Casting Shadows (re writing)

Chapter 23 After math

Scorpion was swimming in an ice cold ocean. All she could see was the sea, it stretched out further then the eye can see. The water was so cold, it almost burned her. She could almost feel her veins flowing with the white boiling liquid.

She could hear echoing voices. She tried to reach them, but waves kept collapsing over head. She surfaced again, gasping and coughing. Only to be pushed by another wave. She felt a water current push her deeper, and deeper. They almost grasped her leg. She was submerged deeper, and deeper.

She couldn't see anything now. She wanted to swim back up to the surface, t see anything, feel anything. She was dead, but hadn't yet died. She was alive, but as good as dead...

...Reality slowly started to flow back in her. The water evaporates into a breathable air. She felt wind lapping at her talons. She could feel her burns slowly healing. She couldn't stay in her dream world for ever...She finally accepted her fate, and opened her eyes...

She cave. It wasn't much of a cave. I was a curved rock, just wide enough to fit a dragonet under. Sticks and leaves covered the entrance, letting tiny sun rays scatter like mice. She stumbled to her talons, winsing from the pain in her mussels. She pushed away the leaves, and exited.

She looked around. She was somewhere deep in a forest. She had to get out of this maze. She had to find her friends. What have even happen? Abruptly, something rammed into her side. She hissed in pain, and furry. She scrambled to her talons, raising her barbed tail.

A Flamewing stared at her. She looked vaguely familiar.

"Blaze?!" Scorpion stammered. "And the Sandwing remembers," she sighed. "Bu-ut. You work for Burn! Oh no, is she on her way right no-" "I don't work for that sea-hearted lizard!" She spat. "...W-Why not?" Scorpion questioned. "What happened?"

"Ugh," Blaze rolled her eyes. "Don't you remember?...The explosion?" "....What?" Scorpion echoed. "The capsol, it imploded...Along with most of the Skywing tribe. Maybe even all of it...They were already almost extinct from the volcano.." She finished.

The volcano. Just around when Scorpion was born, a huge volcano erupted. This just happened to be the same "mountain" the Skywings kingdom lived on. No wonder it was so tall...

About a quarter were killed from the burning fire, and lava. A shocking 50% were killed in the land slide, and collapse of the mountain. And another 10% were killed by smoke, and starvation.

This only left us with vaguely 15% left.

Smoke covered more than half of Phirria. Meany dragons near the area started dropping like fly. Hundreds of plants, and even animals collapsed. Even Rain, and Leafwings had to work twice as hard to gather energy. Smoke cover the sun for years, and years to come.

We call these, the dark days...

I was born just around when it began. But I gragilly found out around the age of 12 (convert age) I found it from the one, and only place I feel at home. The library.

Snake was also fascinated with books, and he would bring books in almost daily. I hate how they all feed me lies, all my life. Why couldn't they just said.

"Hey Scorpion! Remember how its a big, great world! How we told you all the queens have orangeade harmony, and there hasn't been violence for years? Well, that was complete bull bile. Thats what happened back in the good old days, but luckily for you. You were born right when the uprise ing started. Luckily for you, you were born in the area, of complete bull bile, and your gonna have a hard time dealing with it. Oh! Also, remember all that bile you heard about when dragons die, the become a star? Thats also bull bile. Just like Snakewings, and Dreamwings. so have fun enjoying your lucky life."

Well, maybe they lied to me for the best...

"...Oh geez," Scorpion echoed. "...You really think she would do that?..." Scorpion quietly questioned. "Ha! Think?! I know she would!" Blaze hissed. Why would Blaze even care? She wasn't a Skywing, not like she lost any family. She couldn't be a hybrid, they were killed at birth. If anything, this would be good news. Less mouths to feed, it won't be as crowded. And there another step closer to winning the war...Wait...She thought back to the day they were captured.

She was fighting...Along side of a Skywing...The realization started to come to her. Sky, he was killed in the explosion. Exonerated, not so much as a corps to retrieve. She hesitated, should she say she's sorry? She would just accuse her of figuring it out so late. "Well." Scorpion started. "We'll make sure that thin blood gets the long, painful death she deserves," Scorpion tried her best to grin, she wasn't the violent type.

Blaze chuckled. "I'm happy I saved you from that fire."