Falling Sands

grain by grain, it’s growing too late… 
Moonwatcher has a prophecy predicting hybrids are going to save the world from another war—which rages across both continents but mainly takes place in Pyrrhia. The prophecy dragons are betrayed, captured, and imprisoned many times—firsthand experiencing the cruelty of the war-ridden world while scrambling to answer the question—How can they save it, and if they can, should they?
== The Hybrid Prophecy ==
REWRITING
==Prologue==
==== DUST====
Six years ago…
Dust raced across the night sky, his wings beating frantically as he clenched an egg in his talons, close to his heaving chest. It was the SeaWing-NightWing hybrid’s egg, with a sparkling marble pattern covering it.
Something about the egg seemed wrong. It could have been the fact that the hatchling would be not only related to Prince Albatross, but also Darkstalker. Just the thought of the two powerful, evil dragons combined…it made him feel absolutely awful.
He had received the egg from Sunstone, who had flown it over The Sky Kingdom. Tidepool had given it to her after stealing it from the royal SeaWing hatchery in The Deep Palace, since she was the only one who could reach it. They traded off each egg on the journey back to Jade Mountain so it would lower the risk of them being caught or followed.
The thought reminded him to check for anyone following him. He glanced behind him at the empty—or what he hoped was empty—desert lit by the moons, and slowly began to calm.
At least, that was until he saw sand shifting. He knew that it couldn't just be the wind; there wasn’t any wind. A figure emerged from the ground, pouncing after Dust. His heart began to race again, his anxious eyes darting everywhere for a chance of escape.
The figure was catching up to him, but Dust flapped his wings again, shooting further into the desert. Jade Mountain was coming into view, its sharp double-peaks reaching into the sky, which melted from black, to purple, pink, orange, and yellow.
Almost there…Dust thought as he strained to keep flying. He looked at the figure again, and it was even closer. “AH!” He yelped, fumbling with the egg. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” It slipped out of his talons and went plummeting toward the dunes below.
He glided down, but wasn’t fast enough. Sand sprayed upward and into his eyes, momentarily blinding him. The disoriented SandWing tumbled to the desert under him. His body landed with a loud thud, knocking the air out of his lungs.
Dust gasped for breath and coughed before getting up shakily. He looked around for the egg, but it was nowhere to be found. No, no, no…Tidepool will kill me! He fretted, searching everywhere, but it was no use.
The egg was gone…and he had lost it.
Dust saw the figure again out of the corner of his eye. “ACK! Please don’t hurt me!” He begged them, but as they stepped out of the shadows, he saw it was only a fennec fox.
“W-what?” He breathed, his eyes wide. “J-just a fox? I lost the egg because of a fox?!” Dust yelped, looking around helplessly. After one last search for the egg he had lost, he hung his head and flew away. He sighed as he landed next to Jade Mountain, heading in.
Dust trudged to the boulder, which was a discreet passageway to the Underground Lake. He glanced around the corridors, making sure no one was watching, and knocked on the boulder with a secret knock combination.
The boulder slid open quietly, and he saw his NightWing friend standing in the doorway. “Stargazer—” Dust started, but Stargazer had already thrown his wings around Dust.
“Shh, Dust. Now come in.” The NightWing hushed. Dust did as he said and Stargazer slid the boulder back into place. He walked over to the other guardians, Dust trailing behind.
“Dust!” Tidepool growled. “Where have you been?! Where’s the egg? Did you lose it?!”
Dust flinched. “No. I mean yes! I mean—kind of…?”
“WHAT?! How do you expect The Hybrid Prophecy to be fulfilled WITHOUT THE TENTH HYBRID?!” She roared angrily.
“Wait, Dust, you don’t have the egg?” Kinkajou asked, peeking out from behind Tidepool while Stargazer, Sunstone, and Lynx exchanged concerned glances.
“I-I’m s-s-s-sorry…” He stuttered.
“So what if you’re sorry?” Tidepool was still furious. “How could you lose the egg?!”
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 1==
==== SUMMER====
Summer watched as Sunstone blasted a plume of flame directly at her. Summer was fast, though. She dodged the flare and slipped under Sunstone’s talons, causing the SkyWing guardian to fall over. Summer jumped up and pinned her down to the grassy floor, even though Sunstone would be able to push her off easily.
Dust had been watching them nervously, from the other side of the lake, fidgeting with his talons. Their NightWing guardian, Stargazer, was right behind him.
“Good.” Sunstone chuckled, getting up with Summer’s help. Her amber eyes glanced across the body of water, over at Dust and the others. “It looks like it’s time to eat.” She said, looking back down at Summer.
Summer followed her to where the other dragonets were eating. The two made their way around the stalagmites and trees that came from the cave ground. They then reached the boulder that kept them isolated from the outside world.
Their guardians had explained to them how they were surrounded by a school for dragonets from all tribes—Jade Mountain Academy. Summer had read guides to every tribe over and over again, and Stargazer had given the hybrids history lectures.
As Summer looked up, there were the fifteen dragons that she saw every day. Stargazer was talking to Dust, trying to calm him down, Kinkajou and Lynx were giggling together, Tidepool was picking fish bones out of her teeth, and Sunstone was approaching the group of odd dragonets with Summer behind her.
Whitesand was next to Beluga, the two eating largemouth bass while, near them, Wildfire and Phoenix devoured birds.
Summer walked away from them, passing Crystalline, Fortune, and Snowleopard. Snowleopard was slightly bigger than Fortune. Summer, despite being the first to hatch, was one of the smallest. She sat down next to Lotus, who was snacking on fruit.
Summer picked out a passion fruit and opened it. “Snowleopard, can you please pass me that cup of water?”
Snowleopard looked at Summer, then at the cup. “No.” She grumbled, continuing to bite off pieces of her goat leg.
Summer sighed, getting up. “Why are you always so grumpy?” She huffed, grabbing the wooden cup and bringing it back with her.
“I am not grumpy.” Snowleopard snapped, glaring at Summer with a cold stare.
