Torches (An Arc 2 Collaboration)

== Notice! ==
This fanfiction is a collab between TheIceWingPopsicle (Owner) RiverTumbl, 0 D r i p 0, Skittle1923, Angel Of Madness 001 (ideas!) and R12340987565656556565566565. Please do not claim any characters as your own or edit this page without the authors' permission. Do not make a big deal over characters that may have the same names, as your own, this is very coincidental. Any resemblance of a oc of yours is completely coincidental. This page has characters that are not featured in the winglets, making it somewhat of an AU. This is currently a work in progress and may be left unfinished, as writer’s block exists. Any questions you have place them in the comments.
== WARNING! ==
Torches features mature content, such as mentions of trauma, gore, and mentions of possible murder. This also contains scenes from arc two, so beware of spoilers. 
== Blurb ==
Every since the Summer Palace became nothing but ruins, Current has lived in complete fear of fire, SkyWings, and anything that could trigger these thoughts. But when he has no choice but to join Jade Mountain, he realizes that he’ll never be okay here. 
Jade Mountain has many fires, SkyWings, and dragons who love bonfires at parties. After meeting Luster, a SkyWing who lives in ignorance of the Summer Palace attack, Current decides he’ll help Luster in figuring out why her tribe would hurt the SeaWings.
Even when he’s scared, Current knows that the only way to escape his past is to try to talk with his memories, but at what cost?
== Prologue (drip) ==
The horrible stench of smoke filled the air.
How do I know what smoke smells like?
Current heard a scream. And another, and another, until it sounded like the entire palace was having a contest. One thing told him it wasn’t a contest, though, and that was the quick noise of something huge and flaming tearing through the foliage above. It crashed into the sea, but was followed by several more.
Red and orange dragons rushed through after the flaming things, grabbing hold of any SeaWing they could get. SeaWings were rushing into the sea to escape, others daring to fly out of the holes in the canopy. Current saw the blue-gray figure of Commander Shark pierce a SkyWing’s chest with his spear, taking and killing many more as the chaos bombards him. Current dipped his wings and swiftly flew through the mess of SeaWings and into one of the vacant caves in the cliffside.
Nobody was inside, no fire lit. I can only hope one didn’t see me. He tried to slow his breathing, afraid someone might hear him through the rumbling chaos in the castle. Current craned his neck and moved around to check himself for injuries. Nothing but some lingering ash in the air. As the screams quieted down, which he hoped was a sign of escapees, the roar of a blazing fire crackled around him.
Current shivered and stomped over to the far end of the cave before laying on the stone floor. He fiddled with his claws, laying his neck close to his body and trying to pass as a part of a cave.
This didn’t fool a soldier, though.
On swift and quiet wings, an adult SkyWing soldier glided into the cave, lightly stepping as to surprise anyone inside. As he neared the end, he whispered out a malevolent, “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” grinning slightly with every word. He spotted the strange little lump trembling on the rocks.
“Found you.”
He grinned, slamming his front talons down to grab Current’s horns. He lifted them like pot handles, yanking his head up to expose his neck. The soldier raised his tail to expose a sharp, golden contraption that ties onto his tail. It resembles a SandWing barb without venom, just to stab.
The gold glinted in the outside firelight as the SkyWing swiftly jabbed his tail into Current’s neck, only to miss his scales by a centimeter. The SkyWing soldier’s tail fell to the ground, limp, followed by the rest of his body. It revealed a long, twisted looking shell-tipped spear in his side. Commander Shark entered the cave, miniscule splinters in his hands from the friction of the wooden stick. Blood spouted up from the dead orange figure in small amounts.
Current knew he was safe. He knew it was over, but it still wouldn’t leave his mind.
The shape of the SkyWing’s teeth, the malevolent look in his eye. The blood that splattered onto Current’s snout.
He couldn’t shake the feeling, because he didn’t know what it was.
(Written by 0 D r i p 0)
== Chapter One - Memories - (Popsicle and Willow) ==
Current
Fire.
Fire was terrifying. All it did was burn everything, everywhere it went. It brought pain. It was nothing good. 
