Arrival

== Foreword ==
This fanfiction is a collaboration between Angel of Madness 001 and Nyferine-RaidenWandersinger. They have worked very hard on this piece of work, so please don't steal, copy or use anything from this fanfiction unless you have our permission!
Please enjoy this fanfiction.
--Nyferine
I think this should go well. I hope you all like our little story!
--Angel
== Blurb ==
Tempest wanted a normal life. He wanted to live with his parents in peace. But when his parents suddenly get killed, he flees from his home and gets caught in a storm. And when he finally awakes again, he meets new friends......and new enemies.
When a Thunderwing washes up at the coast of Pyrrhia, a Katana has a choice to make--to introduce him to the tribe or erase his existence when she still has the time? Little does she know, her choice might affect the whole continent of Pyrrhia...forever. 
== A Guide to the Fantribes ==
=== BladeWings ===
Description: Metallic, razor-sharp scales that change colors as they age; Double layered scales with thick bodies
Abilities: Sharp keeled scales, Some members of the tribe can control metal
Queen: Queen Kunai
Location: The Crimson Foothills, at the base of The Claws of the Clouds Mountains
=== ThunderWings ===
Description: Usually the color of night skies, like dark blue, purple, or black. Have bright yellow stripes in the shape of lightning bolts, that pattern varies like Hivewing stripes. Lightning bolt spurs on the ankle of their limbs. One pair of Leafwing-like wings. Miniature lightening bolt shapes on the side of their snout.
Abilities: Electricity in their claws, teeth, and/or tail. Great fliers during stormy weather. Powerful Thunderwings could fire bolts of electricity at their enemies. Some are rumored to have the ability to control the weather and summoning full fledged lightening bolts.
Queen: Queen Storm
Location: Pittika
== Prologue ==
Queen Kunai
Kunai rolled over on her throne, studying her claws and the blood on the floor of the room. It had been almost a year since she challenged her mother, and yet there were still stains in the cracks of the stone beneath the talons of anyone who walked into the throne room. Unless it's from years prior, she thought to herself, extending her arm and watching the light from far above shine on her metallic scales. Everything had been so boring lately-no wars had started, there were no dragons who needed wonderfully bloody executions. Even their lifelong enemies, the SkyWings, hadn't made a sound recently. 
Kunai sighed. One of the things that made her so frustrated was that when the SkyWings had a new queen roll in who was incredibly vicious, there were dozens of BladeWings who bravely fought. A few were captured, even. What did Slasher - Kunai's sister - do to prevent and save them? Nothing! She just allowed the SkyWings to have major captures of BladeWings! She hadn't lifted a claw to save them, and if that blood moon had come up just a few years ago Kunai could have prevented it all- 
Something creaked far above her head, and a moment later a bit of dust drifted down and settled on Kunai's head. She leapt to her feet and bared her fangs, wings spread to lunge up and attack someone, before a greenish-copper face poked out from the hole hidden by the elegant chandelier. "Apologies, Your Majesty," they called, nodding their head. 
"You SkyWing-headed fool!" Kunai hissed, hastily grabbing a scale from her shoulder and throwing it at the dragon. They narrowly avoided it, and a loud thunk echoed in the mostly silent room as the scale embedded in the stone and wood nearby. "The point of the archers is to not. Be. Seen." She glared at the BladeWing, who looked more and more uncomfortable under the BladeWing queen's glare. Despite her prowess as an archer, impeccable aim, and ironic name, Arrowhead had been proving to be quite the pain in the tail in terms of basically anything else. She seemed so . . . meek. BladeWings were not meek. They were dangerous! Fierce! Everything the other tribes weren't. 
"Your Majesty-Queen Kunai-"
"Shut you tiny bird-beak or I'll stuff it full of metal," Kunai hissed dangerously. As they seemed unconcerned, Kunai followed it up with, "Or I could bring your family here and kill them all in front of you. How does that sound, hm, my dear Arrowhead? It's been so awfully peaceful around here . . . I wouldn't mind a little blood to be spilled." The archer didn't look sickened or upset, but just sighed. 
"Your Majesty, we both know that's unnecessary. Besides, one of the scouts is coming back with rather alarming news," Arrowhead said, tired, before ducking away and crouching off through the roof of the throne room, probably off to the hidden staircase that led from the throne room roof to the floor - or to the archer's quarters. 
Kunai's forked tongue flicked in and out of her mouth, eager for blood. "Alarming or intriguing?" she mused to herself, tracing a design on the edge of the throne for a moment, before two golden and one silvery BladeWing burst in. Suddenly, things became important. Dragonets were never scouts unless the there was truly a serious threat - one where they'd send a child to scout it so that the enemies' hearts would be their weakness. "Queen Kunai!" the small silver one burst, looking close to tears, "Queen Kunai, the-"
"Fix your face," Kunai demanded, hissing.
"W-what?"
"Cease that infernal noise. Crying is a weakness, and it's one a BladeWing shan't bear."
The young BladeWing trembled as Kunai stood up. "T-The NightW-Wings," she stammered, nervous and scared. "It seems l-like . . . " she trailed off, and suddenly Kunai lunged forwards off the throne, across the room, all the way to the dragons and dragonet. It was amazing how fast a BladeWing could move, traveling quickly in the small space. With one fluid motion, Kunai used the back of her wings to shove aside the golden dragons and grip the youngest by the throat, ignoring the small cuts from her scales. 
"Seems like what? Pipe up, scrap, or I'll smash your pipes," she hissed, digging her claws into the young dragonet's throat. The dragonet clawed at Kunai's talons, choking and strangled, desperate for air. The other two BladeWings did nothing, only stare on in a mixture of shock and satisfaction.
"Mob . . . ilizing . . . f-or . . . " she broke into weak wheezing and coughing for a moment before quickly finishing, " . . . war . . . "
Kunai dropped the BladeWing, and she hit the floor, gasping and still crying. Despite how much it annoyed Kunai that there was a teary-eyed, sniveling coward before her, it did not matter if there was the thrilling promise of war in the near-future. 
"Shouldn't we ready the armies?" One of the other BladeWings suggested. Kunai shot them a glare full of daggers, before throwing a sharp scale at them that was swiftly dodged.
