Edited - May 22, 2024

Peacemaker shivered, listening to the ripple of waves not too far away. The hut was small and cozy, and surprisingly warm as it was waterproof, after Moon helped them stick waterproof leaves from the Poison Jungle onto the walls of the house with tree sap.

"Can't sleep?" Macaw murmured.

Peacemaker nodded. "I'm used to sleeping later," he said.

Macaw rolled over. "Me too. My mom said it was unhealthy, but I feel like she sleeps too much."

Peacemaker laughed. Sitting up, he said, "I might sleep in the hammock."

Macaw smiled. "I'll come."

Peacemaker wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and went outside, clambering into the hammock and helping Macaw in. Peacemaker curled up and spread his wing over Macaw and pressed his body to her smooth, cool scales. He stared at the ocean, as still and shimmering as always, reflecting the moonlight.

~

*

~

Peacemaker blinked blearily as he awoke, as realized the sky was still dark. The stars winked at him and the faint rising and falling of Macaw's chest told Peacemaker that she was asleep. Peacemaker stared at the giant moon slowly falling behind the ocean. Soon it disappeared. The moonlight rippled, shimmered, and disappeared.

Slowly getting up, Peacemaker perched on a branch of the palm tree and stared at the sunrise.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Macaw suddenly appeared next to him, whispering.

Peacemaker shook. "When did you wake up?" he whispered.

"A while ago." Macaw brushed the leaves off of her and spread her wings. "Come on, let's get some fruit. Clay told us to last night." She leaped off of the branch, and Peacemaker followed. Macaw suddenly dove into the forest, and Peacemaker twisted into a spiral. Reaching out his talons, he landed and ruffled his wings, folding them back.

"Ooh, look! Mango's! Those things are good!" Macaw squealed. She touched a golden one gently, and picked it, putting it in her pouch around her neck.

Peacemaker flew to the top of the canopy and stuck his head under a banana leaf and tugged at a bunch of bananas. Flying back to Macaw, they spent the morning picking strawberries.

"Strawberries as big as a scavenger's head!" he sang as he popped a strawberry in his mouth.

Macaw grinned. "Moon told me about your weird obsession with strawberries," she teased.

"Strawberries are the best!" Peacemaker protested. "And there's nothing weird about that!" He gave Macaw a toothy grin.

Macaw rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go before Tsunami yells at us," she decided, flying up and leaving Peacemaker alone once again.

"Wait for me!" Peacemaker mumbled over a strawberry, launching himself in the air.

"Catch me if you can!" Macaw laughed, doing a flip. Peacemaker grinned and pumped his wings and dove down towards the colorful blobs.

"Hey Macaw, Peacemaker," Blue greeted. "I see you have some fruit," he licked his lips. "Ooh! You even found some mangos!"

"Yeah, it was really easy," Macaw boasted, tossing him a mango. The smell of cooked lamb made Peacemaker's mouth water, and he rushed over to Clay's stove.

"I knew you would come!" Clay laughed as Peacemaker greedily seized a piece.

"Thanks!" Peacemaker shouted over the sizzle of the pan. He rushed over and plopped next to Macaw who was slicing the mango open with her claws. Peacemaker sunk his teeth in the lamb and chewed rapidly, and took another bite.

"Whoa there, you're gonna choke!" Tsunami laughed. "Hey, I thought Pantala was vegetarian?" she asked.

Blue shook his head. "HiveWings aren't," he said.

Tsunami nodded, tossing a fish in her mouth and snapping her jaws around it.

"Ugh, fish," Macaw shuddered. "I can never stand the texture."

"It's not that bad after you cook it," Turtle said. "Want one?"

Macaw shook her head rapidly. "Nah, I'm good." She took another bite of her mango and tossed it into the compost.

"Alright folks! Blue is going to take us to Cicada Hive to meet Luna and show us around," Moon called. He spun around and waved to a dark blue dragon. "Follow Swordtail!" he called, leaping into the air and taking off.

Peacemaker shoved a last bite of banana in his mouth and tossed the peel in the compost, flapping his wings and flying next to Macaw. "Hi!" Peacemaker said, his wing-tips brushing against Macaw's.

"Hey," Macaw said. "Do you think you'll buy anything?" she asked.

Peacemaker shrugged. "Maybe a bracelet for my mum. She likes those things," he mused.

"I'm going to buy a necklace!" Macaw flipped in the air. "And maybe a cape–Blue said they were pretty."

"Do we have a budget?" Moon joked, catching up to them.

"It's fine," Blue said. "You're our guests. Luna can pay with her flamesilk."

"Thanks!" Macaw squealed, doing another flip.

I wanted to point out that autocorrect corrected 'Macaw' to 'Macaroni' xD.

Peacemaker tilted his wings down towards the entrance.

"Hi everyone! This is Luna," Swordtail said, his tail intertwined around Luna's. "She's the nicest dragon and makes really pretty tapestries."

Luna laughed. "Yeah, I'm Luna," she said. "I live in Cicada Hive with Blue and Swordtail, and I'm going to show you around my home. Come on!"

She spun around and started walking. The smell of honeydrops and other candies made Peacemaker's mouth water, but Luna led them to a garden first.

"This place is called Mosaic Garden," Luna explained. "It's the most popular place here, and is really pretty." She led them to a wall, with a statue of a humongous dragon holding a golden book with bodies of dragons on the ground.

"This is the Salvation Wall," Luna said sadly. "We wanted to take it down but figured that it wouldn't be right. It's a memorial of the past now."

"It was when a dragon named Queen Wasp ruled both SilkWings and HiveWings by mind control, and during the Tree War, killed all the LeafWings, and destroyed every tree on the continent," Blue said quietly.

No trees? Peacemaker thought. They must've been miserable.

~~~

The tour went on until dinner, and after that, Macaw took a nap while Peacemaker twiddled with the small pearl bracelet he bought for his mum.

"We'll go to the library next," Moon said, hopefully.

Luna nodded. "Sure, but that's in the Wasp Hive, so we'll have to fly," she said, spreading her wings and taking off towards the sun.

Peacemaker prodded Macaw awake and launched off the ground.

"The Library is very special," Luna said quietly. "It holds the Book of Clearsight."

Peacemaker stumbled as Luna said 'Clearsight'

"Are you ok?" Macaw whispered. Peacemaker nodded. But really he wasn't.

"Can we–read it?" Peacemaker asked.

Luna shook her head. "It's very sacred. But there are prophecies foretold by a NightWing, Clearsight. She died a long time ago, after another dragon, Darkstalker, disappeared underground."

Moon's eyes widened, and she whispered rapidly to Luna, who stilled. "But it's over now," Luna said quickly, eying Moon.

Peacemaker switched glances with Macaw. What was that about?

Macaw shrugged. She ran a talon along her necklace. "Clearsight was Darkstalker's girlfriend, remember? But a few months ago he disappeared and no one knows why."

Luna yawned, and Swordtail whispered to her. Luna nodded.

"Alright, the tour ends here," Swordtail declared. "Now get your butts out of here," he added cheekily and Luna shoved him playfully.

Tsunami nodded. "What do you say?" she asked.

"Thank you!" the dragonets said, Macaw's voice the loudest.