Ow, that hurts.
It looks like you dislodged your wing. The adult Seawing flashed his scales back at Turtle.
The Seawing prince was wobbling in the water, disoriented by the crash with the large squid. He blinked a few times, slowly sinking down on the sea floor. His feet touched the stony reefs and he stood there momentarily, getting his balance back.
In front of his snout, a lifeless squid white carcass fell onto the sand in slow motion with a small cloud of ink. Behind it, he saw his two brothers come back toward him.
Are you ok ? Cerulan blinked with his scales.
I knew it wasn't a good idea to do that here. Turtle responded.
Oh come on, you can't be so 'careful' all the time, where's the fun in that ? Octopus flashed.
Well, at least you aren't dead. Cerulan added.
So comforting. Turtle flinched, his shoulder hurting him. He felt the bones not being lodged right, cringing at each other with any movement, even the slightest.
Prince Turtle.
He turned to the guard.
Can you still swim ? He asked.
Not with my wings. Turtle answered.
The guard swam a little closer to him to inspect his wing. Where he had crashed with the squid, a bruise was starting to grow, and where its tentacles had struck him, his scales were beginning to look a little pink.
Seems like it's one of those poisonous squids again, we're starting to see a worryingly increased amount of them around the kingdom.
Turtle didn't worry much it's been a few weeks since they started to see those squids around, they said they were poisonous but in reality, it was nothing dangerous, it would hurt for a moment then eventually fade away even if not treated. Of course, smaller dragonets were a little more fragile and had to be dealt with quickly in case they came in contact with those. Turtle was big enough, but it was still better to get it treated.
I'll see what I can do about your shoulder, but you should go to the infirmary afterwards, the Summer Palace isn't far away. The guard blinked.
I know. Turtle flashed back.
The guard signalled him to stay still, he approached and put his talons on Turtle's shoulder. Then, in a muffled 'POC' noise, the guard snapped his limb expertly back in place.
The injured prince flinched, and the guard let go of him, letting him wave his wing around to feel it. His previously stiff shoulder felt a little weak, he would have to rest it for a day or two before being sure it would be back at full capacity. He didn't want to get hurt just because he was too harsh on his muscles.
I could probably... 'heal' it myself. He thought. He looked at the guard. No, they will probably report the accident. That would easily be suspicious.
He shuddered at the idea of anyone getting even close to guessing his secret. It's not like I had much planned anyway.
So what now ? Cerulan asked.
I'll be going I guess. Turtle flashed his scales back at him. His brother made a disappointed face.
Well, if we're not doing it, I will search for food for my squid then. Octopus flashed, he turned away and dived toward a crevasse nearby. Cerulan shrugged at Turtle and twisted himself to follow his brother.
Well, thank you I guess, I'm lucky you were here. Turtle flashed at the guard, imagining what a hassle his situation would have been if the Seawing hadn't stumbled upon them. It would either have been a pain or something he would have had a hard time to justify. hopefully, neither of them happened.
At your service, my prince. The guard answered formally.
As Turtle thanked him and turned away to the summer palace, the guard saluted him and went back to his duty.
Turtle slowly entered the currents and let himself be dragged away. He could tell the sea was agitated, the seafloor was furiously waving and the surface seemed to roar stronger and stronger with time.
He kept it to the currents, recognising some of them, knowing perfectly where which one was starting and where it would lead, all he had to do was to shift his wing to go from one to another. He noticed a recognizable coral reef that had the shape of a tail and moved his wings again to swim into another flow of the sea.
He felt a tinkling sensation on his wing and swirled his neck to peer at his burn. The pinkish shade of the squid's poison attacking his scales had spread a bit more and he was starting to feel it hurt. His wing stiffed slightly, but he could still move it as needed.
He passed an island on his right, one he recognized to be the animus island, where what he called the remains of the giant skeleton were still standing. He shivered, this was the place where he was nearly caught, swimming near it always struck him with a reminder to stay alert and careful about his own abilities.
He looked up, above the surface of the water, he could see the distorted image of the island and the long overgrown skeletal sculpture looming in the direction of the summer palace. Every time he looked at the rough oversized skull, he felt like its dead empty eyes were watching him with severe judgement as if it were blaming him for actions he had caused that were yet to come.
He shuddered and turned away, pushing the salty water with his sturdy wings and propelling himself toward the palace. He passed a few schools of fish and scared a lobster before eventually coming into view of the recognizable surroundings of the Summer Palace.
