Monochrome Lives

Chapter Twenty

Just as they finish chuckling, a voice suddenly shouts urgently, demanding attention, from behind the pair: "Castella! Castella!"

Tilu Fannal flies up from behind, beating her black thin wings as fast as a hummingbird, but with a lot less stability. More like a hummbird that's had a bit too much to drink. It's surprising to see her flying in such a hurry, and especially the fact she's shouting instead of whispering, which is the normal for the small hydra dragon. 

I supppose it's because Ostra is no longer gracing us with her wondeful and humble presence, Arcus thinks with a hint of a smirk, black lips tilted up in a small grin. There's not much guilt at her kill, even though he wonders to himself, is it better this way? Without her? It seems as if I'm not the only one who has benefited from her leave of permenant absence. Tilu seems happier, and Castella, as well as Actrino, I do believe, since he's making silly comments, unlike usual. 

"What is it, Tilu?" Arcus questions, green eyes gazing steadily at her eyes, which are a very similar shade of green. Normally she's not so loud and frantic, Arcus thinks before scanning the skies surrounding the group of dragons. The sky is pure blue with little puffs of white clouds, no other parties in the vicinity. He sees no reason to be alarmed as of now, therefore making him ever the more curious about Tilu's attitude. 

"They . . ." She takes a moment to suck in a big lungful of air, small lungs heaving, then delivers with big eyes and a slack jaw, "They're back."

"Who's back?" Castella questions, just as confused as Arcus as she joins in on the conversation. Cumulo is on his way out of here, and there's no way he's returning to Arcus or I. Returning so soon would be completely and utterly be the move of a foreheaded fool. Our side is still bigger than theirs, but only by two dragons. 

"That's just it." Tilu swallows with a bit of a struggle from her dry throat, before quickly adding at the impatient look Arcus gives her, "It's Cumulo."

"Mistaken, you must be, Tilu. He wouldn't return. He's too arrogant for that." Arcus denies the warning, shrugging it aside. However, Castella asks, "Just him, was it? Or companions did he have at his side?"

"All of them are coming." Tilu responds before Arcus glances at Tilu, then searches the sky behind, spotting some dark clouds. The dark clouds seem to be the only ones in the sky, and in the direction they came from. Peering even harder, he sees the inside of the cloud flapping, and roars at the maximum capacity without hesitation, turning every scaled head in the sky to him.

Stopping to hover in the air, he whirls around and shouts at the top of his lungs, "To arms! Gaze to the sky from the directions of which we came!"

His crowd of dragons turns and looks in the direction their leader is peering, just as dragons pour from the clouds, diving from above. They come down by the hundreds, more than were in the clan. It's then that Arcus sees the new dragons, all which are covered with gold scales.

"Mantla." He snarls as his throat practically constricts in pure, unwaning rage, "It's her group. I didn't kill them all. What a complete moron I can be."

Castella hardly hears her mate mumbling at her side as she looks on with wide eyes. They are outnumbered, ten to one now. "Why do things always have to be so dramatic? Why can't these things just be solved with words instead of blood and war?" She mutters with a lame scowl, trying to think of an answer, and wondering if Arcus is listening to her. "They're getting closer every second and you're having a brain storm."

Arcus hardly hears her, deep in thought of how they could win the fight. A sudden bonk on his head from Castella's fist jolts him back to the present, and he questions with slightly wide green eyes, "What is it? Hit me on the head, why did you? Why? I'm trying to plan how we could win. Bonks on the head don't help, as far as I've heard."