Wings of Fire ~ A Special Snowflake

3 ~ Freezing Cold Claws

The frigid atmosphere surrounded him as he allowed the wind currents to carry him deeper into the tundra. The night sky glittered with stars.

Clouds parted perfectly from where the mentor passed though, and it led him straight to a burning path. Rarely does anything burn in the Ice Kingdom, yet trees and bushes were smothered in scorching red ribbons. The fire created an updraft for Snowflake to glide on as he surveyed the area.

At last, he had found it. It was a pitch-black rock with chunks of different colored stones embedded inside. The stones were opal-like and glittered all sorts of colors.

Snowflake landed on untouched white snow a few tail lengths away. Smoke billowed into the sky, steaming hot. The dragonet carefully began to circle around the meteorite, peering into every nook and cranny his dark blue eyes passed over.

Then he found a gem that spontaneously sparked the moment he looked upon it. The gem crackled and sputtered, eventually settling into a dark blue color.

Snowflake blinked. It was almost the same shade as his eyes.

And suddenly every gem in the rock flared to life, sending bright flashes into his face. He winced and turned away, shielding his face with his wings.

Once the light faded, he dared look at the meteorite once again. It was silent and smoke no longer radiated from the surface.

The icewing continued to circle the rock, only to discover that all the stones had changed to the same dark blue. He felt himself shiver while his jaw hung agape.

"What is this?" He whispered to himself as he inched ever so closer to the foreign object. It was almost as it he was being pulled in, drawn to something invisible. Guided by talons he could not see, voices he could not hear.

So close, yet he felt so far away. He lifted his talons and reached out, ignoring his screeching mind, screaming at him to fly away.

His palm touched the surface. It was rugged and cold. So very, very cold. Colder than anything he ever felt before. His arm was frozen to the rock as the chilling feeling spread throughout his body.

He roared, terrified and confused. His voice rang over the tundra like a wave of thunder. He felt as if he was being picked by millions of tiny ice spikes. The skin under his scales brightened, almost like a sun hid below his scales. He was the brighest thing in the tundra.

At last, he pulled himself away. Panting and exhausted, he used the last of his strength to pull himself away from the meteorite before collapsing on the snow.

But he couldn't sleep. The sheer coldness kept him awake. His shivering refused to cease. His skin was no longer glowing and all the stone inside the meteorite was black and faded.

His talons felt frozen as it tingled furiously. Clutching a tree branch in his jaw, he shut his eyes and desperately tried to be rid the unwanted feeling.

Was something nudging his shoulder? Actually, it's shaking him! Snowflake groaned and opened his eyes.

"Snow! Are you alright?" Suka shouted. Her red eyes glistened, treating to spill tears.

"Skua? Yeah, I'm fine, just really cold!" Snowflake sputtered through a mouthful of wood before spitting it out.

"We heard a roar from your direction. Was that you?" Ox loomed over the smaller icewing, his snout scrunched with concern.

"That was me, I think. I touched the meteorite and it was freezing cold! I didn't mean to worry all of you, sorry." Snowflake said. It was only half the truth. They would definitely think he's crazy if he told them about the colorful stones.

"That must've been one cold rock." Hare snorted before stomping over to the medorite. Before Snowflake could warn her not to touch it, she slammed her talons on the surface. She narrowed her eyes at Snowflake.

"This isn't cold at all! Do you have ice in your brain or something?" Hare scoffed and rolled her eyes once Snowflake snarled at her in response.

"Well, if you insist that it was cold, I'll believe you. I don't want to push you to tell us anything." Ox nodded at the dragonet before meeting Hare at the meteorite.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Skua whispered.

"I'm sure, I promise." Snowflake softly smiled.

"Okay. But if you need anything, I'm here for you." She said before shyly nudging his tail with her own.

Snowflake stood up, feeling a little woozy. The pain in his body ceased... everywhere except his front talons. It was annoying, but the tingling would probably go away eventually.

"I'm ready to return home." Snowflake nodded at the star-speckled sky. The other dragonets agreed to keep the medorite a secret, burying it in the snow and returning home.

The flight home was uneventful. Hare and Ox returned to the outer walls of the royal palace while Snowflake and Skua made for their village.

As Snowflake tried to sleep, the tingling in his claws kept him awake. The sensation pricked his palms. Growling and turning over, he snorted and stepped outside. It was midnight and two of the three moons were shimmering above.

He found himself looking out in the direction of the meteorite. He was drawn to it, as if somebody was tugging his snout, his wings, his horns. He resisted the temptation to revisit the mysterious object, recalling the strange lights it previously emitted.

Smacking his snout with his tail, he went back inside and endured the creeping coldness in his talons for the rest of the night, staying awake.

By the time the sun rose, he was already in the arena for daily training. His claws hurt more, almost overbearing.

The morning was focused on endurance training such as flying laps or standing still in uncomfortable positions.

Snowflake completed the flight circuit just fine, but he could not for the life of him sit still. His claws were killing him. They inched. They stung.

His instructor noticed Snowflake's unusual behavior and she pulled the young icewing to the side. Four rings draped from her necklace.

"Snowflake, your uncoordinated movements raises my concern. Is something bothering you?" She asked. She was a caring mother of six dragonets and a wonderful trainer. She cared for every one of her students despite being rather strict at times.

"My front talons hurt."

"Hurt? Are they sore?"

"No, more like stinging or burning."

"Well..." The instructor closed her eyes, furrowing her brow. "You're my top student, I know you wouldn't lie to me. Go to the infirmary and return later today to give me the news."

"Yes, Flurry." Snowflake bowed his head before flying tot he infirmary. And, what a surprise, not even the healer could figure out what was wrong. Of course, Snowflake didn't mention what happened when he was alone at the meteorite. He didn't tell anyone.

His instructor was disappointed, but she allowed him to skip out on endurance training and let him join on battle drills.

Even in battle, the claws tingled. It aggravated him and was utterly distracting, often disrupting his movement. He won every battle that day, but barley. Flurry kept her eyes trained on her student.

Once the day ended, Skua was the first to confront him.

"What happened to you?" She tilted her head and wrapped her tail around her body. Snowflake continued to stare at his talons.

"I have no idea."