Untold Stories

==UNTOLD STORIES==
===THE NEW DAWN - The Story of Cliff of the SkyWings===
This story takes place six months after the events of Escaping Peril 
Swift was upset. Cliff could see it in her eyes, and he could also use his SUPER POWERFUL brain power to figure it out, because Swift was always upset these days. Nobody knew why. Cliff thought that maybe she had run out of happiness, or maybe the dragonet wingery smelled too bad, or maybe they didn't get enough prey (which they didn't), or maybe lots of other things.
Come to think of it, Cliff realized that there were a lot of reasons why Swift would be upset.
But he wasn't. Nothing excited him more than flight class, when he and his fellow dragonets could stand out in the brilliantness of the morning and smell great things. Then they could jump off a mountain and plummet to the ground while trying to figure out how to use their wings.
Thrilling. Cliff breathed in deep and unfurled his wings, feeling happier than he had ever felt.
"Psst!" hissed a dragonet next to him. Limestone was bigger and tougher than the others, and never ceased telling all the SkyWings (even Queen Firestorm - who intimidated even the biggest of the dragonets) that Cliff was a stupid dragonet who couldn't even see past his own royal talons. 
"Think you can manage this one?" Limestone jeered. They were perched on the peak of Cloudbreath Mountain, the tallest mountain in the SkyWing kingdom. "Sure it's not too dangerous for your royal talons? You might stub a claw!"
Cliff ignored him. Limestone knew very well that Cliff's mother, Ex-Queen Tourmaline, had been challenged for the throne as soon as Firestorm was brave enough to take the opportunity. And she had lost. Cliff's insides twisted with anger every time he thought of his cousin. It had all gone too fast.
"Tails up!" Major Flame growled. "Stand ready! You there, stop looking like a dead cliff swallow," there was a sharp tapping down and a muffled gasp of pain, "and wings... out!" There was much hustle as the dragonets tried to unfurl their wings without knocking each other off the cliff.
"Good luck," Limestone smirked. Cliff nodded.
"And... on my whistle... LIFT, OFF!" There was a piercing whistle, and the dragonets stumbled off the cliff and into the misty oblivion.
Cliff turned over in the air to stare up at the grinning face of Major Flame as the clumsier dragonets pinwheeled to the rocky ground below. Just as he turned away, he caught a glimpse of something in the distance. One of the dragonets, bright orange and small, was beating her wings heavily and flying away from the group.
Swift.
I have to save her! Cliff thought, changing course and beating his wings toward the retreating back of his friend. Then. as he neared Swift, who was flying around a bend in the mountains and out of sight, he thought, fifth moons and dragonbite cactus, this is my chance to escape! Firestorm will never have to know. 
"Hey!" Cliff called, but his voice was swallowed by the wind spiraling around his wings. 
Swift landed a few minutes later on a small rocky outcropping near Thrush Mountain. Cliff circled in the air above her for a few seconds, debating whether he should land too and reveal himself or not.
"It's okay," Swift called quietly. Cliff turned his head so quickly his neck cracked. "You can come with me. I thought you would." She still looked sad, which Cliff thought was VERY UNFAIR since she had just escaped the SkyWing kingdom.
Cliff landed with a thump and a bump and skidded into Swift, who stuck a talon in the rock to prevent herself from falling.
"Why are you leaving?" Cliff asked. 
"I've had enough," Swift sighed, sitting down on a rock and folding her wings over her head. "This whole place is so horrible. Just when I thought it was going to be alright..." Cliff knew she was thinking about his mother, and how she had been queen for such a short time.
"So... if you don't mind me asking... where are you planning to go?" Cliff asked. He ruffled his wings and tried to hide his excitement, but Swift smiled slightly at the look on his face.
"To the RainWings," Swift said, laughing at the incredulous look on Cliff's face. "Peril -- the firescales crazy dragon -- gave me the idea. She's half RainWing, did you know that?" Cliff shook his head, amazed. How did Swift know all these things that he didn't? "I think they'll let me in," Swift continued. "I've heard that Queen Glory is really good. She'll understand."
Cliff nodded again, none of this really making any sense. "Let's go then!" he chirped excitedly, flapping his wings so fast he nearly lifted off the rock.
"You're not coming," Swift said, looking down her snout at him.
"Yeah I am!" Cliff objected indignantly, trying to assemble his face into the same condescending expression Swift wore. They looked at each other for a minute, Cliff's eyes squeezed almost shut in concentration, and then Swift burst out laughing.
"Alright," she said, assembling her wings in a flight position. "To the RainWing Kingdom!" she called.
"To the RainWing... yeah," Cliff repeated, smiling at Swift, who looked away, twining her tail around his. Cliff grinned nervously and dug his talons into the rock, launching himself over the edge in a frantic burst of wings and tail.
But just as he was about to unfurl his wings and fly, something pulled him back up to the rock. Swift screamed, and Cliff guessed that whatever was grabbing him had gotten her too.
"How sweet," the icy voice of Limestone sneered from somewhere up above. "I'm sure Queen Firestorm will be very pleased to hear this news."
••••••••••••••••••••••••
"Explain yourself," Queen Firestorm rumbled, raising herself from her ornate throne and hissing loudly. Despite the fact that fire could destroy her, the new queen insisted on having blazing torches placed throughout the hall. She said it made her look imposing and royal.
The guards shoved Cliff and Swift in front of the queen. Cliff stumbled over his own talons and fell flat on the cold marble floor. Swift shifted her wings nervously and looked up at the queen.
"These dragonets were trying to escape, Your Majesty," one of the guards said eagerly. Falcon, Cliff knew him from training sessions. He sincerely HATED that dragon as well!
Queen Firestorm turned her cold glare onto Falcon. "I didn't ask you to explain them," she growled. Falcon bowed low and scampered out the door. Cliff stifled a laugh, and then turned back to face Firestorm.
Swift stepped forward. Good, Cliff thought. She can handle this. 
But wait, the other half of his brain argued. Haven't I always wanted to be the hero of a story. I can do this just as well as she can... I think.
"I had jumped off the cliff," Swift began, "when I heard a flapping of wingbeats behind me. I thought it was someone chasing me, so I flew faster and faster to avoid whoever it was. It was only when I was far away that I realized it was only Cliff. I wasn't trying to escape, Your Majesty, I promise I wasn't."
to be continued
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Canon)