First Blood

The first scouts began to appear.

At first it was mere sightings—a scale here, a barbed tail there. Groups of two or three Sandwings cruised along the edge of the rainforest, circling above the southern peaks of the Claws of the Clouds Mountains. They watched, black beady eyes glinting against the sun's rays as they gazed out across their quarry. The Rainwing patrols, camouflaged against the trees, reported the movements of Blister's soldiers to Tsunami and Glory. Fate had seen fit to place the rainforest's safety in these dragonets' claws, whether they were ready for the task or not.

Tsuanmi had immediately gone out to the edge of the rainforest to confirm the reports for herself. She had thought that crossing the mountains would slow down Blister's troops, as they had to go through Skywing territory. But Starflight had convinced her otherwise.

"The Skywings keep most of their strength up north, near Queen Ruby's Palace. The mountain range covers such a large area that few patrols ever come this far south. Especially with Ruby preoccupied with a civil war," he'd said.

"Civil war?"

Starflight had nodded, looking forlorn. "Scarlet is still out there somewhere, and she's doing everything in her power to get her old throne back. I've gone over all the news and reports from the Sky Kingdom. It's a mess up there—Scarlet's dragons strike fast, and they never stay in one spot too long. She's split the Skywings in half, forced families and friends against each other. Ruby won't back down, though. She knows what her mother is like."

So did Tsunami. An image shot through her head every time she thought of the former queen. Gill, her father, delirious and near-death, gazing up at her with crazed eyes as she placed her claws around his head. She smelt his blood, heard his wheezing gasps, felt his bones crack as she twisted his head around. Above it all was Scarlet—amused, entertained, a condescending grin on her bejeweled face. Guilt, horror, and regret at what she'd done would fill Tsunami's heart. It would be replaced every time with a steadfast determination to see justice done.

There would be a reckoning someday; Tsunami's webbed claws twitched in anticipation of that day. But until then, Blister remained the bigger threat to her and her friends.

The first signs of Blister's advance sent the young Seawing into high gear. It was one thing to hear Starflight's reports on Blister's movements. It was quite another to actually see Sandwings cresting the mountain peaks like sharks following a blood trail. The day after the first Sandwings appeared Tsunami decided to ramp up the Rainwings' training. After their customary morning exercises, she gathered the troops together on the large training platform that stretched between three tall trees in the middle of the village.

"Alright, soldiers," said Tsunami, pacing the length of the platform. "We're doing close-combat sparring next. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: you may have your venom, you may have your darts, but sooner or later you'll have to fight a Sandwing head-to-head. When it happens you can't run or hide—that will only get you killed. You'll need to use your small size and agility to outmaneuver your opponent." Her thick tail swished languidly, her head up and claws settled apart. She'd seen her mother's soldiers adopting such positions during her short stay in the Kingdom of the Sea, and had taken to using it herself. She thought it made her look fierce yet dignified at the same time.

Before her, the entirety of the Rainwing army sat in formation. Well, loose formation. The hundred or so Rainwings were sitting in rather crooked and lopsided rows. Some blinked sleepily under the warm sunlight, while others whispered animatedly among themselves or gazed off distractedly at the birds and flowers among the trees. Only a few were watching Tsunami. The first few times she'd seen this Tsunami had wanted to throttle them; after dealing with it for two weeks straight, she simply sighed and continued.

"Find your sparring partners—not your sleeping partners, OK? Please try to remember that this is training time, not sun time."

A few dragons fidgeted, looked at each other uncertainly.

"Well?" said Tsunami, gesturing impatiently with a claw. "Get to it, soldiers!"

Reluctantly the Rainwings began to move, muttering and whining as they stretched their wings and milled about, trying to find their positions. The vibrant colors of their scales clashed in a chaotic rainbow; at first Tsunami had tried to make her troops use a uniform dark green color, both for camouflage and to avoid unnecessary distractions. The Rainwings had protested, almost vehemently—Glory explained that Rainwings took great pride in their scale colors, showing them off like jewels or treasure. It frustrated Tsunami to no end that these "soldiers" she was supposed to train would care about something so inconsequential. No Sandwings were going to say, "Aww, you look pretty! I think I'll spare you."

