The Reckoner (WoF Fanfic)

Warning: There will be mentions/writing of death, gore, and bl//d. Please read at your own discretion.

(This was also done as a collab with HyacinthOfTheRainWings! Her characters Swift and Crystal were used, and the chapter in Swift's POV was written by her. She was also the main motivation force for me to write this ;) Also check out this awesome cover by her for the fanfic! )

Prologue

The NightWing sat in his underground lab. It was carved by talon; he didn’t need to, but he enjoyed the physical labor. It made him feel accomplished. Enchanting everything into existence didn’t.

Except for one thing. And that thing just walked into his lab with a smile on her face.

“Hi Silence. Still working on your new creation?”

“Yes. It takes a lot of time and effort to get everything just right.”

“Can I see?”

“Of course sweetie.” Silence stepped back to reveal a stone statue of another dragon, which had semblances of NightWing anatomy, but otherwise looked rather off. “Its almost finished.”

Black Cobra nodded approvingly. “It looks great, glad its almost done. Maybe we can look at some more ancient scrolls later?” She questioned, her eyes hopeful.

Silence laughed. “Later tonight. I promise.” Thus satisfied, Black Cobra walked out of the lab. Silence turned back to his creation. He smiled. It was finally time. He grabbed a simple opal ring and spoke. “I enchant this statue to be connected to this gemstone.” The gem glowed brilliantly before looking normal again. Silence looked at the statue, then at the scroll he had scribbled a bunch of information on. “I enchant the statue to come alive holding all of the information on this scroll And I enchant Anti to not be able to be altered in any way, shape, or form by animi.” With those words, Anti looked around. Silence held up the ring. “Hello, Anti. Do you know what this is?”

Anti glanced over. “An opal ring. Specifically the one I am connected to. Why?”

Silence smiled. “Because you will be obeying it from now on.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now. Jerboa is an animus, specifically one who uses her powers dangerously. Go kill her.”

“No.”

Silence sputtered. “What do you mean no??? What breaker of enchantments are you?”

Anti smiled humorlessly. “You said ‘connected.’ Not ‘obey.’ Now, good day and thank you for giving me life. I shall be going now.” With that, he vanished into the void.

Silence growled. “Mooncursed son of a NightWing.” He put his face in his talons and sat there for a few minutes before looking up again. He wouldn’t let this get him down. He would try again. He would make something better. He didn’t need Anti…

And thus, the birth of The Reckoner.

Chapter One: Screams and Smoke

“Get out and STAY out!”

The tall Sky/Night hybrid shoved a scrawny RainWing out of the tavern and shook his head. He obviously used the tab system, but this sleepy idiot had one of the largest tabs in his tavern, The Second Moon, and refused to pay. The RainWing had been one of his few regulars, and his business, though one-sided, had been a welcome change from virtually no one at all.

“Uhm, Blood Moon?” Asked his friend and partner, Overcast. “The way we’re currently operating, we’re losing money. Losing money means we can’t pay the rent for the building. Losing the building means no more income, which leaves us poor and jobless. What under the three moons are we going to do?” He asked worriedly. “We can only operate like this for a few more weeks at the most.” Overcast handed him a ledger with the data on it. “The data doesn’t lie.”

Blood Moon took the ledger and briefly read through the data, his heart sinking fast. Overcast was a smart, nerdy-type dragon who knew how to work the numbers; he hadn’t made any mistakes. They were going to lose the tavern. Blood Moon handed back the ledger and sat down at one of the tables, head in his talons. He had always dreamt of owning a business when he was a dragonet, and he had finally managed to fulfill his dream. He had always had the sense that they weren’t earning much, but he didn’t think it was this bad.