Before reaching inside, he poked his head out of the water to peer at the structure. And was met with a roaring atmosphere, a large limitless dark cloud was slowly covering the sky, thunder crashing inside. Waves were battering themselves and crashing against the cliffs of the island.
Yet, despite all this, there was a surprisingly high amount of Seawing soldiers posted all around watching the skies, standing in the rain.
He felt a shred of panic take his mind. What- Is blister here ? His guts wrenched. Or are they expecting an attack ?
He saw one guard study him, but straighten back into his watching stance after recognizing Turtle.
The prince dived back into the moving water and soon found himself in front of the curtain of kelp hiding the entrance, when he slipped through, he almost choked on himself as he was faced by a guard standing there.
He lighted up his question scale at the guard.
Guests. He simply responded, before moving away to let Turtle in.
He swam into the darkness of the entry tunnel, countered by his excellent night vision, passing the breathing holes and going straight for the lake. He felt the itching sensation on his wing accentuate as he went forward.
He reached the end of the tunnel and his vision was flooded with light. Emerging in the middle of the inner lake of the Palace, he patted away to the shore. Once there, he started thrashing the water away from the insides of his body, throwing up the salty liquid out of his system in the very displeasing sight that was a Seawing going out of the water after a long time in the depths, spluttering and spitting everything out like a suffocating baby.
It was always an unpleasant process, but you eventually got used to it, you had to.
Once he was done, he looked around, finding the place to be as busy as he remembered. Dragons coming from caves to caves, standing near the lake. Dragonets playing on the shore or taking classes. The height was always impressive, it was as if the palace was only made of one room, and to be fair, it wasn't so far from the truth.
Of course, there were also the guards and soldiers, ready to jump in case they were needed, or maybe simply waiting for their next order. Turtle knew that his mother and her Sandwing ally were starting to push stronger, sending more troops in a more aggressive front, he also knew that she was desperately planning an incursion to find Gill, his father.
The palace looked peaceful, yet the signs of war were undoubtedly present. And his already disturbed mind grew even more wary when he saw Seawings guarding a cave, something particularly unusual. He squinted, but couldn't make out what was inside, he saw a bit of movement, and something yellow, but that was it.
He shivered, if that was Blister, he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
He spread his wings and flapped them in the air a few times before taking off and lifting himself toward the higher caves. Each flap was stronger as he readapted his wings to fly despite feeling his injury burn at every movement.
He eventually landed at the cave entrance halfway up, where he was met by yet another guard, but this time he was only waiting without a particularly fierce look. He barely gave any attention to Turtle, even.
What a strange day. Turtle thought.
The prince went forward and passed the guard, his claws scratching the stone floor. He opened the curtain of vines and kelp and entered inside the healing cave.
He saw the empty row of beds and shelves, a mix of fluorescent and natural light was illuminating the room thanks to a slightly covered hole in one of the walls and glowing lichen.
In front of him, the infirmary nurse was already attending to someone else.
"This should help with the infection at least, but I'm going to need the tools of the other cave if I even want to try doing anything with your arm..."
She paused for an instant.
"...Well of course no one wants to lose their arm, but I'm not the one to decide how badly hurt you are."
Turtle's face went pale. Lose an arm ? This isn't the cave to deal with major injuries, what is this dragon doing here, is there no room at the bottom already ?
He sat near the entrance, waiting for the nurse to be finished.
"Alright, stay like this. I will go search for what I need, and- Oh." The dragon stopped when she saw Turtle, she glanced at the patient and then walked toward Turtle.
"How can I help you-" She squinted her eyes. "Prince Turtle ?"
He shifted uncomfortably from one talon to the other. "Nothing serious, I wouldn't want to bother you when you have more severe injuries to deal with." He said.
"Ah, yes." She said nervously. She looked swiftly at his wing and noticed his scales turning pinkish. "Oh, I see." She pointed at her desk, on which a glass can containing a white-green cream was set. "You can put this on your burns while I search for what I need."
"Alright, thanks." Turtle nodded, and the nurse left the cave. He walked to the desk and grabbed the can in his talons. He sat there and extended his wing in front of him, then, he dapped a claw in the cream and started covering his scales with it.
A feeling of uneasiness quickly made its way into his mind, not because of the tinkling sensation of the balm being applied to his burn, but because he felt as if he was being observed from behind. Not that he wasn't used to it, he was one of the princes after all, and his constant paranoïa about being found wasn't making it easier, but knowing that he was alone with another dragon, albeit wounded, was giving him chills.
