32A/N: ...welp, can't say I didn't warn you. Sorry, but I ended up realizing that I don't really have too many ideas on where to go with this story. I'm marking it complete after this chapter. I do want to do how they meet Summer and Burple, and Glow's death, but considering how long it took me to get this chapter done... I wouldn't hold my breath.
That being said, I love this chapter, so enjoy and Happy Easter everyone!
The longer Glow was gone, the more Winger worried. What if she'd gotten lost? Had the hatchlings gotten lost? What if no humans in the roost would take care of the hatchlings? Had Glow been seen? What would he do if she had been? So caught up was Winger in his worry, he almost didn't notice the dragon approaching.
Winger perked up and hopped to the edge of the sea stack. He opened his mouth to call out, but stopped. The approaching dragon was brown, not blue!
Ears pressing flat, he dove into the cave and crouched beside the entrance. He peered at the approaching dragon, unable to tell what it was.
Sometimes, lone dragons would come across the Spike-Flinger roost where he and Glow had lived for years, and not all of them were friendly. Glow had always told Winger to be careful around new dragons, and she'd been so worried to leave him alone…
Winger shuffled further into the cave. He hunched into the shadows as the scratch of claws told him the stranger had landed. He strained his ear flaps, tense and ready to dive down the escape hole.
"Hi!"
Winger roared and jerked backwards, overbalancing himself and sprawling on his back. He peered between his paws at the brown dragon in the entrance. He was smaller than Winger, with a wide and cheerful grin.
"Uh… hi?"
"You must be Winger," the stranger. "I'm Cutter."
Winger rolled onto his paws, shuffling his wings nervously. "How do you know my name?"
"Your mom told me," Cutter said. "You look like her. What kind of dragon are you?"
"Uh, Swiftwing." Winger cocked his head, curiosity taking priority. "I've never seen a dragon like you."
"I'm a Far-Seer." Cutter blew a raspberry. "But I like the human name for us better: Relentless Razorwing!"
Winger chuckled when Cutter spread his wings proudly and flicked his spiked tail. "Is my mom with you?"
"No, she's with the human hatchlings," Cutter said, lowering his wings and tail.
Winger gasped. "She's not in the human roost, is she?"
"Roost? Oh, you mean the village. No, she brought them to my family's roost." Cutter shrugged. "My mom said the humans didn't like the hatchlings."
"Why?"
Cutter shrugged again. "I dunno. Humans are weird."
Winger nodded with a grin. He already liked the friendly, talkative Cutter.
Cutter waved his tail. "Mom said you two can stay until the hatchling gets better. Follow me!"
Winger flew after his new friend. "I thought the human roost was too dangerous for young dragons."
"Oh, it is," Cutter said. "That's why we've gotta take the long way around. Mom would've come, but your mom said you probably wouldn't go with her."
"Well, she's right. Mom says we have to be careful around strange dragons."
"Hey, I'm not strange! Now, my brother, Slice, on the other claw…" Cutter grinned. "He never wants to explore or play-fight. I think it's 'cause I always win."
Cutter kept up a steady stream of chatter about his home as they made a broad arc around the island. Once the human roost -village- was out of sight, the two young dragons rose above the treeline. Soon, the trees opened to reveal a small valley.
"And, here we are!" Cutter said. "This way!"
Both young dragons tucked their wings and glided to the ground. Winger spotted Glow laying in a corner of the valley, and ran to her.
Glow laid curled with the valley on her blind side. It was rare for her to turn her blind eye on open spaces. Her markings glowed softly like they sometimes did when she was upset. When Winger was close, he heard her crooning softly.
"Mom?" Winger said when he'd nearly reached her.
Glow started, even though Winger had made sure to walk extra hard. She turned her head and gave him a small smile.
"There you are, Winger," Glow said softly. "Cutter found you alright?"
Winger nodded, distracted by the human between Glow's paws. "What happened?"
Glow sighed and turned back to the hatchling. Winger walked around her and sat beside the male hatchling, who was laying on his stomach and watching his sister.
