Arkose Falling

This fanfiction continues directly after Staring Death In The Face.
It precedes Risen From Ruins and Destroyed Faith
By BobDafish
Minor blood/gore warning
== Prologue ==
Arkose lay open the throne room floor, bleeding. He couldn't believe that he was in this situation. All that he wanted to do was find his daughter, but here he was, bleeding out on the floor. Queen Tufa and Siltstone had left the room to attend a meeting, so Arkose was left for dead on the ground. Some dragons, he would soon learn, are willing to sacrifice themselves to help others.
"WHAT THE...!", screamed an alarmed SandWing who happened to be walking by and had looked into the thronre room. All that Arkose could do was cry and moan, and the other dragon came close to him. He realized the wounds he had sustained, and he applied pressure to them.
"I can't just let you die here. I need to help you. You're lucky that all of the soldiers have a helpful amount of medical knowledge."
The dragon wrapped a makeshift bandage around Arkose's neck, and the blood was subsiding. This was when Arkose could get a good look at the other SandWing. He had a crooked snout and a long scar that ran from under his left eye to his nostrils. Arkose couldn't even begin to think about how to thank this dragon. For once, it looked like he was saved. This feeling of joy was over soon, though, as footsteps approached. Arkose was in no way capable of fighting, and the other dragon was still trying to heal him. The doors were locked, thankfully. That should delay them for long enough, he thought. While laying on the ground, he got a good look at the throne room. If the SandWing guards broke through the door, they could escape through the window.
"Ok, you can stand up now. But do it slowly, and try not to move your neck.". The SandWing knew that he had to whisper, otherwise, he would be discovered and marked as a "traitor". Arkose attempted to stand up. The second that his head moved, he felt a searing pain, as if someone replaced his blood with molten iron. Almost screaming, he lay back down. He was going to have to ignore the pain if they were to fly away. He looked at his tail and gasped. Where was his tail barb? He was unconscious for a long time, and the guards wanted their prisoners completely unarmed. They had torn it off.
The sound outside of the door grew louder, and talons could be seen in the crack between the door and the floor. Arkose wanted to get up and fly away, but when he stood up, he was blinded by pain and felt like he had to vomit. If he was to escape, he would do it now. He crawled over to the window and spread his wings, trying to catch an updraft. Screaming came from behind the closed door, and there was blood spilling in through the cracks. Suddenly, the door splintered, revealing Siltstone and his guard squad. They were in a fierce battle only seconds before. Around the corner, a loud shrieking echoed through the black obsidian corridors. Teeth and claw marks covered the guards, and another SandWing rounded the corner. He was followed by an IceWing, who grabbed him, turned him around and cut a round hole in his stomach. Blood poured onto the floor, and Arkose vomited. 
== Cunning ==
Bystrite and Sandbank were on the move, edging ever so slowly towards the Queen's castle. They had found prison logs detailing a SandWing who was reported to have had a dragonet with a SeaWing. This SandWing could be Bystrite's mother, so they were headed to the palace's prison. They were still at least a day's journey away, though, and Bystrite was still flustered after the previous night, when he woke up to find Sandbank's claws at his throat. After he had fallen asleep, Sandbank inched closer to him, and Bystrite interpreted her unconscious actions as attempted murder, even though she was asleep as well. A deep rumble resonated throughout the desert, and the palace could be seen as a speck on the horizon. One moon hung overhead, illuminating the bleak desert just enough so that the palace was still visible. Sandbank and Bystrite found a small cave to rest in. The only thing that was visible in the dark were Sandbank's glowing pupils. They cast a dim, red light across the room. Bystrite soon found out that Sandbank was interested in a relationship with him.
"After you freed me, I knew that I liked you. I've always wanted a mate."
These words echoed in Bystrite's mind. Him? She wanted him? He'd never felt such a feeling before. It was a tingling in his throat that eventually made it's way up to his head, and it, came out as "Uhhh....Uhhh.... Umm, I like you too?" The tone made it sound like a question, and Sandbank laughed. She could tell that he'd never been confronted by anyone before.
"Try to sleep now, and we'll discuss this in the morning."
