The Price of Loyalty

A quick note:
Hello, my name is Dogw1ng. I don't know if anyone on this wiki remembers me much, but I used to be a very active user on here. So, for anyone reading this, hi. I left because I was working on my writing and drawing skills (and generally school). So. Enjoy this fanfiction!
== Prologue ==
Piercing, clear moonlight shined into the Scorpion Den. The sand dragons who lived there carried about there night, chattering excitedly. Their tails were curled in, carefully adjusting their deadly stingers. A few other kind of dragons were there as well, eating chunks of meat on sticks and drinking fresh, sweet cactus juice. Some were bright reds and orange, some even white and icey blue. But two dragons stuck out among the dragons- but not the sky. These black, star-speckled dragons were called NightWings.
One of the NightWings was colored pure black like a river at midnight. Their tail faded to a minty green, and their eyes shined indigo color. In their talons- barely visible in the night- was a black egg. The other night dragon, a light gray male with dark, almost black, green eyes, was holding two other eggs- both silver, unlike the black one the female was carrying.
"So." Prompted the female, poking the shell of the black egg. "Whats wrong with this one?" 
The male simple shrugged his shoulders. "Its our first born, right? We hatched it inside. It wasn't hatched under any of the moons, so, guess it doesn't have powers."
"A NightWing with no powers?" Hissed the female. Her wings flared up, and a few sand and sky dragons edged away, mumbling insults and curses. "That hasn't happened since the volcano! Which was, YA' KNOW, a BILLION years ago." The word came out exaggerated, in reality the female had no idea how long it had been since the NightWings had moved from their wretched, stupid smoking mountain.
"Why should we care?" Snorted the male.
He's right. Why should we? "True that," Grunted the female. "I love our plan. As soon as the eggs hatch, we name them, and set off! So our legacy can still be continued, but we have to do nothing about it!"
The male grunted in amusement. "Besides lay the eggs of course."
The couple continued to snort and make rude jokes about dragonets until they were interrupted by a loud CRACK from the black egg, followed by a few more from the other eggs. Soon, the cracks were replaced with high-pitched, muffled squeals. The female and the male set the eggs down on a tiny hill of sand, only one cactus thorn sticking out of it. The black egg was arranged in the middle with the silver eggs at its side. It was hard to tell at first, but the couple thought they saw a tiny purple snout stick out of the egg. They were soon proven right; the purple dragonet wiggled out of the egg, their scales shining in the moonlight. The female thought she saw golden-brown eyes shining.
The silver eggs had cracked open, too; out came two tiny dragonets, one was dark gray with minty claws; the other was black, except for their silver tail tip and bright amber eyes. The one with the minty claws lunged towards the cactus thorn on the hill of sand. The dragonet that had came out of the black egg noticed first how sharp the thorn looked- and scrambling towards their sibling, the dragonet butted them lightly out of the way, knelt down on their knees, and gripped the thorn in their jaws. Then, almost angrily, they tossed the thorn across the sandy floor of the Scorpion Den.
"Hmm." The male NightWing said, tapping his skull with a claw. "Maybe, uh, Quickmind." He suggested, shrugging his shoulders. The female blinked at him, muttering agreement. "Emeraldclaw and Darkwhispers for the other two?" She suggested, coming up with the most random names her careless brain could think of.
"Alright," Agreed her husband, flaring his wings. "Lets go then, shall we, dear?"
The female blinked, smirking. "We shall." She, as well, flared her wings. The couple reached out their talons and held claws, looking at each other with the most disgusting, moony expression they could dig up.
"Hey! You two!"
The confused roar of what sounded like two dragons made the couple whip around. Two dragons- one clearly a SeaWing, with bright, kelp-colored scales, and one clearly a MudWing, with bright, orange-brown scales- the female recognized them at once. "Ah, Outclaw Anaconda and Outclaw Rushwave. Strange you like it in the desert, Rushwave." 
"I spend most my time guarding Dignity's tent, which is very shady," The SeaWing replied, the muscles underneath their scales rippling. "And as an Outclaw, a helper and one of the many heroes of the city, I must ask: Why are you leaving these three dragonets?" Rushwave pointed at the three siblings, who were asleep now, curled up together like little pillows. Quickmind was on top, of course, wrapping her wings over Emeraldclaw and Darkwhispers, who snored softly beneath her.
The female laughed. "We don't need dragonets." She told the Outclaws simply. Smirking at her husband, they flared their wings at the same time, and- without even looking at Rushwave or Anaconda- they took off, vanishing into the dark night sky, sprinkled with stars.
Anaconda and Rushwave stared at the poor little baby dragons, abandoned by their own parents. "Should we take them to Dignity? Maybe he could find a SandWing willing to take in some NightWings. Or should we take them to the Rainforest?" Anaconda suggested, pure pity flashing in his chest. After losing all of his siblings in the Great MudWing Flood, he couldn't imagine losing three poor, little babies...
"You know Dignity isn't the kindest leader for the Outclaws." She pointed out, sighing. "And you know Queen Kiwi is very loyal to her own tribe. I doubt she'd take in a NightWing, and the NightWing village isn't the friendliest either, from what I heard of the new queen, Queen Bravefighter..." 
"So what do we do?" Anaconda asked, his eyes flashing.
Rushwave sighed. "You know the nice, elderly SandWing from that shop, Fresh Fruit from the Forest? He's nice and wise. I think he'll know what to do." She said, hoping it was true.
Anaconda blinked. "You think so?"
"I hope so."
Fresh Fruit from the Forest was a shop carved out of birch wood from generous Queen Garnet of the SkyWings. In it were three or four tables, all designed for dragons to eat their fruit and chat together. The Merchant was holding a damp looking, ashy gray rag. He smeered it along the wood, brushing off loose splinters and sweeping them onto the dark wood floor. A few flies buzzed around the old, rusty looking lamp that hung over his head. The dragon himself looked almost ancient; which pure, greenish yellow scales and a graying sale like crumbling stone. But his eyes glowed with a kindness that warmed Rushwave's heart.
