Dear Dragons...

Cover by TwilightWoF (TY!)
And thank you Jellybean for the coding! It looks amazing!
Dear Dragons...
(click to open)
ALERT! This fanfiction belongs to Delta! No touchie or you will be violently dismembered! JUST KIDDING but you will have some major explaining to do! :3
What do you K N O W?! This has just became a series! The books are Dear Dragons... (This one ha ha), Carves of Ice(FrOsT's BoOk YaS), The Caw of Thunderbird, Tidal Wave, and Silve Fern. Plus maybe a few Winglets!! Let me know on my wall if you would like to have your character in the stories!! ESPECIALLY Caw of Thunderbird, Tidal Wave, and Silver Fern!!
Thread for getting OCs : https://wingsoffirefanon.fandom.com/wiki/Thread:1424144
SLIGHT MATURE WARNING
Prologue
You usually think of light as a comforting thing.
Something to help you through the darkness, something to keep your spirits up.
Something to help you get through the dark times.
Well, to the six of us sitting in a small cave, watching the firelight with terrified eyes, we felt anything but comforted. The storm roared outside, matching the turmoil in all our hearts. Daggerwing looked at the other dragons, most of them hybrids, one a LeafWing. Orchard let out a long, loud, wet cough. Sorry. Two LeafWing's. She shivered and pressed closer to the wall.
"Is everyone alright?" Fern finally asked, her dark green wings shivering. Fern was the youngest of us all, but she had been in slavery the longest. If I remembered her telling the story correctly, since she was barely a year old. As Fern stared out into the storm, Daggerwing reached over tenderly and patted her on the talon.
She knew what it felt like to be ripped away from her home... from her continent and get dragged here. Fern gave her a wane smiled, then gently moved her talon away, scanning the others. Atlas rubbed a burn mark on her neck and lightly touched a huge gash on her side.
"Alright." She said thickly. Daggerwing shot a small glance over at her. Oh right. And a SilkWing. Wow, there were a lot of Pantalan dragons here. Fern nodded at the others, but they were all staring into the fire.
"What were we thinking?" Daggerwing suddenly burst out. "There were so many more of them and we are just dragonets!" Fern frowned.
"But we got away, didn't we?" Daggerwing sighed.
"But we lost Frost." Fern's gaze dropped to her talons. "Plus, they'll be looking for us now." Just as Daggerwing spoke, the sounds of thumping talons and clinking was heard from outside.
"Quick! Smother the fire." Fern hissed at Daggerwing. Daggerwing leapt over and stomped onto the burning pile of embers. The light was extinguished and all of the runaways waited in silence. It stretched on and on
And on
And on...
Daggerwing wasn't sure what time it was. She was sure she had dozed off, but she didn't feel safe falling asleep again. It was still dark and quiet, so to pass the time, Daggerwing pulled out a scroll from the bag she had managed to steal before they ran.
As her claws reached into the scroll, her claws brushed the tiny carved seal. She felt tears well up into her eyes, and then blinked them away.
This was her chance to tell her story. Before is was too late.
She dipped her claws and began to write.
Dear dragons,
Our story begins on a day like any other...
Chapter One
Imagine a bright blue sky. Imagine this sky full of birds. Imagine the smell of fish being brought in from the sea. Imagine the smell of coconuts. That was my home. A small island off the River Aloo somewhere between Pyrrhia and Pantala. Imagine a beach, white sands, blue water, albatross diving for unlucky fish. 
Imagined it?
Good. Now imagine a hut right next to a beach. The deck does right into the beach and the doors are flung wide open. Palm fronds cover the roof and flowers, herbs, and berries hang from strings on the roof. Keep this hut in your mind. It is where we begin.
"DAGGERWING!" Gossamer bellowed. "GET YOUR LAZY TAIL OVER HERE!" Daggerwing covered her ears and quickly stuck the scroll under her pillow.
"Coming!" She called in a silvery voice. "Just wait a minute." Daggerwing added under her breath.
"WHAT WAS THAT YOUNG LADY?" Daggerwing heard Gossamer tap her talon impatiently.
"Nothing!" Daggerwing said innocently. She got up and ran to the deck. "Reporting for duty." Daggerwing mock saluted. Gossamer rolled her eyes and turned to the strings of herbs hanging off the roof.
"The brahmi need to be harvested." Daggerwing opened and closed her talons in exasperation.
"What?! Weren't they just harvested?" Gossamer sighed impatiently at her daughter.
"No, that was the BASIL. Keep your head together, young lady!" Daggerwing sighed, but climbed up the side of the hut, pulling down the herbs.
"There." She tossed the string down to her mother. "Happy now? And why can't you do it?" Gossamer sighed, looking up at Daggerwing.
"Because you need to train yourself to be able to move fast and quick without your wings. It's only two years away you know." Daggerwing sighed. Don't remind me. 
"But are you happy with how I did?" She asked, trying to get the focus back on the brahmi, and not on her wings.
"Indubitably."
"Indidbltey." A voice cut in. Swallowtail stuck his head around the corner. "Fribblegrop." Gossamer and Daggerwing made the same exasperated noise.
"Swallowtail. Stop causing trouble." Gossamer said with a frown, though she was clearly trying to hide her laughter
. Swallowtail widened his eyes at his mother like he had never done anything wrong in his life.
"Me? Cause trouble? Never!" Daggerwing raised an eyebrow and Gossamer snorted with disbelief.
"We never found out who ate Marble's mangos..." Gossamer mused, one eye still locked on Swallowtail. Swallowtail shifted uncomfortably. "Perhaps someone who loves mangos..."
"That could have been anyone!" Swallowtail burst out indignantly. "Nothing points to me!" Gossamer laughed.
"I'm sure." Daggerwing sighed with mock primness, shaking her head.
"If you two are done squabbling, I would like to get back to bed." Gossamer laughed again, more brightly.
"Agreed. If your father comes home and you all are still up, he is going to have a conniption." Daggerwing looked out to sea. I hope father comes home soon. She thought wistfully. Scallopwing was a fisher, always going out to the nearby islands to trade. Daggerwing missed him terribly, but she always knew he would bring back beautiful things for her. Sometimes even jewels! Not that Daggerwing like jewels . . . She almost never wore jewelry, except for the bronze earrings in her ears. A long moment passed where all three of them thought.
"Well...LET'S GO!" Swallowtail said, flapping his huge navy wings. Daggerwing felt a pulse of jealously. She was still a few years away from getting her wings, but she was ready to get them now. 
"Ahem!" Gossamer said, and Daggerwing realized that they were already at the door of the hut. Daggerwing took a deep breath, pushing her jealousy down deep inside her. She walked through the open entrance into the small hut.
The floor was covered with woven rugs and the windows were flung open towards the sea on one end of the house, and the tall cliffs on the other. Besides the main entrance, only two rooms were in the hut. Gossamer and Scallopwing's, and Daggerwing and Swallowtail's. Daggerwing sat down in the middle of the room and laid down, tail flopping to the side. Swallowtail poked her with one claw.
"Come on." Daggerwing reluctantly got up and walked to the room. It was small, with a single pile of pillows. Daggerwing laid down on her half, Swallowtail right beside her. Daggerwing felt the awake world drifting in and out before dropping into the sky of sleep.
Dear dragons,
I hope now you understand the very simple parts of my life. Sometimes, though, simple is better, and happiness can come out of simple. But I suggest you hold on, because now things
Go wrong...
Chapter Two
Daggerwing opened her eyes. She lay still, listening to the breath of her brother. The sparkle of the full moon shone through the windows and the crashing of waves could just barely be heard in the distance. Daggerwing slowly edged out from under her brother's wing, then ran to the door of the house. Daggerwing let out a deep breath as she ran across the sands of the beach.
"Turtle?" She called. "Tuuuuurtle?" A small squeak came from a hollow in the sand and Daggerwing perked up. She flopped down in front of the small hole and whistled. The baby turtle emerged slowly from the hollow and Daggerwing held out her talon. "Hi little buddy. How are you?" The turtle let out a little squeak and flopped out of the hole. "Yeah? Me too..." She stirred the sand with one claw.
BOOM!
Daggerwing screamed as a ring shot out from everywhere. She covered her ears with her talons and the turtle flopped back into its whole quicker than normal.
"What is that?" She screamed to no one in particular. Daggerwing looked up into the sky and spotted a plume of black smoke coming from the direction of her house. Daggerwing's stomach dropped to the floor. She stood up, but before she was fully off the ground, Daggerwing was running. She dropped to the ground and looked around. The clearing was silent. Very, very silent.
Suddenly, the sound of voice came to Daggerwing's ears.
"Well that was messy." Daggerwing peeked around the corner and noticed wings. They were bright red like Mother's. Daggerwing leapt up and ran towards her mother, but she stopped short.
This dragon was male. 
He whipped around and Daggerwing let out a startled gasp. He was HUGE! Not just tall, but muscular and his wings...WERE GIGANTIC. Plus, he had two wings, not four. The dragon was red like rubies, with dark orange underscales. He had smoke pouring out of his snout as he observed Daggerwing.
"Well well well." He hissed, and his voice made shivers run under Daggerwing's scales. "Oi! Fawn! Look what we have here." A head peeked around the corner and Daggerwing yelped in surprise. This dragon was the color of the sand on the beach, a frill where spines should be. Their eyes, though, were completely black with hints of silver loops. Daggerwing shuddered as the sand-colored dragon peered at her.
