Peacemaker's Halloween
"Peacemaker, hurry up," Hope said as she knocked on her son's door, "You don't want to miss the Halloween celebration, do you?" She tapped her tail on the ground impatiently. She'd told himat least a half-dozen times to make sure he didn't waste any time in getting changed. They didn't want to keep others waiting, after all.
"One second, mom," she heard the voice of her son call out, "Just a little bit more and…there!" Another several seconds past by before the door opened and her dragonet popped his head out with a wide smile. "Whatdaya think?"
She blinked as she looked him over. When he'd said that he'd had a "super-special" costume for the night, she wasn't expecting him to just pretend to be a Nightwing. Because at first glance, that was all he looked like.
"Did you paint your scales black?" she asked him. It certainly looked like he had, covering up anything and everything that pointed to him being a Rainwing.
"Nope!" he proclaimed proudly, "I used charcoal. It was much easier."
Hope cocked her head. "But…why?" she questioned, "You could just shift your scale color, you know."
"I know! But I didn't want to get surprised or something and change them accidentally," he told her, "That would ruin my costume!"
"And…what are you supposed to be?" she asked, a bit more delicately, not wanting to hurt his feelings by not being able to tell, "A Nightwing?"
"Kinda," he said, "But not just any Nightwing."
"Who then?"
"Darkstalker!" Peacemaker said gleefully, and Hope froze.
She swallowed as she eyed him. It had been a full two years now since Darkstalker had been "replaced" with Peacemaker, and while he'd undoubtably heard about the dragon he'd used to be, she'd never told Peacemaker anything about the connection to the former animus. Why he'd suddenly show interest in Darkstalker now was worrying, even more so that he was wanting to pretend to be Darkstalker. Maybe there was more of her former son in him than she'd realized.
"And why do you want to be Darkstalker?" she asked as calmly as she could, trying not to freak out.
"Because Darkstalker is scary!" Peacemaker grinned, getting low to the ground and lashing his tail like he about to pounce on some prey, "Everyone always talks about how creepy he is, how they were all terrified of him and his legend. You should hear some of the ghost stories about him, mom, and you'd understand!"
I don't need to hear any ghost stories, she thought but didn't say.
"They say he had a dagger that he enchanted to kill whoever he wanted, so I got one too," Peacemaker went on enthusiastically, pointing to a small kitchen knife that he'd strapped on his hind leg, "And that he had white streaks under his wings!" he lifted his wings to show that he actually had used paint on himself, just not black paint. Instead, there were two silvery white stripes underneath his wings that looked exactly like Darkstalker's had.
Hope's concern only grew.
"They say he killed his father, too, an Icewing. I was looking for something that I could use to imitate blue blood, maybe dip my claws into it or something, but I think I'll settle on normal blood. There should be some fresh prey at the party that I can use to do the same and just act like its dragon-blood. I'll look just like he did, I'm sure of it. I'll jump out at my friends and yell something like 'I'm here to steal your soul' and watch them scream. It will be sooo fun!" He nodded to himself, pleased, then saw for the first time that she wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. "Mom…is there something wrong?"
She looked at him for a second as he looked up at her, clear concern and confusion in his own face. He didn't look like he was trying to really be Darkstalker…but still…
Hope narrowed her eyes and snorted. "Yes, yes there is," she said, trying to sound firm but not angry, "You are not dressing up like Darkstalker."
"What?" he asked, surprised, "Why not?"
"Because Darkstalker was a bad dragon, and I don't want you to be associated with him."
"But that's the point of today, isn't it?" Peacemaker defended himself, "You can dress up like creepy stuff and no one actually thinks you like it."
"Still," Hope said, resolved, "Darkstalker is a step too far. It's not in good taste."
"C'mon, mom," Peacemaker pushed, "No one believes that was actually Darkstalker a few years ago. I know I wasn't old enough to remember it, but most dragons say that it was just some sort of animus that used the legend to be more intimidating. I mean, if it was Darkstalker, certainly he wouldn't have just vanished so quickly and easily. I want to be like the oldlegend, where Darkstalker was a shadow that struck in the night, and no one saw coming."
Hope sighed and shook her head. "Maybe your right, but what I'm saying is final. You are not going to pretend to be Darkstalker, and that's final."
