Symbols Of Death

This is a collab between Skippy and Dusk.
== Blurb ==
Peace can’t stay for long in the dragon world. In Phrrhia there has been thousands of deaths, not natural deaths but murders. Murders done be a group of unknown dragons. Each time a mass-murder or just a small attack happens the murderers will leave a sign of three crowns in a triangle burning above the victim.
Now four dragonets Sabbia, Luna Brinincle and Accipiter have all in some way had an attack on their family. 
These dragonets have now undertook a dangerous journey to put a stop to the killings, but will the accomplish it. And will the make it back
ALIVE!?
==Prologue==
A scrap from a diary that washed up in a river
Nothing could mask the screams when the assassins claimed their first victims.
The outcry was cut short as the witnesses were slaughtered too.
Some tried to run.
Some tried to fight back.
But the assassins killed them with seemingly one flick of their wings.
They grabbed me by the scruff of his neck and I felt terror build my muscles as I tried to break free.
I was only a dragonet.
I'd barely even hatched. My spiked tail swung blindly, but another dragon materialized from the shadows and roughly crushed it, immobilizing me.
I cried out as searing agony splintered through my tail. It was slowly going numb, and I could have sworn it was broken.
"A dragonet?" the new dragon growled. I couldn't make out whether the voice was female or male since the dragon was masked and the voice was garbled.
"Yes." the dragon holding me regarded me with cold eyes. I could almost feel the dragon's gaze sliding down my back like melting ice. "He's going to make such a fine addition to our team." the words had no emotion in them.
I wriggled, trying to bite at the brutal crushing talons that held me.
The grip tightened causing me to gasp. "Are you sure?" the other dragon snapped, lashing their tail. "I don't see any dragonets joining us."
"Well maybe that's because you're blind!"
There was a moment's tension between the two dragons, and then I was carried away from my parents' dead bodies.
A single tear ran down my cheek, like a cold sliver of glass.
Then I closed my eyes, silently mourning my parents which lay slaughtered in the clearing twenty metres away.
The rest of the scroll is too wet to read, or torn. 
=== Part one ===
The Three Crowns
== Chapter 1 ==
Sabbia
”Shush!”
Sabbia crouched by his older sister waiting for everything to chill down. But when would that happen? The whole place had been in a panic for ages now.
“When will it stop?” He asked looking up at her. She had her eyes focused on the street in front of them her jaw set tight. She pulled him closer to her wrapping her wing around Sabbia. The alleyway was small and the squeezed together shoulder to shoulder.
Taipan shook her head “I don’t know, but I told you to shush didn’t I?” She looked down at him.
“Y-yes,” he mumbled, looking away from the entrance to the alley where he could see the chaos on the main street of the Scorpion Den.
It felt like ages as Sabbia and Taipan crouched in the alley. The murderers had thrown a few dead bodies down here and their hiding place had become to stink from the vile stench of death which Sabbia really wished would go away.
Then he felt Taipan push herself to her feet. If she’s getting up it must mean she think it’s safe.
Sabbia got up too and followed her out of the alleyway onto the high street of the Scorpion Den, which now was deadly quiet. 
An odd thing he noticed about the place was that near a dead dragon there was a symbol of three crowns in a triangle burning. 
Sabbia stared at them wondering what they were for. 
Was it some kind of omen? 
Taipan pulled him and they continued walking. The farther they walked the creepier it got but finally the brother and sister reached their old shaggy house. 
Taipan pushed the door open and the rusty hinges gave a squeal as they bent. 
But no one was in the house no one alive anyway there were to dead SandWings on the floor with the same markings on the wall above them. 
Then Sabbia recognised them. They were their parents! 
Taipan gave cry of sorrow and ran over to them flopping down on the two dead dragons crying. 
Sabbia followed her a lump coming up in his throat making it hard to swallow. 
Taipan and him were left alone in the world without their parents. 
Did they have any chance of surviving!? 
== Chapter 2 ==
Luna
She closed her eyes.
There was someone new here, she could hear their mind muttering. 
