Forgotten Glory (ON HOLD)

Prologue

       Hvitur glanced for what felt like the millionth time down at the rocky mountains below him.  Come on, Hvitur, he thought to himself. No one saw you. Rain pounded on his moon-white scales, and he pulled the reddish gold SkyWing egg closer. Don't you even think about dropping it. Visions of the egg sliding from his wet talons and slamming to a million pieces circled through his mind.
       Subconsciously, the IceWing flew up into the clouds, trying to obscure himself from any dragon who might be looking up at the stormy sky. Were those wing beats he heard behind him? Three moons, calm down! No one followed you. Just as that last thought ran through his mind, two enormous SandWings were on him. He shrieked in dismay as one of them tore the egg from his talons. No!
       He grappled ferociously with the other dragon as he tried to get to the egg. They were slowly forcing him down toward the mountains. The SandWing's scales were slippery from the torrential rain, making it hard for Hvitur to get a good hold. Soon, he was thrown onto a jagged ledge in front of the biggest dragon he'd ever seen. Huge scars covered her chest and face, and more marked her back and wings. Burn.
He inhaled, ready to shoot ice at her. He felt it rising in his throat. "Bind his mouth." She said. Almost... Burn could see his attack coming. "Quickly!" At the last moment, one of her soldiers threw a red-hot chain around his snout. The frostbreath Hvitur had been about to fire shot straight to the inside of his mouth. His tongue felt like an icicle that had gotten frostbite.
"Too late," Burn flicked her long tail. "You won't be using your freezing death breath on us, ice dragon."
One of the soldiers came forward and handed Burn the egg. "He was carrying this, Queen Burn."
She brought the egg closer to her black eyes, so she could see it through the storm. Her tongue flicked against it. "This isn't an IceWing egg. You stole this from the sky palace. You thought you got away unnoticed, did you? Queen Scarlet is not a fool. She knows about everything that goes on in her kingdom. Her lookouts reported an IceWing thief, and I decided finding you would add some violence to my boring visit."
The SandWing held the red-gold egg up to the fire her soldiers had made. A dark, shadowy figure of an unhatched dragonet shifted inside.
"This is a SkyWing egg. And it's about to hatch." She ran a talon over her tall crest thoughtfully. "Why would Blaze send you to steal a baby SkyWing? After all, she hates anyone younger or prettier than she is." Her claws tapped against the wet stone beneath them. Hvitur glared at the princess as she thought.
"Unless... wait a moment... the brightest night is tomorrow..." Her face was up to his in a moment, and her venomous tail dipped close to him. "You aren't in my sister's army, are you? You one of those... one of those Talons of Peace."
You mean they're real?" Scorpion, the biggest soldier, asked.
Burn rolled her eyes. "They're just a few worms crying over some blood. Unwrap his chains. He won't be able to freeze us until his scales cool down." Dingo, the second guard, pulled the chain away.
       "You really believe that crazy old NightWing's 'prophecy?'"
       Hvitur winced as he answered. The pain in his jaws shot through him like lightning. "Haven't enough dragons died for you?" The moon reflected off of his white scales. "Every dragon is Pyrrhia has suffered and lost things for the last twelve years. Morrowseer's prophecy says-"
        "I don't care, IceWing. No words or unhatched dragonets are going to tell me what to bow to or when I die. When I am queen, there will be peace."
       The rain began to fall harder. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. "The dragonets are coming. They'll choose the next SandWing queen, whether you like it or not." And no matter what you think, I know they won't choose you.
       "Oh? So, is this little egg part of your prophecy?" Hvitur froze.
       The SandWing flicked the egg. "Helloooo?" She singsonged. "Is there a dragonet in there, ready to stop this big, bad war?" She twisted it in her talons. "So, IceWing... what would happen if one of your 'dragonets of destiny' never hatched at all?"
       "Stop right there." The SandWings whipped around, and Hvitur got a good look at who was behind them. Asha, the MudWing guardian, Kestrel, the SkyWing, and Webs, the SeaWing, were all standing there. Dune was behind them. Even without the proper use of his wings, he was a ferocious fighter.
       "Ooooh," Burn laughed. "You think you can defeat me? I'd like to see you try!"
       While the sand dragon princess was distracted, Hvitur leapt up and easily took the slick, wet egg from her talons. Burn started to turn, talons outstretched, but Asha was faster.
       "Fly, Hvitur! Protect the egg!" The MudWing sank her teeth into Burn's forearm. Kestrel and Webs flung themselves at Burn's soldiers. Hvitur didn't need to be told twice. He threw himself off the mountain, and flapped his silvery wings as fast as he could.
Two lefts, one right, and make a turn around Agate Mountain. He began a downward spiral, and soon saw the entrance to the cave. He looked over his shoulder, then dove down to the boulder.
       Where is it? He fumbled for the stick that kept the boulder in place. Hvitur slammed it away once his talon made contact with it and pushed the boulder out of its place. He slipped through the narrow opening and pushed it back shut. He tested the boulder, and once he knew it was locked in place, he scrambled to the nest.
       Red MudWing egg, check, SeaWing, check, SandWing, check, NightWing, check. He settled the SkyWing egg between the blue and black eggs.
       Tomorrow night, they'll hatch. And the end of the war will be a little bit closer.