Part One: Poison and Death

Chapter 1

Stupid, Stupid dragons. Stupid dragons who I thought were my friends, yet they think I actually would do something as stupid as killing Queen Obsidian. I DID NOT KILL HER, WHY WOULD I?

Vala stopped running. She had been running for the better part of the day and now felt like she was far away from the village that no one would be able to find her. She went over to a stream to get a drink and catch her breath. After she drank, she still felt her anger inside her.

"I HATE MY TRIBE!" she screamed, attempting to get rid of her anger. Her scream scared birds out of the trees and Vala caught one that was in front of her. She debated whether to kill it or not but then let it fly away. She wouldn't do something that would reference her back to her tribe.

Why does my tribe have to be murderers? Why is it that every dragon tribe have to love killing? WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

"It doesn't matter," Vala said to herself. "I've made up my mind. I will go back to my tribe and free Abrax. I will then find where Queen Helen is and this time she won't escape my grasp. Should be easy since whatever Glory did to her seemed to hurt her. That injury should still be there when I find her."

Vala kept on walking, trampling every plant in her way. She was super mad. She had been wandering around the village yesterday when she wanted to find out what her friends thought about the attack that they had just defended off. She lifted off the ground and continued to fly away from the village while thinking of that day.

She wandered around the village and finally found Tulsi walking with Prancer. She was about to go over to talk to them when she saw Digger flying down from the sky. She decided to hop into a tree next to her to hide and wait for Digger to leave. Sure, Digger had apologized to her but she still didn't fully forgive Digger for locking her up.

It's fine I'll just wait for Digger to leave then I'll talk to her.

At that moment though, Vala heard what Digger was talking about.

"The scouts just reported back and it's true," Digger said. "Queen Obsidian is dead."

It's true? Vala thought. Queen Obsidian is dead? But how?

"No," Tulsi said from below Vala. "How?"

You better not say it Digger, Vala thought.

"Spikewing spikes," Digger said. "The scouts brought a few back for you. I know you may not want to but I think we should go get Vala to check if they match."

Oh come on! I didn't kill her! But Vala looked from the spot in her tree at the spikes that Digger had in his claw. She then looked at her own spikes. They were a perfect match.

But how is that possible, I was never near Queen Obsidian. I NEVER KILLED HER! But what Vala heard next brought some faith back into her friends.

"Sure, go find her. But I don't think she did it," Tulsi said.

Yes, thank you! How could I do it anyway?

Vala watched as Digger and Scoria flew away. Vala wanted to go down there but something kept her from going. Maybe it was because she didn't know if she fully trusted them or not. Vala listened to Tulsi and Prancer talk and thought about how much they love each other. It brought her to be thinking of Abrax and how she should be with him right now and not here.

But my friends need me as well. I can't abandon them.

But you can easily, they don't care about you.

Vala flinched but knew what the voice was.

So now you finally decide to bother me Dredge? When I find you I will find a way to kill you!

Would you though? I am just trying to warn you. Your friends aren't what they seem. They don't care about you. But I do.

Yeah, that's what you've said to my friends before. It's all a lie, I know it.

But it isn't, just watch.

Vala listened to Tulsi and Prancer's conversation as it went back to her.

"Hey Prancer, do you think that Vala… did it?" Tulsi asked.

Come on, I didn't do it! You just said so!

"I hope not," Prancer said. "I mean we know that she hates her own tribe so I don't think she would want to do something that associated her with them. But then we've only known her for a few weeks. We have known everyone else for at least more than a month. We still don't know what her full personality is like. She keeps it hidden very well."

Vala got offended by this. Why does she need to show her full personality to them? Why can't she be allowed to keep things hidden that she doesn't want them to know?

"You're right about that," Tulsi said. "But I don't think she did it."

"Me neither," Prancer said. "She's too good hearted to do something like that to another tribe."

Thank you! Vala screamed in her mind. She was boiling up and didn't know how much longer she could listen to her friends talk about her like this.

Still want to believe me? Dredge said in her mind.

No.

Well just wait.

Vala watched as Flint and Hunter flew down to Prancer and Tulsi. They joked around with each other but then after Flint said that Tulsi was their queen, what Tulsi said next sent Vala over the edge.

"I'm not your queen," Tulsi said. "You all are my best friends and I could never ask for any better ones."

All your best friends? I'M NOT THERE AND YOU CALL THEM YOUR BEST FRIENDS? YOU WERE JUST TALKING BAD ABOUT ME TWO MINUTES AGO AND NOW ARE PRETENDING LIKE YOU DIDN'T? ARGHHHHHHH!

Told you, Dredge said to her.

Vala's mind was heating up. She felt herself shaking and then noticed that somehow she switched her spikes to the kill spikes and they were aiming at her friends.

NOOOO! She screamed at herself and was able to shoot her spikes into the tree which caused it to rustle. Vala stayed still as she saw Tulsi look up at the tree but didn't see her. She waited until she turned back around to move. She was going to go down there but felt her spikes still shaking.

No. I put them in danger. I don't belong with them. They don't get me anyway. I'm going back to where I'm at least used to.

Vala flew out of the tree and out of the village. She thought she saw Digger below her look up at her leaving, but she didn't know. She just kept on flying and never looked back.

Thinking about all of this made Vala so mad that she shot her spikes into the tree in front of her and accidently hit a bird.

Oh no! I didn't mean for that to happen!

Vala quickly ran over there and gave the bird the antidote and watched as it flew away, dazed but unhurt. Vala looked down at her spikes and felt herself shaking.

