Wyvern of the Wind

The Cardinal Pterodactyl (2/2)

 The creature growled back at him before they lunged forward, dark mist forming around their claws. However, before they could land a hit, the scarlet warrior flew right above them just in time, and came back with a swift strike on the wyvern's back.

Soon, it became a test on how long he could restrain the corrupted creature. Their rough scales grazed his claws but no scars ever formed. The warrior held the creature's back firmly and pushed down his weight using his hind legs. The creature began to descend as the fight ensued.

Meanwhile, Aether was still suspended in the air, the force that fastened him there began to flicker as the creature continued to battle with their enemy. 

"Aether! AETHER!" he heard his mother call. His heartbeat slowly began to calm down as her voice drew closer towards him.

"M-Mother.." he replied, trying to hide away any signs of pain left in his body. But his unsteady voice and whimpering betrayed his intent.

"Aether!" His mother rushed towards his side. Her eyes grew wide in horror and her irises shivered at the sight of her nearly-maimed son.

Dawn stepped back and closed her eyes. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to dispel the force that held her son like a hawk holding a rabbit in the air.

Release..! her mind echoed.

Swirling aura began to quickly surround Aether, and as she focused on the feathered wyvern, her son was set free in a flash.

Due to the injuries on his claws, Aether began to descend as well, but Dawn held him back with a spell of her own. Aether recoiled when the invisible force held him in the air, but to his surprise, this time, the force felt much more kinder to him. He felt a comforting warmth surrounding his body as he weightlessly floated in the sky. The stings of pain from his injuries even began to simmer down to dust.

Aether let out a sigh. I feel..so sleepy...

"This will hold you off your pain until we can find a proper place to heal you." Dawn said calmly. Aether glanced back at her, and he opened his mouth to speak but he gave her a nod instead. Dawn embraced her son to comfort him. She could feel him nervously shiver under her wing.

"It will be alright, Aether." she reassured him. "I'll always keep you safe."

"What happened to him?" Tempest asked as he approached Dawn. Once she saw the young wyvern, her eyes shrunk in anger.

"Cursed winds, I could've killed them on the spot!" she exclaimed. Dawn looked down, knowing that that was lie.

"If it weren't for you, Dawn, he'd be dead right now."  Tempest said. Dawn faced her and shook her head.

"I should've fought harder. I should be stronger." Dawn said. "Then maybe, I could've be the one to save him from such fate."

Tempest glanced behind her and sighed. "You take care of him up here." she said as she headed out.

"I've got a nuisance to attend to."

.

The battle continues on as the wyverns continue to descend. "Is that all ya got after last time, huh?!" the red wyvern shouted as he dug his jaws right into the back of their neck. The creature flailed around, yet even with a double somersault, the red soldier held onto them.

"Getting tired?" the red wyvern mocked. The creature growled.

"You..will be soon, Crimson!"

As mist spilled out from their back, Crimson tasted its foul flavor. He began to choke and his breath became labored, but his grip on his opponent is still tight.

"I won't let you win!" he growled. The creature roared in response and curled their back, shooting out sharp spikes towards their predator. Crimson tried to dodge their moves, but his front claws let go of his enemy in the process.

Taking advantage of this, the creature formed a spear's blade with their tail and stabbed the red wyvern on his hind legs. Crimson shrieked in pain, and in a lapse of power, he lets the creature roam free.

The enemy slipped from his talons, their wings spread wide as they halted their descent. Crimson staggered behind him, peering at his prey with cold eyes.

The creature then turned back to face Crimson, and within seconds, launched a series of corrupted scale-shaped blades at him. Crimson flew and twisted the air, the projectiles barely missed scraping his pelt. 

"Ha..that all ya got?!" he yelled as he shot a beam of hot air at the creature. The creature flew closer to Crimson, their wings carved the hot air away from them. Taking note, the red wyvern squinted his eyes as he aimed for the creature's wings. He then quickly drew closer to the creature, the hot air he emitted burning the creature's flesh to bits. 

He rushed forward, letting out a roar as he struck the wyvern's face, clasping his jaws on his prey's eyes and clawing out their fragile pupils. Blood sprayed out of their sockets as they roared in annoyance, and Crimson flinched as its bitter, foul taste as it reached his tongue. He could feel his jaws grind as he bit into his opponent like a morsel, and ripped away the flesh between what was left of their eyes. 

However, as the red wyvern finished his move, one of the stray projectiles rushed forward towards him and slashed the back of neck, right above his shoulders. Crimson roared in pain, and retaliated by stabbing the creature on their stomach with his own tail-halberd.

The clouds seemed to shatter as the creature let out a deafening shriek. Crimson shuddered and winced as the noise blared in his ears, but he twisted his tail anyway, causing the screams to grow louder.

"Trust me, you fool!" he screamed, his tail shredding the creature abdominal. "I didn't want this either!"

The creature's wound bled out a spray of dark matter, but it didn't quiet their screams of pain as their whole body began to form fissures and dark smoke started to emit out of the cracks. Their scales peeled off from where the wound is, and their flesh began to rot. The red wyvern growled at the scent as he twisted his tail even further, and quickly pulled it out of the creature's stomach.

Instead of blood, rotten flesh and shards of dark matter stained his tail. He quickly wiped it away as he watched the creature slowly burn away and disintegrate into nothing but ash.

"...We'll come for you Crimson..." they said. "We. Always. Will..."

Crimson could only watch as his opponent was swept away by the soft winds, their remains burned into nothing as they disappeared into the night. Crimson let out a sigh of relief.

At least Dawn and Aether are safe-

Then, moments later, he felt an invisible force holding him midair and freezing his wings. He grunted as his muscles became stiff in its grip.

"Don't even think you could get away from me this time." a familiar raspy voice addressed him from above.

Crimson clicked his tongue. "Of course. Caught by the old geezer herself..."

"I know that you are fully aware of my presence, Crimson." Tempest responded, a hiss exited her throat. "I would drag you to another lecture, but not now. We have..business to attend too."

"And don't you dare blame me for it this time. You got yourself into this mess in the first place, exalted Cardinal Pterodactyl."