"But…"
"I said that's final!" Hope put her foot down, "Now clean yourself up and find something else."
Peacemaker sighed and looked at his scales. "It took me a while to put the charcoal on," he said, a bit somberly, "And I don't have another costume…"
Hope said nothing, not budging from her stance.
"Can…can I just take off the white stripes?" he asked her, "I'll just pretend to be a normal Nightwing, if that's okay. Even if everyone else is already a Nightwing."
She thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Very well, that's acceptable. Now get to it; I don't want to keep them waiting any longer than we probably already have."
Peacemaker sulked back into his room and closed the door, mumbling something under his breath that she had a feeling she'd yell at him for if she'd have made it out. There was a rustle from inside and a few minutes passed by as he cleaned himself. But he got it done quite fast—much faster than she'd expected, actually—and came out again after only a few minutes.
She led the way to the door of their home, Peacemaker trudging alone behind her. "Come on," she said to him, "Winter and Moonwatcher are probably wondering where we are."
"I still don't get why you want me to stick with them tonight," he pouted, "Why can't I spend the night with you, or go off on my own?"
"I told you, I'm helping with the caramel apples, so that all the dragonets can enjoy a fun treat. And you're still too young to be off on your own." She took another step towards the door, then paused, "Besides, I thought you liked spending time with them."
"I mean, I do," Peacemaker said, not meeting her eyes, "Aunt Moon is fun, but she always treats me like I'm still a hatchling. And Uncle Winter always seems to be watching me suspiciously, like he constantly thinks I'm about to do something bad."
She huffed. Maybe those things were true—probably the second one in particular—but Peacemaker was still just moping. He'd perk back up once he was actually a part of the celebration. "You're going to have a good night with them, I promise," she said opening the door to step outside, "Oh, don't forget your treat bag," she stepped back in, grabbed the cloth container, and slipped it over his neck. "You'll want to make sure you can carry all the sweets you can."
Peacemaker muttered an unenthusiastic thanks as they left the house, heading out into the darkening streets of the Nightwing Village.
Moonwatcher gave a loud yawn as she looked at the celebration around her. Outside houses and in the streets sat decorations, bone carvings and dreamcatchers and Nightwing talismans. Everywhere she looked there were dozens of pumpkins, many carved with elaborate faces and lit with candles, casting shadows in the dimming light. Which was almost laughable, since pumpkins of all things seemed so out of place in the rainforest, but according to Secretkeeper it was tradition, and Glory had pulled some strings to get a massive amount from the Mud Kingdom.
Still seeing no sign of Hope or Peacemaker, Moon gave a small sigh and leaned against Winter, who himself was leaning against the wall of Secretkeeper's house. They'd been visiting Moon's mom for the holiday, and she'd have been with them now if not for her helping out with things with the celebration at large. As it was, Moon supposed it was nice to have a few moments alone with just her and her mate before watching Peacemaker for Hope. She nuzzled into him a little and felt the refreshing coolness of his scales as he draped a wing around her. Sure, Moon had grown up in the rainforest, but after being away for so long she realized just how hot it really was, and in times like these she had to stop and reflect just how lucky she really was to have an Icewing as her partner.
"Mmm," Winter hummed as she planted a small kiss on his cheek, "So, tell me again what's supposed to be going on tonight. I mean, I get it's a big party, but what's up with all the bones and stuff? It doesn't really feel very…festive."
Moon rolled her eyes. She knew she'd told him about it plenty, but for some reason the Icewing just wasn't able to wrap his head around it. Which she supposed was fair; after all, it was a rather Nightwing thing, and he hadn't exactly grown up in the Nightwing culture. Of course, neither had she (and truth be told, she didn't fully understand all the intricacies herself), but she still at least got where they were coming from.
"Nightwings believe that when a dragon dies, their souls ascend into the night sky," she said, pretty sure this was at least the third time, "But tradition goes that when a dragon dies when the sky isn't clear—perhaps on a stormy night or when all three moons are dark—sometimes souls get confused and go down into the ground instead. Halloween is the day that would be set aside for a kind of celebration to call down to the souls that got trapped in the ground, calling them up and sending them back into the sky."
