The Nightingale Box

Hi, this page might look familiar to a moderator because it was originally a fanfic created a long time ago by my friend Poppy, but I (Fran) am continuing it.
Do not steal, heavily edit (Changing major sentence structure/adding unwanted detail), or heavily reference this page
Thank u for wanting to check this page out [.w.] . I don't update too regularly but I hope some people will still like it. Please give me feedback. This is a complete fanon fanfic, no canon characters will show up and events that happened in the main series did not happen here.
This is a major WIP, and I am not currently looking for any editors/writers- But you can fix grammar mistakes I missed. if you have any suggestions to make the story flow better (Many things had to be changed for some icky parts to work), please message me on my message wall. 
== A GUIDE TO THE DRAGONS OF PYRRHIA ==
(Taken off of the canon books, scroll to the right to see all of them)
<tabber>
|-|SandWings= 
===== Description =====
Pale gold or white scales the color of desert sand; poisonous barbed tail; forked black tongues.
===== Abilites =====
Can survive a long time without water, poison enemies with the tips of their tails like scorpions, bury themselves for camouflage in the desert sand, breathe fire. 
===== Queen =====
Queen Cat
|-|MudWings= 
===== Description =====
Thick, armored brown scales, sometimes with amber and gold underscales; large, flat heads with nostrils on top of the snout.
===== Abilites =====
Can breathe fire (If warm enough), hold their breath for up to an hour, blend into large mud puddles; usually very strong.
===== Queen =====
Queen Gallinule
|-|SkyWings=
===== Description =====
Red-gold or orange scales; enormous wings.
===== Abilites =====
Powerful fighters and fliers, can breathe fire.
===== Queen =====
Queen Sunangel 
|-|SeaWings=
===== Description =====
Blue or green or aquamarine scales; webs between their claws; gills on their necks; glow-in-the-dark stripes on their tails/snouts/underbellies.
===== Abilites =====
Can breathe underwater, see in the dark, create huge waves with one splash of their powerful tails; excellent swimmers.
===== Queen =====
Queen Tetra
|-|IceWings=
===== Description =====
Silvery scales like the moon or pale blue like ice; ridged claws to help grip onto ice; forked blue tongues; tails narrow to a whip-thin end.
===== Abilites =====
Can withstand subzero temperatures and bright light, exhale a deadly freezing breath.
===== Queen =====
Queen Annapurna
|-|RainWings=
===== Description =====
Scales constantly shift colors, usually bright like birds of paradise; prehensile tails.
===== Abilites =====
Can camouflage their scales to blend into their surroundings; shoot a deadly venom from their fangs.
===== Ruler(s) =====
King Arrau and Queen Eleuchia. (RainWings can rule singularly or co-rule, ruling singularly whilst having a partner is different than co-ruling.)
|-|NightWings=
===== Description =====
Purplish-black scales and scattered silver scales on the underside of their wings, like a night sky full of stars; forked black tongues.
===== Abilites =====
Can breathe fire, disappear into dark shadows; Can foretell futures and/or read minds depending on birth circumstances.
===== Queen =====
Queen Vision
</Tabber>
== Prologue ==
 Before the current era. (4, 083 AS)
It was hot, the sun high over the horizon, and dust and sand jumping up and circling in an intricate dance over the wide expanse of yellow dust underneath the bright sky and glowing sun. 
An ache brewed in his throat, and his chest heaved, his exhausted lungs begging for a rest.
The shouts of the dragons followed him, cruel and hunting, like he was nothing more than a reward to be reaped.
His muscles felt weak. He’d been running for a while– And he wasn’t sure when he would be able to stop. Each moment spent running felt like hours of agony.
“Don’t let them get away!” Their voices snarled, and each threat made Foxtail panic even more.
Oh moons! They have backup. He scowled, narrowing his eyes at the ground.
They were heading straight for him— With the clear sounds of wings rapidly approaching from above. In the blink of an eye, he barely had time to duck before they had already scorched the sand around him and turned the ground to ashes with fire. The heat grazed over his back, and he winced painfully.
Foxtail lowered his head and kept sprinting through the sand. There was no more time to waste— And negotiation was not a possibility.
It was also horrifically hot and miserable– To the point where he couldn’t comprehend if he was in reality or in a nightmare. He felt… Awfully light-headed. 
How long had he been running? It certainly had to have been a while— With each step he felt weighed down more and more. His wings felt heavy and his limbs were exhausted. 
