Wings of fire: Haven (Fanfic )

PROLOGUE

Holly galloped across the savannah, her heart beating frantically, wings outstretched in a desperate attempt to gain speed. She knew it had been a bad idea to try to escape from Tse-Tse Hive, even in the middle of the night. Leaving his brother Argus at the mercy of those horrible Hivewings just to look for Chrysalis was adding to his frustration. “What was I thinking?” she chided herself as her paws hit the ground hard. The open savannah offered no hiding places, and the two Hivewings chasing her showed no signs of tiring. “If there were trees,” she thought despairingly, ”I could hide more easily. Wasp knew what he was doing by taking them out.”

The moons barely illuminated their path, but Holly continued. Her breath was becoming more and more ragged, and fear was growing inside her. The thought of being captured, turned into a statue, and having everyone look at her the next day, terrified her. The thought that Argus might see her in that state broke her heart. The Hivewings stalked her tirelessly, their lengthening shadows threatening her. “If only I could find shelter...” She repeated to herself mentally, hoping that something, anything, could save her.

Hope arose when she spotted the coast near the poisonous jungle. She had heard of the strange plants that inhabited it; the Hivewings never managed to get in. Maybe she could hide there for a while. Holly darted toward some rocks, hoping their gray color would provide some sort of camouflage. She huddled between the rocks, trying to make as little noise as possible. Her breathing was rapid and shallow, and she tried to calm herself. “Please don't find me,” she prayed silently to Clearsight. A few seconds passed that seemed like forever, maybe minutes, without hearing anything. “Are they gone already, couldn't they have left? I was supposed to watch them go by, maybe they gave up.”

But before she could relax, she felt cold claws around her neck. One of the Hivewings had found her. They lifted her violently and forced her to look into their cold, cruel eyes.

“Look what we have here,” said the first Hivewing with a malicious grin. “A disobedient Silkwing. Do you know what happens to disobedient Silkwings?”

“Please don't hurt me, I promise I won't do it again,” Holly begged, her voice choking, clutching the claw at her throat with tear-filled eyes.

The second Hivewing burst out laughing.

“How funny you are. The disobedient must be punished,” he said, bringing his stinger close to Holly's face. “We'll turn you into a beautiful statue” .

Pain and fear overpowered her. “Clearsight, help me.”

Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the darkness. It leapt at one of the Hivewings, slashing its throat. The second one let go of Holly, and before he could do anything, the figure had lunged at him, plunging a knife into his skull. Holly failed to see clearly who or what had attacked them. Her senses were dulled by stress and exhaustion. Finally, fear and exhaustion overcame her, and everything went dark.

***

Holly slowly opened her eyes in a different place. She tried to move and realized that her wounds had healed, and the aroma of soup filled the air. “Where am I?” she thought, raising her head cautiously. The place appeared to be a cave, but nicely decorated; it looked cozy, and there was what looked like a hallway to another room. “How big is this place?” A dragon had his back turned, engaged in what appeared to be the preparation of a meal. Upon closer inspection, Holly realized it was a Leafwing. She had heard they were extinct and extremely dangerous. Cautiously, she tried to slip away quietly.

“I can't let you go,” said the Leafwing without turning around. “If you do, you might tell someone about this place, and that would mean the end of me.”

Holly paused, her wings trembling. He offered her a bowl of soup, and though she hesitated, she accepted. Hunger was stronger than fear. She sat up slowly, her eyes never taking her eyes off the Leafwing. He looked serious; she could see his horns and wings, he was very different from what she had seen before, he only had one pair of wings, his eyes were a very light green, and for a moment she lost herself in them.

“Why did you save me?” -she asked as she sipped some of the hot soup.

The Leafwing shrugged.

“I saw two Hivewings near my hideout and killed them. That's all” .

Holly knew she could have let the Hivewings kill her or paralyze her with their stingers, and he would have been safe if he'd stayed hidden.

“You could have let them get me. Why didn't you?”

The Leafwing looked at her with hostility.

"Don't think so hard. Just eat,” he replied gruffly.

Despite his rudeness, Holly caught a glint of kindness in his eyes. After all, he was still a dragon, like her, even if they were from different tribes. The silence between them was filled with the crackling of the fire and the soft aroma of soup.

“I'm Holly,” she said, to break the silence.

The Leafwing hesitated for a moment before turning around.

"I'm Yew,” he said calmly, as he looked into her eyes, trying to hide a smile.

“It's nice to meet you, Yew.”