Chapter 7

Nightwing Island

Nightshade was worried. Nightshade was always worried. But he had a reason to worried, since he was the only Nightwing, that he knew of, in two thousand years to have Nightwing powers, or rather power. He was a mind reader. Deathbringer believes that it might have something to do with the fact that he had hatched outside the volcano. Deathbringer was his assassin apprenticeships master, as well as the only dragon who knew that he had powers. Once Nightshade had come clean to Deathbringer about it, he had taken him under his wing and guided Nightshade on how to hide them. He had given Nightshade a lot of good advice and helped him shut out people's thoughts. Deathbringer had also become his adopted, protective big brother.

Despite this, Nightshade still worried that the other Nightwings would find out. Deathbringer had suggested that he not tell the other Nightwings about his powers since they would most likely use him and his powers for horrible things.

Nightshade was flying towards the tunnel entrance, for a hunting trip, when strange thoughts hit his mind. Stopping and hovering, Nightshade looked around to find out who it was.

"Those are Rainwings in pain and despair!" the stranger thought, "what are they doing to them? I swear I will melt the faces off these strange black dragons! I wonder if the rest of the Rainwings are here?"

With the last thought, Nightshade pinpointed the location of the strange, a female Rainwing. She was hover in camouflage, but Nightshade hears the faint sound of wing beats and saw how the ash from the volcano did not go straight up into the sky but stopped in a certain spot.

With a hiss of rage, Nightshade dove straight at the intruder and slammed her into a nearby wall.

The Rainwing groaned, winded and Nightshade took advantage of the brief lowering of the Rainwing's guard to slam her of the head with his tail. Knocking the Rainwing out.

"What…" asked one of the guard's carrying the captive Rainwing, after seeing Nightshade attack seemingly thin air.

Nightshade held up a claw and waited for a second. Then the unconscious Rainwing's scales shift to green and pink under Nightshade's claws.

The two guards gawked at the Rainwing.

"What is going on here," snapped the voice of Morrowseer, the giant Nightwing flying up to the three dragons accompanied by two other Nightwings.

"I apprehended this Rainwing sneaking around," said Nightshade in way of explanation

"Hm," said Morrowseer surprised, "that is strange behavior for a lazy Rainwing. Nightshade, Shadowtaker, and Darkseer take this, Rainwing, bind its wings and mouth. Once it is conscious then bring it to Mastermind for testing."

Nightshade and the two Nightwings who came with Morrowseer, nodded and grabbed lifeless Rainwing and flew it towards prison caves.

Once they reached the cave and informed the guards about what happened, they carried the Rainwing to the forge, where the blacksmith bonds her wings and mouth, then placed her in a cell.

Shadowtaker and Darkseer left to return to their duties, while Nightshade stayed and wait for the Rainwing to wake up.

It did not take long since Nightshade had not hit her extremely hard. So soon the Rainwing woke up, blinking and looking around.

"Good, you are awake," said Nightshade standing up, "I will inform the guards."

" Where am I? What is going to happen to me? Why inform the guards, isn't he one?" the Rainwing thought

"You will be taken to your Head Science, Mastermind, for venom testing," said Nightshade partly answer the Rainwing's thoughts.

"So, I am going to be turned into a test subject, and here I thought that these dragons might be civilized," the Rainwing thought

"Do you know who we are?" asked Nightshade.

The Rainwing shook her head and glared.

"I am a Nightwing, and my name is Nightshade, I was the one who captured you," answered Nightshade, "we will treat you fairly."

The Rainwing's thoughts were anything but convicted or kind. But Nightshade ignored them. They were Nightwings, not scavengers.

Nightshade told the guards, who grabbed the Rainwing and carried her to Mastermind followed by Nightshade.

The Rainwing thoughts were indigent and angry the whole trip, which Nightshade did his best to ignore. But he soon shared the Rainwings feelings upon seeing Mastermind's lab for the first time.

It was horrible. Grey-colored Rainwings chained to the floor. All thin and most too weak to stand. Mastermind was bustling around the room preparing for his newest victim.

"So," said Mastermind eagerly, "this is the strange Rainwing who crept in here."

"What is wrong with them," Nightshade asked as the two guards left.

"I don't know," said Mastermind looking at the new Rainwing like she was an interesting new rock.

"Have you given them water?" Nightshade hissed, surprising both Mastermind and the other Rainwings.