SeaWings were a peaceful tribe. SeaWings didn’t burn torches like other tribes. SeaWings didn’t decide “Hey! Let’s bomb the Summer Palace!”
SeaWings were harmless. They were perfect. They didn’t want to attack anyone or hurt anyone. And they still didn’t when the war was over. They had never been as peaceful as the lazy RainWings, but Current still felt like all the other tribes had hostile blood in their veins.
Especially SkyWings. And he felt even less safe at Jade Mountain, where there were many SkyWings, lots of fire, and many painful memories of the attack on the Summer Palace.
Current shook out his head and looked back at the illustration he was making. He wanted to become an illustrator, but he wasn’t sure how efficient that would be underwater. If only the Summer Palace weren’t in ruins. Queen Coral would always write there. And Turtle was pretty good at writing too. Current wanted to be able to be an illustrator for someone as good as them.
He heard talon steps coming into his room.
”Weren’t you going to come to the ‘Get to Know JMA’ party?“ Asked a voice. Current looked over to see Lucidmind, a female NightWing mindreader. 
“Hey, Lu.“ Said Current. That was everyone’s nickname for her. “Yes, I’m coming. Just finishing my portfolio.” Not all dragons were getting accepted into the school: instead Tsunami, the head of the the school, made everyone submit portfolios to get in. Current’s was an illustration. 
Lucidmind shook out her wings. “How long will that take? Nobody’s going to wait for you, ya know. By the time you get there, they may have the bonfire ready, and it’ll be too late.” 
Current flinched. Fire was a huge trigger for him! Didn’t Lucidmind know that? “I’m not staying for the bonfire,” He explained, trying to keep his drawing steady. 
“I know,“ said Lucidmind. “That’s my point. If you don’t pause your work, you’ll be late.” 
Current sighed. Of course Lu had to be this persistent. 
”Fine,” He said, shaking his wings. “I’ll stop what I’m doing.” He got up and followed the NightWing through the halls of Jade mountain to the get to know Jade Mountain party. 
(-TheIceWingPopsicle) 
They entered the huge cave. Current flinched as the smell of smoke touched his nose. He knew there were torches on the wall; he tried his best not to look at them as he followed Lu to the food table. 
Current exhaled, almost wheezing, as they reached the table. It was a bit darker over here, which we thought was a bit dumb, but was simultaneously grateful. Lucidmind raised a brow at him. 
"Were you really holding your breath the whole time?" She looked at him like he was a confusing math equation. 
Current looked away in embarrassment. "Uh.." 
The NightWing snorted. "Whatever. Is there anything you want?" She asked, sweeping a wing above the table. Current walked up to the table and looked at the options. He finally decided on a small pike, gulping it down quickly. 
Lu sighed. "Alright, now let's-" She was interrupted by a yell, and her eyes widened. Current turned around, too slowly. Warm light flickered on the cave walls. Dragons, so many dragons, were looking at him. But he didn't notice it yet. 
"Get out of the way, SeaWing!" A SkyWing, a SkyWing, screamed at him. Then he saw it. A huge torch was rolling towards him, sending sparks everywhere. 
"Current!" He heard a voice yell. He didn't know who it was. He felt himself being moved, a thud. He wasn't sure if he heard it or felt it. Everything was blurring together, though the torch's light was bright as ever. 
Then everything went dark. 
(-WillowtheWarriorWolfYT) 
== Chapter Two - Shadows - (Willow) ==
Current opened his eyes. It was still pretty dark. He felt sore, but there were no new burn marks.
Where am I? He wondered, looking around. He was in a dark cave, with no torches, and a dark tunnel ahead. This doesn't look like the school. Is it another part of the mountain? How did I get here? Current thought as his night vision adjusted. He realized there were... markings, of some sort, on the cave walls. But when he tried to look at them, they went blurry, almost disappearing.
Like... in a dream. But Current had a feeling he couldn't wake himself up. He also had a feeling about that tunnel, despite the darkness. With a sigh, he walked into the shadows.
