Winglet: Tragedy

The Lost Dragonet

Kestrel dipped her wounds in the river.

No matter how long or how many times she dipped them in the cool, fresh water, they still burned. Her dragonet was a powerful one, that was for sure.

Could Scarlet kill her? She just may be strong enough to resist Scarlet. Maybe, just maybe. 

Kestrel washed off the blood from her front talons and cleaned her bleeding wound. Scarlet and all of her guards bought it, which means it was worth it. Worth all of the pain. 

These scars she earned today would never leave her, ever. 

Kestrel removed her forearms from the river. They continued to burn but Kestrel would have to ignore it. One of her dragonets was alive and somewhere in these dangerous woods. Anything could probably eat him.

She took off and check the area where Scarlet, her guards, and Kestrel's dragonet had been. They were gone. 

Part of Kestrel was glad they were gone but part of her wanted to try and rescue her dragonet. 

But Scarlet would expect Kestrel to try so Kestrel won't.

Kestrel turned around and flew over the river. She didn't see her dragonet yet but he may have gone a ways down before he could pull himself out of the water. 

However, while Kestrel was here, she'd cheek the forest.

"Your mom is here! Dragonet!" Kestrel roared. 

Would have been smart to give him a name, Kestrel scolded herself.

Kestrel called for the dragonet with no luck. So Kestrel went back toward the river. She'd follow the river until it dumped into the ocean... because by then, Kestrel should just assume he's dead and she lost both of her dragonets.

Everyone she cared for, gone or are still working for the queen. She dragged everyone who had died for her into her mess. Why must she be so stupid.

My fault.

Kestrel thought about every dragon who still lived who had actually cared for her. Crimson, Burgundy and she guessed Peak and Robin. But they were all in the background of her life. 

Kestrel never cared for Soar, Falcon or the cowardly SkyWings in her squad. Kestrel had sort of begun to care about Avalanche the past week but only because she improved Jay's mood. She helped him move past Caracara and she allowed him to be a part of their dragonet's life. 

Now Jay was dead. So was Caracara, Maroon, possibly her dragonets, and maybe Osprey. 

Maroon and her dragonets hit her the hardest. Even though her dragonets may live, one would never forgive her for giving him up and the other will be influenced by Scarlet to hate her. 

Now that Kestrel had thought about it, she wasn't sure why Scarlet had never killed her. Scarlet blamed everything on Kestrel yet everyone else died. She claimed she needed soldiers to fight the war, yet she killed Jay. She claimed that Soar's disruptive behavior during the queening ceremony was Kestrel's fault, yet she killed Maroon. Scarlet had blamed Caracara's death on Kestrel, yet Kestrel was just whipped.

It was like she wanted Kestrel to live. The bigger question was why? The queen hated Kestrel so why would the queen keep Kestrel around?

There was something deeper than what Kestrel could comprehend. She was sure of it. 

Kestrel spotted a reddish-brown figure. That might be her dragonet!

She dove toward it and landed in the clearing. Kestrel looked around for it and saw it in the bushes. She ran over to the bushes and saw two scavengers with a rabbit. 

How dare they imitate her son! How dare they fool her and get her hopes up!

Kestrel torched the scavengers and the rabbit. She figured it would be dinner for a few nights or a night, depending on how hungry Kestrel was.

When she walked into the burned clearing, she saw one roasted scavenger and one burned rabbit. Where did the other scavenger go?

Did it really matter? No. Kestrel was still going to eat this and be happy with it.

Kestrel woke up startled. 

It was the middle of the night and everything was a little too quiet for comfort. There were no noises whatsoever.

Kestrel growled and got up. She stalked around in the clearing before hearing some whispering from behind her. She whipped around.

Something had leaped on to her back and grabbed her neck. Kestrel dropped and rolled onto the dragon on top of her. There were a few cracking noises as the dragon let go of her. Kestrel got off her and pinned her neck.

Another dragon jumped out of the bush in front of her and Kestrel growled, hearing more dragons come into the clearing around her. She kept her eyes locked on the SeaWing in front of her. 

"If any of you attack me, I will kill this MudWing!" Kestrel snapped. She heard them shuffle backward. Good.

"Please don't hurt anyone here. We are all at peace with one another," the SeaWing asked with a half smile.

"What do you mean? The world is at war and all of you just left your tribe to be destroyed and made a group? How selfish of you!" Kestrel whisper-roared.

"We didn't abandon anyone. We are the Talons of Peace. We are trying to use the--" the SeaWing started.

"Shut up, will you? You're going to give everything away!" the MudWing Kestrel had pinned claimed. "Like he was trying to say, we are trying to take a peaceful solution to get out of this mess. Not fighting unless absolutly neseccary."

"If you want to join the Talons of Peace, meet us here. We'll send someone here every night at this time for two weeks. If you haven't responded by then, we will find you and kill you so you don't tell anyone we exist," the SeaWing claimed.

"I thought you didn't want violence," Kestrel growled.

"I said unless absolutely neseccary," the MudWing stated.

"Fine," Kestrel growled, letting the MudWing out of her claws. "I'll think about it."

"Lovely, absolutely lovely," the SeaWing said.

What have I gotten myself into?