Wings Of Fire - The New World - The Masked Dragon

== Prologue ==
Im working on it
== Chapter 1 ==
Seabreeze laughed as the
 current caught her wings and lifted her higher, the gentle talons of 
the wind guiding her wings back to the beach, back to the Wind Kingdom. 
The sky was her home, not some rustic old cave. She needed to spread her
 wings and fly! That was all she ever wanted.
She sighed as Gale 
Mountain appeared in the distance, home sweet home. Seabreeze had always
 enjoyed the sight of the giant rock, after all, it was a sight to 
behold.
Gale Mountain stood 
higher than any landmark as far as the eye could see, maybe in all 
Parmia! At the base of the mountain there were pine, aspen, cypress and 
evergreen trees, all twining together in a forest blanket of lush green 
and yellow. As the mountain rose trees dropped away, revealing boulders 
of all sizes and shapes, cliffs and waterfalls glimmering in the 
sunlight. And then there was the Wind Kingdom. 
The entire dragon tribe 
was perched precariously at the very top of this mountain, living in 
huts made from white washed stone and wood. Some of the towns were on 
cliff faces, caves cutting holes in the rock like Swiss cheese. Other 
villages were in among the scree and rocks, hiding out with the boulders
 and shrubs. There was even one that is made entirely out of boardwalks,
 that was Tailwind village, my home. 
The palace was the only 
other structure on the mountain, a tall jagged looking monument that was
 supposed to resemble something pleasurable to the eyes. Towers and 
spires sprung up from the mountainside, connecting walls made of 
polished granite acting as walkways and guard towers. The queen lives in
 that pile of stone, good for her.
Seabreeze soon neared 
Tailwind village,  noticing that there weren't as many dragons out and 
about as usual. Normally the village was swarming with dragons, all 
trying to squeeze their way through the narrow boardwalks. And now there
 was actually room to walk. That's odd.
She paid no mind to it 
however and instead angled herself to land on the least crowded 
boardwalk, the one leading into a small cave where a dragon named Gust 
sold frozen treats. 
"Hey they Breeze!", 
Dustdevil called, swooping down to land by her side. Dustdevil was 
indeed a devil, he was always a prankster and well... a dare devil. He 
was up to any challenge. He also looked a little different than most 
Windwings, he had the normal white scales everywhere on his body, (They 
mostly have white scales, they resemble plumeria flowers), but instead 
of the white fading into orange it fades into red then yellow. It was 
kinda cool.
"Hey, I told you I would be here", Seabreeze said, smiling.
"Well forgive me if I didn't believe you, lying runs in your family", Dustdevil remarked dryly.
"What is that supposed to mean?!", Seabreeze feigned mock offense.
"It means", He said, circling her, "That your blood is bred of lies. Think about it!".
He was right, in a way. 
Seabreeze's mother, Easterly, was always making up sarcastic lies. 
Sometimes they were harmless, just a joke, but other times they did 
hurt. Like the time she told me and my brother, Monsoon, to eat the 
Kestrel Pies because they were fermented. We believe her and got sick 
for a weak afterwards. 
"Well its better than a bunch of thieves", Breeze replied.
Dustdevil clawed his chest, looking hurt, "Thieves? Us? We wouldn't steal a cube of ice!".
"Uh huh. So why are we here? You sounded a little worried yesterday".
"Oh I did?", He 
shrugged, "Well it was just gossip but now I know for sure. Lets grab a 
bite". They each ordered a double scoop of Quail Cream and sat down at 
one of the many benches lining the edge of the boardwalk. This 
particular spot over looked a valley of trees with a guzzling river 
flowing lazily through them.
"What gossip?", Breeze asked, taking a bite of her treat.
"Queen Cloudlight captured a Stormwing", Dustdevil replied earnestly.
A Stormwing?! They were 
one of the most dangerous dragon tribes in all Parmia! They were not 
easily beat, and even when they were death was the only option. How did 
the queen manage to capture one?
"Do continue!", Breeze urged.
"Well, you know that 
skirmish going on south of here? Well they were able to get the 
Stormwings trapped in the ocean. The Queen and her army killed most of 
them, but rumor is that the Stormwing they captured was Prince 
Nightflash!", Dustdevil looked a little uncomfortable, as if he believed
 a rain of vengeful Stormwings would descend upon them at any moment.
"How did you find it out? It could just be Idle gossip".
"Remember how I said I 
had a friend in the guard? Mistral? She told me. Shes a guard of the 
Queens so she must know right?", He didn't look convinced.
"Maybe. But what does 
the Queen plan on doing with him? Use him as a bargaining chip?", Breeze
 didn't like where this was going. The queen could do any number of 
things to that prince, and while he was their enemy they knew the queen 
wasn't afraid of a little blood. She wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. 
"Ya, that's exactly what she plans on doing. Maybe it will work, everyone knows how much Queen Silverstrike loves her son". 
"Ive never seen a Stormwing up close before", Breeze said, finishing off her Quail Cream.
"Well your in luck 
because, again according to Mistral, there is going to be an 
announcement held in the palace tomorrow, to show off the new prisoner. 
Anyone can go! And I might even be able to get us a front row seat!", he
 looked excited, more excited than Breeze had seen him in a long while. 
"That would be great!", 
She replied happily. She had always wanted to see one of the Lightning 
Breathers. In stories Stormwings have been said to be able to harness 
lightning and shoot it from their mouths and wings. It was a little 
concerning about how they would subdue him enough to put him on display 
but she had to trust her queen. 
"One other thing", 
Dustdevil said, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. 
"Mistral also said that there was a strange dragon flying around during 
the battle. They dint look like a Stormwing or a Windwing".
"So? It was probably just a Flamewing or some dragon", Breeze replied.
"No. It wasn't. She said
 the dragon had all gray scales and was wearing a cloak. But the really 
creepy part is that the dragon was wearing a silver mask. I mean, who 
does that?".
All gray scales, it 
didn't sound like any of the tribes she knew of. It couldn't be a 
Stormwing, that was for sure. And it wasn't a Windwing. Breeze didn't 
even know if there was a type of dragon with all gray scales. "Maybe 
some sort of hybrid?".
"Maybe, but between what
 tribes? And why that battle? None of it makes any sense", Dustdevil 
scratched his head, cocking it to the side.
"Maybe she will bring it up tomorrow then?", Breeze said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I doubt it, all the 
focus will be on that Stormwing", that was one thing Dustdevil was right
 about. Not many Windwings had seen one in a very long time, and now was
 a prime time to do so.
"Oh ya! Can I spend the night at your cave tonight?", He asked hopefully.
"Uh ya sure, why? Is your mom getting too bossy again?", Breeze mocked.
"No. She just through a 
plate at me and kicked me out of the house", he started to pout making 
breeze laugh. She loved it when he did that.
"I was about to be sorry for you and then I remembered you had to do something to get her that mad", she said.
"Well... I kinda sorta maybe broke her favorite necklace", he mumbled, "But I still blame her".
"How on earth?", Breeze laughed shaking her head.
"It was pretty! I wanted to try it on but it would fit over my fat head".
"No surprise there", Breeze mocked.
He bumped her shoulder with his own playfully, making her stumble. 
"Such a gentleman", she retorted, acting hurt.
"Exactly", Dustdevil smiles his wicked smile, the one that he used whenever he was with her, and no one else.