That discussion was held up, though, because an IceWing had tried to kill Bystrite. When he woke up, all he saw was a sneering face. This IceWing was ready to kill him, his talons clutching Bystrite's throat. He was distracted by his fellow soldiers entering the cave, and Bystrite kicked him in the stomach. Three blue claw marks were ripped in his underside, making him scream and tumble backwards. The other two IceWings hissed, and they crouched into attack positions. Sandbank was still asleep, so Bystrite was on his own. He had to think fast, or they would rip him to shreds. One lunged, cutting a slash into Bystrite's left foreleg. He winced, stumbling as he tried to walk. The IceWings were trying to talk him out of fighting, but only because they were told to.
"Surrender, and we will not have to kill you!"
"Don't try to fight, and it'll be over!"
Bystrite wasn't ready to comply with any dragon that had just threatened to kill him, so he breathed fire on one of them. The orange flames crackled as they landed on the dragon's scales. Once the flames subsided, the IceWing was missing a few scales and screamed in pain. The last IceWing was in shock. By now, Sandbank had woken up, and she was making her way around to get behind the first IceWing. Once in position, she jumped on top of him, raking her claws across his pale blue scales. Blue blood got onto her snout, and all three dragons were incapacitated.
"We have to move NOW."
"Ya think? We just wounded three soldiers from another kingdom! They'll use this to make all SandWings look like monsters!"
All that the soldiers who searched the area after a battle found were 3 dragons lying against the wall, moaning in agony. When asked what happened, they said that they were attacked by SandWings.
== Patience ==
The egg rocked from side to side, slowly cracking. A large piece of shell fell off, and a baby NightWing was visible inside. He made a groaning sound as he slid out, landing in front of his mother. They knew what his name would be. Mindbender, that was whet they called him. Being born under a full moon, he had the power to read minds. The incoherent conversation that his parents were having was interrupted when his mother nuzzled him with her snout. Mindbender leaned in closer, and his mother put her wing around him. His black eggshell was lying around him. He could hear something approaching outside. A large NightWing landed on top of the cliff, handing his father a scroll. Mindbender was confused, and the other NightWing glared at him hatefully. He'd just hatched, and already others hated him. His mind was set alight with the angry emotions of others.
Pain rocketed through his body as he was slashed across the snout. He'd never thought that his parents would try to use him, but now he knew. He was only a pawn in an enormous scheme, and here he was, being tortured by his own mother. The agonizing slashes were oozing blood, and he screamed. Mindbender shot up and ran forwards, trying to exit the cave that he was imprisoned in. His mother stepped on his tail, and he whirled around and slashed her with the claws on his wings. Now, he could run. Now, he could escape the torture that his life had been.
That was long ago. This is now.
Mindbender was scared. Being alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean wasn't fun, and Mindbender was here to get information from an IceWing defector, with orders to kill if compliance wasn't an option. The IceWing was found on top of a mountain, and Mindbender asked him what information he had. Apparently, there was some sort of strange animus dragon that was trying to topple the Night kingdom. The Sand kingdom was already embroiled in a civil war, and Mindbender didn't want that to happen to his own tribe. He took the scrolls given to him by the IceWing and flew back to the Night kingdom. The thought of a NightWing civil war was terrifying, and this animus was said to posses shape-shifting powers. Mindbender scoffed at the thought of this. No dragon had ever been able to shape-shift, right? This uncertainty scared him, and he would always be on the lookout for anything that hinted to this being the truth. While returning to the NightWing palace, constructed after the NightWings had broken away from the RainWings. It surprised him when he saw flames shooting out of one of the towers, and a SkyWing flew around it. Mindbender was alarmed, seeing as the two tribes hated each other. As he approached, dead bodies appeared on the ground. It looked like an enormous battle had just happened, and the ground was littered with them. SkyWings and NightWings, of all shapes and sizes. Some of them the bodies of those he knew. Not that he cared, though, just the bodies of guards that had beaten him while he was imprisoned. He was now within a short distance of the castle, and a huge battle seemed to be going on. Mindbender hoped that everything was alright. He landed near the scroll archives and looked in. He gasped, tears streaming down his face. There were hundreds of NightWing bodies piled up on the ground, all of them heavily mutilated. He walked into the room and just stared in shock. After a while, he cried. Dragons were approaching, probably SkyWings. He didn't care. One dragon entered the room. He didn't look up, but he stopped crying. 