"The armies are always ready," she spat, spreading her wings as she stared at the map in the back of the throne room-just behind the throne itself. "Let the NightWings come. Today, the Crimson Foothills," she trailed off, grinning and turning to the other BladeWings in the room. "Tomorrow, Pyrrhia."
== Chapter One ==
Tempest
"Tempest? Are you feeling well?" A female ThunderWing peeked into Tempest's room, "You've been in there all day." She strolled into the room, a small bolt of electricity arcing over her wings and scales, the way they always did when Thundercloud was worried. 
"It's okay, mother. I just......don't feel well about today. Like.......feeling something queasy under my scales." Tempest swiveled his head to stare at the cloudy sky outside his window, claws tapping nervously on the windowsill.
Thundercloud patted Tempest's head affectionately. "Aw, it's just the cloudy weather. Everything's going to be alright," the small ThunderWing nodded slowly, his claws rising to his mother's talons, and Thundercloud cupped Tempest's claws in hers, "I've got to go buy some gazelle meat on the market. You stay at home with dad, alright?" Tempest nodded solemnly. Mom will go buy food. Dad will look after me. Nothing will be wrong.
The female ThunderWing let go of Tempest's claws and left the room, her long, cloud-grey tail trailing behind her as she went out the front door of their hut. "Ventus, take care of Tempest!"
He looked away from the window and crept to the threshold of his room, looking outside. A male ThunderWing, his scales the color of a cloudless day, was rummaging through some papers. He had a pair of spectacles on his head, and he lifted them to his eyes every once in a while. "Dad. Is it okay if I go out for a walk outside?" Tempest bounded to the ThunderWing's side, face eager. Maybe its just being cooped up in the hut for so long. I'll go stretch my wings!
Ventus looked down at his son, smiling. "Of course, Tempest. Just don't wander too far," he added. Tempest's father was an author for the ThunderWings, and so he rarely had time to spend with Tempest. It was one of the downsides to having a parent who made a lot of money. But no matter what, Tempest still loved mother and father.
Tempest nodded, bolting out of the front door and flinging his wings out, launching himself into the sky and soaring away from the hut. I just need a gulp of fresh air. He chided himself, everything is going to be alright. Nothing bad is going to happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a few hours outside, just flying up and down the long stretch of beach near their home for approximately ten times, Tempest banked down and headed back, back towards his little hut.
Mom should be back by now. 
Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.
There were voices.
Strangers he had never heard before. 
Right near his home, snippets of conversation caught in the wind.
"Capture......crimes......execution......death......"
Tempest nearly screamed and shot into the sky, but somehow, he didn't. Even though he was trembling all over his scales, he tried to steer himself down to get a closer look.
There were about five to ten ThunderWings, all adults, by the look of it, all dressed in the shiny steel armor specially crafted for ThunderWings to electrify other dragons more efficiently. 
All of them were spread out around the hut. His family's hut. What are they doing here?
An even more violent round of shuddering ran across his scales as he surveyed the ThunderWing soldiers. One of them, the biggest dragon, rapped sharply on the door of the hut: "Request to see Ventus and Thundercloud."
Tempest squirmed in the sky, his black onyx eyes betrayed terror. The soldiers are looking for my parents. They want to capture them.
Oh, don't think so negatively! His mother's voice echoed in his head, Right, be optimistic, like Mother said. Maybe they're here on special orders from Queen Storm to congratulate Father on a successful and famous book!
Even he thought that was ridiculously impossible. The Queen of the ThunderWings never congratulated any non-royals or dragons not important to her, even ThunderWings.
The door creaked open, and Tempest could barely hear his mother's voice, laced with fear. "Go away."
As quick as a lightening bolt, the leading soldier had forced the door wide open and wrapped his steel-wrapped claws around Thundercloud's neck as he dragged her ruthlessly from out of the hut.
Thundercloud shrieked and fought as the larger ThunderWing pinned her head down on the sand, and he was joined by half of the remaining soldiers, who held down his mother's limbs and tail. 
Suddenly, the air cracked with ozone, and Tempest saw a bright flash emit from his mother's body. The leading soldier arched back, his spine rigid as he fell back onto the sand, roaring in fury. Clearly, Tempest's mother had unleashed a bolt of electricity on the large ThunderWing.
One of the free ThunderWing soldiers stepped up and brandished a large metal band, which she snapped around Thundercloud's neck. His mother hissed angrily and emitted another bolt of lightening, only this time, all the electricity was directed towards the thick metal band around Thundercloud's neck, not fazing the other soldiers one bit.
The leading ThunderWing soldier barked, "The hut. Ventus." The remaining soldiers nodded and filed into Tempest's hut, and returned, a second later, with Tempest's father, his head hanging low as they tossed him like a sack to the sandy ground next to Thundercloud.
Ventus glanced at his mate, eyes dull. "I'm so sorry, Cloud."
"Don't be." Tempest's mother struggled against the ThunderWing soldiers, snapping her teeth at one, "We'll get out of this."
"Enough!" the ThunderWing growled, as he glared at the two ThunderWing. "Now tell me, where is your dragonet?"
Tempest bolted upwards in pure terror, trying to hide his blue and grey body into the clouds when he heard his name. No. Mother and Father won't. They won't betray me.
Thundercloud stopped dead, her purple eyes fixated on the leading ThunderWing. "Don't you dare," She seethed.
"Oh yes, I dare. It's an order from Queen Storm herself." The ThunderWing smiled menacingly, showing off his brilliant white teeth, ”To capture Ventus the ThunderWing and kill off the rest of his family. What was your crime? Ah, yes. Writing about regicide and all sorts of lies and illegal pieces about her Majesty."
Up in the clouds, Tempest gasped. He had never, in his whole life, thought that his father would commit treason against the Queen. Queen Storm, no less. Of course the ThunderWing Queen would have noticed quickly. She hates this kind of stuff.
Ventus's eyes were ablaze with light fury as he glared at the leading ThunderWing. "She knows what she did. I do not regret what I did."
The ThunderWing shrugged, his void-like eyes fixating on Tempest's father. "Well," He sighed, almost apologetically, "Then I have no choice then."
He lunged towards Ventus and pinned him down around the neck, forcing his head down and gripping his horns.
