Eranomous' Story Part Two

## Wings of Fire Eranomous' Story PART 2 Chapters 4-5

* by RhynoBullraq, Jan 26, 2016, 11:58:15 AM
* Literature / Fan Fiction / Fantasy

*Written by: RhynoBullraq*

*Edited by: A.T. Peluso*

*Based on the World and Characters created by Tui T. Sutherland*

**Chapter 4: Eranomous**

The desert sun pounded down on Eranomous' scales, the heat was overwhelming. He wasn't sure how many times he had passed out by now, but he felt like he was dying. His throat had dried up so much, talking was physically impossible. Every time they landed to rest, Burn made it a point to look him over through the bars of his cage. The way she looked at him made his scales crawl. Despite her eyes being pure black, the look reminded him of his own and his brother's eyes when they saw the last 'DoWhat'. A look of excitement, but a look you only give an inanimate object. This worried Eranomous greatly.

As they approached a large stone structure, Eranomous knew this was the last stop.

*'This must be Burn's Stronghold…'* what horrors awaited him in those waalls he wondered. It wasn’t until his cage was being pulled through the doors that Eranomous was finally hit by a powerful stench of death. *'This place just gets better and better.'*

Ever since that day Eranomous lost his mother and his body began burning from the inside, his eyes had become very sensitive to light. The sun was too bright for Eranomous to make anything out, but he was pretty sure he didn’t want to find the source of the stench.

"Princess Burn,” A male SandWing approached Burn. Eranomous couldn’t make out what he looked like but his voice sounded sardonic. "Welcome back... but I'm afraid I have bad news regarding Blister."

 Burn groaned in annoyance, "What is it this time, Smolder?" She waved her claw to the SandWings holding Eranomous' cage. "Take my gift to the tower with the others. Make sure they don't kill each other... I need them unscathed."

"Understood." Both SandWings bowed and began towards a tower.

As Eranomous left the sunlight and entered the tower his blood ran cold. The feeling of death lived within these walls. Still bodies lined the wall, frozen in time, but something wasn’t right.

*'What the... they look like they're alive... but... something is off.'* That's when it clicked in Eranomous' head. This was his fate. *THIS* was why Burn looked at him that way. *'I'm going to die here and my body will be stuck in some pose for Burn to gawk at.'*

 Eranomous quickly noticed there was more than just dragons in here. There were creatures he had never seen before. As his cage passed blank face, after blank face he felt himself beginning to feel sick.

*'Run, Run, Run!'* His body kept screaming to him, but the chains and cage made sure he couldn't. That remained a fantasy. Eranomous also felt the need to scream but all he could manage were quiet wheezes of fear.

"What do you make of this... thing?"One of the SandWings asked while placing the cage down.

The other one grunted and shook his head. "It's definitely the strangest thing I’ve ever seen." He glanced around the tower and chuckled, “And I’ve seen a lot.”

"I agree," Both dragons took a step away from the cage,

"Anyways... let's get out of here... this place gives me the creeps."

Eranomous listened to the two SandWings leave and the doors close behind them. The silence quickly filled the room with a numbing hum. Eranomous closed his eyes and tried to wish himself free of this place and this nightmare. Suddenly he heard something odd sound break the silence

 "Pssst."

He quickly opened his eyes, unsure of if he really heard the sound or if his brain was just fried.

Then he heard it again, "Pssssst."

Eranomous looked around at the lifeless faces, *'Is someone else in here...'* he recalled hearing Burn say, "Others." *‘What others did she mean?’*

Suddenly a pink light caught his eyes, "Pssst, Hey." The squeaky voice came out clearly and sounded female.

Finally, he saw who was trying to get his attention. She was much smaller then himself, with dark purplish scales that looked nearly black. Her eyes were a bright unusual pink and her horns curled down around her ears. Eranomous also noticed she had a strange collar on, with a broken, black pearl leash. The odd glowing lights on her made Eranomous pretty sure she was a Seawing.

*'Three moons, she's so beautiful.'* Eranomous tried to speak but only let out a strained squeak.

The Seawing covered her mouth looking sympathetic, "Ssshhh, it's okay, don't try to speak." She cautiously approached, "Oh man, a cage and chains. They didn't want *you* getting out."

Eranomous watched quietly as the little Seawing looked the cage over, "I think I can get this cage open, but I'll need to find something else to break those chains. Don't worry I'll get you free." She smiled sincerely, warming Eranomous' heart.

*'What is this feeling and why does she want to help me?*'

"Oh, how rude of me!" She squeaked, "My name is Weed."

Eranomous nodded and opened his mouth letting out only a whistle.

"Shhh, it's okay buddy, I can get your name later after you've gotten some water." She stuck something sharp inside the lock and began listening close to it, twisting it around slowly.

*'What is she doing and why is she helping a SkyWing?'* He tilted his head, his curiosity outweighed his pain. Eranomous remembered reading a scroll on which tribes sided with which Sandwing sister. Skywings sided with Burn and Seawings with Blister. Maybe she couldn't tell he was a Skywing, or maybe being stuck in a psychopath’s tower of horrors made all that no longer matter.

Weed slowly exhaled, "Almost..." the two heard a satisfying click, "Ha, I got it!" She exclaimed, swinging the cage door open. "Ta-Da! Now I gotta find a way to break those chains. I can already tell that lock on your chains is too small for me to pick... but it looks like this chain is just one long chain looping through those parts of the cage and your collar… so if I could find a way to break at least one part the chain, it should slide out easily." The little Seawing sat with a talon on her chin in thought, "Hmmmm... Maybe if I get Krona's cloak and one of the Dragon horns I've collected, then I can wrap the cloth around the chain then around the horn. Then I should be able to twist the horn around, tightening the cloth until the chain breaks. The chain might still be too strong or loose... so maybe Krona's breath could stiffen it..." She thought out loud.

Eranomous gave her a look that said, *'Will that work?'*

Weed smiled up at Eranomous, "It's worth a shot! I'll be right back." She bounced enthusiastically, disappearing into the shadows.