"Hmmmm," The sand-colored dragon said, tilting her head. "What's this?"
"By the look of it," The ruby dragon said with a yawn. "The other's daughter maybe?" The sand dragon leaned forward, one gold tooth glinting in the light.
"Almost wishing we hadn't killed the others." Daggerwing gasped and considered throwing up. Then the sand dragon jerked back. "Valley! She doesn't have wings!" The ruby dragon gasped and went around to the back of Daggerwing.
"Oh my moons', Fawn, you're right!" A slow, sly smile crossed Valley's face.
"You know," He mused. "A wingless, bronze dragon would sell very well in the Scorpion Den." Fawn's snout crinkled into a smile.
"Enough to get out of the hole!" Fawn exclaimed. Daggerwing got the impression she should run, but her talons felt frozen to the ground.
"Ssssell mme?" She stuttered. "Um...Yyyou ccccan't ddo that! Ii'm a...a dragon!" Fawn and Valley both raised their eyebrows at the same time.
"Hmmm, barely." Valley sniffed. Fawn stepped hard on his toe. She suddenly reached into a small camel hair pouch she had around her chest and pulled out a long, think chain. Daggerwing backed into the burned wall of her hut. But in two strides, Fawn stepped right in front of Daggerwing and looped the chain around her neck, tying it at the end.
Daggerwing clawed at it, but her claws were not yet grown enough, so she just hurt her claws. Fawn handed the chain over to Valley, who have it a sharp tug, causing Daggerwing to stumble forward.
As the two dragon spread their wings, Daggerwing suddenly dug her talons in, yanking it back. Valley hissed and jerked his head at Fawn. She stepped over Daggerwing, frowning darkly.
Fawn's tail raised, and Daggerwing noticed it had an odd barb on the end, like the scorpions she had occasionally seen her father bring home for dinner.
Daggerwing barely had time to register what was happening before Fawn's tail came whistling down, smacking Daggerwing right on the snout. A bolt of pain shot through her and she whimpered, wiping a little trickle of blood out of her eye.
Fawn gave her an unreadable look and grabbed her by her talons and Valley shot into the air again. They flew over the ocean, and Daggerwing's eyes suddenly became heavy. She knew she probably shouldn't fall asleep, she might get whacked again, but she felt the beating of Valley's wings harmonious and Daggerwing's eyes suddenly fluttered and closed.
Dear dragons, 
I must admit that I sort of brought Fawn's hit with her tail on myself, but now that I'm thinking back onto it, I think she felt sorry for me. Anyway, she's dead now, so it doesn't matter. Oops, I just spoiled didn't I? Well...pretend you didn't hear that.
Let's move on to my first taste of Pyrrhia.
Chapter Three
They flew and flew and flew some more. When Daggerwing woke up, she could see an island in the distance. No...more than an island...A continent. Daggerwing inhaled sharply, looking at the oceans and towering mountains.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Fawn whispered. Daggerwing looked up in surprise. Fawn kept her eyes forward. "That, little dragonet, is Pyrrhia." Daggerwing gulped.
"Yes." She admitted. Fawn's gaze drifted for a moment, looking kinder, but then it hardened, with another look at Valley.
"Well get used to it." She snapped. "I assume you're going to be here for a while." Daggerwing nodded, too terrified to speak.
"Quiet you two." Valley snapped. Fawn nodded, immediately snapping her snout shut, looking back over the ocean. They flew in silence for a bit longer before landing on a beach. Well, it looked like a beach, but it was about ten times bigger and ten times hotter. But Daggerwing was used to heat, she lived on an island with an active volcano after all. Fawn, too seemed to be unbothered by the boiling heat and the burning sand. Valley, on the other talon, looked like he would rather wear bracelets of dragon bite vipers then do this. Daggerwing sank her claws into the sand and looked up at the bright sun. She suddenly noticed a building in the distance.
Huh. She thought. I wonder what that is. Valley suddenly let out a whistle, and Fawn looked over at him. He glared at her, and she quickly bustled over to put one wing up to cover him from the blazing sun.
"Better?" Fawn asked quietly. It suddenly occurred to Daggerwing that she had completely misread their relationship. It was clear they weren't equals. In fact, Daggerwing suddenly noticed a pair of shackles around Fawn's ankles, though no chains were attached. Wow... Daggerwing thought, shooting a look at Fawn, who looked extremely uncomfortable. Valley nodded.
"We'll probably get to the Scorpion Den today, if this little scrap doesn't interfere." Daggerwing touched the cut on her nose and scowled. She wasn't going to "interfere" any time soon. Daggerwing shuddered. The Scorpion Den. That sounds cheerful. Valley gave the chain a tug, and began walking, Fawn covering him from the heat with her wing. Daggerwing stumbled along, watching the town grow closer and closer. She looked up at Fawn, who was looking straight ahead, no emotion to her face.
Daggerwing flicked her tail until Fawn looked her way. Daggerwing tilted her head, trying to put a question in her face. Fawn looked confused for a second, frowning at Daggerwing. Daggerwing thought for a moment, then leaned down and tapped her wrists. Fawn tapped her wrists, felt the clang of metal, and light dawned in her face. Fawn flicked her tail at Valley, then made a shape with her talons that looked like a small dragon.
Then she pointed to herself, and mouthed coins. Daggerwing tapped her claws, trying to piece it all together. It took her a second, but eventually, it came together like peeve in a puzzle. Valley. Little me. Bought. Valley bought me when I was a dragonet. Daggerwing looked pityingly at Fawn.
"I'm sorry." She half whispered, half mouthed. Fawn shot a quick glance at Valley and nodded.
"It's ok." Fawn whispered, her voice gentler than Daggerwing had ever heard it.
"What are you two scheming about?" Valley asked, his voice not joking.
"Nothing." Fawn said innocently, looking back forward.
"Hmmm." Valley said, looking skeptical.
"Why would we be scheming?" Daggerwing piped up. Fawn shot her a glare, but her snout was already open. "I mean, this is kind of her fault that I'm captured, you know...I mean after all, you own her, but you don't own me, so I mean, technically, we hate...each...other." She trailed off, given the look of fury on Valley's face. He glared over at Fawn.
"How did she find out?" Valley hissed, his voice sharp with daggers.
"I don't know." Fawn said, bowing her head. Valley's cruel gaze shot between them.
"I'll claw the answer out of you later." He hissed. Fawn gulped and shot Daggerwing a quick glare. Daggerwing hunched her wings and looked down. "But in the mean time," Valley continued, walking forward again. "We are here." Daggerwing looked up and gulped, watching the flurry of dragons inside the city that smelled of darkness and fear.
Dear dragons, 
I'm sorry if my talon-writing isn't as good as it is, we were almost caught by the hunters. It is terrifying knowing that there are dragon out there who would love to see you dead. Well, let's move on. 
Chapter Four
They weaved between the thick, dark stalls, voices pressing into them. Daggerwing got smacked in the face with a tail of an arguing dragon. Dragons began shouting at her. Ouch, this town is loud. Why is it so...so...crowded?
"Camel-hair pouches!"
"Incredible roasted camel!"
"BETTER roasted camel!"
"I'll give you 5,000 coins for that dragonet!" Daggerwing looked over at the dragon who had said that, shivering as he smiled and gazed at her.
"Sorry," Valley said, pushing in front of Daggerwing, glaring at the sand dragon that looked sort of like Fawn, but with black spirals on his scales. "She's not for sale yet." He yanked Daggerwing along, and she shot another look at the sand dragon, who was grinning at her cruelly. She shuddered and stared over at Fawn, who was fingering a jade necklace while Valley was yelling at a large, brown dragon who was blocking the road with a huge cart.
Finally, Valley whistled and Fawn put down the necklace and walked beside him, Daggerwing trailing behind. They came upon a large building with excited, happy dragons scrawled on the front. Daggerwing smiled. A place that looked so beautiful couldn't possibly be horrible.
Then Valley opened the door and Daggerwing gasped.
"Oh no." She whispered. Fawn shot a glance over at Daggerwing as the horrible sight filled her vision. The walls were dark and dripped with mold. Dragon of all different colors were lined up on a stage, heads drooping, thick chains binding their wings, talons and necks to the wall behind them. Dragons in beautiful capes and glittering jewels were walking grandly around, observing the dragons. Valley shoved the chain into Fawn's talons and walked over to a beautiful yellow and orange dragon.
Daggerwing couldn't hear what they were saying, but the dragon nodded and wrote something down on a scroll. Her thoughts drifted to the small scroll she had hidden in her home, probably now a pile of ashes.
She looked down sadly. Suddenly, Valley came stalking back over, whispering something to Fawn, who shot Daggerwing another unreadable look. Valley walked over to a dragon the color of the morning sky, with odd looking gills in her neck.
"A new one?" The dragon said in a voice thick with accent. Valley nodded. "Hmmm," The dragon said, peering at Daggerwing. "What type?" Valley shrugged.
"Not sure. Found her off the continent." The dragon nodded and suddenly stepped forward.
"She might sell well." The dragon nodded and suddenly took out a metal...thing. It was thin and looked extremely sharp. The dragon grabbed Daggerwing's talon and dragged the thing through her palm, making a small 009. Daggerwing bit back a whimper as the dragon cleaned the blood off the needle. Fawn opened her mouth to say something, but then a roar sounded.
