Young Writers Society

Work by FrostieGreen on Deviantart

This is Nightshade normally. I commissioned FrostieGreen to draw her for me

“Hmmm. I choose… to go on an adventure to the heart of the jungle. I’d love to see the tree wing village.” Nara said excitedly. “Though I’m a little worried about you not being allowed back there. What if we get caught?”

Nightshade uncurled her tail and walked out to the balcony to stretch out her wings. Nara got up and walked over to stand beside her. Nightshade looked down at Nara with a mischievous grin.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll just sneak in for a bit then sneak back out. There’s no harm in just looking around. I do it all the time.” She said in a jokingly dismissive way. “Now hop on!”

Nightshade crouched down so Nara could climb on her back, but Nara shook her head.

“Your spines would make riding on your back quite uncomfortable. Could you carry me instead?”

Nightshade smiled kindly and nodded. She picked up Nara under her arms and took off.

They flew for a while in the night sky before Nightshade landed in a large tree.

“This as far as we can go by air. Now that we are getting close to the center of the jungle there might be airsnares in the trees,” She said, setting Nara down.

“I’ll need all my arms if we want to travel at any kind of speed in the jungle canopy. So…” She trailed off while her tail wrapped up Nara securely.

“Don’t worry. I probably won’t let you bump into any branches.” Nightshade called over her shoulder as she took off through the jungle canopy.

Nara’s breath caught in her lungs. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to race through the forest like this. The night air had a chill as it whistled in her ears.

As they continued Nara noticed something glowing off in the distance. She squinted at it, but the branches and leaves racing past obscured it almost as soon as she spotted it, making her question whether she saw anything at all. Then a few seconds later she saw another… and another. Glowing somethings were littering the ground now, but they were moving so fast she couldn’t see what exactly they were.

Nightshade slowed down and she was able to make out what looked like glowing mushrooms and fern plants. Then she looked ahead to ask Nightshade what they were and noticed that the whole jungle in front of them looked like it was bathed in a blue glow with hints of pink, purple and green.

“Welcome to the center of the jungle Nara.” Nightshade said over her shoulder. “It only gets better from here so try not to get too slack jawed over some glowing plants,” She said with a grin.

Nara realised she had been staring around them with her mouth open and promptly closed it which made Nightshade laugh.

“Ok, ok. I’m only stopping one more time between here and the spot I want to show you, so get ready,” She said as she crouched down before springing forward once more.

The glow was all around them now. It seemed like every tree, bush and stream were glowing. The trees had some kind of glowing green moss on them while the streams seemed to shine with blue algae that grew along their beds. There were glowing white bulbs that looked like dandelions with their seeds out. A few of the seeds were floating in the air like fireflies. There were also many other small animals and insects glowing a fluttering about. It was all too much for Nara to take in as it rushed past in a blur.

A few minutes later Nightshade came to a pond and nodded to herself before going down what seemed to be a well traveled path. Then they came to a small clearing where a line of trees could be seen ahead, and Nightshade stopped. She set Nara down and uncoiled her tail.

“Up ahead is the edge of the tree wing village. I’ll scout ahead alone to make sure the way is clear. You stay here for a while but don’t touch the orange or yellow plants. Oh, and don’t climb the trees without green moss. And don’t… oh, just try not to do anything until I get back ok?” Nightshade finished in an exasperated tone.

Nara folded her arms across her chest.

“I’ve lived in the jungle my entire life too you know. Don’t worry. I’ll be right here when you get back.” Nara assured her.

Nightshade sighed before turning towards the tree wing village and disappearing down the path. Nara shook her head. It felt so strange for Nightshade to be so worried about her. She could handle herself.

Nara let out a relaxed sigh. Now that she wasn’t hurtling through it, the center of the jungle was even more beautiful. The ground beneath her paws was soft and covered with glowing moss. As she took a step forward her eyes widened as the moss around her feet glowed brightly for a moment. As if she had squished the light out of it like one would squish water out of a sponge.

The trees themselves were lit by the glow of everything else and twisted like no trees Nara had ever seen. Their twisting and twining branches cast spooky and wild shadows on everything within their tangled branches. Vines hung all over the place and many different colors of glowing plants could be seen.