Eranomous waited and waited for what felt like hours until, finally, he heard the voice of Weed and of a dragon Eranomous could only assume was Krona.

"He's right over here, but you have to promise not to be mean to him... He looks different from other dragons, like I said before.” Weed was trying to whisper but, it was apparent she wasn't too good at that.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it Weed, sheesh." Krona's voice sounded stronger then Weed's and slightly annoyed.

When the two dragons stepped forward, Eranomous was surprised again. *'Is she an Icewing?'* Krona looked about the size of Skylis and had beautiful white scales, brilliant ice blue eyes, and an odd Horn jutting from her forehead. She looked so magnificent and flawless, except for a deep scar horizontally across her throat.

"Oh, yikes..." Krona started.

Weed nudged her, "Krona! What did I say? Don't be mean. He's stuck in this scary place just like us... all because he's different... like us. "

"Three Moons Weed, uggh... you just have to reprimand me every time I say something slightly rude." Krona groaned, "Alright, alright. So you wanted me to freeze the chains?"

Weed nodded, "Yeah," she paused a moment seeming to get a bad image in her head, "Just make sure you don't mistakenly hit him!"

Krona starred long and hard at the Seawing, then turned to the cage and stepped in, "Here we go."

Eranomous could hear a strange hissing coming from her throat. Then she began to breathe across the chains, slowly freezing the segments solid. When she finished she took a step back and held out her claw, "There you go, oh intelligent one." She said sarcastically.

Weed giggled and trotted into the cage, "Okie-Dokie!" She swiftly threw the cloak around the frozen chains and slid the horn in. Eranomous couldn't see what she did next, but he saw her begin to start spinning the horn, causing the cloth to tighten around the chains.

*'What does she hope will happen?'* Even though Eranomous had heard her explain her plan out loud it still made no real sense to him and it made him wonder, *'Has she had to escape multiple times?'* She certainly seemed to be good at it. Suddenly Eranomous heard a crunch and the chain swung down and hit him in the shoulder. "I got it!"

Krona sat down, "Wow, I must say... I'm impressed." She clapped her talons together, "All hail Queen Weed, the master of escaping the impossible and Friend to all."

Weed playfully bowed, “Thank you, thank you. Now let's get this chain off."

Eranomous began looping the chain out of his collar until he felt himself become free, *'My neck... It’s so sore… but I’m free of this cage.'* He stepped out of the cage he had spent several days in and finally laid his head down. He roughly moaned from the ache he felt down his neck and through his shoulders. *'I'm free... and it's all thanks to these two dragons.'*

 "He must have been like that for days..." Weed whispered to Krona. "That's so horrible... poor guy." Eranomous felt her gently stroking his neck.

Krona tilted her head, examining the strange burnt skin on his exposed neck. "I've never seen this before, it looks almost like rock."

"Just rest for now buddy, Krona and I are gonna figure out a way to get us all out of here." Weed looked up at the Icewing. "Do you think you could breathe some ice up so he can suck on it for hydration?"

Krona stepped back and cringed, "Whoa what?! That's kinda gross don't you think?"

Weed narrowed her eyed, "Seriously Krona... we're surrounded by dead dragons, done up to look alive! I really don't think frost from your mouth going into his mouth is on that level of grossness. Besides it's only gross because you made it gross."

Eranomous coughed, sending pain surging through his throat. "Ok! Fine let me just focus... I don't know how you talk me into these things." Krona breathed in deeply, building frost in her throat again. Eranomous watched as she breathed out on the floor and slowly lifted her head, creating a long spike of ice. "Here you go." She snapped it free from the ground.

Weed politely took it and held it in front of his face, "Come on, you need water."

Eranomous nodded and took the ice into his mouth. The cold spike stung, but the water he sucked up from it soothed his dry throat. Eranomous cracked a smile, *'This feels so much better. I haven't had water in days.'* He knew he had to keep food off his mind or he'd have another thing to deal with.

"See Krona, he's happy now!" Weed smiled widely, shining her bright lights again.

Krona squinted her eyes, obviously annoyed at Weed's light display. "Yay... now can you stop glowing?"

Weed giggled, "I can't help it when I'm excited." She dimmed them down slightly and squeaked with delight.

Krona turned away hiding a smile, Eranomous wondered if she had the same thought he had, *'She seems so happy... despite the dire situation we’re in... I wish I could ignore the bad around me like that.'*

"But seriously... We need a way out of here. We have been surviving on luck so far." Krona sat down and lashed her tail behind her. "If we don't get out of here soon we will end up like all of these poor saps. Dead."

Weed smiled widely again, "I've guaranteed use an *opportunity* tonight."

Eranomous and Krona looked over slightly confused and interested. "What do you mean you've guaranteed an *opportunity* tonight?" Krona took the words from Eranomous' mouth, granted she said them more aggressively then he would have, but still.

"I told Smolder about something I overheard when I was escaping the Sea Kingdom, something about Blister and some attack.” Weed shrugged. "I figured it would be a good way to keep Burn away and however many ever SandWings she takes with her, too.... And I didn't lie, before you ask!"

Krona raised a brow, seeming a little too entertained, "Wow... So quick to sell out your own Kingdom, little SeaWing."

*'Sold out her Kingdom...didn't she just sell out Blister?'* Eranomous thought for a second realizing what she meant, *'Oh yeah... Blister is aligned with the SeaWings... that's what she meant.'*

Weeds eyes widened, "What! No!" she stomped a talon down, "It's not like that Krona and you know that!"

Krona laughed waving her claws, "I'm kidding Weed, sheesh. Beside I don't exactly feel much for any Tribe...considering I've never really..."she trailed off.

"Krona you know I don't find mean humor funny..." Weed pouted. "Besides...it's not like I was wanted by my own Kingdom..."

A silence fell over the three dragons, outcasts from their own Kingdoms, all of them. Eranomous felt a strange connection with these dragons. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was fate that they met now. He coughed again trying to clear his throat, "I..." he tried to speak but his voice broke sending him into a fit of coughs.

