Wings of Fire: Dragonbite

A Moment of Stillness

He lunged, barely registering the sudden shadows in his periphery.

Only half noticing of the dull thump as something crashed into his skull.

But fully aware of the darkness that filled his vision as

he

fell.

*******

He awoke with a jolt, as if shaken awake by some half-perceived tremor. His eyes flashed open, his talons reflexively grasping at the material he lay on. Subconsciously his body prepared for a fight even as his mind scanned the area for danger.

It took him a long moment to realize where he was, and even longer to understand that - at first glance, at least - there was no danger.

He was in his own room, on his own bed of fine sand and tumbleweeds. There were two dragons in the room, one watching the door while the other warily watched him. Changbai and Thrush. Friends?

His last waking memories filtered back as he became aware of a throbbing headache. Fighting. Killing - almost. And then blackness.

He debated shifting back to look like a Rainwing, but decided to keep his scales as they were. The Icewing and Skywing clearly knew who he was in either form, and he didn't want to associate with the tribe known for its pacifism. Unless -

"Who knows I'm here?" He asked. "And tell me what happened."

Changbai shifted his talons, glancing at where Thrush stood guard at the door. "I know, obviously. And Thrush. Also obviously." He hesitated, swallowing. "Sepia and Doom know. But that's it." There was another hesitation at the end of his statement. An unspoken "Please don't kill me" that always showed up when dragons learned that they were talking to an assassin. "Nobody else knows where you- where Dragonbite is."

Maybe I should shift, then, he thought with disgust. He turned himself a deep red, studded with gold, to hide the flashes of anger that tried to race across his scales. It felt like putting on an old costume that didn't quite fit. Felt like a thin illusion, despite being his natural state. He curled his tail to hide the blade implant, then stared expectantly at the Icewing. Changbai seemed slightly more at ease, as if a change of scales changed the dangerous dragon before him. And yet . . . I don't feel like Dragonbite quite so much right now, do I?

Boto shook his head, trying to ignore his throbbing head and the sting of countless cuts across his scales. "What happened, Changbai?"

The Icewing took a deep breath and then began to explain. Boto listened in fascination as his friend described how Thrush had somehow realized that Dragonbite was Boto during the fight. Hurriedly, quietly, Thrush told Changbai, even as Doomsayer told Sepia. Somehow the winglet distracted the crowd - Changbai mumbled something that sounded like "may have set a fire" - followed by a similarly undecipherable phrase that was either "scavengers attacking" or "kidnapping."

Thrush stepped away from the doorway and strolled over, sparing Changbai from any further "explanation."

"I knocked you out," the Skywing said matter-of-factly. "And Sepia snatched the other Sandwing. Believe it or not, it's much easier to hide when there isn't a corpse to explain."

"You . . . knocked me out?" He should have been amused, but instead he found the whole situation hilarious. Which in turn made him wonder just how hard he'd been hit.

Thrush grinned. "Would you've preferred if I'd tapped you on the shoulder and asked nicely? Or if I'd snuck up and whispered 'stop killing people' in your ear, soft as can be?" The Skywing shrugged his too-small wings. "Maybe that would stop Boto, but Dragonbite feels like a wild card."

It was strange hearing another dragon talk to openly about his two halves, but not entirely unpleasant. He searched his mind for feelings of anger, resentment, or hate towards the dragons who had - in effect - kidnapped and disoriented him. He was pleasantly surprised to find amusement and - oddly enough - a sliver of gratitude.

For a moment he let himself wander down the crooked road of mental duality, questioning just how sharp the divide between "Boto" and "Dragonbite" was. It wasn't a pleasant line of thought, and he quickly snapped out of it.

"Where is the assassin?" Thrush looked at Boto pointedly till he clarified: "The other one. The Sandwing?"

"In Sepia and Doomsayer's room. The Sandwing is still acting weird - totally out of it, but easy to keep subdued - so Sepia's keeping an eye on her and Doom."

"Wait-" His heart started racing, faster than it had when knives were flying towards his heart. Faster than it had when his tail was pinned and a blade was pressed to his throat. "What's wrong with Doomsayer?"

Changbai turned from the door and started to speak. "Near the end of the fight she-"Thrush let out a curse as another dragon's shadow crossed the threshold, and Boto's racing heart screeched to a halt.

There was only one other dragon who knew his secret.

Only one dragon with the power to ruin everything for him.

One dragon, who was now only a clawful of steps away, looking at him with a soft, sad expression.

Sunny.

________________________________

Hi all! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. It's quieter than the past few, but I figured that my characters can't always be running around throwing knives at each other XD 

What do you think of the contrast between "Dragonbite" and "Boto"? Which side of his character (if either) do you prefer?

I always look forwards to reading your thoughts so feel free to comment below! 

~ GingerFlame