"We'll have to find another human roost for the hatchlings," Glow said simply. She tucked her tail around the female hatchling. "But not until this one is better."
Winger looked at the silent hatchling between Glow's paws and felt a chill. "What can I do to help?"
"Play with her brother," Glow said. "It was a long flight, and he hasn't stretched his legs yet."
"Okay!" Winger said, bouncing to his feet. "Come on, let's see if Cutter knows any good games."
Winger felt a bit bad to be so eager to get away from the sick hatchling, but he didn't like how serious and sad his mom was. It made his stomach feel achy and empty
Winger nudged the male to his paws and prodded him into the open. Cutter, who'd been hanging back, ran over. He sniffed the hatchling, then cocked his head. Winger laughed when the hatchling mimicked him.
"Are you sure this is a human?" Cutter asked. "Because humans always throw things or try to hit us. Even the little ones."
"He did hit me with wood when we first met," Winger admitted.
Cutter nodded, as if that was proof enough for him. He crouched and stuck his tail in the air, a clear invitation to wrestle. The hatchling, however, just stared at him.
"Here," Winger said, nudging the human. "I'll show you."
Winger launched himself at Cutter, knocking the smaller dragon over. Cutter whooped and twisted under him, forcing Winger to leap away to avoid his spikes. Before he could jump on Cutter again, he felt something grab his tail.
Winger turned and saw the hatchling had pounced on his tail. Grinning, Winger lifted his tail. The hatchling squeaked upon finding his paws no longer on the ground.
"Ah-hah!" Winger laughed. "I- oof! Cutter!"
Cutter, now sitting on Winger's head to pin him to the ground, poked Winger's muzzle with his tail. "I win."
Winger rolled his eyes and braced his paws. He kicked backward, dislodging Cutter and forcing the hatchling to scramble away before he was squished. Winger straightened with a laugh.
"You'll have to be quicker than that to-" Winger was jolted slightly. He blinked at the hatchling clinging to his back. "Okay, that's good."
Winger flared his wings, forcing the hatchling to let go. He flew into the air to avoid Cutter's retaliation, then hovered over the pair.
Cutter crouched and prepared to launch, but the hatchling gave an indignant cry. Cutter laughed and straightened.
"You're right, this isn't fair," Cutter said. "Hey, the human says no wings!"
Winger landed, blinking at Cutter as the hatchling pounced on his forepaws. "You understood him?"
"Sure, can't you?" Cutter asked.
"No."
Cutter cocked his head. "Huh. Well, it's not that hard."
"Could you teach me?" Winger asked.
Winger and Cutter looked at the hatchling, who seemed to take their stares as a cue to stop talking.
Winger glanced at Cutter. "Can you ask him his name?"
"I don't speak human," Cutter said, rolling his eyes. "I only understand it."
Winger hummed in thought. He nudged the hatchling to get his attention, then pressed a paw to his own chest.
"My name's Winger," Winger tried. He pointed at the hatchling. "What's your name?"
The hatchling cocked his head, then mimicked Winger. He said something in his language, touching his stomach.
Cutter nodded and lifted his head proudly. "His name is Hungry."
Winger blinked. "Uh…"
"Wait, no." Cutter rubbed his ear. "I think he's just hungry."
"That sounds more like it," Winger chirred. "You know what? I'm hungry, too. Mom and I didn't stop to eat. I wonder if Mom would want to fish…"
Cutter shook his head. "No need to. This place has the best fruit!"
"Do humans eat fruit?" Winger asked.
Cutter nodded. "Come on, I'll show you!"
Cutter bounded away. The hatchling chased after him with a high laugh. Winger laughed at the hatchling's short, loping strides, then bounded after them.
"Berry."
The hatchling blinked. Winger tried again.
"It's a berry."
The hatchling pointed at the berry in Winger's paw and said something in his language. Cutter laughed.
"Yep, it's a berry, alright."
Winger tilted his head, then waggled his paw. The hatchling made the same noise again. Winger narrowed his eyes and tried to mimic the noise, resulting in a weird sort of half squeak, half burp noise. Cutter burst out laughing so hard that he tipped over.
