The First Talons

(Cover image by Angelo Person)
(This fic was written before book 14. I will not be including anything from then on. Also, since Arc Three has not been finished at the time of writing this, and it uses canon characters, I have simplified the ending. This story takes place three years after the books, and the Pantalan dragons have gone back home. Animus magic still does not work, but enchantments do. There has barely been any impact on Phyrria because of Arc Three, because like I said, we don’t actually know what happens yet. Future readers, please excuse this.)
(First story on the site!)
With all that out of the way, welcome. I’m Survivors. Hope you enjoy!
=== Prologue... ===
There was a gale outside the night he died.
"Want to tell us now?" Asked the Sandwing, holding the knife in front of Stormbringer's face. 
"For the final time, I don't know what it means. How do you not understand that?" Whispered Stormbringer, recoiling from the knife once again. The two dragons in his house had broken in a couple of minutes ago, had chained him to his writing chair, and were asking the same few questions over and over again.
The Sandwing lowered the knife with a dark look crossed his face, hard to see under his hood. There were some sort of dark splotches on his neck. "We’re wasting time here. You had to make this difficult, didn't you? You gave the stupid prophecy. You should know what it means."
"That's not how it works." Said Stormbringer.
The Sandwing looked towards his accomplice, a sinewy Nightwing with a briefcase, who hadn't moved from the corner of Stormbringer's home since they entered. The Nightwing shattered the window next to him with a blisteringly fast elbow strike, and rain started falling in. He then picked up a shard of glass and slid it towards the Sandwing, his face stoic. The Sandwing picked it up and immediately jammed it into Stormbringer's leg. Stormbringer bit his tongue.
"What, does, the line, mean?" The Sandwing repeated, slower this time. "You just have to help us understand it, and we'll forget all about you. It's that simple." 
Stormbringer waited a moment. 
"I... don't... know." Stormbringer hissed through gritted teeth. “I told you-“
The Sandwing drove the piece of glass deeper into Stormbringer's leg with narrowing eyes.
With no reaction but a wince from Stormbringer, the Sandwing scowled and walked over to Stormbringer's writing desk, then held the knife over one of the still lit candles, his face hidden by the shadows.
///
The Sandwing opened the door and walked out onto the dark, muddy streets of Sanctuary, his associate following close behind, carrying his briefcase. A rumble of thunder jolted from the sky. They both turned to face the apartment. 
"Do it." The cloaked dragon ordered, warily scanning the area, ears pricked.
His associate opened his briefcase and received one of the objects from within, a wooden club. He set it ablaze with his breath and chucked it through the door before closing it. 
"We were never here!" Yelled the Sandwing, over the thickening storm. The Nightwing nodded once and, to the muffled screams of Stormbringer from within the house, flew off in different directions into the night.
== PART 1: TALONS OF POWER ==
=== The Hunt: 1 ===
Another flaming explosion cracked in the sky. He didn't quite understand the reason behind the little, homemade explosives. Dragonflame Cacti and a slightly longer match, finally tied onto it with a rope. Why light up the sky with fire when this celebration was all about the moons?
Oh well. Nothing but good for me.
His talons curled around the edge of the building he was standing on as he took In the view.
He was in Possibility, a little town known for the acceptance of every tribe. He didn't see the appeal. Currently, he was overlooking an overcrowded stone bridge in the light of two full moons, water rushing by beneath it. A couple of Nightwings looked enviously up at the bright moons, but continued with the celebrations. The smell of food and the promise of a fun time wafted up to him, but he was much more focused on something else.
Someone else.
Copperhead was a Sandwing, and he was a Sandwing who had come here for one specific reason. It wasn't the festivities. He took a breath straightened himself.
Casual.
Act casual.
He moved his satchel from his back to side, and glided down into the group of dancing dragons. Someone had brought a set of drums, and now dragons had started moving around a lot more than before. He walked over to a food stand with a far too long line and leaned against it, after shifting his eyes to watch all the others, make sure no one was watching.
Another blast exploded in the sky to happy yells as another Sandwing sidled up to him. He had a chipped horn and was nearly completely brown, he would be impossible to pick out in a crowd of Mudwings.
"Hey Cougar. You having a good time?" Copper asked, a knowing smile crossing his face.
"Yeah, actually..." Cougar said, his eyes followed a Skywing who had been eavesdropping until they walked away.
He turned back to Copper. "She’s right over there.” He nodded at the opposite end of the bridge. "How you wanna do this?"
Copper silently looked over the various tribes. He shrugged. “Let’s see what happens.”
"Alright. I'll keep watch." Cougar said wryly, throwing him a look.
Copper rolled his eyes while he started walking through the crowd of dragons once again, smoke rising into the sky from some newly lit fires.
He had been in Possibility many times before. It wasn't that bad of a place, some of the architecture was incredibly impressive. He always had some jobs to do around here. He just hated how lovey dovey everyone was. Peace between the tribes from one little town. Yeah, right.
Off a stone slab at the end of the bridge, and back onto the sandy streets. He went to sit next to little brick building with a roof of reeds. A Sandwing next to him tilted her head towards him. After a couple of seconds, he nodded as naturally as he could towards his pouch.
"You want to find somewhere a little more private?" She whispered. He turned around and walked to the front of the house, and opened the door, it's handle shining in the moonlight.
A Mudwing was looking through shelves of neatly sorted jars. "Is it important? One of my patients nearly broke their neck after being slapped in the-" She cut herself off when she saw Copper's bag. "What exactly is in there?" She asked.
"None of your concern. Now get out." Copper said.
The Mudwing scoffed. "You really expect me to-" 
"Leave, before I make you." Copper joked, placed his talons on the pouch. The Mudwing glared at him before quickly walking through a back door, slamming it shut.
”Let’s do this quickly.” She said.
Copper grinned before closing the front door with his wing. The other Sandwing had already sat down, looking at her claws. "Well then. Let's see the weapons. The village requires them by tomorrow." 
Copper opened his small satchel and took out a slightly curved steel knife, and held it up to the moon's light coming through a window.
The Sandwing waited for a moment before a confused expression cam over her face. "That's it? I..." she looked at him, looked slightly down in thought, then did a double take.
"But... you aren’t-" 
She never finished.
Cut off.
With a stab to the stomach.
She stumbled against one of the walls, sliding down to the ground, a dying rage in her eyes.
He walked over and looked down at her with an mirthless smile. "No, I'm not the weapons dealer. Sorry, but I'm not going to help you kill another dragon for getting in your way." She looked up at him from the ground. 
”You don’t understand. Those were to defend us! Do you know what they’ve done? Why we need them?” She pleaded. 
“I don’t much care about your situation. Just take some pride in knowing that your life cost… a lot." He said, giving her a friendly smile before walking towards the door. He could hear her scraping herself onto her stomach when he stopped.
"Oh yeah… wait a minute. I remember now that my boss specifically said: 'No second chances.'"
He slowly came back to stand in front of her. She whispered something indecipherable, gargled. "Sorry. I woulda let you go! Really!" He drew the knife once again and pretended to think. "Bah. Who am I kidding?" She raised her talons in one last plea. He stabbed her in the neck in an instant, a gasp coming out of her after she was already dead.
He turned and walked out of the building, closing the door behind him as he hid his knife, looking both ways. He continued onto the bridge until he found Cougar again. Together, they flew off just as a scream pierced the night sky.
=== The Bounty: 2 ===
Copper landed on yet another roof, but this one he knew well. This provided a great overlook of the Scorpion Den. Now that the Outclaws had mostly run off, it was much easier to do his job in peace.
He glided down into the streets, a couple Sandwings just coming out of their homes in the sunrise's dim light. He walked between buildings of warm clay and brick, silk covering balconies here and there. 
He decided to take a risky shortcut through a large marketplace, covered by large tapestries attached to poles, trying to delicately wade through the crowd of Sandwings. A couple years back he had actually seen an Icewing who wasn't Boreal. He later heard he was Prince something or other. He didn't like the attention the place had been getting, but it seemed to die back down after a while.
He usually had to go the long way around because of the tapestries, but he needed a boost after flying back here.
He stole a bag of nuts off a table for his trouble and made his way through the place. He eventually got to one of the few actually built shops in there and entered. When he closed the door behind him he noticed the satchel he carried on him was noticeably lighter.
I guess I deserve that.
He didn't wait for the owner; he instead opened a trapdoor and walked down the dusty staircase. When he reached the bottom, he was confronted with a basement of supplies. He used a little alcove In the brick to awkwardly climb through the stairs he just came down until he squeezed through the tight space and appeared in a dark brick square under the stairs. He opened up a hidden door and walked into his real home.
The place was bustling with Sandwings, there were round tables and lanterns and candles everywhere you looked. It was underneath the market, to cover up the noise. It was musty and loud and full of conversations about killing, death, and more killing. 
Many Sandwings called his name when he entered, but not because they liked him. No one liked dragons they met here. No, they wanted him. Him and his knife, preferably. Wasn’t really required, though, if he was in a gloaty mood.
He sat next to a table at the end of the room. Cougar was already waiting for him. 
"You get anymore?" Copper asked, hoping to get the show on the road and leave this place for somewhere… fresher.
"Nope, but I did see a real interesting group a minute ago." He admitted.
Copper frowned. "Wow, that’s… great. I'm really, so very happy that more dragons are coming to disturb the peace. Great.”
An explosion rocked the ceiling as he looked over to Cougar. He had to look down at him, because Cougar was about half of his and everyone else's size. "So, who are they? Why are they here... and can we kill them?"
Cougar slyly gestured to the satchel around Copper's neck, and presumably the gold within. "We both know that you’re going to just steal some when you want something. And we also both know I would give it to you if you just asked." 
Cougar groaned and continued. "Anyways, two Skywings and a Seawing were sniffing around nearby. That Seawing must be miserable." 
Copper started wondering why they were here in the first place when Fenneck jaunted over to their table. He was an old, dull yellow sand dragon, with multiple silver rings embedded around his jaws. It gave him a rather evil, look, complimented by his long, deadly stinger and, well, misspelled name. His deep voice sounded like he was trying to choke on his own tongue. 
"Hey boys. I got something that'll please ya." He smiled and took a scroll out of the dark cloak he usually wore down here. He threw it on the table, it's weighted steel ends clanging.
Cougar unrolled it and they over their heads in closer to look at it. 
Copper darted his eyes at Fenneck, tilting his head. "You’re either insane or you didn't read this." 
Fenneck's smile widened slightly. "Come on, guys. It'd be the biggest hit in your careers!"
Copper looked back down at the scroll.
Wanted dead
Commander Shark of the Seawings
By next week
Your reward is Princess Anenome's remaining treasure
Take this bounty or face the consequences
Copper shook his head, his jaw open. "Yeah, we might get a lot of money. If we don't die." He glared at Fenneck. Cougar still looked down upon the paper, a snarl forming on his mouth. "Who sent us this? Who is so dumb as to give us this?! And then threaten us...?” 
Fenneck looked surprisingly calm. "I… cannot tell ya that." 
Copper growled. "Why not? Why-"
"Because I was paid extra to make sure ya never found out." He hissed, his voice rumbling with finality.
Copper stopped growling. "Really?" Cougar asked. 
He sighed, then got an idea. 
"Fenneck, how many years have we been working together? If you tell us, we can split some of the reward with you. We just want some revenge on this idiot, right Cougar? That’s it.”
Cougar nodded wildly. 
Fenneck rolled his obsidian colored eyes. "Boys, I already got my share. Now just take the bounty. I don't wanna lose my best clients to assassins or somethin."
Copper couldn't hold in a chuckle. "We're not going to get killed by assassins Fenneck." 
Fenneck scowled. "You almost did, once."
Coppers smile disappeared. "That was different." 
Fenneck scratched at his face rings in annoyance. He seemed to be balancing thinking about something hard and taking part in this argument. "Just take the bounty, please."
A huge Sandwing looked towards them from the table next to them. "There any problem Fenneck?"
"We're fine!" Fenneck snapped, slamming his talons back on the ground.
The Sandwing still didn't turn away.
Copper slowly turned back to Fenneck. "Commander Shark. You do know who that is, right? Queen Coral’s brother? Also, I don't remember him… being very nasty to anyone. Any… murders? Did he commit… any war crimes? I don't think so. You know who we go for. Not people like him, not… usually. We are not taking this job. It's too risky. And if they follow us, this place is done."
"Copper, you-"
The door of the den opened up with some force behind it, interrupting them. A perfectly red Skywing was standing just outside the door, scanning the room. At least thirty Sandwings immediately drew hidden weapons; Sickles, swords, and knives were all trained on him in a matter of moments. This seemed to irk him slightly. He took a moment for a deep breath.
"By the authority of the Enclave I order you to stand down!"
All but a few Sandwings instantly shrunk, and the glint of weapons quickly dissipated. A couple started edging towards the emergency exits when he entered warily, looking to each Sandwing in turn.
When he saw Copper he looked pleased. He walked over to them, and the closer he got, Copper noticed the lower Fenneck's head went.
"Hello Copperhead. We have been looking for you for a while. Your ability to allude capture is impressive."
Copper tilted his head, but kept himself ready for action just in case. "It's kind of my job. What do you want?"
The Skywing clicked his talons on the floor. "You. Or more specifically, your skills."
Copper relaxed with a groan. "You know ya could've just sent a bounty, right?"
The Skywing frowned. "My organization doesn't like to drop that low on usual occasions, Copperhead. This is already a stretch hiring you."
Copper became interested at the word 'hiring.'
Copper thought for a moment before realizing that he was a literal criminal, talking to someone who obviously didn't like criminals. He may as well comply and maybe even get payed… before he got… arrested. "I guess I could see what you have in store for me. But he's coming too." He gestured to Cougar, who wildly nodded once again.
His eyes drooped. "Fine." He turned away, and grumbled under his breath. "How am I supposed to explain that we're hiring two criminals..."
Copper looked to Cougar, who shrugged and followed. Copper unsheathed his knife in case the Skywing was lying, but with their confidence, he doubted it.
They nearly walked out, all eyes on them, when Fenneck yelled after them. "Hey! You get back here, and you take this!" He held up the bounty and shook it to send a message.
Copper whipped his head around angrily. "Fenneck, no! We won’t be risking our lives for that thing, since you haven’t gathered that.”
Fenneck snarled at them as Copper turned to follow the Skywing. "You are gonna pay for this! You remember that!"
=== The Enclave: 3 ===
Copper had been here a couple of times. Usually for his job, but it was a breath of fresh air to fly into its sight without murder in mind.
Sanctuary. 
Dumb name.
Sanctuary was not safe, in the slightest. Though that may be expected, considering how new it was to the continent. Sanctuary was situated on a large mountain side and it drifted down to a flatter area around a large lake. There were many stone buildings, with wooden walkways between a few of the taller ones. Cobblestone laid paths, glass windows, and even a few street lamps, lanterns hanging by chains. 
There were obvious Icewing architecture techniques used, with long, pointed rooftops, and many pillars holding up more of a building.
The Skywing, who Copper had learned was named Woodpecker along the way, landed in front of a large stone building. It practically looked like a castle. 
In front of it, where they were standing now, was a circular stone slab with an extravagant fountain in the center, depicting small stone dragons taking flight. Red flowers bloomed within hedges, and vines wound around pillars holding up a wooden balcony with highly decorated guard rails. There were multiple circular windows trimmed with gold, and to top it all off, an almost comically large door with silver strands weaving up and down the wood. There was much more to the building behind it, including a barely visible outdoor section near the back.
"Welcome to the new home of the Enclave." Woodpecker said haughtily.
He walked forward without checking to see if the two Sandwings were following. Cougar tore his gaze away from the impressive complex to speak to Copper. "You sure this is a good idea? We don't even know who these dragons are."
"Well, they want us to track something, or at least I'm guessing that's what Woodpecker meant by 'skills.' If we agree, I say we do it our way." Copper responded.
Cougar grinned and took off towards the house. "Good enough for me!"
Copper wondered why Cougar suddenly was so agreeable before he smelled food. He took one last look at the front of the place and started heading for the door.
///
"You really... outdid yourselves today… huh?" Copper asked, eyeing the large amount of food in front of him with caution. Many other dragons sitting near the huge table had been staring at him for most of the meal. He felt very out of place after coming from the crowded, dusty Scorpion Den. He was surprised there wasn't a harp playing at this point.
The inside was arguably stranger than outside. Copper never did understand the appeal of gigantic rooms. The place was gargantuan. There seemed to be a new piece of fine-work at every turn, golden chandeliers, vases, and tapestries showcasing a green symbol: Six swords behind a blue shield marked with a pure white mistletoe.
Back to the dragons around him, they included Skywings, Sandwings, a few Icewings, and a single Mudwing. The sounds of more echoed through the halls. Light filtered in through a large window with a custom wood frame. 
Copper was growing restless looking at all of this, yet doing nothing. He nudged Woodpecker, who had been kind enough to sit next to him. All the others stayed reasonably far away from him and his apparently imposing knife. "What do you guys even do? All I've seen you do is command people and eat." 
Woodpecker rolled his eyes. "We obviously do more than that. Well, most of us, I suppose. The Enclave protects those that need it... provided they meet the requirements."
"What exactly are those requirements?" Copper asked.
The Skywing gestured to everything around him.
"That they can pay for it, of course!" Woodpecker laughed.
That reminded Copper of the bounty. That stupid bounty. He doubted Fenneck would get over his refusal of it for a while. He was the type to hold a grudge. 
No matter how pathetic Fenneck himself may be in a fight, Copper knew from experience, he was not to be messed with. He had ended many lives without taking a single drop of blood.
A Sandwing poked his head into the room from one of the archways leading into halls. "Smolder would like to see the new arrivals." He said. His voice held authority.
Woodpecker leaned closer to Copper and quickly whispered to him as he got up. "That's Meerkat. He holds high rank here. Don't be rude to him as you were to me, for your sake."
Rude?... Copper thought, as he followed the Sandwing down the halls, Cougar catching up to him after eating one last banana. Copper didn't blame him. It was hard to find anything more than a bare bones meal back home.
Eventually they made it to a door, and Meerkat waited for them to exit. The door hid a huge outside garden, plants reaching up to nearly the roof's height. There was a large Sandwing waiting there, looking down at a lower section of town from the vantage point. There was a Scavenger sitting on his talons.
When he heard the door he turned his head and smiled at them. "And here they are. Hello! I'm Smolder, if you didn't know. Though I'm sure you've heard of me."
Copper shook his head as they stood next to him.
"Really? Queen Oasis's only remaining son?" He asked.
Copper shrugged.
"Prince of all Sandwings? Kind of friends with a Dragonet of Destiny? New elected leader of the Enclave? None of that's ringing a bell?"
Copper shook his head once more.
"Really? Hm. That sucks. Anyways, I'm Sm-.... I'm all of that. So. I see you decided to come and join us... for the time being." He quickly added, seeing the angry and slightly confused look on Cougar's face.
"Let's get down to business, Smolder. I would like to do this job, and then get back to my life." Copper said, not being able to help a glance towards the Scavenger. The absurdity of it just sitting there... was it painting?... puzzled him.
Smolder looked down at the Scavenger. "Oh, yes! I don't believe I introduced you to Flower! Or shown you around for that matter... wait, no, business. Focus." His smile and jitteriness faded.
"Business... that would be a good idea right about now." He said worriedly. The lack of a smile on this dragon's face gave Copper a very bad feeling.
///
"Copper. Cougar. And you too, Woodpecker, you listen as well." Woodpecker looked up from a scroll at Smolder. They were in what seemed to be a gathering hall, with a large fireplace embedded into a wall. Copper didn't see why they needed one with the Sandwings, and their body heat always near by, but perhaps it was just for decoration.
"I assume you all know about Jade Mountain Academy, yes?"
Copper sighed. "Something bad happened there again?"
Smolder glanced at him, almost like he was reliving some painful memory, but it quickly faded.
"It would seem so. A Skywing was sent to us a day ago requesting out help. Two Fourth-Year students have suspiciously disappeared. We don’t know much more than that at the moment." Smolder explained, pacing in front of the fire.
Cougar spoke up after a moment of silence. "Why did you need us then? If they just disappeared. I mean, we're good trackers, but I wouldn't hire us for only one thing."
"They've been searching for a whole day and have found nothing. Well, we do know one other thing, I suppose. A Sandwing was involved in some way." Smolder looked to the ground while saying that. He was trying to hide something. Guilt?
He spoke again. “Then, once that little Skywing flew off, we got quite a few reports of things starting to stir up at the Scorpion Den."
Copper saved this knowledge and Smolder's strange reaction in his mind for later. For now...
"I guess we're going to Jade Mountain."
Woodpecker placed his scroll on a long table, probably for meetings or something like that. "I'll come with. So you don't get arrested."
Smolder dipped his head. "Be quick. I want to end this before anything even thinks of beginning."
=== The Search: 4 ===
The large meal gave the two hunters just enough energy to make it to Jade mountain. Woodpecker had slowed down to stay with them, and he seemed to be in the same condition as when he started when they got there.
Their arrival was greeted by young dragons either watching them from around the entrance to the school, or going to spread the news.
As soon as they landed they landed, Copper made eye contact with Woodpecker. "You are staying right here. I don't want to deal with any of your we’re-the-good-guys-and-we’re-gonna-protect-you junk that you've been talking about this whole flight over."
Woodpecker gave him a fake smile. "You're the boss." He said sarcastically.
"Just keep watch." Copper muttered, while walking towards the entrance. 
He stopped mid stride and turned to a gawking Rainwing. "If anyone does anything to him-" he pointed to an oblivious Woodpecker, who was watching the skies for movement. "-I break your tail." 
He continued, ignoring the flabbergasted stare of the dragon until he was under the roof of the titanic cave.
The scale of the place had never truly grasped him till now. He had heard many stories about the place, and the descriptions always made it sound grand. This was incredible. It seemed to have progressed a over the years. During its golden days it had sounded pretty empty for what was supposed to be one, if not the most important school on Phyrria. But now there were scrolls upon scrolls, little buildings scattered around near the walls, with more being built, a place for skinning animals, and so much more. And this was just the entrance.
He returned to focus on his task when Cougar tapped him on the shoulder. By this point there was a crowd of dragons around. He didn't quite like being the center of attention, so he decided he should start taking control of the situation. 
"I go right, you go left?" Cougar suggested.
"Let's see what we can find." Copper said, cracking his knuckles. 
They both split up and went to opposite sides of the cave. The large amount of dragons started asking questions, but it was impossible to hear over quiet conversations and even more questions.
He picked up the edge of a table and looked under it. No mud, therefore no prints. Nothing on the table (which had now slid off onto the ground) could've been useful for an abduction. Useless. He threw the table aside and began browsing the contents within some boxes. 
By the time multiple random items were scattered across the ground and a couple tables and chairs had been flipped over, shouting had started.
"No, no, no, NO! You cannot just come in here and ransack the place!" Woodpecker ran up to him and stopped a few feet away. 
Copper continued to flip through the no longer neatly organized items on a shelf. "I... don't see you stopping me."
Woodpecker stammered it that annoyingly perfect voice of his. “Uh, well then, if I must, by the order of the-"
"I agree! Who are you!?" A very strange little Sandwing pushed through the the crowd. They seemed to quickly move out of her way in respect when they noticed her. She didn't look like a regular Sandwing... she was very bright in color and didn't even have a stinger. Copper finally stopped trashing the place in search of clues and glared at her.
"Who are you?" He asked. She seemed to already be getting fed up with him.
"Sunny, what did Moralteller want us to-" another strange dragon, a Seawing this time, stuck her head out of an open window on a close building. When she noticed what was happening, she quickly jumped out and landed on the ground. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?!?!?" 
Copper rolled his eyes. He guessed the Enclave would probably tell them what he was up to. If it was up to him he would've already drawn his knife. Possibly blood.
"I'm finding your missing students, growlface."
The dragon looked surprised when a: "Yeah!" came from Cougar, after he thankfully appeared from the crowd.
"Can we all just calm down?" Woodpecker asked.
That seemed to make everyone angrier. Except this 'Sunny.'
"Enough! Can we speak like rational dragons for a second?" She yelled, louder than the last time she spoke.
There was a silence. Copper noticed most of the students had scattered when the Seawing had appeared. There were only a couple left trying to form a group to watch without being awkward.
"Salutations." Woodpecker finally deadpanned while rubbing his eyes. "Nice meeting you. Could you please introduce yourselves?" He sounded like he was talking to a boring class of dragonets.
"I am Sunny and I am very mad that you tried to destroy my school." The Sandwing grumbled.
"Tsunami." Said the Seawing. Copper and Cougar's eyes widened in unison.
P-Princess Tsunami? Copper thought, tense.
"Well, that's great. I'm Woodpecker, a part of the Enclave. These are my rash associates, Copper and Cougar." Woodpecker said, still deadpan.
There was a long pause before Copper decided to speak. "We're here to look for your missing students. Now I'm not sure if I want to though." Woodpecker smacked him with his tail.
"You could've just said so!" Sunny breathed, exasperated. 
"I agree. And then we could've HELPED you search for whatever you're searching for WITHOUT THROWING THINGS EVERYWHERE." Growled Tsunami.
Copper removed the dread from the word 'princess' after he remembered Queen Coral didn't care about any of her children except one... or something like that. He had heard that from a Seawing one time.
He lowered his head slightly to meet hers. "Princess, I think we can handle this."
He turned to the little audience as she growled at him again, deeper this time. "Nightwings. Who here can read minds? Anyone?" Someone started to quietly speak when a hand shot straight up.
"Me! I'm great at reading minds! I'm practically the best at reading minds!" 
He motioned for her to come out and she ran right over. "What's your name?" He asked.
"Mindreader." She said giddily.
"Hm. Um, makes sense. Alright, read away, or whatever. Find anyone who knows about these students." Copper said. Mindreader nodded and closed her eyes.
They waited for a moment. "Tsunami, get out of here. I can't hear anything over your angryness." Mindreader said, her eyes still squeezed shut. Tsunami sighed and grumpily walked away.
"I found someone." A Nightwing from the crowd casually called out.
"Shut up Moon. Wait, I found someone!" She proudly pointed into the crowd. They instantly dodged away from the spot where she was pointing except for a Mudwing, who couldn't choose whether to run left or right and stood their seeming afraid. "He's scared." Mindreader said smugly, snickering, her eyes still closed.
"Thanks, Mindreader." Copper said, drawing his knife. Everyone gasped in unison. 
"Stop him!" That Nightwing from earlier whispered. 
As Copper slowly approached a Sandwing stepped in front of his way. "Buddy, you don't need to resort to violen-" Copper pushed him out of his way with his wing.
The Mudwing continuously backed up until he backed himself into a corner. "Please don't stab me." He whimpered, eyes trained on the knife that was now in front of his nose.
"I'm not gonna stab you!" Copper laughed. "I'm gonna break every single one of your talons and then stab you. Unless... you tell me what you know." He finished, with narrowed eyes.
"Stop threatening my students, PLEASE!" Sunny growled
"Clock is ticking Mudwing. What's it gonna be? The truth, or painful death?" He asked, lighting a flame in his jaws.
The dragon’s eyes finally went wide. "Alight, alright! I was paid a lot of money to k-keep quiet! I'm sorry, okay?" 
"Newt!" Tsunami scolded harshly.
Copper gave a little signal at the word money, and Cougar asked Tsunami where this Mudwing's sleeping cave was. 
"I... I-I saw this Sandwing. He had a black robe and h-he was dragging two dragons away from here. Tamarin and... and P-Pronghorn, I think." Newt shakily explained.
A Seawing and that Sandwing fellow repeated their names respectively, in horror, sadness, maybe both.
"We were trying to figure out who it was, but getting an accurate count of the students wasn't our top priority." Tsunami explained slightly quelled. She still seemed a little angry about the knife.
"I didn't get a good look of him because of the hood and cloak. But he gave me a huge b-bag of gold in exchange for staying silent. It was gonna pay for a place in Sanctuary, ok? Those Nightwing political toad-faces are driving up the prices like there's no tomorrow. Otherwise, I woulda never done it, I swear!"
Copper looked back at the rest of the dragons. Tsunami and Woodpecker stepped forward nearly at the same time. "We'll figure out what to do with Newt. But for now we'll be sending out search parti-"
"Actually, we will be searching for you." Woodpecker said elegantly, sitting in a specific, practiced position. Head low and shoulders inwards. Relaxed. The non offensive type a lot of hunters back home use to put their targets at ease.
"You?" She asked.
"Us. Those two are some of the best in the business." Woodpecker said.
Copper nodded in appreciation. "And I've already gotten an idea on how to find them. If the trouble starting in the Scorpion Den is connected then that's the most likely place they were taken. Obviously, a single dragon couldn't drag them all the way there, and if they did, they wouldn't have gotten there yet. They would need help. We should look for a campsite of some sort, as with so many eyewitness around they probably needed to wait for their moment. If we can find that we could likely see if there was more than one dragon and calcualte their distance to the Scorpion Den, including breaks and the like, obviously. This is our only lead as of the moment, and so this is what we're going to go with unless we find something else out."
"That was a rant and a half." Tsunami commented.
Copper stared into space for a moment before saying. "Well, thank you for your time. We'll be going now."
He walked out of the gigantic cave, Woodpecker and Cougar following. He heard Tsunami groan angrily near the mess.
///
They had chosen to scan the scattered trees and mountain side around them from a higher vantage point before actually looking through the place. They had been looking for about an hour before two Seawings flew up to them.
The three dragons looked to them expectantly. The female, dark blue with strangely green eyes stuck up her chin. "Hello, table-flipping dragons. I am Barracuda, Quartz Winglet, Fourth-Year, and this is the crime lord Turtle."
"Wait, what?" Turtle looked at her instead of nervously over the edge of the sheer drop they were standing next to.
"Just making sure you were paying attention. He's not a crime lord, don't worry. Anyways, Tsunami sent us to assist you. With a malicious look, I might add."
"Well, she sent her. I just followed her after listening to their conversation." Turtle said.
Copper studied them. Barracuda looked like a good fighter. Turtle looked... helpful. He had a friendly looking face, at least.
Wait a minute... Turtle? The magic Turtle?
"Turtle, are you the same Turtle who has animus magic?" Copperhead asked. 
Turtle looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, I was... until it broke forever. We got some enchantments working again though!" He said. 
Woodpecker seemed interested now. "So you've met Darkstalker. You've been in contact with quite a few dragons if the stories are correct. You could be very useful!" 
Turtle smiled. Woodpecker smiled back, the continued. “But, if I may ask, why did you chose to join us?"
Turtle seemed to quickly think for a moment. "Well, the Rainwing who was taken is a friend of a friend. And also a friend of my sister."
"Where is Anenome, if I remember her correctly? Or Auklet, I suppose she's grown up now, right?" Woodpecker inquired. Woodpecker seemed to know a lot about Seawings. Or maybe he just knew a lot about every tribe. Copper was terrible with names.
"She's at the Deep Palace. I doubt she even knows about what happened right now..." Turtle said.
"Campsite!" Cougar yelled, looking down into a denser area of foliage.
"Good find Cougar." Said Woodpecker. "It's time to begin."
=== The Message... ===
A scream echoed through the long hallway. Marl, a gigantic, muscular Sandwing, flicked his cloak onto his back once again. The sound of screams were that of a sweet lullaby to him. Without screams, killing would be quiet. Useless. Screams were a breath of life in death. Beautiful.
He walked slowly down the dimly lit, musty halls, dirt and broken old bricks making up the walls around him. He stopped at a cell, it's iron bars rusted. "They told me to check on you. Make sure you hadn't escaped." He said, in a deep, threatening tone.
"I'm fine right where I am. As long as you don't skewer me or anything." Said the accented voice of the Sandwing within. He was a little too carefree for Marl's liking, though their leader said not to do anything until it was time. Marl was saddened by this, but he could never, ever betray his orders. Not for as long as he lived. 
"You stay there dragon. And never sing again, or I silence you now." He snarled. 
"I would rather not be ‘silenced,’ so therefore...... Okay!" 
Marl yawned in annoyance as he turned and walked back the way he came.
"Ey, speaking of me being trapped in this cage, where's Tamarin gone? That little Rainwing that was in here with me?"
"What Rainwing?" Marl asked, confused. The Sandwing must be lying. He quickly blocked his ears to their next words and continued. 
Don't listen 
Don't listen
Don't listen
He could almost feel the words pounding in his head, everywhere.
Like nails being hammered into a board.
He forgot about what the Sandwing said. He was not allowed to listen to anything involving those dragons. He knew that, deep in the crevices of his mind. He had some things to attend to.
A dark blue, thin Seawing ran into him while making his way through a little offshoot hallway. Marl growled and was prepared to bite him in retaliation before they fumbled with, yet still held up a silver ring on their necklace. The necklace was dull bronze, and had seven rings attached to it with strings, three gold ones on each side of the silver one, hanging in a curve across his chest.
As soon as the ring was lifted Marl forced himself to stop as quickly as he could and shrunk.
The fear in the Seawing's eyes dissipated at Marl's reaction. "That's what I t-thought. Remember who's in charge here Marl." The Seawing sneered. Marl didn't take his eyes off the ring while he nodded slowly.
"Good boy. Now I have some news for the boss. Let's go see him, shall we?" He invited, grinning now.
The Seawing lowered the ring cautiously, then, after a moment, he let it drop back into its hanging position with a frown before turning and leading the way. Marl begrudgingly followed.
They eventually made their way through the underground complex into a large room, banisters and weapon racks on either side. A map of Phyrria was behind a long, wooden table that had spaces for at least ten dragons. Someone was sitting at the very end, eating a deer. A hood hid their features.
The Seawing sat at the opposite end of the table from the hooded dragon and Marl stood in the shadows to his right. The Seawing smugly raised his head to speak. "How do you like my latest? Completely responsive to your commands, as long as you… have one of these." He took a bag that was tied around his waist and put it on the table. He took out a silver ring, identical to the one on his necklace, and slid it to the other dragon.
"I just hope this time your plan works." He added.
"It didn't work because of my grandson’s unpredictability. This time, it's just me. Us."
Vulture looked up from his meal. "This time, there's no idiot dragonet out to stop us, or a giant ghost from the past who likes to send dragons to random islands out in the middle of the ocean. This time, no one even knows we are doing anything. I've sent the message."
The chilling sentence gave the Seawing an ominous smile, enough to make Marl worried. 
"The real Talons of Power are coming back. We will win this fight. And the dragons of Phyrria?" He smirked.
"They won't even know."
Wings of Fire
THE FIRST TALONS
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=== The Warning: 5 ===
Don't worry, this whole book won't just be a search for Pronghorn and Tamarin. It's an important part, but it gets real soon.
Thank you for reading this far!
The site had been abandoned. A charred campfire was all that was left. And that was exactly why Copper and his (or their, as they kept saying) group was not staying there. The Scorpion Den was their best bet.
They had flown to the Sand Kingdom.
///
"It is so cold! Guys, how do you even survive here for more than a day night cycle? Too many extremes for my liking." Turtle said, panting as they set up for the night. They were surrounded by sand dunes, some rocky section of the Sky Kingdom barely visible in the distance from where they came.
"Probably by being Sandwings, Seawing." Copper replied. Turtle stopped the panting and scowled at him. 
“You could just call me Turtle, y’know." 
Copper smiled at him and returned to sharpening his knife on a little rock he had found. He snickered. "I'm not going to bother remembering your name, unless you prove you can be useful without your little tricks. They’re the only reason I knew who you were in the first place."