He scrambled over the sand dunes, struggling through the drifts of sand which seemed to collapse and crumble underneath his claws. The dragons were hot on his tail, and his darker scales made him an easy target underneath the bright rays of the desert. He nervously glanced back, and immediately regretted it when he was forced to dodge an incoming plume of flames by diving to his right. He felt his scales scrape across the sand, the tiny grains being pulled up into the nooks between his wings. He cringed at the awful feeling, but he didn’t have the time to worry about sand in his scales. He immediately clambered up, sliding onto the other side of the large sandhill and narrowly avoiding outstretched claws.
He felt hot, like he was being boiled alive underneath his skin. He panickedly glanced to his right, where his friend managed to catch some of them off guard with a swift blast of frost breath to their faces— He wondered how the IceWing was holding up in the intense heat. The two SandWings that were hit immediately shriveled and collapsed— falling to the ground with agonized shrieks as ice started to climb across their yellow scales.
But it wasn’t enough. Despite having lost two of their comrades, the pursuing dragons only continued their assault— In a moment of adrenalized panic…
He’d stopped for too long to look.
Pain erupted in his tail, his nerves were set alight with something that felt like agonizing burning— The smell of seared flesh reached his nose, the  and blurred his vision– He swore it felt like his scales were peeling away, and his skin bubbled painfully as the burn wound charred at the edges.
He squinted his eyes, the burning sensation in his tail intensifying as he continued to try and keep running— Together with the exhaustion he was facing, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.
With a hesitant yet desperate glance to the necklace he was wearing, he swallowed the lump in his throat. He’d made a promise to himself— To never taint her gift with his magic. The same magic that got him into the situation he was in now.
He reached toward the gem, the colorful shades of orange light refracting from its sides reminded him too much of her— The dragon he’d left those moons ago.
He paused for just a moment, breathing heavily— Near painfully as his battered lungs took in another breath. The yells of the dragons behind him didn’t cease a moment, as they began approaching once more. Pain flared up once more in his tail, his burn pulsing agonizingly— Causing him to nearly buckle down. Callitrix– who was just a little behind him– Glanced at him with a concerned look in her bluish eyes.
Fear pooled in his mind as he looked back at their hunters once more. Sure— They’d been slowed by Callitrix’s frost breath, but apparently the bounty that was on their heads was enough to make them get right back up despite their injuries.
A thought popped into his mind.
Maybe I could enchant my own scales? Or something like that..?
He glanced at the scales alongside his body. He’d never done anything of that caliber before… Would it be worth it? Would he even be able to unenchant his scales? A silly thought for an animus, sure– But everything had its risks, and he hadn’t experimented much beforehand.
His brow creased as he glanced back from his scales to his necklace. The pain from the burn in his tail grew worse— He didn’t have much time.
One was risky, the other wasn’t.
The choice was obvious, but… He promised himself… And he hoped Callitrix would never—
“Oi, Fox! Might wanna hurry up on that thinking.” Callitrix barked, spinning to slam her tail into the skull of a SandWing— And slice the chest of another with her claw. The SandWings in question immediately collapsed, blood immediately pooling around the area where their wounds bled against the sand. As a few others began swarming them.
Oh, forget it.
He immediately took the jewel into a shaky claw, but a sinking feeling began emerging under his scales— But he shook his head, trying to rid himself of his moral crisis. Callitrix was only holding the SandWings off, and there was no telling if she’d be able to last much longer.
He fought through the vicious pain in his tail, ignoring the hot tears that bubbled in his eyes.
He clutched the jewel close to himself, ducking his head near the amber gem as he attempted to drown out the sounds of fighting.
I enchant this necklace to ensure the safety of Callitrix and myself, as well as getting rid of our pursuers.
He began feeling dizzy, before he’d realized that he’d made a mistake in his panic— His eyes widened as he started sweating. He’d forgotten the details. An amateur mistake, for sure. Before he could redo his enchantment, the heat and exhaustion from the hours of running caught up to him— His legs finally buckled, and his head began feeling like it was stuffed to the brim with weighted rocks. And he slowly slipped away into unconsciousness, only the faint call of his name reached his ears.
----
 . . .
----Fox…
Huh? His ears pricked in confusion, attempting to try and open his eyes when he heard his name– But to no avail, his vision remained dark— Almost as if his eyelids were glued shut.
…Fox!