"Hello there, youngsters." The merchant called, looking up thoughtfully from his cleaning. "What can I do for you?"
"I hope were not bothering," Murmered Anaconda. When the merchant shook his graying head, Rushwave spoke, "Two NightWings have abandoned their egg. We can't take them to Dignity because... ya'know. And even if we don't, Dignity won't want any of his part of the tribe taking care of two dragonets of different tribes."
The merchant tapped his chin. "I'll try and give them food. Tell some of your friends to try and feed them every once in a while, but don't let Dignity hear about it." He told them, gradually.
Anaconda looked at his talons.
"Look, kid," Murmered the merchant, his gaze sympathetic. "One day those poor little night dragons will grow up to be something great." He paused, giving Rushwave and Anaconda a soft, thoughtful look. He curled his tail in; a gesture that he meant no harm and only wanted to help. Finally, he added, "I know it."
== Chapter 1 ==
Scrambling with her talons, Quickmind clung to the edge of the wooden can. Flies buzzed around it, but they all scattered when Quickmind sprang onto the edge. Gazing down and balancing with her wings, Quickmind looked at the stinking variety of half-eaten fruit, dead rats, and banana peels. I hope we find something better than this, She thought, almost sadly as she reached for a mango with a large bite taken out of it. There has to be more trash cans around the city!
Gripping the mango with her claws, the one year old dragonet fell backward, hitting the sandy ground hard. Yet it didn't do much; that was one good thing about living in the Scorpion Den. Ow, that was a fall.
"Yes, it was a fall!" Quickmind's brother, Darkwhispers, exclaimed from behind her. 
Letting out a snort of friendly annoyance, Quickmind scraped her claws against the sand until she managed to sit up-right. She stared at her brothers; Darkwhispers and Emeraldclaw. Of course they teased each other often, but they were all each other had... no mother, no father. It'd always be them against the world.
And it took a lot of will-power for Quickmind not to be jealous of them.
"Darkwhispers, I told you to stop reading my mind!" Quickmind snapped teasingly, rolling her dark golden eyes. It was true- Darkwhispers was a mind reader and Emeraldclaw was a seer.
You might think that Quickmind is both or an animus like that dude Darkstalker, but the answer to that amazing question is no. NOPE, NO, NOT. AT. ALL. (This is very unnecassary for me to add to the story because I'm supposed to be writing about Quickmind write now and DIALOGUE so I'm going to STOP and keep writing!)
Quickmind didn't have any powers.
And of course, that hadn't happened since the volcano; all NightWing mothers made sure that their dragonets hatched under at least one moon; thats what Quickmind and her brother's friendly merchant friend told them.
He was an old, wise SandWing who owned a shop called... Yummy Berries from the Place with Grass, Quickmind thought. Since most of the time Quickmind and her brothers were shooed away whenever they tried to dig in trash, they were left hungry most of the time, but once or twice a week, the Sir Merchant would bring them some yummy food. Sir Merchant said he was free to give his money for donations 'cause he didn't have any family he needed to take care of or a house, really. He slept in the shop, from what he had told the siblings, on a pile of white and brown cushions with a soft, cotten blanket.
"I can't help it!" Protested Darkwhispers, flaring his wings. Quickmind twitched her tail and looked around, before spotting the half-eaten mango laying on the dusty ground. Scrambling over, Quickmind grabbed the mango with her claws, then tossed it between her and her brothers. "Thats the best you could find?" Asked Emeraldclaw, gently.
"Why don't you try digging in trash?" Challenged Quickmind sarcastically. "Trust me, its not pretty."
Emeraldclaw seemed to get the idea, and he gradually took a bite out of the mango. Darkwhispers followed, his ear flicking. Quickmind crouched, opened her jaws, then bit down on the mango. It tasted more sweet than sour, despite its green-color. Quickmind thought the dragon who had owned the mango must have taken a bite out of it, found out it was sour and not yet ripe, then thrown it away. They were probably one of the dragons walking by the siblings right now!
When the mango was nothing more but a few tiny scraps of green and a puddle of clear juice, Emeraldclaw squeaked, "Should we go see Sir Merchant today?"
"Should we?" Asked Darkwhispers.
Emeraldclaw shrugged his narrow shoulders, marked with darker scales. "I haven't had any visions about it," He told them, shuffling his talons. "But then again, I haven't had any bad visions in a while." That was Emeraldclaw for you, though. Has the silliest, most pointless visions that always turned out to be true, like Darkwhispers slipping and landing in the splits.
"I think we should," Declared Quickmind, licking the mango juice from her snout.
Emeraldclaw and Darkwhispers squeaked agreement; Quickmind let herself sink to the sand, flat on her belly. It felt nice and warm as her brothers followed her lead.
"Slow down, slow down." Sir Merchant laughed, his snout peeled back in a grin. The three dragonets crowded around the older SandWing, pressing lightly at his ankles and pulling his tail. Quickmind boasted about the mango she had dug up, and the leaf she had hunted right before she and her brothers went to see Sir Merchant.
"One at a time," Sir Merchant said. He flicked his gaze to Darkwhispers. "Little reader, what am I thinking right now?"
There was a pause, then Darkwhispers burst out laughing. "A, a, ba- bana-" The dragonet took a deep breath, then finished. "A banana in the splits with armor on and he's dancing with a spear!"
Quickmind and Darkwhispers giggled themselves, though the usual spark of jealousy flickered in Quickmind's heart. Sir Merchant turned to Darkwhispers; the dragonet flared his wings and grinned as the older SandWing spoke. "Darkwhispers, have you been working on that stepping out of your visions and dreams trick I showed you, from the NightWing scrolls?" Asked the merchant. Not one spark of attention was focused on Quickmind; it made her heart fade like ash.
"I did!" Darkwhispers replied, his eyes shining. "It worked great; thanks!"
Sir Merchant laughed, finally resting his wise gaze on Quickmind. "And you? Have you done anything wildly amazing? I'm sure you have." Thinking for a moment, Quickmind twitched her tail.
