Wings of the Crystal : The Lost City

:: Chapter 8 ::

                                      ✿
Murmurs and grumbles floated welding the crowd of anxious SandWings, biting their tongues and fidgeting. Widow stood proudly like a king, standing above his whole tribe to conquer what dangers lie ahead.
A slight Wing best echoes to the west, then one dark shape rose in the grey mist that covered their sight.
It came closer, and closer. . .
To where dark scales and orange underscales glowed in the rain.
Ash?!

    His black hood stood out the most, it lurking darkness over his face. His crystal blue eyes fighting the rain splashing in his way. He had a unusual, wide grin on his face, before landing in the large boulder in front of widow. He scratched his neck, folding the locket in between his talons. The golden, chain heads fell between his talons. His grip tightened.
Something was obviously wrong.
Cactus only knew because whenever Ash was mad or upset, he gripped or would scratch something.
Anger issues-no.
Mental-no
Strangling things making him feel better-maybe.
Deadly-of course.
Now that Cactus knows he is and animus.
Flamingcloud ruined it, of course.
Cactus could see the doubt in his eyes.
"I see you won the battle," Ash breathed, "Ni-Congratulations." The last word hesitated on the tip of his tongue for a minute, before he swallowed.
Cactus held her breath before Widow spoke, glancing around the LizardRocks. "Indeed."
"I guess the NightWings just weren't just strong enough for your army." His sharp, reared voice brung ringing to her ears, constant headaches. "They had enough, but I guess they just weren't good enough."
The "prophecy" that she heard at the meeting was speeding through her head like jets.
Was this a sign?
Was something warning her?
That something was going to happen?
She kept questions in her mind, afraid to step out of hiding beneath the top of the rocks. Should she warn the others?
He had a look of greed on his face.
Like he was planning something. . .

His eyes found Cactus, brown against blue. They locked together for a tight moment, before his grin turned to a blank expression. He tightened his grip on his locket, lost in thoughts.
"I just came here to congratulate you, as sent by the k-king." He exhaled. He dropped his locker out of his talon as it hung from his neck. The clock in it ticked, keeping the thunder in the distance not the only noise. "Sorry to waste your time," he rose from his Boulder, walking down the steps slowly. "I guess I'm done here."
"Unless. . ." He started to mumble as he stopped. His eyes flashed, pupils dilating as he turned his eyes to gaze at Widow. He ignored Cactus's confused look. "I can END THIS!"
He whipped around to throw himself up onto Widow, grabbing his neck and ripping scales. Everyone hesitated and growled and hissed, but no one moved; to be too startled.
The giant SkyWing ripped his wings, tearing his wings apart. Widow, too terrified and unaware, couldn't scream of his vocal cords being snapped apart.
Ash flung him off the plateau, sending him to his painful death.
Cactus, Motionless, stared in shock.
He. . . He. . .
He lost his soul. He's turned insane. Already.

MOVE YOU USELESS SLUGS, STOP STANDING AND ATTACK.

No one moved.
But Cactus was doing the same. Why wasn't she moving?
The slight breeze and lightning stroke behind Ash, hiding in the clouds filled the gap of shock and silence.
"Have I gotten your attention now?" Ash yelled, as he turned to face all the petrified SandWings. Cactus ducked lower.
"Now, all of you better listen to this, because now I'm in charge, and you WILL listen." Ash growled, glancing around, like he was looking for someone.
Someone, missing . . .
Cactus.
"I was with the NightWings and all they wanted was land to hunt, but one single Dragonet DENIED ME!" He roared with furious pain, and he clenched the edge of the rock.
"But now that I'm leader, you'll not RESPOND TO REASON." Ash's tail coiled and his teeth bared, as SandWings heads ducked and large tails raised.
Cactus was not sure what to do, as she felt a tingling feeling of Deja-Vu.
Where has she felt this. . . Guilt?
Of not helping?
No time to think.
But something hit Cactus, of fear and protection. So that these dragons won't suffer from this maniac.
No other dragons will die today.
Except for him!

Cactus leaped up and hissed, her wings flaring. The shadow behind her was gigantic, her mouth opened and teeth sharp in the shadow. It didn't even look like her own. Like a. . NightWings. Eyes red but wings larger and screeching.
All heads turned to her, as one shouted, "SCATTER!"
Crazy wings flew everywhere, like startled bats. Ash's furious cold eyes searched the swarm of wild dragons, finally locking with Cactus. He charged at her.
Stupid, you won't realize what's coming.
You made a mistake.
She grabbed his neck, watching his scales cool while burning.
He roared with fury, grabbing his neck as though a snake was choking him. He swung around, leaning down on his knees.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" He choked.
Cactus flew away as fast as she can, not knowing what direction she was going.
"ILL FIND YOU! ILL END YOU! ILL FIND A WAY!"
Cactus never looked back, but she constantly thought she was hearing Wingbeats behind her. But every time she looked back, there was nothing there.
She knew that her mother flew home, after a scramble of helpless screaming dragons.
Hopefully. . .
The rain poured harder, but it felt like night by the coldness.
But all Cactus focused on was,
How did every time something bad was about to happen, she had a sense of danger? To do something? Like it was warning her something was coming?
Cactus wondered that for several months, but never found the answer.
It started again when she left from the adventure to Drakeneal Mountain . . .
She had a sense that happened when she was only a few weeks old after she was born.
It was when she was with her cousins, when her annoying cousin SandStorm was begging for Cactus to go to the beach with him. Which worked, cause as soon as she touched the sand of the beach, she had a very bad feeling. The same she felt at LizardRock. . .
Cactus was right, that a family of sharks came and nearly killed her cousin. Cactus killed the sharks, and ran off with her cousin.
She was lucky no one ever found out, and she got out of the situation without being caught.
Because last time Cactus Ever got in trouble was by sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet Flurry at a Bar. ONLY because Flurry begged for her to come to the school with the bar, because Flurry had an older brother. Which could go out of hands sometimes. And if Flurry didn't have a FireScaled friend by her side in the smallest restaurant crowded with older dragons, and easy to be caught on fire, then she would've "died." And she means literally.
In her mind, she replayed last nights victory at the wasteland battle: Phantom's glittering red eyes as Snake backed away, having threats, before being scratched across the face. ColdEye had been always grateful to his army, but violent by the winery.
Snake was lucky enough to even grab hands on him; but got rid of the disgraceful general. ColdEye had been a dark shadow in the forest since before the victory of the SandWings other battle.
But now for Cactus, their was another shadow troubling her mind: Ash, animus of the SkyWings. Cactus shivered again on what he could do.
But then, that same tingling feeling she has came back.
Something warning her.
Over
And over
And over.
She heard faded wingbeats, so she whipped around and shouted. "Who's there?"
Nothing.
She continued but once she turned around,
Someone was there.
Only a few seconds away from running into her.