Spirit of Vengeance

Hello friends! This fic is a big WIP and is a special request and collab with ThatToast starring their character, Halfsun and my character Bonereader. I may take liberties with Halfsun's character if I do not know certain details about her. This may not be a very long fic as I have other things I need to take care of but I'll try my best to make it worth a read! Minor warning for some language and dark themes. Hope you enjoy!
== Chapter 1 (bpdstanley) ==
Halfsun was an odd dragon in many ways. This was because she was a hybrid, of course, but she was strange in more ways that other dragons didn't know. She could see and hear ghosts and was capable of minor telekinesis. The most dangerous though, was that she was harboring the spirit of a long dead and greatly feared animus: Albatross.
Halfsun walked through the paths of the fairgrounds. They were mostly empty now, the few dragons wandering being carnies or small groups of friends up to mischief. She was thankful it was so quiet; she didn't think she could handle the noise and hustle of a crowd on top of that voice.
The voice that always whispered to her, telling her to do unspeakable things, playing her nightmares on repeat in her head. She was going mad and she was scared what she would do when she finally snapped. It was muttering its dark words to her even now and she couldn't take it. She needed a distraction.
She frantically looked around before her eyes rested on a small tent made of gilded purple fabrics. It wasn't the gaudy decor that caught her attention, but the sheer number of ghosts congregating around it in a swirling mist. Halfsun couldn't help but be drawn towards it. She ghosted towards the tent as if pulled to it but stopped when they turned and saw her, circling her instead. 
They all spoke at once, jumbled whispers and screams roaring in her ears. Halfsun sat down and curled in on herself, claws to her ears to no avail. Then she heard them hiss and back off. She opened her eyes and saw a wiry thin DeathWing (at least she thought it was a DeathWing with the skull adorning its face) waving around a stick with prey bones and feathers tied to it.
"Back off! Don't you all go bothering this little one, she has enough to deal with without you rats!" she squawked. Once they seemed satisfied, they looked at Halfsun with hazel green eyes. "Damned things always want attention but since they won't get it from me they think they can bother any old dragon! Guess death has a way of making you lose your manners," she muttered. The ancient dragon shook her head sadly but quickly perked up again. "Now come inside, yes, come in!" The old black dragon shuffled back inside the tent, almost dragging Halfsun behind her. Despite her age, her talons were firm and strong, making it clear Halfsun didn't really have much of a choice.
If Halfsun thought the outside of the tent was garish, the inside was a whole different level. There was what seemed to be a desk in the front, littered with bones and a large crystal. Behind it was like a room, the sides lined with bookshelves and cabinets overflowing with odd items. An intricately woven blanket covered the floor, barely visible under the mess of items scattered across it. In it's center was a fire pit with embers still flickering inside.
The eccentric old dragon let go of Halfsun and dropped herself behind the desk. "I believe introductions are in order. I am the reader of bones, interpreter of prophecies, the voice of the spirits, the watcher of stars, the last great NightWing prophet!" she boomed dramatically. "But you may call me Bonereader, for simplicity's sake. Now what can I do for you?"
Halfsun was overwhelmed. The voice in her head was still whispering, telling her to kill the old fool and take her valuables, nobody will ever know. She attempted to speak but was cut off. "That's quite the nasty spirit you have bound to you there. Very old and powerful. Not something I can get rid of for you, at least. Must be maddening having it chatter all the time. That on top of having to deal with stray ghosts nagging you about their problems. Believe me, I know what that's like," she chuckled. 
Halfsun was shocked. How did this random old NightWing know about the voice, let alone the fact she can see spirits? "What- how-" she started. "I've been around for a long time, dear, I know many things." Halfsun scolded herself internally, why should she question her to no avail when she said she could help? 
Halfsun sat up a little straighter, leaning towards Bonereader sightly. "Do you know how to help me?" 
"Yes and no. I can help make dealing with ghosts easier, but I can't banish them from you or lift that curse over you on a whim. But I can consult the bones, for a price that is." 
Halfsun nodded enthusiastically. "Please! What do you want in return?" She wasn't a rich dragon by any means but if this Bonereader dragon could help her she would give her the three moons on a silver platter for her. 
