it seemed to get. She looked around, but could only see more mountains, a few trees, and the occasional wildlife. She flew around to the other side and found nothing again.
She searched and she searched but nothing ever came up. Soon droplets of water started to rain down, and the skies were grey all over. The wind was strong and the trees swayed with it. Avocado gave up and returned to the cave.
She made it just in time as the first bolt of lighting whizzed across the sky, and the first rumble of thunder shook the earth below. At least the cave was more illuminated than before. So Avocado had more time to explore her new home herself now. Most of it was boring and the stone walls seemed dull. That was until she heard a most welcoming sound.
Water! I hear a creek! she thought as she heard the sound of water flowing quickly deeper in the cave. Though hard to see it, it was clear the water was there. From the edge she dunked her head into the fast-moving creek and drank until she was satisfied.
From there she went back closer to the entrance where her fruit pile was. She took a bite of the orange fruit. She was right, it was dry.
"Bleech. Bad fruit," she muttered as she swallowed the rest of her food. She then took a handful of the berries.
She stuffed a talon-full of them in her mouth and hoped for the best. Her eyes perked up as the delicious flavor and the rich juices put a smile onto her. She ate the rest of the berries and went back to drink a bit more from the creek.
From then until she went to bed, Avocado watched the storm from the entrance. The lighting fascinated her and she found beauty in the storm. When a gust of wind toppled a tree down from the forest, she looked in awe. It was different from her home, but she enjoyed it.
Then she felt lonely. She wanted to tell the other RainWings of the phenomena she just experienced. She sighed as she knew she would have to wait until she cold go back. If the rain stopped tomorrow then she might go to the Academy at Jade Mountain. The storm, however, continued into the night, even after Avocado fell asleep.
=== Chapter 8: The Cave ===
When Avocado woke up, she was frustrated to see that it was still raining! Rain, rain, go away!
Her day was ruined. No way was she going to go out in the rain and get soaked, or worse, get struck by lightning. She could hear the thunder roar as she kept her distance away from the cave entrance. She sighed and laid down on her makeshift bed. The day before Avocado had gathered a bunch of leaves and grass so she wouldn't have to sleep on the hard floor. It wasn't exactly a hammock, but it was still a better option than the stone. Her food supply was running low, and if she got desperate then somehow she was going to make a meal out of the orange, dry fruit.
She had plenty of water, but when she went for a drink, surprisingly there was light in the deep part of the cavern.
How? It was almost pitch black before. I almost hurt myself getting to the stream yesterday.
She looked around to find out what had changed. The light was coming from deep inside the cave. The crackle of a fire brought Avocado to attention. Fire?!
She proceeded quickly and deeper into the caverns. The further she went the more she could see. She had no idea what to expect. Then, as she jumped over a large boulder, she could see a large bonfire blazing right in front of her.
How did this get here? thought Avocado. Clearly nothing like lightning could have been in here. Only a dragon could. Which meant she was not alone. Someone was living here as she did.
Avocado's mind became cluttered with worry, excitement, curiosity, and loads of other thoughts. It hurt her head so she decided to focus.
Okay, one scary thingy or one not so scary thingy is in here with me. Wonder who it is, maybe someone I know! Doubt it, but there is always a chance...
The cave also seemed to be close to another entrance on the other side of the cavern. A giant gap was between the two sides, and from the far side it seemed sunlight was shining through. The rainstorm had stopped and the weather was nice.
Avocado was still cold, however. She longed for her home, but this cave was her place for now. She pushed the thought aside and returned to figuring out who was living her. Or what.
All of a sudden a very faint sound made Avocado turn around. Someone's coming!
Tip-tap-tip-tap. The sound was not loud, but it could be still heard. It got slightly louder and louder as whoever it was got closer.
Come at me thing. I'm not scared of you. An animus shouldn't!
=== Chapter 9: Unexpected Guest ===
Whatever it was, Avocado was prepared for it. She bared her fangs, opened her wings, dug her talons into the stone a bit, and glared into the direction of the sound.
The tip-taps got louder and faster, and that was when Avocado called out her best battle cry.
"ROOOOARRRR!" she cried. After that she hissed a couple of times and was prepared to use her venom, even though she was always taught never to use it on other dragons. But this is self-defense. It's different.
Whatever it was must have clearly hear her because the tip-taps seemed to run in the opposite direction of her. Doesn't sound big. Or brave.
