Brightest Dark - Chapter Twelve

Instructions

Sorry, a bit shorter than usual. You can thank the State Testing that I have this week qwq. Anyway, enjoy! Shadeleaf woke up bit by bit. The first thing he realized was that he had the worst headache he’d ever had and possibly the worst in history. The next was that he was lying on something comfortable. His eyelids fluttered open, and he found himself in a room with Firestorm who was watching him anxiously while he applied something to the scratches Peri had left on his face. “Oh, thank the moons,” he sighed, spotting Shadeleaf’s open eyes. “I thought maybe I’d given you too much.” He touched Shadeleaf’s forehead and frowned. “You’re still too warm.” “I feel much better now,” Shadeleaf told him, which was true. The voice, though undoubtedly hovering nearby, wasn’t trying to control him at the moment. “Thanks for... for whatever you did.” “Anytime,” Firestorm said firmly. “The others are nearby; that Mudwing commander is with them. What... what happened? You started screaming and crying, and we couldn’t understand anything you said. Sandfox gave me something to knock you out. Ack, that didn’t come out right.” Shadeleaf opened his mouth way before he was ready to answer. What should he say? Lying might bring the voice back... and the truth might scare Firestorm away... “You don’t have to tell me,” Firestorm promised, settling into a more relaxed position and staring into Shadeleaf’s eyes. “I can tell something’s going on, but if you aren’t ready, then you aren’t ready. It’s as simple as that.” Shadeleaf nodded, but still felt like he should say something. “Have you ever felt out of control?” he asked, morphing his worries into something Firestorm could relate to. “Like... you couldn’t do the right thing?” Firestorm’s eyes became distant, and he sighed heavily. “For a while, after our parents died, Aura and I were alone. We hadn’t found the others yet; it was just us: two small, heartbroken, homeless dragonets. And I was... angry. I almost hurt my own sister once.” He was quiet for several minutes, then said, “I realized something that night. I never should have bottled up all my feelings. You shouldn’t either, or it will all come out of you, and something will go wrong.” “I can’t,” Shadeleaf whispered. “I can’t BE truthful anymore.” Firestorm looked extremely concerned but nodded. “Sometimes, we just can’t say what’s inside of us. Just... take care of yourself until you can.” Shadeleaf nodded and debated going back to sleep. He was extremely comfortable, and the voice seemed to leave him alone while he was sleeping... The door slammed open, and he sighed. So much for a nap... “I came as soon as I heard,” Swan panted, straightening her golden crown and looking windswept. “What are you doing here?! Do you know how much trouble you-” “We came to help you out,” Firestorm cut in. “The whole collapsing thing... wasn’t planned.” “I thought as much,” Swan said tartly, but her eyes softened when they landed on Shadeleaf. “Sorry, it sounded awful. I’m just... on edge at the moment.” “I would be too,” Firestorm murmured, resting a talon on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll get him back, I promise. No one messes with us and gets away with it.” Swan nodded, taking a deep breath. Slowly, she turned to Shadeleaf. “I’ve been thinking about using my magic to help you, but... I really don’t want to take the risk with so much at stake.” Shadeleaf wanted to beg her to give him protection, a way to avoid the voice that had slithered into his mind, but he choked it back. “I’ll be fine,” he said quietly. “Is the queen-” “She’s busy right now, interviewing some Seawings who just came from the lake by the rainforest.” Swan clicked her claws on the tile floor and glanced toward Firestorm. “Celadon is with them.”