The Jaws of the Beast

Armored Scavenger's fan-fic. 
Welcome to the third story in The Scavenger Series #3: The Age of the Animus
This story takes place during the events in Wings of Fire: Talons of Power. There may be references to the Wings of Fire book series by Tui T. Sutherland.
This story takes place shortly after the previous story, Behind the Majesty. Please enjoy and comment below if you'd like. :)
Happy reading!
== Prologue ==
“Moving here was the best decision we have ever made in our lives,” a shiny, silvery dragon smiled at a large brown dragon whom he was lying with on a hill. “No one will bother us here near Possibility.”
The galaxies were putting on a show, dancing with two moons as they traveled throughout the night sky. Constellations of animals, dragons, and objects of that season brought awe to the two dragons that were huddled together under the protective branches of a great tree. The two could also see the dim lights of the town of Possibility shine below in the distance, a beacon they had both followed and had led them to each other.
“The night is so beautiful,” acknowledged the MudWing as her breath formed a small cloud in the frosty wind. This is perfect.”
For a long moment the two stayed below the tree, wrapped together despite the IceWing’s chilly scales and the wind that began to howl through the grass and the mighty oak. They did not awake from their soft star-gazing until the sound of cups and bowls began to clatter against the ground, rolling with the wind away from a tattered thin blanket.
“Perhaps it is time to clean up. How about I throw the scraps away while you gather the rest to take back home?” the IceWing suggested, content with the dinner they had had only a little while ago and from the night that seemed to have been so perfect. 
The MudWing rose from her spot, untangling her wings and talons from his and breathed in the cool air. 
“Alright, honey, let’s do this. Teamwork,” she giggled tiredly.
The IceWing was soon up as well, gathering up all the bones, scraps of food, and dirty residue from the plates, which he transferred over to the other waste by using a wooden spoon. After finishing, he grabbed all he could carry and walked down the small hill, looking for a place to throw away the remains of their dinner.
He found the perfect place, a line of shrubbery that would hide the waste so that no one would have known it was there. The IceWing took the liberty to carefully dump it among the leaves and roots of the green plants, making sure he and his lover would not notice them the next time they returned to the hill. Tomorrow, one of the moons would be at its brightest, and he knew he and the MudWing would not want to miss that.
The IceWing, satisfied and rid of all the garbage, left the shrubbery to return to the hill, where he expected the MudWing to have neatly tidied up the cups, plates, and blankets they had brought from their small house in the town. 
Instead, however, his heart wrenched as he saw another dragon on top of that hill, apparently causing trouble for his love. It was more of instinct than anger that caused him to fly into the air and dive straight towards the hill, right in between the dragon he loved and the one he did not know.
“Hey! Stay away from me! Stop it! What are you doing, sniffing me? Don’t give me that stare!” the MudWing on the hill roared at the new dragon, who was so close to her that their heads nearly touched. “Honey, get over here!”
The IceWing felt his wings become stronger and faster the moment he heard the MudWing call out to him. The spikes at the back of his neck rose and tightened, while the teeth in his ever cooling mouth began to grit. 
He was flying so fast and was already so close to the hill
that he only caught glimpses of the new dragon’s appearance before he was
almost on top of whoever it was. Before he realized it was too late and that
the dragon was about to take off and fly away, he slammed into a giant body
that was a strangle mix of cold and warm. 
He was quickly on his feet after the impact, making sure the
MudWing was safely behind him and that he was in harm’s way instead. It was
then that he got a clear glimpse of the dragon before him. 
She was shiny like
himself, the color of the moons that were in the sky that night. But everything
else shocked him, from her amber underbelly to her icy blue tail and talons.
The dragon took a moment to shake her head from the collision, which the
IceWing was about to apologize for, but when the dragon opened her eyes both of
the lovers were silenced by fear.
The new dragon stared the IceWing down with two fiery eyes,
not only literally the color of fire but also the appearance of real flames.
She breathed in deeply, her well-built chest rising and lowering as frustration
swelled in her. The dragon growled and bared her teeth at them, revealing a
blue tongue. 
Then the face of the dragon became funny, but not one either
of the dragons were about to laugh at.
“She’s going to kill us!” the MudWing suddenly shrieked and
grabbed her IceWing love tightly with her claws.
Her shrill cry set off a chain of events that happened
immediately one after another. 
The IceWing fired a stream of frost breath at the terrifying
dragon while the dragon herself let out a whirl of fire from her mouth. Once
the IceWing had a chance to look at what had happened, his stomach almost
turned. 
The frost breath he had used turned out to be useless,
covering the underbelly of the dragon but not inflicting any pain as he had
hoped. Meanwhile, he felt warmth and a bright glow at his side. The great oak
had been lit alight, and it had engulfed the entire tree with roaring flames. 
The IceWing and the MudWing shrunk as they stood before the
looming figure of the monster that was standing on her back legs and using her
tail for extra balance. Smoke escaped through her teeth and nostrils as she
stared down at the two lover, no doubt noticing the frost breath the IceWing
had attacked with. 
A growl rose from the throat of the dragon and she lifted
off into the air with a booming roar. The hill moved when her massive size left
it, causing the two dragons still standing on it to hold each other with the
most fear and love they had ever felt before. 
They had closed their eyes shut as they continued to hear roars and
cries from the dragon above them, but soon they became less and less
ear-piercing. 
The MudWing was the first to open her eyes slowly.
“She’s flying away! That dragon is going to the east,
towards the mountains!” she whispered as she shook the IceWing.
The IceWing then opened his light blue eyes, and out of the
corner of his eye he saw a dragon flying, her outline a shape in the great
bright circle of the moon. 
“That’s not a dragon, it’s a monster, a beast! We have to
tell everyone, we need to warn everyone! What if it comes back and tries to
kill us all? Honey? Honey?!”
The IceWing was shivering, not from the night air or the
wind, but from the event he had just so traumatically experienced. 
“My frost breath…it, it didn’t work. What is that thing,
what in the three moons is she?”
The two dragons then hurried towards Possibility, the great
oak no longer burning but now a pile of black ash.
=== Chapter 1 ===
The early morning didn’t bother Goshawk one bit, not if it
meant she could hunt for deer before all of the other SkyWings came to claim
their prey. Also, it was one of the few moments Goshawk could have to herself
and not worry about a curious, risk-taking dragonet who made as much noise as a
thunderstorm.
“Got you now…” Goshawk mumbled triumphantly to herself as
she spotted a herd of deer traversing through the forest on their way to rest
from a night of grazing. Immediately Goshawk scanned each deer, looking for the
one she had followed for about an hour. Then, in one foul swoop, Goshawk dove
towards the deer, talons outstretched, and grabbed an injured doe right off from
the ground.
With a few more rather grotesque actions, the doe was dead
and hanging lifelessly from Goshawk’s talons. Satisfied with her kill, Goshawk
flew towards the sky, leaving the forest and its shaken inhabitants behind. 
Another perfect hunt.
This will be enough for everyone.''
Goshawk soared through the brightening sky, though the
weight of her prey pulled her closer towards the tops of the trees below her.