Weed and Krona turned and began shushing him. "Shhh...Don’t speak. Just keep sucking on that ice." Weed instructed gently.

Eranomous sighed through his nose and nodded, *'I better listen to them... they seem to know what they're doing.'*

While Eranomous laid there hydrating, Krona began exploring the tower to see if she could find anything of use lying around. Weed stayed with him though, seemingly examining him.

Eranomous found it easy to get lost in thought with the heavy silence hanging in this tower. His mind wandered to his Mother and the fact that he would never hear her voice or feel her wings embrace him in a hug ever again. Then he was immediately pulled from his thoughts when Weed squeaked.

"Oh my... your *wings*!?" She exclaimed, lifting one if his limp wings, "They’re so limp…You can't fly can you!?"

Eranomous' ears dropped and he shook his head. *‘I wonder if this will make her regret saving me.’*

Weed covered her mouth with a claw, “Did *THEY* do this or... have you never been able to?"

Eranomous raised two claws and nodded his head. The little SeaWing’s eyes weld up with tears, "You poor thing... A Skywing with no wings is... that's like a SeaWing who can't swim."

Weed lightly stroked his wing, "Clams... this is gonna make escaping harder..."

Eranomous frowned.

"Don't worry! We're all getting out of here. This place will be nothing compared to the last place I escaped!" She looked determined.

Eranomous noticed her rub the collar on her neck thoughtfully. *'That collar must be from that escape. I wonder if I could've escaped by myself like that.'* He was thankful that he didn't have to worry about that though.

For the next half hour after finishing the ice, Eranomous tried to speak over and over again. He realized if he whispered he could manage words.

*‘I can finally talk to Weed!'* He felt an excitement build up in his chest, "Weed... thank you for getting me out of that cage." His voice sounded horribly gravelly, but he preferred it over silence.

Weed smiled, "You're welcome... but are you sure you should be talking... you still sound really... um... strained. "

"I know… I just was tired of not speaking..." he grinned, sitting up, "My name is Eranomous."

"That's a nice name." Weed giggled, "a bit of a mouthful though."

Eranomous blushed, feeling embarrassed, "Uh... Oh... You can call me Era... my Broth...." he stopped himself*, 'My brother...'* He couldn't help but think of Skylis walking away from him*, 'He left me to die here...'*

 "I like Era," Weed tilted her head, "Are you okay?"

Eranomous shyly grinned, "I'm okay..." He paused, looking around the tower, "What's the plan when we get out of here?"

Weed shrugged, "I dunno... I haven't thought that far ahead actually."

Eranomous sighed, "I don't have a home to go back to."

The Seawing stepped closer and hugged him, "I know the feeling... maybe we can stick with Krona, if she doesn't mind."

*‘She would be okay sticking with me, even though I am deformed…’* He felt his heart warm at the thought, but before Eranomous could respond, Krona rushed over.

"We're clear to go I just saw Burn fly off with a brigade of Sandwings! Now's our chance to escape!"

Weed cringed, "Krona slight problem… Era can't fly."

Krona stared at Weed for a good moment, "What does that mean!?"

"Eranomous! Him. He can't fly." Weed explained, a nudge his direction.

He wished he could say there was something useful he could do, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Krona groaned, "Oh! Okay, let's worry about that later! Do you have a plan ready for getting out of this Tower?"

"I think so..." Weed began, "Krona, remember when I told you a guard checked on me when I went around screaming?"

Krona nodded, "Yeah... that's when I was still locked up."

"Well my plan is, Krona you act like you are going to..." She gulped, "Kill me. I'll be screaming... you'll be roaring. That should draw one in. Meanwhile Eranomous will be hiding next to one if these dead dragons near the entrance. You should wear Krona's cloak... just in case they do happen to look at you. Your eyes shouldn't be visible through the shadows... So they should assume you are just another one of Burn's collection. When the guard gets to us, Era you come to life."

"Should I do something specific?" Eranomous asked, unsure he could perform the task properly without an exact order.

Weed shook her head, "Do anything to get their attention, you can squawk like a bird for all I care. They should turn around leaving their back exposed, then Krona... I don't want you to kill him... but try to knock him out."

Krona let out an amused laugh, "Weed... he's going to be larger than us… if I don't kill him… we’re dead."

Weed sighed heavily, it seemed she really didn't like the idea of a Dragon dying in her escape plan. "Krona... please try... they could have a mate and dragonets to take care of..." she trailed off.

Krona rolled her eyes, "Uuuuuggggghhh... you really know how to make a girl feel guilty. Fine, if I can knock him out, I’ll try to."

With that, everyone got to their places, Eranomous made sure to pull the hood further over his head, fearing if he saw the guard prematurely he would screw up the plan by making a sound or something.

*‘All I have to do is wait for my cue,’*Eranomous could feel his heart pounding hard with anticipation. He took a deep breath squeezing closer to a blank faced MudWing with odd horns. *'Calm down, if Krona does this right, you don't have to do anything really... just step out and make a sound.'* A thought crossed his mind, *'Wait but if she doesn't knock the guard out or Kill him... then I might have to do more.'* He frowned at the thought of that.

In all his years he never was able to beat his brother in a fight. It got especially bad the more Skylis ventured out into the world, he would seem to learn some new way to pin him every time. Eranomous got so frustrated that he began to refuse to tussle whenever Skylis asked,*'I couldn’t beat him... what hope would I have of beating a full grown SandWing guard?*'

"HHHHEEELLLLLPPP!!!" Weed screamed louder then Eranomous ever thought was possible from her little body, and it unsettled him how genuine it sounded.

*‘I hope I never have to hear her screaming for help actually…’* The thought of Weed being harmed sent waves of anger and fear through his body.

Then he heard Krona, "Hahaha, you foolish Fish head, you should have known better than to mess with me!"

Her acting sounded unique, to put kindly. The closest thing he could compare it to was his own acting when he was re-enacting scenes from scrolls by himself. Eranomous was happy he wasn't in Weed's position, because he was sure he would've started laughing by now.