Seabreeze and Dustdevil 
arrived at her cave later in the day after they went flying across the 
ocean. Breeze was tired, yes, but excited also, so her nerves wouldn't 
calm down.
"There you are!", 
Monsoon cried as she stepped through the door. "Have you heard the 
news?". Monsoon was always hyper it seemed. Always excited. How did he 
ever sleep at night?
"Yes she did", Dustdevil
 said as he squeezed through the doorway. He was big, bigger than 
everyone in her family except her father Sirocco, who, like Dustdevil, 
had trouble fitting through the doorway. 
Breeze's family had 
sacrificed space for height, everyone in the tribe wanted to live high 
up on the mountain and sense it was more crowded here the caves were 
smaller. Hers was five rooms, a small kitchen of to the right, a living 
room with a roiling fire pit to the left. Down the hall was her parents 
room, her room and Monsoon's. It wasn't very good living, after all, 
they barley had a dining room, which was just a small space near the 
kitchen. Home sweet home.
"Well isn't it crazy? I'm excited to see a Stormwing! They are SOOOOO cool!", Monsoon yelled.
"Settle down!", Mother 
called from the kitchen, "Remember what I told you about appreciating 
the tribe you are!", classic mother. Always telling people to be happy 
with their lot in life. She probably wasn't anyway so why listen?
"I knoooow! But arnt 
they cool?", Monsoon, despite being three years younger than Breeze, was
 almost as big which was strange considering he was so immature. 
"Lets go to your room", Dustdevil whispered in her ear, urging her to get away from her crazy brother. 
"Yes. Lets".
Breeze's room was small,
 just enough room for a somewhat large bed in the corner, a desk against
 the wall, and a bookshelf carved into the rock that was practically 
exploding with scrolls. Whenever Dustdevil spent the night he usually 
just laid some blankets down on the floor and slept there. That was 
somehow preferable to his mother's wrath. 
The rest of the night 
passed in an unbearably slow blur, the excitement in the cave was 
overwhelming. Monsoon kept jumping around like a sick kangaroo and 
mother was all but dying on the floor from his whining. Father had come 
back with a few hawks to eat and told us we would go to the celebration 
at first light.
As night took over, 
leaving only a stream of stars in the sky, Breeze left her cave and flew
 down to the shore. No one was here at this time, just after the sun had
 gone down. It was peaceful, just the waves crashing against the beach, 
lightly splattering her claws. This was tranquility. At least it was 
until Dustdevil came careening out of the sky and PLOP into the ocean. 
"Arrrrrggghhh!!!", he 
roared, "That is freezing!". He shook himself off, all over Breeze who 
tried unsuccessfully to shield herself with her wings. 
"I was trying to get some peace and quiet!", she yelled causing him to pause in his incessant rolling around on the sand.
"Oh, I thought you came 
out here to go for a swim, but as soon as I felt that water no way!", he
 glared side long at the tide, staring at is as if his gaze alone would 
make it explode. 
They were both silent 
for a blissful spell and then the soft patter of claws against sand. 
Breeze turned to see Windstorm trotting toward them, her proud peacock 
of a friend. "Hey", Dustdevil said as she approached.
Breeze knew Dustdevil 
harbored feelings for Windstorm, but she was entirely sure if it was one
 sided. She sure hoped it wasn't, they were a cute couple. He was a 
strong contrast to her normal, proud and smart personality. 
"Hello", she replied sitting down in between them, gazing at the ocean. "Are you going to the palace tomorrow?".
"Like we'd miss it!", Dustdevil laughed.
"Personally I'm not so 
excited to see another dragon on display, its not right. No dragon 
Stormwing or otherwise should have to be treated like a trinket". That 
was Windstorm for you, always pitying dragons that were her enemies, a 
good trait non the less. 
"True, but he is the 
prince! I'm sure the queen will surrender and he will go free and 
everyone will be happy", Breeze said, knowing deep down that she was 
lying. Even if the queen was able to negotiate with the Stormwings she 
would still hurt Nightflash, just to send a message. 
"You and I both know that's not true. There is no happiness in war", Windstorm replied darkly.
"Well we will figure it out!", Dustdevil said, shaking out his wings one final time, "We always do".
Windstorm looked down at her talons. "Something wrong?", Breeze asked.
"Yes", Windstorm paused, "Zephyr had to go ahead and tell me every little detail of the skirmish with the Stormwings.. again". 
Zephyr was Windstorm's 
brother who was a member of the royal guard. He always told stories 
about the battles hes been in, and he has a tendency to leave no detail 
behind. The last thing anyone needed was an in depth description of how a
 Stormwing barbecued himself alive. Yuck!
"Sorry", Dustdevil said,
 wrapping a tentative wing around her. Her scales were of course white, 
but they faded into a burnt orange which turned to cobalt blue. She was 
pretty, glimmering and regal. Any logical Windwing would want her as a 
mate. Dustdevil got lucky.
They stayed and watched 
the waves for a while, just them. Three friends and the ocean. It was 
more tranquil than any dragon could ask for. Breeze's favorite place. 
Its almost like her parents knew she would love the sea breeze.
The next morning Breeze awoke with a start, momentarily forgetting why she had to get up so early. The announcement!
She bounced out of bed, nearly tripping over Dustdevil who scowled darkly. "What it!".
"Sorry! Just excited!".
"Oh ya!", Dustdevil exclaimed, hopping up and running out to the kitchen. 
Easterly had already 
prepared a lunch and breakfast which was gobbled down in a heartbeat. In
 the slow moments that followed, waiting for Monsoon and Sirocco, Breeze
 quietly wondered what the Stormwing would be like. Were their scales 
really like mirrors? Could he really shoot lightning instead of fire? 
How big would he be?
"Alright, lets go", 
Sirocco huffed. They all glided out the door and into open air. The 
breeze was crisp and cool, the sun had barley crested the horizon and 
gaze off little heat. Breeze could see her hot breaths plume out in 
front of her. 
The palace rose high up 
in the distance, dragons already flocking through the gate to get a 
first look at the new captive. Easterly looked mildly dissapointed and 
Monsoon just had the same giddy expression on his face. 
Breeze glanced at 
Dustdevil who looked worried. The whole tribe is here, if something were
 to go wrong so many dragons could get hurt.
As soon as they got to 
the gate they immediately noticed how many guards there were: five 
guarding the gate, ten or more above it on the walkway, and even more on
 the towers as sentries. Everyone was on high alert, who knows if the 
Stormwings might launch an attack?
The guards did a routine
 check, no belongings or weapons, recognized faces etc. It was a 
tiresome process that everyone was tired of at this point. There had been an intruder in ages.
When Breeze entered the 
palace she immediately felt like nothing more than an ant scurrying in a
 spiders web. A huge corridor with quartz white pillars that led down to
 the throne room was what awaited her. The walls were painted and 
bleached with gradient colors of white, then orange, then blue, pink, 
purple, red or any other color Windwings were known to have. Tapestries 
decorated the walls as commonly as wall sconces, all of them depicting a
 scene of battle or victory.
There were a few 
hallways branching off the corridor that led to only the queen knew 
where. Breeze took a left and found a smaller, similar looking hallway 
that spit her out in a massive courtyard. The courtyard was surrounded 
on all sides by looming white washed walls, all of which had swirling 
carvings and markings like flowers and vines. In the center of it all 
was a herculean platform made of polished wood. It was bare except for a
 few guards and an odd looking tray that was bolted into the stage.
