Six miles of ground has been won, Half a million men are gone, And as the men crawled the general called, And the killing carried on and on, How long? What's the purpose of it all? What's the price of a mile? "Price of a Mile" -Sabaton
Starflight woke up coughing, trying to take in oxygen but the air around him choked him like a thick blanket. Hacking on the smoke-filled air.
What in the three moons? He felt his face, a muzzle strapped around it making it impossible to take deep breaths of air.
He stood up on the warm stone floor, opening his eyes to see many strange sights.
Lava surrounded the stone floor he was standing upon, answering a couple of the questions he woke up having. He was in a cave apparently in a volcano of sorts.
His wings were bound, making it impossible to fly or walk out of the cave with the lava surrounding the area he was in.
The light from the lava also made it impossible to use his powers...
"Hello there!"
Starflight turned around to see a young female RainWing right in front of him flashing him an excited smile.
"My name is Kinkajou, what's- oh I'm sorry, I keep forgetting," Kinkajou said, flashing multiple colors.
Starflight shook his head getting her attention, he started to point around the cave they were in.
"Are you asking where we are at?" Kinkajou asked excitedly, treating it like a game.
Starflight nodded his head, his eyes growing, surprised she understood.
Kinkajou nodded her head back, "I'm really good at charades, I don't know where we are at but the NightWings here are rude!" Kinkajou protested, "They won't even feed me the right kinda stuff, YUCK!"
Starflight tried to hide the fear that was shown on his face, they were in the NightKingdom. Probably one of the top three places to NOT be trapped in right now.
"Don't worry," Kinkajou said nonchalantly, "I'm sure the queen will find us and help!"
Starflight resisted shaking his head. "Not if they cant find us..."
Kinkajou ran up beside him, sitting down, "I wish you could speak, I am getting tired of all these one-sided conversations, the only nice dragon here is-"
"Hello," A voice cut off Kinkajou from outside the cave.
Kinkajou shot up, turning around, "It's you!"
Starflight turned around as well, seeing a female NightWing who had dark purple under scales, with small silver scales running down her side and a grey teardrop scale next to her eye.
The female was giving a smile at Kinkajou from the other side of the cave entrance.
"Hi, Fatespeaker!" Kinkajou greeted happily.
"Hello Kinkajou, it's good to see you again," she greeted back. Holding an object that Starflight just now noticed on the dragon.
"I brought you some dinner but... I am not allowed to unlock your muzzle, only the guards can do that when it is time for you to eat."
Kinkajou pouted but nodded.
Fatespeaker turned her head to Starflight, giving him a long stare in curiosity and... apprehension?
"So your... Starflight?" she asked hesitantly.
Starflight nodded his head to the answer.
"You're an actual... Dragonet of Destiny?" she said, now eying him up and down.
Starflight nodded his head, this time giving her a confused face. Damn this place, so many questions but no answers at all!
Fatespeaker realized the look, "Oh, I'm sorry, you never really got to know this but I was supposed to be your... replacement." she said that last part hesitantly, wincing as she said it. Realizing it might have upset him.
Starflight just snorted at that. Of course, Morrowseer would want a "replacement" if the first dragon didn't do what he wanted.
Fatespeaker started to continue, "One day we were just doing what Morrowseer wanted us to train on, and then the next... he sent me back home as a nobody..."
She jumped high into the air as a voice broke out from the tunnel.
"Fatespeaker, what did I tell you about speaking with the traitor!" Morrowseer roared in anger.
Fatespeaker seemed to wilt like a flower under the stare of Morrowseer, "To stay away from him, bu- but I just wanted to meet hi-"
"Leave"
Fatespeaker winced, nodding her head as she left through the cave, avoiding the lava in the room as she went.
Morrowseer turned to look at Starflight, staring down at the NightWing, then he turned to Kinkajou, making her back up, turning green as she did so.
"Our Queen just announced that we don't need prisoners, It's your lucky day RainWing," Morrowseer said, stepping forwards.
Kinkajou started to get excited, "I get to leave!"
"No, she ordered us to execute all RainWing prisoners."
Kinkajou turned pale white.
Morrowseer went to jump at her but Starflight jumped in front of him, blocking him off from the RainWing.
Morrowseer scoffed, "I was also told to grab you, I can just kill her later."
Morrowseer continued to walk forwards, Starflight shaking as Morrowseer now towered over him. The light coming off from all the lava in the room making it physically impossible to use his shadows.
"The Queen wants to see you..."
Glory had just gotten through her story up till now. Which took... a long time, it was now nighttime outside.
Jambu and Moon had left a little while ago into the story, leaving for bed for the night.
Glory was going through the story trying to not show the worry she was starting to feel.
Clay had yet to still show up, having been gone looking for Starflight all day and now night.