With a quick, brutal wrench, the ThunderWing snapped off Ventus's head like a stick, dropping his limp head onto the sand, blood erupting from his father's neck like a fountain.
No. He heard Thundercloud scream in fury, "NO!"
No, no, no, no, no. Tempest's mind was a mess, a sick, dizzy and melting mess. His thoughts were tearing his head apart from the inside. It can't be. Father is not dead. Mother is not captured. This is all a dream.
But looking at the reddening, sticky sands around Ventus's dead body, Tempest knew that this was no dream.
He couldn't hold himself longer. With a desperate lunge, he dove from the clouds, shrieking, "Father!! Mother!!" Tears were welling up in his eyes, blocking his view as he barreled towards the beach, "MOTHER! FATHER!"
The burly ThunderWing soldier's head whipped up, his black eyes blazing. "The dragonet!" He turned and screeched at his soldiers, "After him! Kill the other one!"
Before Tempest could yell, he leapt over to Thundercloud's body, frozen in horrified shock, and with a clean break, snapped her neck as well.
My parents.
Both dead.
No.
NO!
He didn't know what made him turn tail and fly for his life, shooting across the glittering sea and up into the clouds, losing the ThunderWing soldiers in an instant. Tempest didn't want to flee. He just wanted to drop into the crashing waves and sink low, low into the seabed and lie there forever.
He remembered all the dreams he had, about having a wonderful and peaceful life on that blood-stained hut on the beach, living with his parents forever.
All shattered like broken glass.
The tears flooded his eyes until all he could see was greyness, and he sobbed pitifully, the glistening droplets falling down into the sea as he let himself plunge downwards.
== Chapter Two ==
Katana
A young BladeWing was usually advised to stay away from the water. The tribe as a whole were rather heavy, and even the dragons who practiced swimming since close to their hatching were only okay at it. Katana certainly didn't know how to swim, but sometimes, crossing through the SkyWing territory towards the closest beach made her feel at ease. It felt good to break the rules, the threat of being killed on sight driving her persistence. 
This was a fact Paramerion, her own mother, did not seem to understand.
"Don't you dare sneak off to that horrid Flametongue Guild," Katana said, mocking her mother's scornful voice she'd heard only hours earlier. "It's full of soft dragons who want to help instead of violently rip out the enemies' organs, Yeah, I know!" she yelled at the waves in front of her, and they seemed to laugh at her in response. Rage seething through every inch of Katana's body, she lunged at the sea and slashed at the waves, sending water everywhere but ultimately leaving the sea unharmed. 
"Stupid water," she muttered. "One friend decides to leave the Guild for a softer one and suddenly mother's right up my tail about making sure I don't do the same. As if anyone would want to leave Darkheart Guild!" Katana sat down in the sand and shut her eyes, trying to focus on the sound of ocean waves instead of how much she wanted to run home and make orphans out of her and her siblings. Every thought came back to that stupid, smug expression of Paramerion's face, and how much Katana wanted to tear it off. 
Her tail thumped quite loudly against the sand, and everytime she stopped it, Katana found herself longing for the steady background noise of the thumping, just to get aggravated by it again. She was this close to tearing off her own tail until she looked across the waves and saw a large animal drifting towards her. 
Katana's ears perked up. Food always made her better, especially elusive aquatic food. Perhaps it was a shark or just a massive fish. The blue lump drifted closer, and once it was in reach, Katana lunged out with her hooked claws and dug into the body of the creature. Huh, this is oddly heavy for a...she turned and looked at it. Then she tilted her head and pondered her choice. 
What she had hauled out of the ocean was not a fish, or a shark, or a piece of trash. It was a dragon. "Raining swords, how did you get here?" she muttered at the seemingly lifeless dragon. They had bright blue scales, almost too bright for Katana to stand. And a scarily thin body with lighting-looking horns, oddly arched wings, everything accented with an aggressive yellow color. She kept her claws close and heard a faint groan from the dragon. 
Katana gave a small smile. "Ha. Wouldn't Mother love it if the daughter she thought was too soft for war comes back with an unknown corpse," she spoke slowly, methodically to the body. "Doesn't that sound enticing? Your scales on display for all to see, your odd wings hung in the palace walls - or in my room, hm?" she released one of her talons, revealing the dots of blood they'd left in their scales. She briefly looked at her claws before quickly licking the blood off with her forked tongue. The strong tang of iron got better every time, and Katana shut her eyes to marvel in the moment. 
Suddenly, she heard a gagging cough followed by ragged, uneven breathing, and Katana's eyes flew open. The dragon had opened their mouth, water pooling around it. Katana wasn't sure if the water came from inside their body or from the sea around them. She leaned down and poked them harshly in the neck, leaving a thin wound behind. 
"Ow-Everything hurts-Why-" the dragon's eyes wiggled before slowly opening, blinking and adjusting to the beach around them. Katana stood taller and made sure the light caught her dangerous scales beautifully-like a polished weapon, ready to cut through a life. The dragon first looked at her, and confusion warred with panic on their face. 
"Wake up, scraphead," Katana said, leaning down to nip at the dragon's shoulder. They managed to move away this time, and Katana scowled. She wasn't used to prey being able to move away like that - or at least, not so reliably after being out cold. She took another look at the dragon and stared deep into their eyes, seeing things buried in the black spheres but unable to read into it and figure out their feelings. Katana also felt that perhaps her own violet eyes were piercing directly into the other dragon's very soul and making them uncomfortable, to which she locked eye contact afterwards. 
The dragon narrowed their eyes and reached out one of their talons. Katana, at first, thought nothing of it, but then noticed the crackling in the air around their claws. She jumped back, arched her neck, and hissed. The mystery dragon growled and thumped their tail on the sand, but Katana didn't feel remotely threatened. "Listen - You can either die now, fighting and get your scales all messed up, or you can die later." Or maybe now, depending on how much they annoyed her. Dragons who annoyed Katana didn't last very long, even though she was still rather young. 
The dragon bared their teeth, attempted to stand up, but coughed up more water and fell over again. Katana stared at them, unamused. Killing a downed enemy was boring, but they didn't seem like they could even fight back. If she helped them up, trained them a bit, then fought them to the death, that would surely cement in her mother's eyes that she wasn't going to ditch the Guild like Curtana did. Suddenly, with a new burst of energy to save the dragon, she grabbed the dragon's talon and hauled them upright. 
