Eclipsed

All characters in this fanfiction belong to Soulseeker the Nightwing, do not use them without her permission.
If you see a grammar error, please fix it!
== Summary ==
Soulseeker has been captured, stolen away from her family and tribe. Her dreams are haunted by visions of the future filled with despair and destruction. The world will burn, smolder and die, but the balance all hangs on one dragon. She must stop this terror... before it's too late.
Fire will burn the sky, 
The ground wet with tears dragons cry,
Death, despair will fill all
By flame and stone will Pyrrhia fall.
Hatched of night, under the moonlight,
This dragon destiny will fight.
Fire will burn the sky, 
The ground wet with tears dragons cry,
By flame and stone will Pyrrhia fall,
Unless this dragon saves us all.
== Pages to see ==
Soulseeker
Dreamwalker
Seahorse
Novagold
== Prologue ==
Moonlight shone on treetops of the Rainforest Kingdom.
Night had fallen. Two of the three moons were full, silver against the swirling blue and dark purple behind them. Just like the night I had hatched.
"I don't want you to leave."
I cast my gaze away from the sky and towards my little sister. She stood on the branch next to me, shuffling her feet nervously. She looked at me with large, round eyes, her left one purple and her right one silver.
I smiled sadly. "I don't want to leave you, either."
"So why are you going?" Dreamwalker asked.
I sighed. She knew why I was going. I had told her before.
"Look into the future," I said gently. "Do you see any future where I don't go?"
She squinted slightly, and her gaze grew unfocused. "Well.... A few..."
"Are there consequences?"
She dopped her gaze. "Yes," She responded. "There's one where--"
"Don't tell me," I interrupted. "Remember?"
We both knew how strong her future-seeing abilities were. She could see almost every possible future that existed, and she had the odd ability to visit other dragon's dreams and communicate with them through dreams.
She fiddled nervously with the earring that I had given her, the one that blocked all mind readers from seeing her thoughts, including me.
"Okay," She said reluctantly. "You can leave. Just remember to write to me, please. You promised."
I exhaled, relieved. "Thank you." I embraced her. "And I will."
I stepped back and flapped my wings, lifting into the air. Soon I was high above the trees,
I was as free as the wind. I could anywhere now. I could finally fulfill my dream: to explore Pyrrhia.
But where would I go first?
The jagged peaks of the Claws of the Clouds rose in the distance, answering my question. I would go to the Sky Kingdom.
I veered upward, breaking through the layer of clouds, my sapphire necklace thumping against my chest. Just me and the sky.
I flew away from the only home that I had known, alone, towards my destiny.
== Chapter One ==
I tugged at the chains around my wrists. They were covered in blood from the numerous gashes on my arms and shoulders. The iron dug into my scales, sliding underneath them uncomfortably.
Bah, I hate this. We've had her prisioner for almost half a year now and we still haven't received payment.
There. Those were the thoughts of the SkyWing guard, one of the ones who had captured me. It's not my fault that a bunch of idiot dragons decided to hold me captive and demand a ransom! Besides, It's not like the RainWing queen has that much treasure, anyway.
"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite NightWing prisoner," he hissed, sneering as he sauntered into the cave.
"And your only one," I reminded him.
He sighed. "Well, you won't be getting out of here any time soon." Goodness, I hope we can just get the gold and get her out of here.
I snorted. "You do realize that I can hear everything you think," I informed him.
He took a step back, his mind reeling. "Y-you can?"
"Yep."
He frowned and adjusted his wings, leaving the cave and tripping on one of his wings as he went.
I let a small smile touch my face. It was rather entertaining.
I looked around my small prison cave and noted that my sapphire necklace was still sitting on a rock on the other side of the room. They had confiscated it early on, probably meaning to sell it, but never getting the chance. That necklace was the only reason that I hadn't used my animus power to escape yet.
It was one of the first things that I had enchanted. When I wore it, any spell I cast while it was around my neck would have no effect on my soul, now and forever. The thing is, I had already cast a few spells without it on, and I didn't want to chance tipping towards evil.
I sighed, and, having no real sense of time, I fell asleep.
== Chapter Two ==
The dream was the same as many I that I had had before, but it still scared me.
My sister, standing in front of me, smiling happily as I handed her a bag of scrolls. We were standing on a cliff near Jade Mountain, the sun high in the sky. Suddenly, the sun was blocked by a dark orb. The sky turned a hazy yellow as the world was cast into shadow.