Suddenly, the door began to open and in rushed a single frustrated SandWing. The guard half heartedly hissed, "You two, back off each other or so help me!" He raised his tail in typical SandWing intimidating fashion.

Eranomous knew that was his cue, so he jumped out and… fear over took him. He couldn't get himself to do anything, *'Why can't I move, come on they need me!?'* The images of his parents dying flashed through his head. *‘I had no way of actually helping either of my parents… But I have a chance here and as long as I have the chance to protect these two dragons, I’m going to do it! Even if my body is scared, I’m not losing them!*’ He couldn't fail again, not with his new friends. He took a deep breath, and then let out a strange, gravelly roar.

The Sandwing swerved around, tail raised higher and hissing more seriously now, "What!?"

Krona didn't waste any time. She swiftly jumped up, lifting herself higher with a heavy beat of her wings. Before the SandWing could react, she swung her tail around, hitting the guard square in the side of the head with an odd shattering sound.

At first Eranomous assumed the sound came from the guard’s head, but then Eranomous noticed that Krona had apparently blown Ice all over the end of her tail, forming a blunt club. *'The shattering sound was the Ice breaking… I'm sure that doesn't feel good. She did it for Weed... Krona must really care what she thinks of her. '*

To their luck, this seemed to work. The SandWing fell to the floor unconscious.

"Ow..." Krona swore under her breath, "That better of knocked him out! I nearly broke my tail...."

Weed looked at the IceWing thoughtfully, “Thank you Krona, and good job roaring Era, I think you scared him.” Eranomous then watched Weed scamper to the doorway and glace around outside, "It looks clear, let's hurry!"

Krona nodded and began towards the door, "Come on, Eranomous!"

The three dragons quickly ran from the tower, making their way to the closest wall to hide in the shadows. Krona looked around nervously, "Weed, what’s the plan?"

Weed looked over her shoulder and whispered as quietly as she could, "Well, the way I see it, we have two options... leave out the front or climb one of the walls."

"Uggh... both of those sound bad... and impossible" Krona groaned quietly.

"Well there is one other way... I saw it when I was first captured, but..." before she could finish, three explosions went off by the main gates, one by one. All three dragons lowered to the ground, waiting to hear the SandWing’s reactions.

"We're under attack!" One Sandwing shouted.

Another shouted, "The bombs went off inside!? Secure the perimeter!"

All at once SandWings began to rush out towards were the explosions came from, granting the perfect window of opportunity. "Quickly follow me!" Weed ordered disappearing around the corner into a long corridor.

Eranomous and Krona followed Weed up several stairs and down several vacant halls, ignoring everything around them until they finally burst into an empty room that looked like it was used for sleeping. The room had several cubbies in the walls and a few pretty rugs on the floor and rolled in a corner, but most importantly there was a window. It was obvious just by sight, that the window was only big enough for dragonets and could never possibly fit a full grown dragon through.

Krona tilted her head eyeing the window, "How did you know how to get in here just by seeing outside when you were getting dragged in?"

"I honestly guessed." Weed simply answered, peeking out the window, "Krona you grab Era and glide down, I'd do it but..."she left that last part open due to the obvious reasons of size difference.

Krona groaned again, obviously annoyed, "Weed..."

Weed stomped her talon down and got in the IceWing’s face, "Come on Krona, I know you're strong enough and Era needs you!"

"FINE!" Krona roared and turned to Eranomous, narrowing her eyes.

Eranomous cringed and took a step back, "Um..." *'I have to trust Krona to hold me all the way to the sand... what if she decides I'm too heavy and drops me...'* He couldn't help imaging himself falling from this height to the ground, surely he would live, but he would certainly be in a whole lot of pain.

But Eranomous quickly realized he no longer had a say in this plan when Krona tightened her front legs around him and hurled them both out the window. Eranomous shut his eyes and clung to her for dear life. His mind raced with thoughts of hitting the ground in different painful poses that made his scales crawl and ache, until he finally felt himself slide against the sand gently.

Eranomous opened his eyes, "We're out and you didn’t drop me!?" relief flooded through his body.

Krona let him go and stepped away from him, "Yup," she glanced to her right seeing Weed land, "Eranomous, Weed, we gotta run, now! You know, before someone notices we escaped."

"Yeah," Weed nodded in agreement, "we'll figure out what we do next when we find a hiding spot."

Without another word, the three dragons ran off into the night, disappearing into the shadows.

 ~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 5: Eranomous**

When Eranomous awoke the sun was already high, scorching the land below. But he felt safe for the most part. The three were able to find this small empty den during the night so they decided to rest in it. The first thing Eranomous saw when he opened his eyes was Weed above him smiling sweetly. "Weed, you're awake?

She nodded, "Yup, Krona went out to hunt lizards... so I've been watching you... making sure you're alright." She ran a claw through the dirt shyly.

Eranomous chuckled, feeling that warmth in his chest again, "You've been watching me sleep?"

Weed's lights flashed brightly and she covered her blushing cheeks, "It sounds weird when you say it like that!”

Eranomous couldn't hide his grin, "No, no, it's not weird, I really don't mind." He assured, sitting up and stretching his body.

She giggled, "Good to know.” Weed waited a moment, looking hesitant to speak.

"Is everything okay Weed?" Eranomous questioned, nudging her playfully.

Weed let out a sigh, "I was just wondering... what happened to you? I mean... it's okay if you don't wanna share!"

Eranomous scratched his neck thoughtfully, "It's okay... Um... My Father said my egg was thrown... so I grew wrong and deformed.” He lifted his wing and dropped it, “And some things didn’t grow at all…”

"Wow, WHO throws an EGG!?” She looked a little flustered, “That's horrible... I bet growing up was hard, huh?"

Eranomous could see empathy in her eyes. *'She must've had a rough time in the Sea Kingdom. '*

Eranomous lowered his head bashfully, "Nah... I mean... I never dealt with any other dragons except for my family… So I was never technically bullied or anything."