The voice was getting louder, more urgent— And he tried more and more to wake up– Attempting to thrash, but it felt like he couldn’t move at all. He felt almost… Frozen- And an odd sense of terror emerged in his gut. What was happening… Was he dying…? He really hoped he wasn’t— What would he even do if—
“—Fox!” He was unable to recognize who was speaking to him for a moment. “Wake up you fool!” 
His eyes widened as the darkness peeled away– bringing him out of his slumber and making his half-asleep brain have to comprehend that someone with incredibly cold claws was violently shaking him by the shoulders against the horrifically sandy ground.
He spluttered and thrashed around in the sand to try and escape them. “What—” He coughed violently, rapidly blinking his eyes and trying to understand what was happening.
Luckily, the dragon who was practically assaulting him paused their violence to back away and let him recover.
And by the moons, was he glad they did–  His throat feel drier than ever– And the ringing that filled his ears wasn’t helping his case at all.
After a few moments of pain, the dragon silently passed him an embroidered jug filled with water. He practically guzzled the liquid down, drinking until there wasn’t a drop left. Callitrix continued to watch him silently with frosty eyes— they’d always reminded him of a frozen-over lake.
“Good. You’re awake.” She muttered, immediately snatching the jug from him and tucking it away within a leather bag. Now that he realized it, they were both underneath the shelter of her makeshift tent pack- telltale by the worn cyan fabric that was slightly torn and pinned to the ground using old silver hooks— A support holding the makeshift tent up in the middle. He furrowed his brows, easily recognizing it by the countless times they had to use it to either hide from the blistering sun, or from pursuers waiting to get a whiff of the money their captures would entail—
…
Speaking of which…
He coughed awkwardly, trying to get the attention of Callitrix. She glanced at him with confusion, despite her attention seemingly being on him, she seemed awfully disturbed in some deep way— brooding silently with an indecipherable expression on her face.
“What happened back there?” He questioned, already feeling a sickening feeling rise up like bile in his throat. Something was off, and he had an awful feeling it had something to do with him.
Callitrix froze up, warning him he was treading on dangerous territory– It wasn’t often she’d hold back her tongue, he’d always known her as a dragon with a bold and uninhibited personality.
She let out a long sigh, lifting her head to look at him accusingly.
“First, take a look at your tail.”
Foxtail felt a headache coming on. His scales bristled, and he anxiously tried thinking of a way to explain it to Callitrix— He hadn’t told her that he was an animus… Even when they met those weeks ago, and he had hoped it would’ve stayed that way. But as much as he tried to stay iron, her gaze felt like it was burning another hole through his scales, and he doubted she wanted to wait much longer for an answer.
But, the situation had called for it, and there was nothing else he could’ve done.
He glanced back toward his tail, and was unsurprised to see that due to his enchantment— His scales that were once burned had fully sealed over, the pinkish skin that could be seen once was now gone, almost as if his scales had seamlessly stitched themselves back together when he fell unconscious.
“I don’t suppose you have any instant cactus sap that would heal burns, would you?” She asked— But it was more of a snarky observation than an actual question.
He tilted his head to the ground, shamefully staring at the ground “Look, Callitrix, I—” 
He paused, the gears in his head spinning and trying to come up with… An excuse? Explanation? He didn’t know what he wanted to say to her– There were things he needed to say, secrets that he shoved into the deepest crevices of his mind… But he didn’t know if he had the guts to do it… He cringed, he knew he had to do something soon. He could already feel Callitrix glaring a hole into his soul.
He solemnly lifted his head, grabbing a candlelit lantern by its thin iron handle. The rusted lantern swayed– creaking loudly in response to the disturbance, and he inhaled the scent of melting wax. He wondered how Callitrix managed to light it in the first place.
He stalked toward the tent’s opening, his apprehension slowing his steps as he gestured for Callitrix to follow him. His heart was heavy, filled with the fear that Callitrix wouldn’t see him the same way after.
As he poked his head outside, he realized that it was much darker than he originally thought. The atmosphere was dim, with only the faint beams of moonlight illuminating the desert sand. No beams of light were visible on the horizon… How long was I out for..? He wondered blearily. 
Callitrix impatiently bumped into him, the contact of her cold scales to his made him jump. He glanced back, but looked away with a grimace after catching her frosty glare. 
He continued forward, trying to distract himself by watching the colorful fireflies that lit up the desert at night. 