When he finished, he placed the can back on the desk and closed it, feeling the balm ease the scratching pain on his scales. He sighed, then eyed where he knew the other dragon should be.
And he nearly choked himself.
It wasn't a dragon that was lying on the moss bed, it was a Scavenger. It was dressed in what looked like a green fabric he didn't recognize, and one of its arms was lying loose on the moss, covered in a red-brown crust. The moss under the creature was turning red, but somehow, it looked much more alive than it should with such a wound.
Turtle stood there, unmoving.
How in the deep sea a scavenger managed to get here ?
Slowly, the Scavenger raised an arm and waved at him with its clawless paw.
"Hello Turtle." It said, and the Seawing prince freaked out.
He jumped back, entangling himself in his own talons, looking wide-eyed at the Scavenger, who let out a laugh.
"Hey, you don't need to panic, I couldn't hurt you even if I tried to."
"Wh- what ?" Turtle let out, completely bewildered.
"Oh, you're wondering how I can speak to you, are you ? And how I managed to get here too probably." Turtle Blinked at him multiple times. "Well, the latter is pretty long to explain."
"I'm sorry this is-" Turtle couldn't find the words to complete the sentence.
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"Crazy ? Insane ? Baffling ? yeah, I felt that too when I first found out."
"Huh... Yes..."
The scavenger seemed to pause for a moment, probably in its thoughts. "For a lucky bastard, I really am a lucky bastard of all lucky bastards." He eventually said.
Turtle couldn't make out how such a situation could happen. A talking scavenger ? in the Summer Palace ?
"A bastard ?" Turtle echoed. Was this scavenger implying that he was part royal ? But that would mean that royalty was something known to scavengers, surely it couldn't be, right ?
"Probably not in the sense you would think." He said. "Also, my name is Ashley."
"Oh, hum, I'm Prince Turtle." Turtle responded.
"I already know who you are." Ashley said in a totally not ominous tone. "And you are exactly the dragon I need."
Turtle shuddered, that day just took an inconceivable turn of events, and he had an awful feeling about it. He looked around and pointed a claw at himself. "Me ? I don't see how I could help you in any way."
"Don't worry, I know exactly how you can help." The scavenger responded.
Well, that doesn't sound scary at all. Turtle thought. "How can you talk anyway ?" He asked.
"Animus magic."
All of his alarm bells started to ring, had he been discovered ?
"A Sandwing animus to be more precise."
"Oh..." Turtle's mind was screaming at him to leave, to run away from the cave and dive into the deepest parts of the ocean, but another part of his brain was telling him that all of this could be nothing more than an extreme coincidence and that running away would not make him less of a coward. Plus, that would raise questions about him.
"How- how can I help ?" He asked.
Ashley ignored his question. "Do you still blame yourself ?" He asked back instead.
"What ?"
"The day your father asked you to find Shark, but you couldn't. Do you still blame yourself ?"
Turtle stared into the eyes of the Scavenger. Now he was terrified.
He remembered very well, that day when Gill told him to find the dragon. When he enchanted that rock to find him and figured it wasn't working because it was pulling him outside of the palace. He remembered very well, because later that same day, when his father found him, he learned that the eggs in the royal hatchery had been attacked and destroyed, crushed to a point where it was impossible for life to still exist in the bodies of his soon-to-be sisters. To say that his father was mad would have been an understatement.
But how did a scavenger know about it, how could he, even ? And if he knew about this, what more could he know ?
"How do you know that ?" He asked, dreadful of the answer to come.
"I know everything about you Turtle." Ashley said plainly.
Turtle's heart dropped, for a moment he couldn't even feel his heartbeat. Everything around him stopped, there was no other noise, and he couldn't see anything other than him and Ashley. He was starting to breathe heavily and could see the face of the Scavenger become worried.
"But you shouldn't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault." Ashley continued. "You're not the reason your sisters were lost."
Turtle slowly felt his breath stabilize, the twisted image of his surroundings solidifying back as what they were supposed to be.
"And how do you know that ?"
"I saw it." Ashley said with a voice that left no room for doubt.
"You saw it ?" It didn't make any sense. A Scavenger ? Was he present ? Or did he learn about it through convoluted ways ? Did he see it as it was happening or at a different time ? And if so, how did that happen ? Did he see it the same way a Nightwing would ? But again, how would that happen ?
He saw the eyes of the Scavenger widen as if he realized something, then he grimaced at himself.
"Well, more like I saw him." Ashley said.
"You saw who ?" Now Turtle didn't know where to give a head anymore.
