Wings of Fire: The Dangerous Scroll

== Blurb ==
Moonrise, the only NightWing with firescales to ever exist, has been sent along with her friend Crescent to deliver a scroll to Queen Finch of the SkyWings. Little does she know the contents of the scroll contain a secret that could put her and her friend's life in jeopardy.
== Chapter 1 ==
Moonrise had always thought of herself as sort of a strange NightWing. Sure, her scales were as black as the night sky, and her tongue was forked like every NightWing's. But the thing that set her apart most, that she and her tribe had never understood, was that she had firescales.
  Firescales was a condition that made Moonrise have too much fire; so much that anyone who touched her would be scorched. In all the scrolls she had read, she had never once been made aware of a dragon with firescales outside of the SkyWing tribe. It seemed to be something exclusive to them, and for a long time, it had been, until seven years ago, when Moonrise hatched. Her firescales, unfortunately, weren't apparent; a slight golden glow under her black scales was the only defining feature.
  "Moonrise! What are you doing?!" a voice called from the entrance to her sleeping cave. It was Crescent, her friend.
  "Y'know, just writing a scroll. I have to be careful how much I write because Nightshade never shuts up about how hard it is to make them." Nightshade, the tribe's resident craftsman, had created special scrolls for Moonrise to write on that were fireproof. "What's up? Windrider gave me a ton of writing assignments to do, so I can't talk for long."
  "About Windrider, actually. Uh, he wants us to report to the main room. He says he wants us to do something."
  "Another writing assignment, if I know him," Moonrise scoffed.
  The two dragonets made their way to the main room, where Windrider was waiting. His green eyes were full of disapproval, as usual. No matter how hard she or Crescent worked on something, Windrider could always find something wrong with it.
  "Greetings," Windrider started. "You are my best students, as you may know, but that does not mean that you are not utterly unimpressive. I called you here because I have a job for you."
  She knew she shouldn't, but Moonrise felt honored. Windrider was not fond of his students, but knowing that she and Crescent were the smartest pupils made her scales practically glow with joy. Well, more than they already did, that is.
  "I want you two to travel to the SkyWing Kingdom and deliver this message." He handed over a fireproof scroll with writing on it so Moonrise could hold it. "It is of utmost importance that Queen Finch reads it as soon as possible."
  Moonrise clawed at the ribbon keeping the scroll rolled up to see what was inside, but before she could peer at it, Windrider protested.
  "Wait!" Windrider exclaimed in an oddly urgent voice. "The information in that scroll is confidential and is not to be read by anyone except Queen Finch and the SkyWings."
  "Uhm, okay..." Moonrise awkwardly tied the ribbon back in place.
  "Fly east. The Sky Palace is right there." He pointed to a mountain range on a map of Pyrrhia mounted on the wall.
  "We won't let you down." Crescent lifted her head high.
  "I don't expect you to," Windrider said, turning his head to face the map. He studied it for a few seconds longer, then turned back to face the dragonets.
  "Go." Windrider glared at Moonrise in particular, which made her flinch. She spread her glimmering wings and signaled for Crescent to do the same.
  Moonrise and Crescent took off into the dark, smoke-filled sky. They soon emerged from the gloomy covering into the night air; thousands of stars glittered above them, reminding Moonrise of the underside of her and Crescent's wings. The three moons shone bright, and the dragonet felt better and braver than ever.
== Chapter 2 ==
Moonrise awoke to a spray of cold water on her scales. She jumped up, shivering, and then remembered that she and Crescent were camping out on a low cliff above a thin river, churning and twisting loudly underneath them. The water had come from a wave crashing on the coal-gray rocks where Moonrise had slept. While Crescent was still sleeping comfortably in a small dip in the grassy terrain, Moonrise had slept on this pile of rocks near the edge of the cliff so she wouldn't cause a forest fire, using the scroll as a pillow.
