Wings of Fire: Chasing Embers

1. Phoenix

Darkness.

A light flickered suddenly in the shadows. The dragon slipped forward, his golden eyes widening slowly. He could see something there—but he didn't know what it was.

A roar. He stopped, his ears pricked and his head swiveling around. The dragon opened his jaws to ask who was there, but closed them a moment later when he heard angry hisses. It sounded like someone was fighting.

Suddenly, he stopped. A tail whipped through the dark and nearly smacked the male in the face. He quickly jumped back, his wings extended and his claws unsheathed. He dipped his head forward, brows pushed forward. "Hello?"

The shadows ebbed away, as slowly as the heartbeat of a dragon whilst they slept. Sand blew in, sinking beneath the male's feet. He expected a blazing sun to be next, since he'd seen of and heard of SandWing territory in the scrolls, but there was none. Instead, a chill ran down his spine.

Two dragons were now visible, locked in battle. They were SandWings, looking quite sure of themselves. He stepped forward but the vision was replaced with thundering footsteps. The male gasped and backpedaled into bushes that had now appeared, craning his muzzle up to see who this drake was. His eyes were dark, crazy. They emitted an almost purple grow, his black scales contradicting the color of his eyes.

"HEY!"

Phoenix jumped, his jaws gaping open. The dragon smacked clean into the wall behind him, lowering his head and touching the new bruise on his head.

"By all the moons..." The white-red male looked up to the source of the voice. He saw a grouchy-looking IceWing standing there, his eyes flickering around as he shifted on his feet uncomfortably.

"Oh..." The hybrid curled his wings in self-consciously. "Y-Yes, Quilo?" This was one of his mentors; although, the more likely term would be babysitter. Queen Snowfox trusted the Seventh Circle just about as much as she trusted a scavenger to survive on its own in the cold.

"It's time for your assessment. Come." Phoenix nodded, ducking his head as he followed the pure white IceWing. The hybrid spread his wings and took off, leaving Phoenix with no other choice than to follow. Snowflakes were falling, blowing in the male's eyes as he flew behind Quilo. He growled something under his breath, his tail twitching irritably.

I think I'm working with a few of the other IceWing dragons. Trying to pass our assessment to rank up... It was all Phoenix had wanted, ever since he'd... well, ever since his father had dropped him off here in the IceWing kingdom and had been executed by Queen Snowfox.

There was always a pain deep somewhere in Phoenix's heart. He always wished he would've been born as a less noticeable hybrid. Having an IceWing father and a SkyWing mother—especially during the war—was detrimental. The only reason Queen Snowfox had kept Phoenix was to... well, the male didn't really know. He'd wondered that for years, especially after he'd never moved out of the Seventh Circle.

Queen Snowfox doesn't want a hybrid from enemy blood to be walking around the main kingdom, he thought bitterly. Every time Phoenix reminded himself of that, it felt like he'd swallowed stones that weighed in his belly. It wasn't fair! He hadn't chosen to be a stupid hybrid.

Well, I suppose I'm lucky. Queen Snowfox executed my father and not me.. Sometimes, Phoenix wished he'd known his father. He would drift to his mother, then, a slight memory beating in the back of his mind, but shook it away. She wouldn't care about you anyway. She did nothing when I was dropped off here like a disappointing package. She did nothing when my father was killed... but could she have done anything?