𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 [ꜱɪᴢᴢʟᴇ] | 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

|| Chapter 4 ||

"SIZZLE! Wake up! Were going into town to buy some items we need for the academy in a couple weeks!" Barren's yell for her from downstairs snapped Sizzle out of her deep sleep.

"Ugh I'M COMING!" Sizzle shouted back and groaned. It was clearly way too early in the morning to go shopping. The pale SandWing flew down the stairs and didn't even think about breakfast, since their food was so scarce. 

Barren, Cleo, and Sunrise were waiting for her by the entrance to their home, front door open. Sizzle walked up to them and tilted her head. "Is Father not coming?" she asked.

"He's...really busy. Like he always is," her mother replied, glancing away. "Ok we better get going, or else all the things we need are going to be sold out." Before any of her dragonets could respond, she took off into the sky and Barren, Sizzle, and Cleo hastily followed. 

"Why would you want Father to come anyways, Sizzle?" her sister questioned her.

"Yeah, you know how much he hates us!" Barren snorted as they gliding next Sizzle. She sighed, "Guys, chill. He doesn't hate us. He's just...really introverted."

Cleo laughed loudly. "Haha, now that's the funniest thing Ive heard all day," the speckled SandWing replied. Barren chuckled along with her and Sizzle stuck her tongue out at the two of them.

Sunrise sighed wearily. "All three of you. Silence. We're almost to the Scorpion Den." And the three siblings shut their jaws.

They continued to flap their wings quietly for a couple of minutes before her brother whisper into to her ear, "Sizzle. Face it. Father is a bad dragon, ok? You need to realize that."

The four SandWings landed in town and Sizzle brought her wings close to her and making herself look tougher than she really felt. 

Her mother turned to her. "Sizzle, darling, need you to fetch a couple things from the list..."

"Wait a second, what list?" Sizzle raised her eyebrow, confused.

"Oh the academy sent us a list of supplies you three need for school along with your acceptance letters that you need to bring on your first day of school," Sunrise explained.

The SandWing with red markings took the scroll from her mother's talons. "We seriously need all this?" The list seemed like it was miles long.

"If you want to get into school, yes. Now I need you to fetch every book and art supplies for you and Cleo and Barren. Off you go, now. Dot get into trouble," said Sunrise as she frantically pushed Sizzle away towards several stores and stands, letting her daughter keep the list.

Sizzle rolled her eyes for the second time that day and she went searching for the items. As she bought most of the books and scrolls and was searching for the art supplies, Sizzle spotted Sunbeam creeping around past SandWings in a strange black cloak. The pale gold SandWing tried many times to get her friend's attention but failed as Beam vanished behind a building heading towards the entrance.

Sizzle furrowed her brow as she lost sight of the SandWing animus. She was acting weird. I'm sure she's just buying food for herself and her mother though. Like she usually is, Sizzle shrugged off the thought and finally found the paint and brushes she needed.

She was just in the middle of purchasing those items when she heard a piercing scream towards the center of town followed by several other shrieks of terror. Sizzle didn't give another thought as she shoved the supplies she bought into the large pouch tied to her chest that Cleo gave her and went sprinting directing towards the commotion.

Sizzle finally managed to shove through the crowd of sand dragon and noticed a small figure disappear into the alleyway and she could've sworn that dragon had blood staining their claws.

And thats when she saw the bodies.

There they were. Barren, Cleo, and Sunrise lying on the ground . Throats slashed. Stomachs cut open. Wings torn. Tail barbs scratched right off. All three of them were dead. 

"NO! MOTHER. CLEOPATRA. BARREN," tears flooded down her face and she wailed at the top of her lungs as she practically threw the SandWings who were in her way and dove down towards her family's broken, crumpled figures. 

Sizzle was sobbing loudly. They couldn't be dead. THEY COULDN'T BE DEAD. She then shouted as loud as she could at the dragons surrounding her, asking who did this. They said they didn't see a face, but it was a small sized female SandWing.

She could barely hear anyone anymore. She honestly didn't care about anything else. She shut her eyes tightly as she hugged her mother's body feeling the warm blood flood onto her scales.

Sizzle didn't hear when a SandWing solider later had to pry her off of her siblings bodies. She didn't hear anything when he was dragging her away from the murder scene, screaming and biting. She didn't hear when Sunbeam came running towards her with freshly cleaned talons, hugging her tightly. She didn't notice when Antelope and Sunbeam had to carry her all the way back home. She didn't hear when Lion got the news and started to scream and cry in her face, demanding what happened.

All she heard was silence. And the silence was so loud. 

Because they were dead. And they weren't ever coming back.