Sanguine Moon

by Jennifer Foxcroft

  The Fold and other adults were all given instructions from Strickland to secure the market and roost. Without knowing why the Muerte have taken the Duskwing members, it’s impossible to guess their next move, and whether they will be bold enough to come for the Shadows.

  Rocks whispers his father will be fearful of a takeover. The Muerte with the Duskwing in their ranks will now outnumber the Shadows, and he could lose command of his colony.

  Bailey leaves the makeshift circle of children and joins us. Looking up from ground level, she informs her brother she’s going to get her dragon book to read to Moonshadow.

  “No, stay here.”

  “But I’m human, I’ll be safe from owls,” she says, looking up into the darkness around the wagon.

  Rocks huffs. I know he doesn’t want to scare the pups any more than they have been already.

  “I’ll go. Where is it?”

  Bailey explains and Rocks lifts her under the arms and sits her next to me. As Rocks stalks off, she smooths out the folds of her dress.

  “The adults were talking about Elm and Oak. They didn’t know I was listening,” she admits to her dragon. She flicks her head sideways to see if I’m paying attention. “They said they wanted to be aeronaughts.” Bailey bites her lower lip. The eye patch lessens her frown, but she’s clearly got a lot on her mind. “Are you gonna fix my brother too?”

  I rest my elbows on my knees and face her as much as I can. It still makes my blood boil knowing that with modern medicine, she would probably still have perfect sight.

  “Rockland is all better. I can’t say I fixed him, but I helped. He flies perfectly. Haven’t you seen him?”

  “No, I mean like Celand.”

  “What about Celand?”

  “You know,” she says.

  Rocks steps out of the darkness and stands in front of her. With his crazy hearing, he probably heard the whole confession.

  “Bailey,” he admonishes. I look back and forth between the two of them, taking note of the similarities only siblings share. She looks down at her scuffed, brown boots.

  “Sorry.” She sniffs like she’s trying to hold back tears.

  What is going on? If they weren’t both in human form, I’d swear they were having a telepathic conversation. Bailey won’t take her eyes off her feet, and I’m shocked when she swipes at her cheeks.

  Finally, she looks up from under her little lashes and whispers. “I know what Celand did.”

  Rocks opens his arms, and she flies into them from the top step. He hugs her tight to his chest, but even if he let go, I know she wouldn’t fall because she’s clinging to him with a desperation no five-year-old should know.

  “It’s all right, little one,” he murmurs. “I didn’t know you knew about that.”

  She lifts her head off his chest and peers into his eyes. Hers glistening with unshed tears. “It’s why Celand never visits us. She got fixed.”

  Rocks hisses out a breath. The mention of details about his missing sister has me on high alert. This topic is rarely up for discussion, and since the day he promised to not keep secrets from me, it hasn’t come up.

  She rests her head on his shoulder and Rocks spends a moment whispering in her ear. He walks in slow circles calming her down. I bet he could have Mini asleep in her crib in ten minutes tops with that technique.

  Eventually, he puts her down in the circle of pups and hands over her precious dragon book. She smiles up at her hero when he captures her cute button nose between his fingers.

  “What did all that mean?” I ask as soon as his warm body sits down close. I snuggle in not realizing how cold I was without him.

  “Just ignore what Bailey said. Celand is gone, and she just misses her.”

  “What does fixed mean? At Duskwing, that Fold member said lots of their young were fixed. I thought … well, I thought they’d been … you know, like what you do to your dog?” I cringe the second the words leave my mouth.

  Rocks frowns, and for the millionth time, I pray he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. “Dogs? I don’t know what dogs have to do with it, but it’s—”

  “Bat business?” My arched brow says he’s got to be kidding if he thinks he’s going to get away with that answer.

  He rolls his eyes and shoves me with his elbow. “I was going to say that, but I promised you the truth. The fix is a fantasy is what it is. Some Camazotz believe they can be fixed in one state. I believe it’s what happened to Celand.”

  “Wait …” I can’t risk jumping to the wrong conclusion.

  Rocks had said the only way he could be free from being a Camazotz was if a witch or shaman undid the spell that turned them all. “Fixed in one state?” I ask.

  “Yes, it’s a way of making me human without reversing the original curse.”

  Character List

  Ash (Plant Wing) — m. Son of Cypress and Hannah. Older brother of Cedar and half-brother of Elm and Oak. Aeronaught hater like his father. Tattoos: fangs on his lips and chin. Potential heir of the Plant Wing.

  Asteroide (Vuelo de la Muerte - Planetary Wing) — m. Son of Saturno and future heir. His name means asteroid.

