The TechieWings Winglet 3: Loner

Note: Loner takes place shortly before the Wirebreak Incident, and at the same time as the events of Traitor and Infector.
Previous Winglet: Inventor
Next Winglet: Infector
== Summary ==
Rain World is a TechieWing few others knows about. After all, they're always off hiding in the forests of the island, living their best and, as they call it, purest life. The few who do know them are met with a seemingly innocent shapeshifter, uninterested in the lavish and comforted lifestyle every other TechieWing does. Yet behind their wide eyes is a complex mind, a dragon who has chosen their lifestyle and adapted overtime. However, Rain World is still just a dragonet at heart, and treats the world like a light and bright place. After being faced with the serious realization it may not be so peaceful, Rain World has to figure out if her heart truly belongs with the GameWings.
== Winglet #3 - Loner ==
Four years before the Wirebreak Incident...
I blinked awake. Senses flooded into my mind, overwhelming and exciting all at once. I couldn't focus on everything at once, but I could focus on one thing at a time. The first thing that caught my attention was the bright light. It was a lovely azure glow, lighting up the room and illuminating every crack, shadow, corner, and the figures in the room. I saw two of them—there was myself and another, larger dragon. I glanced down at myself, wanting to take in the details of my own body and learn how to make it do what I wanted before anything else. 
My body was sleek, long, and thin, with every inch of it smooth and flowing, almost like a liquid. I felt two large ears flop around on either side of my head, with slender horns just above them. From a dim reflection of light in a piece of metal, I could see my own face. A small, cute button nose with wide, round black eyes that shone with the wonders of my own mind stared back at me. I was all white except for those black eyes and nose. 
The larger dragon was so different from the body I had. Blue scales of all shades, with delicate antennae on top of their heads—I felt a pull to reach out and grab them, but I didn't have enough control to do so yet—they had blue eyes that rested inside pools of a darker blue, not black like mine were. But most curiously, their horns weren't there. Instead, two bent wrench-like projections stuck out, both gleaming silvery blue and having the possibility of looking movable. They looked so tired, and then I noticed the small slab they were holding. It was the source of the azure light, and slowly, it began to dim away, but not before the larger dragon leaned down towards me. 
Wide-eyed, I almost bolted, gaining sudden control of my body once and for all. But there wasn't anywhere to go, other than a vent on the ground. Something about that didn't feel right in my new mind. But as they leaned down, I heard their voice, reassuring and tired and warm all at once. "Welcome to Ludus, Rain World." Gently, he lifted me up, and on instinct, I curled up around his neck, settling into the small dips around his shoulders. I felt him chuckle, the vibrations radiating from deep within his chest and outward, and I found myself giving a small smile back with my tiny mouth. 
"I am your creator, Rain World. My name is Steam, and I've gifted you with life because I wanted you to have it," he said. I quickly picked up on how his voice sounded less enthusiastic with each word, more like a parroted phrase he'd said over and over again. But the larger dragon, whose name was Steam, carried on. "I want to gift you something else, Rain World. You're too complicated to only have this one body. That is why I will give you seven others to switch freely between, but only once you can control and maintain yourself in the form you're currently in." My ears perked up without me even telling them to. It was like a part of me I hadn't even looked at yet sprang up, a desire I didn't know was there being filled right away. The thrill and potential of having been specifically given multiple ways to express myself right after coming into this world was a wondrous introduction to it all. 
Steam reached up and gently placed his talon on my head, and he murmured a complex enchantment over me. A feeling of warmth, with a bit of weirdness, spread throughout my body as his talon faintly began to glow with the magic. I was frozen, letting every bit of this moment sink in and hold it close to my heart forever. As the warm, fuzzy feeling coursed through me, I felt myself changing. Changing smoothly and effortlessly into something else, different yet so similar. I frantically looked around for a reflection of myself as I changed, desperate to know what I now was, but nothing had my face on it as the softly glowing blue faded to orange-red around little lamps in the room. I wasn’t prepared to give up so soon, however, and I looked down at my paw-like talons to watch them change with these feelings. 
The things I saw were beyond expression, too grand to name, and too vast to capture. At first, my talons remained the pure white with sharp claws, but within moments, I watched as they became a comforting pale yellow. After only a moment, they turned into an angry red color, and I yelped at the sudden pain of fresh scars cutting into my scales. 
Steam lifted his talons for a moment, the room quickly dimming. I watched my talons return to their pale white as he did so. "I’m sorry!" he said quickly. "I should have told you it may sting a bit. Please, it won’t last long. I want to give you this, Rain World." I hesitated, unsure of whether or not to let this go on. But in my young mind, I wanted this feeling of freedom and power to be mine forever. Silently, I placed my head back under Steam’s talon and once more flinched as the wounds tore into my scales and flesh. This time, however, I stayed still, and as promised, the pain and scars receded, replaced by a feeling of peace and security.
