Wings Of Fire (WOF) : A dark family affair

Chapter 1

9 years later...

"WAKE UP EVERYBODY, WAKE UP ! TODAY IS THE BIG DAY !". Nightjar gasped at the familiar voice of Root, her adoptive mother. It had been about 3 months since this ritual had been instituted in the family but yet she was always surprised, as she plunged deeply into sleep because of the day before. She always had a tendency to stay up late and had noticed this more than once. However, she always assumed that it was because of those night wing genes. Nightjar painfully opened her heavy purple eyes because of the violent awakening. She had fallen asleep on a roll, which she was not used to doing. She stretched out her entire body, shook her head to wake herself up and wiggled her wings, dressed in small splintering patterns similar to stars, to prepare herself for this day. She had the build of a mudwing, but her colors were closer to a nightwing, which was known for the black scales that clothed its members. Nightjar had even heard that some nightwings had the ability to read minds or to have visions, being able to see in the future.

From her bedroom window, she could see the sun shining on the swamp where she lived with her four brothers and sisters and her parents. She could see in the distance the market of the capital where the royal palace was located, illuminated by the sun that had recently risen. She could already hear the noisy voices of the meat stalls or moreover of the artisans and the passers-by who were rushing to get the best products. Realizing that she was daydreaming while looking at the swamp trees, she turned around.

Her room was still meticulously tidy. Everything has its place. However, these days she had no head for it. Scrolls on military theory and defensive and offensive battle postures were scattered on the floor. "I really need to consider tidying up this room, which doesn't even look like a room anymore..." she reproached herself. She took a few moments to do the minimum, which was to put everything back in a pile, in a corner of her room. She left the room and headed for the exit door leading outside.

She walked down the clay stairs and went out of the large house, which was located next to a small river. Her family was accustomed to feeding on freshly caught fish, for the sake of economy when necessary. However, on this particular day, beef and pork from the market were laid out on the wooden tables outside for this special day. Everyone had already arrived and prepared to eat on the large wooden table, just waiting for Nightjar to start the meal. She sat down next to her brother Bull and her sister Poplar who had reserved a seat for her. This is how they all got their fill, preparing themselves for the day that was waiting for them. 

Bull was the biggest and most imposing of them all, just like his responsibility as a big wing of their group, which he took to heart. His square jaw, worthy of his clan, accentuated this protective character. Always in need of each other, he was so conscientious and protective of them that Nightjar wondered how he hadn't killed himself yet. 

As for Poplar, she was the most gifted in practice. Her body was quite thin and her scales were quite classic. She wished to become a commander of an army one day and she already had the character of a leader. Often behind Bull, who was rather absent-minded, she constantly reminded him of the instructions given to them as military apprentices.

Indeed, it had been three months since the siblings had fallen victim to the compulsory military service that the Queen, Swamp, had instituted. She admired the old regime the former Queen of the Skywings, Volcano, had instituted in her own kingdom. They were great accomplices, but then Volcano died, killed by her daughter, Falcon, for the succession to the throne. Swamp was so shocked that she began to perpetuate these traditions, in her own way, much to Nightjar's regret. "I can't wait until the end of the day so that I never hear about the army or anything else that has to do with security. I WANT TO LIVE NORMALLY BY THE THREE MOONS."