Weed tilted her head, "Were you never allowed to leave your home to explore and interact?"

"Ahhhh.... no." he lowered his head feeling oddly embarrassed. *‘What if she thinks you’re weird now… I don’t want her thinking I don’t know how to… interact…’*

"I know how that is…” Weed said sounding even more empathetic.

Eranomous’ head rose, “You do!?” *‘But she seems so happy and social.’*

“I was sold as an egg to some creep named BlackInk who wanted a pet he could flaunt. He would walk and swim me around on this leash made of black pearls.” She lifted what was left of the leash around her neck, “Everywhere he brought me... I was like a joke and he would take me everywhere. Most commonly he dragged me to this creepy get together thing, in a scary dark cave deep underwater… where dragons would fight large fish or other dragons to the yield or to the death if a Dragon couldn't yield quick enough..." tears began streaming from her eyes. “And he would..." she broke into sobs, covering her face.

Eranomous quickly scooped her up, squeezing her tight against his chest, "Shhhh, Weed...you're not there anymore. We're safe, I won't let anyone take you back there, I promise." Weed buried her face, continuing to cry. It became obvious to Eranomous that she must've been holding on to this for too long and finally needed to let it out. *'Poor Weed, she deserves better.'* "Hey Weed..." She looked up at him as Eranomous wiped the tears from her eyes, "I'm here and I got you…"

Weed's lights glowed brightly and she managed a smile, "Thank you Era. I've never talked about my past  to really… anyone... all the times I spoke to Krona back in the tower, I just asked questions about her and never really got around to me..."she sniffled.

"It's okay, I've never had the opportunity to talk about my life to anyone either...I could be insane for all I know." Eranomous joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Weed giggled, "I don't think you're crazy... I think this world has led dragons like you and me to think we are problems in it… But we're not, I know we're not... I can see in your eyes..."

Both dragons paused looking within each other’s eyes. Eranomous felt something strange in his whole being, something he couldn't explain, but it made him want to never let this SeaWing go.

"Weed... you're the most beautiful dragon I have ever laid eyes on." He wasn't sure why he said it, but he knew he would never regret it.

"Era..." Weed blushed, but didn't try to hide it this time. "I don't know what to say."

Eranomous wrapped his tail around hers and he felt her squeezing his tail back. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, surely she could to. "I feel strange... like... I don't want to let you go."

"Then hold me..." She responded, "hold me forever.”

So he continued to hold her close to his chest. He couldn’t help but wonder to himself*, 'Do I love her? Is this what Love feels like? But I only just met her yesterday and yet... I don't want to let her go.'*

 The two sat there until the silence was broken by Krona roaring outside the den.

"Krona!?" They said in unison, giving each other a look and rushing to the exit.

When they got outside Eranomous saw Krona ahead pinned down by a massive, full grown MudWing. The MudWing was muscular, missing his right horn, and had large scars across his face and neck. His scales were dark brown and ochre with light yellowish under scales. He wore a strange black harness across his chest and He also had a dark metal eye patch on his right eye.

Eranomous felt his jaw drop at the size of the dragon, "Krona!" *'How can I save her from this? What do I do?'*

"No, don't hurt her!" Weed shrieked.

The MudWing growled deeply, but before he could open his mouth a familiar voice called out, "Earthquake, Stop!"

Eranomous' heart sank, *'Skylis!?'*he watched in shock as his Brother landed hard next to the MudWing sending sand in every direction. "Let her go." Skylis ordered calmly.

Earthquake grunted, letting Krona go, and stepping back, "Sorry 'bout that."

"Uggh!" Krona scoffed, pulling herself from the sand, "You better start talking you jerks, cuz I’m about to freeze your faces off!" The spines along her back began to rise.

"Era... We came to find you." Skylis took a step towards him, causing Krona to hiss viciously.

Krona made her way in front of Eranomous and Weed, "Eranomous, do you know this goat breathed freak?"

Eranomous narrowed his eyes and looked away, "I thought I did... but I really don't know anymore."

Skylis sighed, "Era... I didn't know what to think. I'm still not fully sure... but that's why I..."

Weed lifted her claws up, “Hold up! Really quick! ONE, Krona no freezing faces off! TWO, how do you know him? AND THREE, did you guys set those explosions off last night?" Weed blurted out, seeming frustrated and in need of answers.

Skylis and Earthquake shook their heads, seeming a tad confused. Skylis sat down, "I don't know anything about any explosions and Eranomous is my little brother."

Eranomous couldn't hold back his emotions, "You left me to die... am I supposed to be happy to see you?”

"All I heard was YOU Killed Mother, that's all I could think!" Skylis reasoned, trying to stay calm.

Earthquake shot him a look of disapproval and grumbled, "Skylis... remember what I said."

"I can't believe this!" Eranomous shook his head in disbelief, "You really think I would kill her!?"

Krona looked over at Weed then back to the others, "I'm a little lost..."

"Then who did, is all I’m asking!?" Skylis snapped, Eranomous could tell his brother was losing his temper.

*'How dare he come here just to accuse me of something I didn't do.’*Eranomous thought of the mysterious dragon with the expressionless mask, *'Who was he? What did he mean when he said I was disappointing?'* Eranomous had too many questions and no real answers.

"I don't know Sky... I went to my room to nap after you left then..." he paused. *‘I shouldn't bring up the vision... he might think I've lost my mind. I never really explained the vision I had of Father either...'* "I woke up to hearing her struggling outside my room... when I went to see what was happening... there was this strange masked dragon there. He had this weird burning metal mouth on his tail and he spoke as if he... as if he had been watching me for awhile."

Skylis looked down at the sand, Eranomous couldn’t read his expression.

Weed glanced around at everyone and sighed, "We should get inside, just in case SandWings are looking for us."

Krona glared at Earthquake, "Can Big Boy here even fit in the den?"

Earthquake snorted, "You know... I didn't want to pin you, but you wouldn't stop to talk so..."