  AuburnSky (ColorNature Wing) — f. A young female chosen by the Sire to bond with Rockland. Appearance: short, bob length hair. Tattoos: both hands are tattooed with a design that can only be seen when she’s a bat.

  Bailey (Trade Wing) — f. Daughter of Zada & Judge. Sister of Decker & Baxter. Half-sister of Celand, Rockland, Graceland, and Moonshiner. Only has one eye after surviving an owl attack. Loves dragons and seahorses.

  Baxter (Trade Wing) — m. Son of Judge & Zada. Brother of Decker & Bailey. Half-brother of Celand, Rockland, Graceland & Moonshiner.

  Carnelian (Gem Wing) — m. Fold member. Father of Jet and Malachite. Uncle of little Sapphire. Appearance: thick dark hair. Only one visible tattoo high on his shoulder of the Gem Wing symbol. Wears leather cuffs on his wrists. No visible scars.

  Cedar (Plant Wing) — m. Second son of Cypress and Hannah. Brother of Ash and half-brother of Elm and Oak.

  Celand (Land Wing) — f. Daughter of Strickland & Zada. Rockland’s mysterious older sister. Half sister of Decker, Baxter, Bailey & Moonshiner. Dated aeronaught Alex Green.

  Concha (Vuelo de la Muerte - Ocean Wing) — f. Daughter of Fold member Océano. Her name means seashell. Sister of Mantarraya. Tattoos: Both forearms have crashing waves from elbow to wrist.

  Cypress (Plant Wing) — m. Fold member. Father of Ash, Cedar, Elm and Oak. Also fathered Willow from the Vuelo de la Muerte colony. His Grandfather, Spruce, was the Sire in his day. Aeronaught hater. Tattoos: humans and animals all over his body gushing blood from neck wounds.

  Decker (Trade Wing) — m. Son of Judge & Zada along with Baxter & Bailey. Half-brother and best friend of Rockland. Cousin of Jet & Harper. Potential heir of the Trade Wing.

  Elm (Plant Wing) — m. Human born twin of Oak. Son of Cypress and PurpleSky. Half-brother of Ash and Cedar. Appearance: shoulder length, dark hair. Almost delicate facial features. Has three puckered, red scars down his neck from an owl attack.

  Ezra (Hebrew Wing) — m Second son of Levi and Sunshine. Younger brother of Mazal. Half-brother of Jeremiah and Odelia. Tattoos: the Hebrew Wing symbol on his left forearm. Very deep voice and looks similar to Jeremiah.

  Foxfire (Fox Wing) — m. Son of Foxhunt. Third cousin of Rockland through Rockland’s Great Grandmother Foxtail. Is waiting for his chance to be groomed for leadership. Appearance: shaggy hair. Tattoos: fox head on the side of his neck.

  Foxhunt (Fox Wing) — m. Father of Foxfire. Clip of the Fox Wing. Trying to position his son Foxfire for a future Fold position. Has a loud, booming voice.

  Ganymede (Duskwing — Planetary Moon Wing) — m. Is named after the largest moon of Jupiter. Fold member for his wing. Tattoos: a blazing sun inside his forearm.

  Graceland (Land Wing) — f. Daughter of Strickland & Zada. Sister of Celand and Rockland. Half-sister of Decker, Baxter, Bailey, Moonshiner and Ireland.
Not a fan of aeronaught interaction.

  Harland (Land Wing) — m. Rockland’s hard-edged cousin. Son of Kirkland & Snowflake. Appearance: shoulder length jet-black hair, viper bites on his lower lip. Likes grape soda a lot.

  Harper (Trade Wing) — f. Daughter of Shepard and Lotus. First cousin of Decker, Baxter, Bailey, Sapphire, and Jet. Was rescued by Decker in the owl attack, but bled to death.

  Ireland (Land Wing) — f. Only daughter of Strickland & ScarletFall. Half-sister of Celand, Rockland, Graceland, Decker, Baxter, Bailey & Moonshiner.

  Jeremiah (Hebrew Wing) — m. Son of Levi and Neon. Older brother of Odelia. Half-brother of Mazal and Ezra. First cousin of Ash and Cedar. Appearance: missing half his ear. Tattoos: the Hebrew wing symbol on his right bicep and the Elemental wings symbol on his left bicep. Mr. McChatty.

  Jet (Gem Wing) — m. Son of Carnelian and Sawyer. Half-brother of Malachite. First cousin of Decker, Baxter, Bailey, Harper and Sapphire. Appearance: thin and wiry build.

