Wings of Fire: A Game for Glory

Chapter 5: Run Boy Run

"Envy? Envy? Are you okay?"

The prince groaned, hearing faint, muffled voices in his ears. Darkness still surrounded him. His brain kept reviewing all of his memories-- from the time when Beastslayer scowled at him during breakfast, to the first time he even used his abilities. The screaming-- the screaming and fear of the NightWing citizens made Envy want to sink into the ground and stay hidden, forever, where no one can see him.

"Envy!" The voice says again, but it was so dull that even with his keen hearing, he had a difficult time recognizing the voice. A softer tone of voice came out of nowhere. "...Get the bucket," it said.

Envy heard talons scrap against rock before it faded away into silence. Moments later, Envy felt a freezing water crash down onto him, making him jolt upwards with a yell. He fell onto Silverday while he instinctively made an effort to run away, knocking over the silvery gray NightWing. "Oh! It worked!" Fateslayer exclaimed, running to his brother and wrapping his wings around him. Silverday joined the hug too, nuzzling Envy's cheek. "What in the moons' name happened? Fate and I was looking for you because we-- well, I mean HE, found this weird-looking bug. We came to the courtyard and found you! Knocked out!" 

Silverday moved back, also pushing Fateslayer back to give Envy space to breath. "After what I did, during the, uh, festival, Mother agreed to tried to, like, train me. Learn how many of these weird abilities do I have," Envy explains. "However, the combat specialist Darkthought was so-- strict. And mean. He just snapped and smacked me into the wall, leaving me there."

Smoke curled from Silverday's nostrils. "That seaweed head! When I'm queen, I would teach him a lesson!"

Envy chuckled, unfurling his wings as he yawned. "Hey-- whoever is last to the bedrooms has to eat that spiked bug Fateslayer found!"

Envy zoomed off, under the pavilion and into the palace. Silverday shrieked, bolting after her brother, trailing behind him while Fateslayer did the same. The dragonets ran under the legs of the chefs and guards, merely crashing into them. "Look out!" Envy cries as he almost ran into Cinder. He ignored Cinder's angry yells for him to slow down before sharply turning and running inside of his room that was shared with his siblings. The room contained a long bed with a silky ruby red canopy on the top. Large, sturdy pieces of wood held parts of the canopy up, and it was covered in scratch marks and the names of the dragonets in horrible clawwriting. In the center of the room was an oval-shaped rug with diamond parts on its ends. Three moon phases were also put into the fabric of the carpet; one waning crescent, a full moon, and a waxing crescent. 

"This is my corner for the night!" Silverday yells as she leaps onto one end of the bed, flapping her wings as her brothers trotted to her. "Hey! I was going to claim that!" Fateslayer said.

"You didn't call it," Silverday grinned, sticking her forked tongue out at Fate. "So it is mine. Now shoo!"

"I did call it! In my mind!"

"That doesn't count, stupid!"

Envy rushed to the other side of the bed, laughing loudly as he jumped onto the zebra and bear fur blankets. "This is MY corner!"

"No way!" Fate bared his teeth, playfully. "You'll have to fight me for it!"

Fateslayer roared as he tackled Envy, knocking down a few plush pillows while he struggled. Envy yelped as Fate stepped onto the base of his tail, pinching a nerve, forcing him to freeze against his will. Fateslayer sat on top of his brother, his claw on Envy's head. "As your noble king, I successfully defended our kingdom from the terrible tyrant, Prince Envy!"

Suddenly, a pillow smashed right into Fateslayer's face. Fate let out a muffled scream as he fell over, rolling off of the bed and hitting the floor. "Release my king, you savage!" Silverday giggled as she grabbed another pillow from her side of the bed, jumping down and slowly walking to Fateslayer, as if he was her prey. Envy seized a zebra hide plush pillow as he giggled evilly.

"Mutiny!" Fateslayer yelled as he was he was attacked with pillows by his siblings.