"Fireballs!" Valley said. "We need to get her in now before the round starts." Fawn snapped her snout shut and Valley yanked her forward towards the others. He positioned her next to a small, ragged looking black dragon, who's silver wings drooped. Daggerwing watched the dark dragon as Valley took off the small chain around her neck, attached her to the wall, wrapping shackles around her back ankles, and attaching a (far far) too tight collar around her neck, attaching it to a chain linked to the wall. Then he backed up to the far side of the room, watching.
"Hi." Daggerwing said, smiling up at the dragon. The dragon looked down, dark green eyes watching sadly.
"Hello." He said in a deep voice.
"I'm Daggerwing!" She said in a cheerful voice.
"Eclipsehunter." He replied, still looking out at the audience.
"Ooooooooh," Daggerwing said, looking at his shiny ebony scales. "That's pretty!" Eclipsehunter looked surprised, as if no one had ever given him a compliment before. But before he could respond, another roar bellowed.
"FRIENDS! HONORED GUESTS! BUYERS! SELLERS! LET'S BEGIN!" A dragon the color of the moons, or ice bellowed, stepping out of the shadows. He was tall and muscular, with beautiful silver scales and diamonds wound around his horns. Daggerwing suddenly felt cold from horns to tail. His eyes were dark,
Dark
Dark
And they were coming to swallow her up.
Dear dragons, 
I can still remember the IceWings cold eyes to this day. I still wish that I had connected more with Eclipsehunter. I wonder how he is...
Chapter Five
"WE WILL BEGIN WITH A RARE DRAGON! A RAINWING!" The white dragon gestured to one of the soldiers, who unchained a dragon alight with red fury. The dragon snapped at the solider as she was dragged forward, her scales shifting to a light orange. "We'll start the bidding at 2,300."
"2,500!" One dragon shouted, lifting her sea-blue talon.
"2,600!"
"2,800!"
"3,000!" Another dragon yelled, flapping their huge orange wings. Despite the horrible situation she was in, Daggerwing couldn't help but gawk at the different kinds of dragons. She had really only seen SilkWings, and then... oh... there was that one LeafWing that washed ashore that one time, but that was it. All these colors and sparkles and beauty. But the more beauty there was, the more it made Daggerwing angry. These dragons, so sparkly and rich looking, ready to watch her be bought and sold simply for their entertainment.
"3,000 going once!" None of the dragons in the room moved. Not Fawn. Not Valley. "TWICE!" The orange dragon grinned with delight. "SOLD!" The RainWing hissed loudly, baring her fangs as she was dragged over to the orange dragon, who grinned, grabbing her chain. He sniffed haughtily and handed the chain to a dragon standing next to him, who had her head bowed submissively.
One by one, each dragon was sold, getting dragged away by a grinning dragon who's cloak would flap and flip as they turned. By the time they got to Eclipsehunter, Daggerwing was shaking like a leaf. Oh no! THIS IS VERY BAD! SOME CREEPY DRAGON IS GOING TO BUY ME FOR COINS! She took a deep breath. Maybe it isn't that bad? Then she looked at all the greedy dragons looking up at her. Ok, I take it back. THIS IS VERY BAD! Daggerwing whimpered as the dragon reached over and unchained her, dragging her forward on the podium.
"HERE WE HAVE THE RAREST OF SPECIES! NO ONE QUITE KNOWS WHAT SHE IS, BUT WE'LL START AT 5,000!" Daggerwing looked out at the crowd, her body shaking so violently she thought she would topple right off the podium. Whispers began rising from the crowd, and Daggerwing was actually relieved to see a few uncomfortable faces. She even spotted some pity.
"Look! No wings!" A tiny dragonet said, yanking on the cloak of his mother.
"Wow...She's pretty."
"Such a small dragonet." One dragon, her scales as pale as the summer sun mumured.
"Poor little thing." A group of dragons said, shaking their heads.
"AHEM!" The bidder yelled again. "I said... WE'll START AT 5,000!" There was a beat of silence, then someone gingerly yelled out.
"5,500!" That opened the valves to the flow of bidding.
"6,000!" The dragon with pale scales yelled.
"6,500!"
"7,000!" A dragon shrieked, flapping their huge brown wings.
"7,500!" Someone shouted in a bored voice. Daggerwing looked over at the dragon, and shivered. It was the same dragon that had offered to buy Daggerwing before. She strained against the chains. The dragons eyes were so cold and dark and glittery, it made her want to shrivel up and pull away. It didn't help that he had a huge scar winding along his face and going even into his side.
"8,000!" Another dragon yelled, glaring at the dragon with cold eyes.
"8,500!" The dragon with the scar bellowed, his eyes blazing.
"9,000!" It was a full on bidding war now.
"10,000!" The dragon with the scar said, so surprisingly quiet that Daggerwing could barely hear him. He had a certain... finality in his voice. The other dragon looked from him to Daggerwing, wavering. Finally, the dragon shrugged and settled back, looking fairly disappointed.
"10,000 going once..." Daggerwing was shaking so badly, and she was relieved to see that a few more of the faces turned from curiosity and greed to pity. "10,000 going twice... SOLD to the SandWing up front!" Daggerwing gave a little whimper, trying to stamp down her panic.
A dragon, dark brown with amber spots unchained her, but then attached a long chain to the collar around her neck, then carted away the other ones. The dragon with the scar nabbed the chain, then gave it a testing yank. "THANK YOU AND GOOD-NIGHT!" The auctioneer roared, flapping his wings. "CLEAR OUT!" The dragon flicked his tongue at her, folding down his bat-like wings. Daggerwing was about two second away from collapsing with fear, but somehow, she felt she needed to be strong. Be strong for Mother. Be strong for Father. Be strong for Swallowtail. 
Dear dragons,
Well, now you know how I came to be with Quail. It wasn't so bad I suppose. Oh wait, HA HA it was horrible. These next two years are the worst of my life. I miss my brother so much. He could make even the worst situation seem good. 
Chapter Six
Daggerwing followed the dragon through the crowded streets, weaving through dragons and avoiding getting stabbed. This was all so new to Daggerwing, and it was crashing down so fast. For an instant, she felt like crying, but then she remembered the fierceness of Gossamer's eyes, the snarl of Swallowtail, and she pulled back up her guard. Good. Her brain thought. See? You can do this! Daggerwing took a deep breath, avoided a sandy wing, and stepped over some random dragon's tail that was lying in the middle of the street for some odd reason.
"So what's your name?" She asked softly, bracing herself. The dragon lowered a pockmarked snout to look at her.
"What does it matter to you, dirty rat?" He snarled. Daggerwing steeled herself, forcing herself to look into his hard, black eyes.
"W-well." She stammered as they stepped around a large brown dragon with a cart smelling like rotting fish. It was so crowded in this city, nothing like at home. At home you could look for miles and see nothing but ocean. At home you could hear the distant splash of a fish surfacing. At home it was peaceful. Here it was just too much. Here you couldn't walk two feet without seeing yet another tail, another talon, another wing. Here the noise was enough to make a dragon want to bury their head in sand just to escape it.
Here... it was horrible.
Daggerwing forced herself to focus on the question. "If I am going to be working for you from now on, I should probably know your name. It will make many things easier." The dragon frowned down at her, then abruptly laughed.
"If you will be working for me. Ho ho ho, that's hilarious. As if you have a choice, filthy rat." He paused, squinting into the blazing sun. Another thing about this city. It was sweltering, blazing, way overly hot. She HATED it so much. It made her want to claw off her scales or dive into the ocean just to escape the heat. "But," The dragon hissed finally, not taking his eyes off the sun. "My name is Quail." Daggerwing shivered. There was something totally wrong about Quail, but she couldn't quite put her claws on it yet. Quail hesitated, but finally looked down at her. "What's your name?" He muttered, though he could not have possible sounded less interested in what her name was.
"I'm Daggerwing." Daggerwing said softly, daring a teeny tiny smile. Quail glared at her and her smile faltered. Suddenly, Quail came to a stop and Daggerwing ran straight into his back. Quail his and shoved her onto the ground, where she lay for a moment, dust swirling around her face. She looked up at the place where they had stopped.
A small courtyard, a fountain in the center, was surrounded by a huge black gate, and a small door set directly opposite of the fountain must have lead to the house, although there were plenty of balconies and windows to fly out of surrounding the courtyard. Quail pushed open the black gate and yanked Daggerwing inside. He suddenly threw down her chain.
"FROST!" He bellowed. There was a pause, then a scuffle. Suddenly, a dragon the color of silver, with pointed wings and a pointed head, a dragon who looked about five or sic years older than Daggerwing appeared. She stumbled to a stop, her sharp claws skidding on the ground.
"Y-yes?" She said in a high-pitched, clear voice.
"Take this little rat down to the basement. Show her her new room. Tell her all about life here." He shoved the chain into Frost's talons. She looked at it like it was covered with sea lamprey's.
"O-ok." Frost said, flicking her wings.
"I'll be in the entertaining room." Quail said haughtily, turning and sweeping away, his wings flicking back and forth. Frost smiled, though Daggerwing noted it looked a little strange, as if Frost was grinding her teeth. Daggerwing looked up at Frost, who was watching Quail go with a furious expression.
"Um..." Daggerwing began, but Frost abruptly looked down, her talons twitching as they reached for a giant necklace of keys around her neck. Daggerwing opened her mouth, but then closed it warily. Frost began picking through the keys, angrily muttering to herself. Finally, Frost selected a small silver key and inserted it into the lock on Daggerwing's collar. Suddenly, abruptly, Frost looked up and watched Daggerwing with narrowed blue eyes.