“Yes, yes you are.” Summer said flatly, looking up at Snowleopard with a smug expression.
“Well, one day, I’ll be happy…when we’re out in the real world and not stuck living under a literal rock.” Snowleopard muttered under her breath, standing up to leave. The others stared at her, watching as she disappeared into a group of pine trees.
After everyone finished their meals, they each had their own things to do. The RainWing hybrids had suntime.
Summer flew off with Kinkajou, Lotus, and Wildfire. “Find a nice spot to sleep.” Kinkajou instructed. Summer settled atop a leafy tree branch. Sunlight poured out of the skylight, which was blocked with glass and enchanted to look like a pile of stones from the outside.
Summer spread her wings and let the sun soak in as she drifted off to sleep.
She dreamed of the Rainforest Kingdom, her home. She was gliding above the forest, maneuvering around the trees. She was able to fit through the twisted branches and tight tangles of leaves. The animal calls—baboons, birds, insects—formed a steady rhythm.
She flew down to an opening—a tranquil field with a river flowing through it. She landed and scooped up the water. She drank it from her talons and reached back to get more, when something began tugging on her claws. Something began pulling her down, further in to the river. She struggled to stay above the surface, digging her talons into the ground and clawing at a nearby tree.
But it was no use.
She lost her grip and slipped beneath the surface, sinking down, down, down…
She couldn’t see what was dragging her—everything was dark, pitch black. She tried to swim upwards, but to no avail. She couldn’t breathe, and her lungs were beginning to burn. She didn’t want to drown, she didn’t want to die.
“HELP! HELP ME!” She tried to scream, but it was muffled.
There was unbearable ringing in her ears—shrieking—and her heart beat like a thunderous drum. Pressure was all around her, threatening to squish her like a bug. Her mind was fuzzy—she couldn’t think clearly—everything was just a panicked, jumbled mess…
“Ah!” She jerked awake, panting, shaking. She began to calm down, back in reality. Just a dream…Just a dream…
“Are you okay?” A concerned voice asked from behind her. Summer turned to look and saw Wildfire peering over her, Lotus and Kinkajou beside him.
“Um, yeah…yeah. I’m fine.” Summer nodded, rubbing her forehead. “Just a bad dream.”
“That makes sense—you were yelping in your sleep.” Lotus said. “But you’re also having a, uh, vision.” She gestured to Summer’s scales, which were shifting into pictures.
Summer’s visions weren’t normal visions. Due to her RainWing hybridism, her visions were displayed on her scales. Whenever she got a vision, it was scrawled across her body for everyone to see, and she couldn’t control her scales. She figured it would get annoying if she ever had to hide in a life or death situation and her scales decided, Hmm, seems like a good time for a vision!
Summer was also in denial about having visions, because she didn’t want others to see.
“What? No, I’m not!” She shouted, glancing down at her scales frantically.
“Oh, stay still.” Lotus sighed.
Summer reluctantly did as she was told, grumbling. “Well? What is it?” She demanded irritably.
Lotus continued to watch the vision on Summer’s back. “It looks like us. We’re all flying out of this place. We have a map. We are flying somewhere in the Kingdom of Sand.”
Summer looked confused. “Strange…” She remarked as her scales faded back to her usual colors. “…that you would see that on my scales, I mean, because you don’t get hallucinations often. Weird. Have you had enough water lately?”
Lotus looked at her quizzically.
“Never mind that. You dragonets need to get to history class.” Kinkajou dismissed the subject, signaling for them to follow her down.
Summer jumped after her, gliding down with Lotus and Wildfire on either side of her. Why can’t I control my visions? Why do they have to be out there, for the rest of Pyrrhia to see? It’s great and all that they don’t hurt like normal NightWing visions would, but seriously?
When they landed on the ground, Lynx was waiting for them. All of the others had already arrived. “Sorry we’re late. Summer was having a vision.” She explained quietly.
And now they’re muttering about me. GREAT. Summer thought sarcastically.
“Oh?” Lynx’s ears pricked in interest. “What was it of?”
“I think it was the hybrids flying away from the mountain. They had some sort of map and looked scared—like they were being chased or something.” Kinkajou whispered. .
“Well…I’m sure it’s nothing. Dust can worry about it for us, right?” Lynx offered.
“Yeah.” Kinkajou said, stepping to the side.
Lynx turned back to the dragonets. “Alright, let’s begin. Today is a very special day! Do any of you know why it is special?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Because today, we have decided to show you the map of where we found your eggs!” She pulled off a rag from the cave wall and revealed a map with red circles scattered all over it.
“Who wants to go first?” Almost every dragonet raised their talon. Lynx snorted. “Okay, how about we go from oldest to youngest? Summer?”
Summer got up and walked to the front of the cave, standing in front of the map. “You were found right…here.” Lynx pointed to a red circle in the rainforest next to Queen Glory’s pavilion.
Summer nodded. “Okay.” She replied. Makes sense. She thought, walking back to the rest of the group.
“Wildfire, here.” She pointed to another circle in the RainWing village.
“Snowleopard, here.” One of the more remote outposts in the Ice Kingdom.
“Phoenix, here.” A small village in the Kingdom of Sand—known as the Blackthorn Foothills.
“Crystalline, here.” Queen Snowfall’s castle—the IceWing castle.
“Lotus, here.” The Rainforest Kingdom again. After Kinkajou found out that her egg—Lotus—would be in the prophecy, she volunteered for guardian.
“Fortune, Whitesand, here.” They had both been found in a cave between Jade Mountain and the Scorpoin Den.
“Beluga, here.” The Arctic sea, a freezing northern sea near the Ice Kingdom.
After that, they spent most of the day reviewing the prophecy and working on defensive training. Soon, the sun sank below the horizon.
“Come, dragonets!” Sunstone called. The hybrids flew to her, and found her and the other guardians in the large entrance cave next to the boulder. “Okay, all of you face the boulder and sit in neat rows.” She instructed. Summer didn’t know what was going on, and from the confused looks from the other hybrids, they didn’t either.