"Oh yeah, I was supposed to know that you guys weren't trying to kill me!" Krona turned towards the den and lashed her tail in anger.

All the dragons agreed with Weed and headed inside the den, backing it wall to wall. They sat in silence for a few moments until Weed spoke. "Okay... Skylis, Earthquake, do either of you have an idea of where we can go from here?"

Krona cut in, "Hold up, before anyone else says anything... I already had an idea of a good place to go!" Everyone looked at Krona expectantly, "We follow the Path of Peace to find the Peacewings.”

Eranomous and Skylis' ears perked, "The Path of Peace!?" Skylis stepped closer to Krona causing her to lean back uncomfortably, "You've heard of the Path of Peace?"

"Uhhhh..." Krona pushed Skylis back with her wings in annoyance, "Yeah... hence I just brought it up… sheesh, personal space."

"Our Father is a Peacewing... well was." Eranomous wrapped his tail around his talons.

Skylis looked at Eranomous then back at Krona, "Our Father was the leader of the Skywing Tribe." He said with pride in his voice.

Krona looked surprised, "Wow, small world... My Father is the Leader of the IceWing Tribe." She looked at Eranomous, seeming to notice the gloom he was feeling, and then she looked back to Skylis, "What happened to your father?"

Skylis sighed, "He was killed about four years ago... we never heard any word from the Peacewings after that day. Our mother always expected someone from the Peacewings to come and escort us somewhere safer... but no one came… and we never followed the Path of Peace because..." Skylis paused sending a glance to his brother.

Eranomous knew what he was referring to, their mother never took them along the Path of Peace to seek the Peacewings out because she was worried Eranomous would complicate it too much, due to his lack of flight.

Skylis continued, "Because mother thought it might be too dangerous."

Krona put a claw on her chin in thought, "I wonder if that's why my Father hid me?"

Eranomous silently turned to Weed, she seemed invested in the conversation and listening intently. *'I want to protect her...but what if we choose to follow the Path of Peace... and Weed gets hurt because of my disabilities. I would be solidifying my Mother's fears.'* He looked to his brother examining his muscular physic, and generally all around healthy body. Eranomous sighed to himself, *'I'll never be the dragon Weed truly deserves... I'd probably just get her killed...'*

 "So your Father hid you four years ago... How have you been surviving?" It was obvious that Skylis found the idea of an IceWing her age surviving on their own since the age of two, was hard to believe.

Krona looked a little offended, "Well I was actually with a SandWing until I was about three... then he was killed by Outclaws. So I've only really been surviving on my own for about three years since then. No big deal or anything." She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Now, does anyone have a better plan then the Path of Peace?"

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments shaking their heads.

Earthquake cleared his throat, "Are we going to be walking there or flying?" He shifted a glance at Eranomous.

Weeds lights began flashing, in a flustered way, "We're walking, for Era's sake."

Earthquake grumbled a sigh, "I was not meaning to come across as rude little one, I was simply meaning I could carry him..."

"Oh..." Weed sat down looking sheepish, "That makes sense... um… I dunno then."

Krona shook her head, "Nope, Any SandWings see us flying in the air we're dead."

Skylis lashed his tail in disagreement, "But if SandWings spot us from above we'll still be dead. We should fly, we'll put the most space between us and them."

Krona shook her head, "Hey RED, this isn't about being fast, it's about following the proper path... if we enter the Kingdom of Ice from any other way then the marked path, we will be killed by IceWings or something else..."she left that something else to everyone's imagination. "Now here's my plan, us three will walk under Big Boy's wings. That way if SandWings are flying over they just see you two." She pointed at Earthquake and Skylis. “They shouldn’t find two dragons in their alliance odd at all.

Skylis looked like he was about to nitpick her plan but then stopped. "Do you think you could do that Earthquake?"

The MudWing shrugged his large shoulders, "I suppose... I’ll just have a lot of sunburn to look forward to."

Eranomous thought about this plan, *'It would be bad if we flew... if we did get spotted odds are Earthquake would drop me... I feel a lot more comfortable walking.'*

"We better hope SandWings don't get too close still. If they realize the extra foot prints coming from under Earthquake's wings then we're still… still dead." Weed squeaked.

Eranomous couldn't help but wonder how Weed thought of such small details*. 'She's so intelligent. I never would've thought of that.'*

Krona shook her head, "We'll have to just hope that they don't look close."

"One more thing..." Earthquake rumbled, "Tell me the exact route we're taking."

Before Krona or Skylis could open their mouths, Eranomous spoke up, "We have to first head west to find the stone that points you north. We'll follow it until we find a small oasis."

Eranomous remembered his mother's voice explaining the Path, he still cherished that moment.

"There we will find two trees crossing each other like an X." He displayed an X with his front legs. Eranomous noticed his Brother crack a smile, *'He must realize I'm explaining it this the way Mom did.'* "We'll follow directly through the space between. If we follow it straight, we will safely enter the Ice Kingdom. Once there we will find a stone pointing northeast towards the Mountains if we follow it true, we will find The Cave of The Peacewings.” Eranomous realized everyone was looking at him and suddenly became embarrassed. "That's what we were told anyway..."

Earthquake nodded, "Alright, let’s find this rock."

Everyone nodded in agreement and began exiting the den. Before Eranomous could climb out Earthquake nudged him, "Hey kid, you want me to get that collar off ‘ya?"

Eranomous was confused for a moment, and then he realized what he meant, bringing a claw to his neck. "Oh! Uh... sure... thanks.”

The MudWing grunted and reached for his neck “‘Kay hold still."

"Is this going to hurt?" Eranomous was suddenly regretting agreeing to this, imagining this MudWing mistakenly breaking his neck.

Earthquake chuckled, "Not if I do it right." He began to pull on both sides of the collar until Eranomous heard it snap, "Got it." The MudWing held up both sides of the collar then tossed them over his shoulders, "Alright, We better get out there."

Eranomous was shocked at this MudWing's strength, "Uh huh… Thank you, Earthquake."