"You have to promise you won't escape." She said in a cool voice that was somehow menacing and sweet at the same time. Daggerwing opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Frost shook her slightly. "Promise you won't escape. Quail wouldn't like it." Daggerwing started up at Frost as she widened her eyes significantly.
"Um... ok?" Daggerwing said, and Frost nodded. Suddenly, the weight around Daggerwing's neck was dropped. She sighed with relief and rubbed the raw scales on her neck. Frost turned sharply and began to walk around the fountain and into the courtyard beyond. Daggerwing looked around, and then finally began to walk after her. Frost suddenly, stopped and looked behind her with a frown. Daggerwing smiled and Frost groaned.
"Just don't run away on me, ok??" Daggerwing nodded again and Frost gave her a pained look, rubbing her temples. Is she trying to tell me something? Daggerwing thought as she began to follow Frost. Then she straightened her shoulders, flexed her wingbuds, and jogged to keep up with Frost.
"Sooooo..." Daggerwing said cheerfully. Frost looked down her long snout at her. "What are you doing here?" Frost sighed, then looked forward again.
"Same as you." She said simply.
"Oh," Daggerwing said, letting out a relieved breath. "So you work here too?" Frost sighed again, her talons and wings twitching like she was about to take off.
"That's one word for it." She muttered. Daggerwing looked down at her own claws.
"What's another word for it?" She asked curiously. Frost let out a snort and kept walking. Well I guess that's the end of that conversation. Daggerwing thought with an internal sigh. 
"This is Quail's house." Frost said as she stepped into the doorway. Daggerwing blinked, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness after being in the dazzling sun for such a long time. The room was very large, with high ceiling and sun-baked walls. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting a faint orange glow on the rows and rows of vases. The amount of beautiful vases in this one room was enough to make Daggerwing curl her tail in nervously. Ranging from as tiny as a scaenger to as large as a full grown dragon, colors varying from bright blue to black, Daggerwing could probably examine vases all day and not see all of them.
But Daggerwing couldn't stop to gawk, Frost was already moving through the doorway at the other end of the room. Daggerwing, with one last glance back at the vases, followed her. Finally, after walking in silence through room after spectacular vase-filled room, Frost stopped at a tiny doorway. Daggerwing squinted. It looked so... so tiny. How was it even possible Frost fit into it. Frost grabbed the handle, and suddenly yanked open the mahogany door, folding in her wings and ducking through the opening.
Daggerwing followed, more easily since she didn't have wings to slow her down, and she was much smaller than Frost. Daggerwing ducked through the doorway, and into a room that smelled of dust. Daggerwing suddenly set her talon down on open air and tumble down a very long set of stairs.
She lay at the bottom, groaning, trying to see in the pitch darkness. She suddenly looked up and found herself staring into the piercingly cold eyes of Frost. Daggerwing yelped and Frost twitched her talons.
"Why don't you have wings?" Frost asked, glancing over Daggerwing's shoulders. Self-conscious, Daggerwing touched her wingbuds.
"I'm not supposed to get them until I'm five." She whispered. Frost's eyebrows shot up.
"Really?" She asked. "Is that... like normal?" Daggerwing nodded, then looked up, surprised.
"Is that... not how it works over here?" Frost frowned, her face taking some kind of strange transformation from curiosity to amusement.
"No!" Daggerwing's jaw dropped. 
"Really?" She whispered. "I mean, on our continent, LeafWings don't do it, but they're mostly extinct... so, maybe not. And I have no idea if HiveWing's do it." Frost gave Daggerwing a hard look, confusion replacng the amusement on her fact. Her serrated claws twitched as she rubbed her face. 
"What's a Hive- You know, nevermind." Daggerwing frowned as Frost extended her talon. Daggerwing hesitated, moving her wingbuds around. They were starting to itch and become uncomfortable. Frost sighed loudly, reaching her talon further out. "Do you want to get up?" She asked sarcastically. "Or are you just going to keep sitting there like a polar bear?" Daggerwing laughed and Frost sighed louder. 
"Oh ok." Daggerwing said, grasping Frost's talon. Frost heaved upward and Daggerwing staggered to her feet. They continued to walk down a dark hallway until they turned into a single tiny room. There was a small reed mat on the ground, walls made of some kind of... something, and a tiny bookshelve with a few measley books. A window looked out onto the desert, the walls of the Scorpion Den barely visible over the windowsill. And perched along the windowsill, along along the bookshelf, and covering the floor were thousands of tiny carved statues. 
"This is my room." Frost said softly, then walked along the hallway, her tail twitching. "And this is yours." They turned into a room next to Frost's, looking exactly the same except that the window was much, MUCH smaller and the hundreds of carvings were missing. Frost frowned down at Daggerwing. 
"Work starts tommorrow morning." And without another word, Frost turned and walked back up the stairs. 
Dear dragons...
Frost helped me with the first few weeks of life with Quail. She was wonderful, though at first she would seem like a total jerk. But I think she was trying to be helpful. Most of the time. 
I would write down the next two years that I had with Quail, but it's mostly just work get yelled at, work, get yelled at, eat, work, then repeat that every single day. I don't really feel like it. But one good thing is that Frost slowly began to teach me about each dragon of Phyrrhia (Where I was now apparently). 
Over the years I turned colder. I figured out pretty early that any sign of weakness and you would be eaten alive, so I wrapped steel around my heart so that I would never show any signs of weakness. 
Ever.
Chapter Seven
Two years later...
Daggerwing woke up from her nightmare with a start. She sat up in her room, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her face. Daggerwing took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She rubbed her face gloomily, trying to piece together the vague, swirling images that her nightmare had left her with.
It was Quail, snarling cruelly like he always had, threatening her with his poisonous barb that all "SandWings", as Frost described to her, had. But then suddenly, Daggerwing had looked down and noticed that her claws had turned white and sharp. She was Frost, and the shattered remains of a broken pot lay at her feet. Frost / Daggerwing had no time to react before Quail was there, stabbing his tail straight into her heart. That was what had woken her.
For the last two years, Daggerwing had had repeated nightmares of her days. As if her brain was laughing at her for the mistakes she had made during the day, as if they were laughing that she had to relive it twice.
Today's nightmare had been inspired by what had happened earlier . . .
Daggerwing and Frost had been working together to clean some of Quail's many, many vases. 
"How many vases does this dragon have?" Daggerwing had asked, picking up a dark red one and rubbing it with a small cloth. She set it back on the wooden pedestal and looked over at Frost, who was cleaning a sea-blue one with a resigned expression. 
"More than you could ever see." Frost had snorted, slamming the pot down on it's pedestal. "I've been here most of my life, and I've never seen... or clean the all." Daggerwing had looked suspiciously over at Frost. Frost never talked about her past. Like ever. Daggerwing began thinking about ways to trick more information out of Frost. She was thinking so hard that she didn't notice the vase right behind her. 
It was Quail's favorite, a beautfiul rust color with dark blue spots and dancing scavengers on the front. Daggerwing had lashed her tail, thinking, and knocked the vase right off the pedestal. Time had seemed to go in slow motion. The vase falling and smashing onto the ground, Daggerwing's horrified face, and most memorable, Frost flaring her wings and gasping, glancing at where Quail had disappeared. There had been silence for a moment, then a voice that Daggerwing dreaded to hear.
"I HAD BETTER NOT JUST HEARD WHAT I THINK I JUST HEARD!" Quail had thundered. Frost had looked from Daggerwing to the vase, then nodded, as if deciding something. 
"Go." Frost had hissed, flapping her wings. "GO. Get downstairs. Pretend you had never been up here." Daggerwing had simply gawked at Frost, who was dead serious. 
"What about you?" Daggerwing had managed to choke out. 
"Don't worry, just get out of here." Frost had said again, shoving Daggerwing towards the door leading downstairs. So Daggerwing had. She had bolted downstairs, and just in time, because as she dove behind her bookshelf, she heard the yelling begin. Quail's yelling continued for about ten minutes, and meanwhile, the only thing that Daggerwing could think was 'How does Quail have that much air in his lungs?"  
After the yelling had finally ceased, Daggerwing heard the door fling open, and felt a wave of cold as Frost stomped down the stairs. Daggerwing had peeked around the corner. Frost had her talons over her face, her shoulders shaking. Frost had vanished into her room so fast that Daggerwing hadn't gotten much time to talk to her, but she had seen the blood spots on the floor and the blood seeping between Frost's talons to figure out what had happened. 
And now Daggerwing couldn't stop thinking about it. And about how it was all her fault. 
She sighed and gave up trying to fall back asleep. She got up, stretched her talons for a moment, then went over and sat next to the window. 
The desert moon shone past the dark walls and streets of the Scorpion Den, hitting Daggerwing's face, lighting her heart with it's beautiful light. She put her snout on the edge of the windowsill, looking out past the walls, past the sand, and to the sweet darkness of the night beyond.  
Daggerwing wished her mother, with her sweet singing voice and her quiet (Or more often, not quiet) firmness were here, sitting next to her.  
She wished her father, with his kind talon that always seemed to be there, her father, with his gentleness and his fierceness to defend his family, was observing the stars with her, commenting about the different types of constellations.  
She wished that he brother, with his endless jokes and smile that was so contagious it could make anyone grin right back at him, was here, his wings slung around her, whispering laughing comments about how serious their father was. 
Daggerwing forced herself not to think about her family anymore. She forced bands of steel around her heart, then slowly turned away from the moonlight and memories so not to cry. 