Dragons were gathered 
all around the stage, all talking and buzzing with excitement. This was 
it, the moment she would see a Stormwing. 
Grass crunched under her
 talons and she nearly tripped over weeds every other step. She felt a 
wing brush hers and instinctively shied away from it, but it was only 
Dustdevil. "I hate crowded places", she had to basically yell because of
 how loud it was. 
"Me too! Follow me!", he
 started weaseling his way through the crowd leaving Breeze with no 
choice but to follow. She stepped on talons and tails as she went, 
bumping into wings and snouts. There were too many dragons.
After a bit of careful 
talon placement and many muttered "sorrys", they had finally reached a 
decent position towards the front. The son would be up soon and that 
meant the announcement would begin. It didn't take long either. 
Coming from the 
staircase under the platform a barrage of guards rose, each of them 
heavily clad in armor and holding spears or crossbows. The crowd was 
immediately silent, waiting for the show to come.
The queen rose next, her
 sleek slender frame unmistakable. She was adorned with a cougar skin 
robe and was almost drowning in anklets and necklaces. She even wore a 
horn ornament, that went out of fashion months ago.
Some dragons gasped at 
the sight of their beautiful queen, others couldn't find the words, and 
some.. some just yawned and looked away. 
No one followed the queen. Where was the Stormwing?
"Now im sure many of you
 know what this is about", Queen Cloudlight called, her strong voice 
echoing off the walls and into the morning air. "And for those of you 
that don't... I have a special surprise for you!".
An eruption of cheers 
followed this, although Breeze knew that most of the dragons here 
already knew what was happening. Get on with it already!
But something was 
stopping her from truly experiencing joy, Windstorm's words kept echoing
 inside her head: "There is no happiness in war" " Its not right. No 
dragon Stormwing or otherwise should have to be treated like a trinket".
 Was she right? Was this wrong? Deep down she knew the answer. It most 
definitely was. By any standards this shouldn't be happening. Nightflash
 is a dragon, not a trophy. 
"Now, all of you give a 
warm welcome to our... guest", Queen Cloudlight's last word was laced 
with unrestrained malice. No one cared for this dragon, least of all 
her. A warm welcome for him would be booing and hissing, maybe a rock or
 two thrown, at best. 
The crowd started 
cheering which soon turned to chanting: "Stormwing! Stormwing! 
Stormwing!". Breeze felt uncomfortable. She could imagine herself as the
 prince, hearing all these unfamiliar voices cheering for your demise, 
death even. She would have broken down on the spot, crying and huddled 
in a ball.
Thats what the Stormwing appeared, shiny and black. Its really him.
The legends were indeed 
correct, his scales were glossy like mirrors, but could mirrors be 
colored? His scales glowed with a cobalt hue, almost as if the scales 
themselves were blue and not black. He had a long dark frill running 
across his spine and tail which thrashed furiously. His wings were large
 and broad, the underside of them glazed with a lightning strike pattern
 of blue. He was muscled, more muscled than the strongest Windwing 
guard. And his eyes.. you could look into their storm and never see the 
end, only blue, forever.
Breeze sucked in a breath, this was it. This was what she had been waiting for. 
But something was off 
about the dragon, as he moved he wasn't moving his legs, he wasn't 
walking. Instead it looked as if his talons were tied to a large tray 
filled with, what, water?
Oh! So he cant use 
lightning or he will electrocute himself. The chains around his ankles 
curled up to his chest and wings, down his tail and across his snout. He
 was a nice and need bundled gift for the queen. The tray was pushed by 
two guards into the other metal part built into the stage. It was then 
locked in place.
The Stormwing faced the crowd, nostrils flaring, eyes glowing with hatred. Hello prince Nightflash.
== Chapter 2 ==
The showing of the 
Stormwing lasted less time than a feather took to hit the ground. 
Practically the second the Stormwing was put on display everyone was 
ordered out of the palace. 
"That was a bust", Dustdevil huffed as them walked out of the gates.
"Well at least we got to see him", Breeze replied earnestly. 
"Not long enough", open 
air was quick to take their wings and lift them, dragging them up and 
over the palace and around to the beach.
Breeze scanned the 
crowd, looking for Windstorm and Zephyr. She instead found a dragon 
cloaked in what looked to be something resembling a dark curtain. One 
thing she did notice though was the large metal mask covering the 
dragons gray scales. Gray scales... what?
As soon as she saw the dragon it was gone, vanishing before her very eyes. How was that possible?
"Dustdevil, did you see that?", Breeze brushed wings with him, catching his attention.
He looked downward but the dragon was already gone, lost in the crowd.
"See what?", he asked, confused.
"Never mind", Breeze muttered. 
Before she could 
question further a comet in the shape of Zephyr soared past her at 
raging speeds. "Last one to the ocean is a rotten seagull!", he shouted 
playfully.
Windstorm wasn't far behind him, although she was smaller than her older brother she did rival his speeds.
Dustdevil made a noise 
halfway between a growl and laugh before chasing after them. Breeze 
stalled a moment, knowing she could easily beat Dustdevil in a race, to 
look in the crowd again. 
A flash of a silver tail slipped between the bustling dragons. It was something, but what? 
Seabreeze was right, she
 could beat Dustdevil in a race. Zephyr had touched down on the soggy 
sand first, followed by a near tie of Windstorm and Breeze. And last 
came Dustdevil who fakes sulking for pity points.
Zephyr shook out his wings before trotting up to us. "I have a special announcement", He said proudly, puffing out his chest.
"I got us an invite to 
the one, the only... Jetstreams party!", He called wildly. Jetstream was
 the son of the Queens brother, in other words, her nephew. As such he 
lived near the top of Gale mountain and had more cave space than ten 
dragons like Seabreeze.
"How did you manage that?", Breeze asked, curious.
"Me and him are good 
friends. After all, we have to be! We are fight together alot!", Zephyr 
replied smartly. Jetstream was a warrior just like Zephyr so naturally 
the two spent a lot of time training together.
"Awesome! Wait.. IS IT IN HIS MANSION?!", Dustdevil asked, appalled.
"Uh.. yes? Where else would it be?", Zephyr remarked.
"Thats amazing! Ive never been to a royal dragons cave before!".
"Its not as great as you
 think, just a larger version of our caves", Windstorm interjected, 
wrapping her thick tail around her talons. She didn't look pleased at 
the idea of going to Jetstream's party.
"Zephyr don't you think maybe Jetstream doesn't want us there? Hes your friend not ours", Breeze said a little uncomfortable.
"Well", Zephyr said, 
flexing his shoulder blades and hunching to the ground, "Ill make him!",
 he roared before springing up like a striking cobra. He landing 
directly on Breeze who screamed in dismay before rolling around, trying 
to escape his grip.
She laughed at him as 
his lime striped wings hit her sides and face lightly. Dustdevil came to
 her rescue, head ramming him off of her, smirking in triumph. 
"Oh no you didn't", Zephyr growled, charging the now helpless Dustdevil.
Windstorm watched the three dragons play fight, knowing full well that Zephyr could kill each of them easily. 
Soon, after a long day 
of fighting and swimming, the sun had begun to set. The glowing bulb 
crested the water, leaving long strokes of tangerine and violet in the 
sky. 
The four friends were laying bellies up on the sand, light waves slashing their talons softly. 
"Hey look!", Zephyr said, pointing a claw up at two dragons flying across the sky behind them. "Hey Crosswind! Tornado!".