"Don't mention it." Earthquake simply smiled, then spread his wings out. “You three make sure to stay under my wings, so try to walk at my pace."

The group set off north, across the scorching desert. Silence sat among them all for awhile, Eranomous wasn't sure if he should break the silence but Weed decided to speak up first.

"So I had a game back where I grew up to help ease tension. I first say someone's name, then that dragon has to tell a little about themselves... if they refuse to share, the refusing dragon has to perform an embarrassing task that all the other dragons find suitable punishment." She giggled, "Nothing too horrible... but I have a feeling the majority of you are easily embarrassed. I'll throw the first name, Earthquake."

Earthquake chuckled, "Well I don't want to be the subject of embarrassment, so um... I just talk about me?”

Weed nodded, "Uh-huh, Let us know who Earthquake the MudWing is."

"That's Weed, prying into our lives." Krona said mockingly, then gave Weed a genuine smile and nudged her with her wing. "But she grows on you very quickly."

Eranomous couldn't help but smiled to himself, *'She sure does*.'

"She's certainly cute and plucky. She actually reminds me of one of my sister's. Her name was Bur, she... wasn't really a physical Dragon but she could talk her way through just about everything..." Earthquake's face hardened a bit, Eranomous recognized the look on his face... it was a look he had seen on Skylis and his Mother whenever he brought up his Father.

*‘She must be dead…’*

"On to me... I grew up with four other siblings. Since I was the Bigwings in our troop, I led my siblings into any battle our Queen ordered us into."

"Hold on, define Bigwings." Weed interrupted. “I don’t know much of MudWing culture.”

Earthquake chuckled, "Define Bigwings, eh… Alright, a Bigwings simply mean I hatched first and I'm meant to lead my clutch of siblings as troop leader."

Weed nodded understandingly, "Ohhhhh, I get it! Please continue."

"My troop was unstoppable, Moss one of my sisters and Tremor one of my brothers were the best defense a troop could have. ToadWart was our striker... he could take a dragon down quicker than you could say Mud Bath! Then there was Bur, the youngest but brightest of us all. What she lacked in muscle she had in brains... And I... should've been able to me keep them alive... it was my job… but I messed up. The day I lost them all, was the first day I saw the world as the harsh place it always was. It only takes one slip up... to send it all crashing down..." The MudWing held his head low remaining silent. Eranomous heard him sniffle quietly then clear his throat. "Krona."

"Fine... if he is willing to share all of that, then here I go. When I was only about a year old... my mother tried to kill me... slicing my neck open." Krona lifted her head displaying her gnarly scarred throat.

Everyone except Weed turned to the IceWing with a look of shock.

*'That must've been horrifying... I can't even imagine. How did she survive that?'*

She continued, "My Father told me I barely survived. A little more than a year later he moved me away from the Ice Kingdom and into this uggh filled desert." Krona waved a claw, "Skylis.”

Skylis raised his head higher and held back a grin, "Where do I begin?"

Eranomous rolled his eyes, *'Yes, it's so hard to pick just one fabulous moment in his perfect life.'*

"After losing my Father... I was left without a teacher. So I began sneaking out to be taught by the SkyWings at the Queen's Palace.  At first they... honestly... rejected me."

Eranomous' ears perked, *'What... they rejected Skylis!?'*

The thought never even crossed his mind. Skylis was always perfect, at least compared to him. *‘He never told me that before…’*

Skylis continued, "That's when I met Earthquake. He was the undefeated champion in an underground fight to the yield arena. So… I joined it… and got my tail handed to me… by him. While I was lying on the ground pinned by him, I asked him to train me."

Krona grinned amusedly, "Annnnd?" Something about Krona's body language told Eranomous that she found Skylis' conceited attitude right now, a tad humorous.

"Annnnd, he said yes." Skylis smiled genuinely, seeming to recall the memory in his head, "I can't thank him enough for that."

Earthquake smiled at his pupil with pride, "Well I wondered, hmmm how will those snobby SkyWings react when this bright young SkyWing fights with the force and style of a MudWing."

"Yeah," Skylis laughed, "And when they saw my abilities after Earthquake's training, they practically begged me to stick around. I mean the power of a MudWing and the speed and flying of a SkyWing! What more could you want?"

Krona mumbled something under her breath that Eranomous didn't catch, but it was apparently funny because she and Weed burst into laughter. Skylis looked over wearing a look of awkwardness even his wings hung awkwardly at his sides. Eranomous could tell he was embarrassed and slightly offended.

He narrowed his eyes, "Fine, I’m done with this game." Smoke began to rise from his horns.

Eranomous found his brother interesting, whenever he was simply spending time with him he was fun, adventurous, outgoing. Everything you would want in an older brother, but when you asked him about himself he always managed to come across as vain. Their Mother never seemed to mind it, she always went along with praising her eldest, but Eranomous never liked being around him when he was ranting about how great he was.

Weed tried to calm herself down, "No Sky, I'm sorry! Hehehe..." she continued to giggle, hiding her face in Krona's wing.

"Calm down Red, sheesh." Krona shook her head, "Can't you take a joke?"

Skylis narrowed his eyes at the IceWing, "My life isn't a joke to be laughed at, IceWing."

Weed composed herself, "Let's take a break from this game, 'kay." She looked apologetic, "Sorry Skylis...Thanks for sharing with us."

The group remained generally quiet the rest of the way, save for Krona and Weed exchanging a whisper every so often. Eranomous wished he could be a part of their conversation, but he was under Earthquake's left wing and they were under the other.

So he just remained quiet and thought about what the Peacewings would be like. *‘I wonder if they’re as great as Mother always explained them to be.’*

By the time they found the stone, the sun was almost fully down and two of the three moons were already high up. Eranomous wondered for a moment if this large almost pillar like rock truly was the one they needed to find, but Krona quickly verified that she had learned the Path of Peace too many times to forget it.

"I'm going to give my wings a moment of rest… I'll tell you when I’m ready to go." Earthquake gently began retracting his wings, "Where's mud when you need it?" He grumbled to himself.