She slipped silently, like a cat sneaking food away from the kitchen, out of her room and hopped quickly into Frost's room. 
"Frost." Daggerwing whispered, stepping over Frost's newest carvings. Frost was curled up on her mat, clutching her newest carving to her chest. Daggerwing gently sat down next to the IceWing, shaking her shoulder gently. "Frost." She said again. This time, Frost's eyes opened a crack.
"Hmmm?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Daggerwing, we talked about this whole I-need-my-sleep-or-I-get-extremely-grumpy thing." But Daggerwing wasn't paying attention anymore. Her gaze was fixed on the slash running the length of Frost's face. It was dark, the blood looking black in the darkness of Frost's room, and surrounded by dried blood, running from the edge of Frost's left eye all the way down her face and ended where her neck was. 
It was the most horrible thing Daggerwing had ever seen. 
Frost must have seen something in Daggerwing's eyes, because she touched Daggerwing's tail with her own.
"It's ok." Frost said softly, smiling. "Now what's wrong?" Daggerwing sniffed. She couldn't believe it. Frost had taken that for her. But she took a deep breath, reminding herself, But Frost told you to go. But another part of her brain couldn't help but think, But you didn't even try to argue with her. Daggerwing shook her head, trying to shut down her brain. 
"I had a nightmare. Wose than usual." Frost's face immedietly softened, her eyes becoming sweet in an instant. She rolled over and spread one of her wings. 
"Come on, sugar butterfly." Frost said tenderly. Daggerwing gratefully sank down next to Frost, and felt Frost's wing draped over her back, cold, yet warm at the same time. "Have you seen my new carving?" Frost whispered, pushing the tiny carving into Daggerwing's talons. She lifted it up to her eyes. It was a tiny carved seal, in an elegant swimming position, a smile on its face. It was made out of a kind of wood that was a color that was almost white. Daggerwing couldn't help but notice that the eyes of the seal were the same shape as Daggerwing's. 
"It's beautiful." Daggerwing whispered, handing it back to Frost. Frost smiled, curling her neck around so Daggerwing could look into her eyes. 
"I'll give it to you when it's finished if you like it so much." Daggerwing grinned, curving her neck so that she was next to Frost.
"Good night." Daggerwing said, yawning. She looked at Frost, who was watching her with a wierd expression on her face. It was almost longing. Like Frost had lost something and Daggerwing suddenly appeared with it. But then Daggerwing closed her eyes, and her tired muscles dragged her down into sleep. 
Before she left the waking world completely, though, she thought she heard Frost whisper something. 
"Good night, little sister."
Dear dragons,
There's not much to say here, other that the fact that this is where I started to miss my family so much. For years I had pushed my memories of them down so deep, I barely registered it in my own mind. But when Frost whispered "little sister" to me, I stopped thinking about my family, and more about hers.
Anyway, let's move on, this is where things start to speed up.
Chapter Eight
Daggerwing trudged behind Quail, her legs feeling like they were literally about two seconds from just falling off her body. She rubbed her wrists with a small groan. Not only were her legs aching like snakebites, but her wrists were burning like they were on fire. She had woken up that morning, curled around Frost, and he wrists were in so much pain that she looked down expecting to see just severed stumps.
"Hurry UP!" Quail roared from somewhere up ahead. Daggerwing shifted the basket of guavas to her other talon, shaking feeling back into her numb one. Quail was having a party tonight, and Daggerwing and Frost needed to make sure it was perfect.  
Although, Daggerwing felt like she might be more... motivated to do a better job on the party if she were invited. But when she asked, Quail kind of overreacted. (Quail specifically said "GET OUT OF MY FACE UNGRATEFUL RAT.") 
"I am go-ing." Daggerwing managed to choke out. The sun today was enough to make a dragon sweat out of her own scales, and it didn't help that she was lugging this ton of bricks around. Quail walked along the shops, muttering and picking things up, then setting them back down. 
"Daggerwing!" He suddenly yelled. Daggerwing's eyebrows shot up. She had no idea that Quail even knew she was alive. She hurried up so she was standing next to Quail. He frowned at her, as if considering scooching her backwards so that she was behind him, but then he shook his head. "Get twelve pouches of water." Daggerwing bowed her head with obedience, but she wondered if Quail noticed that she was grinding her teeth. 
The sound of the market was as noisy as ever, and, even though she had been around for two whole years, there were still dragons who would stare at her in shock, or whisper to eachother, trying to figure out what kind of dragon she was. 
Over the years, she had heard it all. Hybrid. Freak. Animus (Whatever that was). Mutation. The list went on and on. All of them were incorrect, of course, but Daggerwing didn't bother to correct them. She didn't care if dragons stared at her. It's not like they would do anything.  
Or talk to her. 
Or anything.  
As if she was like a precious necklace and not a dragon at all. Daggerwing picked up a pouch of water from a SandWing, who's face was so scarred his scales looked pink instead of sand-yellow, then dropped a coin into his outstretched talon. She placed it in the bag. Suddenly, Daggerwing stopped with a groan. Her head was pounding hard. She suddenly felt . . . strange, but she couldn't quite put her talon on it. Suddenly, Daggerwing's talons flew to her back. 
Oh.
No.
Her wingbuds were pulsing, and if she felt them, they were more unfurled then they were last night.
That could only mean one thing.
Daggerwing squinted at her wrists, trying to block out the bright sunshine, a feeling of dread rising up inside her, like bubbles rising to the surface of boiling water. Yup. She thought with slight hysteria.  
Her wrists were glowing in a beautiful silver color. Suddenly, Daggerwing's breaths began to come in gasps. Her legs felt like they would no longer hold her weight anymore. 
Was it today?
Daggerwing sank to her knees, dropping the basket. Guavas spilled all over the crowded streets, a few getting crushed under the heavy claws of dragons shopping. 
"What is wrong with you?" Quail asked, and Daggerwing looked up at his frowning face. The world was starting to spin, so she wasn't sure if she was hallucinating, but it almost sounded like Quail had just the hint of concern in his face. Daggerwing tried to talk, she tried to open her mouth, but for some reason, nothing came out. So she just sat there, on her knees, trying not to puke. 
Yes, it defenitely was today. 
When she didn't answer, any trace of pity vanished from his face. Quail's snout contorted in fury, and he raised his tail. Daggerwing braced herself, eyes fixed on the pointed end, but then Quail suddenly gasped, and something made him stop.  
He lowered his tail slowly. Daggerwing wrinkled her snout and followed her gaze. It went down, down, down to her talons. Daggerwing looked down and gasped. 
Silk, a beautfiul silver color, the color of the desert moon above the desert, was pouring out of her wrists, like the fountain in the front of Quail's house. She groaned again. The world was shifting, getting larger and smaller. Daggerwing's talons began to move. She began to automatically weave the cocoon around herself. Daggerwing thought while she spun, wishing that her thoughts weren't so . . . loud. 
For an instant, as the silk began to close around her head, Daggerwing thought it might be different.
She thought that she would go into her Metamorphosis in peace, and that when she woke up, her family would be there.
In the instant before she fell asleep, Daggerwing thought that when she woke up, her father would be there, thumping her good-naturedly, ready to take her flying. She thought that her mother would be there, ready to teach Daggerwing everything that there was to know about flight procedures and how to hold your wings and how to balance with a new weight on your back.  
She thought that her brother would be there, proudly holding out his gross version of Daggerwing's delicious sweet potato casserole that she made for him after his Metamorphosis. She thought that they would laugh as they ate it, and that she would be happy. 
But as she looked up, just before the world went dark, Daggerwing knew that would never happen. 
As she looked up into the dark eyes of Quail, she knew that her family was never going to see her wings.
She was never going to see Gossamer or Swallowtail or Scallopwing ever again.
They were gone. And there was nothing Daggerwing could do about it. 
And for the first time in monthes, the steel around Daggerwing's heart suddenly dropped away. For the first time in monthes, tears filled Daggerwing's eyes, and she let them. For the first time in monthes, Daggerwing began to cry. 
And as the silk closed around her head, Daggerwing fell into a deep sleep, tinted with 
Silk
Emeralds
And tears. 
Dear Dragons,
Yeah, I am one forgetful weirdo. What kind of a SilkWing forgets their own Metamorphosis. But to be fair, for the two years that I was with Quail, it's not like I ever celebrated my birthday. 
OH WAIT NOT TRUE. The year before my Metamorphosis, Frost surprised me with a little cake that she snatched from the kitchen and a carved butterfly. That might have been one of the best birthday's of my life, next to the two ones that I had with my... family.
Anyway, let's move on, I suppose.
Chapter Nine 
Daggerwing opened her eyes groggily. 
Where am I? She yawned silently, then looked around the pitch darkness. Are my eyes even opened? She frowned, then widened her eyes as far as they could go. Yup, defenitely open. She pressed her claws against the sides of the walls, trying desperately to remember what was going on. Daggerwing shuddered. The space she was in was so small. She could barely move her wings without hurting them. She stopped moving suddenly, her mouth dropping. 
My . . . WINGS!
Daggerwing tried to twist around to see them, but the cocoon kept her firmly locked forward. Daggerwing reached up gingerly and touched her head. Why did it hurt so much. The she reached down. But her talons went . . . up?
Oh. She thought, nodding. I must be upside-down. She shuddered, a bit of her memory coming back. Where am I? Is Frost ok? She bit her lip, worried. But it seemed she had more . . . pressing concerns at the moment. Such as HOW UNDER THE THREE-BLASTED MOONS WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF HERE?!  