The little forest where she hunted often was an enclave, surrounded by large
mountains that were tall enough to be void of any plant-life. Goshawk flew over
them with ease, her strong wings allowing her to quickly slice through the air
when there was no longer an even line of treetops to avoid. 
Minutes later she was over the mountains and had entered a
rocky valley, an indent in the chain of the Claw of the Clouds Mountains. From
her altitude, Goshawk could also see over the mountains that were on the other
side of the valley, home to a number of caves and grumpy neighbors. 
There was one cliff that stood out to Goshawk, a cliff that
was the end of a swirling path that wound around the base of a mountain, carved
in so that a dragon would not have to fly to get to the top or the bottom. 
Goshawk landed softly on the cliff, careful to make sure her
talons and her weight did not wake up the dragons that were inside the cave she
was staring into.  Clearly, however, it
must have been one or the other, or perhaps her wings because those very two
dragons were soon coming out to give her a welcome.
“So you have returned. You could have done it without waking
us up, you know,” rumbled a large crimson dragon. She was much larger than
Goshawk, tall enough on her four feet to tower over her, but Goshawk knew that
this was one dragon she didn’t have to worry about much.
“Summit, I come to you with prey and this is how you welcome
me?” Goshawk snorted, but she knew that this was less hostile than it appeared
to be.
“GOSHAWK!” Next to the large crimson dragon was a smaller,
red dragonet, whose excitement bubbled despite being recently and rudely woken
up from his slumber. 
The dragonet, who was not so little anymore, brushed past
his mother to hug Goshawk with outstretched arms. He was still light enough for
Goshawk to lift him up with her own arms, high enough so that the dragonet
could rest his head on her shoulder as they embraced. “I brought us something, Stormfast,” Goshawk said,
deliberately looking into Summit’s orange eyes.”
Goshawk soon put Stormfast back onto the cliff, and he
backed up to be with his mother once again, standing at her side. From the
dragonet, Goshawk’s eyes wandered elsewhere. Somehow Goshawk always found
herself glancing at the ripped wing of Summit, and was always guilty about it. 
Don’t stare, look
away…!''
Goshawk turned her gaze away from the dragons altogether,
peering behind them to the cave. 
Summit then put her talons on the doe that Goshawk had
brought, taking it into her arms and flipping it over her shoulder to carry. If
Summit had been anybody else, Goshawk would have taken the deer back and given
Summit a real lesson on taking someone else’s prey, but Summit was not anybody
else. Besides, if she were to threaten the bigger dragon anyways, Goshawk
believed that in seconds she would be dangling off of the cliff from her hind
legs. Also, Goshawk had too much respect for Summit to even think of doing
anything terrible to her.
“Stormfast, get ready for breakfast. You too, Goshawk. I
have the room all cleaned up, from dinner last night…” she huffed as she
followed Stormfast inside to the cave.
Goshawk chuckled in her mind, remembering the mess supper
had been the evening before. Goshawk had found a way to make Stormfast laugh,
and laugh, and laugh. By the time dinner had ended the table was stained with
blood, water, and everything that came from the dragonet’s nostrils that wasn’t
smoke. Summit always liked to be tidy, but Goshawk figured the dragon had
enough time on her talons to clean up. She spent practically the entire day
inside, as her ripped wing injury prevented her from really traveling anywhere.
Only on foot could Summit go out into the world, and she seldom did.
Goshawk followed right behind Summit, entering the cave by
brushing away a hanging red cloth flap that rippled in a cold breeze. 
“Any news from the Palace? What happened to the Queen? I
hear that Scarlet came back, is it true?” Goshawk asked, trying to make light
conversation with her friend.
She had been expecting that sort of news anyways. Anytime
there was a new mention of the ex-Queen from anyone, Goshawk’s adrenaline
rushed. In her childhood Goshawk looked up to the former queen, and even that
morning the thrill of the arena flowed through her veins. But there was a new queen
of the SkyWings, Queen Ruby. Goshawk couldn’t say that Ruby wasn’t better for
the tribe, but she didn’t have the same passion for Ruby as she had with
Scarlet. 
“I don’t know, Goshawk, I can’t really go anywhere and ask!”
Summit said with a tone of distaste that actually made Goshawk feel bad and
stupid for asking. Sometimes Goshawk really did wish she was a more social
dragon and better at conversing, but she didn’t really care for it later when
she was alone. 
“I just…I,” Goshawk began, flustered, trying to fix things.
Summit sighed as she began to carve the deer into hearty
portions. “I heard snippets of talk when Knoll and Scarp flew by yesterday,
probably to investigate the palace itself. Something about a duel or a fight or
something.” Then Summit paused as if she was trying to find the right next
words to say. Her eyes never left her talons as they sliced through skin and
meat. She finally spoke after removing bones from Stormfast’s part of the doe. “Goshawk,
I think your queen is dead.”
Goshawk eyed Summit murderously, listening to her hum as she
dropped a piece of venison in front of Stormfast’s spot at the table. 
“Ruby is my Queen,” Goshawk declared, her left eye twitching
as her emotions were mixed.
“If you say so,” Summit said, her eyes still on the meat she
was preparing. With a few sharp cuts of her claws, the leg of the deer was
severed and the crimson dragon placed it in front of Goshawk. “Your favorite, I
know. Hope it cheers you up.”
Goshawk gave Summit another dirty look, then sunk her teeth
into the meaty leg of her prey. Of course Summit knew what Goshawk liked and
didn’t like, but she didn’t have to give her both at the same time. Though the
meat was good, Goshawk couldn’t enjoy it after hearing Summit add in the extra
line. 
I’m NOT upset. The
world should be better now, right? Mmmh, mhhhm MmmmeeEAT! Oh COME ON, be happy
brain! ''
Goshawk knew that Summit was taking a few stolen glances at
her mixed reaction, finding some sort of amusement in it. Goshawk dug further
into her meal, distracting herself and hoping the feeling of being watched
would go away. 
Grrrrr….it’s no use.
I’m actually sad about this! All my hopes, my stupid dreams of Scarlet coming
back are over. Finished. KAPUT. That’s it. No more thrilling queen.''
While busy making a mess of her snout, Goshawk heard the
sound of wings flapping in the air outside of the cave. She lifted her face out
of the deer, watching to see if anyone else heard the noise she had heard.
Summit did, for she stopped eating altogether and was listening carefully to
something, her head turned to the light from the entrance.
Then there was the sound of something heavy landing on the
cliff. Summit was on her feet immediately, opening her wings to make herself
bigger in the room. Goshawk knew that Summit was no doubt preparing a defense
of her cave and her dragonet, but that dragonet didn’t hold the same serious
qualities as his mother.
“Someone came!” Stormfast giggled giddily, leaving his meal
and his spot at the table to venture outside.
“WAIT, Stormfast! Come back here!” Summit bellowed after her
dragonet, chasing after Stormfast. There was fear in the crimson dragon’s eyes
as they followed her dragonet as quickly as her feet moved to stop him. 
Goshawk put down her deer leg, then began to head towards
the open flap when she heard Stormfast cry, “Goshawk! Goshawk! Auntie Seaweed
is here! Auntie is here!”