The two dragons looked around for a moment before they spotted Zephyr and waved a talon, smiling. 
Breeze sighed. Zephyr was friends with everyone.
"Id say its time to 
go!", Dustdevil said, wriggling off the ground and shaking every scale 
on his body. Sand rained down and the two girls groaned and rolled away.
 
"Yes, lets", Breeze said, glancing at Windstorm.
"Can I just stay here? I hate crowded places, there are too many talons", she muttered, turning her head to the side.
Just for a moment, a 
split second, Breeze thought she saw Zephyr's eyes soften a fraction as 
he looked at his sister. Was that... compassion? 
"If you want to", he said, returning to his normal hard as stone composure. "But your loss".
She nodded, playing with a stray sand of seaweed that had washed up on the beach. "Thanks".
"Dont stay out too 
late!", Zephyr called as he took to the sky, heading towards the 
mountain. Dustdevil wasted no time and zipping upward like a bee buzzing
 to a flower.
Breeze cast a sympathetic look to Windstorm who looked depressed and bored before flying after the boys. 
Jetstream's cave was on 
the west side of the mountain so the sun had already hidden itself 
behind the giant formation, casting the cave and the grove of trees in 
front of it in shadow. 
Windwings of all ages and sizes were crowded on the ledge in front of the cave, chatting and laughing with one another. 
Breeze recognized almost
 no one, they were all at least a few years older than her. Jetstream 
was four winters her superior so it wouldn't be surprising if all these 
dragons were too. Zephyr seemed to recognize a few though as he 
immediately landed next to a pair of nearly identical purple striped 
Windwings. 
"Dustdevil, Seabreeze, 
this is Marin and Bora!", Zephyr introduced. Breeze waved and smiled 
slightly, trying not to look as weirded out as she was. Maybe she should
 have stayed with Windstorm, was it too late now?
"Hi!", the smaller of the two, Bora, said nicely. Marin only grunted and continued talking with his younger sister.
"Rude", Dustdevil whispered in Breeze's ear. 
"There you are!", a deep and scratchy voice called from inside the cave opening. 
Jetstream was gorgeous, 
his wings and chest muscled and strong, her tail always adorned with 
golden bands and tail rings. The bronze and faded yellow stripes on his 
wings, tail and snout only added to his majesty.
"Oh hey!", Zephyr replied a little nervously. 
Zephyr was big, bigger 
than most full grown dragons in the tribe. But even so Jetstream still 
stood an inch or two higher and was at least twice as muscled. 
"So these are the friends you were talking about!", Jetstream said, glancing at them.
"Hi Jetstream, im Seabreeze", Breeze introduced politely. 
"Please, call JS", he replied curtly. JS? That sounded weird... REALLY weird. 
"I'm Dustdevil", Dustdevil toned in. 
"Uh huh", Jetstream 
said, uninterested. "Where is that beautiful sister of yours?", he 
flicked his tail, glancing around at the crowd, looking a little angry.
Dustdevil stiffened 
beside her, claws spread, tails lashing. Did Jetstream have a crush on 
Windstorm too? That could get awkward.
"She didn't want to come", Zephyr said, his claws twitching. 
Breeze could have sworn she heard Jetstream hiss slightly, but he didn't bring up the no-show dragon again. "Come on in".
"I regret everything", 
Dustdevil whispered anxiously. If they left now would Zephyr notice.. or
 care? The pleasant thought briefly filtered into her thoughts but 
vanished like a puff of smoke. This was Zephyr's night. They should be 
here to enjoy it. 
"Enjoying" it was an 
overstatement. Breeze and Dustdevil were mainly just talking on the 
outskirts of the many balconies of Jetstreams mansion cave. They tried 
to stay away from all the dragons who were no doubt hallucinating from 
the Belladonna Berry punch. Nice one Jetstream. 
As Dustdevil was 
excitedly talking about an 'adventure' he had had with Mistral, (A 
flight into a haunted battlefield), Breeze gazed at the crowd around her
 and saw.. the dragon. 
Just a glimpse of silver
 scales was all it took for Breeze to shoot off into the crowd, 
following the billowing dark cloak in front of her. The dragon 
underneath was indeed a silver gray color, but also wore a quartz like 
mask to hide their face. 
Before she realized it Breeze was out into open air, flying out of one of the balconies, heading towards the sea. 
She heard the dismayed call of Dustdevil from behind her but she didnt stop. This dragon needed to be stopped, whoever it was.
She twisted and whirled 
in the air, trying to catch up with the surprisingly fast gray dragon. 
She knew it wasn't a windwing, the scale pattern and wing shape were all
 wrong. But it didnt look like any other dragon on the continent. 
Not a flamewing for it 
didn't have the singed scales and claws. Not a stormwing because it 
wasn't black. Not an Oceanwing for it didn't have gills or a forked 
tail.. but it did have a frill. Maybe a hybrid? Not a Grasswing, it 
wasn't even close to being as bulky. Not a Sunwing, its wings weren't 
transparent in the slightest. The gray scales would match a Gemwing but 
A. it didn't have any rocks or crystals growing out of its skin, and B. 
it had been brushing up against other dragons at the party, and they 
didn't turn into stone. So what was it?
Breeze beat her wings 
faster and harder as she neared the beach. The masked dragon suddenly 
swooped downward, angling its wings into a nose dive spiral. Oh no it 
doesn't!
The dragon was heading 
into the grove of trees that circled the beach in a crescent. They could
 hide and never be found in that foliage!
Breeze paused mid 
flight, adjusting her wings before harshly clapping them together. A 
shock wave of air rumbling though the sky, hitting the fleeing dragon 
square in the back, sending them flying off into the sand. The dragon 
tumbled a few times, clawing at the loose dirt to try and steady 
herself, but Breeze clapped her wings again. This time the air sent the 
dragon flying into one of the shallow tide pools on the rocks. 
The dragon lay still, 
its wings twitching slightly, its only movement the slow and deep 
breaths it was taking. They were out cold. 
Breeze dived in and 
landed on the slick rocks, digging her claws in to keep from slipping. 
It was high tide so the water was starting to jump up on the rocks, 
filling the tide pools up with new water.
Breeze gently stalked over to the dragon which had landed on at least three tide pools, crushing the inhabitants. Sorry!
As she got close enough 
she used a claw to lift and discard the cloak from the dragons body, 
dislodging it from a few clips in the silver mask. Did she dare remove 
that too? The dragons scales were small and circular, separated by a row
 of more circular scales of the same light gray. 
Breeze knew the dragon 
was a she now that she saw the sleek slender curves and small curling 
tail. The frill at the dragons neck was folded up, and the dragons horns
 were small and curved. She was, in a way, beautiful.
What was her face like though? Was it scarred and burnt like in the stories? Or was it a perfect masterpiece like in others?
Breeze reached out, about to lift the mask when a talon shot up and wrapped around her wrist making her cry out in surprise. 
"Dont", the dragon 
whispered, her voice soft and... welcoming? Friendly? Warm? Breeze 
couldn't quite find the right word for it. 
"Who are you?", Breeze asked, rocking back and sitting on her haunches, retracting her hand. She could wait. 
"No dragon you should know or care about", The dragon replied harshly, standing up and shaking out her wings of the murky water.
The tide had started to lap its frigid fingers along  their claws, soaking their scales. 
"Dont care. But you no going anywhere", Breeze calmly spread her wings, threatening to shoot her out of the sky again.