Bonereader laughed, the skull on her face shaking with her. "You're the most eager customer I've had in a long time! Usually I require a personal treasure, but my bones tell me you have a great journey ahead so I'll just need a scale of yours." Halfsun was about to ask her what she meant before Bonereader leaned over to her and a stinging pain met her shoulder, making her yelp. Bonereader held one of her dark scales in her talons, a smug smile on her face. "Now come along, grab a couple bones from the shelves, any ones will do." 
Bonereader walked into the back of the tent to the fire pit, coughing out a spark to light it. Halfsun hesitantly followed and did as she was told. She grabbed an old rib, what looked to be a leg bone of a deer, and the lower jaw of a bear. Bonereader took them from her and threw them in the fire, making it blaze and crackle fiercely. The old dragon lowered herself to the flames, staring intently at the burning bones. Minutes passed in silence, and Halfsun was about to ask the old dragon if she was okay before she spoke in a deep gravelly tone, eyes wide. 
"Two souls in a dragon 
One bloodied and one shines 
One dragon to guide her
The one who divines
A false queen of sky 
With cursed talons of magic
Cured only by death 
Or Pyrhhia’s future will be tragic"
== Chapter 2 (ThatToast) ==
Halfsun stared into the flames. 
"What does that mean?" she asked Bonereader. The old dragon barked a laugh. 
"I have a vague idea. Two souls is obviously you. The one who divines, me. I guess I'm stuck with you for a while, then." Halfsun decided to remain silent. Suddenly, a violent tremor shook her, and she collapsed to the floor. She felt Albatross's spirit in her, stronger than before. Kill, kill, it whispered as it fought for control over her mind. 
"No, no, no," Halfsun found herself mumbling as she instinctively curled up into a tight ball. Against her will, she stood up, snarling.
"Die, old fool." Albatross's voice csme though her mouth, ancient and grinding. A sharp pain stabbed through Halfsun's skull, and her world went black.
Bonereader was shaking Halfsun awake. The young hybrid flinched at the physical contact with her scales, sitting up. She gazed helplessly up at Bonereader, who was holding the odd crystal that she had seen earlier. 
"That spirit is a strong one," Bonereader mused as she tossed the crystal from talon to talon. Halfsun realized with a faint smile that the old fortune-teller must have whacked her on the head with the heavy crystal.
"Is there anything you can do to help the spirit have…less control?" Halfsun asked nervously. Bonereader tilted her head, thinking. 
"There is something that I could do." She grabbed Halfsun's hand, practically dragging her (again) to another area of her tent. In this particular room, there were more bones, along with different containers of colored liquids. Bonereader rummaged on a shelf of bones, eventually grabbing one that appeared to be the rib of some smaller animal, probably a fox. She pulled out a strong-looking chain and put the two ends in a fire. 
After a long and confusing process, Halfsun was eventually handed a necklace of some sort. The bone had intricate carvings on it, amd it seemed to emit a weak light. 
"Will this help?" Halfsun asked as she put it around her neck. It was surprisingly light, considering how sturdy it looked. Bonereader looked her straight in the eyes.
"It will prevent the spirit from completely controlling your actions. You must always wear it, until the spirit is gone." Halfsun nodded, concerned. I'll have to kill someone in order to do that, she thought.
== Chapter 3 (bpdstanley) ==
Bonereader clapped her talons together. "Now, as for the rest of the prophecy. I believe you know this 'false queen of sky' already, yes?"
Halfsun was still examining the necklace, amazed by the handiwork of the carvings and the eerie glow it gave. "Come on, I'm not getting any younger!" Bonereader snapped. Halfsun startled but replied, "I-I think it means the current SkyWing queen? Queen Mink. She took the throne from Queen Ruby illegally." 
Halfsun remembered the outrage from the other kingdoms that a non-royal would steal the throne. But all protests were quickly shut down once she demonstrated the extent of her powers was not just political but magical as well. She was an animus, rumored to be so from having a NightWing ancestor. 
"Yes, yes, that part was obvious. I tend to stay out of silly politics but it was hard not to hear about such a scandal," Bonereader said as she began to rummage through the many books scattered through her tent. She finally settled down, flipping through the pages of a large old tome with a deep red cover. Barely legible on it in gold leaf was 'The SkyWing Royal Bloodline: Fifth Edition'. As she flipped through, she continued to question the younger dragon. "So that spirit bound to you, from it's strength it must be very ancient and hold much power. It's the infamous animus prince Albatross, correct?" 