"I, um-" Then she remembered. "I dug up a HUUUUUGE mango, and it tasted so yummy, and I attacked a leaf, and, and a beetle!"
Letting out a chuckle, Sir Merchant ran his talon down Quickmind's neck affectionatly, as well as brushing his tail over Darkwhispers and Emeraldclaw's wings. "Are you hungry or thirsty, little ones?" The kind-hearted dragon asked, his eyes glowing with affection and warmth. The siblings nodded eagerly; their stomachs were empty and dry. The merchant stood up, and began to walk away, his legs creaking. Beaming, Quickmind, Darkwhispers, and Emeraldclaw bounded after him.
== Chapter 2 ==
"Quickmind, wake up and come on!"
Letting out a low yelp of suprise, Quickmind jolted awake. She was laying in the sand, her brothers standing over her. "You were asleep forever!" Darkwhispers groaned. His voice wasn't squeaky anymore; the siblings were now six years old. Mumbling something, Quickmind stood up, trying to remember what she was dreaming about.
"Oh, you were dreaming about eating a HUGE lizard." Darkwhispers told her, his eyes amused. "Emeraldclaw was dreaming of getting killed. No idea what that was about."
Quickmind tilted her head. Emeraldclaw kept having strange dreams of battle and death and blood for some reason. Shaking the sand off her wings, Quickmind stood up, nudging her seer brother gently, trying to comfort him. I wish I could fight in his dreams beside him, Thought Quickmind as the three dashed across their familiar home, dodging SandWings and various SkyWings and IceWings. Every single day, after the siblings had turned two, they had been working for Sir Merchant- who's name was really Agave- as he was now at the age where most dragons would retire. He wanted to train Quickmind, Emeraldclaw, and Darkwhispers- who both had an interest in selling items- to replace him when Agave retired.
So far, training was going well. The siblings had learned the basics of economics, and since Agave was in a meeting today with Dignity himself, leader of the Outclaws, Quickmind and her brothers were in charge of the shop! Eeeeeeee, we can't let him down. Thought Quickmind as the familiar shop came into view, carved from birch wood.
Emeraldclaw pushed the door open with his claws as Quickmind flipped the 'CLOSED' sign to 'OPEN'. As they stepped in, Quickmind remembered what Agave would have them do- choose different jobs to do.
"I call dibs on cleaning!" Darkwhispers declared, almost the second they stepped in.
Emeraldclaw grinned in amusement. "I call being the one that does the talking!"
"Then I am the thief-catcher." Quickmind declared. Dragons always stole, and she was the best fighter.
The siblings let out grunts of agreements. Quickmind headed to the back of the store where a tiny room was dug out- its walls and floor were made of thick, solid dirt, and in the room there was a stack of armor, enough for about six dragons, two knives and a spear, and an empty, brown pouch. Quickmind reached for the armor- made of leather, of course- and managed to wrestle herself into it. For the last touch, Quickmind snathed one of the knives, which gleamed silver, then headed out, sitting by the door. She stuffed the knife in the pouch that came with the armor, tied to her left front wrist. Only its shining tip stuck out.
The bell rang as the door slid open; in came a ruby red SkyWing with strange, webbed talons, followed by a scrawny, yet dangerous looking SandWing. Every step he took, muscles rippled beneath his scales. One of his eyelids was seeled shut with a long scar curved over it. More scars lay on his chest and flanks; he looked like a former or current soldier.
"Hello!" Called Emeraldclaw, waving their talon.
The SandWing interrupted, his wings flared slightly. "Shut up. Who are you? Were looking for Agave." He snapped. "You'd better tell us where he is, or you're eyes'll-"
"Chill out, Dingo." Laughed the SkyWing as Dingo raised his tail. "Sorry about him. I'm Gale."
Emeraldclaw spoke, his voice shaky but gentle. "Agave is in a meeting with Dignity. I'm sure we can still help you; though. What do you need?"
Dingo let out a sigh. His tail lowered, and his eyes remained hostile, but with a new disappointment and even grief in them. "Nevermind." And, with that, the two dragons trailed away, murmering hushed words to each other. Again, Quickmind heard grief in their voice. What was that? What about Agave are they so worried about?
"Darkwhispers, did you read anyth-" Quickmind started, looking over to their brother. But they broke off as their saw Darkwhisper's eyes stretch wide in terror. Their wings trembled.
Finally, they spoke. "We need to find Agave. And Dignity. He's in trouble." 
Without another word, Darkwhispers leapt over the desk of the shop, and bolted. He threw the door aside and it made a deafening SLAM noise, making the entire shop shake. Quickmind stared at Emeraldclaw, who's tail was twitching and rattling against the floor, his eyes wide with surpise. "Come on!" Urged Quickmind, her teeth gritted. "If Agave is in trouble, we need to be there! Come on!" Without another word, Quickmind bolted after Darkwhispers, Emeraldclaw close behind her.
Quickmind and her brothers pushed through the tent where the Outclaws and other dragons met and had meetings. There were three SandWings in there; two were wearing metal armor, and were guarding on opposite sides of the third dragon- Quickmind guessed it was Dignity. He looked battle-scarred and awfully dangerous.
"Dragonets," Dignity hissed, his forked black tongue sliding in and out. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy cleaning up?" 
Darkwhispers dipped his head. "Were deeply sorry," He murmered respectfully. "We were told that Agave, the owner of Fresh Fruit from the Forest was in danger. We came to ask what was going on."
Dignity's barbed tail flicked. He smirked, threw back his head- and laughed. Quickmind restrained herself from covering her ears with her talons. The laugh was the worst thing she had ever heard- it wasn't a affectionate, warm chuckle; it was like if the word 'dangerous' was a noise. Dignity's teeth glowed, even in the shade. They were yellow, and his breath smelled of smoked prey. When he finally stopped, he was banging the ground, smirking at Quickmind and her siblings.