"You heard the lady!" shouted Riptide. He jumped forward from where he'd been sitting next to Tsunami, pushing his way into the throng of Rainwings to try and straighten them out. Thank the moons, thought Tsunami for the thousandth time. Were it not for him stepping in to help her with the Rainwings, she likely would have given up her impromptu post as General long ago. Between the two of them, they managed to help the Rainwings become somewhat competent at fighting.

Maybe, thought Tsunami as she gazed at her rabble of an army, maybe we can defeat Blister. That is, if Blister does something incredibly stupid. Or her troops get weak and demoralized, and the Rainwings stop being so sleepy and distracted. Then maybe we can defeat her.

Suddenly an argument broke out between two Rainwings over who had the shiniest scales. Their shrill, squawking voices got everyone's attention, and the soldiers promptly forgot what they were doing and crowded around the two to spectate. Riptide tried desperately to break up the crowd, but already they were cheering and egging on the fight.

Tsunami groaned, shaking her head. Who was she kidding? With troops like these Blister could probably stroll right into the village without taking a scratch. Their only hope lay with Sunny and Webs, who had left yesterday to speak with Queen Moorhen about a possible alliance. They would return sometime later today, hopefully with an attachment of Mudwing soldiers in tow. Until then Tsunami felt very exposed to attack. If Blister's forces invaded now, she highly doubted she could do much to save the rainforest from destruction.

The sound of a pair of wings approaching brought the young Seawing general out of her thoughts. She turned around to see Glory land gracefully on the platform, her scales a regal burgundy color. Behind her Tsunami spotted a dark figure hidden in the trees: Deathbringer, protecting his charge as always. Inwardly Tsunami smiled. Their relationship never failed to amuse her.

"How goes the training?" Glory said by way of greeting.

Tsunami chuckled mirthlessly. "Take a look for yourself," she said, gesturing at the soldiers who were finally breaking up and reforming into their sparring groups. Riptide moved among them, making corrections to stances and showing the clueless Rainwings what close quarters combat actually meant: physically clawing and biting your opponent instead of just hiding from him.

A slight tinge of green filtered through Glory's scales.

"That bad, huh?"

Tsunami nodded. "You sure there aren't any more volunteers? A hundred dragons are barely enough to defend this village, let alone the whole rainforest."

"More soldiers? Don't you have your claws full enough already?" Glory cocked an eyebrow, casting a skeptical look in her direction.

"What? You don't think I can command more troops then we have already?"

"Well, seeing the way your training sessions are going—"

"Hey, today's a bit chaotic, that's all. I'm preparing the troops for close combat fighting—they'll need it to fight Blister's forces. Once they get their moves and attacks straightened out, they'll be good, and I'll be able to handle an extra load of troops."

Glory kept looking at Tsunami, her gaze still skeptical. Tsunami sighed.

"OK, maybe not. But look," she said, pointing a claw to the northeast, "Sunny and Webs should be back later today, and hopefully they'll have some reinforcements with them. If you won't get me some more troops to train, then we'll have to rely solely on the Mudwings to help us defend. Now, I may not be the most diplomatic of dragons, but even I know that the Mudwings won't like fighting for us if we don't show at least some effort on our part."

Tsunami gazed off to the west, where the peaks of the mountains poked up above the distant canopy.

"That's assuming Sunny could even convince Moorhen to send some of her troops. I'm all for Sunny's alliance strategy, but that doesn't mean it's flawless. If Moorhen refuses…" Tsunami flared her wings in agitation, nearly hitting a disgruntled Glory.