She couldn't tell whether they were good or evil, the thoughts were garbled and hard to read. She caught flashes of bloodstained claws and red-dyed sand, but also calm meadows and gentle birdsong. She shivered. This was too confusing... she couldn't even tell a mind from another.
Suddenly spiking agony rippled through her head.
Someone is going to die. The stranger's harsh thoughts cackled, before subsiding into incomprehensible gibberish again. 
She sat up, out of bed. Am I dreaming? I can't be dreaming. Someone is about to die. I have to stop them.
She curled her talons in, deathly silent for one moment.
Then, on shaking talons, she crept out into the hallway.
The house was silent, and her entire body was trembling with terror; her nerves felt like they were on fire. Then she heard the gentle hiss of a blade, and a thump. She froze, hearing one of the minds in her head go quiet, slipping into the silence that meant death. I'm.... I'm too late...
She shivered, shuffling into an empty storage unit as heavy talonsteps pounded out and in her mind, all around her. She curled into a ball, feeling the terror paralyze her. She couldn't move, hardly blink as the carpet around her began to soak up her parents' blood. 
Another thump of a dead body, and she risked a peek into the room. Quickly she looked away, that was too much. The blood on the floor... The slumped body... The empty eyes... The black cloak that masked the killer... 
She began to cry, silently rocking back and forth in the cupboard. She felt her family's minds go out one by one, as if someone was extinguishing one light in her house at a time.
There was a brushing smacking sound, as if the killer's talons were dusting each other off, removing the red stains. Then there was a screeching sound, and it sounded like the stone walls were being caved in. She drew hew wings in, face wet. She felt like she was choking when she dared to peek outside again. She only just saw a dragon's tail slither out of the door before it softly shut.
She covered her head with her wings over her head in absolute silence, crying herself to sleep.
== Chapter 3 ==
Accipiter
”No I’ll kill you!!!” Accipiter lunged at her dad, but quickly he darted away.
”Don’t say things that you aren’t capable of doing!” He teased jumping over her as she spun around trying to corner him.
Spike laid his tail under his daughters feet and she tripped over it. The MudWing laughed and helped her onto her feet smiling. “That’s enough training for today,” he said.
Suddenly there was a cracking of twigs as someone advanced towards them. Was it Accipiter’s mother? No she was out at the SkyWing palace.
Spike put a wings in front of her shielding her from whoever was coming.
Then a dragon emerged from the trees. He wasn’t anyone Accipiter had ever seen before, a newcomer. The dragon had a black cloak which had a hood that he pulled over his face hiding his features so you couldn’t recognize him.
Behind the new dragon that Accipiter thought was a SkyWing came two burly MudWings; they too had the black cloak on and a hood pulled over their faces.
”What do you want?” Snarled Spike, his eyes darting from the two MudWings to the SkyWing.
The SkyWing turned and looked at spike, his muscles rippling beneath the black coat. “A life,” he snarled.
Accipiter cocked her head what did he mean?
One of the MudWings suddenly lunged at Spike driving her claws in between the scales on his neck. Blood spurted out and Accipiter screamed.
”Go! Run! Hide! Accipiter save yourself!!!” Spike roared as the second MudWing attacked.
”Dad! I can!t leave you though!!” Accipiter shrieked, it was hard to get her words out as she saw her father getting attacked by dragons. It was an unfair fight two MudWings against one MudWing, why were they even attacking him? Had he done something bad? Why had that SkyWing replied to his question like that? BY THE MOONS WHAT WAS HAPPING!!!!?
“GO!” Spike shouted ,”Before they attack you!”
The MudWing who had attacked him first pushed his snout into the mud, making him unable to talk to her, forcing his head in violently.
”Shut up,” she snarled in his ear. Then she wrapped her claws around his neck and it gave a horrible snap! “There.”
”No!” Accipiter’s voice was so faint it was hardly a whisper. Why had these dragons attacked him, her father?
Tears flooded in her eyes, taking one last glance at her father, the two MudWings, and the SkyWing, and with a great pain in her chest she fled into the forest to home where hopefully her siblings were alive and safe, and she hoped her mother was safe too in the SkyWing camp in the mountains.