She was careful not to wake Crescent as she made her way toward the edge of the cliff to observe the surrounding territory. Tall spires stretched up from what looked like miles away; they shined the color of brilliant ivory in the morning sun. Jewels, gold, and other treasures were embedded in the massive towers. Moonrise had read that the SkyWings valued treasure more than any other tribe. Was this the Sky Palace? Her eyes had always been sharper than the average NightWing, but even she didn't see these towers last night. She inched closer, as close as she could without falling off the cliff. Dragon statues seemed to guard a giant arch that overlooked a pathway about a mile away. The statues had sapphires for eyes and crystal for horns and talons, making them look almost like icicles. They had huge wings, huger than any other dragon she had ever seen. SkyWings! I read a scroll once that they have larger wings than other tribes. This must be it! The Sky Palace is right there! She glided to the grassy hollow to wake Crescent immediately, making sure that neither her talons nor tail brushed the ground to avoid burning it.
"Crescent! The Sky Palace is right there! Look at it! Look!" Moonrise yelled loudly at Crescent, trying to wake her up as fast as she could. "See the dragon statues with sapphire eyes? There's two, and the Sky Palace is behind them! C'mon! Let's go!"
Crescent flopped over on her side, glaring at Moonrise groggily. "Do we have to go right now? I'm tired..."
"Please, Crescent? Please!" She poked the grumpy dragon in the snout with the scroll. "I really want to see what the SkyWings' kingdom looks like!"
"Augh, fine." Crescent heaved her body up, yawning. "Let's get it over with so I can go back to sleep."
"Yes!" Moonrise shook her wings and immediately set off toward the palace.
"Wait! We can't even--have--breakfast--?" Crescent said sadly.
Moonrise glared at her in a joking way. "Stop complaining or I'll thump you."
Crescent sighed and ascended toward Moonrise, her scales glittering in the morning sun. She shook her tail and gave Moonrise a look that just screamed, "I'll race ya." And before she knew it, Crescent had started dashing toward the palace.
Two can play at that game, Crescent thought. She began to pick up speed, but before she could catch up to Crescent, she noticed a SkyWing guard holding up a spear approaching her.
And he didn't look happy.
== Chapter 3 ==
Moonrise came to an abrupt stop. The SkyWing guard held a bloodstained spear in his talons as he snarled at the NightWing dragonet.
"Uhm, hello, I'd love to stop and talk but I have a very important job to do, so if you could just get out of my way?"
The SkyWing guard said nothing, and the two dragons hovered and stared at each other for a long moment. Crescent was hovering a few dragon-lengths away, watching closely but not making a move. Suddenly, the guard lunged at Moonrise. Her instincts told her to dodge him, but she knew her firescales would cause serious damage. So she stood completely still.
The SkyWing guard grabbed her shoulders in his talons and almost immediately smoke started rising from them. He pulled back, shocked, and clenched his teeth. He retrieved his spear from his back and aimed it at Moonrise, seemingly waiting for her next move. Moonrise took this as her chance and lunged at him, talons outstretched. She lodged her talons into his shoulders so hard that he started bleeding. Smoke rose from the wound as the guard struggled, but Moonrise had him tight in her claws. She kicked her hind legs as hard as she could, hitting the guard's underbelly. The guard let out a screech as two claw-shaped burns formed on his underscales.
Moonrise used the small window of opportunity to snatch the spear from his talons. She inhaled sharply, and then breathed out a plume of fire on the sharp end of the weapon. It glowed red, and she pointed it at the golden SkyWing. He looked up, terrified, and amazed at the same time, and held up his talons. Moonrise flew toward him, the spear still glowing, and lodged it in the vulnerable spot on his tail.
The SkyWing guard's emerald-green eyes were full of shock. They slowly closed and Moonrise realized that the SkyWing had fainted. He fell toward the dark blue sea below. He may have tried to kill me, but he's a loyal SkyWing who doesn't deserve to die. Moonrise dove down after him, Crescent following, and they both slowly lifted him down toward the island. With a jolt of shock, Moonrise realized that after the SkyWings saw what she had done to their guard, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Don't think about that right now. Right now you have a scroll to deliver. They set the dragon down in the grassy clearing where they had rested and then set out toward the Sky Palace. 
== Chapter 4 ==
The two dragonets flew until noon when they finally landed at the dragon statues. Their sapphire eyes sparkled curiously, and for a split second Moonrise thought they were looking down at her. They were as tall as ten dragons stacked on top of each other. If only the NightWings had a kingdom as beautiful as this. She looked around at the surrounding mountains, the massive statues, and the towering spires miles ahead and couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. The NightWings could barely breathe in their kingdom! But she looked up at the clear blue sky and felt freer than she had ever felt before. I wish I could live here forever. But I have a job to do, and once it's done I have to go back home. Dark, gloomy, desolate... home.
