Candles In The Wind 🕯

== BLURB ==
Young Prince Basswood, sets out his first battle. But on the way he meets Delphi a LeafWing who wants to bring peace to Pantala. The two decide to form their own army of followers called: “ The Trees Candles,” But when Basswood has to leave and fight, the story takes a violent turn.
Read to see what happens!
==CHAPTER 1 ==
Basswood
He could see the other LeafWing watching after them.
Basswood straightened himself, doing his most princely poise.
This was his first true big battle. He would be away for a week, but it could be more. Knowing how war went anything could happen.
Prince Basswood stared at the ancient trees around him.
These trees will go too, just like all the ones Wasp has already burnt down, but it may be different maybe the LeafWings will win!
Basswood saw everyone else had headed forwards. He ran after them, and came up next to Apricot.
Apricot was a pretty female LeafWing. She has medium green scales with flecks of orange, and red wings. Basswood had known her forever, had hoped she wouldn’t die today.
No she won’t, he predicted.
” What’s up?” Apricot asked, totally calm and acted like she wasn’t even going in to battle.
” No nothing, I’m just a little worried for our tribe,” replied Basswood.
Apricot didn’t answer, then said:
” We’ll be fine we’re LeafWings,”
They both took off after the other LeafWings in front of them. At the very front was Commander Poplar. He was a brave faithful LeafWing, Basswood had always admired him. But Basswood wasn’t a weak one. Strong and willing, no one could stop him. He is quite a handsome figure, and has dark green with lighter green spots, his wings are kind of smudged dark green and light. He has light cool blue eyes.
Their conversation had apparently ended, so Basswood veered downwards swooping over the tree tops. They were green as could be for at the moment it was Spring and all the flowers were in bloom, making it look like it had snowed all different colors then just white.
He scanned the land below for any sign of a HiveWing, but instead he saw a young female LeafWing wondering the woods alone, and by the looks of it with nothing to protect herself.
Why hasn’t she got a weapon or anything? Especially during times like these, he wondered.
The prince was about go down to the lone LeafWing, but then Commander Deodar barked an order, and he had to go to the commander.
I’ll find out about her later, he decided.
Basswood followed the others. But his eyes kept darting to the ground where he saw the figure of the LeafWing.
* * *
That night as all the soldiers sat around the fire, Basswood had headed off into the woods looking for the strange LeafWing.
He heard twigs snap under talons and stiffened. Who was that? Was it that LeafWing?
The talon steps came nearer, then a dragon came out of the darkness! And it was the LeafWing he had seen earlier that evening!
== CHAPTER 2 ==
Delphinium
Her brother had been missing for 87 days, and Delphi just knew he was going to come home soon.
Everybody else in the village had been convinced he was gone forever, had been since the third day he disappeared. We offer our condolences, they said in hushed voices, spreading their wings around Delphi like she was a china doll about to break. Whitebeam is gone. He died bravely, fighting for his tribe.
The funeral is next week, they said.
He had so much potential, they said.
I'm sorry, they said.
Well, they didn't get to be sorry, because Whitebeam wasn't their brother, he was hers. And besides, he was alive somewhere, killing HiveWings with his wonderful strong fighting skills. She just knew it.
The question was: why didn't anybody else know it?
Delphi had been excused from school for almost three months now, to "give her time to grieve." Everyone thought her energy was because she was suppressing her grief, and they didn't want to put pressure on her from school. So she spent her days romping through the Poison Jungle, using her leaf-speak to grow forget-me-nots with flicks of her wrists (Whitebeam's favorite flower, ironically) in a trail that led all the way to her family's home.
The morning of the 88th day dawned much the same way. She woke up. She ate a silent breakfast with her father, who had dark shadows under his eyes. She slipped out of the back door and wandered through the woods.
But that's where things diverged from the normal.
A roar of wind burst from the sky, and a few daisies sprouted from the ground due to Delphi's panicked flinch. "Stop it," she hissed, shaking her tail at them. In response, another one popped up. Deciding to ignore the daisies, she scampered forward until she was out of the tree cover. What she saw shocked her.