"Gill." Turtle's heart skipped a beat as the words left the Scavenger's mouth. "I saw your father."
He jumped forward this time, hopeful. "You saw him ? He is alive ?" He couldn't believe it, his father was still around, maybe they could get him back, and he could apologise to him.
To be honest with himself, Turtle had abandoned hopes of seeing his father again, knowing the nature of the queen that held him prisoner. Despite having not seen or heard a confirmation about anything, it was impossible to tell how Gill was doing at the moment. And nothing had come to their ears in months, even the spies hadn't managed to gain information on his condition. So, it became common to find dragons who believed their king was lost forever.
Turtle didn't hide it to himself, he was pessimistic and always feared the worst. So much so that he often found himself surprised by the amount of time situations unfolded in ways better than he expected.
But this, it was confirmation that not so long ago his father was still alive somewhere because it was impossible that this Scavenger had met Gill before.
"I don't know." The Scavenger's answer came like a punch in the face, inducing reality back into his mind. "It was at the Skywing arena, he was knocked out."
Turtle felt like throwing up, guilty of giving himself false hopes, of course, it would have been that way. It was Scarlet, with what he knew about it, of course he shouldn't have had any hopes.
"Wh- what do you know ?" Turtle asked.
"Well." Ashley huffed. "I could tell you. But didn't I tell you that you were exactly the dragon I needed ?"
"Well, huh..." Turtle tried to think of anything he could do to help the scavenger. He could use his powers, but of course that could get him discovered, and he didn't even know that scavenger.
Ashley said that he knew everything, but maybe he actually didn't, perhaps he was lying to impress him, or pressuring him for something. But what then ?
"I don't really see what I could do." Turtle said.
"Well you're an animus, can't you do anything ?" The Seawing prince's mind shot awake, he felt like his claws slipped on the ground, and that he was suddenly falling as if a deep and dark pit opened right under his talons.
His sight wavered, he saw the light flicker and shadows dance at the edge of his eyes. For a moment, the dead and rotten smell that was faintly present in the air seemed to exacerbate to degrees that made his guts wrench with disgust.
His sight became troubled, he couldn't focus anymore and the scavenger in front of him looked blurred.
What ? His thoughts became frenetic, trying to make sense of everything. How did he know ? HOW DID HE KNOW ?
"Turtle ?"
He couldn't understand, every step taken by his day seemed to be driving to an even deeper one. Every minute was home to another oddity worse than the previous.
"Turtle."
Every aspect of the day was growing roots in each anxiety of his mind, the whole palace was on edge, there were unexpected guests and he was sure Blister was nearby, the storm was going to wreak havoc in the sealife again, and he was certain that enemies of the kingdom were plotting against the Seawings. But now, above all else, they knew, his secret was out. Everything he tried to do to keep a low ground, reduced to nothing, just like that.
"TURTLE"
He was brought back to reality by a sudden pain on the side of his jaw. All at once, his vision stopped blurring and shaking, and his thoughts came to a halt. He shook his head and blinked a few times. He looked down, the Scavenger wasn't on the bed anymore, he was standing up and facing Turtle with a defiant glance.
Turtle raised a talon to his jaw. Did that Scavenger just... slap me ?
"Hey." The Scavenger waved a hand in front of Turtle's eyes. "Wake up pal, I'm not going to shout it above all roofs. But you're the only one with the ability to help me right at the moment, and I need you in a stable mental condition."
Turtle blinked, he breathed deeply and loudly. "Who are you ?"
He saw the scavenger raise his only working arm and contemplate in the void, then he jumped back on the large stone slab to stand higher up and reach Turtle's height.
It's only then that Turtle finally noticed the other strange aspects of Ashley. The Scavenger looked a bit slimmer than your regular Scavenger, yet, he didn't look any more febrile. In fact, despite the current situation, Ashley looked like the kind of creature to always have a strong anchor on the ground.
Turtle had seen multiple Scavengers before, not a lot, but enough to notice the difference. They were always more clumsy with a clear unsteadiness being only on their two limbs, but that could also be due because they were always terrified in those occurrences, and running all around.
However, the two most distinct features about Ashley that set him out from other Scavengers were his size and his colour. First, he was evidently taller than most of his fellows. But not in that unnatural 'elongated' way. He had seen drawings of taller scavengers before, and they almost all had this strange look of having been stretched upward, while here, Ashley looked just as if he simply was of a higher scale, towering above his shoulders and not far from his head. It felt natural, and he looked more healthy too, although he was definitely suffering from a lack of sleep. Turtle could recognise those dark circles even under the eyes of a different species, he knew them too well.
