Wings of Fire: The Rebel's Choice

Chapter 2

I'm exhausted, Shoebill thought, angling her wings down and letting her talons touch the ground of the camp. The sun had risen far higher and all seventeen dragons were awake now, bustling together in a crowd of shining red and gold. All around, SkyWings gathered up food and water, but more importantly, packed their tents and prepared to leave.

"We're moving already?" Shoebill asked, turning her thin snout up at Jackdaw.
"Yes, I told everyone yesterday," Jackdaw responded, clutching the ropes of his own living space and working to take it down. "We need to move often, so the Queen doesn't find us, remember?"
Oh. Right. Queen Hurricane's soldiers. "Oh, alright. Guess I'll do my own,"
"But it's only been three days!" Oriole complained from behind, lashing a long, salmon-pink tail on the ground. "And I like this spot,"
"You won't like it when we get found," Jackdaw responded, their eyes fixed on their own work.
"Hmf. Fine,"

The weather for flying was perfect. Clear and not a single cloud hinting rain or a storm drifting across the beautiful blue of the sky.

But Shoebill still struggled to keep up with the group of SkyWings, especially the strongest and fastest ones like Everest and Jackdaw, who flew up far up ahead, their wings almost touching. Unfortunately Crow was right up in front. The old, large dragon grumbled and muttered as he flew, definitely complaining either about other tribes or Jackdaw not being a good enough leader.

Oriole suddenly fell backwards and drifted up on a current of air right next to Shoebill, reddish eyes twinkling when she looked at her.

"Do you know where we're going this time?" Shoebill asked her. Surprisingly, for a dragon so loud and rebellious, Oriole happened to be terrifyingly good at overhearing things and persuading dragons to tell her their plans. She could easily make an excellent spy one day.
"I heard Jackdaw say that we're going more into the rocky parts of the mountains instead of the forest. Closer to the palace!"
Both fear and excitement surged through Shoebill's soul. "So you think we're going to fight the queen soon?"
"Probably. Copper says everyone wanted to do it 3 whole years earlier. Jackdaw is 'waiting for the right time',"
"What if some soldiers see us?"
"It'll be fine! Jackdaw probably has something planned. And Everest knows the mountains like the back of her claws,"
Shoebill nodded silently, stretching her neck down to look at the ground. Below her there were already rocky hills sliding into view as the forest slowly thinned out.

After what was probably several hours, Jackdaw signalled and called out. "Stop got a moment, everyone, we need to eat and drink!"

They soared down by a trickling stream running between massive, smooth boulders, lapping gently at the running water. Other dragons gathered around to drink too. They looked almost like a herd of animals.

Shoebill picked a spot further up the stream, where a patch of soft mud and moss replaced the hard boulders. Her claws sank deep into it as she drank, savouring the cool freshness of the water.

As desperately as Shoebill wanted to sink deeper into the mud and let it seep between her blue-streaked scales, she was starving. The others probably had some food on them, but it was best if she caught something for herself.

"Tell Jackdaw I'm going hunting," she told Oriole as the SkyWing landed on some rocks right next to her.
With that, Shoebill crept off and leaped into a slightly wonky flight, scanning the ground for prey. Hopefully there would be a mountain goat or something else here.

After a few minutes, she spotted exactly what she was looking for. A goat grazed peacefully on a lone shrub, oblivious to the dragon soaring above it.
Spotting her chance, she dived straight down. It bleated loudly and tried to run away, but it was too late for the goat- Shoebill had already crushed it beneath her heavy talons.

I'll take it back to the others get Oriole to help me cook it, she thought, heaving it up in her jaws. Oh my animuses, this thing is hea-

Shoebill's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a fellow MudWing, staring at her from across the rocks.