Dawn poked her head out of the tent flap. She was a three year old dragonet, and her group were on the move again. They were already packing as the sight of Burn's army appeared on the horizon. She spread her shining black wings and looked up to the sun. She may have looked like a NightWing, but that was entirely not her choice. She actually was part NightWing, but the rest of her biology was SandWing. She had no idea who her father was, only her mother. "Thorn?" she called. "Burn's army is due east of here. If we don't move, they'll catch us in a matter of hours."

Her passion for music meant she had to carry her own instruments. Nobody else wanted to. "It's only four..." she had complained. "And I'm only a three year old dragonet after all..."

"You have the strength of ten fully grown dragons, thanks to that necklace." Thorn had told her sharply. "And you still have to tell me where it came from."

"I've told you a million times, but you weren't listening. I said I FOUND IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT."

"Yesterday you told me you'd found it in the mountains. Where did it actually come from?"

"Fine... A friend gave it to me. I can't tell you who they are. Sorry, mother."

She hooked her claws into the tent fabric bag and flared her wings. What could I do with my animus magic? Thousands of possibilities ran through her head, like a stream full of wet slippery fish she couldn't catch and examine, as they were there, and then they were gone.

Suddenly, there was a flash in the sky, and she had just enough time to look up, as a huge chunk of rock came hurtling towards her. Uh oh... she thought, and a new melody rang out in her head:

Rock of fallen stardust glow,

Light the darkened world below,

See the new dragonet show,

Fall away dragonet, fall or go,

Fall or go, fall or go.

She dived, just as the rock hit her in the back, and she felt her wings burning, burning. Then, she crumpled, and faded into blackness.

Too late dragonet, too late to fly.

Should have flown away, now you'll die.

Music gone with your mind's distant cry,

Bye bye, dragonet, oh, bye bye,

She woke, to heavy wingbeats. Her claws felt stiff and heavy and she couldn't move, as if there was something on top of her.

"Sir, there's a dragonet here. Looks like she was hit by the comet."

"Let's take her to Queen Burn."

Then she felt the heavy weight being heaved off her, and she opened one eye. They were both dragons, probably twice her age and size, and they were both SandWing soldiers.

Working for Burn, definitely.

"What tribe is she?"

"She's a SandWing, idiot!"

SandWing? My scales must have changed due to that meteorite. Do I still have animus magic?

She stretched out one talon. "She's awake," one of the SandWings said. "Hello dragonet." He crouched down to look her in the eyes. "What's your name?"

"...I don't remember," she said, lying by instinct. If these strange dragons knew her name, things could get tricky if they told Burn. Burn knew her all too well. She had always wanted a NightWing with speckled gold scales and animus magic for her collection. I enchant this sand in this square mile to turn to red sand. That should work, and distract them so I can get away!

There was a rumble, and the sand shifted colour.

"Did you see that, Cactus?"

"Yes." Cactus sighed. "I did. I'm not blind."

"Do you want me to knock her out?"

"Yes. She must be going through so much pain, what with her broken wings and burns. Try to break her skull," Cactus sneered.

No... she wanted to cry out, but it was too late. With a crack, her jaw bone splintered. Everything went dark.