She pressed against the sides of the cocoon, sturggling for a moment, but the silk was good and strong. HELLO? She tried to talk to the silk. CAN YOU LET ME OUT OF HERE? Nothing. She growled, trying to tear out. 
This would all be different if she was with her parents. She would have gone over Metamorphosis procedure with her parents a week before she went into her cocoon. She would know how to escape this prison. Daggerwing took a deep breath and pushed down any self-pity.
Casually, she reached out and brushed the sides of the cocoon with her antennae.
Her heart froze.
She could sense two . . . no, three dragons sitting outside her cocoon, one so close to it that if she jabbed her talons through the silk, she could probably impale the dragon. That's bad. She had to remind herself. That's what I don't want to do. She hesitated. Was it though? What if the dragon sitting outside her cocoon was Quail? Wouldn't everyone be happier if she stabbed him in  the face?
No no no. She thought, curling her claws in. I have to refrain from doing anything bad. For now. She nodded in satisfaction, rolling over again. But instead of her having to squish uncomfortably around the silk, the thick layers began to bend. Suddenly, as if by magic, Daggerwing jammed her claws into the ceiling, pushing through the silk. A burst of bright summer light poured through the tiny crack, and the murmur of voices outside her cocoon grew louder and louder. She pushed her head through the cocoon, making the crack wider and wider.  
Daggerwing looked up and the first thing she saw was the bright, blazing sun. Daggerwing's talons weren't free yet, so she had nothing to block the horrifying golden light with. She squinted, trying to keep her priorities in check. Get out of my cocoon, first. Stop my eyes from burning out of my skull, second. Daggerwing let herself be amused for a moment, but she had no more time to think, because with a tiny pop, her entire body fell out of the cocoon. She tumbled out of the silk, slamming onto the floor heavily. 
"Ouch." She managed to croak out. 
"Moon's are you alright?" A new voice said. Not Quail. Not Frost. She looked up into the face of an entirely new dragon. Unlike Quail, this dragons face was perfect and round, and his face was doing something wierd. It was crinkling at the edges. 
Was this new dragon, smiling?
Daggerwing hadn't even known SandWing's could smile. But here he was, glittering all over like a shining sun, but much less annoying. Daggerwing widened her eyes and scuttled backwards her wings bumping against the sides of her cocoon. The dragon's smile turned into a frown and Daggerwing began to shake, but he didn't look angry, he looked . . . concerned?
"Don't worry." He said soothingly, advancing on her kindly. Daggerwing jumped up and tried to run backwards, but found herself confronted by a huge, tall wall. She turned back to the dragon who had stopped with one talon resting on her cocoon. 
"Come on." He said, gesturing with one talon. "You must be starving." Daggerwing hesitated. She was starving. More starving than she ever had been in her entire life. But something still deep inside her made Daggerwing simply frown at the new dragon, who was now yanking open several drawers and muttering, his gold-orange tail flicking back and forth rapidly.
"Ah ha!" The new dragon said triumphantly, lifting a camel-hair sack above his head. Despite her fear, Daggerwing watched him curiously as he began digging through the bag, frowning. Suddenly, his claw withdrew and he tossed a mango in Daggerwing's direction. She yelped and leapt quickly to the right, letting it splat onto the ground. The SandWing looked at it with a masked confused and hurt look. "Don't be scared." He said with a small laugh. "It's just a mango." She hesitated, but finally, her stomach took over and she scooched forward, taking a tiny, tiny nibble out of the mango, never taking her eyes off the smiling SandWing. When her insides didn't explode, or the SandWing lunging forward with a knife, she took another, bigger bite.
Daggerwing felt the juices run down her throat and finally, ate the entire rest of the mango in one bite. The dragon's eyebrows raised.
"That was fast." He said kindly. "Would you like another?" Daggerwing looked at him, swallowed the rest of the mango, then smiled hesitantly.
"Yes please." She said hoarsely. The dragon's grin widened.
"Oh, so you can talk!" He laughed. "I thought I might have bought a slave who was mute. That would most definitely not be worth the huge amount of coins I paid for you." Daggerwing looked down, her grin dropping.
Oh. She thought with an internal sigh. So I'm not free. In fact, I'm back as a slave. But then she hesitated. Well, at least I'm with this kind dragon and not Quail. 
But was this dragon kind? I mean, do dragons normally switch between friendly and not friendly all the time?!
How would I know? She snarked in her head. But she shuddered, remembering Frost. How can I get back to her? Daggerwing shook her head fiercely. Ok, one thing at a time Daggerwing. She gladly accepted the mango that the dragon tossed to her, eating it in a single bite.
She then tried to look like she was listening intently as he began lecturing her on the do's and don't's of working for him. Just when she was about three seconds from falling asleep purely for the heck of it, he finally stopped and took a deep breath.
"Any questions?" He asked with a smile. Ha. Daggerwing thought, biting at her claws. Any questions, that's hilarious. Then she paused, looking at him suspiciously. What if he was really asking if she had any questions?!
"What's your name? Do you even have one?" She asked sarcastically. His eye twitched a little, but he quickly shrugged it off.
"I'm Coyote. Hi!" He stuck out his talon and she jumped back, hissing. Coyote sighed and brought his talon back to his body.
"Your's?" She frowned. No one had ever asked her name on this whole moon's-blasted continent.
Well, in a kind way.
"Daggerwing." She said softly.
"Daggerwing." He repeated, murmuring it a few times to himself. "That's beautiful."
Dear Dragons, 
Yet again, I am not going to go over my life with Coyote. Seriously. It was only a little bit better. At least I got food and didn't have to sleep in the basement. 
But I did have to work, and have I mentioned that the Scorpion Den is REALLY HOT?! I can't even begin to imagine what was going through Frost's mind when she came here. 
Speaking of which, I missed her. Terribly. My nightmares got worse, but there was nothing I could do. 
Well, I suppose we should continue. 
Chapter Ten 
Daggerwing shuddered. 
This day reminded her all too eerily of the day she had gone into her Metamorphosis, even though that was a year ago. The sun was hot and blazing, causing Daggerwing to have to squint until her eyes were nearly closed. Her life had changed dramatically from that moment. 
She was no longer the skittish, malnourished dragonet she had been with Quail. Now she was well-rounded and kind, and though she wasn't free, she had friends. 
"Daggerwing!" Sealbringer called. Daggerwing stopped and whipped around, her tail causing sand to fly out in every direction. She immideitly reached out and took the heavy basket of snails from her claws. Sealbringer rubbed her talons together, smiling. "Thanks." Daggerwing nodded, pausing for a moment to stretch out her bound wings. 
Another change. Coyote trusted Daggerwing and Sealbringer to go out on their own to do errands, though their wings were bound, and Coyote didn't seem to notice how observant Daggerwing was. 
As if anyone couldn't see the shadowy figures trailing after them. 
"Why exactly do we have to get these snails?" Daggerwing asked with a yawn. Her last nightmare had been especially terrible, and it made her long even more for Frost. "Coyote hates snails." Sealbringer shrugged eloquently. 
"How would I know?" Daggerwing laughed. 
"Oh very helpful." She said, shoving her shoulder. Sealbringer laughed, but then became serious again. 
"Come on, we really should go." She jerked her head towards the distant compound where Coyote lived. Daggerwing nodded, then turned to contiue walking, and slammed straight into a wing. She stumbled backwards, skittering on her small claws, spilling a few snails on the sandy ground. 
"Oh!" The dragon said, reaching out a talon. "I'm so sorry, let me- DAGGERWING!?" 
Daggerwing glanced up, startled, and found herself looking straight into the cool, dark blue eyes of Frost. 
"FROST!" She shrieked, throwing herself into the IceWing's outstretched talons. Frost dropped her basket she was carrying on the ground and wrapped her talons firmly around Daggerwing. 
"Sugar butterfly!" Frost said, choking a little. Daggerwing looked up and saw tears glistening in Frost's eyes. "How did you- YOU HAVE WINGS?!" Daggerwing nodded, spreading her wings. Frost widened her eyes in amazement, touching the left one as if it was made of paper and would tear at the slightest touch. 
"Yes, I told you Frost!" Daggerwing said with a hysterical laugh. "I get them when I am five?" 
"YOU'RE FIVE?!" Frost yelled, touching Daggerwing's chin and angling her head upward. 
"I'm six actually." Daggerwing puffed out her chest proudly. Wait . . . When did I turn six? Was that 
"Oh my sweet sister." Daggerwing wrinkled her nose, and Frost blushed. "I mean, my brave awesome, bold, old, little friend!" Daggerwing gigled, snuggling into Frost's wings.
"Um . . ." Sealbringer said faintly, picking up a few snails that Daggerwing had dropped. "Should I be worried? Or happy? Or . . . "
"You can be happy!" Daggerwing said, curling in even closer to Frost. "This is Frost!" Sealbringer blinked.
"Oh." She said, managing to restrain her reaction to a dull yawn. "Hi Frost. How exactly do you two know eachother?" Frost drew Daggerwing in closer, but she stared at Sealbringer. 
"Before I came to Coyote." Daggerwing said cheerfully. Sealbringer nodded slowly, observing Frost carefully with a wary, but not untrusting expression. 
"Well, we should get going." She said, smiling at Daggerwing. "Or they will be angry." She jerked her head towards where the shadows were watching warily. Watching, but not acting. Frost nodded and released her grip on Daggerwing. 
