King of The Dragons (Wings of Fire X Monster Hunter)

Part 2: Chapter 17 & 18

(3rd Pov Clay)

The queen was not pleased to find her wall of fire still in place when the dragonets were hauled back to their cell. She probably assumed it was Peril. Scarlet was mad that Stormcaller had tricked her, but she was even more mad when she found out he had disappeared. It was like he just vanished into thin air. No one could find him.

The queen sighed disapprovingly. "So you've figured out what MudWings hatched from blood-red eggs can do," she said. "I suppose it was only a matter of time." Clay glanced at the others in confusion as the guards used long shovels to scrape the rock aside. What did she think he'd done? Tsunami and Starflight looked grim, as if they understood a lot more than he did.

"Find the ten most sober guards," Scarlet instructed Vermillion. "Post them out here. These dragonets are done ruining my party." She glared at the three of them as they were pushed into the cave once more and the fire wall was scraped back into place. "It's very selfish of you," she snapped. "My hatching day only comes once a year. I've been planning this for months. So stop being awful, or I will take Burn's advice and kill you right now.

They waited until she was gone and the spiny backs of very grouchy SkyWing guards filled the passageway outside. Then Tsunami pulled Clay and Starflight to the far corner, where the wind was whistling through the narrow windows would cover their conversation.

"I don't remember anything about that in the scrolls," she whispered to Starflight.
"There was one reference to a legend from before the Scorching," Starflight whispered back. "But I didn't think it meant anything. The guardians never said there was anything special about a red egg. I don't think they're even that rare."
"What are we talking about?" Clay asked.

"You, you great lummox," Tsunami said, poking him with one talon. "And your no-good, evil girlfriend and friendly con artist."
"I - who?" Clay asked.
"Peril and Stormcaller," Starflight explained. "The one who betrayed us to Queen Scarlet instead of helping us escape. And the one who left us with Queen Scarlet so they could escape."

Clay was finally catching up. "You think she did that?" he said. "Why would she do that? And Stormcaller's our friend, he wouldn't leave us."
"Because she wants to keep you here, obviously," Tsunami growled. "This is what happens when you're too nice to psychotic killer dragons, and we don't know anything about Stormcaller. We've only known him for a few days."

"I'm still confused," Clay said. "How do red eggs come into it?"
"Don't you remember the prophecy?" Starflight asked.
Clay winced. It was the one thing the big dragons had tried to drill into their heads over and over again. But it never seemed to stick to his.

"For wings of earth, search through the mud," Starflight quoted, "for an egg the color of dragon blood." He stopped and looked expectantly at Clay. There was a pause.
"What, me?" Clay said.
"Tell us about the legend," Tsunami said impatiently to Starflight.

"It was something about how MudWings hatched from dragon-blood eggs can was through fire," Starflight said.
"Oh, that's all?" Tsunami said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Well," that doesn't sound at all useful. Certainly not worth mentioning."
"Hey, if I had my scrolls with me, I'd have all the information we could possibly want," Starflight pointed out.

"Wait, that can't be right," Clay said. "Kestrel burned me plently of times in combat training."
"But you have no scars," Tsunami said. "She tried to set you on fire way more than the rest of us, and you always healed in, like, a day."
"Is still hurt, though," Clay said. He remembered that really clearly.
"The mud," Starflight jumped in. "Dragons draw strength from their natural habitats. SeaWings are most powerful in the ocean. I bet you had to encounter mud before your full immunity from fire could develop." He paused, thinking, and his expression turned hopeful. "Maybe my powers will be activated by moonlight or something."