"Queen Carinatus, I appreciate the time spent with you, but my friend Clay isn't back yet and I really need to find him," Glory said, standing up. The bamboo creaked as she did so.
Carinatus's brow furrowed, realizing she was right, "Do you want me to send someone to help you?"
Glory thought about it but shook her head, "I should be alright, my powers should be able to help me find him."
Carinatus nodded her head, "When you find him, come back here with him," She ordered, "I feel like I am going to be awake for the next couple of days with everything going on so I would also like to get to know him."
Glory nodded her head, turning to leave. The crickets chirping as she walked out of the pavilion into the dark night of the jungle. Now where is Clay?
Glory jumped into the air, making her way back to where the battlefield was, weaving around the trees as she flew, even using her powers a couple of times to bend the vines around her to get out of the way.
She was about to land but froze mid-air as she felt the leaves around her send a signal.
"Hey-"
Glory went to tackle the voice but froze when she recognized who it was.
"Deathbringer!"
Deathbringer was now wrapped in vines, giving her a nervous look, "Hey Glory..."
Starflight was being led through the scorching hot tunnels. The walk felt like it took forever as the walls seemed to suck the energy right out of him.
Dragons went out of their way to avoid Morrowseer dragging Starflight through the base.
Another NightWing came around one of the corners, stopping in front of Morrowseer, "Ah Morrowseer, did it-"
Morrowseer pushed the dragon out of the way, "Yes Mastermind, the operation on the Queen worked, it hurt her but it worked."
"Ah, good..." Mastermind looked behind Morrowseer spotting Starflight.
"Is that..."
Morrowseer kept on his way, "Yes"
"Can I-"
"No" Morrowseer cut him off before he could even ask.
Mastermind remained quiet as he stood still now, staring at Starflight as they went down the hall, making Starflight feel uncomfortable.
They went around the next corner, cutting Starflight's view of the dragon.
"Who was-"
SLAM!
Morrowseer used his tail to whip Starflight into the wall, Starflight's back feeling like it was melting from the superheated walls of the cave.
"You will remain quiet traitor," Morrowseer commanded him, peeling him off the wall as he continued to drag Starflight through the base.
Starflight shook his head from the pain, reading his mind as he did so.
He wasn't angry that he was a "traitor" he was just upset that I got in his way.
Starflight smirked, "It's not my fault that your planning was complete ass."
Morroseer roared as he turned around, grabbing Starflight by the neck and slamming him into the wall once again. Starflight wincing at the feeling of his back burning once again.
"You better be happy the Queen wants you alive or I'd slit your throat right here and now!" he hissed as he ran Starflight against the wall, scraping cuts into his back adding onto the injuries.
Starflight starting to almost cry from the burning wounds caused by the lava-heated walls.
Morrowseer dropped Starflight, making him hit the ground hard.
He started walking again, grabbing Starflight once more, dragging him along.
Glory released the vines around Deathbringer, making him fall down onto the ground with an oomph.
"Finally, where have you bee-" Glory was cut off when a loud sound came from the jungle.
CRASH!
The jungle around her started screaming signals at her, Glory already realizing what was about to happen, "WHAIT!"
A RainWing went from being invisible to bright red, revealing it to be Jambu. The male RainWing jumping down from the trees with his fangs revealed, black venom emerging from the tips of his fangs, heading towards Deathbringer.
Glory shot the vines around her forwards, wrapping them around Jambu. Throwing him into the trees... but it was too late.
Drip...
The black liquid hit Deathbringer on his shoulder.
He quickly jumped into the ground trying to rub the liquid off as quickly as he could.
But it was too late.
"AAAGH!" Deathbringer roared in pain.
Glory turned green, "Deathbringer!"
Starflight was brought into another cave, this one being MUCH larger than the room he was being kept in previously.
His eyes shot to the middle of the room where a familiar sight met him. The large NightWing Queen matched his gaze.
She was sitting down on a large stone throne, glaring at Starflight the whole time as he was dragged forwards, not saying a word.
Morrowseer through Starflight into the ground, walking around him and standing next to the Queen.
Starflight stared back up at the Queen, trying to match her glare.
The Queen's glare hardened back at the fact Starflight didn't show any fear. Her eyes left Starflight, staring at the two guards in the room, "Leave us..."
The guards nodded, leaving the room quietly.
The room remained quiet, Starflight still feeding a glare at the Queen.
Starflight was trying to not wince at the two VERY violent thoughts coming from the two dragons in the room with him.
The glare coming form the queen was broken when she started speaking, "Little traitor... you are going to tell me everything... I want to know."
Starflight tried to read her mind but suddenly it seemed like a wall was shot up.
"Especially on how you can read minds..."