Winter gave a kind of huff. "Well, that's just…"
"I know, I know," Moon stopped him, "Your tribe has a different view on all that stuff. Truthfully, I don't think many Nightwings actually believe the whole 'soul getting trapped in the ground' anymore, but it's still a tradition and holiday, and a reason to celebrate."
The Icewing snorted. "Fair enough. That still doesn't explain the bones, though. Or the pumpkins."
Moon shrugged her wings as best she could with his own wing draped over her. "I think the whole bone thing had something to do with souls clinging to them in order to pull themselves back up out of the ground and into the sky. I can't really remember exactly. The pumpkins, I think, was from the superstition that a soul might take over an existing body. So, they carved them out in menacing faces to frighten off spirits searching for a new body. Similar with the costumes; to confuse the spirit into not taking you."
"I…guess that makes sense," Winter conceded, "Although I still don't really like a holiday centered around spirits rising up and walking across Pyrrhia again. The thought is just…unsettling."
"I know, and I kinda agree," Moon admitted, "But like I said, most of that is just the traditional stuff. I don't think any Nightwing here is expecting any spirits to walk among us—no ghosts or ghouls to frighten us. Mostly, today is just about the dragonets dressing up and getting sweets."
Winter rolled his eyes but grinned. "Because what dragonet doesn't like sweets?"
Moon laughed and wrapped her tail around his. "Hey, dragonets aren't the only ones…" she said mischievously, and Winter responded by pulling her in for a kiss.
"Satisfied?" he asked, and she giggled like a dragonet herself.
"We'll see," she teased, raising a claw and tracing the muscles on his chest, "There's still plenty of Halloween night still to go."
"Then I might end up quite enjoying this holiday," he teased her back with a flash of his teeth, and all she could think was that she very well might too.
Alas, before she could say another word, they were pulled out of the moment by the sound of their names being called. Moon pulled her attention away from her mate and back out towards the streets to see Hope approaching with Peacemaker in tow. She couldn't help but notice that the hybrid dragonet seemed a little bit less upbeat than usual, especially with a big party like this happening. She would have expected him to be practically bouncing down the streets with giddiness, but instead he just walked like normal, looking almost bored.
"Hope!" Moon stepped forward and embraced her friend once she'd reached them. "Good to see you again!"
"Same, same," the Nightwing said with a smile, she pulled out and gave a nod of her head to the Icewing present. "Winter," she said respectfully, with a nod of her head.
Winter returned the gesture. "Fo—Hope," he said her name back, misspeaking for a second but quickly catching himself. Moon resisted the urge to roll her eyes; Winter always seemed to want to call her by her original name, even though it could easily get them all in trouble if he did. But it was how it was—the dragon in front of them would always be Foeslayer to him.
But at least Peacemaker isn't Darkstalker to him, Moon thought in relief. She knew that Winter still wasn't completely comfortable with Peacemaker, but he recognized that the hybrid wasn't the same as the evil animus. And Winter truly did try to get along with him, talking and engaging with him instead of trying to ignore him altogether.
"I'm sorry we're late, but thank you again for agreeing to look after Peacemaker," Hope told them, "I'd love to chat for a while, but I have to get to my station. I'm sure you understand."
"Of course," Moon told her, "No problem on both counts. We're glad to be able to help."
"Happy to," Winter affirmed.
"Good, good," she turned to Peacemaker, "Be good and listen to Aunt Moon and Uncle Winter. I'll come find you when I'm done. Love you!"
"Love you, too," Peacemaker said unenthusiastically, but gave a small smile as his mother planted a kiss on his snout. Hope took off without another word, rushing away back towards the center of the village where the real festivities were.
Peacemaker looked back to her, a bit of a frown on his face replacing the smile that he had, and Moon had to wonder why he was just so put out. She resisted the urge to read his mind, though; she'd fix it soon enough.
"So, what do you want to do first?" she asked Peacemaker, "I see you have your treat bag; do you want to go get some sweets first? Or would you rather do some of the other stuff. The haunted maze looked neat, and so did the magic show."
"Wait…haunted maze?" Winter asked, looking nervous.
"It's not actually haunted, of course," Moon laughed at his expression, unable to tell whether he was being serious or if it was a show for Peacemaker. Really, it didn't matter. "Come on," she said with a grin, "It'll be fun!"