The dragon hissed before
 taking a step back and sitting down, expectantly glaring at her. "What 
do you want.. windwing?". Her words were laced with malice but still 
held that undertone of friendliness. 
"To know who you are, 
what tribe your from, and what you are doing here", Breeze stated 
simply. "Also my name is Seabreeze, not windwing".
The dragon snorted 
before responding, "I don't need to tell you my name. And my tribe is 
one foreign to you, and my business is none of yours".
"Well too bad, just 
answer my questions: Name. Tribe. Purpose". Why was she doing this? Why 
did she care? Because she knew there was another world out there, more 
continents, more dragons! And this one had sparked her curiosity, so she
 was determined to find out.
"My name is Tiger, if 
you must know. And I am a Rainwing, although you have never heard of 
them; and again, by business is private and none of yours", the dragon 
replied angrily. 
Tiger?! Rainwing?! What was that? A hybrid, a new tribe maybe? Breeze's mind was whirling a thousand miles a minute. 
"What is a rainwing?", Before Tiger could respond with 'a tribe' Breeze stopped her. "Give me some backstory".
"Fine", Tiger snarled, 
flicking her tail. "Rainwings are from another continent, Phyrria. I 
decided to leave for.. reasons. And now im sitting here with an annoying
 Windwing who obviously didn't study in her history class!".
"I did study thank you 
very much. But there weren't any lessons or books about.. Phyrria is it?
 Are there different tribes on that continent?".
Tiger sighed, obviously annoyed. "Look, ill answer all your questions if you do me some.. favors". 
"Like what?", Breeze asked, getting a bad feeling deep in her gut. 
"Like releasing Prince Nightflash of the Stormwings". 
== Chapter 3 ==
Breeze froze, Tiger's 
words sinking into her mind, flooding all reasonable actions with ice. 
Release the enemy? Her curiosity was strong, but not THAT strong. She 
had to have self restraint, her kingdom came before herself. 
"No way!", Breeze said, 
her wings twitching, aching to shoot the dragon across the beach. This 
was treason! And yet here she was, not doing anything. Not fighting this
 obvious enemy. 
Tiger huffed, her mask 
hiding her expression from view, but her sapphire blue eyes told Breeze 
that she was.. smiling. A wicked curving arc that only meant trouble.
"If you don't.. you will
 regret it. I wont hurt you, but I cant say any of my other Phyrrians 
wont", Tiger said briskly, she was now in charge of this conversation, 
and Breeze had fallen right into her trap.
"What do you mean?", 
Breeze asked cautiously. Phyrrians. Dragons from Phyrria. What did that 
mean? Were dragons from her homeland going to attack?
"I mean that that Stormwing is a lot more important that the existence of one tribe, lets say... yours", Tiger replied.
Breeze couldn't 
comprehend what was happening. This dragon obviously knew a lot more 
about what was going to happen that she did, and that was unnerving on 
its own. But now this strange dragon was threatening her tribe? All for 
what, some evil dragon?
"Why is he so important?", Breeze decided to ask, knowing very well how easily the tables turned onto her.
"Because, he is not what
 he seems. He is more powerful than even he himself knows. And yet here 
you are, perfectly fine with your queen showing him off like nothing 
more than a dead squirrel!", Tiger nearly laughed.
"How dare you speak that
 way of Queen Cloudlight!", Breeze hissed, flicking her tongue 
menacingly. "That Stormwing deserved what came to him!".
"I know you don't really
 think that. You have no idea what happened during that battle, I do. So
 don't come crying to me when your tribe is dying and I was right".
Breeze swallowed hard, the knot in her chest cutting of air flow. This couldn't happen, war? What did they do to deserve it.
"Look, Breeze, if you 
want to save your tribe and find out what really happened during that 
battle come find me on that cliff, mid day tomorrow", Tiger said, 
pointing towards the talon like cliff jutting out of one of the Gale 
peaks. "Come alone. Come ready. If you bring anyone or try anything I 
will leave and you will never be able to find me again".
This could easily be a 
trap, but wasn't it her duty to help her tribe? She didn't think this 
was a hallow threat either, it could be real. And that's what she was 
afraid of. She needed to be sure.
"Fine. But how do I know you will be there?", Breeze asked.
"You don't", Tiger 
replied before spinning off the rock and into the water. She was gone in
 an instance, her scales mingling with the dark. Breeze had lost her, 
but she had a lead. She could save her tribe, but how?
Dustdevil arrived at the
 beach a few minutes later, looking more or less a mix of mad and 
confused. Breeze apologized and they decided to leave Zephyr alone with 
his friends. The party wasn't any fun anyway.
It was a long night, she
 wished Dustdevil had spent the night again but he had some issues with 
his mom to settle. So she sat awake all night, thinking about the 
mysterious dragon and if she was going to meet her at the cliff face. 
So many things could go wrong but what choice did she have? 
Morning didn't come soon
 enough, but as the small tendrils of light creeped in through the door 
Breeze was off. She needed to talk to Zephyr about the battle. What if 
he told her? What if nothing was wrong?
After a harsh mental slap Breeze was on her way to Zephyr's cave, farther up the mountain than her own. 
After landing on the rock outcropping from their cave she knocked on the cedar wood door. 
There was a confused 
yelp of surprise before talons scraping across could be heard. The door 
creaked open, small rays of sunshine just now reaching their door step.
Oops, they must have just woken up... nope. I woke them up, breeze thought.
A tired looking 
Windstorm stood in the doorway, her wings drooping and eyes half shut. 
"Breeze, whats wrong?", she asked, yawning.
"I need to talk to your brother", Breeze said hurriedly.
Windstorm looked mildly confused but welcomed her inside. Their cave was about the size of hers, if not smaller. 
Windstorm's parents had 
been assigned as guards in the palace, and since Windstorm and Zephyr 
couldn't follow they got the cave all to themselves. Thus there were two
 extra rooms, one of which held all of Windstorm's art supplies, the 
other holding a nice and cozy guest room.
Breeze remembered all 
the times the four of them had spent the night here, staying up all 
night and telling stories of Bonewings and things of the like.
"Hes in there", 
Windstorm muttered before flopping down on her couch and trying to fall 
asleep again. Breeze silently chuckled, typical Windstorm.
She crept down the 
hallway, all the way to the end. Zephyr's room was the farthest from the
 door, which was probably a good thing. 
The entirety of his cave
 smelled like metal, the sharp sting of the odor always startling. 
Inside the cave there were piles of weapons and armor, all of which 
surrounded a some what large bed. Zephyr was sprawled on top of it, 
snoring loudly. He must have gotten home from the party last night, 
Breeze guessed.
"Zephyr", Breeze said loudly, trying to wake him. 
He shot up out of his 
bed, eyes wide. Her craned his neck in every direction until his eyes 
fell on her. He squinted, yawned and blinked a few times.
"Breeze, what are you 
doing here?", he asked softly. His voice thick with sleep. She could 
tell he was tired and needed sleep but this was 'save the entire 
continent' important.  
"I need to ask you something", she replied, stepping into the room.
Zephyr looked at her 
curiously, "Cant it wait until... I don't know... The sun is higher 
up?!". He wasn't mad but a little annoyed.
"Sorry but no. I need to
 know, what happened during the battle when you captured Prince 
Nightflash?", Breeze cut straight to the point.
