Wings of Power: The Rising Tribe [SERIES CLOSED]

Chapter 16

Vein and his new friend Blizzard sliced through the pale blue sky as smoke from the explosion poured over from the Isle of Time.

The flight was not very long, and by the time Vein realized it, he and Blizzard landed at the cost of the Stone Kingdom.

"So, uh," Vein coughed in the dusty air around the StoneWings. "How do we choose one? Do we just . . . simply pick one? Pluck them out of their job?"

Blizzard scanned the area. "No, actually. For us, we pick a StoneWing with a disadvantage."

"Disadvantage? Why?" 

"Because if we have more powerful people, they'll get too ambitious and try to get all the credit. That may very well spark a fight."

Vein slowly nodded his head. "Makes sense . . . but how will we find a disadvantaged-StoneWing?"

Blizzard grinned wickedly. "That's where the word magic comes from."

"Uh, no. Magic came---"

"Oh, just wait!" Blizzard cried. Then, as Vein watched, he murmured a spell. All around him, the air turned misty. He heard a StoneWing sound---the sound of scraping and scratching on hard rocks and scales. Through the mist, Vein could see a female StoneWing body getting dragged by a huge rock shaped like a huge cane which was dragging the Stoner by the crook, grappling her waist. She uselessly splattered magma on the cane, but that did nothing. When the cane reached Blizzard and Vein, the StoneWing spat magma onto the cane, which this time finally dissolved into steaming liquid fire. Blizzard stepped well away from the puddle, but Vein didn't change his position. Something about staying next to the rapidly-cooling lava made him feel better. Vein then looked down at the StoneWing. She didn't look as if she had a disadvantage. She looked like a typical StoneWing: diamond head plating, thick neck, strong-looking tails and scales and four extremely sharpened groups of claws on each leg.

Blizzard looked as surprised as he was. 

The StoneWing growled at them, giving Vein a sudden unpleasant thought about Timestopper, the blown-up TimeWing who called her self "Snuggly".

"Why did you bring me here?" She snarled. "Don't you know I have to fend my home from thieves? Don't you know I have no parents?"

Blizzard grimaced at Vein. "That's her disadvantage. StoneWings who are orphaned can't learn properly how to actually mine rocks. I suppose that is a disad---"

"DISADVANTAGE?" The StoneWing roared. "BEING AN ORPHAN IS NOT A ---"

Vein bopped her with the blunt side of his tail. "Hey, now. We don't need a magma-spitting dragon freaking out here, now. What's your name anyway?"

The StoneWing approached Vein. "Why should I tell you? Tell me your names first."

"Fine," Vein said. "I'm Vein and the TimeWing behind me is Blizzard. Now, what's yours?"

"Andesite. There. Happy now?" She spat.

"No. Well, we have a question." Blizzard said. "We need one dragon from each tribe to help us defeat Marble."

Andesite's expression slowly turned from angry to fury. "Marble?" she roared. "Why do you want her? To kill me? So that---"

"Andesite," Vein said, stepping in. He figured things would get ugly if he didn't step up soon. "We said defeat. Not bring her back. We want to disable her power, and you're the only StoneWing that can qualify here in this Kingdom."

Andesite seemed calmer. "Who's idea was this?" She asked.

"Mine. Why?" Vein said.

And then out of nowhere, Andesite extended her mouth and shot a burst of fresh magma right at Vein's face, splattering on him.