Walking down the streets of the Nightwing village with Moon and Peacemaker, Winter had to admit that it was a rather fun night, all things considered. He still didn't like the whole idea of spirits and ghosts coming back into and messing with the world, but like Moon had assured him, it didn't look like any of the dragons took much of that seriously. No, for the most part it all just looked like a big party for the dragonets.
Looking around at the town square of the Nightwing village, Winter could definitely tell that was what the dragons that set it up were going for, too. All through the streets where the main celebration was were stalls and tents with different games and activities geared towards dragonets. Things from tests of skill like tossing rings onto pegs to just pumpkin carving. There was plenty of food, too, and not just from the little treats that many Nightwings were giving out form their houses along the streets. Winter knew that Hope was working a booth that gave out caramel apples to any dragonet that wanted one, and he'd seen another stand run by Mudwings that had a large brass pot making something that Moon called "kettle corn". It was almost enough to make Winter wish he himself was still a dragonet.
He could see himself getting into it, too, wearing a costume and doing every activity he could. The thought made him grin, but a bit somberly. Growing up not just an Icewing, but an Icewing prince meant that he'd never really had the opportunity to do fun stuff like this as a dragonet. As he watched all the Nightwing and Rainwing dragonets laughing and playing and having fun, he couldn't help but feel a tiny twinge of envy.
He shook his head and erased the feeling as Moon spoke up from next to him. "So, what do you want to do next, Peacemaker?" she asked the dragonet in their charge, "More games, or do you want to get some food? We can go through the haunted maze again, if you want."
Peacemaker thought for a second, tapping his tail lightly on the ground. He'd spent a good bit of time just before playing a bunch of the games on the street, the latest of which being the ring-toss one that Winter had just been thinking about. He'd gotten a small prize from each of them that he'd stuffed in his treat bag, which already was bulging out a little bit where it rested around his neck.
Winter really did hope he didn't want to go through the haunted maze again, though. Because despite Moon saying it would be fun, that part certainly wasn't. Not to Winter, at least. Despite how tame it was, being for dragonets, some of the decorations just unsettled Winter a little. He far preferred the Icewing idea that when dragons died they stayed dead and buried in the snow until the thawing of the world and remaking of all things.
"How about the fortune teller?" Peacemaker requested, "Mom said there would be one."
"Oh, yeah, we can do that," Moon said, "I think it's on the other side of the square." She nudged Winter with a wing, "I think Fatespeaker is running it."
He gave an amused snort. "They should have asked you," he said, "You can actually see the future."
"Well, they didn't," she said with a shrug, "But I'm sure she's doing a great job."
"Can we go, then, Aunt Moon?" Peacemaker asked eagerly. Winter had noticed that he'd perked up a bit more as the night had gone on—when Hope had dropped him off, he'd been pretty mopey—and while he still wasn't as chipper as Peacemaker normally was, it was much better.
"Sure!" Moon said, but only took a few steps before pausing, "Actually…wait, we're close your house, right?"
"Yeah," Peacemaker answered, "It's just down the street," he pointed vaguely.
"Then here, I'll take your sweets back for you, so you don't have to carry them around all night," she proposed, and Peacemaker gave a nod as she went ahead and took the bag from him, "You go ahead and play another game or something, and I'll be right back."
Winter was left alone with Peacemaker as she departed, just him and the dragonet in the party. He looked down at him and shifted a little bit. Despite being around him for a while now, Winter had never been completely comfortable with Peacemaker. Sure, everything said that there was nothing of Darkstalker left in him—and part of Winter genuinely believed that—but all the same he couldn't help but be wary. After all, he wouldn't put it past the animus to have enchanted some sort of fail-safe.
"So…" he asked, a bit awkwardly, "What would you like to do while we wait?"
Peacemaker gave a small lash of his tail as his eyes searched around. "I don't know, maybe look at some of the decorations?"
"Yeah, I guess that works…" Winter trailed off, mentally kicking himself. He'd never been very good with littler dragonets. It was part of the reason part of him was dreading when he and Moon would almost inevitably have some of their own.
He followed as Peacemaker led him to a pile of more elaborately carved pumpkins, each more detailed in their etchings and displaying ranges of faces from goofy to flat-out creepy. "I've been meaning to ask," Winter said, "What exactly are you supposed to be dressed up as? Just a Nightwing?"
