Chapter 4


Prancer froze and looked at Hunter. Did Hunter betray him and tell everyone his secret?

"I see that look in your eyes Prancer, I didn't betray you, I don't know how Java knows!"

Is Hunter telling the truth or is he just trying to stall me until I am captured and taken off to be interrogated? I don't know what to believe anymore. Should I run, should I stay, run, stay, run, stay?

"Prancer you should go," Hunter said.

Prancer got caught off guard by this. "What? What are you going to do?"

"I am going to buy you time," Hunter said. "Even if they figure out I was helping you, they wouldn't dare punish me without feeling the queen's wrath so I will be safe. You have to leave though, for your own safety."

"But… I can't just leave you here!"

"I'll be fine Prancer but you won't once they lock you up behind bars to interrogate you. Go Prancer and don't stop running. If you need to find me, leave a message at the Dragonbite River. Now go!"

With that Prancer ran out the back window of the library and down the tunnels. He could hear Aurora coming down the stairs and opening up the door for Java. Prancer stopped in a dark tunnel and listened to the conversation.

"What do you need Java?" Queen Aurora said.

"Well we had reports from Frisky that there was a Webwing without any fangs, you know what happens to those dragons when we catch them, right?" Java said.

"Yes, call up the army to search for this dragon and when they find the dragon, call out the…," Queen's Aurora's voice faded away when she and Java stepped outside the door.

Call out what? Call out to execute me on sight? Most likely that is what she was talking about. I hope Hunter was able to hide from them before they got into the room. I hope he's okay.

Prancer heard footsteps coming from one of the tunnels so he continued down his tunnel running away from his Webwing tribe.

I know I was going to run away from them so that I could defeat a Cavewing but I never expected to be running away from them because of this. Why do they care about me not having any fangs? Do they know something that I don't?

Prancer continued to run down the tunnels. He ran past his school, other Webwing webs, and was running past his own web when he bumped into his mom Frisky.

Ahhhhh! She is the one who ratted me out but when did she know I had no fangs? I never told my parents about it.

He was about to run off again but his mom held him close to her. "Hang on, don't run off, it isn't what you think it is."

"YEAH RIGHT LIAR! YOU TURNED ME IN! MY OWN MOTHER TURNING IN HER SON!"

"No listen, I didn't want to but I was forced to. Listen Prancer there is something you need to know about me and your father."

"No, you are just trying to distract me so I can get captured. I AM NOT FALLING FOR IT!"

"Prancer calm down and listen." She had a tight hold on him so he couldn't go anywhere. He decided to stop wiggling for now and listen to whatever his traitor mom had to say.

"Fine, but I still don't trust you."

"Don't trust me then but just hear me out. You see, I know the reason you look different. I have been wanting to tell you for the longest time but I never knew how to break it to you."

Is Prancer hearing this correctly? His mom knew what was wrong with him the whole time but never told him about it? Why didn't she? Was she afraid of how he was going to act once he knew the truth or was she not able to? What is wrong with him?

"You see Prancer, the reason that you don't have any fangs is because…," her voice was cut off by a yell at the end of the tunnel, followed by footsteps.

"There here," she said. She turned to Prancer and looked him in the eyes. "Listen Prancer, I will hold them off for as long as I can but you need to keep running. I know you want to help but you won't be able to fight all of them. I want you to run and I want you to find someone named Amethyst. They will tell you everything you need to know. Now go, I'll buy you some time.

Prancer ran away from his mom and into the tunnel.

Why is everything that I know in life being flipped upside down? My mom knew about my condition, wanted to talk to me about it, and who is Amethyst? How does this dragon know about me and know what is going on with me?

Prancer could hear fighting going on behind him as he ran. He heard someone scream as if they got stabbed and the screaming then stopped.

I hope that wasn't my mom. My mom is able to defend herself, right? I don't know, all I know is that I need to keep running.

One of the soldiers broke through the fighting and slammed Prancer against the wall.

Ow, that really hurt.

Prancer tried to stand himself up but was immediately smacked back down. Prancer could see the face of his attacker, he looked smug with a smile on his face.

"Goodbye, abomination," his attacker said before he was stabbed in the back and fell on the floor next to Prancer, dead. Prancer looked up and saw his mom, covered in claw marks and blood.

"Run, now, PRANCER RUN!"

Prancer got up and ran down the tunnel. He looked back to see if his mom was holding up but he wished he didn't. He saw that same general, Java, stab his mom through the heart and she fell on the floor, lifeless. Tears started to roll down Prancer's face at that moment. The last thing Prancer saw from Java was his delighted expression on his face as he started down Prancer.

Just keep running Prancer, his brain told himself because his body wanted to turn around and slice at the smile that Java had on his face. Prancer kept running for hours on end, never stopping for anything. He walked down a tunnel when he came across a sinkhole that was in front of him blocking the path.

That's easy to get across, I will just fly across it.

Prancer tried to flap his wings but they veered in pain when he tried to. He tried again but they gave him the sudden jolt of pain that they did last time.

Great, my wings must have been sprained when that Webwing threw me against the wall. How am I going to get across now? Prancer thought for a moment about all his possibilities. On one talon, I could wait here for my wings to heal but that may take days and if the Webwings find me here I will surely be captured. On the second talon I could try to find another tunnel around, but I have never been this far down in the cave system so I may get lost in these tunnels that I have never seen. On the third talon I could try making a bridge with my webs but I don't know if it would be strong enough to hold me. That seems like the only reliable option though so a web bridge across a dangerous sinkhole that I could fall into is a go.

Prancer started to shoot his webs together and connect them to boulders on the other side. He then tied the webs to boulders on his own side, before tying them all together to make them tight. When Prancer let go of it, the webs held but would it be able to hold him up when he walked across it.

Only one way to find out, he told himself.

Prancer carefully put one claw onto the web and then another. The web bent with his weight but it held in place. Prancer then put his final two claws onto the web and started walking across. It kept bending and dipping but so far was holding up.

If only I paid more attention in school when we had that subject on how to make our webs stronger and tighter, that would've come in handy right now.

Prancer was halfway across the web when he heard voices coming from his direction.

Hurry up Prancer, get to the other side and destroy this way across. Don't let them see you. Get across, destroy, hide. Get across, destroy, hide…

The web disconnected from the boulder behind Prancer and he tried to jump the rest of the way. He didn't make it and started to plummet down the sinkhole.

This is it for me, I tried my best but I will never be able to avenge my sister. I'm sorry Ocho.

Out of nowhere Prancer feels talons grab his body and start lifting him up. The scales felt rough but Prancer didn't care if it was a Webwing. Once they lifted him up, he would attack them and escape. The dragon brought him up to the top and dropped him on the floor. Prancer turned around to face the dragon but stopped in his tracks when he saw his rescuer.

Her scales were as rough and were the color of rocks. She didn't have fangs or webs from her wrists. She had fluorescent spots around her body. His rescuer wasn't a Webwing at all. She was a Cavewing.