Regicide

Chapter 3

It was the end of the day- the sun was setting, spewing out pink clouds dotting an orange sky of flames. The winds had all but stopped, and the temperature was slowly decreasing as night came ever closer. The dying rays were still warm, and they illuminated the horizon, molten gold in colour.

The few silver scales on Dune's body (on his snout, hands and feet) reflected the sun, as he gazed at it with his eyes of lava. Another day wasted, another night coming to spend alone. He didn't mind being alone, but he had grown used to having that one final conversation at the end of the day with his sister. Of course, that didn't happen, not anymore. He sighed to himself, shutting his eyes. He didn't mind being alone- it was loneliness that got to him. Maybe talking about it privately to her wouldn't be the worst idea.

He got up, and turned around, ready to find his sister.

She was right behind him. He jumped back, surprised, but then he processed who it was.

'Fern?' He asked with disbelief. 'You're back?' He could feel something light form inside him- joy.

She stared at him with her light-blue eyes, no smile, no kindness.  'Dune—'

'Finally! You have no idea how much a missed you! But that doesn't matter, I'm so glad you're here!'

'...Dune...'

'Yes?'

There was a silence. His sister sighed, then with a gaze made of pure ice, she stared him right in the eyes. Dune shuddered, having never seen such a look of cold hatred given to him by her.

'Why are you looking at me like that?' He snapped suddenly. He noticed the four raptors from that shady group watching from afar, with interest on their faces. He immediately knew that something was very wrong.

'Brother...' Fern snarled, and Dune felt his heart crawl up his throat.

'There is no family when it comes to power.'

Without any warning, she lashed out, slamming her huge claws across his face. Dune had no time to react, no time to cry out in shock. He felt a searing pain burn into his visage- three long, deep streaks, warm, throbbing.

The sheer force of her hit threw him off his feet. He toppled over, wide-eyed, hitting the sand and sending up a cloud of particles. For a second or so, he could not move, utterly incapable of believing what was happening. Right then and there, his own sister, the one he trusted more than anyone, had slashed three scars across his face.

He scrabbled up quickly, but she instantly slammed her foot onto his side. With a pained screech, he fell to the sand, pinned down. His mind began to sprint, and he could barely keep up. He opened his mouth to speak, to ask his sister what she was doing, why she was doing this, but she quickly stabbed her sickle claw into his side. Instead of words, only screams of pain escaped Dune's jaws.

She began placing her weight onto her foot, and Dune felt crystal-blue tears form in his eyes as he felt the pressure against his ribs. Something cracked inside him- he could hear the horrid sound echo in his ears, he could feel the pain shoot up and swallow him whole. As he screamed, he tasted blood dribbling from his maw. Trembling, he hit his tail against the ground, and his cry ebbed away, becoming a pathetic beg for mercy.

'Please!' He choked, yet did not see a single change in the blank expression on his sister's cruel face, did not feel her crushing power cease, not even a little bit.

This can't be her, He thought to himself, wincing in agony. This can't be the sister I know.

She reached down, and as he raised up his winged arms in protest, she hit them away with ease, and slashed her claws across his chest. They easily carved into his soft flesh, blood welling at her scaly fingertips. Dune could do nothing but thrash his head, screeching. The pain was a fire eating away at his chest. He could not think, he could not fight back, he could only scream.

She slashed at him more and more, shallow scars appearing everywhere. Dune saw at the corner of his eye those four raptors watching, smiling. His screams died away as he felt his body weaken, as he felt the warm blood leak. They were blurring up. The whole world around him was slowly beginning to blur up.

The four reached his sister, who was standing in front of him, jaws and claws dripping with blood. Dune breathed heavily and loudly, urging himself to stay alive, feeling the blood splattered on his chest and smeared in his throat. Pain shot around his chest, his broken ribs pressing against his breast scar.

The big brown raptor- the leader of the bunch- grinned at his sister malevolently. A desert-coloured one (named Sand), smaller than the others, stared him in his teary eyes, and shook her head.

'Looks like you did it, Fern,' She growled. 'And he looks pretty upset about it too.'

Dune shifted his gaze over to a very dark grey raptor (named Shadow), who had a look on his face that was very difficult to read, almost devoid of any emotion. 'No way he can survive that wound on his chest,' He nodded. 'Goes right from his neck down to his torso.'

'Look, he can't even talk because he's so close to death!' A burgundy raptor (named Blood) giggled to herself, her face a mocking grin.

Dune moved his eyes over, and stared straight at Fern, his sister. She had no sympathy, no remorse, nothing.

Why? He felt a tear trickle from his eye, blurring his sight even more. I trusted you.

'Brother,' She finally spoke, with a strong, confident voice. 'Your wish of proving to this pack that runts can be useful are too far-fetched. A good leader would not waste time on such things- tradition exists for a reason, and it is our tradition to kill runts the moment they are born.'

How could you? You're not even giving them a chance...

Fern paused for a moment, her gaze stone-cold. 'These four showed me the light,' She growled. 'The weak do not deserve to live. You leading this pack would do nothing but waste time trying to prove something that simply isn't true. Once a runt, always a runt. I will take over in your place, and be the strong leader this pack deserves.'

Shadow, Sand and Blood nodded in agreement. The brown one smiled at them. Fern sighed.

'From this day on,' She continued. 'I am never going to acknowledge that you existed.'

What? Dune felt a claw spear his heart. The tears spilled out, as he felt fear well up inside him.

'I will forbid any mention of you in this pack. You will be forgotten. The fact that we were once lead by a runt is a disgrace, and we will wipe your existence from our memories, and from the memories of future generations.'

Dune wheezed loudly, wanting to weep, but completely incapable of doing so. He couldn't move.

Fern gave him a hard stare. 'Shut up, pathetic runt. I feel truly ashamed to have you as a brother, and to have had you as a friend. You are nothing.'

She instantly turned away and left. Blood, Sand, and Shadow followed her. 'You did it,' Dune overheard Blood as she put her arm on his sister. 'And you're right- he is nothing.'

The brown one remained next to him, looking at him with a repulsed expression. Her name was Bone.

'It wasn't so hard to change your sisters mind,' She sneered, showing her dirty sharp teeth. 'She doesn't care for you anymore. And why should she? You two have barely anything in common- polar opposite personalities, different goals. You had it coming.'

Bone spat a ball of saliva at Dune's face. He could barely respond to it- his breath merely shuddered, nothing more, nothing less.

'She won't be concerning herself with weaklings like you. You should be happy for her.'

And, with that, Bone turned and left, leaving Dune to join the stars like his father before him.

Sister... I trusted you...

(That was my biggest mistake.)