Sands of Time(Soon undergoing HEAVY revision)

Prologue

It had been two years. Two years since Coyote had abandoned his tribe, his queen, his friends, everything- Everything to be with the love of his life- A SeaWing. To spend his life with her, and their soon-to-be-hatched little dragonet, no matter what their queens said.

That was the plan, anyway.

Seashell had burst into their ravine cave after a solo hunting trip that fateful day, with a terrified look in her green eyes. Her dark green scales caught the sunlight that was streaming into the cave as she shook out her wings, which had a peculiar yet beautiful cyan tint along the tops. Coyote heard her land in the opening cave and walked out to meet her. His tan scales had black diamondback patterns which looked like shards of onyx imbedded in his scales.

"Is everything all right out there?" Coyote asked. He uncurled and curled his tail anxiously.

"No, no, it is not all right!" Seashell said, scrabbling at the stone and looking about to panic.

"They found us." She said, nearly a whisper.

A horrifying chill ran down Coyote's spine and into his wings. He looked back at the cave where their single egg was and started to pace the cave, thinking of a plan.

"Are you sure they saw you? If they didn't see you we can hunker down and wait for them to pass." Coyote said. How did they find us? This is barely even on SandWing territory anymore. Did somebody see us and tell them? Thoughts whizzed through Coyote's head.

"I'm pretty sure. I was flying back and heard wingbeats, and I turned around and there were seven SandWings flying their way around the area." Seashell said. Coyote cautiously poked out his head and peered up at the sky. Sure enough he heard wingbeats and shouting. He hurried back into the cave and turned to Seashell.

"Okay, they are definitely out there. They don't know we are in here, I think. We could roll a boulder in front of the cave if we're fast... Or we could cover the opening with moss." Coyote said, trying to think of ways to hide the cave. No, they're too close. Hiding the cave is impossible without getting seen. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

"If they find us, you run with the egg. I'll keep them busy while you get away." Coyotesaid to Seashell. "If I keep them occupied, they can't attack you and our dragonet." He said.

"You can't! There's seven of them and one of you. You're going to be captured- or... or... burned... or stabbed by their tails... or they'll kill you!" Seashell cried.

"I have to! You can hide in the water where they can't find you. You could find an underwater cave or go to the rainforest and raise our dragonet there. She'll be half SeaWing, maybe she will inherit gills too. I can hold them off for long enough for you to fly to the sea." He said firmly.

"What about you?" Seashell asked. Coyote didn't answer her, and instead looked out of the cave. Seashell let out a short gasp and looked at him, realizing what he meant.

"I have to! I'd rather have you and our dragonet live instead of the SandWings killing all of us because we both stayed to fight!" Coyote said, clawing at the sandstone below him. The wingbeats and shouting were becoming steadily more audible alarmingly fast. He peered out of the cave again and saw tan and pale yellow shapes flying above their ravine. They landed next to the ravine and one of them looked down into it suspiciously.

"Do you think this is the right ravine?" A female voice said from the top. "Gila said it was the one by the sandstone spires in the water. Those look like the ones she described to me." The voice continued. Coyote held his breath, his heart beating wildly as if it was about to explode straight out of his chest. He continued listening, feeling afraid of these mysterious SandWings. "Looks like it. See, there's the sandstone arch and the weird-looking palm tree next to a brightsting cactus!" A male voice exclaimed. "They've got to be in that ravine. Gila said that Burn will pay handsomely for that egg." A jolt of fear and anger shot through Coyote, remembering Burn's weirdling tower.