The Wings of Justice

~This story takes place in a parallel universe, more than 100 years before the events of The Dragonet Prophecy. Due to this, there will be characters from fantribes present.~
== Prologue ==
=== Scorpion Den, 4908 A.S. ===
The dragonet was lost.
His mum had let him visit his grandmother a few blocks away. He'd anticipated returning before sundown, but he'd lost track of the time--and he wasn't familiar with this part of the Scorpion Den at night. He came to a crossroads and hesitated. If he'd turned left here earlier...but wait, was this where he'd turned? The little SandWing whipped his head back and forth in confusion.
The big dragon lay in wait, flicking his tongue silently in and out, in and out. The jewels embedded in his scales twinkled in the dim light of the rising moons--two of which were mere crescents, one, new. 
The dragon pricked his ears. There. The dragonet who would lead him to his next hit. He licked his lips and twitched his poisonous tail gleefully, anticipating the feel of fresh, warm blood soaking his talons. He crouched like a lion preparing to pounce on his unsuspecting prey.
The screams of a young dragonet broke the silence of the dusk, but cut off just as abruptly as they'd started. Rivulets of crimson liquid trickled down the street as a burly, heavily tattooed dragon wiped off his talons and tail barb on a nearby tapestry. His job here was done; it was only a matter of time before he got his talons on the dragon he really needed: his victim's father.
...
"I've done it, sis. I don't like getting my own claws dirty, but hey, it's part of being in a gang, am I right?"
The female dragon grinned. "Sweet. How 'bout we gather our forces around sundown tomorrow and ambush the kid's house? We're sure to get his dad..." Her brother finished her sentence. "...and from there, capturing the city should be a piece of cake!"
During this exchange, a third, smaller, less-heavily modified SandWing sat listening. She joined in her siblings' manic laughter, but this dragon had a different reason to laugh: soon, the gang would topple and justice would be served.
== Part I: The Lords of the Den ==
== Chapter I ==
===Scorpion Den, one year later===
A group of tattooed, mean-looking SandWings sat in a semicircle as their leaders addressed them.
It had been a year since they'd killed that dragonet, but, moons-licking lizard spawn, the gang still had no leads on his father--who, as they all knew, was a member of the City Council. Every time they thought they had him, he'd wriggle away and leave the gang smoking from every orifice in frustration and fury. Their name was even starting to sound like a joke--The Lords of the Den. Ha! They weren't lords of anything except repeated failures! They needed a plan, and soon--did anyone have any ideas?
Sunset sat quietly as her siblings vented their rage in front of their gang. Good, she thought. That means my plan is working. She caught the eyes of a compact, muscular dragon and gave him the tiniest of nods. He responded with an equally subtle nod.
As the gathered dragons clamoured wildly and shouted out various suggestions all at once, Sunset felt a single water drop land on her tail. That's the signal, thought Sunset. She glanced up at the tiny skylight just long enough to see a slender, intelligent SandWing face peeking down. She gave another minuscule nod--a signal to the dragon in the skylight. Sunset caught the muscular dragon's eye once again, and a tiny smile spread across his face.
Sunset nudged her brother's wing with her own. He whipped his head around. "What?" he hissed, none too kindly. Sunset dug her claws into the dirt floor beneath her. "Spike, um..."
"Spit it out," Spike snapped.
Sunset straightened up to her full height--which was barely up to Spike's chin. "Sir, permission to be excused."
Her brother leaned over and whispered in their sister Slasher's ear. After a long moment, both dragons turned back to Sunset and glared at her. "Permission granted," growled Spike. "But don't be gone too long. And don't leave the compound. And--"
"Just don't do anything dumb or whatever," said Slasher impatiently.
Sunset dipped her head. "Yes sir, ma'am." She whipped around and slithered out of the meeting chamber. As she passed the muscular dragon, she glanced meaningfully at him. He nodded again.
As she walked down the corridor, Sunset thought to herself with a spark of glee, That was lucky. I wouldn't have expected it to be so easy to leave, especially since Spike and Slasher are in such a bad mood. 
The reign of the Lords is over.
==Chapter II==
Sunset hurried through the corridors of the compound and eventually emerged into the bright, strong sunlight of the Scorpion Den. Without hesitation, she climbed the crumbling back stairway up to the roof of the building, where Kindle was waiting. 
"There you are!" The tall SandWing kept her voice low so as not to alert the sentries to her presence--but the dragons gathered in the room below them were so loud whispering was almost unnecessary. Still, the two dragonesses spoke in hushed tones. "I was starting to get worried."
"No need to worry," said Sunset, brushing Kindle's wing with her own. 
"Where's Hyaena?" Kindle glanced around Sunset as if the stocky dragon might be somewhere behind her.
"Still in the meeting. He knows you're out here though."
"Oh, good." Kindle's tail flipped nervously back and forth, the way it did when Hyaena was nearby--or even when she heard his name. Oh, Kindle, thought Sunset. Maybe you should do something about that crush of yours.
As if reading Sunset's mind, Kindle flinched. "I mean...good for us. For the plan, I mean. Very good for the plan. The plan couldn't proceed without Hyaena. Right? That's what I meant."
Sunset just managed not to giggle. "He's coming, don't worry," she assured her friend. "We shouldn't waste any more time here though; someone's bound to hear or see us up here. We should go on ahead and let him catch up. He knows where to go and what to do."
"Yes." Kindle straightened up and nodded determinedly. "Let's go."
.....................
The two SandWings soared over the desert. Sunset glanced over her shoulder, watching the Scorpion Den shrink into the distance. Looking back won't do you any good, she reprimanded herself. You need to look forward, to your destination. To a brighter future.
More flying in soon!
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Mature Content
Category:Content (SeaWingsareValid)