Seeing Tomorrow ~ Wings of Fire [AU]

Chapter Three - Desperate

[Hellcat]
She knew a deadly secret.
    She knew why she was alive, why she was raised.
    She was born to keep a secret.
    She touched the tattoo beside her eye, a scale that resembled a teardrop, silvery red like the smaller teardrop-like pattern down her bottom set of scales. She was dark red, allowing her to blend into the magma landscape.
Gold bubbled up from in between the dark, cooled lava stone. Hellcat watched it intently, studying how it formed, how it popped, and how it oozed back into the lava. The heat radiated from the liquid, hot, fiery. She loved it. Every bit of it.
    "Hellcat," a deep, menacing voice called. He seemed to melt out of the shadows, away from the molten heat. All Hellcat could see from him was the whites of his eyes. He had no silvery scales except for under his wings, which he kept close to his sides.
    "Morrowseer," Hellcat answered, her eyes kept on the lava. She didn't turn around. She didn't want to seem submissive. She will obey, she will not be weak. "What do you want from me today?"
Morrowseer didn't move. She heard his breath, steady, slow. She didn't hear his scales scrape against each other as they moved.
    "Morrowseer?"
    "You got a new scar," the dragon observed.
    "Yes. Insight attempted to kill me," Hellcat snorted. She touched her shoulder, where a tender scar wrapped around. "He ended up trying to run away, out into the ocean. I don't know where he's at now."
    "He's weak, anyway. Wouldn't last a day on the main continent," Morrowseer snorted. "One little scar and he's gone. Perhaps this tribe would be better off without a moron like him."
    Hellcat nodded, standing and turning to face towards the large, black dragon. "So what are you here for?" She took large strides forward, graceful, smooth, like a cat. "Or did you come to see my newest member of the scar family?"
    "I came to give you this," Morrowseer said. He unfurled one of his wings and a scroll rolled out onto the rock. "Fulfill it, and you have the honor of being the next assassin."
    "I thought Deathbringer was doing that," Hellcat pointed out, calmly, crouching down to pick up the short piece of paper. She read it to herself, keeping her poker-face in play as she scanned the words.
    After a silent moment, she looked up at Morrowseer.
    "You want me to train your daughter?"
    "I want you to teach her to be strong while I'm at work," Morrowseer corrected.
    "So you want me to be your daughters school? I'm sorry, I don't work that way. I kill, I don't teach," Hellcat hissed. "You want me to teach your daughter, give me something more than just the official assassin role."
    "You can kidnap RainWings. You can help me with my duties."
    "All work that isn't fun. I can kill RainWings better than I can catch them, and you really expect me to work on feeding schedules? No thank you. Give me something that isn't labor."
    "You can move into the palace, next biggest room, no feeding wait, and go out into the mainland whenever you please," Morrowseer huffed. He clearly had that as a backup, not like he wanted to use it, though. "Is that fair enough?"
    "I want to be able to live on the mainland. Not too far from the tunnel," Hellcat declared, flicking the end of her tail. "Deal or no deal?"
    "No deal," Morrowseer growled, narrowing his eyes at Hellcat menacingly. Hellcat wasn't scared though, nor did she think that the 'no deal' would last long.
    "Then good luck trying to get someone to school your kid, Morrow," Hellcat said, spreading her deep red wings. She slowly got ready to leap into the ashy air, before taking off into the dark, cloud filled sky.
    She took a sharp turn, banking towards the outer side of the stronghold's borders. Morrowseer will say yes to her agreements. He has no one else. His wife is dead, he has no other children, and nobody else is willing to take care of the devil's daughter.
    Morrowseer is desperate. She knew that.
    And she was willing to use it against him.