Wings of Salvation

== Chapter One: Extradited ==
Graverunner rolled off the pile of mud and moss that constituted for his bed and lay back down on the cold hard mudstone floor under him. His cell was a cold, damp, and dirty dugout under some random Mudwing military camp. He could not even keep track of how much time he had been in the cell because the window was inside facing, so the only light he got was the dim flickering of the torches. The Mudwing soldier that was supposed to be standing guard for his cell was leaning against a wall and his spear in a deep sleep. 
Graverunner groaned and rolled onto his feet and slowly started to get up. His joints cracked and popped as he stood up. He did a downwards stretch than a forwards one, his spine loosening up. He did his best to stretch his bound wings, but they were just as stiff as ever. “Ohhhh yeah! That is the spot!” Grave said as he scratched under his wing. He did his best to look at himself. He was already a pale Nightwing to begin with, but not seeing the outside in a very long time was starting to make him look borderline albino, if it wasn't for the mud covering him, he guessed he'd glow a pale gray. He curled his tail back in so it wasn't touching the back wall as the cell wasn’t small, actually it would be considered a bit large by some tribes, but Grave was a very large dragon. He stuck his snout out of the bars on the wooden door to shout at the Mudwing guard. “Hey man! Can I get some water in here?” 
The guard startled hard. He instinctively reached for his spear before he remembered where he was. “Yeah yeah. One second.” He muttered as he slinked over to a well of water and dipped a large wooden pail into it. “I’ll get you food.” The Mudwing said as he slipped the bowl of water through the flap on the cell’s door. Grave took the bucket and started lapping up the water. He didn’t realize how thirsty he was until he started drinking, managing to empty the entire bucket by the time the guard came back with food. He slid it through the flap before going back to leaning on his spear. 
Grave took the bowl of alligator slop the Mudwings seemed to like and took a sip. He retched at its horrible flavor but fought to keep it down. Once the lump of alligator slid down his throat he looked at the bowl and stared off into space. Every day it hit him that he was going to die here, in some unmarked prison without seeing the sun. He had been rejected an execution after he attempted to kill himself before getting caught. “Couldn’t even do that right…” he laughed darkly to himself. It wasn’t that it was a funny thought, but it was such a bleak reality that laughing was all he could do to keep from breaking down.
He put the slop down on the floor and rolled back into his bed. “I really am starting to lose my mind.” He said with a mix of a smile and scowl. There was just something in the back of his thoughts that he could feel was missing. He was not distressed or bothered by that. To him it was just a cold fact. Just as true as the moons smiling down at night, or the sun rising. “Or at least from what I remember.” He murmured. His brain had blurred the line between thought and speech ages ago.
Grave could not be sure when he dozed off, but he awoke when he felt something cold and sharp jab into his ribs. “So this is it huh?” He muttered, not opening his eyes, fearing he would just see a knife or spear sticking out of his chest. He felt a very strong claw grab him by his shoulder, and lift him roughly to his feet. “Very funny. Let's go.” A gruff male voice said with a slight grunt from the effort of lifting him. Grave let out a yelp of surprise and pain when something cracked. As he steadied himself he opened his eyes to see two Mudwing guards in his cell, the big one was still holding him and the younger one was holding a torch. The big one guided Graverunner out of the hall of cells he was in, and into another long hallway. They stopped in front of a room that was bigger than his cell but still small. 
“You are wanted in there.” The big Mudwing points down the room. Grave nods and tentatively walks in. Inside there were eight guards and a dragon Graverunner did not expect to ever see after his sentencing. “Queen Moonhorn!” He exclaims in surprise as he drops into a deep bow, his head and neck on the floor. 
Moonhorn scowls at him. “Graverunner” Her voice is low and poisonous. She adjusted her posture to make herself look as big and queenly as possible. She sighs, seemingly trying to choose her words wisely. “I did not plan on letting you out of that cell ever again, but here we are.”
Graverunner bowed again. “Are you going to change my verdict?” Part of him hoped he was about to be executed. He really did not want to rot, no matter how much he made it seemed like it didn't bother him.
The Moonhorn shook her head. “You must have a guardian angel. Because some dragon in the Talons of Peace wants you. why? That is beyond me, and I truthfully do not want to give you up, but I am not in a position to argue the order for official reassignment.” She had a pause where she took a few breaths before bringing her head down to make eye contact with Graverunner. “But know, just because I am letting you go does not mean you are forgiven. You were found guilty of espionage and spying, that is a penalty of death. If you come back here ever again, I will have you killed on sight. Do you understand?”