They did as they were told, sitting down and watching the boulder. Stargazer stood by the boulder, listening for something.
There was a knock. He pushed aside the boulder to reveal a small adult NightWing with dark purple scales.
“MOON!” Kinkajou screeched, crushing the dragon with a hug. “You’re here!”
“C…can’t breathe—” Moon choked out, her eyes bulging.
“Whoops,” Kinkajou let go of the NightWing, who collapsed on the floor. “Heheh, sorry.”
Moonwatcher gasped for breath and coughed, getting back up and brushing off her wings. “Um, it’s…it’s, uh, okay.”
“So…these are the Hybrids of Hope.” Kinkajou gestured to the dragonets.
“There’s…how many of them?” Moonwatcher asked.
“Nine.” Kinkajou replied.
“BUT,” Tidepool continued loudly, “there’s SUPPOSED to be ten. We have NINE because Dust here LOST ONE.”
Dust looked away guiltily. Tidepool brought up the missing dragonet multiple times a day. She was the kind of dragon that didn’t easily forgive others, and could hold a grudge for eternity. Unlike most, Summer admired her fierceness—even if she was a little petty.
“Oh…” Moon took a moment to process the information. “Well…do we know what happened to the egg after that?”
“No,” Tidepool answered. “But it’s probably DEAD.”
“Well, let’s not jump to conclusions—” Sunstone said.
“Yeah, I don’t think it died.” Lynx added.
“That’s because you never think anything died!” Tidepool argued.
“It’s probably not dead, actually!” Moon blurted. Everyone else turned to her, awaiting an explanation. “Because i-if it was…it would be in the prophecy…and…you know…” she trailed off.
“See, Tidepool? PROBABLY not dead!” Kinkajou said with a smug grin.
“I think we’re getting a little off-track here.” Stargazer intervened before Tidepool could shout anything else.
“Yes…where were we?” Moonwatcher sighed.
Stargazer blinked at her. “You were just about to introduce yourself to the hybrids.”
“Right,” Moon turned back to the group of dragonets. “So…um…hi? I’m Moonwatcher, but you can call me Moon…I, uh, was the NightWing who had the Hybrid Prophecy…and I don’t really know what else to, erm, say.”
She stood there in awkward silence before Stargazer spoke up again; “How about you assess the hybrids?” He suggested.
“O-Okay.” She moved towards Summer, her dull claws clicking on the groundas she walked. “May I?”
“Uh…Sure?” Summer replied skeptically. Why is this weird ‘Moon’ dragon looking at me? Whatever. I'm ready to fight her if she does anything.
Moon started to study her. Summer felt slightly self-conscious as the other dragon scanned her scales. After a few moments, the NightWing stopped in front of her with a crooked grin. “You seem all good…but you’re kind of small. Are you eating enough? I mean, not that you’re sickly, just…you know, small.”
was slightly offended by the comment. Says the small adult NightWing. She almost scoffed, but replied. “I’m eating fine. I’m a normal RainWing vegetarian.”
“Oh,” Moon said. “Okay, then, um…make sure to eat plenty of spinach and potatoes for the protein, since you’re not eating meat. Other than that, nothing seems bad.”
Summer gave a slight nod, and Moonwatcher moved on to Wildfire. The NightWing didn’t notice anything extremely wrong with them, so it moved along rather quickly. After she had evaluated each hybrid, she walked back to the guardians.
They murmured a few things to each other before Stargazer turned to the hybrids. “Alright, you all can go to sleep now. We’ll discuss some things with Moon and tell you anything we need to in the morning.”
The dragonets nodded and scattered in different directions. Summer flew over to a tree branch, settling down and closing her eyes.
She was half-asleep when she heard a squabble coming from below.
She looked around and flapped to the ground, searching for the direction of which it was coming from. It seemed to be louder near the room where Stargazer gave the Hybrids history lectures. She approached the room, pressing her ear against the sliding stone door.
She heard a muffled argument.
“Why do you have to be this way?” A voice—Moonwatcher, it sounded like—asked.
“Like what? I’m just saying we should rethink our plan about raising the Hybrids of Hope. Where’s the harm in that?!” Kinkajou shouted back.
“It’s too late, Kinkajou. We’ve been sticking to the same plan for six years, why rethink it now?” Moon protested.
“Well, what if it’s the wrong plan?!” Summer could detect anger in the RainWing’s voice.
“I…I…” Moonwatcher sighed. “The prophecy will sort itself—”
“When will you stop with the ‘prophecy will sort itself out’ nonsense? Are you just saying that to avoid responsibility? Because you’re afraid to screw up?” Kinkajou questioned.
Silence.
“Moon,” Kinkajou said again in a calmer voice. “If you are, it’s okay. Everyone’s scared sometimes. But you can’t just do nothing and leave the sake of the world to a bunch of words you heard in your head.”
“They’re not just a bunch of words!” Moon cried. “It’s a prophecy—a real prophecy! Whatever we do is supposed to happen!”
Kinkajou yelled in frustration. “Why are you so difficult?!”
Talonsteps drew nearer to the stone door, and Summer became panicked. She ran to the other side of the wall and camouflaged, hoping no one would see her.
After a second, Kinkajou walked out of the room, her scales an angry red with orange swirls of irritation.
The RainWing guardian soon stormed off, and Summer flew back to her tree. Kinkajou, angry? Moonwatcher was being difficult, I’ll give her that…But why? They were arguing about us—about rethinking their plan to raise us.
…But what exactly is that plan?
(!!EVERYTHING BELOW IS OUTDATED!!)
==Chapter 2==
==== WILDFIRE====
Wildfire woke up with the sun glaring in his eyes. A few of the others were already awake. He got up from his tree branch and glided down, snatching a bird and slowly walking over to the others. 
Crystal looked at Phoenix, who was also padding over. “Good morning, Phoenix. You look tired.” She remarked. Phoenix nodded. 
