Terror of Talons ✦ A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

Chapter Eleven

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The next day dawned with an unsettling mix of anticipation and dread that Shrike was all too familiar with by this point. He made his way to the training grounds, trying desperately to mentally prepare himself for whatever awaited him. The weight of his new title, Colonel, felt heavy on his shoulders, but he knew he had no choice but to face it head-on. I can't believe I'm only getting a few days to train. I mean, really, is Her Majesty out of her mind? He cursed to himself internally, knowing that these words were best left unuttered and in his own head. Moons-blasted war.

As he approached the designated area, his jaw tense with anxiety, Shrike spotted a group of dragons already gathered. General Jackdaw, a formidable figure with a reputation for being unrelentingly harsh, stood at the front, his deep crimson eyes sharp and assessing. The colonels stood in a line, all varying shades of red or orange, like perfect flickers of a flame. Shrike's wings rustled uncomfortably by his sides. He'd never really gotten used to just how out of place he looked among the other SkyWings.

Cuckoo, a strikingly handsome dragon with a long snout and piercing yellow-white eyes, caught Shrike's attention first. He had one of those faces that had features that one would usually consider to be unattractive or strange, but since he was so otherwise perfectly chiseled, it only added a certain charm to his appearance. Despite his attractiveness, there was something about Cuckoo's demeanor that made Shrike feel uneasy. 

Standing rigidly next to Cuckoo was Puma, a quiet, calculating dragon who seemed to be watching everyone, dissecting them with only her gaze. She was tall, with a long, craning neck and shoulders that suggested years of rigorous training and battle. Her rust-colored scales glinted in the sunlight, marked with countless scars from numerous battles. She certainly was much, much older than Shrike (everyone else here looks older than me, but none of the other colonels look to be more than five years older than I am, asides from Puma, he noted to himself); he assumed that she was in her mid-forties. Frankly, he was surprised that she wasn't a general. Shrike felt her bronze eyes on him, and it was as if she was reading his every thought like a scroll. He felt uncomfortably exposed under her scrutiny. She's the one that I have to go with to the Diamond Spray Delta to meet the MudWing forces, he realized with a shiver. 

Kiang stood beside Puma, his posture relaxed but his eyes alert. He heard him speaking to the dragon next to him, and Shrike noticed that accent was similar to his own- not haughty and high like someone of higher status or royalty, but more rumbly and drawn-out. Shrike noted this worn but sturdy appearance; his face bore the hallmark creases of stress and restless nights, but his expression was unyieldingly confident. He probably had to claw his way up the ranks, Shrike thought to himself. It's so rare that anyone outside of the nobility is able to hold any kind of high rank in the military.

Finally, there was Simmer, the dragon that Kiang was talking to. He was a noticeably more laid-back dragon with a perpetually relaxed expression, and he had an easygoing sort of demeanor that Shrike hardly ever saw in the palace. As Shrike approached, Simmer gave him a friendly nod.

General Jackdaw's deep voice cut through the air like a blade. "Attention, all of you!" His tone was commanding, brooking no dissent. "We have a lot of work to do, and I expect nothing less than your utmost effort. Do you understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir," they chorused, though Shrike's voice was a fraction of a beat behind the others.

Jackdaw's eyes narrowed. "Colonel Shrike, I expect you to follow the example of the others. I understand that you have had no prior military training, but I do not expect any less from you. Do not disappoint me."

Shrike swallowed hard, nodding. How am I supposed to do this? I'm not cut out for the army, what in the moons-forsaken world was the Queen thinking? "Yes, General."