"Agave, Agave, Agave." He said, tapping his chin. "That merchant. SO sneaky. Refused to pay me one hundred gold coins for the three mangos I stole from the Rainforest. Hard, hard work and he only payed me eighty coins for them." Thats not fair! Three mangoes for ONE HUNDRED coins? Thought Quickmind. "I hope you can assume what happened to him after that." Dignity smirked, flicking his barbed tail towards a sheet of blankets. Quickmind spotted visible pale, graying scales and saw with a jolt of horror that the blankets were stained with blood, as if it had bled through. Quickmind heard Dignity laugh. "Uncover him," He ordered to his guards.
The guards obeyed, each grabbing one edge of the white sheets, then lifting them off the ground without a drop of blood spilling out. Darkwhispers shrieked with grief. Emeraldclaw let out a moan and pressed his head to his face, as if having a headache. Quickmind just let out a roar of rage and turned to Dignity, who was staring at Agave's body with satisfaction.
"How could you?!!" Shrieked Quickmind with a sob. Smoke rose from her nostrils as she flared her wings, her brothers cowering behind her. "You can't get away with this!"
Dignity's tail rattled against the ground; for a second Quickmind thought he was going to attack, all fire and tail and claws and everything. "Well. How brave and stubborn you are, standing up against DIGNITY himself," Dignity laughed, peeling back his snout in a wicked grin. "I'd say you'd make an excellent Outclaw. Though, I don't think you have any powers." He turned to the guards.
"You two," Hissed Dignity, sneering at Quickmind. "Kill those two dragonets, but leave the brave one."
The guards again obeyed quickly, as if they were scared of Dignity. Shoving Quickmind to the ground, they snatched Darkwhispers and Emeraldclaw. Then, they threw them to the ground. Dignity held Quickmind down as she tried to get up. "You wouldn't want this to happen, would you?" He mocked. He grabbed Quickmind's head and made her face the guards and her brothers. The guards raised their tails at once, murmered something to Quickmind's brothers, and all she could do was watch as the scorpion like tails impaled Darkwhispers and Emeraldclaw threw the hearts. The brothers turned to Quickmind, their eyes pleading, but all Quickmind could do was watch as they flopped to the ground in a bloody mess.
"NO!" Cried Quickmind, trying to lunge forward.
But Dignity held her back by the tail as the guards scooped up her brother's bodies, carrying them away, out of the tent. "So, are you going to work for me or not?" Dignity challenged, thrusting his snout towards Quickmind's face. 
"I- I'll do what you want." Quickmind stammered, her eyes a mix of grief and rage and fear. I need to make this right somehow! But I can't if I'm dead! She thought as Dignity released her.
"Good, good." Hissed Dignity slyly. He slithered a little away from Quickmind and sat down, tapping his chin wickedly. "I suppose I'll asign you to a tutor. They will train you, and you will follow out MY orders, if you know whats best for you." His cold, black gaze raked Quickmind as she nodded faintly at him. I'm so sorry, brothers, Agave. She thought, blinking back tears. Her grief and fear was replaced with a confident rage, sparking then blazing inside her heart. I'll make this right. I'll avenge you. I promise.
== Chapter 3 ==
"Kill him." Dignity ordered. Quickmind slid out a sharp, metal disc. She was about to slice it across the MudWing's neck for a quick, pretty much painless death, but Dignity's hiss stopped her. "Cut out his tongue, then his wings. Then, slice off his tail and chain him to the ground until he bleeds to death." Not letting a sigh slip from her mouth, Quickmind used her claws to stretch the MudWing's jaws open, holding the jaws in place, Quickmind grabbed her disc with the other claw and slid it across the MudWing's tongue. The pink thing fell out, leaving the MudWing shrieking in agony and banging his large tail against the ground.
Quickmind did the same with his wings and tail; the MudWing had passed out. Knowing he would die any moment, Quickmind snatched a sheet from a pile of bones and such, then laid it down on the ground. Then, she dragged the heavy dragon and set him on the blanket. He was dead now; motionless and bloody. She rolled the blanket up until only the stub of his tail stuck out.
Dignity let out a roar; immediatly two guards, Aloe and Vera, emerged from the den. "Get this body out of my sight," Snarled Dignity. The guards obeyed, and soon it looked like the cruel murder had never happened.
"And now, Quickmind," Dignity hissed, his gaze wicked. "I need you to go assinate two targets; Princess Toucan and Bright of the RainWings." And I'm sure he has a great reason for that, Thought Quickmind bitterly, but simple nodded. Six months had passed. Six months from her loved one's deaths. Six months of killing, plotting, and taking orders. Dignity wanted to leave an "impression" on the other tribes that SandWings and his Outclaws were not to be triffled with.
Quickmind slid into a familiar tent where she slept and kept her disguise. It was nothing but a skull of a dragon she didn't know that Dignity had dug up when she first joined the Outclaws.
Sighing, Quickmind slid it onto her head.
The RainWing Kingdom was a place of peace. Different tribes. It broke Quickmind's heart that she was about to murder two dragons from it. Three, because of the extra in her plan.
Looking around for a moment, Quickmind spotted a SandWing, drinking from a coconut on a wooden bench, alone. Quickmind trotted up to them, putting on their "hello I am your lovely friendly neighbor" voice. "Hello, sir SandWing!" Quickmind called. The SandWing spun around, dipping his head to Quickmind respectfully. 
"Yes?" He asked, politely.
"Queen Kiwi would like to see you," Quickmind told the SandWing, who straightened their neck and dusted off their scales.
"Anytime," He said to Quickmind, grinning at her. Such a kind dragon. She thought, holding back a wince. She led the SandWing between two buildings, checking behind her- the SandWing was there, behind him were crowds of chatting RainWings, SkyWings, SilkWings, and other dragons. No one seemed to be paying attention to Quickmind. "Wait, one more thing," Quickmind told the SandWing. At her words, he stopped, dipping his head politely. His wings were pressed against his side.
