Retribution - A Wings of Fire Fanfiction

Chapter 2

Specter didn't know how long he spent flying, blindly throwing himself forwards into the air, trying not to think of what had just transpired. He barely noticed when the forest below him changed to grassy foothills, and then to the beginnings of rocky mountains.

Eventually, the sun set and he was forced to land, burrowing into a craggy opening between two large boulders. Alone, with nothing but the sound of birds singing in the distance, the thoughts that Specter had been keeping at bay rushed forwards and enveloped him.

His mother was dead, there was no doubt about it. And those dragons...those Sentinels, had done it. Specter didn't know how just yet, but he vowed that someday, somehow, he'd get revenge. The images of the NightWing and SeaWing that had attacked her were permanently ingrained in his memory, so there was no doubt he'd ever forget.

Eventually, the angry tinge to his thoughts faded, replaced by a deep insurmountable sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. Specter fell asleep with tears in his eyes.

.........................................................................................................................

The next morning, Specter woke up to a beam of sunlight shining straight into his eyes. He sat up quickly, banging his head on the stone above him, before remembering where he was.

"Mother?" he said in a quiet voice, and tears came to his eyes again. Still bleary from sleep, he crawled out of his hiding spot and into the light, clinging to the rocks below him as if the slightest wind would blow him away.

The mountains at dawn were wonderful to look at, swathed in shades of fiery red and brilliant orange, but Specter barely noticed. Once again, he raised his wings and prepared to fly off, but was interrupted by the sound of rocks falling.

He whirled around, and snarled at the two dragons that had crept up on him while he'd been focused on other things. One of them, a small SandWing with friendly black eyes, backed away, but the IceWing beside her stayed where she was.

"Who are you?" Specter growled, reaching out with his mind to pluck the answers from their thoughts. But there was nothing. Immediately, his mother's words returned to him; you can tell a Sentinel from a normal dragon because Sentinel's do not think!

"What are you doing out here?" the SandWing asked, not yet noticing his distress. "You're not from the school, and you're not a SkyWing, so...?"

"Stay away from me," Specter snarled, retreating slowly. "I'll...I'll hurt you!"

The two dragons shared a confused look. "What's wrong?" the IceWing asked, her eyes filled with what looked like genuine confusion.

Specter found himself unable to answer the question, since he didn't know if all Sentinels were evil and murderous. Maybe there were some good ones out there. It was in that moment of hesitation that he heard the thoughts trickling out of the SandWing's mind.

So she's not a Sentinel after all, he realized with relief. But the other one is...

Unsure what to do, Specter ignored the SandWing, who's name he could see was Arid, and glared forcefully at the IceWing. "Get out of here," he snarled. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't do what I say."

The Sentinel looked startled, and Specter felt a momentary wave of satisfaction. She probably hadn't expected him to know.

"What's wrong with you?" Arid exclaimed, jumping in between them with her wings spread.

"Get out of my way," Specter hissed. "She's not a normal dragon. She's a Sentinel!"

"Are you crazy!?" the SandWing cried in shock. "Frost isn't one of those horrible creatures!"

"Yes she is. Only Sentinels can block my mind reading. AND I CAN'T HEAR HER!" He finished on a louder note than he'd began, and feinted towards the IceWing.

"Oh!" Frost said with a smile in her voice. "That's not because I'm a Sentinel. That's because I have some skyfire."

"Skyfire?" Specter repeated, relaxing slightly in his puzzlement.

"Yeah, it comes from comets, and it blocks mind reading," Arid piped up, and Specter could tell she was relieved that his hostility was explainable.

"Here, I'll prove it," Frost said, and she lifted a silver necklace speckled with small black stones over her head. She set it down on a nearby rock, and the second her claws stopped touching it, a new voice entered Specter's mind.

See, she thought. Nothing to worry about. Confident that he was reassured, Frost reached over and put on the necklace again. Instantly, her mental voice was snuffed out.

"Oh, okay," Specter said weakly. "Sorry about how I acted earlier."

"No problem!" Arid replied brightly, stepping out from between them. "I understand."

"So why are you here?" Frost asked, cocking her head to the side. "The Night Kingdom is pretty far away..."

"I'm running away from the Sentinels," Specter explained, deciding he could trust them. Both seemed honest from what he'd heard in their minds so far. "They attacked my house." He winced, and decided not to mention his mother.

"Oh no!" Arid exclaimed in horror. "That's horrible! Why would they do that?"

Specter shrugged and stared at the ground. That was a good question. Why? it wasn't like he or Vision had done anything bad. Another idea came to him, but he beat it back. It didn't make sense.

"How long has it been since you ate?" Frost asked suddenly, and Specter looked up at her in surprise. He was in fact quite hungry, but how would she have known that?

I guess everyone can read minds now, he thought, amused. Out loud, he said; "A few days."

Frost nodded, as if his words had just solved an incomplete puzzle for her. "Why don't you come back with Arid and I? We can get you food and maybe find a place for you, at least temporarily."

"Sure," Specter replied, not one to say no to free food. "Uh...where exactly did you guys come from?"

"Jade Mountain Academy," Arid answered, pointing to the north. "We're in the Gold Winglet."

"There's a school out here?" Specter said, surprised. "Why?"

"Well, we're supposed to be here to learn about different tribes," Frost explained, her voice filled with disgust, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Anyways!" Arid interjected, shooting her friend a quelling look. "I'm sure you're hungry, so we should definitely get going instead of talking about conspiracy theories and other unimportant subjects!"

Specter blinked, wondering why the SandWing was acting so weird, but dismissed it as not important at the moment. He'd have plenty of time later, and since she was doing her best not to think about what she meant, he couldn't pluck the answer from her thoughts.

Frost rolled her eyes and then took off, beating her wings to fly in circles above them. "Come on then," she called down.

"Well I guess that's that," Specter said with a laugh, raising his wings. Arid grinned back and followed Frost, with him right behind her.

Things were looking up.

Yes, I know that was an abrupt ending, it's just that I don't want to make overly long chapters. Anyways, what do you think so far? Any ideas as to what Arid meant about conspiracy theories? Comment your opinions!

-Storm