"Are you going to kill me like you killed the rest of these helpless dragons?!"
Mindbender heard footsteps coming closer, and ragged breaths echoed in the silent library. The dragon set themselves down next to him, and said "What are you doing here?".
The voice was feminine. He looked up and saw a female NightWing sitting next to him. She had scars all over her neck, but three prominent ones right on the top of her snout. "I-...How did you survive this? It looks like a massacre!" She craned her neck upwards to see behind him, and she gnashed her teeth with frustration. "Oh."
Mindbender snarled fiercely, stricken with grief and anger for his fellow NightWings.
But there's a live one right in front of me.
"You show almost no concern for these dragons."
He tried to probe her mind for information, but to no avail. This dragon was a ball of anger, ready to snap at anyone.
"Let's start this over." She said. "I'm Apparition, and-"
There. He'd found it. A memory just on the surface of her mind. She'd started this. Mindbender pounced on top of her.
== Ferocity ==
Apparition was in a heap on the ground, sobbing. The NightWing was ready to kill her, and she was scared. The NightWing seemed to have sensed this, and he released her. Or maybe it was the sound of footsteps that deterred him from killing her. The pile of bodies that littered the ground were to be disposed of, and some NightWings were already coming in to collect them for burial. Once they noticed Apparition and the other NightWing, they told them to go to their caves and wait for the queen to make a statement. Having no cave or dwelling to speak of, Apparition went with the other NightWing, who revealed himself to be named Mindbender. Once in Mindbender's cave, Apparition wanted to thank him, but her mind thought otherwise. What if this dragon was luring her in, just to kill her? This method of thinking, it was how she was forced to think while she was imprisoned. But there was another emotion in her mind, and it overpowered the paranoia. She jumped onto Mindbender, and he let out a small yelp. He rolled onto his front, and Apparition thanked him while on top of him. Mindbender seemed fine with this method of thanking. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying it. "Um, there's a strange feeling in my mind, and I don't know how to explain it." He tilted his head sideways with a quizzical look on his snout. "Care to explain?"
She looked deep into his eyes, trying to figure out the words to say.
"Oh, never mind, I already know. It's this strange mix of...fear and attraction. I've never seen anything like it." 
Apparition sighed.
"I'm- It's not what- Fine! Fine! I think I like you!"
Mindbender smiled and rolled out from underneath her. A grin spread across her face, a wide, twisted grin. Finally, someone had feelings for her. All her life, she had been treated like nothing more than a slave, raised only to follow orders, but now, somebody thought that she was worth their thoughts and emotions.
The two stared at each other, and Mindbender leaned forward. "You're...You're not wrong, I do think you're worth my emotions. You're worth a lot more then just that. I know we've only known each other for ten minutes, but... I can't find the words to describe these feelings."
A loud scream echoed through the building, and Mindbender jolted to his feet. A loud rip pierced the air, and a voice could be heard over it. Apparition peeked out of the cave, and Mindbender walked out of the cave first. She followed him down the hallway, and they entered the courtroom on a catwalk. They saw an IceWing ripping the wing membranes off of a disfigured NightWing. The NightWing had one of his legs ripped off and huge scars running down his neck. The IceWing was cackling as he tore the thin skin of his wings, blood pooling on the floor. When he was satisfied, he dropped the NightWing onto the floor. The IceWing went into the Queen's chamber, and Apparition lighted down, Mindbender following behind her. The IceWing walked up to the Queen and sat down on a small throne next to her, leaning on her. She purred and hugged him close with her wing.
"Is the traitor dead?" The Queen's voice echoed through the chamber, sounding loving and evil at the same time.
"Yes, he is dead. I made sure that he suffered before he died."
"Good..."
Apparition was horrified at the two dragons conversing. The NightWings and IceWings were enemies! This was a betrayal to all of her morals, and clearly, Mindbender thought the same. The two dragons left the chamber and returned to Mindbender's room, memories of the conversation that went on. Mindbender held Apparition close that night, having her sleep underneath his wing. After much protest, Apparition eventually obliged and they slept..... 