The sack of scrolls in Dreamwalker's talons burst into flame. She shrieked and tossed it away, and I sighed in relief. But then she looked up at me and crumbled into a pile of ash. I yelled, but no sound came out of my mouth. The earth blistered and cracked, and jets of lava spurted from the ground.
I woke up screaming.
I assured myself that it was just a nightmare. After all, everyone dreamt of their worst fears. Mine was something happening to Dreamwalker.
But still, I felt this tugging in the back of my mind that....
I shook off the thought. No. It couldn't be the future.
"Finally," a muffled voice growled. "It only took a year."
I sensed two minds approaching. One the angry SkyWing from before, and the other... A blazing sandstorm whirled in this mind, full of anger and resentment and, strangely enough, relief. A SandWing.
I tilted my head curiously, anticipating what would happen next. And I didn't have to wait long.
The two dragons entered the room. The SandWing I did not recognize, though. His eyes were stormy gray-blue, his right horn was chipped, and an angry scar marred his shoulder.
"You are being released," he growled in a deep voice. "Your queen has agreed to pay a reasonable price for letting you go."
My heart leaped. "Really?"
"You will blindfolded while we bring you back." The SandWing continued, ignoring me. "Goodbye, and may you die a painful death."
I wrinkled my snout at him. Well, he sure was jolly. But I didn't dare speak, not when I was so close to freedom.
They unchained me and I walked straight across the cave. I retrieved my necklace and dropped it down over my head and onto my neck. The sapphire bumped against my chest, the feeling of the gold chain it was on sliding against my scales. I welcomed the power it held.
I sat patiently while they tied the blindfold around my face. It smelled like rotten seaweed, but at the moment, I didn't care.
I was finally going home.
== Chapter Three ==
My captors dropped me down on the Royal Pavilion in the rainforest. I could hear them shifting uncomfortably next to me and mumbling to themselves and each other. Finally, I heard talonsteps.
"Well," Queen Glory announced. "You have brought Soulseeker back to me, for which I am grateful. But," there was a pause, and I could imagine Glory narrowing her eyes at them. "You also captured her in the first place, which makes me question wether or not I should pay you."
I felt something sharp digging into my neck. The stupid SkyWing was holding a knife at my throat.
"Give us the agreed payment, and no one has to die," the SandWing hissed. I let out a small whimper as the blade sliced through my scales, leaving a thin line of blood that dripped down my neck.
I heard a surprised hiss from the queen, then a gentle thump as her tail hit the floor. Two more dragons marched onto the pavilion. From the gentle swishing and clincking, I guessed that the dragons were carrying bags of treasure. I heard someone step forward, probably the SandWing because the knife was still pressed against my neck, and the shifting sound as the treasure-filled sacks were passed from one dragon to another.
Only as the knife blade was removed from my neck did I realize that I had been holding my breath. I exhaled, hearing the sound of wingbeats as the fiends lifted into the sky. I smiled in spite of myself. I was free at last.
"Someone take that blinfold off of her," Queen Glory ordered. I blinked and the sunlight stabbed my eyes, but I was soon adjusted to the brightness.
"Soulseeker," Glory said.
"Your majesty," I replied, dipping my head respectfully.
"I am glad to have you back within my kingdom. Your presence has been sorely missed by your sister. It is good to have all my citizens free on imprisonment."
"Thank you, your majesty,"
"But remember," Glory continued, "that I will not pay such a high price for you release again. I trust you to be more careful next time. If you do get captured again... You must find your own way out."
I gulped, the meaning of the words settling their weight in my mind. "I understand, you majesty."
"Now go," the queen said, letting a smile cross her face. "Your sister awaits you."
I grinned, the thought of Dreamwalker immediately lightening my thoughts. "Yes, Your Majesty," I said with a quick bow, then hurried off to see my sister.
== Chapter Four ==
I landed on a branch above the NightWing village, scanning the crowd below me, looking for purple scales. In the seven years since the NightWings moved to the rainforest, the tribe's population had nearly tripled, and so had the beauty of their village.
Beautiful huts spangled the ground and some of the branches above, cobblestone streets crisscrossing the ground and springy bridges of woven jungle wines connecting the treehouses. A bridge crossed the rushing river that wound next to the village to a garden filled with flowers and vegetables and fruit. Young dragonets swam in the river, watched by careful parents. Vines bursting with vibrant flowers wound around nearby trees, surounded by fluttering butterflies. A few hammocks were strung between trees, one occupied by a NightWing dragonet with a scroll.
I felt a swelling sense of pride. We did this, proof that our once-secretive tribe was capable of living as a society.
