Sorry if this is horrible. The dragonet telling the tale is young and always tries to see the best side of things, so she won't really focus on the horrible treatment NightWing's get until later in the story when she really experiences it. I just realized that some of the methods are very similar to IceWing methods, but whatever. It'll get more tyr-worthy. :P
I watch his massive, gleaming claw point across the vast ocean. You can just make out the tiny dot of land many miles from here, when the sun isn't overhead and the sky is at its clearest. Right now, a few clouds mar my vision, but I've come out here many times to see the tiny pinpoint of land that we're all taught to fear.
Clearseer holds his claw up, continuing to point at the horizon, looking expectantly at me. I realize, suddenly mortified, that he's asked me a question, and I've missed it. He snorts amusedly at the panic he sees has shot into my eyes, and gives me a stinging swipe across the nose. One of the more lenient punishments from one of the more lenient teachers, but it still stings. "I said, what's on that island?" Clearseer repeats impatiently. I respond immediately. Information about the forbidden island has been drilled into every dragonet's head from the moment they were born. "Dragons live on that island who will kill you on sight. It's full of a long line of animus dragons gone bad, and if they don't kill or torture you first, they'll take you as your slave whether or not you've taken any test," I respond, almost word-for-word from memory. Looks like my studies are paying off.
I have to study as much as I can lately, because the test that will determine my entire future is coming up for me, a four-year-old dragonet. Pass, and you're given a life as normal as can be. Plenty of choices for the rest of your life, aznd an easy way to make it happen. Fail, and you become a worthless slave, personal servant to one of the higher-ups, or stuck making the food, providing the entertainment, or washing the scales of the normal population.
Be careful, Starsight. Don't want to miss any more of Clearseer's instructions! I remind myself quickly, forcing myself to listen to Clearseer's boring drone, spoken in monotone. "Remember, one of the most important pieces of advice for your test is to be prepared for anything. New pieces of material are introduced to the test every single year! I've heard that they might test the egg-laying abilities of the females this year. Our current queen is getting a bit old, and she has no heirs, so they need a dragon to take over that will be able to produce some. There are also some vacancies in the nursery, I've heard," Clearseer drones. My heart fills with amusement. Me, queen of the NightWings? And I could never imagine being cooped up in the nursery all day, sitting on other dragons' eggs. Neither of those are the roles for me. But I listen anyway.
"Of course, there will also be the traditional test for any animus dragons, but I doubt we'll find any. There was an animus in the crop last year, and this sort of thing happens very rarely." I listen closely, suddenly interested. I've always wanted to learn more about the magic of animus dragons, but for some reason, the details of their powers are a closely guarded secret to dragonets. All I've heard of what happened to last year's animus was promises for them of "power, glory, all the slaves they could want," like they were in a higher position than the queen. But none of us learned anything more than that.
Clearseer quickly switches to the next subject, droning on and on as I stare at him and pretend to listen so I won't be the victim of his sharp claws again. After several hours of this nonsense, I haven't really learned anything new, but at least I've reinforced the skills that I'll need to know to pass the quickly-oncoming test. It still feels like a day wasted though, sitting on the beach. Clearseer insists upon teaching here to bring young NightWings "closer to the stars," to brings out the powers within them. Isn't the sky for, well, SkyWings? And all but the most superstitious NightWings believe that only dragonets born under full moons can have those powers. NightWing nurseries are kept strictly indoors to prevent such an imbalance of power from happening. I don't have any sort of powers. Neither does any other NightWing, except the queen. The queen's mother made an exception with her egg and let it hatch under a full moon, knowing that the dragonet would be heir to the throne. Now Queen Thoughtslayer can read minds like a scroll.
Regardless of our useless lessons on the beach or the fact that our queen can read minds, I've wasted the entire day obliging to a lesson with Clearseer, when I could have been out practicing my flying or poring over the scrolls in the library for any information that could help me with my test. At least he's nicer than most of the other teachers.
As the sun sinks lower into the sky, I fly over the trees that separate the NightWing kingdom from the beach. On the other side of the tiny forest is a smattering of nests where the NightWing dragonets sleep. It's close to the nests of most of our parents, luckily, so I can visit mine whenever I need to see them. Unlike NightWing eggs, we sleep beneath the stars and moon, gaining no special powers but feeling connected to the night sky, the beginning of all NightWings.