Turtle sighed. "Come on man, my magic was a lot cooler than 'tricks.'" He said sullenly.
"You carry that thing around a lot." Barracuda noted, nodding at Copper's knife. "Reminds me of my old spear..." Barracuda breathed dreamily, resting her head on her talons as she lay down in the sand. She seemed much more suited to the tough environment than her companion. 
Copper stared down at his knife, half wistful, half resentful, then came up with a question to lighten his mood, at least a little. "So I think I remember you saying that you decided to come along, is that right Seawing?"
Turtle was scraping sand off his sides when he grunted in agreement.
"And why is that?"
Turtle stopped what he was doing and looked over at him like it was obvious. "Because Tamarin and Pronghorn are my friends." He said with a frown.
"Who? Uh... oh yeah, them. The dragons we are currently trying to save. Bad with names. Sorry." He added. "Huh. Understandable reason. I haven't heard a peep about you in... at least three years. Ever since Darkstalker, really. What have you and your friends been up to at school?" He asked as patronizingly as he could.
"Studying. Way too many new students. A lot of Darkstalker, which was terrible, because my fellow dragons were staring at me, since I had to give 'personal accounts' of my invisible escapades." He said. Apparently he had taken the question seriously, which Copper kinda liked.
"I also helped stop a plant. But I'm sure you knew that." Turtle finally gave up picking at the sand and laid down with an annoyed expression.
"Hmm... I actually do remember that. Alright, sleep time. We'll stop at an oasis town tomorrow and get some supplies. I didn't really expect having so many people with me."
"The Enclave can pay for any expenses." Woodpecker chimed in, eyes peacefully closed, laying on his side on top of the tallest sand dune nearby.
Cougar nudged Copper at that very, very interesting information. "But only for the essentials." Woodpecker added.
They both grumbled, but eventually were able to settle down. When Copperhead opened his eyes again, it was time to go.
///
They entered a brick building labeled SHOP. Just shop. What did they sell? Who knows!
Oh, whatever. Part of the fun.
Inside, there was a lot of dried nuts and such, a couple of cacti in clay pots, and a few other plants growing here and there. It was pretty drab, but it didn't have to be anything special. 
An eye stared down at them through a hole in the roof, a trapdoor opened, and an older looking Sandwing landed right next to Barracuda.
"Hello friends. Hear the news?" He pulled out a scroll. Barracuda went to grab it before he tapped a price tag. Apparently overcome by a need to see it, she started searching through a small pouch. Copper was confused by this Sandwing’s sudden entrance.
"Wait, who are you? Did you just drop through the roof? What?" He blurted the questions in quick succession.
The Sandwing noticed him, took the gold from Barracuda and handed her the scroll, then walked over. "I'm the owner of dis shop of course! Are you buying?" 
Copper shook his head. "Nope. They are though." Copper looked at the rest of the dragons who were getting provisions. 
"Grr. Second person today who dinnt buy a SINGLE thing."
"Who else didn't buy?" Copper asked. 
"A Sandwing feller. Had a half circle scar thing under his left eye, dragon skull tattoos, black cape, black hood, da whole shebang."
Copper's jaw dropped. "Yeah. I thought he was rude too. Not the nicest bud."
Copperhead shook his head. "No, what did you say? What did he look like, have?"
"Black dragon skull tattoos, black cape, whole lotta black." The elderly Sandwing chuckled.
"Black dragon sku-" Turtle started, turning around, but Copper cut him off. 
"No, no, no, no. His FACE. You said something about a SCAR. What WAS IT?" Copper demanded, pulling back his jaw to a snarl. The Shopkeeper seemed to stiffen.
“You just calm down now, huh? I said he had a crescent scar under his left eye and a little nick on his jaw. Well, I didn't say that but-"
"I don't care. What color were his eyes?" Copper interrupted. 
"You shou-" 
An explosion shook the building around them, sending small items toppling off the shelves. They were all stunned a moment, and Woodpecker was the first to rush out the shabby wooden door.
Copper followed, poking his head out the door.
A cart had exploded, billowing flames sended giant clouds of smoke into the air. There were dragons yelling and screaming in pain. Copper forced himself to look away from a horrifying, charred body missing a head. "What happened!?" Barracuda asked, she, Turtle, Cougar, and the other Sandwing rushing out after them.
"We have to help them!" Woodpecker said. Copper shook his head, and boosted himself off the ground with his wings and dashed through the air until he landed next to the smoldering cart. He coughed as smoke sourrounded him. 
The smell of blood was still there, even in the black fumes. He could barely see, and as his eyes started to tear up he finally found someone. He tried helping the Sandwing to their feet, but they seemed to be in too much pain. They barely sputtered out the word broken.
He tried to think of a way to get them out of here quickly when he felt someone touch his shoulder. He turned to see Cougar coughing and pointing at something in the dark fog, an outline of something. The smoke had just started to dissipate a small bit when the wind kicked up, and Cougar tried to drag the injured Sandwing away. Copper realized what the shape was. A perfect, smokey rectangle.
Colors appeared within it, and they seemed to solidify. It was hard to make out, but it was obviously a dragon with multiple dark spots. 
"Vulture!?" Turtle yelled next to him as he appeared from the smoke. The fire crackled behind the clearing image. It was Vulture. Copper has seen him when he was a dragonet, though he hadn’t learned much. He only had one memory of the dragon... it was one of the bad ones. How was he doing that?
"Ah, Turtle. I've heard of you. From the stories." Vultures crackly voice seemed to come from all around them. He leaned back against a wall that was barely visible behind him, through the fog like view. He smiled, though it was hard to make out. "You like my new toy? The Obsidian Mirror had more uses then everyone thought. Some fool left it buried in the sands. Easier than sneaking into Thorn's treasure vault."
Copper quickly looked behind him. There were quite a few dragons that were almost getting up, but a lot were still down.
"I know what you're trying to do. I have ears everywhere. I could kill these dragons now I wanted. It would just be… better for my future if I didn't. You do realize that, yes?" Vulture asked. Copper was trying to study the wall behind Vulture for any clue as to where he may be at all. Cobblestone. Cracked. Looks moderately new. No moss or anything of that sort.
"I'll make you a deal. I'm not unreasonable. I'm a businessman, really, making deals is my job." He said, looking like he was scheming something under his façade of peacefulness.
"You give up now, no harm comes to my prisoners. I find out you don't heed my warning, they receive torture. If I'm feeling particularly angry with you, death."
Vulture raised his head, the skulls clearly showing on his exposed neck, apparently surveying the bodies of the dragons he had killed. "This was just a little exercise to prove my point." He said, his voice slithery, yet rumbling like thunder.
Copper heard the flapping of wings to his right, and saw a large band of Skywings flying down. "What happened here?" One of them asked, before quickly landing. 
Copper pointed to Vultures smoking image, growling. "He happened." 
The other Skywings quickly went to the injured. "We're healers. We were on the way to another town for a trade, but we can take care of this." The one he was talking to stated.
Copper relaxed slightly while Turtle tilted his head in surprise next to him. "That's convenient." Turtle said. 
The sky dragon tried to keep a calm demeanor, but Copper could see he was disgusted by what had happened. Copper was angry too. Very angry.
These were innocent dragons. At least he only killed bad dragons! 
Usually, whispered a voice in his brain.
He killed it with a violent shake of his head, and turned back to Vulture. "How could you do this? And smile about it?" Vulture only laughed in response. 
“You are going to pay for this.” Copper growled deeply after he spit that out.
Vulture narrowed his eyes. "I really thought you might've understood. Sad..."
A movement from Turtle drew Copper's attention. He seemed to have quickly looked up from the ground after thinking of something. "Copper. Maybe a little too convenient." He said, with a look of terror on his face. 
Vulture smiled once again, apparently satisfied at Turtle’s conclusion. "Mayhaps." 
There was a moment of realization.
Then, a second round of bombs went off under their feet, the ground collapsing inward. Flames burst out in booms around him, a building fell, dust and smoke filled the empty space around him, screams rang out, cactus needles blazed through the air, a burning Skywing was tossed above him, and pain and a sickening crack rocked through Copper's head as he fell onto a jagged rock.
Then he felt nothing.
=== The Crater: 6 ===
Smoke.
Fire.
It was all around him. Copper opened one of his eyes to take in the destruction around him. He didnt know if he could open the other. Everything looked... warbled. Fire weaved back and forth from burning planks, like a desert mirage. He couldnt see the sky.
His heart stopped a moment when he realized that the reason the sky was missing was because a cracked, half destroyed house was teetering above him. He groaned and pushed himself onto his stomach. a sharp pain shot through his right wing. He must've landed on it. His entire world rocked, his insides seemed to flip. His head ached. 
He touched the side of it, then looked back to where he was laying. There was a jagged rock where his head had rested, spattered with dark blood. He looked around. 
He was in a crater. Chunks of rock and brick littered the ruins around him. Sand blew in from all sides, but the place was a giant hole that was ripped apart in the ground. The sound of one explosion after another bounced around in his brain.
He heard crying nearby. In the distance, he could hear a dragonet calling out. It wasnt just this street that was blown, Copper realized. It was the whole town.
He took a wobbly step forward when something made a nasty crunch underneath him. He carefully looked down. A Skywing. Maybe. It was too charred to tell. They must’ve been right next to a bomb. There were large holes ripped into them. He shuddered as he wobbly walked around the corpse and tried to see anything. Anyone.
More crying.
Copper walked through the lonely alleys back to his home. When the door was in sight, he heard something on the roof. Crying? He went to the roof to find his father at his favorite spot. When he flew up, the crying stopped. He only remembered one word. 'dead'.
Copper struggled past a burning pile of derbies when the building shook.
He heard a crack above him as he tried to run out of the way. He tripped just before he made it out of the building, cutting his foot, and he looked up in horror as the building collapsed on him.
A cloud of dust sprang into the air, in unison with the cracks coming from his right wing once again. He howled. He tried to remove the pile of bricks that was pinning him. He began panicking when not only would they not budge, but another shoot of pain barreled through him with an accompanying crack. He could barely feel his wing.
"He... help... help me!" He shrieked, his voice strained and hoarse from the smoke and dust. The pain was too much. Too much...
"Never ask for help. If you can't do it yourself when you go out on your own, I'm leaving ya. That's the way it goes, Copper."
He straightened himself, and tried to pull the bricks off, little by little, fighting through stings of pain from within his own wing and tears.
"No tears! If you can’t handle this, how ya gonna do in a real fight!?"
"I won't get hit! " Copper rebutted.
With a strange resolve he finally pushed the bricks off his wing, yelping when his wing came free. He tried in vain to lift it. 
He saw a brown shape slumped on the remains of an iron sign. He gritted his teeth and dragged himself and his useless wing over to it. Cougar.
He barely had the strength to turn him over. His left side was covered in serrated, smoking needles. His eye had been split. Penetrated by three different spines.
Copper made sure he was breathing, and he was. Only just. 
He heard something and looked off a cliff like ledge down into a deeper pit. Barracuda, one of the Seawings, was shaking wildly and holding her ears so hard blood was running from her own talons.
A rock fell behind him as he heard what was almost a hiss. He dodge-fell to his right as a blindingly fast stream of orange flames scorched the ground he was standing on. Its deadly roars and crackles stopped quickly and only a few wisps of flame were left. He tried to get up but couldn’t. He couldn’t. He had never felt like this before. He strained his neck as far as it could go to see his attacker.
A Sandwing, wearing some sort of gold medallion and a long, dark robe. She had three black tattoos on her chest.
"Never mess with them. They're dangerous." His father said, pointing at someone in a crowd Copperhead couldn’t quite see.
She snarled in frustration and jumped down into the collapsed street. "If you won’t stay still I'll kill you by hand." She said bitterly. She pulled an axe off her back with a sneer and prepared to swing down on him when she was tackled from the side. 
Copper used his chance and rolled away, and tried to see what was going on.
Woodpecker had knocked her to the ground and they were now fighting over the axe. She bit into his side and ripped.
Two shapes in the distance gradually grew until they both took to the ground right next to the fighting dragons. They landed in a area filled with smoke to a shrill scream. 
Woodpecker whipped around, covered in blood, and leaning on his right legs. The strange Sandwing was angrily cursing him, pinned to the floor by the axe, which had been sliced directly through her wing.
Another, terrifying, huge Sandwing carrying a sack stepped out of the smokey area into the open, a scrawny Seawing right behind him. The new Sandwing was wearing the same attire as the other one.
Woodpecker growled at them. "You had something to do with this, didn't you? Do you know what you've done!? I suggest you leave now, or the Enclave will hunt you down and kill you for your crimes. It’s the way things go.”
The Seawing sat and touched a sliver ring hanging from his necklace. They gave the Sandwing a disparaging smile. 
"Marl? If you will?"
Marl grunted, and with nearly indragon speed, grabbed Woodpecker by the neck and slammed him into the ground in one swift movement.
The Seawing gave a small chuckle at Woodpeckers unmoving body. Copper could barely keep his eyes open. 
"That was easy. Well, that’s dealt with! Now let’s get these set before..." He trailed off as he stared at something in the sky. Copper followed his gaze and saw an army of Skywings flying in formation towards the town.
The Seawing sneered at the Skywing legion that was coming for them, before he grabbed the silver ring tightly.
Marl saw him grab it, and his eyes widened. He almost looked scared. "No. No, no! We have time! Don't make me do this!"
Marl's pleas went unheard by the lean dragon.
He slowly backed up, then took flight. Marl tried to follow, but it seemed like some sort of force held him back. The Sandwing with the axe seemed to panic at the Seawing's quick departure. "Wait! What about me!? Help me!"
"My apologies! I swear you'll live on in my memories!"
The dragon laughed arrogantly as he flew into the horizon, and Copper saw him hold his silver ring on the necklace up to the sky, tightening his grip.
Marl seemed frozen in time while his accomplice desperately tried to tear herself away from the axe.
As the Skywings arrived, Marl jerkily opened the sack he had carried, and with one last look of terror, dryly coughed up fire and blew into it.
For the second time that day, explosions rocked Copper's world.
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=== The Prophecy: 7 ===
Copper's eyes opened to pain.
"Hello, Copperhead." Said Woodpecker, who was sitting in the corner of the drab white room, bricks imbedded into the clay. He curled his tail over his talons neatly, healed wounds all over his side.
His head pounded.
"How long has it been?" He asked, barely able to get up from his position on the... dirt and sand covered floor? Really? This is the best they could do?
He looked at his wing, which was covered in bandages, illuminated by a single open window that let in warm, rosey light. It felt less crumpled than the last time he had been awake.
"Two weeks, Copper. You should be glad it wasn't longer-" Copper nodded. "-lest I needed to use my own money for the stay." Woodpecker added.
Copper rolled his eyes when he remembered the other members of his little 'team.'
"Where's Cougar?" He asked quickly, getting up and regretting it instantly. "And... the other two? The Seawings?"
"They are fine. You should be more worried about the possible concussion you may have."
Copper snickered as he went out the open doorway of the room. "Thanks for caring."
"Oh, I was simply concerned about your tracking abilities and how they may be affected." Woodpecker said casually, following him.
Copper stopped and looked at him. Woodpecker stared back, placid. "You're real nice and dandy, you know that Woody?" He asked, continuing into a... room he sort of rembered? 
Oh.
This was the place where he had killed that Sandwing.
He looked at one of the corners and saw a faint, dried spatter of blood. Woodpecker followed his gaze and gave him a primly distainful look.
Suddenly the back door opened, and Cougar came in followed by Turtle. Cougar had a large bandage over his left eye, red visible through the gause. As soon as he saw him, Cougar stopped. "Copper, we aren't going to do this anymore."
Woodpecker gasped. Copper frowned. "We're not giving up because of that. In any case that should be even more of a reason to murder that guy." He said coldly. Woodpecker didn't seem to know who to look at. Turtle just stood there, head low.
"Your job was to find and rescue the students, not kill the most important and powerful Sandwing criminal in the Scorpion Den." Woodpecker said.
"We are going to kill him. You too Cougar." Copper added. Cougar seemed slightly more willing than before at the prospect of revenge. "Woodpecker, what happened to the town? And who were those Skywings?"
"The town is basically gone." Turtle said quietly, head lowering even more.
Woodpecker nodded. "Those Skywings were Queen Ruby's soldiers. They seem to be trying to push their way into Sandwing territory through helpfulness." He chuckled.
Copper took a glance at the dragons. "Where's the other Seawing? Barnacle, or whatever?"
A Mudwing, their back leg and half their tail covered with black scars, entered through the same door as Cougar and Turtle. "Barracuda is still recovering. I don't believe it was just physical injuries. Something about a bomb. Something about someone named Sora, and a carnelian. Fire." She explained, blankly staring at Copper. She sat. "So, what is in that bag, hunter?" She asked with quiet anger.
"Mayfly, we agreed to let him stay without problems for the extra jars, right?" Woodpecker asked.
"Out. Into the garden. I'm not letting you stay here as long as you're okay. Get." She commanded, while pushing him out the door the three dragons had come from. They all went out into a small garden area.
"Before I make you.” She said, with an almost mocking voice before slamming the door.
Copper looked around. The garden had many plants growing high up, vines covered everything, and past a little fence he could see the river and the sands beyond, the sun slowly rising in the distance.
There was a small silence before Copper started telling them a plan he had been formulating. "Woody, you said that this Vulture is a very important criminal in the Scorpion Den. Is he a part of a group?"
"Yes, now that you mention it. He is the leader of the Talons of Power."
Copper's mind went blank. "T-the Talons of Power?"
"Yes." Woodpecker confirmed, confusion blossoming on his face.
Crescent shaped scar.
Under the eye.
But he said-
He said that I should never-
That shop owner has to be wrong.
He has to be!
It was probably someone else. Someone else who got sliced there. Everyone could have that. ANYONE could have that.
"Copper?" Turtle asked.
Copper was thrust back into reality. The garden. The light. The dragons around him. They became visible again. "We, um... w-we could go... to the Sand Kingdom and fake... a d-deal and get in." He finished stupidly. "To their base, or hangout, or whatever... you know. A weapons deal or skeleton key or something..."
Cougar looked suspiciously towards him for a moment.
Woodpecker remembered something and broke the small, awkward silence. "There is one very important thing I forgot to tell you."
"What?" Copper asked, glad to change the subject. 
"You know who Stormbringer is? He made all those scrolls about government and social problems and whatnot?"
"I mostly remember the ones about how to pull of assasinations and get away with it." Copper said darkly.
Woodpecker looked surprised, even slightly quelled, but continued. "He gave a prophecy."
He took a slip of paper out of a pouch he carried and gave it to Copper.
Copper opened it. And he read.
The clock. It's ticking. It's ticking. Fast.
The clock ticks louder, under Mind’s mask.
Dragons try to find an answer.
Dragons try to find the master.
The master is one, that may not seem.
All can dream.
An unreal truth.
The strongest among them can see,
The master’s youth.
The clock. It's ticking. It's ticking. Louder.
Just look towards the Talons of Power.
Birds of Prey can kill each other.
Strength and Steel are secretive powers.
The clock is ticking. Louder. Louder.
=== The Threat... ===
”It’s ready, I presume? It will be shown to both the Academy and those idiot hunters?” Vulture asked, standing in the middle of the square. A tempest was raging, rain pouring down, the cool wind whipping his cape harshly.
“Yup.” Said a Sandwing, casually, wearing the attire that was so well known by now. He was holding a polished slate of pure obsidian. The Obsidian Mirror.
“Good. But not yet.” He added. He looked up to the night sky, buildings silhouetted on the horizon. He was sitting now, in the center of a small, park like town square in Sanctuary. The night was slightly illuminated when a house caught on fire in the distance, near the top of the little city. Two dark shapes flew from it; one growing larger, the other smaller.
As Vulture waited, the dragon eventually landed among his fellow Talons. He had a scar under his eye, and a still bloodied knife was in a small hilt, that was wrapped around his aging, sleek form. His hood was blown down by the force of the wind.
”Stinger.” Vulture greeted, without turning around, still staring at the burning house. The Sandwing walked to his side and sat. 
“He didn’t tell us what it meant. That line still haunts us. Ya think it really, actually mattered, anyways?” Stinger asked, looking at him.
”Just look towards the Talons of Power.” Vulture quoted, his voice deepening after being raised to be heard over the rain. “I don’t know, Stinger. It’s flattering, really. I will find out eventually.”
”Did he know what we’re doing? Did he know bout the message?” Stinger asked, the wrinkles on his face flattening, his brows raising with a questioning look to Vulture.
”If he did, he is dead. So, does it really matter?” Vulture asked.
A dark blue Seawing walked up to his other side, a huge Sandwing acting as his shadow. “You got Marl back, hmm?” Vulture asked the newcomers.
“Yes. It’s great to have him back.” Capricorn said, smiling creepily, even for Vulture, his necklace rings jingling against his scales. Marl gave him an unnoticeable sneer. Capricorn turned to him and caught it before the Sandwing could stop. 
He glared at yet another dragon, perched on a street lamp. He walked up to it, talking on the way. 
“Why did you make him hate me? I thought he was supposed to be stupid. That he was supposed to listen to me anyways, even without these!” He ranted, holding up his silver ring to the dragon for effect, which made Marl instinctively shudder. 
The Rainwing looked down on Capricorn with a glare.
“Enough.” Vulture said quietly. Capricorn stopped with a cowardly yelp.
“Places.” He commanded.
They moved out of the way from the center of the square, and the Sandwing he had been commanding earlier held up the mirror after breathing smoke onto it.
Vulture sat until he saw faint, foggy colors appear on the surface. He grinned when they appeared.
”You didn’t seem to understand me last time, so I’ll explain once again.”
Pronghorn, a bag over his head and his talons chained behind his back, was thrown out onto the wet stone path next to Vulture with a grunt.
”Just in case you thought I was simply joking around...”
He unsheathed a large broadsword from his back, which was hidden by his cape. Stinger walked behind him and flew back up to the buildings, to make sure Stormbringer was really dead.
”... I’m not. I am being incredibly serious. My plans, and my associates, rely on your cooperation. So, I will tell you now. Stop. If you want to mess with me, you be my guest. But you will face the consequences. This is your first.” 
And with that, he raised his sword and brought it crashing down upon Pronghorn’s skull. Blood spattered onto his face, and it was immediately washed away. He ripped it out, with a wet slice, blood dripping to the ground with the rain.
He turned back to the mirror, and walked to it, his sword scraping against the ground. The building fire on the hills behind him slowly grew. 
“If I ever hear from any of you again, not only you will share this fate.” He snarled.
He shot a flume of smoke onto the mirror, and the magical, smokey transmission ceased.
=== The Trail: 8 ===
I don’t care what he says. That murderer will pay.
Copper landed on the cobblestone streets of Sanctuary. The others landed nearby. It was the middle of the day, and quite a few dragons were out and about. They were at about the middle height of the huge town, as it continuously went up the face of a mountainous hill.
“That prophecy sounded like gibberish to me.” Said Cougar. “The only relevant thing it said is to look toward the Talons of Power. If it’s even about us, which I doubt.”
“Well, I did meet Stormbringer at Possibility. We’re trying to find Vulture. Maybe it is.”
At the very top of that hill was the Council House. It looked about the size of Ruby’s palace. That’s where they ran their little government. Mostly Nightwings, though that was to be expected with their system on the volcano.
It was huge, ornate, and was a mix of brick, old, moss covered stone, and spruce wood balconies and such.
It cast a gargantuan shadow upon them as they stopped at a clearing. Because they saw where they were. A large town square, with perfect walkways in precise, intricate patters winding around the little park like area. 
“I hope its not for us. What does ‘mind’s mask’ mean?”
Copper walked to the very center. He turned around and looked back up towards the richer and higher district and the edifice that was the Council House. There was a burned building barely visible behind large stone homes with sharply pointed roofs.
This was the exact place where Vulture had sent them the threat.
“And what does birds of-“
“Cougar, if it is about us, we’ll figure it out. Let’s not start changing our plans for a prophecy that may or may not be abo… that may not even be real, really.”
“Where do we start?” Turtle asked, looking at the ground towards some barely visible, runny bloodstains. 
“I say we start THERE!” Yelled Cougar, changing his tone very quickly and running towards a large brick building.
///
Copper and the others entered the restaurant, to be blasted in the face by… some very strange smells. Copper didn’t know what it was. Light fluttered in through the windows at the front of the place.
He looked around, and saw Cougar had already patiently sat next to a table made of that same dark, expensive looking wood he had seen around. There was a stone, chiseled counter to the right. The place was filled to the brim with tapestries, and even included a mural at the back of the building, on the longest wall. An artist’s impression of Sanctuary, all it’s notable features exaggerated. 
A young looking Mudwing came out of a revolving door, panting. “Oh… uh, sorry for the bad customer service.” She said with a quite euphonious voice. She sat at the counter. “You want anything?” She breathed.
Copper looked to his allies, but they were all strangely staring at the Mudwing. Copper looked back at him.
Oh. She has blue scales. Maybe that weeks-long knockout was worse than I thought. 
Copper decided they might as well question him to see if he saw anything, being so close to the place, so he started to draw his knife. “One moment please!” Woodpecker blurted, dragging Copper outside to the Mudwing’s patient yet befuddled stare.
“What?” Copper said, stopping when they were outside, the door still swinging open behind them.
“You do realize that you can ask people things without threatening them, right?” Woodpecker angrily asked. He always seemed to cringe slightly when Copper had done questionable things the past few days. 
“Yeah. But you were the one who hired me… us, so we’re doing things m… our way.” Copper told him.
Woodpecker glared. He looked around quickly, almost as if embarrassed to be talking to him out in the open. “Observe.” He deadpanned. He entered the shop again, and Copper followed after a moment.
Woodpecker sat in front of the counter and gave a charming smile.
“Hello. I am Woodpecker, and I am a member of the Enclave.” He said charismatically. “We require your assistance in a most pressing matter. Did you happen to see any activities partaken by a large group of dragons just outside this establishment recently? Specifically two nights ago?”
The Mudwing was silent for a moment. “I… I think so? I saw a group of dragons doing something.” She said slowly, chuckling slightly at how odd the situation must’ve been to her. Strange dragons come into her shop, two leave, then come straight back in to ask her random questions.
“Hmmmm…. have you heard about or seen any suspicious going ons, recently?” Woodpecker pressed. 
The blue Mudwing thought for a bit, pulling something off the counter to put it away. A plate of… some strange meat. Actually, Copper had heard of it before, he believed. Fish. So that’s what the strange smell was.
“Yeah, actually. I hate to admit it, but, I saw one of my old friends hanging out with some… gang member… it was some stupid name, that’s all I remember. Knives… something.”
“The New Knives?” Turtle wondered out loud. “One of my friends who’s staying here complained to me about them when I was on a visit.”
“That was it.” The Mudwing snickered. 
“The Talons of Power have worked with the New Knives before. I fondly remember a failed guardhouse robbery.” Woodpecker said. “I would say its our best lead.”
Cougar said he had heard about that once, and everyone else nodded. Barracuda’s nod was barely noticeable. She didn’t seem to be paying much attention.
The Mudwing seemed to remember something. “Oh yeah, you know that prophecy everyone’s been buzzing about? The Nightwing who gave it, Stormbringer? He died!”
There was a small shocked silence. “How?” Barracuda asked quietly. It was the only thing Copper had heard her say since the bombing.
“He got killed by some dragon. Or multiple dragons, I guess… they say that whoever did it framed it to look like a fire. The baggers called murder at the last second! Yeah, that happened… two nights ago…” She added slowly, realizing it as she said it.
Stinger. 
Stinger. 
Stinger did it. He killed Stormbringer. That was the fire. The fire in the background. That was him.
Copper shook his head to return to the present.
“B-back to the… your friend. Old friend.” Copper stammered.
“Oh, ok… uh, well, he’s actually a prince. Prince Cliff.” The dark blue dragon said.
“You were really friends with the prince of the Skywings?” Turtle repeated.
The Mudwing nodded. “Yeah. I stopped talking to him because he kept getting… um… gradually shadier, how about that. I didn’t like what he seemed to be doing.” She added softly. 
“What’s your name?” Turtle asked.
“Stalactite.” She said. 
Turtle sighed. “Thought I might know you. Guess not. I met Cliff when he was just a little dragonet. He wouldn’t stop talking about his crazy grandma getting her neck snapped. Kinda creepy.” Turtle said. Copper was surprised he didn’t mention anything about his royalty.
They heard wingbeats outside, and saw a large group of Seawings flying in from the direction of the Sea Kingdom.
“Oh. Mother said someone wanted more guards around here. Maybe because they heard I’m here, I don’t know.” Turtle explained.
“Do you know where he is now? I want to ask him a couple of questions.” Copper asked, turning back to Stalactite.
Stalactite nodded. “He’s performing the music for the first Icewing marriage in Sanctuary. Tonight.” She included.
“Thanks, Mudwing.” Copper said. He nodded, his face tight with concentration as they left. Copper opened up the door and started walking towards the square, eight more sets of claws clicking behind him. “What about food?” Cougar asked.
“We can get food later. For free, probably.” Copper said. He stopped walking and turned with a sinister grin. 
“Time to crash a party.”
=== The Party: 9 ===
Copperhead knocked on the door and stood back, Cougar at his side.
A Nightwing,  his scales muddy red, oppened it quietly, then motioned for them to come in. His rolled his dark blue eyes as he shut it again, taking one last look to make sure they weren’t followed.
He tilted his head in their general direction.
“Do you know how long I’ve had to stall… do you know how many dragons wanted to know what I was doing?” He asked angrily.
“Great to see you too, Foresight.” Copper said.
Foresight looked at them for real, and apparently decided to let them off. “You as well. I found him, by the way.” He said, his quiet voice, making him sound like he whispered each word.
Copper nodded. Foresight went to the other side of the room, which included a red, gold trimmed sofa, soft fireplace, and expensive looking brick walls.
He turned back to them as he placed his hand on the door. “Enjoy the show.” He said, and he opened the door. 
Copper walked out, noise overtaking everything. There was the cheers of a small crowd. There was beautiful singing taking up the whole room. Quiet chatter among the guests to this party. Mostly Icewings. The whispers of a small group of Mudwings near the back. The excited stories of a couple of jolly looking Sandwings.
And music.
The place was quite large, with strings of colored cloth hanging over the rafters. It gave off a warm, homely ascetic, chandeliers of stone hung, lanterns and candles lit the place with an almost sun like light. The pelting of rain outside was always present. There was a little bar-like area, and a speech stage that was currently being used by Copper’s target. Cliff, the Cliff, a Skywing with red scales and bright, orange wings, putting his soul into it. Funny how casual and trustworthy dragons could appear on the surface. 
Copper went to another door, very close to the door they came through, and knocked quietly, trying to stay inconspicuous.
He slowly opened it to see Woodpecker putting on a bow tie, looking into a mirror in a small room. Copper gave him a strange look as he and Cougar entered as well, Foresight slowly backing in before subtly closing the entrance. 
“About time you two got here. I was almost getting worried that y-“ Woodpecker stopped speaking when he got a good look at them. 
“What?” Copper asked.
Woodpecker looked exhausted. “Formal… wear. The flyer specifically said formal wear and you come in with nothing? You’re going to stick out like a missing talon.” He said, turning back to the mirror with a sigh.
Copper rolled his eyes when Foresight tapped him on the shoulder. “Things got a little more difficult when before you got here.” He whispered. Copper followed his pointing talon and saw those Mudwings from earlier take more strategic positions. “Security. This isn’t going to be as simple as we thought.” He said.
“At least it isn’t Mirage, right?” Copper asked, trying to make him feel better about that new development. And himself, if he was being honest. Foresight chuckled once before turning serious again. 
“At least it isn’t Mirage.” He repeated, shaking his head at the memory. He walked out into the small crowd, warily looking about. 
“Who is that dragon, anyways? I see he has the silver scales that mark a moon blessed Nightwing.” Woodpecker said, coming up behind him. “And where are the Seawing students?”
“Is there a reason you have to know?” Copper said, a bit of warning thrown into his voice. “And the Seawings didn’t come.” 
“Really?” Asked Woodpecker.
“Well, I didn’t tell them the plan, so, no.” Copper admitted.
Woodpecker gave him an angry look, finishing and coming to his side as the conversations around them continued. “Well, why not?”
“Because they would mess it up. They don’t have any experience with this sort of stuff.”
“I don’t, either. I’m not sure what sort of criminal activities you and this ‘Foresight’ got up to.” Woodpecker said.
“At least you’ve fought before. I’m pretty sure those two have walked above most things instead of going straight through.” With that, he went back out into the large room, and tried to breathe.
You’ve pulled off heists before, Copper. Well, almost. You’ve got this.
Casual.
Act casual.
He caught up with Foresight as Cougar stuck to the walls, slowly edging towards the stage. “You get the instruments, and I’ll do the thing.” Copper whispered. Foresight nodded and started to walk off before an Icewing stepped in front of him.
A small silence occurred, and Copper didn’t move. The Icewing looked Foresight up and down. “You remind me of someone.” They said. The Icewing tilted his head. “What’s your name?” 
Foresight clicked the floor twice with his talon, and Copper went towards a large table of baked food, meat, plates and glasses.
The family had been eating when he looked through the window. They looked happy. Stinger, his father, landed next to him. He saw what they were doing, and warily looked down at Copper. Probably wondering if what he was about to do was worth it. 
Copper shook his head. I’ll never meet him. I WILL NOT meet him. If he sees me, run. I won’t let him get into my head.
But why, why would he do that?  He knew how bad they were. How terrible they are. 
Are Fenneck’s hunters… as bad as them?
The thought crept into his mind like a poison. He actually started to hear his own breath while he was trying to get rid of it, but was thankfully distracted by Foresight.
“I’m, uh, I’m Foestalker.” Foresight said. The Icewing narrowed his eyes and sat in front of him.
“You remind me of someone a friend told me about. Even the… white scales…” He said.
Copper looked back at them, tense, but edged to the table anyways.
“What’s your friend’s name?” Foresight asked, changing the subject. 
Copper sat, smiling to everyone around him, ready for the signal. The signal that would happen as soon as Foresight got away from this Icewing, that was. 
“Qibli.” The dragon answered. “And he told me about a Nightwing criminal. Of whom worked with Thorn once… apparently. Exaggerations, most likely. You just remind me of the description a little, that’s all.” The Icewing said suspicious.
“Well I for one, am glad I am simply the description. Don’t much care for gold anyway. And who might you be?” Foresight asked, calmly starting to walk towards the band, who was taking a short break. The Icewing followed
Copper prepared to shove the table onto its side when the huge, main doors opened.
“I’m-… Turtle?” The Icewing named, looking at the newcomers with a gladly surprised expression. It was indeed Turtle, and Barracuda, who still looked a bit sad. Foresight quickly walked towards the abandoned instruments, and Copper mouthed ‘DISTRACTION’ at Turtle as obviously as he could to get the young Seawing’s attention.
He seemed to notice him, and he greeted the Icewing, with an forced, awkwardly happy demeanor.
They started talking, the dragon seeming surprised that Turtle was here, while Woodpecker appeared next to them and slowly started circling around Copper, trying to look like he was simply mingling.
Copper barely heard the twang of instrument strings snapping over the chatter, and he quickly walked toward the stage, winding his stinger tipped tail around the table and pulling it as hard as he could as he walked. Crashed echoed behind him as he walked up to the stage, dragons turning to see what happened. 
