Iridescence (WoF Fanfic)

Chapter 5

Iri flew through the storm, lightning flashing by her sides. Thunder rolled, rain lashing in her face. Finally her eyes lit on what she had been looking for; the prey cavern. She folded her wings to dive in, but the wind flung them open. She was tossed about like a leaf on the wind. She screamed as the wind dashed her against the rocks. Her wings were shredded, her bones were shattered. She lay gasping as her blood, her life, slowly flowed away from her, trickling down the mountain. And then Dreamstealer was looming over her, his teeth bared and his eyes cold. 

Iri woke with a start. She couldn't remember the dream, she only remembered the feeling of hopelessness and betrayal. She sat up slowly and observed her surroundings.

She was in a stone cell. There was a slot on the bottom that looked just big enough for a scavenger to fit through. How did they get me in here? she thought. Her eyes traced a faint crack on one wall. It went all the way around that entire wall. They must of shoved her into the cell and then put the wall up. In that case, she should be able to break the wall down!

Iridescence braced herself and slammed into the stone. She yowled with pain, and rubbed her bruised shoulder. The wall seemed unaffected. It must have been reinforced somehow, but figuring that out didn't help Iri's predicament any. 

Suddenly a scavenger walked through the slot. Iri yelped and jumped backward, teeth bared.

"Its okay! I won't hurt you!" The scavenger flung its paws in the air as if to show that it didn't have any weapons.

Iri blinked at it. 

"You can talk?" she rumbled.

"Of course! Our grandparents said you were just a mindless animal, but we are the New Generation. We know better." the scavenger puffed out her minuscule chest.

"We've been studying your language for ages! And know we can understand you!" The scavenger suddenly lowered her squeaky voice. "You have to help me escape. The tribe that capture you believes that dragons are no better than circus animals! And I'm their slave!" 

Iri narrowed her eyes. "What's in it for me?"

"If you help me escape, I'll get you out of here. I have a plan." The scavenger explained.

"Hmm." Iri tilted her head. "Tell me more."

"The wall is held on by giant metal bands that span the distance between this wall," she tapped the wall with a slot in the bottom, "And the wall that its connected to. Each band has a keyhole. If I get the keys and unlock all the bands, you can just topple the wall!" the scavenger jumped excitedly. 

"So you get the keys and unlock the bands. Then I come crashing through the wall, grab you, and then crash out with you in my talons?"

"Exactly! The ceiling above us is made of timbers and stone tiles. The roof will collapse if the ROTTING WOODEN timbers are removed." she grinned.

Iri couldn't help but grin back.

"I memorized the guard schedules. Be alert tomorrow, I'll come in the morning when they switch shifts. I have to go now!" The scavenger sprinted through the tiny doorway-like slot.

Iridescence stayed up late into the night, thinking. The timbers wouldn't even need to be rotting; her venom could take care of wood easily. She would smash through the wall, snatch the scavenger, spray some venom, and shoot through the rubble.

But once she got the plan figured out, her thoughts redirected to the scavenger. It seemed odd that just because the scavenger could understand her, she could understand the scavenger. Perhaps the scavenger was wearing an enchanted necklace that allowed her to speak to dragons or something? Did scavengers have animus scavengers? Or did a dragon enchant something for a scavenger some reason?

It made her head hurt just thinking about it. Her eyelids drooping, she rested her snout on her talons and laid her tail over her eyes, dropping into sleep.

.             .             .

"Hey! Wake up! Wake UP!"

Iri shook her head and stumbled to her feet. The scavenger poked her head through the doorway.

"Hurry up! I'm on the last two hinges!" she ducked back out. 

Iridescence snarled, flexing her shoulders in anticipation. 

"Hey! Slave! What are you doing!" unfamiliar, hostile voices echoed down the corridor. An odd noise, like metal bouncing on stone reached her ears.

"NOW!" the scavenger called! Iri roared, the close walls reflecting the noise, amplifying it, reverberating in their ears. 

She lunged forward, smashing the wall down. She whipped her head to the left, teeth bared, and saw the scavenger standing by the remains of the stone wall, jaw dropped in awe.

Iri grabbed the scavenger in her talons. Spread her wings. Lifted off.

And then the world exploded.