I soon settle comfortably into my nest, lined with the feathers and fur of animals I've hunted in the past. Dragonet nests are usually considered the worst, as they've had the least time in their lives to build up bedding from their meals, but I can't find anything wrong with mine. The dragonets who I consider my friends haven't returned from their classes yet, so it's a bit cold out here without their breath on my scales, small flames flickering from their mouths in the middle of the night. Truthseeker, Bloodspiller, and Mindwaker will also be happy to retire after a long day of classes, but also there to comfort my raging nervousness with the test only two days away. Bloodspiller and Mindwaker are both three years old, so they won't be taking the test with me, but Truthseeker will be there to worry away over what could happen to us.
I try to think about the fun times I've had with my friends, to overcome my fear. Like that time when we snuck out of class to go flying and chase each other around all day, still happy and giggling to ourselves when we were punished with all the dragonets' chores for the day and many flying claws from the teacher we'd skipped out on. Or that time when Bloodspiller brought home a massive moose from his hunt, and we feasted on. Soon enough, I find myself falling asleep.
I wake to Truthseeker's relentless fire breath blowing a jet through her nose right into my face. Being partially immune to fire like all NightWings, I simply blow a jet back to her, annoyed. "Truthseeker, if you set my nest on fire, we'd all be in trouble!" I scold her, even though she can't really help her snoring. But if flames engulfed me in my nest, I'd actually get burned. The tickle of fire from my jaws doesn't wake Truthseeker. She simply keeps snoring, smoke drifting lazily out of her nostrils.
Mindwaker is also beginning to stir in his nest. "Mindwaker, want to go hunting? I haven't eaten since midday yesterday!" I prompt. He responds with a huge yawn. "Do we have to? I'm so tired…" Mindwaker curls up and settles back into his nest. I playfully blow a jet of fire into his face. "Come on, that tickles!" Mindwaker exclaimed, leaping out of his nest.
"You're awake, let's go!" I nudge Mindwaker. "Come on, maybe we could even catch a moose!" I encourage. Mindwaker shrugs and gives another yawn. "Fine, I guess."
By the time Mindwaker has cleaned his scales off and gotten ready to hunt, Truthseeker and Bloodspiller are both out of their nests and stretching. "Can we join you?" Bloodspiller asks. I nod.
"Is everyone ready to go?"
We spend the entire day flying above the forest that is the NightWing kingdom, sniffing for any sign of delicious prey. After only a few minutes, Truthseeker spots something and plummets into the forest to make it her next meal. I watch on as Truthseeker returns triumphantly with a small deer clutched between her jaws. My stomach growls, but I leave her to eat her own catch. I won't eat if I don't hunt, because I need to get as much hunting practice in as I can before the test. It's looming ever-closer, tomorrow! "Let's split up," I suggest. "I might hunt better on my own." Bloodspiller nods, seeming to understand why I urgently need my own hunting practice. "Good luck! Bring me back a moose!" he offers. I bump into him in midair.
"Find your own moose, Bloodspiller! You're lucky you don't have the test this year!" I joke.
I split off from my friends and fly over the NightWing forest, looking up and suddenly realizing that the sun is at its highest point. I've gone the entire morning without a single catch! But then the smell hits my nostrils, of blood spilled down on the ground. A predator must be at work in the forest, and predators and their kills make excellent meals. Wishing I had the camouflage of Rainwings, I let myself slowly fall to the ground, using my wings as a parachute, trying to be as quiet as I can so I don't attract the predator's attention. I stalk as quietly as I can, weaving through trees, until I find my way to a clearing where a massive brown bear is hunched over the body of a deer.
I'm still a dragonet with a lot of growing to do, so the bear is about half as tall as I am. I wish I could just take the dead deer from under his paws, but he'd attack me for it. The bear still hasn't noticed me, so I can try to make him my prey. He would give all the NightWing dragonets a meal, he's so huge!
Okay, Starsight. Don't startle him. Just fly up a little ways… I spread my wings to take flight, so that I can fall on the bear with more attacking power. I'm surprised by my capacity to fly quietly now. I'm usually notoriously known for the loud sound of my wings beating as I fly. Now! I fall right onto the bear with a snarl just before I hit him, digging my claws into his neck. He instantly starts writhing, trying to get away, but I'm too quick. I finish him off with a crushing bite to the neck, and tumble down with him as the dead prey suddenly relaxes.
