𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄: The dragonet of two tribes | ✔️

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 17

♕ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ♕
MY FRIEND, A SKYWING?

ONLY ONE PRISONER WAS MIDNIGHT BLACK. Except for her, she had dunes of white splattered over her scales in waves and indicating patterns. She was no pure NightWing. Starflight was the only one. So far away, IceMoon thought. She couldn't see Starflights face, but she could hear his thoughts. Starflight? She asked, and she could hear the male Nightwing bristle over at his perch. Is that you, IceMoon? His voice was soft as always, and a thread of hope ran through his mind.

Yes, it's me. IceMoon answered. How are you? Starflight sighed. I've been better, but now that I can hear you, I'm much better. Thank you. IceMoon flushed a little but luckily to her dark scales; Peril couldn't see it. Ugh yeah, I'm glad. Is Clay there? IceMoon said as her blush died out. No Starflight answers; his tone was going sad. At your end, I believe, IceMoon started to look aorund for the loyal MudWing finding him on a perch two or three away from hers. She detoxed herself dorm Starflight but not without bidding him goodbye, then linked into Clay's worried mind.

Clay IceMoon said gently. She had been talking with Clay in their mind link ever since they hatched. She knew that he cared for her as much as the other dragonets but maybe... a bit more. She'd never thought much of it, and not nothing was seaming Clay's mind for it either. Are you okay? Clay asked hurriedly, and IceMoon sighed. Yes, but I should be the one asking you that; suddenly, IceMoon felt wind moving beside her and saw the bright Skywing leave and fly toward Clay. I better leave. Bye Clay, she said, and before Clay could even answer her, she detached from his mind.

I hope we will be free soon, IceMoon thought as she fell into a slumber.

✎

IceMoon had woken up a few moments earlier and crouched to peer over the edge. She hung tightly with her talons and fought back the dizzying nausea caused by the view. The smell of the dead rabbit wasn't helping. She wondered if she found hit one of the Skywing spillers if she threw the carcass from up here. She couldn't remove the last time she'd eaten. Was it before morrowseer appeared under the mountain? Went that a lifetime ago? But her normal appetite seemed to have deserted her. As she watched, dragons started filling the seats below.

Nearly all of them were Skywings, but she spotted the pale yellow and white of SandWings here and there as well. There wer even one of two MudWings. She felt Clay's thoughts jump, and so did his heart. The dragonet's kind. She understood his excitement. So MudWings and Skywings were Allie's on one side of the war. IceMoon had never been able to remember before, but she was sure she would now. Being half Nightwing brought with her the enjoyment of studying. I hope the others are alright; she didn't know how long it took for the stands to fill, but the sun was blazing directly overhead when two faucets let out a trunpeinging roar.

✎

IceMoon squinted at the dragons aorund the queen. Serval algae skywing guards took up positions along with the balcony, and two of them moved to roll something forward into the sunlight. It looked like a tree with no leaves, a sinuous curving shape with four branches carved from a singe spear of pale gray marble. Looped over the branches with her tail wound aorund the trunk was a dragon the color of the deep red rose pentacle. But as the sunlight hit her, new colors exploded through her scales, constellations of gold soaked galaxies of swirling, violent shifting pale blue nebulas.

IceMoon inhaled sharply, and at that exact moment, she heard gasp and murmurs flutter through the crowd below. Clay's thoughts were in an uproar, and IceMoon winced. She blacked them out for now. Soon she saw that it was glory, and she was even more dazzling in the sunshine than she'd expected. A delicate silver chain leashed her to the tree sculpture. It looked flimsy and easy to beak, but Glory didn't seem interested in escaping. She stretched her long neck toward the sun ignoring the audience, and then coiled heard over the branches again and closed her eyes.

The guards positioned Glory's tree in one corner of the balcony, and the queen stepped forward. "Well?" In a sky-smiling voice that carried across the arena and up to the prisoners, she said. "What do you think of my new art? Art! IceMoon thought furiously. As if Glory's nothing more than a tapestry to hang on the wall, not a dragon with feelings and destiny and friends who care about her. But why wasn't Glory fighting? And where was Sunny? Dragons in the lower seats began to applaud, and soon, the whole stadium thunders with the beating of wings and talons.

Queen Scarlet settled herself on a large flat boulder looking pleased and flicked her tail for silence. "Bring in the combatants," she called. Peril swept inform the tunnel waving to the crowd. IceMoon noticed that the applause was muted as if most of the dragons weren't sure they wanted to cheer for her. Meanwhile, three Skywing guards flew up to the prisoner ok IceMoon's right. One of them seized the SandWing's venomous tail and held it out of the way. The SandWing fought; he kinged angrily cursed as the other two uncapped his wires and hooked them to a ring in the center of the ledge.

IceMoon thought that the prisoner was going to hurl himself off the edge despite the bands that were still in his wings. But the guards gripped him tightly and swooped him down to the sands below. They dropped him in a heap in the middle of the arena. Peril turned to look at him, her eyes glinting. IceMoon realized with a sickening lurch in her stomach that she was about to watch a dragon die.

♛