There was a battalion, a battalion of LeafWings, arcing low over the forest, soaring high into the air, beautiful green birds against the blue, blue sky. They were in the war, Delphi swiftly realized, and her wings itched to swoop after them. To fight for her tribe, to help protect it from invaders... that was the very highest honor.
She took another step forward, straining toward the wind, and the wooden bracelets around her ankles gave a loud clatter, reminding her of her weakness. Her brittle bones, which kept her tied to the village, stuck in this home, glory-less and unable to join the war. Stupid genetic defects.
Delphi tipped her head toward the sky, and at the same time, a LeafWing dragonet around the same age as her glanced downward. Their eyes met, and a bolt of electricity seemed to pass between them, even five hundred feet away.
Frozen with longing, the beast of jealousy roaring inside her, she stood still there until the army disappeared over the horizon.
* * *
That night, she ate dinner with her father.
It might have seemed like a normal thing to anybody else, but in this household, broken by loss of a mother and a son, a wife and a brother, it was a rare occurrence. Delphi's mother, Sweetbriar, had been powerful and spunky, bright and blessed with the ability of leafspeak, which Delphi (but not Whitebeam) had inherited. She had been the backbone of their family. She had been their life.
Usually, Veridian would hide out in his room and eat silently. Or eat nothing at all. Delphi didn't know. She barely exchanged ten words with her father on a good day.
But tonight, he emerged and sat down at the table with Delphi, who was nibbling a rabbit like her appetite had just flickered out. "The LeafWing troops passed by our village today," he said in a hoarse, croaky voice.
Delphi pushed a glass of water toward him and swallowed her stringy meat laboriously. She didn't know what to say. "I saw them."
Veridian's gaze intensified, and for a moment, Delphi saw a spark of emotion within his dull brown eyes. Sadness, or love, or something in between. He cleared his throat, a crackly sound, leaves snapping beneath talons. "Just promise me..." He faltered. "Promise me you won't do anything risky."
Was he kidding? Delphi lived for risks. Everybody knew that. But she looked at her father, saw him through his cracks to the tired griever beneath. Something possessed her to say "Okay."
He sighed and rubbed his temple for a moment, then got up and went tiredly back to his room. As the door slammed, Delphi swore she heard him murmur, "I can't lose you too."
* * *
Delphi took a risk and went outside.
Wait, scratch that. Let's say it wasn't a risk, because she had her leafspeak to protect her, and she would be totally safe wandering into the pitch-black darkness.
Yes, that was much better.
Besides, she was far too curious about the LeafWings she had seen earlier. If, by any chance, they were still in this area... she wanted to go find them. She wanted to talk to them. Before it was too late.
She started out confident and strong, but the trees seemed to blur into one solid mass around Delphi after she had been walking for around half an hour. She sprung mushrooms from the loamy dirt as she walked to keep track of her path, but she was worried that she'd be lost if she wandered any further. And, lo and behold, the faintest hint of golden light reached her eyes.
Delphi stumbled forward, her mind hazy. In her weariness, she snapped a twig on the ground, and the LeafWing she had seen earlier seemed to materialize in front of her.
Suddenly, her brain seemed to snap into motion, whirring just as fast as it had before. The sight of him energized her. "My name's Delphi," she said boldly, sticking out her talon to shake.
He had a large smile plastered on his face, which lowered Delphi's opinion of him slightly, but he reached out and shook her talon. "Prince Basswood," he said calmly, as if strangers popping out of the dark forest wasn't an uncommon occurrence.
Delphi cocked her head. "Prince? You're a prince? You don't look much like one."
He shrugged, a noncommittal motion. "Well, I am. I was born for it. I was born to protect my tribe."
Jealousy flared in Delphi again. "I wish I was, but everybody says I'm too weak."
"Really?" Basswood said, his blue eyes focusing on Delphi. "You don't look weak to me."
She raised her talon and turned it listlessly, watching the wooden bracelet clatter together. "I was born with weak bones," she said defiantly. "They break too easily. No one will let me fight."