But at the same time, my heart dropped. I didn't see Dreamwalker anywh--
"SOULSEEKER!" Something- no, someone- barreled into me. "Soulseeker Soulseeker!" You're BACK!"
My little sister wrapped her wings around me. I repeated the gesture, pulling her close to my chest. Tears of joy streaked her face.
"Dreamwalker," I said. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you, too," she responded, looking up at me. She didn't have to look up far; she had grown a lot over the year that I hadn't seen her. In fact she was almost as tall as me.
"So," she said, bouncing on her feet, an enormous smile on her face. "Do you have any scrolls?"
"I do," I said, grinning at her. I often wrote scrolls about my travels and would bring them back to the rainforest for Dreamwalker to read. I had managed to negotiate to get some ink from my captors and three scrolls. I wrote about the time right before I was captured and about the time I was imprisoned. I had folded them to fit in the pouch around my wrist.
I removed three folded pieces of paper from the pouch and handed them to Dreamwalker. She grinned and dashed off.
I smiled as her tail disappeared around a corner, then adjusted the pouch on my wrist and went off to find Mother.
We lived in a small treehouse rather high above the rest. Vines of flowers wound around the columns that held up the roof on the front porch. I landed and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a voice echoed from inside.
I pushed the door open, wincing at the creaking. Some things never changed.
Mother was standing at the counter in the "kitchen" area, which was really just a table, a bucket of water, and a few bowls of fruit. She was using her talons to peel the skin off some citrus fruits.
She turned around, and her snout wrinkled in disdain.
"Soulseeker," She hissed, then turned back to her work. No "Welcome home" or joyfulness. That was always how it was with Mother. She almost never talked to either me or Dreamwalker. She just acted angry whenever she saw us.
"Happy to see me?" I asked sarcastically.
"No." Dawnstealer replied without turning around.
I rolled my eyes and left the house, but she had given me the exact greeting that I had expected from her.
Later, I found Dreamwalker in a hammock reading one of the scrolls I had given her.
My talons thumped loudly as I landed on the platform next to her, making her yelp and nearly drop the scroll.
"Oh, it's you." She said, relaxing.
"Yeah," I agreed somberly.
"Did you go see Mother?" My sister asked, noting my mood.
"Yeah," I said again with a sigh.
"You know that she's always like that," Dreamwalker said comfortingly.
"I know. She's my mother, too," I joked.
Dreamwalker nodded. "And guess what," she said with a grin.
"What?" I said, fixing a suspicious expression on my face.
"You where invited to attend the Jade Mountain Acadamy!" She exclaimed.
I did a double take. "The what?"
"You got invited to attend Jade Mountain Accadamy," she repeated slowly.
I shook my head. "But why-- how did-- but I can't,"
Dreamwalker's eyes widened. "Why? It's important! Only--" she counted on her talons. "Two-hundred and ten dragons have ever been invited to attend! You have to! I know I would love to go," she added wistfully.
I shook my head. "Then you go," I offered. "If I go, then I won't be able to travel anymore. You know how much my explorations mean to me."
I lifted my head towards the sky, where the sun had begun to set and the stars twinkled into existence. "I want to go to the sea," I said, smiling. "I want to make sure Seahorse knows that I'm okay."
"You're leaving?" Dreamwalker said "But-- you just got back!"
"I know," I said.
There was an awkward pause, before my sister broke the silence.
"Okay," she said. "But please come back soon. And take this," she handed me a carved bone. It looked just like on owl, about to take flight.
"Thank you," I said, then tucked the carving into my scroll pouch. I leaped into the air and soared away, the sunset behind me, towards the kingdom of the sea.
== Chapter Five ==
The clouds brushed my wings as I soared above the sea, the salty scent of the lapping waves filling my nose. A gentle, warm breeze wafted through the air. I tucked my wings in and dove, spiraling downward then flaring my wings open just before I hit the water. My talons brushed the surface, sending droplets of water into the air.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a SeaWing; being able to breath under water. Seahorse says it makes you feel like a master of the elements, but honestly I would prefer being able to breath fire than to breath underwater.
I spotted the ruins of the Summer palace and spiraled down into them. Over the past few years, the queen had had multiple animuses come and rebuild little parts of the palace; a room here, a fountain there, but never to much. I had offered to help, but Seahorse just shook her head, saying that the queen would never allow a NightWing to work on the palace.
Seahorse sat on the highest lever of the Pavilion that hadn't been destroyed in the attack, her front talons dangling over the edge. It had taken me about a day and a half to arrive at the Kingdom of Sea, so now it was high noon, and my scales had zero camouflage against the cerulean sky.