"So, I've decided not to kill you," she said. "But, it's because I want to kill you later, once you'll actually be an impressive kill. Any dragon worth a coin knows that downed dragons aren't even a fight." In response, the dragon seemed to laugh, but it was repressed under a layer of some other emotion. Katana wasn't great at identifying those, though, so she just boldly watched them and their expression for what might happen next. 
"I'd love to see you try," they hissed, snapping at the air in front of them as a fierce electrical crackle came from their claws. Katana rolled her eyes. Clearly, they weren't getting the message, so she'd have to drill it into them. Casually, she reached across her body and gently loosened a single scale, gripping it by the very edge and almost puncturing a hole in it. As the unfamiliar dragon stared her down, Katana threw the scale, sailing through the air and embedding cleanly into the stranger's shoulder. 
"I said I didn't want to kill you yet. Stop making me want to do it now." She stomped over and ripped the scale out, tossing it aside as they grunted, trying not to show pain. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, who are you and why are you here?" Katana flicked her tail, angling it to stab in case the dragon attacked, but it seemed far less likely now. She was oddly curious about what tribe they were, since she'd never seen it before, and had a lot of other questions relating to that, but for now a simple name and reason would suffice. 
"TempestCyclone. Of the ThunderWings." 
"Did your mother crack your egg when she laid you?" Katana hissed, unamused. "Which tribe are you really from, because I don't know much but I know that there isn't a ThunderWing here!" 
Tempest bristled, and Katana saw tears prick at his eyes as he spoke. "It's not here!" he shouted, "I came from Pittika! Now who are you and where is this?!" Now Tempest really was crying, a thin stream running down his cheeks. Katana made a disapproving tsk and turned her head a little. 
"Hmf. Figures there's a third continent. This-" she said, spreading her wings wide, "-Is Pyrrhia. A wonderfully diverse continent that will all someday be ruled by us, the BladeWings. Other tribes are too soft to fight and too weak to stop us. It's only a matter of time. I am Katana, rising soldier in Guildmistress Darkheart's army. You shall learn to either join us or fear us, but you will respect me and my tribe no matter what." 
"I didn't ask for a lecture from your ego," he muttered. Katana gave him a rough slap on the head for that, which amazingly left no trace of a wound. "OW! I'm only saying what's true!" Tempest leapt into the air for a moment before faltering and falling back down, crashing into the sand and scattering it everywhere along with sparks. "Ow, ow, everything hurts-" he said, gritting his teeth. 
"So, do you want me to train you, or do you want to die on this beach and let the sands claim your bones?" Katana asked impatiently. She could easily make up for her long absence by bringing back a few seagulls, since she was so close - assuming this pile of scales named TempestCyclone hadn't scared them all away already. There wasn't a problem with bringing Tempest back with her as a trainee, since any dragon with a problem could take it up with Katana's claws. For all her strength, though, Katana couldn't ever guess what he'd say next. 
"I need an audience with your queen." 
== Chapter Three ==
Tempest
Katana flat-out laughed when he said this, which probably wasn't a good sign for Tempest to get his hopes up.
"What?" He demanded, a bit flustered, and bits of electricity shot from his claws and crackled along his talons. Meeting another tribe's queen isn't out of the norm. Queen Glitter or Queen Droplet or Queen Cactus would accept audiences with no question. I suppose Queen Storm and Queen Tercel might not like it, but they'd probably accept. Probably.
She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye as she settled herself. "I don't know-or care-how things work on your fancy continent. Your queen may be a rusty old scrap of a dragon who mingles with her subjects-"
Tempest interrupted Katana with a growl as a spark jumped from his claws towards Katana, stopping at the sand a bit in front of her. She didn't seem too concerned about it, which made him think that these dragons had never seen what electricity could do. Powerful shocks had sent dragons spiraling out of the sky, their scales burnt and their mind, quite literally, fried. "She is not!" he howled, trying to quench the thoughts about what he'd witnessed . . . well, he wasn't sure how long ago it was.
"-Aaaaaaaanyway." Katana grabbed a sand dollar off the beach and stabbed her claw through the center easily. Tempest's stomach flipped as he watched how efficiently this dragon slaughtered the creature. Almost as easily as those guards-Please, stop thinking about it. "Queen Kunai doesn't talk to the peasants from other tribes."
Tempest wasn't sure whether to feel angry or upset by the constant insults Katana kept hurling his way. "You can get an audience with her. Bring me along. I must talk to her."
She yawned, though it was clear she was just trying to show off her sharp teeth. "Alright, you're still not getting the point of this conversation. Do you want to get the point of these scales instead? Your blood would look amazingly fine on them."
He struggled to find the right answer. On one talon, he really wanted her to stop threatening him. It made him very much want to grab her chatty snout and shock her to death. But on the other talon, that would mean losing his only source of lone contact to a tribe in a place he didn't understand. Small bolts of electricity still crackled in the air around his claws, but they slowly began to fade down to nothing. "Fine. If your queen doesn't want an audience, surely there's someone else who you can get to help-to talk to me?"
The female BladeWing tapped her chin for a moment. "There is Guildmaster Flametongue. He looks after and maintains our relationships with other tribes." Tempest couldn't imagine how his face must have lit up at least a little bit, which probably looked stupid right now. But there was hope. Hope for safety, comfort, and a chance to realize what all happened back on his home. Katana clicked her tongue and sighed breezily. "Oh well. My mother will raise such a fuss if I step into that Guild for even a second."
Tempest's hopes sank. "Why would she be so upset about it?"
"Luckily for you, I don't really care if she murdered the whole tribe over this. You're interesting, new, and frankly, a decent challenge to fight. Well, you'd better pray to Urumi you are." She barreled on without answering his question, and Tempest sighed, agitated. Despite all the things about her that he disliked, this BladeWing was being somewhat helpful. He could hang on through all her harsh words and all the pain if it meant the hope he'd had would be rewarded. "Come on now, you're stuck to your words."
