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Chapter Text

I just got this idea out of nowhere. It just started with the question, "if the HTTYD characters were dragons in Wings of Fire, what would they be?" And the rest was history.

The Three Sisters Prophecy

Blood and tears soak in the sand,
In the fight for an empty throne.
Three in battle, two shall fall,
And one shall stand alone.

Find the eye that sees the worthy.
Fear the dragons of the night.
Fear the ones who seek to conquer.
Find the dragons of full moons bright.

Wings of mud and sea and rain,
Wings of sand, ice, night, and sky.
All seven form the wings of fire,
And the time for peace shall be nigh.

No dragon was safe in the Sky Palace, but the ones in the most danger by far were the daughters of Queen Scarlet.

Or, more precisely, daughter, singular.

Tourmaline knew that her mother was a force to be reckoned with. Scarlet had defeated her own mother plus all three of her sisters and eleven of her daughters. But Tourmaline held true to the fact that her mother couldn't be queen forever. Twenty-four years was a long time, but not that long. Queen Oasis had been queen longer than that, and everyone knew what had happened to her.

Not that she planned on throwing a scavenger at Scarlet. Not only would it be rather foolish, but the brutal queen would eat it in one gulp before proceeding to kill her daughter.

"It's always going to be like this," Tourmaline had said to her brothers a few nights ago. "Until I challenge our mother for the throne and win. I'm the only one left now - the only hope the SkyWings have of a decent queen. If I defeat her and become queen, we can get out of this war."

"The prophecy will take care of the war," her oldest brother, Vermilion, had argued. "The brightest night is in four days..."

"Right." Tourmaline rolled her eyes. "I'll just wait for a bunch of eggs that haven't even hatched yet to save us. Vermilion, I don't wait for things to happen to me. I want to make them happen."

"We don't want to watch you die," growled one of her other brothers.

"Well, don't worry, I won't do it yet," Tourmaline promised. "Another few months of training, maybe. I'm feeling really strong, though."

Then it was Vermilion's turn to roll his eyes. "You're only saying that because you got lucky in our last fight."

"I beat you fair and square," Tourmaline simpered.

She remembered that night vividly, and allowed a confident smile to stretch across her snout. She was ten now, and she felt ready to claim the throne. Enjoy your last few months as queen, Mother, because I'm coming for you.

"Princess Tourmaline?"

She snapped back to reality and whirled around. The guard in the doorway cleared his throat. "The queen has requested your presence in the throne room," he said. "Immediately."

The SkyWing princess strode out of her room, bowing her head in thanks to the guard as she went past him.

Dragons huddled by the throne room entrance, whispering; they all straightened their heads and wings as she approached. Curiosity gleamed in their eyes. They must have known that Tourmaline planned on challenging Scarlet soon. They must have been wondering whether she would be a better queen than her mother was.

I will be better. I have to be.

Tourmaline ducked her head as she entered the room, blinking in the blaze of sunlight that reflected off all the gold inlaid in the walls. It felt like walking into a funeral pyre; oppressive heat and the smell of dragon fire, radiating off the crowd of courtiers, closed in around her scales.

All of this outlandish treasure has got to go. It's almost as garish as Mother's ego.

"Ah, Tourmaline." The queen's voice lilted over all the others, and the room fell silent. "Well, now everyone is here! Everyone important, I mean. I have such a thrilling announcement. Tourmaline, come stand by your brothers. I want you especially to see this."

The crowd parted to let Tourmaline through. There was just enough space for her to fit beside Vermilion; her other three brothers were on Vermilion's other side.

Their mother glowed like a poisonous orange from the top of her throne, the throne that Tourmaline would soon have, peering down at the dragons that packed the room. The sharp sparkle of diamonds above her eyes and along her wings seized the light.

Then Tourmaline saw the hulking dragon at the queen's side: Burn, their SandWing ally, her face twisted in disgust and boredom. Everyone had been instructed to call her "Queen Burn" to her face, but Tourmaline found it hard to think of her that way. For one thing, she hadn't won the war yet, and for another, there was only one queen who could tell Tourmaline what to do and what not to do.

The queen Tourmaline had to kill to save her tribe.

"Finally," Scarlet said, rolling her eyes as though including the rest of the court in her impatience.

"Get on with it," Burn snapped.

Queen Scarlet flicked her tail and stretched her wings with deliberate languor. Tourmaline had time to wonder what sinisterly 'thrilling' announcement her mother had.

"You may all have heard of a certain...prophecy," Queen Scarlet said. "Mumbling about special dragonets who will hatch on the brightest night and stop the war. And you may all have noticed that the brightest night is tonight. Isn't that terribly exciting? Tiny little heroes crawling out of their eggs any minute now! That is...unless something simply dreadful happens, of course."

She cast a sidelong glance at Burn, smiling maliciously. "What you all don't know is that someone tried to steal a SkyWing egg last night."

A gasp ran around the room.

"I know," said Queen Scarlet. "A nasty IceWing thief named Hvitur got all the way in here and actually escaped with an egg - the largest one in the hatchery, as it happens."

The air crackled as if it might burst into flames at any moment. The largest egg in mountain high, Tourmaline recited in her head. That IceWing must be in the Talons of Peace. They're assembling the dragonets of the prophecy. But I'm not going to wait for some dragonet in a stolen egg to save us all. We need Mother off that throne as soon as possible, and it's up to me to do it.

"Oh, don't worry," her mother said. "Queen Burn chased him down, killed him, and destroyed the egg."

She did what?!

"We don't particularly like tiny heroes after all," Queen Scarlet continued. "Especially ones who might try to tell us what to do. So!" She clapped her front talons together suddenly, snapping the tension in the room like a bowstring. "Just to be perfectly safe, Queen Burn and I had a marvelous idea. We're going to make sure there are no SkyWing eggs hatching on the brightest night. Not even one. Not even close."

Tourmaline narrowed her eyes at her mother. She wouldn't!

"Bring them in!" called the queen.

Tourmaline watched as seven guards filed in, each carrying an egg. Red and orange shapes moved under the thin surface of the eggshells, and she could see cracks already spreading across three of them.

Queen Scarlet narrowed her eyes. "There should be eight," she hissed.

"We'll find it, Your Majesty," said the tallest guard. "I promise. She won't get far. And it was a runty one anyhow."

She'd better get far, thought Tourmaline. She'd better get as far away from here as possible, because Mother will never stop searching for that egg. I'll kill the queen before she finds them. I'll get us out of this war. I'm not going to wait for the prophecy to come true, no matter what anyone says. I'll make us a tribe we can truly be proud of, without Mother.

"Fine," said Queen Scarlet, putting on her annoyed-but-it's-a-celebration-so-I'll-just-kill-someone-later face. The queen plucked one of the eggs from the guard's talons and held it up for everyone to see.

And then she threw the egg to the floor, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. The dragonet that had been inside let out a gasp before Scarlet snatched it up by its tiny neck and, in one swift movement, snapped its head clean off.

A hush fell over the room.

Nobody spoke. Nobody could speak, not even Tourmaline. She never let herself get scared easily, but the sight of her mother killing an innocent little dragonet without remorse sent a wave of chills down the princess's spine.

"Bring me the rest of the eggs," Scarlet ordered.

Tourmaline glanced at the eggs, contemplating whether or not she should go down there and snatch one away from her mother's reach. She'd have my head if I did, but I can't just stand here and let her do this. No one should harm a dragon egg.

"But -" said one of the guards, her voice filled with fear.

"I am the queen," said Queen Scarlet coldly. "You will do as I say!"

The guards hesitated for a moment. Then they all stepped forward, quickly placing the eggs on the ground in front of their queen and stumbling out of her way.

One by one, Scarlet picked up each egg, smashed it, and brutally ripped the life out of the dragonets within.

Mother doesn't want the prophecy to come true, Tourmaline realized. The longer the war goes on, the more prisoners she has for those gruesome arena battles held for her sick, twisted entertainment. This is why she can't be queen any longer. I need to take that throne.

Then she saw all of the mutilated dragonets lying lifeless on the floor, and she instantly felt sick to her stomach. Scarlet was watching her only daughter with a satisfied, sinister look. A look that said: "Who would dare challenge me now? You, my dreaming daughter? Go ahead and try. I'll kill you just as easily as I killed my mother, my sisters, and all of my other daughters. I am, and always will be, the queen of the SkyWings, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Well played, Mother, Tourmaline thought. You've shattered the faith of everyone in this room. But I'm still not afraid of you. I'll train my whole life if I have to. If those dragonets do end up stopping this war, then that's fine by me. I hope you never find that runty egg. I hope it gets far away from you, someplace you'll never find it. Maybe then you'll finally realize that you're not as powerful as you think.

"Excellent," said Queen Scarlet, flicking her tongue between her teeth. "As you say, Queen Burn, so much for that prophecy now, right?"

Tourmaline didn't want to be in the same room as her mother for one moment longer. She burst into the air and flew right out of the throne room, ignoring the dragons calling after her as she fled.

Was it wrong for her to not believe in the prophecy? Or had she been right, after what her mother had just done?

This war will end, prophecy or no prophecy. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

She stayed in her room the rest of the day, only venturing out for dinner with what was left of her family. Scarlet had arranged an extravagant feast to celebrate her achievement of ruining the prophecy.

The sun had set, and the moons were starting to come out. Their silvery light caught the burning torches, giving the room an eerie glow.

Tourmaline left her plate untouched. She glared daggers at the queen from across the table, but Scarlet just kept giving her daughter that sinister, triumphant smile she'd been wearing since she'd destroyed that first egg.

The doors banged open, and a guard rushed in.

"Have you found it?" Queen Scarlet asked expectantly.

"It?" asked the guard. He needed more clarification.

"The runty egg that was missing from the assembly," said the queen.

The guard winced. "No, but -"

Queen Scarlet hissed. "How hard can it be to find one stupid, insignificant little dragonet?!"

Everyone at the table jumped in their seats.