Seaweed…
At the sound of that name Goshawk quickened her pace,
dashing through the passageway that led to the mouth of the cave. Almost
stumbling on assorted object such as towels, old tools, and baskets scattered
across the entranceway, Goshawk clawed the flap away to gaze at the scene
unraveling on the cliff.
Seaweed was definitely not the dragon Goshawk was expecting
to see, but out of all the dragons in Pyrrhia, she was still one of the least
surprising. Normally some stranger or neighbor arrived, and they were always a
SkyWing. No members of the other tribes had any reason to drop in by this
valley, though Goshawk figured out there was at least one who did. For what,
she still had to find out.
“Why, hello everyone!” Seaweed greeted Summit and Stormfast
warmly, a radiant smile on her face as she was met in return by one happy
dragonet and a not-so-thrilled dragon. When Goshawk walked forward into the
SeaWing’s view, the blue dragon looked very excitedly. She was practically
shaking her entire body. Goshawk had never met a dragon who was busting of so
much energy to see her again.
It’s been a long time…
“Auntie!” Stormfast cried out joyfully again, wrapping his
wings around the majestic blue scales of the SeaWing. There was no way that the
dragon and the dragonet were related in any way by blood, but Stormfast would
be the one to welcome Seaweed into his family in the blink of an eye.
Goshawk looked Seaweed up and down, from horn to talon to
see how much she had changed. The last time she had seen Seaweed was almost a
month ago, when the SeaWing bid farewell and returned to the Kingdom of the
Sea. Goshawk wondered why she had returned. 
Was she kicked out?
Did her plan with her father fail?''
The exile standing before them had committed a crime that no
one may have noticed. Seaweed was formerly a guard in the SeaWing Palace, but
one fateful day her lust for treasure went too far. She stole from the royal
treasury, an act that might bring terrible punishment to the criminal.
According to Seaweed she was going to return the treasure second after
attempting to flee home, but she was frightened by a passing dragon and darted
away without turning back. She said that she doubted that the dragon knew what
had happened, but Seaweed didn’t have much time to think.
Seaweed had stolen an entire bag of treasure, with
necklaces, gemstones, rings, and coins. Nothing that the Queen would have
missed, but Seaweed’s paranoia about being caught made it difficult for her to
realize that. Gradually Seaweed began to return to the Kingdom of the Sea,
coming into contact with her parents, who were relieved to hear from her again
after she had just gone missing.  
With help from a SeaWing named Tuna, Seaweed’s father and
mother put back the treasure that Seaweed had stolen. As far as Goshawk knew,
no one noticed a thing. Anyone who realized that Seaweed was missing assumed
she had died in the war, but now that she wasn’t killed after all her parents
wanted her to come home. But Seaweed still couldn’t shake off the feeling that
she would be arrested and executed, though her paranoiac condition was
improving.
Standing in front of the dragons, Seaweed didn’t seem to be
hiding any sadness or fear for her life, and Goshawk knew there weren’t too
many layers for those emotions to hide under. The exile wasn’t the best at
masking herself.
“Why don’t you come on inside, Seaweed? We were just having
breakfast,” Goshawk said with a grin, and she could feel the cold hard glare of
Summit upon her. If Summit wasn’t too particularly pleased to have Goshawk
enter her home each night and morning, then she wasn’t the type to roll a red
carpet for Seaweed to enter on.
“Oh, why thank you, but I already ate. I just wanted to see
you! I have something very important to talk to you about!” Seaweed uttered as
she followed everyone else inside, Stormfast close at her side.
While Stormfast and Summit continued to eat their doe,
Goshawk led Seaweed to her room, or rather the only other room in the cave. And
it wasn’t exactly her room either,
not when she had to curl up beside the wall to avoid touching Summit or
Stormfast as they slept. Goshawk never really realized how big Stormfast’s
mother was until Summit filled up nearly half the room as she laid down for the
night. 
After Goshawk took a few steps into the room, she whirled
around to face Seaweed, who was too busy looking around at the cave to notice.
But as she moved her sight from the right side of the room to the left, the
SeaWing spotted a still, glaring dragon in her way.
“Seaweed, why are
you here?” Goshawk asked, not angry at her friend but not really wanting to
have to deal with anyone who she had met in the last few months. Goshawk had
wanted to forget all that had happened and return to a normal SkyWing life. No
scavengers, no animus, and no traveling around the continent during a war. “Is
everything alright at home?” 
The SeaWing sniffed the air, curious at the scent of
something in the room. “Things are…slow. My father is being extremely cautious
to make sure no one will be too suspicious of my return. We already disposed of
my stolen treasure, but we are working on a good story for me to live by.” Seaweed
sighed. “I’m not sure how excited I am to return home, though. My life has
changed so much that I don’t think it will ever be the same.”
Goshawk could only stare at Seaweed as her wings drooped,
since she was never good at finding the right words to say to make things
better. She did feel sympathy, but not good at showing it. Other dragons might
be quick to wrap their wings around their friends, or give them a smile or hold
their claws, but Goshawk was not that kind of dragon.
Seaweed stopped looking glum and met her eyes with
Goshawk’s. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Goshawk was also not good at friendly responses. “I suppose
so,” she said, feeling it wasn’t enough. However, Seaweed was quick to talk.
“Remember the cool things we did?” Seaweed asked excitedly,
her bright teeth showing and her deep blue eyes glowing. 
Goshawk remembered everything that had happened, but it felt
like it had happened so long ago. Discovering the secret world of the
scavengers was quite an adventure for both her and Seaweed, and even Stormfast,
but it had been an adventure that ended in tragedy. Goshawk steered away from a
certain topic she didn't want to discuss. 
“Please, Seaweed, why are you really here? Did you come all
this way, far into the Sky Kingdom…just to chat with me? Don’t you know it
might be dangerous for you to be here?”
“The war is over,” Seaweed pointed out, “and yes, I came
here to see you, because we are friends…right?”
“Well….yes….technically…” Goshawk stammered, her eyes
darting back and forth as she tried to find the right phrase to finish her
statement. But when she couldn’t say anything else, she noticed Seaweed’s smile
diminishing and turning into a frown.
Goshawk sighed. “Okay, okay, have a seat.” Goshawk laid down
on the stone floor, while Seaweed did the same, after brushing away dirt and
dust from the spot she had chosen to sit on. Goshawk watched painfully as
Seaweed’s body edged closer and closer to the floor, extremely slowly. When
Seaweed finally sat down she gave out a startled cry.
“Cold!” she shrieked, then gritted her teeth as forced the
rest of herself to sit down.
Before Goshawk could ask Seaweed another question or try to
make the conversation friendlier, she pulled something out from a bag that she
had around her shoulder. It was a piece of paper, fairly new but crumpled. 
“Have you heard the news?” Seaweed inquired, handing the
paper to Goshawk to look over.
Goshawk accepted the paper, holding it in front of her face
with her talons. It was something she had never seen before, something like a
mix between a wanted poster and a news article. There was an image of a white
dragon on the page, and below it was a report. 
Seaweed spoke as Goshawk read, though it was the exact same
thing that was on the paper.
“A few days ago a pair of stargazers were attacked on a hill
outside of Possibility, you know, the town where dragons of every tribe live.”
Um…I sort of do… Goshawk
had heard of a town that fit that description, but it never really interested
her and she never bothered to remember its name. 
