Wings of Fire: A Destiny Found

~CHAPTER 26~

       Kestrel was brought into the arena, thrashing and snarling at the guards dragging her in. There was a chain looped around her snout so that she couldn't breathe fire, and more chains around her legs and tail to further restrict her movement.

       "It's weird." Clay whispered. "I've always hated Kestrel, but it still makes me mad to see her like that."

       "So, how do you know Kestrel?" Peril asked Clay.

       "She's one of the three dragons who raised us, under the mountain." Clay explained. "They didn't like us much, but they were supposed to keep us alive until the Talons of Peace came back to get us for the prophecy."

       "At least you had someone. I guess even terrible parents are better than no parents" Peril replied.

       "I'd stand to disagree." Glow said, thinking bitterly of Kite's mother, Cinnabar.

       "Why's that?" Clay asked, curiously.

       Glow turned towards him and began explaining. "Kite, the other SkyWing in our group. His mother constantly hurt him everyday since he was born, essentially. He's alright now because he ran away and found us, but he still suffers from panic attacks on a regular basis because of it." Glow paused. "She used to beat him and call him names. Even saying how it would be better if he was dead." She finished grimly, trying to squash her anger and distress at the thought of Cinnabar taking Kite away from them. Not going to happen. I promised him I wouldn't let her take him away.

       Clay shook his head. "That sounds awful. What kind of dragon would do that to her own dragonet?" He asked disbelievingly.

       Glow dipped her head. "Cinnabar." She answered. She flipped her thoughts back to the conversation. "The point is, at least he has us, now. You, on the other hand, had parents like Kestrel, but you also had your friends that you grew up alongside with that you could lean on whenever things got bad." Clay smiled, obviously thinking of his friends. "Without that kind of family, dragons who come out of those situations start don't have any reference to draw from that that isn't okay. As a result, they pick up some really messed-up habits that they just keep for their whole life until they manage to leave it and live without it for longer. Habits like blaming themself for what that dragonet's awful parents did, or for things that aren't that dragonet's fault, or clinging to someone who's just nice to them to an obsessive degree because they had no one else. You know, the kinds of habits that aren't good for that dragonet, that can really mess with them and especially their relationships for their whole life if not dealt with." Glow explained. She noticed Peril's expression of guilt shift even further. Glow was starting to feel guilty herself. I should take her to the tavern again. Maybe we can play that game we missed there. What was it called? "Rock Shooter" or something like that? I'll have to ask her. Glow shook the idealistic fantasy out of her head. No. What she needs is to get out of this. With us.

       "That makes sense." Clay said in agreement.

       "But having no parents isn't really that swell, either." Corona chimed in bitterly. "When they abandon you in the middle of the desert to fend for yourself along with other rejected dragons, it makes you feel like garbage and you can't help but wonder if they ever cared about you in the first place." She grumbled. "Then again, they wouldn't have if they were willing to just leave you alone to hatch and then die somewhere."

       Clay looked like he felt pity for the SandWing, but Glow knew that she appreciated what she had. "You're not garbage, Corona. You're my best friend, and we took you in for a reason." Glow reassured.