Suddenly, a loud roar billowed across the market. A blast of fire shot across, setting a small stall on fire. Sealbringer reacted instantly, grabbing a sand bucket and pouring it methodically all along the fire. Daggerwing peeked beyond Frost's wing to see a dragon she thought she would never see again.
Fawn.
The young SandWing has her wing wrapped around a tiny dragonet who was clutching a coconut as if his life depended on it. Fawn yelled something at a huge, was that a SunWing? No, wait, a MountainWing? Um . . . CloudWing?
"Who's that SkyWing?" Frost whispered. Oh, SkyWing. Hmm, I was close. Daggerwing squinted at the huge wings, which were flapping like mad. She suddenly gave a start. She had only seen this dragon once, but the angle of his wings were too familiar.
"Valley!" She gasped. Frost frowned slightly, looking at the crimson wings.
"Who?" Daggerwing winced.
"He . . . uh . . . captured and killed my family." Frost froze, suddenly slowly turning her head towards Valley, with a glare that could melt the toughest glaciers. Frost began to grind her teeth silently, though it was muffled by her grimace.
"Oh really?" Frost said quietly.
No sentence could have possibly sounded more menacing.
"NO!" A voice suddenly roared. Daggerwing jumped and looked back over at Fawn, who was brandishing her tail at Valley with a snarl. "I will not let you hurt any more dragonets!"
"Oh, don't think you can order me around, Fawn!" Valley snarled angrily, knocking her tail aside. "Just because you are my personal helper doesn't mean that you can do whatever the moon's you want." A small group was beginning to form, whispering. The dragonet was shaking like a leaf, Fawn's wing draped kindly around him.
"But that pitiful sack of scales stole from me. I will not let anyone EVER steal from me." Fawn hissed, her tail back up, the barb glinting.
"Valley," Fawn said with a slightly begging voice. "Please, just let him go." Valley growled, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"I will give you one chance." His voice was cold. Frost shivered, putting her second wing around Daggerwing. "To step aside." Fawn looked like she was beating back fear as she lifted her chin.
"One chance passed." She choked out, her wings trembling.
"Have it your way." Valley hissed, shooting a bolt of fire straight at Fawn's face. Fawn shrieked and blew a bolt of fire at Valley's, and they collides, shooting outward. Valley shot into the air and his tail whistled around, smacking Fawn across the snout. Fawn collapsed backwards, slamming into a group of dragons. The dragons shoved Fawn away and backed up, leaving room for the two. The dragonet had retreated to a far corner, still watching Fawn with wide eyes.
The dragons circled each other snarling and hissing. Finally, Fawn dove straight at Valley, her tail whistling to stab him. But he was ready for her. Daggerwing could see it in his eyes. Don't do it Fawn!! Daggerwing thought, clutching Frost's talon tightly.
But of course, Fawn couldn't read minds, and even if she could, it was far too late.
Valley smirked and grabbed Fawn's tail before it could reach his face, twisting it around with a sickening crack. Daggerwing gasped loudly, and Fawn turned to look at her, her eyes widening with horror and surprise as she recognized the dragonet. Valley frowned, most likely wondering what Fawn was staring at, but then shrugged, yanking on her tail.
Fawn turned back to look at Valley, and as she did, Valley twirled her tail around and shoved it back towards her. Fawn widened her eyes in shock, just as the pointed and poisonous part of her tail slid into her throat.
Dear dragons,
Poor Fawn.
That's all I'm going to say. I mean, she tried to protect just a young dragonet, and look where that got her. If Frost's wing hadn't been holding me back, oooh, it would've gotten messy! Sorry if my claws are a little shaky, we just had a very close call with some hunters. I hate every second of this, but anything is better than not being free. 
Let's move on, it gets interesting.
Chapter Eleven
Daggerwing was screaming. She was pretty sure she wasn't the only one, but it was as if all the sound in the world had just vanished. Sealbringer was watching Valley with a gaping expression, her eyes wide and confused. The crowd was surging and milling around, some of them practically crawling over each other to get away from Fawn and Valley, some surging towards them, but Daggerwing didn't care.
She could only look at Fawn. Fawn, the first dragon who had been . . . ok to Daggerwing on this continent. Fawn, who was just trying to do something right.
Suddenly, Daggerwing was drawn into Frost's wing, her sobs muffled by the coolness of Frost's scales.
"Shhhh." Frost said, stroking Daggerwing's head gently. "It's ok." Daggerwing tried to stop crying, but the tears came, flowing out of her eyes and dripping down Frost's wings.  
"Awww, the little bitty dragonet doesn't like blood." A voice sneered mockingly from above. Daggerwing didn't want to look up. She buried her face in Frost's wing, sniffling.  
"Buzz off." Daggerwing heard Frost say in a cold voice. Daggerwing lifted her head slowly out of Frost's wing, trying to beat back the tears that were spilling out of her eyes. The last thing she needed right now was someone thinking she was weak.  
"Valley!" She gasped involuntarily. Valley's hard eyes travelled over her for a long moment. Something seemed to strike him. His gaze went to Frost, who was giving him her best murderous glare. Daggerwing tried to make herself small and Frost folded her wings protectively around her.  
"I said buzz off." Frost snarled again, her talons twitching like they were about to slash someone's throat. It was a little scary, hearing Frost being so angry. But Daggerwing had mostly gotten used to it. Valley just kept staring at Daggerwing, his eyes so narrowed it looked like he didn't have any eyes.  
"You should learn to respect the higher authority, IceWing." Valley said quietly but firmly, not taking his eyes off Daggerwing. Daggerwing looked up at Fawn nervously, watching the incredible struggle that was clearly going on inside her.  
"Yes, sssir." Frost slithered sarcastically. Valley let out a little huff, spreading his wings menacingly and pointing one sharp claw at her.  
"You just watch yourself missy." Valley hissed. Frost looked like she wanted to snap something furious, but thought better of it at the last moment. Valley smirked, then frowned at Daggerwing.  
"Hmmmm, not dead yet. Quite a surprise." Daggerwing felt a flare of anger rise up in her mind, and before she could stop herself, she was snapping.  
"Well perhaps I'm a little tougher then you first gave me credit for." Valley's face twitched. He looked like he was deciding whether he was impressed or insulted.  
"Hmmmmmmm," He said again. "We will see." He shot a scornful look over at Frost, then turned, flicking his long tail at them. "We will see."
"Of all the supercilious, lemming-brained, unpleasant dragons out there, he overshadows them all." Frost said between her teeth, then looked down at Daggerwing who was shaking, staring at where Valley had disappeared.
Frost suddenly knelt down in front of Daggerwing, her cool blue eyes gentle. 
"Sugar butterfly." She said softly, clasping Daggerwing's talon between her own. Daggerwing looked up at her, thoughts and worried and tears swirling around in her head. "You need to run. Pretend you had never been here." Daggerwing suddenly had a flash of deja vu, and then glanced up at Frost's face.
Where there had once been a bubbling, black, bloody slash running the length of her face, now there was only a scar, though it was still large and looked inflamed. That reminded Daggerwing of her years with Quail, a time in her life that she thought she had pushed down deep inside her. 
"What?" She sniffed, trying to bring herself back to the real world. 
"Run, or perhaps everyone will think you had something to do with this. I'm going too."  
"But . . ." Daggerwing trailed off as Frost shot her a look. Daggerwing let out a little whimper, feeling like she was four again. Frost smiled weakly, and brushed one of her wings with Daggerwing's. It felt like clouds of butterflies taking off.  
"I know." Frost said gently. "But you have to go. Ok? We'll see each other again. I promise." Daggerwing nodded, brushing off her tears.  
If she wanted Frost to treat her like an adult, then she needed to act like it.  
"Ok." She said, and suddenly, Seal's talon was on her shoulder.  
"Come on Daggerwing." She said gently, pulling Daggerwing away from Frost. The IceWing hesitated, but then suddenly turned and bolted, her glimmering scales soon lost in the mingling chaos around them. 
Daggerwing took a deep breath and then nodded, turning and running along side-by-side with Sealbringer. They kept running until the dragons roars sounded like waves rolling over the shores of a beach. Quiet, not very noticeable.  
When they stepped into Coyote's compound, it was suddenly like an air of peace engulfed Daggerwing. Not like Quail's house, where you were tense all the time, fearing for your life every second. This was different.  
It was safer.  
But as they stepped in, Daggerwing got an odd feeling. It was . . . quieter than usual. There were always workers mingling about, carrying food or water, talking near the koi pond over by the left, fanning themselves in the high balconies above.  
But today . . . there was nothing. The courtyards were empty. The balconies deserted. Even the koi fish seemed to be silent. She turned around to ask Seal what was going on, but when she turned to where Seal last had been, she realized that she was gone.  
What the . . . ? Daggerwing's heart began pounding, marching up into her head. Where had everyone gone? Where had Seal gone?  
She wouldn't just abandon Daggerwing without saying anything! Right?  
RIGHT?!  
Suddenly, a talon was clapped over Daggerwing's face.  
She gasped with fear and a little bit of anger. Who was this? Why were they attacking her? She twisted left and right, trying to see any sign of her attacker, but found only darkness, and sharp claws. 
She wiggled for another moment, then bit down where one of the dragon's claws met their skin.  
"OW!" They said through their teeth. Huh? That voice was strangely . . . familiar.  
She felt herself get lifted off the ground and carried somewhere, but she managed to hook her claws around the attacker's talons and yank them off her face. 