"I get it, Tsunami, you need more dragons. But I've combed through the village half a dozen times already, and there aren't any more Rainwings willing to fight. There aren't many Rainwings who can fight left; it's mostly elders and young dragonets." Her scales changed to a slight orange. "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to force my dragons to fight if they don't want to."

Tsunami nodded. "Fair enough. That's not the way I want to fight this war anyway." After seeing so many innocent dragons forced into a conflict they wanted no part in, she had decided that she would only recruit soldiers who wanted to participate in the war. It felt wrong beyond words to force dragons to fight after watching them suffer so much. Besides, Tsunami wanted soldiers who were loyal enough to risk their lives defending their home and tribe. If she forced dragons into her little army, there was no telling whether or not they'd fight, run, or even betray her out of spite.

Still, thought Tsunami, we might not have a choice. If things go badly and Blister defeats us, we'll all have to abandon the rainforest—or die.

"Can I make a suggestion, milady?" said a voice behind them. Tsunami turned to see that Deathbringer had landed on the platform. He approached them, wings folded neatly. His black scales were a slight indigo color under the direct sunlight.

"That would depend on the suggestion," said Glory. "And would you please stop calling me 'milady'? That sounds weird when it's directed at me."

"I think it suits you," said Tsunami, poking Glory playfully in the side, "more so than 'Your Majesty'. It'll make you less haughty and insufferable."

Glory rolled her eyes. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Tsunami. Anyway, what'd you have in mind, Death?"

Now that sounds weird, thought Tsunami.

Deathbringer dipped his head in acknowledgement and began.

"I've been listening around in the Nightwing village for the past couple of days. The whole tribe's heard about Blister's scouts appearing, and they're nervous about what Blister will do should she invade the rainforest and discover them there."

Glory tapped a talon on her snout. "Yeah, I remember. Weren't you guys going to ally with Blister, or something like that? Hmm, wonder how that went…"

Deathbringer shot Glory the stinkeye. "What I mean to say is that we don't feel safe from Blister. If she finds the Nightwings here—under your protection no less—she will probably kill us all as revenge for not fulfilling Morrowseer's prophecy.

"Well, news flash: Nightwings don't like being killed. So some of us have expressed the desire to join Tsunami's little army here and help defend the rainforest. It's pretty clear that she needs the help, and the Nightwings have a bit more experience with fighting. Or, at least, we won't fall asleep or go chasing after a butterfly in the middle of a battle."

Tsunami's eyes narrowed. Nightwings in her army, fighting alongside the very Rainwings they'd kidnapped and tortured not long ago? Every fiber of Tsunami's being protested at the idea. It had only been two short weeks since the Nightwings first arrived in the rainforest, and trust between them and the Rainwings was still dangerously thin. She still didn't trust most of them—their prophecies seemed to cause more harm than good. And in the few times she had visited the Nightwing village, no one had said they wanted to join her army. All of them had looked at her with suspicion and distrust, still resentful that an army of Rainwings trained by a Seawing had managed to best their military strength, weak as it was at the time.

And yet, the idea still piqued her interest. Thanks to the rainforest's abundant food supply and healthy environment, the Nightwings were beginning to regain their strength. The signs of long-term emaciation and malnutrition were fading. According to Starflight and Fatespeaker the new Nightwing hatchery was already filling up; it was wonderful news for the tribe, though the Rainwings seemed noticeably less enthusiastic about it. Nevertheless Tsunami saw the merits in letting the Nightwings join the fight. The rainforest was their home as well, and she certainly held no doubts that Blister would just as likely subjugate the Nightwings given the opportunity. Tsunami's army was woefully tiny, and the Nightwings could help replenish its numbers. Despite her misgivings, she knew this was the smart decision to make.

"No," said Glory.

Tsunami turned to her. She was an unusual color—a red-orange with strips of violet coursing through her scales.

"But, Glory—"

"No, Deathbringer," she said, cutting off his protests. "I will not allow the Nightwings to fight. It's still too risky to give them that kind of power—who's to say they won't turn around and attack the Rainwings?" Glory's frill flared out as splotches of green mingled within her scales. "No. They can stay in their village. The Rainwings will ensure no harm comes to them."

