Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 20: Eternal Fire [Part 1]

-Sorry for how late today this was updated. Work got busy and held me late. This chapter will mostly be in Vaskr's POV. We get a newcomer and a little more foreshadowing this time. Enjoy!

-NFD

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"I'm a failure!" I whimpered pathetically, tears streaming down my face as I laid sloppily on the forest floor. Vaskr's scent was right here with the familiar empty scent of the Scoots. There were signs of struggle in the upturned soil, making it clear what had happened.

Thwack!

I yelped as a tail impacted my head, leaving behind a throbbing headache. Astra stooped low to look me in the eye with a withering glare. "You're not a failure! Pull yourself together already; we don't have time for this!"

"Astra's right," Moon interjected, keeping Shadow close. "The Scoots took them, and they obviously don't have good intentions. If we want to find them alive, we need to start searching sooner rather than later." I knew they had a point, but it was difficult to control my despair. My egg likely exacerbated my negative emotions, which obviously wasn't making this situation any better.

"What do we know?" Astra prodded impatiently. "What happened?"

"The Scoots abducted Vaskr and Nibbler, likely because, with their Soulmagic, they are valuable energy sources to power forbidden rituals," Moon reasoned, eyeing the shadows warily. "The only ritual I believe Scoots care about is reincarnation. They want to break their master free and return him to the living realm."

"T-They're using my son as fuel?" I whispered shakily, my despair intensifying.

Moon winced. "Basically... yes. Obviously, the dead are incapable of laying an egg or giving birth, so reincarnation can't be done the way I did it for Auroon. Instead, they have to steal magic from others and pool it together to create a... mockery of life. Soulburners are prime targets. Once they discover Lunar-Magic, though..."

My heart sank. "Aurora. Auroon."

She winced again, inspecting the upturned soil around us. "And you. It's best that they don't know about your magic type, and your egg will destabilize your emotions, and it needs to be kept safe, so... yeah."

I dropped my head roughly in the dirt, knowing what she was implying, and hating it all the same. "You want me to stay out of it," I growled faintly. "To hide." Astra fidgeted impatiently but didn't dare interrupt.

She sighed, facing me fully for the first time. "Look, I can guess how worried and scared you are. It's easy to figure out if I imagine Shadow being in Vaskr's place. But, please, you have to keep your egg safe. Besides, I need someone to keep my daughter safe, too. Can you do that for me?" I couldn't deny that her request angered me, but I knew that she had a point. I couldn't in good conscience risk my egg's life. I reluctantly nodded, my vision blurring with fresh tears.

"Finally," Astra groaned. "Let's get going!"

"Ah, ah, ah," Moon chided, urging Shadow to move to my side. Shadow obeyed, albeit very reluctantly. "You're staying too."

"Like Hel I am!" She snapped. "I'm not going to sit around while you take your time!"

"How would Auroon react if he heard his mother left his mate, unlaid egg, and little sister defenseless?" Moon countered knowingly. "Stormfly can't fight very well with that egg."

"Fine," Astra growled petulantly, conceding quickly. "You'd better get them back, Moon. If you return without them, I'll find a way to make you suffer."