As Nara looked around admiring the beauty of the forest she heard something large coming down the path. In a panic she dove under the closest dense bush she could find. A few moments later a small group of dragons came down the path chatting with each other, but Nara couldn’t make out what they were saying. They all had shiny grey-ish scales which reflected the glow of the forest in a rainbow of colors.

When they walked the glow reflecting off their scales made it look like parts of them were merging with the glow of the jungle like some kind of camouflage she had seen small green reptiles do, but they didn’t seem to be doing it on purpose. Their loud talking made any kind of stealth useless.

Nara waited until they had been gone for a full minute before breathing a sigh of relief. But as she got up something in the bush seemed to stick to her left shoulder. She tried to pull it off but only succeeded in getting her hand stuck. She pulled franticly but that only made things worse as whatever it was yanked her off her feet and started dragging her backwards.

Nara looked over her shoulder in time to see a massive glowing yellow bulb on a thick stem with many tentacle like feelers flowing from it. All the feelers were slowing being pulled back into the bulb and as she got closer more and more of them stuck to her. The bulb opened like a giant mouth leaning towards her. At this point Nara recovered from her shock and confusion as well as found her voice.

“Nightshade!” She called in a panic hoping her friend would hear her.

She dug her feet in, but the plant was slow, methodical, and much stronger. She was now within arms reach and she tried pushing on the petals of the plant, but the leaves were covered in a slippery lubricant which helped her slide right to the bottom of the bulb a moment later. The bulb closed and started to fill with a strange liquid that stung and tickled her feet as it slowly filled the bulb. No matter how much she punched, kicked, and screamed at the bulb there was nothing she could do.

Then she heard a muffled growl and suddenly she fell sideways as the bulb collapsed to the ground. The bulb broke open and the tentacles stopped pulling her deeper into the carnivorous plant.

Nara rolled out expecting to be greeted by Nightshade’s scolding ‘I told you so’ face, but when she looked up she saw Nightshade tearing up the plant in a fury. Then she turned to Nara and grabbed her before bolting into the jungle running along the tree wing village border. After a few minutes she stopped and looked around before sizing up Nara.

“Well, at least the tentagripper only pulled out a little bit of your soft fur. You really need to be more careful. You were lucky that was a young plant. Fully grown ones can even cause dragons trouble.” She said, flicking away the last bits of the plant that were stuck to Nara’s fur.

Nara tried to stand and winced as her feet started to burn again. Nightshade noticed and nodded to herself.

“Right, let’s wash you off. Luckily the place we’re going is nearby and has a pool you can wash off in.”

Then Nightshade pausing for a moment as if thinking about something.

“Oh, right, how could I forget… I told you so!” Nightshade said with a stern face before she broke down with soft laughter.

“The other tree wings likely heard your cry so we should get to my secret spot quickly,” She said, wrapping Nara in her tail once more. Then they took off again.

Nara noticed that all the yellow glowing plants and most of the orange and red ones were not present inside the tree wing village but other than that not much looked different. She had been expecting buildings, huts and other dragon made structures, but everything looked natural. She did notice however, that Nightshade was moving much more cautiously and silently than before. She also stopped to look around frequently, but Nara wasn’t sure if she was getting her bearings or checking for other tree wings. Then she came to a small wall of bushes on the left side of the path they were on. Nightshade brought Nara around in front of her and covered her with her wings before backing into the bush.

“And here we are.” Nightshade declared as she opened her wings and uncurled her tail from around Nara. Nara’s eyes widened as she breathed in the spectacle around her. There was a small pool just big enough for two dragons Nightshade’s size to fit into. The calm water reflected the glowing jungle around them like a mirror. There were ferns hanging over the pool and soft moss around its edges. There were even smooth stones for sitting on and a hole through the canopy that let you stare straight up into the starry night sky.

Nara dipped her feet into the pool, the cool water felt wonderful after the burning acidic juices. She slid in and gave a little yelp as the water went over her head. The pool was a lot deeper than it looked.