“Uh, um, hey, what’s going on?” Cliff asked to everyone in general, confused that no one was paying attention to him anymore. Copper noticed Cougar walk up to the edge of the stage and stand, leaning on it.
“Oh, don’t worry, some of the instruments just stopped workin’. We can get ya some new ones, but we need help carrying them out of the back.” Cougar said, putting on his best ‘Average Desert’ impression.
“Oh. Uhh… kay...” He said. He hopped down from the stage and bounced back up to a standing position.
Foresight joined them, and the four of them walked to a little exit near the stage that led to the backstage area. He seemed a little unnerved to be surrounded by the three dragons, but continued nonetheless. Woodpecker filed in behind them, and suddenly, Cliff was their own little prisoner in plain sight.
They went in, and Foresight quietly closed the door behind them. There was yet another exit that led into the back alley behind the huge building, and inside, there were a couple of instruments and bottles on shelves, and a table with some spare parts. Cliff went over to one of the shelves in the rectangular stone room, but the others stayed near the door for a moment.
“Ready?” Whispered Foresight.
”Always.” Replied Copper, who walked over to Cliff and slammed his head into the table with a crack, throwing him to the floor. Cliff grunted when he hit the ground, blood running from his nose, which was now slightly misplaced. Woodpecker cringed behind him.
”What is WRONG with you!?” Cliff yelled from the ground, tenderly touching his snout with his talons.
“He just want some answers, Prince Cliff.” Foresight said in a low, slithery voice.
”Specifically what you’re doing with the New Knives.” Copper said brashly, curling his tail around to his side, pointing the sharp tip at the Skywing.
Cliff slid until he had backed up against a wall. He glared at them. “I don’t even know what that is, you random brutes!”
Cougar nudged Foresight behind Copper, and the Nightwing closed his eyes. Copper turned back to Cliff, who was muttering over the pain. He hadn’t attacked them yet, and Copper hoped he would keep it that way. “Let’s see.” He said, with a small, evil smile.
There was a small silence as they all looked at Foresight, Woodpecker looking confused, and Cliff tense.
”Lie.” Foresight said, soft as a ripple of water on a lake, his eyes still unopened.
Cliff growled. “Ok, maybe I’ve heard of them before. What gives?”
”We want to know what you’ve been doing with them.” Copper commanded. “What have you bought? What have you done? And where can we find them?”
”Why do you people want to know this stuff? I honestly can’t tell you. If they find out, I’m- okay, okay, geez. Okay.” He changed his tone very quickly when Copper drew his sharp, curved steel blade he always carried. Not for use as a weapon, mostly, but as a memory.
”Um... c-check 23rd street. That’s a place I meet them a lot. I’ve only bought some documents... the forged k-kind... to be specific. I don’t know anything else, really.” He admitted.
“Truth.” Foresight said.
The door opened, and a large Nightwing peered in, his long black cloak still on his body, his face cold.
They all whipped around, but the Nightwing made no movement.
”Help?” Cliff asked, pitifully.
The Nightwing was silent for a moment, studying each of them before answering. “Yes, Cliff, I am here to ‘help’ you.” He said, his voice like rumbling thunder, yet hoarse.
He opened the door the rest of the way, ducking to enter. He set a leather fitted briefcase on the ground, and stared down at them all.
”Who are you?” Copper asked, turning the knife in his hand.
”His name is Slymind, Copperhead.” Fenneck said, leaning on the doorway behind the dragon. In his left talons was a jingling bag. Copper saw three other Sandwings behind him. He knew them. They were fellow hunters.
“I’m guessing you’re a part of the New Knives?” Foresight asked. 
“And he tipped you off?” Cougar asked, nodding toward Fenneck while slowly reaching for his own knife.
”I work for a private company.” Slymind rumbled. “That want you.”
He reached for something in his cloak, and the four infiltrators ran.
Copper ran straight through the exit door, cracking off it’s rusted hinges. A crossbow bolt nearly shredded through his wing, presumably from Slymind. “After them! Go!” Fenneck yelled. 
They took off through the alley. They all knew that taking flight would get them caught immediately. Copped quickly turned and breathed fire behind them on the alley. A Sandwing barely dodged backwards, out of the way as they were coming through the exit, and the remains of the door were set ablaze.
What is Fenneck doing!? And who is this other guy?
He could hear the dragons within running back into the party area, as he turned and boosted himself with his wings to catch up with the others.
As they went out onto the stone streets, rain and a dense fog being eerily illuminated by the street lamps, he looked back to the large building where the wedding was going to take place.
He saw Cliff rush out onto a balcony overhanging the huge main doors, which were now closed, and he pointed to them. “There they are! Those dragons who attacked me!” He yelled, as a one of those Mudwing security guards appeared next to him, and after seeing them, rushed back inside.
”Crap.” Copper muttered.
”Now what?” Foresight asked, looking around for anywhere they could hide.
”I am NOT being arrested. It will give me a bad name.” Woodpecker said, oozing with arrogance.
”I think you should be more worried about being killed by professional assassins. And whatever Slymind is.” Copper added, as the main doors flung open and the four Sandwings speedily started flying towards them.
”Lets go!” Cougar yelled at them, taking off into the foggy, stormy night.
=== The Chase: 10 ===
Copperhead raced through the fog. The street lamps around him gave Sanctuary an almost ghostly feel. He felt… damp.
There were shouts behind him, seemingly coming from two different directions. He ducked through another alley, getting a strange sense of vertigo as he ran slightly upwards in between the huge buildings on either side. His brain randomly decided to put in his head that he was running down a wall, and that made him woozy. By the time he shook his head he realized he had lost the others.
He turned around after slowing, and listened. The commands and laughs of the Sandwings were splitting off and fading.
He nearly breathed a sigh of relief when a throwing knife sliced his arm. It clattered onto the ground as he dodged to the left, and the Nightwing from inside landed right where he was standing, apparently having been poised to land on him. In the cold wind, his cloak and hood whirled around him. He looked like a shadow in the fog. 
He readied himself just in time to narrowly avoid a small spiked ball. It stopped flinging past his head and abruptly fell to the ground, splashing into a puddle from the rain that was still falling, a chain clattering next to it. He followed the length of it to see it lead under the cloak of the mysterious dragon. The thing was like a handleless flail.
“Who owns that? Seriously?” Copper growled, dumbstruck by the weapon’s terrifying absurdity.
“Me.” Slymind answered, flicking the chain. It wound around Copper’s foreleg and his balance was suddenly pulled out from underneath him. 
Copper splashed onto the ground, ripping the chain off him as he kicked Slymind when the Nightwing pounced. Slymind fell back with purpose, away into the fog. 
He leaped to his feet and growled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Dark and brooding, much?” 
Slymind’s rattling voice came from somewhere in the fog. “Not too loud, Copperhead. Our common enemy is on the hunt.” 
Copper guessed he meant the Mudwings as the spike ball flew at him with suprising speed from his left. He dodged again, and it clipped his bad wing, making it sting. The chain quickly rattled back into the fog like a snake.
He stood in the middle of the alleyway, and he got away from more chain attacks, a chakram, and what looked to be a throwable hammer.
Eventually Copper got tired of this, and thought of something just before the flail was thrown again. 
In one motion, he grabbed the chain, pulled, and bit down on Slymind, who had stumbled forward. He ripped his teeth out of Slymind’s scales, pushing the dragon to the ground as he straightened himself from the awkward movement. 
He heard clattering all around him, and saw that Slymind’s briefcase had clicked open, the contents spilled over the concrete ground. Knives, a hand crossbow that he must have used earlier, candles, a torch, twisted sickles, a whole lotta chains, nails, hammers, and even a small bulawa.
Slymind growled softly as he rised from the ground, and his now tattered cloak, freshly torn from the bite, whipped around to his back to show what he was holding underneath. Spiked… nunchucks.
Are you kidding me with this guy? 
Copper had had enough. He took flight and partially ran up a wall until he got to the slanted roof of the building. He heard the soft wing beats of the Nightwing fade away as he disappeared into the fog once more. Your stupid fog strategy won’t hold up for long when I lose you in it.
Copper turned and dove off the other side, gliding down, back onto the streets.
He flew as fast and silently as he could. Maybe his ‘private company’ is whoever sent that bounty. The BOUNTY. He had completely forgotten about that! But he smiled anyways. I guess Fenneck was wrong about me getting killed by assassins. 
But then again, he might kill me now instead. 
Why was Fenneck even after him? He knew the Sandwing never said no to a bribe, but he got so much more every year for going across the continent and getting bounties for Copper, Cougar, and the others. It was a system, that had worked well.
With perfect timing, Foresight came into his field of view, the light of torches and yells of Sandwings following.
Copper did a hard one’eighty and followed Foresight, whose head was ducked low. The fog seemed to be getting thicker by the minute, and the rain was falling harder. 
He and Foresight were gaining speed, and his friend seemed to be aiming for an open, dark window.
Then multiple loops of chains wrapped around his neck. 
He was stopped mid flight as they pulled taunt, and choked as he landed on the ground. The four Sandwings touched down next to him, their torches illuminating the fog. Flickering from the rain.
The chains unwound from his neck as soon as they were loose again from being pulled. Copper watched them slowly slither back to a sitting, shadowy figure he couldn’t make out in the fog. But he could easily guess.
“I must have taught yah well. You almost got away.” Fenneck said. “I am quite smart, if I do say so m’self.”
“You never noticed your name was spelled wrong, and you say that?” Copper asked from the floor. He knew getting away would be impossible at the moment.
Fenneck silently looked at one of the Sandwings and they nodded, their face forcefully blank.
“Well. Uh, that don’t matter no more. What matters is that we are getting payed.” He chuckled, along with the others. He dropped his torch right next to Copper’s face as he saw a dark shape flying down. A falcon landed on his gauntlet. He smiled coldly at it, and the weight of their gazes fell upon him.
“Look for the others.” He whispered to Dusk, and the bird took off into the stormy skies. Fenneck walked over to Slymind and started discussing something with him as the other Sandwings took guard.
Copper would probably be able to beat them in a one on one, none of the guys back home were very well trained, but fighting them now was… hopeless. He decided to listen in on the conversation, still just lying on his back in the wet street, his frill slightly pressed down.
“I’ve helped you catch Copper. Now tell me what yah know about where he is.” Fenneck said darkly, his eyes showing that hint of loss he always showed when he was talking about a certain dragon. Fenneck had made references to someone more than a few times.
Slymind tilted his head at Fenneck. “You said you would deliver them to the Talons of Mind first.” Slymind said. Fenneck growled.
I guess that’s his private company. Wait. 
Mind? 
The prophecy beat in his head like a drum
The clock ticks louder under Mind’s mask. 
Is that what that means? What are the Talons of Mind? What mask? Who is ‘he’? 
Are we a part of the prophecy? 
The questions without answers in his head ceased when he shouts and commands. “You! All of you there! Freeze!” 
The Sandwings instantly scattered, including Copper. He saw the hefty shapes of those Mudwings from earlier closing in on some of the hunters, splitting them up. Slymind simply turned and faded away into the mist. Fenneck roared after him in anger while flying away, presumably because he didn’t tell him whatever Fenneck had wanted to know.
Copper flew towards that window Foresight was heading for and barrel rolled inside.
The others were all there. They were silent as they looked out the window. The lights of the torches were snuffed out one by one until the world was dark. The rain still drizzled outside. 
“That went well.” Foresight joked quietly.
Copper sighed. “What’re we going to do now? Any ideas?”
“We could wait here for the heat to die down out there, then go and find the knife people.” Cougar suggested. Copper thought it over, then nodded.
“But not here. We’re far too close. Lets go see if we can get Turtle and Barracuda, then we’re out of here.” He turned toward them grimly. “I just overheard something that made this whole thing way worse.”
“Do you think Slymind is a part of the New Knives, or do you think he’s being serious about that private company?” Asked Woodpecker, who looked slightly annoyed to be in the same room as these criminals right about now. He thought for a moment, then added: “There was also that little detail, with the random Seawing that can CONTROL OTHER DRAGONS? WHAT? That went completely unexplained.”
“I don’t think Slymind is a part of the Knives. In fact, I’m almost certain he’s a part of the Talons of Mind.” Copper said.
There was a small silence. “What’s that?” Cougar asked.
“I don’t know.” Copper responded. Foresight looked at him very carefully. 
“I think I can see what you’re thinking. If you are correct, then that is... very bad.” Foresight said. Woodpecker looked between Copper and Foresight a few times. 
“He can read minds? He wasn’t just guessing with his ‘TRUTH AND LIE’ thing? That would have been very, very, very useful to know.” He complained.
“Weakly.” Foresight responded.
Copper cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Well, Foresight, whatever you can guess is probably what I’m thinking. I’m pretty sure this just got a lot more complicated, and a LOT more important. I think the Talons of Power is working with more than one group. I think they have a much bigger plan than ‘kidnap two dragonets and see what happens’. And I think… we’re part of the prophecy.”
=== The Knives: 11 ===
The three moons were bright in the sky. There were cold puddles in the cracks of every rock and a light mist from the last storm.
But thankfully, Copper was not out there. He was inside a little hotel room they had broken into. The place was so unkept he was afraid it might’ve been abandoned. Cougar was laying on the nearly rotting bed, trying to figure out some sort of golden cube puzzle he had pocketed from the party.
Cougar blinked hard. There was still a bandage over his eye. Copper didn’t know if it was ever coming off.
Vulture did that.
And Stinger. He’s a part of the Talons of Power. He has to be. That was him, in the background of that threat.
Copper shuddered and ripped the second thought out of his brain… hopefully for the last time.
The threat Vulture had sent had been horrible. Executing someone… someone who wasn’t even full grown… publicly? Literally broadcasting it with the Obsidian Mirror? He didn’t have to have done that. He still held the advantage… he just did it to be terrible.
It made Copper more determined to find the Rainwing. Tamarin. 
Turtle had been shocked by it, but he seemed relatively ok now. He and Barracuda were trying to find some food for them… it would’ve been nicer to magic it into existence, though. Barracuda, on the other hand…
She barely spoke now. When she did, it was only to agree or disagree. Yes and no.
Copper was meant to go and meet with the New Knives this morning. They had checked out Cliff’s suggestion and found a couple dragons lounging around, weapons on show. Seeing them for the first time made him wonder what had happened to that Mudwing. That blue Mudwing. Weird.
He heard shouting in the hallway. He got up from his seat near the window and went to see what the commotion was. Cougar’s only reaction was a flick of his ear.
“Who ARE you!? Why are you still here? I just want to know your story. That is my only question, sir, and it would be appreciated if you-“
“You’ll know when you need to know.” Foresight said to Woodpecker, his voice never raising, unlike the primly annoying shouting of Woodpecker. He was kind of starting to like him, but Copper didn’t know about that anymore, with his constant insistence on being ‘professional.’
“Until then, here’s what you can know about me: I am your ally. I will help you. I know if you’re lying to me. And my life is none of your business.” He said coolly, walking away.
Now that he thought about it, it was the same for Copper. They had met in the Scorpion Den to plan a heist in Mirage, a little oasis town. He knew he was a well respected thief, but not much more. 
Hmm.
///
Copper walked into the little alley, and one of the two dragons laying on some junk sprang to her feet, fire pouring out of her mouth.
“WOAH! I come in peace!” Copper yelled, backing away. The Skywing who had jumped at him coughed up the fire onto the floor, spreading a bit under her talons before fading.
“You couldn’t have said something?” She asked, looking back up at him. Copper shrugged. “Oh, what do you want? I haven’t seen you before.”
“I just want to know where and who your boss is. I need to discuss some things with them.” Copper was hoping the dragon would say something involving Vulture, but if not, he could always press further.
“Are you gonna help me with this guy?” She asked, turning to the other dragon she was with, a Mudwing who was lazily laying on his back on a old couch.
“No.” He said.
“Pff.” She snarled at him before regarding Copper again. “Why do you want to know?” She asked suspiciously.
“You really care?” He asked.
Smoke came out of her nostrils. “Oh… fine, he’s dead. I guess I can tell you that much.” 
Copper narrowed his eyes in confusion. He sat, trying to look as calm as he could so he wasn’t blasted with fire at the next question.
“Then who’s leading you now? You must have a leader, right?” He asked.
“That’s not happening. Get lost.” She sat in front of the junk and stared at him.
Copper sighed. His tail shot forward and stabbed her in the arm. She shrieked and fell backwards into the trash pile. The Mudwing started to get up but Copper held his knife in front of him to get him to stop. He smiled at the dragon as the Mudwing leaned back once again.
“I’ll take that.” He said, as he hoisted up a huge, loaded crossbow from under the couch-seat thing. He pointed it at the Skywing, who was furiously digging her way out. He could now hit both of them at once if he wanted to.
“So. Are you going to tell me now?” He asked her, spreading his wings. He could see wisps of flames coming from her mouth once again. 
“Tell him.” The Mudwing said.
The Skywing only growled.
“I could shoot you with this right now. And that’s going to hurt if you let it sit.” He added, nodding at her stinger stab. She looked down at it too.
“Just tell him.” The Mudwing repeated.
The Skywing gave a snarling sigh. “That Vulture person took over. He’s sending us out to steal random stuff for him so he gets more money. He’s working with someone named Mindreader. I’m not going to tell you ANYTHING else, though.” She hissed.
Copper smiled and let the crossbow drop at her feet with. He sheathed his knife and walked away, hearing angry grumbling from behind him. As he went into the light of the sunrise, a few dragons coming out of their homes around him, he realized something. He had heard the name Mindreader before.
=== The Capture: 12 ===
Copper snuck through the halls of Jade Mountain Academy, followed by Turtle. “It feels weird sneaking into your own school.” Turtle said. “Especially when there’s no one here.”
The halls were completely empty.
Well, not completely empty. There had been a blind Nightwing who had wandered through, but Turtle told him that he was nothing to worry about when Copper drew his knife. Cougar, Foresight, and Barracuda were currently searching the other end of the school, map in talons. Turtle was acting as his guide.
They passed through a small cave-hallway, and Copper heard a few students inside them. It was much quieter than the last time he had been here. The place seemed a little more colorless and dreary than before. The flowers wreaths on some of the walls seemed duller somehow. Maybe it was because there weren’t any echos.
Last time they had been here there was noise even when no one in that situation had been speaking. Now there was silence.
“I really just can’t believe I went to school for four years with a villain.” Turtle said quietly.
“You seem to see quite a few things in black and white.” Copper replied.
“Well, I like to think in terms of story. She and Vulture are the villians, we’re the heroes.” Turtle looked at the ground in thought, as if the floor had all the answers.
Copper laughed at the last word. He’d been called a hero once. He had been given a bounty for someone in the Scorpion Den and stopped them just before they killed someone. That’s when it happened. But, he’d been given a bounty for the victim of the attack as well, so… they were currently six feet under, too.
He’d felt bad. That was one of the times when he wondered if what he did was worth it.
“Do you think the Enclave will be ok with this?” Turtle asked nervously, looking around like shadow dragons were going to come after him from the walls.
Copper was going to answer him when Turtle stopped next to him mid-stride.
Copper turned to him. “What… oh.”
Turtle was frozen, staring at a candlelit shrine. There was a painting of Pronghorn there. Who made it, who knew. There were cactus flowers placed around it, and a little note. Copper looked a little closer.
Memorial:
Pronghorn 
4th Year 
Buried in the desert. Where he belongs. 
Copper looked to its left, and about ten feet away, there was another one.
Memorial:
Carnelian 
Memorial:
Bigtail 
Memorial:
Harbor 
Copper was silent as Turtle walked along the stones. Each had a detailed painting and a little note with some more information. Maybe that’s why it’s so quiet here, he thought.
“I guess we took a wrong turn.” Turtle said softly as he stopped in front of Harbor’s shrine. He walked back the way they came without speaking. Copper didn’t ask any questions.
They continued in complete silence until they arrived in the 4th Year hallway. “Ok.” Turtle said, some voice back in his voice. “The Copper Winglet’s caves are right there, so… her’s should be here.” He said, after counting the entrances.
Copper walked in quietly. He stopped immediately when he noticed an Icewing sleeping soundlessly on a rock shelf, only the top of her snout and horns visible from Copper’s position.
“I thought she would be in the history cave by now!” Turtle whispered. Copper shook his head, ‘obviously not’ the point he was trying to get across, as he creeped to the rock. He stood on his hind legs and waved a talon in front of her. She didn’t move in the slightest.
Copper slowly went back down to the ground. He would rather not be blasted by death breath today.
“You keep an eye on her.” He whispered to Turtle. “I’ll wait by the door for Mindreader.”
They stood, tense, for a few minutes until they heard a large clang echo throughout the building. It must’ve been that huge gong he had seen last time he was here. 
After another minute, they heard voices in the hallway. More specifically, one voice that belonged to someone who was either insane or talking to someone else.
“- and then I decided to throw it and BOOM! The whole place totally exploded! I don’t know what was on that rock but whatever it is I WANT MORE! I think it’s because I threw it into the lava so some kind of explody thingy happened when it hit it. Didn’t we learn about that in science class? I liked sience class because we got to make fun of the volcano and how it exploded, AND we got to talk about Clay’s weird snakebite thing and the venom, which was really heroic and cool but in a bad sad way because he now has his cool… I mean really sad limp. Anyways then I-“ Mindreader and a Seawing with a fake smile rounded the corner.
Copper held up his knife to Mindreader’s throat and she stopped talking. When the Seawing registered what was happening he let out a startled yelp, and the Icewing woke up. Copper turned to see the Icewing rise from her slab, and she had just started hissing when Cougar dropped from the ceiling onto her. He stabbed something into her neck.
The Seawing quickly put his talons into the air as the Icewing’s head lowered back onto the slab, and her eyes closed once again. Copper raised an eyebrow at Cougar. “I was going to tell you he was there but I didn’t want to make any noise!” Turtle said quickly, holding the sides of his head at the situation.
The Seawing seemed to notice Turtle. “Wait, what? Turtle?” He exclaimed. Barracuda came from the hallway, and Foresight put a small, handheld crossbow to the back of the Seawing’s neck. “Barracuda? What is happening?!” He asked.
“Be quiet unless you want to get us all killed.” Foresight snarled behind him. Copper highly doubted it would come to that, but the Seawing obviously didn’t.
There was a moment of silence until Copper took charge. “Lets just get her out of here and into some place with a door.” He decided.
Foresight raised the crossbow and slammed it on the back of the dragon’s head, and he dropped to the floor. Mindreader and Turtle cringed, whilst Barracuda didn’t seem to care.
“Move. Out. Keep your back to me.” Copper commanded. Mindreader followed his instructions, and they walked out quietly. 
“Sorry Snail…” Turtle softly whispered to the knocked out Seawing as they went through the halls.
“What do you want?” Mindreader asked nervously, her breaths getting quicker by the moment.
“Shut up.” Answered Copper. They could either take her to jail or kill her. He liked the second option, if she was really working with Vulture. They took her into a random room and Foresight closed the door after checking outside.
They were in some sort of important looking room… there was a table with a weapon being made. Cougar took some of the rope off and threw it to Foresight before walking up to Copper’s side. “What do we do?” He asked.
Copper opened the door slightly and looked out. Nothing. “We find out what we want to know and then get out of here as quick as we can, that’s what.”
When he turned back to Foresight, Mindreader had been roughly bound and gagged and had been left on the stone floor. She still seemed confused that this was happening in the first place. “This isn’t the best area we could be in right about now. We’re right in the middle of everything.” Copper said. 
With perfect timing, a seriously scary scream rang out. “Oh! Sorry! I forgot that water would be scalding hot! What happened to you?” Someone asked.
“Time to go.” Cougar said quickly.
Copper opened the door and was about to walk out when he saw a Skywing asked that Seawing, who was now awake, some questions. A metal bucket rolled away from them, slightly red from heat.
She looked towards him and waved. “Right there.” Snail said, pointing woozily toward them.
“Oh. Ok.” The dragon said casually. She flicked her wings and started coming toward him.
Copper ducked back inside. “There’s a Skywing coming at us right now, and I’m pretty sure I recognize her from the Skywing arena.”
“Peril?” Turtle asked nervously.
“Hey! Could someone open this door for me so I don’t set the room on fire?” Peril shouted from the halls.
“She’ll probably burn you alive if you step out. She has firescales.” Turtle whispered.
They waited in silence until the door opened and Copper was face to face with Tsunami. “You.” She growled. “Here to attack my students again?” 
“Turtle?” The Skywing asked, almost sadly.
“I swear this is-“ 
“Turtle?” Tsunami repeated, much more feircely, cutting him off. Copper could visualize the smoke that would be coming out of her nose if that was possible. “Did you easedrop again? Because you should not be there with them.” She added sternly. Her brother seemed to slightly freak out when he saw her.
“I swear this is for a good… uh.. you know, uh, cause! This situation r-right now is for a good cause!” Turtle stammered to both of them.
Tsunami started to come into the room. Copper, Cougar, and Foresight instantly raised their weapons. Foresight’s talon was already on the trigger of his crossbow.
Tsunami tried taking another step. “AH!” Copper angled his knife, his eyes wide with warning. 
“We literally have a LIVING SMELTER with us and you think that will do anything?” Tsunami asked.
Copper turned his knife to Turtle without looking away. “Hey! What!?” Turtle asked with bewilderment evident in his voice.
Copper growled at the newcomers. “Sorry. I’m getting out of here alive, not as ashes.”
“Ha! He has invulnerable scales!” Peril laughed. 
Foresight looked at Turtle, his extended arm dropping slightly. “You couldn’t have told us that earlier?” He asked, his soft spoken demeanor entirely gone for the moment.
“I don’t even know who you are!” Turtle said to him.
“MINDREADER IS WORKING WITH VULTURE!” Cougar yelled. Everyone around him stopped arguing.
“Really?” Peril asked, confused.
“Mmph?” Mindreader asked, also confused.
They all looked at her. Copper was getting less and less sure about this by the minute. Mindreader seemed to think for a moment before apparently understanding something and nodding her head to no one in particular. Foresight removed the loop of rope that acted as a muzzle.
“Your looking for my father, not ME!” She laughed.
“Are you... kidding me?” Copper asked angrily.
Mindreader shook her head. “Oh, I get it now. People get us confused a lot, it’s no big deal. Probably because we have the same name.” 
He heard Tsunami start growling even worse than before behind him. “This is all just a big misunderstanding no need to get violent because we will be leaving now!” Turtle said trying to push Cougar out the door to no avail, even though he was smaller than him.
“Wait a minute. My dad is working with Vulture?” Mindreader asked, the smile dropping from her face.
“Yeah. And he may be a part of another criminal group too. Hard truths.” Copper said, walking out the door and keeping a good distance from Peril, who looked like she was still trying to figure things out.
“You’re seriously just going to leave her tied up!? You’re seriously LEAVING!?!?” Tsunami yelled after the other dragons, who were now going. 
“You are standing right there. And yes.” Copper called back. They left the dragon shivering with rage as they made their way towards the entrance of the school. Turtle kept silently whispering ‘that was terrible’ to himself the whole way.
There was silence until Cougar broke it. “Well, we at least got two things out of this. I finally got to use that sleep syringe thing I bought way back when and we know it’s Mindreader’s father we’re looking for.”  
He touched the bandage around his left eye, perhaps wondering if he could get revenge on two dragons instead of one. Cougar had barely mentioned anything about his punctured eye. He seemed to get around mostly fine. Copper wondered if he was alright.
At that thought, he turned to Barracuda. He kept nearly forgetting she was there… she seemed much quieter than before the explosions. They must have had something to do with it.
As they exited the school, Foresight trying to break the new silence by talking about how he had always wanted to visit the school, Woodpecker joined them. 
“So? What happened? And don’t expect me to use the Enclave to pay your bail money.”
Copper explained the whole thing to him as they flew back towards Sanctuary.
Woodpecker glared at him when he finished.
“So what about you? I know you were talking about going back to the Enclave on the way there. Why?”
Woodpecker laughed deeply. “Nautilus made some big speech about how they were going to catch Vulture, and how they just wouldn’t allow him to do these terrible things in their city. But that was only because he provoked Jade Mountain. Now we have a recall we need to attend.” Woodpecker finished, they he continued once more.
“You should probably come too.” 
“And why is that?” Copper asked.
“Well, now we know Vulture is hiding in our own town. We hired you to find out where he was, because we didn’t expect him to be hiding directly next to us. If they haven’t found him by now, I’d be surprised. I bet he is dead as we speak.”
Copper took in this new information and turned it over in his brain. Woodpecker was right.
Vulture was as good as caught. It was almost time.
=== The Abandoned: 13 ===
(This one is shorter than most, don’t worry!)
They had gotten back to the Enclave. Copper pushed open the large wooden doors on the raised, garden-like area to the main entrance’s left. Copper hadn’t tested it out yet, but he may technically be a wanted criminal. Who knows what that security force told the Talons of Peace.
It reminded him of Fenneck. What could possibly be so important, that you would get rid of both your best source of income and make a new enemy? Whatever it was… well, Copper kinda wanted it to…
They entered the place, which was mostly comprised of long hallways supported with expensive looking wooden beams, and stone rooms connected to said hallways.
He entered the gigantic meeting room, the one where Smolder added Woodpecker to his group, and it was chaos.
Dragons were yelling at each other across the entire room. ‘No, the Talons of Peace were right! Actually, the Enclave was right! We should fight! No we shouldn’t!’
Copper tried to listen in on one conversation but couldn’t. He turned to Woodpecker. He shrugged. “It’s not normally like this. Most of the time it’s really quite plesant.”
Copper looked around again and smiled wryly at the screaming dragons.
“Excuse me!” Smolder yelled, entering the room from the other side. The dragons stopped to listen. Angrily.
“Talons of Peace. I know what you want to do in this situation. But you gave me control over what we do about Vulture. My soldiers, my operation: my choice.”
“You will consult Nautilus about this! He’s threatened to cut your funding, and to be honest, I agree.” Said a grayish green Seawing, standing on a balcony Copper didn’t notice before.
“Then we find it elsewhere. You aren’t our lifeline, Trout. Remember that we are the ones protecting you.” Smolder said, standing his ground.
The Seawing tapped the banister with his talons with a frown, silent.
“Our scout knows the location. We just need to send in a few peacekeepers and-“
“The location of what?” Copper interrupted. It was like he was standing on a stage with how many dragons turned to look at him.
“Vulture’s hideout.” Smolder explained.
So they had done it. They had found him.
“You don’t need to send in anyone, Smolder.”
“Why not?” He asked.
“I’m going in for you.” Copper answered.
His bravery was immediately squashed when a memory rushed into his mind, like a tidal wave. 
“He just owes me some things. That’s all it is, little one.” Said the mean dragon.
Copperhead looked at his father. He didn’t buy it.
His father stared back. “I know how you feel bout it. It’s not my choice.” He lied.
“You told me they were terrible. That I should watch out for them. I remember that.” Copper said.
The mean dragon turned his mocking smile into a glare, turning to his father.
“It was different back then. Sorry.” He said to the mean dragon.
Copper growled at him, and he seemed to realize what he just said. “I mean, you… you, it was different, its different now, because-“ He broke off with a sigh.
The mean dragon leaned toward him, smiling sinisterly at his vacant faced father.
“It’s not different at all.” He whispered into his ear.
His father looked angry for once, instead of just letting the dragon’s taunts continue with no visible feedback.
“What do yah want from me, Vulture?” He asked, apparently fed up.
“Your allegiance. Your life. I want you, because you’re one of the best.” Vulture said, quickly, his eyes cold and dead as steel. “And now that you’ve offered it, you’re either going to give it to me, or I’m going to take it from you. I don’t like to be tempted without payoff. And I don’t like dragons who do that, either. Though, of course, I always do something to them in return.” He added darkly, tilting his head toward Copper with a smile.
“Three moons, fine! I was going to join anyway.” His father snarled.
“Good. Then say goodbye. And if you decide to change your mind… say goodbye.” He said, proud of his hidden threat. He walked out the door of their house, not looking back to see if Copper’s father was following. 
He looked at Copperhead. “You… know I love yah, right? That I’m doing this for you?” He asked.
“It doesn’t seem like it.” Copper said.
Stinger stared at him for a few more seconds, and then without another word went out the door, leaving it open.
It was the last time Copper had seen him.
He followed in his footsteps, though. He didn’t go as far as becoming a member of the Talons of Power, but he did become a hunter. He thought Stinger would’ve been able to quit by now.
He should’ve been able to quit by now, actually. 
But he didn’t.
He was still with Vulture.
And Copper was heading straight for them both.
=== The Stronghold: 14 ===
Smolder had argued, but in the end, he let it happen. Copper didn’t know if it was because he trusted him to get it done, or if he didn’t want to lose any of his group. It was likely the latter, but he didn’t know.
Cougar, Woodpecker, and Barracuda followed him. Turtle had opted to stay behind at the Enclave, to talk to some Icewings who had needed help. Foresight said he had no reason to go against the Talons of Power. He had only assisted them as a friendly favor.
Copper was sure he would be back though. He had a sinking feeling that this wasn’t going to be the last they would hear from the Talons, and therefore would get payed more, most likely. If only for that reason, he’d be back.
He had three goals. Save Tamarin. Kill Vulture. And never encounter his father. He didn’t know if he could deal with seeing him. Maybe even talking to him. Maybe even fighting him.
He was behind the walls of Vulture’s compound. It was an old abandoned Skywing fort just outside the bounds of Sanctuary. Back during the Sandwing war they had hollowed out the walls, for sneak attacks in case the fort was assaulted. Vulture didn’t know about them, because when Copper had seen the secret entrance, it pulled open with cracking cobwebs and a pulled down vine.
For this being Vulture’s new stronghold, it seemed pretty empty. There were only two guards on one of the walls, eating and laughing about some bumbling animal they were watching.
He felt like he was being crushed. Obviously, to keep up his image to the others, he didn’t let it show. He had always hated tight spaces. Copperhead had only gotten used to the alleys of the Scorpion Den a month after he and his father moved their camp there.
He heard them stop behind him, and he wriggled himself around to see what they were doing. Barracuda had found a loose stone and had moved it slightly aside. She shivered when she looked directly below.
Copper pushed her away slightly to get a better look. There was a barrel of Dragonflame cacti just below him. That must’ve been what she hadn’t liked.
Hmm.
He looked upwards to take in the courtyard. The place was pretty much just walls with an old training area, no floor. Just the ground… there must be a downstairs area. Vulture might be using that as the real base. The fort sort of reminded him of a Scavenger castle.
There were a lot more Talons of Power dragons standing around inside here, a few moving crates into a corner. His heart skipped a beat when he realized Vulture was sitting about fifteen feet away, back to a stone shed of some sort. His black skulls strangely contrasted with the sunny field he was sitting in.
“What else was I supposed to do?” He asked, frowning into the Obsidian Mirror, which he was holding in his hands. Copper could see dark colors pacing from side to side on its surface.
“I don’t know? Maybe not kill one of our two hostages?” Came a reply. Copper had been expecting someone a little more sinister. He sounded like a regular, ticked off dragon.
“I needed to deter them. And why do you think I asked Stinger and the others to kidnap two?” Vulture asked.
“Do you really think that she… or Truthspeaker… will like hearing that you killed one of them without permission? And it didn’t even work. That’s called a faliure, Vulture. That makes me look bad too, you know.” He said.
Vulture chuckled.
“Just... just… don’t do it again. Please? And that’s on top of you not getting anyone to kill Shark, too. That was incredibly important. He’s starting to suspect.”
