Night of Secrets

This fanfiction takes place roughly 100 years before the events of Legends: Darkstalker.
== Chapter One ==
Quetzalcoatl was pretending to be asleep, curled up in his nest. Out of the corner of his pale yellow eye, he could see his sister's sleeping body, rising and falling steadily. 
He was too bored to sleep. And why should he? His parents were asleep. Celestial was asleep. No one would know if he snuck out for just a quick hunt, especially if he was back in an instant.
Maybe if I enchant something to help me sneak out, just in case... Quetzalcoatl caught himself thinking. His parents, upon discovering his gift, curse, whatever you wanted to call it, had been very strict that he never was to use his magic unless in a serious, dire emergency that was life-or-death. If nobody knew he was an animus, no one would want to control him. And he liked thinking for himself.
Which also meant he would not listen to his parents. Sneaking out of the small house his parents called home, he spread his black wings and took flight, grateful that his parents had chosen a home far away from the rest of the NightWing kingdom. To keep me hidden?
Searching the rich forests below him, he came up with an idea. Landing on the soft grass surface of the forest, he picked up a decently-sized stick, likely blown off a tree. Not the best object to use, but he could make do. I enchant this stick to bring me any prey I whisper to it, dead. There, that should be enough. He wasn't entirely sure how the stick would work, but he wouldn't question animus magic. Furthermore, I also wish this stick to be unbreakable, and to give off a slight glow, one that only I will recognize. Sure enough, the stick began to glow so subtly you'd think you were just imagining things.
Now, what was Quetzalcoatl in the mood for today? He lifted the stick closer. "Bring me a rabbit," he whispered. The moment he finished his sentence, the stick flew from his talons, darting off deeper into the woodlands. I hope no dragon sees that. They might wonder why a stick just flew past them.
Quetzalcoatl settled himself onto the ground comfortably, watching two of the moons shine up above. One quarter, the other barely a sliver. He was never entirely sure how the moons worked, all he knew was that they revolved at different rates, according to his old science teacher.
The stick flew back with a skewered rabbit. Without much thought, he ate the rabbit and flew back home, enjoying the midnight breeze. As he walked into his home, he froze as Celestial approached him.
"Quetzalcoatl, you need to stop sneaking out!" Celestial cried. Of course Quetzalcoatl hadn't been stealthy enough. If the rumors his parents tried to squash were true, then Celestial had been hatched under a lunar eclipse during the Brightest Night. Perhaps all three moons had eclipsed, if the wilder part of the rumors were believable. He'd certainly never heard her projecting her thoughts, nor had she ever mentioned any great disasters occurring.
"There were no eclipses," Celestial hissed, but Quetzalcoatl was sure she was lying. Why, he wasn't sure. But he always knew when she lied. 
I need to enchant something so she can't read my mind, Quetzalcoatl thought, and Celestial growled.
"You know Mother would not be pleased if you used your magic again," Celestial hissed in one ear, her purple eyes blazing. 
"Mhm," Quetzalcoatl said, heading back into his room and curling up in his bed, tired after a nice, long flight through the forest. "She'll have a cow or two, I'll bet."
He heard Celestial growl to herself, and heard her talons scribbling furiously on a sheaf of paper. Probably writing down various timelines, like she always did when she was stressed. Part of him wondered if he was in any of them, but he squashed that part down. He didn't really want to know. He knew of the futures she'd mentioned.
The ones where he finally snapped.
They say animus magic is intertwined with your soul. Quetzalcoatl, however, believed it was with your mind. It didn't matter how much or little you used your magic, if you were losing your mind, you would do anything to feel again. Whether the losing-your-mind part was connected to animus magic or not, all he knew was that animus dragons use this magic as their grand escape.
Most take it too far.
== Chapter Two ==
Celestial drew in a breath, sighing as she stared at the unrolled blank scroll in front of her. Many futures had revealed themselves to her, and as much as she wished to write each and every one down, her father had warned her to hold back, else risk being driven into insanity.
She glanced up at her mother and father, at their two different shapes and colors. Mother was an IceWing animus princess who'd faked her death and ran away. And Father was a commoner NightWing who'd hatched under two full moons, the silver teardrops at the corners of his eyes glistening brightly. How two opposite dragons had fallen in love, she never knew. She'd never fully grasped the concept of love; being isolated all your life can keep you from learning many things, but she understood that it wasn't always perfect.
Quetzalcoatl lay reading a scroll, muttering and mumbling to himself as he read, not caring that the others could hear her. 
A shudder ran down Celestial's spine as a vision struck her. Unlike her other visions, this one was oddly vague, foggy, shrouded in mystery. She dipped one claw in ink, and wrote what she'd seen. 
"THE NIGHT SKY, ALL THREE MOONS BRIGHT YET NOT FULL. THE GROUND SHAKES. GRIEF. CONFUSION. FEAR?"
Father looked over her shoulder, reading the words she'd written. "What do you think it means?" He asked her, as he always did when she had a vision she wrote down. 
Celestial stared down at the scroll for what felt like forever, silently willing the answer to come to her somehow. At last, knowing Father was waiting for an answer, she tried to guess. "Uh, perhaps the ground will split open and someone will fall in it?"
"Perhaps," Father replied, like he always did. Celestial wished she could read his mind, but he'd learned how to shield his thoughts.
"Perihelion?" Mother asked, her gaze locking with Father's. Like Father, she could not read her mother's mind, but unlike Father, Mother knew how to unlock her mind to certain dragons. Whether that was an enchantment or just pure skill, Celestial did not know.
"Well, Celestial," Father began in the good voice, the voice that always meant the sun would shine through the clouds in her life. "Your mother and I think you may be ready for a public school, one where you can socialize. No, Quetzalcoatl, you can't go as well," He added as Quetzalcoatl looked up hopefully. "I can't trust that you won't accidentally enchant something."
"But can't someone read Celestial's mind and find out anyway?" Quetzalcoatl asked. Celestial wanted to toss him out a window for ruining her hopes of going to a proper school.
"We were thinking about that," Mother replied. "So I enchanted something for her to wear. Something that will shield her thoughts, but in a way that will seem like she's been practicing like she's supposed to." Mother held up a stunning diamond necklace, sliding it onto Celestial's neck. Quetzalcoatl snorted; Celestial knew he was already jealous she was getting to go to school, so the idea of her getting a gift from Mother probably made it worse.
"You'll start tomorrow," Father added quickly, and handed her a scroll. "These have your classes. We signed you up for classes your age, but you may have to work extra hard. I don't know what they teach dragonets these days."
Celestial held herself back from bouncing and giggling like a hatchling, and took the scroll. "Thanks," She said, unrolling the scroll and skimming through the classes.
At once, a storm of new visions came pouring down, the most likely landing on her scales and soaking her with fears and excitements. She held the desk, refraining from collapsing. Father had a look of regret on his face. Probably thinking I can't handle this. But I can, I know it. She lifted herself up, and headed into her room to think about her futures, all of them.
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)