Wings of Fire: Beyond the Horizon

Chapter 2

Conquest     701 CT

Conquest peered down at the valley below her. She sat atop a perch of marble, maroon fur glowing softly as it blew in the wind. A sudden whoosh echoed from below, a geyser of lava spraying thirty feet into the air. The home of the CrimsonWings looked like a hellscape to outside tribes. It was widely known as the most dangerous place on Solaria, even with the creatures that reside in the Violet Valley. If the heat or the creatures aren't enough to kill you, then you'll catch ash fever and slowly suffocate.

CrimsonWings were specially adapted to survive their environment. It was too hot for water, so they evolved to drink lava. Ash fever was killing off most CrimsonWings, so they evolved to filter the ash out of their lungs. The heat was too intense, so they evolved to grow fur that would convert the heat into energy. Anything nature threw at them, the CrimsonWings overcame. The sheer willpower of their tribe was what allowed them to survive.

Despite her young age, Conquest knew about the centuries of work that went into her home. Delicate patterns painstakingly carved into the marble that made up her kingdom, each and every detail planned carefully and carved by hand. This palace took over one hundred years to build completely, and that was before they started renovating all of the rooms. Conquest looked at the smooth walls with pride. 

The home of the CrimsonWings was beautiful to Conquest. It was a testament to how hard-working and tough her tribe was.  For millennia, her tribe had been tested by the environment. All of their unique powers went into creating the palace: their superdragon strength, to lift all of the marble and carve into it, their blue fire to melt iron into usable tools or decorations, and their ability to hold lava in their bodies to supply the forges.

It was truly a monument to the tribe's specialized skillset and adaptations to survive in their volcanic home, the Pyroclasmic Wastes. But as she was thinking pridefully about her tribe and its accomplishments, talonsteps began echoing from behind her.

"Conquest?" Her mother echoed from behind her. "What are you doing?"

"Just appreciating the work that went into the palace," she replied. 

"Me and your father talked about something," her mother said. "There's word of an academy starting near Concordia. They're calling it the Agate Academy. We talked about it and decided that once it opens, we're enrolling you. You'll get to go to school and learn with other tribes."

Conquest nodded. She wasn't sure how to feel about going to school with dragons from different tribes, but she thought she'd give it a try. "Okay."

"We want you to get the best education possible," her mother said. "It's for your own good. I hear they'll even have fighting classes. Perfect for you."

Conquest had always been a fighter. She was five months old and already wrestling with the nearby animals. She had the urge to protect everyone from the moment she hatched. She had heard about the war that had been going on for the past seven centuries, and she wanted to help the defenseless. She may have lacked the vocabulary to think about this, but she felt it deep in her heart.

"That sounds...good." Conquest looked at her mom, a small smile spreading across her face. 

"Oh! I've got someone for you to meet," Conquest's mother suddenly said, making her jump. "Conquest, don't give me that look. It won't be the end of the world."

A small, scarlet shape emerged from behind her mother. A small dragonet, likely no older than Conquest, waved at her.

"Hello," Conquest offered. "I'm Conquest."

"Bellicose," the dragonet replied. "My name is Bellicose." Her voice sounded strong and unwavering. Even Conquest could tell that she was going to be an honorable warrior someday.

"Bellicose here has similar interests to you. She'll also be going to the acacdemy once it opens. I felt like you should get to know her before school starts." Conquest's mother explained, smiling down at Bellicose.

Bellicose walked forwards, extending her talons. Conquest took a moment to realize what it meant, and she linked her talons with Bellicose's.

"Nice to meet you," they both said at the same time.

"So, you want to help people, too?" asked Conquest.

Bellicose nodded. "Your mom told me about you. You want to protect people, just like me."

"If they're going to have a class that teaches us how to fight, then maybe we can take it together," Conquest suggested.

"That's a good idea," Bellicose said. "I think we'll be friends for a long time."

Conquest felt the smile on her lips expanding. "Wanna go for a fly?"

"Sure!" Bellicose answered, smiling at her. CrimsonWing dragonets had been able to fly very early into their lives for as long as anyone could remember. From what Conquest heard, their early ancestors were tailored for the sky. They were also fearsome, strong warriors, which was likely another factor in their early flight age. Dragonets as young as one month were starting to learn how to fly.

The two dragonets ran off of the marble perch, their talons tapping against it with soft clacks. Conquest lept down, spreading her wings to catch a current of wind, with Bellicose close behind her. She though she heard her mother yell something like "be careful" behind her. But she didn't care.

She wasn't quite ready to call Bellicose a friend yet, because she had just met her. But the fact that she also wanted to protect her home was a good sign for their relationship.  Conquest was glad that she had something in common with this dragon, and that they may bond over their interest in fighting against their enemies.