“An IceWing and a MudWing gave a chilling report about the
incident. A dragon, large and silvery as the moons attacked them as they were
cleaning up. The dragon didn’t say anything, and when the IceWing tried to
defend himself with his frost breathe it didn’t even cause the dragon to
shiver. The dragon then burnt a tree to the ground and flew off.” 
It wasn’t word for word, but what Seaweed said was basically
what Goshawk had read in the report. 
“And guess what!”
“What?” Goshawk asked, lifting her head. 
“This isn’t the first time a dragon like that was reported
to have been spotted. In the last week at least ten other dragons claim to have
seen it. Crazy, isn’t it?” 
Goshawk looked into Seaweed’s eyes, then back at the picture
of the dragon. 
“And look here…” Seaweed pointed one of her talons at a
large word. 
It had been the third thing Goshawk had noticed with her
sharp eyes. There was a reward printed in large black letters, overshadowing
the paragraphs that came after it. It was a lot of gold, a lot for the capture
of this dragon. If Goshawk had gotten even a quarter of that amount, many of
her wildest dreams could come true.
Summit and Stormfast lived in a small cave and owned very
few things. The mother and son had hardly any treasure, except for Summit’s
ancient family heirloom that was passed down to her by her grandmother (her
mother abandoned Summit when she was almost full-grown, so for a few years she
lived with her grandmother). The piece of treasure was a golden bracelet
encrusted with five rubies. Summit would never have thought of selling it a few
years back, but now that times had changed it sounded like a possible action.
They were poor, but Summit did all she could to keep her
dragonet happy. Even when she was angry at Goshawk, when Goshawk just wanted to
stomp on her or bite her for her attitude, she knew the large crimson dragoness
deserved better. That was why Summit welcomed Goshawk into her life, into her
home. Goshawk could help out her son, and that was all that mattered to her. 
But if Goshawk could get that reward, then so many things
could happen that she couldn’t even dream of. In addition to helping out her
friends, Goshawk herself would have enough wealth to start a new comfortable
life.
“Do you think we could…?” Seaweed began hopefully.
Goshawk finally wrapped a wing around Seaweed and pulled her
in close, lifting the scroll in the air. “Seaweed, let’s go find this dragon.”
=== Chapter 2 ===
The sense of adventure Goshawk felt as she soared through
the crisp blue sky was undoubtedly the same feeling she had felt a few months
prior, though this time instead of being accompanied by an energetic dragonet
she was flying alongside a majestic blue SeaWing runaway.
“Just think of all the gold!” Seaweed cried out excitedly,
performing a neat flip in the air as the two flew over another green valley. It
had been only an hour or so since departure, but they had traveled so quickly
that the Mud Kingdom was fast approaching. Goshawk never underestimated the
power gold and jewels could have on a band of treasure-seeking dragons.
Goshawk sighed as she heard her friend expectedly and
pleasantly mention treasure. Dragons were known to have a great love and obsession
for treasure, but Goshawk was sure that out of the two of them, the SeaWing was
the better manifestation of that stereotype. 
I guess stealing from
her queen didn’t destroy that spirit of hers.''
“I thought you abandoned that ‘treasure-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world’
part of you. I guess you haven’t changed at all,” Goshawk assumed as she
observed that Seaweed’s movements were full of determination. She, however, was
also one to be sassy and sarcastic, and clearly an opportunity to use it emerged.
Seaweed didn’t even seem phased except that she slowed down
her flight briefly. “Of course I have changed! I’m better now, I’m in control
now.” 
That’s hard to
believe.''
It was hard to
believe considering Goshawk had always been around a Seaweed who had clenched
her belongings tightly and constantly droned on about riches and wealth.
However, if seeing was believing, then Goshawk’s beliefs were being altered.
The deep blue dragoness flew with more speed than Goshawk remembered, and her
maneuvers were cleaner and riskier. Seaweed wasn’t burdened with wearing a load
of jewelry and wielding a large treasure bag. Currently the sea dragon wore
only two or three pearl and silver necklaces, and her sack appeared emptier
than in the past.
Maybe she is changing,
Goshawk thought, but her words still rolled off of her tongue with no
filter.
“I’m sure you are,”
Goshawk uttered as sge rolled her eyes, but a moment later she almost crashed
into a wall of blue scales.
“I’m serious! I can part with my treasure at any time! And I
won’t even miss it, no I won’t!” Seaweed hovered in the air in front of
Goshawk, flapping her wings to stay aloft when wind began to hurl itself at
them. Goshawk eyed Seaweed curiously, but soon her attention shifted when she
saw that behind the SeaWing was a line of dark clouds. 
Thunderstorm.
As she twisted her neck to look past the great big SeaWing
in front of her, something cold touched her talons. Goshawk looked down and saw
that Seaweed was giving her something.
“What is this?” she asked when Seaweed backed away and
looked hopefully at the SkyWing. Goshawk held up the object in front of her
eyes, staring at it with confusion. It was a bracelet, a golden bracelet.
Goshawk angled it into whatever light seeped from the clouds above and inspected
it. The bracelet was round, hard, and had interesting markings on it that
looked more like scratches than decoration.
“A gift from me. Now do you believe me when I say that I can
give away my treasure freely?” Seaweed replied with a smile that Goshawk could
feel but didn’t bother to look up to see.
Goshawk continued to look over the piece of treasure. Almost
instinctively she put it on, letting it cover her wrist. It was a comfortable
fit, and she wondered if Seaweed had purposefully chosen this to give to her.
If so, then either this was one way of Seaweed telling her something bigger or
the SeaWing just really knew Goshawk wouldn’t believe her. Either way, Goshawk
felt something about Seaweed she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Um…thanks,” Goshawk said without meeting Seaweed’s eyes.
Instead she searched for something to change the subject. “Hey, look at those
storm clouds in front of us. I think we should land.”
Seaweed snorted, but she too gazed upon the grey bodies in
the sky ahead of them. “They are just clouds. Clouds that don’t rain down gold
coins or jewels, might I add. Come on, say it.”
Goshawk glared at Seaweed, who wore a smug face that was
asking to be punched. “Say what?”
“You know?” Seaweed said deviously, to Goshawk’s further
feeling of awkwardness. 
What is this
kelp-kisser mean? I know what? This
is weird. I FEEL WEIRD! ''
“That I’m your friend and that you like me. And that you are
thankful for my token of everlasting friendship,” Seaweed stated in a most obnoxious
voice.
“Token of…friendship?” Goshawk sputtered out, flicking her
wrist over and under to blink at the bracelet. 
“I know deep down that you are just so grateful. Maybe there
is some sort of warm feeling trying to crawl out and take over your face,”
Seaweed kept on talking, also avoiding Goshawk’s expression humorously and
shrugging at her own words. She then began to fly towards the dark clouds,
chuckling when Goshawk was left hovering alone, still gawking at the gift.
It took a moment for Goshawk to snap back into real time and
space. 
That
oyster-eater…playing with me like that…''
The whole experience felt strangely and creepily like the
times when Stormfast tried to form a close bond with her. He always tried to
hug her or stand close to her, and say nice things to her when she was having a
terrible day. Goshawk could understand a little dragonet, and she let Stormfast
do whatever sweet things he wanted to do, but Seaweed was different. She
couldn’t explain why, but she was just different.