"I was out looking," the guard promised. "Just like everyone else. But I -"

"BUT WHAT?!" bellowed Scarlet, her patience wearing thin.

"I saw a dragon trying to sneak out of the kingdom," the guard blurted hastily. "One of our own. Kestrel's sister, Auburn. She...she was carrying an egg."

Eyes flashing, Queen Scarlet settled back into her seat. "Another egg," she hissed in a tone Tourmaline couldn't quite place. "Nine eggs due to hatch tonight. Auburn, you said?" A smile curled her face. "I knew there was something going on with that dragon. Can't have eggs, she says. Let's pay her a little visit, shall we?"

Tourmaline's eyes followed her mother as she strode out of the dining hall, her head held high.

That dragon had better start flying, the princess thought. If that egg is due tonight, like Mother thinks, then she'll stop at nothing to have it destroyed, along with that runty one. If she's wasting her time trying to ruin the prophecy...maybe Vermilion was right. So many dragons in this and every other kingdom have faith in the prophecy, maybe it wouldn't hurt if I did, too.

I just hope those dragonets can get away from my mother. If she finds them...she won't be merciful.

It seemed like a remarkable coincidence when Auburn realized her egg was due to hatch on the brightest night. But it wasn't the largest, so she'd figured it would be safe.

She was wrong.

The moment she'd heard Scarlet order for all the SkyWing eggs that were due on the brightest night to be brought to her, Auburn knew there'd be trouble. She'd run out of places to hide her egg, and she wasn't going to hand it over no matter what happened.

It had been nerve-wracking, incredibly risky, and maybe just plain stupid to sneak the egg out of the Sky Kingdom, but Auburn didn't know what else to do. If she could find the Talons of Peace, then maybe her dragonet would have a chance.

She'd waited until dark, when she was sure the queen would not notice her, before venturing out into the night. She'd heard whispers among the dragons of a runty egg the guards couldn't find. But would the mother be able to keep ahead of Scarlet?

I hope she makes it, Auburn said to herself. I hope we both make it. For our dragonets' sakes.

"Going somewhere, Auburn?" hissed a voice.

The auburn-colored SkyWing froze dead in her tracks. Swiveling her head, she met the sinister eyes of Queen Scarlet.

Terrified, Auburn backed into a corner, holding her egg like a lifeline. Before she could even blink, she was surrounded by guards, their spears all pointing at her.

"You can't escape," Queen Scarlet said. "But, to make it fair, I'll offer you a deal. Destroy the egg, kill your dragonet, and I'll let you go free."

Auburn gazed down at the egg in her talons. It was different from the other SkyWing eggs. It was a much darker shade of red than normal, it even had a few splotches of black.

But it was still her egg.

Auburn had been so happy when she first laid her precious egg. She knew who the father was, and she had spent so much time thinking up the perfect name for the dragonet, providing herself with different options that would depend on the gender.

She was not going to kill her own dragonet.

Auburn lifted her eyes, which met the ones of one of the guards standing beside the queen. A guard she knew. An older, kindly SkyWing named Osprey - the only dragon she'd trusted with her whole secret, the parts she didn't tell her sister. He knew Auburn well enough to know that she'd refuse to kill her own dragonet, and he wasn't going to be the one to force her to do such a dirty trick. He gave her a miniscule nod, and mouthed one small word: "Go."

The mother-to-be shifted her eyes to stare into those of the SkyWing queen.

"Never!"

No sooner after her shout of disapproval, Auburn spread her wings and took off, barely avoiding the spears that the guards thrust at her when she moved.

Queen Scarlet scowled at the retreating mother. "Guards, after her!" she commanded. "Destroy that egg!"

Auburn didn't stop flying, even when she could no longer see the guards that had been chasing her. She had flown into the mountains, where she knew she could find a safe place for her egg.

She just hoped she could get there before Scarlet's guards found her.

Finding the place was harder than usual, since Auburn was panicking and in a hurry. But eventually, she found what she was looking for - a large rock that was the entrance to a hidden cave she had visited a few times in the past few months. Breathing a sigh of relief, Auburn settled her precious egg near the hidden entrance before reaching into the small, leather pouch she always kept tied around her neck and pulling out a piece of parchment. Dipping one of her claws into a small patch of mud nearby, she hastily scrawled a message on the paper.

Please take care of my baby.

Windracer
Skyhigh

The sound of flapping wings alerted her that the guards were catching up to her. She hid the note near her egg and quickly scanned the area around her. Her eyes landed on a medium-sized rock that was shaped like an egg. Knowing it would have to do, she scooped it up in her talons and flew off in the opposite direction of where she knew the hidden cave was.

"There she is!"

The shouts of the guards and the sounds of powerful wingbeats following her were all Auburn needed to hear to be sure her precious egg would be all right.

The three full moons shone brightly upon the mountain, a few beams even casting onto Auburn's egg. The egg wobbled a little in reaction to the light that was brushing against its shell. Then it turned a bright silver as a large crack appeared on its surface. A small snout poked its way through the eggshell, then a pair of bright green eyes. Soon, the whole head was out.

The dragonet didn't stop there. With a few grunts, he pushed his whole body out of the egg, with difficulty since his wings were quite large for a dragon his size. With one final push, he was out. Tumbling onto the hard, rocky ground, the dragonet stood on his shaky legs.

His dark red scales shone like polished rubies in the moonlight, the pitch-black spines running down from the back of his head to the tip of his tail gleaming like onyx. Small, silver teardrop-shaped scales trailed down his sides. His wings were large, like any SkyWing's, but the membrane was the same pitch black as his back spines, and the undersides had scattered silver scales, so, when he spread them, they resembled the night sky. Finally, a single silver teardrop scale laid next to the corner of each of his two, emerald green eyes.

The dragonet looked up, hoping to find the eyes of his mother. But all he saw were the three full moons, their reflections shining brightly in his eyes.

A gust of wind blew the note Auburn had left with the egg into the dragonet's line of vision. Thinking it was a toy, he started chasing after it, chirping gleefully. The moment he caught it under his front paws, the large rock sealing a hidden entrance into a cave slid open, revealing a large SandWing with a tattered wing and an injured leg. The older dragon's eyes landed on the little dark red dragon, and he limped forward.

"Why didn't the NightWings tell us they delivered their egg?" he asked himself. "This little one should be inside with the others!"

The little dragonet looked up at him, his eyes showing fear at the older dragon's sudden yells. The SandWing looked down at him before noticing that the dragonet had something under his paws.

"What have you got there?"

Unable to answer verbally, the dragonet lifted his paws, revealing the paper. The SandWing picked it up and read what was written.

"Windracer and Skyhigh?" he muttered to himself. "Must be the names they picked for you. Better to discuss this with the other guardians inside the cave."

With that, he scooped up the dragonet into his talons and made for the cave entrance, which sealed shut behind them. Within moments, the two were in a cave room with a nest laying in the middle, a trio of differently colored eggs laying in wait. The SandWing had just placed the hybrid dragonet into the nest when a grumpy-looking SkyWing barged in.

"Has the NightWing egg come yet?"

The SandWing pointed one claw at the dark red dragonet. "Apparently so."

The SkyWing's eyes flashed with anger. "Why didn't those half-brained toads tell us they dropped off the egg?! He was supposed to hatch with the others inside the cave, not outside by himself!"

The SandWing chuckled a little. "Tell that to him, Kestrel."

A cracking sound brought their attention to the pale white and sandy-yellow egg that was lying in the nest, among one that was blood red and another of deep, oceanic blue.

"Looks like the SandWing is hatching," Kestrel observed.

"But we still only have four," said the scarred SandWing.

Kestrel sneered at him. "Tell that to the egg, Dune."

All of a sudden, a third dragon, a SeaWing, flew in with a rainbow-colored egg in his claws. "I have it!"

Dune and Kestrel both turned to the dragon, their eyes landing on the egg he was holding.

"Webs," Kestrel snapped. "That's a RainWing egg, you brainless salamander!"

Webs shook his head. "It was all I could get!"

Dune pointed to the nest with his claw. "Put it with the others, quick!"

Webs didn't need to be told twice. He hastily placed the rainbow-colored egg with the other three eggs and the dark red dragonet, who was watching the white and yellow egg with interest. The SeaWing was about to question about the little dragonet when Kestrel started yelling at him.

"The prophecy calls for a SkyWing! And you bring us a lazy, stupid RainWing?!"

Webs hung his head. "Queen Scarlet destroyed all the SkyWing eggs that were due to hatch tonight. And we need five dragonets for the prophecy!"

Their argument was interrupted by Dune.

"Look!"

Both dragons turned their heads in time to see the baby SandWing break her shell and poke her little head out.

Dune gave a small smile. "She's hatched."

Soon the baby SandWing had pulled herself free of her eggshell prison, her unusually bright blue eyes landing on the hybrid dragonet that had been watching the whole time.

Webs's eyes shone for a second. "She's actually kinda cute. Besides the scorpion tail, that is."

Kestrel snorted. "She looks pale. Exactly as I expected."

The SeaWing ignored her. "We need a SandWing name for her."

Kestrel snorted. "Well, Dune's a SandWing. He should name her."

Dune nodded in acceptance to the proposal and stared intently at the SandWing dragonet. He thought hard for a moment before finally suggesting a name. "How about Arid?"

The word "arid" was an adjective, describing something too dry and barren to support life. The perfect SandWing name.

The newly-named Arid suddenly hissed, startling the hybrid dragonet. Squeaking fearfully, he jumped away from her, but ended up stepping on one of his own wings and falling over onto his back.

The three adult dragons stared at the poor little fellow as he tried and failed to flip himself over onto his stomach so he could get up. Webs tilted his head to the side. "Have you ever seen a NightWing with such large wings before?"

Dune shook his head. "No. None of the NightWings I've seen had wings like that."

A concerned Webs turned to Kestrel, who was picking up the hybrid dragonet between two of her claws. "Do you think there's something wrong with him?"

Kestrel scowled at the little dragon, whose bright green eyes widened at the sight of her. "He's just what we need," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "A little weirdo."