The thing could not have been a dragon. First, the sounds should have been heavier and slower, if it indeed was a dragon. Secondly, she doubted her scream would have terrified anything into hiding. The only time she did scream was when she lost her favorite flower petals or the fruit she was saving became rotten. Never had she have to be so menacing, and even 'menacing' seemed too generous of a term to describe her holler.
Clearly the creature was scared off. So Avocado felt that there was nothing to fear and went into the darkness. It was heading to the entrance, fast! At least she thought it was.
She flew over to the entrance as fast as she could. She narrowly avoided stalagmites, stalactites, and a lot of rocks that seemed to be poking out everywhere. Avocado could see the entrance and flew right into the light.
The storm had long passed and everything was soggy and and much, much colder. Mist covered much of the area around her and it was difficult to see anything a few feet in front of her. It was nighttime and the moons shone brightly, but the mist dulled their light. Argh. It got away!
However, she heard the tip-taps again, but from inside the cave, not outside. It's still in there! How?
Then Avocado heard panting, huffing, and whatever it was breathed hard. Out of breath and stamina, a thing stumbled out of the caverns. It was not what Avocado expected at all. Three moons! A new creature-thingy! What is it?
The little creature was no taller than her shoulder. It was exhausted, however, and soon it bent down and placed its two, unusually short arms on its hips. The thing was shiny, whatever it was. It head was looking downward to the ground, and it gave out coughs and spat.
Avocado studied it more closely. Doesn't look dangerous. Small, yes, a bit cute. Poor thing has trouble breathing. Aww. 
The creature reminded her of something she saw once. The NightWings! They had helmets and armor from shiny stuff! Is that what it is?
It's head was covered by a helmet and masked what seemed to be its face. Over its body was more of the shiny armor, however, a small torn pelt was strapped across the creature. Then it had a strange red cloth covering its legs. It looked soft. Then it had things on its tiny feet that were the color of the sun, but duller.
Cute. But strange. What in Pyrrhia is it? Avocado had no idea what the little animal was or where it came from. She moved in closer and stretched her head towards it to get a better look.
However, the creature looked up and gave a surprised gasp. It backed away slowly towards the cave. It then foolishly tripped over a rock and landed on its back. It sputtered and on its back it stared at the big, blue dragon.
Even under its helmet, Avocado could see two big eyes looked dead at her.
=== Chapter 10: Red Liquid? ===
What is it....?
Avocado looked down at it as the creature seemed to tremble. It was obvious. Every movement it made was shaky and cautious. The tiny thing was a nervous wreck.
Why is it so scared? I won't hurt it! Lots of things are small and don't even notice me! Avocado became frustrated.
She swung her tail back and forth, her talons clenched, and her eyes looking at the creature as if she were staring at its soul. Which made things worse. She HATED not knowing why things were the way they were. She had no idea why the tiny shiny animal was so frightened of her. She was harmless!
Well, not harmless. But it should know I wouldn't dream of hurting it. However, the pathetic scared look on its face wanted her to hit it. Then something caught her attention.
The tiny creature was trying to crawl away.
"Hey!" shouted Avocado at it. She then reached down and put one talon on top of its legs. Now it couldn't get loose. Laying on its stomach, the tiny creature grunted as it tried to keep going. However, the large talons of the dragon tightly pressed him to the ground. Not surprisingly, it did not give up trying.
"Oh for crying out loud...." Avocado rolled her eyes. She didn't know if it was stupid or just really wanted to get away. Probably both. She sighed.
"The only thing I can talk to in this cave is you. Stop trying to get away. It won't do you any good." But the creature kept going. She knew she couldn't hold it down all day so she resorted to her other option. She let go.
Realizing it was free, the tiny thing ran as fast as it could on its two legs. Before it managed to get into the darkness, Avocado used her magic to stop it in its tracks. A blue light surrounded the creature and it couldn't move any further.
Avocado was pleased. It still works. She grinned. This spell was one she discovered herself when she was a very young dragonet. When she was little she was playing with a frog when it began to hop away. She got really upset and wanted it to come back. So then she used her magic to stop it and then forced it back to her. She played with it the entire day without losing it for a moment.
Then later when she was playing with Marmoset, he had to leave early for a reason she could not remember. But she didn't want him to go so she tried the spell on him. It did not work. She concluded that the spell worked on only small things, or at least until she practiced more.
The creature looked as if it was in a daze. Its eyes stared at the light around him, moving back and forth. It didn't move, just looked. Avocado then used her magic again and it floated back to her. The creature noticed quickly and tried to run again. But in moments it was in her talons.
