Chapter One (Enjoy!)

 Chapter Four

~ SUNDEW ~

Cobra Lily growled. 

“What is it?”, Sundew snapped. She turned ahead, following Cobra Lily’s gaze until it landed on a familiar tree. “Sandboxes”, Cobra Lily hissed. “Everyone get down. NOW, Tundra, I said right now. I am looking at you.” 

The Sandboxes had icky, sticky, big tendrils, and they were a big tree. For some reason, the Sandbox was spiky in a way that scared Tundra.

Tundra sighed. Sundew and Cobra Lily could blend into the Rainforest with ease. But Tundra on the other talon, had icy white scales, and piercing blue eyes. Both Cobra Lily and Sundew had to cover every inch of her body in mud, and dead, wet leaves. “Ick! This is awful!”, Tundra complained. “Well it’s what is best for us, you, and the chance of saving Chokecherry”, Sundew retorted.

“Yessss…”, The sandbox hissed slowly, adding a hint of death to the air. “Yessss… Fear me dragonsss. Do…” 

Cobra Lily crouched down, and leapt out of the grass, but the sandbox was too quick. “Nice try, dragonsss…” “You can’t get my… my f-friends…” Cobra Lily choked out, gasping for breath.

Then, an awful smell came rolling onto the jungle floors, and killed almost every blade of grass like they were being crushed like a grape being made into juice. The sandbox staggered back, and it’s grip on Cobra Lily loosened. “No… Sssandbox cannot, just cannot d-d-die...” 

As soon as the sandbox’s grip was loose enough, Cobra Lily stabbed the dewy tendrils of the sandbox, and Sundew came up behind it, and slit its throat. “Noooooo....”, The sandbox howled and moaned. Then, it’s eyes rolled back in it’s head, and the sandbox died.

Chapter Five

~ COBRA LILY~

“Why can’t I go hoooome”, Tundra moaned and complained. She was starting to get tired of this silly journey. She could be home doing what she should have been doing. Watching over her subjects and her kingdom. It was her duty, after all.

“Because the queen said that you will be useful on this journey.”, answered Cobra Lily in her stern voice. Well, not that I think you are… You are the opposite of useful. What was Sequoia thinking, Cobra Lily thought. 

Tundra looked up and flicked one claw at Sundew. “Um, excuse me, miss Cobra Lily, but this is her journey.” Sundew pounced on Tundra’s tail, only to get MORE whining in return. 

She caught up with Cobra Lily and said, “Look, you know that this is a journey for all of us. especially you. Since you don’t have anything but pollen in your ears and butterflies in your brain.” 

Sundew tilted her head to look at her. “I mean, I like- she’s ugh. Just leave me alone for a bit, OK?”, Cobra Lily muttered, annoyed. Sundew didn’t really understand why her guide was acting like this. She had lately been acting very strange, and looked uncomfortable.

“Alright,” Sundew answered, nodding. “Mope to your heart's content.” Then, Sundew went back to join Tundra. Tundra looked kind of like Cobra Lily, except she was acting sulky like always and looked very exhausted. 

“WARGHFLUPLY!” Cobra Lily shrieked from up ahead. “Cobra Lily! Are you OK?” Sundew asked worriedly, bounding up to her friend. Is she dead?! Did I just kill my aunt and the queen’s top head scout?! HOW MUCH TROUBLE WILL I BE IN?! 

Instead of seeing a green-pink corpse, she saw a pink-green dragon with her talons pressed to her heart, with eyes wide, and breathing deeply. 

“I just- the thing. The message…”, she trailed off. Then, she fainted. Sundew roared angrily. “Great! Just GREAT. Now we've got a USELESS guide, we don’t know what made her that way, and we could be THE NEXT VICTIMS!” Sundew heard Tundra’s talonsteps from behind and turned around on her heel. Tundra came up behind her, and said, “Jeesh, Sundew. I personally think that you need to calm down. I mean, we’re not totally sure that we could be the next victims.” Sundew didn’t get it. At times like this, somebody always had to disagree with her when she was doing the right thing. “BUT IT’S MOST DEFINITELY LIKELY!”, Sundew shrieked back.  

Tundra scowled at Sundew. She was just about fed up with this silly nonsense. “What do you think we should do, O Great One?!” Tundra yelled at the top of her lungs. 

“Yesss… More anger... sssandbox lovesss anger…”, The sandbox’s chilling voice said coldly. 

Sundew and Tundra froze, and then strangely enough, they both had a meltdown, right on the spot, and burst into tears. “I SHOULD BE AT HOME PLAYING WITH MY DAUGHTER!”, Tundra balled. “AND I SHOULD BE AT WILLOW’S!”, Sundew choked out in a muffled voice. 

The sandbox hissed slowly, “Nooo… Sssandbox no like sssadnesss…” Then it slowly but surely retreated back into the forest. The forest had become quiet as though someone was watching them.

Sundew and Tundra had just gotten off of the forest floor, when an icey white-blue dragon came barreling through the trees, and nearly knocked them over again. “WINTER?!”, Tundra shrieked, throwing her wings around the year-old dragonet. “Mother! I knew you were here! I have news!” Now that Sundew thought about it, Winter did have some resemblance to Tundra except smaller and more exciting… Probably smarter than Tundra as well, Sundew thought. 

Maybe she works at home as a news reporter dragon… Oh, wait. She probably doesn’t. Sundew remembered that Winter was the next heir to the throne after Tundra. She couldn’t imagine that Tundra, of all dragons, was a good and fair queen. She couldn’t help but be hopeful that Winter might be the next great queen that the IceWings ever had. Most queens had to report things to her council and to her kingdom, and clearly, Winter looked pretty professional at reporting the news.

Sundew snapped back to attention when Winter turned to her. “Sundew, I’m really sorry, but, um, your queen is dead.”

Chapter Six

Is Coming Soon!