"Yeah, I guess," Peacemaker huffed. "I wanted to dress up as something scary, but mom stopped me."
"Oh?" Winter questioned, "What did you want to be?"
"I wanted to be Darkstalker."
Winter froze. His eyes slowly moved away from the pumpkins and over to where the hybrid stood. "Darkstalker, you say?" he asked as calmly as he could as he internally panicked. Peacemaker wanted to be Darkstalker; that couldn't just be a coincidence, could it? Had they missed something? Had Darkstalker begun to return in him after all, and this was just the first signs? Or even worse, was the animus already in control?
"Yeah," Peacemaker said in frustration, heedless of Winter's fear, "I had my costume all figured out, too. I still kind of do, actually," he lifted his wings to reveal painted silver scales, "Mom wanted me to wash it off, but I put so much time into it I just couldn't. But so long as I kept my wings closed, she couldn't tell. Please don't tell her, by the way, she'll probably be upset. All I wanted to do was scare some people; it's not like I'm actually Darkstalker."
Well, you're certainly scaring me right now, Winter thought, swallowing. "That's…well…you look just like him," Winter got out, trying desperately to keep himself calm.
"Thanks," Peacemaker said, "Oh, wait, I almost forgot…" he shifted the color of the scales right behind his eyes to silver, "There! What do you think?"
"I…" Winter hesitated, "…I think you should probably listen to your mother. You know dragon's thought's on Darkstalker."
"Oh, come on," Peacemaker groaned, "It's Halloween, you're supposed to be scary. All I want to do is go off and scare some of my friends, is that so bad? But no one will let me!" He finished with a huff and sat himself down, pouting.
Okay…that's better, Winter thought to himself, still watching Peacemaker closely, his worry beginning to decrease. Aside from him wanting to dress up like him, Peacemaker certainly wasn't acting like Darkstalker at all. And he supposed that it wasn't too outside the realm of possibility that Peacemaker has heard a few stories about Darkstalker and innocently figured that he'd be something scary to pretend to be, and that was all.
Winter knew that he'd still be having a long conversation with Foeslayer about it, though.
"Maybe when you're older—" Winter started to say to console him but was distracted by something. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of…well…he didn't know what, actually. It was down an alleyway, leading away from the celebration, and far away so that he couldn't truly get a good look at it. It was in the shadows, too, so that even when he faced it to get a good look, he couldn't really see it. But that was the odd thing about it; it wasn't so much hiding in shadows as it almost looked to be shadow itself. It…it almost looked to be some sort of dragon, wreathed in darkness. Winter frowned, then gave a small gasp as he saw the briefest reflection of red from two eyes, like that of a cat, shining brightly through the pitch blackness of its body.
He took a step forward, but then a Rainwing crossed his path, blocking his sight, and the thing was gone.
Winter blinked, staring down the empty alley. Everything looked fine. There was absolutely no sign of anything. Not even a bit of stirred up dust from something running.
Get a hold of yourself, Winter, he growled to himself internally, It must have just been your imagination. Spirits like that aren't real. You're just paranoid.
He huffed, glanced one more time to be sure, and turned away, a bit shaken but satisfied it was just his mind playing tricks on him with all the talk of Halloween ghosts. "Come on, Peacemaker," he said, "We should probably get to something fun before Moon gets back."
He paused as he received no response, then looked back to where Peacemaker had been moments ago to see nothing but empty space. His eyes quickly searched the crowd, but with so many dragons—and most of them Nightwings, at that—he couldn't see the hybrid at all. The little dragonet had given him the slip!
Winter groaned and raised a claw to his face. Great, he thought, I lost Peacemaker. Moon's gonna kill me.
Ah well, at least it would be fitting for Halloween.
Peacemaker grinned to himself as he navigated the street that he'd snuck away to, the sounds of the party growing a bit faint in the distance. Sure, he felt a little bad about leaving Uncle Winter there, but he'd have never been able to get away on his own unless he didn't tell anyone. Aunt Moon certainly wouldn't have let him wander off, and he knew the same was true of the Icewing, so he'd taken the chance when he saw it. He'd probably get in big trouble later, but it was worth it to now finally be able to scare some dragons.