"What was that?!" Cutter demanded.
Winger lowered his ear flaps sheepishly. "I'm trying to talk human. It wasn't that bad, was it?"
"I don't know… ask the human," Cutter said between giggles.
Winger looked at the hatchling, who just had a baffled crease to his muzzle. Then he opened his mouth and made a similar squeaking noise.
Cutter's mouth clamped shut. He and Winger looked at each other, then at the hatching. The hatchling's mouth gaped in laughter, and he mimicked the squeak again.
"Okay, don't copy the nonsense noise," Winger said, waving his paws with a chuckle. He pointed to the berry again. "Berry."
The hatchling's nose crinkled. He made the squeak, then a deeper, raspier noise. It was still nonsense, though.
"Humans can't speak dragon," said Slice as he walked up.
"No? Well, this hatchling's about to prove otherwise."
The dragons looked expectantly at the hatchling, who responded by opening his mouth. What came out of his mouth was neither human nor dragon, but a sound recognized by both.
He burped.
Winger deflated. Cutter laughed, and Slice shook his head and walked away. Cutter nudged Winger.
"Hey, cheer up. It's only been half a day. He'll pick it up soon!"
Winger smiled, encouraged by Cutter's optimism. He picked the berry back up, but then the hatchling hopped to his feet and ran away.
"Wha- hey! We aren't done!" Winger protested.
Cutter laughed. "I think he is, though. It's late, at least for humans."
Winger looked at the sky. It was getting dark. Winger remembered his mother saying once that humans couldn't see in the dark as well as dragons, so they hid in their dens when night came.
"Okay, I guess we can try in the morning," Winger said, then ate the berry.
Cutter's head jerked up. "Did you hear that?"
Winger perked up his ear flaps. Owls hooted in the treetops and a breeze whispered through the branches. Cutter's parents were murmuring on the other side of the valley and the hatchling was squeaking. Winger shrugged.
"Maybe? What'd you hear?"
"Their names!"
Now Winger's ear flaps shot straight up. "The hatchlings' names?!"
"Who else's?"
Cutter laughed and bounded after the hatchling. Winger scrambled behind him, eager and a little confused.
"How?" Winger asked.
The two young dragons stopped near Glow. The female hatchling, laying between Glow's paws, had her eyes half-open. She was making a low sound in response to the male's squeaks.
The male sat on Glow's paw and pointed to Winger, then mimicked his efforts to speak dragon. The female bared her teeth in a slight smile before turning her head away with a whine. Her brother's face fell. He leaned forward, speaking softly.
"That," Cutter said quietly. "He's saying her name, I think."
"What is it?" Winger asked, curious despite the depressing scene.
"He was calling her Lala… I think it's a nickname." Cutter nodded to the male. "See, he just called her Leyla this time."
"Leyla," Winger repeated.
"Leyla," Glow whispered. She nuzzled the hatchling. "It'll be okay, little Leyla."
Leyla whined and reached out a paw, saying something. Her brother grabbed her paw and squeezed down beside her.
"Dak," Cutter murmured. "That's the male's name. Dak."
"Dak." Winger stretched out his nose to poke Dak, then Leyla. "And Leyla."
Leyla blinked wearily at him.
Winger looked at Glow. "Mom, she'll be fine, right?"
"I… I hope so, Winger. Humans are very fragile, even when they are fully grown."
Dak lifted his head and whined. Glow gently licked his fur. Dak ducked away, grumbling, and hugged Leyla. Sighing, Leyla closed her eyes and dropped her head onto Dak's shoulder.
"We'll know by morning," Glow whispered. "Go on and play, boys. The night is still young."
"I don't feel like playing," Winger said, the hollow feeling in his stomach returning. "I want to stay with them."
Glow nodded in understanding, then curled her tail loosely around her body. Winger gladly settled against her side, laying his head on her foreleg so he could watch the hatchlings.
"Come on, then," Glow murmured.