  ☆.｡.:*　　.｡.:*☆ 

A day passes.

Envy walked down the halls, greeting the dragons that passed by. Today was the day-- he had to speak up about how the excessive training was horrible and how he didn't want to be treated like an object... like a weapon. He was more than that.

He was a dragon. A living thing. A prince.

He's been getting vertigo lately and he sometimes can never stop the giddiness until he lays down to sleep. He couldn't even eat breakfast with his family or play with his siblings anymore. He needed to talk about this with his family and look past his fear of his father. Beastslayer couldn't harm him, anyway. Not in front of Starflicker. Envy knows his mother would stick up for him in a flash if Beast decided to do anything.

Envy's stomach shifts uneasily once he trots into the throne room, not giving the the two guards that stood beside the entrance any eye contact. Envy gulped down his anxiety, unfurling his wings as he steps up to the throne. Queen Starflicker smiled, opening her wings with greet. "Envy? You're finally up?" The queen says, calmly. Beastslayer was mute while his mate talked with her son, and he stood next to her ornate throne made of dark mahogany lined with red velvet plush on the armrests and seat.  "What do you need, dear?"

"I want to talk about the training." Envy nervously shuffled his wings. "It's just... way too much, Mother. I cannot handle the stress of the superfluous training any longer. I was hoping if.. we could.. stop it."

This speech sounded so much better in my mind.

"The reason for this.. excessive training is because during your eighth hatching day, you will be drafted off to the NightWing military. When you're older, your abilities should strengthen, too. We'll get the Gem of Tyranny and take down those awful SkyWings in no time, Envy," Beastslayer says, for the first time in a soft tone.

"NO!" Envy raged. The spikes on Envy's back rattled and scrapped together like it always does when he's utterly furious. "I am NOT going to the military just to get a GEM! Nor will I use my stupid powers to harm dragons! This is INSANE!"

Beastslayer bared his jaws, smoke escaping from the spaces of his blood-stained canines. Starflicker's eyes were widen from Envy's outburst. "Envy... it's for the best," the queen said. Envy's muscles contracted tightly. She's on Father's side, he thought.

"THE BEST?" Envy continued to scream. "THE BEST FOR WHAT? OUR TRIBE? WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH A GEM? KILL EVERY DRAGON AND TAKE OVER THE CONTINENT? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT, MOTHER? GREED? POWER?"

Envy's tail lashed violently, whipping from side to side as his expressed showed his suppressed anger. He didn't want to be like this. He didn't want his tribe to perish over a little magic gem. Why was power stronger than love? Love for each other? For family? Envy knew what he had to do-- he needed to end this. Not for himself or his own family, but for everyone in Pyrrhia. 

Envy had his teeth gritted in an attempt to stay silent, his firm stance exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning, slicing, potent.

A talon touched Envy's shoulder. "Envy... please, calm down--"

Envy jerked his shoulder away from his sister's touch, and he snarled into her face.

"This is ENOUGH," Beastslayer bellows, his deep voice echoing through the room. He lunged at Envy, his claw raised in the air, threatening to assault Envy. Envy gasped, his eyes widening with panic as he felt the heat in his throat come back again. In an instant, he shoots a focused beam of energy at his father, throwing the NightWing back into the wall. Rubble and larger pieces of stone fell onto the king as the beam vanished.

Envy observed his siblings as they ran to their father. Beastslayer was not dead, surprisingly, but Envy knew that he had to leave. Now.

He couldn't hear the angry shouts of his father and the pleading cries of his siblings over the immense thudding of his heart that pounded in his chest. Envy's heart throbbed with fear as he whipped his body around, bolting towards the exit, unable to formulate a thought at this rate. Envy's wings created a loud WHOOSH  as he took a mighty flap, lifting himself into the sky, tears being plucked from his eyelids whenever he blinked. Envy frantically pumped his wings harder, flying faster and faster as the NightWing palace was shrinking into the horizon.