How can I be trusted by anyone who isn't a Spikewing? What if I accidentally stab them with one of my spikes and I don't know. What if I can't get the antidote to them fast enough? But is my tribe even better? No, I have to go there, save Abrax, then we can both escape into the sunset, far away from anyone so that I can't hurt them. Except if it's Queen Helen, I would love to rip her face off.

You really hate her don't you?

GET OUT OF MY MIND DREDGE!

Oh Dredge? I guess you are the dragons he's been trying to get you to help him find the artifact he lost. Tell me, did you even find anything that can help you?

Huh? Who are you? What do you mean by you're not Dredge?

Won't matter to you because you won't be alive to figure out.

Vala turned around and a Spikewing who was hiding in the bushes launched himself onto her. She tried to dodge out of the way but couldn't as he pinned her down. Vala struggled trying to wiggle him off but he used his spikes to stab her wings to the ground.

"OWWWW!" she screamed. "You'll pay for that!"

"Well you won't be alive to see it," he said before pointing his spikes right at her. "Goodbye."

All of a sudden, Vala felt the ground shaking. The Spikewing felt it as well and looked around and then got grabbed by vines that rose out of the ground. Vala was stunned as she watched the Spikewing struggle to cut out of the vines but then Vala saw a tree grow in front of her and a dragon grab a branch from the tree and smash it into the Spikewing until he stopped moving. Vala didn't know if he was dead or not because she had her own issue to deal with. The dragon was coming towards her and Vala struggled trying to get the spikes out of her wings.

"Hey, slow down, I'm your friend for crying out loud," the dragon said. "Hello, it's me, Sundew!"

"Oh," Vala said as she watched Sundew approach her. "Sorry, I didn't know."

"Too worried about running away it seems," Sundew said.

"You aren't taking me back there to dragons who hate me!" Vala screamed.

"Hey, I don't even know what's truly going on," Sundew said. "I just saw you bolt out of the village in a state of rage that looks similar to mine. I also heard the plants upset about you trampling all over them and I just had to figure out what was going on. So what's going on?"

"Help me out first," Vala said.

"Oh yeah," Sundew said and pulled the spikes out of Vala's wings. Vala breathed a sigh of relief that they were out and used one of her antidote spikes to get rid of the venom.

"Thanks," Vala said. "Now to what's going on." Vala didn't know if she wanted to tell her the true reason she ran away but decided to tell her somewhat of the truth. "I can't let my love Abrax die down there while I'm up here," Vala said pointing to the ground and the caves that ran underneath them.

"I get it, I would do anything to make sure my love is safe," Sundew said. "I'm so mean yet she's so soft and I can somehow connect to her, you know?"

"Yeah," Vala said. "Abrax is the thinker and I'm the one that does the plan."

"So if you're going down there to save your love, might as well take some backup?" Sundew suggested.

Vala thought about it. She would want her friends to help but she didn't know if she wanted to see them again. She didn't even have the heart to tell Sundew that she was going to run away with Abrax after she freed him. She also didn't want them to get trapped like they did last time. Only she knew those deep caves and how to get around them. But some help was better than none.

"Fine you come but no one else," Vala said.

"A spicy plan, I like it," Sundew said.

Vala was confused. That wasn't a plan, that was just her wanting to stop talking and get down there. The longer they were delayed the more likely it was that Queen Helen would kill Abrax. There was no time to think, just time to act.

"Come on," Vala said as she went into the cave entrance below them. "Try to keep up."

"Oh don't worry I will," Sundew said and followed in after her.

They flew through the tunnels for a bit, in silence which made Vala happy because she could deal with the dragon still in her head.

So you're not Dredge huh? Well guess what, your plan to get me killed didn't work.

Huh what are you talking about, Vala, Dredge said in her mind. When did I talk to you?

Don't act dumb, just a while ago you said that I was going to die and a Spikewing tried to kill me. Luckily I had some help and it failed.

I seriously don't know what you're talking about, I need your help to find the artifact, I don't know why I would try to kill you.

You're joking right?

No.

Vala's head was on a spin. Was what Dredge saying correct? Was this Dredge right now or not? WHAT IS GOING ON? Are there two mind readers or one? Did her friends lie to her and say there was only one when there were two? Vala didn't know anymore.

She thought for a bit but then thought she heard a conversation going on inside her head, almost like they forgot to tap out of her mind.

You are going to do this correctly. Or else I will take those powers away from you!

No, you don't have to, I'll get the dragon.

Good. Once I get Darkstalker back we will be able to rule the world together. Queen Wasp also has her purpose. Silly Cottonmouth never gave her the true power that she could unlock.

The conversation then stopped and Vala couldn't hear anymore. Either the dragons were done with the conversation or realized they were talking in someone's mind.

But then who were the dragons? I have a strong feeling one of them was Dredge but then who was the other one? Another mind reader? Who knows anymore?

Vala and Sundew were further into the tunnels and Vala felt her night vision start coming back in. That is until Sundew brought something out that was in a bottle that lit up the cave.

"Ow," Vala said. "What is that?"

"It's a firefly," Sundew said. "Any dragon should know that really."

"Dragons who live above ground," Vala noted. "Not dragons down here."

"Fine," Sundew said. "Let's just keep going."

Vala continued to lead Sundew down the tunnel. She went ahead for one moment when she heard a noise behind her. She turned around and saw three Spikewings in the dark, ready to strike Sundew.