"Got you, you little shiny unknown thing." As she held it she could feel the hard armor it wore. The red covering was soft and the things on its feet were rough. However. when she touched its tiny arm she felt something peculiar. Something wet.
She went towards he moonlight and looked at what was in her hands. The creature was clutching the arm that was wet. As she got light she gasped as she saw what the wet liquid was. Dark red liquid slowly flowed out of the paw holding the arm. Blood.
Avocado knew what blood was. When she was little she accidentally flew too fast and slammed into a tree, then fell to the forest floor. Her leg began to hurt badly. Her friends carried her to the healers and they wrapped her leg in leaves to stop the red liquid from dripping from her leg. It wasn't a lot of blood, but it made her completely terrified.
She knew she had to act fast. Avocado did not know how long ago this started, or if she was the one who caused it. But the creature began to moan and the color of its skin was getting paler, and not because it was in the moon's light.
Quickly she went to the waterfall and washed the tiny animal's arm with water. She got some leaves and tore them into small pieces. She wrapped them around the bloody arm and wrapped small vines around her bandage to keep it together. The bleeding seemed to stop or at least it didn't seem as bad. In a hallowed out piece of the dry, now hard fruit that she made into a bowl she offered the creature water. It seemed to get its color back and its liveliness.
I can't believe. I saved a life..."
Avocado was proud. And the creature wasn't as scared of her anymore. They both slept in the night. Unfortunately, the creature's breathing was getting worse and worse.
=== Chapter 11: Out of the Cave ===
Avocado was dreaming of delicious fruit and warm sun when black clouds appeared out of nowhere. No matter how fast she glided through the trees the smog would not go away. She began to cough and cough. She coughed so hard that her eyes were watery and saliva spat out of her mouth. Then she woke up....
It was not her coughing. Her eyes slowly opened as the light began to come to her eyes. The grey of the cave wall was literally the only color she could make out. Unlike the days before, when it was very quiet, this morning was filled with coughs, sputters, and sneezes. Avocado sat up on the hard ground and looked over at the little creature.
It was laying on its side, almost curled up into a ball. The thing was shivering violently and coughing every few seconds. Then it would sneeze so loudly that its entire body jerked.
Oh no...What am I going to do? she thought. Now she was worried about whether the tiny creature can survive. She had no knowledge of whatever these were, and anything she tried to do could make its condition worse. She needed real help.
She thought for a moment. If I leave, then maybe I can find someone to help it. But if I do leave...what if they are still out to get me? Think Avocado, think!
Another cough came out as the creature slowly rose up. It struggled to stand straight as it sneezed yet again. It wrapped its arms around itself and looked worriedly at the dead fire. Then it looked up at Avocado. Straight in the eye. Avocado felt unsettled.
Or I can just end its suffering. Avocado shuddered at the thought. Avocado, what are you thinking! This isn't you! What if it will get better on its own.
Avocado leaned down to get a better view of the two-legged ill being. To her surprise, its condition was worse. Its face was very pale, its eyes were bloodshot, and even though the wound wasn't bleeding, the creature cringed as pain traveled through its entire body.
We have to go.
Avocado made up her mind. She had to at least try.
"Ok. Um...Shiny. I will take you somewhere else so you can get better. Got it?" she told the thing. In response, the two-legged creature took off its helmet and placed one hand on its head. Headache. It gritted its teeth as the pain struck.
Avocado gasped and quickly got the creature into her talons. She tried to soothe it just like when she took care of some dragonets one time. She remembered it like it was yesterday. It was a warm day. The sun was out, no rain, and a nice breeze filled with sweet fragrances was in the air.
Avocado and two others, her friend, Blossom, and their teacher, Petal, landed near the nursery. There were at least ten dragonets who hatched only a few days before. After some brief lessons, Avocado felt ready to take care of a dragonet. The entire tribe took care of them, and she was determined to do her part.
She played with one of the dragonets. He was an extremely pink dragonet, who reminded her of Jambu, Queen Glory's brother. Then he began to cry. Avocado, using the things she just learned, took the dragonet and cooed him. He was then feed a piece of fruit and was his happy self once again.
However, her current situation was far more serious. Life or death for her new friend. Well, she hoped it was going to be her friend. Avocado had become rather fond of whatever the two-legged shiny creature was.
She cradled it in her talons and left the cave. All she left behind was the leftover fruit, the creek, and the vast grayness of the rock. Now she had to get help. Fast.