Suddenly a great light flashed, taking Goshawk out of her
strange state of mind. Then a few second later, she heard a rumble. Seaweed was
already hurrying back when the first rain drops were beginning to launch
themselves onto the earth. 
“It’s raining!” Seaweed cried out cheerfully, flipping and
twisting in the air. 
“I can see and feel that,” Goshawk’s mind rumbled like the
thunder. Is that how SeaWings look like
when swimming through the sea? Not spectacular at all.''
There was another flash of light, and this time it seized
Goshawk and Seaweed at the same time. 
“Lightning…” Goshawk uttered, and guessed Seaweed was just
about ready to say the same thing. 
The two immediately made their descent to the ground, warily
looking for a place to take cover from the incoming storm. The wind was getting
wilder, the rain falling faster, and the whole world was becoming darker. They
were almost in the marshes, Goshawk realized, when she landed on ground that
wasn’t solid. 
Eewww… Goshawk
thought as her talons began to sink into cold, wet ooze.
“EEEEEWWW!” Seaweed shrieked, finding her talons covered in
sticky mud. The SeaWing quickly began to flap her arms to let the mud fly off,
but most of it made impact on the rest of her body. Goshawk didn’t even think
of laughing at the struggling image of Seaweed with talons, underbelly, chest,
tail, and even horn all covered in the sludge. She was too busy with her own
disgusting situation, trying to leap towards a pocket of dry land. 
Seaweed and Goshawk eventually found an area of small trees
under which they could hide from both the rain and not worry about the
lightning striking them down. Seaweed however stood in the rain to let the mud
wash off her body, while Goshawk only stuck out her talons. 
Neither of them said a word to each other, both of them too
preoccupied with their own business. That was especially true when they heard
someone yell in the middle of the storm. 
“Hey, WHERE DID YOU GO!” a squeaky voice rang out from
somewhere in the marsh.
Goshawk shifted her body in the direction the call appeared
to have originated from, but when she did she nearly gasped. There was another
SkyWing there, right in front of her a few paces away. He was red like her, the
same size as her, but not as surprised or shocked to see her. 
What was shocking and surprising was what that dragon said
to her as rain pelted against him and droplets fell to the ground from the end
of his horns and snout. 
“I…I know you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, but I
think I have been looking for you all this time…” the SkyWing began with a shy
grin. 
Goshawk couldn’t move as the strange new dragon looked at
her, up and down, and seemed to be pleased with himself. His wide smile was
showing, along with a sense of excitement in his feet and his arms.
Who is THIS? Goshawk
stared silently. He was a normal looking SkyWing save for his brown eyes and a
piece of jewelry he was wearing. It was a small blue rock attached to a silver
chain. 
“I knew I would find
you one day,” he mumbled to himself loudly.
Goshawk’s mind was on its way to reaching a response and a
conclusion. It was taking time to make sense of all of this. This dragon wasn’t
dangerous, or else Goshawk would have torn him apart. But he couldn’t have been
friendly in a good way. Still, Goshawk found it hard to tell the difference
between deceit and authentic kindness. 
He’s…
“I know we don’t know each other, but I feel as if I know
you from before. My search bears fruit…”
That was it, Goshawk had heard enough from this dragon. He
was just saying things now that were too strange and too weird. 
He’s a delusional
tomato! ''
The dragon began to make his way over to Goshawk, talons
outstretched and his movements practically leaping. Goshawk reacted by backing
up slowly, both confused and angry about this awkward situation. She scowled,
blocking the approaching SkyWing with her front claws. 
“Excuse me?” she asked while simultaneously biting her lip,
feeling as if an inferno of fire was about to escape through her teeth. If he
got any closer they might ‘accidently’ fly out. 
Goshawk’s eyes scanned her surroundings for a familiar blue
dragon, but when that dragon was nowhere to be found her heart began to race.
Race out of fear of being alone with this dragon, she knew. However, her
feelings felt as jumbled as the land after a wind storm.
The SkyWing paused in his pursuit, which also gave Goshawk a
moment to realize it had stopped raining and the wind had died down
significantly. She heard voices, one sounding like Seaweed’s somewhere she
couldn’t see from her position. They were in a small forest. As Goshawk backed
up her back slammed into something hard, a wide tree with rough bark. There was
nowhere left to go but forward, where the dragon making Goshawk uncomfortable
stood.
“I’m Pine,” the SkyWing finally introduced himself, leaning
forward to grab her talons and hold them with his own. They were cold, but
relaxed, opposite of how Goshawk felt. His eyes were looking dreamily at her,
while Goshawk could only stare back with a mix of her own feelings. 
Who, who is this
dragon? He…he has to be some desperate fool. He doesn’t know me, he just wants
me. I’ll claw his face off.''
Yet she didn’t claw his face off, rather for some reason she
let her talons be held by someone else. 
“You look adorable! You give the impression of someone who
has found love but just doesn’t know it yet!” the SkyWing named Pine sighed as
his gaze stuck to Goshawk like honey.
With that Goshawk threw the dragon’s talons aside and turned
around. Cursed cliffs! Was this all
staged? How dare he read me like that!''
She began to climb the tree, or at least tried to. She had
always lived in and around forests, but it never occurred to her that she could
be in the tree as well as over them. Her talons uncomfortably sunk into the
brown bark, and she lifted herself up the great trunk towards the upper
branches and leaves.
“Wait, don’t go!” Pine cried out.
This scavenger-brain…
All of a sudden Goshawk felt something grab her tail, and
then that something began to keep her down. Goshawk snarled as she kept her
grip on the tree, struggling to avoid falling into the wet mud below her. 
“’LET GO OF ME!” she roared, and then she felt her tail go
free. 
Hmph. He gives up that
easily. Then he doesn’t even deserve me! To think he thought he had a chance!
Ha!''
When Goshawk finally climbed high enough to reach a large
branch, she crossed over to it, put one of her hind legs on it, and then
shifted so that she could move her entire mass onto it. Once both of her legs
and her body were on it, Goshawk let go of the trunk so she could perch.
Below her was Pine, looking at her seriously, not grinning
like she had expected or chasing after her. Clearly the pink mist of love she
thought was around him didn’t exist. Still, his very presence made her mad. 
“Leave!” she hollered. 
“But I’ve been looking for you!” he replied from the ground.
Goshawk made an agonized sigh, huffing heavily. Never in her
life had a dragon chased after her, let alone love her like that. Goshawk
naturally was angry because she preferred no physical contact with dragons and
she wasn’t the type to make new friends…or lovers in this case, but she
couldn’t get over the feeling that her heart wasn’t as cold as she thought. The
feeling she felt was one she wanted to crush reluctantly. Had she felt it when
she received Seaweed’s bracelet? Goshawk’s heart wasn’t turned into mush, but
she felt it had melted a little too much. 
“At least give me your name!” the dragon begged, looking
innocent and still serious. 
If it will quiet him…
“Goshawk! HAPPY?! NOW SCRAM!” she screamed and felt a little
better when he fell back a short distance. Goshawk wondered if this was also
the first time this dragon ever tried to court someone. He was failing
terribly. 