But the second most obvious trait about Ashley was that his skin was much clearer, driving more toward the whites. And probably a bit worrying to Turtle's opinion, but he wasn't sure of anything anymore.
"Who are you ?" Turtle eventually repeated with a more imperative tone, which drove a curious look on Ashley's face. "Everything about you is contradictory, you very obviously look like a Scavenger, yet, everything else tells me you are not one."
Ashley tilted his head at him. "It's... a long story."
"So I am right." Turtle said. He wasn't exactly sure of what to think about that. He didn't know if that was just an unnecessary detail or a world-breaking news, or even if that mattered at all. Or maybe he was just making stories in his mind again, so he chose he would just accept it and go along with it for now. This Ashley seemed reasonable, despite all the previous revelations.
Turtle shuddered, but thinking about it again, there were few chances a Scavenger could reveal anything to the others, and even if he tried, who would believe him ? Let alone listen to him ?
Maybe everything isn't as bad as I thought, maybe this situation is recoverable. He eyed the Scavenger, uncertain. But how ?
"How did you get here anyway ?" Turtle asked.
"Oh, well I was with the Dragonets of Destiny."
"The Dragonets of Destiny ?" Turtle echoed, taken short. "Wait ! From the prophecy ?" He cried.
"Indeed. We were fleeing from the Sky Kingdom, and because Coral is Tsunami's mother, we figured it might be safer to come here first, not that I completely approve of that."
"Coral is who's mother ?" Turtle shook his head, full of disbelief. "Does that mean I have another sister ?"
"Yes, she has quite the personality as well."
So everything was true then. All those rumours circling around about the Dragonets and talons of peace. There was so much information being dumped in his head that he just couldn't keep track of anything.
Turtle reached a talon to his head, feeling dizzy.
"Alright, slow down a bit." He said. "Why do you tell me all this ?"
Ashley scratched his head. "Because I need you right now, you're pretty much the only one that can help me. I thought I would try to ease things by talking a bit, but I'm starting to think it's having the opposite effect."
Turtle looked at Ashley from top to bottom, he didn't understand what that Scavenger wanted of him at first, but now he was starting to have an idea about his intentions. His glance fell on the gruesome wound on his arm.
"I want you to use your powers." Ashley started, Turtle felt his throat tighten. "... on me."
"WHAT ?" Turtle jumped, almost shouting. "Are you crazy ? Do you know how dangerous it is ?"
"Oh yeah, I very much do." Ashley answered. "But right now, that's better than losing an arm and possibly dying. I'll take that risk."
Turtle gulped. What do I do ? If that's true, I can't just let him potentially die here. Who am I if I can't use my powers to help people ? He remembered everything he used them for, every time, it was always just for him, to make his life easier or to facilitate things he was doing. He thought of Anemone and the situation she was in because of him. A stab of guilt took him. Can I even do things right ?
"But, I don't know..." He widened his eyes, a realisation dawning on him. "I don't really know animus magic." He looked down. "And it scares me."
"What are you scared about exactly ?" Ashley asked with a tone that was more curious than concerned or annoyed.
"I could make a mistake, make something so bad everybody would hate me." He shivered, remembering stories that he heard multiple times through the years. "And I don't want to lose my soul."
Ashley didn't wait to answer. "You won't, that's bullshit."
"I'm sorry what ?"
"Ultimate power corrupts everyone, there are always very obvious reasons as to why crazy animus dragons became crazy. It can always be explained by something else than just the magic nibbling away their soul."
Turtle raised his head, startled. "Such as ?"
"Imagine being constantly forced to use your powers by your queen, being considered as nothing more than a weapon to win a war and not being treated as a dragon, wouldn't that drive you mad ? Regardless of what power you have ?"
The prince stared at the Scavenger for a moment, then his eyes widened once again. "That's what they are doing to Anemone..."
Ashley nodded. "The war will end soon, she won't have to live that for much longer." He straightened. "You're her big brother, and you made her that way, it's your duty to make sure nothing bad happens to her."
Turtle shook his head in acknowledgement, his head looking paler than before. "I'll try."
"Don't 'try', do it." Ashley responded, not leaving any place for doubt.
"Stop being so scared by all the nonsense." He continued. "Be careful, yes, but the more you let yourself be consumed by it, whether through overuse or by how much it terrifies you, the more likely it is to go wrong."
