The Diamond Winglet: Frostbite's Power

Chapter 8

The dragonet's eyes widened, and she took a shaky step back. She looked absolutely terrified. "No one can touch me!" She blurted out, drawing her talons to herself, shivering. I could almost see her brain trying to work out how I could touch her.

The battle raged around us, and I turned to my mother. "Blizzard, go hide. I need you to stay safe."

My mother shook her head. "I need to fight. I can't just leave everyone here to die." She protested. I gave her a concerned look, then sighed. "Fine."

The dragonet looked towards the sky, then back to me. I nodded slowly, seeing that she wanted to talk privately. We took off, flying out of the windows. I worried for a second, seeing as the ice frame of the palace window melted slightly, but then my worries evaporated.

She looked at me nervously. "Misters IceWing? Hows can you touches me?" She asked, speech betraying a much younger dragon than I'd perceived.

I held out my misty talons, and after a moment of hesitation, the SkyWing did too. 

I gently took her talons and mine, and we both instantly flinched away. It was much too weird to feel the touch of something living, without hearing screams immediately after. Nothing felt too cold, or shriveled away. It... it was amazing.

"It's... strange." I said, and the small dragonet nodded vigorously.

I laughed slightly. "You don't talk much, SkyWing."

The dark red SkyWing rolled her eyes. "Cloud-catcher." She mumbled. "Is that your name?" I asked. 

"Yes. You?"

"Frostbite."

She grinned wryly. "No kidding!" She joked.

"Can I call you Cloud?" I asked. She nodded, then noticed something behind me and froze, wings temporarily forgetting to move. I turned to see a male SkyWing reaching for me, claws outstretched.

His talons were covered in metal, and he held a barely dulled spear in his claws. 

He flew by me in a rush, and I realized he meant to hit Cloud. I roared in outrage, and grabbed at his tail, attaching my claws in a death grip. And by death, I mean DEATH.

The orange SkyWing screamed, then whirled on me, forcing my tail out of his grip. "I have a right to punish my stupid dragonet!" He snarled, tail now limp. He turned to his daughter once more, who was paralyzed with fear. 

Cloudcatcher looked solemn at the same time, however, as though she deserved what was coming, and it made my blood boil.

"Get back to the battle, and bring me back some IceWing ashes!" He roared, and then gestured to me, an evil look in his eyes. "Start, with this one." He leered, growling.

Cloud's gaze shifted from her father to me. I could see she didn't want to attack me. "Falcon, shouldn't we get back to the battle?" She pleaded.

Her father responded by whacking Cloudcatcher's wings with the spear, tearing at them violently. "Kill that stupid IceWing, or I'll do it myself!" He curled his lip at me.

Cloud closed her eyes, hot tears coursing down her face. "You must be the worst SkyWing I've ever met." he growled.

I couldn't take any more of this. I launched myself at Falcon, who dropped his spear in surprise. I cannoned into him at top speed. The SkyWing clawed at my sides, making me grit my teeth from the pain. I sank my tiny jaws into his throat, and the red scales began to get colder... 

and colder...

and the muscles stopped struggling...

and my wings wrapped around the now icy-cold body...

and I didn't let go.

My talons remained stuck in his sides.

My jaws remained stuck in his throat.

Red blood froze as it flew from the wound and passed my jaw.

And only seconds after the spear hit the ground below us...

...

...

The dragon beneath me let out one final scream...

... and then I felt nothing but the cold body below me.

Heard nothing but my own beating heart.

Saw nothing but sky as I plummeted to the ground, stuck to the SkyWing.

Smelled and tasted nothing but blood.

... and then all faded to background, except for the feeling of terror coursed through me, and the horror of what I'd just done.