As the feeling began to fade again, I quickly looked down at my talons so I’d remember this moment forever. They were orange now and significantly larger than before, but it lasted for just a moment as they became a darkened purple. I felt my mouth disappear and holes rip open my tail, but I silently squeezed my eyes until I was changed again. I opened them to find my talons were blue, a cool and comforting color that was similar to the glow of the room. Steam suddenly paused again, though, and said, "Brace yourself." I didn’t have time to react before it felt like a hot knife had been stabbed through my left eye. I whimpered, feeling something wet trickle down my cheek; the pain was fierce and unbearable. I didn’t open my other eye for fear of it being harmed too. I couldn’t see out of my left eye at all. It was all too painful for me. Luckily, a few moments later, it receded and my eye returned to normal as I felt soft green fluff grow to cover me and shelter me, as well as a newfound long tongue. After all of that, I once more become plain and white. A bit confused, I looked up at him, and he reached over and wiped at my cheek. "There. It’s not so bad anymore, is it?"
I whimpered again, but the pain had gone away. He steam-patted my head for a moment, and I just looked up at him. "Don’t worry. It won’t hurt nearly as much when you shift into those forms. That’s my promise as your creator, Rain World."
I gave a weak smile as we looked into each other’s eyes. I felt the urge to say something, though my voice had not come to me yet. I wasn’t sure how I did it, or why I wanted to do it, but I quietly said, “Rain World…” It was my name. Steam’s face lit up, and he smiled despite the tired look seemingly stuck on his face. As he put me down and opened the door to let me free, I looked back at him and smiled wider. This was my place, Ludus. My creator, Steam. My name, Rain World. I swore to myself that I would never forget this moment. Ever.
Three years before the Wirebreak Incident...
I raced through the trees, eagerly zipping past the thick trunks and rough bark. Leaves and low hanging vines grazed me, tickling my scales with their wispy touches and giving the whole forest a vibrant green air of life to it. I glanced up and saw a thick tree branch, so I launched up to it and dug my claws in, settling my wings beside me. I’d been living in the forest for a week or two now, and I’d already learned how to survive out in the wild. But I still came back to say hi to the others, sometimes staying with them for a day or two before running back into the forest. Luxury comforts were something that never seemed to be my thing, even though I’d lived with them for at least a year. 
The line of trees surrounding me abruptly cut off, leading into the outskirts of the wonderful city that all of us GameWings lived in. Well, except for me, of course. Even though I had a small home built for me, complete with food, water, every need and several items I’d love to have inside, I never felt complete when I lived in it. But right now, I found myself missing the company of others. It was some kind of delicate balance, trying to tread the line of a lonely lifestyle while still being around desired company. As soon as I touched the ground--after all, my tiny wings weren’t getting me anywhere--I heard the familiar bleating sound that our dear leader Lamb usually made when he was off doing…things. 
Strangely enough, I wasn’t here to see Lamb. I wanted to go find one of my only friends who cared enough to even consider joining me in my lifestyle. Even still, he was too soft in my opinion-too agreeable, too everything I didn’t want him to be. But he was my friend anyway, and I loved him for that. Well, he was more of everyone’s friend, but at least he didn’t brush me away like a tiny dragonet–who cares if I was the size of one? 
I leapt up on top of a stack of piled boxes, full of what I assumed to be rotting trash. The stench was strong on my delicate nose, and I quickly climbed up further until I’d reached a slightly broken window. Light used to filter in through a crack in the corner, and to fix it, Steam had put up a board to try and block it out. Luckily for me, the lower nail had broken off a few months ago, and it gave me the perfect way to sneak in. Nudging the board aside, I slipped through the small crack, almost flowing through it like a liquid. As usual, this part of the building was darkened. Apparently it used to be where Steam would watch and observe Funtime and Freddy, like an office, before something happened. No matter how long I waited, the smell of old blood clung to the room each visit.
Continuing to wiggle through the small gaps and cracks underneath sturdy metal doors, I pressed on until I came across the glittering, dazzling party room where Funtime was. The bright dance floor shone with new colors, one after the other, and it hurt my eyes to look at most of the time. However, in the headache-inducing splash of color, Funtime usually sat in the middle of the stage just beyond the dance floor–strangely enough, he wasn’t there. Confused, I sat down and stared at the empty stage for a while, until I decided to begin looking around for Funtime. I slowly, cautiously became the delicate blue form I remembered from my creation without thinking about it. It happened when I got nervous, which was true for now, as suddenly something crashed behind me. 
Frantically, I ran across the floor and leapt onto the stage like death itself was chasing me. The room blurred around me as I felt a rush of air pass over me, my whole body determined to carry me forever. I zipped left and right, narrowing avoiding a collision with the wall before actually colliding with a dresser hidden backstage. I skidded to a stop on my back, and I rubbed my head–which was now hurting. The dresser teetered back and forth before finally deciding to come crashing down on me. Quickly, I got to my talons and scrambled to get away, barely getting out of the way before I was crushed. Now, I was breathing hard. Everything moved so much faster than usual. Worse still, I hadn’t even found Funtime in here.
