Chaos Destined

right|300px
==Prologue==
Corythantha the SandWing raced through the winding streets, clutching her gigantic satchel close to her chest.
"Kite!" she shouted. "Kite, hurry!"
Running up the stairs, bursting into the battle room, all four generals turned to stare at her. The largest was a SkyWing, covered in slashes, but with kindness in his eyes.
"Cory....is it time?" he was suddenly on alert, and at her nod, launched out of his seat and zipped to the door. His fellows gaped on. "Cory, we have to get to my office---there's no time."
She shook her beautiful head.
"Kite, nobody can see her!" she cried desperately. "she'll be a hybrid. Nobody will understand! Nobody will love her! We have to keep her safe!" Her eyes were wide and scared.
"Cory---"
"Hurry!" she screamed, and launched herself straight at a window. It shattered, and Kite barely fit as he barrel-rolled after her.
Flying, faster and faster, he finally reached their little crumbling stone hut. Coryphantha was already there, cradling something small and red.
"Is it--"
"She." Cory cut him off. "It's a girl."
His eyes filled with tears as he crouched over his new daughter.
"Her name will be Songbird." he said to the air. "My daughter. My daughter!"
Cory started crying, stroking the little orange dragonet and smoothing her scales.
"Look....she has so much of both of us inside her....those fierce brown-green eyes....a clear tail barb with bright red poison....she's ours, Kite, she's ours."
Kite nodded and reached out, marveling at how smooth her scales were, tiny her wings were. Wait. Why were they so tiny?
"Wait, Cory, look.....her wings are so small. That shouldn't be."
Now Cory frowned too.
"They are....but Kite. Can't we just be happy right now? I mean, look. She's our little Songbird. It doesn't matter."
"Of course not." he promised her, smiling bright. "It will never matter." 
==Chapter One==
"Get out of here, you weird-winged hybrid!" A SandWing marketer screeched. "Don't lurk around my stall!"
"Alright, alright." Songbird muttered, running away. 
She crept along the streets until she reached her alleyway, where a sand-colored tarp and a pile of rags awaited her. She fingered the necklace around her neck, it's blue stone shining bright. 
"I'm stuck, mom." She whispered. "Dad's dead...and all I've got is this necklace and his ashes. I can't get any food, even though I've got coin. I can't get a job, even though I'm young and smart. I can't do anything but slowly waste away..." 
Songbird felt a tear go down her cheek. Wiping it away, she darted in the shadows, looking for her target---
There. Three whole roasted chickens. If she could just get a little bit closer...........BAM!
The stand's owner shrieked as a giant sleep and smokebomb exploded in her face. As many in the nearest vicinity fell unconsious and stood coughing in the smoke, Songbird removed her protective mask and grabbed six of the three chicken packs. Running away, zipping down into her hidden alleyway, she hid five of the packs and two of the chickens admist the smelly rags. 
"Oh, mama." She whispered, devouring the chicken. "I always am stealing. I always am lonely. When will my true life begin?"
==Chapter Two==
"Hey." Songbird stirred as the voices in her head dimmed. "Hey, you, get up."
She felt a tap on her shoulder, and in a surge of panic, leapt up with her tail raised and ready to strike. Instead, she came face-to-face with a much older, though still young, dragon, whose navy blue scales matched none of the tribes she knew.
"Don't attack." He held up a talon, and to Songbird's surprise, began to grow frost on it. She shivered, backing up. "I can hear what you're thinking." The dragon told her. "But relax---I'm not here to hurt you."
"Then what are you here for, then?" In all her life, Songbird realized that she had never been more terrified.
Was she delirious? But what was pressing at her head, making her feel fearful and trapped and helpless? Then, as if by magic, it lifted.
"I'm like you." He told her, and then she understood.
He was a hybrid. He was a NightWing-IceWing. He was like her.
. . .
"My name is Draft." he told her. "I've always been able to channel out cold from this talon." He raised his front right talon. "And the NightWing part of me somehow allows me to blur other's thoughts, or inflict different emotions on them."
"That's....pretty cool." She told him.
He seemed to know where they were going, walking down the crime side of town and nodding to random figures who nodded back. He had control. Now they had reached a little booth, steam coming out of multiple gigantic pots that a older SeaWing dragonet was tending. But she wasn't all SeaWing, on her lights were purple and changing colors, wings changing from lavender to blue to violet.
"Delta." He gave her a small smile, and she positively beamed.
"Draft! Finally, a familiar face." She adjusted the black eyepatch on her right eye, her left one a dazzling green. "Who's she?"
"I'm Songbird." She told Delta, trying to sound strong. "A SandWing-SkyWing."
"Of course. I've seen you around." Her wings abruptly changed colors, lights dimming, and she looked like an ordinary RainWing.