Well, there you have it. The prologue. And I typed it all in just a couple of hours. It's amazing what you can do when your imagination is running wild. Here are the dragon-turned characters I've shown so far (in order of appearance):

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid

The similarity between the names of the last one was simply a coincidence. I was looking for a good name for a female SandWing and found "Arid" on the list of names, and decided that I liked it enough.

So, yes, Windracer is a SkyWing-NightWing hybrid and has NightWing powers. Too bad the guardians don't know that.

Like it so far? Leave a review.

Don't like? No one's forcing you to read any further.

Chapter Text

I can already tell I'm gonna have a lot of fun writing this.

Part One:
The Dragonet Prophecy

Six years later...

Windracer yelled out as he was thrown against the wall by an infuriated Kestrel. It was time for his dragon-fighting class, and it was going just as he expected.

"Fight back!" the SkyWing yelled out, her talons swiping dangerously close to her student's chest.

Windracer gulped nervously. "Well, maybe if you tried to be a little less violent, I could...OW!" He cried out in pain as Kestrel's back left paw stomped down on his tail. "You said stomping tails was cheating!"

"I'm your teacher," Kestrel snarled. "Nothing I do is cheating!" She swung her tail at him, yelling out instructions. "Roll right! Use your fire!"

Windracer tried to follow her orders, but he ended up tripping over his own wings and rolling the wrong way. The next thing he knew, Kestrel had him pinned against the cave wall.

"Are all NightWings this useless or ARE YOU JUST DEAF?!"

If you keep yelling like that, I will be soon, Windracer wanted to say. But he knew saying that out loud would be like asking Kestrel to burn his oversized wings to a crisp. He winced as the SkyWing's talons dug into his scales.

"Why don't you use those mind-reading and prophetic powers of yours? That's the kind of dragon we need for the prophecy!"

She suddenly yowled in pain as a set of teeth sank into the vulnerable spot near the end of her tail. She turned her head to find a young, female SandWing holding her tail in her talons and glaring at her.

"Stop bullying Windracer!"

Kestrel sneered. "Trying to save the dragon you wanted to kill when you were just hatched, Arid? Just as well. Mutant dragons like you two ought to stick together."

Windracer gained enough of his voice to protest. "We're not mutants!"

The SkyWing scoffed and let him go. "Class dismissed. I'll mark another failure in your scroll, NightWing."

Windracer sighed. Another typical day of fighting class. He was more adept at studying scrolls and strategizing than actual claw-to-claw combat, but Kestrel didn't care. If it were up to her, he'd be the most powerful of all the dragonets, because he was the oldest and he was a NightWing with mystical powers.

He could read minds and see the future. But those abilities weren't particularly useful in the heat of battle, not when his life was flashing before his eyes and Kestrel's mind was full of angry thoughts all jumbled up together and zipping around her head like a swarm of bees.

Windracer groaned as he picked himself up off the cave floor and slinked out of the cavern.

"You know," Arid said as she walked beside him, "you really need to start sticking up for yourself one of these days."

Windracer held his head. "Yeah, I know. But how can I do that with Kestrel stomping around and spitting fire at me for every day of my life? If I wasn't supposed to be a part of some Big Heroic Destiny, she'd have killed me a long time ago."

Arid sighed. "Well, at least you're brave enough to stand up for others. But you don't have to do it for me; I can handle myself. Bog and the twins...maybe not so much."

He ducked his head further so she wouldn't see him blushing. He'd had a rather large crush on the SandWing dragonet since he was old enough to start noticing females. He never told Arid, of course, because who knows she'd think of him then. He certainly didn't; most of the futures he'd seen were about small and pointless things, like what they'd be having for dinner next week.

"Well," he sighed, "Kestrel's right about one thing, at least - you don't look like a normal SandWing, and I'm nothing at all like the NightWings I've read about in the scrolls. What if there's something wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you," Arid said fiercely. "And there's nothing wrong with me, either! We're just different, that's all. If Kestrel doesn't like it, then that's her problem, not ours."

Still, there was something not quite right about Arid. Not only were her scales much too pale - snowy white instead of sandy yellow - but her eyes were sky blue instead of glittering black. Then there were the spikes - several sharp spikes on the back of her head and the tip of her tail, near the poisonous barb that all SandWings had.

As Kestrel always said, Arid appeared to be some kind of mutant. But her egg fit the instructions in the prophecy, so she was their "wings of sand," whether the Talons of Peace liked it or not.

Of course, there were no "wings of rain" in the prophecy at all. Everyone under the mountain had heard how the RainWing twins - Marmoset and his sister Mango - were supposed to be a last-minute replacement for the SkyWing egg that had been lost years ago. Kestrel and Dune called them mistakes and growled at them a lot.

Nobody knew if the prophecy could still work with two RainWings instead of a SkyWing. But from what Windracer knew about SkyWings, he was glad they had the mischievous and prank-loving RainWing twins instead of another grumpy, fire-breathing Kestrel under the mountain.

Lagoon was a typical SeaWing. She loved spending most, if not all, of her time in the river, where she would catch fish and light the caverns with her luminescent stripes. But she always spoke in a secretive tone of voice, and she didn't always like talking to others.

Then there was Bog. The MudWing that had hatched from a blood-red egg. Big-hearted and soft-spoken, he loved food more than almost anything else. While his friends were having the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner, Bog's idea of a well-balanced diet was exactly eight square meals a day.

But if anyone was likely to mess up the prophecy, it would be Windracer, not any of the other dragonets.

"Besides," Arid continued, "we're all a little weird. Bog's always hungry, the twins can't count past five, and Lagoon likes to sleep in the river every night. And it's not our fault we look the way we do, or that you can't control your powers most of the time."

Windracer scowled a little. "Thank you for summing that up."

He wouldn't tell anyone, but aside from his mind-reading and foresight powers, Windracer also seemed to have some form of magic. He discovered it by accident a few years ago, after yet another failed battle training session with Kestrel. He'd retreated into his cave and found a small pile of scrolls littering the floor. Being too tired to clean them up himself, he had jokingly commanded the scrolls to put themselves back up on the shelf...and that was exactly what happened. He hadn't known how he'd done it, but it worked again when he ordered a small rock, about the size of a blueberry, to fly up to the ceiling and then settle into his talons.

Now that he was older, he'd read scrolls about that kind of power. It was called animus magic; it was rare, but very powerful, and dangerous if used for the wrong reasons. Windracer didn't use his magic very often. He had a small wooden bowl that doubled the amount of whatever was in it (as long as it was asked politely), a beaded bracelet he made himself that protected whoever was wearing it from any harm, and an ordinary stick that made whoever was holding it invisible.

Windracer mostly used that last one to hide in his cave and read his scrolls undisturbed, as his friends would think he was absent and go to look for him somewhere else.

"Hey, guys!"

Windracer snapped back to reality at Lagoon's friendly greeting. He and Arid had reached the study hall, where they normally studied scrolls before turning in for the night. He smiled. It felt good to be among his friends. "We should probably do a quick study session before we go to bed."

"But studying is boring!" Mango complained. Windracer didn't need to read her mind to know that she and her brother were trying to come up with new, cool ideas for pranking the other dragonets.

Lagoon shrugged her wings. "Then we'll make it more active. We'll act out how the War of SandWing Succession began."

Bog groaned in disappointment as he finished what was left of the cow he'd been having for dinner. "Why can't we just turn in early? I'm beat!"

Marmoset laughed. "Yeah, I'm with Bog. What's the point?"

Lagoon shushed them. "Quiet! I'm assigning parts. Now, Arid will be Queen Oasis, since she's a real SandWing...more or less." She avoided Arid's glare by turning to face Bog. "You can be the scavenger, and this will be your claw." She picked up a broken stalagmite piece from the cave floor and handed it to the MudWing. "I'll narrate the play. So, the rest of you will be the princesses. Windracer, you'll be Blister, the smart one. Mango will be Burn, the eldest, and Marmoset, you'll be Blaze, the youngest."

"But I had to be Blaze last time, too!" the male RainWing whined.

He was once again shushed by the SeaWing. "Stop complaining and play along! Ahem. Years ago, there was a great and mighty SandWing queen, named Oasis."

Arid puffed out her chest and strutted into the middle of the room, gathering a pile of rocks with her tail. "I am Queen Oasis of the SandWings. No one dares to challenge me for my throne, for I am the strongest SandWing queen who has ever lived!"

Windracer wouldn't admit it, but he absolutely loved the way Arid sounded so strong and brave and royal. It was like she was meant to be a queen.

"Don't forget the treasure," Lagoon whispered, pointing at the loose rocks Arid had gathered earlier.

"Right," Arid said. "I'm such an important queen, I have so much treasure."

Bog took this as his cue to leap in, wielding the stalagmite piece in his claws. "Did someone say treasure?" he bellowed with all his might.

Arid didn't even flinch. "Grrr! What's this pathetic little scavenger doing in my kingdom? I'll eat him in one bite!"

Bog shrunk down in fear. "Eep!"

"No!" Lagoon called. "You're not supposed to be scared! Okay, yes, you are, but not that scared!"

Bog nodded and swung his stalagmite in a circle. "Squeak, squeak, squeak! And other annoying scavenger noises! I'm here to steal treasure away from a magnificent dragon!"

Mango started giggling so hard she had to lie down and cover her face with her wings. Marmoset was also making faces like he was trying not to laugh.

Arid and Bog kept up the fake fight for a while before the MudWing drove the SandWing back against the wall and thrust the stalagmite between her neck and her wing, pretending it went right through her heart.

"Argh!" Arid howled, making Windracer jump. "Impossible! A queen defeated by a lowly scavenger! My kingdom will fall apart! And my daughters...what will they do...?" She collapsed to the ground and let her wings flop lifelessly on either side of her.

Her least favorite part of her role as Queen Oasis.

Bog laughed and gathered the rocks in his talons. "Squeak, squeak! The treasure is all mine!"