== Chapter 4 ==
Brinicle
He grinned triumphantly, his excitement almost covering up the grief in his chest from one moment.
He'd caught one!
He walked down the path, to the trap, before peering inside.
There it was, the glossy black of - 
Snap!
He whipped around, a snarl appearing on his face. He growled low.
The trees waved at him, the rustling leaves in the wind masking the movements of whoever was following him. He turned back to the cage, and suddenly from the bushes came a dragon.
Brinicle spun round, catching the attacker in the throat with his claws.
The hooded dragon flew to the side, before regaining their balance and going into an aggressive stance.
Brinicle mirrored it, challenging them. He lashed his tail, hearing the cage rattle behind him. 
His wings opened, and let a growl escape his throat.
The dragon hissed. Then, it looked over its shoulder, and yelped. The cape flapped as the stranger turned tail and ran. Brinicle laughed, and then realised that he was in danger, too. He leapt out of the way of the log swinging, and it smashed into the cage, bamboo breaking. 
He sat up, rubbing his head. "What was that?" 
== Chapter 5 ==
Sabbia
Sabbia woke up cold.
He looked around himself it was dark he couldn’t see anything, except the faint outline of his sister . Where were they. He could feel a breeze so they had to be out side. It had salty tinge to it and then one horrible memory after the other came back to him as he remembered what had happened less then twenty-four hours ago.
After they’d been to their house the siblings had left flying towards the ocean, that’s where they were now on the beach by the water.
Sabbia stood up shakily his eyes adjusting to the dark. He could see the ocean gently lapping at the shore, as if everything was fine, as if everything would be fine. He drugged his claws into the ground fighting off the urge to cry, what was the point anyway? It’s not like tears could bring his brother and parents back.
A cry from his left startled him. He looked at everything around him. Fromthe the large boulder to his left , to the crushed pink seashell inches away from his claws. After the attack in the Scorpion Den he was super paranoid about weird noises.
But even though Sabbia looked all around him he couldn’t see what had made the dragon like cry. 
Maybe it wasn’t a dragon, he thought eyeing a rather odd shaped rock covered in seaweed. Maybe it was a seagull or some other ocean bird, birds make those kind of noises, right? Riiiight?
The noise came again. And did that seaweed covered rock just move?
Sabbia peered at it not wanting to get to close and yet still inspect it. Then another noise came like talons scrambling across rocks.
”SABBIA! THERE TOU ARE! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THAT?! I NEARLY HAD A HEART ATTACK!” Sabbia nearly jumped right out of his scales as a voice came booming from behind him. He wiped around and show Taipan come hurtling towards him. She threw her wings around him and held him there for a good minute or two.
“Ah you can let go now sis,” Sabbia wheezed from under his sisters wings. 
Taipan glared down at him and let go. “You should’t have run off, anything could have happened to you out here and I would have never known, maybe I would have found some strawberry jam around here, but I wouldn’t have known it was you,” She added giving him the look.
Sabbia shrugged and looked back over at the weird shaped rock. Wait, did it just….move?
Then the rock actually stood up, and took the shape of a tiny dragonet. It was completely black except for the sparkly purple under it’s wings and a teardrop shaped thing beside each eye.
”What the heck!?” Taipan cried “, What’s a NightWing dragonet doing over here!?”
== Chapter 6 ==
Luna
Luna woke from her fitful slumber, sweating all over.
Had it all been a nightmare? Was her family really dead?
She scanned the house with her mind and only silence met her consciousness.
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she shook her head. She had to stay strong. She had to leave this house before the killer came back, if they did. She wasn't going to risk it. She had to leave.
She crept out of the cupboard and grabbed her bag from the cloakroom. She would grab a few things, food and water, and some other things of sentimental value.
She went into the kitchen, grabbing bread, fruit, and a couple of camelskin pouches of water. Then she took a family photo off the fireplace and tucked that into the folds of the bag where it would be safe. 
Exiting the front door, she looked back thinking about the memories she would leave behind now that her family was dead and she was on the run. Then, she spread her wings and lifted into the sky. 