She turned and quickly began moving away, and Tempest frantically did the same, still not sure if all his muscles and bones were working right. Eventually, he found a rhythm to walk to, even if it felt awkward to take a step with his left leg. Tempest quickly noticed how small the beach was, how little time had passed before the sand under his talons first turned to sharp rocks, then smoothed over with damp, tall grass. Progressively larger rocks loomed ahead of them in the distance, and Tempest found himself oddly wanting to fly all the way up them. Maybe there was even a storm at the top he could sit in. Pretend he was still at home and everything was fine. 
"HEY! ThunderWing, or whatever your tribe is, quit sightseeing!" Katana went silent for a moment as Tempest snapped back to reality and noticed he'd lost sight of her. "Or, on second thought, go get captured by SkyWings. Go wreak havoc on them with your little sparks, it'll be funny. For me, anyway." She started laughing, a cruel and harsh sound, which allowed Tempest to be able to locate exactly where she was. 
He hesitated, though. They clearly weren't going towards the mountain as he'd hoped, rather it seemed they were going around it - and on foot. "Where are we even going? Can't we just fly there?" he asked boldly, already feeling some confidence come back to him. "How long do these mountains even stretch?"
"Wow, you really must want to go to the SkyWings. Do I need to tie you up and leave a giant message saying 'I LOVE SKYWINGS' with rocks?"
"You're not even telling me what a SkyWing is!" He yelled suddenly, and a fierce crack of thunder rolled somewhere in the distance. Tempest didn't even realize how heavy he was breathing until there was pure silence. To his surprise, Katana stayed silent for quite a long time. He started to think she'd abandoned him before she spoke up again.
"Fine. SkyWings are these big dragons who live on those mountains. They hate my tribe, and we hate them. So if you want to be caught with their mortal enemy and surely killed, be my guest. Otherwise, keep walking." Katana's golden tail poked back into view behind some thick trees and other plants. Tempest turned longingly back towards the mountains, but this time, he noticed something. There were a few fuzzy, dark blobs moving around in the sky. Maybe he'd drawn them out of hiding with that thunderclap earlier. Is it just me, or are those blobs getting closer?
Suddenly, he realized they were in fact getting closer, and his legs kicked into action, bolting towards Katana. By now, she was already slipping behind some tall rocks-not quite mountains, but clearly the start of them. He ran just past her and braced against one of them. 
Soldiers flying down.
A simple conversation.
And that's how my parents died.
Tempest gripped his snout before he could start crying again. Within what felt like moments, what sounded like a hurricane whizzed by as Katana watched the sky attentively. "Abnormal patrol. Something made them investigate. Luckily, they're probably not looking for a BladeWing - They seem more concerned with the sky. There was a lot going on in the other, smaller group of mountains according to some scrolls, so maybe they're thinking of that." The entire time, her mouth was hardly moving, the words spoken with wisps of breath. Tempest could hardly hear her. 
After they sat in silence for a long time, Katana finally started moving again. "They're gone by now. I can fight a few SkyWings, but an entire patrol? Then tack on keeping your sorry tail safe-"
"I can defend myself," he growled.
Once again, Katana dismissively rolled her eyes, and once more, electricity crackled at his clawtips. Just one touch, and she'd regret all the insulting and threatening and trash-talking she'd been doing this whole time. Tempest reached out, but even he knew he couldn't do it. It was just one more thing he'd lose. One more wound that wouldn't heal. One more mystery he'd never be able to answer. Maybe he was overthinking it, but Katana remained unharmed by Tempest's claws.
They walked around the rocks, closely following a hidden path that seemed to be hidden on most sides. For such a tribe that could boast as much as Katana, they sure did seem to have quite a hidden passage through the mountain range. From an earlier glimpse of scorched land, he guessed that these SkyWings had some way of harming BladeWings in the open on their territory. A very . . . fiery way. After seemingly endless hours of walking, a brighter light came through as the hidden passage ended, and Tempest saw something he both found awe-inspiring and terrifying. 
Layed out before him were huge areas, each containing what looked like several cubes of stone and variations on that. But, what took his breath away (maybe not in a good way) were the sharp, twisted rings of metal surrounding each one.
== Chapter Four ==
Katana
Katana scanned over the clusters of homes until she picked out the unique structure of Darkheart Guild - it was a slightly raised, but mostly in-the-ground shelter Guildmistress Darkheart had insisted on. She turned towards Tempest and sighed. "Stop ogling, featherface."
"What . . . is that," he breathed, sounding more defensive rather than confused. Katana looked, and Tempest was roughly jabbing his claw at one of the Guilds - Brass Guild, if her memory served right. 
"It's the Brass Guild. All these clusters of houses are in five different Guilds. Save for a few outliers. Didn't your tribe also live in homes? Together? As a kingdom, perhaps?" she said, gently tapping Tempest. He turned towards Katana with narrowed eyes, and she lifted her talon innocently. "Well?"
"I wasn't pointing at those stone cubes-if those are your houses-I was pointing at that." He grabbed Katana's wrist and yelped, involuntarily giving her a light shock in the process. She gasped and pulled her talon back as Tempest did the same. It felt like something buzzed inside of her, her claws curling in and refusing to uncurl no matter how hard she tried. After a few moments, though, the feeling began to fade and Katana regained control of her talon.
Without warning, Katana suddenly grabbed three scales between her claws, gripping them the proper way and held them in front of Tempest, her eyes narrowing to slits and a growl forming in her throat. "You have five seconds to explain that before I gut you like a salmon."
Much to her satisfaction, Tempest's eyes did flare with a wild fear for a second before it turned into a harsh glare. Stormy clouds seemed to gather far above them, forming a swirl with a blank, open eye directly where Tempest stood. The wind whipped up around them and the scent of burnt metal and scorched flesh was carried with it. Katana hissed and lunged directly for Tempest's throat, not wanting to deal with any of this storm magic he was showing off. She stabbed her scales at him as she did so, but he was prepared for it. 
While she did stab one scale into the side of his neck and another one cut him smoothly, the last one missed, as did her teeth. Tempest shrieked and gave a powerful flap of his wings, slipping away from Katana's grasp easily. She yelled and dragged herself into the air, though even she knew that it was too slow, too clunky to do anything. She'd never catch him as long as he was airborne, and Tempest seemed to know this despite claiming to be new. Worst of all, Katana knew he couldn't be lying, because it was impossible to fake the kind of stupidity and surprise he showed at every little detail. The wild gusts kept throwing her off, and Katana wasn't even a remotely good flier before being asked to fly in a storm. 