Grave nodded. He understood completely, he knew better than even Moonhorn. He was wondering why in the name of the moons the Talons would want some failed Nightwing agent. He could feel Moonhorn glaring at him waiting for a response. He lifted his head to make eye contact. “I understand and am glad to comply, your highness.”
Satisfied with his answer she lifted her head back up and relaxed into her stance. “There is a Talons agent waiting for you upstairs. You will be led to her and your custody will be given to her, and then you are free to go.” She spat out the last part, displeased with what she was having to do. Grave stands as the two Mudwings from earlier grab him and lead him upstairs.
A very pink and rather young Rainwing was sitting in the entrance to the mud cave with a scroll and quill clutched in her talons and a leather satchel hung around her neck. When they came up she brought the scroll to the Mudwing guards and each of them signed it. She gave the scroll to them and they unlocked his wing restraints then walked back down the hall they had come from. Grave let out a sigh of relief as he stretched his wings as far as he could before putting them into an actually comfortable position.
She turned to Graverunner and pulled her head back in shock and blinked. “By the moons! You look halfway dead! Have they been feeding you well? Have you washed yourself once?” She handed Grave a small mirror she had in her satchel. 
Grave looked at himself again and suddenly noticed how skinny he was. His once muscular form was now scales covering his tendons and bones. Large gaps where there had been muscle were now nothing but stretched skin. He could see his ribs and most of his outer skeletal system clearly through his scales. “Oh, I do look bad.” He flinched every time he looked into the mirror. He touched his face and could feel how fragile and thin his scales had become, they were giving way and painfully cracking to just the small amounts of pressure he was giving. He let out an audible sob and went to cover his face, but had to put his bony talons back down when it hurt to touch his face. “What have they done to me?”
She gave a concerned look to Grave as he inspected himself. “We are going to stop by a river on our way to the Talons.” She took her mirror back as Grave gently handed it to her. “Oh, where are my manors? My name is Razzberry, but you can call me Razz. I am an agent for the Talons of Peace.” 
“I assume you already know who I am, but for formalities sake I am Graverunner.” He tried to force a smile, but he was still trying to process all the emotions of being released and what had become of him. “Should we get going?”
Razzberry nodded and started walking out of the cave. Grave trailed behind and got the mouth and pushed the alligator skin drape they were using as an exit. He pushed it aside and walked outside for the first time in moons knows how long. He let out a scream of pain, closing his eyes and turning his head away from the sun as fast as he could. “It is so bright! Aggghhhhh!” He moaned. It felt like his eyes were being pushed inside his skull. Every sound was magnified tenfold, making things that he wouldn’t notice normally deafeningly loud. The rustling of leaves on the trees around them and bubbling water from the nearby stream were causing him a headache. His nose burned from all the smells he was experiencing.
Thirty heads turned to look at him, a mix of confusion and sympathy plastered on their faces. Razzberry stopped and frowned at him. “How long has it been since you have been outside?” 
Grave was slowly opening his eyes, everything was a blurry silhouettes against the harsh light of the sun. His ears still rang from all the sounds, but they were starting to adjust and tune things out again. He shrugged a little and muttered. “Months at least, but I lost track of time a while ago.” As he continued to blink his color vision was starting to return, but his eyesight was still blurry. He could half make out her writing something down on a spare scroll.
Razz took a moment to let him adjust. “Just let me know when you are ready.” She gently said to Grave. He spent a few more moments doubled over before giving a claw up signal and raised his head. His eyes were still squinted and super dilated. “Are you sure?” She asked again. He took a couple of pained deep breaths before breathlessly gasping. “Yeah yeah. Let's go. I'm ok.”
Razz nodded. “There is a nice shallow river bend not far from here, we can get you washed up there.” She said as she started to take flight. 
Grave took a moment to remember how to fly. Once it came back to him he spread his wings and pushed upwards with all his strength. He yelped and fell back down. A sudden sharp pain radiated all throughout his wings. Razzberry stopped and looked back at him. “Can you fly?”
Grave rubbed his wing joint and got back up. He grumbled. “Yes. Yes I can. That was just a test.” He pushed back into the air, he managed to hold himself in the air, but every wingbeat caused him to flinch in pain. Razz gave him an anxious look. “We can walk if you need. I do not want you falling apart on me. Just tell me and we can land.” 