  Judge (Trade Wing) — m. Fold member. Father of Decker, Baxter, & Bailey. Brother of Shepard & Sawyer. Uncle of Jet. Step-father of Rockland. Appearance: has a massive, puckered scar that runs down his face from temple to chin. Very muscled with a thickset chest. Likes sweet potato fries.

  Kyanite (Gem Wing) — m. Father of Sapphire. Brother of Carnelian. Uncle of Jet and Malachite. Was killed in the first owl attack on the colony.

  Lavender (Plant Wing) — f. A young girl who was chosen by the Sire to feed Rockland and form a blood bond. Tattoos: sprigs of lavender all over both arms.

  Levi (Hebrew Wing) — m. Fold member. Father of Mazal and Ezra with Sunshine, and father of Jeremiah and Odelia with Neon. Brother-in-law of Cyprus through his sister Hannah, and second cousin once removed of Carnelian. At age 50, he is the oldest living fold member. Isn’t team aeronaught but accepts Connie’s offer to try a cheeseburger.

  LittleSong (Little Wing) — f. Mate of Zander and mother of Zulu and Zara. Her father, LittleStorm, was a fold member, but the Hebrew wing took over from the Little wing because LittleStorm only had female offspring. Her sister LittleBee is mated to Carnelian. Aunt of Malachite and Jet.

  LittleStar (Little Wing) — f. Potential mate for Decker. The Little wing is trying to position themselves to return to power in the fold with future offspring and the support of powerful wings. Tattoos: single star on her chin.

  Macallister (Mac Wing) — m. Fold member. Father of Mackie with MagentaSpring. First cousin of Cyprus. Hates aeronaughts with a passion. Appearance: hard, solid man with dozens of faint, thin scars down his left arm.

  Macantia (Mac Wing) — f. A young female chosen by the Sire to feed Rockland and form a blood bond. Appearance: short and overweight. Tattoos: has the Mac symbol tattooed on both shoulders.

  Macaulay (Mac Wing) — m. Macallister’s half-brother. Works at the tannery. Appearance: has three fingers missing on his right hand.

  Mackie (Mac Wing) — m. Only son of Macallister and MagentaSpring. First cousin of Elm and Oak. Second cousin of Rockland, Decker and Jet. Frowns a lot. Tattoos: a large Mac wing crest in the center of his chest. Potential heir of the Mac Wing.

  Madison (Son Wing) — f. A young female chosen by the Sire to feed Rockland and form a blood bond. Appearance: high undercut half way up her head. The remaining hair is long and hangs forward almost covering her eyes. Tattoos: lace collar that covers her neck from collarbone to chin.

  Malachite (Gem Wing) — m. Son of Carnelian and LittleBee. Half-brother of Jet. First cousin of Sapphire, and third cousin of Jeremiah, Ash and Rebekkah. Appearance: large, predominant nose. Was the Camazotz that tried to scare Connie away and is Graceland’s boyfriend. Potential heir of the Gem Wing.

  Mantarraya (Vuelo de la Muerte - Ocean wing) — m. His mother is the Fold member Océano. Younger brother of Concha. His name means stingray. Tattoos: has a dozen stingrays swimming up his right arm.

  Mazal (Hebrew Wing) — m. Son of Levi and Sunshine. Brother of Ezra. Half-brother of Jeremiah and Odelia. Mazal has one pup called Joaquim II with mate Foxpaw. Appearance: deep age lines from a hard life. Looks older than his 28 years. Has a buzz cut to show off his skull tattoo. Tattoos: a gothic bat that wraps around the back of his skull and the wing tips end on his temple almost touching his eyes. Potential heir of the Hebrew Wing.

  Moondust (Duskwing - Moon Wing) — m. Sire of the Duskwing colony. Father of little Moonshiner from the Shadows colony with Zada. Father of Moonshadow with Fold member Starjewel. Appearance: spiky, black hair and very muscular chest and arms. Tattoos: full arm sleeve depicting the planets and solar system.

  Moonlight (Duskwing - Moon Wing) — f. A young female at the Duskwing colony. She is Moonshiner’s first cousin. Appearance: slender with fine hair and a pretty smile.

  Moonshadow (Duskwing - Moon Wing) — f. Daughter of Moondust and Starjewel. Half sister of Moonshiner. Appearance: wears her hair in two braids.

  Moonshiner (Shadows - Moon Wing) — m. Son of Zada and Moondust—from the Duskwing colony. Is the sole member of the Moon Wing at the Shadows. Half brother of Celand, Rockland, Graceland, Decker, Baxter, & Bailey. Has a half-sister called Moonshadow at the Duskwing colony that he has never met.

