Wings of Fire: Dawn of The Stars

Chapter 8

Sapphire opened her dark green eyes and sat up. Dawn was peeking in. She turned and saw that the others were still asleep.
That's new. I've never waken up first before. Sapphire stood up and crept out of the camp. The sky was a pale pink-orange as the bright sun crawled its way up the sky. The dark blue dragonet started to take out the supplies. She rebuilt the campfire and laid out the sticks.
As she wandered around the campsite, she felt her pouch thump on her neck. Sapphire opened it and pulled out her horn ring. She slid it on and checked to see if the others were awake yet. The NightWing and SkyWing dragonets were sound asleep.
I guess I can go hunting for them, she thought. Sapphire stretched and took off into the west of the forest. This was where she went last time. Instead of taking the path to the left which led to the river, she continued forward through the paths.

As Sapphire came back with the talonful of food, Futureseer raced up to her and grabbed Sapphire by the shoulders.
"Sapphire! Where in the whole of Pyrrhia's moons were you?!" Futureseer demanded.
"I went out hunting for you guys," Sapphire explained.
"Without consulting me?! You've could've been spotted by SandWing patrols!" Futureseer dragged Sapphire as she yelped and landed beside Amber.
"Sapphire! Why'd you go without me! I want to hunt, too!" The young SkyWing dragonet flew to sit by Sapphire's side. Sapphire giggled at Amber's protest. "But I appreciate the food you've brought us." Sapphire smiled at the dragonet's approval, but then her attention turned to Futureseer again.
Futureseer took a few breaths and finally spoke up. "I'm sorry, Sapphire. I was just worried about you. Thanks for the food."
"Of course! Here, I got some fruit, too," Sapphire said. She laid out meat, fruit, and berries across the stump. Futureseer's muscles seemed to relax a little as he picked a few berries off of the stump. Sapphire promptly ate a few strawberries and grapes.

After all three dragonets ate their meal, Amber marched up toward them.
"It is time I share my plan with you!" Amber began. "Although, I'm not sure if you would like it, Sapphire."
"It's alright. I'd do anything to save Catfish," Sapphire responded. Sapphire sat in a comfortable position with Futureseer on her right.
"Since in the war, each tribe is allianced with either the SeaWings or NightWings. The IceWings and MudWings are allied with the SeaWings. And the SkyWings and SandWings are allied with the NightWings." They both nodded at Amber's statement.
"I bet Sapphire won't be welcomed in the Night Kingdom, so what if we could say Futureseer met up with me and found you. We could also say we took you prisoner to find answers about the SeaWings' next attack. We can pretend to hold Sapphire hostage!" Sapphire shivered at the thought of that, but she would do it if it were for Catfish. "As we sneak into the NightWings' dungeons, we can look for Catfish and escape!" Amber finally completed her plan.
"That's an excellent idea!" Futureseer praised.
"Then why don't we start now?" Sapphire asked. "I'm ready for this."
"We'll start the journey now. Let's clear up the camp." Futureseer stood up and stretched. He started by putting out the campfire and headed toward the tent. Amber got up and grinned at Sapphire. Sapphire grinned back.
Suddenly, Sapphire felt a piercing pain in her head and before she could react, her talons reached for Amber and grabbed her. Then Sapphire rolled away as a large tree collapsed a few feet away from them. Sapphire finally let out a gasp as Amber shrieked.
"What was that?!" Amber shouted. Sapphire realized she was still holding the orange dragonet tight in her arms. She let go as Amber wandered off to inspect the tree.
"I— I don't know," Sapphire admitted. What had just happened there? For that moment, Sapphire hadn't felt like herself. It was like her body was moving on its own. Futureseer came racing back toward them, panic written all over his face.
"I LEAVE YOU GUYS FOR ONE SECOND AND A TREE FALLS ON YOU?!" Futureseer screamed. He crashed into Sapphire and hugged her. "Are you alright?!" he asked panicking.
"I'm fine! Not even a single scratch," Sapphire said as she squeezed out of Futureseer's grasp. Sapphire's aching pain wore away as she approached Amber.
"Amber, what happened? Did you see anything?" Sapphire asked the shocked Amber.
"All I saw was you hurtling towards me— your horn ring was glowing brightly," Amber said. Sapphire touched the horn ring as she felt a tiny shock at her talons. She winced at the unexpected feeling.
"My horn ring?" Sapphire questioned. "Could it have saved us?"
"What do you mean?" Futureseer said.
Sapphire paused for a moment, trying to find the exact words. "It wasn't me who grabbed Amber and got myself away. I didn't feel like myself. I— I couldn't feel a thing honestly."
Futureseer's eyes widened at these words. "Why didn't you feel like yourself?"
Sapphire thought for a moment and remembered the SandWing she had encountered the day before. "I think it was animus magic."
"Animus magic!" Amber yelled out in surprise. She stared at the golden horn ring on Sapphire's left horn.
"Wait—," Sapphire began. Her mind rolled through the many times she had read her favorite scroll. The Twilight Star Legend. She had once read about one of the talismans that could save any dragon who obtained it from danger. But Sapphire had never thought of it as if it were controlling the dragon's body.
And it's just a story. The Twilight Stars can't be real. Or—, can they?
Sapphire's mind wondered in questions when finally, Futureseer broke the silence.
"Did you remember something?" he asked patiently.
"Yes, actually," Sapphire admitted. "I just remembered reading a scroll about an item that could save dragons from harm. I think that my horn ring is it." It was silent for a while as Futureseer wondered about. Amber had finally broke the silence.
"Mysterious and all, but we really need to get going with my plan. Catfish may not have a lot of time left!" The SkyWing dragonet took off to the sky without saying another word.
Sapphire stumbled on her talons and ascended into the sky alongside Amber. Futureseer burst in right beside Sapphire's right. They were coming to save Catfish, and they would do it well.