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

Chapter 86: "Happy Hatching-Day. . ."

     The army marched forward, all three battalions side-by-side. Upon seeing the oncoming artillery, the ShadowWings sent out their own fleet. The two forces glared at each other, tensions rising quickly.

     For a moment, everything was still. The flat, orange plain Force had planned to start the battle on and the dusty air around them serene. And then that moment ended.

    "ATTACK!" Force bellowed, pointing straight at the enemy troops. The SkyWings unwillingly launched themselves into battle.

     Flint crashed into a dark green ShadowWing, clawing and sending him away screaming and smoking. He scrunched his snout in regret. He didn't exactly want to hurt these dragons, but he had no choice. Force was controlling them and they had to defend themselves from attacking ShadowWings.

     The Firescales hissed in pain as a blackish-brown ShadowWing slashed his side with her sharp claws. He whipped around just as she started to scream from the burns she sustained from his scales. He lunged at her, and her screams became louder as she burned alive, though, her screaming could barely be heard over the hundreds of other dragons' screams.

     As Flint stepped off the charred ash, he felt blood ooze from the gash under his wing, but ignored it as he had more important matters to attend to.

     Third, fourth, fifth ShadowWing, all killed beneath his fiery claws. Just as he had killed the sixth, a wiry, scarred, dark reddish-black ShadowWing, he felt someone press up against his back. He whirled around, and, to Flint's astonishment, it was RedRunner, a meaningful smile on his face and battle ready.

     Flint couldn't believe it, it was almost poetic, in a way, that the brothers would be spending their Hatching-Day fighting together.

     The Firescales was about to say something when a dark grey ShadowWing rammed into RedRunner, knocking him off his feet.

    "Hey!" Flint roared, racing up to the ShadowWing and slashing his snout with his smoking claws. The enemy screamed before turning tail and running.

    "Ugh, thanks," RedRunner huffed, getting back to his feet with a struggle. His right eye was closed and he had some minor cuts, but other than that, Flint's brother looked okay.

    "Right, now let's go kick some more ShadowWing ass," Flint replied with a nod.

     The two brothers fought, side-by-side for what seemed like forever. Each of their sides were heaving, and dripping with sweat and blood. They were covered in deep gashes and were losing blood and energy fast.

     The SkyWings were inevitably winning, as they had outnumbered the ShadowWings 3 to 1, but at what cost? Just as the last ShadowWing soldier fell, the remaining SkyWing troops moved forward, but Flint and RedRunner were too badly injured to move any more.

     The twins each let out a suffering sigh, crumpling to the blood-soaked dirt alongside all of their other fallen comrades. The blood from their own wounds quickly began to pool around them, and Flint wasn't sure how much longer he could last.

     He gazed at his brother in front of him, eyesight blurry and darkening around the edges. Everything he had done.. everything he had fought so hard for in the Sky Kingdom.. it was all worth it. He looked forward to when he'd be alongside the Great Dragon Spirits From The Legends, and being able to see his Queen find her actual true love, seeing as there would be no chance it would ever be him. He looked forward to laughing with his brother again, and maybe even confronting his father once they were there. But.. before they left, he.. he wanted to talk to his twin brother one last time...

    "Red... RedRunner..?" Flint rasped, blood trickling from his mouth as it opened. RedRunner feebly glanced up to stare into his brother's weary amber-orange eyes.

    "Happy Hatching-Day..." Flint whispered, slowly closing his eyes.

     RedRunner reached out and brushed Flint's talon with his wrist armor plate, and, moments before closing his own eyes, replied.

    "Happy Hatching-Day. . ."