While everyone waited patiently for Earthquake to give the okay to go, Eranomous figured it was a decent time to hear everyone's thoughts on their plans and how they're doing. Before Eranomous could catch Weed's attention, she hurried over to check on the MudWing. He sighed, *'I guess I'll talk to Krona first then.*'

"Hey Krona, how are you doing?" Eranomous only just realized then that he was still wearing her cloak, "Uh... do you want your cloak back?"

Krona lazily chuckled, "I'm good... a little tired, but I can keep going… Annnnnnd nah, you keep it. The hood look suits you more anyway."

"Thanks Krona," Eranomous smiled to himself, he knew she didn't gift her cloak to him but he still oddly felt happiness well up in his chest. He couldn't help but wonder, *'Is this what having friends is like?’* "You and Weed seem to get along really well... almost like you've been friends for years."

Krona cracked a smile, "Well, she’s really easy to get along with... Plus, I feel like she's the sister I never had, but always wanted."

Eranomous nodded, “She’s awesome…” he sighed heavily “I'm gonna go talk to my brother now... wish me luck."

"Before you go," Her wing swiftly blocked his path, "I know the feeling... that feeling when your family has done you wrong. I haven't been able to really forgive my Mother for nearly killing me and I can't help but feel abandoned by my Father. I know that these negative emotions are holding me back... holding me back from my true potential… but I haven't been able to talk to my parents about my feelings. SO if you can resolve this issue with your Brother, then do it. You don't have to let betrayal and hatred fuel your life, like I've let it fuel mine." She lowered her wing allowing him to leave.

Eranomous was taken aback, *'I never would've guessed that Krona felt that way... but I guess I understand why she does.'* He nodded and began towards his brother.

The IceWing spoke up, sounding like her usual self again. "Oh yeah! Good luck Era."

With that Eranomous headed to his brother, unsure of what the conversation would go like. "Skylis...can we talk?"

"Of course," Skylis turned to his brother looking apologetic, "Era... I'm so sorry."

Eranomous felt the anger he had for Skylis melt away. The memories of his big brother keeping him company during storms and all ways checking on him to make sure he was okay flooded his mind.

"Sky, I..." he couldn't think of what to say to that. *‘Why was I judging him so severely… I could only assume I was a monster… I looked different and he heard about Mother… I can’t judge him so harshly, he’s still my Big Brother.’*

Skylis wrapped his forelegs and wings around Eranomous, "I'm so relieved that you’re not dead... I don't know what I would've done."

"What made you come to find me?" Eranomous felt Skylis' sincerity, but he still wondered what changed his mind about him.

His Brother sat back and sighed, "Well... I spoke to Earthquake about what had happened. When I finished explaining what happened, he asked me if I knew without a doubt that you killed Mother... and I said, no." Skylis looked up to the Moons, "Then he said... if you have even the slightest of doubts, you go help your Brother. I was scared to make the trip alone though... so I asked if he would come along." He looked back at Eranomous, "And here I am... granted I wasn't quick enough to save you... but still."

Eranomous shook his head, "It’s okay Sky... it just means a lot to me that you came."

Skylis smiled then glanced to his brother’s throat, "So Era... does that hurt?" He gestured at the exposed odd black rock burning under his skin.

"Oh... uh, not really… My throat's a little sore but that's all." Eranomous wasn't sure how to talk about his odd new deformities. They didn't hurt, just a little itchy every so often, so he wasn't panicking at the moment. Perhaps freaking out would be the right way to respond to his new looks, but he knew of no ways of fixing his appearance, so he might as well just accept them, right? Skylis nodded without a word.

Eranomous wondered if Weed was free to talk yet, so he made his way over to her next. When he got over though, he noticed something in the sky coming their way.  At the same time it was apparent that Earthquake noticed as well.

"Dragons incoming, we have to move, NOW!" he roared.

All in a moment everyone regrouped and began running, making sure to stay on the path.

"We can't out run flying dragons!" Krona growled.

Earthquake nodded in agreement, "I'll distract them, you four keep running until you find a place to hide!" Earthquake planted his claws into the ground coming to a halt.

"What no!?" Skylis slowed down, "If you’re staying to fight, then I'm staying behind with you!" Everyone else slowed their pace unsure of what their plan was now.

Earthquake shook his head, "No, you made a promise to your Mother that you would protect your Brother. Now you keep that promise and go! I'll meet you at the X trees."

Skylis looked like he was about to retort, but Eranomous cut in, "Good luck, Earthquake and Thank you... come on Sky!"

Krona and Weed looked weary, "Boys we gotta move our tails now!" Krona ordered.

Skylis shut his eyes and began running, "Come on Era... Earthquake can handle this... I know he can!"

Eranomous forced himself not to look back, fearing what he might see, so he continued ahead.

After a while of running, the sky was fully covered in stars again.  All Eranomous could hear were the other dragons around him breathing heavily like himself. The young SkyWing didn't know if he should be worried or relieved that he didn't hear faint wing beats anymore. He truly hoped that they would arrive at the oasis to find Earthquake lounging around ready to tell them how he defeated so many dragons, but his heart sank the moment Krona screamed out in pain and tumbled in the dirt.

"Krona!?" They all cried out and rushed over to her.

The IceWing got up trembling as if she had just been beaten, "We have to keep running..."

Weed shook her head vigorously, "We have to make sure you're okay, you're shaking like crazy!"

"No, we gotta move..." Krona had deep fear in her eyes, "Earthquake is dead!"

Weed's tears came faster than any of their sounds, "No... how do you know!?"

Skylis looked in the direction they came from in disbelief, "That's impossible... he wouldn't... he couldn’t be."

Eranomous looked over to Krona wondering what happened, *'How does she know this?'* Then he felt something strange looking into her eyes, something that made the fire in him still for a moment. *'It seems like she saw him and even felt him die, but how?'* Eranomous knew this IceWing was different looking on the outside, but it was clear now to him that she was more than just an odd looking IceWing.

 ~~~~~~~~

Next:

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