Vulture still simply smiled. “That was Fenneck’s job, not mine.” He said.
So Vulture sent the bounty. Or this… Nightwing, I think?
“Will they see it that way? I certainly don’t.” The strange dragon said.
“It’s under control, Mindreader. Everything is still going according to plan. Now go tell the rest of them, that there is nothing to worry about.”
“Just because you got us back together again doesn’t mean that you are in charge. You weren’t even supposed to be here.” Mindreader sighed. He continued impatiently. “I’ll be there tomorrow. Truthspeaker should be able to sneak out of prision with the lockpick we snuck in. Don’t mess up again. I think you’re useful, but I’m afraid the others don’t. Goodbye.”
Vulture blew smoke on the mirror as he lowered it, his face blank. A Rainwing came up to his side. “It’s gonna be fine, Vulture. I’m still on your side!”
“Shut up Chameleon. I’m thinking.” He said, getting up and walking away, his barbed tail swishing back and forth.
Copper reveled in everything they had learned from that one conversation. Chameleon? Who was that? They wanted to kill Shark? Who was Truthspeaker? Who was getting back together? Why did Vulture seem like a useless minion in comparison to Mindreader? Wait, Mindreader? So they are working together. And who was this ‘she’? She seemed important…
The Rainwing turned and noticed Copper looking through the hole. “Hey! Who are you?” He asked, walking towards him.
There was going to be a fight. There was definitely going to be a fight. He looked around. There was five Sandwings. Two had weapons that he could see. Cougar put his talons on a handle, connected to the bricks to Copperhead’s right. They could easily get into the courtyard that way. He could grab the barrel. There were three guards standing next to the barrels. Chameleon had walked up and stared into the darkness. It must be impossible to tell if there was actually someone looking out at him, with how dark it was.
Just a little closer.
Like he had controlled his mind, Chamelon moved his head a bit closer to look inside, and Copper shanked him in the tip of his eye with his knife. He screamed and jumped away, alerting the other guards. Cougar opened the door, and Copper was already set.
He went out and instantly picked up the barrel of cacti and threw it at the three guards near the crates. He shot a stream of fire after it and it exploded, killing them instantly. He used his momentum of throwing the heavy barrel to slice at Chameleon’s jaw, and he fell to the ground. The other two guards, after getting over their shocked stupor, both let out a stream of flames in Copper’s direction. He ran backwards, using his wings to blow it back so he had enough time. When they stopped to see where he went, Woodpecker stuck his head out of the door and shot his own breath at them. They caught fire, and one flew, throwing off his burning cloak, while the other fell on the ground, convulsing and screaming.
Copper turned to the Rainwing, who was about to get up, but stopped when he saw Copper coming towards him.
“Wait! I can be useful!” Chameleon exclaimed.
Copper stabbed him in the throat.
He pulled it out by slicing it to the left, but Chameleon was already dead, a pool of blood appearing beneath him.
“They would’ve heard that explosion!” Woodpecker said, ripping a spear out of the hands of the burned Talon.
“I know. Lets go and find them before they find us.” As Barracuda came out, one of those Sandwings who were on the wall dropped on top of her. As Copperhead turned a spear came dangerously close to his neck, hitting his chest. It pierced to his rib cage before falling to the grass.
Copper spun, stabbing his tail out at the air, hoping to hit the dragon who had thrown the spear, who would probably fly toward him afterwards. He hit home.
The dragon backed away in the air, growling. Then he boosted himself towards Copper. Copper barely had enough time to catch him. The cloak smacked him in the face as the dragon scratched at his stomach. Copper could barely see what was happening as he dug into the Talon’s neck, spinning him into and accidental choke hold.
He felt him grab for a knife, so Copper quickly moved his talons to one of the Sandwing’s horns, and twisted. After a shivering snap, the dragon collapsed.
Copper looked over at Woodpecker, who shoved the other dragon off him, their stomach ripped open.
Barracuda lay where she was landed on, covered in scratches and holding her arm. “I don’t know… if I’ll be able to help… right now.” She said breathlessly.
Cougar helped Woodpecker to his feet, then rolled his eye. “We have to get down there NOW! Vulture might already be leaving!”
Copper nodded and walked to the place Vulture went towards. He found a wooden door behind a small, square stone building jutting out from the wall.
“Is that exactly safe?” Woodpecker asked, coming over from the charred corpse, after making sure Barracuda could get out of here safely. Presumably back to the Enclave.
Copper opened the door slightly and saw stairs leading down. His claustrophobia returned.
“We should have brought more dragons. That would have been very smart, in my opinion.” Woodpecker said after looking down into the darkness.
“I think that opinion is stupid and we’re better off on our own.” Copper said, walking down. It was like entering catacombs, with how tight and dark and old it was.
The walls quickly turned to dirt, and the only light came from torches in regular intervals along the walls. They walked down the corridor, Copper hating every second of it, until the wall to their left opened up into a long dirt hallway. “This looks like it was added later on. Careful.” Cougar whispered.
They crept down the tunnels, tan, red, and brown shapes ducking under the low ceiling. They eventually found cells burrowed into the right side of the hall. There was a Skywing body left to rot in one, their back and wings showing evidence of whip lashings, to Woodpecker’s dispar. There was nothing else. No one else.
“Where is she?” He wondered out loud. “Hey, Cougar, go a bit farther and find out… Cougar?” Cougar was gone. He felt wind whip past his head.
The room returned to silence. “Cougar?” Woodpecker asked, looking at the spot where he had vanished. Copper saw a lightning fast flash of black and yellow, and suddenly Woody was gone too, the air rushing to fill up the space he had took, his spear he picked up clattering on the ground. 
I’m next. Copper stiffened himself, but in the next moment he was ripped away from where he was standing. Wind whipped past his entire body, pushing his head down with the force. Whatever caught him did a hard 180, and Copperhead got whiplash. It sped down the halls for another two seconds before making a slight turn and abruptly stopping. Copper was launched and rolled about ten times, his body being rocked by the sudden landing on the hard ground, before finally coming to a stop. When he opened his eyes, a smile grew on Vulture’s face, right above him.
“Thanks Marl.” Said that dark blue Seawing from the explosion, who was standing to Vulture’s left
Marl… MARL!?
Copper looked over toward the Sandwing from the ground. They were in some sort of large room. There was a long dining table that had been pushed against a wall, an emergency exit, and about ten guards. And there he was... the one with the blunt face and the Talon attire. It was Marl.
I watched that guy explode! How is this even possible?
Woodpecker and Cougar were standing, next to Marl, looking ready for a fight, though they knew that they should probably wait before starting anything.
“Capricorn. Please bring Chameleon down here.” Vulture commanded, never taking his blank, dark eyes off Copper, who stared back, and was now warily, carefully getting to his feet.
The Seawing, Capricorn, grabbed the middle ring on his necklace, made of silver. Copper wondered where he got that. He knew it could control other dragons, if Marl ‘blowing himself up’ was any example.
Does Vulture have an animus on his side? Why is he working with Vulture?
It would be impossible to defeat Vulture if that dragon was magical. Copper remembered that animus magic still didn’t work in a flash of calmness, and he let out a breath as he realized that even if Capricorn had been an animi, it didn’t matter now.
Capricorn shook the ring once or twice in confusion before looking back to Vulture. “He must be dead.” He said angrily, looking to Copper for the first time since he had seen the Seawing.
“I see you didn’t heed either of my warnings. Well look where you are now. Trapped.” Vulture said. He smiled sinisterly, obviously already planning something. Copper quickly looked around the room. It was big, but definitely the right size for his plan. He reached for a pack he had tied under his wing, and the room instantly filled with shouts and sudden spears pointing toward him.
He stopped dead. “Wow. Really can’t take a peace offering, huh?” 
Every Talons of Power member in the room looked surprised. Vulture’s seriousness shattered as he frowned in befuddlement. “What?” He asked, tilting his head at the out-of-nowhere statement. 
Copper finished untying the bag and held it out to him. Vulture frowned at it and backed away. “I don’t think I exactly trust you enough to take that.” He said, still tense as if the hard leather bag was going to try and eat him.
Copper brought it back to himself, and thought. “Well… good observation, actually.” 
He opened the bag and pulled out a hissing, wriggling Dragonbite Viper.
Vulture recoiled as everyone leaped to attention. Weapons were quickly redrawn and there was quite a few overlapping commands. Copper heard a guard let out a hiss, the sound that happened before a fire attack. Copper quickly held up his other wing and opened a second pack. Inside, it was clear to see there was a Dragonflame cactus. The guard swallowed his flame with a look of shock. 
Cougar quickly drew his knife and held it against Marl’s throat while Woodpecker whipped a satchel off his side and dumped its contents out. Three more cacti rolled to random spots in the room.
“Who’s trapped now?” Copper asked Vulture. “You kill me, viper kills you. You breath fire, we all die. I don’t think you’re that insane.”
“Lower your weapons.” Vulture murmured, backing as far away as physically possible from the snake.
There was a long silence as everyone stared at each other. 
“Tell me where Tamarin is. That’s the first thing I want you to do. Second is stay right there.” Copper was planning for them to use the exit and then blow up the inside of the base using the cacti. So Vulture staying down here with him was probably a good idea… for the moment.
Vulture sighed and seemed to think about answering the question. “I get to go free if I tell you, right?” He asked.
Copper nodded, hoping he wasn’t smiling.
Vulture nudged Capricorn without looking away from the snake. Copper could see sweat. “Let them do it.” He said.
Capricorn growled in annoyance and held up his ring. “Marl, freeze.” He said into it. Copper turned and saw Marl stiffen behind him, looking terrified. He looked a lot more meek than earlier.
“Grab that paper under his necklace.” Capricorn said, any smugness from the bombing completely gone.
Cougar, needing to stretch to reach Marl’s neck, lifted the large gold necklace off his chest. Copper noticed there was a gold ring that had been melded to the chain. From Capricorn, he wondered. There was a small slip of paper that had been tied to it with a string. 
“Please don’t. I need it.” Marl whispered, breathing heavily, tears in his eyes.
Cougar ripped it off anyway, and Marl instantly shrunk. Copper saw a flash of blue and gold before the huge hooded cape completely covered whatever Marl had turned into.
Cougar unrolled the paper after shooting a strange look at Vulture. “Enchant this scroll to turn the wearer into a huge Sandwing with both super strength and super speed named Marl. This form hates Capricorn and is completely loyal to Vulture. It will not listen to anything involving Rainwings. He will reform if killed.” Cougar read.
“You suck Chameleon.” Capricorn said under his breath.
Copper looked to Cougar when he was hit in the back of the head, and he accidentally dropped the viper.
“GO!” Vulture yelled, and his soldiers all ran for the exit.
Copper instinctively sliced at one with his knife, catching his neck, sending him tripping and gurgling to the ground. He looked up and saw that Vulture and Capricorn were already at the tunnel that probably (hopefully) led out of here.
Capricorn ripped off one of his gold rings, the string still trailing from it. He shoved it into a random guard’s talons, who had stopped to see what he wanted. “Keep a hold of that ring no matter what, and breath fire down this corridor for as long as you can!” He screamed into their face.
Copper ran to the exit as fast as he could, narrowly dodging the snake, which had leaped at him. Woodpecker and Cougar had already taken care of three more Talons, and the rest had evacuated. The guard Capricorn had stopped turned and stood, jerky and puppet like, in front of the entrance as if some invisible dragon was moving their body parts to show them how to stand… but it was moving all their limbs at once. It was infinitely creepy to watch.
She seemed surprised that she then let out a stream of fire.
Copper kicked one of the cacti out of the way, not caring about the needles that stabbed him. He ducked under the flames just before they hit him. He crawled on his back away from the cone of death and threw the cacti in his own bag to the opposite end of the room.
Woodpecker kept to the walls and snuck into the exit, right past her. Thank the Moons that Capricorn hadn’t told her to aim for them.
Copper ducked under the attack as he went over to the dragon under Marl’s cape. He lifted it off and found a blue Rainwing laying there, almost peacefully sleeping. He picked her up, and Copper and Cougar did the same as Woodpecker to get past the blockade of fire. Copper noticed the Sandwing’s throat looked red hot by the time he squeezed past her. So the gold rings are what controls them. He heard a yell as he went up the twisting tunnel, and he barely had enough time to see the snake bite down into the dragon’s shoulder before turning a corner.
He came out to open air. The sun beat down now, it was perfectly midday, and he was outside the fort on a hill. He saw dragons scattering in every direction around him. 
Vulture got away.
But he had done his job. He had done some real good. He carefully set Tamarin down on the grass. Looking at her just made him even more angry that he hadn’t been able to save Pronghorn. 
He narrowed his eyes. 
Why? It’s not like I’m losing out on anything.
The wind blew, and he heard the swish of a cape above and behind him. He whirled around and saw a hooded Sandwing duck behind a taller part of the wall. He recognized something under their eye before they disappeared. A scar.
Father… 
///
They were back at the Encalve. Tamarin had been taken somewhere by two members. Probably somewhere to check injuries. He remembered someone had called a place like that a ‘hospital’ once. There wasn’t anything called a hospital in the Scorpion Den.
Smolder congratulated him in the meeting room, which had emptied since the morning. “I will send some dragons out to find Vulture, don’t worry about not having finished the job or anything. I guess that this will be our last meeting, huh?” He asked, a large grin on his face. He sat before the fireplace, which Copper still didn’t understand.
Smolder got up and walked through the nearest open door. Copper followed, feeling strangely… empty.
He had technically finished the job. He and Cougar were getting payed. What was missing?
After wandering the halls, Smolder opened up room. It looked like his office… and home. There was a desk, a shelf he must sleep on, and a few more decorations. There were three overstuffed bags in the corner. “All yours, Copperhead. Thank you.”
Copper stared at the bags. “Uh. I think that Vulture had… more, to his plan, actually. I’m pretty sure that he wasn’t the only one in on it either.”
Smolder looked at him and almost frowned. “So… what? You aren’t taking the money?”
“I-I, I mean… yeah, but… I don’t really know how to put it. I guess I just want to help?” He said slowly.
“So you want revenge?” Smolder asked.
“I… yes. But it’s, you know, it’s more than that.” Copper said.
Smolder smiled warmly after a moment. He turned and walked out of the room, but not before putting something in Copper’s talons. It was little shield token, made from marble. There was a perfectly cut sapphire in the center. The word ‘Enclave’ was imbedded above it.
Copper turned it around in his talons a few times, and chuckled softly.
=== Epilogue... ===
“You... idiot. You lost our only leverage, and made yourself look like a fool in the process.” Mindreader said, pacing in front of Vulture. He was all dark, if he flew into a storm, you would never find him. He wore a dark bandage over his left arm, barely noticeable. 
They were in a room Vulture remembered very well. It was made of stone bricks, and it was quite tall. Candles on metal plates were above him, chains connecting them to the ceiling. Moonlight filtered through fourteen rectangular windows on the wall to his right. There were a couple steps onto a platform beneath said wall, with a desk. 
He sat on a huge brown rug, watching Mindreader as he angrily walked back and fourth, a shelf behind him.
“It was your plan to kidnap the dragonets in the first place.” Vulture said with a shrug.
“Yes. It was. Secretly, Vulture, secretly. It was supposed to be a plan B in case things went south. There were too many chances of us being found out over at Jade Mountain, with their peace pledges and ties to Sanctuary, even your own grandson. Who just so happens to be as annoying as you. Getting Onyx onto the throne was another thing you just... failed at. That was supposed to be done before you sent the message to everyone else, and guess what Vulture?”
“What?” Vulture asked, humoring him.
“It was meant to be done... secretly. But no, throw subtlety out the window, I guess.”
Vulture growled at him, and so did the other Sandwings in the room. His own Talons.
“You should be honestly be thankful we aren’t killing you now.” Said a deep voice from behind him. He turned to see Truthspeaker enter through a dark wooden door. He had nearly glowing scarlet wings, and bloodred scales along his arms and underbelly. His tounge licked his yellowish teeth as he shot Vulture a silent snarl.
Vulture chuckled at the Nightwing’s entrance. “So this is Truthspeaker. Leader of your own little group, eh?”
The old dragon’s eyes widened and he suddenly charged with a howl. He knocked Vulture to the ground before he could react. He grabbed his throat, instantly drawing blood. His blue eyes schorched into Vulture’s black ones.
“You will not mock me! Do you understand!?” Truthspeaker roared, wisps of flame flying out of his mouth.
“Yes.” Vulture sputtered, still shocked. It seemed as if his soldiers had been petrified with their stillness. He just… did it. No planning. No guards. 
Truthspeaker bared his teeth, and eventually let go of his neck. Vulture realized he hadn’t been able to breath. Truthspeaker looked to the ceiling and swallowed, and smoke poured out of his nostrils. He looked back down to Vulture, suddenly seeming five times bigger. 
“And besides, you stole the name from me. Just because it was smaller than your crowd of Sandwings does not mean I wouldn’t crush you before they got to me. I hope I’ve made myself clear. No more second chances. If I hear anything like that moronic degrading description again I’ll kill you.” He said. Vulture nodded, crawling away before getting up, his head low in shame. His talons itched to pull out his sword, but he knew better than that. Perhaps… one day, though. Yes. One day.
 
“Now, forget Vulture. I never want any of you to think of him as your leader ever again. He is the same as all the rest of you now.” Truthspeaker said, impatiently and quickly, taking charge as soon as he entered. He radiated an aura of authority. Mindreader watched from the room’s shadows, smiling at Truthspeaker’s quick takeover.
Truthspeaker turned to the other Sandwings, who were sitting in silence, waiting to see what he would say. The dark blue shape of Capricorn lay tucked in the corner, watching it all with those scheming green eyes of his, his jaw resting on his claws. 
“I think it’s time you joined my group. The first Talons, that Vulture ever so helpfully suggested should get back together. With a letter, of all things. The other members should have received the message by now. They will be with us soon.”
Truthspeaker raised him head high, the light of the moons reflecting off his scales, giving him an ethereal glow.
“Sandwings, you will act as my underlings from this point forward. If you have any qualms about that, you can take it up with the bottom of the sea.” He gestured out the huge windows, to the inky blackness of the night waves. The metallic glint of chains that were laying on the desk were almost impossible not to notice when Truthspeaker announced his warning.
“Every last one of you has been serving under a false lord since the very beginning. As of now though, you will serve us. And you will be a part of the real Talons of Power.”
== PART 2: GAME OF LIVES ==
=== Prologue... ===
Two years ago…
A long wooden arrow, it’s tip steel and sharpened, slammed into the Seawing’s chest. A deep red spray of blood shot out as they collapsed.
Harbor was tense, shaking as he watched his mother fall to the floor. She landed next to the corpse of his father.
This was supposed to have been a family visit. It should have been a vacation… a time off, for being happy. Swimming in the sea, going looking for shells near the beach with his brother. Not this.
The Seawing, light blue, with strangely familiar patterns on his wings, lowered the bow and handed it back to one of the dragons in the room. An angry looking Icewing. 
His parents’ murderer frowned, and turned to the third of the four who had broken in. A tan Sandwing.
“Go find the other one, the brother.” The Seawing said. The Sandwing nodded and went to search the rest of the dark house, her footsteps eerily echoing down the silent halls. 
“You’re sure you saw him, Gellis?” The Seawing added, to the Icewing this time.
“Yes. Yesterday, when you sent me. He was sneaking food somewhere. To the hybrid, most likely. Same as the description you gave me.” Gellis said, with a brief and biting accent. His spines jingled as he put the bow onto his back, somehow connecting to a brown shawl draped over his shoulders.
Harbor realized what the Seawing’s order had meant. That dragon was looking for his brother, a Seawing himself. He almost raised himself before remembering there was a Nightwing on top of him, the fourth and final intruder, and a chain wrapped around his neck. Last time he had tried speaking it tightened. But he had no choice.
“He doesn’t know anything. I’m sure! Don’t kill him too! We don’t know anything about this... this hybrid you’re talking about! Please.” Harbor begged.
The chains tightened once again. “Shut up.” The Nightwing above him said, his voice hoarse. He had a long, flowing cloak that Harbor could feel on his tail.
The Seawing... who seemed only a bit older than him, really... acknowledged him. Harbor’s heart stopped when he actually turned to look at him.
“Are you sure?” He asked. Harbor heard the Nightwing growl under his breath. The cloaked dragon was obviously hired to do this. The undertones of hate emanating from him were... quite noticeable.
Harbor nodded slowly in response to the question, hoping he wasn’t making a wrong choice.
The Icewing grabbed his jaw suddenly and forcefully turned Harbor’s head to him, Gellis’s serrated claws digging in painfully. “You had better be telling the truth. You just bet your life on that.” He said. He let go and Harbor’s head snapped back to the cold floor.
I should’ve stayed at Jade Mountain. I really should’ve stayed at Jade Mountain.
Harbor was on the verge of tears when the Sandwing dragged his brother Foam in. She threw him to the ground, her sharp claws holding his head against the wood. Gellis’s side eye was scarily noticeable.
“Found em, Glass.” The sand dragon announced.
The Seawing, Glass, apparently, walked in front of Foam and lowered his head, almost as if he was trying to seem less threatening. “I don’t want to hurt you. Really. But my companions, not so much.”
“You killed them.” Foam whispered, his voice cracking, looking toward the bodies.
“I did. But you could have a long life ahead of you that I would rather not take. I don’t usually enjoy having to drop so low as to kill someone, especially a dragonet. But, this is a very special occasion. Where is the hybrid?” He asked softly.
“...Will you hurt him?” Foam asked. Harbor’s bones felt like they turned to steel. He forced himself not to look to the Icewing.
“No. As long as he tells me what I need to know. That goes for you too. Where?” He asked again, sounding serious. He hadn’t blinked once since he started the questions.
“He’s.. he’s in a hidden room. It was a hiding place in the war.”
Glass snarled. “I don’t care. WHERE!?” He roared.
Foam yelped and pointed down a hall. “You can push it... the wall...” He said.
Harbor closed his eyes as the Sandwing stalked down the corridor, switching her captive with Glass, who put a small knife to the back of Foam’s neck. Paintings of the sea were hung in that hallway. By his father. Who was dead on the floor next to him. If Foam was telling the truth he just sentenced him to death.
He heard the scrabble of claws and a loud bang. He opened his eyes into watery slits and saw she was dragging a white shape behind her that he couldn’t make out through the tears, a line of red running from what seemed to be their head.
“Good. Tie him up. We’ll take him to that place you mentioned.” Glass said. He flicked his ear at Gellis.
“You hear what I said, boss?” He asked. Glass nodded.
Harbor saw a morose sneer through the wet blur. “Slymind, do your job. I will end the other myself.”
“Wait! Please! I have friends, I have a school! It’s Jade Mountain, I can’t just-... please don’t do this!“
The Nightwing tightened the chains with a jerk, and a gruesome, wet crunching sound came from Harbor’s neck a moment before his life was ripped from his body and taken away.
=== The Name: 15 ===
Windrider.
Windrider.
Windrider.
Windrider.
Windrider.
He came to. He couldn’t see anything. His talons were chained above his head, shackles on his wrists.
My name is Windrider. The thought instantly came to his head. 
That was it. He didn’t know who he was. There were dragons talking.
“I swear, that’s it. There’s nothing that… explains anything. No names, no places... no memories. At least Gellis definitely found the right one, right?” A female voice said.
“Then how does he know what he looks like? How does he know what an Icewing is? How does he know what a Nightwing is?” Came a second, authoritative sounding dragon.
“I don’t know. The complexity of it… it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
“Idiot. That isn’t possible. There has to be some sort of-“ 
There was a silence. “What?” Came the first voice.
“He’s awake.”
Suddenly Windrider could see again, but only barely. A Nightwing and Seawing looked down upon him. The Nightwing was black as tar, and she was ghastly thin, and the Seawing was light blue, holding a blindfold. Just then, he realized where he was. The situation he was in.
The shackles were connected to a chain hanging from the ceiling. He had a muzzle on. They seemed to be in a basement of some sort, sweltering heat was all around him, and there were storage boxes and barrels laying around. There was another Nightwing leaning against a large crate in the darkness, sharpening a long, curved knife, the sparks dimly lighting up his threatening stature. A briefcase lay next to him.
The Seawing tilted his head and dropped the cloth. “So. Windrider. We want to know some things.” The Seawing said. He turned to the Nightwing next to him. “Try it again. Maybe it didn’t work when he was out.”
She turned to Windrider and narrowed her eyes in concentration. She had silver, tear like scales next to them. A long moment of silence passed.
“Nothing. Only Windrider, which has to be his name, obviously. I don’t know if the dragonet doesn’t remember anything, or if he has some sort of mental block.”
“A mental block wouldn’t be a problem.” The Nightwing in the darkness rumbled, the sparks stopping. His voice was so hoarse it was obvious he barely ever spoke.
“We’re not going to such drastic measures yet Slymind. Know your place.” The Seawing ordered.
Slymind turned to award him with a cold, deadly stare. “If you want to keep your tongue, never say that again.” He said harshly, prolonging his open mouth to show his teeth. He turned back to what he was doing, and the sparks flew once more.
The Seawing shook his head with an annoyed look. He seemed young… surprisingly young. Windrider realized he was young as well. He couldn’t be more than five, by his size.
“If it is a mental block, he will be telling us what he knows, not choking it out with a gallon of blood. You already killed one kid today, isn’t that enough?” The Seawing asked. He turned to Windrider. “I’m going to take this off now. Don’t try anything.” He added. He removed the iron muzzle with a click and it dropped to the floor.
Windrider got a sudden urge to blast them with fire, but decided against it.
The Seawing asked him the same question over and over again. He changed it, and a couple were more in depth than others, but there was one chief piece of knowledge he wanted to know. Where Windrider’s mother was.
Windrider gave the same answer over and over again as well. 
“I don’t remember.”
Eventually, the Seawing grew tired, and seemed to give up, his head hanging low. The sparks behind him stopped.
Slymind picked up his briefcase and walked over. The Seawing didn’t stop him. He set it on a crate, and with a nearly unnoticeable grin, opened it.
///
Fenneck walked across the sands, followed by two other bounty hunters. He sat down and opened a sack he had carried on his back, and the other Sandwings stopped as well. He threw the bag to one of them and scratched at his iron rings. He had had them imbedded into his face just a few days ago, and they were painful still, but worth it. 
Intimidation was worth everything in the Scorpion Den. If you could scare off pickpockets and muggers without a conflict, then you just made the place ten times safer.
He and his boys were now headed back there, the only place they were safe from those stupid Outclaw patrols. Most didn’t check in that area because they thought it would be idiotic for their enemies, working right under their nose and all. But it was actually one of the few places that was a perfect hiding spot, especially with the Talons of Power gone.
When a dragon is looking all around, they don’t think to look down.
As the other two settled down to eat some of the dried food from within the bag, Fenenck noticed something on the horizon. A shape slowly got bigger and bigger, until a falcon landed on Fennecks now raised gauntlet. It was leather with iron locks on the straps, and sharpened steel claws. Those were designed specifically for his hunts.
“What is it Dusk?” He asked the bird, bringing in his left hand so he could look at it face to face. Dusk put his talons on two specific iron pins. Fenneck chuckled.
“He found somebody, guys. All by their lonesome.” Fenneck said.
The other Sandwings put their lunch away, and smiled at the news of easy pickings. They flew off towards where they had come from. The dunes stretched on as far as they could see.
Then Fenneck spotted a white shape barely crawling along in the distance. Miserably dragging itself, as slow as the shifting sands.
They landed next to the broken and battered… white Nightwing? Must be a hybrid. The little dragonet was covered in slices, and looked up at them with barely open eyes from the ground. One of Fenneck’s hunters unsheathed his broadsword from his side, but Fenneck put his talons in front of the Sandwing, without looking away from the hybrid. “Ah… wait...” he said, inspecting the dragonet a little more. Dusk landed and settled on his outstretched arm. 
Fenneck leaned back with a satisfied smile. “No, my friends. We ain’t killing him. I think we just found a very... very... special surprise.”
Fenneck touched a very specific spot on the hybrid’s neck with his talon as the dragon passed out. The other two laughed in realization.
”A very, very special surprise indeed.”
=== The Assassin: 16 ===
Two years later, we are almost back in the present… right now, we are right a day or two before Copperhead woke up from the bombing of the Oasis Town…
Windrider sat on the stone, looking into the sky. Blue, with specks of orange from the lowering sun. Not quite sunset yet, but soon. He got a much different feeling watching it from here, on this gigantic height surrounded by green and grays and the light of torches… the drab, never ending dunes of the desert was his usual view.
A chill wind blew past him, and he loved it.
Usually the only wind he was around was dry, and hot. With sand that got into your eyes. This wind was crisp. It was a welcome change, really, because it had almost never been this way.
The first half of his life had been made up of three things: Darkness, pain, and secrets.
The first thing he remembered was a blinding snowstorm, then darkness. When he woke, darkness. A safe, little, dark room, with food and water sometimes. A voice saying he was going to be ok. This darkness lasted for quite a while, until it melted into pain. 
A sharp crack on the side of his head into more darkness. Then more pain, slices and hits and spiked chains and that Nightwing’s sociopathic grin behind it all. Asking things he didn’t know the answers to.
And so, he decided that those answers were secrets.
Even now, there were still secrets…
He was sitting on a large balcony-esc stone square jutting out from a cliff face. Burrowed inside and rising above it was a huge stone building situated at the edge of the Sky Kingdom. Or at least, the city part of the Sky Kingdom. At the highest peak was Ruby’s castle, the old arena still slightly threatening. There was a large circular tower rising from the castle that he heard was used as one of those strange, ritualistic areas, where queen’s ashes would be released at the apex after being offered to the sky.
He heard a large wooden door slam behind him. 
“Idiots!” Fenneck yelled at the door, which Windrider heard lock with a heavy clank. He tapped his talons, their iron tips on his leather gauntlet clicking on the stone.
“What was that all about?” Windrider asked, turning.
Fenneck growled at the closed door one last time before coming to stand at the edge with him. “Those fools didn’t wanna join me in my little meeting. Ain’t gonna need them anyways. Just means more for us.” He said. Windrider didn’t understand what that meant.
He looked to the left a moment before continuing. “How about we get out of here, before they see an albino Nightwing loitering outside their guardhouse.”
As they took off, turning away from the view and going into the huge Skywing city, Windrider wondered what Fenneck was here for. But then again, he never knew. Fenneck had never told him… even one thing about his job, and his ‘group’ that he constantly mentioned. Windrider had thought of sneaking after him to see what he did and where he went for a week or more, at times, by didn’t want to get in trouble. 
When Fenneck saved him from dying in the desert, after being deserted by those horrible dragons who had taken him away from his safe, chilly room, he brought him back to the Scorpion Den. That disgusting, hot, evil place, with thugs and mercenaries and assassins and thieves around every corner. Windrider grimaced just thinking about it, and Fenneck instinctively snarled at him.
Fenneck. Hmm.
Fenneck hadn’t been the best parent he could’ve asked for, but he was much better than some of the murderers roaming the sands of the desert.
But why? Why did he save me at all? 
Fenneck had always seemed preoccupied, and he never wanted to talk, or stay with him… ever. But he did drag him along whenever he left to go somewhere that wasn’t in the desert.
He blinked hard as they flew through the tall towers, a few dark shapes in the distance, by themselves or in formations.
“So. Fenneck. Do you want to tell me why were here now?”
Fenneck gave the same answer he always did. “Are you a moron, boy?” Windrider shook his head, knowing where Fenneck was going with this. 
Fenneck looked over at him, his barbed tail slightly curling as they flew through a low cloud. “Then ya know I ain’t telling you. We just need to… get this over with, and we’ll head back to the Den.”
Windrider did a small twirl as he dodged a large, crumbling pillar. “Do we always need to head back to the Den?” He asked, mimicking his rough voice. “Couldn’t we settle down somewhere where we don’t have to squeeze through crowded streets full of stingers every day? And maybe it could be a little less hot?”
Fenneck rolled his eyes. “What you want doesn’t matter to me.” He said, as he landed in a large, open field. Surrounding them were gigantic structures, even a Shoreline Steel building, with a couple of windows splattered across the walls of the smaller houses… houses that were made of more stone. The Skywings seemed to love their stone.
He looked down from the impressive buildings and couldn’t stop himself in time before he crashed into a large basket of apples, that was next to a wooden stall connnected to one of the homes.
Fenneck had stopped walking through the grassy field to watch him pick them up.
“Throw me one.” Fenneck said. Windrider obeyed. He didn’t like stealing, which Fenneck was seemingly ashamed of. He took a large bite, the rings embedded in his face glinting in the dying light, as he knocked on a wooden door.
When the knock was returned from the other side, he put his talons on the handle, then stopped for a moment. “Don’t move from that spot till I come back, you hear?” He asked. He didn’t wait for an answer as he entered.
Windrider sat, unhappy to have been dumped outside for the time. He leaned toward the door and listened. He heard Fenneck speaking. 
“This ain’t working. I say something… and he just does not listen sometimes. The boy’s curiosity is crazy. I’m not sure what he’ll do if he does have it.”
Windrider wondered what he meant. What was it? Windrider himself may have it? So many questions and so little answers.
He didn’t particularly enjoy the fact that it sounded like Fenneck wanted to use him for something. 
Windrider noticed an orange shape shooting through the air above him. He took a closer look and saw it was a Skywing bolting towards somewhere. He traced the way they came, and saw the tip of a huge, cathedral like building above some houses.
Just a peek. Fenneck wouldn’t care if I looked for one second. I wonder what he’s doing in there anyways…
He flew directly up into the air. He hovered there, trying to make out what he was seeing. Dragons moving, looking like bees in a hive from here. Just an inch closer wouldn’t hurt.
He decided to abandon all self constraint and boosted himself closer to see what was happening.
The details were clearer up close. And they were bad.
There were Skywings rushing around on the large courtyard in front of the giant building. A few were taking off and going in different directions. There was a Skywing laying on the ground, wreathed in silver and jewels. Their throat had been slit, blood turning the grass red. And a green and red Skywing that was disappearing into an alley.
Wait.
Windrider went after the dragon, ducking into the long, compressing alleyway. He landed when he realized the Skywing was only a few feet away. Piercing green eyes stared at him from under a grey hood that wound down her neck and legs and covered her snout. She was poised to run, but still stood. He wondered how he could get her to any authorities without attacking her. But his train of thought was too slow, and by the time he had recovered from dodging a blood soaked kukri, she was gone.
=== The Meeting: 17 ===
Except for the first new one introduced, there are a lot of new dragons in this chapter, so don’t worry if they’re pretty basic. They aren’t super important.
Windrider stared at the spot where the dragon had disappeared. 
Fenneck landed behind him and pulled him behind the corner of the alleyway. Windrider heard shouts and wing beats from where he came. Fenneck glanced around the wall, before hiding his head again. “What were you thinking? Now I’m probably gonna be a suspect… or, you, I meant you will be a suspect. I told you to stay!” He whispered.
“I had to see what was happening! And I couldn’t just let her just get away.”
Fenneck sighed. “Well, ya did.”
Windrider lowered his head as Fenneck stalked along the wall, his stealth almost comedic as Windrider casually walked alongside him in the orange sunset.
“Huh. Still day. Not the best time for an assassination, I would say.”
Fenneck only grunted in response.
“Well, that’s life, I guess. We can worry about it later.”
“How bout never.” Fenneck said.
Windrider stopped and thought before continuing. “Why do you always get so tense around guards?” He wondered as he flicked his tail.