She whipped around, baring her fangs and flaring her wings, but it was only Sealbringer, grinning.  
"Why would you DO THAT?" Daggerwing yelped. Sealbringer, instead of answering, simply pointed to a spot behind Daggerwing. Huffing slightly, Daggerwing turned around. Why would Sealbringer do that? 
Daggerwing didn't think of her as much of a prankster, but maybe she was- 
"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices suddenly bellowed out. Daggerwing nearly jumped out of her scales. "HAPPY HATCHING DAY!" 
Dear Dragons, 
I bet you're laughing at me right now. Don't deny it! You are! I was SO SCARED! But before you claim, oh yeah, how could she be so DUMB? Who would want to attack her? But you have to remember that I became tougher over the years, so I made quite a few enemies. Hmm? Still laughing at me? If you are, don't try to deny that you would do the same thing in my position. Don't even try to deny that.
Chapter Twelve
Daggerwing paused for a long moment.
"Hatching day?" There were nine, maybe ten dragons, mostly SandWing's standing in the room, all holding something, whether it be silver silk colored scarves or different types of food.  
Smiling, Coyote stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her.  
"Happy hatching day." He whispered in her ears, wrapping a scarf around her. As if following his lead, the other dragons in the room stepped forward as well, each of them giving her a silk scarf.  
A suddenly rush of memories made Daggerwing's heart ache.  
"Happy hatching day!" Daggerwing was saying, giggling as she stepped forward with a scarf. Of course, she couldn't weave the scarf herself, she was still three years from her metamorphosis, but her mother had made sure to add a little extra detail so that it looked like something Daggerwing would weave..  
"Eeeeeeeek!" Swallowtail shrieked, nabbing the scarf, not even waiting for her to put it on, then started chewing on a loose string. "THANKS!!" He wrapped his arms around her so tightly, Daggerwing started choking for air, her wingbuds churning as if they forgot for a moment that they were just wingbuds and not full wings yet. 
"Let your sister go." Scallopwing said in a rumbly voice. Swallowtail nodded vigorously, and released Daggerwing, who stumbled back to the safety of her mother's wings.  
"Food time!" Gossamer chirped, gesturing to the tables holding numerous dishes, which included Daggerwing's sweet potato casserole for the first time!  
"YAAAAAAAAAAY!" Swallowtail shrieked, bounding towards the food table, bouncing back and forth with excitement...
Slightly dizzy, Daggerwing snapped back into reality. Feeling suddenly nauseous, Daggerwing looked at the scarves, which, sure enough, she recognized herself making.  
Sealbringer had claimed it was from being too cold during the nights. And of course, Daggerwing had thought nothing of it.  
She looked over at Sealbringer accusingly, only to find Sealbringer with a non-repentant grin on her face.  
"Wait." She said in a sharp voice, looking over at the food table. Sure enough, there was some sweet potato casserole.  
"Thats why you asked me if I could cook yesterday! And if I knew any recipes I liked." She pointed over at the cook, Arid, who was standing sheepishly, smiling. 
"And you," She whipped around, pointing a single claw at another servant, who was standing with his head tilted, vases of small, dry, wilted flowers surrounding him like crowds of dragons. "What flowers my family used to grow back on the island . . . " She trailed off, the scent of lavender and jasmine assaulting her nose, bringing back more memories.  
She let out a groan, the memories slashing at her like sharp talons cutting at her insides. She had managed to keep her thoughts about her family low over the years, trying not to let it sink in that they were really gone.  
Gone. 
Daggerwing repeated that word to herself. It had never sounded so empty, so horrible. She had never really thought about the weight of that word.  
Daggerwing burst into tears.  
No one moved for a long time, Coyote was standing there, his wings slightly open, his jaw agape, and everyone else was exchanging concerned glances as Daggerwing stood there and cried.  
"I-I'm s-so s-sorry." Daggerwing gasped between sobs, tears literally flowing out of her eyes. She tried to blink them away, to stem it so not to look like an idiot, but they just kept coming, and there seemed to be no end in sight.  
"Shhh." Suddenly, Coyote was in front of her, wrapping his wings around her gently. "Shhh, it's ok. Just let it out. I thought you would like this. I'm so sorry it brought back those bad memories." Daggerwing looked up, surprised.  
"H-how d-did y-you-"  
"Sealbringer told me about . . . you're . . . past." He interrupted calmly. Daggerwing glanced over at Seal, who was watching with a disheartened look, her wings drooping. Seal and Daggerwing were "roommates", at least Daggerwing THOUGHT that was the word Seal had used for it.  
Anyway, they had frequently confided in each other the deepest, darkest secrets anyone could imagine. Seal told Daggerwing about her life back in the Night Kingdom, and Daggerwing had told her about her family. 
It had never occurred to her that Seal would tell Coyote.  
But honestly, Daggerwing was glad she did.  
"N-no." Daggerwing said, forcefully brushing away her tears. "I-I'm sorry." She took a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing. She paused for a moment with her eyes closed. Slowly, Coyote pulled back, observing her with an eternally patient face.  
"Don't be sorry." He said sadly. "You have absolutely no reason to apologize for what they did to you." 
Daggerwing nodded wordlessly.  
"Now!" Coyote clapped his talons together briskly. "Enough of this sadness and despair! It's Daggerwing's hatching day, this should be a glorious celebration!" All the dragons in the room cheered, and it suddenly struck Daggerwing.  
These dragons care about me. I lost my family . . . but . . . they weren't the only dragons in the world who cared about me. These dragons care too.  
She found herself smiling. "What first?" She asked cheerfully, wiping away the last of her tears. Everyone in the room seemed to relax at once, their wings drooping, then pulling fback up.  
"Ooh, pin the tail on the dragon!" Seal shouted with a smile, gesturing over at the wall, where a game was set up. 
"No!" Another shouted, bumping wings with another dragon sitting next to them, their dark brown eyes sparkling. "Senet! Senet!" 
"Food!" Another, plumper dragon yelped, staring wistfully at the casserole.  
"Actually." Coyote's voice was so quiet, so calm, it was a wonder anyone heard it. But there is was, and everyone fell silent. "I would like to give my gift to Daggerwing first." 
Daggerwing's heart was pounding? Gift? She thought, a warm feeling bubbling up into her scales. 
"You have a gift?" She asked softly. Even though she had been with Coyote for a long time now, she still expected Coyote to laugh at any second and yell 'just kidding!' But he didn't. He simply reached into a small leather bag around his neck, and pulled out a little box. 
"Here." He said, pushing it into her talons. "Happy hatching day." Daggerwing looked at the small carved box curiously. Could the box be the gift? It didn't look too important, made out of soft, white wood. She opened it, and suddenly, her breath caught in her throat. 
Carved into the top of the box were words. 
Stay strong, my little sister. 
Then a signature. Daggerwing's heart nearly stopped. She touched the delicate box with trembling talons. The butterflies rioting along the sides were all too familiar. Of course. But how was it even . . . possible. 
The signature said Frost. 
Daggerwing looked up at Coyote, her eyes filled with tears once again. 
"How did you do this? How did you find her?" Surely Coyote wouldn't know to even look for Frost. Daggerwing had never mentioned that aspect of her life with Quail . . . not even to Seal. 
Coyote grinned. He was clearly enjoying her excitement. "I didn't find her." He said with a small laugh. "She found me. She's quite the tracker." He tapped his nose, then laughed again. "Look in the box." Daggerwing tilted her head, and then tipped over the box. 
Three things fell out. Daggerwing stared at them. And stared at them. And stared some more. 
"No." She whispered. This day could not possibly get more surprising. Daggerwing was beginning to doubt she could possibly cry any more. Delicately, she lifted her bronze butterfly earrings out of her palm.
Just holding them, the memory of her father returned. His gentle talons presenting them to her. The way he tried to help her put them on, but failing miserably, his talons too big and unwieldly. 
She could still hear her mother letting out an exasperated sigh, muttering "men" under her breath, nabbing the earrings and putting them herself. 
”H-how?” Daggerwubg murmured, clipping the earrings to her ears with trembling talons. She kept brushing her claws along every smooth curve, every inch of he bronze, as if it wasn’t real, and it felt like having her family back. 
Coyote shrugged, his wings sending a breeze of warm air towards her. “It wasn’t easy. You would be surprised how far they got in a couple years.” He tapped his chin. “I think they ended up in Possibility. Maybe.” His face suddenly twisted into a mischievous grin. “Look at the other gift.” He whispered. Daggerwing looked down at the other thing sitting her her talons. 
Her talons flew to her mouth. Sitting innocently in her talon was a necklace. It was made of the same material as her earrings, and was even shaped like a butterfly, and it was set on a thin chain. Daggerwing picked it up gently and slipped it over her head, her antennae waving wildly. 
”Thank you.” She whispered, pulling Coyote in for another hug. Everything was silent for a long moment, and then Sealbringer began to laugh. 
”I’m not sure I can follow that up, but I’ll try!”  
Dear dragons, 
Honestly I’m surprised you’re still reading! I mean, you might not be, but then if you’re seeing this, then you must be. Wow what? I need to think about that for a second. 
Second over. Well if you’re still here, then you know this story is nothing but consistent. So you were probably expecting something bad to happen. And you would be right! 
Just when my spirits began to rise, BOOM, back down. Just wait... you’ll see... 
Chapter ?'
WIP
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Content (DeltaTheSeaWing)
Category:Genre (Tragedy)
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)