Overcast lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Blood Moon. I stretched the budget as far as I could, but…it's no use.” The IceWing put a talon on Blood Moon’s shoulder in comfort. Blood Moon took a deep breath and stood up. “We might as well close a little early tonight,” he said dryly, glancing at the quickly darkening sky. “It's getting late, and it's obvious no one else is coming in.” The two dragons silently closed up shop for the night, then parted ways. Blood Moon trudged back towards his small home, his head hanging low. As he walked, he listened to the vendors calling out the prices of their wares. A few had already left, but plenty were still open. Closer to his home, however, he noticed a new vendor. This one didn’t shout his wares and prices, but sat there, cloaked and silent. His eyes were covered by his hood. He looked up and down the street once in a while, but said nothing. Looking at the mysterious dragon’s wares, he seemed to be a jeweler of sorts. Blood Moon loved bling, and so decided to visit. What was a little more lost money in exchange for some happiness? He walked over and was surprised to see very intricate and expensive looking jewelry for a very low price. The vendor eyed Blood Moon silently as he picked up a few pieces, whistled at the price, and examined them. They were all so beautiful. He almost settled on an opal ring before he noticed an amethyst pendant. It was both beautiful and simple, with a large, faceted amethyst encrusted with silver embedded in it. He picked it up and examined it closely before starting to put it on. The vendor reached forward and quickly shook his head. Blood Moon shrugged and complied, a little mystified, but obedient. The amethyst seemed to thrum with the beat of his heart, almost as if it was calling him. He nodded to the vendor, pulling out his money pouch. “I’ll take it.” The vendor nodded slowly, taking the money with a grunt of thanks. He watched Blood Moon walk away, and as soon as he was out of sight, grinned and picked up the opal ring, stroking it thoughtfully, but not putting it on. He put it back and assumed his steady stare.

Blood Moon reached his home and walked inside, placing his things on a small table near the door. He kept the pendant in his talons however, as he walked into his bedroom and lay down on his straw mattress. He turned it over in his claws, admiring the carvings on the pendant. Blood Moon finally lifted the pendant over his head, and put it on. As soon as he did, however, he felt greatly disoriented, and his room around him shattered like glass, disappearing. Blood Moon was suddenly falling into an endless void, and he screamed in panic and closed his eyes, waiting for sure and sudden death. However, a few minutes later, he was still alive, so he slowly opened one eye. Blood Moon wasn’t even falling anymore; he was floating in the void, as far as he could tell. He looked around him and came face to face with a masked head, its stitched eyes and creepy stitched smile inches from his face. He yelped and jerked, attempting to lurch backwards, but there was nothing to push off of, so he stayed in place. Blood Moon was so scared he forgot to use his wings.

“Who…w-what are you?” He asked shakily. The creature slowly pulled away from him, not answering right away. Instead, it glanced from the pendant to its glowing gemstone, and Blood Moon followed the thing’s eyes. He was surprised to see that the amethyst was glowing brilliantly, and its glowing throb matched the gemheart’s beat. “Wha…why is it…beating…” He asked uncertainly, looking back at the unsettling eyes of the beast. An idea that was not his own formed in his mind. “T-they’re connected? Somehow?” He whispered, hardly daring to speak any louder. The beast nodded slowly. Another idea formed in Blood Moon’s mind. Two words. He tilted his head. The beast continued to stare at him. “The Reckoner?” He asked again, confused. “What does that mean?” The beast irritably pointed towards himself. “Oh. Your name is The Reckoner.” The Reckoner nodded. Blood Moon looked back at his pendant. “So…if these are connected, what happens now?” Another idea appeared in his mind. “Oh…you’re my master?” The Reckoner growled and shook its head. “Then I’m your master?” Blood Moon asked. The Reckoner slowly and resignedly nodded. Blood Moon felt a spark of enthusiasm. What all could his new friend do? How did this work? He sat back for a second, wondering about what his first move would be. What if I asked him to get rid of all the competition so my tavern could actually get some busine-

Before he even finished his thought, The Reckoner’s gemheart and the pendant started glowing brighter and brighter, and with a shattering sound of glass, Blood Moon was thrown back into his room, dark as the night had already well begun. He was shocked for a second before tearing the pendant off of his neck. It quickly stopped glowing and he threw it across the room, shaking. What have I done???