It wasn’t meant to be insulting when she asked that, but it poked Grave in the wrong spot for some reason. He was not a helpless dragonet. “Well ok, I am close, but still!” 
He only realized that was said out loud when Razzberry looked at him funny. “Sorry, did you say something to me?” 
Grave felt really stupid in that moment, everything was falling apart in him, and he couldn’t even keep it to himself. “No, sorry, just talkin’ to myself.” He whispered under his breath.
Razz shrugged and gestured for him to follow. She flew very low and slow over the muddy swamp, following the bends of the river beneath them. Grave flinched hard at the sharp pain every wingbeat brought him. He tried his best to keep pushing speed to appear strong, but he secretly appreciated that Razzberry was going slow for him.
They flew in silence to the mouth of a canyon where the river did a lazy bend out of it. The crystal green water was a wide, slow moving and shallow ford. The red canyon walls jutted into the sky from nothing, making it look like the doors of a fortress. They landed on a small beach made of small rounded rocks. Grave splayed himself out onto his belly, the rocks beneath him were radiating a gentle heat. Razz landed next to him and snickered at the sight of him. 
Grave slowly started to crawl his way to the water, only standing the bare minimum he needed to move. His front claws dipped into the water, ripples forming where his knuckles protruded. The water was cold, but not uncomfortably so. He slid more of himself into it, stretching as much as he could. He was submerged to his wings and spine. He reveled in how good it felt to be in the water again. A trail of mud was floating off behind him. He stood back up and let the water drip from him, taking layers of mud with it. 
Razzberry waded in after him. She watched him rub his scales with his claws. He let out a slight grunt as he lowered himself back into the water. “So why did the talons want me anyway?” 
“They did not tell me, but I get the feeling they liked your resume.” She shrugged. 
Graverunner splashed water on his back and wings, trying to clean them as best he could. “Ah yes, my skill set. A spy that was caught during the easiest mission in all of dragonkind. That sparks so much confidence in me.” 
“I have seen some of your previous jobs. You have skills. Infiltrating the Skywings is no easy task.” She splashed some water on her face to cool down.
Grave rolled his eyes as he started wading back to the bank. “I guess. Yet There are better Nightwing agents floating around out there somewhere. We had quite the program going before the volcano. So why the one in prison?”
Razz rolled onto her back, doing her best to maintain eye contact with Grave. “I think you just answered the question. You were in prison. Easy to access and you do not have much of a choice.” 
Grave sneered at her. “I can always go back to prison. That is a choice.”
“But would you?” She countered. Grave shook his head ‘no’ as he flattened himself on the warm rocks. “That is what I thought.”
“Be honest with me, was getting me your idea?” Grave rolled onto his back, having to avert his eyes from the sun. He was starting to worry a bit as his vision was still a bit blurry.
Razz lay down next to him and let out a sight of comfort, her scales turning a gentle aquamarine. “The decision to get you happened way above my head. I was just elected to be your handler, so like it or not, you are stuck with me.” 
Grave rolled his eyes. He didn’t dislike Razzberry, but he couldn't help but feel like she was treating him like a small dragonet and he did not like that. “Not like I get a choice.” 
She didn't respond, just made a small gesture that Graverunner could not decipher, so he let the subject drop. They sat there for a little bit, listening to the burbling of the water and wind sing through the canyon. 
Razz was the first to stand up. She tapped Grave who was starting to doze off. “Alright, the tops will start to wonder where we are now. Let's get a move on, don’t want to get a lecture day one do you?”
Grave groaned and slowly rose to his feet. His scales felt better now that they had been cleaned off and dried. He spreads his wings and flaps them a couple of times to shake dirt and water off of them. “Alright. I am ready.”
Razz nodded and took off into the air, Grave flexed his legs and took a few uneasy wingbeats to get altitude before following.
== Chapter Two: Briefing ==
Lady Rowan walked through the granite caves of the Talons of Peace headquarters. Not the ‘official’ headquarters in Possibility. That was just a glorified embassy. These miles of caves and tunnels somewhere in the Claws of the Clouds Mountains is where the real magic happens.