A sudden change in direction sent her lurching sideways, a few scales being loosened enough to be plucked off by the wind and joining the whirling storm around them. Through the confusing haze, Katana saw the needle-thin shape of Tempest dive towards her. With a roar, she managed to barrel roll out of the way of his teeth, crackling with a burning smell, but at the cost of all control over her flight patterns. The wind battered her around and tossed her like Katana was nothing more than a mere plaything to it, toying around with her body before it was ready to spit her out into what was going to be a painful crash landing. The sun had been fully swallowed up by now, leaving nothing more than deep and dark clouds in it's wake. Pitter-patters of rain began to fall, dripping around Katana and seeping into the tiny gaps between her scales. It felt horribly cold and made her heavier, losing even more control of her already freestyle flight pattern. 
Fighting both the wind and her now waterlogged scales, Katana did her best to try and curl into a ball, though little more than her legs tucked in. Her wings and tail were caught in the maw of this beast of a natural disaster. The added weight of the water did give her one blessing, though it was more like a double edged sword. It made her fall towards the ground faster, the wind not keeping up with her new heaviness well. Once back on the ground, it'd be a more fair fight - she could pelt Tempest with scales from afar, he'd regret ever messing with her to begin with-
Something sharp sliced across her wing and Katana bit back a cry. Rain was washing away any trace of it, already soaking the air around her like she might drown. Thunder boomed throughout the sky, the sound rolling around and echoing in Katana's ears before a crack of lightning struck just behind Tempest, illuminating his figure for just a moment before he lunged for her again. Katana closed her eyes and braced for the impact, but felt little more than a light gust of wind and extra raindrops graze her. At first, she thought he'd missed, and she was safe. That thought quickly left her mind, though, as she was thrown to the ground. 
With a loud yell, the wind shoved her into the wet earth, dragging her along it and gouging deep slashes through the mud as it did. Slowly, and painfully, Katana came to a halt. Even though her eyes were closed, stars danced in her vision. Her brain felt like it was on fire, and everything ached. Despite her strong stomach, Katana felt like she was about to throw up. Her nose was filled with nothing but the scent of rain, traces of anything else wiped out by the torrent. The wind shrieked around her, as if it wanted to keep throwing her around, angry that the ground had snatched victims away from it. Another crash of lightning struck just beside her, enough for Katana to feel a bit of a shock run through her body, making her tremble and cry out in pain. 
This was wrong. BladeWings couldn't feel so much pain. They were the strongest tribe. They were the best tribe. How could she be so easily bested by some wind and rain? Yes, those weren't her strong suits, but what would everyone say about her now? Katana had lost. It was one of the biggest dishonors she could face, though perhaps that wouldn't be a worry - with a thump, something landed beside her. Surely, it was Tempest, readying to deliver the killing blow and show off to her tribe that he could beat them. How pathetic she was, for letting this happen. I should have killed him then, on that beach.
Katana risked opening her eyes a crack and noticed that the rain was slowing. The world seemed brighter, like the clouds were parting. Thunder was dying away, like a lion becoming a mere lamb. Faint erratic bolts still crackled around the yellow talons she saw, but it was fading, as was the harsh scent of it. "Why did you fight me?" a voice demanded something from her, but she was too exhausted by the fight to answer. She felt too heavy from the water and the beating the wind had given her. She couldn't even be bothered to discern whose voice it was.
"Katana, wait, no! You can't be dying now! I need you!" Suddenly, the voice quickened as panic seeped into it. "You're the dragon I need to save me! Save my tribe! I need your queen! No, no, NO! Stop dying!" 
She still couldn't tell who it was, but gentle talons lifted her head for a moment before quickly withdrawing accompanied by a yelp. Katana's head flopped down with a new, fresher pain spreading in her body. Then, her head was gently lifted again, and a yellow-and-blue face came into her blurred sight. "I can't lose my only chance, I need . . . " Their mouth moved, meaning they were talking, but Katana wasn't listening anymore. She closed her eyes again - it was too much effort to keep them open anymore - and felt darkness press around her sharp scales. 
If this was death . . . she welcomed it.
== Chapter Five ==
Tempest
"NO!! You can't die!!" A fierce spark of electricity shot from Tempest's wings, sending a loud crack in the air, but he was too panicked to care. His mind breezed through all the ways that he could revive a dying dragon, but it all wound back to that single memory, the sticky blood on the beach, his parents' necks, snapped like a twig. The blood, all the blood, staining his vision, his world, his heart. I can't lose you too. Even though you might hate me and try to kill me, I can't kill you, Katana. Unlike my fellow tribemates, I'm not born to kill. Tempest felt a dull sadness in the broken thing that was his heart, just when he thought he couldn't feel worse at the deaths of his parents.
His mind focused sharply, and he remembered something he saw before. Once, when Thundercloud and Ventus took him on a vacation in the Thunderwing Kingdom, another dragon had fainted and fell unconscious right next to them. A band of medics had rushed to the aid, and with the average Thunderwing's electricity-making powers, had electrified the dragon and saved him.
But......But she's wet with all the rain now. Won't the electricity electrocute her? But Tempest had no choice now. He's seen dragons getting tossed around in a storm, seen wings being snapped and bodies broken. He wouldn't allow it to happen now. Tempest tried his best to get rid of the water on Katana's broken body, smearing soil on her sharp scales and scraping it off again, letting the dry soil take away the water. Even though her scales cut his palms, he didn't feel one thing. 
Finally, when her scales weren't that wet anymore and his palms a mess of blood, Tempest stuck his claws onto her chest and sent a small volt of electricity right into her body. Katana shuddered and coughed, but her eyes stayed shut. No, no, no. She can't die! She can't end up like my parents! I need her to answer my questions. I need her to help me. Still, there was some part, deep inside him that felt like he had more than that reason to save her.