Like he expected, it was dark, though this didn't bother him much with his night vision. He saw more figures on the walls, and once again tried to look at them. No luck. Current did not, however, see the sudden drop below his talons. He plunged into the hole, and suddenly found himself in a cave, smelling of salt. He realized he was bleeding, but didn't feel pain. He saw a shadow flicker on the wall.
Oh no, no, no, no, no. This is not happening. Current thought, retreating deeper into the cave.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," He heard the same SkyWing's voice, the one that sent shivers down his spine. He loped down the tunnel, wet talons sliding slightly. He hadn't realized that there was a tunnel.
I was probably too scared. He thought, looking behind him. Amber eyes gleamed above him. 
"Found you."
Current whipped around, lashing his thick and strong tail. One of his back claws slipped on the rough, wet stone, and Current suddenly couldn't feel anything below his back talon. He refused to look back, though. He faced the SkyWing with narrowed eyes.
"Goodbye, SeaWing." The enemy soldier said in almost a sing-song voice. The light orange dragon pounced, pinning down Current's wings. Current tried to fight back, swiping a talon at him, but the SkyWing dodged with his long neck. Current gasped as the SkyWing reared up, curling his back claws into his wing membranes and grabbing the SeaWing by the neck. The SkyWing let Current fall onto his back, and he felt himself sliding down the slope into the mysterious gap as he heard a sickening crack and had a slight moment of pain before he was falling headfirst into the darkness.
Current didn't feel scared. It didn't feel like falling. It felt like the world around him was falling, although he had a strange sense of calmness. He stayed on his back, spreading his wings slightly. He thought he heard screams, and when he looked around, he realized he could see... something. It was blurred by water, but there were two almost dragon-shaped blobs, hiding behind what looked like a boat. He turned himself upwards so he could see it better, but it was even more blurry now. The dark blue shades whirled around him and it felt like the world was shifting, before he felt wet, cool sand beneath his claws.
It was dark, but no problem for a SeaWing. Current looked around, still dizzy, and saw two red shapes flapping away into the night. SkyWings. His mind hissed, but he forced himself to look away. Something glinted in the corner of his vision. Current cautiously approached it. It wasn't just him, there was something in the sand. He started digging, and realized the sand was wet with blood.
What..? He looked back, while his talons kept digging, and noticed a pale dragon. A sharp pain went through his right talon, and he jumped back. There was a clean cut, and where he'd been digging, there was a blood-stained knife.
Oh no. Current had a dreadful feeling. Now he knew there was something off. He looked back, but the pale dragon had turned into a shadow, and was heading towards a deck of wooden boats.
Not noticing the bodies on the beach, Current bounded as quietly as he could towards him. He could see the dragon clearer now; a tall blue-gray male, with a small, twisted crown. He had an odd glint in his eyes, and held a twisted dagger, similar to the one he'd found in the sand, with a blood-stained talon.
The dragon walked slowly along a pathway made of planks, and there was an eerie creeek. Current felt like he knew what was going to happen, but he was too distracted watching to search his memory. The dragon stepped deliberately, with an insane look in his dark eyes.
"Fathom." He growled slowly, pausing near the boats. "You may be wondering why you're still alive."
Current got it just before he hissed, "Especially when your entire family is dead."
Current gasped loudly, but Albatross either didn't notice or didn't care, taking another step closer.
The SeaWing prince suddenly knocked over the boat powerfully with a loud crash, and the two dragonets under it screamed.
Those poor dragonets, Current thought, wanting to help them, but his talons were already making a run for it. He stumbled into the ocean, going as deep and far as he could, and let the darkness consume him again.
(-WillowtheWarriorWolfYT)
== Chapter Three - Watched - (Popsicle) ==
Current’s eyes shot open as someone gripped him on the shoulder. He woke up to see Lucidmind, her expression somewhat bored. How long was she trying to wake me up? 
His gaze drifted away from Lucid and towards the torch. A dragon was holding it, smoke billowing from it as if it had been blown out.
But the dragon.
The dragon was a SkyWing.
Current felt fear surge through him like it had when he was almost stabbed. He felt the gaze of the dragon land on him as he panicked and shuffled around. The SkyWing reached out with her claws, dropping the burnt torch.