The next morning, he woke up to screams and smoke billowing into his room. Confused and scared, he ran out of his house, coughing. Dragons poured into the street, many dazed and confused. A team of dragons flew by, heading to the fires to put them out. Everyone was tense and uptight, and it took just one dragon to yell out a name and point an accusatory claw for chaos to ensue. The dragons all piled up on that poor SandWing, killing him in seconds. Fights began to break out, and for his own safety Blood Moon ran back inside his house. The fire was a few streets away, and the team of dragons was getting it under control. He gathered his belongings just in case, however. As he picked up the pendant, it thrummed a little. He stared at it, thoughtful. A small feeling of horror crept into his mind. Was this…his wish? He dashed outside again, still holding the pendant. The fires had been extinguished by now, and the dragons were moving toward the source of the fire in a semi-hostile tide of claws and talons and injured dragons, from the small free-for-all that had occurred. He raced ahead of them, and reached the line of burnt down houses just as the fire squad were dragging the dead out of them. Five houses had been burnt, but three of them had been burnt to the ground. The owners of these houses, however, didn’t seem to have any death-inducing burns on them. Instead, what Blood Moon saw was scythe cuts. This was no accident. Their throats had been slitted by a scythe. Someone had wanted them dead. Looking closer, Blood Moon realized with a sickening feeling that these three had been tavern owners. The only three tavern owners in the town of Vengeance.

The Reckoner.

Blood Moon backed away, staring at the pendant. So it works. It wasn’t a bad dream. It was real. He controlled a raging beast, capable of murder like this. He looked back up at the ruined homes and confused, angry dragons. He would never use this again.

\_ \_ \_ \_ \_

A few days later

Blood Moon smiled at the young dragon. “You’re hired! Welcome to the team.”

The MudWing grinned. “When do I start?”

“Well, you can start as soon as you would like to, starting tomorrow.” Blood Moon was elated internally. He had been able to hire three new dragons to his tavern team, as business had been booming. He was the only tavern owner left and, despite the rumors, dragons still needed a place to eat and enjoy entertainment, so they came to him. Overcast couldn’t believe his eyes, and had revamped their budget, extending it far beyond anything they had hoped for a few days prior. They were practically rolling in money by their standards. Maybe implementing The Reckoner wasn’t so bad after all-

The door slammed open, and an unfamiliar, wingless dragon stalked in, his face stoney and emotionless. He didn’t seat himself as everyone else did; he walked up to the counter and growled, “I’m looking for a Blood Moon. I need to speak to him.” The room quieted almost instantly, waiting for Blood Moon’s response. Blood Moon’s heart dropped, but he didn’t show it. “That would be me! Come on back, where we can talk privately.” He led the way to a small storage room. “Now, what’s your name and what is your business here?”

Instead of answering, the wingless dragon eyed him for a few minutes. “I’ve been traveling around. Looking for someone who could help me. Heard the rumors about you. Decided to come check it out.” Seeing Blood Moon about to object, he raised his stump of a leg. “Don’t deny it. There are rumors, and you know exactly what I’m talking about.” Blood Moon reddened and snapped his jaw shut. “Now,” the wingless dragon continued, “I would like to implement this…force…for a fee, of course. If you can get your murder man to deal with someone for me, I will pay you. Handsomely.” He slid a pouch of heavy gold coins toward him. “That's just the down payment.” Blood Moon’s eyes glinted. That was a ton of money. He picked up the bag and inspected a few coins, verifying their authenticity. He looked back up at the stone-cold dragon once more. “I will consider this. What name will I ask for when I reach my decision?” The wingless dragon stood up to leave and stepped out of the door. “You will ask for Pirate.”

Chapter 2: First Blood

Pirate laughed as Crystal threw a snowball at him and ducked behind a snowdrift. This was his kid’s first snowfall; sure there was always snow everywhere in the Ice Kingdom, but this was the first time Crystal saw it fall from the sky. They were mystified by such an event, so Pirate decided to take them out to play while Swift dealt with some drama. Cougar was being a rebellious dragon again, and Swift was having a private meeting with her.

Inevitably, Cougar stormed out of the cave, and flew off, fuming. Pirate watched her fly away before gathering up Crystal and walking back inside. “So. How’d it go?” He asked Swift, who had just walked to the mouth of the cave.