“Good morning, Wildfire! Did you hear the ghost last night?” Summer asked Wildfire curiously, curling her prehensile tail around her small talons.
“Yeah. I still wonder who’s ghost it is.” Wildfire said, chewing the bird thoughtfully.
Summer grimaced at the bird. “And I still wonder why you all love meat so much. Fruit is much better.” Phoenix and Crystal sighed. 
“I sometimes eat fruit; I just balance it out with more meat than you.” Wildfire offered. “I think it’s nice how you like to eat fruit and spare the animals.” 
Summer smiled. “Thanks, Wildfire.” She said cheerfully, brushing his wing with hers.
Wildfire blushed a little, but it was barely noticeable. Does she know that I like her? Does she like me back? 
Siren and Snowleopard stalked over to the group, and Lotus joined soon after. They had all heard the ghost. 
“Are you sure there’s a ghost?” Dust asked, fidgeting anxiously. 
“Stop being so paranoid. I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for the dragonets hearing songs at night. Maybe it’s just a student outside the lake.” Sunstone told him dismissively. 
Wildfire saw Dust look around nervously until his eyes landed on Siren. She glared back at him and bared her sharp fangs. Dust hid behind Sunstone. 
“What is going on with you two?” She turned to face Dust. He mumbled and stuttered. Sunstone sighed. 
“What are you thinking about? Whatever you are, you need to stop.” Tidepool said, glaring at him. “Stop playing the victim and grow up! No one likes you being scared and weak all of the time. Do you think you’re setting a good example for the hybrids?!”
Dust whimpered and looked from her to Siren. They both growled. Summer rolled her eyes. “Stop making them angry, you’re just making it worse. Go stretch your wings or something.” She said in an annoyed tone. Dust quickly scampered off and passed through the boulder when Stargazer moved it for him. 
“Finally, I can get a break from that dragon. He can act younger than The Hybrids.” Tidepool said crossly. 
“Don’t be so mean. He’s just nervous.” Kinkajou warned. 
Tidepool scoffed. Kinkajou sighed like she was thinking; It was worth a shot. Everyone else had woken up and eaten. Wildfire had to go to lessons for fire with Seamount, Phoenix, Fortune, Snowleopard, Heatseeker, and Crystal. Everyone called her Crystal, because Crystalline was too long. When they arrived at the cave, Dust, Sunstone, and Stargazer were waiting for them. “Today we will work on aim.” Sunstone announced.  
Okay. It would be good to improve that, I guess. Wildfire thought. 
“This is a skill everyone needs, and you will still need some type of self defense to prepare for the completion prophecy.” Sunstone said. Everyone stared at Sunstone, waiting for her to start.
“Okay, first things first, we are going to do an easy warm-up.” Sunstone said, bursting a plume of flame at Phoenix, who was talking in a low whisper to Crystal. “And you need to listen to know what to do.” She looked down at him. 
“What?! Oh, fine!” Phoenix said, clearly confused. Since he was talking to Crystal, he must have not been listening and didn’t know what Sunstone wanted him to do. Phoenix lunged forward and shot fire at Sunstone, but missed by a claw. He went plummeting toward the ground, but, thankfully, Sunstone caught him before he could be injured.
“Okay, now that’s done, we will get on with the lesson. Aim is a skill you must learn, not an ability you are born with, so it’s not the most natural thing that a dragon can acquire.” Sunstone said, tapping her claws on the smooth stone floor. 
Dust brought out a target, covered in rusty old armor and trembling with fear. “Do I have to do this?” He asked, looking around at all of the Hybrid’s staring faces. “C-can’t Tidepool do it?” 
Wildfire always wondered what Dust had against the Hybrids. Did he do something to be guilty about, and why is he so paranoid and scared about everything?
Sunstone laughed. “You wish Tidepool could do everything for you. She’s teaching the SeaWing hybrids; she can’t be in a class for fire.” Wildfire looked at Dust’s face. Dust was glancing at Snowleopard’s large claws, which were twitching, and he didn’t seem to know if she was doing it on purpose or she was annoyed. 
“My aim is already amazing!” Phoenix huffed, puffing out his chest and ginning at Crystal. Wildfire snorted at his claim.
“If you are so confident about your aim, then why don’t you demonstrate?” Sunstone suggested, knowing his aim would have flaws.
“I would love to.” Phoenix stated proudly as he walked up. “But I’m not so sure that Dust would.” He stood next to Sunstone and glared up at her. 
“Dust won’t mind.” Sunstone told Phoenix dismissively. Dust made a horror-stricken face, as if wanting to shout, Yes, I would mind very much! “Now, go ahead with your demonstration.” She continued, not giving Dust a single glance.
“Of course.” Phoenix dramatically took a breath in—Wildfire thought it was a bit too dramatic—and blew out a plume of flame. 
The fire shot off towards Dust, hitting the right side of the target, along with Dust’s pale wing. 
“AHH!” Dust screamed, falling to the ground as he dropped the target and put a talon on his burnt limb. “OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!”
Phoenix backed away, his eyes wide with fear. “Oh, no…” He whispered breathlessly.
Stargazer rushed to Dust. “Are you okay?!” 
“It hurts…” Dust winced, his eyes closed.
“Tidepool!” Sunstone called. “This is why you shouldn’t be overconfident.” She said to Phoenix sternly, loud enough for the whole group of dragonets to hear. 
Tidepool came into the cave, angry. “What is it now?” She asked through gritted teeth. 
“Phoenix’s aim was off and he burnt Dust’s wing.” Wildfire replied before anyone else could.
“That’s not my problem.” Tidepool snorted disapprovingly. 
“Tidepool, please? Just get water; that’s all you have to do.” Stargazer pleaded.
“Fine.” Tidepool grumbled, leaving the cave’s entrance. She returned with a pot of cold water, pouring half of it on Dust’s wing.
“Does it still hurt?” Stargazer asked Dust, genuinely concerned.
