An Assassin's Choice {Wings Of Fire Fanfic/AU}

Chapter 79: A Wingless Sibling

     RedRunner hovered in the air seemingly indecisively. The sheer weight of what he was about to do seemed to get to him.

     This wasn't just meeting any ordinary dragons. He would have to make the best first impression he possibly could because these dragons were his future wife's parents. In other words, they were his to-be in-laws...

     Feather glanced back to the sky at him with her identically blue eyes as she lightly landed on the stone ledge. It was her parents' porch. Their den was right there. In front of them.

     RedRunner, intentionally ending his train of thought, lowered his head nervously before finally swooping down to land beside the beautiful SkyWing.

     She nodded, smiling at him before approaching the wooden door; she firmly knocked 3 times. There was a slight shuffling sound and the sound of dragons whispering on the inside for a heartbeat before it went quiet.

     Feather stepped back beside RedRunner as the door opened wide to reveal a carmine-red male SkyWing with brown eyes and eerily similar grey stripes to the ones Feather had. Behind him, RedRunner could see another SkyWing in the kitchen, this one with slightly more saturated pale-orange scales than Feather, but the same sapphire-blue eyes.

     The two groups just stood there for what felt like forever, the carmine-red SkyWing that RedRunner assumed was Feather's father looking the couple up and down (he spent an uncomfortable amount of time glaring at the ring on Feather's talon).

    "Feather!" the silence was broken as Feather's mother bustled past the red SkyWing, wrapping her in a bear hug.

    "H-hi mom..." she rasped awkwardly.

    "Oh how I missed my baby girl! And who is this? Is this the boy you were telling us about? The one who was your boyfriend?"

     RedRunner could've sworn that when Feather's mother said that, the expression on her father's face flickered to one that was of great fury.

     RedRunner recoiled slightly with nervousness, lowering his ears.

    "Yes mom, he is, but we're not just dating anymore.." Feather replied, pulling out of her mother's grasp, yet still clutching both of her talons in her own.

    "...That's right.. um.. we're engaged now..! ...Hoorayy..." RedRunner continued Feather's announcement, nervously sideways glancing at the disapproving face of her father every once and awhile.

     They both sidled next to each other and smiled nervously at the older couple.

    "Well..." Feather's father spoke his first words regarding them. He began to step toward them, his wife (who was silently congratulating them) beside him. His brown eyes narrowed to slits, nose scrunching as if he was very angry.

    "So long as you trust and love this dragon..." he boomed, looming over the duo.

    "...so do we." He wrapped them both in his dark-scarlet wings in a hug. As soon as he let them go, Feather's mother grabbed one of RedRunner's talons and shook it.

    "Hiya, dearie, I'm Sparrow, Feather's mother, but you probably already figured that out. I'm so glad that you and my daughter are getting married! She's been real lonely, don't you know. She needs someone who can spend time with her and protect her."

    "Uh.. okay-! Yeah! And it's nice to meet you too..!" RedRunner replied with a relived smile.

    "Why don't you two come in for dinner?" Feather's father asked. Sparrow blinked.

    "That over thar is Feather's father, Charcoal. I apologize on his part 'cause he can be abit rude sometimes, but don't let his act fool yah! He's really just a big softy on the inside!" the orange SkyWing continued, ushering both RedRunner and Feather in the house after Charcoal.

    "O-oh ..k," he chuckled nervously, shuffling his feet. Sparrow left them in the living room only to go do what RedRunner assumed was finish dinner.

    "...So.. what do you think so far..?" Feather mumbled awkwardly sideways-glancing at him.

    "They're...." RedRunner paused, at a loss for words. "...eccentric..."

    "Yeah.. my parents can be like that sometimes..." There was a couple heartbeats of silence between he two before Charcoal came waltzing into the living room, his wing curled as if it were draped over something.

    "Guess what? I've got something to show y'all!" he announced, plopping down on the hippopotamus-purple couch. 

    "Feather, I present to you..." Charcoal began before swiftly raised his wing from the thing he was hiding from them and RedRunner's eyes widened with surprise when he saw what it was, or should he say who it was.

     It was a SkyWing dragonet, small and wingless (RedRunner's mind immediately started to subconsciously wonder why he was wingless and how he might've lost his wings.), about the color of a goldfish. He had the same brown eyes as Charcoal, but what really gave it away was the trademark grey stripes covering his little body from head to tail tip.

"...Your new brother! Tada!"

"You have a brother?!" RedRunner exclaimed. Feather closed her agape mouth before exclaiming herself, "I have a brother?!"