She pushed away from the thought. If she wanted to get this job done right, she and Crescent needed to get the scroll to Finch as fast as possible. Windrider was counting on them, and Moonrise valued her place as Windrider's "best student."
She clenched the scroll in her talons. "Better start now if we want to make it to the palace by sundown," she commented to Crescent, who was looking wistfully at the winding path.
"Oh-- right." Crescent sighed and began walking up the path, lined with small ivory pillars. From their resting spot the previous night, they were able to tell that the path went on only for about half a mile. They would arrive before sundown if they took no breaks.
As they got closer and closer to the entrance of the palace, they saw that there was more treasure implemented in the architecture than they had thought. Every square inch of the towering spire was decorated in glimmering rubies and sparkling sapphires. SkyWings were carved into the concrete, their eyes gleaming emeralds. As they toiled up the mountain, they saw more and more dragons: mostly SkyWings, but some dragons from other tribes as well, most likely prisoners. I hope I don't become a prisoner.
"Kinda weird we haven't had a run-in with any other SkyWings yet." Crescent broke into Moonrise's thoughts abruptly.
"Huh. You're right," Moonrise replied. "I wonder if we're getting close?" She hoped so. Every part of her body ached; she didn't know if she had ever traveled this far in her life.
The sun was setting in the distance, painting the sky with beautiful shades of orange and pink. She could see the three moons rising in the sky; one full, one half, and one crescent.
Finally, the two dragonets arrived at a gigantic ivory arch, embedded with jewels like everything else around here. Two SkyWings, covered in armor and of course, gemstones, guarded the arch with spears in their claws.
"Halt!" one of them said in a harsh voice. "Who goes there?"
"We do." Moonrise could hear Crescent murmur under her breath sarcastically. She suppressed a chuckle.
"Greetings," Moonrise said in her most regal-sounding voice. "We come on behalf of the NightWing queen to deliver a message to her majesty, Queen Finch."
"Humph. Likely story," said the other. "We will need to see some form of proof that your intentions are good."
Oh, of course. Moonrise reached for the scroll and handed it to the guard, careful not to touch his talons.
The guard took the scroll rather quickly. A look of fear seemed to gleam in his eyes for a moment. Figures, Moonrise thought. Probably felt my scales, even from here. She watched the guard unravel and scan the scroll. A sudden look of understanding showed on his face as he rolled it back up and handed the scroll back to Moonrise, barely holding onto the edge with his talons. "You may enter," he said sternly.
Moonrise dipped her head in respect towards the two guards and walked past them. She heard Crescent's footsteps not far behind her. Almost immediately, she stopped in amazement at what she was seeing. A huge, magnificent plaza stretched out in front of them. Regal-looking buildings sprung out seemingly from every direction. SkyWings with colors ranging from blood-red to pale yellow chatted amongst themselves, some in flight and some on the ground. Multiple guards, almost identical to the ones they saw outside, were strewn across the area. The NightWing duo wove their way through the bustling city curiously, Moonrise being careful not to make contact with anything but the marble ground. 
Eventually, Moonrise and Crescent found themselves at the beginning of a tall path. It was even grander and more bejeweled than anything they had seen previously. A massive arch, not unlike the one outside the kingdom in appearance, stretched up in front of them for what seemed like half a mile. And in the distance? A magnificent palace tinted lavender by the dusk sky. The sight was breathtaking. It saddened Moonrise to think of her own home, covered in ash, the beautiful sky not even visible. 
Two guards, much larger and more muscular than the duo that had guarded the entrance to the kingdom, blocked Moonrise and Crescent with their spears in an X formation.
"Halt! Who goes there?" one said. Moonrise started to wonder if all of these guards were just clones of one another. 
Two can play at that game, she thought mischievously. "Greetings." Moonrise began to repeat her previous shpeal. "We come on behalf of the NightWing queen to deliver a message to her majesty, Queen Finch." 
The two guards exchanged glances, and one eyed Moonrise especially curiously. After a few moments of this uncomfortable exchange, he permitted them to enter. The other guard let out some sort of call, and before she knew it, two more SkyWings descended near the arch. One of the first guards beckoned to Moonrise and Crescent, and they began to toil up the slope, the SkyWings flanking them. 