== Arkose Falling ==
After almost dying, Arkose was sitting next to a pile of bodies and vomit. The IceWing had spilled blood all over the floor, and he had been dismembered by Siltstone afterwards. The thoughts surging through Arkose's mind were evil. He wanted to throw up, kill Siltstone and run away at the same time. Siltstone turned to him and the other SandWing, sneering with disgust.
"You traitorous scum are going to die here, I will make sure of it.", he spat. Siltstone was heavily injured from the battles, recently earning a long scar that ran from his horns down to the base of his neck. Etched into his face was an evil look. He pounced, roaring, at Arkose, quickly knocking him to the ground. The SandWings were locked in combat, each of them drawing blood from the other's sides. Lashing out with his tail, Siltstone almost stabbed Arkose with his barb.
Sandbank was sprinting to escape the IceWing chasing her, quickly maneuvering around the Sand palace's halls and rooms. Bystrite had gone to search for his mother In the prison, so she was on her own. She found her way to the throne room and flew in, tackling two fighting SandWings to the ground. She saw a dragon that looked almost identical to her, minus the tail barb.
"Sandbank! At last, I've found you!"
She didn't know what this dragon was talking about, and he came closer, earning a hiss from her.
"You are my daughter, Sandbank."
"You aren't my father! He was killed!", she replied.
"Sandbank, you can trust me!"
Not caring if he was lying or not, she ran to her father, jumping into his outstretched wings. Siltstone had used this moment of realization to position himself outside the door, ready to run, when Queen Tufa grabbed him and knocked him unconscious. The Queen ran off with her unconscious dragon soldier, cackling.
Bystrite searched the prison block until he came across a cell marked with blood, anguished cries coming from inside. He looked in, and a SandWing yelled "Bystrite!"...
Mindbender ran off with Apparition, and they found a nice spot on an old island to settle down on.
"Apparition, you need to change your name. They can never know that we're here.
"I will have one, as long as it's reminiscent of my old name."
"How about Distortion?"
"Alright then, I am now Distortion the SandWing. Sounds lame, Mindbender. Are you really that uncreative?"
Mindbender pouted, and Apparition laughed. "Relax, I'm just teasing!" She turned around and began to enchant herself. Mindbender read the words in her mind as she thought them.
I enchant myself to be able to transform into a SandWing on command. When in my SandWing body, I shall be able to revert back to my NightWing form, but this will cause extreme fatigue.
Mindbender smiled. "Sounds good. Ready to try it out, Distortion?" She hissed at him playfully and said "Body, become a SandWing."
Her tail grew a barb at the end, her snout shortened, and her horns curved upwards. Her scales lightened from black and purple to a tan color.
"How do I look?"
Mindbender stifled a laugh, and Distortion leaned in close to him. "Oh, that's just what I wanted to do. I want to make you happy, so let's get on with that."
She kissed him forcefully, and he reciprocated. They fell onto the ground and hugged each other close, their warmth only making both of them even more excited.
A Few Weeks Later...
The egg was wobbling, and Distortion had stayed up all night to watch it, eventually seeing cracks spreading in the surface. She'd already picked a name, Scour, and was about to scream when it hatched. A light yellow dragonet fell out, and Distortion reached down to pick him up. She looked at him, and Scour made a small yelping sound. Distortion giggled and put him on the ground next to her, laying down to sleep.
The Next Day...
After waking up, Distortion looked upwards at the ceiling and wondered how Mindbender was doing on the battlefield. She was laying on her stomach, Scour between her talons. She loved him, and she would always protect him, no matter the cost. She couldn't wait for Mindbender to get home. She hated that she had to hide her true identity from him, and from everyone around her, but if she wanted her dragonet to have a mother, she would have to. Looking down at Scour, she nuzzled him with her snout, waking him up. He jumped onto her head and ran down her back, making Distortion laugh. She stood up and walked outside, taking in the orange sky of dawn. Already, the palace was bustling with activity. She could see a whole battalion of soldiers flying towards the battlefield, and she remembered Mindbender. She would be utterly devastated if he died, so much that she would probably commit suicide. No. I have a dragonet to take care of. I can't just kill myself., she thought. She walked back inside and sat on the ground and wondered when she could teach Scour to fly...
I hope you enjoyed!
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)