Wings Of Fire Oneshots - The Guardians

Saving Peril - Kestrel

Kestrel sighed with disappointment. She was still going to try to love them to the best of her ability. She was not going to allow Firescales to be thrown off a cliff, in any case.

"I guess I better name you two lizards something better than Flameless and Firescales, huh?" Kestrel said affectionately. Her daughter pounced on the large SkyWing's tail, but Kestrel flicked it away at the last moment.

"You," she said, "Are named Perilous, but I'll call you Peril for short." Kestrel looked at her son, with all the fire sucked out of him. "You are... Ember, because my goodness do you look like you are dying."

Kestrel's heart pounded. She couldn't lose the only dragonet she could touch. She nosed him affectionately for a brief second, then set him down and jumped out of the cave into the sky. A second later, she wheeled around just in time to see Peril reaching for Ember's tail.

"No, no, no," Kestrel scolded, picking up her floppy son, "Do NOT touch your brother. I'll be right back, and I'm taking Ember with me because YOU, young lady, need to keep your talons to yourself." She waggled her claw at Peril in a very un-SkyWing like way. Kestrel focused on holding Ember, thinking to herself, Oh goodness, what is wrong with me? I'm having DRAGONET SYNDROME! 

Then she threw her wings open and leaped into the sky.

***********************************

Kestrel came back from the medicinal wing of the SkyWing palace with a jar of ointment in her talons. The healer there had told her that it soothed burns - which was perfect for Ember's back.

The burned dragonet was perched on his mother's shoulders, looking slightly more alive.

Kestrel swooped down from above the Claws of the Clouds mountains and landed in the ledge of the hatching cave. Peril ran over to greet her, wings flopping on either side of her. Kestrel gave her a small smile.

"Hello, sweetie," the mother said, looking tenderly at Peril. Sweetie?! she thought, What am I DOING? Kestrel swept Ember off her back and deposited him back in the nest. She took the olive-green goo out of the jar for burns, and started applying it gently to her son's back. Peril watched from a distance, tilting her head curiously.

"Well, well, well," an ominous voice came from outside of the cave. "The mother has returned to tend to her illegal dragonets. How thrilling."

Queen Scarlet.

Kestrel whirled around to see five SkyWings land in the cave, one none other than Queen Scarlet herself. She was draped in gold chain mail, and rubies studded her brows. A wicked grin curled the orange queen's snout.

"Now, according to SkyWing law," Scarlet purred, "Twin dragonets like yours must be killed, so, I'm going to have a thrilling time watching your children get thrown off a cliff, and by order of the queen, you will never enter the breeding program again."

Kestrel's heart dropped. No. It couldn't be true. She should have moved her dragonets to a different cave. She should have known her queen would drop by to inspect her soldier's children.

"Your majesty," Kestrel gasped, flinging herself down into a bow, "I entered the breeding program on your orders. As one of your loyal soldiers, I'm asking you, please let my dragonets live!"

Scarlet tapped her chin thoughtfully with her claw. "Let me think. Hmm, how about... NO." The queen flicked a wing at her soldiers. "Seize her."

Kestrel stared at the queen from her position on the floor as two soldiers advanced towards her. She recognized one of the soldiers still next to the queen as Osprey, one of her acquaintances who fought in the war with her. He seemed reluctant to hurt Kestrel.