Into The Wild ~ Book 2 ~ Wings of Fire Fanfiction

Chapter 2 ~ Freedom

A/N

A lot more Flares will be introduced in this book, so be prepared to meet them. You've met most of the Shades, though. Don't forget to comment your opinion, and vote if you like the story! Also, I won't be updating as often because I'm working on two other fanfictions: The Evil Within and In the Shadows of Evil.

And on that note, what cannon ships are you hoping to have dragonets in the Flares? A few of them have been confirmed already, but many more remain unmentioned...

-Your loyal FanWing author

~~~Frozenshadow~~~

Unlike the other Flares, Frozenshadow wasn't a descendant of someone heroic. No, her father had died when she was young, and her mother had sent her to live with her aunt, Freeze. Some parents.

Some of the other Flares teased her about it, but Frozenshadow tried her best to ignore them. She survived just fine without her parents. Better, even. 

Now, though, without even her aunt nearby, Frozenshadow felt the loss even more acutely. Whenever the others began to talk about reuniting with their parents, she found an excuse to slip off. 

When she was alone, there was no one to tease her. No one to taunt her about how useless she was, and how she was so disgusting even her own mother didn't want her. Being a hybrid, that was to be expected, she supposed. No one wanted to be seen with someone like her, a cross between two tribes. A tainted bloodstream. 

Her aunt, a hybrid herself, hadn't cared, but even though most of the other Flares were hybrids themselves, they still taunted her.

"Hey, Frozenshadow."

The IceWing/RainWing hybrid whipped around, tensed and ready to fight. She relaxed when she saw it was Lapwing, the son of Clay and Peril. Unlike his siblings, Snipe and Sandpiper, Lapwing was actually kind to her.

"Hi Lapwing," she replied, sighing. She rested a multi-colored claw against a rotted log, waiting for the SkyWing/MudWing hybrid to catch up.

When he finally did, she resumed walking through the surrounding jungle with him at her side.

"I'm sorry about my siblings," he told her regretfully, glancing at the soggy ground as they went.

Frozenshadow shook her head. "It's not your fault. They just need someone to oust their anger onto. I mean, it doesn't bother me, not really."

"Yes, it does," Lapwing replied quietly. "I've seen it. Look, I'll talk to them again, and if they keep bothering you, I'll figure out something more permanent." 

"You don't need to," she said, hopping over a fallen tree. "I'm fine."

A sudden crashing interrupted them both, and Polar stumbled into their path. "Sorry," he gasped. "I got lost again."

Lapwing chuckled, seemingly relieved for the chance to change the subject. "Don't worry, that's easy to do here. I can never tell one tree from another."

Polar laughed alongside the hybrid. "I know. Compared to the Ice Kingdom..." He trailed off, looking wistful.

Still chuckling quietly, Lapwing pointed at the direction he'd come from. "Camp's back there," he told the IceWing. 

"Thanks," Polar replied, starting past them. Before he could get very far, though, he turned back to Lapwing. "And about Fractal," he began, his voice laced with sadness. "I know you'll probably never trust me after her betrayal, but I promise you, I'll never do anything like that."

Lapwing's face contorted, and then calmed. "I'm sorry if I've been taking it out on you," he replied. "It's just...I never expected anyone to side with them."

Feeling awkward, Frozenshadow began to slip away. She didn't like the serious tones they were using. It made their entire situation seem so much more dire. To her, it was better to just pretend everything was a bad dream. That way, the full weight of their possible ends wouldn't hit her as hard.

Once she was sure she was out of earshot, Frozenshadow turned and bolted into the trees, trying not to think of anything except for the pounding of her heart and the foliage rushing past her as she ran.

Ker-Thump.

Ker-Thump.

Ker-Thump.

Her running was interrupted by a stray log that tripped her and sent her catapulting into a muddy puddle, thoroughly soaking her.

Muttering under her breath, Frozenshadow stood up and staggered out of the muddy water. The hybrid dragged herself onto a flat rock and laid there, bathing in the faint sunlight that managed to reach the jungle floor.

She supposed it had to do with her RainWing side, but as soon as they'd set foot in the rainforest, she'd felt more alive than ever. So far it was only luck that'd hidden them from King Chameleon's patrols, but hunting for Ex-Queen Glory - actually doing something for once in her life - was a welcome change.

Frozenshadow didn't know how long she lay there, but when her eyes opened again, the barely-visible sky was streaked with dark purple and bright orange colors. The jungle floor was darker than ever, but luckily she had night vision, meaning she didn't have to navigate back to camp in complete darkness.

Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet and started walking back in the direction she'd come. 

As she walked, she thought about their situation with the Shades. While there were plenty more Flares, the Shades still had the advantage when it came to resources, powers, and support. All the Flares had were numbers, and the fact that most dragons were unsatisfied with Darkstalker's rule, but too frightened to do anything. Which wasn't much help at all.

All Frozenshadow knew was that the RainWings generally hated Chameleon and his cruel ways, so they'd most likely ally with the Flares...but there was always the chance that Darkstalker would do something to foil their plans. 

In fact, she was surprised he hasn't already. Maybe he didn't know of their flight, or they were protected by some sort of rival animus magic, which wasn't all that unlikely now that Frozenshadow thought about it.

But she knew was that they had a chance...and she was willing to take it.