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

Part 1: Chapter 1 & 2

Part One: The Secret Plan

(3rd Pov Starflight)

'Where is she?'
Starflight suspected that he might be dead, except that everything hurt so much. Darkness pressed against his eyes whenever he tried to open them. His nose and throat ached in a fierce, raw way, as if they'd been scraped out a crocodile tail.
'Is she all right?'

He couldn't remember what he'd dreamed and what was real.
Perhaps he was still under the mountain. Perhaps his friends had never tried to escape their guardians. Perhaps Stormcaller and the ancient dragon stuff was just a figment of his imagination. Maybe this was one long nightmare that had started with the threat of Morrowseer's visit.

But Starflight was sure he could remember the large NightWing taking his aside. There was a lecture about how "NightWings have a reputation to uphold" and "NightWings are natural leaders" and "you must make the others respect you, fear you, and follow you, or you'll become the greatest disappointment out tribe had ever produced" . . . Starflight couldn't have conjured that from his own brain. That was all real.

He curled onto his side and felt jagged rocks press into his scales. 
Was the SkyWing palace real? The dragonets capture before even tasting sunlight. The prison on the tower of rock. The baking-hot arena sands that smelled of blood and terror. Queen Scarlet's delight at capturing not one, but two NightWings out in the world, and her plans to have them fight other dragons, and her excitement about the prospect of watching them die.

No, that had to be real, because Starflight remembered being "rescued" by the NightWings. He remembered watching his friends turn into small dots below him, blue and brown and bright, and he knew it was real because it felt so much like this felt: as if he were a scroll ripped in half down the middle so none of the words made sense anymore. The one thing he remembered the most, was the terrifying look Stormcaller gave him before disappearing in the Sky Kingdom. That terrifying, lifeless, deathly glare was something Starflight would always remember.

'Will I ever see her again? I hope she's safe somewhere.'
"I think there's something wrong with him."
Was that a voice.
He tried to listen, but his dreams dragged him back down.

There had been another stern lecture from Morrowseer. It was essential for Starflight to be the leader of the dragonets; everything depended on him. And a new order: he must convince the others to choose Blister as the next SandWing queen.

"Maybe they killed him by accident. That'd be all right. Maybe I'll get to be in the prophecy instead."
"I don't think that's how it works, Fierceteeth."

And then there was the Kingdom of the Sea. No one would listen to him. He couldn't lead anyone. His friends practically laughed at him when he suggested to support Blister.

Another prison; another escape where Starflight did just about nothing to help. And then the rainforest and the strange unnatural tunnels: one to the Kingdom of Sand and one, apparently, to the secret home of the NightWings.

That Starflight remembered.
He remembered staring up at it - the dark hole in the tree that led to a home he'd never seen.
"I bet he'd wake up if I bit him."
"I bet Morrowseer would throw you in the volcano if he found tooth marks on his prophecy pet."
"I bet my mom would have him for lunch if he tried!"

He was definitely hearing voices - unfamiliar voices, very close by. The memory of the rainforest was blurring. Starflight tried to fix his mind on it - on those last moments, guarding the tunnel so the NightWings wouldn't come through and attack the RainWings. What had happened?

"Well, he'd better wake up and be interesting soon, or Morrowseer will take him away again before we get to ask him anything."
"Ooh, I have an idea."
Claws scrabbled on rock, and then there was quiet.
Starflight's eyes felt too heavy to open, as if extra scales were piled on top of them. He let the darkness drift over him again.