Deathbringer's expression was inscrutable. His next words were slow and methodical.

"I know you still don't trust most of the Nightwings, Glory. And you deserve to—we haven't done much to earn your respect." He scraped a talon along the platform, gouging a groove into the wood.

"But you can't deny that you need the help. Starflight's reports just keep getting worse by the day—Blister has already moved several flights into the Claws of the Clouds Mountains, and more are coming in every day. There are rumors that a large force of Icewings is making its way south through the desert, and they're also heading for the mountains. I don't need to be a tactical expert to see that the odds are stacked way against us."

He turned to Tsunami. "What do you think? You've been quiet so far."

To be frank, she didn't know what to think. They had originally agreed that to defeat Blister, they would need the help of as many dragon tribes as possible. Tsunami was ready to ally with the Mudwings as well as her fellow Seawings. The Skywings might take some getting used to, but she knew they were a powerful tribe, and was willing to put aside her bad impressions of them if it meant they could help win the war.

But the Nightwings? The wounds they wrought were still fresh. She knew they could help fight Blister—she simply didn't believe they would. They were enemies. Pacified enemies, sure, but still enemies.

Well, she thought, maybe it's time to change that line of thought. If we truly want to unite all of Pyrrhia against Blister, then we need to put aside our past grudges and work together. Otherwise we'll tear each other apart before Blister even gets here.

She heaved a sigh, and said, "I don't trust the Nightwings any more than Glory does. But maybe this war against Blister will give them a chance to prove themselves. If the Nightwings want to fight with the Rainwings to defend the rainforest, then I say we let them take a shot." She shrugged. "It's not much, but who knows, maybe they'll surprise us."

She received a subtle nod of thanks from Deathbringer, who then turned to Glory. "C'mon Glory. I know it's tough, but please at least consider it. It'll really help ease the tensions between the tribes."

Glory's scales had faded in intensity to a vague grey. She gazed down at her claws, reluctance in her eyes.

"I'll think about it. If you and Starflight can vouch for any Nightwings you think are more trustworthy than their peers, then I'll consider letting Tsunami train them."

Deathbringer breathed an audible sigh of relief. "I knew you wouldn't let us down, milady."

Glory wrinkled her snout. "I told you to stop calling me that."

He spread his claws out in a helpless gesture. "Well, you are a lady, aren't you? A mighty fine one who has earned the love of her tribe—and of one dragon in particular." He leaned in close and winked provocatively, a cheeky grin on his face. Glory rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the wave of pink that was positively blossoming across her scales.

"Oh, get a treehouse you two," said Tsunami as she turned her attention back to the soldier's drills. "Some of us have a job to do, you know."

"Like you're one to talk, Tsunami," Glory retorted from behind. "You've been absolutely mooning over Riptide every day that you're out here with him."

"For the last time, Riptide and I have a strictly professional relationship. I'm the general, he's my lieutenant. I lead the troops, he helps me train them. End of story." Tsunami refused to turn around and give Glory the satisfaction of distracting her from her work.

"Right. Mmm-hmm. Yep. I'm sure nothing fishy ever happens during your evening 'Aquatic lessons' with him. Get it? Fishy? 'Cause you're both Seawings? And you go off each night to do something rather, shall we say—"

"That was a terrible pun, Glory. You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Tsunami's eyes were shut tight as she rid her mind of any and all images that would confirm Glory's claims.

Glory dissolved into laughter. "What can I say?" she said to Deathbringer. "She's a feisty one isn't she?" With that she and Deathbringer took off, their laughter fading into the trees as Tsunami tried very hard not to shred the wood beneath her claws.

"Fishy? What's fishy?" said Riptide, who had come back after ensuring the Rainwings' drills were going smoothly. Tsunami stayed in her soldier's ready position, eyes avoiding his sky blue scales as they glittered attractively under the sunlight.

