Fire in the Night

Prologue

A.N. This should have been posted ages ago... I'm so sorry! This will be updated on a monthly basis, on Fridays. 

"How dare you! This is treasonous against everything we stand for!" A booming voice rattled through the dark cave. The hatching of two dragonets had finished and in the place of an egg that was black as the night sky, a midnight-blue dragonet sat, yawning, next to her black-and-gray brother. Over them stood a dragoness, wings flared and tail lashing, as she looked to a black drake. "I will NOT let you harm her!" The dragoness snarled as the drake advanced. "It doesn't belong here! Look at those scales. They are of Royal coloring! How did you manage that, Serak?" He looks towards the male dragonet and speaks lowly, "At least the other one is normal." He shoved Serak away, the dark gray dragoness pleading for the drake to leave their child be. "Please, Karmir. Don't do this." The hatchling looked up at the angry drake, whimpering as she noticed the tense atmosphere  around him. She cowered as Karmir raised his talons and swiped at her. "No!" Serak gasped, lunging forward and tackling her mate. As the two dragons fought, the male dragonet crawled closer to the female. The two huddled together, black covering blue, as the fighting continued.

Karmir darted back into the cave and forefully separated the two dragonets. He hissed at the female and dragged the male out of the cave. "Come, little Varghur. We are leaving." He looked at the female with a sick, twisted grin. "Good luck surviving without your mother." He flew off, taking Varghur with him. The female dragonet began stumbling her way to the entrance, too young to fully understand what was happening, trying to follow the retreating figures. Serak limped towards her dragonet, blood dripping from fatal wounds, and scooped the little dragoness up. Several lacerations covered Serak's small body and the dragoness could feel the effects of blood loss weakening her drastically. "My little fire, you will not grow in this land to be abused by this tribe." The dragoness sighed as conflict ensued within. Shaking herself, Serak placed her daughter upon the hard soil and retireved the hide of a recently killed bear and some green moss from the cave. The dragonet crawled inside, trilling in confusion when Serak placed the hide over her. "Hopefully your time as a No-Wing proves to be safer." She laughed softly, her breath rattling in her chest, as her daughter hiccuped and looked through a gap in the hide at her mother.

Wrapping the hide around the hidden dragonet, Serak grasped the ends and took off, angling her tailfins to fly at a slow speed. With staggering wings, she flew towards a human settlement, further inland than her cave that resided high on a mountain. Forests passed under her, the trees swaying with each wingbeat. Under the cover of darkness, Serak descended upon the village, her precious bundle tucked close to her belly. Upon landing, the dragonet poked her head out of the moss, blue eyes wide and distressed. Serak cooed at her only daughter, "It's okay. I've been watching these No-Wings for a while now. It will be a safe place for you to grow up in." She then concentrated, pulling forth a power she hadn't used in centuries. The dragoness' eyes glowed white as she touched the dragonet's chest, letting the magic flow into the young dragoness, as she closed her glowing eyes.

Serak opened her eyes and looked at the No_Wing gazing up at her. The former dragonet had pale skin, soft and fragile, vibrant blue eyes, and soft, black hair tinted midnight blue. "There, my little Varghul. Now, no one will ever know your true form." Serak nuzzled the giggling No-Wing and stepped back. Her panic rose as she felt her life ebb even more. Sh grabbed a gem, a shining blue crystal, embedded in her scales and ripped it out, blood pooling from the wound. It's blue light glowing softly as she gave them gem to her child. "When you are o-old enough, your true form will be yours to control.... This will help...." She took several shuddering breaths and, using a shaky talon, wrote the name of her child in the dirt, using the symbols she had learned when she observed the No-Wings.  She then collapsed, her strength leaving her quickly. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked to the shivering No-Wing.  "Goodbye. Stay strong, my beautiful daughter." Light pooled from the No-Wing nest and a shadow filled the entrance. Serak, using the last bit of strength she possessed, dragged herself away from her wailing child and watched as the adult No-Wing picked up her child, ignoring every instinct to attack those who dared touch her dragonet. 'She's their dragonet now...' She watched through dying eyes as Varghul was taken inside the nest. She felt relief wash over her. The light faded and soon after, her body grew cold, buried beneath the building snow.