Now for the next problem—getting the prey home. I'm only large enough to carry the deer, much less the bear and the deer. I can't fly away to find my friends to help me, or something else would get to my prey and ruin it. "Bloodspiller! Truthseeker! Mindwaker!" I shout, hoping that my friends are nearby enough to come help me. But after waiting for a little while, no help comes. I growl under my breath with frustration. With the deer between my jaws, I fly up into the sky to see if I can spot any dragons. A flash of black flickers in the corner of my eye.
"Boo!" shouts Truthseeker, sneaking up behind me.
"Hey!" I protest, amused nonetheless. "Truthseeker, come down here and see what I caught!"
We both fly back down to the forest floor, landing gently on the mossy carpet. "Wow!" Truthseeker exclaims. "A deer and a bear? We'll eat for days!"
"Can you go get Bloodspiller and Mindwaker? We can't carry this huge bear home alone," I point out. Truthseeker nods quickly and is back into the air, calling the names of our friends.
Several minutes later, we're all flying back towards home, me carrying the deer, and Truthseeker, Bloodspiller, and Mindwaker lugging the hefty bear home. I'm surprised to see that the sun is sinking when we reach our nests. It's been so long since I last ate! Surprisingly, I'm not hungry. Perhaps I should mention my endurance in the test. Maybe it would get me extra points.
Even though I feel like I could go on for several more days without another bite of food, Truthseeker, Bloodspiller, Mindwaker, and I begin to tear into the bear, saving the deer for later. "Can I join you?" asks a very small NightWing dragonet. I think her name is Quickdeath, and she's notorious for being the shiest dragonet in the NightWing kingdom. "Sure," I say through a mouthful of delicious bear. Soon Quickdeath is upon the bear too, and I realize I'm ravenous. We all continue until the entire bear is finished.
I let out a huge yawn, realizing my breath smells rancid and sour but not really caring. "I think I'm ready to go to bed…" I groan, full and tired, yawning hugely again. Truthseeker looks at me as if I've gone crazy. "How are you content to sleep? Our test starts tomorrow! The beginning of the most important week of our lives! And you just want to sleep until it starts?"
"Gee, thanks, Truthseeker. Now there's no chance I'm sleeping tonight." I actually had forgotten about the test, but I'm definitely not willing to admit that. Truthseeker seems somehow triumphant. Whatever.
Truthseeker and I lie awake in our nests for a long time. After most of the NightWing kingdom is asleep, I get up out of my nest and begin to pace around. "The test, the test! It's tomorrow!" I exclaim, pointing out the obvious. Truthseeker looks up at me with a duh expression on her face. "I think I'm going to go visit my parents," Truthseeker says. "It might be my last chance to spend time with them—who knows what extra responsibilities the test will bring." I nod and watch Truthseeker disappear, flying a short distance away to where the adult NightWings sleep. After a little while, I decide to join her. My father, Darkvision, pays as little attention to me as possible, but my mother, Lightslayer, always shares her nest when I'm afraid.
"Hi, Starsight," my mother says gently. "Nervous for your test?"
"How could I not be?" I respond, my voice quavering a bit. "I don't know whether I'll end up as a NightWing hunter like you, or a slave for the queen. Heck, or the queen!" I exclaim. Lightslayer laughs.
"You don't want to be the queen?"
"No way. Too many responsibilities, and I wouldn't get to go outside anymore."
"Well, I'm sure you'll pass your test anyway. I've seen you studying so diligently while the other dragonets play. There will be nothing you don't know!" my mother comforts. I shrug, seeing her point, but nothing can calm the churning river in my stomach. I take a few deep breaths to relax myself a little.
I spot a bracelet on my mother's wrist. "Pretty," I say quietly, and hook my claw around it, tugging so that I can try it on. At the same instant, Lightslayer lets out a huge bellow. "Stop! Stop!" I don't realize what she means, continuing to tug on the bracelet, which is very hard to take off. It seems like some sort of glue is holding it on. "STOP, Starsight!" I give the bracelet one last tug and it finally slides off easily. My mother sinks back into her nest with a thump. "What was that all about?" I ask nervously. Her eyes are still opened wide and though this is impossible, I think I see blurry pictures flashing behind her eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, my mother gasps. "I remember!" she whispers to me.