She found the hall she needed and stopped to look at it. The offshoot was surprisingly well lit, using flamesilk and not torches. She sauntered over to them and raised an eye-brow. These were rare and probably illegal commodities, most of the lamps went missing during the othermind crisis, and flamesilk had just barely started to re-enter the market as a controlled substance when Rowan left for Pyrrhia for a second time.
The deep blue and white Leafwing was turning to start to pace the hall when a very large Icewing started to walk in her direction. Rowan turned and sat, going into a comfortable but still assertive lounge. The Icewing was covered in battle scars, her wings and underbelly a very light green. She moved like she was trying to avoid being spotted, each step intentional and pre-planned. Her gaze shifted from side to side, sizing up the very few dragons in these halls. She stopped a wings distance in front of Rowan and looked her up and down. Her face and body language was completely unreadable.
Rowan met the Icewing's intense stare without flinching, her posture firm.. “My name is Lady Rowan of the Leafwings.” She lifted her claw out to shake, she felt comfortable taking the first move, a sense of control filled her chest.
The Icewing shook her head at the hand shake. Instead she did a proper but curt nod of her head. Rowan hesitantly pulled her claw back and glared just enough to let the other dragon know she disapproved. The Icewing either did not notice or was courteous enough not to react. “Spearmint. Ex-lieutenant of the Icewings. It is a pleasure ma’am.” A heavy Icewing accent made her soft vowels hard to understand.
Rowan nodded. “And how did you get involved with the Talons Spearmint?” She was trying to decipher the emotionless veil of a soldier Mint was sporting.
“They rescued me after I was critically wounded and left for dead. It was the least I could do.” Nothing changed in Spearmint’s demeanor or monotone voice, but something in the back of Rowan’s mind told her that she was not telling the complete truth. “How about you?”
She was just about to press further when the trained part of her brain took back over. This was neither the place nor time. “They asked me to join after they learned of my background in intelligence. Wanted to land some assets from Pantala I guess.” She did a slight eyebrow reaction to try and gauge Mint’s reaction.
“Did Clock request your presence?” Spearmint asked.
“Yes.” When Rowan answered that it was like a rock fell from the sky and crushed the momentum of the conversation. They both knew that being summoned by Clock was not usually a good thing. She was a dragon that had been in the business of paramilitary science before most of the talons member’s parents were eggs. She was known to make the Queens nervous when she walked into the same room as them.
Spearmint’s expression tightened just enough to let Rowan know they had the same thought. They were probably about to have the biggest dressdown of their life. And knowing Clock they were probably also going to end up on a missing dragon list of some kind.
“Good evening, ladies.” An old Seawing walked up behind the two. They both jump. Spearmint went to attention and saluted. Rowan bowed her head as the deep silver Seawing walked past. Her voice was full of fake warmth. “You can relax. I won’t bite you.”
Spearmint and Rowan parted to let Clock pass between them. Once she was in front, the two started to follow her. Spearmint leaned her head over and whispered. “She is like a daemon, no?”
Rowan just nodded a little to show she agreed. As they followed clocks down the hallway, it slowly got less and less polished and used, transitioning to more jagged rocks and torch sconces than the flameslilk lit mined tunnel. They went until the tunnel dead-ended. There was a small table and a torch lighting it, making the shadows dance. “Sit you two.”
They both shuffled around to sit comfortably and stiffly. Clock sits down with a slight grunt and folds her claws onto the table. “I trust you are both well.” She paused for them to nod. “Good. Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let us discuss what actually matters. There is a war coming, and I expect you to both have seen the signs of it.” There was no gravity in her voice, she held the same tone she would if she were ordering her dinner from a restaurant.
Rowan stiffened. Clock was right about the signs being there. Reports had been flooding in about different tribes starting to push their luck with what they could do. Like the Seawings building ground outposts near the Skywing border, or the rebuilding of the old Nightwing kingdom being rapidly militarized.
Spearmint was the first to open her mouth, her words calculated and careful. “Ma’am, with all due respect, what is the issue with tribes arming themselves? They have the right to safety.”
Clock nodded for a moment, not a conceding nod, but more like she knew that the question was coming. “When said like that, there is no issue. Remember that we are supposed to prevent war, not react to it. An armed tribe is a tribe ready to start a war.”
Rowan nodded. “But what if they are doing it to counteract internal strife? Like the reports of the Skywing government starting to crack under its own weight?”