"Um," said Mastermind, while thinking, "Is he right? When was the last time I gave them water? Why does he care they are Rainwings? Maybe he knows more about Rainwings? Maybe he could help with my research."

"I will give them some water," said Nightshade as he walked over to a bowl for the Rainwings to drink out of.

"Why do you care?" asked the new Rainwing when it was her turn, and while Mastermind was busy with the others.

"I am a trained assassin," answered Nightshade, "I was taught the importance of a clean kill and this is plan torture."

"Oleander," said the Rainwing finally and then added after seeing the puzzled look on Nightshade's face, "that is my name. You did not know about this did you?"

"No, very few dragons are allowed in here," said Nightshade putting the Rainwings mouth binding back on before beating a hasty retreating back to his room.

He wished that he could talk to Deathbringer about Mastermind's lab, but he was on a mission for Queen Battlewinner. All Nightshade could think about was how horrible it all ways. Of course, as a Nightwing, he knew about the plan to take over the Rain Forest and kill the Rainwings. But before today he had been fine with this plan, Nightshade had considered Rainwings are equal to scavengers, nothing more than dim and ignorant worms. But now it was different he talked to a Rainwing, who had a name, an intelligent mind, and was rather unfairly pretty. Nightshade had always avoided reading Rainwing minds just in case they were intelligent. He wanted off this island so badly, he wanted to be able to breathe free and eat as much as possible. But was it worth killing a whole innocent tribe? Nightshade was used to killing, it was his job, but he killed dragons in war. But the Rainwings were innocent peace lovers, they did not deserve to die just because the Nightwings would not let go of their pride and ask to share the forest.

With these thoughts filling his head, Nightshade took to the air and sailed towards the prison where the Rainwing, Oleander, had been taken. Settling into the far back of the cave, letting his black scales hid him, and waited until the guards returned Oleander to the prison cave and left.

"Oleander," whispered Nightshade casing the Rainwing to jump, "do you want to get out of here?"

"What does he think? Why would I want to stay? Why would he help me?" Oleander thought

Nightshade took a spearhead out of the bag around his neck and unlock Oleander's mouth binding and then her wing bindings.

"Can you make yourself invisible, again?" asked Nightshade

"Yes," replied Oleander simply.

"You make yourself invisible and follow me," said Nightshade as he flew out of the cave followed by a camouflaged Oleander.

"I am going on a hunting trip," Nightshade stated to the tunnel guards.

"Of course," stammered one of the guards, stepping out of his way. Terrified by the reputation of the assassin.

Nightshade stalked proudly past them and through the tunnel and out into the forest.

"They really were scared of you," said the voice of Oleander next to him.

"I am an assassin," said Nightshade.

"Why are you helping me?" asked Oleander materializing next to Nightshade.

"Because I finally understood that you are all living, sentient dragons, not animals and that you don't deserve to be wiped out," said Nightshade simply as he continued walking down the tunnel, not looking at Oleander.

"Wiped out?!" exclaimed Oleander horrified.

"Yes," said Nightshade with a cough, his lungs ached, "we are dying on our island, and our Queen plans to wipe out all the Rainwings and live in your forest."

"Oh," said Oleander, understanding dawning on her face.

"You should tell your Queen about what happened to you," said Nightshade.

"She wouldn't listen to anything we say, not even to you," said Oleander sadly

"What?" asked Nightshade confused, "why not."

"We have a weird system of rule," said Oleander struggling with her wings

"You don't think highly of your tribe," Nightshade stated matter-of-factly.

"How do you know what I think?" asked Oleander still on edge.

"Nightwing gift," said Nightshade, decided that if he was going to help Oleander save her tribe then he should probably start by being honest with her, "we can read minds and tell the future, or at least we used to."

"What happened?" asked Oleander interested, she had never heard of anyone being able to do that before.

"I don't know," replied Nightshade, "all I know is I am the first Nightwing in two thousand years to be able to read minds. Although I can't see the future."

"Oh," said Oleander putting this together, "so that is how you knew what I was think in the cave."

"Yes," said Nightshade as they exited the tunnel, "what do we do now?"

"We?" asked Oleander

"I am not about to let my tribe commit genocide," said Nightshade, "and I have already committed treason, so let there be fire, so to speak, I mean let's not start the forest on fire or anything."

Oleander was about to make a comment about the fact that it was a 'Rain Forest' and those very hard to set on fire, but she was interpreted by a loud crashing in the woods nearby.