The Blackwing Thief

The man breezed through the forest, ill-gotten gains on his back. Behind him, heavier footsteps became more and more distant. He was outrunning them. Coated in his black feathered outfit, the thief was hard to see under the thick canopy of the forest. The waning moon didn't help either. Finally hiding in the hollow of thick roots, he listened.

"He has gone too far! We can't go any further in the forest!"

"Damn that feather-coated thief! As soon as we get our hands on him, we're gonna sacrifice him to Tezcatlipoca! Our god should be pleased."

"But, first, we have to catch him."

Huemac growled. Eztli had a point. In four years since the Blackwing Thief appeared, no one managed to catch him once. The man was like a wind, a black gale that brushed past you and robbed you of your prized possessions.

"That son of Necocyaotl! Bless the day we get our hands on him! I'll gladly assist his execution!"

Ehecatl grinned. No matter what the jaguar warriors did, they would never catch him. He was a former eagle warrior, after all. His feathered outfit was the remains of his armor, painted black with a mixture of ash. As soon as he knew the jaguar warriors were away, he rose from his hideout and took the familiar path that led to his home. Rather than being a city of stone, said home was a treetop village he had built over the years. Indeed, he wasn't alone. As soon as he stepped on the wooden balcony of his house, a swarm of young children jumped at his legs.

"Ehecatl! Ehecatl! What's the wind bringing us today?"

The feathered man took his bag to reveal his loot. Corn, obsidian trinkets, food and water and toys appeared. Manauia, one of the youngest kids, jumped in joy at the sight.

"That should keep us alive for several more days. Help yourself."

The kids did exactly this. However, the two eldest kids didn't. Ehecatl looked at the boy and the girl.

"Teyacapan, Moyolehuani, aren't you joining them?"

The boy, Moyolehuani, shook his head.

"How long are you gonna do this, Big Brother? How long will you have to steal for our sake?"

"Well … as long as needed, I guess. You're worried about me?"

"Very." Teyacapan answered. "Every day, almost, you risk your life to bring us food and toys, and we are all grateful. But, one day, the jaguar warriors are gonna catch you, and they'll sacrifice you to Tezcatlipoca. We don't want that from happening."

Moyolehuani shook his head.

"We need you, Big Brother. We need you alive. Please, don't take so many risks for us. Teyacapan and I, and also Toltecatl, Huitzilli, Cozamalotl and Xuihtonal, we're able to fend for ourselves for the most parts. Soon, you won't have to perform all these thefts. We'll find ways to make a living legally, without having to steal from others."

Ehecatl smiled warmly.

"But not yet. You are still young children. Moyolehuani, you're barely fourteen …"

"Yet I'm the best when it comes to wielding a bow, and Teyacapan is a skilled healer. And you've seen Toltecatl's wooden puppets! They look so realistic!"

This, the black-feathered thief couldn't deny.

"Soon indeed. But, for the time being, I have to steal so you can survive. Wait, I that a deer I'm spotting over the fire?"

Moyolehuani smiled brightly.

"Yep! I killed it myself!"

The deer was perfectly respectable in size. How the young teen had managed to hunt that beast and kill it was beyond his knowledge. Maybe life in a jungle where everything's trying to kill you made you sharper than if you lived in a city. Besides, like most children there, the boy was a war orphan. Struggling to survive was natural to him. In fact, it was Ehecatl who had fount him and Teyacapan in a ruined village during a patrol. When the rest of his squad tried to have them as prisoners and sacrifices, the eagle warrior had drawn the line. A fight had broken out, but Ehecatl was deadly with a spear. In the blink of an eye, his squad mates were lying in a puddle of blood. Taking the two children with him, he had sought haven in the forest where he had built that shelter for them, and for the other kids he had found after that. In order to fill their needs, he had started stealing, tainting his outfit black for stealth. Being a former warrior of one of the greatest military orders of the Aztec Empire, he was naturally fit and enduring and knew very well what an eagle or jaguar warrior was capable of. With this knowledge and his skills he had become the most dreaded thief in the Empire.

"You are indeed a skilled archer! I'm sure you'll find a place in the army as a sharpshooter. Or as a hunter. And I know a lot of people who could use Teyacapan's healing skills. Well, I'm getting hungry. Is that deer ready?"

"It is. Thanks for the loot, Big Brother."

Life was risky, but it was good. With the children at his side, Ehecatl was really happy. Life as nobility didn't really suit him anyway. Soft blankets, shiny jewels, dozen of concubines hanging at his arms, all of it wasn't really for him. But nothing lasts forever. Before becoming an eagle warrior, Ehecatl had a family. As soon as the authorities figured who it was, though the thief didn't really try to hide it, they went after his parents and elder brother, an honest potter, and made an official announcement that they would sacrifice them to Quetzalcoatl at the end of the month. Ehecatl quickly got word of it. And he didn't like it.

"You don't have to do that!" Malinalxochitl screamed.

"I have to. My family is innocent. It's very clear that the one they really want to sacrifice is me. This is a trap, and a very obvious one."

"And you're going to walk into it?"