Letting out no noise, Quickmind lunged for the SandWing. He squirmed under her grasp and she covered his snout to keep him from screaming; clearly he had no fighting expierience. Quickmind held his tail barb down with one of her back talons, careful to not touch the barb. "Sorry," She murmered. The SandWing's eyes turned to slits as Quickmind slid her dagger out of her pocket. Letting out nothing but a murmer of guilt, Quickmind let the dagger sink into the SandWing's neck. In an instant, his scaly body went cold and limp. Quickmind released his snout and stepped back. She snatched her victim's tail, held it up, then sliced off the barb in one clean swipe of her dagger. To make sure no dragon found her with the body, she slid on the skull she had tied to her back.
Quickmind dug up a battered, leather pouch from one of the trash cans in the alleyway, which reminded her of scavenging as a tiny dragonet. Letting out a low sigh of grief, Quickmind tied the pouch around her neck and slid the severed barb into it, as well as shoving her dagger back into her pocket. Then, Quickmind grabbed a ripped, dirty sheat from a pile of junk and threw it over the SandWing's body.
Heart aching with guilt, Quickmind slid out of the alleyway.
Unrolling the map of the RainWing village she had burrowed from Dignity, Quickmind ran her claw down the trails to the royal RainWing feasting area. True to RainWing traditions, every full moon they would have a feast for royals only- perfect for assinations.
Quickmind crossed over a chipped bridge made of sturdy wooden planks before she came across a two floor tree house. A sign with an arrow sat beside it; Queen Kiwi's Home. Quickmind thought she saw a lamp threw the window of the first floor; that must've been a sleeping room. The second floor had a large, stained glass window that barely sparkled in the dull moonlight.
Flaring her wings, Quickmind flew up to the treehouse balcony, her scales blending in with the night sky. As she landed on the balcony, she spotted a wooden door and peaked in- there was a long table with room for at least six dragons, and there were three already poured cups of water. One was bigger than the other two; Quickmind guessed that one was for Queen Kiwi and the other two were for her dragonets. Perfect, Thought Quickmind. Creaking open the door, she slid inside.
Sliding the severed tail barb out of the leather pouch around her neck, Quickmind trotted over to the table. Then, she held it over one of the smaller cups and sqeezed the black barb. Out came a green liquid; poison. She did the same to the other cup quickly and silently.
Suddenly she heard talonsteps.
Whipping around, Quickmind bolted out the door, as silently as she could. Then, she hovered by the stain glass window, watching as three RainWings entered the room. They slid over to the wooden table and sat down; two of them were dragonets, one was Queen Kiwi herself. Pink and purple scales flashed as she murmered to her daughters and took a drink out of her un-poisoned water. The two dragonets did the same, and it made Quickmind so guilty that they were about to die.
Quickmind couldn't look. As she flew away, a shriek of grief and rage roared in her ears. She looked behind her to see the huge RainWing queen burst out of her treehouse and roar in rage, black liquid spraying everywhere. Oh, I'm so, so sorry! She thought. Taking a deep breath, Quickmind beat her wings harder and soared into the distance.
== Chapter 4 ==
Quickmind lay awake that night.
She slept in a tiny tent with three pillows and a cotton matress. A flamesilk lamp lay on a splintery wooden desk. Under one of her pillows was a leather journal. On the desk was also a jar and a bottle of ink, and under the desk, covered by a thick, silky blanket, were a pile of ten or so chests. Despite Quickmind's festering hatred for Dignity, she had to admit, he payed her well. Each chest was filled to the brim with gold, diamonds, rubies, and other precious minerals.
Sighing, Quickmind reached over her head and slid the journal out from under one of her pillows. Turning on the lamp, she stood up. Trotting over to the desk, she set the journal down and dipped her claw in the ink. Then, she turned to the first page; blank.
Running her claw down the paper, Quickmind's eyes narrowed. 
In the past few days, I've found out a lot about Dignity.
He seems to have a tendency for using strength over smarts; today, he lunged at a MudWing instead of taking even a second to think. He'll be hard to fight due to his muscular build and size. I remember clearly the day when he pinned me to the ground, knocking the breath out of me. He's a forceful, brutal dragon, just like he wants me to be like. 
Hmm.
I wonder if he has a soft side.
He definetly does not have a soft side. He is a cruel, terrible dragon, and when I am ready, I will take all his power away from him. But for now, I'm tired. Goodnight, journal.
With that, Quickmind shut off her lamp. She slammed the journal closed and padded over to her bed. Sinking into the soft material, Quickmind slid the journal underneath one of her pillows. Closing her eyes, Quickmind let the darkness enfold her until she was falling into the warm, peaceful void of the world of dreams.
"WAKE UP!"
Quickmind jolted awake. Dignity stood over, his tail rattling the ground. Pressing her wings to her side, Quickmind stood up, staring right into Dignity's wicked, black eyes. "Yes, Dignity?" She asked politely. Quickmind had to put a lot of feeling in her tail to stop it from twitching, and she could only hope Dignity didn't see when it did.
"Today were going to Queen Jackle's palace," Dignity told her, his gaze dark. "Brush the sand off your scales and prepare the army!" Quickmind tilted her head. "We might need to attack," Dignity added.
Nodding quickly, Quickmind grabbed her blanklet and rubbed the dust and grit off of her scales. Dignity trailed off, his barbed tail flicking back and forth. Quickmind realized he'd left a slip of paper behind; she picked it up and set it down onto her matress; she could read it when she got back from the palace. Carefully, Quickmind snatched her blanket and set it over the slip of paper. The edges were crusted but the ink looked fresh; it must've been recently written.
Blinking, Quickmind slid out of her tent. There were only eleven more dragons in the Outclaws; Quickmind looked around the bigger, main tent. Only four of them were there, chatting; Heatwave (SandWing-SkyWing hybrid), Owl, Dusk, and Hamada (SeaWing). Muscles rippled beneath their scales.