Winger lifted his eyes, but Glow wasn't speaking to him. She shifted her tail further out, and Cutter laid at Winger's side, carefully tucking his tail so he wouldn't scratch Winger by accident.
The three of them turned their attention back to the hatchlings. Leyla seemed to be asleep, her muzzle clenched and twitching with each rasping breath. Dak's expression was stoic, though a tiny whimper occasionally came from him.
"It's going to be okay, Dak," Winger said. Weariness he hadn't felt all day filled him, and his eyes drooped. "She's going to be okay."
Dak gave a rumbling sort of sound, but Dak dozed off before he could make sense of what the human was trying to say.
"Where is she?!"
Winger jolted awake, stumbling to his paws before opening his eyes. Glow rushed by him as he did, her scales glowing brightly. Cutter yelped and fell on his muzzle, and Winger danced out of the way of his flailing tail.
"M-Mom, what's wrong?" Winger asked, shaking his head in an effort to wake fully up.
"The hatchlings!" Glow gasped. "They're gone!"
All sleepiness vanished in a heartbeat. Winger looked down, where he could still make out where Glow had slept in the soft sand. Glow was spinning in frantic circles, checking under her wings and each paw. Cutter wobbled to his paws, blinking heavily. Neither human hatchling was in sight, though!
Winger automatically looked at the sky. Shielded by the valley's high walls, the dragons had slept well into the morning. How long had the hatchlings been missing? And, more curiously, who could have stolen them right out of Glow's paws?
"Be calm," came the voice of Cutter's mom, Moonclaw. "The hatchlings are fine."
Winger turned, and his mouth dropped open.
Moonclaw was sitting in a shallow cave, patiently bearing Dak's clumsy scrambling on her body. He sprawled his forelegs across her forehead, muzzle gaping in a sheepish-looking grin. But it wasn't Dak's explorations that shocked Winger or stilled Glow.
Leyla was sitting between Moonclaw's paws, upright and unsupported. She was still a bit pale compared to Dak and her fur was matted, but there was a content smile on her muzzle. At her paws were the burnt scraps of fish.
Glow shook herself, her glow fading. Winger watched her expression switch between relief and exasperation, and couldn't help smiling.
"Don't scare me like that, little one," Glow said, settling for something in between. She looked at Moonclaw. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"You needed sleep just as much as the hatchlings and your son did," Moonclaw said. Her eyes slanted toward her own son. "Cutter, on the other claw…"
"Swiftwings are super warm," Cutter said, completely serious. "I was powerless against it."
Moonclaw's chuckle dislodged Dak. He tumbled down her neck with a squeak, then hopped to the ground. He pointed at Leyla, talking excitedly.
"Yes, I see," Glow said, nuzzling Dak.
Winger gaped at her. "Wait, do you understand human now?"
"No," Glow said, "But I think I understand his meaning. Now come here, little ones, you're covered in dirt."
Leyla raised her forepaws, squeaking happily when Glow carefully picked her up with her tail. Glow settled Leyla between her paws and licked her fur. When Glow reached for Dak, he squealed and ran away, waving his forepaws dramatically.
Winger dove in front of Dak, so the hatchling crashed into him. Dak fell to the ground with his paws flung in all directions. Winger dropped his head onto Dak's stomach, ignoring Dak's squealing protests.
"Got him, Mom," Winger said with a grin.
Dak squawked, then reached up and yanked on Winger's right ear flap. Winger yelped and automatically rolled his head to the right. Dak shoved off Wingers jaw, extracting himself from Winger, then leaped to his paws and clambered onto Winger's head.
Cutter burst into laughter. "Now he's got you!"
Winger lifted his head and shook. Dak slid down to the base of his neck, where he wrapped his little paws around Winger's neck. He squealed happily when Winger twirled in a circle.
"Oh, you like that, huh?" Winger said mischievously.
Winger leaped forward, almost dislodging Dak. He bounded around the roost at full speed, pushing off the walls for sharp turns. Dak stayed impressively in place, his started squeaks turning into high-pitched laughter.