He opened his mouth, 
shut it, his eyes seeming distant. He frowned, almost as if he was re 
thinking what he was going to say. Was that uncertainty, from Zephyr or 
all dragons? What was going on?
"What about it?", he asked, avoiding the question.
"Everything".
He sighed before 
stretching his wings, then his legs, before finally speaking. "It was 
about mid day when the battle started. The Stormwings attacked from the 
air, we didn't see them coming. Since we were so close to the ocean we 
decided to use it against them, beating out wings, sending sprays of 
water at them whenever they started to breath lightning. Thats how we 
caught Prince Nightflash", he shrugged.
Thats it? Thats the world altering answer she needed? "There has to be more", Breeze urged.
He looked at her strangely, "What for?".
"Just.. please. There has to be something".
Well that didn't go well, Breeze though numbly. Apparently there was nothing else. Then why did Tiger make it sound so urgent?
Plans foiled and spirit curious she decided to show up at the cliff face right after wasting some time in the market. 
The cliff face was 
empty, just a jagged edge of rock, a few shrubs growing up from where 
the mountain when the cliff. But that was it, just her and some bumpy 
stone.
Breeze looked around, it
 was mid day, just like Tiger said. So where was she? She started to 
lose hope, ready to fly off and forget all of it, but was stopped but a 
sharp cough.
She whirled around 
towards the end of the cliff to see her mystery dragon sitting there. 
"Hello Breeze, I didn't think you'd show", Tiger said, flicking her 
tail.
She had come out of 
nowhere it seemed, just appearing out of the air. Could Rainwings turn 
into a cloud and hide? No, that was just ridiculous.
"I asked a guard about what happened that day, and nothing abnormal. You lied", Breeze hissed.
"I'm sad you believe 
that. But why would he tell you even if he did know the truth?", Breeze 
thought back to that morning, remembering the uncertainty in Zephyr's 
eyes. Was he lying? What was he hiding? "I'm listening".
"Good. Its about time 
someone knew the truth of your queen", Tiger began. Breeze listened, 
waiting for answers, "The day of the battle the Windwings were marching 
to attack one of the Stormwing villages, planning on raiding it to make a
 point. Before they got there, however, they were stopped by an ambush 
of Stormwings. Being so close to the water the windwings were able to 
subdue the Stormwings. But the prince wasn't with the ambush, he was in 
the village", Tiger paused, looking to Breeze for a reaction. 
Breeze thought about that for a moment, how did Tiger know all this? "Where you there?", she asked.
Tiger nodded before 
continuing, "The ambush party was dead, so the windwings decided to 
continue their plan. They stormed into the village, killing everyone, 
even the dragonets. Nothing could stop them, these Stormwings were not 
warriors, they were farmers, miners. They had nothing to protect 
themselves with. Prince Nightflash tried to protect them, to get them 
out and away from the village. But he was attacked by the dragon im 
assuming is Mistral", Mistral Zephyr's friend. So he much have really 
known something after all. "They fought hard, each for their own life. 
Thats when the prince, to my knowledge, exploded in sparks of lightning.
 I was hiding on one of the roofs and I saw it, the sparks flying, his 
scales on fire with strikes of lightning".
"Mistral would have died
 if it wasn't for the other Stormwings who attacked him from behind, 
killing all the dragons he was protecting. They captured him Breeze, and
 took away everything he loved. They killed everyone", her words echoed 
off into the distance. Breeze didn't understand, windwings wouldn't do 
that! They weren't that cold!
"If you think im lying 
im not. You don't have much of a reason to believe me but.. think about 
it", Tiger's voice softened as she stepped back, giving Breeze space.
Breeze was curling up in
 her tail, looking off at Gale mountain in the distance. This couldn't 
be happening, this couldn't have happened. Any of it. But it had. Deep 
down she knew Tiger was right, she knew that the prince was in pain and 
was afraid. He had nothing to live for. It made sense, everything. 
Mistral even told Zephyr about Tiger, the masked dragon.
"I believe you", She said, looking down at her claws.
Tiger looked mildly 
surprised but only surged forward, "Now do you see why you have to 
release him? He is powerful and wants revenge. You need to get him out, 
but not for that reason alone".
Breeze glanced up, "What other reason then?".
"Because my fellow 
tribes on Phyrria want his power for their own. The queens want to use 
him, and I assure you when the other queens on this island hear of his 
power they will too. He isn't safe, and he could easily kill so many 
dragons".
Breeze looked at the 
mountain again, seeing all the dragons flying around, all of them 
blissfully unaware of the truth. Tiger was right. If what she was saying
 was true, every queen would want him. The kingdom would be in danger, 
so much danger.
"What do I do?", Breeze asked softly.
Tiger looked at her with a new found compassion, this dragon wasn't her slave, but could end up being a friend.
"You wont be alone in 
any of this, know that", Tiger said first, walking over to Breeze and  
sitting down next to her. "But we have to get him out. I can get you 
into the palace, all you have to do is get him out. I have a plan but we
 need another dragon for it".
Breeze sighed heavily, this was treason. Then why did it feel so right? Like this is what she was meant to do, meant to be. 
"Another windwing?", Breeze asked.
"Yes. We need someone to distract the guards".
Dustdevil would be 
perfect. He could talk to a dragon till their ears bleed. But she 
couldn't put her friend in danger. "I know a dragon, but I don't want 
him in danger".
"Then come up with an excuse, he doesn't need to know the truth", Tiger replied.
Breeze wasn't good at lying but what choice did she have? "Ok", was all she could manage. 
Tiger's warm scales were
 near hers so much so that she felt slightly hot. The rainwing smelled 
faintly of mangoes and bananas, though there was a mixed in scent of 
smoke. 
Breeze noticed something
 different about the dragon today though, she wore a small satchel 
around her shoulder and neck over her cloak. Tiger noticed her staring 
and gently opened the leather pouch.
"Read these only to 
yourself, don't show anyone", she pulled out a few books, all of which 
were made of nearly black leather. Old and dusty, tattered and worn. One
 of them was "A guide to the dragons of Phyrria; Updated and edited by 
Starflight of the Nightwings". Another looked to be a map, a map of 
Phyrria. The last one looked to be a collection of writing. 
"Thanks, and I wont", Breeze replied, taking the books, already slightly excited. 
"Now who is this dragon who you think can help?", Tiger asked.
"Dustdevil", Breeze whispered. 
"Cool name. Meet me 
here, same time tomorrow. Dont bring him just yet", Tiger briefly twined
 her tail with Breeze's before lifting off into the air and flying off 
into the wind. 
== Chapter 4 ==
Monsoon was off flying 
over the ocean, the wind snagging his wings and dragging him through the
 air left and right. He laughed happily, feeling the breeze and thinking
 of his sister. Now he could see why she loved it so much.
He looked back at the shore line, just a small line in the distance, so close and yet so far.
He spun around, flipping
 and diving, rising upwards toward the clouds above, their soft pillowy 
fingers coming to grasp his wings and tail, lifting him even higher.
He scented the air, 
smelling the crisp cool waves and sea spray, smelling a lot of fish and 
seaweed. But something was off, a strange scent was mixed into the rest.
 A scent he didn't recognize.
Monsoon stopped mid 
flight, looking around, raising his snout to the air, trying to figure 
out what it was. He could tell that whatever it was was alive, he could 
smell a faint hint of blood, and.. sand? It smelled like dirt, the acrid
 scent of beach sand. 
