Chapter 8: Stranded

                                    

                                          
   Alaya sighed.  She was freezing.  She was scared.  Her friend was hurt.  She was separated from her family.  She had no way to get back.
                          
   The island they'd landed on had bushes, rocks, and palm trees lining where the beach melted into dark green grass blades.  Alaya knew how to use most of it - survival skills drilled into her brain time and time again by her parents were pretty hard to forget.
                          
   Trust your gut, Alaya's mother's voice whispered in her ear.  It will guide you, no matter how lost you are.
                          
   Yet never be afraid to stray from your usual path, Alaya's father's gruff voice reminded her.  You are strong, you've been taught how to defend yourself.  
                          
   If your gut leads you astray, let it.  Her mother's murmur soothed her.  It will all work out in the end.
                          
   "It will all work out in the end,"  Alaya murmured.  Moon glanced back with a slight look of longing before shifting into a worried expression.
                          
   "You okay?"  Moon asked.
                          
   "I could ask you the same question."  Alaya pointed at her burnt wing.  "I didn't get hit by a lightning bolt."
                          
   "Yeah, but you were terrified in that storm."  Moon pointed out.  "Why did we even go in it?"
                          
   Alaya shook her head, her hair lightly brushing her numb cheeks.  "I don't know."  She admitted.  "Now we're stuck here.  Who knows for how long?"
                          
   "At least until my wing heals up,"  Moon said.  "Hopefully that won't take too long, though..."  Her head suddenly snapped up, and she pulled her lips back to reveal two rows of sharp, gleaming white teeth.  "Do you hear that?"
                          
   "No, hear wha -"  Alaya started, but Moon silenced her with a flick of her tail and stalked toward a large boulder.  She lifted her head and glanced over it, narrowing her light blue eyes as a shadow was cast over the back of the stone.
                          


                          
   Amber looked up at her enemy.  Her teeth were gleaming sharp and white, despite her beat-up shape.  She had both wings flared, although one had a distinct lightning burn mark through the silver scales, tinted a lighter blue and seemingly melting the silver scales it ran through.  The silver scales by her eyes shimmered with knowledge:  knowledge no dragon should be allowed to have.
                          
   Moon was still angry.  Amber heard a low growl pass through her teeth.  The fact that Moon was growling at her savior - the reason the Skrill hadn't managed to hit her and send both her and her human into the water - disgusted her.  
                          
   Amber curled her claws in slightly and let her neck ruff fall, her tail curled in as she hid the irritated orange-yellow spreading across her back with her vanished wings.
                          
   "I can hear you."  Moon snarled viciously.
                          
   Amber let her hidden figure vanish in favor of the irritated oranges and reds that rippled throughout her body like flames that had scarred her, although it was just a sign of the irritation she felt toward Moon.
                          
   "You're welcome."  Amber spat back, stepping around the boulder but not letting her dark green eyes leave Moon's furious light blue eyes.
                          
   "For what?"  Moon snarled, stepping toward her with narrowed eyes.
                          
   "Uh, saving your life!"  Amber growled, flaring her wings momentarily before pressing them in against her side again.
                          
   "Saving my life?"  Moon spat a harsh laugh.  "That's what you call it!?  That's what you call -"
                          
   "Like you were any help to me!  At least I did something when the time came!"  Amber snarled viciously.
                          
   "Please!  You abandoned me in that cave!"  Moon lashed her tail, nearly hitting her human, who had sitting in startled shock behind them up until now.
                          
   "Guys -"  The woman said, reaching out two pale hands to stop the dragon.
                          
   "I abandoned you!?  Either you're a liar, or you're more idiotic than I thought."  Amber hissed.
                          
   "It's the latter."  The woman said.  This caught both dragons' attention.
                          
   "I AM NO -"  Moon started to roar.
                          
   "How did yo -"  Amber started at the same time.
                          
   "Perfect, now that I have your attention, calm down you two."  The woman said.  "I'm Alaya, I'm guessing your Amber?"
                          
   Amber narrowed dark green eyes at her suspiciously.  "Yes."  She said.  "How did you know?"
                          
   Alaya shrugged.  "Inference."  She replied simply.  "Now, Moon, go see if there's fish over there, Amber, go cool off under the tree over there."  She pointed at each place in turn.  "Then," she continued.  "we can come back and resolve this.  Peacefully."  She added as Moon opened her mouth, most likely to object.
                          
   "Alright,"  Moon mumbled.  "But it doesn't mean I have to like it."
                          
   "Wouldn't expect you to in the slightest."  Alaya chuckled as the two dragons separated.