Tales From The Temp Folder

[WOH] (HOI) (UIS) First Kill

Edit (12/8/21)
I have added this story to Wings Of Honor: Heart of Ice, with some minor variation to fit the story.
The original draft will remain on here for legacy purposes, but it has made it into Wings of Honor.

So this one actually might get to fit into Wings of Honor: Heart of Ice.
Basically, Marvin, Winter, and Halestorm got ambushed by two other Icewings and stole Darkstalker's scroll (which most likely will be changed to something else). Anyways, loosing it would be catastrophic (obviously) and so Marvin takes whatever means necessary to avoid it falling into the wrong hands. Which happens to include taking the life of a dragon.

Suddenly, two IceWings appeared out of the snow.
"Get the scroll!l" One yelled. Another slammed into Winter, knocking me and him out of the sky. We went tumbling into the soft powder. Winter got up quickly to face the attackers, Halestorm dipped somewhere.
I could hear the scuffle, clashes of teeth, tails, and claws. I made out three shapes in the growing snowstorm. I drew my pistol, firing once into the sky, making them freeze and stare at me. One of them flinched. I fired twice over the two heads that were not Winter. They were both frozen in shock.
"Stand down! Or you're both dead!"
Only the howling of snow, wind, and ice. Then a shout.
"Better to die than be defeated."
I saw the scroll holder slip off of Winter neck.
"No!"
I holstered my pistol, slinging over my MKB. I tracked them instinctively, firing at their guesstimated shapes, helped by the brown tan of the scroll holder. I fired in a panic, six rounds, but their shapes were quickly fading out of effective range.
"Shit"
The two IceWings had disappeared.
"I'll go after them!" Winter yelled, flying after them. My shaken mind was already calculating it out as the three dragons started to fade out into the storm.
They've got a head start. Winter's faster, but he won't make it in time to intercept. I felt the heavy weights of my rifles on my back. Unless.
I unslung my Springfield, bringing it to bear. I racked the bolt, chambering a black tipped round, utterly overkill for a job like this. None-the-less, I brought the scope to eye level, bringing the crosshair onto the shape of the dragon with the scroll holder in his claws. I closed my eyes, emptying my mind.
My only focus: range: one-twenty yards and counting, wind, how I was running out of time. My breaths became longer, and shallower, until they were almost imperceptible. I held my breath, my heartbeat slowed in my ears, drowning out the howling wind. I led my target by half a inch, up by a quarter. My finger came to rest on the trigger. I closed my eyes one last time, breathing out.
A shot. I felt the rifle kick back into me, but my shoulder was good. I followed the contrail to the target, and saw two fountains of a dark blue mist, amidst the pure white of the snowstorm around us. He seemed to arch mid wingbeat, becoming still in the sky. His momentum carried him forward, but his wings retracted some. With a faint trail, he dove down. Like a fighter with a deceased pilot leaning on the stick. The other Icewing did a double take, then flew serpentine away.
Winter left him, instead going for the body. Halestorm flew to meet up with him. I finally took a breath, racking the bolt of my Springfield. The sharp cling of brass ejecting, only to burn its own grave into the snow and ice. I had just killed my first dragon. There was no other choice.
I slung my rifle, running up to Winter and Halestorm. They were busy looking over my prey. A tunnel right through his heart. A clean hole. A clean shot. Dark blue surrounded the tunnel through this Icewing, a color I have only seen once... one other time... on Winter. Winter looked over at me and growled.
"There was no other way." I sighed. "He was going to get away. I couldn't let that happen."
I didn't have to read his mind to see the fury and rage he had at me. I only collected the slinged bag off him, then walked back up to the dead dragon. I knelt down and layed my hand on him.
"Go now, into peace. War no more. I bless you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Using snow to bless him. The closest I could get to liquid water anywhere around here. I sighed, standing up.
"We go." Is all I told Winter. I climbed onto him, not so much as a protest. He spread his wings, and we faded back into the blizzard.