Escape: A Wings of Fire Fanfic - Editing

Summons

Chapter 4

Ten years later, called to camp.

The sibs had become great soldiers over those ten years. When one spends most of their life in war, one learns the secrets of battle and how to get through it.

They hadn't lost any sibs yet, much to their surprise and great delight. But according to Amber, it was only a matter of time.

Chestnut thought she was right. Isn't everything a matter of time, in the end? Time makes and breaks, builds and destroys. 

But then the letter came. It said they were to have a brief respite from the war, as a reward for their hard work in battle. They were all huddled around the scroll, dragon next to dragon, sib next to sib, all squeezed together in their bunker.

"Because of your hard work, loyalty and effectiveness in battle you are summoned to the meeting of the three tribes," Amber read aloud in their bunker. "You have earned a break. The meeting is at island C1 in ten days. Be there."

That was a code of the MudWings to determine which of the SeaWing's many islands a certain event would be at, most commonly meetings of war strategy. Every MudWing sib group who were important enough knew it. The sibs were included in that portion of the MudWing population, having spent ten years fighting for their tribe. They had come a long way from the dragons who had been ridiculed for not knowing how to fight.

"Well, we're summoned. I suppose we should get going right away." Fawn frowned and flicked her tail. "I do wish the queen would say more in her letters."

"It makes logical sense to write like that," Morass said. "You wouldn't want the other sides of the war to know what we're doing."

"Besides, that's always been the queen's way," Chestnut added with a shrug of his wings. "Even before the war."

"Do we really have to leave immediately though?" Alligator asked. "It's still ten days away, after all."

"It would mean a longer break from battle," Fawn pointed out. "As well as meaning we'd be able to travel more casually. We wouldn't have to rush. We would even be able to pretend we're just going to look at something interesting, and that there isn't any war." She smiled ruefully. "What I would give to no longer have to deal with this."

"Most dragons probably agree with you," Amber said. "Anyway, if no one objects, we leave for the island tomorrow morning."

The sibs nodded and began talking of more mundane things, until finally, they fell asleep with the light of the moon poking through the sky hole of their bunker.