“No more questions. I don’t like answering your stupid questions. You’re going to learn some things today, ain’t that enough?” Fenneck muttered.
Windrider paused again. He couldn’t even feel excited. There was just one too many times that Fenneck withheld VALUBLE information that the prospect of knowing any of it felt stale.
Fenneck looked up to the sky suddenly and growled at an animal, masked by the sun. “About time, bird!” He snarled through gritted teeth at his falcon, Dusk.
A pale Sandwing landed next to him, flicking her long tail. 
Fenneck narrowed his eyes at her as Dusk landed on the side of the rooftop above. “You too, eh? What were you doing that took you so long?”
“Just had to talk with someone before I left.” Serval said. She was a new recruit to Fenneck’s secret little group, but she had know Windrider for quite a bit longer than that.
He shook his head, the light strangely catching on his jaw rings. He continued sidleing along the walls as Windrider and Serval fell back a bit.
“Hi.” Windrider greeted.
“Hi, Nightwing.” Serval murmured. She was a little older than him, and kinda quiet. He didn’t know much else.
Obviously.
“Nice lie, by the way. It doesn’t take an extra hour to talk to someone.” He whispered.
“It did, actually. I volunteered to come so I could tell you.” She said.
He smiled. “Always looking for some new knowledge. Shoot.”
“You might be in danger.” She said plainly.
Windrider narrowed his eyes when Fenneck finally stopped sneaking around and took one last, long look around them, standing under the shadow of a huge tower. “I think we’re good. Lets move or we’ll be late, and I ain’t gonna be late.”
“What kind of danger?” He asked quickly.
“LETS GO!” Fenneck yelled, already a small distance away in the sky. Serval anxiously shook her head in a way to say I’ll tell you later and followed.
Windrider started to worry.
///
They arrived at a huge wooden tavern like building on the fringes of the main city. The farther towards the edges they went, the more wood popped up and they seemed to get lower. It was surrounded by red flowers and had a triangular roof. 
They entered, the door creaking behind them. The dying light showed the large amount of dust in the air. A large Skywing turned to them from behind a desk, quickly hiding something. There were pots on shelves and a few flowers growing near the empty windows.
“Ah. Hello. What would you like?” She asked, in a gravely voice.
“I’m here for the meeting.” Fenneck said.
She smiled meanacingly before leaning down and pulling a small rug aside, setting down what she had hidden in her talons beneath the counter. A sword. She opened up a trapdoor that had been under the carpet.
“They’re all waiting for you. Good luck. And don’t bring any fighting up here, either.” She warned, before walking around to a back room to tend to some flowers.
They walked down a small dirt tunnel into darkness.
They went down, down, down, Fenneck in the lead, for about a full minute until it flattened out into a earthen hall. Windrider saw a worm burrow out of the floor as they walked. 
I wonder why Fenneck brought me here. He doesn’t want to leave me far away, but he doesn’t want to give up any of his secrets. But now I get to know some things? He mentioned that earlier… everything is very strange today…
Is this what Serval meant by ‘danger’?
Before he could worry again, the tunnel turned, and he saw someone sitting on the ground in a widened out part of it, in front of a wooden door with an iron frame.
“And here they are.” The sitting dragon, a Nightwing, said in possibly the most cynical voice Windrider had ever heard.
“I got here as quick as I could, Mindreader. It was her fault.” Fenneck said, pointing at Serval, who ducked her head.
Mindreader regarded her with an amused smile for a moment. “Sure. Let’s go with that, Fenneck. But it’s fine. You do you. I can wait.” He said calmly. The Nightwing’s voice held no malice. No evil intent. It was suprising, compared to most people Fenneck introduced him too.
Fenneck growled at him. Mindreader chuckled as he put his talons on the door. “That’s brave of you. I respect that.” He declared, pushing it open.
It was a huge room that had been dug out of the ground, a long table in the middle. There were six dragons sitting next to it, one leaning against the wall.
Windrider froze.
He knew these dragons.
From books.
That was Rust the Red! She was the most notorious organized crime leader in the Mud Kingdom! And… he couldn’t tell exactly who was behind the hood and silver jewelry, but he knew those light blue and grey scales. It was probably Kefriza, a well known assassin from the City of Frost. She had never failed. Not once! Nimbus the Skywing was writing something on a scroll, probably to one of the many weapon dealers he controlled.
And that was Vulture. The leader of the Talons of Power himself. The black skulls tattooed underneath his flowing cloak were a constant reminder of his status, as was the gigantic bodygaurd leaned on the wall behind him.
A criminal of every tribe was here, seven of them, if Mindreader was one. 
Then he realized they were all actually here, in the scales. That he was standing a few feet away. Any excitement about the prospect of questions died with a whimper.
The Rainwing noticed them by the door and flicked his tail at the hooded Icewing. Their movements drew the attention of the rest of them, and Windrider tried to look harmless behind Fenneck, who came a step closer.
Rust snarled.
Windrider saw Vulture’s black eyes harden at the sight of Fenneck. Or at the sight of competition?
“You brought it, right?” Nimbus asked, finally looking up from his scroll, if just for a moment. He was covered in straps and pouches. He was reminded of blood when he saw his scales, and wondered for a moment if that was just his perception or reality.
“Him, yes, h-him. I brought em. Of course.” Fenneck muttrered, lowering his head.
“What if you use the dragon to kill us all? Did none of you think of that?” The Rainwing asked, looking around. Rust snarled again.
Mindreader just watched them talk, a look of quiet entertainment on his face before interrupting.
“Guys-… friends. Let’s focus. On the reason we woke up this morning?” Mindreader asked, tilting his head with a grin.
Every dragon in the room turned to look at Windrider. Another way of saying that was a few of the most dangerous criminals on Phyrria turned to look at Windrider. Vulture finally seemed to become interested in the situation.
Windrider took a deep breath.
“Check again.” Vulture whispered, his dark eyes covetous.
Fenneck grabbed Windrider’s jaw and pointed at something on his neck. They all looked anxious now.
“What’s there?” He asked.
“The mark.” The greenish Seawing of the group said.
“I have a mark?” Windrider repeated. A shiney piece of steel was thrust in front of him, and he saw himself for the first time. It took him a moment to realize that. He took a shocked second to see what he actually looked like (His appearance was definitely NOT equal to his expectations) before studying the mark on the left side of his neck, under his chin.
It was a small change in color on his scales, in the shape of an X, but with a longer… center? Like seeing a dragon stretch from above.
“That’s the mark of a royal, directly connected to an animus dragon.” Nimbus said from across the room.
Windrider ignored the mirror as he took in this revelation. But he doubted it for a moment. “I thought that there hasn’t been an animus Nightwing in ages?”
“There have in the Icewing tribe.” Kefriza remarked, her pride a burning torch in the small dirt room.
He was finally learning things! All this information hit him like a mountain falling on him. It was so much in such a short period of time! He was a hybrid!?
No wonder he had always despised the desert, being half Icewing and all! He wondered how his parents had met in the first pla-
And Fenneck had kept him in the desert.
He must have known he was half Icewing.
And he did it anyways.
His foster father suddenly didn’t seem as perfect as he always made himself out to be.
“I heard that animi come from the royal bloodline, right? Am I prince or something?” He asked dreamily, momentarily forgetting he was surrounded by barnacle-licking murderers and thieves.
“You’d be a… a d-duke or something, not a… a prince…” Fenneck muttered, his voice low… was that jealousy? Wow.
“You’re a part of the royal family in some way, but no one here really cares about your standing. No one will ever care about your standing. All that matters is this.” Nimbus explained. He pulled out a small logbook out of one of the many satchels on his body and dropped it on the table.
“Make it float.” He snapped.
Windrider stared at it, wondering what was supposed to happen. Then he narrowed his eyes. “Uh, you don’t think I’m an animus, right? Because I’m not. Sorry.”
He could feel Fenneck’s eyes suddenly rip into his scales. “Excuse me? You’ve had all this time to practice, boy. You’re of the age all the others I’ve heard about did it. So do it.”
“I can’t. I don’t think that you can really practice it, I’m pretty sure it just happens. I don’t think I have magic at all.” Windrider said, casting a wary look at the other dragons in the room.
“You promised us you would deliver.” Nimbus warned. Rust nodded in agreement.
“I did, I did. I-It’s probably just cuz he’s stupid and can’t remember anything before the desert. Just do it.” He added, turning back to Windrider with pleading eyes.
“I don’t think I can.” Windrider said miserably
”You promised us results!” Rust roared.
Windrider tried stammering something, but it was no use.
“Do SOMETHING. ANYTHING! Turn it into a fireball for all I care! ANYTHING!” Fenneck screeched.
After another moment of shocked inactivity from Windrider, Fenneck pushed him against a wall and raised his stinger.
As Windrider ducked in fear, Fenneck immediately stopped, a glow lighting up his side. He sheepishly turned towards four flames emanating from four mouths. 
As the fires faded, Mindreader sidled up to him and whispered loudly into his ear, obviously trying to be heard.
“Try not to hurt the dragon… that could potentially give us infinite magical power... please.” He said slowly, the first time he said anything without that smug little smirk. 
It was a chilling warning not to see a smile on that Nightwing’s face.
Mindreader’s calmness slowly returned, and he sat down next to him and continued like he hadn’t just threatened to kill him with a blast of fire. 
“Try actually teaching him, like we told you to the first time. And if that still doesn’t work, Plan B.” He turned to the others to get their verdict on his suggestion, and they seemed to agree. 
Fenneck wordlessly backed away, and then went back up the tunnel, Serval awkwardly following behind still looking strangely at Windrider as if she had more she needed to tell him. 
As they left, Vulture yelled something after them. “You know what you have to do, Fenneck!”
Windrider cautiously crept nearer to the tunnel before talons on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around and saw Mindreader duck his head in a little closer.
“Careful, kid.” He taunted, before giving him a clap on the back and returning to his allies to talk about something in heavy whispers.
Windrider slowly nodded to nobody, and went back up the tunnel lost in his own thoughts.
=== The Freedom: 18 ===
Sun.
Desert.
More desert, more sun for a half-Icewing to live in their whole life in.
More suffering.
Windrider sighed when he saw the dull colors came into view in the distance. At least he knew some things now…
·     He was a hybrid, and that sucks in this desert.
·       He was a royal, but no one cares.
·       He was magical… question mark?
·       And something bad was going to happen.
That last point obviously included Serval’s warning. But what he was mostly worried about was that meeting. He could use some common sense to understand that a group of criminals, that would normally be ripping each other apart if they were that close, wasting a whole day to come and meet some dragonet wasn’t a good sign.
They wanted to use him for power. Or as Mindreader put it, infinite power.
Could Mindreader even read minds?
Maybe the day hadn’t been as productive in the answers department as he had thought…
///
When they got back, it was already dark. Fenneck tried to get him to use his ‘magic’ again… angrily. No results.
The next day passed like mirage, a blur of shouted orders, make that float Windrider, make that change color Windrider.
No results.
After every faliure, he could only think of one thing.
Plan B. 
Then Fenneck told him about his job. He said he was forced to, an agreement made with those at the meeting. 
That was the end of the line.
He was just like all those dragons Windrider had tried to avoid.
He was a bounty hunter. A murderer.
He had silently walked away as soon as he said it. Fenneck didn’t stop him, and he didn’t even seem mad. 
He lay on his bedroll, thinking. Going over everything and turning it around. What did those looks mean? What did Vulture have to do with it? What did any of them have to do with it? Was it just about magic, or something else? Why had he never heard of Mindreader in the stories? 
And should he run from his deceitful, outlaw foster parent now, or stay?
He breathed and looked around his small room. Clay walls, sand floor. A desk, a closet, a chest. That was all, a quaint little box in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by murderous dragons and blistering sands. Fenneck didn’t trust him enough to provide anything else and didn’t like him enough to give anything else.
At some point, he slept. 
///
“Windrider!”
Serval shook him awake. Windrider blinked his eyes open with a small smile, but he let it drop to a confused frown when he saw Seval opening his desk. He rolled off his bedroll and stood. Serval flipped through its contents before throwing some of it onto the ground.
It was still night. It hadn’t been more than a few hours since he had fallen asleep.
“Hey. Those are sort of my personal items you’re going through, you know.” Windrider said jokingly as he walked over, after stretching. Trying to keep a light mood, as usual.
“Shh.” Serval whispered, before angrily ripping the drawer out and dropping it onto the carpeted ground.
“What’s happening?” Windrider asked, growing more concerned at her odd behavior.
“Shut up! Quiet!” Serval said. She went back to the other drawer, then rushed over to a small sack next to his bedroll and dumped its contents out.
“What are you doing? What’s happening?” Windrider asked again, in a whisper now.
Serval grabbed a dagger (That Windrider was forced to have, for ‘defence’) and put it back into the now empty bag. She grabbed a compass and produced a few pieces of cooked meat from her satchel, then transferred it to the sack.
“Did Outclaws find Fenneck’s hunters or something? Tell me.” He pleaded. ‘Fenneck’s Hunters’ felt strange coming out of his mouth.
Serval simply shoved the bag into his talons. She pulled out a pouch. “This is forty silver pieces. That dragon I was talking about in the Sky Kingdom payed me to help you, and he told me something bad.” She whispered quickly. She prowled to the door and opened it a crack, looking out. “Fenneck tried to stop them, but his friends are going to kill you because you aren’t an animus. He was trying to talk them into just keeping you here instead but I don’t know if it worked yet.”
“Please be joking.” Windrider said, slightly freaked out. Fenneck’s hunters were hunting him!?
“The Seawing who gave me this heard.” Serval said, jingling the pouch. Windrider slung the bag onto his back.
“Where do I go?” He asked. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before.
Serval lowered her head as she opened the door fully and went out onto the sand streets of the Scorpion Den. “He, uh… the Seawing actually needs some help, first… he’s in their hideout.”
///
Windrider looked through a small, burrowed out hole. It was sand, and he looked into a room underneath a building. The bounty den. Fenneck had mentioned that.
“Are you sure about this?” He whispered to Serval, who was watching next to him. He saw at least six Sandwing’s pass by some tables he saw down there, illuminated by a lantern. It was too difficult to see the rest of the room without poking his head in.
Serval shrugged.
Windrider looked at her for a second before thinking of something. “Hey, you, uh, were planning to betray them from the start, right? And that’s why you joined them? You didn’t actually want to kill people, right?”
She was quiet. “Yes. But Windrider, I’m going to break it to you, you’re probably going to have to kill someone.”
He froze, his neck tingling. He looked back at one of the Sandwings who had started talking to another he couldn’t see. “Right now?” He asked, shakily.
“Maybe not now, but think about it. Dragons are hunting you. You have to defend yourself.”
He ended the conversation by slipping in through the crack. He hid behind a small crate, getting shivers by staying so quiet. Being so close to danger. He looked back up at Serval, and she pointed at a wooden door near the back of the surprisingly large room. She then snuck off, disappearing from the view of the small hole. To enter through the correct way, he guessed, since she was one of them… but not really.
“Uh, who forgot to patch this up?” He heard a voice say. He snuck to another table, hiding under it. He felt exposed, but there no other cover. He saw Sandwing legs walking over to their Infiltration Hole, accusing each other of forgetting to check the damp, sandy walls.
He quietly snuck over to the door, nerves tense. He accidentally walked into a table leg while watching the guards, and it made a horribly loud clunk. He froze, but heard Serval’s voice from the opposite side of the room. A distraction… thank you.
He opened up the door and slowly shut it behind him. Then he let out all the breath he had been holding.
He turned around, and was greeted by a small hall, holding cells dug down into the sand, iron pipes bent and melted into some large rocks placed into the sides. It was crude, and didn’t seem to be that great for keeping someone contained, but it was good enough when probably about twenty guards could fit in the huge room outside, the only exit. He walked to the closest cel, and looked down through the bars into a hole.
There was a strangely colored Seawing, the one he was supposed to help, laying on the cold sand, wings, snout, and wrists tied with rope.
Dark green, with a white outline around all his scales. It was bizarre, and moderately difficult to focus on. He had never seen anything like that before.
Windrider grabbed one of the bars and pulled. It was simple to remove, really. The Seawing looked at the top of the pit he was stuck in, at him, and gave an upwards nod with a jolly smile.
Windrider smiled back and finally got enough ‘bars’ out of the way that he could drop down. He sliced the rope off as the dragons smile slowly widened and his eyes slowly narrowed.
As soon as he was free, he hopped to his feet and removed his gag. He cracked his neck before looking Windrider up and down. The Seawing finally met his eyes.
“Heh heh heh….. I’m very sorry you had to meet me while I was in such a sad state.” The dragon chuckled, holding out his talons. “I am… Elver.” He said, with an smug smile.
Windrider shook his talons, a bit confused.
“Now, we have work to do…” Elver muttered, circling around Windrider while looking at the ground, which seemed a bit difficult in such a small pit. He suddenly stopped and looked at Windrider again. He seemed a bit… twitchy. “Did you get the blade?” He asked, his breath quickening.
“The… what?”
“My sword! My beloved by all, long, black and cool katana!” He reeled back in anger. “Those criminals stole it. From ME!? ELVER!? I’ll show them! I’ll destroy them and everything they stand for!” He sprang out of the hole in one leap. Windrider gasped and followed.
“Don’t do anything drastic! Please be stealthy!” Windrider whispered desperately, flying out of the pit prison. He had a feeling that was exactly what Elver had been going to do, since he stopped, staring at Windrider just before he opened the door. The look of ‘seriously?’ was plastered on his face.
“Stealth. Please.” Windrider whispered. Elver ducked his head and went through the door, sneaking over to one of the tables.
That was easier than I thought it was going to be.
Windrider joined him, hidden behind a table. Elver was eyeing a large, sleek katana, nearly black, one of the Sandwings had on her side as they talked with Serval about something Windrider couldn’t hear.
No way out! Well… if Elver and I can get behind one of them, maybe-
“We only have one thing on our side…” Elver whispered.
“The element of stealth?” Windrider asked.
“The element of SURPRISE.” Elver whispered loudly, shifting around, ready to spring, a large grin quickly growing on his face.
“I really, really don’t think that’s a good idea! Elver? They outnumber us six to two!” Windrider desperately whispered.
“NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!” Elver shouted, before rushing the closest Sandwing to them, as Windrider gave a horrified yelp, and tried to run after him to stop him. Too late.
Elver landed on their back, grabbing their head and leaning to the side. That caused them to crash into the Sandwing with the sword before any of them even realized what was happening. He unsheathed the blade, and swung at the still standing dragons. Windrider forced himself to stop, and narrowly dodged wild slice, blood spattering all over him, two headless bodies crumbling onto the sand. The fight was a flash of green and tan.
In a few seconds, it was nothing but a mess of bodies and blood. Windrider saw Elver tackle the last remaining Sandwing, raising his katana to plunge it into their neck.
Windrider tackled him when he saw who it was.
Elver shoved him off. “What are you thinking!?”
Windrider grabbed his arm from the ground. “She helped you! Look…” he said breathlessly.
Elver looked at Serval who was silent on the ground.
“Oh. Of course! Sorry about that.” He said, helping her up, any murderous rage gone from his eyes, looking fairly pleasant now. Serval still looked slightly shocked, not processing what happened yet.
Windrider sat up and shook his head. Six dead dragons lay sprawled around him. But they were hunters, right? They were bad.
He didn’t feel any less sick.
“Let’s get out of here before we’re found, eh? Then I’ll tell you all about me.” Elver said, placing his talons on Windrider shoulder. How could he possibly be so calm!?
What will Fenneck think?
Wait… no, he couldn’t tell him. Fenneck would have sent these dragons to kill him. Fenneck was his enemy.
He had no safe place anymore. No place to stay, and no allies, except Serval, and… and Elver…
No family. No memories. No home.
Now what?
///
Windrider breathed heavily under the moonlight. They had been flying for a bit, the Scorpion Den a dot now. Elver did twirls in the air.
They came into sight of an Oasis, and that’s when Serval flew down, to rest, probably. Neither other dragon argued. They landed on the sand, the sun would be visible soon. Some foliage surrounded them, but not much.
“This is… bad, you were right Serval. Elver, why did you even… Elver?”
He heard a loud splash and saw a green and white shape disappear beneath the still water. His head popped up again, and he floated on the surface of the water. Windrider noticed he had a belt wrapped around his waist, which held his sword and a small pack, which he hadn’t seen before.
“Elver, why did you want to help me?” Windrider asked.
“Well, there’s a very simple reason for that, my new friend. I would be payed extra by my mysterious employer IF I made sure you were brought to safety. And so, more money for me!” He said, leaning back and paddling himself along the lake with his tail, talons resting on his chest.
Windrider lay on the ground. Mystery after mystery after mystery. But now, he could learn the answers, if he wanted to.
Windrider realized that, in a way, he was free.
He smiled.
“So, Elver, who even are you? Why are you taking orders from dragons you don’t even know? And you said you’d be payed extra. So what are you supposed to be doing?”
Elver smiled. “I’m a hero for hire, of course! I’m meant to be protecting some Icewing. I was hired a few years back, just got to it now after finding you. If I had to guess, I’m pretty sure you two are related. My employer seemed to care for the both of you.”
“Really?” Windrider asked. Elver seemed to take a great deal of pride answering his questions. FINALLY. Someone who LIKED ANSWERING QUESTIONS.
“Mh hm. Or at least, it seemed so. Here, read this so you can catch up on some things.” Elver threw him a scroll from his satchel.
“Huh. This isn’t wet.” Windrider said, as he unrolled it carefully. 
“Straight from the Sea Kingdom. Waterproof. Ha.” Elver sighed, looked around, then sighed again. “I’ll be off again in the morning. I have to wait for one of my associates to arrive before we continue. He should be here by then. Also, I’m contractually obligated to bring you along, so we’ll do that, huh?Right then, I hope the best of all nights to you!”
Windrider awkwardly muttered ‘you too’ as Elver simply sunk beneath the surface of the lake.
Windrider read. Out in a whole world of freedom and mysteries.
And horrible, horrible danger.
=== The Confluence... ===
Glass sat in a small wooden cabin, breaths of wind creeping in through the cracks. He wrote.
The walls were bare. There was only a table, desk, and shelf, empty and cold.
The entrance creaked open behind him, and blue light appeared. Gellis trudged in, tracking snow in from outside. The wind howled as the Icewing slammed the door.
“Boss, the other mercs are freezing. When exactly are you planning to move? The Sandwings are miserable.” He said, readjusting his shawl, speaking that slow, biting voice of his.
“I contacted the Talons of Mind again. One of their dragons found him.”
Gellis shook his head, pulling the bow he carved with his own talons of his back. “You and these Talons of Mind. I’m guessing we’ll be meeting up with Slymind again? Heh.” He chuckled, probably at the memory of the all too serious Nightwing. The ‘Emotionless Torturer for Hire,’ as Glass had heard some of his mercenaries muttering.
It was impressive, really.
“And who’s him, anyway?” Gellis asked, wiping something off the weapon with the cloth of his attire.
Glass put down his pencil on the scroll in front of him. He looked to nothing in particular. “Remember that dragonet? He had white scales. Nightwing-Icewing?”
“How could I forget? I got two kills that day. Father and son…” he paused. “You never told us what you wanted from him. Poor little Seawings protected him from something, only to die themselves. Why do you think they stuck him in that hidden room anyways?”
Glass flashed his luminescent scales to get Gellis’s attention. “They were hiding him. And I’m banking everything we have ever done on what they were hiding him from.” He said, starting to breath a little heavier.
Gellis gave him a confused look while attaching the bow onto his back. Presumably to something attached to his shawl, which was probably why he wore the thing. Icewings didn’t need protection from the cold.
“What are you…… oh. This is about her, isn’t it?” Gellis asked, pointing at the markings on Glass’s wings. Glass looked down for a moment before nodding.
“And if I’ve planned everything correctly… if the history scrolls, and the sources, if the information has been right… soon, Gellis, soon we will all be living happy lives. With everything we want.” Glass whispered, his eyes cloudy. Almost wet.
He walked over to the desk, feeling Gellis’s eyes burning into him. He looked desperate. Well, he had given up hundreds of payments to continue serving Glass, in the hopes everything would work out. Every single one of Glass’s group was all in.
He opened the drawer, and pulled out his best chance to get his life back, and held it close.
Gellis stared at it, his jaw dropping. “You… really think?”
Glass’s face hardened. “He had the mark, Gellis. ‘Directly connected to an Animus dragon.’ Not his brothers. Not his sisters. We have done the research!” Glass growled, his voice growing louder with emotion.
“It has to be one of his parents, and it can’t be the Nightwing, so it’s his mother. We have known this for YEARS, and only ONE problem stood in our way! Her. And how many steps she’s taken to stay hidden. But now, Gellis, we’ve found her son again.” He flared his wings. Gellis smiled, obviously realizing how everything was coming together.
“We both know he doesn’t know anything about where she is, but he can still be useful. My scouts found out they’re heading to an Icewing, who just so happens to be his sister, or at least, that’s what the Icewing spies told me. We can use Bonereader’s powers to find out where the father is, and the father to FINALLY find the stupid hiding place she’s ran off to!” Glass chuckled, all these years of work and silence and secrecy and murder finally coming to something.
He held the Lazulite Dragon to his eye, its crystal eyes catching the dim light. “To think this was hidden away in Sunny’s desk at Jade Mountain.” He spat. But he couldn’t be angry. He was so close. 
Everything he had worked for had come to this. 
“This is the key, Gellis. To everything.” 
=== The Icewing: 19 ===
“Windrider, make a fire. QUITE suprising how cold it gets around here.” Elver muttered, digging through the foliage looking for food… presumably. He had gone out of his way to collect a pile of wet sand under water to simply stare at it. He was a little strange, really.
“Ok.” Windrider answered. It was nearly sunrise… none of them had been able to sleep for long.
The Seawing had a leather belt that was strapped over he chest, a sheath for his long sword hanging off it, along with a little satchel. And his coloration still looked interestingly strange… it was like someone had painted the edges of all his dark green scales with a small bit of white paint.
Windrider took a second pile of random collected objects, some dry wood, and lit it on fire. Or, he would’ve, if he didn’t breath out frostbreath, a blue misty wetness appearing on the wood. He tilted his head. His throat felt cold.
“Frostbreath? It’s a little strange seeing something that looks like an albino Nightwing breathing that.” Serval said quietly.
“Frostbreath?” The plants asked. Elver poked his head out and narrowed his eyes at Windrider. “Why did you go to light a fire if you were going to breath Frostbreath? Even I could do better than that. I am quite good at… everything…” Elver continued smugly, walking out onto the open sand, some palm trees rising around them.
“Don’t blame me. I didn’t know I was going to do that either.”
Elver waited a moment before sudden confusion appeared. “You… you… how did you… how did you NOT know what kind of breath weapon you have?” Elver asked, stuttering a little. In shock, maybe, confusion… hopefully not dissatisfaction.
“Well… I never used it before… usually whenever I get into trouble I run. Fenneck takes… took care of it.”
“You’ve never defended yourself? EVER? Really? Wow. That’s hard to do.” Elver mused.
Windrider shrugged awkwardly. One of the palm leaves above them shook, and something landed on the trunk of the tree as the sun finally came over the distant mountains. A light brown Skywing looked down at them, orange eyes studying Serval and Windrider.
“Finally!” Elver shouted at him, as he dropped onto the sand. “You were supposed to get here before the sunrise.”
“I like to take my time.” The Skywing argued, with a growly sort of voice that sounded… that sounded like it was built to be annoyed. 
Elver shook his head and walked over to retrieve his gear, which he had stashed under a pile of leaves.
“And technically, I’m only a few seconds late. Such an unforgivable atrocity.” He muttered, looking back at the two friends again, many things going on behind the tired looking face. “Who are these two?”
“Windrider and Serval. They saved me from those horrid bounty hunters.” Elver answered.
The Skywing gave a little smirk before sitting and turning back to Elver. “Escaping the Summer Palace to get immediately captured again. Nice job.”
Windrider got up from the ground, shaking off sand in the chilly air and frowned at him. “He did deal with all the guards by himself.” He told the dragon. Even if it was in the worst way possible…
“That I did, Fowl.” The green Seawing said, returning with his supplies.
Fowl ignored their responses. “Let’s go. You said I was late, didn’t you?” Fowl smirked again, opening his wings.
“Who are you anyway?” Serval asked, but Fowl had already started flying away.
The three stared after him a moment, all with narrowed eyes.
“My ‘partner.’” Elver said with a sigh, before following. Windrider took off after him as Serval stayed a little behind them. 
They flew for a minute or two. If he was right, they were heading to the edge of the Sand Kingdom, at the border of the Sky Kingdom, the glorious light of morning shining down on the mountains from behind him. He looked around and saw the huge walls of the Scorpion Den in the distance.
He thought he saw a flash of light from a blade, but it was only his imagination. A quick stream of doubt ran through him. Oh, this is so stupid. Why did I go through with this?
“Fowl and I have been working together for a while. He’s pretty much my sidekick.” Elver boasted, loud enough to purposely antagonize the Skywing. Windrider heard Fowl grumble under his breath.
A few minutes had passed, the air getting warmer and warmer, when Fowl looked back and saw Windrider and Serval still following.
Fowl shot a dark look at Windrider. “Elver!” He hissed, and Elver flew up to him.
Windrider looked back at the city, and noticed Serval was too. I wonder if she left anyone back there… well, if she’s doing this for money, I guess not.
But it was both their homes at some point. And now they could never go back.
Windrider didn’t know if he was glad.
“The lazy Rainwing was bad enough, and now you’re bringing one of those dirtbags along?” Fowl whispered to Elver… but not well enough.
He must have thought Windrider was just a strangely colored Nightwing… to be fair, Windrider had thought the same for a very long time. But he wasn’t really phased by Fowl’s whisper. The dragon was already unlikeable anyways.
“They aren’t dirtbags!” Elver said loudly, so loud Elver would’ve tipped Windrider off if he didn’t already know. “I was friends with a Nightwing once and she… betrayed me… hmm… but Cashew was most definitely not lazy!”
Fowl lowered his head. “Uh huh. Well, maybe not, but that stupid hybrid certainly is.”
“Hey!” Windrider shouted. Enough was enough.
Fowl glared back at him. “Not you, you idiot. One of the ones we’re going to see.”
Windrider thought about that. Elver said he had to protect an Icewing, right? So there’s two dragons? Why did someone pay him to protect only one?
They flew for a fourth of the day. Windrider saw a falcon for a minute or two, which was worrying. Dusk was pretty smart for something that wasn’t even a dragon, so it would definitely report back if it was the bird. Maybe it’s the wings. Ha.
Uneasy.
There was a word that summed up what he felt about that bird.
///
Fowl landed in front of a small cave entrance, moss hanging down and dripping. It was great to be back out of that horrible desert so soon.
“Here we are. Brought them here all by my self because someone wasn’t careful enough.” Fowl muttered, sitting next to the entrance. “I think they’re still a little shook.”
Elver and Windrider came into the open hole while Serval stayed back, stone enveloping them.
He heard nervous clicking of talons, and as he walked around a right corner he saw a dragon laying on the ground, looking to every little sound. 
This dragon was the first hybrid Windrider had ever seen… besides himself. The first one that was obvious, at least. 
He was mostly Icewing, but his two horns were curved, and his tail was rounded, no spikes. His scales had a tint of brown to them. Part Mudwing. The dragon had a long cut of cloth wrapped around his left foreleg. He noticed them and quickly stood.
“…Hello. You’re, uh, Elver?” He asked, so quiet it was nearly a whisper. Elver nodded with a pleased look on his face. The hybrid looked to Windrider and color came back to his dreary face for just a moment… for some reason. Windrider made a note of that.
“Follow me, I… my sister… that Skywing said you were going to protect her? She’s… she isn’t doing great. She’s saying things in her sleep that…” he fell silent as he limped theough the winding stone passages. Windrider grew curious, and a few questions came to mind that were left unspoken. There was no shaking the aura of seriousness in this cave.
They came to another dragon.
She was an Icewing.
She was on the ground, still.
“I’m……. coming for you…… you monster…….. Shoreline…..” she whispered in her sleep
“…..Strength….. and Steel…..” she snarled quietly, a tear gently rolling from her eye.
=== The Taken: 20 ===
Three days ago…
Glare lay on the balcony, watching the snow fall and the wind whip past in the blizzard.
The balcony made of cold stone. Just like everything in this stupid place. 
And her parents were arguing, as usual.
“All this ruined rankings crap. How are we meant to get out of here? They’ve forgotten about us, haven’t they?”
“At least we can’t drop anymore than we already did.”
“It’s been three years and they still haven’t decided what they’re going to do, the idiots. There are Icewings who need the chance to rise higher.”
“I think we were just fine in the fifth circle, and now we’re the same as everyone else.”
“I cannot believe that Snowfall hasn’t gone back on that childish decision yet.” Her mother finished.
It was like this every day. Every day it was something new.
“They were right. That’s her.”
“Good. Keep watching.” 
She growled and looked to her left. Far away, through the frozen wastes of this place were the spires of the Queen’s castle, not that they could be seen in the storm. Living in ice would be even worse. Especially surrounded by that freakish magic. She scraped her sharp talons across the ground and went inside.
She entered onto a carpeted stone overlook of the main space of the home. It was a simple living area with a couple doors to other rooms. At the end of this elevated walkway was her and her older brother’s room. Older step-brother, if she had to be specific. Probably because Glare had never gone past the Great Ice Cliff.
She pushed open the wooden door, an iron frame clamped around it.
She sat on her bed (a low wooden table with cloth draped over it, pretty much) completely bored out of her mind. She stared out the window into the whiteness of the outside.
The only noises were quiet mutters downstairs and the flip of a page every so often from Parka and his little book. He was trying to write like father. Glare thought she had done a much better job, but apparently that was her ‘opinion.’
There was literally nothing to do. Except for writing lessons from her father and waiting for mother to get home every day there was absolutely. Nothing.
Even school had only been for third circle and above, and there weren’t any schools close enough to reasonably learn at even after the law was discontinued. Not like they taught anything besides combat anyway.
The incessant sound of argument droned on.
“Parka, can we do something?”
“Can I maybe finish this?”
“You never do anything.” She spat.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Why are you so hateful when I want to do something, Glare? Oh, wait, you’re hateful towards everything.”
Glare growled at him, and he went back to his book. She got off her poor excuse for a resting place and walked to the door.
“Come on, Parka. They’re killing me right now and it’ll be boring alone.”
“But… I would much rather-“
“Shut up. Let’s go.”
He sighed and set his notebook on a desk. “You don’t sound very chipper today.”
Glare sneered. “You expected me to? In this house?”
“Not really...”
“She’s talking with someone else. Has a few brown scales and curved horns, so we’ve got a hybrid. Mud or Sky, maybe.”
“Hopefully that won’t make this more complicated. What about the-“
“Don’t worry, I’ve got eyes on what we need, too. There’s a desk of papers, we’ll be able to find something.”
“Maybe we can score two in one…. hey, make sure they can’t see your binoculars! We need to paint those things black or white next time...”
“We will. They’re moving again.” 
“Where are we going?” Parka asked as they flew out the balcony door to avoid their parents.
“I don’t know. Let’s go steal something. I need excitement.” Glare said.
She was answered by a scoff.
“They’re leaving, they’re leaving!”
“What!? Well, get that thing out of your bag! I’ll go for the papers. DON’T lose them.” 
They flew into the raging storm.