Okay. Time for a new plan. If Funtime wasn’t here, he was probably bothering someone else, right? I sat and tried to think hard on who Funtime might be with before I heard the door creak open to the right of me. Instantly, I lifted my head, the blood already pumping through my body as it tensed to run and got excited. I decided to head towards the door, and as soon as I’d picked up speed, the door opened all the way and I could tell it wasn’t Funtime. Instead, I saw the creepy and broken-down body of Freddy himself, staring at me in his weird creepy way. Doubling back, I ran out the other door to get away from him, hearing a haunting sound like laughter and crying and metal gears grinding all at once. Once out of sight, I grabbed my ears and tried to calm my racing heart. 
Silence began to take over as night fell on the town. I still hadn’t been able to figure out who Funtime might have been with, or where any of my other friends were, but the comforting orange glow from the torches made me feel safe. The twinkling bluish stars up above made everything feel more distant and wonderful. “Happy…happy with my friends,” I whispered. I rarely talked. It was honestly just difficult for me to speak, and it never fully clicked how you did it. All my speech was broken and fragmented, torn apart and slow. Most GameWings didn’t like it, except for Funtime and Portal, really.
I shot up. Portal was the answer, she was the closest thing to a best friend I had! As my heart soared, I leapt to my paws and bolted towards the last place I saw her. When I last met with her, Portal was sort of just living wherever she wanted. I noticed she was in Lamb’s house a lot, so she must really like him! My heart skipped a beat as I eagerly thought about our leader. I liked him, but not enough to stay in the town that much. Every now and then, I had a thought about leaving the town for good. I remember Portal told me about another town entirely where, apparently, even more TechieWings lived. 
Somehow, I doubt I’d fit in there. But the allure of the forest, living alone without any other TechieWings in my life was what drove me each day to stay there more and more. Who cared if there were large animals trying to eat me, or flood-like rains that could sweep me out to sea if I wasn’t careful, or that it could be a cold and hungry life sometimes? It was the true life I wanted to live someday. For now, though, I couldn’t just abandon Portal. We got along so well, and I didn’t want to crush her by just leaving. 
Running through the grass, I eventually passed Lamb’s house, which meant I was getting close to the edge of the town again. I was tearing across the forest, almost flying by in a blue whiz past everything that wanted to try and harm me. Nothing could touch me. I was heading out to find my friend, and nothing could stop me from that. As I ran on, I strained my ears to listen for any sounds of other dragons, or anything that indicated Portal had been nearby. While I didn’t hear anything right away, I did come across an odd statue for a moment–like a dragon, frozen in place. Pausing, I studied it. The shape looked painfully familiar, but something wasn’t connecting it to a name in my head. I once again sighed, upset with my lackluster memory, and slowly picked up speed again to charge through the trees.
After close to an hour of traveling, I gradually came to a halt, panting. Now, after all this running, I was finally out of breath, tired, and hungry. My stomach growled, and I began searching for something to eat. At first, I poked at some berries I’d seen earlier, but after a few minutes, I wasn’t sure if they were actually edible. I’d probably eaten weirder before, but it was better not to take chances where possible. Mentally, I made a note to ask Steam what they were as I grabbed one to show him later. While by the bush, though, I heard a chittering from far above me. I looked up, and at first, saw nothing. Then, with the faintest noise, bats swished above my head, out of reach, but clearly underestimating how determined I was. 
Turning to my right, I grabbed a thin and pointy stick, testing the weight in my talons before running them over it to make sure it was smooth. Checking the sharpness, I gently tested the point on my claw and pulled it back with a faint whimper after it drew blood. The perfect weapon to catch something with. Focusing back on the bats, I readied my spear and shut one eye to aim better. But it was hard in this form, since before I could at least wait patiently for the perfect shot. That was the one thing this form seemed unable to do, and I kept twitching or shaking, waiting for the right moment to strike. At some point, I tired of waiting and watching and just threw it, nailing one of the bats squarely. I rushed over to grab it and discard the stick before anything stole my kill. As quietly as I could, I tore into the bat and devoured it, tiny bones crunching in my teeth and leaving almost nothing behind. While I was still hungry, at least the bat’s sacrifice would keep me going until I could catch something else.
Once I’d finished eating, I was about to start running again when I heard another familiar noise up ahead, mixed with several new ones. Cocking my head and straining to listen, I crept a little closer and saw a large, gaping hole with Lamb and Portal standing right outside of it. My eyes lit up as I almost ran out to hug Portal then and there, but before I could, Lamb grabbed Portal and was attempting to push her somewhere. Portal, on the other talon, was refusing, and was doing a pretty good job at it. My ears flattened against my head, and scared, I turned around to run away. As I did, my heart thudded in my chest and I felt the shift from this fast blue form to another form. 
I ran all the way back to my home in Ludus. I didn't stop for a second, not even as hunger gnawed a hole in my abdomen. As I curled up to sleep, I felt tears run down my face and I slipped into a different form-this one a dark crimson dragon with power behind every move, but pain and sorrow followed me everywhere when I was in it. That couldn't be a good sign.
Two Years Before the Wirebreak Incident...
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Collaborations
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)