Wings of Fire: A Dark Nightmare #1

Chapter 3

Nightmare whipped around to see a large NightWing. The NightWing had a broken horn, and his scales were dark blue. His talons were long and sharp, and the spikes along his neck had risen.

"Wait, you're..." The Nightwing saw his jet-black scales. "Your wings are like a SkyWing's, but you have the build of a NightWing," he gasped. "You're a hybrid?"

"Yes. I'm a SkyWing NightWing hybrid. My name is Nightmare," Nightmare responded. "My mother, Moonglider, brought me here."

"Moonglider? That's Queen Dreamstalker's daughter," the NightWing told him. "And if you're half SkyWing, then who is your father?"

"A SkyWing called Overheat," Nightmare answered, flicking his tail. He wondered why his mother had never told him that she was related with the Queen. 

"Overheat? Isn't that the dragon that disobeyed Queen Fissure's orders? He's known as a danger among all the tribes. After he left the Sky Kingdom, he killed Queen Fissure's sister, Eruption. She was a SkyWing with firescales," The NightWing explained. "Every dragon is afraid of him since he killed a SkyWing with firescales. Although, it is rumored that Overheat used animus powers to take away the firescales."

"Wait, Overheat is an animus? I thought there couldn't be SkyWing animuses!" Nightmare growled. "So how could he of even been one?"

"It is said that another animus dragon enchanted him to be an animus," the NightWing replied. "But it is also said that that same animus dragon took away his animus powers," he added.

"Ah, Moonsplitter, you found Nightmare."

Nightmare saw Moonglider walking towards them, and a large NightWing was by her side. The NightWing had dark gray, almost black scales, and her underbelly was a light gray color. She wore jewelry around her neck. This must be Queen Dreamstalker. 

"Greetings, I am Queen Dreamstalker," the NightWing rumbled. "Moonglider told me about you, Nightmare. How about I get to know more about you? We should go back to the palace for a chat," Queen Dreamstalker told him, lifting one of her glittering wings.

"Uh, sure, Queen Dreamstalker," Nightmare dipped his head, unsure he should bow or not since he has never met a queen. He spread his wings out, then leaped up into the sky, beating his wings as he carried himself to follow the queen. 

"So, Nightmare, who is your father? Moonglider never told me about him," Queen Dreamstalker stated, raising a talon to her face.

"Overheat," Nightmare answered hesitantly. "I hear about the things he did, and I'm-"

"Save it for the palace," Queen Dreamstalker cut him off abruptly, making him scared that she would hurt him because of who his father was. Nightmare hung his head, his tail drooping in the air.

Soon, a castle-like structure came into view. It was at the bottom of the rocky cliff, tucked away in the shade. NightWings flew in and out, all different colors and sizes, some wearing armor, some carrying spear-like weapons. Nightmare studied the place in awe.

Queen Dreamstalker flapped her wings slowly as she neared the edge. She landed on the smooth stone, her talons clicking on the ground. There were six NightWings in the hall leading to the Throne Room, three of them on each wall. They bowed down once they saw the queen, their armour shining.

The NightWing guards didn't ask about Nightmare. They let the two dragons pass, although their gazes were questioning when they saw how jet-black Nightmare's scales were. "I've never seen a dragon that black!" One of them muttered to another.

Nightmare hung his head self-consciously as the NightWing's questioned his large wings, and the orange scales on the underside of his wings. He continued to follow Queen Dreamstalker down the twisting hall, which was dark. Finally, she led him to a room with tons of jewelry and other precious gems. She sat down, then lifted her wing to let him join her.

Nightmare blinked desperately. "I heard about all the things Overheat has done, and he never told me about what he did! Please don't look at me like I'm Overheat, because I'm my own dragon!" He stammered. Realizing he had yelled at the queen, he slapped his wing over his snout, his eyes wide.

"I know that you aren't your father," Queen Dreamstalker sighed, walking forward. "You are still young, Nightmare, and I am afraid that because you are a hybrid, you will be killed. Queen Fissure always comes to the tribes, demanding the other queens to hand over the hybrids of their tribes, or else. If they didn't hand over their hybrids, then a war would begin. Queen Fissure is allied with Queen Scorpion of the HiveWings. The other tribes are afraid of Queen Fissure, so they give her their hybrids without a second thought," the NightWing explained.

"The only tribe that stood against her were the IceWings. They fought with all they had, and even though the IceWings have frostbreath and serrated claws, the SkyWing and HiveWing tribe together outnumbered the IceWings greatly. Their queen at the time, Queen Blizzard, died in the fight, and the IceWings eventually gave up. Now the tribes hide their hybrids, or either kick them out of the tribe," Queen Dreamstalker finished. She turned to Nightmare. "And don't think that just because you are half SkyWing, you're off the hook, because you aren't. She doesn't care what kind of hybrid you are, you'll die either way."

Nightmare started at the queen, his eyes wide as his claws dug into the stone ground. He was scared that in his time being at this kingdom, Queen Fissure would kill him. "Does she ever come back to check again?" He asked. His heart jumped in his throat once he saw Queen Dreamstalker nod. "Do you know when it is?" 

"Today."