Wings of Fire: A Game for Glory

Chapter 6: A Salamander as Black as Night

Envy inadvertently slashed a dragon's throat-- great.

Envy sighed, thinking about where else to go. The SkyWings are too hostile to deal with, he cannot go back to the NightWing Kingdom-- He thought about the other tribes. MudWings? They probably would attack a NightWing dragonet on sight, including the other tribes... except for the RainWings.

A spark of hope rippled through the dragonet's scales, and Envy smiled. The RainWings were always a docile tribe.. maybe there is hope? Plus, he can look into the tribe's library for the scroll on Prince Caspian's enchanted gem. Envy flared his wings with excitement as he took a running start before springing into the sky.

By the time Envy reached the kingdom of the RainWings, nightfall was approaching. The last vestiges of the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, the copper hues giving way to a dusty purple scattered with the occasional glitter of a faraway star. The distant skyline of the rainforest stood silhouetted against a velvety heavens, the golden dusk enveloped by the twilight sky. The RainWings would be asleep by now, so, Envy landed at the entry of the rainforest, flapping his wings lightly as he pushed through the thick, green plants that blocked the pathway as if it was a gate. A vibrant green frog with bold red eyes leapt pass Envy, landing on his leg. Envy raised his eye-ridges, shaking his leg in an attempt to get it off, but the frog never moved. The golden yellow pads of its feet stuck onto Envy's scales like a magnet, and the prince grunts. It's only a frog. It was doing no harm to him.

Envy trekked through the rainforest as night came, and he took shelter under large, spear-shaped leaves for the night. He laid on his side, carefully making sure his little frog friend wouldn't get squished. Envy closed his eyes, and allowed himself to go into a dreamless slumber.

☆.｡.:*　　.｡.:*☆

Envy snorted, feeling something walk around his snout as he was slowly awakening from his sleep. He opened his eyes, blinking slowly, seeing the red-eyed tree frog staring dead at him. The frog blinked.

"What in the moons--" He says as he moved his body, sitting down as he curled his tail around his talons. The frog leapt onto Envy's shoulder, quickly chomping at a small spider that was crawling on him. He smiled softly. "Alright, little guy. You can stay, if you want." Of course, Envy didn't expect a response from the tree frog, but he still spoke to it anyway.

Envy shoved his way through the dense, suffocating undergrowth, fighting through the very air, which hung heavy, moist and still. Trees tall as cathedrals surrounded him, and a strange green light -- almost holy -- shimmered through the vast canopy of leaves. He snorts, watching brightly colored RainWings glide from tree to tree at such speeds he'd never imagine. He tried to call out to them, but they were gone in a flash, and with the thick canopy and the large ceiba trees, it was impossible to catch up with the dragons in time. Envy grunted, deciding on searching for the RainWing village.

Envy walked pasted a small river. The water is green, darker in the shadows and more pale in the light, but still green. Against the noise of the birds that were welcoming the new day, the gentle murmur of the water was the only thing he heard that wasn't overwhelming loud. He leaned down to take a drink, before he saw a dark figure within the virescent leaves and the spaces between the mass of amber and beige trees. Envy flicked his tongue. A black RainWing?

Curious about the RainWing's dull colors, the prince flew towards it, dodging the trees, though he flew into multiple vines. He landed a short distance away from the--

He paused. Now that he was closer, he examined the dragon's features. Short, yet sturdy body build, gleaming red eyes and the an accumulation of spikes on the back of its head, like icicles. However, its scales were black, like the bottom of a pit. Envy could see it's tail that was laying hidden in the mass of green plants, but he still noticed that it had spikes also. Envy knew only one dragon with those features, and fear struck his heart.

IceWings. That dragon was an IceWing. A black IceWing, matter of fact.

Envy was paralylzed with fear, but before he could react, the ice dragon turned its head towards him.

"Who the hell are you?" The IceWing spoke, his wings folded as he climbed over a fallen tree, his long, curved talons sinking into the bark. The dragon sounded somewhat older than Envy, but why was he so small?

"I am Prince Envy," Envy answers slowly, not wanting to be seen as a threat. "I was looking for the RainWing village. Do you know where it is?"

The IceWing shook his head in response. "Oh? The village? No, I haven't seen it, unfortunately."

Envy's ears rotated back as he huffed out smoke. "Great," he sighs, but he lifts his head up again. "...Why is your scales black?"

"Why is your wings green?" The IceWing replied swiftly, though, he sounded as if he was offended, but he chuckled afterwards. "A simple answer, actually. I'm melanistic. The name's Newt, by the way."

"Like the sal--"

"Yes, like the salamander," Newt interrupts with a grin. "No need for me hearing another dragon compare me name to the actual animal."

The two dragons laughed, and Envy had just realized something--

He had just made a new friend.