"What?" I ask nervously, wondering if Lightslayer has gone crazy.
"My test," she whispers to me. "Be quiet, we could get in huge trouble for this." There's another pause, as my mother sees to be processing what has just happened to her. I still have no idea. Finally, she continues. "The bracelet you just took off me was animus-touched. It was given to me just after my test to make me forget what I knew, information that could harm the tribe if it was spread."
"What was it?" I whisper, quickly gaining interest.
"I remember now that it was what actually goes on in this tribe." My mother pauses again, as if considering whether or not to tell me. Eventually she carries on. "During my test, I followed my examiner back to the cave where he discussed the dragonets' results with the other dragons. There had been an animus in my year. I remember he said, 'He's been locked safely in the animus dungeon, and he's ready to do whatever we need him to.' I listened on as they discussed all the animus dragons that they had locked in an underground dungeon that had been enchanted by another animus to block all animus powers, except for one chamber, where animus dragons could only cast the spells they were instructed to cast by the queen. Make the queen's scales as hard as iron, enchant jewels to create more space in the NightWing kingdom, any assortment of odds and ends that needed to be done, until their souls had rotted away and they were left in the dungeons, no longer needed unless there was a low supply of young dragons that wouldn't attack their keepers." My mother pauses for breath, and my eyes are wide with horror. That's what happens to animus dragons?
"I remember I kept listening to them. There was a new animus keeper, so they had to explain everything to him. They explained how to keep the animus dragons under control, how to make themselves practically invincible to any attack an animus might bring. How the animus dragons were kept in the dungeons to keep the NightWings safe. How the end goal was to take over all of Tyrrhia, but they hadn't done it yet because the other tribes had protective spells on their kingdoms."
"Did they find out what happened?" I ask, wondering what sort of trouble my mother got into when she was discovered. She nods, just as I was expecting. "I continued listening until there was a short silence. I was so enthralled in my new discovery that I didn't notice they might be leaving the cave. The very second the first dragon set foot out of the door, he had me.
"I remember three of the dragons holding me down as another took a slip of paper and wrote on it. An animus must have enchanted it so that the keepers could write down spells whenever they wanted. Another dragon offered her bracelet to put it inside and the dragon put the paper into the bracelet. Then they forced it onto my foreleg, and the memories were all gone. I did remember them telling me that I'd fainted during a battle test when I found myself pinned beneath the guards' claws. That excuse made up for the lost time, and I never asked another question."
"Do you think the paper's still in the bracelet? That must have been the animus-touched part," I ask, eager to see the inner workings of the bracelet. My mother hesitates for a moment uneasily. "I suppose you can touch it. Be very careful, though, I don't want you losing your memories like I lost mine."
So I scoop the bracelet up with my claw and undo the clasp. One of the beads slips right off, and I crush it under my weight easily. Like the gem inside a geode, I find a rolled-up slip of paper inside the bead. "Wow," I whisper in awe. Gently unrolling it with a claw, I begin to read the paper aloud.
"When put inside the bracelet formerly belonging to the dragon Twilightdeath, enchant this paper to cause the dragon Lightslayer to forget the events occurring during her test where she found out the details of NightWing animus dragons. Enchant this bracelet to cause Lightslayer to be fiercely protective of the bracelet. Enchant this bracelet to cause Lightslayer to deflect all questions about the bracelet. Enchant this bracelet so that it can only be taken off by a NightWing animus dragon, not even Lightslayer herself."
The last sentence pops out at me, and obviously to my mother too. We spend many long moments staring at each other, my heart hammering like a drum. "Does this mean I'm an animus?" I ask in a quavering voice. My mother slowly nods.
"I think it does. They must have made the spell that way so that the bracelet could be taken off by one of the dungeon animus dragons if they ever needed to alter the spell, or for me to remember. And keep your voice down. You know what could happen if anyone finds out!"
I nod, but immediately thinking of my mother's safety, I rip off the part of the paper that takes away her memories, leaving only 'Enchant this bracelet so that it can only be taken off by a NightWing animus dragon.' "We'd better leave part of the spell, so that the bracelet doesn't come off my mistake. You'll have to keep it on, or else they'll just give you another, and throw me in the animus dungeon."