Lagoon cleared her throat. "When the three SandWing sisters entered the treasure room, they found the treasure gone and their mother dead as a doornail."

At her signal, Windracer, Mango and Marmoset stepped over to where Arid was lying motionless. The female RainWing clasped her talons together and let out a fake cry of anguish. "Oh, no! Our mother is dead, and the treasure is gone! But worst of all, none of us killed her! Who should be queen now?"

Windracer stood up tall to save whatever dignity he still had left after six years of nearly being roasted alive by Kestrel. "I, Blister, was about to challenge her. I should be queen!"

"I, Burn, am the oldest and strongest," Mango said loudly. "I should be queen!"

Marmoset hesitated before speaking his line. "I, Blaze, am the youngest and would have the longest reign. I should be queen!"

Lagoon looked at him expectantly. "And...?"

The male RainWing sighed before adding, "And I am also, by far, the prettiest."

Even the usually serious and hard-to-humor Arid couldn't help laughing out loud at that.

Lagoon quickly pulled herself together. "And then they pick their armies and all that boring stuff."

Windracer was the next to compose himself. "It's actually not all that boring. Not when you've gotten the handle on how it all works."

Mango groaned, "Here we go again."

Windracer ignored her. "Burn is allied with the SkyWings and MudWings. She's big and scary, and could squash her youngest sister like a bug. If she becomes queen, she'll probably keep the war going just for fun. Blister is allied with the SeaWings, and is smarter than both of her sisters put together. But she's most likely plotting to become queen of all the tribes somehow. Blaze is the SandWing favorite, and she also has an alliance with the IceWings. Problem is, she's about as smart as a concussed sheep."

Marmoset glared at Lagoon. "You know I hate playing as her."

"So, who do we choose to be the queen?" Bog called out from his position across the room, sitting atop the pile of rocks that were supposed to be the treasure in their little play.

Arid stood up and shook her head. "None of them."

"Well, we have to choose someone," Mango said. "Who do you think's gonna be queen, Arid? You, yourself, and you?"

That earned her an indignant snort and a death glare from Arid.

The female RainWing gulped. "Just an observation."

Suddenly there was a thundering crash from the central cave. They heard the entrance boulder slam into place, and then the rumble of heavy footsteps. From the extra squish-flap sound of them, the dragonets knew it had to be Webs.

"What's going on?" Bog asked.

Windracer shook his head. "I don't know. Let's go see."

Lagoon disappeared into the river with a nearly soundless splash. A second later, Bog dove in after her. MudWings couldn't breathe underwater like SeaWings, but they could hold their breath for up to an hour. So whenever the dragonets wanted to spy on their guardians, Bog and Lagoon could use the river to get closer than the others.

Windracer slowly crept through the shadows, down the tunnel that led to the adult dragons' cave. Marmoset and Mango's scales darkened, not quite matching the mottled gray-and-black rocks, but close enough to not be spotted. Arid's pale scales stood out like a sore claw; she tucked herself under Windracer's dark wings and inched along with him.

He couldn't help the flutter in his chest from how close she was. He was glad that SandWings couldn't read minds, or else Arid would probably hear, She's right next to me, three moons she's right there, don't screw this up, whatever you do don't you dare say or do anything completely stupid.

It wasn't too hard to find the guardians. From the way Kestrel was shouting, the entire SkyWing kingdom might hear her.

"Coming here? With no warning? After six years, suddenly he's interested?" A jet of fire shot out of her snout and blasted the nearest rock column.

"Well, it's his prophecy," Webs said. "I guess he wants to make sure they can actually stop the war."

His prophecy. Arid thought for a moment before it dawned on her. They're talking about Morrowseer.

Windracer knew that name. Morrowseer was the NightWing who had delivered the dragonet prophecy ten years ago; they had learned about him in history class.

Dune snorted. "These dragonets? Then he's going to be very disappointed." He eased himself onto a flat boulder, stretching his foreleg stump and mangled wing toward the fire. The big SandWing dragon never discussed his scars or how he lost his foot, but it was easy to figure out with a war going on and everything.

Yet another reason why the war needed to end. Because there were too many dragons who were injured and dying for a throne that had nothing to do with them.

"We've done our best," Webs said. "The prophecy chose those dragonets, not us."

"Does he even know what happened?!" Kestrel demanded. "Does he know about the broken SkyWing egg and the two stupid RainWings?! Or the mutant SandWing, or that useless, good-for-nothing NightWing?!"

"I'm not worried about Arid," Dune said. "We followed the prophecy's instructions. We can't control that she's the way she is. But the RainWings...he's not going to like that."

A deep growl rumbled in Kestrel's throat. "I don't like it, either. I never have."

"Marmoset and Mango aren't that bad," Webs argued. "At least, I think so. They're not the brightest, true, but they are full of energy."

"You're overestimating those two," Dune snorted dismissively. "They're lazy and useless like the rest of their tribe."

"And they're not SkyWings," Kestrel snapped. "We're supposed to have a SkyWing!"

Windracer wished that the twins didn't have to hear all that. The guardians never hid how they felt about Marmoset and Mango, but the two RainWings never seemed to notice. They had to have noticed now, when it was all spelled out for them.

"Well, all of the SkyWings that were supposed to hatch on the brightest night are dead!" Webs cried. "What was I supposed to do, lay an egg myself?!"

Windracer had wondered about that. It seemed odd that the prophecy called for a SkyWing when all of the eggs that were due on that fateful night were destroyed. Furthermore, there wasn't an IceWing in the prophecy at all. If the IceWings were involved in the war, then why wasn't there an IceWing Dragonet of Destiny? Shouldn't all the tribes be represented?

"Did the Talons say when he'll arrive?" Kestrel asked, pulling Windracer's attention back to the conversation.

There was another crash, louder than the first one, which made Webs jump in surprise. "Evidently, right now!"

The three adult dragons hurried down the tunnel leading to the central cave. Windracer waited until they'd fully vanished from sight before starting after them, waving a wing at his friends to follow.

He didn't know what he was expecting when he walked into the central cave, but what he saw almost made him pass out.

An enormous dragon, black as a bottomless pit, loomed out of the shadows of the entrance tunnel. The NightWing looked bigger than Kestrel and Dune put together, and he was five times more terrifying. The silver star scales on the underside of his wings curled inward like a snail shell and glittered from a great distance, casting a cold glow. The footfalls from his heavy talons echoed throughout the cavern, and his black eyes held a sharp, threatening gaze.

Morrowseer had arrived.

This story is supposed to cover all of the first arc, so there will be some scenes from the books that will be omitted so this doesn't end up being ridiculously long.

Any of you who want a list of the dragon-turned characters who have appeared so far, here it is:

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut

I can just as easily stop doing that, if you wish.

I didn't originally plan to have Windracer be an animus, or for Arid to not be a normal SandWing (you can probably guess how). The ideas just came to me as I was writing.

Reviews are appreciated.

Chapter Text

Now let's see what Morrowseer thinks of the Dragonets of Destiny, shall we?

Windracer stood frozen at the sight of the gigantic NightWing.

Morrowseer looked like he could easily rip off each of their heads in one bite. He also looked like he already hated the five dragonets. Which wasn't what Windracer, or any of his friends, were expecting. Were they such a disappointment already?

All of those thoughts belonged to Bog, but sometimes Windracer got so entangled in other's minds that their thoughts became his own. He'd hoped that when Morrowseer arrived, he'd give him some pointers on how to use his powers. But now that he'd seen the NightWing, he'd rather crawl under a rock and never come out again.

Curiosity clouding his judgment, Windracer reached into Morrowseer's mind.

Pathetic dragonets. Is this really the best the Talons of Peace could do? He glared at Arid. Is that creature supposed to be the SandWing? The MudWing looks cowardly and stupid, and much too plump. The SeaWing...seems fine, but we'll see about her. What is that NightWing doing? Where did he -

Windracer couldn't see the RainWing twins, but he knew when Morrowseer saw them. The huge black dragon stared down at the two colorful dragonets for a small eternity, his snout twitching with ripples of disgust.

After a long moment, Morrowseer lifted one long claw at pointed at Marmoset and Mango. "What. Are. THOSE?!"

There was enough venom in his voice to kill about fifty dragons in midflight.

Bog took a step back, and Windracer saw Mango and Marmoset. Their scales shifted from Marmoset's bright green and Mango's orange-yellow to a sort of red-gold color that almost matched Kestrel's. If they were trying to make themselves look more like SkyWings, they weren't fooling anyone, least of all Morrowseer.

"There was an accident," Kestrel said. "We lost the SkyWing egg, so we had to get another one somewhere -"

"From the RainWings?!" Morrowseer interrupted scathingly.

"It was his idea," Kestrel snarled, pointing at Webs with her tail. "He brought their egg here!"

The SeaWing tried not to look guilty. "We needed five dragonets," he tried to explain. "All of the SkyWing eggs were destroyed; there was no other option. And how was I supposed to know the egg I grabbed had twins in it?"

Dune and Kestrel each gave him a stony glare. THAT'S what he's most worried about? That they're twins, not that they're RainWings?!

Windracer had to admit that was kind of funny. But he was much too terrified to laugh.

Morrowseer peered down his long black snout at Marmoset and Mango. His eyes shifted to Arid, who was sitting on her haunches with her tail curled over her talons. She stared calmly back at him, her twitching tail the only hint that she was upset.

"Are you supposed to be the SandWing?" he grunted. "Why is your color all wrong? And why do you have spikes? Did one of those Talons of Peace idiots grab an IceWing egg by mistake? What is wrong with you?!"

Without thinking, Windracer stepped between them. "Leave her alone!"

Now Morrowseer's sharp menacing gaze was on him. "And just who do you think you are, you insolent dragonet?"

Dune stepped forward cautiously. "We thought you brought him here."

"I did not!" Morrowseer roared. "The NightWing I sent with the egg that was meant to hatch on the brightest night was found dead in the crossfire of a battle, and the egg was smashed. Before I could send another, I got a tip that you already had one. Now, where did you get him?!"