Dak's excitement was contagious. Before long, Cutter and Slice joined in, chasing Winger and playfully tapping Dak with gentle paws.
And during the entire game, Dak didn't slip once. He curled his hind paws under Winger's wings and dug his talons between Winger's scales. His laughter grew raspier as the morning wore on, until Winger could have sworn he had a tiny dragon on his back.
The next morning, Winger stood with Glow and the human hatchlings at the edge of the roost. Cutter and his family faced them.
"You're free to stay longer," Moonclaw said.
"Thank you, but we can't stay right now. I need to get the hatchlings to a village." Glow said "village" slowly, like she was tasting the new word. She went on, "Once we do, Winger and I will visit again."
Winger and Cutter's eyes met. They both grinned happily.
Glow looked at Scratch. "I'll find a flock of dragons who can help you leave."
"Thank you," Scratch rumbled.
The dragons exchanged final good-byes, then Winger and Glow lifted into the sky, the human hatchlings in Glow's paws. The hatchlings waved, squeaking their farewells.
Winger and Glow flew long and hard, not stopping to sleep until late in the night. When Winger asked why they were in such a rush, Glow curled her paws tighter around Leyla and explained that the sooner the hatchlings were with humans again, the better.
Though he didn't say so, Winger disagreed. He didn't want to give up the hatchlings so soon after meeting them. Especially since it meant leaving them in a village, where he could never see them again.
But Winger hid his thoughts. He could see how sad leaving the hatchlings made his mom, too. She gazed at the tiny humans with so much love, it was as though she had hatched them herself.
When the pair took off the second morning, Winger wondered if there was such a thing as dragon-loving humans. A whole village of them! Then he and Glow could visit the hatchlings whenever they liked!
"Mom," Winger said slowly late in the morning.
He'd been playing with the hatchlings, wriggling his ear flaps and paws where they could grasp at him with their tiny paws. When he pulled away, Leyla stared at him with serious eyes.
"Hey, Mom," Winger repeated when Glow didn't react.
"Hm? Yes, son?"
"Are there… villages of humans… that… like… dragons?" Winger asked, his voice getting quieter with every word.
"No such thing exists, I'm afraid. Humans will always be afraid of dragons."
"But, Dak and Leyla aren't," Winger protested.
Glow lovingly nuzzled the hatchlings. "They don't know any better."
"We can keep them with us?" Winger said, hesitation turning the suggestion into a question.
"I'm sorry, Winger, but they should be with a human family that loves them," Glow said softly.
"But…" Winger trailed off.
"Yes, Winger?" Glow encouraged.
"But… we love them, Mom. Isn't that enough?"
Glow didn't answer. Afraid he'd upset her, Winger didn't push. The hatchlings, as though sensing something was off, huddled together and didn't make a noise for some time.
"Mom."
Glow looked at Winger.
"I'm getting tired," Winger admitted.
It was late in the afternoon. After a restless night and two days of hard flight, Winger found his wings aching and energy almost gone.
"We're almost there, son," Glow murmured.
Winger looked at the sea stacks below them. He almost suggested that he stop to rest, then catch up later, but changed his mind before asking. His time with the hatchlings was almost up, and he didn't want to lose a second.
Winger pushed himself back to Glow's side. Dak happily babbled in his language, reaching out to Winger. Leyla stayed where she was, watching Winger with the same serious expression he'd had noticed in the morning.
Winger distracted himself from his aching wings by cutting through clouds and rising high to spiral past Glow. Each little trick made the hatchlings smile and laugh. Dak mimicked Winger's flight with one hand, making silly sounds to go with the motions.
During a brief glide to rest his wings, Winger commented, "Leyla is really quiet, isn't she, Mom?"
Glow didn't seem to hear him. Her gaze was fixed on something straight ahead. Her markings glowed softly.
Swallowing, Winger turned his eyes forward.
An island had emerged from the waves. It was bigger than the island where Cutter and his family lived, with a mountain cutting into the sky. Even from a distance, Winger could make out a sizable village sprawling across the island and ships dotting the waves.