"Can you guys go fetch the others?" Snapped Quickmind, not really looking for an answer other then, 'yes'. "Were going to Queen Jackal's palace, and things might get messy. We might need some reinforcements, so go. Now." The four dragons dipped their heads respectfully, then slid out of the tent, moving like one dragon.
The army was ready in only an hour. Dignity beat his wings across the sky, his gaze confident. Quickmind followed after, managing to snatch a peak at Dignity's confident grin. Maybe too confident? She thought, imaginging herself writing that down in her journal. After a bit longer of flying, the palace came into view; great sand walls jutted from the ground, spiked with rusted metal thorns. Quickmind saw Dignity soar down to a brownish dragon with a dark eye patch. Queen Jackal, Quickmind realized. With a flick of her wing, she glided down, the army close behind her. Soft, warm sand mushed between her talons as Quickmind landed.
"Dignity, leader of the Outclaws," Queen Jackal hissed politely, her wings pressed against her sides. "What can I do for you? Hope its not more assinations, hmm?" There was a hint of hostitility in her voice that pricked Quickmind like a thorn.
Dignity smirked. "No, no. I'd just like to tell you that I, Dignity, am now in charge of the Outclaws, and soon the entire Scorpion Den, then the entire Sand Kingdom. Perhaps the entire continent, next." Queen Jackal flinched and her tail barb twitched, but she just listened as Dignity continued. "I highly suggedst that you... lend me your army. I think we should take Queen Strongteeth's kingdom. They'll just go run back to their warm little rainforest. Then, we could steal- take back that oasis by the Ice Ki-"
Queen Jackal flared her wings. "I never agreed to this, Dignity." She snarled. "The kingdom is in peace right now. Let them enjoy it. We don't need any trouble."
Quickmind looked at Dignity. She wondered what he would say to that. "You made the wrong choice," Dignity hissed, simply shaking his head. "I won't kill you, but me and my Outclaws want to leave an... impression on your soldiers, first. So, please consider in the future." With a flick of his tail, Dignity let out a roar, "Outclaws! Attack!"
"Now, hold on a minute-" Jackal tried to say, but was interrupted as Dignity tackled her.
Letting out a snarl, Quickmind looked up. Dragons erupted from the SandWing palace; about thirty of them. Quickmind lunged towards a SandWing with pale orange scales and dark brown eyes. The SandWing snarled as Quickmind rammed into them; together they rolled around on the ground, clawing and biting. Hissing, Quickmind bit fiercly on the SandWing's wing. The dragon's wing flailed as they roared in agony; the flailing ended up with Quickmind on their back as they struggled beneath. Gripping the dragon's horns, Quickmind screwed up her eyes and twisted with all the strength she had in her muscular limbs. When she let go, she felt the SandWing go limp beneath her.
Barely having a moment to take a breath, Quickmind found herself facing a SkyWing and another SandWing. Quickmind held her fire; her tutor, Rattle, taught that to her. The SkyWing let out a roar, banging into Quickmind. The breath escaped her chest as she realized the SkyWing was wearing metal armor.
Swiping with her claws, Quickmind hooked the leather strap of the SkyWing's chestplate. She reached up with her snout and bit down on it, snapping the chestplate off. Only the helmet and leg wraps to go, She thought. Kicking up with her hind legs, Quickmind's back claws pierced the unprotected chest of the SkyWing. As the SkyWing was knocked back, Quickmind sprang upward, trying to pierce the rest of the armor, but claws caught her side and she staggered backwards to see the SandWing snarling in front of her.
Thinking fast, true to her name, Quickmind lunged towards the SandWing's tail. She snatched it with her talons and began to charge towards the SkyWing, who was flaring his wings and getting ready for another attack. Lunging, Quickmind pulled the SandWing forward and thrust the tail barb into the SkyWing's chest, where their heart should be. They choked, blood pouring out of the wound, then collapsed onto the sand, pale yellow turning red with blood.
"NO!" Quickmind heard the SandWing cry. Whipping around, Quickmind lunged for the enemy dragon. The SandWing was easier; it was clear they had little to no battle expierience. Opening her jaws, Quickmind bit down on the SandWing's neck and felt the dragon go limp; the familar feeling Quickmind had done to dragons many times.
Whipping around, Quickmind spotted Saguaro, a four year old dragonet, pinned by a large, muscular SandWing. Quickmind saw spikes of white and silver replacing the sail; the soldier must had been part IceWing.
Letting out a roar, Quickmind pounced on the hybrid. They staggered as they fell onto their side. "Tha- thanks!" Quickmind heard Saguaro call. Before she could reply, Quickmind was struck in the snout by the SandWing, who had risen to their claws. Feeling fire burn in her neck and chest, Quickmind shot out a jet of flames. It blazed orange and yellow, and all Quickmind heard was a muffled shriek from the SandWing-IceWing. The flames lapped around the area, making the desert glow. A few dragons had turned around in horror as more and more blazes spilled from Quickmind's mouth, until finally they settled into a cloud of smoke and a pile of ash.
"Thats enough, Dignity!" Came Queen Jackal's roar. "We surrender."
Spinning around, Quickmind saw Dignity blink with satisfaction. "Good, good." He hissed. Flaring his blood stained wings, Dignity curled his lip back in a grin and flew into the sky. Quickmind sighed and followed after, the rest of the blood-covered Outclaws close behind.
Three moons, Thought Quickmind. I killed seven dragons in only two days.
== Chapter 5 ==
(DISCLAIMER: THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS QUICKMIND WRITING IN HER JOURNAL and GETTING SENT LETTERS)
Queen Jackal refused to join Dignity in war. I admire her bravery; I hope she knows, though, that she'll probably end up dead. Dignity promised me in two years he'd make me his most valuable, trusted general, I wonder if Jackal will be alive by the time that happens. Three moons, will I be alive by the time that happens? Will Dignity?
I'll kill him as soon as possible.
I'll be very patient, and I will kill him when I can. For now, here is most of the info I have of that wretched dragon:
* Very impulsive. Tends to leap into battle without a second thought. During the battle, I saw him leap at Jackal blindly, taking no notice of her tail. If he hadn't dodged to a side concidently, he would've been stabbed. But no; I want to kill him.
