Secrets Hidden Beneath Ice & Snow

Chapter 2: Rising in the Rankings

"Frostfire! Run! Hurry! Go on, get out of here. If you don't - then they'll kill you too!" My mother, Avalanche, yelled, as she stared at me with pleating dark blue eyes. My little sister, Lynx, had been stabbed in the chest multiple times with a spear, her dark blue blood was pooled all around her.

I felt like I was going to be sick as I watched my father, Eagle, get his side and wings slashed to the point where he couldn't escape. My mother's words echoed in my mind, but my body was frozen in place. I screamed for them to stop, to leave my parents alone, but they just laughed and slashed my fathers throat.

When my mother was grabbed, I screamed even louder, tears were cascading down my face and I was forced to watch as they slashed her throat, and then they turned their blood-thirsty gaze on to my trembling form.

I then ran as fast as I could run. I was only four, so I couldn't run very fast or that far. I screamed in terror as the SkyWings caught up with me. One of my wings was slashed and my right front talon was broken. My back left talon was sprained when I tripped on some muddy slopes. I fought them off of me and sprayed them in the face with something black, not the color of frost breath. I was too scared and terrified. I was scared for my life, and I turned tail and ran.

I had branches smack in my face and I tripped over tree roots and rocks. I remembered that my mother always tod me that if I was ever In danger, then I flee as fast as I could to the IceWing Kingdom. That's where I was heading at this very moment. It would take a while to get there, so I'll need to rest and find something to eat.

The only thing that was keeping me alive right now is running on fear and adrenaline. I stopped under the folds of a tall tree. I was panting heavily and everything ached. But my mind was still on high alert, these SkyWings and NightWings killed my family, they won't stop until they find me. I finally took a full recount of what had just happened. My parents and sister are dead, I'm all alone now. I'm a hybrid, an IceWing/SkyWing hybrid.

Tears began running down my face once more as I thought of my parents and younger sister. I would never see my mother's smiling face, nore would I hear her soothing voice when I woke up crying from nightmares. I would never get lessons from my father about how to fly super fast, nore would I be able to show my father that I had just learned to use both Fire and Frost breath. I wouldn't be able to have food fights with my little sister, nore would I be able to teach her to fly like I had promised. I curled up into a tight ball as sobs racked my body. My body hurt, I was scared, tired, hungry, and I just wanted my parents and little sister back. I ended up crying myself to sleep that night.

The sound of singing birds was what woke me from my restless sleep. I groaned and slowly opened my eyes, I went to sit up and instantly, pain flared up in my entire body. I collapsed back down to the forest floor with a cry. I whimpered and my stomach growled, I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. I curled up into a ball and tried to stop the pain. The sudden sound of a twig snapping made me shot upright in a panic, my whole body cried out in protest but I was now on high alert. My eyes went wide as one of the SkyWings entered the clearing that I was in. The last thing that I saw was a knife rushing towards me, then everything went dark.

I awoke to a loud knock outside my room, followed by the ringing of the palace bell.

You're finally awake. You better have a good excuse for missing the first guard inspections.

Oh no. Three moons I slept past the first bell, and given my low ranking, there was a good chance I could be thrown out of the palace guard for missing such an important routine.

Panicking, I tried shuffling my ice spikes into a presentable manner, but no matter how hard I shook my neck, they would not settle in place. The second bell was going to ring soon, and missing the second round of inspections carried an even harsher punishment, so I gave my spikes one more shake, grabbed my spear and ran outside, hastily assuming guard posture.