Glow dropped closer to the water. Winger followed her, and both landed on a sea stack. They stared across the waves in silence.
Winger's throat tightened. He'd known that the hatchlings couldn't stay with him and Glow, but he'd already had to watch them carried off once. He'd barely met the pair, but he was already so attached to the little humans!
Eventually, a little voice broke the silence. "Mom?"
"Yes, Winger?" Glow said listlessly.
"It wasn't me," Winger said.
A few beats of silence fell before Winger realized what he'd just heard and said. He looked at Glow as she did the same, both of their eye ridges creased in confusion.
"Mom."
Winger followed the voice down. Down to between Glow's paws, where Leyla sat with her teeth proudly bared. Dak giggled.
"Mom, Mom, Mom," Leyla chirped in the language of dragons.
"Mom, she-" Winger shook his head, a huge smile crossing his muzzle. "She can talk dragon!"
Leyla rasped something out, sounding vaguely like "talk dragon," then repeated "Mom!" clearly. Dak laughed and tried to repeat the sounds, making odd little growls instead.
Leyla grabbed his forepaws in hers and firmly repeated, "Mom."
"Om, chom, num," Dak chanted in his little growl.
Leyla jiggled his paws. "Mom, Mom."
Winger crouched beside them. "Yes, you're close Dak. Go slower. Mmmmoooommmm."
Dak's face creased in concentration. "Mmmm.. om! Mom? Mom!"
Leyla giggled. Dak laughed aloud, then the two hatchlings chanted, "Mom" back-and-forth. Winger yelped happily, his tail swishing happily.
"That's amazing!" Winger laughed. "Isn't that so- Mom?"
Glow hadn't moved since Leyla spoke. She stared at the hatchlings in wide-eyed shock, and Winger couldn't tell whether or not she was happy.
"Mom?" Winger pressed his belly to the ground. "Mom, are you okay?"
The hatchlings, noticing Winger's nervous posture, quieted. They looked up at Glow with concerned expressions.
"Oh," Glow said softly. "Oh, little ones, what have we done?"
"Mom?" Winger whimpered. "What's wrong?"
"The humans in the last village wanted to kill them just because I was nearby," Glow whispered, pain in her voice. "If these hatchlings show up speaking in the dragon tongue, what will the humans do?"
"It… it'll be okay," Winger said hesitantly. "Cutter said human hatchlings roar at the dragons sometimes. The other humans won't know the hatchlings are actually talking."
Glow lifted her head toward the island, her expressions mournful. Winger suddenly wondered if encouraging the hatchlings to repeat dragon words had been a mistake. What if his little game caused the hatchlings to be hurt?
Leyla looked between the dragons, then sighed. She threw her forelegs around Glow's neck.
"Mom!" Leyla said.
Glow startled and looked down. "No, Leyla, I'm not-"
"Mom," Dak added, beaming up at her.
Dak's clenched stomach loosened as he watched Glow's face soften. Glow nuzzled the hatchlings, then Winger.
"Well, I guess there's no helping it," Glow murmured. "Leaving the hatchlings with other humans is too much of a risk to them."
Winger's ear flaps pricked up. "You mean…?"
"They can stay."
"Yip-pee!"
Winger leaped to his feet and sprang in joyful circles. Dak laughed and ran to join Winger, who dropped to the ground and wriggled against Dak. Leyla giggled, still sitting between Glow's paws.
"You can stay," Winger told Dak. He ran to poke Leyla's chest. "You can stay! You're going to love it, you'll see. We'll be one big happy family, the four of us." Winger was wriggling in place like an excited hatchling, but he didn't care. "Me, my new little brother, my new little sister, and our Mom."
Dak grinned at him. Leyla nestled closer to Glow's paws. She smiled at Glow's scarred face and said one word.
"Mom."
A/N: This is my theory, and nothing can convince me otherwise. Including the newest episodes, if they have any contradicting episodes, because not all people have Peacock to watch the newest season. :(
If you want the rest of my theories of what happens between here and the show timeline, I can PM you a condensed version!