POV DarkClaw

4005 PS

In the middle of the mountainous, jungle-like biome between the SkyWings, RainWings and MudWings, a massive black creature with four wings soared high above the trees. Her red eyes flickered across the landscape, drinking in color and light. Mostly the green of the trees, but a couple red specks on the horizon that were either SkyWings or unusually large, tropical birds that had gotten lost and flew too far north. She went with the former.

Swooping low, her talons skimming the higher-reaching branches, she closed in on the specks, which quickly grew into two fully-grown SkyWings. Both of them were well clear of the trees. It looked almost like smoke was billowing off of their wings with every flap.

Firescales? How!? The four-winged creature ducked and dove into the cover of the trees. Her talons slammed into the thick bark, and her claws dug in deep.

She could hear the pair coming closer.

As soon as they were directly above her, having not seen her, she lunged into the air, talons outstretched like a demonic four-winged eagle. Time seemed to slow as Skotono's claws made contact with the female Firescale's underbelly.

A shriek of fear and pain tore loose from her mouth, before dying in her throat as her fire extinguished. Her body limply fell through the air, followed by the snaps and cracks of the corpse breaking both bone and branches below.

The creature was thrown off balance as the male cannoned into her, screaming gibberish and angry words of anguish. His claws raked across her face before he blasted her with fire, which was somehow deflected off her scales. Skotono reeled back before sinking her fangs into his wing.

Then the SkyWing realized his odds of winning. She was twice his size, stronger, faster, and with a drive to kill.

He disengaged, and with a final slash of his talon, not seeing where it landed, he tore off in the direction of the Sky Kingdom.

And far below, no more than mere second later, a second body crashed to the ground, throat slashed and breathless.

Seven hours later, a smaller black dragon that resembled her mother paced in the entrance chamber of the cave. It had been far too long. Too long for a simple scout-and-raid. She must've been captured or something, she thought. But who would be able to do such a thing? SkyWings? No, they wouldn't get past the first wave of venom. They don't have any animus dragons, so they wouldn't have any magical weapons or anything. Right? Or the NightWings? NightWings have an animus, right? SandWings? RainWings? Wait, no, the RainWings don't have the mental capacity to even know what a prison is.

Smoke wafted from her nostrils in irritation. It has to have been the SkyWings, she decided. They did have a Firescale or two, didn't they? It would be able to resist the flames, and the venom would be useless because it would just burn up. In the end, the Firescale would just have to find a way to bind her without getting themselves killed through physical means...

She snarled at herself. "Stop thinking such useless things, and actually do something about—"

She cut herself off quickly and jumped back as a bright red SkyWing brandishing a spear swooped into view from above, then wheeled around and hovered in the air. He bellowed, "IN THE NAME OF QUEEN SHIKRA, PUT YOUR TALONS ON YOUR HEAD AND SURRENDER YOUR WEAPONS!"

She blinked, slightly confused. The SkyWing landed in the entrance to the cave and pointed the metal spearhead at her throat. "TALONS ON YOUR HEAD, I SAY!" His head barely rose above her shoulders.

The DarkClaw shifted her wings and steadily rose on her hind legs. She crossed her forewings and lifted an eye ridge, like she had seen many scavengers do.

The SkyWing secured his grip on his spear, sensing his severe disadvantage in the situation. "Talons on your head," he repeated, much less certainly than before.

Her tongue flickered, and her red eyes narrowed. Both prehensile forks of her tail coiled up neatly. She peeled back her lips, baring her massive, venom-spewing fangs.

"Make me."

(8 hours later)

"GET OFF OF ME, IMMA GONNA RIP OFF YOUR FACE YOU FREAKING—" the DarkClaw was cut off as multiple SkyWings pinned her down and clamped metal bands on her wings, ankles, wrists and neck. Her tails, however, were still free, and they whipped from side to side, clobbering her captors in their heads and necks.

Several innocent SkyWings stopped and watched, startled, as a black dragon twice the size of any they had ever seen was swarmed by guards on their way to the palace arena, where she would be imprisoned. Many soldiers stood among them, keeping them at a safe distance and/or nursing their wounds from tackling the writhing, cussing creature.

A half an hour or so later, still struggling and lashing out, she was stabbed with a metal spear in the shoulder. With an unearthly screech of pain, she suddenly whipped her tails back around and snapped them into the offender's snout. The spear clattered to the ground on the other side of the hall. Then, talons pressed in on her. She felt her strength fading quickly.

Yet over half the original guard was immobilized, with a quarter of that half having been immediately flown to the Sky Palace's infirmary for soldiers. Many more were dead, either having died before, during or after the trip to medical attention.

Why's it getting dark so early, the thought randomly popped into her head. Then, with a jolt of shock, she realized that she was passing out from blood loss and exhaustion.

FIIIIIGHTTTTTTTT, the unlogical part of her brain was screaming.

Nah, go to sleep, said the more logical but still not logical part of her brain.

Try to stay awake, try to stay awake, try to stay awake, you are NOT DYING, you are NOT DYING, STOP PANICKING YOU ARE NOT DYING, said everything else.

I'm not dying... am I? The darkness pressed closer. With a final surge of energy, she slammed her head up, ramming a SkyWing in the gut. She felt a warm liquid trickling down her snout, though she couldn't tell if it was her own blood or not.

Blackness.