Diamondback's tale

The Talons of Peace

       Diamondback trotted out of the town and nearly took off into the sky but realized at the last second that that would never happen again. She growled ruefully and ducked her head down to sprint across the hot desert sand. The blanket flapped in the non-existence breeze.
       "Wait up! Hey you! Slow down!" Two voices said from behind her and Diamondback wished she could take off and not look back, but she couldn't so she did what she thought was the next best thing. She whirled around and snarled at the voices.
        The little NightWing and SkyWing from the clinic were flying as fast as they could across the desert sands and toward her. They stopped when she turned around and the NightWing dragonet landed on the sands, trotting up to Diamondback.
        "We need your help!" The SkyWing said. Cougar was her name, that's what Cactus called her.
        "My help?!" Diamondback lashed her barbed tail harshly. "What could you possibly need help with?"
        This time the black dragonet spoke,"Please! Take us with you! Caracal is going to send us to Burn's army!" She sat fidgeting with the viper fang earring she was wearing.
        "I guess you could tag along but I'm going to the Talons Of Peace, so your not going to be able to go back." Diamondback sighed as the two dragonets nodded and trotted beside her. The two were slower then she but they stuck close, one on each side.
          "I'm Coyote by the way, and my sister is Cougar."  The NightWing said and gestured to her sister with her wing.
          "Diamondback" she stated and the three of them trotted at a medium speed away from the desert and the setting sun toward the small forest that separated the Kingdom of Sand from the Mud Kingdom.
           They got as far as Jade Mountain before they stopped for the night. Coyote suggested they spend the night in one of the caves, but Diamondback didn't think she could get up to it, with her not being able to fly and all. Cougar then suggested that she scout for a cave that was easer to get too. Diamondback agreed and Coyote and her went hunting, catching a couple squirrels and making a fire to roast them over. Cougar returned with news of a cave close enough to the ground for Diamondback to get to. The spent the night in that cave, extinguishing the fire and making a small nest in that cave. They slept through the night, all of them under the blanket, except for Coyote, who grew restless halfway. She left the small nest and sat at the entrance of the cave like a guard, her wings spread halfway and her tail curled over her claws.
          The next morning, they traveled over the mountain range and to the river that separated Jade Mountain from the rain forest. Cactus had told Diamondback that the Talons Of Peace watched this area for signals of fire or frostbreath. Coyote and Bolt took off and breathed twin plumes of flames in the sky, and a sleek MudWing immediately emerged from the muddy banks and breathed a plume of fire in the same manner.  She looked like a usual MudWing except for the pale white flecks that were spread across her shoulders, wings, and snout. Cougar and Coyote landed beside Diamondback, sitting, Coyote with her wings back and tail over her claws, while Cougar sat with her tail askew.
"I saw your signal." The MudWing said, approaching cautiously. "I'm Willow. I'm with the Talons, why are you looking for them?"
"We're no longer welcome in the Kingdom of Sand, so we come to join." Diamondback said, as if no one one dare challenge her. She glared down her nose at the MudWing. In the Den, everyone knew she was practically leader until Thorn took over. They became the biggest rivals in the Den. This started with Thorn ordering Diamondback as if she was a OutClaw and Diamondback refusing to have any part in that as she didn't like to be told what to do.
"Great, we always need more dragons," Willow turned and waved her tail at them, gesturing to them to follow her. They all trotted behind her as she lead them through the mountains and valleys.They came to a small cave at the bottom of a ravine that cut through the mountainsides. She lead them in and cave opened up into a large cavern. Dragons of all tribes swarmed up the stone ledges and around a fire in the center of the cave.
"Welcome to the Talons Of Peace."