“That is not yet our issue. Internal strife if for the tribes to figure out, not us.” Her voice was cold and flat. “Our mandate is to prevent conflict between the tribes. If the region does end up destabilized, then it becomes a matter of self interest.”
Rowan felt a cold dread creeping into her heart. This was a dangerous game they were playing. Ignoring the potential for internal conflicts within the tribes was a gamble with immense consequences. She opened her mouth to protest, but Clock shot a glance that said she shouldn’t say what she was about to. Rowan closed her mouth and forced down a swallow.
Spearmint got the message and leaned forward. “What do you want us to do ma’am?” She was doing her best to hide her feelings, but Rowan could see the corner of her eyes scrunch just enough to give away her conflicted feelings.
Clock leaned back, the corners of her mouth twisted up into a slight smile, which made her even more scary. “That is where my grand plan comes in. I am in the process of assembling a grand team of specialists in different tribes to go around and hear what each tribe wants.” She tilted her head a little, making the smile seem sinister. “Every dragon with a brain knows my time is coming to a close, but as long as my heart is still beating I will do everything to hold our tribes together.”
Rowan had a moment where she believed that she was just told the complete truth, but then remembered how Clock worked. That old sea hag was always layers deep in a plan only she fully understood. “I do not believe that is all. What is the catch?”
Clock nodded approvingly and gave one chortle. “Good girl, I see they taught you well. I want to see if they are up to any intelligence or army logistics for one. I also want you to get in their politicians' pockets, just a few friendly reminders that they should also consider our interests.”
Spearmint nodded and her arm almost went to a salute, freezing half way when Clock gave a disapproving snort. “Yes ma’am.” Spear awkwardly shuffled her arm back into place. “But why did you-?”
“Choose you two.” Clock finished her sentence. “Because you are both well trained dragons, and are not going to listen to any of the other’s jockeying for my position when I finally join the seafoam. Yet you are not so loyal you can’t think for yourselves, and that is something I like, even if it is a factor out of my control.”
Rowan glanced over her shoulder, getting uneasy about this conversation. The implications of what Clock was saying were sinking into her hard. This was not some Talons sanctioned mission for peace; it was Clock securing power even after her death, all wrapped up in the guise of diplomacy. Rowan felt suddenly cold. This was a multiple-layer game of wit and Rowan was undisputedly the master.
Clock continued on, her tone getting just a little more invested. “Your team is going to be two other members of the Talons, Raspberry and Blackberry, along with an intelligence specialist that we recently got our hands on, and a civilian anthropologist who is one of the leading experts on culture.”
Rowan ran the team over in her head. She knew Blackberry as a well resourced general service member. Raspberry she had never heard of, but from her name she guessed she was a Rainwing. She was curious about the intelligence specialist, the Talons had many of their own, why bring on a new one?
Spearmint pursed her lips. “Are we sure bringing a civilian onto a mission of this sensitivity is a good idea? In my experience, civvies tend to slow missions down.” Rowan agreed with her, a civvy seemed like a liability.
“Of course it is a good idea. If I did not believe it was, there would not be one.” She said cautiously. “I believe Darkside will be a bigger asset than you expect.”
Spearmint was about to raise more objections when Rowan stepped on her claw to get her to shut up. Clock was never a dragon you wanted to question more than once on a subject. She seemed to have got the message and stopped her words in the back of her throat.
Clocks continued like she did not notice. “You will meet the team tomorrow morning. I will give you instructions for your first job in a concealed scroll before you leave. I expect you to follow them to a T. Do you understand?”
Rowan and Spearmint both nod. They knew that by agreeing to this, they were more than likely signing their death papers. But if they did not agree they wouldn’t likely see the sunrise tomorrow.
“Thank you ladies. I promise your efforts will receive a grand reward.” Clock stood up and started to walk down the hall again, holding herself like she was a dragonet who thought they were invincible.
== Chapter Two: Envoy ==
Darkside walked tentatively into the Talons of Peace headquarters in Possibility. Only two days prior he had gotten a letter on his desk in the middle of the class demanding him to arrive at the HQ without questions at an oddly specific time very early in the morning.
The younger Nightwing glanced at the deserted streets around him and took a nervous breath before knocking on the door. It gave under his taps with a slight creak. He had a moment where he wanted to stop, he could walk away and who would stop him? He could go back to his warm bed and pretend that this never happened, he could see the faces of his students in the morning. Yet the allure of adventure was just too much. He pushed the door open into the cold and dark lobby.