"Soulseeker!" She cried, leaping up and bounding towards me. She stood there for a moment, her bioluminescent stripes flashing happily.
"So what happened?" She exclaimed.
I scratched my shoulder. "It's a long story," I explained.
"I've got lots of time," she offered.
So I told her the entire thing. It must've taken hours, but she sat patiently as I told her every little detail, even about the dreams. When I was done, she was silent.
"Wow," she said after a long pause. "That is a long story if I've ever heard one,"
I flashed her a smile. "Told you,"
"So what do you think the dreams meant? She asked.
"Honetly, I'm not quite su--" I was cut off by a stabbing pain in my head. I let out a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground.
"Soulseeker? SOULSEEKER!" Seahorse yelled, kneeling down next to me. I struggled to stand up.
But it was hard, almost impossible. I felt as if giant talons were pushing down on my back, trying to keep me on the floor.
And suddenly, I was speaking. Words spilled out of my mouth, matching the images of flame and destruction in my head.
"Fire will burn the sky, 
The ground wet with tears dragons cry,
Death, despair will fill all
By flame and stone will Pyrrhia fall.
Hatched of night, under the moonlight,
This dragon destiny will fight.
Fire will burn the sky, 
The ground wet with tears dragons cry,
By flame and stone will Pyrrhia fall,
Unless this dragon saves us all."
With that, my eyes rolled back in my head, and I passed out.
== Chapter Six ==
"Soulseeker? Wake up!" Oh dear. I do hope she's okay, a mind worried. Seahorse's mind.
I wearily opened my eyes. I was in one of the newly remade rooms of the Summer Palace, with Seahorse's head hovering over me.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said, clasping one talon on the other anxiously.
I try to stay out of Seahorse's mind, but it is often way to loud not to hear.
Is she going to be alright? I hope she'll be alright. What were those weird words she was saying? Did she go insane? Do insane dragons speak in rhymes? I don't know. Maybe I should contact the queen and get a royal healer in here. Should I do something? Is she dying? No, if she were dying she probably wouldn't be awake right now. But GAH, what should I DO?
"Okay, okay, calm down!" I said, pressing my talons over my ears, which didn't help a bit, but it let Seahorse know what was happening.
"Oh, sorry!" She cried, calming her thoughts immediately. "Sometimes I forget that you can read... My... Mind..." She suddenly looked severely uncomfortable.
I winced. "Sorry... It's just... It's like overhearing a conversation. There isn't really much I can do about it."
"I guess," she said looking at the ground. "It's okay," But they're MY thoughts, and shouldn't they be private? I guess having a mind reader as a friend does have its downsides, she thought gloomily.
"There is something I can do about it, actually." She always wore a sapphire earring. "I could enchant your earring to block mind readers from hearing your thoughts," I offered.
"No!" She exclaimed, surprising me. "No, don't do that," she said more calmly. "I trust you, Soulseeker." She looked me in the eye. "There might be something in there that you have to hear one day, so no, you can't."
I was shocked. No one had ever turned down an offer like that. "Okay," I replied reluctantly.
"So what do you think that weird gibberish you were speaking earlier means?" She said, her thoughts suddenly as bright and loud as fireworks. I winced.
"I don't know, exactly." I said. But the tugging in the back of my mind was there again. There was something I was missing.
"I think it was a prophecy," I blurted.
"Really?" Seahorse said. "That's... Interesting."
"I think I need to go," I said with a wince. I hated to leave so soon, I had just arrived here. But I needed to warn someone. Queen Glory, maybe. "How long was I out?"
"Maybe you should look outside," Seahorse said with a wince. What wil she do when she finds out how long she was out? Her mind worried.
I kept listening, but I didn't hear anything in her mind that told me what time it was, so I shakily got to my feet and stumbled out of the cave.
A fountain gurgled serenely outside. A few crickets were chirping, which made me nervous. I looked up at the sky.
"Thrice cursed moons!" I exclaimed. The sky was an inky black, dotted with stars. The last rays of the sunset glimmered on the horizon.
"I have to leave now," I told Seahorse. " Before the sunset fades completely. Otherwise I might get lost."
She grimaced. "Okay, go ahead." She said.
As I lifted into the air, she called after me, "See you soon!"
Right, I thought, depending on how soon I stop the end of the world.
== Chapter Seven ==
The swamps of the Mud Kingdom rushed below me as I flew at top speed towards the rainforest. A few clouds that where still slightly pink were the only remnants of the sunset.
