The Turquoise Winglet

Prologue ~ Smashed

The Dragonet woke up to a flurry of thoughts.

I hope there's nothing wrong with them.

Are they dead? What's wrong with them?

She heard muffled voices coming from outside, both laced with anxiety.

She didn't care.

Suddenly, she felt a burst of warm energy. She squirmed and struggled, trying to break out of her shell so she could get more. The light called to her. She needed it.

Crack.

She pushed harder.

Crrack.

Both of the voices outside stopped. She realized they were focusing on her. She wanted to see them. They wanted to see her. They had to see her.

She pushed again.

CRACK.

She felt the cool air on her back talon. She savored it. The moonlight called to her again.

CRACK.

"Another talon came out. Finally, the egg shattered. She looked up at the dragons next to her. Then to her surroundings. She was on a beach. It was midnight. The sounds of the waves calmed her. Two of the Moons glowed brightly in the sky. She looked back to the dragons.

"Her scales..." the black one whispered. She looked at her and knew she was Mother.

"She's beautiful." The large, green one said. He was Father. "Hello, Staghorn."

"Awrk?" She chirped, tilting her head.

"Nautilus, what about the other one?" Mother worried.

"I'm sorry, Eclipse. I think it's empty." Her SeaWing Father replied.

Empty?

Staghorn looked at the egg in the nest next to her.

"Em... ty." She whispered. She reached into the egg with her mind. Sister wasn't awake yet.

What if she made her awake?

"Empty!" She said again, louder. Her parents looked at her. She jumped onto the egg, her claws digging into the shell.

Both of her parents went to grab her, but Father got there first. He pried her off of it. Her thrashing tail hit the egg, and it flew off into the ocean. They all stopped, ridged as an iceberg.

"Nautilus... Is she...?" Mother said, her breathing lighter than a feather.

"An animus." Father said quietly. He looked down at the dragonet in his talons.

"My girl's an animus." He said, more pride he ever could've had filling that sentence. The tiny creature looked up at him sadly. Her voice filled with sorrow, she repeated that one word.

"Empty..."