“I mean, really Glare, if you just enjoyed anything I’m sure you wouldn’t be as bored!” Parka shouted over the deathly wind.
Glare shook her head and chuckled a little. “Let’s go find Icecap’s ‘prized possession.’” She yelled, mimicking the dragon’s voice. “And then throw it off the edge of a cliff!”
“Why!? Wait… this revenge for that prank all those years ago?” Parka asked, huffing behind her, already tired.
Weakling.
“It’s about time too. He had it coming.” She yelled as she almost got blown off course. As she steadied herself she thought she saw an outline in the white. Probably didn’t, though.
She took a quick look at Parka and noticed he was falling behind.
“Well…. uh…. hey, this storm really is pretty bad!... Can we find to back!? This is stupid. I-… uh, Glare, do you see that? Glare!?” 
“Oh, come, on! Would you just confront something for once and mayb-… Parka?” She stopped midair and turned around. She circled midair in confusion. He had disappeared.
But there was another dragon in the swirling snow.
Something shot through the white glaze of the storm and pricked her arm. 
She instantly felt drowsy.
Everything blurred.
And then the world went dark.
///
Some birds called, from… what sounded like… outside? The noise was enough to wake her up.
Glare opened her eyes, still feeling a bit dizzy.
It was warm…
She blinked a couple of times until she could make out her surroundings. She quickly stood up when she saw them.
She was in a large cell, made of old cracked bricks and stone. There were two very small windows, just cutouts in the rock. One let bright sunlight into the room while the other presumably showed another rectangular space like this one… speaking of the room, it looked almost ancient. The polished, well made bars locking her in were most definitely not, though.
She had never been out of the Ice Kingdom before. How did she get into this crazy heat? It felt musty and stuffy. She felt something on her wrist.
“What the-?”
There was a steel band around her left arm.
S S was engraved on it.
How did I get here? How did this happen?
After staring at that cuff a little more she saw a puncture on her foreleg. It all came back to her, the storm and that dragon. They must have hit her with a Rainwing dart or something. It felt like she was in the Rainforest… what she imagined the Rainforest would be.
She groaned after pulling on the cell door to no avail. There was no way out of here, for now.
“Hi.” A voice said. She looked at the divider wall’s hole and saw a greenish Silkwing face looking at her. She had only seen those dragons in drawings.
“Hi.” She said.
“Looks like they got you too, eh?” He asked apparently sitting down, since his face disappeared. “Yeah… I’m not having a great time either, that’s for sure.”
She looked at the wall the stranger was behind, just to keep herself focused on something for a moment. Keep her focused off her simmering anger that was slowly building within her. “Do you know where we are? What happened?”
“Welp, based off the double ‘S’ band I’m wearing, I would say we’re at Shoreline Steel… close to their headquarters, with this climate. To answer your other question, I was jumped on, clawed, had my head shoved into the ground, stabbed, and then I woke up here. So not the greatest of naps, that one.”
Glare looked out into the hall and glowered. “I’m going to kill them for this. I don’t even care why they did it. They took me away from my home.” And my brother… where is he?
The Silkwing laughed. “Oh, really!? Ha! Take on an entire paramilitary force of highly trained mercenaries at one of their home bases? Can’t wait to see that.”
Maybe not. 
“What kind of company has a private military?” Glare asked, scoffing as she laid on the stone floor.
At least it wasn’t cold stone.
“This one, sadly, I’ve heard some stories. What happened to the both of us happens to so many others. They take in debtors and have them work off their owes… they never make it back. It’s definitely not legal, but… to put it simply, Shoreline owns a lot of money, and lots of powerful dragons want his money.” The dragon said wistfully. His voice almost breaking. Was he thinking that may happen to them?
“Wait, what!? I don’t owe anything!” Glare said, realizing it after a second.
Silence on the other side for a while. “Really?”
More silence.
Her door opened. A large Mudwing was standing next to it, keys in her talons. 
They stared at each other.
“If you attack me, this place is surrounded, so… just follow.”
Glare got up, and the Mudwing started down the hall without another word. Glare slowly followed her, the feeling of being free to walk around was slightly ethereal. The hallway was as old as the cell, of which there were many lining the right side. 
She realized as she walked past, and looked into the Silkwing’s cell. He was a talon shorter than her, green splotches around his head fading away the lower they went, he mainly purple. He was watching her pass with concerned eyes.
She continued down the hall behind the Mudwing, who wasn’t paying any attention to her. She could just… too risky. But she did take a fast peek out one of the window/holes.
Rainforest trees! I knew it!
Rainforest trees…
Oh no. Rainforest trees.
She was eventually led into a dark square room with a single table. There were shackles on the walls, so she didn’t like where this seemed to be going. But thankfully, Glare was wrong.
A serious looking Rainwing, white with pink lines running down her legs, entered through the door behind the guard, and they left. They went to the other side of the table and sat down, setting a few scrolls and a clipboard down on the table.
“Bad luck that this happened to you. Two of our dragons were going through the Ice Kingdom. We needed some sharper claws. I’m Quetzal, by the by.”
“I don’t owe anything.” Glare told her sharply.
“Oh really?” She asked. Glare narrowed her eyes, as the Rainwing unrolled a scroll.
“Because it says here that you are a debtor, who has been renting our protection division for your own purposes. You’ve been running for two weeks with over sixteen missed payments. Enough to get you stuck here. Now all you have to do is work it away and you’ll be free.” She finished.
Glare stared at her. “You’ve got it all wrong… I-I didn’t hire you for anything! Wouldn’t you have remembered me? I’ve done nothing like that at all!”
Quetzal took a paper off her clipboard and held it up in front of Glare. It was a letter asking to purchase their services for a trip… signed with her name. In her handwriting.
Glare shook her head in disbelief before stopping dead. “You… faked… my… signature. You absolute-“
Glare cut herself off and sliced the scroll in half, and Quetzal dropped it and went back to her clipboard, speaking monotonously.
“We have copies of that. It also says you have a hybrid sibling. Is that true?”
“You can’t do this to me. I’m going to get out of here and get this out to everybody and you are going to get caught… and hopefully executed. I hope you die in a fire.”
The Rainwing didn’t look phased. “Nice attempt at an threat. I’ve heard much worse. But, it doesn’t really matter, does it? Welcome to your new home.” Quetzal said. “Up the stairs and on the left.”
Glare complied, giving Quetzal a death stare until she went out the door, already planning an escape. As she went up… so many dark thoughts ran through her mind. She would save everyone trapped here. Was Shoreline trying to use them like slaves?
Shoreline.
Named this company after yourself, huh?
Last mistake.
You’re on my first hit list. Quetzal too. And that Mudwing. And every other dragon working for you I see.
You took me from my… home… and put me here for no reason at all. You will pay. 
Her inner rants stopped as she opened a door.
=== The Plan: 21 ===
The first thing she saw was a huge stone bridge leading to a grassy area. It was right on the edge of the Rainforest, and they just off the coast on a island. There were a couple of those huge trees, arched and twisting, growing from the ground and hanging off hills that bordered most the island.
There were also gigantic watchtowers. She didn’t know whether they were meant to scare intruders off… or keep prisoners in.
And directly beneath her there were at least a sixty dragons going back and forth between large brick buildings, being watched from vantage points by dragons wearing sleek, shining armor.
Someone tapped her shoulder. If the armor had been any thicker she probably wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a Sandwing.
“Debtors aren’t allowed in this sector. Or are you new?” He said, his voice ominously muffled through the helmet.
“I’m… new.” She muttered angrily.
“Then follow me. You get day one off, then you’ll be assigned to your debtor division.”
She took another look around as she followed the armored dragon down a cracked and overgrown staircase.
“This crap is killin me.” The dragon growl under his breath.
“How could you work for them?” She asked, in an angry whisper.
“What do you mean?” He asked in return.
She was about to rant at him before noticing what she had exited, behind her now. It looked like a huge tower from… even before Darkstalker’s time. It was cracked and crumbled.
A huge sign was situated above the old arched door she came from.
SHORELINE STEEL 
///
A dead Seawing had been dragged into some open, muddy flats as they had passed by. They had a band on their foreleg too.
A dragon in a blue cloth cloak, rimmed with white, had dumped them there and then went back to whatever they were doing.
It was a chilling sight, passing by in silence, looking at the rest of the bodies sunk into the mud along with him.
She was taken to a row of brick buildings on a dirt street, the edge of the island just beyond, a couple trees nearly hanging over the roofs. There were two watchtowers back to back, looking over the entire street. They could see everything from that position… except what happened inside.
She had to get out of this place. She didn’t know if she would be able to make back that ‘debt’ because of what that Silkwing had told her.
“Shops are at the very end of this street.” The guard stated, pointing. “You’re in the Icewing quarters. Tomorrow you may get assigned to the steel mines, maybe something else. You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
Her thoughts were interrupted by that first statement. “Did you just say shops?” She asked, finally looking at the armored dragon face to face.
“We don’t give food or tools out for free. That would be an unnecessary waste of money.”
“But you’re paying us.” She said.
The Sandwing was silent as he opened the door to the… shack, really. She quietly snarled at him as she entered. The door was shut behind her, and there was silence in an empty room, only a couple resting mats and small belongings and tools.
And she was right. They were paying the prisoners… she refused to think of herself and the others she had seen as debtors trying to pay back their fees… but they needed to pay them back for essentials? How were they supposed to pay off their-
It’s a loop.
That Silkwing was right.
It’s an endless loop.
///
She waited there for a while, not knowing if she was allowed to leave. She tried looking out some of the windows for escape routes, but some sort of watchtower or guard post… or guard themselves… were in the way. And leaving by air was certainly going to get them caught. Them… she subconsciously included her brother. Where was he?
What would her parents think? What happened to them?
Eh… they were definitely arguing about where she was right now.
The door creaked open, and that Silkwing poked his head through. “Thought I may find you here… I don’t think I’m meant to be here right now. but they barely told me anything… so that’s their own fault.”  He said, entering after looking around outside.
“You should help me. I’m going to get out of here… then I might even come back to rip some throats out.” She said darkly.
“That’s why I’m here, actually. You seemed very eager to leave… um…” he tried to remember something.
“Glare?” She wondered.
“Oh. Yeah. We haven’t even introduced ourselves, have we? Pygmy, at your service.” He said, with a little bow as he sat in front of her.
“There’s a lot of dead dragons here. We have to go, before that happens to us.”
“Most definitely. I left my siblings alone by getting caught, so I’m coming with.”
“How do we get out with those watchtowers, though?” She asked.
“Security surprisingly seemed pretty lax, around here at least. They seem to be used to this…” he said.
Their conversation was cut short by a blaring horn from what was probably the middle of the island. Looking out the windows, they saw a light blue banner being raised to the sky.
“That seems important.” Pygmy said. He turned back to her, with strange eyes. “I… sort of expected to know what that means, you know? They barely told me anything.”
“You too?” She asked. “… I guess they aren’t expecting us to be around for that long.”
They both checked the flag again. Pygmy pointed at it and got up. “Let’s go check it out, yeah? We’ll try and meet at night, if that’s possible. I’ll look around for any useful stuff.”
They walked past the overgrown foliage on the side of the open roads, and got to the flag. It was in the middle of a huge clearing, overlooked by the giant, castle sized tower she came out of. The sun beat down behind it.
A group of Icewings were sticking together in the center, a few onlookers from other tribes awkwardly trying to see what was happening.
Somebody grabbed her forleg and shoved her forward. Another guard. She stopped on the edge of the group, and they growled, walking away. A lizard moving brought her attention back to Pygmy, who was still watching on the path. He shrugged.
“Move!” A female voice shouted. It was that stupid Rainwing from earlier, Quetzal. She kind of went along with the group as they moved toward some more brick buildings, similar to the one she had left. Most of the Icewings looked sad. All of them looked defeated. Why had they never fought back, or tried to escape? 
But then again, they might’ve… did that have something to do with it? She didn’t like that thought.
They should have tried harder. They had their chance.
The Icewings arrived at the building and entered single file across the wet ground. A sharp grating noise peirced her ears after the steel door was opened.
Multiple tables. Sparks. Armor. Weapons. And… Parka?
She ran over to him as four guards came in behind the Icewing group.
“Parka!” She yelled.
“You’re alive! I half expected to see you in the body pile.”
“Good… we can talk once we’re done here. I met someone who wants to get out of this place too, and-“
“Wait, wait. You’re seriously talking about… escaping? Keep it down!” He whispered.
“Uh, Right… hey, what is that?” She asked, noticing something on Parka’s arm. A large slice, blood still running.
He looked down at it too. “Oh. It was a ‘Warning.’ For stepping out of line.” He said awkwardly.
“You will be adding our insignia to all armor, weapon, and steel products we have. You will also act as the cloth cutters.” Quetzal announced, pacing around the place.
“Seriously? This is why we were kidnapped in the middle of a snowstorm?” She asked Parka. An Icewing scoffed to her left, setting a giant piece of steel down on a table. I guess that’s why it’s Shoreline Steel.
“Would you rather work in the mines?” They asked.
“What are you doing in here?” Qutzal asked, right next to Glare. Glare hadn’t even seen her… invisibility, probably.
“My… job?” Glare said.
“It’s your first day. I know you haven’t been assigned yet. GET OUT!” She yelled.
///
Glare limped back to the Icewing shed. It was almost a purple sunset. Blood was running down her leg, near the spot where Parka had it.
Her first Warning. Quetzal had told her that next time it would be a Punshiment.
She walked inside, and Pygmy appeared at one of the windows a few minutes later. He came in too.
“Have you met Quetzal yet!? I mean, what is her PROBLEM!? If she had just shut up she would’ve gotten free work out of me! That stupid-“
“Woah, woah, uninformed about who this is, over here.” He said, chuckling a bit, laying down in front of her.
“She’s… someone I have to kill at some point. Anyways…” she tried to calm herself down. “Did you find anything out?”
“Well, there’s a lot more watchtowers than I thought-”
“We already knew that, idiot. We need new information.”
“No need to be rude.” He said, frowning.
“Sorry. Now come on.” She said, getting impatient.
“I… they… um, there’s a lot of mercenaries on the main bridge to the continent. So that’s a… no go.” Pygmy said, quieter than normal. He seemed to speak in this way that made you feel better. Not now though.
“They’re having us do jobs. I’m figuring each tribe does something different. I sort of expected that when I got here, actually.” She said.
He nodded. “I also found-“ 
///
“This.” He said, lifting the leaf of a large jungle plant. There was a hole in the three dragon high wall that acted as the island’s perimeter. “The watchtowers are supposed to catch dragons flying from above. We can sneak out here using the trees as cover, then fly off very, very quickly. It will give us a bit of a head start even if we’re spotted.” He finished.
“I should distract the guards before the escape.” Glare said.
“I can help, too.” Pygmy said.
“Oh. Yeah. Sure.”
“It isn’t all that in depth. We may even escape after the sun sets. Which is in an hour, I think.”
“We have to get my brother before we do that.” She said, starting to fly back to the sheds. She didn’t fly too high though, she didn’t know what Shoreline would consider trying-to-escape worthy.
He tilted his head as he followed her. “You have a brother?” He wondered aloud. He looked at the ground awkwardly. “We really don’t know anything about each other… do we? I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t find my younger brothers after this, they really need me. I’m not sure if I’ve left them enough money for essentials or anything.” He said.
She shrugged. “Don’t need to know. We’re escaping, then going our own ways.”
“I… I mean, I would like to know who I was escaping with.” Pygmy said.
“I don’t.”
///
They had split up to go back to their respective housing areas. That loud horn screamed again as she entered. She realized that all the Icewings from the workshop were sleeping on their own mats already.
Parka was there, thankfully. She nudged him. He slowly opened his eyes. Always lazy, even here.
“Get up.” She said, getting impatient once again. He got to his talons, shaking his wings.
“What?” He asked.
“We’re leaving, that’s what.”
”But-“
”Don’t argue. What’s the point?”
///
Glare, Parka, and Pygmy snuck around the houses. They were all warily looking up at the watchtowers. No movement… for now.
“And you two are sure about this?” Parka asked. They nodded without stopping their crawling pace. “Well… no reward without risk, I guess…”
They made it to the wall without anything going wrong. “What if everything goes wrong? What do we do?” Parka asked once more.
“Nothing’s going to go wrong. If we can all fly fast and quietly, there’s not a chance of that.” Pygmy said, turning to him.
“If something does go wrong, we adapt.” Glare said.
“We should plan something.” Parka told them.
The horn trumpeted again. “What is that one for?” He asked quickly.
“No clue. Let’s… yeah, let’s go.” Pygmy said, rushing to move the foliage around the jagged exit.
They ran through the hole. Glare felt her stomach drop as she exited the compound. What will they do if they catch me now?
They picked up the pace, not caring about stealth anymore as they heard shouts behind them. They must have been spotted. Or was that just her paranoia talking? Actually… who cared!
She couldn’t handle it anymore. She took flight and darted through the leaves above her, sunlight blinding her.
“What are you doing!?” Came from below.
She heard a surprised yelp from behind her. An blue Icewing on the watchtower, staring directly at her. She picked up her speed as Parka and Pygmy came up through the trees, Pygmy looking concerned.
“Uh, uh, Beaver!” The Icewing yelled, looking behind him quickly. He wavered between them and whoever he had yelled to before launching himself off the balcony after them.
They made it out over the water, flying as fast as they could. The Icewing was catching up… it wasn’t like any of them had been trained to catch escapees.
“One of you shoot him!” Pygmy shouted.
“I don’t have Frostbreath! I’m a stupid hybrid!” Parka whimpered.
“Then use your Frostbreath!” Pygmy yelled at Glare.
It’s too risky.
No, no, no!
I need revenge! I can’t die here!
She took a quick look behind her and saw the Icewing rapidly fiddling with a blowgun and dart.
We have to do something!
She looked at Pygmy, who was watching her desperately.
“Glare!?”
She slashed his wing, easily tearing through it, and it sent him falling to the sea below.
Parka stopped. She clawed his shoulder. “Come on you dolt! Don’t waste that!” 
The Icewing looked between them, indecisive, but dived downward. He tackled Pygmy under the surface.
Must go faster.
She glanced at Parka. He was completely dismayed.
Then she took one last look behind her.
Two more dragons flying into the sky from the island.
Ripples seeping onto the surface.
Blood in the water.
///
Glare landed on a grassy hill, a huge rock formation next to it. Parka landed behind her, wordless, breathing shakily.
She stared at him. “I know you want to say something, so stop being a coward and say it.”
He looked up at her. “W-why would you do that? We were out…” he stopped, looking at the ground again.
“It was my only option. I couldn’t get sent back there, there wouldn’t be another chance to escape. They have to pay.” She explained.
“Rubbish.” He growled.
“Do you really want to fight about this with me? With me?” She snarled.
“Maybe!” He shouted.
It looked like a shock went through his body, and he fell onto his side. Before she realized what had happened, her whole self went cold. Her joints locked up and she collapsed onto the grass as well. There was a prick in the back of her neck.
Not again. Please not again.
A Skywing landed softly on the grass, sauntering up. He sat in her field of view, pulling a needle out of a satchel. “A specialized Rainwing dart. The guards protecting the stash of these were especially fierce this time though.” He paused. 
“This must have reminded you of something if you came from that place, hmm? But not to worry. I’m not one of them. My name is Fowl.” He stated.
She tensed to move, attack, anything, to no avail.
He frowned. “Still trying to escape? I thought I appeared trustworthy, really… but, I dunno. Perhaps that’s just the way we are.” He chuckled, dropping some greenish dust directly onto her face.
Blackness.
Again.
=== The Stab Part 1: 22 ===
“That’s… quite the story.” Elver said.
Glare was simmering in rage after finishing all that. Windrider noticed that she simmered in rage… a lot.
That really is quite the story. Especially the part where she described killing Pygmy… with a straight face. He looked over at her as the flew through the sky. That’s really my sister? Or… step-sister, whatever?
Parka seemed a lot nicer, and didn’t remind him of Fenneck as much. Killing anyone who got in her way… she actually said that.
“Why would Shoreline do this? I’ve only ever heard good things about them. They sell steel to everybody, that’s all I’ve ever heard about.” Windrider asked.
“The bad definitely outweighs the good in this case.” Parka said.
“The story was enjoyable.” Fowl said.
Glare whipped her head around at him. “Enjoyable? It was horrific. I’m going back to kill them all, eventually. It wasn’t enjoyable.”
“No going back for revenge under my watch! I’m meant to be protecting you!” Elver said.
“Yeah, I can tell.” Fowl laughed dismissively, ignoring Elver. “A whole entire day, with no executions, no work, just hanging out surrounded by dragons who have many more reasons for revenge then you. Scratch that. One execution.” He added. She growled at him. 
Who in the world is Fowl? At least Elver gave me that scroll…
“Where are we heading? I feel like a blanked out when you told me.” Windrider asked to everyone in general. Serval pointed ahead of them, a little to their left.
“Sanctuary? That’s Shoreline’s home base.” He said.
“Shoreline’s home BASE!? You SAID we were going to the ENCLAVE!” Elver yelled.
Glare nodded, glaring at him. “We are. To get their help to destroy Shoreline.”
“If you die, I won’t get my money! That simply cannot happen!” Elver yelled again.
///
“I simply cannot believe this is happening.” Elver muttered as they touched the ground again on the streets of Sanctuary. The buildings reached up to the sky above them. They walked through a metal archway on a cool little gate into a double street, shops on each side.
“At least we should be safer with the Enclave. Although I do feel like we’re getting dangerously closer to what you described…” Windrider said.
“Maybe we should go to Nautilus instead.” Serval added.
Windrider walked over and sat under the shade of a sidewalk tree as they argued.
“Imagine how much more money you could get by stealing from Shoreline.” Glare growled, raking the ground with her talons.
“Are you planning to kill him?” Windrider asked suddenly. They all looked at him strangely, except Parka, who seemed happy somebody brought this up.
“No.” Glare assured. “First I’m going to blow up his company, and then kill him.”
“This is where I start to disagree.” Fowl argued, as Windrider’s jaw fell limp. She looked at him darkly, with more of that quiet rage in her eyes he had seen twinkling under the surface.
“You can’t just do that. Nobody can. All you can do is escape from him, and run a little bit longer.” The Skywing said, looking away. “Now let's just get you to this group so that they can stop you, and me and Elver can get paid for keeping you safe. Because I am not going back to Shoreline and frankly, neither are you.”
Fowl walked toward the Enclave’s headquarters silently, pushing past a surprised dragon selling newspapers, not muttering under his breath like he did the whole flight. Windrider had so many questions. The rest followed him.
“What do you think that was about?” Windrider asked Serval quietly, as they fell behind the rest of the group.
“No clue. Must be a bad memory.” She answered. “It does remind me of the murder at the Sky Kingdom. Fenneck told me about that on the way back.”
Windrider wanted to slap himself. How could he have forgotten about that? He didn’t like just leaving loose ends lying around... even if they didn’t have anything to do with anything. He decided he would get back there as soon as possible, just to make sure she had been caught. The group walked into a little alley, and the argument started ahead of them again.
“I cant believe that’s my sister.” Windrider said. Serval looked at him.
“Because you two are different?” She asked.
“No. Well, kind of. She’s kinda my definition of bad. Shoreline should be brought to justice, for sure, but blowing up everything... I think she was serious about that... that’s too far.”
“Windrider, maybe you should just t-”
A whistle from above. 
A crossbow bolt ripped into Serval’s chest, spattering thick blood into his face and eyes. He fell back into the hard wall of the alley’s side as both exits were blocked by dragons. As he tried to see again, he heard slashing and roaring. He heard Fowl yell something and the orange light of fire erupted to his left. Something hard and metal whipped through the air at his head. 
Darkness.
///
He was woken up with a tail thwap to the face.
His talons had some sort of cloth over them, behind his back. He looked up. It was a large room, like a living room. Wall sized windows were to his right, Sanctuary below. He realized they... whoever they were... had tied his talons around a table leg, the table had been nailed into the ground.
Where am... oh no. Serval!? Is she-? What-
He looked to his left, and realized who was in front of him. The dragon from years ago. The Nightwing in the cloak, with the briefcase. Slymind.
If he’s here...
There was another guard near a door, a stiff and military looking Icewing with a long brown cloth around his neck. Windrider could see a bow poking above his back.
The door opened, the Icewing moving out of the way.
It was the Seawing, from when his life ‘started.’
Glass.
Please, no! This can't happen twice.
“And once again, we’re back where we started. It’s been a while.” Glass said, as he walked over and sat in front of Windrider, who was breathing quicker and quicker. The cloudy light coming in through the window showed some new scars from last time. His face looked twenty years older, and a lot more tired. His body was slouched instead of the noble and professional stance he had in their last meeting. And he looked a lot more done with everything and angry. Windrider lowered his head.
“I’ve looked through every crevice and crack in Phyrria for you. Letting you go was the worst mistake I’ve ever made. Never again.” He said, shaking his head, almost in defeat. “It’s been time consuming, tracking you down. I never expected you’d have stayed in the desert, but, I suppose not everything can be anticipated. In reality, I didn’t need you. I just needed a lead.”
He wasn’t sure wether he should interrupt him, but if Glass was willing to say this much…
”What do you want?” Windrider asked slowly.
Glass wordlessly grabbed his snout and roughly turned his head. He must be looking at his animus super Icewing birthmark thing.
“And so it is. Now that we have your sister Glare, Bonereader can find her father, easily, I hope.” Glass continued, not answering the question. As he let go, Windrider thought about his Frostbreath. It hadn’t seemed all that long ranged or powerful the last time he had used it, but…
He didn’t know if he could do it. And he was pretty sure Glass knew that too.
“And with her father, we can find your mother. After all this time, after this long, stupid chase she’s put us on. Your powerful, cowardly mother. It could have been so simple, but she had to complicate… everything. I'm sure you know she’s an animus dragon, and while the power may not work, it's still there, inside her. Before it was ruined, she wiped your brain. She snatched away your memories, and turned you into something else.”
Windrider was silent.
“Why, I don’t really care. Because pieces of my puzzle are being placed. When your mother’s power is in this,” He pulled out a small dragon model. Windrider had seen it before, in a scroll. The Lazulite Dragon.
“And I unearth a buried little secret... that is when this will all be over. I don’t need to find you ever again” He finished, coughing as he stood up and turned to go.
He walked over to Slymind, who was still watching. “Remember. I'm not sure if we’re still going to need him, but if not... no more witnesses. We saw what happened last time we let him live. Now come on.” He finished, going out the door. Slymind followed with one last sneer.
The Icewing and Windrider were left in silence. The Icewing looked away and started going through a pack. Windrider took the opportunity to think.
So, my mom is an animus. That’s… great to know, at least. I guess that’s where my birthmark symbol whatever came from. At least he didn’t sic Slymind on me this time.
What does he want with her?
He heard a clatter on the ground in front of him, and watched the Icewing pick up a gold necklace he had accidentally dropped. They both stared at it. Two circles were attached to the end.
“What’s your name?” He asked.
The guard glanced at him before going back to the necklace. “Gellis.”
“Is that... is that yours?” Windrider asked tentatively.
“Yes.” He answered, in a cold voice.
Windrider was quiet for a few seconds, trying to gauge whether he should continue. “...Why did you leave? For this?” Windrider wondered aloud, hoping he wouldn’t anger this guard.
“It will pay well, eventually. And I understand what he’s going for.”
“Second circle. You were a noble. Isn't it all about honor? Where’s the honor in this?” He tried keeping up this conversation instead of asking about what Glass’s reasoning for all this was, just in case the Icewing stopped talking to him.
“It was.” Gellis said thoughtfully, putting it back in his pack.
“I can be honorable. Let us go, and I won't tell anyone. I'll make sure none of them do. Come on. Glass said, he might not need any of us after this.” He whispered.
The dragon only smiled before going back to the bag, trying to find the correct thing he had been looking for. Windrider looked around the room he was stuck in. It seemed relatively normal. Did they take over an actual house? Who was the owner? How many were there?
And where were the others...? 
=== The Stab Part 2: 23 === 
Gellis had left to talk to someone, and Windrider was alone. He tried to cut the cloth stuff with his talons, but it was strangely stretchy.
He looked back out the huge windows. The sun was still in the sky, clouds. Nothing bad seemed to be happening down in the town.
Why is Glass doing all this? Is he connected to Shoreline Steel or something? He said he’s been looking for me and my sister. One of us… or both. Very confusing.
Weird that we don’t even know what Shoreline looks like. Does he even know about us?
Fowl poked his head through the door. 
“You’re here?”
“You say that like you’re confused” Fowl said, quietly walking in and pulling out a pocket knife from one of his satchels.
“Kind of.” Windrider shrugged.
“I try to be loyal. Usually.” Fowl added. He stabbed directly down into the cloth, and Windrider was free. He got to his talons.
“Cmon. Me and Elver got away when they ambushed us. We're trying to find those other two.”
///
Fowl snuck around a corner, and Windrider heard a muffled yelp of surprise. A pool of blood formed around the wall. He slowly walked around the hall corner and past the dead body of a Hivewing guard.
“Was that really necessary?” He asked quietly.
“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Next time I'll let them catch us. Dying sounds so fun, I wanna try.” Fowl scorned. Windrider tried to hold in his frustration.
Fowl stopped in front of him. “Exit is right in front of us. This seems like someone’s manor so I'm guessing there’s a lot of big rooms, which doesn’t make out job easier.”
Windrieder looked to his right and noticed another archway sort of door. It was open, and led into a old library that seemed to have a balcony on a second story. Fowl followed his gaze.
“I guess we’re splitting up.” Windrider said.
“I’m heading outside. They’re doing something out there, I’ll watch them.”
Fowl continued down the hall as Windrider looked toward the library again.
He entered the room carefully. It smelled like old cobwebs. The room turned out to be a dead end, so he flew up to the balcony and entered a bedroom. 
There were signs of a fight, but it there was something untouched in the center of the room. A little steel table with wheels, SS painted on the side. On top were a couple of papers and the Lazulite Dragon.
Windrider picked it up. This seems important. I’ll hold onto it. 
A dragon came in behind him.
Elver walked up, putting his long, blood-stained sword into it’s sheath.
“Ah ha. Windrider. I’ve found your step siblings.” He said proudly.
“Well, where?”
“Thats the tough part.”
///
Elver and Windrider laid on the roof with ducked heads, watching the street leading up to the manor below. Ten dragons were directly beneath them, guarding the perimeter. Glass was standing next to a pitch black Nightwing, who had her eyes closed as she stood above Glare and Parka, who were unconscious on the ground.
Another, rich looking Mudwing had been thrown into some shrubs, their throat ripped out and expensive belongings crudely piled next to them. The owner, if Windrider had to guess.
“We won’t be spending more time here than we have to. You must be done?” Glass asked the Nightwing.
“Nearly. I'm trying to pinpoint it... wait! I have it.” She said, Windrider feeling like that was an ominous sign. They started whispering to each other.
“Let’s ruin this Seawing’s day.” Elver said. “In the most spectacular way. That rhymed.” He grinned, getting up and jumping off the roof and behind some shrubs on the other side of the pathway. Windrider nervously followed.
There was a small wooded area here. Two of the guards were standing a few feet in front of them, soaking up some sun that filtered through the trees. Two Skywings. How did Glass get so many dragons to follow him? Are they mercenaries?... they must be, right? How is he paying for all this?
Elver picked up a pebble and threw it directly into the face of one.
“Hey.”
“What?”
He did it again.
“Dude, stop.” 
“I'm not doing anything.”
He did it again.
“Cmon.”
“What are you complaining about?”
“You two are seriously arguing again?” asked a Seawing, walking over.
“Mahogany keeps getting angry for no reason.”
Eventually, most of the guards were arguing over nothing. Elver finally pulled something other than a pebble out.
“Are you insane?” Windrider asked.
Elver shrugged as he prepared to light a match, a Dragonflame Cacti in his other talons.
“Give that to me.” Windrider demanded, hitting Elver with his wing and taking the little ball of death. “I know you were about to kill them all. Distractions work just fine.” He finished, taking the match, lighting the cactus, and chucking it far into the woods. The blast send a flock of birds flying, and the guards scrambling to see what was happening.
“Fair enough. NOW, WE KILL!” Elver shouted, flying out of their hiding spot directly toward Glass and the Nightwing.
Wait, wait, wait! What do I do!? I don’t know how to fight! 
What kind of dragon doesn’t know how to fight!? 
He was so stunned by this question that it took a moment for him to get back to the present.
Elver and Glass were clawing at each other over Elver’s sword, which was on the ground, dangerously close to Glare.
“Bonereader! Get the other one!” Glass shouted, gracefully sidestepping another one of Elver’s wild slices.
By the time Windrider realized what this meant, he had been lifted out of his hiding place and thrown against a tree, the back of his head cracking painfully. Bonereader growled and stalked forward.
Windrider ducked under a stream of fire and clawed himself to his talons, backing onto the street. He still heard Elver’s roars.
“Come on. Fight me!” Bonereader snarled, spreading her wings, preparing to fly. Windrider clawed at her, but she pulled back, drawing a dagger off a shoulder sheath.
She finally leaped into the sky, and Windrider flew in response. She was much faster, and he instantly regretted the decision. She tackled him out of the sky, and the crashed onto the ground right between Glass and Evler. She sliced his arm with the knife, but the momentum flinged it out of her talons. She’s so much stronger than me what am I doing I'm an moron!
“You’re on the wrong side.” Glass fumed at Elver, flapping his wings and getting off the ground. He turned his head to the other two dragons. “Bonereader! End him!”
The sounds of their battle continued as Bonereader grabbed her dropped dagger and brought it down upon Windrider’s eye. He caught her arm before it landed, and she tried to use all her weight to push it down.
“Glass told me about how weak you are. How simple it was to catch you. How useless you are in our story.” She hissed.
She pushed the dagger down harder with her talons. 
I am going to die. 
I have to do something.
I have to do something.
Windrider let go with one arm as quickly as possible, searching the ground next to him. He felt a hilt, tightened his grip, and sliced upwards with all his strength.
Elver’s sword went straight into Bonereader’s throat with a clean stab. She let out a surprised gurgle, realization in her eyes a moment before she slumped over onto the ground next to him, the sword pulled out of his talons as it stuck in her flesh.
His world stopped for a second.
I just-
“Windrider, Glass ran! He’s flying for the other guards!” Elver yelled, pulling him up.
“We have literal seconds! We have to move!” Fowl roared, shooting out of the trees, probably having been watching the distracted guards. His face was only anger.
“Wind-!” Elver trailed off when his eyes lowered to Bonereader. “G-Go. We... they’re coming.”
He lurched himself up into the air. He heard Elver pull the blade out.
What did I do? I can do that? I just-
Fowl and Elver picked up the siblings and flew behind him, down toward Sanctuary, off a hidden cliff he hadn't seen in the room.
“I feel sick.” He panted.
“It's fine. It’s normal. You really have to fly faster.” Fowl urged.
I actually killed her. It’s... it’s fine, Fowl said it’s fine. No, I'm an IDIOT! I could've... wait. No, no... no, she was bad, she was evil, it’s fine, it’s okay... 
///
Windrider shut his eyes again as felt that grisly thunk of the sword stab again, jolting his arm. It wouldn’t go away.
They were hidden behind a house, some extended roofs blocking them from the sky. Windrider was sat near an iron fence separating the little alley from the street, watching the others as they planned and went over what happened.
He just killed another dragon. It scared him.
But the thing that scared him the most, was that he didn’t feel bad. He felt shaky, and disgusted, and he didn’t feel any remorse.