  Nighthawk (Duskwing - Night Wing) — m. Oldest Fold member at the Duskwing. Appearance: could be mistaken for an aeronaught farmer.

  Oak (Plant Wing) — m. Human born twin of Oak. Son of Cypress and PurpleSky. Half-brother of Ash and Cedar. Appearance: shoulder length, dark hair. Almost delicate facial features. Has three puckered, red scars from his elbow to his wrist from an owl attack.

  Océano (Vuelo de la Muerte – Ocean Wing) — f. Fold member of the Ocean Wing. She has two children—Concha and Mantarraya. Her name means ocean. Appearance: Looks sad with deep age lines around her eyes. Dresses from head-to-toe in black at all times.

  Odelia (Hebrew Wing) — f. Daughter of Levi and Neon. Little sister of Jeremiah. Half-sister of Mazal and Ezra. Bailey’s best friend who didn’t have a beanie baby to love.

  Pegasus (Mythical Creatures Wing) — m. Eldest son of Peryton. Older brother of Phoenix. Appearance: looks like a body builder. Has shark bite piercings on his lower lip. Tattoos: three crescent moons with a set of huge wings high on his shoulder. Is being groomed as the potential heir of the Z Wing.

  Peryton (Mythical Creatures Wing) — m. Clip for the Mythical Creatures Wing. Father of Pegasus and Phoenix. Has worked his whole life supporting the Z wing in the hopes that his only son may be voted in as a Fold member with the Z wing’s support.

  Phoenix (Mythical Creatures Wing) — f. A young female chosen by the Sire to feed Rockland and form a blood bond. She is a good friend of Rebekkah and Zabreena. Is madly in love with Rockland. Appearance: slim, pretty, young Camazotz. Tattoos: stars around her eyes.

  Rebekkah (Hebrew Wing) — f. Daughter of Gavriel and Helium. Older sister of Isaiah, who was killed in one of the first bat attacks. Second cousin of Jeremiah, Odelia, Mazal, Ezra, Ash and Cedar. Has been groomed to be Rockland’s future mate by her wing, and was chosen to create a blood bond with him while he was recovering. Appearance: elf-like features and fine waist-length hair braided with black satin ribbons.

  Rockland (Land Wing) — m. Son of Strickland & Zada. First born male in Strickland’s bloodline & potential heir. Has seven siblings. Appearance: over 6’4”, lean, muscled and toned, ridiculously good-looking. Has long raven-black hair at the front that hangs over his eyes when he wants to hide from the world. Tattoos: full black and grey sleeves on both arms. The design is the Shadows bat but can only be seen when he’s a Camazotz.

  RedFaith (Red Wing) — A young female chosen by the Sire to feed Rockland and form a blood bond. Appearance: extremely tall with one brown eye and one blue. Has butterfly kiss piercings under each eye and studs implanted along her collarbones. Tattoos: vivid colored butterflies covering both arms.

  Sandía (Vuelo de la Muerte – Fruit Wing) — m. Fold member of the Fruit Wing at the Vuelo de la Muerte colony. His name
means watermelon. Appearance: Dresses in black from head-to-toe. Has a scar across his left temple and small beady eyes. Tattoos: vines wrapped around his wrists that twist up his forearms.

  Sapphire (Gem Wing) — f. Daughter of Kyanite and Snowflake. Niece of Carnelian and first cousin of Malachite, Jet, Decker, Baxter, Bailey, and Harper. Decker rescued her in the owl attack.

  Saturno (Vuelo de la Muerte) — m. Sire of the Vuelo de la Muerte colony. Walks with a cane and is hunched over from deep internal wounds in a recent owl attack. Father of Asteroide.

  Sawyer (Trader Wing) — f. Mother of Jet with Carnelian. Sister of Judge and Sheppard. She was killed in the first owl attack protecting a group of pups.

  ScarletFall (Color+Nature Wing) — f. Mother of Ireland with Strickland. Her father, IndigoRiver, was a previous Fold member, but was only blessed with female heirs, and their wing lost power. Half-sister of MagentaSpring and PurpleSky. Aunt of Mackie, Elm and Oak.

  Shepard (Trade Wing) — m. Deceased brother of Judge and Sawyer. Father of Harper with Lotus.

  Snowflake (Snow Wing) — f. Mother of little Sapphire with Kyanite. Aunt of Malachite and Jet. Appearance: short, bob hair with black satin ribbons braided through it.