"Nothing. On a completely unrelated note, do you think we can find somewhere a bit more…I don't know…secluded for our evening lessons?"

There was a beat of silence, filled only by the sounds of the soldiers' claws scraping on the wood.

"Are you implying something, Tsunami?" His eyes twinkled mischievously.

She gave him the strongest glare she could. "Why you little—no, of course not! I just don't want any prying eyes to witness my less-than-stellar attempts at Aquatic."

He dipped his head to her. "Yes, ma'am."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

A slight smile touched his snout. "Hey, now. Who says Deathbringer has to be the only snarky male here in the rainforest?"

Tsunami's jaw nearly dropped open. She saved herself by turning away. "I hate you, Riptide."

"Love you too, Tsunami."

She groaned. Boys. They were the absolute bane of her existence.


The first warning Tsunami got was a loud roar that came from the edge of the village.

The second warning she got was a familiar voice screaming, "Sandwings! They're here! They're attacking!"

Tsunami's head whipped up from the map she'd been staring at. Across from her Riptide, Starflight, and Fatespeaker tensed. They had been discussing the best points of defense in the rainforest as well as possible angles Blister might attack from when Jambu's deep-green form hurtled past the window of Glory's audience treehouse, his shrill voice going on and on.

"Blister's soldiers are here! They're gonna kill us! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIVES!"

Shock momentarily froze Tsunami's mind. Blister's troops, here already? How did they find the village? How did they get here so fast? And how had the scouts not seen the Sandwings coming? It was later that same day and Sunny still hadn't returned yet with the Mudwing reinforcements. And now the village was under attack?

Panic swamped her. It was her worse nightmare come true—the Rainwings, completely underprepared, being forced against Blister's veterans with no additional assistance. The war was here now, days before Tsunami expected it to arrive. How in the deep blue sea was she going to do this? Their first battle, and Blister already had all the advantages—strength, experience, the element of surprise.

Snap out of it! Focus, she screamed at herself. You aren't a little Seawing dragonet anymore. You're a general, you have an army, and there's an enemy you need to fight. You're going to head out there, gather your troops and win this battle, right now!

She shook her head, the mental pep talk clearing away the panic. Meanwhile, Starflight sat frozen in his typical statuesque position, while Fatespeaker whirled about, yammering something incoherent about not having gotten a vision about this. Riptide looked at her, his expression asking the unspoken question: what are we going to do?

"No time for chitchat," said Tsunami. "Fatespeaker, Starflight, grab all the important scrolls from the library treehouse and head to the Nightwing village—you'll be safe there. Riptide, go get Glory and tell her we're under attack. Have her gather the old and young at the healer's hut—it's the safest place in the village." With that, Tsunami turned and leapt for the entrance.

"W-wait," said Starflight, "what about you?"

Tsunami stopped. In her mind she saw Blister at the peace meeting: gloating, proud, strutting over the dead bodies of her sisters, smiling viciously as one of her lifelong friends lay dying of poison. She saw her raise a claw and order her guards to kill them.

They will die for all the trouble they have caused me.

She turned around and looked her friends in the eye.

"I have a war to win."

With that she launched herself into the air and pumped her wings, gaining altitude and soaring above the treetops. To the west she saw the tan-colored wings of a dozen Sandwings swooping in, following Jambu's voice as he sounded the alarm. With a growl Tsunami raised her head and called out.

"Rainwings, to me!"

Nothing happened.

"I said, Rainwings, to me!"

Still nothing happened. Tsunami looked for her troops and found them all sprawled out along the platforms or curled up in hammocks. Most of them were asleep, though several were starting to wake up, groggily shaking their heads and wondering aloud about the ruckus. Tsunami felt like tearing out her horns. Of all the times Blister could have chosen to attack, she just had to attack at sun time, didn't she?