The smell became 
stronger and Monsoon flapped his wings madly, aiming for the shoreline. 
His breaths had become labored now, his mind whirling with 
possibilities. Whatever this creature was it was danger. 
The lush line of trees rose in the distance and he immediately felt safer, warmer almost. Warmer? 
He spun around just in 
time to see a flash of sun yellow scales. The bulky creature grabbed his
 wings, digging its claws into the roots where bone met muscle and 
heaved him upward.
Monsoon cried out in 
pain, trying to get a better look at his attacker. He craned his neck 
and lashed his tail, sending gusts of swift wind down below him but not 
upwards.
From what he could see 
though, he was being carried by a large dragon, one with golden orange 
scales with black spots. The dragon had a large lashing tail with a.. 
barb? Yes, the dragon had a bulbous barb on the end of his tail. There 
was a crooked ridge of spikes along his back which resembled a flat 
mountain range.
The dragon growled at him before diving in a downward spiral, gaining speed as he went. 
Monsoon flapped madly, his wings feeling as if they might tear off at the roots, leaving him to fall to the raging sea below.
Before Monsoon could 
give it a second thought he was crashing into a hard rock splattered in 
dead grass. He shielded himself with his wings, trying to lessen the 
impact. 
He rolled into a patch of sand, his tail splashing into a small pool of water which funneled out into the ocean. 
He took a deep breath, his sides and wings aching, his scales feeling as if they were being peeled off. 
He flailed his talons in
 the air, trying to gain his footing but was only pushed down by a big 
hulking shape above him, the golden dragon. 
Monsoon couldn't find 
words for how this dragon looked, all sharp and bony. He was definitely 
not from any of the tribes on Parmia. So what was he?
The brute growled again,
 his claws lightly raking down the smaller dragonets sides. Monsoon 
flinched, struggling against the talons that held him down.
"Yucca!", a strong feminine voice called from the side of the two. "We need him alive".
Monsoon turned to face 
the dragon coming up the beach and realized she was also from a 
different tribe. Her scales were a deep crimson red mixed with stripes 
of tangerine orange and dull yellow. There were small rings of silver 
around her wrists, cuffs embedded into her skin. She was dazzling, all 
curves and strong wings. Her head was narrow and ended in two curving 
horns. 
The dragon above him, 
which Monsoon guessed was Yucca, hopped off of the dragonet and into the
 sand, glaring at him all the while. 
"I don't see why. He is barley old enough to say his own name!", Yucca hissed, lashing his tail.
The other dragon strode up to him calmly, looking him in the eyes. "Are you a windwing?".
"Y-yes", Monsoon stammered, scooting back towards the water. 
"Redtail..", Yucca snarled as she took a step closer to him, "He could be dangerous".
"I thought you said he 
was just a dragonet who couldn't say his own name?", Redtail mocked her 
companion, "I doubt anything with that little power is dangerous".
Yucca silently sulked, his wings drooping, his chest held high and mighty. "Fine".
"I enchant this dragon to answer all our questions and not fly away", Redtail commanded. 
Monsoon thought that 
sounded kinda silly, was this strange dragon joking? You couldn't 
enchant a dragon! Or any object for that matter. 
"Whats your name?", Redtail asked, sitting back on her tail.
Monsoon was about to 
retort something angry before his jaws had other ideas, "Monsoon". His 
eyes widened in shock, realizing he had no control over his own voice.
"Do you have any family?".
"Yes", Monsoon said, his
 mind screaming at him to stop, but he couldn't. "My mother Easterly, my
 father Sirocco and my sister Seabreeze".
"Good. Now, are any of them close to Queen Cloudlight?".
"No".
"Hmmm. Has there, by any
 chance, been a rouge dragon wandering around. A-", Yucca coughed 
loudly, shaking his head at her. Understanding filled her eyes, "A 
masked dragon?".
Monsoon shivered, "Yes. There have been rumors of one going around the tribe. I haven't seen the dragon though".
"Do you think you could find her?", Yucca snapped suddenly, obviously aggravated by the whole situation.
"Maybe". 
"Then do it! Now!", Yucca hissed.
"Yes. Listen to him", 
Redtail replied sternly, "I enchant you to search everywhere you can to 
find that dragon. Then, when you touch her, will have sway over her 
mind. Bring her to me".
Monsoon obeyed, his 
heart racing and his mind trapped in a cage of fear. His wings seemed to
 beat of their own accord, aching and hurting from the punctures in his 
scales. But he kept going, on and on. Searching, looking, hunting. 
== 
Chapter 5
 ==
Breeze was on a mission.
 Not the kind of mission that was life threatening, no. She was on a 
mission to the palace, one that could quite possibly be her last sight.
Why am I doing this? Her
 mind kept circling back to that one thought, a frightening one at that.
 There was nothing keeping her going, nothing forcing her wings forward.
 But she had to, for Tiger, for peace.
Tiger had been very 
clear: "Get in get out. Come in through the queens courtyard. Tell the 
guards you have a message for the queen and show them this", Tiger had 
then produced a small scale like rock with small wind gust markings 
engraved in the sides. Breeze had assumed it was a messenger stone, 
where Tiger got it she couldn't begin to guess, but she had come to 
trust the rainwing. 
Breeze had also 
neglected to read the books Tiger had given her, after all, she didn't 
want anyone seeing her with them, and Dustdevil had been hot on her tail
 for the past few days, trying to figure out what she was really doing 
on that beach.
As the palace rose in 
the distance Breeze almost felt Queen Cloudlight's gaze shifting over 
her from the rain clouds above. She could smell the sour scent of rain 
thick in the air, it was going to be quite some storm. 
Small rays of light 
filtered through the luminous puffs, illuminating the palace in a dull 
haze, the gray stone even darker than before, it looked more like a 
prison.
Breeze shivered from 
horns to tail, angling her wings downward, hoping to catch a light 
current to guide her down to the courtyard.
The wooden stage where 
Prince Nightflash had been presented still stood short but mighty. 
Breeze now clearly saw the spiraling staircase down the middle of the 
stage, quite a genius design: Just enough room for a dragon to squeeze 
though, small enough that it wasn't noticeable. 
She swooped down, her 
talons touching the lush grass. Guards were tromping over to her 
immediately, their hulking figures making her spine go straight and 
rigid. 
"Who are you and what do
 you want?", The larger of the two guards said gruffly, a long twisting 
spear clutched tightly in his fist. 
"I- uh", Breeze stammered.
They raised their spears toward her and she dug her talons into the dirt, keeping her from flying away.
She fumbled with the stone in her talons but brought it up so they could see, "I have a message for Queen Cloudlight".
The smaller guard 
brought it to his snout, looking at it intently before huffing and 
tossing it back to her. They parted, allowing her to pass through the 
entrance and into the same darkly lit corridor she had seen just a week 
before. 
She swallowed, nodding to the guards who were positioned around every corner, she wasn't doing anything wrong in their eyes. 
"Once your in go to the 
west wing, at the end of the first corridor there will be a staircase, 
one leading down", Tiger had said, "Go down. I'm not sure whats beyond 
it but I saw them take prince Nightflash down there".
Breeze briefly pondered 
how Tiger knew all this. She knew that Tiger was everywhere and nowhere 
at once, but how could a dragon, any dragon at all, know everything 
about the Queen of all dragons?
But she did as she was 
told, heading toward the west wing. The guards barley paid her mind, and
 lucky for her the Throne room was right next to the staircase Tiger had
 told her about, so to any onlookers she was going in the right 
direction.