With a glance at Draft, she could see that he had wilted a little, with Delta's quick change into someone normal.
"Anyways, I know you cause a lot of accidents, but far from here. You're smart, I gotta say." She opened one of the pots, steam exploding out of it. "Want food?"
In all her life, Songbird had never thought that something like this would happen.
"Food? Like, for free?" She stared at Delta, who laughed.
"Draft leads dragons who need food or drink or help here---usually hybrids or orphans." She spooned a giant helping of rice into a wooden bowl. "So, you want it?"
Songbird's eyes grew huge, and she grabbed the bowl instantly. The contents vanished in mere seconds. Delta was impressed, and quite speechless to say the least. She gave her another bowl, and another, and another, of which she begged Songbird to at least chew.
"So," She said between mouthfuls. "who do you work for? I mean, some peace organization or something? But why are you all hybrids? I mean...nobody does this for free."
Draft and Delta exchanged looks, and Songbird could tell that they were amused and a bit displeased.
"You see, Song, honey, there is not real 'organization'. We're just hybrids trying to stick together, working together, learning together. Draft and I are kinda like the heads of it, we and some other came up with the idea in the first place. Our ultimate goal is to just survive as dragons in this cruel world---while making family along the way."
Family. That word shuddered throughout Songbird's body, tweaking every nerve and making it feel light and featherlike. But her heart....it was like stone as she heard it, hard and unhearing and fearful of what it was to be. Draft now gave her a small smile.
"Please, Songbird. I brought you here to get food---please at least consider it."
Something suddenly clicked inside.
"Wait. You want me to become part of your organization? Stay with you? Is it safe? Are you sure?"
Both of them gave her a nod, and her head erupted with havoc.
== Chapter Three ==
She'd always been a loner. Always. And now, here were two random hybrids offering her food and shelter, acting like they could take care of her. Nobody could take care of her. She was Songbird, and she had one family, a dead family. Nobody could be like them. Nobody could take her parent's place. Nobody could ever replace them. This was actually a little insulting, to be honest.
"I....can't accept." Songbird turned away. "That's....no. Thank you for the food, but there's no way."
She leapt from where they were and sped down the streets. She didn't have to turn back to know that they were both still watching her.
. . .
It was the next week. Songbird stood at the edge of a cliff, watching the waves crash across the shore below. A small island awaited on the other side, with tall evergreens and many boars. Only in the summer, when the great lake’s waters parted to reveal a dirt bridge across, would she be able to get there. Pulling over a giant lump of metal and leather, Songbird attached the giant structure to her wings. She glared at the waves, moving into a flying stance, spreading her now-heavy wings, leaping from the cliff---!
And fell onto the ground below with a tremendous crash. Sand and rocks flew up, landing on her scales and sliding off.
“Oh, my.”
She looked up to see a dragon with navy blue scales and dark, folded, wings.
Draft.
. . .
She was back up on the cliff now, standing next to him. The wing-cover was off.
“What were you doing?” Songbird glared, confronting him. “Why were there?”
“I was only watching you.” he told her, in a tone so light it annoyed her. “You were looking a Pig Island, weren’t you?”
“Yes.” she glared. “Yes, I was, but it really was none of your business.”
He smiled a little, though she was surprised by the touch of sadness in his eyes.
“Ah.” They fell into a small silence, with the crashing waves only filling the air. “It’s a beautiful island, Delta tells me. We actually have a few camps down there for hybrids.”
“You mean...you’ve never been there?” she knew it was custom for SkyWings here to have their dragonet’s first ‘long’ flight to there.
He didn’t answer, but spread his wings out. Songbird gasped---she realized in the moment that she had never seen him open them up. They were bent a little funny, and she could see that some of the tendons were malformed.
“The fire inside….” He shook his head. “The fire and ice disagree with each other. They burn there. It hurts bad to flap them. I gave up on flying a while ago.”
“Oh.” She now felt uncomfortable standing there. “I-I should go.” Songbird grabbed her wing covers. The felt unbearably heavy. “Um..bye!”
Draft turned to look at the large bundle, but didn’t make any move to say or ask anything. Not looking back, Songbird hurried away.
TWO DAYS LATER
“Please.” Songbird begged Forge. “You’re the only hybrid blacksmith, and I really need help.”
“I’m not interested, Songbird. I repeat: What. Can. You. Offer. Me.” The NightWing-SkyWing hybrid was not impressed with her pleas. “Songbird, I will make you leave if I need to.”
“Please!” Songbird was desperate now. “I just want to fly! The right adjustments to this might just help me get to Pig Island! I’ll pay you for all the changes it takes, as long as I can be like the others! Till I can soar.”
“How will you cover the charges?!” Forge snapped.
“I will, I will, eventually, Forge, I-”
“I can.”