“It’s better, but it’s still smoldering.” Dust replied. “You see, that could have killed me!” He fretted to Sunstone as Tidepool swatted at his wing to make the burn on it go away.
“I swear on Pyrrhia, if you don’t shut your mouth, you won’t even be able to complain soon.” Tidepool growled as she wiped the burn more vigorously, her claws very visible to Dust. “And they are just dragonets, what’s the most that they could do?” Tidepool continued to be annoyed, but Wildfire knew that they were more than “just dragonets” to Dust. 
Dust looked away in shame as Tidepool poured cold water over his wing. He flinched. “Okay, okay, a-are you d-d-done yet?” He stuttered, shaking the water off his wing.
“YES, I AM, stupid!” Tidepool barked, flaring her wings. She stormed out of the cave, going back to her class with the SeaWing hybrids. 
Sunstone continued to talk and demonstrate how to correctly aim firebreath, though the lesson was over shortly. Wildfire bounded out of the cave, searching for Summer. He spotted her cornflower blue scales gliding down to meet him. 
“Wildfire!” Summer grinned. “My venom is super dangerous now, beware.” She whispered sarcastically.
Wildfire laughed, smiling back. “Phoenix hit Dust with his fire after claiming that it was, ‘already amazing.’ ” He quoted Phoenix in a haughty tone.
“Ha!” Summer snorted. “He seriously said that? I’m guessing he wanted to impress Crystal again.”
“Yes, he was. You should have seen his face when he hit Dust. We were all somewhat…horrified…” Wildfire stared past Summer for a moment, flashing back to the moment.
“Hey, Wildfire? Are you alright?” Summer wondered, concerned.
“Me? I’m fine.” Wildfire looked back at Summer, focusing his attention on her. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh…no reason!” Summer said, seeming cheerful and innocent. “Anyways, do you want to race?” She asked Wildfire competitively, changing the subject.
“Of course.” Wildfire said, launching himself into the air and landing on a tree branch. His bright orange talons stood out from the vibrant, yellow-green leaves which he stood on.
Summer caught up, landing next to him. “Are you ready?”
“I was hatched ready.” Wildfire stated, prepared to jump forward just as he saw Summer lifting off. She was smaller than him, which made her lightweight, but she had the wings of a RainWing, which meant they were made for maneuvering through trees and making quick turns, but not flying fast in open air.
Wildfire took off as soon as Summer did. His wings were large and SkyWing-like. They allowed him to fly forward with sudden bursts of speed. He and Summer were flying at the same rate, and he slowed himself down slightly. He always let Summer win in their races. He wanted her to be joyful, but she was smaller than most of the others. Wildfire had noticed that she always felt like she needed to prove herself. He figured that if he let her win their races, then it would make her feel better.
Summer touched down on the tree branch again. “And I win again.” She declared smugly. Wildfire descended onto the tree branch, next to her. The branch swung back and swayed slightly as he rested on it.
“Wildfire?” Summer glanced at him, her jade green eyes staring into his.
“Yes, Summer?” Wildfire responded, suddenly feeling grave.
“I—” Summer’s gaze flickered away. “I had the vision again.” She whispered shakily.
“Oh, Summer…” Wildfire said sympathetically, putting a talon on her shoulder. Not the vision again. Poor Summer. Why does it keep reoccurring? “What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know yet. When I can even get to sleep, I have nightmares of fighting dragons…and screaming and…death…” Summer said distantly.
“Is there anything else?” Wildfire asked her gently, not trying to pressure her.
“I…don’t think so…” Summer looked away thoughtfully. “Oh! There’s also a…a voice. Just like the ghost.” She added profoundly.
“Then the ghost must be important…” Wildfire said, half to himself. What role could the ghost play in all this? Maybe we need to defeat them in order to find the AllWings.
“I…I also need to tell you a secret, Wildfire. Do you promise not to tell anyone?” Summer whispered.
“I promise.” Wildfire nodded reassuringly.
Summer sighed, keeping her voice low. “Good. It’s just that—”
“Dragonets! It’s time for history class!” Sunstone called.
“We have to go.” Summer said, diving off the tree branch and landing in the history cave. Wildfire followed her, sitting down on the grassy carpet that covered the ground. Lotus and Summer talked—but Wildfire paid no attention to what they were saying—as the rest of The Hybrids filed in.
Stargazer went to the front of the cave. “Today, we will be reviewing how the Great Accusation started and what each tribe thought of it.” He paused. “I will begin now.” He opened an old-looking, dirty scroll. “Pyrrhia was finally at peace, now with the knowledge of the Pantalan tribes and continent. It was a clear night with one moon full, one moon half, and one moon crescent when…Moonwatcher had The Hybrid Prophecy. She told Queen Glory and the NightWings, having no idea what it meant. When they realized that the three moons had to be full, they knew that it had not been even close to a century since The Dragonet Prophecy had happened fairly recently. With this, she asked an Animus NightWing to enchant the three moons into the correct position so that they would be full on the night you all hatched. The Prophecy was told to the rest of Pyrrhia, causing rumors and theories to spread along with it. Soon, the tribes began accusing each other of who was hiding the AllWings and their to-be Queen, or at least knew of their whereabouts.”
Wildfire watched him intently, waiting for him to continue.
“This is where we get to how each tribe reacted.” Stargazer stated. “The RainWings wished to remain pacifists and tried to convince the others to solve it peacefully. However, it did not work, and few RainWings were killed trying to stop the fighting. The NightWings urged them to fight, but they wouldn’t. The MudWings went into hiding, trying to protect themselves from everyone else. The SkyWings dropped dragonflame cactus on cities of the other tribes, similar to the bombing of the old SeaWing Summer Palace, years ago. The SeaWings charged into battle, and lost many of the SeaWing princes, who were the Queen’s brothers. The SandWings formed secret groups and did many things that had been outlawed since Queen Thorn was occupied with the war and trying to keep her tribe safe. The IceWings fought their neighboring tribes, but remained more defensive than offensive.” He finished, closing the scroll.