The SkyWing did not move a budge. Goshawk wanted to get this
dragon’s head and check if it had a brain in it, and she wasn’t worried if it
would be messy. Or she might have wanted to poke his eyes out or cut off his
graceful swirling tail, but something she saw from the treetops caught her eye.
She saw a blob of blue scales, and never had she thought she
would ever be happy to find them.
Goshawk lifted off into the air, avoiding branches and
trees, and dove to land right in front of Seaweed. 
Thank goodness she’s
with me. Oh Seaweed…''
Goshawk began to land in front of the SeaWing, feeling as
light as a butterfly to be with someone familiar for a change. 
We can both deal with
that…that sky-scratcher together. ''
She landed on the wet muddy ground, her talons sinking into
the mud that both she and Seaweed would definitely hate to be in. The mutual
hate of mud almost made Goshawk laugh. Goshawk folded her wings in, then found
the words she wanted to say to Seaweed. When she opened her mouth, however,
half a scream rang out.
Seaweed was not standing right in front of her. It was
another SeaWing, another strange dragon.
“WHO ARE YOUUUU?!” Goshawk barked, not believing her eyes.
The unfamiliar SeaWing backed away, covering her ears and
glaring at Goshawk with fright. Goshawk’s bulging eyes, terrifyingly unexpected
movements, and enflamed temper all made for a worrisome sight. 
“Uh…um….” The SeaWing croaked, looking around for help or a
way to escape. Goshawk’s heavy breathing and open mouth nearly made this dragon
crash into a tree at her side.
“Goshawk! Is that you?!” a familiar voice shot out from
behind them. 
Goshawk turned around and began to barrel in that direction
until she saw that there were two dragons watching her from behind a fallen
log. It was Seaweed, glancing at her with thoughtful eyes and a regal snout,
but standing beside her was a third unfamiliar dragon. It was a RainWing, a tad bit shorter than Seaweed and had
a coat of green and brown scales.
“Goshawk, what are you doing with Porpoise?” Seaweed asked,
confused and worried about her companion’s physical, and perhaps even mental
state.
“P-porpoise?” Goshawk whirled around to face the SeaWing,
who had by now picked up a sharp jagged rock and held it in her talons like a
weapon. 
Then there was the sound of footsteps, and in moments a red
dragon shot through the trees and stood in between Goshawk and the two dragons
by the log. Goshawk glared at the dragon with slits for eyes, hissing and
walking around him to examine him for a change. Her movements were like a
viper’s, her tail raised like a SandWing’s, her tongue flickering in and out of
her mouth, and her body appearing as strong and large as a MudWing. 
“I did nothing! This forest is
filled with crazy dragons, one of whom won’t leave me alone!”                         
Everyone looked at Goshawk as if she were the crazy dragon
in the forest. Goshawk stopped, sighed, and looked helplessly at Seaweed. 
“Seaweed, who are all of these dragons? When did you have
time to make friends?”
Seaweed’s face of worry changed to one of joy. She began to
introduce all of the dragons as if they had known each other for a long time.
And, to Goshawk’s sharp eyes and mind, as if they were pieces of treasure from
her bag to display.
“This is Avocado, really cool and really nice,” Seaweed brushed
her wing with the RainWing, both of them smiling.
Then Seaweed pointed to the SeaWing behind Goshawk. “That’s
Porpoise,” Seaweed waved at Porpoise, who in return waved back cautiously,
still holding the pointy rock in her talons.
As if that would do anything
to me.''
“She’s a little jumpy. I think you may have frightened her,”
Seaweed added in.
Then Seaweed pointed at the SkyWing, whose eyes were still
on Goshawk like before. 
“That’s Pine. I never saw him so full of energy before.”
Goshawk at first thought it was Seaweed who had spoken, but instead it was
Avocado, the RainWing. Her voice was bursting with pleasantness and enthusiasm,
but Goshawk knew if she had been more careful with first impressions, it could
have been on a whole other level. 
Goshawk looked around to look at each of the new dragons, a
bit overwhelmed and definitely not pleased. 
“Why are you all here? Seaweed?” she asked, perplexed. 
“I just met them all a few minutes ago!” Seaweed beamed.
“Come on, let’s talk on the go. We still have a mysteriously dangerous dragon
to find and catch.”
She told them about
that, too?''
Seaweed and Avocado lifted up into the air, followed by
Pine, and then Porpoise, who carried her rock and watched Goshawk carefully.
Goshawk was the last to lift off into the cloudy sky, following the trail of a
variety of colors.
=== Chapter 3 ===
“Soooooo…this is the spot? Are you sure?” pondered an
over-excited Avocado.
Goshawk was thinking the same thing. She wasn’t exactly sure
how and when Seaweed became the leader of the group. Certainly Goshawk wouldn’t
have become the head, not with her eccentric introductions. That was also why
the five of them were lying on their stomachs, deep in mud, watching for a
dragon to arrive in the grassy clearing in front of them.
There was no checking out the perimeter, no detective work,
or consulting any witnesses. Seaweed’s plan so far had been to travel to the
location of the last known sighting of the ‘Beast,’ as the strange horrifying
dragon was popularly called. Then they just waited, and waited.
This is stupid. How
did this happen?''
Seaweed was reading the wanted poster thoroughly, making
sure she understood every detail and comparing them to the clearing they were
looking at. Satisfied, she smiled as if she had solved a difficult puzzle. 
“Yep, this is the place alright. See, the MudWing village is
over there to the east, we are standing before the grassy mound, and you can
see the field of marsh plants on the other side,” she listed as everyone else
searched for what she said. Indeed, everything Seaweed mentioned could be found
from their spot. They were in the right place.
“But why are we just waiting here? What if the creature’s
long gone from here?” Porpoise, the dragon who looked strikingly similar to
Seaweed, had been on edge ever since meeting Goshawk. Goshawk thought the
dragon would have calmed down after the flight. 
There’s more to her
than me just frightening her. She isn’t as trusting of Seaweed as fruit-muncher
and sky-scratcher. Where did these dragons come from anyway? They just popped
out of nowhere.''
Porpoises’ question was a good one, Goshawk had to admit.
The poster of the strange dragon surely had to have been outdated by now. For
it to get into Seaweed’s hands all the way in the Kingdom of the Sea and then
to Goshawk in the Sky Kingdom, it had to have been days-old news. The beast,
whoever it was, could not have stayed in one spot for any good reason. Unless
it did have one that Goshawk had no idea it had. 
The SkyWing didn’t have the patience to wait any longer.
Goshawk felt sore, muddy, and terribly too close to Pine as he laid on the
ground next to her. He did what the others were doing, looking at the clearing
with boredom, but she felt he knew whenever Goshawk looked at him and was
noticing her every movement. He if he wasn’t trying Goshawk felt awkward about
him. 
“I’m sick of this. I’m going to take a look,” Goshawk
announced as she rose from the mud, her body now half brown and half red, like
a strawberry dipped in chocolate. “You can all stay here if you want and wait a
hundred years for this dragon to never come.” 