"I'm the criminal, not them. Besides, some days ago, I discussed with Teyacapan and Moyolehuani. They pointed out that some of you are getting old enough to start a life on their own. You're not exactly children anymore. You don't need me to survive. That's why I'm doing this."

There was no going against his decision. While the children prayed every god possible for a miracle, Ehecatl went to surrender himself to the authorities, trading his life for that of his true family. As he passed by his elder brother, he gave him one last look.

"Etalpalli, there's a village of children in the forest. Could you check on them every once in a while for me? For five years, I took care of them. I feel kinda bad for leaving them … but you are my true family. I can't let you die like this."

Etalpalli closed his eyes, trying to hold his tears.

"I will, brother."

As soon as the high priest got a hold on him, he grinned like a maniac.

"At last we got you, Ehecatl the Blackwing Thief! It is high time you pay for your criminal deeds!"

"At least, it's an actual criminal rather than innocent people. Just know that I surrendered myself willingly. You didn't catch me. I gave myself up to prevent the death of innocents."

His words had the effect he wanted: the high priest looked furious.

"You will pay bitterly for this!"

"Let's just get this over with."

Unfortunately, it was far from over. Rather than killing him right away, the priests tortured him for twenty-eight days using various methods. His screams of pain echoed across the temple basement, sweet melodies to the bloodthirsty priests who relished at the sight of blood dripping from his body. But they didn't damage him too much, for he had to be presentable for the day of sacrifice. Ehecatl took it all without looking back. Each scream he let go, each jolt of pain reminded him of the people he had done this for. His father, his mother, his brother … then his mind would wander to the village of children and he'd wonder how they were doing, if they knew what he was going through. These days of torture, he took it as atonement for his sins, and it was with a clean heart and feather-light mind that he stepped on the altar atop the temple. The high priest bound his wrists and ankles and raised his obsidian knife.

"O Tezcatlipoca, dark god of destruction, accept the heart of this sinner and may his blood sate your thirst! This one is for you!"

In his mind, Ehecatl was thinking a different prayer.

'O Quetzalcoatl, mighty ruler of heaven, please, take my life for yourself and watch over my family, whom I shed my blood for, and the children I was forced to leave behind. Great Feather Snake, I beg you, have mercy of them …'

The knife fell on his chest, but as it struck, it wasn't Tezcatlipoca who appeared. It was a giant winged snake of crimson energy that soared across the sky and turned his sight to the scene. In a flash of light, Ehecatl's soul appeared before the being. The winged snake said nothing. Instead, he brushed his tail on the thief's right arm, leaving a crimson mark here.

'Go and be reborn, my servant. And may your next life be better than the last.'

On this, Ehecatl's soul disappeared. Down the temple, his body was glowing with blinding light. It rose, became wider, its form changed into a winged, draconic creature covered with black feathers.

'Black-Winged Dragon, my servant, come to my side and may your courage save the life of thousand of innocent children.'

But none of the priests saw that. As soon as they lowered their knife, two arrows flew at them. The first struck the high priest in the throat while the other got his assistant in the back. Moyolehuani cursed.

"Too late, by Tlaloc!"

The Crimson Dragon turned to the boy and his partner, Teyacapan.

'Gutsy children! Sneaking in a heavily-guarded temple to rescue a single man, you are as courageous as your brother. Such loyalty shouldn't go to waste.'

His wings spread. Down at the temple, the guards had caught up with the two teens that were firing arrow over arrow with deadly accuracy, their kill counter increasing with each passing minute. However, they were running out of ammo and the Crimson Dragon knew it. Before they could be caught by the men, his wings beat and tore apart the two souls from their body. A bright light engulfed them changing their shape to make them darker and more bird-like. When the transformation was done, the Crimson Dragon smiled.

'This, children, is my reward. Moyolehuani, you will now be known as Blackwing – Silverwind the Ascendant. Teyacapan, you will be known as Blackwing – Brisote the Tailwind. Since you are so loyal to your elder brother, you will fight at his side as the Blackwing warriors until the end of times. But you will not be alone.' His sight turned to a small village in the forest. One by one, the children's souls appeared and turned into winged creatures. The army was complete in less than half an hour. 'Stand now, winged warriors of harmony! Stand at your brother's side in times of peril, help him protect the innocents, that his sacrifice never has to be repeated!'

The winged fighters gathered around the feathered dragon. Even though his soul was gone, his memories weren't. He remembered the children of the village perfectly, and that they would now stand side by side pleased him beyond words. Welcome, my friends! Welcome! The smallest Blackwings flew around him cheering, and he nuzzled some of them gently. Finally, he turned to the Crimson Dragon.

'Master, we are ready to go.'

Yeah, the Crimson Dragon didn't simply create the six Signer Dragons. He also created the Blackwing archtype. So, this is the story behind Black-Winged Dragon. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? And yes, Ehecatl is Crow in a previous life. That's why he and Black-Feathered Dragon are partners. Black-Winged Dragon is the body, but Crow is the soul. And it's the same for all Signers. Don't worry, the others' story isn't so tragic. Though, with Starborn Prophet ...

See you!