Fearless (Fanfic)

== PART I ==
Fearless had looked death in the eye multiple times. Like when she had been about to eat some rotting meat, before some other NightWing dragonets had stopped her. Or the time she had kicked an older dragon named Morrowseer in the tail and faced his wrath.
Fearless was.... well, fearless.
The only thing that ever scared her, was the volcano she'd lived on all of her life. She felt so small and insignificant compared to the large mass of magma that loomed over her. Confined to the thing that haunted her nightmares.
Although she was only three years old, the living conditions were already affecting her negatively. Her hunger deprived chest was unhealthily skinny, and most of her bones were visible. The constant smoke made her eyes blurry, and her vision was poor.
"Fearless," Destinyfinder, her mother, called. "Sorry that there won't be a meal today. You know that Pyrrhia has a limited prey supply."
"Pyrrhia doesn't have a limited prey supply, the volcano does." Fearless rolled her eyes, and sought out her mother's firm gaze.
"You need to learn how to hold your tongue. You know how angry the other NightWings would get if they heard you? Sometimes I'm ashamed to be related to you."
"No surprise there," Fearless replied, snarkily.
With an exasperated sigh, Destinyfinder stalked away, leaving Fearless alone with... The rocks?
"You can come on out now," Fearless called to the supposedly empty cavern. From behind huge rocks, dragonets appeared, eager to leave their hiding spots. They did this often, every time Destinyfinder entered the cave. They didn't usually stay over night, but there were exceptions. They had learned the hard way how Destinyfinder snored like a boar at night.
One by one the dragonets popped out behind the rocks, looking at Fearless with admiration in their eyes. They practically worshipped Fearless.
Fearless did her routine check of examining each NightWings to see how badly their health was failing. They deserve to live in a better place than this.
"I have an announcement," Fearless declared, looking them all squarely in the eyes. They were silent, knowing that as much as they loved Fearless, she was not someone to be trifled with.
"I'm leaving the Night Kingdom, for good."
The dragonets were silent, too stunned to speak. The first one out of the initial shock was Mightyclaws, who rolled his eyes up to the roof of the cave.
"You can't be serious, Fearless," he said, breaking the silence that had been gnawing at them all. "It wouldn't be fair if you got to leave the volcano and we didn't."
"Then why don't you leave with me?" Fearless asked, eyes twinkling in the light. The prospect excited her, but stood still to show the other dragonets how calm and controlled she was.
"My parents wouldn't like it if I went with you," Bigtail replied automatically.
"How will they know that you left with me? We're never coming back, anywa-"
"We know the drill, Fearless. We help you with one of your schemes, thinking that our parents won't find out. It always backfires, like this one will. You'll eventually come right back to the volcano, where you were meant to be." Mightyclaws peered into Fearless's icy blue eyes and didn't flinch.
"You should understand this more than anyone, Mightyclaws. You're my best friend, and you know how much I hate this place." Fearless lashed her tail at one of the stalactitesscalagtites for emphasis. She missed by a few inches, and was about to try again, when 
Mightyclaws put his talon on her shoulder.
"I can't let you leave. If you were gone I'd be all alone. The other dragonets are great, but you..." His voice trailed off, and he broke eye contact.
Fearless's heart pounded, and a gasp escaped her throat. They were standing awfully close together. It would've been kind of nice if they hadn't been in the volcano.
"I need to do this. I can't stay here any longer, Mightyclaws. I've been dreaming about this for years, and now that I'm five-"
"Can't you think of anyone besides yourself?" Mightyclaws asked, although he was practically yelling. "We can't let you do this. Right?" He gestured to the other dragonets, who hesitated.
"Fearless, we love playing around with you and pulling pranks, but this is going a little too far. I would miss my parents too much to leave." Bigtail answered, looking straight at Mightyclaws as he spoke. "I think he's right."
The other dragonets mumbled in agreement, and Fearless was so caught up in the wave of anger rolling in her ears that she almost missed Mightyclaws whisper. His voice was smooth and soothing, but remorseful, as if he were sorry to see her this way. Sorry to see her angry that her friends would not support her in something as important as this. But it only agitated her more, to know that he was sorry that this was happening, and still letting it happen.
"I'm sorry," he had whispered, caressing her left wing.
Suddenly, it was all too much for Fearless, and she stalked out of the cave, angrier than ever.
She paused at the mouth of the exit cave, stretching her wings in a ready position. She hesitated, then fixated her eyes on the horizon, more determined than ever.
Well I'm sorry too, Mightyclaws. But I have to do this, even if you can't understand why. And you're wrong--
I'm never coming back.
== PART II ==
For the rest of the day and into the night Fearless flew tirelessly. She didn't dare take a break, because she might think over what she'd done, and regret it. There was no way she could turn back now, not after all she'd said to Mightyclaws. There was no way he could forgive after all of this.
A long forgotten spark of a memory ignited in Fearless's mind. Something that he hadn't thought about in three years.
A two-year-old Fearless had led the dragonets in a protest in front of all of the adults in the tribe. She had led them in choruses of complaints about the volcano and their way of living. It had made a big scene, and the adults hadn't been happy about it. Mightyclaws's father had pulled him aside and scolded him, telling him that he was a disgrace to the tribe, and that he could never do anything like it again.
Mightyclaws hadn't talked to Fearless for days after that. Every time she stepped into the same cave as him he had left. It had been some of the worst days of Fearless's short life.
Fearless had confronted Mightyclaws with a crisp seagull, his favorite. At first he was reluctant to accept it, but gladly took the exchange after Fearless apologized. Well, Fearless had tried to apologize, but hadn't attempted it before. Fearless liked to think that for a first time apologizing, she was pretty good.
"Mightyclaws, this is not your fault... And I wish that I hadn't done this... And I-I.... I'm sorry."
Fearless made her way to the dark ground, only shadowed by pale moonlight. She couldn't tell what tribe she was in, or what direction she had traveled. At first it hadn't mattered, all she had to do was get away from the volcano. Now she realized her reckless mistake with guilt seeping into her being.
After resting her wings, Fearless acknowledged how tired and fatigued she was. Her wings ached, sending jolts of pain up her torso and shoulders.
That's when something silver caught the moonlight. It snaked along the ground after something Fearless couldn't quite recognize. A moonbeam fell directly on top of it, and Fearless smacked her lips in triumph. A scavenger! A fitful meal!
Fearless sprung forward, grasping for the scavenger, and caging it in her talons. At first she was so sure of her victory, but thought otherwise once she saw a silver chain clutched in the scavenger' tiny paw.
The metal chain lashing her front snout was the last thing she saw before the world went dark.
== PART III ==
Fearless awoke in a damp cell with rock walls on three sides of her, and a prison door on the other side. The dim light consisted of a few torches hooked to the walls. As far as she could tell, she was alone.
She
 felt her snout and held back a scream. A deep cut from the chains 
resided there, and on her wings. She was dizzy with pain, and tried to 
adjust her eyes to the dim light, but it made everything blurry.
A
 growling echoed through the cave, and Fearless blinked away the blurs 
and set her eyes on the cell in front of her. A male IceWing was making 
the noise, and the sight of him sparked Fearless's curiosity.
Before
 Fearless could say anything, the IceWing spurted frost breath onto one
 of the damp walls. The water seeping down it froze, then shattered as 
the IceWing lashed his tail at it. Showing off? Fearless thought, 
annoyed. Typical IceWing. Or at least what the scrolls say they are.
Fearless
 had never come in contact with a dragon outside of her tribe, so no 
matter how arrogant he looked, Fearless still couldn't hold her 
excitement. 
"Worthless NightWing," the IceWing spat.
"You're a stereo typical IceWing like I've read about. Arrogant and annoying."
"You can read? I'm surprised, I thought all NightWings were a good for was lying and scheming." He snickered, eyes narrowed.
"You certainly haven't spent enough time with NightWings."
"I wouldn't want to. IceWings are superior in every way."
If only you knew how hard it was for me growing up, you'd take back your words. Fearless thought bitterly.
"Who
 are you, anyway?" Fearless tried to act calm and controlled, just like 
she did with the dragonets. But this IceWing was really getting on her 
nerves.
"Frigid, second circle. I'm making my way up to first circle, though." He smiled proudly and looked down at his claws.
"Maybe if I ignore you long enough you'll go away." Fearless said, trying to avoid looking at the scrapes on her wings.
"You may ignore me, but eventually I'll break you like the no good NightWing you are."
Fearless rolled her eyes and lay her back to face him. You'll never break me, I'm tough as the magma walls I was raised in.
But eventually, she did break.
== PART IV ==
Fearless had laid in a heap on the floor of the prison cell. She hadn't moved in days, not wanting to face the IceWing.
At first she'd had 
snarky comebacks to all of his insults, but eventually she started to 
wonder if they were true. Was she worthless because she'd been born a 
NightWing? Was all she was good for just rebelling and taking 
unnecessary risks for the fun of it?
Frigid was still 
talking, but Fearless had learned to block it out. It was one of the 
only things she could do in the cell. She grew anxious, and needed to 
spread her wings. The cell was too cramped to attempt that, though.
For the past few weeks, 
she had listened to Frigid and eaten the small meals that the scavengers
 had prepared for her. But these days, Fearless had given up on food 
entirely. It was just another thing that Fearless didn't want to do. All
 she wanted to do was lay and rot.
She wasn't sure if she was alive or dead. She didn't care.
You were right, Mightyclaws.
== PART V ==
"What do you think you're doing?" Frigid declared.
For the first time in 
days, Fearless inclined her head. She wanted to get a good view of what 
was taking place. A large group of scavengers had flocked to Frigid's 
cage. Fearless didn't know what was happening, and didn't want to know. What if their going to kill him, and then me?
The scavenger's didn't 
reply to Frigid's earlier question. They just bound him in the silver 
chains. As soon as they had pulled the chains out, Frigid had quieted 
down, and not made a move. He silently watched as the chains enveloped 
his snout and wings. Fearless wanted to say "Who's the superior one now?
 The NightWing, or the IceWing who's afraid of metal?" She couldn't say 
it, though. She didn't want to speak at all.
Fearless was positioned 
so that her tail faced the cell doors. She was curled away from Frigid 
and his hateful words, in hope that it would keep him away. It hadn't 
worked, though.
Frigid must have 
foretold his demise, because he yelled, "Fine. If I'm going down, you're
 going down with me." He took in an elongated breath, as if going to 
spray frost breath.
Suddenly, Fearless understood. She curled her right leg and tail inward, but her left leg didn't make it in time, and it-
Splat! A chill 
enveloped Fearless's leg, and it felt numb. She tried to move it, but 
frost started to congeal and harden.  Yelping in pain, a silent stream 
of tears rolled down her cheeks and snout. She watched as Frigid was 
pulled away, with a triumphant smirk on his face.
•••••
Fearless
 stayed curled in a tight ball with her left leg extended as far as it 
could go. She didn't want to get near it. She didn't even want to think 
of it.
She
 was sobbing. Her body silently moving up and down, writhed in pain. 
Agony had taken up every fiber of her being. She continued sob until she
 heard the metal doors of the cell creak open.
Fearless
 cautiously opened her eyes, making sure Frigid wasn't back. He wasn't; a
 scavenger was there, beckoning her to arise and come forward. Fearless 
didn't, and the scavenger let out an exasperated sigh.
After
 a herd of scavengers had pried her from the damp floor, Fearless was 
escorted to the mouth of the cave. An exit. A way for escape.
Not
 that that mattered now. The tribe would never accept her, both because 
of her reckless decision and new deformity. She would be rejected and 
left to rot.
A
 scavenger pushed her forward, and the rest of the herd ambled away, 
back to what they had been previously doing. They were letting Fearless 
free!
Fearless
 didn't know which direction to turn to, but spread her wings and flew 
straight. After flying for a couple of hours, Fearless recognized some 
landmarks that led her to the volcano. Eventually she found her way back
 to her home
Fearless
 looked straight at the volcano, a safe distance away. Her wings ached, 
but she didn't let that bother her. All that she cared about was 
returning to the volcano. But, yet, she hesitated.
Did
 she really want to return to the place she had given up everything to 
leave? She had been through endless trauma and torment already, and 
didn't want to return to more.
But...
 Mightyclaws. Mightyclaws would welcome her back. At first she'd thought
 that he wouldn't forgive her for leaving, but now she knew better. 
Mightyclaws would support her no matter what silly thing she did.
With
 that thought in mind, she spiraled into the sky. She flew straight 
toward the volcano, and rushed into Mightyclaws's awaiting arms.
== Epilouge ==
Fearless
 was supposed to be sleeping, but she couldn't. Every thought turned to 
the IceWing who'd taunted her and broken her spirit. His words revolving
 around her mind, one after the other, each leaving another jagged wound
 among her scars.
Worthless NightWing. 
You'll never amount to anything.
You deserve to be locked up in a cell like this. 