Halfsun was shocked Bonereader knew but was beginning to adjust to her uncanny knowledge. She nodded, "Yes, at least I think so." Bonereader smiled, an eerie grin spreading across her gaunt face. "You know the old story yes? Of what he did?" 
Halfsun nodded again. "He went mad and killed his queen and many other SeaWings." She wasn't quite sure where the old dragon was going with this, confusion apparent on her face. Albatross was a SeaWing legend who killed SeaWings; what did some recent SkyWing queen have to do with him. As if reading her mind (Halfsun didn't think she was capable of that... right?), Bonereader looked up at her manic grin. "Not just SeaWings, my dear. He killed a SkyWing too, princess Sunset. She left behind a single dragonet. Now I know little of the lives of these old nobles but that dragonet is surely Mink's ancestor," she finished excitedly. 
Halfsun blinked. "Okay, but what does that have to do with Albatross?" Bonereader's grin was quickly replaced with an irritated frown. "You're half SeaWing. A distant descendant of Albatross, most likely. Mink is a descendant of a victim of the Royal SeaWing Massacre. A descendant of a bitter dragon who never forgave the SeaWings for it. Why wouldn't she want vengeance? It's quite simple, dear, even I would've figured that much out if I were a youngster like you." 
The hybrid shrunk in on herself a little. "Sorry. B-but why me and not another SeaWing? There are lots of other descendants of Albatross." Bonereader shrugged lightly, "I'm not entirely sure, but it would seem very obvious it was her doing if she cursed a member of the SeaWing royal family. But nobody would suspect her being responsible for some hybrid nobody going mad, hm?" Halfsun had to admit that made sense. This kooky old NightWing was surprisingly astute! 
"As for the rest of the prophecy, you know what you must do. You have to kill the SkyWing queen." 
== Chapter 4 (ThatToast) ==
Fear flashed in Halfsun's eyes. 
"But…can't we just wait for her to die?" she asked. "I mean, she can't do anything too bad…" Bonereader slammed the book shut. 
"Don't you understand? The line from the prophecy! Or Pyrrhia's future will be tragic! If you don't kill Mink, then terrible things will happen. You must kill her." Halfsun cowered in front of the old dragon. 
"I don't know how I would actually get to the Sky Kingdom." Bonereader smiled. 
"I know a SkyWing that could help. He has some friends…"
Halfsun and Bonereader had traveled to the Claws of the Clouds mountains, which weren't too far away. They headed for the shortest mountain, which had a small cave opening. The pair spiraled down to the cave. Halfsun was exhausted. She hardly ever flew, and when she did, it was only a short distance. She landed by the cave and laid down.
"I haven't flown this far in ages," she said as Bonereader chuckled. 
"Come," Bonereader said as she hauled Halfsun up with ease. She pulled the hybrid into the dark mouth of the cave. "Watch your step, you might trip," the ancient dragon warned. Halfsun, with her SeaWing heritage, happened to get SeaWing photophores that always seemed to glow. She concentrated, brightening her stripes. Their lime colored glow lit the cavern walls. 
It was much larger inside than it appeared outside, stalactites and stalagmites crowding along the walls. This specific room had a small hole that sunlight could shine through. Burnt-out torches were placed methodically along the walls. 
"Is this…" Halfsun began. Surely, it couldn't be…
As if reading her mind, Bonereader nodded. "Yes, this is where the Dragonets of Destiny were raised. The rebel SkyWings are now using it as a base. Queen Mink doesn't know about this place, nor does she care about the far reaches of these mountains, making it the perfect spot for refugees and rebels." As if on cue, an orange SkyWing stepped in. 
"Bonereader?" he asked, obviously confused. "What are you doing here, and-" The SkyWing stared at Halfsun. "Why the heck did you bring a SeaWing here?" Halfsun hid behind Bonereader.
"Calm down, Inferno. She is with me," Bonereader said, pushing Halfsun towards the SkyWing. "She is the one that will kill Mink." Inferno, the SkyWing, nodded slowly. His commanding, rough demeanor immediately changed to relief as he grabbed Halfsun's talon. 
"Nice to meet ya, kid. I'm General Inferno of the SkyWing Rebellion."
== Chapter 5 (bpdstanley) ==
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Category:Content (ThatToast)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)