Both dragons looked up to see Draft in the doorway. He set down a couple of small sacks, of which Forge inspected and found worthy.
“Very well.” he told him. “But this is too much. Even I am not a cheater.” He pushed back a couple towards Draft, who shook his head and pushed them back.
“No.” he raised his chin defiantly. “Make one for me. I’m going to fly too.”
== Chapter Four ==
"You....you're going to fly also?!" Songbird was more than shocked. "Like....together? We'll learn?"
"Why not?" Draft didn't look all that bothered by her stunned attitude. "Well, really, your goal is to fly to Pig Island, right, I'm guessing? I'll do the same. I'm tired of being stuck on the ground---you're not giving up so neither am I."
Forge shrugged.
"I don't care what your reason is. If you pay, we're good. Now. Come for measuring. I'll need to see your wings, son."
Songbird watched on, feeling a little shy. Turning tail, she waited outside. What was Draft trying at? Was he really just trying to fly? She'd been taught not to believe all strangers. But he had paid for her goods---the very expensive goods at that.
Draft emerged from Forge's room, wings spread out in a way that made her wince. What would Forge make for him? Maybe some braces to help them be more....normal? Songbird didn't know. Walking along the cliffside, she looked down onto the buildings of her home city. She heard Draft's talons click on the pebble path, and she looked away as he walked past her, to wherever that hybrid sanctuary was. Just as he disappeared, Forge came up behind her.
"Do you know him? Seemed rather a good dragon." his usually gruff voice as still rough, but toned with kindness.
"....sorta." Songbird tried not to make eye contact with him. "Draft, that's his name. He works for this hybrid place where they try to feed and shelter hybrids." she confessed. "But I'm not part of it. I don't want to be." sh added.
Forge raised a skeptical brow.
"Of all my customers, you're the one I'd figure would need a place like that the most. Have a sort of family, and all, to take care of you."
A rosy heat spread down Songbird's face. An angry heat.
"My parents are my family. And always will be."
Forge sighed, shaking his head.
"You're a young dragonet Songbird. You need somebody to take care of you. Watch after you. Help you."
"I already told you! My parents are my family!" Songbird's heart was thumping in her chest, a maddened fire blazing in her head. Becuase they were still there, she wasn't alone, their memory couldn't be lost, oh no no no no---
"Songbird!" Forge cut her off, and suddenly she could see how truly big, big, big he was. "Your parents are dead."
And then everything went quiet. Songbird shrank back into herself. She started to back up, get away, when her parent's faces appeared in her mind and her heart began to beat, beat, beat, beat. He was tainting their memory. An insult to them. Nobody could replace them. Nobody would replace them! Forge could stuff it up his fat snout!
"Be quiet, Forge!" Songbird screamed, and the older dragon looked at her with a mixture of surprise, anger, and confusion.
Then he narrowed his eyes, and seemed to grow as big as a mountain, big as the seas, bigger, bigger, bigger.
== Chapter Five ==
"Get away, Songbird." He said quietly, then louder. "Get away!"
Songbird, not knowing whether she should be feeling sorry or angry or silent, rushed away as Forge stared at her. The look in his eyes wasn't readable, though she could definitely tell that he was angry. Shaking her head in confusion, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do now, she ran smack-dab into Draft. Obviously, he had been eavesdropping by the way that he was leaning towards Forge's workshop. She had ran down the hill, not bothering to take the path, and so he was clearly surprised that she was down there.
Standing up, Draft shook himself off, scattering pebbles and dirt and dust back onto the path.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Songbird glared at him, not letting him answer as she continued quickly. "Of course you were. None of what....what I'm doing is your business!"
She was struggling to stay angry, her own outburst at Forge had confused her.
"Well, yeah, I was." He admitted, but looked at her with questioning, instead of embarrassed, eyes. "Do you always act like that when people talk to you about families?"
Songbird felt her tail stiffen, and she remembered how she rushed away after first meeting Draft, not to mention Delta.
"Like I told you," She looked away from him, trying to appear cool and collected. "it's none of your business."
"Look, Songbird." Draft didn't seem to care any bit at her obviously 'stay-away' voice tone. "Why don't you at least come to check the Sanctuary. We'll give you some food, you can eat a little of it and maybe sell the rest for some coin. You need the money, from what I can tell."
Free food. Songbird's stomach grumbled at just the thought of it. And shelter and coin and safety from the raiders. 
Raiders. Always snooping around, all five clans total criminals. Not that she wasn't one, either. They were mostly hybrids, but with some normal dragons, who attacked stray dragons and stole. There was one big gang where she lived, too, the Rattlesnakes, and they had stolen many a good from her. But only one or two of them had came, she wasn't worth much to them.
"Fine." Songbird raised her head high. "I'll come with you. But don't think that this is full-time." The blue stone swished on her chest, reminding her of her mother.