His costume wasn't perfect anymore—he didn't have blood or the dagger—but he figured he could pull it off. In fact, maybe he could turn some of his scales red to imitate some blood. He tried it out of curiosity, but it didn't look nearly as good as he'd hoped. Then again, it was now rather dark outside…maybe it wouldn't be too noticeable.
He kept low as he began to prowl the streets, looking for dragons coming or going from the party that he could try to scare. He was still close enough that could see partygoers crossing from area to area at the end of streets, but it was still early in the night and most wouldn't be done quite yet. After several minutes passed by uneventfully, Peacemaker made the decision that he'd have to make his scares closer to the party instead of in the darker streets.
Huffing to himself and hoping that he'd get his chance soon, he almost missed the small tent blocking off an alleyway that was so out of place it would have really been hard to miss in any other situation. The tent itself was streaked with alternating red and black stripes, and a faint, alluring glow peaked out from the entrance. Above was a small, cloth sign, bearing two simple words: fortune teller.
Peacmaker gave an interested hum as he looked at it. He hadn't been lying earlier when he'd told Aunt Moon that he wanted to have his fortune told, and he supposed that it wouldn't hurt to take a break from trying to scare dragons and have it done now. He glanced around, a little confused as to why it was here, so far from the main party, but gave a shrug of his wings. If there was no line for it, then all the better. He slipped inside.
The first thing he noticed was a pungent smell that assaulted his nostrils. It was odd and unfamiliar, although the best thing he could equate it too was…cinnamon, maybe? It was hard to be sure. He glanced around to see a bunch of dead plants—herbs, probably—hanging in bundles from the top of the tent. There were a few paintings, too, hung up on the tent walls, but each oddly dark and unremarkable, as if each dragon depicted was only a silhouette. In front of him, in the center of the tent, was a small table with a candle and a large blue sapphire resting on a small pedestal. He took a step forward and peered at the gem, curious.
"Have you come to see the future?" a voice croaked, and Peacemaker jumped in fright. He looked beyond the gem and saw an old Nightwing dragoness that he didn't recognize stepping out of the shadows, taking a seat at the table. She looked ancient, with soft and faded scales and a scarred muzzle. Her horns were twisted almost unnaturally, and she raised a claw that looked almost to be molting, except that no new scales were replacing the old, revealing the skin beneath.
Instinctively, he took a step back and glanced towards the exit.
"Do not worry, young one," the dragoness said, voice squeaky as though from lack of use, "I mean you no harm. Sit, sit, and I will tell you what you wish to know."
Peacemaker hesitated, looking at her warily. Part of him screamed to get out of there. But…at the same time…it was probably just all elaborate decorations, just part of the show. He wouldn't be scared like Uncle Winter was in the haunted maze.
"Okay," he mumbled, and stepped forward. He took a seat across from her and she gave him a smile, revealing almost completely toothless gums.
"Good, good," the hag croaked, "Now, give me your claws."
Peacemaker did so, setting his foreclaws on the table. The dragoness took them in her own, rubbing gentle circles on his palms with her own blunt talons. She brought them towards her, then rested them on the sapphire, her claws atop his.
He cocked his head, intrigued. "Does the gem do anything?" he asked, but her only answer was a quick shush.
She closed her eyes and mumbled a string of words that he couldn't make out. Her grip on his claws tightened, almost to the point of being painful. Peacemaker yelled and tried to pull away, but she held his claws there, still mumbling her words. She gave a hiss and her eyes shot open, and she tilted her head, staring at him uncomfortably.
"Interessssting," she hissed, holding her "s" like a snake, "The magic…it is powerful in you."
"The…what?" he asked.
"The magic, the power…you are touched, are you not?"
"I don't know what you mean," he protested, trying once more to take his claws off the sapphire.
"Hmmm," the hag gave a hum, "No, I don't think you do. Close your eyes, young drake, and you will see. Your story lies not in the future, but the past."
"I don't…"
"Close them!" she hissed, and reluctantly, he did.
She began to speak again, more words that he didn't quite understand, and his claws began to feel like they were burning where they touched the gem. The heat seemed to travel up his arms reaching his chest, then slowly clawing up his neck and into his head, he gasped and squirmed as it felt like another dragon had just breathed fire on him, but just as it felt unbearable, it was gone.