He sent a stronger volt through Katana, and her tail twitched, but still her eyes didn't open. No, I'm losing her. I can't.....why did I attack her? Finally, Tempest sent a very strong electric shock into her, and Katana's eyes jolted open, but were unfocused. His eyes widened as Tempest lunged forward and shook Katana by the shoulder blades, ignoring the pricks of pain up his palms: "Katana? KATANA! Are you still alive! Can you hear me?"
She groaned in response, slowly blinking her eyes. Tempest stopped shaking her for a second, pausing to see if she was truly alive and awake. Katana did seem to be coming back, and he felt like crying. "Are you conscious? Katana? Answer me!" He shook her again, and she started to weakly growl back at him. Tempest backed away, surprised that she was still being aggressive after he'd probably saved her life.
I saved her life. Even though she hates me, I saved her. I did one thing right. Mom, Dad, whatever I failed to do for you, I won't fail for her. I'll keep her alive. 
Next to him, Katana coughed and began to blink a bit more rapidly. She flicked her tongue in and out, and her breathing had evened out. Before long, she was starting to move again. "Katana, you're alive," he breathed, relieved. 
"Yeah . . . just barely," she commented, shuddering. "Why didn't you finish me off?" she questioned. Her voice had lost almost all of it's original anger and fiery language. Tempest wondered how long it would last before she got back up. Is she going to start attacking me again? After I saved her? Does she realize I saved her? Will she help me if I tell her?
"I . . . I don't know . . . " he said, looking at his claws. He wasn't sure how to feel right now. His own claws had spilled blood, created a storm, and very nearly killed his only hope for salvation. But they'd also brought that hope back to life. He could protect and save dragons. That thought only made him feel even worse about what happened. Knowing he could have been able to save them, quite possibly. If I'd called upon whatever took over me just now. If I'd fought instead of running away like a coward. 
Katana snorted, breaking him from his thoughts. "Don't give me that. Why," she pressed him for an answer, laying her head back down. "Any dragon in their right mind would have done that. Killed the enemy. Not wait around and save them. If the roles had been reversed, I'd have killed you in a heartbeat."
He stopped dead in his tracks. Would she have really? Why did I save her if she acts like this to me? Tempest took a deep breath and tried to ignore what she was saying. He wasn't in his right mind, he was in a strange place and his parents had been killed. Their death was like a loop in his brain, stuck forever and he couldn't find a way to pause it. He didn't even view Katana as a true enemy . . . more like a reluctant ally. "I've lost too much already. I can't lose you too."
"Aw, sweet. Next time you're in a fight, let me know how that goes, alright?" she said sarcastically. Katana sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, making Tempest panic that she was dying again until she opened them. "That hurt. A lot. Ow," she muttered, curling inwards a bit. Tempest silently watched, guiltily thinking about what even made them fight in the first place. She threatened me, but she'd been doing that since I washed up. Why did I suddenly fight back? Why didn't I stop myself when it was going too far?
Tempest looked back over at the stone houses and the sharp fences they'd been watching before, and his blood ran cold. What seemed before like an empty, almost abandoned place was now bustling with gleaming colors-white and silver and gold and copper all reflecting into his eyes, even at this distance, all of them stirring around like angry metallic flies. None of them seemed like they were getting closer, but the mere fact that they were now active when they'd previously been doing nothing scared him. A small part of his brain sang to him with a sickening voice, Well, one was so easily defeated by a storm. I could probably take on the whole tribe so easily! He silenced his brain, numbing all his thoughts until all he could focus on was Katana. 
She had her head up and was also looking out towards the settlement, or Guild as she'd called it, though her violet eyes were unreadable. Tempest wondered what she was thinking right now. If she truly had any compassion inside for a dragon who'd saved her, or if she was serious about only saving him to kill him later. She started to get up, and before he even thought it through, Tempest offered his talon in aid. Katana looked up at him, and then snorted and pushed herself onto her feet without him. "I don't need your pity, Tempest," she muttered. It took a second for him to realize it, but that was the first time Katana used his name. 
Maybe she cares about me more than she lets on.
== Chapter Six ==
Katana
What was Katana even thinking when she let this dragon save her?!
While death was a terrifying idea to her, an odd sentiment among the BladeWing tribe, losing a battle and living to tell the tale was almost worst, in some regards. Often the losers of war who lived would be taken as prisoners, hostages, forced to fight against their tribe or be starved until they died. Because Queen Kunai would never trade for hostages - she never has any to trade in return. Those who returned home could be scorned by strangers for not fighting hard enough to win and being too cowardly to die, even if the choice of life or death hadn't been up to them. It was an unfair system in Katana's eyes, but it also ensured that BladeWing honor was upheld throughout generations to come. 
That was why she was now so angry about being alive and going home, something that usually angered her anyway, but regardless, she was mad. It was clear Tempest wasn't getting the message that she didn't care about him at all. By this point, she'd be happy to dump him in a ditch when it was convenient for her to do so. Well, that's what her BladeWing-trained brain was telling her, at least, and for now, the rest of her was more than willing to agree with her thoughts. Katana snorted, her strength now fully back to her. What an odd feeling it was, that power that had surged through her for just a few moments. It made every nerve inside her feel alive, even when she was sure she was dead, and it felt like a huge wave of power had washed over her before disappearing just as fast. If she focused enough, she could almost still feel it in the very tips of her talons, though it was more likely her brain playing tricks. 
"Not that this is me being at all curious about whatever you are," she started, not turning to face Tempest just yet. "But what was that?" It was the same question she'd asked before their big fight, though this time she dropped the hostility. No matter how much she didn't want it to sound like a question, it still did. Ugh, stupid. Supposed to demand, not ask. Though, isn't demanding what nearly got me killed earlier? 
"What was . . . what?" 
Katana looked back over her shoulder and sat down. "Don't start with me again. That . . . that . . ." she took a deep breath and stopped. The only good way to explain it was by truly saying her honest feelings on it. Even if it meant that this dragon got the wrong idea that she wanted him to stick around. "That incredible feeling I felt when I was on the cusp of reality. That shocking burst of power that makes me feel tingly and like I could do anything. That makes me feel more . . . alive." 
Tempest stared at his claws in thought. "Do-Do you mean this?" He raised his talon and Katana watched as small sparks leapt off it, a ring of something crackling around his wrist like a bright, jumpy bracelet. Plainly, Katana nodded and Tempest visibly relaxed. Idiot. Never show weakness. "It's just electricity." 