The journey up the hill seemed even longer than the journey to the kingdom. Moonrise couldn't wait to rest her feet, although she didn't quite know when that would be. Despite this, she kept her head high to please the SkyWing guards. She didn't want to do anything out of line, after all.
Eventually, when the three moons shone brightly in the ebony sky, they made it to the top of the mountain. The view from up here was breathtaking; it seemed she could see all of Pyrrhia from here. She didn't get a chance to truly take it all in before she was forced into the palace of Queen Finch. 
The bright light stung Moonrise's eyes as she took her first steps inside. Once her eyes adjusted, she couldn't begin to believe what she was seeing. Everything she had witnessed in the Sky Kingdom had been even more magnificent than the last, but this palace took the cake. The ceiling seemed to be as tall as the mountain itself. Colorful glass lanterns lined the walls and a magnificent chandelier made of the same glass hung from the ceiling. Everything about this palace was the most beautiful thing Moonrise had ever seen.
She thought she might finally be able to rest, but, yet again, the SkyWing guards pushed her and Crescent along. Would this ever end? They were lead through countless corridors and flights of stairs until finally, they arrived at the throne room. There, Queen Finch sat, looking bored. She made some sort of gesture at the guards.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," one said in a regal voice. "These NightWing dragonets come with a message." Moonrise noticed that the other guard had been awfully quiet. She pushed away the observation, however; this was probably just another case of her overthinking. 
"I don't like this, not one bit," Crescent whispered into her ear. "Something's... not right." Crescent always had these gut feelings. Most of the time they were correct, but Moonrise couldn't see what was getting her so worked up this time. She stood still as a statue.
"Well?" The Queen barked impatiently. Moonrise jumped, startled. "Oh, right," she said. "Of course."
As the dragonet approached the queen, she noticed something in her brilliant amber eyes. Part of it was fear; Moonrise knew that expression quite well. But there was something else there, something she couldn't quite place. Nervously, she handed over the scroll.
Queen Finch unrolled the message and read it top to bottom. One part of it seemed to make her eyes go wide, which concerned Moonrise. What was going on? Did Queen Starwings declare a war or something? But as Finch put down the scroll, her mood immediately seemed to change. "How wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you could make it. Moonrise, is it?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," she replied.
"And who is this?"
"That's Crescent," she said before her friend had a chance to make a snide remark. "She's my friend."
"What a lovely pair of dragonets. Oh dear! If only I could have prepared for your arrival. Lark! Would you be so kind as to order dinner for our guests? We'll eat in the dining hall. And be sure to get a stone chair for Moonrise, hm?"
There was something about the way Finch said that last sentence that made Moonrise uncomfortable.
"Of course, Queen Finch," Lark said politely. He whisked away to find some food. It was a polite gesture and all, but Moonrise could barely keep her eyes open. She had to push through it, though. Who knew what was in that scroll? Being kind was the right thing to do (and the least risky), so she and Crescent begrudgingly followed the Queen and her other guard to the dining hall.
== Chapter 5 ==
Moonrise dragged her feet to her room in the Sky Palace. Finch had insisted that she and Crescent have only the best and most comfortable place to sleep after dinner. Crescent was already out like a light, but thoughts swirling through Moonrise's head kept her awake.
What was in that scroll? What's with Queen Finch's weird mood change? Why is she treating us like royals? Is everything OK between the SkyWings and the NightWings? 
It was too much to think about. She remembered what Crescent had told her to calm her anxieties time and time again: 'That's way too many questions to worry about all in one night. Why don't you solve them one by one?'
One by one, she thought. OK. I'll think about what's in that scroll first. Thousands of possibilities sprang up in her mind, but before she knew it, the serious thoughts melted into thoughts about the strawberries and steak she had eaten for dinner as she drifted to sleep.
---
"Wake up!" 
Moonrise woke with a start. Who was that, and what did they want? 
"The queen has requested an audience with you," said the voice, seeming to read her mind. She rose her head and saw a crimson SkyWing guard at the door.
"Oh- of course." She looked around, first at Crescent who was yawning and stretching and then out the window. What in the world...? The pale morning light had started to filter through the stained glass, but the moons and stars were still visible. What does she want this early?  