No wonder they managed to find the village. They probably flew straight past the sentries—who are also asleep. If she survived this day, Tsunami was going to give those sentries a tongue-lashing they weren't going to forget.

A few Rainwings did respond, however. Frantically they shook the sleep from their bodies and took off unsteadily into the air. Their confused voices echoed through the air.

"Sandwings? Where?"

"Over there! To the west!"

"My blowgun! Where is it?"

"Ooh, their scales are pretty…"

"Regroup, soldiers," yelled Tsunami, swooping around to make herself visible. "Loose wedge formation behind me! It's time to show these sand snakes what the Rainwings are truly made of. Charge!"

Seeing their general, the dozen or so Rainwings that were airborne swooped up behind her and followed in a V-shape behind her. Tsunami noted that most didn't have their blowguns—just their claws, teeth, and venom, which they'd hopefully use. She faced down the lead Sandwing in front of her, a grimace on her snout. This is it, she thought. The war against Blister starts with this first battle.

She held her head down and flew into the lead Sandwing with an audible thump, slamming her head into his ribcage. He roared and flung her off him, before opening up with a bout of fire. Tsunami dove and spun, the flames licking her belly, as she turned around for another go. Fast and low, hit him where it hurts—the words paraded through her brain as she swiped at him again and again.

A sharp pain erupted along her back. She whirled around to find another Sandwing latched to her back. She screamed and spun in the air, trying desperately to throw her aggressor off before he could stab her with his tail. His grip slipped, and with a powerful flick she smacked him across the head with her tail, sending him tumbling into the trees.

Tsunami broke off, panting, pain shooting through her wings and back. She surveyed the battle, and her heart sank. Two Rainwings were down already: one lay sprawled in a tree, clutching a chest wound that was rapidly turning black with poison, while another plummeted listlessly toward the ground, crashing loudly into the undergrowth. Her other soldiers weren't faring much better, cornered and wounded as they were already. By contrast, the Sandwings barely had a scratch between them. They circled, jeering and whooping, as if they were hunting scavengers for sport.

"Use your venom! Spit on 'em!" she screamed, diving at one Sandwing and raking her claws across her back. She grabbed onto her, just as one of her comrades had done with Tsunami moments ago, and held her for the terrified Rainwing in front of them.

"Hit her, now!"

With a start, the Rainwing reared back and spat at the Sandwing's chest. Tsunami ducked her head to avoid the spit and shoved the now screeching Sandwing away. Voices shouted around her as she wove between the writhing, dueling bodies of the dragons.

"General, help!"

"Wait, is that a Seawing?"

"Ack, ow, my scales! They're ruined."

"Get the Seawing, she's leading the Rainwings!"

"Get it off me, get it off me—"

"—little help, over here—"

"Arrgggh!"

"Ahhhhh!"

She fought, and fought, and fought. Every time she saw a Sandwing, she imagined it was Blister, and drove her claws as hard as she could into them. Every time she saw a Rainwing fall, she shoved down the pain and bit down on the next opponent she could find. Every time she faltered, she remembered her friends who depended on her, and jumped back into battle with renewed vigor. Claws swiped, teeth flashed, flames billowed through the sky and globs of venom flew every which way. Through it all Tsunami flew, mind clear, adrenaline fueling her wings.

Fight them off. Defend your soldiers. Help is coming soon. She repeated the mantra over and over for what felt like a small eternity, when a familiar roar sounded from behind her.

"Rainwings, attack! Drive back Blister's troops!"

She whipped her head around. There was Riptide, in all of his sky blue glory, flying at the head of a flight of Rainwings, all armed with blowguns and ready to fire. Her heart nearly burst with happiness.

Then she looked past Riptide and saw another group of dragons approaching. Their scales were as brown as mud, and they were armed and armored with spears and crocodile leather. Flying at their head were two figures, one blue, the other golden. She couldn't help the broad smile that lit up her face.

"Reinforcements are here," she shouted to her troops, "just hold out a little bit longer!"

