Lights Out: A Wings of Fire horror story

Chapter 1: Parenthood

Underwater, that is where Angelfish always preferred to be. Nostrils shooting bubbles of oxygen up towards the surface that was too far away to see. The ocean hugged at her, the current rocked the dragon back and forth in a calming lullaby. Leviathan was out hunting again. She watched their children dash around the coral and rocks of the trench they camped beside. Her attention was drawn to a pair of the five dragonets. Aulon and Ocara, twin Seawing dragonets of her and Leviathan. Aulon was currently flashing his bio-lights at his sister, Ocara, who in turn grabbed a floating piece of broken coral and flung it at him.
Angelfish picked herself up from the rock she laid on and half swam, half glided over to the two. 'Now, now' She flashed at them in aquatic with her scales. The seawings spoke underwater through a code. Flashing different lights on their bodies in a certain order, at a certain time to form words and sentences. 'Aulon, don't say nasty things to your sister, play nice. Okay?'
'Yes, mother.' The two flashed in unison a look of mixed anger and disappointment on their faces. The twins were a wild mix. It always seemed that every dragonet that descended down on her side of the family, they managed to snatch odd traits and impressive colors even though they were completely pure blood. Angelfish had a odd color herself, her scales were white and very reflective. Pastel blues, yellows and pinks shimmered off her like a Rainwing, yet she possessed all Seawing anatomy. Her spots were very light and her wings had black tattooed patterns on them, royal patterns, actually. Though not real ones. When angelfish was young, she was vain enough to decorate her wings with them and claim she was royalty. Though it was against Seawing law to do so and was forced to make the color black instead of white. The twins, on the other talon, were also white and reflective, but they had dark purple stripes on their faces and body. Their glow spots shone a teal color like Leviathans, but not as dark.
Angelfish looked up at a sudden movement over from the bottom of the trench. It just so happened to be one of her neighbors, a close friends. 'Good evening, Angelfish' Reef signaled as she hooked onto the side and lazily floated over the edge, 'How are you?'
Angelfish's tail wrapped a little tighter around the egg she was carrying the whole time. It was the newest one of her children. 'Good evening,' she answered calmly with a curt nod, 'I'm doing... alright. How about you?' She took note that her twins had rushed off to the rest of the dragonets.
The Seawing in front of her lazily floated upwards and into his back, belly facing towards the surface. 'Where's your mate? Trouble in paradise?' He made a silent chuckle, a few bubbles floating from his jaws. His name was Reef, a Seawing about her age, maybe a few days older if anyone wanted to be accurate. He was nothing like her odd looks. In fact, Reef was quite average. Adorning ocean blue and green scales, his underbelly was a light silver and his bio-lights had a gorgeous icy color to them. Not one of a dragon from the ice kingdom, but an icy one. His wings and fins also mimicked the same glow color, mind the occasional tattooed stripes on his wings in inky black. Reefs' eyes were the average green, but it didn't matter what he looked like, his charm and hilarious personality made up for it.
'No. He's out hunting.' She responded, glaring at the coral around her. She somewhat lied about the fact there was no trouble in paradise. 'He's pretending I can't take care of myself again.'
Reef frowned as he looked at her upside down, the usual entertainer for her children making a face he never usually made. Angelfish countered his look and straightened her posture, like a stone in the ocean around them. Her face had a tired look in it, showing the scars for a mother of five. 'You really shouldn't stress yourself so much.' Reef flashed faintly, 'I'm sure he's just looking out for you... Look, your children wish for you to play with them.' He smiled again and gestured his wing over to where a few dragonets stopped to watch them, tilting their heads like dogs and pricking their ears upwards as they floated in place. Angelfish sighed, it was inviting, but once again she found herself with that... burden. This unhatched egg, it made her think. If she can hardly handle five dragonets, what happens with a sixth?
She looked upwards at a watery shadow that had cast itself over the two and Leviathans dark gray and silver scales came into view. He glided down to the floor and tossed the carcass of a leopard seal to the dragonets, who in turn dove and tore at it like piranhas. He turned towards his mate as she stared back with vacant eyes. They held each other's gaze for a moment before Leviathan was the first one to speak, 'Come with me. There's someone I want you to meet.'
'But- the egg...'
'Will be fine. This is very important. Reef will take care of the egg, won't you, Reef?'
'Of course, my friend.'