Expecting no one to bravely follow after her, Goshawk
sauntered sassily in front of the other four. She expressed her apathy,
believing that they had nothing to worry about. Besides, none of the reports
Goshawk has seen said anything about the ‘Beast’ murdering anyone in cold
blood. No one died from the shock of being terrorized either. 
Heck, maybe this beast
creature is nothing at all. Maybe it’s just a story, a hoax. Or at least
greatly exaggerated. ''
Seconds later Goshawk was already on top of the grassy
mound, but she felt something was off.
Wait. NO ONE is trying
to stop me? They’d…they’d just let me do that? What if that beast did come?
Some friends Seaweed found. ''
“Finally, a normal dragon with reason,” croaked a slow
voice.
Goshawk found that Porpoise was lifting herself out of the
sludge, while Pine, Seaweed, and Avocado looked on with surprise. Even Goshawk
had expected one of the others to follow her, or none of them at all. How a
dragon she had frightened so much at first finally was agreeing with her
strategy Goshawk didn’t comprehend. But she was glad that at least she wasn’t
the only one to be using a brain. 
Porpoise strutted up to stand at Goshawk’s side, an
improvement from sulking in the mud. She was indeed much like Seaweed, with
blue scales, but she had light blue eyes, a wider snout, smaller horns, and
wore a strand of pearls around her neck. She looked like someone from the
SeaWing Palace…
Hold on…
If Goshawk had been right in thinking so, then why would a
palace official be out in the Mud Kingdom with a SkyWing and a RainWing? For a
moment Goshawk blotted out the other two dragons to make guessing easier. It
also fit with her prominent theory.
Could she be here to
get Seaweed? That was unlikely, given that Seaweed’s crime appeared so
insignificant and happened quite a while ago. There was no way Queen Coral
would send an agent to get one dragon. Yet it was the only plausible theory
Goshawk could come up with.
“So, um, you, now what? We look for clues?” Porpoise was
looking at Goshawk as if the SkyWing was now the leader, a true leader. She was
expecting a response from Goshawk, who was slow to answer.
“Uh, yeah, sure. We look for, um, clues.” Goshawk didn’t
know what else to say at what appeared to be a new dragon. It hit Goshawk now
that Porpoise wasn’t carrying a sharp rock anymore with her. 
She has calmed down.
She doesn’t see me as a scary dragon anymore. ''
Goshawk looked back to glance at the other dragons for a
second. First there was Seaweed, staring straight at Goshawk with surprised
wide eyes. It seemed that she was about to jump out of the mud with her
backside lifted a tad higher up in the air, but she stayed put. Then there was
Avocado, so well camouflaged in brown that Goshawk almost thought that the RainWing
was gone. But she was definitely there, even if it was hard to tell. 
Pine was the dragon who confused Goshawk more than anyone
else, even more than Porpoise. One moment the SkyWing was climbing all over
her, trying to get her to love him back. Now she wouldn’t have guessed that
actually happened. Pine was mumbling to himself and avoiding Goshawk’s glance
as he laid at the foot of the mound. 
The sound of footsteps on grass and movement out of the
corner of Goshawk’s eyes made her watch as Porpoise walked away without waiting
for anyone else. The time to hunt for clues had begun, and Porpoise had taken
an early head start. Though she felt it was childish, Goshawk had wanted to be
the first to say that she had found a clue. Therefore, with that competitive
mentality, Goshawk followed quickly after the SeaWing who was less timid than
she had first thought.
“Hmm. I don’t see any clues,” Porpoise the self-proclaimed
detective aired out, hoping the words found listening ears. Fortunately Goshawk
was right up alongside her, inspecting the mound for any evidence that a
strange dragon was there. She wasn’t sure what that would be. Would it be
different from a normal dragons’. Either way, her snout was in the grass
looking for anything out of the ordinary. 
For a few quiet minutes the two examined the scene. Once
they were so enthralled with the search that they almost collided with each
other head-on. With nothing fruitful thus far, Goshawk’s inquisitive mind
produced questions that reached the tongue.
“So, Porpoise, right?” she began.
Porpoise answered after a moment to make sure she had heard
Goshawk correctly, or at all. “Yes. And you are Goshawk, correct?”
Goshawk nodded but wasn’t sure if Porpoise was looking at
her. “Yeah. You know, I’ll just come straight out with it. I find it strange
that you are traveling with two dragons from completely different tribes. And
you just happen to suddenly appear out of nowhere. I don’t get you at all…”
“Goshawk!” Seaweed suddenly bellowed. Goshawk didn’t mind
saying what she was thinking at the top of her head. If she was going to be
honest then she would be brutally honest with these new dragons. 
Porpoise was somewhat calm as she turned to Goshawk after
hearing the question. 
It looks like she’s
turning back to the way she was before.''
Goshawk went along with part of her main theory. “Those
pearls are nice,” she complimented, hoping to lead into her big question and
relax this SeaWing at the same time.
“Oh,” Porpoise muttered as she wrapped one of her talons
around the strand. “Thank you.”
“Are you from the Royal SeaWing Palace? You definitely look
like someone important. My, what beautiful scales! Perfect complexion.” 
Annnddd this feel
weird too.''
Porpoise looked embarrassed and Goshawk saw her tail sway in
swirls. “Oh three moons no, not the Kingdom of the Sea. Oh, you wouldn’t
believe me if I told you…”
Goshawk tilted her head, giving Porpoise a look that boldly
said ‘try me.’ Goshawk had been through a lot in her past, experiencing some
crazy things, so she doubted there would be anything surprising for this
SeaWing to tell her. 
Porpoise tore the little green blades of grasses underneath
her talons subconsciously. The dragon with the pearls looked to her side and
sighed, taking in a deep breath of warm air and exhaling. Her gaze was falling
upon the meadow of marsh plants, all the same color but a variety of shapes and
sizes. 
“Well, I guess I can tell you, just don’t laugh,” Porpoise
warned as she began to clear things up for Goshawk. The words from her mouth
seemed to be sticking on the edge of her tongue as it took a while for Porpoise
to spit them out. She was also mumbling to herself before she spoke out loud.
“Oh my, I don’t even know how to begin…” the blue dragon
rubbed her eyes and moaned, to Goshawk’s impatience and growing temper. “You
know the mountains to the west?”
Mountain to the west?
The big chain, the Claw of the Clouds Mountains? ''
“I’m sure you do, since you are a SkyWing of course. Well,
there is a new kingdom in Pyrrhia.” Porpoise talked as if things were normal
and it was normal for kingdoms to just pop out of nowhere. Her words and tone
didn’t seem full of struggle, now that she had time to think about her word
choices carefully. 
“A new kingdom? A new kingdom?”
Goshawk didn’t feel that she heard Porpoise right. “Is it called the Kingdom of
the Mountains or something? That’s…that’s oddddd. Straaaange.”
What’s this
dolphin-diver going on about? Alright, I guess this can make sense. But really?
''
“Ummmmm, okaaay. So, what’s this kingdom of yours called?”
Goshawk dug in deeper, wanting way more details now that the topic had fished
out her interest. 
“It’s the Draconic Kingdom,” Porpoise went on, simply
telling the SkyWing exactly what she asked for, with no details. Follow-up
questions were not difficult to construct, however. 