“No!” Current yelled. He got to his feet and ran to the opposite side of the room. He shoved through each dragon until he stumbled over, his wings shaking.
“Did I… do something wrong?” Asked the SkyWing, staring at him. She was talking to Current.
Current said nothing when Lucidmind stepped up, lashing her tail. “You’re fine.” Lucid said to the SkyWing. “He’s scared of SkyWing because of his childhood trauma.”
The SkyWing turned her head towards him again with complete concern. “Sorry about that,” she said, even though Current guessed she didn’t know what his trauma was or what happened. “I’m Luster.”
Current didn’t know what to say. This SkyWing had introduced herself. She had said sorry. She seemed kind and gentle, not at all malicious and smug. She looked like she wanted to sit beside Current and talk with him, almost like she was expecting a friendship. And Current couldn’t help but feel like he maybe wanted a friendship too.
But maybe Luster wanted to earn his trust, stab him in the back, and lock him in Queen Ruby’s prison. She miiiight snap his neck while he was sleeping, or worse, turn him into a pile of burnt SeaWing scales.
”Dude, why do you think of SkyWings as a different species?” Lucid said, pulling him out of his thoughts. 
“what—how do you know that?” Current said, giving the NightWing a puzzled glance.
Lucidmind rolled her eyes. “Your stupid face has ‘SkyWing bad’ written all over it.” She hissed. “Nobody here really knows you have PTSD except me, okay? So quit drawing attention to yourself and be a normal SeaWing. You scared that SkyWing off.” She added, gesturing to the spot where Luster was standing before. Then she walked off, and Current was alone again.
(-TheIceWingPopsicle)
== Chapter Four -Kidnapped- (Popsicle) ==
Luster
Luster walked away from the SeaWing and looked down at her talons. She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. She didn’t understand why SkyWings triggered him, but it was rather uncomfortable to think that you were the reason a dragon passed out.
Poor sea dragon. I wish I could help. 
In the blink of an eye, talons wrapped around her snout and eyes, a tail wound around her body, she was being dragged away from the party, and suddenly a horrible thrash against the wall. Luster groaned and then heard talons. Flapping, and then talons unwrapped around her and she could see again. 
Current was there. He growled at the other dragon. He looked like he was about to bite a hole in their skull. Luster’s kidnapper soared away through the halls.
”Thanks,” Luster said. But Current seemed like her couldn’t speak.
Luster blushed and looked to the side, feeling awkward. “Uh, are you okay?” She said, focusing her gaze back on him.
Current started stepping backwards, and then he ran off, back into the wild crowd of the party. Luster couldn’t help but feel like she could talk with him. For a second she just stood there, in the darkness, alone. She suddenly heard a noise and whipped around. Her heart began beating.
She calmed down after a second, but she couldn’t shake the feeling, because she didn’t know what it was.
———
Luster flexed her claws. Her mother would be back soon. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do—being trapped home alone wasn’t as fun as it sounded. She yawned, and suddenly she heard bubbling outside. Like someone was drowning in mud. 
Luster cautiously stepped out of the house, only to see a long swamp. It stretched as far as the eye could see. Strangely there weren’t any MudWings. It was all… still. And dark. And she was sinking into the marsh.
But honestly, all Luster wanted to do was sink. She didn’t fight it. She wondered how deep the swamp was, and the only way to tell was to fall down. As soon as she went under the mud, everything turned to ocean. This time, for some odd reason, Luster tried to find an island for safety. There was only water for miles around, and she might drown, which scared her. Why hadn’t the swamp made her feel this way?
Luster blinked and suddenly, there was a rock structure. That wasn’t there before, she thought, but swam over. All she could think about was surviving. Her muscles ached as she made it to the rock, but it immediately crumbled as soon as she was on top, and she started falling down.
She reached the bottom of the ocean and when she touched the sand, everything was a desert. There were no cacti, no SandWings, nothing but desert. Luster assumed she’d sink into the sand, but the opposite happened. Rock walls formed around her, building up into a mountain
———
And suddenly, somehow, She was back in Jade Mountain academy.
== Chapter Five -Journey- ==
WIP
Category:Fanfictions
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Category:Collaborations
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Category:Mature Content
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