The Sandwings took one look at the incoming wave of troops and bolted. With a loud call of retreat, the lead Sandwing and his troops fled above the treetops, heading west towards the mountains. The Rainwings gave chase, firing their blowguns in midair, though their accuracy was lacking at this range and speed. Soon the invaders were nothing more than specks in the distant sky. Tsunami noticed that of the twelve Sandwings that came, only five had escaped.

She'd done it. They had done it. Her, Riptide, her friends and all the Rainwings. They had won their first battle, small as it was. Tsunami was practically drunk on victory.

"Ha! That'll show you desert rats! Why don't you go tell your false queen Blister that you were beaten by the Rainwings? See how she likes that!"

She breathed heavily, her wings beginning to ache, as did the rest of her body now that the battle lust was wearing off. Suddenly she felt a stab of pain along her lower back, a pain so debilitating she thought she would drop right out of the sky. She gasped, gritting her teeth, as her flight faltered.

"General? What's wrong?" a Rainwing asked.

"I'm…fine," she managed through clenched teeth.

"Tsunami? You're hurt!" said Riptide, swooping up beside her. "Oh, this looks bad. Quick, we need to get you to the healers' hut."

"I said I'm fine, mmm-urrgh."

"You've been stabbed by a Sandwing's barb, Tsunami, you're in no shape to continue leading today. I'll regroup the soldiers and get the wounded back to the healers. You two!" he called to two Rainwings, "head to the healers now. Tell them the battle is over, and we need their stock of cactus juice for Sandwing poison wounds open and ready. Go!"

"No, stop, I order you Riptide," said Tsunami as the world began pitching dangerously around her. "We need to…Sunny and…Mudwings…"

"Riptide! What's going on? What's wrong with Tsunami?" said a familiar voice that was fading in and out of Tsunami's consciousness.

"Sandwing venom. Can you and Webs…to healers?"

"Of co…in there…nami…"

"No…no…the battle…Blister's…" Her thoughts were a scrambled mess as darkness creeped in on her mind. Her breathing was shallow, her muscles cramping. She tasted bile in the back of her throat.

The last thing Tsunami saw before she blacked out was the body of a Rainwing lodged in a tree. Its chest was black, the tendrils of the Sandwing poison having spread through its body and out to its limbs. Its pale eyes were glassy, gazing up at the sunny blue skies above the rainforest.

It did not breathe anymore.


A/N: Hope that was an exciting end to the chapter. After nine long chapters, it's finally here. Blister has drawn first blood and started the war between her and the dragonets! Will the dragonets be able to defeat Blister, or will the Queen of Poison slowly claim her victims? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Under a War-Torn Sky! Which should hopefully come some time soon...as in not in another two weeks. XP

One thing I've been meaning to ask, if it's not too much. So far I've been using a random picture on my computer's library for the cover image of this story - you know, that random picture of the plateau in the desert? XD Anyway, I don't really feel the image is fitting for the story, I just put it on there as a placeholder because, well, I'm not an artist. I contemplated doing a Google search for Wings of Fire art, both official and fan-made, but I was nervous about using pictures that I maybe, sort of, did not have permission to use. So I'm humbly requesting that, if you are at all artistically talented, you send me any pictures of potential cover art for this story. I'd like it centered on the five main dragonets, since this story is about them mostly. If, perhaps, you want to add Blister since she's the main antagonist, that's fine as well. Or if you know of any art that's allowed on Fanfiction, you can point me in the general direction as well. (I see a lot of people on this site have custom art for their stories, so if they can use it then there shouldn't be a big reason why I can't...)

Anyway, shoot me a PM with the link if you have some art on, say, DeviantArt or wherever that you think fits. I'll gladly look at anything you guys think will serve as a good cover image for this story. Once again, thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.

Or night. It's currently midnight while I'm writing this. Hopefully I'll have a good night of sleep before work tomorrow morning. :P

~SpicyDog99