“Any questions?” Sunstone asked. The group was silent in return. “Then, you are all dismissed. Head to sleep. We have another full day of lessons tomorrow.”
The Hybrids scattered out of the History cave, finding their usual places to sleep. Wildfire flapped up to a ledge covered in leaves, laying down and resting his head.
Summer never told me her secret…He thought groggily as he fell asleep, everything fading to black.
==Chapter 3==
==== PHOENIX====
“Shut out the sun, don’t try to run; you’re consumed in the dark…”
What?! Phoenix snapped awake, his eyes opening suddenly. He raised his head, looking around. It was still dark, the starlight shining down on on his bright orange scales.
“This all started with one small spark…” A melodic voice whispered, sending shivers down Phoenix’s spine.
It must be the ghost…Phoenix glanced around worriedly. I can finally catch them! Wait, can ghosts touch dragons who are still alive? Will I even be able to see them? He peered down at the ground below the ledge with his golden eyes.
“Oooooh, oooooh, there’s no chance of escape, now…Oooooh, oooooh, it’s your time, to me you bow…”
So…beautiful…Phoenix thought, almost as if he were hypnotized, he jumped off the ledge, spreading his large, fiery wings and gliding down to the shore of the Underground Lake.
“I’m your Queen, but I’m a monster…”
Phoenix shivered again in fear. That voice…it’s so…so gorgeous, yet so frightening at the same time…He shook his head as if to clear it. His mind was rather foggy. I need…to find…the ghost. Phoenix took a step away from the water, his breath sharp for an unknown reason.
“There’s simply something you can’t conster…”
Phoenix grimaced. I hate this feeling. His heart was racing at that point. He walked quietly, but in a skittish manner, whipping his head all around the cave. He had never been more afraid in his life. Why am I so scared? There’s something really wrong with this ghost…
“But I’m your worst nightmare…”
Apparently so…Phoenix thought ruefully, his fearful eyes glancing behind him. He ruffled his wings, keeping them close to his body and appearing slightly smaller than he actually was.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…You’re in great despair, oh…”
Is the ghost narrating my life now? Phoenix quivered, his eyes wide. I’m glad Crystal and the others aren’t awake, so I don’t have to try and act like I’m not scared. He turned around, going back to the lakeside and surveying the dark blue water, which was sparkling in the moonlight.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…The spark turned into a flare, oh…”
There’s nothing in the lake. Phoenix sighed shakily, but as he turned away, he saw something move in the corner of his eye. Something was…glowing. The ghost. He shuddered as he heard a splash in the water behind him.
“Look into the burning flame of my eyes…Look at your broken life, built on lies…”
Phoenix slowly and warily turned around to face the ghost. He heard another, smaller splash, as he looked into the water and beneath it’s rippling, reflective surface.
Glowing eyes suddenly appeared in the dark lake.
“AH!” Phoenix screamed, but stopped himself. I can’t wake anyone up. I can’t scare the ghost away. I need to be quiet…He panted.
A dark figure rose from the water, imposing and mysterious. “Screaming is no use, no solution for abuse…”
“W-who a-a-are you-u?” Phoenix managed to say, fighting his fear. “Who are you?” He said again, not wanting to seem cowardly.
“Don’t you know?” Their voice hissed.
Phoenix shook his head quickly before he jumped up and tried to barrel into the ghost dragon. They slipped away, turned, and smacked his head. His vision went blurry before he fell down on the side of the lake.
And he slipped into nothingness.
“Phoenix! Phoenix, wake up! Come on...”
Phoenix groaned tiredly. My head hurts so bad... He thought to himself as he turned over.
“Thank the moons that you’re alive! Now, wake up!” Smooth and tender talons shook his side.
“Hmm?” Phoenix grumbled, opening his eyes. “What is—” He said as he sat up. “Crystal!” He exclaimed happily as he saw her. It’s Crystal! He felt something cold lapping at his tail and hind legs. “Ahh!” He yelped, snatching his lower body out of the water.
“Phoenix, why are you over here?” Crystalline asked. “Why are you sleeping here instead of on your ledge?”
“Oh, last night, I woke up because I heard the ghost singing, so I flew down here, but then they knocked me out.” Phoenix explained. “I was very brave to go and face the ghost, though.” He added quickly.
“Very brave.” Crystal laughed lightheartedly, smiling. “Anyways, get up. We need to go to class.”
“Right.” Phoenix nodded, rising to his talons. He and Crystalline walked to the rest of the Hybrids.
“So, what happened to him?” Heatseeker came up to Crystal, gesturing to Phoenix with Bellflower behind him.
“I’m right here, you know.” Phoenix muttered to himself.
Crystal glanced back at Phoenix before answering Heatseeker. “He saw the ghost last night, but they knocked him unconscious—”
“The ghost? Who’s talking about the ghost? What’s going on?!” Summer barreled through the group.
Phoenix sighed. Do I really have to tell this to everyone individually? “I was knocked out by the ghost—”
Summer interrupted him. “Really? I didn’t even know that was possible. Wait, why did the ghost even knock you out?” Most of The Hybrids were watching Phoenix.
“Don’t ask me.” Phoenix muttered, shrugging his wings.
“Did you do something to provoke them?”
“I don’t know; all I did was fly down and ask them who they were.”
“Ouch, that bruise is sort of bad.” Beluga said, poking Phoenix’s bruised scales in awe.
Phoenix swatted Beluga’s talon away. “Then stop poking it!” Smoke began to spill out of his nostrils.
Crystal nudged his side gently, looking into his eyes with her amber pair. “He’s little. Don’t take it personally.” She whispered in his ear, stifling a laugh. Phoenix sighed, but calmed down.
“When are you dragonets going to get to class?!” Tidepool’s voice bellowed.
Bellflower glanced at her, wide-eyed. “We were planning to go there—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses! Get over here!” Tidepool shouted irritably.
Yikes. Tidepool is angry...Phoenix glanced at Crystal before heading over to the small island in the middle of the lake. I don’t want to get on her bad side. Well, myself specifically. Crystal followed him as the others trailed behind.
