The Insignia

Prologue

The ground shook in a mighty quake, sending tremors down the back of Quill, as she walked. Her eyes were the color of a dappled sunset, an orange, the color of a newly born sun. Her scales were brown, with the hinting red glimmer of mahogany. Her wings spread out, laced with a glowing orange color, that made her whole body seemingly glow.

    Again the ground shook, this time spewing a fiery, orange substance into the air, lava. Black, igneous rocks scattered the ground as Quill walked. This was not the ideal place for an earth dragon to wander, but she had to find the egg. The silver egg. Her sunrise eyes searched frantically for the small, oval object, silver as moonlight, reflecting upon the smooth surface of water. She searched the burning ground, for the egg, hoping to find it, before the humans did. She had to find the egg. The earth shook once more, the surface beginning to crack, fiery magma beneath glowing in its incredulous attempt to eat away the ground above it.

    Stretching her dappled, ombre wings, Quill took to the air, deciding it was safer, even with the puffs of smoke, entangling from the heated surface below. Her eyes stung. The egg had to be here. Somewhere... Anywhere.. She had to save the egg, before it was too late, and her whole species crumbled before her.

     "Ignis," she roared, hoping the fiery tendrils of lava would die down, so she could search for the egg, but they just rose higher, drowning the land in a black, red liquid, sent straight from the dreadful depths of hell.

Roaring, Quill flung herself lower to the ground, her wings searing from the heat below her. All that remained in her mind was the egg, the silver egg. The egg, of the hatchling that was supposed to save her species, her kind.

     Then, there she saw it, on a little hill, lava inching for it, too ease its pangs of hunger. "NO!" Quill screamed zooming towards the egg, her claws reaching for the little oval, upon the barren wasteland. She flew faster than ever before, her wings touching the mouth of fire beneath her, but she ignored the pain. She needed that egg, she needed to save that egg!

Quill swung downward grasping the small sphere in her claws, taking back to the sky. Her wings were dappled in fire, she screeched in agony, but kept flying. Her wings were nearly failing with every stroke she took, "Must save the egg," she repeated over and over to herself, as the land beneath her crumpled in the destructive hands of flames. She closed her eyes to the timber that littered the ground,and the scorching heat beneath her faded. There was no more pain burning her wings, only the vengeance and perseverance throbbing within her.

   She opened her eyes, the Frozen Sea! It lay there white and solid, mirroring like glass. Quill flew faster and faster, wanting to break the surface of the scalding water body, but she knew she would never make it, for her body was failing, and her wings were almost burned to ashes. So she flung the egg from her claws, and watched it disappear beneath the surface of the icy waters. She watched her reflection as she fell, as she fell to hell itself. 'Good bye world', she wanted to say, but had no longer the strength to say it. Quill closed her eyes, the image of the egg breaking the icy surface imprinted on her dying mind forever...