(SCRAPPED) Wings of Fire: The Turning Tides | The Turning Tides #2

Chapter 3

Glow and Mesquite left, in the break of dawn. They left with honour in their hearts and a small pouch of gold to support them. They'd work something out. They were smart. All of her loyal soldiers were.

She watched their silhouettes become dots against the rocky side of the valley. Only Mesquite looked back once and all his face said was that he was grateful. Of course he should've been, for it had been her that saved him. Still, it made her happy that she made that choice to save him and to eliminate such a terrible dragon in the process.

Natterjack was a cruel dragon under the rule of a, perhaps, even crueler queen. A queen that was once so revered, even by Auklet herself but had lost her way. Maybe it was age that nurtured the unbidden transformation. Thorn was a very old dragon after all.

Auklet could only look at herself after that.

Perhaps Thorn didn't realise what she was doing and only sought out the easiest solution to her problem.

It was her first time using the enchanted necklace to transform herself into another dragon, and it was a good thing it was her first time too. Under any other circumstances, she may have just wrote a name down and ran off elsewhere to be anything else. For now, she kept that thought at the back of her head. A last resort escape plan was always handy.

Though, she felt the thought tug at her more often now, but she had to ignore it, because she had very important things to do, especially now since Glow and Mesquite were gone.

After checking the skies once more, she crept back into the cave and met Coast and Turquoise inside.

The seawing twins still slept. Bluefin's snoring echoed, stunted only by the walls surrounding them. It was Auklet's decision to not wake them, lest they all spend the morning not getting anywhere useful.

"They're gone now," She said. Coast and Turquoise exchanged glances. "Which means we can decide what to do next." She didn't want Glow or Mesquite to be here during this discussion. She was afraid they'd have something smart to say and she'd decide to keep them here anyway, despite her prior promise to Mesquite. It was better waiting until they left.

"The rainforest is closest," Coast suggested. "The nightwings were once loyal to us, I don't see why they wouldn't help us again."

"They can't keep their snouts shut. You know nightwings: loud, bragging crow dragons," Turquoise commented. Though exaggerated, Turquoise did speak some truth. Allegedly, one of their own nightwing Talons were found out and failed to exterminate the witness, getting them all captured.

"They were still useful," Auklet said. "And last I heard, their commanding officer was never revealed. With luck, not all of them were ratted out."

"Albeit a small number," Coast said. "We can work with that but it's not much. I was hoping some sandwings would join us when you shortened their prison sentence."

Auklet narrowed her eyes at him. "They were being tortured. Discussing allegiances with them seems a little more than insensitive at that time. Besides, if Beetle's newfound crown doesn't work out and our plan with the nightwings does, then we might gain some attention."

"Bidding time," Turqouise said. "I like it."

Coast shrugged, not wholly convinced but soon gave in and agreed.

"Then it's settled," Auklet said. "If the Talons are to be remade, better, then we need somewhere to start again. We start with the nightwings."

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Auklet used her enchanted necklace again. Inside the locket she placed a scrap of paper with the name Stargazer etched onto it. She figured it was enough of a nightwing name, and sure enough, she transformed into a grey nightwing, and with sparkly wings too.