The scarred SandWing looked surprisingly calm. "I'm the one who found him. He was left outside the cave with a note I assumed was from his mother, asking us to take care of him. He'd already hatched, so I -"

Morrowseer turned around swiftly, anger burning in his eyes. "He hatched?! Before you brought him inside, his egg hatched?!"

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Lagoon shouted. "Windracer is a great dragon!"

Bog quickly chimed in. "Marmoset and Mango are great, too!"

"Stop talking!" Morrowseer ordered, and silence dropped over them in an instant. His dark eyes held a burning fury as he glared at the dragonets.

Is he reading our minds? Windracer wondered. Can he hear what I'm thinking right this minute?

He could definitely hear what his friends were thinking - Bog's mind was repeatedly chanting, Think about cows, think about cows, big delicious wonderful cows. Next to him was Lagoon thinking of how utterly terrifying Morrowseer was, while Marmoset and Mango were imagining themselves dumping a whole barrel full of the biggest spiniest crabs they could find on the NightWing's head.

Arid's thoughts were the calmest. Think about what you see. Nothing else.

Windracer latched on to her mind, and all the others' thoughts slowly faded away.

Morrowseer turned to the three guardians. "Something has gone very wrong here."

"Oh, you think so?" Arid scoffed. Some prophet he is. All that fancy talk about five dragonets destined to save the world, and somehow he didn't see the six of us in any of his visions. If he's so great, then why didn't he see that all the SkyWing eggs would be dead? Well, we're the dragonets of the prophecy whether he likes it or not, and if he even tries to lay a claw on any of us, I'll break off his horns and shove them up his -

Windracer ejected himself from her mind before he could hear her finish the thought. For as long as he'd known her, Arid had never been afraid of anything.

"Arid, hold your tongue," Dune snapped.

But she ignored him. "We've been kept hidden under this mountain our whole lives. We've never been outside these caves even once! Those three dragons have been treating us like prisoners! How are we supposed to save the world if we've never even seen it?"

Windracer had to admit she had a point. But the guardians probably weren't going to let them out of the caves very soon, and neither was Morrowseer.

"Ungrateful lizard!" Kestrel growled.

Then, without warning, Morrowseer lunged at Arid. His teeth flashed like bright white lightning, darting toward her neck.

Windracer started forward to defend the dragon he was so in love with, only to stop cold as something strange happened. Darkness flashed before his eyes, and then a strange image, in bits and pieces like a puzzle whirling together.

A platform.

Fire everywhere.

And himself, eyes burning with fury as he lunged at Morrowseer's towering form.

A thundering roar brought him back to reality. Lagoon was now in the fight, standing beside Arid. Both of them were snarling. Bog lay on the ground a few feet away, his attempt to attack having resulted in Morrowseer shaking him off with ease.

Windracer crouched down low and snuck around back as he remembered his battle training. Specifically, what Arid had done during his lesson earlier. He jumped onto Morrowseer's long tail and bit down as hard as he could, right on the vulnerable spot near the end that all dragons had no matter which tribe they were from.

The large NightWing stiffened with pain, a sign that the younger dragon's technique had worked. Windracer suddenly found himself lifted off the ground, still clinging to Morrowseer's tail like a lifeline, and staring right into the older dragon's eyes.

"Ha," Morrowseer rumbled. "Now, that's a surprise." He pried Windracer off with his front talons, as though he was just a tiny insect. The younger NightWing avoided the prophet's eyes as he was set back down onto the cave floor.

"That one will do," Morrowseer said, pointing at Lagoon. None of the larger dragons had moved at all as he attacked the dragonets.

Neither had the RainWing twins.

"And that one will do," Morrowseer nodded at Bog.

The MudWing dragonet blinked, looking befuddled.

"This one," Morrowseer studied Arid, from her spiky tail to her weirdly pale color and sky-blue eyes. "We'll have to see."

"We followed the prophecy," Dune insisted. "She wasn't in a clutch of eggs - I found her egg alone, buried out in the desert."

The guardians never talked about where they got the dragonets' eggs. Arid stared at Dune with a hopeful look, but he fell silent under Morrowseer's dark eyes.

For a fleeting moment, Windracer heard the SandWing's mind whisper a single word - Ocotillo. He didn't have time to figure out what it meant before Morrowseer leaned down to look him in the eye.

"As for you," he said, "I assume you used your NightWing powers to figure out I wasn't going to harm the SandWing. Perhaps you even had a vision of my visit today. No doubt you already know that I'm going to take you into the next cavern for a private conversation."

Windracer felt chills down his spine. A "private conversation" with Morrowseer sounded about as much fun as getting his oversized wings roasted by Kestrel. He cast an apologetic glance back at his friends as the older NightWing led him to the study room. Morrowseer paused in the archway and looked back at the dragon guardians.

"We'll talk about them later."

Windracer cast a glance at Marmoset and Mango, who were still colored in their SkyWing disguises. He wanted to give them some words of reassurance, but a forceful nudge from Morrowseer's tail got him back to the task of heading into the study room to hear whatever the NightWing prophet had to say.

Even from in the study room, Windracer could still hear Kestrel yelling at his friends, especially Arid for complaining about their living arrangements. But as angry as Kestrel was, Morrowseer's thoughts were equally furious.

I knew I couldn't rely on those Talons of Peace! A RainWing can't replace a SkyWing, and they've got two of those things! When I come back later, things had better have been dealt with! They may have found that SandWing's egg in the desert like the prophecy says, but there's something off about that one. And this NightWing can't have possibly come from our tribe, no other NightWing has left the island since I sent the one with that egg for the prophecy. If the Talons of Peace can't tell me where he's from, then I'll find out myself!

Morrowseer turned and glanced back down the tunnel. Seeing that they hadn't been followed, he turned his gaze to Windracer. The poor dragonet stood as straight and tall as he could, trying to hide the fact that his talons were shaking.

"I'm sure you've already guessed why I've brought you here," Morrowseer said.

Windracer didn't need to think too hard about it. "Because I'm a NightWing, like you?"

"Precisely," said Morrowseer proudly. "As a strong and noble NightWing, you are, of course, a natural leader amongst all other dragons, even if you are young. Therefore, you must know how to conduct yourself properly."

Leader? Morrowseer wanted him to be the leader of the Dragonets of Destiny?

"I don't know if I can do that," Windracer said. "I'm not really a natural leader. The others consider me the smartest, yes, but I'm hardly a leader."

"That is a poor viewpoint," Morrowseer noted with a glare. "You are a NightWing. If the others do not see you as a leader, that is an unacceptable state of affairs that you will have to correct. NightWings have a reputation to uphold. You must make the other dragonets respect you, fear you, and follow you, or you'll be the greatest disappointment our tribe has ever produced."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Windracer asked in a squeaky voice. He cleared his throat and tried again, "How should I do that? Do you mean with my NightWing powers? Can you teach me how to use them? Or at least give me some tips?"

"Your powers," rumbled Morrowseer. (Was it Windracer's imagination, or did that sound more like a question than a statement?)

Windracer couldn't stop himself from rattling off all the questions he had. "Can mind-readers talk to each other telepathically? Is it possible to block out thoughts you don't want to hear? Is there a way to control when you have visions or do they just happen randomly? Do prophecies come with the visions, or do you have to create them based on what you see?"

Maybe not all NightWings shared the exact same powers. Morrowseer didn't seem to be a mind-reader, judging from his lack of reaction to all the thoughts the dragonets had about him. Maybe he could only see the future.

"You don't need to worry about that," Morrowseer said. "NightWing powers don't develop until you're ten years old."

He had lied. Why? Windracer was so confused. Reaching out with his powers to lightly brush Morrowseer's mind, so gently that (hopefully) it would be almost imperceptible, he asked, "What about the prophecy? How can we fulfill it if we don't even know what we're supposed to be doing?"

"Prophecies can be complicated," Morrowseer snapped. "Play your cards right, and you will lead the other dragonets into choosing the correct heir to the SandWing throne. Be authoritative, be confident, and, above all else, be secretive. We cannot afford for you to fail."

Windracer had stopped listening about halfway through. Even just brushing the surface of Morrowseer's mind, he was spun into a flurry of images - fire, lava, smoke, heat, rocks, ash, hunger, thirst, fear, and death.

A large black dragon and whirls of white and blue ice.

A wave of golden-orange fire.

A roll of parchment stained with words left by inky claws.

Scrolls filled with lies.

The prophecy isn't real.

The NightWings hadn't had mind-reading or foresight powers for over a century; Windracer could sense that from just a featherlight touch on Morrowseer's mind. We may not have powers, but we're still superior. Those idiot dragons are too easy to fool. All of Pyrrhia is depending on these ordinary dragonets to end the war and save everyone.

Windracer let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. Morrowseer was a fraud. The prophecy was a lie. The NightWings couldn't read mind or see the future...except for him. Why did he have powers when the other NightWings didn't?

How am I gonna tell my friends?

He was so distracted by his accidental discovery that he missed what Morrowseer was saying. He found the older NightWing looking at him expectantly, and, after a moment, he managed to squeak out, "What about Marmoset and Mango?"

"Don't worry about the RainWings," Morrowseer rumbled. "I'll take care of them. You are dismissed."

After getting over the shock, Windracer headed for the cave's exit. He held his head down, avoiding Morrowseer's eyes. He could feel his heart racing; it must have been going about a mile a minute.

As relieving as it was to know that Morrowseer was in fact powerless, Windracer was at a complete loss for perhaps the first time in his life. If the prophecy was a lie, could they really end the war? What if everything they were going through was for nothing?

We have to do something, even if the prophecy is fake. This is bigger than any of us; the future of Pyrrhia is at stake.

But what can we do? We're just six dragonets.

Dragon blood everywhere.

A flash of deadly fangs.

A SeaWing writhing in agony.

Several multicolored dragons chained to the floor.

A massive NightWing illuminated by an infernal glow.

Strange black diamonds gleaming in the corners of his eyesight.

How can we save everyone?

