Rui
As I paced back and forth, Makailah stirred in her restless sleep. She'd been tossing and turning all night, and I was worried.
I had been pacing for the last few hours, and my feet were starting to get sore, but the pacing helped my anxiety a little, so I didn't stop.
Nightingale, she whispered. I turned.
You're awake, I commented. How do you feel?
Better, she said. Where are we?
I looked around. Somewhere in the Alpake Forest, about twenty miles from your village. The mountains are close.
Why so far from the village? She asked.
We were closer, I explained, but you mentioned your brother tracking you, so while you were asleep we flew a few miles further.
She raised an eyebrow. Any reason why you don't want my brother to find us?
He's a threat. I narrowed my eyes. Especially since he's with that blasted imbecile Morris. I swear if he ever touches They again, I will beat him so hard he wo-
They? Who's They? She asked.
Oh, that's right, you don't know our real names. I snorted, amused. They's my sister, the other Nightingale. I'm called Rui, the Salamander is called Pharaoh, and the Newt is named Shiloh. The Buttercup is Amalia and the Lilac is Violet.
Makailah nodded. And I'm Makailah Stensen.
I know.
We watched the woods for a while in silence before she spoke.
Why did you save me? She asked. I'm a human.
I know. But if I didn't save you, I would have to kill you in our Battle, and then the Guards would kill me. It would break They's heart. I explained, resuming my pacing before muttering, Not to mention Jenne's.
Who's? Makailah asked.
I opened my mouth to respond but was interrupted by the sound of humans moving through the forest within a mile of us. I quickly shot Makailah a look that said 'keep your mouth shut' before waking the others and taking off with Makailah in my claws.
When we reached the edge of the forest, I found a clearing to land in and set down silently, dropping Makailah on the ground. I looked up the side of the mountain, knowing it had been a long time and she might not still be up there. They nudged my side and I was snapped out of my thoughts.
'Yes?'
'Are you thinking about her again?' She asked. 'You're thinking about her again.'
I growled. 'Of course I'm thinking about her. If I had been a better warrior maybe I could have gone with her.'
They said nothing, just watched the mountain with me.
--------------------
I woke to the sound of whistling. Human whistling.
I was next to the mountain still, and They was still asleep beside me.
I raised my head, searching for the source with my invisible eyes. They wove between the trees until they came upon a man, an older one. He was whistling the song of the dragons, of the pirates, of all the outsiders. A man, a pirate, by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow, had lived years ago in another dimension, and that song was as much his as it is ours. I listened for a moment to the song, waiting for the chorus. But the chorus never came. The man had turned staring right at where my invisible eyes were watching him from, and he reached out towards them. As his hands made contact with my eyes, I pulled them back and he followed them just as quickly, arriving at our camp.
My eyes weren't in his head like they were in Makailah's, and I could hear him speak from his human mouth in the tongue of a dragon.
'Hello, Nightingale. I've been expecting you.' He approached me, and I wrapped my tail a little tighter around the sleeping Makailah.
They woke, opening her eyes quickly and staring at the man as he touched Makailah's forehead before walking up to me and touching my face. His hands were cold with the magic he possessed.
'Who are you?' I asked.
'I am Sir Joerg Van Lieb, dragon master and keeper of the Frostbreath Jenne.'