"Don't worry, of course not." Draft smiled, quickly changing into 'friendly mode'. "Now, follow me!"
It took a while to get down to the city, before long it was very dark. Draft seemed to know where he was going, though Songbird could barely see even with the light that shone from the venom in her tail barb. All she knew was that they were in the crime side of town, judging by the sleeping dragons in tents and such.
As the sky grew darker and darker, Draft finally stopped at a stone arched entryway. Walking into it, Songbird was surprised to see multiple small sandstone buildings and two large ones, many hybrids milling around the area. The smell of food wafted through the windows of one of the larger buildings, and laughter rang clearly though the air---a place of happiness in these dark streets.
An IceWing hybrid, scales a purple-blue, swooped and did tricks with fire, amazing his audience by diving through his own flames and emerging unharmed. Every dragon around looked so happy, so free, to Songbird, and she could even see a dragoness and her partner smiling at a little dragonet that was clearly theirs. Others gathered around them, cooing at the adorable dragonet, who responded with a giggle. It was not exactly like a place for hybrids to stay, as Songbird had imagined, but a community where families formed.
They walked up to what looked like a small stand with a desk, a wooden sign hanging from it that read 'Help and Services'. A dragoness stood there, and with her a forked tongue, golden stars, and dark scales, was evidently some sort of SandWing hybrid. Most of the hybrids, Songbird could see, were.
"Draft!" The hybrid nodded her head in greeting. "Is this the hybrid you've spoke of? She matches your description."
"Yes, she is. Constellation, do we have any empty cabins? I know we've had an influx of hybrids because of escaped hybrids from the MudWing kingdom." Draft replied.
Constellation scanned the little sandstone buildings, evidently cabins, and shook her head.
"No.....I don't believe that there's any openings. Would you mind if she slept in the loft of your cabin? I'm afraid there's not many options."
Songbird couldn't bring herself to stay silent.
"No, it's fine. I'll just go back to my little corner of the alley. I already have a place to stay, and I can take care of myself. I don't need anything you have to offer."
Especially not any of this. She thought to herself, avoiding looking towards the laughing dragons close to her. You have a family already. You don't need to use what they have to offer---just get going before you fall into their trap!
Constellation looked horrified.
"No, no, no. We would never turn away a hybrid in need---and Draft's told me you're very much in need---"
Songbird flushed, glaring at Draft who refused to meet her eyes. Constellation's sentence, however, was interrupted by a burly brown dragon with black scales under her wings. A black eyepatch was covering one eye, while the other shot a look at pierced its way into Songbird's soul.
"Yes, very good, Constellation." Her voice didn't match her intimidating, looming appearance. It was warm, kind, but you could hear a touch of anger at the back of it. "Songbird, I heard them say your name was, was it?" Songbird nodded. "My name is Wayward, and this is my home for hybrid dragons."
== Chapter Six ==
Draft turned to Wayward, bowing his head slightly in respect.
"Yes, this is Wayward. She started this organizations after......an unfortunate incident involving anti-hybrid dragons. In the Mud Kingdom." He didn't elaborate, and Songbird didn't really want to know what had happened.
Clearly, Wayward was MudWing, and from all the incidents that had happened from hybrid genetic issues, burning down half the rainforest, putting the SkyWing palace in flames, and the MudWing's almost complete wipeout from disease, the MudWings were one of the biggest tribes who hated hybrids. They forced their hybrids to be branded, and treated them terribly.
Wayward. Songbird thought. Clearly, she was named that since she was a hybrid. Undesirable. Not wanted. Only gang members, like the ones of the Moonborn, give themselves odd names like that.
"Snake." The usually negative-sounding word, one that could be used as an insult, a word of scorn, was soft and sweet in Wayward's mouth. "She was sweet and kind. My whole world, as she was more delicate than Beast and more kind, too."
Songbird didn't know who 'Snake' was, or 'Beast', but she assumed they were Waywards kin or family members. Dragons who were important to her.
"But then she was gone." Wayward's tone, which had been so tender, so light, suddenly disappeared into a void of anger and sorrow. "They killed her, with knives and with poison---" the tall dragoness' voice cut off. "I only want to make sure that nobody has to go though what I did. No hybrid should have to suffer so much to see their own sister die at the claws of whom they thought were friends."
Sister. Songbird was wishing she hadn't heard that. It only brought back members of her own family dying, her mother, succumbing to sickness, her father, a knife embedded in his chest.....
"I should go!" She burst out, trying to end the gruesome thoughts rushing through her head. "Like I said, you don't have room, so I should head out."
Draft frowned. "There must be some way...Wayward, Songbird can sleep in the loft of my cabin."
Wayward smiled, nodding. "That's a good idea. Songbird, you can stay in Draft's cabin."
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)