An expression Delphi couldn't identify flashed across Basswood's face. "Come back here tomorrow," he said. "I think I might have a plan, but... well, I need time."
"Are you telling me to go away?" she joked.
"Well, yes," he said seriously. "But I'm also telling you to come back."
For a moment, Delphi wanted to lash out. She had come all this way, only to be told to leave and come again tomorrow? With immense self-restraint, she offered a tiny nod.
"See you then," she said, and Basswood nodded. Delphi watched him turn around and walk back to his life of excitement and glory, and then she started off on the path back to her own.
== CHAPTER 3 ==
                                                                   Basswood
Basswood woke up and stretched his wings to their full length. He looked around at his fellow soldiers who were still asleep, except for Evergreen. Evergreen was the same age has him and they were ment for each other ever since they first met.
Basswood walked over to her and nudged her back which faced him with his snout.
Evergreen turned around, and he wish he hadn’t disturb her for she had been crying. Tears rolling down her snout.
Sitting down he pit a wing around her “What’s wrong?” He asked.
”It’s just what if we never see each other again, what if this is the end, what if the LeafWings die, what if you die, what if-” Basswood put a claw to her mouth to silence her.
”We won’t, LeafWings are strong and there are many of us we’ll win,” He whiperd softly, as Evergreen leaned into his side he put his chin on her head “We’ll win and soon this will all be over and we can live in peace together ok.”
Evergreen bit back a sob “Yes yes.”
Basswood then remembered the LeafWing he had encountered last night, what was her name? Delphi?
Just then a sound came from behind them. Basswood looked around and saw Commander Poplar coming over to them.
“Basswood,” he hissed.
The prince got up he hoped he wasn’t in trouble I wonder why he wants me. He knew a lot of dragons didn’t really want him, and when someone high up like Poplar wanted him he knew he was probably in trouble.
Poplar put a wing up to block them from view of the others. Basswood ducked his head “What’s wrong?”
“A HiveWing was spotted near by,” Poplar whispered.
“And?”
Basswood realized that was the wrong thing to say. Even though he was a prince a lot didn’t treat him like that.
Poplar rolled his eyes.”We’ve got to get moving, or they could ambush us they already know where we are.”he explained impatiently.
It his Basswood like a falling tree. Why hadn’t he thought of that as soon as he had heard that a HiveWing was near their camp?
“ We need to alert the camp and get a move on,” said Poplar, getting up and walking to where the camp fire’s embers we’re left.
Basswood suddenly realized he couldn’t leave with the rest, for he had said to Delphi meet him here in the morning and if he went she wouldn’t be able to find him. And also she’d be here soon for the sun was climbing past the horizon line, he had to wait for her even if he did have to get in trouble for staying behind, also he had to do it now before the tribe had to go to war before they had to fight he could save them with this one act. A act that dragons would award him as a hero for, he had to do and he needed to do it with DelphI. He’d tell Poplar he’d be back at sundown tomorrow.
Basswood watched as all the LeafWings woke up stretching and yawning. Basswood waited until the commander was free then went up to him to ask if he could stay behind. He’d though up a clever plan that he’d be clearing up so no trace would be left behind, and make sure no one was following them. 
Poplar unwilling said yes to the young LeafWing prince, that he was allowed to stay behind which was a bonus for Basswood, and about time too! 
As he was clearing up he heard again the same light soft footsteps as he had heard the other night. Soon Delphi emerged from behind the trees. 
Delphi walked over to him. He was glad she’d come, he was thinking she wouldn’t but she had kept her promise. 
”So what was your plan?” Delphi asked, sitting down on a log next to Basswood. 
“Well the thing is I don’t want to have our tribes fighting, I’d like them to be at peace with no war. But that’s exactly what is not happening right now,” Basswood paused “So I though... well you want peace too, right?” 
He waited as the other LeafWing thought about it, he didn’t really think it was a thing to think hard about but dragons are different. 
“Yeah I guess,” she said finally glancing down at her talons. 
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Genre (Tragedy)
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Content (Redwood93)
Category:Content (Stardust the IceWing-RainWing)
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Mature Content
Category:Collaborations