Wings of Evolution (WoF AU)

Chapter 8

Echo of the sea

Uhar and Cactus got to the other side of the mountains, which took a few days because Cactus kept getting lost, apparently mountains were not her strong suit. She insisted that she knew what she was doing, but every time they got lost, Uhar doubted her more.

But the mountains were behind them, a stretch of swampland was all they had left, and Uhar was pretty sure he could see the glimmer of the sea beyond that. Sparkling like a thousand gems under the sunlight.

They flew over the swampland and Uhar saw his first Mudwing, albeit from afar. He really wanted to go down there and question the Mudwings, ask about stuff. It'd been too long since he'd really read anything and he felt like that would help his incessant brain that wouldn't turn off.

But Cactus kept flying, and Uhar didn't want to tell her to stop and have to explain why. It was sort of embarrassing to want to stop when only a few days ago he'd been the one bugging her to get going already. Although to be fair he'd gotten tired of sandwings really fast.

It wasn't much longer before they neared the ocean, and Uhar was shocked about how much movement it was pulling off. He'd assumed that the sea was a sea of crystals, but now he felt pretty dumb as Cactus landed beside the water. It was... definitely water.

He didn't try to explain his assumptions, mostly because he didn't want to remember he'd had them. Cactus frowned at the water as he caught up to her and landed on her right side, looking out at the water that was alive with movement.

She started talking once more a few moments later. "From this point onward, we'll get lost less, but the sea is like a reverse desert, with islands every now and then like oaises'. Just please don't fall in the water, I can't swim and I don't think you can either."

Uhar tilted his head at the waves, watching them rise and fall. "I might be able to. We had a river back home that ran along the deep caves, used to go fishing all the time."

Cactus perked up, giving him an impressed look, "so you might be able to fish for us both if we get stranded out there?"

"You just said that we'll get lost less often."

Cactus shrugged, "you never know. I happen to be an expert on somehow getting places that should be impossible. The base isn't far though and I've been there a million times back when I was stationed out here."

Uhar shook his head but followed her back into the sky as she followed the coastline southward a ways, probably searching for landmarks. She pointed at a particularly strange rock formation and then led the way straight perpendicular to the coast, a worried Uhar following behind.

And considering how many times that Cactus had lost them in the mountains, it wasn't surprising that Uhar was worried. But it seemed like Cactus was confident, which would have to be enough.

It was only an hour or so in that direction before they came across a moderately sized island in the middle of the ocean, no other land in sight. It was sort of scary to only have that piece of life amid the crashing waves. They landed and Cactus moved across the island to a rocky formation and hit the side a few times with a rock, yelling a passcode that Uhar didn't quite catch.

He was already moving toward the water curiously, wondering why it was so alive. It seemed like it should just be sitting there, as water in a bowl tended to do, maybe it had something to do with the wind. He put his hand in the water experimentally and found that it wasn't warm. Cactus would probably call it cold though, she seemed to feel temperature differently from himself.

He leaned downward, suddenly realizing just how thirsty he was, lapping up the seawater and then immediately regretting the decision. It was salty. So salty that he immediately jumped away and pawed at his poor tongue that had nothing to do with the terrible decision. He shook himself and ran toward Cactus, hoping that she had the door open already.

In fact, she and a large mudwing were staring at him like he was an idiot, and in fact, he was.

Struggling to think about literally anything else, Uhar focused on the size of the Mudwing, it was only after seeing the Mudwing next to Cactus that uhar realized that he'd finally desensitized himself to the enormity of the other tribes. It seemed like Mudwings were larger still, though he wasn't sure if this one was just an oddity.

Cactus sighed and led him through the open doorway. "I probably should have told you how salty it was."

Uhar shrugged, "I could have done a number of things besides tasting it. I know I regret that."

The Mudwing seemed to think it was funny, and he wasn't even staring at Uhar's ears or anything so he got Uhar's immediate respect. "Let the little guy drink all the seawater he wants, it saves the freshwater for everyone else! Ha!"

Uhar smiled, "sorry but I think I won't be repeating that, you'll have to share after all."

The Mudwing laughed, a deep bellowing laugh. His sense of humor seemed to be pretty simple. "The princess will be cross for having to share, but she's a fish so I don't know why she cares."

Cactus laughed a bit, but it wasn't as sincere as usual. "Speaking of the princess, we need to speak with her. Is she here right now?"

"Ah, the Tsunami is at home. Plenty annoyed that the greentop at the other base is being so uncooperative, they're asking to grow it here. Imagine that."

"It's not?" Cactus asked sharply. "What about the soldiers they were going to free?"

"Ask Tsunami. She won't stop talking about it. I think she's worried." he explained.

Uhar listened quietly, trying to judge how much of this was relevant. He couldn't tell though, so he tuned out the two, gossiping about military secrets that Uhar didn't care much about. He paused as they passed a seawing in the ever descending hallway, holding a scroll. Uhar tucked away that information for later, noting its presence for just in case.

The mudwing stopped outside a doorway and motioned for them to go inside. Cactus led the way as usual, and Uhar trailed behind her, not completely trying to stay out of sight, but doing it anyway.

Inside the room, a blue dragon sat on the ground. She was a deep blue that Uhar had only imagined before seeing it in her scales, her gills betrayed the water breathing ability. There were maps strewn around her, she seemed pretty frustrated. A lighter blue seawing beside her was trying to calm her down but she'd ripped up a bunch of maps already, and their strange phosphorescent scales flashed in odd patterns that almost gave Uhar a headache.

Cactus cleared her throat and the two seawings looked up, the darker blue one flashed a few more scales and the second seawing nodded, leaving the room.

"It's cactus, right?" she said, looking the Sandwing over with a speculative expression. "Weren't you stationed with Blaze?"

Cactus nodded. "Yes princess, the Sandwing Queen sends her regards and would like to request a new female guard."

"So she kicked you out or something?" the seawing folded up the maps and tucked them away, focusing on Cactus, "what did you do that such an airhead felt threatened?"

Cactus cleared her throat, "actually, I didn't really do much of anything, I'm an escort."

Tsunami frowned, "who are you escorting?"

She stepped aside, forcing Uhar to be within sight once more. She seemed to have resigned herself to the fact that he would do that. "This is Echo. I found him on a scouting run north of Blaze's base."

The Blue seawing sat up straighter, examining Uhar from head to toe, lingering on the ears. "A dragonet? No, he's fully proportioned..." she furrowed her brow. "What are you?"

Uhar let out a long breath, "I am Echo. and no, I am not a hybrid, I come from a city in the north called..." he frowned, "well I am not sure if it has a translation. We call ourselves Kiaen, though you would probably name us Cavewings."