== Chapter 7 ==
Accipiter
The village was on fire! All the plants were blackened and dead dragon carcasses littered the marches still smoulderingly. Accipiter looked away as she flew over it. Most tribes kingdoms would have burnt worse than this, luckily the Mud Kingdom was the Mud Kingdom. Still dragons had died. For what reason. All she knew was she had to get out of there, she needed to get to her mom.
Tears sprung into her eyes and she beated her wings harder to get away.
The flight wasn’t easy for a young dragonet who had never been to the mountains. She got stuck in a storm and had to wait in a cave for a day until it passed. She didn’t eat or drink anything except for a bird she had found flying beside her, but after four days she finally arrived at the look out tower where her mom was based.
She ran inside the building, not bothering to knock
It was empty
Maybe they’re on patrol? Accipiter wondered looking around for clues. Nope nothing the place was empty. 
She ran up the flight of steps to the top level. There was an orange and gold SkyWing there. She whipped around and pointed her spear at Accipiter. 
“Woah!” Accipiter cried raising her talons to show she was harmless “I’m just looking for my mom!”
”Your mom?” The SkyWing said, tilting her head and lowering the spear “The MudWing who was here?”
Accipter nodded. “Where is she?”
”She’s checking out a mountain village with the others.” The SkyWing replied eyeing the dragonet as if she was some kind of mutation. “They’ll be back in a day or so.” She lowered her spear.
”what’s your name?”
Accipter’s head snapped up to look at the other dragon. “Accipter, yours?”
“Sparrow.” 
“Can I stay until my mom returns?” Accipter asked wearily.
”Whatever, just don’t bother me,” Sparrow grumbled going over to the other side of the tower which faced north.
Accipter nodded laying down and curling her tail around herself. She went to sleep.
== Chapter 8 ==
Brinicle
He shook his head, shaking the bamboo splinters from his horns as the log rammed into a gap between two trees and lodged there.
Suddenly he was met with furious furry paws, and he stumbled back, winded. The panther he'd been trying to capture has broken free from the cage, and was attacking him!
He roared, biting down on the creature's pelt, and threw it to one side with a wrench of his head.
It flew right into a tree, the impact of flesh against wood echoed through the entire clearing. Brinicle ran over, and saw that the panther was still breathing. It's just unconscious, he thought in relief. That means I should be able to take it home safely for it to be treated before it wakes up.
The wild panthers in his home forest had been acting strangely, and after a few tests it showed that they were infected with some disease.
Luckily, they had a cure for it and they needed to make sure that it was distributed everywhere and the disease was wiped out before it possibly spread to other animals.
He grabbed the netting he had brought with him and wrapped it around the limp body of the big cat, then lifted himself and it into the air. His house wasn't very far - so he didn't have to worry about becoming too tired before he reached it.
Then, in the distance he saw smoke. It was a massive plume, stretching towards the sky like a tower of coal.
He had to check it out.
After he dropped off the panther for his brother to treat, of course.
== Chapter 9 ==
Sabbia
“Why’s a dragonet here!?” Taipan almost yelled.
Sabbia shrugged. Restraining himself from the urge to hit her. He picked up a stick and advanced towards the NightWing.
“What are you doing?” He knew Taipan was trying to keep quiet but it wasn’t really working.
He ignored her and poked the dragonet. But Taipan grabbed his arm and yanked him back. 
“You idiot, you don’t poke dragonets!”
“I was just checking it out.” He said in his defence.
She rolled her eyes and pushed past him. “Heeey,” she greeted, crouching down. She was still towering over the newly hatched dragonet though.
The NightWing seemed amused. She started kind of laughing, rolling onto the sand.
Taipan scooped her up. Removing the seaweed that was still on her.
“Put her down! What if her parents are around!” Sabbia glanced over his shoulder fearfully “they might not want us to go near her!”
His sister scoffed. “You are sooo right. Because I’m sure parents would just leave their baby here!”
“You never know!”
He looked at the dragonet who was now playing with Taipan’s necklace.
“She’s so cute!” She cooed.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Collaborations
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Content (Freelife34)
Category:Content (Queen Dusk)
Category:Mature Content
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Genre (Mystery)