The Eagle's Flight

Written by Darkmoon the IceWing NightWing. 
==Prologue==
An egg was alone. Alone in the darkness that covered the chilly forest. It had a glistening dark shell, like a twilight sky mirror. And then... the egg began to crack. Not many cracks, and none of them were very large, but in that moment, the egg began to hatch. 
A NightWing wandering through the edges of the Sky Kingdom would seem very wierd. And yet, Starcrusher knew that she should hang around. She had completed her mission, but was not eager to get to the volcano. Her ears picked up a small cracking sound. What is that? she thought. She smelled the air. It was an egg. She walked over and saw a gleaming black egg, alone with no siblings. She began to drift off into thought. What could have brought it here? What should I do with it? Could I take it to the island? I think I will . We need more dragonets. She scooped the egg into her talons. She held it close as she lifted off reluctantly to go to the hidden island.
The egg finished hatching just as Starcrusher got through the tunnel. A handsome purple face gazed back at her. It was a strange dragonet, and she wasn't quite sure what tribe he was from. He almost looked like a NightWing.
His scales were a dark charcoal gray, and his eyes were a stunning red. He looked at her with curiosity, and he made a small cooing noise. "Hello, little one," she whispered to him. "I'm going to call you Lostsoul." The guard in front of her noticed the dragonet. "What do you have there?" he barked.
"A dragonet who I will protect," she replied coolly. The guard sniffed.
"All right," he said. "Take him to the dormitory. He can stay there until Queen Battlewinner decides what to do." She dipped her head thankfully , then took the young dragonet to the dormitory where the other young dragons stayed. The charcoal gray dragonet scrambled onto a bed and curled up. Satisfied, Starcrusher left.
Lostsoul curled up to sleep, but as soon as Starcrusher left, the other dragons began teasing him.
"What are you?"
"You don't belong here!"
"Why are your scales the wrong color?"
"Can you even talk?"
At last he had enough. "Meanies!" he squeaked. Missoula
"Oh really?" a burly black dragon snarled. "Well, too bad." Lostsoul cowered under the blanket, but the big dragonet kept advancing. In that moment, Lostsoul realized that his life would never be easy.
==Chapter 1: Training==
5 years later...
"Roll! Slash! Dodge! Feint! Roll again!" Starcrusher barked instructions. Trickster was sore from fighting the much older dragon all day. He followed the instructions, stopping to shoot out some of his vapor. He didn't have fire, and he didn't know why, but he did have a corrosive vapor. He had seen something similar in a scroll about DeathWings once, but he never had a chance to look more closely at the scroll.
While he began to get lost in thought, Starcrusher leaped at him, snacking his face with her talon. He hissed in pain and recoiled. He then bit down on her tail. She growled and tossed him into the wall. He felt his head get bashed at an awkward angle into the volcanic rock. He slumped to the ground, hurting all over.
After a minute, Starcrusher said, "I'm going to get the other dragonets to train." She quickly returned with Fierceteeth, Strongwings, Bigtail, and Fearless. All four had nasty smirks and hateful glares. They each looked ready to smash him. The cut by his eye was oozing blood, and his teeth ached badly. He looked quite pathetic. 
"You will all be using tactics you have learned in training to defeat the other dragons," Starcrusher said. "When I say go, you try to conquer the others. GO!" The four NightWings immediately turned to him and ganged up to force him into the corner.  Well, I guess I'll have to fight back, Trickster thought. He waited as they advanced and pushed him into a corner. Right as he was pushed against the wall, he lashed out.
His talons created a distracting scratch on Bigtail's snout, causing him to shake his head to clear his vision. He spat corrosive vapor out, and Fearless got hit by it. She stumbled a little bit. Strongwings and Fierceteeth still managed to pin him down despite his efforts. Strongwings stomped down on Lostsoul's tail. Fierceteeth shot a plume of fire at him, singing his scales. She bit down on his wing, causing him to hiss. They kept beating him up until finally he slumped against the wall, barely concious. 
They proceeded to fight each other, and Fierceteeth won. Then they came back to harass Lostsoul again. They shoved him into the corner, scraping his face against the ragged rock. Bigtail slashed a talon across Lost's nose. "That's what you get for messing with me!" he snarled.
Fearless singed his scales with a burst of flame. Fierceteeth dug her claws in to his scales, drawing blood. Strongwings stomped on his tail. Eventually, Trickster collapsed against the wall, dropping into unconsciousness.