Starflight kept trying to read her mind, at first it was like trying to slam his head against the wall. But then... he realized something else.
He could just walk around it, her thoughts being open once more.
"Why, want to have the powers yourself?" Starflight said with a smirk.
Her eyes narrowed deadly.
"So, can it be done?" she asked back.
Starflight grinned violently back, "No, even I am not sure why I can read minds."
Her eyes never left his.
Starflight kept reading her mind, already not liking her next question.
"I'm not going to tell you anything," Starflight answered before she could ask.
"You don't have a choice, you're going to tell us your other friend's weaknesses whether you like it or not."
Starflight laughed, "That's funny, sadly they don't have any weaknesses."
"You did."
Morrowseer cut Starflight off, "I'll get those questions out of you later, where is Deathbringer?"
Starflight decided to play dumb.
"Huh?"
Morrowseer ran up, grabbing Starflight by the throat, lifting him up in the air then bringing him back down, cracking the stone floor as he did so.
"We know he was in contact with your group!"
"ok, so lets say I do know him... how would I know where he is now?" Starflight smirked tensing up as he prepared himself for the next part, "Dumbass"
Morrowseer roared in rage, this time flipping Starflight over onto his stomach, pressing him into the floor hard as he started dragging him across, the rock floor acting like sandpaper, ripping small cuts into his body.
"I don't like your attitude traitor," Morrowseer scoffed as he picked Starflight back up.
"I am no TRAITOR!" Starflight choked out from the pain, "My allegiance... was never aligned with yours to begin with."
Morrowseer went to a side of the room, a small river of lava flowing through there, hovering Starflight over the immense heat.
"Last chance, tell us what we want!" Morrowseer commanded.
Starflight, choaking around Morrowseer's grasp, "Suck my dick-"
Morroseer roared in fury once more, this time slamming Starflight into the ground like a hammer multiple times.
The Queen scoffed, "Take him out of here and get the answers I want, I have other things I need to take care of."
A smile came over Morrowseer's face, now dragging Starflight out of the room, keeping the NightWing against the floor the whole way out of there.
Glory ran back over to the now violently shaking Deathbringer, who was trying to not cry out in pain but was failing.
Glory collapsed down at his side, "No- no, it's going to be ok, you'll be ok!"
Jambu crawled back over, fear in his face as he realized he made a mistake.
Glory saw him, turning red at the sight, "Get away from us!"
Jambu turned green, turning around and fleeing. The night seemed to engulf him as he left.
Deathbringer started trying to gasp something out from the pain.
Glory turned back around to the NightWing, "Yes, what is it?"
Deathbringer tried to say something but choked in pain.
"What?" Glory said in desperation.
"Venom"
Glory shook her head, "What, what about venom?"
"Your tribe's version of anti-venom-" Deathbringer took another gasp, "Other Rain- other RainWing's venom!"
Glory didn't wait, not hearing Deathbringers protest of pain.
Flexing her fangs out and hovering them over the wounds, putting a few drops of her venom in every place where she knew venom hit him. It was difficult with Deathbringer's black scales.
After Glory finished up, she turned him back over, placing him in a spot of softer grass.
When she saw his face she was confused, Deathbringer was staring back at her with wide eyes.
"What, are you ok now?" Glory said in confusion.
"I knew you were special... but... wow."
Glory didn't try to hide her blush, "What are you talking-"
"Where is he, I am here now!" Queen Carinatus said as she burst into the clearing, spotting the two dragons on the ground. Her fangs showing with Jambu following right behind her.
Glory turned red at the sight of the male RainWing.
"I'll tell you what happened," Glory roared, "I was just trying to find Clay but I met up with Deathbringer and the next thing I know, HE sprays him with venom!"
The Queen nodded her head, "I know, that's why I am here," She started explaining, "I need to help him with my venom."
Glory shook her head, trying to calm down, "I already did," she said, motioning over to Deathbringer who was trying to stand up but he collapsed back down on the ground.
Glory ran back over to him, going to make sure he was ok but he was out cold.
Carinatus walked up to the two, "There is no way you could have help-"
"Ya, well I did while it took you forever to get here!"
The Queen, ignoring the tone she was giving her had a confused look on her face.
"No, that's not it, it shouldn't be... possible that you helped."
Glory shot her head back to the queen, "Why?"
"You have to be direct family to the one who used their venom," Carinatus explained.
Glory's eyes grew in shock, "Oh three moons I could have killed him..."
"Little one, do you know who your parents are?" Carinatus asked, now sounding desperate.
Glory shook her head, "I don't know, Webs stole me from the egg about seven years ago?"
The Queen turned a bright shade of green.
Glory shook her head again, "Why, do you have some sisters or something?"
The Queen slowly shook her head, trying to stay calm, "I had an egg... stolen from me."