Draconic Kingdom. Is
this some ‘let’s unite all the tribes together for peace’ organization? ''
She gave Porpoise a more relaxed look. Surely this ‘kingdom’
of hers wasn’t anything relevant in the continent’s affairs. She hadn’t heard
of it until now, so it couldn’t have been a powerful force to be reckoned with.
“Alright, so it’s like the Talons of Peace or something.
Draconic, so dragons, and not any specific dragons. Sounds peaceful and nice, I
think. I’ll even go far as saying that your leader isn’t even from wherever
this kingdom is from! Right?” 
Porpoise didn’t seem to agree with Goshawk’s response. The
SeaWing shook her head softly and muttered to herself what Goshawk had said to
her. “Queen Slush, from the IceWings…but I said kingdom…not Talons of Peace. You know, palaces and queens and all
that. It’s a realm with power, not some, some rabble.” 
Goshawk barked a laugh, not believing her ears. “There’s no
palace west of here in the mountains! Oh, that was a good one! What else, is
there a big bad Draconic Army as well?”
“Stop that!” Porpoise snapped. 
Goshawk immediately stifled her amused state and watched as
Porpoise cooled down. The SeaWing readjusted her wings and appeared to be ready
to walk away. They had so far paused in their search for clues, taking the time
to have a full-blown conversation on top of the mound. 
At this time Goshawk saw movement at her side and saw that
some familiar dragons had finally decided to leave their spot in the mud.
Avocado, Pine, and Seaweed were all making their way to the top of the little
hill, half covered in mud. None of them looked to be exactly happy, either from
the mud or wasting their time waiting for nothing. Seaweed in particular seemed
quiet.
“You don’t believe me on that part, so you definitely won’t
believe what I am going to say next.” Porpoise sounded sad that Goshawk wasn’t
taking her seriously.
“Hey, what are you all talking about?” asked Seaweed,
curious about the conversation she was overhearing. 
Porpoise turned to her fellow SeaWing, who was more
comfortable to talk to. Goshawk felt that perhaps if Porpoise were a SkyWing
then they would have a better time chatting. Any SkyWing would be easier to
trust and listen to…save for Pine who was now standing right next to Goshawk.
“The Kingdom,” Porpoise explained, hoping someone else would
bother to listen.
“Ohhhh…” The words had made an impact on Avocado, but it
wasn’t excitement. Rather, she seemed to look as if those words hurt more than
anything. She looked at the ground, her scales slowly turning into a light
grey. “What do you think of it, Goshawk? Cool, right?” Avocado didn’t give the
impression that it was.
Coool? It sounds like
the most pathetic thing I’ve ever….''
“It’s supposed to be cool? I think I’m missing something
here.” 
“What’s this kingdom?” Seaweed walked over and whispered to
Pine. Pine seemed to be the only dragon who hadn’t given an opinion on this
‘kingdom.’ Porpoise felt it was something important, while Avocado might have
found it to be a subject she would rather bury deep underground rather than
talk about it in the open. Goshawk herself thought there was no way any of this
was relevant to either the search for the ‘beast’ or to the world. 
Pine pulled Seaweed away from the others with one of his big
red wings, whispering back to her as he left the other three dragons alone with
each other on the mound. 
“You know, this doesn’t even seem impressive at all,”
Goshawk told Porpoise and watched as Avocado quietly strolled over to the
meadow. 
“You would think otherwise if you had been there. I was
there and I’m telling you that the Draconic Kingdom is something we all better
watch closely.” Porpoise spoke with a bold voice with hints of worry. “And
Glorious Pyrrhia.”
“Glorious Pyrrhia? What in all that is dragon is that?
Sounds like some self-righteous group of simple-minded do-gooders or rebels.
Yeah, join us and we can make Pyrrhia amazing for everyone. Fat chance, ha!”
Goshawk lifted her snout in the air, openly showing her feelings on whatever
they were talking about.
This time Porpoise was on edge. Her knees were shaking and
it seemed as if she were expecting someone to appear out of thin air.
“Sh-shhhhhh!” she shushed Goshawk, putting a talon to her snout. “You mustn’t
say things like that!” 
“But, but…”
“No! No one can say things like that about Glorious Pyrrhia!
Or the Draconic Kingdom!” Porpoise explained frantically, pale and jumpy. 
Goshawk took a step towards the SeaWing. “Hey, are you all
right? You look as if someone if trying to kill you!” 
Porpoise held onto the strand of pearls around her neck
tightly, so much that they were about to be torn off. “What if someone is?!
That’s why you don’t say those things!”
“Hey!” a voice called out. “Porpoise?” 
It was Seaweed, returning with Pine by her side. Goshawk
watched him, not seeing that he was interested in the SeaWing in any way. Only
her, since he was edging towards her as he walked to the middle of the hill. 
“What is it?” Porpoise asked, breathing abnormally. 
Pine had made his way over to Goshawk, and she felt the heat
from his body as he stood a head lengths away. Then she felt something warm
wrap around her tail, causing her to gasp. It was another tail, and she knew
exactly whose it belonged to.
“Untwine it,” she ordered, but not audible enough for the
other dragon to hear. She was about to repeat her demand again but stopped
herself. Given time she now didn’t want that warmth to leave her tail. She
allowed her tail to be twined with Pine’s, though if he tried anything else she
wouldn’t be as generous.
Seaweed continued to ask questions. “Um, what’s the name of
Glorious Pyrrhia’s leader? Pine just gave me a basic breakdown of where you had
just come from. Sounds interesting, but a little scary.”
Porpoise gulped, swallowing a lump down her throat. “The
Rex-Animus you mean?” 
“Animus!?” Goshawk yelled in shock. 
“Yes, him. But you know his name, right? You worked as the
Queen’s advisor. I would think that you had heard his name once or twice
before. None of the regular dragons knew it, but I was hoping that maybe you
had an idea,” Pine uttered. 
“Isn’t Rex-Animus enough for you?” Porpoise asked Seaweed.
“Well, it was actually his question. He just wanted me to
ask it,” Seaweed responded, pointing back at Pine. Goshawk could feel the grip
of his tail tightening against hers. 
Is he frightened? Is
he only shy to everyone but me? Whyyyyyy? Ugghhhh…''
Pine looked embarrassed. “I don’t know, the question just
came up and now I can’t get it out of my head. I…I just feel like I need to
know…”
Porpoise didn’t look so sure of herself, but no one knew
why. 
“Isn’t it just someone’s name? What’s so bad about that?
Come on, it’s not like we know who that will be. Just say it,” Goshawk began.
“Say it for three moons sake please.”
“His name…his name is Clauseus….Vinus…i-if I remember
correctly,” Porpoise stuttered with the name, rubbing the back of her neck as
she revealed it to them.
“WHAT!” Goshawk, Seaweed, and Pine cried out.
“What? You…you know him?” Porpoise look surprised.
IMPOSSIBLE! LIES!
LIES! She can’t be serious! How does she know that name?!''
Goshawk took a few steps forward. “He’s supposed to be dead!
That scavenger carcass is supposed to be DEAD AND DEAD AND OH SO DEAD!”Category:Fanfictions
Category:Content (Armored Scavenger)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)