Nightshade chuckled slightly before sighing as she slid into the water across from Nara. Nara surfaced and laid against the edge of the pool with a sigh of contentment. The cool water was nice in the hot jungle and all her aches seemed to melt away.

“So, what do you think?” Nightshade asked. Nara sighed again.

“It’s perfect. Mmmm. Thank you Nightshade. This has been a wonderful adventure.” Nara said gratefully.

“There’s even more I want to show you before we go back but this is my secret spot. Nobody else knows about it except for… him.” Nightshade trailed off.

“Who?” Nara asked, curious. Nightshade looked at her for a moment as if debating whether to tell her or not.

“His name was Ceiba. He was the only dragon who liked me.” Nightshade said with a sad smile as if she was remembering some fond memories.

“And the only dragon I’ve ever loved.” She whispered to herself so quietly Nara could barely hear what she had.

“None of the other tree wings wanted to play with me (or even acknowledge I existed), so none of them got to see this spot. But I’m still happy to show you Nara.” She said brightening up again.

Nara nodded but her mind was still on what she had heard about Nightshade having a dragon she loved. Nightshade didn’t talk about herself very much and tried to avoid talking about the other tree wings which made Nara think she hadn’t liked any of them.

“Whenever you’re ready to leave I want to show you one other spot before we head back to my tree house.” Nightshade said as she let herself sink up to her neck in the water.

Her tail stuck out on the opposite side of the pool and flicked idly back and forth. It was very entrancing to watch her tail even if it was unintentional. Nara had to force herself not to watch it, so instead she tried to take in as much of the jungle around them so she wouldn’t forget a single detail.

The grass was so green and illuminated by the glow around them. There were a few seeds and other glowing insects floating about but the most beautiful thing was the night sky above them. It was rare to see a whole in the jungle canopy so clear like this and the stars twinkled like water droplets on a sunny morning. Nara breathed in the lush smell of the jungle and noticed a few scents she had never smelled before. It almost felt like a whole new world.

She spent a while relaxing and admiring the jungle around them but eventually she felt it was time to go.

“Alright Nightshade. I’m ready to see whatever this other spot you want show me is.”

Nightshade nodded and got out of the pool shaking a bit to get the water off. Nara did the same.

“Ok then. This time I’ll carry you to my next spot. Ready?” Nightshade asked as she scooped up Nara and held her gently yet firmly in her talons. Nara nodded.

“Alright. Here. We. Go!” Nightshade exclaimed as she leapt into the hole in the canopy.

As soon as they were above the trees Nara’s jaw dropped again.

The jungle looked completely different from up here. And there was a tree that looked wide enough to fit her entire village underneath twice over! The massive branches of the tree looked more like roads and the leaves, shields. She felt like a tiny ant next to this colossal structure.

“That is the great tree.” Nightshade announced. “The home of all tree wings and the heart of our village. Here, I’ll take you in for a closer look.” She said as she flew towards the tree.

Nara couldn’t help but stare in awe at the shear size of it. There were also strange glowing marks carved into its trunk and glowing moss and vines covering almost every inch of it. Nightshade came up to the end of a branch that was covered in leaves and landed. There was a kind of door into the tree that glowed with a warm orange light from inside. The leaves hid them from anyone flying around or who happened to walk out on the branch.

“Hey Nara, can you stay here for a moment?” Nightshade asked as she set her friend down on the branch. “I want to go check on something. It might take a while, but I’ll be back. Just enjoy the view in the meantime, ok?”

She took off before Nara could say anything. Nara sighed. Nightshade was a good friend but her social skills needed some work. Still, she did have quite the view from up here. One of the two moons was out tonight, and it was almost full. She could see most of the jungle illuminated in its light.

After a few minutes of enjoying the jungle night atmosphere Nara’s ears perked up at the sound of someone sighing. She turned around and immediately flattened herself against the wood beneath her. The bush already completely concealed her, but she could easily see the dragon walking out along the branch towards her.

This one was different. He was about the same size as the other dragons, but his scales looked healthy deep green, and his wings seemed tough instead of soft like Nightshade or the other dragons she saw. His tail was also a lot shorter and not quite as thick as Nightshade’s. From the way his voice sounded, and his face looked she guessed he was a male.

