Wings Of Fire Oneshots

Scary baby man (💔)

Darkstalker laughed. "And if you don't, who would we have as company? Who'd be there for you to lean on? Perhaps... this dragon?"

Darkstalker snapped his talons as the air grew tighter. A small crackling sound came from the left or Qibli, almost sounding like fire picking at wood.

Without warning, Vulture popped into being. Qibli felt his heart drop seeing him.

"Where am I?" Vulture looked around. "Qibli? I know you're there." He looked around wildly, his talons scrapping across the hard rock floor.

"Ow..." Qibli flinched, holding his ear. That sounds of claws against rock was awful.

"Qibli, is this some trick you're trying to pull on me?" Vulture asked. "Bring in some hotshot NightWing animus to wipe the floor for you? That's cute, you were always selfish in that way after all..."

Darkstalker grumbled as he leaned over Vulture, towering above him. "Cute, huh?"

Before Qibli could even speak, Darkstalker placed his talons on Vulture's head. "I enchant this dragon to obey my command," he said, his eyes glancing at Qibli occasionally. "Sit still, don't speak, and don't think quite yet."

Qibli could only watch as his grandfather's eyes quickly lost their focus, that malice and cunning glare. They were blank, empty. Staring at them was not like looking into eyes, rather a dark abyss where nothing even existed.

"There, silence..." Darkstalker smiled. "Nice, isn't it?"

Qibli let out a small and shallow breath, a bit anxious and stressed out. "I suppose."

"You know, this little parasite you call a grandfather? He reminds me of my own father in some ways."

Qibli titled his head slightly. "Really?"

"Evil inside and out, cunning, manipulative, generally a pretty awful dragon," he said. "Dragons like Vulture and Arctic they're... they're easy to use when you understand them."

Use?

"They're simple at best. Vulture? He only cares about money and power. He can barely fight and uses words drenched in half-truths and lies to his advantage. Paranoid of even his closest of allies and would do anything just to see the world burn."

"That's simple?"

Darkstalker paused for a moment before chuckling. "When you know how to outsmart them, I suppose it gets simpler." Darkstalker leaned back down towards Vulture, playing with his sail and picking at it.

Vulture only sat there, still dead-eyed and emotionless.

"The best part about being an animus?" Darkstalker spoke. "You can shift and change your worst enemies into something better. Or worse. Depends on how you want them to be."

Darkstalker placed his talons on the SandWing's head. "I enchant this dragon to have the mind of a newly hatched dragonet. You may speak, move and think."

Vulture's body dropped down, unable to support the weight. After a few moments of struggling and some grunts, his head rolled back onto the side, a wide and innocent smile stretched across his face.

"Beh burba!" Vulture giggled.

It was by far the most horrifying thing that Qibli has even seen in his life.

"V-Vulture?" Qibli stuttered.

The being that once was Vulture began to crawl towards Qibli, chuckling and laughing. The dragon's wings flapped rapidly as his tail dragged against the ground. He backed away from Vulture, afraid and petrified.

"Alright then," Darkstalker said, tapping once more on Vulture's head. "Go back to how you were before my last spell."

Vulture froze in place, his eyes looking that childish playfulness.

"We can take any thought or reason from him, making him as helpless and dependable as a hatchling." Darkstalker paced around. "Or, perhaps we can make him suffer for what he's done to you. What he's done in his entire life."

Darkstalker placed a single claw on his head. "I enchant you to feel intense guilt for everything terrible thing you've done. You may speak and think."

Vulture's wings dropped as he hung his head. "I- I'm so sorry, Qibli..." he said. "I know it's not worth much, an old dragon's apology, but I'm just... a monster."

Vulture lifted his talons to his snout, burying them into the crook. "I've taken so many lives, so many dragonethoods, all for what? Some useless coins?! I can't take it anymore... I'm worse than nothing."

"See?" Darkstalker began. "With one little sentence, you can change a dragon. They can be silly, funny, sad, angry, or happy. Watch."

Darkstalker took a deep breath as he placed his talons once more on the grieving dragon's head, interrupting his sob speech. "I enchant this dragon to be so, so proud of his grandson and love him more than anything in the world."

"Qibli?" Vulture's face lifted up, a grin forming on his face. "It's so wonderful to see you again! How I missed you..." Vulture lunged forward, his wings wrapping around the dragonet and giving him a hug.

"You're the best grandson I could ever ask for," he said, almost sounding on the verge of tears. "An Outclaw? An advisor to Queen Thorn? A student of Jade Mountain Academy? Oh, it's every parents dream!"

Vulture squeezed tighter around Qibli, who was too stunned to even speak or more. "I missed us hanging out together. Our little games, our outings in the streets... But, I'm just a sentimental fool, am I not?" Vulture asked with a small chuckle.

"G- get away from me!" Qibli scrambled and escaped from the claws of him. "You're just... saying things! They aren't real! You're not real!"

"Oh, have I done something to upset you?" Vulture asked. "I'm sorry, I get so clingy sometimes..."

"That's enough now..." Darkstalker whispered. "Shhh..."

Placing his claws on the dragon, he fell silent once more. "Isn't it wonderful? Any minor flaw with a dragon can just be removed from existence! If you want, you can make any dragon the best they can possibly be."

"But..." Qibli argued back. "That's not the real version of them. It's just a spell that forces them to think that way."

Darkstalker bit his tongue. "I think about it this way, you know?" He began. "We are just helping them. They want to get better, but they just don't know how. With the help of animus magic, they're happier. They're much less bothered by those intrusive thoughts and such, thanks to you. Besides, if it bothers you that much you can enchant yourself to not be bothered by it at all."

Darkstalker sighed and smirked. "Amazing what animus magic can do, isn't it?"