“Fun. Can’t you tell? She got Outcast this time. I’m not taking any more guff from her.” Swift replied, rubbing her temples. “She was a handful in there.”

Pirate nuzzled her. “At least we don’t have to deal with her anymore.” He said with a grin. “We won’t be hearing from her again, hopefully.”

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

*A few weeks later*

Pirate and Swift watched Crystal play in the snow. They really loved the white, wet, powdery stuff, which was obvious as they dove into a snowbank, laughing. Pirate poked Swift playfully with his tail. “We couldn’t have raised a better kid. They love the snow and mangoes.” He had brought them a mango from the Rainforest recently, and Crystal kept begging for another one. As if their father would share from his precious stash. Swift laughed. “Well now that you got them attached to mangoes, how many are you willing to share with them?”

Pirate grinned, shaking his head. “None at all –” He paused abruptly, hearing something. He looked up at the sky, and in the distance, saw rapidly moving forms. The flapping of wings could be clearly heard, and could only mean one thing way up here.

IceWings.

Swift obviously heard it too, her eyes widening. “Tell the others!” She called. Pirate’s voice was louder, so this made sense. He nodded and took a deep breath. “ICEWINGS! READY FOR AN ATTACK!” He bellowed, lunging to the entrance of the cave. It was obvious where the IceWings were going; they were flying lower now and aimed straight for the cave. Pirate darted into the cave, sounding the alarm at the top of his voice. Dragons poured out of their cabins, some ready to fight and others looking scared and confused. The ones that were ready to fight raced for the entrance to the cave, hoping to get there before the IceWings did.

They didn’t.

There was a whole squad of IceWings, and they poured into the cave. Cavern CaveWings may have had an immunity to frostbreath, but the ground sure didn’t. And their claws were incredibly sharp and they could fly. The angry CaveWings charged at the IceWings, attacking in pairs or trios. The Cavern CaveWings may not not have had an organized army, but they did fight as a family against intruders. Fathers and mothers fought together, and were sometimes joined by an older child. Pirate watched the fight for a few moments, thinking sadly about how his family would have reacted…

No. He had to do his part.

Pushing the memories aside, Pirate leapt into the fray. The IceWings had sprayed the ground with frostbreath, and CaveWings were sliding everywhere. Pirate darted around, lending himself as an extra fighter here, dragging a wounded dragon to safety there. Medics swarmed the field, risking their lives to bring the wounded to a hastily constructed medical camp nearby. Pirate swiftly lunged at an IceWing that was antagonizing one of the medics, and ended the IceWing’s life before he could do any damage. He then looked around; there were wounded dragons everywhere, CaveWing and IceWing, but the IceWings were definitely losing. He grinned. For once, they might w-

*Wait.*

*Swift?!*

Pirate galloped outside, pushing past some Icewings. As he burst outside, he saw Swift and Cougar locked in a vicious battle. Crystal was hiding in a snowdrift, crying. Pirate roared at Cougar and leapt forward, intent on helping Swift. Cougar was surprised and turned around to face Pirate, letting Swift land a devastating blow. Cougar was thrown into the snow, her back and hind legs slashed by Swift’s sharp claws. She gasped in pain as Pirate and Swift stood over her, obviously furious. “Surprise.” She grinned wearily. “I told you I would come back.” Pirate growled. He had heard no such thing. Glancing at Swift, however, she seemed stricken. But she wasn’t looking at Cougar anymore. Pirate looked up as well, confused.

A tall, commanding Icewing stood there with two other dragons. The one in front was holding Crystal, who was struggling and shrieking in fear. The IceWing sniffed in disgust at the small dragonet before turning to Pirate and Swift. “Is this yours?” She asked dryly. Pirate and Swift stayed frozen, processing the scene in front of them. It was completely quiet except for the screams of Crystal, which were haunting their parents. Pirate was incredibly tense, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. The IceWings chuckled. “No need to be so serious. I won’t hurt the kid yet.”