A single torch with a dark colored Rainwing was in the corner. "Darkside?" They walked out into the light, a grim expression on them. They had a metal false front left leg.
Darkside nodded. "Yeah, that's me." He said quietly. "I was told to be here at this ungodly hour."
The other dragon nodded and turned, holding the torch in their tail. "Follow me."
"Are you kidnapping me?" Darkside asked as he hesitated to follow the mystery Rainwing. "If you are, could you at least tell me."
The Rainwing scoffed. "Yes, I am taking you to a basement to lock you up."
The sarcasm went right over Darkside's head. "I would rather you did not. I have a job, and students, and I like freedom."
"Dude, that was a joke." The Rainwing glared over his shoulder.
"Ohhhhhhh... Yeah, I knew that." Darkside follows behind, taking careful and small steps. They were going deep into the building, walking through dark hallways. At the end of the hallway there was a single room with the faint glow of torches shining through the windows.
The Rainwing held open as Darkside scanned the room as he walked in. It was an internal meeting room without a single window, but instead of a torch lighting it, there were two lamps that he did not recognize. There were 3 other dragons sitting in the room staring at him. A mint green Icewing, a very deep blue Leafwing, and an ancient looking Seawing.
The Seawing nodded to the Rainwing. "Blackberry, make sure the other two know where to go." Blackberry dashed off back into the hallway.
Darkside awkwardly made his way around the corner of the room, feeling like one of his students when they came in late. He took a seat under one of the lamps so he could look at it. Inside of its leaf shade there was a little strand of glowing material that he could not quite identify. He put his claw near it, and when he found it was not hot he went to touch it, but stopped when a whisper with an unmistakable Icewing accent floated by his ear. "Has he never seen flamesilk before?"
Darkside got all flushed in the cheeks as he pulled his hand back and pretended to brush dust off himself before putting it under him as he sat. They waited in silence for a while. The door creaked and a second, much more pink Rainwing walked in, looking around. "Seems we are late to the party!" She joked. "I got who you asked for."
A second dragon walked in, a very pale and skinny Nightwing. He locked eyes with Darkside immediately. He looked familiar, but Darkside could not place his talon on it. The other Nightwing seemed to be going through the same process, but must have come to a conclusion first. "Darkside?" He asked hopefully.
Darkside's eyes immediately lit up, recognizing that voice. "Graverunner!?" He got up and ran over to his childhood friend. "What happened to you? I haven't seen you since just before the volcano eruption!"
Grave looked really guilty, bowing his head to his old friend. "Mudwings got me..."
Darkside looked really surprised. He craned his neck to inspect Graverunners state. Concern grew in his eyes and voice. "Oh my moons! You do look like it! Do you need water? Food? How often were you outside? Your scales are nearly glowing."
Graverunner looked really embarrassed at all the attention. He kept trying to shrug and hide his skinny form with his wings. "Darkside, I am alright, but I think they..." He nods around the room. "...Are getting really impatient. I personally do not need them to be angry at us to start the relationship."
When Graverunner mentioned everyone else Darkside stopped fawning over his friend and looked at all the other dragons staring them down, a mix between perplexed, impatient and disgusted. Darkside muttered his apology and sat next to Grave.
"Shall we begin?" The old Seawing croaked, demanding everyone's attention. "For those of you who do not know me, I am Clock, the leader of the Talons of Peace. You were all selected for being the top of your respective fields, and I expect those skills to come in great use in the task before you."
Darkside got super excited, this must be a monumental task if the leader of the Talons herself was summoning him. He glanced at Grave while trying to suppress the giddy grin he felt growing on his face. Grave looked much less enthusiastic and more weary about this surprise.
Clock went on to explain that the team assembled in this room were going to be going from kingdom to kingdom and meeting with all of the Phyrrian tribe's queens, and possibly some of the major representatives from Pantala as well. They were to report directly to Clock after each meeting to find out what the tribe they just visited needed from the Talons, and they would act as neutral party moderators if any inter-tribal diplomacy happened while they were on duty.
Darkside's excitement was palpable. The idea of working for the talons and getting to make direct contact with the leaders of the tribes he had devoted his life to studying and learning about their culture. He had interacted with a member of every tribe, but that was different. Much more superficial and professional. This was his chance to get deep into their cultures, really explore them. His eyes shone bright as he thought about all the papers he would get to publish, and the talks he could give, this was his chance to leave a lasting mark on dragonkind.