He opened his eyes.
He was standing in an unfamiliar house. Two dragons looked down at him. One he recognized as his mother. The other was an Icewing that he'd never seen before. His mother smiled, the Icewing frowned. He looked down at himself and saw tiny claws; he was a hatchling. He looked up and saw three full moons in the night sky above. The Icewing gave a hiss and, startled, he closed his eyes.
He opened them again, and he was somewhere else. Standing in front of what looked to be a school. A Nighwing dragoness who looked so familiar swooped down and threw her wings around him, giving him a hug. "Come on, Darkstalker, we'll be late for class," she called, stepping away and motioning for him to follow. Intrigued, he did, stepping through the doorway into the school…
He found himself in a palace. Two Seawings stood in front of him. One green and sheepish looking, the other purple and hostile. They were standing over a koi pond, and the purple one had her spear pointed at the throat of the Nightwing from earlier. She set it down and the Nightwing dragoness laughed. Soon, they all did.
He stood looking at a map of Pyrrhia. Somehow, something on the map was moving, a small dot traveling up from the Talon Peninsula away to the desert and the Ice Kingdom farther north. He had a horrible feeling in his stomach, as though he'd lost something very precious to him.
He was at an elaborate party, in a massive tent full of games, the Nightwing dragoness and the green Seawing at his side. Suddenly, another Nightwing leapt into his vision, brandishing a spear. He thrust it at him, and it bounced off his scales. He leapt on the would-be killer, and felt his claws sink into the other dragon's neck.
The Icewing stood before him, fear in his eyes. He spoke, and white scales parted to pour out blue blood. A kingdom of dragons watched in terror, and he felt something missing. He growled and took to the sky.
He stood atop a mountain, the Nightwing dragoness in front of him. She spoke to him, but he didn't listen. She embraced him, and he felt something slip onto his wrist. He fell asleep.
He awoke in a different world, trapped in darkness. He felt another mind touching his own, and he spoke.
He broke free of the mountain, looking down at the dragonets that had trifled with him.
He stood before his tribe, taking the title of king.
He flew into battle, powerful and unconquerable.
He held a strawberry in his claw, a final offer to make things right. He refused, and out of spite, he ate it.
He felt nothing…nothing at all…save a burning in his head. An intense flame that burned down his neck, into his chest, then out from his arms to his claws, then was gone, disappeared into the Sapphire.
Peacemaker opened his eyes.
"Interesting…" the hag murmured, "Interesting indeed. I suppose not even the purest magic can erase everything can it? Even now, Darkstalker lives."
Peacemaker found that his claws were free of the sapphire, which emitted a small light from within. He pulled them away and took a step back, thoughts swirling in his mind. What had that just been? What had he just seen?
His eyes flickered up to the hag, who stepped away, back into the darkness. Shadows consumed her, and he saw a brief reflection of red light blazing from soulless black eyes.
He turned and ran.
He ran out into the street, back to the safe light of the celebration. He ran through the party, bowling over anything and anyone in his way. He was almost a mad dragon, just trying to get away. He searched frantically for a friendly face—for anything—and found it in Aunt Moonwatcher, who he leapt into, burying his face in her scales.
"Where have you been?" she cried out, "We were worried about you!" But he had no words, he only clung to her. And he wept.
"What's going on?" he heard another voice approaching—Uncle Winter's—but he didn't even look up to see the Icewing. He just trembled, sinking into Moonwatcher's side, sobbing.
"There, there," he heard her say to him, and he felt her wing gently stroking his back, trying to comfort him, "It's okay, Peacemaker, it's alright. We're here…it's okay."
Several minutes passed by, and he gradually began to calm down, even if the things he'd seen still swam in his mind. His claws still shook, and his eyes still felt wet, but at last he felt comfortable enough to step out of her scales. He swallowed and looked up to see both of the adults looking down at him with concern.
"Are…are you alright?" Moon asked. He gave her a weak nod.
"Peacemaker, what happened?" Winter asked, a little bit of edge in his voice, "You were at my side and then gone. We were worried sick about you, looking everywhere. Where did you go?"
"And why were you so shaken?" Aunt Moon added.