Pirate growled in response, but said nothing. The IceWing had no weapons visible to him, and neither did her companions. He roughly calculated how quickly he would have to react if she tried anything.

“I suppose I should introduce myself; I’m Thunder, the heir to the IceWing throne, currently. You’re pathetic little friend over there,” She gestured to Cougar, who was still lying in the snow, “brought us news of, ah…a colony of you vermin. How many times have we tried to get rid of you? Two, three times? And you always come back. How could your kind be so blasted stubborn? And stupid for that matter.” She casually eyed her claws as she talked, her voice casual and somewhat haughty. “It's a shame, really. We could really use tenacious soldiers like y-” She suddenly screamed and looked down. Crystal had finally stopped yelling, but had instead sank their teeth into Thunder’s tail. Thunder abruptly cursed and whipped out a previously hidden knife, starting to swing at the dragonet.

And Pirate lunged.

He grappled with Thunder, aiming directly for the knife. “GRAB CRYSTAL.” He roared to Swift, not looking to see if she did or not. Thunder proved to be an equal opponent, however, and an armed one at that. She quickly managed to throw Pirate off of her, as she was taller than he was. He growled and started to lunge again, but froze in horror as Thunder gestured smugly at her comrades, who were holding Swift and Crystal with knives to their throats. “Checkmate, vermin.” Thunder chuckled. Pirate hissed and deflated a bit. “Let them go.” He growled. He swallowed his fear; he would NOT show weakness. Thunder grinned, showing sharp ivory teeth. “Why?”

Pirate was silent. He had no way to bribe her, nothing to give her. She sighed, looking incredibly disappointed. “See, you vermin are just vermin after all. I guess I was wrong about you.” She shook her head before turning to her companions. “Take them to the Ice Palace; I’ll probably display them.” The two dragons nodded and flew off, carrying Swift and Crystal. Pirate watched helplessly, a low growl starting in the back of his throat. “Until next time.” Thunder announced regally before leaping into the air. Her scales shimmered in the sun, and Pirate leapt futilely at her. Thunder just laughed and flew off, leaving Pirate beneath her. He roared furiously after her. Why didn’t he attack her? Or try to fight the other IceWings? Moons, why didn’t he do anything to try to save her. “I’ll find a way, Swift.” He whispered to himself. “I’ll get to you somehow.”

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

*Weeks later*

Pirate walked into the dimly lit tavern. He knew he was a slightly nerve-wracking sight; he was dirty, travel-worn, and had obviously gotten into a few fights along the way here. A small patch of blood and some minor cuts could be plainly seen. He walked further into the tavern, keenly aware of the eyes of the customers. Undeterred, Pirate walked up to the bar counter and glanced around, looking for someone in particular. He stood there for a few minutes, keenly observing where the dragon behind the counter was keeping the money. He had heard of a certain dragon around here, a dragon who had…supernatural friends. Or so the rumors had said.

“I’m looking for a Blood Moon. I need to speak to him.” Pirate growled. He kept the intimidating appearance up, but almost dropped it as the room immediately hushed. They must have known, or started, the rumors. A dragon quickly ushered him to a back room, and introduced himself as Blood Moon. Watching him, Pirate surmised that he was a rather nervous wreck. Calling him out had startled and distressed him. The rumors might hold some truth after all. Good.

“I’ve been traveling around. Looking for someone who could help me. Heard the rumors about you. Decided to come check it out.” Blood Moon frowned slightly and opened his mouth to object. Pirate raised his wooden leg. “Don’t deny it. There are rumors and you know exactly what I’m talking about.” Blood Moon snapped his mouth shut, reddening a little. Much to Pirate’s satisfaction. Now, I would like to implement this…force…for a fee, of course. If you can get your murder man to deal with someone for me, I will pay you. Handsomely.” He slid a pouch of heavy gold coins toward him. Little did Blood Moon know, it was the same money Pirate had swiped from under the counter. The dragon who had been there had gone back into the other storage room. A perfect opportunity. He watched as Blood Moon’s eyes glittered, and it took everything he had within him to not laugh. This was a serious time for him, so he managed to keep himself under control.

