Wings of Fire: The Shifting Sands

Chapter 6: Sunwatcher

Sunwatcher wasn't sure where things had gone wrong. 

Was it when they had told Cactus Sandstorm's name? Or did he figure it out from the way Sandstorm didn't talk at all? Were there any other SandWings who were like Sandstorm? If so, how did Cactus know it was Sandstorm?

Probably when we told him so, thought Sunwatcher ruefully. He should have known that dragons would still know about him. The real question was why his parents wanted him back. 

Cactus and the two guards had left them, leaving Sandstorm to ponder something mysterious, and Sunwatcher to recover from one of the guards' brutal kick to the chest. 

Sandstorm's parents wouldn't want him back for nothing, he thought. He must have some part in their plans. Or maybe he was lying and they do really love him? But then why go to the Scorpion Den? Did he not like being in the palace? He looked at his friend for a second. No. Sandstorm isn't lying, I know it. So, his parents will need him; maybe they want to kill him to show their strength? I really hope no one would be impressed by that.

Sandstorm suddenly snapped out of his brooding silence, apparently struck by an idea. The prisoner, he signed, leaping to his feet. His chains clinked as he jumped in the air, and it made Sunwatcher shudder to see his best friend contained; Sandstorm could barely sign with the iron shackles on his wrists.

Other NightWing. Could help. Escape. His friend looked at him meaningfully as Sunwatcher got up. 

How would we talk to him? Sunwatcher signed back to avoid the patrolling guards hearing them. 

The river? Sandstorm suggested. Loose bricks? He nudged a brick with his claws. It made a grating noise that made Sunwatcher want to claw his ears out, but didn't budge. 

Sunwatcher sighed. From what he heard, there was another dragonet prisoner; a NightWing. But they didn't know anything about him; how could they trust him? He kicked the wall dejectedly.
To his immense surprise, he heard murmuring, and one of the bricks shifted, grinded, then dissolved into dust. Four others also disintegrated, leaving a diamond-shaped hole through the wall. A black snout appeared in the hole, and it moved right to left, revealing two startlingly golden eyes, like Sunwatcher's. 

"Hiss," hissed the voice.

"Did you literally just say the word hiss?" asked Sunwatcher, startled into a laugh. 

"Maybe," said the voice. A slight smile cracked his face. "Are you the other NightWing? It's hard to see through this hole-" his snout swiveled, and one of his gold eyes was now prodding through the tunnel. "Yes," he answered himself. "Nice to meet you. My name is Darkthought."

I'm Sunwatcher," Sunwatcher said. "And this is my friend Sandstorm." He signed to Sandstorm, It's the other dragonet. He wants to talk. Darkthought tilted his head at the sign language.

"What were those gestures?" asked Darkthought, stepping away from the hole so they could see all of him. 

He was a dragonet about as old as Sunwatcher. His ebony scales were contrasted by the regular NightWing silver stars underneath his wings and belly, and he had two shining teardrops scales by his eyes of the same color. Grey spines ran down his back and the tip of his tail, and his talons were similarly colored. His only jewelry was a simple, thin silver chain necklace with a moonstone dangling from the bottom. It fitted him perfectly.

But his golden eyes were what was the most interesting part; his irises were solid, shining gold, exactly the same as Sunwatcher's.

He moved his talons in a bad imitation of sign language, accidentally signing Potato drinks donkey.

"It's sign language," said Sunwatcher. He hadn't needed to explain this to many dragons, who either knew what it was or didn't care. 

"Ah," Darkthought said, nodding. He pondered something for a minute, looking faintly amused by whatever he was thinking. He nodded again, then asked abruptly, "Do you have the NightWing powers?"

Sunwatcher looked at him, startled. He had never really thought about the NightWing powers before. Sometimes, yes, but he never considered he might have them.
He tried concentrating on Sandstorm for a second. He knew a bit about his friend, but try as he might, he certainly couldn't see into his mind. It was also difficult to imagine having the power of mind reading at all. Everything we would see would seem so flat and two dimensional, compared to a dragon who could read our minds. "No," he said. 

Darkthought considered him for a moment, thinking silently again. Does he have them? Is he reading my mind? Hello? Are you in here?

The NightWing nodded. "I expected not," he said, shrugging. "But I may as well have asked." He looked around his cell absently, his tail subconsciously sweeping straw into a pile. 

The creaking of the door silenced their conversation. Darkthought looked at the crooked SandWing snout emerging and hurried whispered something to the wall. To Sunwatcher's immense amazement, bricks reformed in the empty space, and within seconds it looked like their conversation had never happened. The only thing that was different was a small indentation, perfectly fit for a dragonet's claw to stick in and rotate. Sunwatcher figured this was not a coincidence.

Three SandWing guards dragged something in, shouting and grunting. They gripped bulky chains tightly, connected to shackles with a roaring dragon on the end. It was an orange SkyWing, with black claws and a metal muzzle on her snout. She was occasionally blasting orange fire out of her snout, but eventually, after a lot of dragging, yelping and cursing, the guards got her into the cage to the left of Sunwatcher's, into Darkthought's. He heard the NightWing yelp and leap into the river.

"SON OF A DRAGONFLAME!" bellowed the SkyWing dragonet. A roaring column of flame erupted from between her bars, scorching the opposite wall. "GETBACKHERE YOU COWARDLY LIZARDS!"

Oh dear, thought Sunwatcher. He felt rather bad for Darkthought, who would never get a moment's peace again. 

Sandstorm sat by the river, oblivious to the racket the new prisoner was making. Sunwatcher curled up, putting his claws in the flowing water. He sighed at the peaceful cool of the currents. Sandstorm closed his eyes and curled up in a heap of straw. Soon, his sides were rising up and down. 

Sunwatcher curled up as well, in the river. The deliciously cold water made the blistering heat ease its scorching grip, although he had lived in the Scorpion Den his whole life and was used to the heat. 

We have to escape, he thought. As soon as possible. Sandstorm needs to get out of here before his parents use him or kill him themselves.

We need to escape, with or without Darkthought. 

As soon as we can.

I promise, Sandstorm, you will never have to face your parents again.