He looked at them and opened his mouth. Part of him wanted to lie, to say that he'd gotten lost and had been looking for them himself, but the falsehood died on his tongue. He couldn't just pretend like what had happened hadn't.
"I…I snuck away to try to scare some dragons," he admitted, sniffing, "And…and…I met the future seer. She said that she'd show me what I wanted to know, but instead of the future, the past." He blinked back a new wave of tears as he briefly recounted her holding his claws on the sapphire, and the flashes of visions that he'd seen.
When he finished, Moon and Winter looked at him wordlessly, then at each other. They looked almost as concerned and frightened as he was. Aunt Moon took his claw in her own and gave a shaky breath. "I…I think we need to go talk to Fatespeaker," she said, and Winter nodded vigorously in agreement.
Moonwatcher didn't remove her touch from him once as she led them through the streets of the party, making their way through the music and games and laughter. Peacemaker looked around, and suddenly all the sights seemed more frightening, the shadows cast from candlelight even darker, the bones and blood foreboding.
They stopped in front of a pink and blue tent that had been set up near the middle of the festivities. The entrance flap was wide open, and Peacemaker could see a Nightwing dragoness that looked familiar wearing a funny hat and talking to a dragonet inside. He cocked his head in confusion as he saw the sign labeled "fortune teller" above the entrance.
"Stay here," she told him and Uncle Winter, "I'll go talk to her, and maybe we can sort this all out."
"W—wait," Peacemaker stopped her before she could go, "This isn't the future seer."
"What do you mean?" Winter asked.
"She's not the one who gave me my future," Peacemaker answered.
"I'm pretty sure she's the only one here, though," Moon told him, "Where else would you have had it done?"
"It was over in another street," Peacemaker said, "I'll show—" he hesitated, not wanting to go back, but he felt he had to, "I'll show you."
Winter and Moon looked at each for a moment, then Winter gave a small nod. "Okay…" Moon said, shifting uncomfortably, "Show the way."
It took Peacemaker a few minutes to find the street again. In fact, he ended up having to go back to the pumpkin display where he first slipped away from Uncle Winter and retrace his steps until he found it. But at last, the buildings looked familiar, and he knew where he was.
"It's right over here," he said, leading them back in the direction of the party. "In this alleyway. Right…here?"
He looked right where the tent had been and saw nothing. Just a bare alleyway, with nothing out of the ordinary. He frowned and lashed his tail, confused.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Winter asked him.
"I…I think so," he looked around. These were the houses that he'd walked by earlier. This was the place. "Yeah," he affirmed, "This is it."
"But there's nothing here," Moon said, looking around.
"There was," Peacemaker insisted. "There was an old hag, and a sapphire, and I saw things that I'd never seen before!"
Once more, Winter and Moon looked at each other, then back down to him. "Perhaps…perhaps you're mistaken," Moon told him, "Or maybe Halloween has gotten the better of you. Scary things can sometimes play tricks on the mind."
"No!" Peacemaker growled, "I saw it!"
"Then where is it?" Moon asked.
Peacemaker faltered, looking around at the emptiness. "I…don't know."
"Here," Moon offered, "Come on, let's head back to the party, and we'll keep our eyes open for anything. We can talk to your mother when she gets off her shift, and maybe we can figure things out then."
He looked at them, noticing that while Moon looked hopeful and maybe even a little relieved, Winter was looking away from him. Peacemaker couldn't help but get the feeling that he was missing something. Like they knew more than they were letting on. Like they knew somehow that he wasn't lying, but merely didn't want to believe him.
"Okay," he sighed, casting one last glance at the empty place where the tent had stood, "To the party."
But despite Moon's assurances that things were okay, Peacemaker couldn't help but feel they weren't. The visions…it was nothing he'd ever experienced. It was all so real. And no matter how much Moon, and later his mother, told him that it was all just a trick, all just a part of the Halloween night, he couldn't believe it, not really. It was like a door had been opened to him—a veil taken from his face—and nothing seemed the same anymore.
Peacemaker knew somehow, deep down, that it was as real as he was—maybe even more so. He didn't quite know how, but something was different. "Even now, Darkstalker lives"…the hag's words stayed with him, echoing in his mind.
There was one thing Peacemaker was certain of: he was not going to be pretending to be Darkstalker again any time soon.
A/N: Happy Halloween!