“Stargazer caught live animals for you to practice hunting with today. Start with the smaller ones and then work your way up to the larger ones. If we see you doing something wrong, we will talk to you and correct it. Nothing new.” Sunstone told the group. “Does everyone understand?” Phoenix nodded with some of the others. “Then get started.”
“Do you want to catch rabbits with me?” Crystal asked Phoenix.
“Of course.” He replied. The two looked around, scanning the little island for the prey. Phoenix heard a rustle in the bushes. He whipped his head around to face the foliage, straining to listen. Beluga suddenly stumbled out of the bushes. What a let down. He sighed unsatisfactorily.
“I found one! Come on.” Crystal grabbed him by the wing and dragged him over to a tree. “There it is…” She said quietly, watching the base of the tree intently.
“Where…is it, exactly?” Phoenix whispered to her, confused.
“It’s right there—by the tree’s roots.” Crystal murmured.
“Oh…” Phoenix realized where the rabbit was. It had a soft-looking gray-brown pelt and beady black eyes. It’s pale pink nose twitched before it found a large leaf and began to nibble on it.
Crystal eyed it, quietly preparing herself to pounce. Phoenix did the same, but stepped on a fallen log, which cracked. “Oh, no—” The rabbit perked up, raising its ears alertly. Crystal jumped onto the rabbit, but it slipped out of her talons. “I got it!” Phoenix yelled, attempting to catch the rabbit running in his direction. At the last moment, the small mammal doubled back and ran away.
Crystal smirked at Phoenix. “You ‘got it,’ huh?”
“I—didn’t get it.” Phoenix looked down, not making eye contact with Crystal. “Sorry.” He mumbled.
“It’s fine. How about we try an ostrich?” Crystal suggested.
“Sure.” Phoenix agreed. “I think they would be by the sand since they live in the desert. Maybe we can find one drinking water from the lake.” He ducked his head under a few tree branches, making his way through the greenery to get to the lakeside. Crystal was right behind him. “Do you see anything?”
“Hmm…” She searched the beach for any kind of prey. “No, but there’s a big fish.” She sprung into the shallow freshwater, piercing a claw through a large bass and killing it.
“Nice!” Phoenix grinned before seeing something move in the corner of his eye. “There’s an ostrich…” He whispered to himself, bounding to the large and flightless bird. It squawked and kicked him. “Ow.” Phoenix hissed and snapped it’s neck. The animal’s body went limp and it’s eyes glazed over, lifeless. He felt a pang of guilt, but shoved it aside. It’s just a bird. I’m a dragon. I have to kill animals and eat them to survive. He told himself, but a small voice in the back of his head added; Even if that’s all it wanted to do…
“You caught an ostrich! Good.” Crystalline said to Phoenix, padding over and dragging two bass with her.
“Regroup at the stalagmite!” Tidepool called.
“We’d better go. Pick up your ostrich.” Crystal told Phoenix, picking up the bass by their tailfins, her teeth digging into the fish slightly. Phoenix bit the ostrich’s back, carrying it to the guardians alongside Crystal.
“Eat your prey.” Sunstone told The Hybrids.
“And while you’re doing that, I’ll be telling you what happened when each of you hatched!” Lynx announced, unrolling a scroll.
“Well, this should be interesting.” Phoenix muttered to Crystal, half sarcastically, taking a bite out of his ostrich.
“I’m going to change up the order today and start with the youngest hybrid, Siren. Siren, as you all know, was hatched last, so there was some suspense. Dust was really paranoid about her egg, since Tidepool got her from the royal hatchery, making her a descendant of both Albatross and Darkstalker. Two scavengers ran into the room shortly after, and you dragonets tried to play with them, but Siren killed them. That’s part of how Tidepool came up with the name for our beautiful little hunter!” Lynx exclaimed, nudging Siren lightly with her wing. Siren’s face seemed blank, like she was lost in thought, but Dust flinched, uncomfortable.
“Then there’s Beluga. Beluga’s egg was abandoned by his parents because it was deformed and they thought he wouldn’t survive. The Talons of Peace found his egg floating in the Arctic Sea and took it. We later found out that he was part of the prophecy, so we placed him with the rest of you. When he hatched, he tumbled out of his egg, but Seamount caught him before he could get hurt.” Lynx paused. “Seamount’s egg was found in an underground volcano, so his name was easy to choose. He was very fast and energetic when he was little, and he’s even faster now!”
Phoenix glanced over at Seamount, who was eating a Sturgeon, which was the fastest freshwater fish.
“Fortune’s egg was found buried in the sand by the Old Night Kingdom. After she hatched, she immediately became protective of you all. She’ll keep you safe when you have to go out and fulfill the prophecy.” Lynx smiled warmly at Fortune, who returned the gesture. “Heatseeker was obsessed with fire and heat, so his name isn’t ironic. Bellflower liked her scales as a light purple, so we named her after the color flower that can survive in the cold. Fennec, Shoreline, and Whitesand hatched almost at the same time and quickly became friends. Lotus had pretty, calming pastel scales that reminded Kinkajou of lotus flowers that floated in the rainforest’s streams, and that’s how she got her name. Snowleopard looked just like the arctic wild cat we named her after. Crystalline has transparent scales and horns like crystals, so her name describes her decently. Phoenix and Crystal became quick friends, as well.”
Yeah…just friends. The others have gotten suspicious about us, but Crystal covers it up. Phoenix thought, chewing more of his prey.
“Ha! They’re way more than just friends!” Summer snorted.
“What are you talking about?! Phoenix is gross.” Crystal said, like she always said, rolling her eyes.
“Hey, hey; don’t fight.” Lynx sighed. “As I was saying, Wildfire hatched after Summer, and the two are also good friends.”
“I assume you all have finished eating, so it’s off to self-defense class!” Sunshine interrupted.