Windracer slunk back into the main hall, Morrowseer close behind him. The enormous NightWing slithered off to the guardians' cave without a word to the other dragonets. Windracer waited until Morrowseer was out of sight before retreating into his sleeping cave. He started poking through the scrolls he always kept on a shelf that had been carved in the rocky wall of the cave.

"It's over here."

Windracer turned to find Arid holding a scroll in her talons. He reached out and grabbed it, his talons brushing against Arid's. Instead of flinching in surprise like he usually did, he carried on with his task of rolling the scroll open and reading it.

Arid gave him a look of pity. "So, it was that bad?" A NightWing Guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia was one of Windracer's favorite scrolls. He always read it whenever he was upset or stressed out with classes from the older dragons.

Windracer sighed. "I have a lot to learn."

"You already know everything," Arid said in a sort of teasing manner. "You've got to be the smartest dragon in all of Pyrrhia."

A long, sad breath whooshed out of Windracer's snout. "I meant about myself," he said. "I'm not like other NightWings. I don't even know where I came from. I'm not sure I even know who I am. Do you ever feel that way?"

Arid looked at her wings and tail before sighing. "Yes, I do. More often than you think. But I don't let that stop me from trying to be the best I can. And neither should you."

Windracer appreciated that she was trying to cheer him up. But after what he'd just learned, he didn't trust himself to speak. How could he even begin to tell her, or Bog or Lagoon or the twins, that the prophecy the guardians had been preparing them for since the night they hatched was completely made up?

"At least you're not a RainWing" Arid tried. "Did he say anything about the twins?"

"Not much," he answered simply. "He said, 'Don't worry about the RainWings. I'll take care of them.'"

"That doesn't sound promising," she commented.

Windracer fidgeted with the scroll, tearing a corner of it between his claws. He couldn't see the guardians just releasing Marmoset and Mango, not after all the years of secrecy.

I have to tell her. It may be the only way to save them.

"Arid, there's... I just learned something. About the prophecy."

She tilted her head at him, looking intrigued. "What is it?"

"It's..." Windracer hesitated, but sucked in a breath and forced his sentence out. "It's not real. The Dragonet Prophecy isn't real."

Well, that happened.

I imagine that if Starflight (and possibly Sunny) had hatched under the moons, he'd have no trouble unraveling the secrets of the NightWings, starting with Morrowseer. The hard part is figuring out what to do about it.

Windracer's still trying to figure out how his powers work. (And remember, he's an animus, too.)

Better stay tuned for what's to come, and maybe leave a review.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut

Chapter Text

Let me make a few things clear. Windracer's NightWing powers aren't as strong as Darkstalker's because his SkyWing genes are more dominant. Also, he inherited the animus genes from his father (who's NOT an animus himself.)

Windracer expected Arid to yell, or slash the wall with her claws, or do anything in a fit of rage.

But she didn't. She just stood there, staring at him with a neutral expression.

Maybe she hadn't heard him properly.

"It's all a lie," he said. "The NightWings can't actually read minds or see the future. Except me, for some reason; I don't know why, but I've thought maybe it could have something to do with how I hatched..."

Arid let out a breath. "Did Morrowseer tell you this?"

"No," Windracer said. "Well, not exactly. He was thinking about it, and I sort of overheard. But there's something else he's not telling us, about the NightWings. I saw horrible things in his mind, things I don't want to describe." He shuddered.

"I assume the guardians don't know," Arid said. "Otherwise they wouldn't have kept us all hidden here. Should we tell them?"

Windracer shook his head. "I don't know." He rolled up the scroll and stuck it back on its shelf. "Also, you're taking this a lot better than I thought you would."

"I'm angry on the inside," she told him.

That was true. He could tell from the way her claws were clenched. Also, her mind was full of raging flames and images of her ripping Morrowseer to shreds.

"Well..." He gulped. "Since you're already upset, there's something else that I should tell you."

She nodded wordlessly.

"I..." He willed himself to look at her. "I'm an animus."

Arid blinked.

Windracer continued. "I've read about it in scrolls, but I honestly didn't think I could be one. I found out by accident, I made a rock jump into my talons. A rock. That bowl I use to hold my snacks, I enchanted it to double the amount it contains. Then I made myself a beaded bracelet and enchanted it to protect anyone who wore it from harm, so I could get out of Kestrel's classes unscathed. I had to fake it though, so she wouldn't get suspicious. And those days someone needed to ask a question, but couldn't find me? I was in my room. I enchanted a stick to make whoever holds it invisible so I could read my scrolls in peace. Or try to, anyway. I know I should have told you about this sooner, but I'm telling you now. Because you're the one dragon I trust more than anything."

He expected her to be mad, or at least disappointed with him. In many futures he'd seen, his friends refused to talk to him for a whole week after finding out he was an animus. Then again, in those futures he didn't really tell them himself, they just found out about it by accident.

"Well," Arid finally said, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a tiny smile, "I appreciate you sharing that with me, Windracer."

Windracer smiled back, relieved. "You won't tell any of the others, will you?"

"It's not my secret to tell," Arid said. "Can you tell me any more about your powers?"

"Not much," Windracer said. "A lot of my visions appear as dreams. It's how I know what we're gonna have for dinner next week, or what new prank Marmoset and Mango are gonna try to pull on us. I've seen a few where we all grow up and have dragonets of our own." - he neglected to mention that in those visions the dragonets he had were with Arid because it wasn't the right time to mention that part and who knows how she'd react - "My most recent one was earlier, when Morrowseer lunged at you. I saw myself fighting him, but I don't know where or why."

Arid hummed in acknowledgement and interest. "Any prophecies?"

"None so far," Windracer replied. "But if we can't even figure out a fake prophecy, I don't see how a real one would be much help."

"You're smart," Arid said, nudging his shoulder with her nose. "You'll figure something out." She stretched her wings with a yawn. "Anyway, I've had enough prophecy talk to last me an entire week. I'm going to get some sleep."

Windracer watched as she padded out of the cave. Maybe someday he'd have the courage to tell her how much he loved her, and that he was sure they were destined to be together. But right now, he had more important things to worry about - figuring out how to use his powers effectively, how to end the war without a prophecy, and how to protect his friends.

Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by a powerful headache. He clutched his head in his talons and grit his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain.

"Wings of mud and sea and rain,"

The words just popped into his head without a voice, and for some reason they rolled right off his tongue.

"Wings of sand, ice, night, and sky."

He didn't know what was bringing this on, but the words were accompanied by visions. The kingdoms falling, dragons dying, the whole continent perishing in flames and destruction. As the visions died down, one last piece of what Windracer knew was a fragment of a prophecy stuttered out of his mouth.

"All seven form the wings of fire,
And the time for peace shall be nigh."

Finally, his headache subsided and the visions stopped. Now that he was no longer cringing in pain, he could hear something going on outside his room. He quickly raced out to the large cavern, only to skid to a halt, horrified.

Kestrel was blasting fire at an iron chain that was wrapped around a stalagmite, the metal melting into a bubbling mess and welding together. Behind her, Morrowseer was holding Bog and Lagoon back with his tail and wings as the two dragonets tried to climb over him. But the most terrifying sight to Windracer was the dragon that that had the iron chain wrapped around her neck and one of her legs so she couldn't move.

Arid!

Windracer wanted to do something, anything, to stop the guardians from chaining the dragon he loved. But what could he do to stop them without accidentally revealing his animus magic, or worse, hurting one of his friends?

"Why are you doing this?" Lagoon shouted. "Arid is a great dragon! If anyone can save the world, it's her!"

"Actually, SeaWing," Morrowseer rumbled, "the dragonet you should believe in is Windracer over there." He nodded to Windracer, who was still frozen in shock over what had just happened. "NightWings are natural leaders. You do what he says, and you'll be alright."

But Windracer could hear Morrowseer's thoughts speaking an entirely different story. I'll have to deal with that little freak later.

Morrowseer headed for the exit, stopping to look back at the guardian dragons. "I'll be back tomorrow, to make sure everything has been...dealt with."

"We understand," Kestrel said.

Dune rolled the boulder aside, leaving Morrowseer free to exit the caverns. Windracer felt a sense of relief mixed with dread as the large NightWing disappeared into the blackness without a single backward glance.

"This is for your own good," Webs tried to explain to an infuriated Arid. "We only want to keep you safe. Maybe this isn't the perfect way, but..."

"But dragonets don't know what's best for them," Dune finished as the boulder thudded back into place. "You need us, whether you like it or not."

Kestrel snarled at the group. "All of you, go to bed. I don't want to hear a squeak out of anyone until morning."

Arid gave the SkyWing a devilish smirk. "Really? And what if I feel like singing all night?" She then started singing. "Oh, the dragonets are coming! They're coming to save the day! They're coming to fight, for they know what's right, the dragonets, hurray!"

She was singing too loud to notice Windracer humming along to the tune merrily. Arid's singing wasn't anything special, but it always sounded beautiful to him.

"This is your fault," Dune snarled at Webs. "I told you not to teach them that horrible song."

"OH, THE DRAGONETS ARE COMING!" Arid sang even louder.

"We have more chains!" Kestrel yelled in her ear. "We could throw one around your snout if you would like me to force you to be quiet! Or we could chain up your friends! Perhaps that mutant NightWing would like to spend the night hanging from a stalactite!"

Arid paused, then begrudgingly snapped her jaws shut.

"Much better," Kestrel said. She then turned and stomped off into the tunnel, with the other two guardians following.

Finally, Windracer was able to will himself to move enough to try and tug at Arid's chains. But even using both his talons and teeth didn't do anything at all to the sturdy metal.

"Windracer, stop," Arid whispered. "You know what you have to do. Get the stick, quickly!"

He knew what she meant - use the stick he'd enchanted to make himself invisible so he could spy on the guardians. He never gave any thought to using it for that exact purpose whatsoever, but she was right.

This time, the usage of his animus powers was really important.