He woke up in the dormitory. Most of the beds were empty, probably because they were all in classes. He was free to enjoy a scroll, or maybe draw, but his scales were caked with blood. Perhaps he should clean his scratches instead. He walked over to an empty bed and grabbed the blanket. He tore it into strips, then began bandaging the cuts that criscrossed his scales. He carefully bandaged his eye, but now he couldn't see very well. THREE MOONS, why was this so frustrating?!?
He had to get out of here soon. Starcrusher didn't even try to protect him anymore, she'd given up. Nobody cared about his scars, lacing from his snout to his tail. He could probably leave soon. He had to leave soon. He began planning his escape. As the unseen sun tracked down the sky, Lostsoul began to formulate a plan.
==Chapter 2: Escape==
Lostsoul lay awake in his bed. Then, very quietly, he slipped out from under the blanket. He walked softly across the dorm. At the entrance to the hallway, he stopped and checked the hallway for dragons. Seeing that nobody was there, he slowly walked into the hallway. 
He got almost to the exit of the fortress when he saw Morrowseer. He quickly recoiled into the darkest corner, hoping that the shadows would hide him. The large NightWing walked right by, and when he was gone Lost sighed in relief. The exit was right in front of his eyes. But how would he get to the tunnel? Most dragons would instantly recognize him. Then it hit him. He could act like Starcrusher had sent him hunting. She did that a lot to get him out of the way.
He flew over the volcanic landscape, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a plume of lava. He was easy to spot in the clouded sky, so he tried to stay close to the ground. The lava attempted to scald his scales off multiple more times, but Trickster could always avoid being burned, if only by a little bit. The last time the lava shot at him, a droplet landed on his back left talon. He hissed in pain. At last, he came in sight of the tunnel.
There were three guards at the tunnel. Two guards were also at the entrance to the RainWing caves. Fighting would not be an option.
He approached the guards. They all eyed him warily. Then, one of them spoke. "What do you want, Lostsoul?"
Lostsoul replied, "Starcrusher sent me to go get a boar from the rainforest. Her exact words were, 'I think it's about time you practiced hunting in the rainforest. Bring me back a boar to prove that you're skilled enough.'"
The biggest guard, who had spoken, said grumpily, "All right. Go ahead." 
When they parted to let him through, Trickster bolted into the tunnel. Safe! Free! Safe! Free! ran through his mind like the beat of a drum. Soon he was in the rainforest. The colors, the life, the beauty of the forest was so stunning. He took a breath of air and smelled life, purity, and happiness. He was finally free.
==Chapter 3: Freedom==
Trickster enjoyed the fresh air, but he knew he had to get as far away from the Night Kingdom as possible. He couldn't stay in the rainforest. So he began to travel. He had seen the map of Pyrrhia enough times to know where the Sky Kingdom was, and he knew that was definitely far enough away. So he began his journey.
It took a whole day with only two breaks, but he soon left the rainforest. He stopped in a mountain cave to rest his exhausted body. I actually got to choose something for myself. Wow! Is this what freedom feels like? he thought. He slept until nighttime, and then he began to fly again.
He flew until dawn, and he had reached a cozy cave in the mountains. He stopped for water and sleep, waking up at noon. He flew for a few hours before reaching the northern end of the mountain range. He could see the forest on the horizon. He couldn't shake the feeling that soon, he would discover the truth about himself.
He felt like his chest was on fire. He hadn't realized it before, but living in a volcano had ruined his health. His breathing was raspy, and his scales were dull. Additionally, his scratches from training burned like crazy. He landed in time to avoid falling out of the sky, and then passed out.
When he woke up, a thin, black dragon who looked similar to him was standing over him. She had a skull mask, her eyes were bright orange, and she has scales like his. Was she the same tribe as him? Was that even possible? He had always thought he was a NightWing mutant like Starcrusher said, but maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was a different tribe. 
The black dragon said, "Hi! I'm Dappled Shadows. What are you doing all the way out here?" The concern in her eyes reminded him of Starcrusher. Trickster tried to think of what she might be. What is she? What am I? Are we both mutants? 
"Are you . . . are you a NightWing?" he asked. She looked at him like he was a bit crazy.
"Of course I'm not! I'm a DeathWing, and so are you!" she replied.
