Winglet: Tragedy

Captured

Kestrel was terrified. What would happen to her dragonet? What would happen to herself? What about Peak, Robin, Crimson, and Burgundy?

She put her hatching egg behind her and Kestrel stood between the queen and the dragonet. Kestrel didn't dare turn around and watch her dragonet hatch, instead, she faced Queen Scarlet with ferocity.

"Kestrel, tsk-tsk, such a troublemaker," Scarlet claimed as Osprey and Falcon landed on her left. Avalanche and another dragon landed on Scarlet's right.

Four guards and Scarlet versus Kestrel and a hatching dragonet. Kestrel's odds were not good.

"Scarlet, tsk-tsk, such a horrible dragon," Kestrel retorted.

Smoke began to rise out of Scarlet's nostrils. Kestrel angered her, which WASN'T the idea, but it was a good retort. Clearly, Scarlet had never been insulted before. 

"Here's the deal, you worm, you will come back and fight in my army. Now that your commanders won't help you, I'll have them push you," Scarlet snarled. "Push you until you die your horrible nasty death."

"As for my dragonet?" Kestrel asked.

"I believe you have TWO dragonets," Scarlet growled, clearly annoyed.

Kestrel looked to her left and saw two dragonets. One was smoking and the other was dull and shivering. Kestrel wanted to wrap her wings around him but she couldn't at the moment.

"Here's the deal. I killed Maroon for you being disobedient. He was going to die anyway. Now, YOU must chose one dragonet to kill right now for the second time you disobeyed me," Scarlet snapped, grinning.

Kestrel was in shock. Kill her own dragonet? How could she do that? And which one?

"Kill one and you can be forgiven. Kill both and I'll let you roam the world," Scarlet calmly stated. A grin took over Scarlet's face.

Kestrel's heart sank. She wanted to roam the world but with both dragonets. Not just one. So she would. But she had to make it not obvious to Scarlet that that was what she planning.

Kestrel grabbed her dragonet that had too little fire and put her by the river.

"I will find you, stay hidden until I can," she whispered to her dragonet, hoping he understood. 

Kestrel cut her own wrist with her talon and poured some of her blood in the river and sent the young dragonet down the river. Kestrel then smeared her claws in her own blood, hoping Scarlet would think the blood was from the dragonet. 

"Okay," Kestrel said, letting her voice waver. "I... I killed my dragonet."

She let a tear fall in front of everyone to make it more believable. The guards around Scarlet looked horrified and Scarlet look pleased with herself. Pleased. Why did Scarlet find other dragon's pain enjoyable?

Kestrel and all the guards around Scarlet now saw Scarlet as the bad dragon. They saw Scarlet as a monster, a beast that thirst for blood. Nothing more.

"Now kill the second one," Scarlet ordered.

"Now isn't that over-the-top?" Osprey asked. Scarlet glared at him and she growled something Kestrel didn't catch.

"Do it or you're both dead," Scarlet snapped at Kestrel.

Kestrel had enough of this. Scarlet couldn't just keep walking all over Kestrel. Scarlet made the wrong dragon angry. 

Kestrel grabbed her daughter and began to fly away. 

But her daughter was burning her. Her daughter touched Kestrel's face and burned Kestrel. 

Kestrel dropped her because she couldn't hold her fiery daughter and flew off.

She looked back and saw Scarlet approach her dragonet. Scarlet would most likely kill Kestrel's dragonet. 

Kestrel looked away. There was nothing she could do now.

She had failed protecting her children... she failed as a mother. 

And because of her mistake, her children payed the price, just like everyone else around her.