Escape: A Wings of Fire Fanfic - Editing

Hope for a Better World

Chapter 17

Years later, when Clay and Sunny were dreamvisiting, before the big battle with the IceWings that would've happened.

"This isn't good," Amber said, gawking at the letter in astonishment.

"What does it say?" Chestnut asked.

"All MudWings to come to the battlefields. We will group up with the SkyWings and then travel to the Ice Kingdom. Take no prisoners. Either we destroy the IceWings, or they destroy us. Burn wants to win the war as soon as possible," Amber read out loud for them.

Chestnut felt a flicker of amusement as he realized that Queen Morhen still wouldn't refer to Burn as a queen if she didn't have to. Most of the MudWings wouldn't, save for the ones that had hatched since then. Burn doesn't deserve to be Queen. No one who wants to kill off an entire tribe should be Queen.

The meaning of the letter suddenly hit him. They were to go to another battle, but one in which there was no turning back. No stopping, only killing, killing, and more killing. Take no prisoners.

Fawn stared at Amber. "We're to... to try to kill every last IceWing in the Ice Kingdom? Or all get killed ourselves?" She shook her head. "We'll barely have anyone left alive by the end of this, if we're not all dead. We would get absolutely crushed by Blister's side."

Amber shook her head. "No matter how bad Burn is, she knows how to deal with war. And Blister's side hasn't fought in a while - ever since their Summer Palace went down."

"Do you think the SeaWings are no longer on Blister's side?" Chestnut asked. "Is Blister on her own with only her SandWings?"

Amber nodded. "Quite possibly."

Fawn perked up slightly at that news. "So, if we defeat the IceWings, this war might be over? No more fighting?"

"If we even survive this," Morass said glumly.

They were all silent at that. If we're trying to kill everyone, someone's going to die, almost certainly.

"That was always a possibility," Chestnut finally said. "If we don't do this, the war continues. If the war continues, one of us is going to die simply because of the amount of time we're fighting. It's pure luck that we've managed to survive so long."

"And our fighting skills," Amber corrected. "That played a big part in it."

"You trained us well," Fawn said. She sighed. "We still have to go, no matter what. I assume we're to go as soon as possible?"

Amber nodded. "Shouldn't take us too long to get there."

~~*~~

They arrived to many, many MudWings. After closer examination, Chestnut also spotted SandWings and SkyWings scattered about. It was still day, but he could see bundles of sticks ready for fires later that evening. Everyone was sharpening weapons and getting ready for a massacre - either for them or for the IceWings.

"Sheesh," Fawn said. "There are a lot of dragons."

"The entire MudWing tribe, half the SkyWing and a few SandWings," Amber pointed out. "And we're a big tribe. Most of the SkyWings and SandWings have yet to arrive, I think. They're farther away."

Chestnut watched the camp from high above in the sky. "Tomorrow morning, this valley will be empty, all the dragons flying north-west to the Ice Kingdom."

Amber smiled grimly. "Let's find an empty place to settle down. We'll need to rest if we're to fly so much the next few days."

~~*~~

It was night. The stars and three moons shone above, accompanied by a comet that had many dragons talking about it afterwards. Fires blazed across the camp. Only Morass was awake to see it all, while the other sibs were asleep.

It wasn't a peaceful sleep, either. They were all nightmares. Nightmares surrounded the camp, nightmare upon nightmare upon nightmare.

Chestnut's dream, like many others, was of the other sibs dying, dying, MudWings everywhere dying, IceWings killing, MudWings massacred. Fawn fell down in front of him, frostbite having frozen her, dead. 

Chestnut closed his eyes. This is just a nightmare. This is just a nightmare. This is just a nightmare! My sibs aren't dead, they're beside me. We're at the camp, not the Ice Kingdom.

"Hello?" a voice asked from behind him.

Chestnut opened his eyes in confusion. He blinked slowly. A SandWing stood in front of him - was she even a SandWing? She had golden scales; SandWings had ones that looked like, well, sand.

A flicker of a memory shone in his mind. The Dragonets of Destiny. Well, not dragonets, but one of them.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Good, you're aware of me." That part seemed more to herself than to Chestnut. She looked tired, but got straight to the point. "The war will be over soon. This is a nightmare, not reality. You can stop this nightmare from becoming reality. Don't go to the Ice Kingdom, stop fighting and killing. Spread the word."

And just like that, she was gone. Chestnut stared at the place where the SandWing had been, confused. Hope started rising in him when he registered what she had said. The war is almost over! The Dragonets of Destiny are going to stop it!

His nightmare became a dream, a hopeful dream, as he was calmed by that idea.

~~*~~

The next morning he woke and told his sibs about the dream.

"She must've dreamvisited me," Chestnut said, "to give me that message. I bet she gave it to others, too. She told me to spread the word."

Amber nodded. "If it can help stop the war, I'm all for it."

The sibs told other sib groups around them about Chestnut's dream. He encountered another who had been dreamvisited, and they compared their dreams. They were largely the same.

Queen Moorhen flew above the camp. A hush fell over everyone, as they watched her, wondering whether they would fight - or not. 

"We are not fighting the IceWings," Queen Moorhen called out. "I was dreamvisited, as many of you were as well, about a plan to end the war. One of the Dragonets of Destiny told me to bring Burn to her Stronghold, to make sure she was there. They want to end the war right then and there, in six day's time. Those who want to come, can come."

She flew back down to her sibs. All the MudWings burst into conversation. Somewhere in the camp, a dragon started singing, and others picked on. Chestnut shared a look with his sibs before joining in.

"Oh, the dragonets are coming.

They're coming to save the day.

They're coming to fight, for they know what's right.

The dragonets..."

It was eerie, as it had supposedly been at the Sky Palace. It wasn't fast paced. The slow, eerie, ghostly version.

Perhaps it wasn't the best version for a song of hope, Chestnut reflected. But that version had been made by a Dragonet of Destiny, so it fit.

The MudWings sang, somehow putting their relief and hope into their voices.

The relief that they wouldn't have to wonder if their sibs would die, if they would die.

The relief that they wouldn't have to fight and kill.

And the hope, the hope, the wonderful hope.

The hope that the war would end.

The hope that the Dragonet's plan would work.

The hope for a better world.