As Clock continued to speak Darkside slowly inched his way closer to Graverunner, wanting to be by his side. Grave was so engrossed in Clock's talks of expectations and plans that he was oblivious to the attempts Darkside was making to connect. A flurry of butterflies rose in Darkside's chest, a feeling he could not quite explain.
When Clock was done speaking the Leafwing went up and introduced herself as Rowan, and she was going to be the team leader. They were going to go to the Rainwing kingdom as the first stop. "We have taken the liberty to pack what all of you would likely value as useful. Each of your bags is in a separate room, Blackberry will show them to you. If it is not to your satisfaction, let him know. We meet out front to leave in 30 minutes."
All the dragons stood and quietly shuffled for the exit. Darkside gently tapped Grave with his smile and gave him a soft smile. He mouthed "You good?"
Graverunner nodded once. Darkside's excitement was dampened by the concern he felt for his friend. Graverunner's quiet demeanor was unusual; the normally upbeat and positive Nightwing was unusually quiet and subdued. Darkside hesitated, wondering if he should press the issue. But with so much on the line, he decided to let the moment pass, chalking up the quiet to tiredness.
Blackberry led him to a small closet lit by a single torch. There was a leather bag he could strap to himself in the middle. Blackberry nodded him in before heading off, trailed by the other team members. Darkside unfastened the bag and looked inside of it. On top there were some rations and a small knife, tucked to the side were some scales in a small pouch. What caught his eye was what was beneath all of that. They had given him multiple quills and inkwells in hard to damage containers. What he was going to write on was the most surprising. Instead of having scrolls like expected, there were three books imported from Pantala. He grabbed one of the heavy, leather bound bricks of paper and flipped through them. There were what seemed like hundreds of pulp sheets just waiting for him to chronicle every moment. He had seen books before, but never got to hold one, much less write in one. He grabbed a quill and turned to the first page of the book he was holding and wrote his name and the date. He put it gently back in the bag along with everything else and hefted it up onto his back, and strapped it around his front legs and neck.
He was waiting in the lobby of the building watching the sunrise. Every part of him was shaking with excitement, he had done expeditions for learning before, but nothing this deep, this significant. "First time getting the jitters?" A voice he did not recognise said behind him, causing him to jump.
It was Rowan. He took a moment to try and memorize what she looked like so he could sketch her later, he was planning on sketching the entire team when he got the chance.
She sat down next to Darkside and watched the sunrise as well. Even though her gaze was not set on him, he could feel her scrutinizing him, making him really uncomfortable. He shifted his weight, hoping she wouldn't notice how on edge she made him.
He scooted a few inches away from her before responding, trying to keep his voice as level as possible. "Yes. I have had nerves before but this is the worst I have ever felt."
Rowan let her lips part for just long enough to show a small smile. "I get them too, no matter how long I have been doing this. You will be fine, of the six of us, I think you got the easiest job."
Darkside nodded politely. He did not have anything to say, and was hoping another member would come along and bail him out of this situation. "I hope you are right."
Rowan nodded seriously. "I hope none of our jobs are hard." She seemed to struggle with something, her neutral expression faltering for just a moment before she recovered.
Darkside had completely lost all options to respond and was about to change the subject when all the other members of the team filed into the lobby one by one. Rowan let her pressure off Darkside, letting him breathe easier.
She got up in front of everyone. "I hope you are all satisfied with your packs. This is your last chance to change them, does anyone need a change?" She waited a moment as everyone shook their heads no. "Good, our first stop is the Sandwing kingdom and Queen Thorn's Stronghold. It is not a long flight, so I do not want to hear any complaints. Am I clear?"
Everyone else muttered some variant of "yes ma'am."
"Good, then we should not waste any more time." She turned and opened the door, letting everyone file out before she took the head of the pack. She jumped and started to fly, and everyone followed suit. Taking a quick glance behind him before he took off, Darkside saw Clock glaring at the team from just inside the building.
He awkwardly waved and took flight. Once they reached a comfortable altitude and started the glide towards the stronghold, the cool wind whipping around Darkside's face, he realized with a start this was not a dream. He was on a mission for the Talons of Peace that had the power to permanently change the world. For better or worse, he would be remembered.
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Genre (Mystery)