Leviathan nodded to the Seawing and tugged Angelfish towards the surface without another word.
~ ~ ~ Meanwhile ~ ~ ~
A small group of dragons stood on the sandy beach, sticking out like a sore thumb. Their scales were various shades of black mixed with purple, blue and green. One of them stood at the front, nearest to the ocean and had on a sort of lab coat which trailed in the sand below them, dirtying it. He looked at the tide distastefully, clenching and unclenching his claws. "This stupid egg better be worth our efforts. We're wasting time out here." Omnipotence hissed, looking over his shoulder at the other two behind him. The workers looked at each other with a look that said 'Well, say something!'
Navigator eventually spoke up, "I informed the parents in the scroll to meet us at sunset. They should be here any minute."
"Good. The sooner they bring that egg, the better."
"Um... that was supposed to be in the scroll?"
Omnipotence froze on the spot and his eye twitched with anger, "Do you mean to tell me that you didn't put that in the scroll BEFORE you sent it?!" He roared at Navigator. The worker backed up into Storyteller who looked down her nose at him.
"I- I-"
"Well?! Spit it out you babbling buffoon!"
"I'm sorry! Look, maybe they will want you to explain why we're taking... the egg?" Navigator gulped at his superiors fury, ears down in disappointment at himself.
Omnipotences' yellow eyes flashed with anger, before he could make any other move, two seawings broke the surface of the water with loudly flapping wings. One was rather large for a seawing and the other was reflecting all kinds of light. He held the male's gaze for a moment and nodded for him to come down. The mother appeared quite uneasy, but followed behind.
"Well aren't they a pair." Storyteller sarcastically said behind Omnipotence. Navigator elbowed her harshly to shut up.
Omnipotence strolled towards them with a smile on his face. "Leviathan, I presume?" He spoke to the male who nodded.
"Yes, that's me. And you are the head scientist?"
"Scientist?!" Angelfish straightened her posture in a sort of defying stance, "Why are we meeting with a scientist?! One from another tribe no less!"
"At ease there," Omnipotence laughed, lifting a talon and waving a few times to calm her down, "We don't want to hurt you, or anyone for that fact."
Navigator and Storyteller gave each other concerned looks before back to the group of three, they watched for any sign of over aggression from the seawings or even from Omnipotence too. The second in command sat down on the sand, cringing internally at the scratchy feeling.
"Anyways, no, I'm not the head, but I'm the second in command. Therefore fully capable of carrying out the delivery." He held his gaze with Leviathan who appeared uncomfortable now, "...You did tell your mate, didn't you?"
Angelfish looked from Leviathan, to the new dragon and back again. She knew what they were talking about. Her unhatched egg. Anger flared up and she bared her teeth, "First of all, I don't even know your name! Why in the name of the moons would I ever give my newest child to you?! A stranger that I don't even know from another tribe!" She snapped and glared at Leviathan, of course he was behind this. Why wouldn't he be?! "This is the important thing you were talking about?! You want me to sell a child off?! Never."
Leviathan stayed stoic at her side and frowned immensely. He opened his mouth to say something back, but Omnipotence cut him off, "You have every right to be angry, my dear. We were not informed this was being kept secret." A blatant lie, "Please know though that this request was by Queen Warchanger herself. We are merely messengers. My name is Omnipotence, that dark blue nightwing over there is Navigator and that dark purple one is Storyteller. You see? We aren't so bad."
"So bad, my tailfin!" Angelfish spat, "You want to take my egg specifically, mind you, to do whoever knows what to it and expect me to hand it off for a bit of coin?!"
Leviathan blocked her view from Omnipotence with his wing, "Angelfish please, think for a moment. Our family is starving! We have plenty of dragonets to already look after and these nightwings have offered us a one time deal. We are one of the few family's selected to sell as well! Please, do this for me. Or better yet... do it for us."
Angelfish stammered in shock, this was insane. To sell a defenseless, unhatched dragonet off to untrustworthy dragons... to save the rest of her family? She saw the other side of the argument and narrowed her eyes sadly. They were running scarce on prey with the seasons changing... and she would get to take the children to the market for the first time when they finally had the coin to get some food. It was barely just an hour ago that she was calling the egg a burden too.
Angelfish looked up with sad eyes, she looked from Leviathan, to Omnipotence and sighed heavily. A minute of silence passed, two, three. "Alright... I'll do it."