I panted, my wings feeling as if they were about to fall off. I gritted my teeth, determined to ignore the pain, but it wouldn't go away.
I inhaled a breath of cool evening air.
Wait. Why did I smell fire?
I tucked my wings in and dove just as a dragon snatched the air where my throat had been two milliseconds before. I heard a growl from above me as the dragon dove down after me. I reached out with my mind, trying to hear their thoughts, but I couldn't. The wind in my ears drowned out the sound of the thoughts of the other dragon.
I whirled around, building the heat in my throat, then opened my mouth and blasted a firestorm at the attacking dragon. He bellowed in agony, and in the brief light of the flame, I glimpsed his face.
He was a MudWing, which wasn't that surprising given that I was currently flying over their kingdom. But really, was it necessary to attack every strange dragon you saw? Rude.
I flew faster untill I saw the looming outline of the rainforest. I slowed to a glide, soaring untill I saw the gap in the trees that indicated the RainWing village.
I swooped down and landed on the Royal Pavilion. Small moonglobe trees lit the treetops. I smiled, remembering coming to the RainWing village as a young dragonet and seeing the first of the moonglobe trees in the rainforest. Queen Glory had exchanged an IceWing prisoner for a clipping of the animus-touched tree. They had thrived in the rainforest, bringing light to the rainforest at nighttime.
I was panting, my throat felt dry from breathing fire, and I was in absolutely no shape to present myself to the queen. Let alone after she had given so much for my freedom and safety. The least I could do was let her sleep after a long day.
I turned my back, about to fly away, when a voice stopped me.
"Soulseeker? Your sister gave me the impression that you left last night."
I turned to see Deathbringer sitting on the pavilion behind me. Despite his fearsome name, I had never found the queen's bodyguard threatening, on the few occasions I'd met him.
I forced myself to smile. "Hello, Deathbringer," I replied, attempting to sound pleasant but undoubtedly failing. "You were not misinformed, I did leave to go to the Kingdom of the Sea to visit Seahorse. But... Something happened, and I thought it was extremely urgent, so I flew home as quickly as I could." I took a shuddering breath. "Is Queen Glory awake?"
He snorted with amusement. "Yes, thanks to your trampling around like a hippo, I'm half sure the entire village is awake by now."
I cringed so hard I was sure my snout would fall off. "Can-- can I see her?" I asked carefully.
"You most certainly may," said the queen, stepping into the light of a moonglobe tree. Her talons slithered silently across the woven vines.
"Your Majesty," I said, dipping my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I was pretty sure I saw Glory and Deathbringer exchange an eye roll.
"So, what's so important that you flew across half the continent to tell us about?" Glory asked.
"When I was with Seahorse," I started, "I had... A vision, of sorts."
Glory and Deathbringer exchanged another look, but I noticed a bit of pale green splashed on the RainWing queen's tail before it was swallowed by her usual vibrant colors.
"And what was it of?" Deathbringer prompted.
I shuddered from wings to tail, remembering the image. "Jade Mountain," I said, my voice hoarse. "Fire. Death. Doom. And so much fear." Even though I hadn't heard it in the vision, I could clearly imagine the panicked thoughts of all of the dragons.
Jade Mountain? Again? The thought startled me slightly before I realized it was coming from Deathbringer.
"Yes," I responded. "But... It wasn't just a vision."
I held my breath for a second, trying my best to ignore the tumult of thoughts coming from the dragons in front of me.
"Well?" Glory prompted.
"There was a prophecy," I said, cringing at the loud stab of fear in Glory's mind. Pale green with specks of white splashed on her wings, but were once again overtaken by the bright yellow of her wing membrane and the vibrant blue of her scales.
She noticed my face before I could change my expression, and she winced. "Sorry," she said quietly.
"It's fine, don't worry." I responded. I had gotten used to hearing strong emotions at a young age.
"What was the prophecy?" Deathbringer inquired softly.
Though I hadn't memorized it, somehow I knew the words.
"Fire will burn the sky,
The ground wet with tears dragons cry,
Death, despair will fill all,
By flame and stone will Pyrrhia fall.
Hatched of night, under the moonlight,
This dragon destiny will fight.
Fire will burn the sky,
The ground wet with tears dragons cry,
By flame and stone will Pyrrhia fall, 
Unless this dragon saves us all."
 Glory and Deathbringer exchanged a look, and I felt a wall slam down over both of their thoughts. Glory glanced back at me. "Go back to the village," offered the RainWing queen. "Get some sleep."
I bowed, and left the pavillion for the second time that day.
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Genre (Prophecy)