Windracer had probably entered his room faster than he ever had before. He scrambled to find the stick, which he kept tucked away underneath his bed. As soon as his talons closed around the thin piece of wood, he disappeared.

Well, not really disappeared.

He was just invisible.

Windracer slunk quietly out of his room, his grip on the stick tight so it wouldn't slip out of his grasp and expose his position. He treaded lightly past the other dragonets and into the tunnel the guardian dragons had gone through. He stopped when he was near enough to hear their voices.

"When tomorrow?" Webs asked.

Kestrel spoke next. "He'll be back by midday. It has to be done by then." Her next sentence came out in the form of a snarl. "He doesn't want to see them again."

Windracer clenched his talons around the stick. They had to be talking about Marmoset and Mango.

"Well, I'm not doing it," Webs said.

Dune rumbled, "No one thought you would."

"Even though this is all your fault," said Kestrel.

Windracer could imagine the guilty but well-meaning look the SeaWing was wearing. "We needed five dragonets. I had no way of knowing that RainWing egg was holding twins. What's Morrowseer going to do about that?"

"He'll find us a SkyWing," Kestrel said. "Properly this time. No colorful substitutions."

They all went quiet for a moment, giving Windracer time to think. Now that he knew that Morrowseer had made up the prophecy, it made sense why all of the SkyWing eggs that were due on the brightest night didn't make it to hatching. Had the prophecy been real, there would have been at least one survivor.

It also explained why there were no IceWings in the prophecy - according to all the history scrolls he'd read, IceWings and NightWings were sworn enemies.

"What about Arid?" Dune asked, suddenly. "He said to get rid of her, too."

Windracer couldn't see them, but he thought Webs may have jumped about a foot into the air. "What? But we followed the prophecy! Her egg was alone in the desert, Dune found it there himself!"

"But she's no SandWing," Kestrel snapped. "You and Dune know that as much as I do."

Again, silence.

"So, how and when," Dune said in his no-nonsense military voice. "Drowning would be simplest."

"I joined the Talons of Peace to stop killing dragons," Webs said. "I won't argue with Morrowseer, but I'm not doing it myself."

"It has to be me," Kestrel said in a very tense voice. "Those two are just RainWings who frolic about pulling pathetic little pranks on everyone here. Besides, Dune wouldn't hurt Arid even if he wanted to."

Windracer knew it was true. Even though Arid had all her spikes, white and pale blue color, and those sharp and serrated talons, Dune wouldn't lay a claw on her. He doubted that Dune could be Arid's father, but he did have some sort of fondness for the SandWing dragonet.

But, of course, Arid wasn't all SandWing, and after what Morrowseer had said about her, Windracer had a pretty good idea why.

"I'll do it tonight while they're all sleeping," Kestrel continued. "I can get in there and break their necks before the other three even know what I'm doing."

Shudders of horror were running through Windracer so violently that he was afraid the cave wall he was leaning on would start shaking. He began padding slowly backwards, but froze when he heard his name.

"What about Windracer?" Dune asked. "I've seen the way he looks at Arid. Poor little dragonet's got a big crush."

"He'll definitely try to stop you," Webs said. "He's not a great fighter, but he's devoted to her and the other four."

"It's not natural, that much kindness and loyalty in a dragon," Dune sighed. "Especially to dragons outside your own tribe."

"I can handle him," Kestrel said. "Even if he finally uses his NightWing powers like we want him to, there's nothing he can do to stop me."

Windracer turned and started back down the tunnel the way he came. But he was still near enough to hear Kestrel's last statement.

"Arid and the twins will be dead by morning."

"They wouldn't!"

The shout came from a horrified Bog, who had nearly choked on the cow meat he had been eating.

"Believe me, they would," Lagoon said sadly. "They'll do anything if they think it's right for the prophecy."

Everyone looked at the RainWing twins, who seemed blissfully unaware of their conversation as they gathered a few live crabs from the river. It didn't take a genius to guess that they were planning to slip the crabs into Bog's breakfast.

"But we can't let them," Windracer said. He had dropped his stick on the ground, so they could all see him, plain as day. "The dragons of Pyrrhia are counting on us; either we all go together or none of us go."

Lagoon was more focused on a different development. "How did you know that stick could turn you invisible?"

Windracer's heart leapt up into his throat. He glanced at Arid, who gave him an encouraging nod.

He took a deep breath, in and out, before he began. "Because I'm the one who enchanted that stick to make whoever holds it invisible. I'm an animus. I made sure the stick also turns invisible when it's held, so it doesn't look weird or suspicious. I haven't used my magic too much, because I don't want to end up like the animus dragons I've read about. They all let the power go to their head, and they think they can get away with doing whatever they want with those powers. I'm not like those dragons, and I never wanted to be. I was afraid of hurting all of you, so I tried to hide it. But I can't. Not anymore."

Arid and Lagoon nodded in understanding. As did Bog, who had bits of cow meat sticking out from between his teeth. Marmoset and Mango were still gathering crabs, each daring the other to clip a pair on their ears, completely unaware of what was going on.

"Windracer!"

Everyone jumped at the sudden shout, but relaxed when they realized it was Webs. The young NightWing composed himself as best he could. "Yes?"

The SeaWing looked rather baffled for some reason that was made clear when he stated, "Kestrel's sister, Auburn, has just arrived, and she's asking for you."

"Me?" Windracer was so confused. He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to find another dragon named Windracer standing behind him. All he saw were his friends, each of them wearing equally bewildered expressions. He slowly turned back to Webs. "Are you sure?"

The SeaWing shrugged his wings. "She's looking for a dragon that goes by the name of either Windracer or Skyhigh."

This was officially the weirdest day of Windracer's entire life.

He let out a shaky breath as he followed Webs to the entrance cave. Sure enough, there was another SkyWing, whose auburn scales looked rather dark and dull compared to Kestrel's red-gold, rust-colored scales. The two sisters were arguing back and forth - or, rather, Kestrel was yelling at the top of her lungs while Auburn was patiently waiting for her sister to run out of breath so she could get a few words in.

Webs cleared his throat loudly.

The two SkyWings both turned to look at him - Kestrel glaring as usual, while Auburn just blinked at him calmly. Then she saw Windracer, and her sunshine-yellow eyes instantly went as wide as they could go.

Windracer stood frozen on the spot as the strange SkyWing padded up to him. With every step forward Auburn took, he took a step back. Soon, he found himself backed up against the wall of the cave. He just stood there as Auburn kept getting closer.

Finally, when she was about three feet away, she stopped.

"...Windracer?"

The dragonet gulped nervously before he started rambling. "Yes, that's my name. Listen, whatever you want me for, I'm sure we can work something out, I mean, I've never been outside this cave, and I really don't want to cause any trouble. Not that I'm complaining, it's not that bad in here, and, not that it's important, but, I do remember being outside when I hatched. My egg was left outside this cave and I was found alone, by Dune." He pointed to the SandWing guardian. "He took me in to be raised by the Talons of Peace, along with the other Dragonets of Destiny. After all, I fit the prophecy..." He hesitated, then added, "And I don't think my parents really wanted me."

Auburn's eyes were sparkling with what appeared to be unshed tears as she lurched forward and grasped Windracer's front talons in hers. He gasped, surprised by the suddenness of what was going on, and found that all he could see were the kind, caring eyes of the SkyWing.

"I wanted you," Auburn said fiercely. "You were the only thing I wanted. Scarlet wanted me to kill you, but I could never! I took you away, into the mountains, with the guards chasing me. I hid you near the cave, where I knew my sister would find you. She's not much of a family dragon, but she's the one I trusted the most to keep you safe. I wanted to come back for so long, but I was afraid I'd lead Scarlet and her guards to the cave. I'm sorry I was away for so long. But I'm finally here."

Windracer felt his whole body go cold with shock. He'd wondered why he didn't look like a normal NightWing his whole life. Of all the theories he'd ever imagined...yes, this one had crossed his mind, but of all the tribes he'd wondered about, never this one.

Never, never this one.

Auburn gripped his claws tighter. "Windracer, I'm your mother."

I'm sad to say that Peril will not be appearing in this story. Not because I don't like her (if anything, I'm very sympathetic to what she's been through); to me, it wouldn't make sense to include her in a universe that doesn't have Clay in it.

Whether you agree with me or not, please feel free to leave a review.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut

Chapter Text

And thus continues the path of divergence from canon.

First, silence.

Then Kestrel snarled. "This dragonet is your son?! You're always doing stupid things, Auburn, but this?! Why do I even bother calling you my sister anymore?"

Poor Windracer didn't know what was more shocking - that he was half SkyWing, or that Kestrel was his aunt.

"This may not be so bad," Webs said. "Think about it. We may have had our SkyWing all along."

Kestrel shifted her glare from her sister to the SeaWing. "He's not a SkyWing! He's not even a NightWing! He's nothing but a freak!"

Auburn lifted her talons to cover Windracer's ears, but it was too late. He already heard it. The young hybrid reached up and removed his mother's talons.

"What about my father?" Windracer asked. "It's - it's not Morrowseer, is it?"

"Bright smashing suns, no," Auburn said, her voice wavering with surprise at her son's question. "What a horrible thought. No. Your father is...not around anymore. We can talk about that later. Gather your things, Windracer. We're leaving this place."

"He can't leave," Dune said. "He's a Dragonet of Destiny. He needs to stay hidden until it's time to fulfill the prophecy."

Auburn shook her head sadly. "There is no prophecy."

Webs and Dune looked at her like she'd just peeled off her scales and revealed a hippo underneath. Kestrel, surprisingly, didn't seem to react at all.

"What do you mean there's no prophecy?" Webs asked.

Auburn looked at Windracer and pointed down the tunnel. "Leave us," she told him gently. "We...have some things to discuss."

He obliged, rushing into his room and gathering all of his belongings into a small, leather pouch he made himself. He made sure to pack the stick, which he'd specifically enchanted to work only when a dragon was physically holding it, just in case he needed it later. As soon as he was finished packing, he tied the leather pouch around his neck and headed back to the entrance boulder.