She got herself up, put on her best "I'm awake" face, and followed the guard along with Crescent to the throne room.
When they entered, Moonrise could see the sun beginning to rise behind the Queen. Had she been up all night? 
"Greetings," the queen said brightly, snapping the dragonet out of her thoughts. Moonrise heard a click behind her, but she ignored it.
"Hello," said Crescent. "What's the matter?" 
"Nothing at all! I summoned you two here for a very important reason. Did you like the dinner our chefs prepared for you? How about your sleeping quarters? Did they suit you well?"
Those are some strange questions, thought Moonrise. Whatever. "They were wonderful!" she replied happily. 
"I dreamed about that steak all night," added Crescent.
"Lovely. I'm so very glad to hear that! We needed to make you feel welcome and trust us, after all."
Crescent piped up. "Trust you? Why do we need to trust you? Are you hiding something?" She got into a battle stance.
"Oh, we weren't hiding anything, per se... I requested all those nice things for you to butter you up, you know. I just wanted to see all the hope drain from your eyes once you realized that Queen Starwings sent you here to die."
== Chapter 6 ==
"What?!" Moonrise yelped.
"Oh, how strange. I thought you'd be much more clever than this, considering you're part SkyWing and all."
Moonrise opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Queen Finch let out a booming laugh. "Seriously? You had no idea? Hello! Firescales? You know that only SkyWings can have those, don't you?"
Moonrise looked at her talons nervously. "I-I thought..."
"Well then, why does she look like a NightWing?!" Crescent was ready to fight tooth and claw to defend her friend.
"She's a hybrid, of course! Why don't I give you a little science lesson, hm? Firescales dragonets always hatch with a twin. The firescales dragonet will absorb all of their sibling's fire in the egg."
"You're saying I had a twin?"
"Wow, you're even more stupid than I thought! Yes, you did, idiot! Of course, I had to dispose of him. What's a little SkyWing-NightWing hybrid freak with no fire going to do to serve my kingdom?"
"Why are you telling us this now?!" Crescent was getting ready to lunge.
"Well, just killing you would be boring. Why not add some extra salt in the wound?"
That was the final straw for Crescent. She pounced at Queen Finch, roaring fiercely.
Moonrise was frozen in shock. So many questions had just been answered in her mind, but so many new ones had arisen. Too bad she'd never get to know the answers to those...
"Moonrise! A little help?!" Crescent's strained voice brought Moonrise back to reality. She had time to think about this later. Right now, she had to help fight Finch before she and Crescent were killed.
She ran over to the SkyWing Queen and held nothing back. She dug her claws straight into Finch's chest. The sound of her pained screech and the sizzling of her underscales mingled to create a truly horrifying combination, but Moonrise had to look past that. Everything was at stake here. A blast of fire breath came out of Finch's mouth and straight into Moonrise's face. She screwed her eyes shut and held down her snout so no fire could get into her nostrils. If she protected certain parts of her face, she could withstand fire. A cry of anger erupted from the Queen as she saw Moonrise raise her head again.
Crescent was biting down full force on Finch's ear and digging her hind claws into her belly. Moonrise could tell she was faltering, though. She couldn't hold off the queen forever. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind. If they both burned her at the same time, she wouldn't have enough time to react and her face would be charred. 
"Burn her, Crescent!" They both exhaled flames directly into the Queen's face and she screeched in horror. 
Another guard had come to join the fight, the same crimson one who had woken them up this morning. He dug his teeth into Crescent's wing, making her cry out in pain. Luckily, Finch was distracted. This was their chance! "Over here!" called Moonrise, bounding towards the door. Crescent followed close behind, the guard on her tail. 
"Locked!" she hissed furiously. Another cry sounded from the edge of the throne room. Moonrise saw a SkyWing guard... fighting the Queen! 
"Through the window!" he instructed, dodging blasts of fire as he spoke.
There was no time to thank him. Moonrise and Crescent headed for the stained glass. High above the fighting, the sun had risen, turning the sky a pale yellow. With one swipe of her tail, Moonrise shattered the colorful glass into thousands of pieces. Carefully, she escaped through the hole, followed by Crescent. As they flew as fast as their wings could carry them, they heard another screech from Queen Finch.
Hopefully, that was the last one.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)