* I think Dignity has a weak spot on his left wing. When Jackal hit it in the fight, he roared in agony, but when she scraped his other wing, he just smirked and kept on fighting. He doesn't like to be mocked or underestimated, or being said "no" to. When I fight him tommorow someday, I'll hit him with some mocking comments before going in for the kill. Don't think he cares much about dragons themselves, just them in battle.
* He really likes camel. I could lure him in with that; he likes stealing too.
Thats all for now.
Goodnight, my journal
-A few years later-
Quickmind,
* Its me, Gale. You remember me from the shop, right? Sorry about Agave and your brothers. Yes, yes, I heard the news. So! A few years have passed. I found your untouched journal in the trash, some valuable info in there, ey? Well, your lucky I found it and not someone else, say, Dignity. I'm sending you it with this letter, by the way, because stuff like this is too important to just toss away. The reason I'm writing to you is because I'd like to tell you; The SandWing Guard will be here soon, and she, me, and this SeaWing and MudWing named Rushwave and Anaconda might want to help you with your little Dignity problem.
Safe flying, Gale.
Gale,
* So, its been a few years? I did forget about my journal; thanks for the reminder. But I don't need your help. Maybe the SandWing guard's help, perhaps, but I don't trust you. And yes, I am almost the MOST TRUSTED DRAGON IN THE OUTCLAWS. I'm having a meeting with Dignity about it tommorow; so go shut up. I don't need your help until I have no choice.
Hope you die, Quickmind.
Quickmind,
* UNGRATEFUL SCUM! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE HOW MUCH WORK IT TOOK TO GET THIS MUCH PAPER?!! A WHOLE DAY! AND YOUR NOT EVEN ACCEPTING OUR HELP! ...I talked to Rushwave and Anaconda, who apparently QUIT the Outclaws, so props to them, and they said they'll help you, just in "another way, ohhhhh". So, yes, there are three ways this'll go: You win, you die, or both. OR, you could maybe come to us and not risk the second and third option! I know you've been relying on yourself for like, three years now, but seriously; you're supporting the wrong dragon. (AND YES, I KNOW YOU'RE PLOTTING TO KILL HIM, BUT DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'VE NOT BEEN PARTICIPATING IN EVERY BATTLE!! Maybe you're more power-hungry than I thought you were, Powermind!)
Go choke on a camel, Dingo.
Quickmind looked at the notes in disgust. I don't need help, She told herself. Getting up, Quickmind hid her previous note under her pillow. I'll send it to that dumb Dingo dude later, She thought, slipping out of the tent. Dignity was sitting on his pile of sand he liked to be on, eating from a pile of figs. "So, your awake," Dignity hissed, smirking. 
"Yes, sorry I'm late." Quickmind dipped her head.
Dignity waved a talon dismissively. "I just have a question to ask, then I suppose you can just sleep and do whatever until tommorow, where we'll be... busy." 
"Anything, Dignity."
"Do you promise," Dignity hissed, picking at his teeth. He turned to Quickmind, his eyes dark yet shining. "To be my most loyal dragon? I'll tell the rest of the Outclaws to respect you, but you must do everything I say, when I say it. You'll kill dragons if I need you to, you'll stop writing on paper which is keeping me up ALL NIGHT," Quickmind tried not to flinch. "If you break this promise, I'll kill you myself." He grinned a wicked grin. "I might kill you anyway if you start acting... strange."
Quickmind clenched her fist, but unclenched it quickly. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, Dignity. My loyalty is to you now, I promise." Oh, but soon you'll see how wrong you are.
Idiot dragon named Dingo,
* Can you please stop sticking your snotty snout in my business? I participate in all the battles so I can learn about Dignity's WEAKNESSES, dumb-brain. You're making my wrist hurt with all this writing! I'm supposed to save my pain for all this killing! I am officially the most trusted dragon in the Outclaws, by the way.
GO AWAY, Quickmind.
Quickmind,
* if you don't want our help, thats just fine. But the SandWing guard is coming tommorow, so I suggest you probably get your talking skills together so you don't let anything slip.
Best of luck, Gale.
== Chapter 6 ==
I have to be quiet, Quickmind thought, slipping out of the tent. The rest of the Outclaws were hiding in fear of getting imprisoned and exiled for all their cruel deeds and dragons they killed, but that didn't matter to Quickmind. She wanted to be caught, so The SandWing Guard could help her fight the other Outclaws while she went after Dignity. The Scorpion Den was silent; most of the dragons were in their homes or some were sorting stuff from their shops. Quickmind spotted a SandWing laying on the ground, whimpering, but she only slid past them, looking around. Then she spotted them- a dusty SandWing, their expression thoughtful.
At the sight of Quickmind, they flared their wings. "Ah, you!" They roared. "Quickmind! The most cruel, trusted dragon in the Outclaws!" Without another word, the guard lunged. Quickmind did nothing as they cuffed her around the neck and began dragging them along the sand. Quickmind spotted the exit to the Scorpion Den, and before she knew it, she was laying on the sand, about ten dragons- and the SandWing guard- standing over her.
"Speak, murderer!" Snarled the SandWing guard.
"Please," Quickmind murmered. "Let me explain. I'm on your side, I swear I am." 
One of the soldiers blinked thoughtfully. "You can show us were the Outclaws are hiding, yes?" He asked. The SandWing guard released Quickmind, and she nodded thankfully at her.
"I can," She promised. "But I want to kill Dignity. If I'm lying about this, you can kill me."
One of the soldiers looked to the SandWing guard. "What do you think, Heliodor?" He asked, looking into the SandWing guard's brown eyes. "No Outclaw would ever want to give up power by dying. Espically this one; the most trusted dragon in the Outclaws?"
Heliodor nodded. "I think we can trust you."