Ashley's gaze was intense, it was as if the Scavenger was digging and examining every piece of Turtle's anguish, as if he could look inside the Seawing's mind. He knew everything about him, there was simply no doubt possible. That little creature, that someone can talk and understand everything like a dragon, knew Turtle better than himself.
Turtle contemplated the idea. Ashley was right. Probably. He sounded right, at least. Maybe he should start considering his powers differently. Would he be less scared ? Probably not. But he should probably be more careful about the way he treats them, maybe he should stop using them for a time.
He took a deep breath. "So what's the plan ?"
A smile spread accross Ashley's face. "I'm glad you asked."
They spent the next few minutes discussing what Turtle should say. He learned that sometimes, the magic itself could interpret things, so it was always a good idea to be the most precise possible, even if that could feel like too much sometimes.
Ashley, despite not being an animus, knew a surprising amount of things about said magic. He told Turtle he knew another animus, a Sandwing, but that they were likely not to act in any way regarding the war, and that he didn't have to fear here, as she wasn't ill-intended.
In Turtle's mind, it explained why Ashley was able to converse with dragons. And, somehow, the thought that another animus existed was a bit reassuring. Maybe he and Anemone weren't alone after all.
However, for the entire discussion, he couldn't help but feel like Ashley was being very calculated, to the point that Turtle started doubting his intentions. Yet, the Scavenger never diverted from the original idea and never said anything that raised serious red flags in Turtle's mind, so he went along with it.
Eventually, they came up with the wording of a spell that was supposed to help Ashley's current condition.
"I enchant this scavenger so that any of his physical wounds and injuries can heal, and that it does so at a much faster rate than it would naturally do."
Then, they both stood there and waited for something to happen, but nothing did, or, it looked like nothing did.
"Do you feel anything ?" Turtle asked.
"It tickles a bit." Ashley said. "And-" He suddenly cut himself in his words and grimaced out of pain. He bent over his arm and held it for a moment, clenching his fist.
"Hey, are you ok ?" Turtle panicked, unsure of what he did wrong.
But after just a second, Ashley straightened up and huffed out. He extended his left arm in front of him and moved the fingers of his hand. After a bit of examination, it looked like his forearm's colour was more saturated than before, less pale.
"It hurts, then the pain went away as soon as it came." He said with a fascinated voice.
"So it worked ?" Turtle wondered.
"Yes ! Look !" Ashley jumped. "I have my arm back !"
Turtle examined him, he still looked tired, maybe more than he already was, but he seemed, well, much less wounded. His posture was straighter, and looked more confident and stronger on his feet. There still was the brow crust on Ashley's arm, but he made a quick job of scratching it away. Soon enough, everything had fallen on the ground, and where a previously horrid wound was, only a long scar remained.
Ashley started laughing. He put one of his paws on Turtle's shoulder. "Thank you, pal, you don't realize how much you've done today. And do not worry, your secret shall not be revealed."
"I hope so." Turtle said.
He wasn't sure of how to feel, did he help someone ? Certainly. But he still had that sensation of having been outplayed, yet, he couldn't find exactly on what.
Eventually, he figured that would probably be the best moment to leave. This situation raised more questions in his head, and he only got a few answers. But he had enough concerns. If he was found next to a magically healed Scavenger, that would raise an unreasonable amount of questions, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.
The scales on his wings didn't burn anymore, the balm had made its work.
So, he made his way out, went through the kelp curtain, passed the Seawing guard, and took off into the vast room of the busy Summer Palace, decided to find a way to help his sister's awful situation.
--------------------------------------------------
Ashley lay against the rock looking up with his hand drawn to the ceiling. Through an incredible amount of unbelievable chance, he crossed paths with the only dragon that could realistically help him.
Turtle finding him was the luckiest thing that could have happened to him, not only that, but he managed to get exactly what he wanted : his arm back, and possibly a small advantage not so insignificant for his time in this world.
It feels good having your arm back.
That dreadful sensation of not feeling anything, even when you see your arm being touched, was the most surreal he ever felt. That pain he felt after Turtle's spell was the greatest thing he experienced in the last days.
It had worked, and that was all he cared about.
He let his head on the moss, and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He was exhausted, probably due to the healing process.
Then, he felt a shift in the air, and the noise of talons scratching the floor. He slowly opened his eyes.
In front of him, a Rainwing was standing, splatters of bright orange and red were angrily spreading on her scales. Ashley moved back by surprise and straightened up.
Glory's glare on Ashley was intense.
She was furious.
"Now." She spat. "how do you explain all that ?"