Phoenix downed the rest of his ostrich and went to the designated self-defense area. The entire floor of the area was padded with grass, leaves, mushrooms, and flowers. Stalagmites shot out of the ground rigidly, forming a circle known as the fighting ring.
“D-d-do we h-have to do self-defense class-s?” Dust stuttered.
“Of course we do! We need a way to protect ourselves from danger! Come on, it will be fun.” Kinkajou cheered, bouncing over.
“I don’t know…” Dust muttered as she passed him.
“I promise you won’t get hurt.” Stargazer said gently, brushing Dust’s wing with his.
“Who wants to volunteer for the demonstration?” Sunshine asked, perched atop one of the stalagmites.
“I will.” Snowleopard declared, stepping up.
“Alright, I think you know how this works now.” Sunshine said, jumping off the stalagmite and preparing herself, opposite of Snowleopard.
“Of course.” Snowleopard answered, fixing her position into a battle stance.
“Claws up…fire ready…fight!” Tidepool roared.
Snowleopard sprung towards Sunstone with her claws outstretched. Sunstone rolled to the side, dodging Snowleopard and kicking up dirt.
Dust watched nervously. “A-are you s-s-sure that-t this is safe?”
“They’ll be fine.” Stargazer reassured him, his eyes still locked on the demonstration.
Sunstone hopped on top of Snowleopard and managed to pin her down, but Snowleopard ultimately overpowered her, pushing Sunstone off and trapping her. Sunstone struggled to get out, breathing fire at Snowleopard’s face. Snowleopard ducked her head to the side, missing the flame, but allowing Sunstone to free herself.
Sunstone and Snowleopard struggled for a while, attempting to claw at and burn each other. They rolled around inside the fighting ring, a fuming ball of fury.
Snowleopard barreled into Sunstone, knocking her into a stalagmite, but Sunstone grunted from the impact and shoved Snowleopard into another one of the large, claw-shaped rocks protruding from the ground. Snowleopard quickly recovered from the blow and pinned Sunstone down again, ready to slit her throat.
“And Snowleopard wins!” Tidepool shouted.
“I still don’t think this is safe. They were fighting! They could have killed each other! Do you know how dangerous that is?” Dust fretted in a low whisper.
“Calm down. It’s alright, see?” Stargazer gestured to Snowleopard getting off Sunstone and helping her up. “No one is going to be killing each other.”
I wish that were true. What about the ghost? What about the armies of soldiers that are actually battling each other every day for this prophecy? Phoenix questioned in his mind.
“Tidepool, Phoenix, you’re up next.” Sunstone said, weaving her way out of the fighting ring.
“Finally, I get to fight someone!” Tidepool muttered to herself, entering the fighting ring.
Phoenix warily stepped inside and sighed. Why me? Now I have to try to impress everybody AGAIN.
“Claws up…teeth ready…fight!” Sunstone bellowed.
Tidepool ran to Phoenix at a high speed. AHH! He was not prepared for it, and miraculously dodged at the last second. Phoenix didn’t know what to do, deciding that he should blow fire at her since he had a long range, but she ran to the side and pounced on him. Phoenix’s legs gave out and he collapsed under Tidepool’s weight. She scratched his back with her claws, but of course that wouldn’t give him scars. “Ow!” Phoenix shook her off and jumped on Tidepool’s underbelly, knocking the wind out of her. He sucked a breath in to blow fire at her, but she pushed him to the ground again, holding his neck in a choking position.
“Tidepool wins!” Sunstone declared. Tidepool let Phoenix go and they both got out of the fighting ring.
Dust was even more paranoid at that point—more paranoid then Phoenix had ever seen. “This is wrong and—and dangerous and we shouldn’t be doing it! Why are we fighting with them? Why are we teaching them how to fight? Are we raising prophecy dragonets or assassins?!” He cried out.
“Dust, it’s alright. Just one more round and then we’ll be done, okay?” Stargazer put his wing around Dust, comforting the anxious SandWing. Dust panted, curling up.
“Now you and Siren go.” Tidepool said to Sunstone, rolling her eyes at Dust.
“Alright.” Sunstone replied, giving Dust a concerned glance. Both she and Siren entered the fighting ring on opposite sides.
“Claws up…teeth ready…fight!” Tidepool shouted.
Sunstone ran to Siren, but Siren slipped out of the way at the last moment, causing Sunstone to hit her face on a stalagmite. Sunstone grunted and shook her head as if to clear it, but Siren had already leaped on top of her and wrestled the SkyWing to the ground. Sunstone tried to shake Siren off, but Siren dug her claws into Sunstone’s scales to keep her on the ground. Sunstone got up, but Siren slammed her to on the floor and was ready to slit her throat.
“And Siren—” Tidepool started.
“Stop it!” Dust roared at The Hybrids. “Stop it, all of you! And you…” He pointed a shaking claw at Siren. “…You need to DIE!”
==Chapter 4==
==== CRYSTALLINE====
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 5==
===SNOWLEOPARD===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 6==
===LOTUS===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 7==
===WHITESAND===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 8==
===FORTUNE===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 9==
===BELUGA===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 10==
===SIREN===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 11==
===SUMMER===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 12==
===WILDFIRE===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 13==
===PHOENIX===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 14==
===CRYSTALLINE===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 15==
===SNOWLEOPARD===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 16==
===LOTUS===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 17==
===WHITESAND===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 18==
===FORTUNE===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 19==
===BELUGA===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 20==
===SIREN===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 21==
===SUMMER===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 22==
===WILDFIRE===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 23==
===PHOENIX===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 24==
===CRYSTALLINE===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 25==
===SNOWLEOPARD===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 26==
===LOTUS===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 27==
===WHITESAND===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 28==
===FORTUNE===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 29==
===BELUGA===
(More flying in soon!)
==Chapter 30==
===SIREN===
(More flying in soon!)
==Epilogue==
===DUST===
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Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Alternate Universes
Category:Mature Content
Category:Genre (Romance)
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Genre (Prophecy)
Category:Content (Siren the night-sea)
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