=== Chapter 12: Jade ===
Avocado flew as fast she she could. Jade Mountain was so close, but yet it felt so far away. Her wings were tired and she just had to rest. But the little creature couldn't wait. Any moment could be its last.
So Avocado got to Jade by nightfall. She was exhausted, but when she looked at the creature still breathing in her talons, it made it all worth while. Avocado landed right before the opening to what will be the new school. She gently laid the creature on the ground.
"Don't worry, help is close, just hang on," she reassured it as she tried to comfort the thing. The creature only laid on the ground, barely moving. It was as pale as ever, groaning and moaning every few seconds. The coughing died down, as well as the sneezing, but now the creature was even weaker. Avocado lightly poked the creature with her talon. It only yelped in pain and Avocado quickly jumped back.
"Sorry! I'm sorry! Oh, no..." Avocado grabbed the creature and went inside. There was practically no light until she got deeper into the cave. It was cold, but she saw the flicker of a fire in front of her. As she went through the passageways she wondered how the school was going to be.
Avocado wanted to be part of the school since the first time she heard of it. She wanted to learn to read, write, try new foods, learn history, ace exams on flowers....but then she found out that other tribes were also attending. Which meant NightWings.
The only exceptions were Starflight, the blind young NightWing dragonet who she wanted to be friends with. She never got the chance yet, but he seemed like the friendliest NightWing she had ever heard of. The other was Fatespeaker. She really liked her. Her only real NightWing friend. At times she didn't even notice that she was one, until Fatespeaker went on about having powers. Avocado never had the courage to tell her of her own animus magic.
The fire began to warm the air around her. Almost ,little guy, almost.
Avocado peeked around the corner and there, in the middle of a room, was a blazing fire. The warm room made Avocado feel more at home. She walked in. In the room the walls were also stone, like in the cave she was in not too long ago, but they were glowing orange from the inferno. She heard a sudden snore.
"Zzz." Someone was in the room with her. She looked at the creature, but it was still awake. Avocado placed it near the fire. It seemed a bit of life came back to it as it managed to turn over on its back and fall asleep.
Avocado went on to the other side of the room. Who is that?
A body was on the floor next to the fire. It breathed softly, only to be interrupted by a snore every once and a while. It was a SandWing. Avocado took a closer look.
Sunny! Her hopes went up. Sunny and Avocado met each other a while back and have been good friends ever since. Of all the dragonets of destiny, Sunny was who Avocado really admired. The SandWing princess slumbered and Avocado yawned watching her.
Better get my rest. Tomorrow, maybe she can help. And the creature will be better.
Avocado curled up next to the fire and slept. She was glad the creature's breathing got better, even if just slightly.
=== Epilogue ===
Chaos. The perfect word. No better word could be used to describe the world.
It was dark in the room. Night had finally come to the king's tired soul. It was so peaceful, just peaceful. The entire palace was quiet, not even the mice made a sound. The windows were closed, the door was closed, and it was warm under the covers. Outside, it was quite different. The blizzard made the entire world seem white. No traveler would dare trek across the barren tundra, unless he was a fool. Only the ice dragons could. And they weren't idiots.
The king's day was done. Now he could get some rest. The entire day was filled with work, work, and more work. At least there was peace with his neighbors, but inside was a different story. Since the end of the war, people have been getting more skeptical, mistrusting, and downright frightened. "What happens now?" they would ask. "How long will this last?"
He rolled over to his left side. He just wanted to forget about everything in his sleep and wake up fresh in the morning with no worries. If only that could come true. No more trouble. He just imagined the evergreen forests in the west, the frozen lakes, and the powdery snow everywhere. His southern border was secured with the new Khan, and that was that. No war would ever come to his country ever again.
A creak. A creak of the wood. The king thought he heard it, but it was just his imagination. He smiled in his sleep. He too was getting a little unnerved after everything. He was safe in his warm, cozy palace in the north. He had nothing to fear.
Another creak. The king was smart enough to wake up. Something or someone was moving. Then another creak, right outside the door. The king got out of bed, still in his nightclothes. The sword! He had to get his sword!
The king got it, but before he could turn around the door squeaked open. The king slowly turned to his right. The door was open, showing him the wooden stairs down to the rest of the building. No one was there. He was put on edge. He walked over to the door, looking closely into the darkness in his room. The staircase was illuminated by a fiery torch.
Slowly he went out of the door into the small hallway. There was a shadow....
The End. Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy the next story.
Category:Content (Armored Scavenger)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)