“I will consider this. What name will I ask for, when I reach my decision?”

Pirate smiled. He had him hooked. He stood up, staying intimidating. “You will ask for Pirate.” He growled before stalking outside. Once out of range of prying eyes, he grinned slightly. He should get Swift and Crystal back soon. All in good time.

He would just have to be patient.

Chapter 3: First Blood

Swiftlet growled softly, pulling Crystal closer to her. They were terrified, and Swift didn't know how to comfort them. The two CaveWings were trapped, prisoners of the IceWings. It was Swift's worst nightmare. She had been told her whole life that if she was caught by an IceWing, she would be killed on the spot. She wasn't dead, though, which was somehow worse.

At least Crystal isn't hurt. Swift reminded herself. If her dragonet was hurt in any way, it would destroy her. Crystal cried out again, and Swift curled up around them.

I know, I know. I hate this too. I will get us out of here. She couldn't speak to her dragonet, the IceWings who had dragged them here had put something around her snout, so she couldn't use her fire. Fortunately, they hadn't taken Crystal away from her.

Crystal seemed to calm down a little, so Swift went back to watching the guards stationed outside. The pale blue one was more alert, but easier to distract. The gray one was obviously bored more often, but was good at ignoring disturbances. She wasn't sure which one was in charge, but she guessed both of them would know where the keys were.

It was time to put her plan to the test. Swift jumped up, and slammed against the bars, reeling backwards. The two IceWings jumped, startled, the gray one dropping their spear. Swift glared at the blue one, who looked frozen. They sputtered something to the other dragon, who turned and ran.

"Wait, no, come back! Iceberg!" The blue dragon bolted after them.

Perfect.

—

Swift kept her ears pricked as she snuck through the halls of the prison, Crystal clinging to her back. She didn't think she had been seen, but the sudden appearance of Iceberg, the blue dragon, and a few more angry IceWings made her doubt that assumption. She glanced around, looking for an escape. She was cornered.

One of the IceWings walked forward, looking very smug. Thunder. Swift growled, and backed up. Crystal whimpered, and Swift pulled them off her back and into her chest fur.

Back off. Don't touch my dragonet. She thought at Thunder. The tall IceWing smiled, she knew she had won.

"So, you escaped! Very clever. But you're not going anywhere. And I'll take that." Thunder shoved Swift back, ripping Crystal away from her. Crystal shrieked, and struggled to get away from Thunder. Swift tried to lunge forwards, but the blue dragon swiped at her, his claws slicing through her scales.

"Aww, how cute." Thunder said, her tone condescending. "The vermin cares!" She held Crystal down, one talon firmly on their back.

Swift stumbled, she wanted to attack Thunder, but she couldn't put Crystal in danger. She had hoped that Pirate would come to save them, but now it was too late. Even if he was here, they would be dead before he reached them.

And then the world folded in on itself.

A dragon emerged from the fold, wielding a large scythe. It swung, and everything slowed down. Swift watched in pure horror as it sliced through three of the IceWing soldiers, blue blood spreading towards her. Thunder, who had been as stunned as Swift, pulled out a knife and stabbed it into the thing with all her strength, still holding Crystal. The dragon turned, looking at Thunder and then at the knife in its side. It pulled it out, and the cut immediately disappeared. It spread its massive wings, looming over Thunder, Swift, and the remaining IceWings. It stalked forwards, and when it reached Thunder, grabbed Crystal from her and threw the dragonet. Crystal slammed into the icy wall, and Swift ran to them. They were still breathing.

Swift looked back to Thunder and the dragon, and she felt sick. Thunder was lying dead on the floor, and the mysterious dragon had turned to the other IceWings. Iceberg was bleeding, and as Swift watched, the blue guard launched himself at the attacker, who simply raised its scythe.

When all the IceWings were dead, it turned to Swift, meeting her gaze with a hollow, eyeless stare. She felt like it was staring into her soul. She closed her eyes and held Crystal close, knowing it was the end for her.

She felt the world fold up again, and when she raised her head, the dragon was gone.

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This is still a WIP, stay tuned for further updates!