He looked a bit sad though. His wings drooped slightly, and his head hung down as he walked. He walked close to the edge of the branch where the leaves began and stopped. Then he sat facing the moon and sighed again. Then he checked around the sky and the entrance to the tree before looking up at the moon with the saddest face Nara had ever seen. Then he closed his eyes and began to sing.

All I need is a little love in my life.

All I need is a little love in the daaaark.

Just A little love and it might kick start… Me and my broken heart.

He began to sway to some sad beat as the melody flowed from his heart.

Oh-oh, How can I call this love? Whoa-oh.

I tried, to run away but your eyes, told me to stay.

And even, now that you’re gone, I still long for your wings to come, and surround me. Oh-oh,

why do I feel this love? Whoa-oh.

It seems like I’ve been losing control.

Somebody tell me I’m not alone, when I say

All I need’s a little love in my life.

All I need’s a little love in the daaaark.

Just A little love and it might kick start… me and my broken heart.

I need a little loving tonight.

Hold me so I’m not falling apaaart.

Just a little love and it might kick start… Me and my broken heart.

Maybe, some part of you can sate me, why do I wish you would take me, when you pick me up and play with me, why does it feel so good? Oh-oh,

How can I call this love? Whoa-oh.

One time, you told me you need me all night.

To make it easy, you lied,

And said it was all for love.

controlled me all for love. Whoa-oh-Oh-oh,

Me and my broken heart!

All I need is a little love in my life.

All I need is a little love in the daaaark!

Just A little love and it might kick start… Me and my broken heart.

I need a little loving tonight.

Hold me so I’m not falling apaaart!

Just a little love and it might kick start…

Me and my broken heart.

The dragon whispered as his song finished. 

Tears formed in his eyes as he shook with quiet sobs. A few tears formed in Nara’s eyes as well at the sad and heartfelt song. The male tree wing wiped his tears and looked up at the moon.

“Why can’t I get over this? It’s been years! So many of my friends have gotten over their break ups. There are so many other beautiful tree wing girls in the village. Why can’t I just find someone else? It’s not like I couldn’t if I tried. Everyone expects me to find another mate, but I just don’t feel anything for them like I did for her. I can’t even talk to anyone about it, or they just try to fix me.

Oh great wings above, please send someone to help me. Either send someone who I feel the same affection for or someone that can help me… no. Help her. Then she can be with me. If she wasn’t…” He sighed looking down at the jungle below.

“No. I don’t want her to become someone else just so she could be here in the village with me. Just… please. If you’re watching us from up there somewhere. Please let this ache in my heart end. I don’t care how you do it. Just… please.” He pleaded.

Then he took a deep breath and glanced up at the moon one last time before slowly getting up and walking back to the tree holding his wings higher and his back straight even though his tail still dragged along the ground. Nara noticed a few strange scars on his tail that looked like claws had dug into the end of it.

That must have been painful. She thought compassionately. She wished she could comfort him but knew that if she revealed herself it would probably end badly for her. Besides, she didn’t even know what she would say to him if she did.

He walked back inside and never came out. She watched the doorway for another few minutes before turning back to admire what she could see of the tree wing village. Trying to forget what she’d heard. It wasn’t her problem. It was this dragon and whoever he was crying about’s problem.

Many of the trees near the base of the great tree looked like they had grown together into strange shapes that looked like some kind of house or nest. She assumed that those must be the homes of the tree wings. Nightshade must have lived in one before she started living in the forest. She’d have to ask her how she came to be in the outer forest some time.

As she was thinking this Nightshade swooped out of the night sky like a shadow detaching itself from the deeper darkness of space.

“Hello Nara. Ready to go back?”

Nara smiled and nodded. Nightshade landed briefly to pick up Nara before leaping off and gliding down till they were just above the trees.

They glided for a few minutes until Nightshade saw a spot where they could drop through the canopy. Once they were below the canopy she wrapped Nara in her tail one final time and speed away into the jungle.

This time was a lot less scary as Nara was a bit more used to it by now. On the way back to Nightshade’s tree house she went over everything she had seen and heard in her mind. She didn’t want to forget a single part of their wonderful adventure that night.