I should be feeling terrible.
He opened his eyes again and watched the group. Glare was ranting about how that was the third time in the past two days she’s been immediately captured as soon as she entered a new location. And also ranting about Shoreline Steel. Again. Was that all she thought about?
He realized he barely knew either of them. They all had the same father, so it was strange to think he hadn’t really talked with them
I’m starving.
The thought came out of nowhere, and he narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t eaten since… back at the Scorpion Den… three days ago? 
It had only been three days? All of this had happened in three days?
As soon as I’m not locked in that stupid desert I kill somebody. And Seval is gone, too.
Parka patted his shoulder, Windrider hadn’t even noticed he came closer. “Self defense. It was you or her. Not your fault.”
Was his face really so telling?
“You looked at me strangely when we first met. I’ve been wondering about that, why?” Windrider asked, hoping to change the subject. He strangely got a chill down his spine. He felt he was being watched
“Um. I can’t really say… you just… reminded me of, well, me. You had that… certain look about you. I knew I could trust you. That you were like me and didn’t want to do anything bad, like our… misguided… step sister is t-trying to do. I guess you just struck a chord. And uh, being a fellow hybrid helped too.” He added.
Windrider realized he could’ve used his Frostbreath to defend himself, and he groaned. I really am an idiot. I’m completely useless. She was right.
I killed her. Three moons, I killed somebody. Who’s next!? I could’ve… I should’ve run. I could’ve stopped Elver from just charging in! What is wrong with me!?
I’ve ruined everything. Everyone is against me now. Who I thought was my dad... his hunters have to be looking for me right now. He thought of the Lazulite Dragon, as wings flapped above him. He didn’t notice them.
And now Glass will be coming for me.
What have I done?
///
“Well then, get on it! I want all my best hunters looking for Windrider. He’s too important to just… loose!” Fenneck screeched. The other dragon dipped her head and ran out of the sand-walled room, leaving the door wide open. Fenneck had returned to the Scorpion Den, with a heavy heart. Windrider... gone. His two best hunters... gone. And his deal with the Talons of Power... GONE.
He flipped a table next to him in anger, glass crashing, and paced the room. Was this even fixable?
With magic it would be. If Windrider hadn't run... ALONG WITH A BOUNTY! 
“He is gonna get himself killed.” Fenneck muttered, scratching at his jaw rings.
He absolutely couldn’t let that happen to Windrider. He had to save him somehow, had to get him to use his magic, and then go home. Anywhere. Just not out there, where everyone would be looking for him.
He heard the door creak. A cloaked Nightwing was standing there. He stared.
“Sorry about this.” He said metallically, dropping the body of his hunter on the ground as the he entered. Fenneck scraped his gauntlet’s talons on the ground as a warning.
“She didn’t have enough sense to just talk before trying to sting me. Mindreader told the Talons of Mind about your magic problem. Have you fixed him yet?” The dragon asked. Fenneck’s silent snarl dropped.
“I... I-I uh, y..... yes. I fixed it... but he got away.” Fenneck stuttered. Maybe this enforcer would help him... maybe Windrider had figured it out by now. 
He couldn't shake the feeling he was digging himself a hole.
“I know where he is. I was on an unrelated job, and they let him escape, of course. I’ll lead you to him, all you have to do is help the Talons of Mind catch another, very annoying dragon, Copperhead.”
Copperhead?
“Copper was one of my hunters. If I help you find em, you lead me to Windrider?” Fenneck asked.
The Nightwing walked over, setting down a briefcase.
“He’s heading to a party for some information, trying to find out more about my group’s associates. We’ll catch him there.” The Nightwing explained. 
“I’m Slymind.”
=== The News: 24 ===
Elver charged through the halls, laughing maniacally all the while. He sliced another guard with his katana, a Sandwing this time, finsishing them immediately. He dumped another bag onto an intersection before flying through a door and back out into the sunlight. Shooting toward the biggest building, on the highest hill, he threw two more bags to the courtyard below. He landed on the roof and dropped in through a trapdoor.
This was the place. The prisons. Everybody is going to be so happy. And THANKFUL!
He took out his stolen key and opened the barred gate that led into the huge holding cell. Assorted dragons quickly ran and flew to freedom. He glowered after them, not even an acknowledgement?, and threw the final bag into the cell that held them. He took out a match, lit the fuse, and went after them.
///
PHYRRIAWIDE NEWS: ANOTHER SHORELINE STEEL FACTORY DESTROYED
IS SANCTUARY TRULY SAFE? 
Shoreline has no comment on the newest Dragonflame bombings on a multitude of buildings located in Sanctuary, owned by his company. Witnesses state that a large group of dragons flew away just before the massive explosion, destroying three of the on-site buildings and damaging two others. Enclave members will be searching for this group at dawn. Our reporters found a dozen dead Shoreline Steel guards scattered around the site, multiple slice and stab wounds on each. They also believe that Shoreline Steel is specifically being targeted due to the two other bombed locations this week. A surviving employee told the Sactuary Newspaper Co that they had spotted a green and white Seawing wielding a longsword running and flying around the site with large bags that have been found to presumably be the cause of the explosions. Officials have closed off the area at the request of Shoreline Stee- 
Windrider stopped reading there. He dropped the newscroll, and it floated to the ground below. 
I said to forget about it.
He was on his way to the Sky City, seeing the buildings already rising in the distance. Before he left, he ordered Glare and the others not to do anything about Shoreline until he returned.
Obviously, they didn’t care.
He sighed. But he had to do this. He could speak to them when he got back.
The last thing Serval had been talking about before she was killed was the assassination here. He felt obligated to find whoever had been the perpetrator.
A capture, for a death.
I hope it’s not a kill for a kill.
///
Maybe I could surprise this dragon by pretending I don’t have any breath weapon by being a hybrid, so that just in case, I have a trick…
He hoisted the crossbow up to his chest once again, landing on a roof. He had seen some smoke here, and figured it was a good place to look. He had been looking for an hour though, so he doubted that they would be he-
There they were. He craned his neck over the roof to see better, hoping no citizens called him out for strangely watching someone from a roof.
She was a Skywing, mostly red, but she had a bit of green here or there. She was sitting in front of a wood fire, looking sad.
Does she have nowhere to go?
He felt a little bit worse about taking her to the authorities. Who knew her reasoning?
Oh no. I’m starting to sympathize with assassins. I really am horrible.
He tried to load the bolt, but he underestimated the strength and it snapped back into place. In one graceful movment the Skywing blew out the fire with a wing flap and looked around. She stalked out onto the street. This was his chance.
He dropped down from the top of the building and he whipped around.
“I know you.” He said, as she stood there. He didn’t think it was close enough to be blasted by fire, but he was still tensed anyways. “You killed someone. You’re going to the prisons.”
“I remember you too.” She said. She moved her head, and the bright sun shone directly into his eyes. He was against a wall and disarmed in a second. When the black spots were gone from his vision, it was replaced by a kukri and a tired, annoyed face behind it.
“Uh. Can we talk, first?” He asked nervously.
“Why?” She asked.
“I just want to see if we can both live here.” He said.
She lowered the weapon and stood back. “If you attack me again I’m killing you. No questions asked.”
“Got it. Uh… if you’re not going to let me arrest you, can you at least t-tell me why you killed that general?”
“Shoreline hired me.” She spat. Good. He had a feeling, considering everything Glare had told him about and the tower he saw here.
“You say that as if you dislike Shoreline.” Windrider pressed. She seemed pretty willing to talk. Maybe she wasn’t a full time silent, scary assassin like he had thought.
“Oh, I hate him. All of them. They’re just a shadow company working under the Talons of Power anyways.”
What.
What?
Windrider absolutely couldn’t believe this crushing news was delivered so calmly.
THE TALONS OF POWER!? Vulture!? The guy who tried to ally with DARKSTALKER!? A bunch of evil Sandwings Fenneck told him never to go near!?
And then tried to SELL him to?
“Did you just unlock the secrets of the universe or something?” She asked.
“How could you just tell me that!?” Windrider yelled.
“Did you… not want to know?” She wondered, tilting her head with a confused look.
“No, I did, I did. Why did you tell me though? It’s just-” He couldn’t put it into words.
“Felt like it. And I hate their guts, anyways. But that’s all I know.” She added.
“Thank you. You know what, I don’t even care why they wanted to kill the general. THANK YOU!” He yelled, flying off.
He felt conflicted about leaving the assassin right there in the street, but trying to get her into a prison was likely to get him killed instead of applauded.
And besides, how many lives could he save with this!?
For the first time since killing Bonereader… since leaving Fenneck… for the first real time since leaving… for the first real time ever, Windrider almost felt happy.
=== Epilogue... ===
Capricorn stalked behind the group of Sandwings leaving the manor. It was huge… on its own little private island. Candles and iron décor and so much more.
They hadn’t built it or anything, they stole it. Of course those rascally Talons stole it.
“When we get back to the Scorpion Den… if we get back, now that we’re working with Truthspeaker… I am still in charge. Understand? One little threat is not enough to quell the Talons of Power.”
“Control freak.” One of them whispered, and the rest snickered.
“Excuse me?” Vulture asked as he stopped in the middle of the hall, and thus, so did group. All the Talons of Power who had traveled here with him, walking through the tall hallway to get to their next orders.
This’ll be good, Capricorn thought.
“You heard me. You ain’t the boss anymore. Truthspeaker is. I’d follow him over you, and I don’t even know who he is.” The Sandwing said.
“I would like to hear the logic driving your little opinion.” Vulture said.
“He got your husk of a dragon self on the ground, and he didn’t even blink.” The Talon chuckled. With a lot of quiet anger, too… he’s been waiting to say this for a while, huh?
“I guess sending that little reunion message was your last mistake. Just leave, Vulture. Nobody needs you now, and ain’t nobody want you.” He finished coldly.
Vulture was taken aback, along with a few of the others.
“You dare? You-“
The Sandwing pulled a long sword out of a sheath. He pointed it with a steel glare. Vulture moved away from the blade, mostly confused at the escalation.
“I’ve been waiting to die, for a long time. I am very, very ready.” The Sandwing said slowly. “Are you?”
Vulture backed away with a scowl. “You… this mistake will come back to you. One does not simply scare off the leader of the Talons of Power.” He whispered. He walked down to the end of the hall, but before turning the corner he stopped and started to speak, a grin crossing his face. The dragon cut him off again.
“I know what you’re gonna say! Get yourself and your stupid, petty revenge speech outta here!”
Vulture turned the corner, his barbed tail curling. Murmurs of wonder, anger, and shock went through the Talons as the deviant Sandwing walked back the way he came. After trailing for a few second, Capricorn sidled up to him.
“Where are you going after that… great feat?” He asked slyly.
“To Truthspeaker. To see what we’re doing next. Following orders… as usual...” He said in return, not slowing down to talk. Some dragons. So rude.
“Anyways… you seem useful. Got rid of Vulture, about time! I always hated that dragon, seems like you did… too? You’re definitely a lot smarter than the others. Were you a general, or something?” He asked casually, slowly sliding in closer.
“I didn’t do nothin important. I only helped kill that fire snorting seer who brought attention to us.”
“Untapped potential, that’s what you are.” Capricorn oozed.
He removed a gold ring from his necklace, and spun it around on his talon as he walked. He faked thinking of something. “You should take one of these. As a little thanks for getting rid of him, hmm?”
“WHAT ARE YOU… DOING!?” Came from the room where Truthspeaker had entered. They both went a little quicker to see what was happening, Capricorn holding his ring tightly for later.
“Make it work! Now!” Was released as a roar after they entered. The storm was still raging strong outside.
“Well I’m sorry but I’m not exactly sure how to do that!” Mindreader exclaimed. Truthspeaker, in all his flaming anger, was hunched over his fellow Nightwing’s shoulder, staring at the Obsidian Mirror, which Mindreader held in his talons.
“What’s wrong?” Capricorn asked.
“It isn’t doing ANYTHING.” Truthspeaker told him. He focused on the Sandwing now. “Who are you?”
“Stinger.” He responded.
“This is Sandwing magic. Try it.” He said impatiently, ripping the Mirror out of Mindreader’s talons and chucking it to Stinger.
He tried breathing a stream of smoke onto it, though nothing happened. A few seconds passed. “It must’ve… run out of uses. I’ve heard of this somewhere, I’m sure…” Stinger faded into mumbles. Truthspeaker growled.
“Of course. As soon as I get here, something goes wrong. I need to contact the others, and get those false Talons under her command.” He said quickly, walking abruptly out of the room. 
“Capricorn, you were an animus. Shouldn’t you know how to fix it?” The Nightwing by the door asked.
Capricorn sighed. “While I may have been an animus that absolutely doesn’t mean that I-… wait… you!? You’re back!?” He asked. It was.
“Do you… know him?” Mindreader asked, looking between them. Probably wondering how this dragon snuck into their old base… how he even found it in the first place.
Capricorn knew.
“I need to speak with you.” The dragon said quietly, melancholy.
Capricorn silently walked to him, reverently, not caring about the stares he was receiving from the others. He couldn’t help but grin.
They walked out into the empty room next door. Capricorn could barely speak.
“But… I thought you… I thought you said that we were…” He trailed off in awe and surprise at their sudden appearance. The dragon looked at the ground with a sigh.
“We were. We are. But this concerns us both. I’ve been studying a mercenary group, led by a Seawing. I think they’re looking for it, the prison.” He said.
Capricorn’s smile slowly faded.
Foresight finally looked up before continuing in a soft whisper.
“They’re looking for our buried secret.” 
== PART 3: IN PLAIN SIGHT ==
=== Prologue... ===
“Right this way Topaz. Our institute is the most luxurious in Phyrria, and it will look even better for the event, I can tell you.” The guide said, walking alongside the iron framed glass guardrails. 
Topaz looked down at the ballroom. It was enormous, big enough to fit at least a sixty dragons comfortably. Blue banners had been hung and the glass roof shined with sprinkling beams of moonlight. Around twenty long tables had been set up, though as of now, they held nothing.
He and Cactus were walking along one of the many balconies wrapped around the main room, along with six floors. The building was the shape of a dome.
His eyes darted around the level he was on, and he found what he had come here for.
“Cactus, if you wouldn’t mind, may I have a look in there? You have the key, right?” Topaz asked, stopping and pointing at a door that had a wooden, foldable sign in front of it. Workers Only, Thank You.
Cactus looked conflicted, tapping his barbed tail on the floor in… regret? “Sir…”
“Your boss did give me a high visitor status, right?” Topaz asked.
“Of course. Sorry.” Cactus said quickly, walking over and pulling out a steel key ring. He found the right one, twisted, and opened it. “It’s only the files room though, so I’m not quite sure what you’re looking for.”
“Just a list.” Topaz said.
They both walked in. It was a small room with a few cabinets and a shelf of cleaning supplies.
“Well, letters should be stored here somewhere. Are you certain you don’t want to do this later?”
“I’m fine with now.” Topaz snarled, grabbing Cactus’s neck and shooting fire down his throat.
Cactus let out a shocked death gurgle and went limp, crumbling to the ground as Topaz let go. He removed his cape with a growl, quickly starting to look through the papers and scrolls.
He found the page he was searching for, and stuffed it into a pouch on his chest.
He walked out of the room, looking around. Skywings appeared on every balcony, and were sweeping the empty ballroom.
“Have you got it?” One of them asked, joining him in pace.
“Right here. Royal Seawing guest list.” He answered. “The rest of you, clean up that body! We don’t need this place closing down before the event.”
“Bear, what do we do about the real Topaz?” Another asked, landing next to them.
Bear laughed, walking out to the front door of the building.
“Like I care! Just kill em.”
=== The Body: 25 ===
“This is what we gotta do. This is us.” 
“You awake?”
Copperhead, opened his eyes, blinking, clearing his throat. “Yeah?”
“Remember those Icewings I told you about? There’s more dragons with them. Come on.” Foresight said, outlined by the light behind the door.
“Got it. Just... one sec.”
Foresight walked away, the door slowly closing by itself. It left him in the darkness of his temporary room.
He closed his eyes again.
“All of them?” He asked.
“Yup. Fenneck said so. Let’s get in there and end it quickly.”
Copperhead sighed, burying yet another memory. He should catch up with Foresight.
He got up from the small mattress and opened up the door. He reached for his knife on the table before pausing. He stretched his talons apart, turned them into a fist, and did it again. Staring at all the scratches and scars.
He shook his head and grabbed it, putting it in its little sheath, and walked through the room’s exit.
He followed the Nightwing through the Enclave’s base. It had been a day since Vulture’s compound. The images of those Sandwings getting ripped apart by that Dragonflame basket he threw flashed through his head a few times. Apparently the heat of the moment desensitized him.
Killing Chameleon too.
It was worth it, though. He did his job. But Vulture got away.
“Turtle and Barracuda abandoned us yesterday after listening to these two. Said it was getting too dangerous to involve Jade Mountain.” Foresight said.
“Really? I guess I can understand that, actually.” Copper said. He realized he had remembered Turtle’s name. Guess he was useful.
Foresight pushed open another decorated door. Copper narrowed his eyes at the amount of dragons he both knew and didn’t within.
There was Woodpecker, talking to another tall Skywing, and an Icewing, and yet another Icewing... Mudwing... hybrid? A very strange looking Seawing with a dangerously long sword... next to a white Nightwing... and Cougar arguing with them both.
“It’s stupid. Simply foolish. Impossible.” Woodpecker droned, to the actual, non-hybrid Icewing.
“You two kept going on and on about the Talons of Power. And now that Windrider gave you an even better reason for helping us, now it's ‘no!’” The Icewing snarled.
“The Talons are criminals. This is a well funded and trained militia. The Enclave doesn’t want anything to do with them.” Woodpecker said, in his all-knowing-Enclave voice.
“I still cant believe you’d help Elver! I told you all to stay put!” The white dragon said.
“Shoreline Steel are the bad guys, my friend. I AM A HERO.” The strangely colored Seawing snarled.
“Shoreline Steel?” Copper asked. All the eyes turned on him.
Cougar smiled at him. “Copper. Could you please explain to these dragons how bad of a plan this is?”
“What did you say about the Talons and Shoreline?” Copperhead asked, ignoring Cougar’s request, for now.
Woodpecker rolled his eyes and scoffed. Copper noticed that if he ever got truly annoyed, he dropped his polite persona. “They say that Shoreline's working for the Talons for some random reason they probably made up.”
“Seriously? First Vulture’s group, the New Knives, then the Talons of Mind... whatever that is, and now Shoreline?”
“You’ve heard of the place?” The stranger Skywing asked.
“A few times. It didn’t exactly sound great. If someone here actually wants something to do with them, get out.” Copper said.
The Icewing chuckled, but there was no humor in her face.
“He knows what he’s talking about. I’m Fowl, by the way.” The Skywing said, getting to his talons and walking over to stand next to him.
“If you aren’t going to help I’ll track them down and kill them by myself.” The Icewing said. Copper looked her over. She didn’t seem overly trained, even moderately trained. No scratches or anything, really, except one big scar. Who did she think she was saying something as crazy as that? Almost catching Vulture was all luck, and that was almost, anyway.
“That is the stupide...” Copper and Fowl said as one. They looked at each other.
“Glare...” The Nightwing groaned.
“I’ll do it myself if I have to. I only came here for help, but I guess not.” Glare said angrily, getting up from her sitting position.
“That’s the better plan! Let’s go kill all hundred of them, by myself! Woohoo.” Copper mocked.
“How about we just don’t kill anyone?” The Nightwing asked, looking uncomfortable.
“Why is he in this room?” Copperhead asked, narrowing his eyes again. 
“Anyone is allowed in this room.” Foresight explained.
Copper held in a sigh. “Figuratively, Foresight. What’s your name?” He asked, directed at the white one. The dragon looked conflicted for a moment.
“…Windrider.”
“AND I AM ELVER.” The Seawing barked, as if he was annoyed he wasn’t part of the conversation. He sniffed the air, and went back to tapping the floor with his claws.
Copper sighed. “Anyways, I want two things: this nothing-argument to stop, and for you to explain what’s going on.”
The room was finally quiet. For a moment, he realized all the dragons in here he had never met before. He thought about it. He was technically surrounded.
This was stupid of me. What if they we’re putting on good faces waiting to spring a trap? They still could be… such an idiot. Where’s Fenneck’s paranoia when you need it? I’m loosing it…
“Me and my friend S-Serval snuck out from the desert… we met the others and came here. Glare told us about Shoreline. And we got attacked here, but it probably wouldn’t matter much to you.” The white dragon said.
Desert? A Nightwing in the desert? Well, I guess Foresight was out there, too… but what’s this guy’s reason? 
Copperhead decided he would ask later. He wanted to stay on track.
“So, you’re telling me that you came here to request help from the Enclave, because of some story? Flew all the way to Sanctuary from the desert?” Copper asked.
“She’s my sister.” Windrider said plainly. So he’s a hybrid too. Interesting…
“Does that mean you can trust her?” Copperhead asked. “How do you know she’s telling the truth, look how suspiciously she’s been acting. Cmon.”
Windrider stammered for an answer when Glare walked in front of him, talons curling. “I wanted the Enclave’s help, not whoever you are.” She growled.
Copper smiled and pulled out the pendant Smolder gave him.
“I’m the Enclave, you little brat.” He smirked.
Her nostrils flared as Windrider nervously put his talons on her shoulder. He looked back at Copper.
“Listen, we just need a place to stay. None of us have any viable options to go back to. We’ve been forced together and now we’re being hunted. Please.” He added.
Copper wanted to say no, so very badly, just to spite this annoying Icewing. But he couldn’t... he didn’t know why.
He sighed.
“Whatever. I don’t think I get to make decisions anyway.” Copper said. Windrider let out of breath of relief.
“Come on Parka. We need to start drawing up maps.” Glare commanded, walking out of the room as Copper wondered what exactly that meant. The hybrid sadly walked after her without saying a word the entire encounter.
“Who are you dragons, anyhow?” Woodpecker asked.
“I am one of the best warriors any good person could ask for.” Elver said. “My heroic deeds are nearly unmatched, and not even all of them have been recorded in history.”
“We’re a bunch of nobodies trying to survive.” Fowl said.
“Those two got hired by someone to protect me and my siblings. Who I met yesterday. Or, sibling. I have two. But they were only payed to protect-… you get it.” Windrider said.
Smolder opened up one of the archway doors, walking into the sunlit, circular room. Flower, the little scavenger, was at his side. He raised a brow at the strangers.
“They asked to stay. I think they’re fine…” Copper said.
Smolder looked them over. Now that Copper thought about it, he had seen someone with a scavenger pet before. Back at the Scorpion Den, selling some straight metal. He didn’t know what they had done with it, but he guessed it was probably dead by now.
Scorpion Den. He didn’t think about how he was going to be able to go back after all this. He definitely couldn’t go back to Fenneck, and that section of the city was basically the only one that wasn’t instantly hostile toward him. Lots of enemies were made back there…
What would Cougar want to do? He didn’t know what Cougar was thinking, but if they were able to solve all this crap and end the dragons behind it… he felt pretty good about staying with the Enclave. He liked to jump around Phyrria, but he could learn to stay in one place. He guessed.
As for Sanctuary… not so much. Not many dragons would respect him at this place. Or like him, probably. Who knew how many dragons wanted him dead? For one of the first times he could remember in a long time, he let himself get lost in his thoughts.
How many dragons’ life goal’s are seeing my burnt corpse? 
He heard some fading words, and Copper noticed the world around him again. “It’s nearby.” Smolder said.
“What?” He asked.
“The murder that I just said could be connected to the Talons of Power.” Smolder repeated carefully, as Copper noticed he had pulled out a map.
“I’m coming with. I am-“ Elver started, walking after him, a new smug look on his face.
“Nope!” Windrider shouted, grabbing Elver. “You are a fugitive of the law, and I'm not letting anyone else get killed.”
“Fugitive!?” Elver questioned.
Fugitive of the law, eh? I’m sure they probably wouldn’t give that up if they were going to betray me. Huh.
“You blew up four factories.” Windrider said.
Elver glared at him. “I was saving people.” He said, placing his claws on his chest while proudly closing his eyes.
“Still breaking the law, technically”
Elver muttered to himself angrily, going to lay down elsewhere in the room.
“They’re… joining you?” Smolder asked.
“I guess so, huh? They might have info on the Talons. We’ll talk about it on the way.” Copper said. If they were working with the Talons, or something, he was sure he could handle them. He and his team, that is.
“Good, then. I have a meeting with Nautilus. Riptide wants the Talons of Peace to regroup for something in the next month, we need to figure out the payments.” He explained.
He nodded as Smolder walked to the other exit, the little Scavenger bouncing along at his side seemingly without a care for the dragons. His group followed, probably wondering what they could do since this was a simple task. Foresight remained behind, staring at the ground mindlessly. What’s he thinking about?
He turned to the remaining dragons in the room and gestured to the door with a grin that would hopefully be taken as charming instead of sinister. He had a tough time making that difference.
“Got nothing better to do.” Fowl said, going to the door.
Copper watched him go, then turned to Windrider.
“Windri... I'm not saying that every time. You’re Wind from now on. On the way, I want to hear the full story if it includes the Talons.” Copper told him. Windrider nodded. He started to go back toward the door, but he interrupted him one last time.
“Wait.” The dragon said. He stopped. “Are you actually a part of the Enclave?” He asked.
“Since yesterday.” Copper answered.
“What were you… before? Sorry for prying.” Wind said. Suspiciously.
Copper thought about it. “Might tell you. One day.” He finally whispered.
He walked out the door to follow the others, Windrider quietly following.
///
More buildings to make me feel out of place. Thanks, Sanctuary.
He took in the beautiful view of the walls and ceilings around him. It felt like it should be bustling with life, but it was cold and silent, the light still.
Blue-green banners were all over the many floors, which formed overhangs and balconies in the egg shaped building. The railings were sparkling glass, giant tables spread out all over what looked to be a ballroom. The light came from an impressive glass roof.
This was a rentable event building… apparently. Copper had never heard of the word, ‘rent,’ until he asked Windrider.
Speaking of which… if he was telling the truth about Shoreline Steel, and Fenneck trying to use his magic for the Talons… the situation was much… much… worse.
How have I never heard his name? Fenneck let things slip so often… must’ve been protective of his little magic conduit.
“I guess the victim is around here somewhere. Your friend isn’t the best at explaining things.” Fowl muttered, the glass doors of the venue closing behind him.
“Maybe he just wanted us to explore and get all the details.” Windrider suggested casually, walking out to glance under the tables.
“Let’s just… look around. You two search down here, there’s a lot of spots to stash a body.” Copper decided.
“Who made you in charge?” Fowl asked.
Copperhead pulled out his Enclave emblem with a smile. He loved this thing.
Fowl rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. So proud. I bet you don’t know about their history in the Sand Kingdom, do you?” He asked, obviously holding something back on purpose. Their good start was quickly degrading.
“What?”
Fowl shrugged as he flew up to the first set of balconies, ending the conversation.
Copper scowled after him as he flew up to the second. What did that mean? How much does this dragon know that he isn’t telling me? Maybe he is an enemy. I’ll keep watch on him, for now. When I can...
After only a moment of studying the place, he noticed only one door was open. He went past a little sign, Workers Only, Thank You. 
The blood on the ground was obvious. He looked at a few black specks there… were those scales? Black, crunchy scales? He also noticed one of the drawers were slightly open. He went to touch it when he heard a voice.
“Found him!” Windrider shouted, his voice muffled by the walls. Copper slowly got up from studying the scales and flew back down to the first floor again. Fowl, appearing in his vision, uncertainty opened up an exit when he landed, looking outside.
Copper followed him out into the alley, next to a single story brick shop.
“I just looked out here, to see if there was anything useful. He’s under that tarp. Random tarp out in the middle of nowhere. Probably how dragons found it so easily.” Windrider said, pointing at some blue cloth. 
Copper picked it up and threw it aside, revealing a grisly corpse. The Sandwing’s throat was charred and looked like it had been ripped to shreds.
“Narrows it down a bit. Mud, Night, Sky, or Sand.” Fowl said.
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here to see if we can find some more info. Do we know the dragons that found him?” Copper asked, as they went back towards the street.
A Nightwing walked out directly in front of them, stopping right at the end of the alley. She had a leather knapsack, the strap wrapped around their side.
“What’s up?” Copper asked, tensing for his weapon.
He heard two more sets of claws click behind him. A shadow from above. One of them looked over the roof of the brick building, down on them.
“You all made some very powerful enemies. That’s what.” The one with the bag said. She started coming toward him and the others, and Copper slowly pulled out his knife.
=== The Associates: 26 ===
“You really can just leave if you want, I don’t want trouble.” Copper said, turning in a circle around to the other two dragons, who were snarling and inching closer.
“You started trouble when you got away from Slymind. Mindreader needs you dead.” Bag Nightwing said, growling now as well. The creepy Roof Nightwing still just watched.
“And I’m guessing you guys are the Talons of Mind?” Copper asked.
“Mindreader?” Windrider repeated, his face scrunching up.
Bag Nightwing shot a burst of flames in their direction as the others pounced for them. The three dragons took flight, but the flames still caught Copper’s satchel on fire. He threw it off, as he flew up to the roof, getting tackled out of the air by Roof guy. He shoved him off, claws scraping his scales. When he scrabbled up his body apparently noticed the burns on his scales, where his bag was, shooting stings of pain through his whole right side.
Fowl and another one of the Talons were slicing at each other in the air, connecting flyby after flyby around the giant event building. Then he got claws to the eye.
He slashed his attacker’s throat in reaction, a thin slit appearing as Roof Nightwing crumpled, choking, trying to hold in the blood. Copper scratched at his eye, trying to see properly again. His breathing quickened.
Not like this. That was too random of a move.
“Windrider! Stop running and help me!” He heard. Copper looked over the edge, still trying to blink away the jarring lines in his vision.
Only the Bag Nightwing had been left, the others on the ground in the alley. Bag promptly fell to the ground, scratches all over her body.
Fowl and Copper landed back in the alley, Fowl having a new limp.
“Are you trying to get us killed?” Fowl snarled, turning to Windrider.
“No. I just... I didn’t know what to do.” He said.
“Oh, really bud? You want to die too?” Copper asked, in his condescending voice.
“No.” Wind said.
“You are being hunted. Do you want to run forever?” Fowl growled.
“No.” Windrider said again, quieter.
“Then get a grip on the situation, you-... just leave it to us.” Fowl finished, turning in disgust to go to the bodies. Copper grimaced, slowly starting to feel conflicted.
He heard the dragon dump out the contents of Bag’s bag. He picked up a slip of paper, shoving aside a dagger.
Copper looked over the bodies, trying to keep his eye half shut. The sunlight had been starting to sting it. “Talons of Mind, huh? Slymind’s group. That Nightwing in the Obsidian Mirror’s group.” He half whispered to himself.
“Did you just say Slymind?” Windrider asked, stunned.
“Yes?”
Windrider gulped, starting to look sick. “Geez. He's... he must have been hired by Glass. He's involved with these dragons too?” 
He raised a brow. “Who’s Glass?”
Windrider completely ignored him. “What does that say?” Windrider asked, directed at Fowl now, who had finished looking over the paper. Ignoring my question. Hmm.
“To kill us. You, specifically.” He said, pointing at Copper. “And to get Shoreline’s letter, evidently.” 
Copper narrowed his eyes. “Really? I… guess they are working together. Wow.” 
Really?
Seriously?
Three moons.
What are they doing?
This is bigger than stealing money now.
They noticed a Silkwing who was staring at them from across the street, dumbfounded.
“Let’s get out of here.” Fowl muttered, flying off. Copper nodded and followed him, leaving the buildings beneath him. It wasn’t that long to the Enclave. He wanted some questions answered. These dragons may have more of those answers then he had expected earlier.
They flew for a while. Copper looked over at the Nightwing… Hybrid, who was flying next to them silently. Copper had to speak again.
“Sorry.” He whispered. Windrider nodded wordlessly.
“I get it. There aren’t really any other ways out, I guess. It just feels wrong.” The hybrid said quietly, after a minute of swishing air and flapping.
“Right now, it’s kill or be killed, right or wrong. Which one it is is up to you. It’s your own fault if you die or not, it’s their choice if they try to kill you or not. They're the ones who are murdering everyone in their path, taking what they want... for whatever they’re trying to do. You can still help us, we can just… get you away from the action, if that’s what you really want.” Copper said.
Windrider thought about it, giving a single, nervous nod.
Back at the Scorpion Den... I didn’t have to do it, did I?
///
They arrived back at the Enclave. The beautiful building seemed to rise as they came closer, ivy growing on the roof, which Copper hadn’t noticed before. The little things.
When he landed and walked through, he thought about everything that had happened. This was one of the few times in the past few weeks when he realized that he had some time to think. What was happening to him?
How did he end up here? Mixed up in all of this? Mindreader, this mysterious she, whoever the imprisoned Truthspeaker was, Nightwings, Sandwings, Talons, gangs, Vulture, even Capricorn’s stupid magic.
Fenneck and the hunters were against him, now. He couldn’t go back, not after this. Stinger too, though it felt like it had been that way for a while.
He let me go, back there, at the stronghold. He could’ve tried to stop me, but he left.
He closed his eyes for a second. The sound of an open door came from in front of him, and he followed the others.
The long, rectangular meeting room again. With that dastardly, senseless fireplace. And there was Smolder again, jumpily looking toward them.
“Before we do anything, I want to know: what is that fire for?” Copperhead asked. He was tired of guessing for answers, especially with all of these loose ends surrounding the Talons and everyone else. He had to have a small victory every so often.
“Copperhead, some of us get a bit cold out here near the mountains. We aren't all Sandwings. You should think about the others sometimes.” Smolder said, abruptly. Copper scoffed under his breath, but went on anyway. The Enclave’s leader looked perturbed.
“What's wrong?” He asked.
“Elver said that you mentioned something about a Mindreader once, when you were explaining to him what you went through.” Smolder muttered, to Windrider.
Wind nodded. “When we were flying to Glare and Parka, yeah. Did he tell you about the creepy villainous meeting thing too?”
“Yes. Mindreader... I’ve heard of him before. Scratch that, I’ve met him before.” Smolder divulged, turning away. “He’s a couple of positions away from being Nautilus’s second in command.”
“That’s a joke, right?” Copper asked.
Smolder didn’t answer, leaving that question hanging in the air.
Wait...
The clock ticks louder under Mind’s mask...
Mind’s mask. He's in Sanctuary’s council... those thugs just walked up on us without getting noticed... Slymind went straight through that party to get to us! Nobody could've sneaked through there! 
The Talons of Mind are literally hiding in plain sight.
He left that thought to rot in his brain, as usual. He really needed to fix this sort of thing with him, he realized, but he didn’t know if he could.
“Why don’t we go and kill him, then?” Copper suggested.
“Because then you would be a wanted criminal.” Smolder said.
“That... your right. This complicates things.”
“Thank you, captain obvious.” Fowl murmured.
“Do you have some kind of problem with me?” Copper asked, snarling at him.
“Not personally. Them though, that’s another story.” Fowl smirked, looking over to Smolder.
“Whatever the Enclave did to you I can assure you that we were hired to do it. We sell our skills to protect people” Smolder said.
“You seem to have a problem with everybody.” Windrider said.
“Maybe I do. And as for you-” Fowl retorted, immediately focusing on Smolder again. “Someone definitely hired you for the rebellion, right?”