He shuffled rather hesitantly across the sand as his eyes scanned the dusty area around them: There was a small oasis over there, surrounded by tall sandhills, more sand… And… More sand.  About the same as any regular place in the desert with an oasis, if he had to say.
He briefly looked up at the night sky, before looking around for a nice, peaceful, undisturbed spot. His scales prickled uncomfortably under Callitrix’s harsh glare, but he’d spotted a nice, tall sandhill where they wouldn’t be bothered.
He gestured a wing toward it and tilted his head hesitantly before glancing at Callitrix- Almost as if he were asking for her agreement.
She didn’t respond, only silently walking toward the hill and purposefully flicking her sharp tail at his leg threateningly.
The walk over was silent and tense, even though he should’ve anticipated it, he didn’t like how at-risk his relationship with Callitrix felt at the moment. He anxiously brushed his claws at the surrounding sand, and intentionally tried to walk slower in an attempt to delay the inevitable.
But Callitrix definitely noticed, and she aggressively urged him forward by throwing a wing over his back and shoving him. He nearly tripped over his own feet when she did that, and she’d continued pushing him forward as he tried to protest. Not ten seconds later they were just at the bottom of the sand hill.
He stopped, wondering to himself if he could just run away and hide… She wouldn’t notice, right?
He had no time to speak when Callitrix had already started climbing the hill, and despite her IceWing genes, years of experience in the desert had made her fairly good at traversing sand that would crumble beneath a regular dragon’s claws.
He immediately scrambled after her, “Wait, Callitrix- I just wanna say, Please don’t get angry.”
“I decide that,” She scowled, with a bit of a growl at the end of her words- kicking down a bit of sand to get him to stumble a bit.
Not that he wasn’t already doing that, with his claws slipping on the sand that he could just not get a grip on.
…He reached the top a couple of minutes after Callitrix did.
The IceWing in question was already sitting, seemingly bored and uncaring- But Foxtail could spot the tense in her shoulders and the slightest hint of anxiety in the way she curled her spiked tail over her talons.
He stood silently behind her, his scales felt hot and he could feel a lump growing in his throat, despite the coldness of the desert night. At the moment, he couldn’t even bear to look at her head-on. Was that his guilt speaking?
He had been thinking about what to say the entire way from the tent, but now that he was there, it seemed as if all those words had disappeared.
His mouth dried up and throat tightened, and he subconsciously fidgeted with his claws.
It was now or she’d never understand– And then she’d assume he was a horrible, cruel, lizard-eating liar of a dragon who backstabbed her and—
Wait. That hasn’t even happened yet. He was worrying over nothing, yeah… That’s right.
Nothing to worry about.
Other than possibly the only friend he had at the moment deciding to stab him in the side if he picked his words wrong.
He could totally relax.
“Callitrix,” And there it was again- He was such a loser. He could barely even struggle her name out, and he knew any word that would fall from his mouth thereafter would sound wrong.
She perked up, but didn’t look at him.
“First, sit down, right here.” Callitrix snapped, her voice full of malice. “Then we can ‘talk’, you blubbering fool. I can’t trust you not to stab my back.”
You know what, after lying about something like that, he wouldn’t either.
He sits down, feeling the cold sand against his scales was strange, yet somewhat comforting considering the nightmare of a conversation he was about to have.
Would she have mercy on him if he broke down crying? He was really considering it.
No! Bad Foxtail. He shook his head, distracting himself from whatever pathetic thoughts he was having.
You are a grown dragon, you can deal with this without the theatrics of a 1 year old.
He took another deep breath, shaking his wings and claws to orient himself.
“Callitrix,” He repeated, but his voice felt stronger and more carried this time. “Do you remember why we’re out here? Running from the guards sent for us? Where we came from?”
Callitrix’s posture bridled, the spines on her back straightening as a horribly unpleasant look came across her face.
But he knew it was important for him to explain it all.
“Yes,” Her tone was sharp and curt- A hint of anger lacing her words. “I am out here because I am a criminal from the Scorpion Den and that is the life I cho-”
“No,” He interrupted her, forcing his own gaze down to the ground. “That’s not what I’m referring to, I’m asking you those questions about me. I know the answers to all of those for you, so surely you would know mine?”
He watched as the wheels in Callitrix’s brain turned, and her heart sank as she realized there was one more secret she didn’t know about him.
“W-Well, I guessed it was because you were a hybrid. And you know the authorities and their thoughts on them. Maybe not a criminal- But they don’t think- I… I- You- You never told me any of this! How would I know?!” He saw her resolve breaking apart, and her words ended in a serrated accusation.