She
 sub-consciously envisioned the cell where the scavengers had imprisoned
 her only weeks before. The rusting bars casting striped shadows along 
her back in the dim torch light. The damp cave walls with water seeping 
down them. The IceWing in the cell in front of her, explaining why 
NightWings were inferior.
Her
 thoughts were interrupted when a scrawny NightWing named Mightyclaws 
stopped at the mouth of the cave. He smiled warmly like he did when they
 were younger, but instead of feeling the urge to smile back, all she 
could do was incline her head.
"Morrowseer
 has requested that you're put on trial." He said bluntly. Fearless 
noted the way he never sugar-coated situations, and just got strait to 
the point. Practical, Mightyclaws, as always.
Fearless
 didn't even try to refuse, like she so desperately wanted to. But she 
just didn't feel up to defying orders. She didn't really feel up to 
anything, numb to emotion. The feeling was foreign, as she used to 
boldly speak her mind. But she didn't feel like speaking her mind, or 
speaking at all.
Fearless rose up, and followed her best friend, pulse racing. What if they decided I won't be able to play with the other Dragonets anymore? The anxiety of waiting took her mind off of the IceWing, who fought his way back to her brain.
"W-What
 happened?" Mightyclaws gasped and gestured to her back, left leg. Ice 
jutted out like jagged icicles, and frost had spread like a wildfire on 
her talon. Fearless had forgotten all about it. It seemed like the words
 the IceWing had left had cut deeper than the actual wound after she'd 
gotten used to the sting.
Fearless
 shrugged, offering no further explanation. She realized that she was 
limping, trying to keep off of her injured wound. She cautiously 
experimented putting excess pressure on it, then writhed in pain.
Mightyclaws draped a wing over her, keeping her steady. She smiled gratefully, but continued the rest of the way in silence.
When
 they had made it too the hall where NightWing business affairs were 
confined to, Fearless stopped. For one of the first times in her life, 
she was afraid. The first time had been when Mightyclaws had stopped 
speaking to her. The second had been with the IceWing. The third time 
proceeded at that fateful moment.
Mightyclaws
 subtly ushered her in, and before he could say anything, Morrowseer's 
loud voice echoed through the cave. "Sit, and await your fate."
 "Fearless, daughter of Destinyfinder, will you please explain to the 
court what you've done?" It was supposed to be a question, but the way 
Morrowseer said it sounded much more like a command.
"Actually,
 she hasn't talked since the accident," Mightyclaws answered. Fearless 
felt a twinge of guilt for making him defend her. She may have felt 
guilty, but still never said a word.
"I
 see," Morrowseer's lip curled menacingly. "Then we will just have to 
make a decision without her compliance. Fearless disobeyed the council, 
tried to leave our home, and came back asking for us to take her back in
 to our forgiving talons. My opinion is that we should banish her. If 
she wants to leave so badly, then let's let her leave. What do you 
think, Destinyfinder?"
"I agree," Destinyfinder said with no hesitation.
Fearless's
 mind jumbled into confusion. Thoughts swirled around, panicked and 
quickly. She felt betrayed by her mother, and by everyone else in the 
room.
"If there are no more objections, then-"
"I
 object," Mightyclaws countered. Between the two of them, Fearless had 
believed she'd always been the brave one. But seeing him now made her 
reconsider.
"Fearless
 has always been a great influence on the younger Dragonets, and takes 
care of them more than their own parents do. I think that after all of 
that hard work, she just needed a break. She left the volcano in search 
of a break, and instead found herself in a worse situation. I think that
 instead of being harsh on Fearless, we should be compassionate to 
someone who has worker harder than most of the dragons on this room. 
Fearless is a hard-working, loyal friend, and I-" Mightyclaws took a 
large gulp of air and continued. "I love her."
Fearless
 couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had never thought that her 
best friend had ever wanted to be something more. How would she ever 
know if she felt the same way?
Morrowseer grunted, and snarled,  "Fine, she's off the hook. As long as she can tell us whatever happened to that leg of hers."
Fearless
 wobbled with fear, and felt Mightyclaws's talon on hers. With him in 
her mind, giving her courage, she muttered "An evil IceWing. That's what
 happened."
Mightyclaws
 smiled up at her, filling her with the promise of being with him, and 
staying with all of the other Dragonets. Even if they were stuck on the 
wretched volcano, at least she had him. She ignored Morrowseer's bored 
expression and her mother's stern one, and focused on Mightyclaw's kind 
smile. This time, she did smile back.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)