Wings of Fire: A Mage from Another World

Ch.17: The Final Arena

As Scarlet entered the room the dragonets backed from her with a glare, all while Clay gently put Peril down. "Mudwings hatched from blood-red eggs have fireproof scales. Didn't the Talons teach you dragonets anything?" Clay turned to his friends, having a puzzled face. "But... Kestrel used to burn me all the time?" "Remember you healed quickly afterwards, tho." Phoenix then held up Clay's tail, pointing at the tip. "Your tail isn't singed anymore, either!" "Huh, you're right!"

"If you're all done talking." Scarlet exhaled, grinning at Peril. Starflight stared at the Skywing with disappointment. "She told Scarlet about us escaping. She turned us in." Tsunami growled, glaring at Peril. "I knew we couldn't trust her!!" Phoenix lowly growled, staring at the firescales Skywing. "I know you don't mean this..." he whispered, his ears falling back. Peril looked at him then to Clay with guilt, but quickly turned to leave.

"Guards!! Lock them up!!" Scarlet ordered, and the dragonets were taken to the dungeon to be locked up in.

It was then the next morning, and the dragonets were still in the cell. Phoenix was curled up close to the cell door, Starflight was sitting behind Tsunami, and said Seawing was talking with Clay. The Mudwing sighed, looking at the rising sun outside. "I don't understand why Peril betrayed us." "Because she does not want to lose you, you great lummox!! This is what happens when you're too nice to psychotic dragons!!" Tsunami exhaled as she leaned against the stone wall.

Clay frowned, looking down at his talons. "That's so sad, I guess she doesn't have any other friends.." Tsunami then groaned in frustration. "Stop feeling sorry for her!!" Phoenix immediately stood up, marching over to the Seawing with a dark glare. She was taken back by this but glared back. "What's with you? Don't tell me you also feel sorry for-" "Just shut up, Tsunami!! Okay?! Shut. up!" he snarled, smoke rising from his mouth and nostrils. "Have you ever considered the possibility that she also has feelings?! Peril is not a psychotic dragon because she wants to!! She's like that because that's what she grew up with!!"

Tsunami facepalmed, standing to meet his gaze. "You don't know that, Phoenix!! You SAW what she did down there!! She's turned us in to Scarlet!! I can't believe you're taking the side of a monster who burns everything she touches!!" The Skywing growled, his tail lashing. "She does that to please Scarlet! She was born with those scales, but she never expected to be turned into an arena tool!! In fact!! Scarlet lied to her to get her to obey! She told Peril that her mother was dead, which was not the case-" "Oh for the love of- Maybe that's true!! Maybe her mother is dead because Peril killed her!!"

Having enough, Phoenix slammed his tail on the ground, creating a loud thud and sending some pebbles bouncing. Clay and Starflight hopped away from the two blue dragons, and Tsunami remained silent. "What if that had been me?" Phoenix asked darkly, glaring at the Seawing. "Wha-" "What if I was the one to hatch with firescales? What if I accidentally burned one of you alive with no control of that damn genetic?" Tsunami opened her mouth, but closed it again. She only stared at the Skywing, taking in what he said. "Would you cast me away? Call me names? See me as a monster? Would you fear me?"

Those questions left the room so silent that it was very audible. "What would you do if you grew up with having to kill to entertain your queen, and then everyone saw you as some heartless monster?" Tsunami winced, but didn't say anything else. "Well?" Phoenix snarled lowly, then puffed out smoke when Tsunami walked away. "Whatever. Just know that you should think before you speak or act, and also to consider others' feelings of the choice of words you use." He then went back to his spot, laying down with a flop. "People are not born into 'monsters', they're made into them." he hissed out, poking the cell bars with a claw.

Starflight held his head again, holding it for a moment. Clay went up to him, realizing he was having a vision. The Nightwing then looked to Tsunami, his eyes wide with worry. "Tsunami! For the arena you're going to fight a Seawing named Gill!! He'll be seriously dehydrated to the point he's mad! And..." "And? And what?" Tsunami urged on, her worry growing as the Nightwing seemed nervous. "...I have... a feeling that he's an extremely important general to the Kingdom of the Sea." he said, seeing Tsunami become uneasy. "Well what do we do? If he's an important general I can't possibly attack him!!" "But you have to. Unfortunately queen Scarlet will want you to kill him. I foresaw that you would snap his neck."