“So I’ll tell it to you now.” He looked up at the night sky, the twinkling stars reminding him of a freedom long past. “All of it. You’ll know now.”
Callitrix opened and closed her mouth- Trying to process everything that was just revealed. She hadn’t thought deeper than simply thinking of him as a travel companion, and he knew that. 
“I came from the city. Falcon City.” He spoke quietly. “Not the Scorpion den, even if you met me there.”
The IceWing beside him tried to interject, flicking her wings. “You came from the big city? Isn’t that the city for all the- The wealthy?!”
“Please.” He said, looking straight into her eyes for the first time since the conversation started. Though he only said a simple word, it hung in the air like a command. “Just let me speak, and you’ll know everything.”
Callitrix snapped her jaws shut, settling down to just stare craters into the side of his skull.
He paused to mull everything in his head over, and then continued to talk.
“I was going to marry someone. Her name was Larrea, she’s a SandWing in the city- And we were even going to have eggs together.” He peered longingly at the expansive dunes in front of him, and then back to Callitrix.
“But then her father– Paloverde found out that she was going to marry a hybrid. A SandWing-NightWing hybrid. He considered me a disgrace, so he told me that unless I packed everything up and ran, he was going to kill me.”
He felt tears well in his eyes, and he brought a claw to his face to catch some of the stray droplets.
“And I didn’t doubt that he would’ve. So I turned tail and ran. But I gave her something in return, it was a box designed to help our future bloodline- Even if it’s tens of generations down- They’ll still have something to remember me by. Four keys fit perfectly in the box, and I’ve handed them out to strangers we’ve shared our journey with. Someday, someone from our generation will be led to find those keys, open that box and they will save the world-”
“Enough yapping.” Callitrix suddenly halted him, rising from her sitting position to get in his face. “That ‘box’ of yours, is a good idea on paper- But how would you ever go about creating it? It sounds like a daydream you had. And that doesn’t answer my question about your stupid wound-”
Foxtail’s eyes widened, and he fell backward in surprise as Callitrix's claws got dangerously close to him.
“P-Please wait! I’ll say something that will change those questions!”
“Quit lying to me, Fox!” Callitrix snarled, slamming her spiked tail onto the ground.
“You will tell me the truth, the full truth. And don’t you dare continue to wax poetic about any childish idea you might’ve had.”
She wasn’t going to listen to him much longer, so he had to say it now. Was it the right time? Did he really have to? The same worries he’d always had came back, but it was too late to think about, anyway.
“I’m an animus, Callitrix! That’s why! You wanted to know? FINE. Now you do! That’s how I healed my- Our wounds— That’s why I’m hunted. I’m not a criminal I just–”
“You’re an animus?” She suddenly interjected, and her tone was betrayed, demanding, and vicious— like it was worse than if he just admitted he’d massacred all the IceWings.
“Yes but—“
“You mean that any time we ran into trouble, you could’ve just ‘Oh wave of the claw and all my problems are gone, hehe’ But you didn’t?!”
“Callitrix.” He tried using a stronger voice, but she didn’t heed it like she’d done before.
“You– I– What’s losing a bit of your soul when you can give anyone everything?! You’re selfish, Foxtail. Why didn’t you just curse Paloverde? Give your partner something more than a stupid box she can’t even open? Give the Scorpion Den dragons better lives? Moons, YOU could’ve had a better life.”
“I don’t want to live in a world where my soul needs to be gone to be accepted! I don’t want to have to make things happen because other dragons couldn’t love me. You think I wanted to leave Larrea? I just wanted her to be free. To be able to speak her mind without being told what to do- Like the nightingales out there. Everything would’ve fallen down if I changed ANYTHING, and then I would live a lie.”
Callitrix laughed, eyes wide and unforgiving.
“You’re a coward, Foxtail,” She said, in a near hysteric voice. “And I do not travel the desert with cowards.”
And not two seconds later, she was gone— only a whirlwind of dimmed icy shapes as she ran – packed up her tent and left— soon nothing more than another shape passing through the desert.
And Foxtail? He couldn’t do anything but sit there and watch, watch as his old companion left him with only a single conversation gone wrong – until his lantern was burnt out and he could no longer cry. 
He was really alone again.
----
 Part 1. Crimson tales
== Chapter 1 ==
WIP
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Content (Faultea)