"Shh," my mother reminds me, obediently slipping the altered bracelet back on. "You should do some sort of test to see if you're actually an animus dragon. You shouldn't make any objects fly; some dragon would be sure to notice. Try to enchant me so that I can't fly for a full minute," Lightslayer offers. I nod nervously, and whisper under my breath.
"Enchant Lightslayer so that her wings cannot carry her into the sky for a full minute," I say, feeling nothing particularly special. "Try flying," I whisper to Lightslayer. "The spell will end soon if it actually worked!" My mother obliges and slowly gets up out of her nest. She stretches her wings quickly so that she can complete the motions that would let her fly, if the spell failed. Then she flaps her wings.
Nothing happens.
My eyes shoot open even wider in my huge surprise. "I am an animus," I whisper so that no one can hear me but my mother. "The test is tomorrow! What am I going to do?"
My mother stays silent for a while. I think she's waiting for the minute to be over, to make sure that I haven't taken away her flying abilities for good. After a little while, she flaps her wings again, and they bring her easily into the air. I exhale with relief.
My mother settles back into the nest so that she can whisper to me without any other dragons hearing. "Well, just like you said, you're an animus. You can use your powers to help yourself," she responds. I consider this for a moment.
"But I can't use my powers without destroying my soul!" I whisper nervously, wondering how much of it was taken away with the magic I just did. My mother shrugs. "I've heard of animus dragons in other tribes doing hundreds of spells before their personalities started to change even slightly. Just this once should probably be fine." There's a pause as I think. "Unless you prefer the dungeon, of course," my mother adds. This, obviously, makes up my mind.
"Fine," I grumble. I have a bracelet around my foreleg, too, the only piece of jewelry that I normally wear. I made it when I was two out of smooth stones found near the river, and I never go anywhere without it. While holding the bracelet between my claws, I whisper, "Enchant this bracelet to block my animus powers while I'm wearing it. Enchant it so that it cannot be taken off by any dragon except me, and so that it cannot come off by mistake," I add, wondering worriedly if four spells in one night could have a big impact on my soul. As if reading my mind (though my mother was hatched indoors like any other NightWing), my mother comforts me. "Don't worry, that's probably the only spell you'll have to do. You can live the life of a normal dragon, and only use your power when you absolutely need to," my mother whispers to me. "Try a spell now, to make sure the bracelet works."
I pick a small twig woven into my mother's nest. "Enchant this twig to fly into the air, but only up to my shoulder, so that no other dragons can see it," I instruct. Nothing happens, and I sigh with relief.
"You should be safe for your test, and probably the rest of your life," my mother whispers to me. I nod slowly, hoping that she's right. "Goodnight," I whisper back, suddenly exhausted and sinking my head into her soft belly. Despite my everlasting nervousness about the test, I am soon asleep.
The dawn shines brightly when my eyes blink open again. It's spring, so the sun is usually up before any dragons have woken. I yawn and get up to find my friends so that we can go hunting. But when I notice that I'm in my mother's nest, all the memories of the previous night come flooding back. I'm an animus. I have a special bracelet, and so did my mother. I'm not safe anymore. I have to keep it a secret.
The test starts today.
OK, so what did you think? If possible, answer the following questions. They'll be the most constructive for my story in terms of criticism (if you have any, it's hard to imagine anything being wrong with my wonderful work of art! :P
Anyway, the questions:
#1: Are you getting any sort of distinct personality with Starsight? I feel like I underdeveloped her character, and if you think so too, I can make her have more of an actual personality in the second installment.
#2: Does it stay true to the Wings of Fire story? I know I'm changing their "government" and systems a ton, but do the dragons act like normal dragons should? Do NightWings actually cling to their parents like Starsight does? I haven't actually read Wings of Fire in a while, so my dragon skills are a little rusty.
#3: Did you like the story? Should I continue it? Please give your honest opinion. I wouldn't be hurt at all if you don't like it. I want to write a good Wings of Fire story, not just a Wings of Fire story that people told me to continue because they feel sorry for me.
#4: Are there any other changes you'd suggest? Any feedback is appreciated!
You can answer a few of these questions if you don't have answers for all of them. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed!