Wings of the Crystal : The Lost City

:: Chapter 7 ::

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"Cactus watch out!" Snake shouted, before being knocked down by the massive NightWing. Cactus turned her head to the forest, and the trees blowing another direction. Like they even are telling her to run. . . .
    Screams and roars haunted back from inside, and soon, Cactus took off into the pitch black sky with only the moons upon the WasteLand. The NightWing army came fuming out of the forest, as if they were a pack of a dozen wolves, running like phantoms in the deadliest night.
     They flew with angry expressions and wing tips brushing the trees as they flapped with anger.
      "It's a trap!" Yelled Cactus, filled with so many emotions she couldn't keep holding herself in the air. She landed and skidded through a tall patch of grass, but soon them burning down to a heap of nothing. On the other side of the wasteland, more NightWings charged in, pinning another NightWing, and very well, Cactus's parents disappeared into a wild stampede of restless dragons.
          Black against gold, they combined together with greed and blood. Black scales turned to cover into dark red as fire hovered above the grass at dragons' claws.
       Cactus county control her mind, of what's going on, if she was going to watch her parents die. Just stand there, helpless. She felt as if stalagmites were carving down from a ceiling, pinning her claws so she couldn't move.
      A skinny body of widow, talons twisted, flung himself to fly above the air and tackle the dragon that pinned down Snake.
          The bushes splattered with dark red as the Body of a pale SandWing cascaded with another body of black and purple.  As Cactus leaned closer, she heard the crackling of the massive NightWing.
       "I've taken the place of ColdEye," he breathed, "for revenge!" The NightWing grasped widows shoulders and put his heavy weight onto his body. Widow struggled under his talons and swung at the NightWings underbelly. The NightWing's eyes flashed. "Your friend killed him pathetically!"
        "Snake never killed ColdEye! You're Insane! Blaming him on someone he has not killed." Widow slapped the NightWing with his tail. A smaller NightWing from behind popped his head up with a nasty, crooked grin.
     "Phantoms right, your filthy no good General killed ColdEye. After the last battle, Snake hid and killed him!" The small NightWing's head disappeared behind the battle of hissing dragons.
         Widows eyes met the gaze of Snakes, and Snake gave the worst guilt face that Cactus had seen.
       Phantom hissed. "I'm glad he's dead! I've been wanting to kill all of you, for trying to mess with us!" He dug his talons into widow as he screamed in agony. "Our tribe used to be the best before dragons like you ruined it! I'll be the one to be thanked; to be appreciated!"
         "Not if you're dead!" Snake tackled Phantom to the empty battlefield area, as Phantom kicked and wings flared. Snake kept his grasp, digging his claws into Phantom.

Nearly minutes later of suffering and screaming, of violent hissed and roars, phantom and his army retreated into the scattered pine forest. Cheers of crying victory filled the Wasteland, of the some of SandWings left alive. Including Widow, Egypt, Snake, and five others. They all hugged each other, crying of wounds and of the ones lost, the ones that died bravely.
      Cactus came crouching out from behind the bushes, only to be holding her head of the massive headache that throbbed in her mind.
     "Cactus!" Her mother and father cried, spiraling up from the crowd of wounded dragons. They landed in front of her, a soft but wounded look in their eyes.

They flew back to her house, which, the sun was already rising. Brown gazed searched the candle-lit apartment as Cactus sat down on the flame-proof furniture. She inhaled sharply, slightly panting with a hoarse cough.
       Egypt walked to the kitchen, pulling out a wet rag from the cabinet in front of her. Snake held half of his face, before uncovering it to see a large scratch from his snout to his left cheek. Egypt pressed the wet rag on the wound, before running back outside.
        "Where's she going?" Said Cactus, breathing in the air of the fresh Marula scent from the vase by the window sill.
       Snake spoke hoarsely. "The army is to meet at the LizardRocks, which I am not attending." He sighed before leaning against the granite counter weakly. Cactus's eyes narrowed to her talons. They curled helplessly. "But your the General-"
         "Dot you see me?" Said Snake, uncovering the blood stained rag that was pressed against his face. The wound was sucking up the water like a vacuum, but still, the blood looked to be pulsing. "I'm hideous. Do you know how bad that will make me look? Someone's there to meet us, and besides. . . Widows there with less hideous wounds."
          "I think you did great, Father. The wound makes you look tough, like a real warrior." Cactus smiled, with her heart thumping in her chest and claws reflecting. Her father smiled warmth fully, something Cactus always wanted to see.
      "Go ahead," he said calmly. "Go with your mother. I'm sure your sister does not want to see me like this, not yet."
            Cactus's eyes lit up. She coiled her tail and dipped her head, before her body slipped outside. She took off with aching wings, but claws desperately reaching for the now, grey sky.
     More of the dark grey covered the only sunlight there was in the distance, and a slight drizzle of rain flashed in her eyes. Cactus felt the sizzle on her scales and eyes as they splashed with droplet-like crystals. In the distance her mother dove down, disappearing into the fog. Cactus dove down as well, wiping her eyes clear.
     She reached to hover above the ground, as the Plateau was planted with grey and silver rocks. The trail, slithering up the high ground like a snakes body. Cactus landed far back, ducking under one of the layers of thick rock. Half of the army, at least twenty dragons, (some stayed home from being in the last battle) lined up with willow at the very top, glaring down as rain sparkled on their scales. A large boulder sat a layer down from him, big enough for a full dragons to sit.
         But the thing is, where is the dragon they wanted to meet?
        And what was it?