“You’re done.” Smolder finished coldly.
“Oh, Smolder. I am very, very much done.” Fowl said, walking out of the room.
“What did he mean?” Copper asked, still staring at where Fowl disappeared to.
“That doesn’t matter at the moment. Right now you have to find some actual evidence to get Mindreader out of the picture. Murder isn’t always the answer.” Smolder said.
Copper thought for a moment.
“You know, I actually have a plan.”
///
Copper and Cougar landed at the front gate, two guards from one of the watchtowers with them. They pushed it open.
“His office is that window. He's meeting with someone though, so you may have to wait a while.” The Sandwing guard told them. They nodded.
Copper decided to walk to the front door. To take in the imposing view.
Shoreline Steel was huge, rich, and it had an entire army.
Dragons were all over the courtyard, which was separated into sections with open, purple lilac. There were four factories on either side of the great wall around the premises. He could see dragons breathing fire in time through the cold and dirty windows. All around the place, there were guards. Five in every watchtower, even more on the walls. At least thirty roaming around, twenty training in a corner designated to that sort of thing.
And even worse, the place was tucked at the edge of Sanctuary.
The Talons of Power have so many friends in high places. How many more?
They walked through the open arch of a front entrance. Cougar cleared his throat, looking around at all the décor.
How on Phyrria were they going to beat this?
I have to get them to stop working with the Talons. It’s the only way.
He decided he would worry about this later. Right now, he just had to keep his cool and get the evidence. The letter those Nightwings we’re going to pick up.
Casual. 
Act casual. 
They walked straight past the reception desk, there was nobody there at the moment anyway. Copper lead them into a dimly lit hall that led to about a thousand doors, and found the stairs.
“How do we get out once we have it?” Cougar asked.
“... In style.” Copper joked, walking up. He didn’t want to tell Cougar that this seemed like a death trap... but... it would be funny to see his reaction...
They arrived at the floor the merc had pointed to. Copper assumed they were mercenaries. Most of them looked a bit.... disheveled.
He found the door, wooden, a single steel plate across the face of it.
Shoreline 
He pushed it open, and took a few steps inside, checking to make sure Cougar had closed it behind them. It was pretty big for an office, but not overly huge. The entire wall was a window, an overlook of the whole compound and the rest of Sanctuary. Shelves lined the walls, holding stacked papers, boxes, pencils...
And a desk, dark wood. A few drawers in the back, facing the window-wall.
Copper went over to the desk, and reached out to open one of them.
“Smokeseer? Are you in there?” A muffled voice asked from outside.
“This isn’t Smokeseer.” Copper said, his heart skipping a beat. He edged away from the desk as quietly as he could. The door opened a crack, and a gray face peered in. Looked like a... Sandwing?
“You’re a new one.” The dragon said, opening it the rest of the way. He walked in, acknowledging Cougar, who responded with a nervous smile.
Oh. A Sand-Sea.
“Who are you two? I was expecting someone else...” The hybrid stated, tilting his head to study the drawer. His scales were completely spotless, like the color gray had simply been wrapped around a dragon’s body.
“We’re with the Talons.” Copper responded, hoping to the moons that everything Windrider’s group had told him was right, and he didn’t just admit to a random dragon that he was a part of one of the most notorious criminal groups in Phyrria.
The dragon looked up at them with a small smile. “Oh really? Good, then. Names?” 
“Camel. That’s Lizard.” Copper explained.
“Shoreline, but I’m sure you were aware.” The dragon responded. “Now I have a meeting to catch with someone, soon, what do you two want?” He asked, walking around to his own side of the desk. Copper backed closer to the door.
“We’re here to retrieve something? For Mindreader?” Cougar asked. Copper felt like he was kind of pushing it, trying to hide his nervous grimace.
Shoreline narrowed his eyes, the smile gone, but still retrieved an item from within the drawer.
The letter. Their evidence.
“Its funny, though, they specifically told me Smokeseer was coming. Just a… bit strange.” He muttered, shooting them a suspicious look.
“We were sent instead.” Copper said.
Shoreline stared at him, expressionless. He set the letter back down on the wood. “I would rather not get ahead of myself. I can wait until I see him again. Apologies, but without proof…”
Copper nodded, but his thoughts said otherwise. He had to see that thing, what if it told him what they were planning next!?
“We also needed to pick something else up. I think they said it would be here, somewhere. You can go to that meeting if you want, it’ll only be a second.” He said, sitting, hoping to look non threatening. He realized this is exactly what Woodpecker had done, on their first mission. Thanks, Woody.
“You might be able to find whatever you’re looking for in the storage rooms.” Shoreline said.
“Where are those?” Cougar asked.
Shoreline didn’t break eye contact for a second. "Bottom floor.”
Copper got up and backed toward the door as Shoreline stared at them both.
Copper went out into the hall, and as soon as he got to the end, he and Cougar ducked through another door. Hopefully Shoreline expected they had left, especially if they were found in this heavily defended building. For once he found himself hoping that this was a dumb plan, because if it was, it would work.
After a minute of silence in what appeared to be an work space, they walked back to the office. He peeked around the corner of the door, and let out his breath when he saw it empty.
“Copper. Do you think we should just go back to the Scorpion Den?” Cougar asked.
“Where did that come from?” Copper asked, looking around for the key to the drawer after pulling on it to no avail. Had Shoreline expected this, or was it just a safety thing?
“Look at what we’ve gotten ourselves into. We’re in a prophecy! We should’ve just lied low, everything could have been fine.”
“Everything would very obviously not have been fine.” Copper said. “Look at all this. The Talons’ end goal is a lot bigger than just us. And Fenneck is with them too, we would’ve been affected either way. At least we’re on the right side.”
He found it stashed in one of the boxes next to the desk. He opened up the drawer and pulled the thing out, showing it to Cougar as well, who’s eye looked strangely sullen. The bandage around the other made his own eye itch.
To: Mindreader the 1st 
A small group of anarchists have been pushing me, my company, and our many deadlines back much farther than anticipated. The worst part, it includes the magical hybrid you and that snake Vulture were planning to buy… the dragon knows about you. Seems Fenneck failed once again. Thankfully, though, he seems reluctant to use the magic.
They have continued to be a thorn in my side for the past week or so, and recently, we’ve finally tracked them down. They have entered the Enclave. 
And you know exactly what that means. 
The information they have collected about me and Shoreline Steel will be going straight to our enemies. Including this annoying traitor and his small group.
But, we still have the upper talons. They are unaware of our biggest plan. And after we pull the trap, nothing will stand in the way of our ultimate goal. Everything on my end is nearly completed, even with the tampering and sabotage.
I highly advise you to protect the Talons of Mind and your own position. I still need more protection and enforcement, and your Talons are providing. 
Phyrria will be better under our rule, I assure you. I know you have had a few doubts.
They fight now, but one day, they will thank us.
Even your daughter, but as a word of advice, ease your actual life into her slowly. We aren’t the greatest of dragons, from an outside perspective, of course. Simply the greatest of leaders.
The trait everything is banking on, no?
-Shoreline
Copper lowered the letter. Does he mean me by ‘traitor?’ What would we be thanking them for?
It didn’t matter right now. What mattered was getting- 
“Excuse me?” Shoreline said, sitting in the hall with a little sneer, two growling, steel plated dragons at his sides. 
“I was wondering if you had really been that dumb.” Copper joked, moving backwards toward the window.
“Copperhead. Give it to me.” Shoreline snarled, taking a few steps toward him.
He decided to crash through the window anyway, feeling the heat from fire streams right behind him. Thankfully Cougar had predicted his escape and was right behind him.
The wind picked up under his wings, and he heard the sounds around him dissolve into the distance.
They didn’t seem to be following. Copper took a wary glance back and saw clear skies, the building cutting straight through the horizon line. The sound of a horn blared, but still no dragons came.
Why did they let us leave?
I’m not complaining.
But that’s... weird.
///
Hopefully Shoreline won’t be attacking us while we’re in the actual town. The Talons of Peace have a few too many friends. They would make enemies with literally everyone.
As Copper entered the Enclave, he felt like this was the one safe place on Phyrria. Didn’t really want to go back out there, but he had to eventually.
“You two okay?” Foresight asked, greeting them at the front door along with an Enclave Seawing. Copper nodded, walking in while Cougar immediately walked to the kitchens. Kitchens. Why haven't I explored in there? That'd be amazing! I guess I'm too used to living without all this... this stuff.
“Where are the others? Just got evidence of Mindreader working with those guys, but... I kinda need directions to whoever I'm giving this to.” He explained. It reminded him of turning in descriptions to the Outclaws once or twice for some quick cash. The Talons of Peace were sort of like Sanctuary’s Outclaws. The Talons of Mind their Talons of Power.
Where's Sanctuary’s... me?
He passed Glare on his way to the circular room, and he wondered what she was doing. They had mentioned something about maps?
If she tries anything it’ll be her own fault. I don’t need to worry about her, or any of them. I need to stick with my own group.
“Where’s Smolder?” He asked, barging in. Woodpecker and Foresight were talking to a few of the Enclave members inside the place.
“I believe he may be at the rally outside.” A Sandwing said. Copper recognized him from a while ago, Cat.
“Thank you. Sorry to cut this short Meerkat, but if Copper’s back, then we just made progress. Foresight, let’s go.” Woodpecker explained to the others, Foresight following him out the door, brows wrinkled, looking slightly confused for... some reason...
I need to get better with these names. But he’s completely useless to me anyways... I don’t know why other dragons expect you to remember them. It doesn’t make any sense.
“Rally?” Copper asked.
“Just a small Enclave rally. The more dragons we can get on our side the better, right?” Woodpecker said, Copper keeping in pace behind him.
///
Smolder had already looked worried enough, so he decided not to talk to him until after this was over, and he was finished chatting with a large group of dragons at the front of the building. It even bled into one of the shops at the opposite side of the street.
He decided to watch from one of the roofs. He didn’t need anyone recognizing him or anything. The only downside was that one of the newest dragons had come to join him.
“But why not? A couple of stabs here, a few slices there. Poof. Shoreline Steel and the Talons: gone. We just need to be more aggressive… in my humble opinion.” Elver said.
“Because I’m logical and not you. Or at least, I hope I’m not.” He muttered.
“Copperhead, new friend, logic can’t get you everywhere.” Elver said, before becoming confused at his own statement.
“It can get you most places while you’re still breathing. And also help you not get killed.”  Copper shrugged.
“Perhaps... but WHERE is the FUN in that?” He asked. “I for one like to live dangerously, heroically, loved by all... even when you end up in a pit of beetles in a gigantic arena. And besides, looking at things from the same perspective won’t always work. I can practically look at something from any, but that’s another story. Actually-“
“Can you point me in the direction of this gigantic arena?” He asked dryly.
Elver’s enthusiasm melted as he gulped. “Uh, well, no. I forgot exactly where it was, apologies. BUT YOU CAN SEE MY POINT.”
“I really don’t think I can.” Copper said, shaking his head and laying down to watch the crowd.
“You see, Copper, that is the problem. Or… me, maybe. I’m normally so fluent at explanation. But probably you.” Elver whispered to himself.
“I could argue all day about this, I hope you knew that.” Copper said, as a few Nightwings took flight from the crowd.
“I could also argue all day. We have so much in common.” He said, raising his head high, laying down next to him. I guess I'm not losing him anytime soon.
Elver sat up and pulled the frighteningly lengthy, obsidian colored sword out of its sheath to study it. “How many dragons want you dead, new friend? No reason.”
“Probably... all the relatives... to the bounties I've gotten? I wasn’t all that... sneaky, in the past...” Copper muttered.
“Do you even care with all that quiet cool?” Elver asked, smiling.
He shrugged, hoping he didn’t have to answer.
Their conversation ended when a fiery explosion went off in the middle of the crowd, a chorus of surprised dragons accompanying the flames.
Copper flew down off the building, Elver freezing up behind him, befuddled.
He landed on the street as the crowd shifted around him. The noise died down to a worried silence as the dragons split up, some already fleeing.
A small sack had been ripped to shreds in the middle of the street, the scraps on fire. Smoke was already floating up to the roofs. A Skywing was dragging himself to his talons, his side covered in bloody scratches. A few needles still pierced his side.
Dragonflame.
“Back away!” Someone shouted. A couple of dragons pushed through the huge group, one of them coming toward Copperhead.
“Who are you?” He asked.
“What gives you the right to ask that? We’re with the Talons of Peace, we’ll handle this. We're-”
“Medics?” Copperhead asked quickly.
“Y-Yes. How did you-?” The Sandwing wondered.
It’s happening again. 
He looked down at his talons, at the cobble beneath them.
Is Vulture back? Or is this someone else?
“Get out of here.” He whispered hoarsely.
“Wh-”
The shop across the street’s windows exploded outwards, glass shattering across the ground, the sound ripping apart the air. The crowd seemed to get the message as the air disappeared and was replaced with wings.
He took flight as well and landed a safe distance away, as two more went off behind him. He turned just in time to watch the top of a stone building collapse into itself as the dust settled. Smoke started filling up the air. Nightwings flying away.
He took a step closer, heat shot up his palm. He growled and ripped out a few needles, not caring about the sting.
Those Nightwings. It was them, wasn’t it? Talons?
He ran-limped back to the gate, where Cougar was coughing dryly as he came out from behind one of the walls, waving away smoke. The grass and flowers at the front of the Enclave base were scorched.
“Again!?” Woodpecker shouted, Meerkat at his side as they shakily rushed out from the front door.
“This has gone too far. We need to find Vulture and put a knife in his eye. Or a needle.” Cougar said angrily, with another cough.
“Something like this hasn’t happened to the Enclave since Burn. And that’s not a good idea.” Meerkat whispered, surveying the damage. “Think about it. If he did this, who knows what else he may do if you go after him?”
“Who were you again?” Copper snarled. This guy really thinks he could just show up and tell them to give up!?
“One of your superiors.” Meerkat said, eyes narrowing.
“Oh yeah? Really? I’ll show you superior.” Copper growled, pullling his knife on the Sandwing.
“Woah, there.” Elver said, appearing at his side and pushing his arm down as Meerkat hissed at him. He let out a breath.
“Sorry. This has just... it's gone too far.” Copper said, trying to calm himself. “And… Meerkat’s right, they were after the crowd, not any of us.” He said, turning to Woodpecker. 
“Then why didn’t they just bomb the building itself!? Instead of those… random dragons? This doesn’t make any sense!” He yelled, starting to pace across the courtyard area, probably wondering about how the Enclave were going to deal with this. Cougar was carefully walking over, checking himself for wounds.
“I don’t know. But I'll find out. I think I saw them-… I’ll make them talk, if they won’t do it for me.” Copper growled, tapping the ground with his claws, wings twitching. They might be gone by now.
And Wind is going to tell me everything he knows.” Copper rasped, before taking flight and heading in the direction of the Nightwings.
Talons, obviously. 
But… wait. Vulture probably would’ve sent someone here, like last time. He would have gloated about his victory in some way.
So it may not be him. 
It’s starting to feel like half the groups on Phyrria are against us.
Are they all just Talons, in the end?
=== The Leader: 27 ===
THERE IS A NEW SECTION TO THE ABOVE CHAPTER! DON’T MISS IT IF YOU’RE READING THIS AFTER I UPDATED IT
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=
-
The Nightwings were heading into a warehouse. A warehouse looking thing, at least. Near the top of the hill Sanctuary was built on, couldn’t be that far from Stormbringer’s charred apartment and the council house.
There were three, all of them cloaked, all of them looking pretty sketchy. He could tell since they all looked as roughed up and scarred as him, and enough people had described him as sketchy over time for him to get the gist of it.
He glided down from the tile roof he had been on, trying to get a closer look through the open door.
Four of them, talking to each other in whispers, dropping a bag on a rotted table, clattering some of the spears that were laid against it.
Rusted tools were all over the workshop, and the stairs led to a watchtower… this  place might’ve been that old guardhouse Woodpecker had mentioned a while ago.
Three on one. Not incredibly terrible odds. How about I introduce myself?
Copper walked through the door, out into the open ground of the guardhouse. He whistled, and they all jumped to attention, snarling.
“Hey. I’m Copper. Who are you guys?” He asked, smiling smugly.
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here, Copperhead. Mindreader’s little friends want you dead.” One of them said, the tallest by far.
“Oh, I know. I’ve been told that a lot. But you aren’t going to attack me, because in that sack there is some very obvious Dragonflame Cacti. See the needles? Which, by the way, I can set off with a burst of flame that I can guarantee will happen before you’re able to do anything. So let’s just talk.” He finished.
The growled anyway, tensing themselves. Raking their claws on the ground.
Here goes nothing.
“Seriously? Well, just-“ Copper cut himself off to breath fire at two of them, hoping it wouldn’t hit the bag. They both sprayed their own, but it was mixed with pained screams. Before he could grab his knife, the tall one knocked him to the ground with a half-tackle.
He was able to whip the Nightwing around after grappling his arm, the sent of blood rising from his face against the stone. Copper pressed his dagger to the back of the dragons neck.
“Normally I would want to do that cliché ‘I really don’t want to hurt you’ thing, but I’ll give you the truth. I really want to hurt you.” He growled, blowing out smoke with anger at the Nightwing’s tackle. “So, just tell me where your leader is, and I’ll hurt yah less.”
///
As he had been expecting, Mindreader was the founder of the Talons of Mind. It really wasn’t all that much of a surprise, his connections, from what Copper had heard, kind of confirmed it.
What he didn’t understand was how Mindreader was hiding it from his daughter. Was she in on it? And if she found out, how would Mindreader defend himself?
They obviously wanted something… he just wasn’t quite sure what it was. Most of the people he dealt with wanted money… both killing wise and deal-making wise.
But the Talons of Power had gone too far. He knew that.
That’s why he decided he was going to ask Mindreader himself. If they would just let him into this stupid building.
“No clearance, no entrance. It’s a simple as that.” The guard muttered.
“Then where can I find some clearance?” Copper asked. He wasn’t about to sneak into the Council House. He didn’t need more enemies than he had.
The guard nodded toward another door, an entrance inside from a small balcony. It was labeled with a few papers, most of them saying defense office.
Copper rolled his eyes and flew up to it. He pushed open the door, to a darker room lit with a few lanterns. It was an actual office, a green Seawing sitting behind the desk, some of his scales more muted and gray than others, now looking up from a few notes.
“Hello, there,” Copper looked down at the gold plated name. “Trout. I need to talk to Nautilus and Mindreader, the person at the front said I needed to come here.”
“Oh, alright, Clavey.” Trout scorned, noticing Copper’s pendant. “Nautilus isn’t taking visitors right now, and Mindreader never takes visitors. You think you can just take a tour of the place?”
Copper frowned, opening one of his satchels and pulling out the letter. Wait. I know this guy. He was at the meeting before we chased off Vulture.
He leaned forward, speaking quietly.
“Just between you and me, Mindreader is working with the Talons. Here’s proof.” He said, setting down the paper. 
“Now you let me in, and you can help us get one of their key players either dead, or locked up, or, you don’t, and he runs free. There’s your two options.”
Wind blew through the open door, the only sound for a few seconds as Trout stared at him. “There is absolutely not a chance I'm doing that for you. You’ve left a trail of bodies around this town. My town.” Trout laughed.
“Bad bodies.” Copper responded.
“Are you sure about that? And it wasn’t always that way. I know you’ve done this before. Yeah, that’s right. I recognize you from the wanted posters.” Trout whispered, setting his talons on the desk as he leaned forward. “You’re lucky you have the Enclave’s protection. I’d be careful if I were you.”
“And if I were you, I'd have your town watch actually do their jobs and help me, but, oh well.” Copper said with a smile.
Trout scoffed, picking up the letter. “The Talons. Yeah, right. Like I said, he doesn’t care for visitors.” Trout said carefully. “I’ll bring this to Nautilus, though, if you really want me to...”
“Thanks. Where’s Mindreader right now?” Copper inquiried.
“Next building, the tower kind of one. But he’s in a meeting, and interrupting him won’t be good for your health. Now get out of my office.” Trout growled.
Copper gave one last smile, before letting it fade as he stepped outside. The wind bit at his scales as he flew down to the ground again, looking at the structure Trout had told him about.
What type of meeting are you having, exactly? 
///
“When are we going to kill Glory?” One of them asked.
“Soon.” Mindreader muttered, his head in his talons. The dragon in the Obsidian Mirror.
Copper watched through the window, head ducked low. Not like it did much to protect him from the outside, but if any civilians saw him up here, hopefully they would be used to this kind of thing by now. Hopefully.
More Nightwings. More cloaked, sinister, very openly evil looking Nightwings, except for the tired one, with no cloak, who he guessed was Mindreader. Great. How were they able to walk around without being caught? Surely the Enclave would’ve… no, maybe not, actually. The attacks just started… today. Maybe that guy was right. Maybe we did kinda leave a trail of bodies. I feel bad for whoever has to clean all that up.
Speaking of which, the Talon activity really did pick up this month and this month only. Before Vulture’s bomb, he had no clue that all of these plans even existed.
The smart thing to do, the Copperhead thing to do, would be run now. It would certainly be easier. He should’ve taken the money and flew.
Actually, it was kind of what he wanted to do, now that he was thinking about it.
Crescent scar. You can get away from him if you go back, the silent voice whispered.
He was pulled out of his mind by one of the dragons growling.
“I apologize if I’m flustered... I’m not good at this thing, I never expected our Talons to get so… huge.” Mindreader said, rubbing one of his eyes as the angered Nightwing calmed.
“The Talons of Mind are growing anxious. You promised us higher positions before we retook what we rightfully deserve.” She said, baring her teeth.
“I know, I know. The rainforest requires a lot of planning. Let me just… think it over, okay? I’m done here, back to whatever you’re meant to be doing. I promise I’ll get back to all of you soon.” Mindreader said, dismissing them. Copperhead ducked under the windowsill as Mindreader excited the room, going through a door to a mini roof garden, to Copper’s left. He scaled along the side, of the building, all the strange and intricate architecture helping him hang on as he listened in.
“You know... it’s actually disappointing hearing all their grand ideas. I kinda regret the whole ‘killing them’ thing now.” Mindreader growled. The hoarse sound of Slymind growled in annoyance next to him, though it was quiet. Please leave him alone. I don’t want to deal with you and your tricks again.
“Yeah. Disappointing.” Mindreader repeated. “At least it’s making exactly what we need, and a lot of it. And they’re pretty good at blowing up the right people, too.”
Copper ignored his thoughts of Slymind at that, twirling it around in his brain. They’re being played. Blank checks. 
If he could convince the Talons of Mind that they were getting scammed out of their money, could he turn them against their leader? That’d be far easier than explaining it after Mindreader was dead.
“Would you… acknowledge me, at least?” Mindreader asked. Copperhead’s heart stopped a moment, but Mindreader was still talking to Skymind, looking fed up with the dragon’s silence as they walked between the tall vines and plants.
Slymind gave a rumbling sigh as he stopped in place, Mindreader continuing without him, through the door to the Council building. Copper realized that it had actually been a sky bridge. He hadn’t even noticed, he had decided to sneak around from the other side.
Good, Mindreader. Do me a favor and stay alone. 
Copper flew as quietly as he could muster over to one of the square windows, hoping Slymind had vanished as he did last time and went elsewhere.
He opened it up as Mindreader continued, muttering under his breath.
The black dragon opened another door, and as it slowly closed behind him, Copper dropped in silently, giving him flashbacks of Mirage. He held a smile at the thought of that town, well, specifically that town’s bank. What could he say? It was too tempting…
As Copperhead pushed open the door, determined not to lose him, he saw Mindreader sitting right in the center of the room, staring directly at him. It was large, it had five balconies where the council must sit. Some sort of courtroom or meeting room. A huge green banner showcasing six swords hung from the far wall of the room, along with multiple windows above each of the balconies, letting in white light.
“I’ve known you were here since you eavesdropped my meeting. You should be more careful.” He said, with a smug sneer.
“That’s not very impressive, for your information.” Copper joked, walking closer.
“Nice to finally meet the Sandwing I’ve been hearing so much about these past few weeks. Did you come to deliver my letter?”
“Crap, forgot, sorry. Let’s get down to business.” Copper said, sitting as the other dragon was.
Mindreader tilted his head, still looking completely calm, if not bored. “Business? You really mean to tell me you aren’t going to kill me?” 
“Thinking about it.” He admitted. “But I may also think about letting you go, if you answer my question.”
Mindreader waited patiently, another suspicious smile creeping onto his snout.
I need to know what’s up with them. Then maybe I can understand who I’m fighting here, how so many… criminals were able to come together for this cause… without murdering each other. 
“Why?” Copper asked. “That’s it. Why? Why do all of this? I know it’s not for coins… it couldn’t be. So why?”
Mindreader seemingly was trying to read Copperhead’s face, the dark dragon still in the middle of the expensive room. “I have a… truly, great plan. Or, me and Truthspeaker, apparently. Everyone on Phyrria will benefit, y’know. This is how it starts.” Mindreader said, getting up and edging closer to him, speaking quietly.
“It hasn’t come close to ‘benefitting’ anyone yet.” Copper whispered.
“It has and it will.” The Nightwing countered.
Copper narrowed his eyes, until he thought about it. “Wait. Oh. No, I get it. It’s benefited you, hasn’t it? Talons of Power. I get it! This whole thing is about you getting power. Ah ha.” Copper said, hoping the sarcasam would get the dragon to reveal more. Unless this is all… part of the plan…? Uh oh.
“Power?” Mindreader asked. “No. Sorry, but I never much cared for that sort of thing. It’s actually a bit constricting with all these dragons looking up to me. I mean, we didn’t even come up with that name. No, not power. Okay, a little power, but mostly not power. The thing that you don’t understand is that we won’t be remembered as ‘criminals’, Copperhead. We are could be ‘harbingers. Of a new way. A better way. You’ll see, everyone will.” Mindreader smiled.
Did he just read my mind? 
Copper shook his head, wanting to end this, go in for the kill, start breaking down the supports of the Talons. Not yet.
“Don’t open that door, you idiot! What are you thinking?”
Copper scrabbled himself to his talons from the sand, his father standing over him, growling quietly, still trying to stay stealthy. The night sky behind him, two moons glowing bright.
“This is wrong. I need to-… we should warn them. We don’t have to be this way.” He said.
“This is what we gotta do. This is us.” Stinger said, almost as chilled as the air around them. “What else would we do? Where will we go? Enemies are all around us. We stay. Hidden. We use our heads and strike when we have the advantage.”
Copper went quiet. 
“We do it. Tonight. Right now. Don’t matter what you want. We get the job done, and guess what? We get paid, we survive. Nothin more. Survival above all.”
“Then we just… we spare them! They haven’t done anything, they just saw something they shouldn’t have. It isn’t their fault.”
“And how will Fenneck react? We would become the hunted.”
His father glowered at him, placing his talons on Copperhead’s shoulder.
“Risks aren’t worth taking. And other dragons aren’t worth dying for. No matter who they are or what they stand for.” 
Copper closed his eyes quickly, before opening them again to glare at the Nightwing in front of him. “What are you trying to say? That you aren’t criminals? Kinda goes against the definition.” 
“Ah, some of us are. Gotta be honest, I am. But that’s because everyone else was too afraid to step up. We are tired, Copperhead.” He said.
Copper subconsciously started reaching for his knife, but he stopped himself to ask one final question.
“Who didn’t listen to you?”
“The queens didn’t listen. Dragons didn’t listen. This whole continent didn’t listen, so now, as we pull this thing off… well, the dragons of Phyrra?” He muttered, pausing.
“They won’t even know.” 
Oh.
They straight up want Phyrria. For whatever this ‘New Way’ is.
If they don’t want Phyrria to rule it, then what do they want it for!? 
He needed to stop them.
“That’s not about to happen.”
Mindreader’s smile dropped, an illusion of his true thoughts, probably trying to throw Copper off guard. He had seen that before.
“What will your daughter think of all this?” Copperhead asked. Will fire work? No, he would hear the hiss too soon. I need to finish this the bloody way.
Mindreader lowered his eyes. “She’ll understand in the end. It’s already starting, and some random, meaningless bounty hunter with a broken moral compass won’t win, because we will be everywhere.”
He looked back up at him.
“I am willing to forgive and forget. I’m about to give you an out. If you leave this, I will tell Truthspeaker to ignore you, and he will. He listens to me. We are still growing, slowly but surely. Our New Way is melting into every place we can get to. We want to do this quietly, Copper, we don’t want to kill anyone we don’t have to. But dragons like you keep getting in our way. Our army, Cop, it’s a backup plan.” He said. 
Copper narrowed his eyes in confusion. Melting. It makes sense. Mindreader is in this council, who knows how many else are in positions of power…
They’ve hidden their plans in plain sight. They’ve hidden… everything in plain sight. 
“You basically said it yourself. You want control of the continent. If you aren’t going to rule for power, why do you want it?”
“The New Way.” Mindreader said simply. “You’ll understand soon. Now, deal, or no deal? It’s starting to sound like no deal. You can’t stab an army, Copper, I know you know that.”
“Maybe not.” Copper said, wrapping his talons around the hilt of his knife. “But a singe dragon is possible.”
He leaped at Mindreader, spreading his wings on the air as he tightened. The Nightwing tried to dodge, but it was too late for him.
The blade thumped firmly into the side of his neck with a wet squelch, and a thin tear of blood trailed down from his jaws. Copper landed, dragging Mindreader down with him. His eyes locked onto Copper, hoarsely trying to breath. Blood pooled around his head, as he went limp, his stare dead.
Copperhead let go of the curved blade, getting up and moving away. He turned from the body, all the sounds around him amplified. What if they find me? No, no, no. That was dumb! I wasn’t thinking! And I talked to Trout before this, too… how stupid can you be, Copper!? 
“You idiot! What are you thinking?” 
His father’s voice, Stinger’s voice, echoed through him, but this was a far different situation from that time. He didn’t even try to blot out the memories, either. 
If they found Mindreader’s body, he could get caught! If Trout didn’t deliver his evidence to the Talons of Peace, if the Seawing was even going to do that at all, to everyone around him… Copper just murdered a member of the Council of Sanctuary. He had to get back to the Enclave. Smolder could help him-
“Wow.”
Copper turned.
“Nice shot.” Mindreader slithered, getting to his talons as he pulled Copper’s dagger out of his neck, gently touching the spot where he had been stabbed. 
His scales shimmered and twisted, the muscle within the wound winding, squelching… and pulling itself back to the rest.
Chills shot down Copper’s back as the scales pieced themselves together again, sewing themselves to each other, as Mindreader twisted his head, readjusting.
“H-how?” He asked, dumbfounded, moving away. This can’t be.
Mindreader wiped the blood off his jaws, smirking. “Did you forget about Darkstalker’s enchantments? I can heal from any injury, chum. I tried warning you about stabbing things.” Mindreader said. He inspected the bloodied knife in his talons before he continued.
“Well, looks like both my secrets are out. Hah.”
He let out a breath, walking a few steps closer as Copper backed away.
Copper didn’t respond, searching for a way out. He couldn’t fight forever, and it certainly seemed like Mindreader could. His mind paractically breaking apart trying to figure out how he could possibly kill the Nightwing now.
They have an army of dumb crooks who are following along with all of these excuses, magic, they have… what don’t they have?
They have leaders. They have the First Talons. I can still try to take that away. 
Mindreader whistled some code. Copper flew for the door, but it burst open before he got there, a Nightwing blocking his path. Of course it would be a trap! What is wrong with me!?
He came to a halt just in time to narrowly miss a slash of talons. He rolled out of the air to avoid the stream of fire that came directly after.
As he jumped up, though, it didn’t really matter. Fire washed across his forelegs, and he yelped. He couldn’t keep himself up, collapsing to the ground, his legs shaking, stinging, feeling as if they had been ripped to shreds. Mindreader, smoke trailing from his grinning jaws, walking up to him, the other Talon at his side.
Mindreader pressed Copper’s own knife to his throat, even drawing blood, the light from the windows partially blinding him. He sucked in quick breaths, the burns somehow getting even worse, and the threat of the blade didn’t help.
He stabbed him with his tail, but it was weak, and Mindreader didn’t react to the puncture.
“I would do it.” Mindreader growled, the first thing Copper had heard him say that didn’t have even a twinge of smugness or dryness. 
“But Truthspeaker wants to use you, and frankly, you’ve proven your usefulness. Sending my Talons after you in that alley was a card I played too early today, obviously, but it gave some great feedback. Then that short sighted lump of anger wants to go through the whole ‘I’m going to kill you myself’ thing.” His finished, returning to his usual voice.
Another Nightwing and an Icewing walked through the open door.
“Throw him into the Sanctuary prison until someone notifies Truthspeaker. If he tells anyone anything about what happened here, come find me.” Mindreader explained, removing the knife from Copper’s throat, holding it up to his eyes like it was a trophy. 
The Icewing grabbed his horn and smashed the side of his head against the ground, the sharpness of it unexpectedly jolting his whole body. His vision went blurry, even worse in his bad eye.
The two guards, Talons, took his arms and started dragging him to the door, his frill making it a bad angle, feeling like he was starting to fade from the flames. Is this really what it feels like? 
Is this what… I do to dragons? 
“I will get out, and I will tell everyone about this. You’ll be executed by next week. I’ll find a way to do it.” Copper snarled weakly, trying to sound threatening through the pain.
Mindreader gave a final, snide chuckle, while Copper looked up at him as he was dragged away, his vision slowly turning to black.
“I couldn’t guess you would try anything otherwise, really. I’m a ‘mind reader,’ my friend. Nobody will be lying aboutme.”
Decided to leave it on a better ending. Still working on it, but I’m also working on a few other projects at the same time.
MUCH HAS BEEN CHANGED IN MOSTLY CHAPTER 1, CHAPTER 2, CHAPTER 26, ALL OF PART 2, and TO THIS POINT IN PART 3. I SUGGEST THAT, WHEN NEW CHAPTERS START BEING ADDED, YOU REREAD, BECAUSE MULTIPLE THINGS HAVE BEEN, at various times, DRASTICALLY EDITED. I WILL LEAVE THIS WARNING UP FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
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== Character List with some links ==
IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE (spoilers immediately ahead) (M=Minor, not extremely important to the plot but still relevant in some capacity, big or small)
Stormbringer (M)
Stinger 
Slymind
Copperhead 
Cougar
Mayfly (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Mayfly)
Fenneck
Woodpecker 
Meerkat (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Meerkat)
Smolder (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Smolder)
(you know who the PoVs are)
Mindreader (WOF) (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Mindreader)
Pronghorn (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Pronghorn)
Tamarin (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Tamarin)
Marl (M)
Capricorn (Very slight M)
Vulture (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Vulture)
Chameleon (called ‘the Rainwing’ in first appearance) (https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/wiki/Chameleon)
Stalactite (M)
Foresight
Mysterious ‘he’... AKA Windrider (mentioned by Fenneck)
Trout (M)
Mindreader (TFT)
Truthspeaker
Glass
Gellis (M)
Windrider
Skywing Assassin (slight M)
Serval (M)
Assorted Criminals (In The Meeting) (M)
Elver
Fowl
Parka
Glare
Pygmy
Quetzal (M)
Bear (slight M)
If you made it here after reading through all that I have to sincerely thank you.
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
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Category:Mature Content
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Genre (Prophecy)
Category:Fanfictions (Canon)
Category:Genre (Mystery)
Category:Genre (Comedy)
Category:Genre (Romance)