Lostsoul said, "Well, I didn't recognize what tribe you were because I've never seen another DeathWing. I was raised with NightWings."
Dappled Shadows gasped. "Raised with NightWings?!? Did they steal you?"
Lostsoul shifted uncomfortably . "I guess . . . I think they stole my egg," he said.
"Then it's time for you to finally meet the tribe!" Dappled Shadows exclaimed. His first few days of freedom, and already Lostsoul was going to meet his real tribe.
==Chapter 4: Return==
Dappled Shadows flew over the forest, with Lostsoul flying close behind her. "What's your name, kid?" she asked him.
"Lostsoul," he replied. "My NightWing parental figure gave me that name when she found me."
Dappled Shadows shook her head. "It's not bad, but you could do better. How about a traditional DeathWing name? What was the first thing you saw when you escaped the NightWings?"
Lostsoul thought for a bit. He pictured the rainforest, with its thriving greenery and active wildlife. The image of a bird soaring through the treetops came to him. He wanted to be free, like that bird.
"I think it was a bird, soaring in the sky," he replied.
Dappled Shadows smiled. "Well, there's your name! Soaring Bird! Or maybe Flying Eagle, if you want it to sound cooler."
Lostsoul smiled back. "Flying Eagle. I like the sound of that."She
Dappled Shadows and Flying Eagle flew over more pine forest, and then water was visible on the horizon. There were a few islands popping into view, and a group of hills was visible almost right beneath them. What seemed most interesting, though, was the large cliff expanding out in front of the flying dragons. She
They flew around to face it, then hovered in place. The cliff was magnificent, with DeathWings of all shapes and sizes flying around. There were homes and businesses carved into the cliffs, and dragons fished from the shore or flew around to the nearby islands. Everyone seemed happy and at peace.
Flying Eagle grinned. "This place is great!" he exclaimed. "Certainly much better than my old home. I feel like I fit in already."
Dappled Shadows smiled. "I'm glad you like it. You're only five, so you'll probably be in school for a few years before you train for a job. I wouldn't mind if you wanted to stay with me, but I think we should go talk to the Lady. Are you alright with that?"
Flying Eagle stiffened. "Who's the Lady? What does she do?"
Dappled Shadows replied, "Lady Tawny Owl is our leader. She takes care of the DeathWing tribe, and she protects the people. I think she'll be able to help you find a home and a family who will care for you."
Relaxing, Flying Eagle nodded. "Alright. Let's go see her."
== Chapter 5: Home==
Dappled Shadows led Flying Eagle to the Evening Temple, where they asked to meet with the Lady. They were admitted, and Flying Eagle couldn't help his gasps of amazement. The chambers where the queen - well, the lady - met her guests were pretty great. The stone and moss had a charming, almost rustic feel. The hall was humble while still managing to be quite beautiful and elegant.
The Lady herself gave him the same impression. She was royalty for sure, but instead of being distant and ominous like the fabled Queen Battlewinner, Lady Tawny Owl was humble and approachable. Still a bit uneasy, Flying Eagle hung back while Dappled Shadows approached the lady and spoke with her.
The conversation between the two seemed to last a while, but eventually Dappled Shadows walked away with a slight bow and a smile. "Guess what? You're going to be my new little brother!" she exclaimed. Flying Eagle grinned. He was glad that Dappled Shadows would be taking him under her wing, and he could tell that they'd get along great.
He was right. Over the next few weeks, Flying Eagle began to really belong with his tribe. Dappled Shadows showed him around and helped him get settled in to her place. With her support, he began school and started making friends. 
Cliff Raize was the best part of the DeathWing kingdom, in Eagle's opinion. He went with Dappled Shadows to visit her family in the Gathering, but he didn't like the quiet feel of the hills. He preferred the bustling action of Cliff Raize, where you could be wild and have fun.
Tallpines was his second favorite place, mostly because he could watch nature do its thing from there. The thing he didn't like, though, was the way it reminded him of his days on the run. The forest was a reminder of freedom, but also a reminder of the pain he felt at leaving his only home and the confusion that came with trying to figure out life.
All in all, things were looking up. He did well in school, although physical activities were never his forte. He made friends, did homework, and even started developing a bit of a crush on one of his classmates. He liked the way his life was going, and Dappled Shadows was the perfect big sister and mentor to him. 
He was finally home.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Content (Darkmoon the IceWing NightWing)
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)