Star squinted her eyes as the sun hit them, making her groan in annoyance as she begrudgingly woke up. She stretched her limbs as she attempted to get out of bed, having to watch herself as she did so to not fall off her bed. She turned five just a couple days ago, so she was definitely due for a new bed now that... she was almost bigger than her bed. The moment she stood up, she groaned as the feeling of hunger hit her, making her stomach grumble.

She opened the door to her room and started walking down the halls, making her way towards the kitchen. Most of the palace staff wouldn't be awake just yet, so she would just indulge herself.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a couple hawks, and a turkey before walking back down the halls towards her room. Star was almost to her room until her father walked around the corner of the hall and spotted her. He gave her a weird look and Star blushed as she realized how much food she was carrying down the halls.

"Uhhhmm..." Star said awkwardly, "I was hungry..."

Instead of scrutinizing her or giving her an amused look, he actually looked concerned, "Alright... you have been getting... bigger," he said, looking her over. Just last year as she graduated school at the top of her class, she didn't even reach his chest, she now stood up to where his neck was.

Star went to protest, scrunching up her face in anger but then smiled when she realized that he meant in height, "Yeah, I know right!" she said excitedly.

He gave her a smile, "Go run off now, I need to talk to your mother about something." he said as he walked past her. Star smiled and nodded, jogging past him into her room, quickly eating one of the hawks whole in one bite.

She looked into the mirror in her room, noticing that she was definitely taller than she remembered, not even having to hardly stretch her talon to reach the door handle to her room anymore... she turned her head to look at her back and noticed that a slight sheen was on her scales, they were turning to their adult sheen that most female NightWings would get when they were turning to adults. It was a beautiful reddish purple color that shined in the light coming from her room. A bright smile came over herself.

"Cool..." she said happily.

Star was reading a scroll given to her by her father. It was a story from her tribes pas that spanned all the way back to the original great IceWing war against the NightWings, even before Darkstalker. It would actually be what would spark the Silver Empire to form.

Her head shot to her door when she heard a knock on the other side of it... a very hard knock...

Star placed the scroll down and stood up and opened the door to see a dragon she was not expecting. Nighthawk stood on the other side with an absolutely pissed look on her face.

"Nighthawk?" Star muttered confused but quickly tried to jump back as Nightjar came from behind Nighthawk and tried to tackle her to the ground, Star rapidly jumped out of her sister's way but wasn't able to avoid Nighthawk jumping her as well and grabbing ahold of her throat, not letting her breath from how hard she was gripping her.

Star rapidly clawed at Nighthawk's talons gripping her throat, loosening them enough to be able to allow her to speak, "What- GAK- why are you doing this!?" Star choaked out.

Nighthawk hissed, "YOU!" She roared out, "Why is it always you that gets everything from Blackstone!"

Star gave her a confused look, even despite her situation, having not a clue what Nighthawk was talking about.

"Father always picks favorites..." Nightjar muttered loud enough for Star to hear.

Star ripped Nighthawks talons off her and glared back at Nightjar, "Probably because I am the only one of us to give father any respect," Star hissed back, "It's a wonder he doesn't hate you!" Star roared.

Nighthawk roared back and went to jump back at her, raising her talons to swipe them down at her now exposed throat.

Star panicked and jumped back, throwing Nighthawk off balance from missing and making her trip.

Star went to push her advantage but Nightjar was waiting jumping at her to tackle her to the ground, but Star had been watching her as well. Having seen her dad do the same thing, she dropped to the ground and flipped onto her back, kicking Nightjar over her head and making her slam into the wall of her bedroom.

"WHATS GOING ON!" Star heard a voice roar from outside her room, down the halls. She heard talons running towards her room and she almost gave a sigh of relief. At least that was until she heard her door open and her mother say something she could have never believed.

"No, don't stop this, I want to see this..." Her mother said with a hiss.

Star spotted her mother looking at her with tight eyes and her father looking at her in horror as she was now bleeding from her throat and the room was trashed.

She had no time to think about it as Nighthawk went after her again, aiming a slash at her side. Star jumped up over the swipe, counting her with a swipe back with her own talons, catching Nighthawk right on her cheek.

Nighthawk roared in pain as blood now leaked down her face and neck.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Star roared as she pushed the advantage, going to aim at her sister's neck until talons grabbed her before she could make the move.

Star rapidly turned around to roar at the person who grabbed her but paled as she saw it was her mother who grabbed her, a glare on her face as she towered over the much smaller dragonet.

Her glare slowly turned to one of a pleased look, "Very good," she said nodding, "I approve of your decision a bit more now Blackstone..."

Her father shook her head, "Thank you, so may I please take her and start on my way with the mission?" he asked kindly, "I would like to get this started, I have waited long enough..."

Her mother scoffed but nodded, "You may, now get out of my sight," she finished as she turned around and walked back out the door, completely forgetting about the now roared Nighthawk and knocked out Nightjar.

Nighthawk turned to look at her father, "You are going to pay for this..." she hissed as she also walked out of the trashed bedroom, leaving her younger sister there, out cold.

Blackstone sighed and motioned with his head, "Let's go..." he said as he turned around and started walking. Star slowly nodded and followed him out of her trashed bedroom and down the halls.

"What's... going on?" Star asked him curiously, having no clue what it could be that has him wanting to leave the palace.

"A... mission," he answered, hesitating at the last part, "We have some places on the mainland that we need to scout out, and some dragons to scout out as well," he answered, this time more confidently.

Star's eyes grew, now realizing why her sisters were so angry. It was considered an honor at this point to be a NightWing and be sent to the mainland. But, it still didn't warrant her sisters trying to actually kill her.

"This is going to be the first time the NightWings have been on the mainland in years," her father started, "I wanted you to be the one to do it with me," he said with a kind smile. Star caught a different feeling in his eyes but ignored it, just nodding her head.

"But why did you pick me?" Star asked, trying to not sound as amazed as she actually was, also trying to hold her tail still as she walked outside of the palace gate.

Her father flashed her his signature kind smile, "You are my daughter, and the top of your class... who else would I take on something like this?"

Star just nodded her head, trying to not blush at her father's praises.

Her father turned around and stretched out his wings, getting ready to fly, "And, you actually respect me, unlike your sisters and Rigel..."