She blinked, confused. "What? Electricity?" 
Katana watched as Tempest fumbled around him like he was looking for something. "Like-I mean-Oh! Have you ever seen a lightning strike?" 
"Yeah?" 
"It's just that. I can sort of-uh-create it, y'know? It's really powerful. I could use it to shock a dragon back to life, like with you, or I could also-" Tempest froze, getting choked up. Katana looked at his face and, despite her emotional awareness being rather pathetic, she could still see the blatant pain in his eyes. A memory or a feeling, ripping him apart from inside out. Small tears pricked at his eyes and without thinking, Katana snorted in disgust. 
"Really? Crying? Weak," she said, back to her old prickly and violent self. "Speaking of, you've got like, a dozen tiny little cuts on your talons- Oh, by Urumi's teeth, did you try and drag me or something?!" She whipped her body around to face Tempest fully, now more on the offensive than before. Tempest, in return, now seemed more defensive, too. Either he was getting his strength back, which would be a double-edged sword, or he was feeling bolder now that he knew how easily he could force Katana into submission. Granted, from now on, that submission wouldn't come so easy anymore. 
But, still with blurry eyes, Tempest shouted angrily. "I was saving you! I was saving you and you're not grateful for even a second! Not even a 'thank you' or anything!" 
Katana growled, gripping the still-wet earth beneath her tighter. She felt the anger inside her boiling up again, ready to lunge out and face off against Tempest again. She desperately wanted to fight him, too, and this time, she would win. She never got her chance to spring for the attack, though, as Tempest continued on after only a short pause to either calm down or catch his breath - Katana wasn't sure. "This electricity can kill dragons. I could easily reach out and kill you right now, Katana. Yet you're not the least bit fearful of me, or even wary." 
"Easy answer. I don't fear anything. I don't fear you, nor your powers, nor death itself," she said, confidently. Perhaps she could trick her own brain into thinking that was true if she told herself often enough. In truth, all three of the things she mentioned scared her. Tempest was becoming somewhat unpredictable, and it was clear he was the perfect counter for any BladeWing in a fight. His powers ensured that. And the thought of ceasing to exist, especially if it was particularly painful . . . she suppressed a shudder. 
Both of them took a long moment to just stare off into the distance, breathing and calming down. Another fight wasn't going to solve anything, it would most likely only bring out BladeWings to investigate. That means I'll be found with an unfamiliar dragon, which will be assumed to be an enemy. Tempest will be killed, I won't even get the credit, and then I'll likely be executed for treasonous acts. But if I bring him in myself claiming to mentor him, then much less attention will be drawn. 
"Alright. Ready or not, we're walking towards my Guild now." Katana got up and stretched a bit, ears flicking as she heard the faint breathing of Tempest behind her. "Listen to what I say if you want your innards to stay inside of you-" 
"Can you stop with all the graphic details?" Tempest said, interrupting her. Katana's ears pinned and her eyes narrowed, possibly prompting Tempest to add, "Please." 
"Fine, fine, you blubbering dragonet. Walk close to me, but not by my side. Don't show off your - electricity, you said? Whatever, don't use it at all while we're there," she hastily said, not wanting to make Tempest think she was stupid for forgetting. "Don't speak to anyone, don't look at anyone, basically, assume any sort of interaction will end in a fight. You're the stranger in the tribe and there's only so many words I can say to keep your sorry tail alive. If you think something looks interesting, keep it to yourself for now and I'll get it for you later if you're not dead by then. Got it?" 
Tempest gave a blank stare and a shaky nod back, wiping away the last of his tears. "That reminds me, Tempest. Don't act pathetic and subservient, either. Hold your head high and act tough, even if you aren't." 
"Trust me, Katana. I am." 
== Chapter Seven ==
Tempest
As it turned out, acting tough was easier than Tempest had originally thought. He'd been expecting glares that would make him wither away, death stares that would make him melt into a puddle of gray and blue scales. And while he was getting said glares, he didn't back down, only glared back or ignored them. The hard part turned out to be keeping track of Katana, because even though they weren't inside one of the major settlements, there were dragons everywhere that looked identical to her at a glance. She was a shiny golden color that Tempest found many other dragons in the tribe shared, but luckily for him, not many of the golden dragons also had purple eyes quite like hers.
Whenever he passed a dragon, he could feel their gaze on him: confusion, wonder, and even anger, all radiated towards him. He could feel the sounds around him dying as the BladeWings all stopped what they were doing, lifting their gaze towards Tempest. It was all he could do to keep himself from bolting. Remember. Act tough and strong. Otherwise they might skewer you.
In front of him, Katana walked confidently, wings slightly spread and offering a glance over her shoulder at Tempest every now and again to see if he'd been dragged off. Figuring she'd keep him safe, he decided to start taking in his surroundings a bit more instead of focusing on Katana so much. To both his left and right were those clusters of stone buildings, each guarded by a line of what Katana had called 'barbed wire' a little taller than a full-grown dragon. They had roughly made stone paths that led from one settlement to the other, as well as paths that led to a large temple in the middle. He could see behind the temple, in the distance, more settlements, though those seemed bigger than the ones right next to them. 
He hardly had enough time to face forwards and stop before he would have stepped on Katana's tail. She'd stopped and spread out her wings, looking up at the temple, but he saw she was also looking beyond, back towards the mountains the ran along the western side from where they were. They also looped back towards the other end of the collection of housing, making a flat, slightly hilly area surrounded on three sides by mountains. She inhaled deeply, and Tempest swore he could see some of her scales prickle and raise up, almost like the hackles on some animals he'd seen before. 
Katana then got up and kept moving forwards. Tempest wanted to ask her what she'd been looking at, and what the large temple was about, but he remembered what she'd said before and remained silent. "It's fine," she muttered to herself. Tempest strained his ears to hear her talking to herself. "It's fine. Urumi understands a good fight. One prayer and I can be free of the guilt for saving him." 
== Pages ==
Be warned that some of these pages may contain spoilers to the story
-TempestCyclone
-Katana
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Collaborations
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Genre (Adventure)
Category:Genre (Romance)