Quickmind nodded. "Follow me." She flared her wings, beat them, then let the wind take her. She soared through her home, the other SandWings close behind her; the sound of their wingbeats was loud, but the determination in Quickmind's heart was louder. This is it, She thought. I'm finally going to avange the merchant, my brothers, and a lot of SkyWings, RainWings, IceWings, SandWings, and many more. Flexing her talons, Quickmind landed in front of the main tent.
"This is the main tent of the Outclaws," She told the dragons behind her, rage sparking in her heart. "There's a secret passage that leads to the back of the Scorpion Den, which is were they are. Its easy for them to blend in with the sand."
"Lead the way," Heliodor ordered.
Quickmind nodded, stepping inside the tent. Panicked talonprints leaded to a curtain, white like the rest of the tent. Heliodor pushed in front of Quickmind, shoving open the curtain.
Just as Quickmind suspected, the Outclaws were sitting and chatting quietly. The back of the Scorpion Den- also known as the dump- was the place that nobody would ever think to look. "All who follow the SandWing guard, and believe peace, attack!" Came Heliodor's roar. The soldiers obeyed, and soon the dump erupted into a battle. Quickmind only saw four of the eleven dragons flew away, and Quickmind looked around in shock as she realized Dignity was one of them. The other seven dragons had chains wrapped around their jaws, binding their wings, and covering their tails with tough metal caps. 
"Go bring them to Queen Jackal's dungeons," Heliodor ordered to her soldiers. Quickmind barely did anything but scare off Heatwave; the battle was over so fast. Heliodor turned to Quickmind as her soldiers flew off, all carrying a chained Outclaw. "Thank you, Quickmind." Heliodor said, smiling. "But I believe there is one more battle you have to fight. One you have to fight alone."
Quickmind nodded. "Tell Queen Jackal I'm sorry for all the dragons I've killed."
"I know it was for a good reason." Heliodor told her. And, with that, she beat her wings and flew off.
Her eyes narrowing, Quickmind allowed the spark in her heart to become an ember, growing bigger and bigger until it was smoldering with flames. She flared her wings, then let the wind take her. Flying high in the sky, Quickmind hovered for a moment, then soared down, following the scent of blood on the fleeing dragons.
There! She spotted Topaz, Snakebite, and Hamada fleeing as two soldiers bolted after them. As she looked around, Quickmind spotted the achingly familar body of Dignity, watching from the side of a trash can.
Letting out a roar, Quickmind flew down and barreled into her greatest enemy. "DIGNITY!" She roared. Dignity let out a gasp of shock and slipped out from under her. The two circled each other, tails lashing furiously. "YOU! YOU RUINED MY ENTIRE LIFE!" The flame in Quickmind's heart blazed, and filled her body with a new warmth- a new drive- determination. Revenge. Something that she'd been waiting for her entire life. Dignity snickered, lashing his deadly barbed tail. 
"Life is welcome to the fittest, strong ones!" Dignity snapped back. He lunged at Quickmind, and soon they were face to face, Dignity pinning her as Quickmind thrashed beneath his claws.
"My brothers and Agave didn't deserve to die!" Quickmind roared, kicking Dignity off.
Dignity just smirked at her, and Quickmind flared her wings, waiting for an attack. Dignity suddenly let out a roar and lunged at Quickmind, impaling her in the stomach. Quickmind roared in agony. NO! I can't go out like this, not this soon-! Instinct took over. She grabbed the barb before it got to deep and flung it towards Dignity. He dodged, his fist clenched.
"You're brothers died because they were a hinderence," Dignity sneered. "A problem."
Roaring despite the pain in her belly, Quickmind pounced, slashing at Dignity's face. He let out a roar as blood blinded him for a moment, which was all Dignity needed. This is it, Quickmind thought, lunging. She snapped at Dignity's neck, her teeth digging deeper and deeper. She couldn't hear Dignity's last roar of agony. She couldn't hear the cheers and shocked cries of other dragons. Blood splattered onto her muzzle, and hot tears ran down her face. I did it, brothers, She thought, finally releasing Dignity's limp body. I avenged you.
Suddenly Quickmind heard a wail. She whipped around to see a sobbing, quivering SandWing dragonet with bright, black eyes. Quickmind reached out, trying to comfort the dragonet, but they jumped back in fear. "You killed him!" The dragonet sobbed. "You killed Dad!" 
Quickmind staggered backwards as if she had been stabbed in the chest. She fought the urge to shush the dragonet, and instead whipped around, flaring her wings. She attempted to take to the sky, but two SandWings flew down from the sky, ramming into her. She fell to the ground, claws digging into her side.
"Thats her! Thats her!" Someone shouted. "Thats Dignity's right-talon dragon! She's killed almost a hundred dragons!"
Feeling a pang of guilt, Quickmind lay on the dusty ground, trying not to struggle. I guess I deserve this, She thought, spotting a muscular guard trot over, looking disgusted.
"Take this... tyrant out of the Scorpion Den," The guard ordered, the muscles underneath his scales rippling. Three soldiers nodded, grabbing Quickmind's wings, tail, and neck, then taking to the air. Quickmind let out a frustrated grumble. After all that, and this! She thought, then shook her head. It doesn't matter anymore. The world is free of Dignity. Despite knowing this, she still couldn't help but think that all these dragons were ungrateful because HELLO, she just KILLED AN EVIL DRAGON.
I guess that doesn't matter, She thought.
When the SandWing palace came into view, Quickmind saw the muscular guard say to her, "I might let you go until I know what you did. If not, you'll be killed." Quickmind didn't reply, narrowing her eyes.
Suddenly, Quickmind plummeted down. She quickly flared her wings, catching herself, and looked up to see the three guards pursued by a MudWing and a SeaWing. Why do they look so familiar? Wondered Quickmind, the wound in her stomach stinging. A muffled screech shot through the air, snapping Quickmind back to reality. "RUN!!!"
Blinking gratefully, Quickmind whipped around and began to soar threw the wind. She knew a village- a place she could hide. Tears running down her face, she began to set off towards mantis bridge.
•The End•
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)