Tiger was right about 
one thing, the staircase was obvious. It was made of some sort of dark 
crystal carved and chipped into the shape of a railing and stairs. It 
was slick, glossy like glass. It spiraled downward into darkness.
Breeze paused, glancing 
around the corner and into the looming throne room which was easily 
twenty times the size of her own cave. No one was in there, there 
weren't even any guards positioned outside the door. Thats odd, Breeze 
thought.
She gently stepped one 
talon on the glassy surface, and then another. She forced herself to go 
downward, clutching the Messenger stone as if her life depended on it.  
The stairs seemed to 
last forever, one leading to another and another, almost like a never 
ending corridor. And when she did reach the bottom she immediately felt a
 wave of cold wash over her, almost ice like. 
She shivered, seeing her
 breaths dimly illuminated in front of her. The dungeon, which was the 
only explanation for how this place looked, was made of a mix of the 
same black glass rock and granite that completed the rest of the palace.
 Wall sconces glowing with red orange flames appeared at regular 
intervals on the pillars between... cages. 
Cages lined the walls, 
each barley big enough for one dragon to curl up and sleep. Breeze 
sucked in a breath, the whole scene looking like that of a horror 
scroll. 
She slowly started to 
make her way down the corridor, the end of it branching off left and 
right. Tiger didn't say anything about a fork in the road! Breeze 
thought panicked. She looked down each, only seeing more cages, all of 
which were empty. 
She looked at the walls,
 the ceiling, the floor, looking for any indication that either hall was
 the right one. Thats when she saw small lightning shaped scorch marks 
down the right hall, lining the floor and ceiling. 
She slowly turned and 
walking down, finding this whole place was a labyrinth. There were a few
 startling moments when she saw dragon bones, yellowed and moldy. There 
was even a living husk of a Flamewing curled in the back of one of the 
cages. He was asleep, thin and all bone, barley a dragon at all. 
Breeze felt a pang of guilt and sorrow for the dragon, what had he done to deserve this? 
Before long she heard 
voices, many voices coming from down the hall. She pressed herself to 
the cold stone and cautiously craned her neck around the corner, holding
 in a gasp at what she saw. 
The queen herself and 
maybe a dozen or so guards stood around not a cage but a tangle or ropes
 practically strangling a dark black dragon: Prince Nightflash. He was 
halfway submerged in a pool of water, small rods of what looked to be 
lightning torches being dipped into the water by guards, electrocuting 
the dragon. 
He growled and thrashed 
against the ropes that bound him to the ground, "Ill ask you again!", 
The deep and powerful voice of the queen echoed through the corridors, 
"What is she planning?!".
The prince only glared 
at her with his electric blue eyes, hatred and loathing written deep on 
his face. He stayed silent, even though a few more shocks and thrashes. 
The queen was beautiful 
on the outside, glossy white scales striped with deep green that faded 
into vibrant purple. Small flecks of amethyst dotted her wings and legs,
 embedded there to make her look sparkly. She wore no robes or jewelry 
but was still stunning. Her insides however.. were worse than cruel. She
 was torturing this dragon who had lost everything, what else did he 
have to live for?
The queen roared with 
annoyance making many of the guards wince. The prince only chuckled 
slightly, his snout curving into a small smile. He was enjoying her 
anger, just not being on the other end of it. 
She whispered to the 
guard next to her who looked briefly stricken before he turned and 
grabbed one of the spears which were leaning against the cave wall. He 
handed it to the queen who gazed at it in anger and triumph. "You will 
talk you lizard!", she cried before plunging the spear in between one of
 the scales on his back thigh. 
He roared in pain and 
she pulled and yanked on the spear, his scale coming off with it. Breeze
 stumbled backward, her stomach twisting in knots of dread and disgust. 
She ran backward, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. 
She didn't bother to be 
quiet, she just needed out. She burst up the stairs, wings flapping in 
the corridors as she clumsily flew back out the courtyard into open air.
 The Princes screams stayed with her, echoing in her mind.
She had to find Tiger. 
She needed to tell her, but she also knew why they needed to get him 
out, no dragon should be treated that way, ever.
She touched down on the 
warm stone of the cliff face, waiting for the dragon she needed to see. 
Small bulbs of raindrops started to fall, making the heat on the inside 
of her scales feel cold and burning. 
Breeze curled her tail 
around her talons, turning to face the palace, her whole body and mind 
feeling desperate and... angry. Thats what that feeling was, raw anger 
and pity for this dragon. 
Tiger arrived a few 
moments later, her dark cloak sticking to her scales from the pouring 
rain. She noticed the look of dread on Breeze's face and walked over to 
her, looking into her eyes.
Breeze stared back, curious still of what this dragon looked like under her mask. "What happened?".
Breeze told her 
everything, tears silently gushing down her cheeks as she did. Tiger 
listened intently, her tail and wings twitching with what Breeze assumed
 to be anger. When she had finished Tiger rose and started pacing the 
rocks, her scales being pelted with rain.
"This is worse than I 
thought", she muttered, "I had no idea your queen could be capable of 
such a thing! I mean, Queen Blister had once had a tower of stuffed 
dragons sewn together to make hybrids but.. this? This is just 
horrific!".
What was Tiger talking 
about? Breeze suddenly regretted not reading the books sooner, promising
 herself to do so later that night, even if it meant pushing Dustdevil 
away for a while. She was lucky that he had to take Windstorm to a race 
or she would have been in trouble.
"I believe you now, if that's any consolation", Breeze said quietly. 
Tiger paused and looked 
over to her, "Well that's a HUGE relief", sarcasm laced her voice and 
made Breeze feel smaller than she already felt. "We have to act sooner 
now, we cant waste any time!".
"Wait!", Breeze interjected, "What was the queen talking about? Is Queen Silvershock planning something?".
Tiger stiffened, looking out toward the horizon, "I hoped you wouldn't bring that up".
"Why?", Breeze demanded.
"Because. I don't want you to start doing stupid things or going against our plan to save him", she replied simply.
"And if you told me it would?", Breeze felt a sinking feeling deep in her gut. 
"Fine", Tiger said, 
sitting back down and facing her, "Queen Silvershock is planning an 
attack on your kingdom during the next full moon", Breeze sucked in a 
breath, her heart hammering, this couldn't be happening, she had to tell
 someone! 
"Stop! Whatever you are 
thinking stop!", Tiger commanded. "Its not what you think. She isn't 
planning on killing anyone, she just wants her son back!".
"Like it makes a difference".
"It does actually. She is planning on raiding the palace to find him, to get him back".
"But... Isn't it our job to get him out?", Breeze asked, confused.
"Yes. No queen, his mother or otherwise can have him. He needs to be left alone, forever".
"Then whats keeping Silvershock from destroying out tribe then? We have no leverage!".
"Breeze, you have to 
trust me. I was around her for a while, spying on her. Shes not the kind
 of dragon to vent her rage onto others. She will leave, thinking he 
escaped on his own", Tiger replied, glancing over her shoulder, seeing a
 few dragons gliding towards them. "I have to go".
And with that she was 
gone again, leaving Breeze unsettled and wrecked in terms of logic. This
 was going against everything she knew, and yet she would do it, for 
Nightflash, for Tiger. She just needed to think, to believe, to trust. 
But that was before she saw Monsoon flying straight towards her. 
==
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)