Wings of Fire; The Creed

Chapter 15

Starburst stood there in the hut for a little while after Firefly left, and then she slipped back out the window into the village again. The sun shone down on her through the mist, warming her scales, and making her realize how tired she was. She could feel her eyelids drooping, but she didn't want to fall asleep. She knew she should, but she felt like there were so many other things she wanted to get done.

She flew as stably as she could, but she could quickly feel her energy depleting as she made her way through the village. If she could just find a nice, secluded spot where she could safely sleep that would be great.

Just then, she remembered she was being hunted. Actively hunted by multiple dragons. A burst of energy shot through her from her tail to her wingtips, filling her with anxiety. Everywhere she looked, every dragon she saw, they could be trying to kill her. She instinctively flexed her claws, but her brain was starting to muddle from the lack of sleep, making it hard to control her motor functions.

"Starburst!" she heard a voice shout from behind her, making Starburst jump.

She whipped around, teeth bared, and claws flexed, only to come face to face with a startled NightWing face. Artemis and the rest of her clawmates were all together, clearly well-rested, unlike her.

"Starburst! Where have you been?" Diamondback asked.

Starburst her vision and thought foggy, thought for a moment and struggled to say, "Places..."

"Okay?" Diamondback said slowly.

Starburst yawned, tears springing in her eyes from how wide she opened her mouth. Every second she stayed awake felt like an eternity.

"Well, we are going to go exploring. I... Um... I guess we'll see you later?" Diamondback said, with a few nods from the other behind him as they started to angle themselves to fly away into the forest.

"Okay," Starburst yawned. "Sounds... good."

The others flew off toward the NightWing village, and Starburst flew up toward the top of the canopy. She scanned the canopy for a second, looking for the least exposed area to sleep at, where she would still be able to sleep in the warmth of the sun.

There was a small crevasse underneath the top canopy of a large tree, where it formed a small shelter-like area with walls and a small overhanging leaf roof. The morning light was still able to penetrate through the top layer of leaves, but she would not be seen, especially if she used the darkness of her scales to blend in with the shadows.

She glided down toward the spot, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be peeping, but she only saw a few birds, loudly chirping.

Starburst landed as quietly as possible, allowing the loud chirps and squawks of the morning birds to cover for her. She was too tired to be as cautious and controlled as she usually was.

The second she hit the leaves, the tiredness hit with a new wave of passion. She felt even more exhausted than she was originally expecting to. She was incredibly surprised she managed to stay awake for this long.

She lay down, trying to actively let her anxiety, fear, and any other unwanted feelings melt away in the heat of the sun. She let her muscles relax and her brain be enveloped by her fog, and let the noise into the background, instead of actively listening for something.

She closed her eyes, unwinding as the sun's heat energized and comforted her. The wind blew softly over her scales, catching slightly on her ruff. The wind carried the sweet scent of fruit and tree sap, and flowers.

Before she fully fell asleep, something strange popped into her head. She felt a small headache coming with the thought, but tried to ignore it, trying to fall asleep as peacefully as possible, but still. There was something familiar about it. It has happened to her before. It was still strange. It was almost like something inside of her was trying to tell her something.

Tonight... Danger... Friends...