"I met Killer by accident," he heard Auburn say. "It was about eight years ago, out in the mountains not far from the palace. When I asked him why he was in the Sky Kingdom, he told me he was conducting some official NightWing business. We kept meeting each other night after night, and after a while we started...getting acquainted, so to speak. Then he started telling me about his tribe. The NightWings haven't had telepathy or precognition in several hundred years. Morrowseer made up the prophecy so he and the other NightWings could take over and win the war. But Killer was different. He told me he was a soldier and a part-time assassin, and that he was trying to help save his tribe. I admired what he was trying to do, but I told him he was going about it all wrong. Killer was kind to me; he never pretended to be stronger or scarier than he really was. I can't really explain how it happened, but I couldn't help falling in love with him. He left one night before I had the chance to tell him I was with egg. My son is the only thing I have left of Killer. I knew I had to protect him, so I brought him here to you."

Windracer didn't mean to, but he could see the memories in Auburn's mind as clearly as though they were his own. A large muscular dragon, his scales the color of the night sky, wandering in the mountains looking lost. The way his eyes shone every time he saw Auburn (was that how Windracer looked at Arid?). The gentleness of his touch as their claws intertwined and their wings folded around each other.

Windracer felt his heart flutter at the thought of him and Arid being together like that. But could they? He never once saw or heard any indication that she felt for him the way he felt for her.

Kestrel scoffed. "You really believe everything that bone-headed lizard told you? NightWings will do anything to make themselves more important than other dragons."

"He told me because he knew he could trust me," Auburn insisted. "He said so himself. I may not have known Killer for very long, but he never lied to me."

Windracer couldn't stop himself from entering the room. "It's true. The prophecy is fake. I...kind of accidentally heard Morrowseer thinking about it."

Auburn didn't seem surprised that her son had overheard the conversation. But she was confused about something. "What do you mean you heard him thinking?"

"I can read minds," Windracer said. "And see the future. I didn't know until today that the NightWings couldn't do that anymore. I don't know why I have these powers, but it must be for a reason."

His mother gaped at him for half a moment before her expression softened and she draped a wing over his back. "I'm so sorry, Windracer," she said, her voice cracking. "If I had come sooner..."

"It's not your fault," he told her. "Morrowseer fooled everyone."

Dune nodded. "That's true."

"So, then, what do we do now?" Webs asked.

"I am taking my son with me," Auburn said. "He's gone long enough without the knowledge of his heritage."

"You know you can't bring him to the Sky Kingdom," Kestrel said with a snarl. "The queen will have both of you executed without a second thought."

"What about my friends?" asked Windracer.

Auburn shook her head. "Windracer, I don't think we can take any more dragons with us..."

"But they were going to kill Arid!" Windracer blurted out.

His mother froze for a few seconds before turning to look at her sister. "Is it true?"

Kestrel didn't answer.

"It wasn't our idea," Dune said. "Morrowseer ordered us to kill her."

"We followed the prophecy," Webs added. "The SandWing egg was found alone in the desert."

"The prophecy is not real," Auburn reminded him, heavily emphasizing the last two words. "It's all a lie. Morrowseer will do anything to make sure everything goes as he's planned."

Webs's entire posture drooped. "You mean we did all of this for nothing?"

"That, I believe," Kestrel said. She had turned so she was facing the wall instead of her sister.

Windracer waited until Auburn turned back to look at him before he continued. "Mom, I'm not leaving without my friends. They're the only family I've had my whole life. There has to be something you can do."

Auburn thought for a moment before shrugging her wings. "I suppose I could escort them all to their homelands."

"And what about the war?" Dune asked.

Auburn looked from him, to Webs, to Kestrel, then back to Dune. "We'll have to find a way to end it ourselves. Prophecy or no prophecy, this fighting has to stop before the SandWing sisters kill everyone."

"So, does that mean we all just go home?"

Everyone turned to find the other five dragonets gathered near the tunnel. It was Lagoon who had asked the question.

Windracer's face lit up when he saw Arid standing tall and proud and completely chain-free. "How did you get out?"

Arid shrugged. "Turns out me and Bog combining our fire was all it took to break the chains. I'm probably gonna be a little sore, though."

"You must be Arid," Auburn guessed. "Windracer mentioned you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," was Arid's blunt reply.

Auburn stepped toward the gathered dragonets. She looked over each of them, pausing for a moment when she noticed Marmoset and Mango. Windracer could hear his mother's thoughts flutter in confusion over what a pair of RainWings were doing under the mountain, but she pushed the question aside. "All of you, gather whatever belongings you have," she announced. "I'm taking you out of here."

All of a sudden, Windracer seized up as the most painful headache he'd ever had in his whole life struck him like a lightning bolt. He fell on his side, his talons clutching his head. Auburn was by his side in an instant.

"Windracer!"

He barely heard his mother's cry as multiple visions flashed in and out of his mind. The SandWing sisters at each other's throats, dead dragon bodies everywhere, an exploding island, sparks and lightning leaving ashes in its wake. Words were marching through his head and out of his mouth, inexorable and strange.

"Blood and tears soak in the sand,
In the fight for an empty throne.
Three in battle, two shall fall,
And one shall stand alone.

Find the eye that sees the worthy.
Fear the dragons of the night.
Fear the ones who seek to conquer.
Find the dragons of full moons bright.

Wings of mud and sea and rain,
Wings of sand, ice, night, and sky.
All seven form the wings of fire,
And the time for peace shall be nigh."

Slowly, Windracer's headache subsided, and he found himself looking into the eyes of a concerned Auburn.

"Fourth moons and fireballs," she breathed. "What was that?"

"It sounded like a prophecy," Dune said disbelievingly.

"A real prophecy," Webs said.

Windracer groaned as Auburn helped him to his feet. "Thanks, Mom." He meant for it to be a whisper, but it was loud enough for the other dragonets to hear.

"That's your mother?!" Arid half-asked half-shouted.

Lagoon just stared blankly. Her mind was screaming, Windracer's mother is a SkyWing? A SkyWing?!

Bog sat down, hard. "Okay, that actually explains a few things."

The RainWing twins didn't quite take that news in the same way. "Windracer has a SkyWing mother," Marmoset uttered. Then he and his sister exclaimed simultaneously, "Awesome!"

Dune, however, was more focused on a different matter. "If that prophecy he just delivered was real, what could it mean?"

Webs was also confused. "The eye that sees the worthy? The ones who seek to conquer? The dragons of full moons bright?"

Any other question that could be asked vanished like dust in the wind as Auburn approached Dune and grabbed the key he always kept on a chain around his neck. She fit the key into a grooved niche in the stone wall and turned it before pushing the boulder that was blocking the only entrance and exit to the caves to the side, revealing the outside world.

"We'll have to figure it out later," Auburn said. "We should get out of here now, while it's still dark out. Everyone, follow me."

Windracer was the first to step out of the cave, after his mother. The sky above him was still quite dark, despite the pinkish-orange line on the horizon that signaled the approaching dawn. Two crescent moons and scattered stars were also providing light. Windracer looked up at the moons; the light reflected in his eyes, like the night he had hatched.

Wait.

The moons!

"Mom," he found himself saying. "Did my father ever say where the NightWings lived?"

Auburn shook her head. "The only thing he ever told me about their home was that they have a very big volcano there."

Windracer knew from reading so many scrolls throughout his life that volcanoes produced smoke and ash, which, in large quantities, would be enough to block out the moonlight. But he had hatched outside the guardians' cave, under the three full moons of the brightest night. That's got to be it! What other explanation could there be?

All of a sudden, Bog came barreling past him. The RainWing twins soon followed, colored gold with excitement as they used Windracer, who was struggling to stand from the force of the MudWing's accidental push, as a launch pad. The poor hybrid cried out as he ended up sprawling into the dirt.

Arid and Lagoon then padded out into the open, prompting Windracer to quickly pick himself off the ground and straighten himself. The sound of laughter brought their attention to a now overjoyed Bog, who was rolling around in the dirt.

"I'm not usually that happy about getting dirty," Windracer muttered under his breath.

"Bog is, apparently," Arid said, which startled Windracer. "And we're not even at the MudWing swamps yet. I wonder if I'll be this excited when I get to the desert."

Windracer didn't know how he could have forgotten that SandWings had a sharpened sense of hearing. He needed to be careful about what he said around Arid. Who knew what would happen if she ever heard him talking about things he didn't want her to know about, like the crush he'd had on her for forever.

"So, where do we go, now?" Lagoon asked. "Personally, I'd like to see the ocean, but I know better than to argue with a SkyWing."

Auburn turned to smile at the young SeaWing. "Wherever you young ones want to go, we'll go." Her smile suddenly dropped, and she spoke in a more serious manner. "But we'll need to be careful. There aren't many dragons out here you can trust, so stay close to me at all times."

No sooner after she finished her warning, there was a loud, angry roar and a burst of flames from the distance. A minute later, Marmoset and Mango flew over and landed near their friends.

"Somebody sure is cranky," Mango said. Any other dragon would have been shaken, but there was excitement and joy in her voice instead.

The same applied to her brother. "And I thought Kestrel was the grumpiest dragon ever!"

The sound of wingbeats signaled that whoever Marmoset and Mango had run into was rapidly approaching their location.

Arid glared at the color-changing twins. "What did you do?!"

"Ask for directions," Marmoset said bluntly.

"And I asked her if I could try on the jewelry she was wearing," Mango added nonchalantly.

Auburn's eyes went wide with realization and fear. "We need to get out of here. Now!"

Too late.

An orange SkyWing dragon, slightly smaller than Auburn, landed in the clearing across from them. Wreaths of smoke curled around her horns. True to what Mango had said about jewelry, a fine coat of golden chainmail, hung with rubies and amber drops, was fitted around the dragon's torso. A row of tiny rubies was embedded between the scales over each of her eyes and, and more rubies edged the top of her wings.

Auburn gasped loudly at the sight of the new SkyWing. Bog picked himself up out of the dirt and ran to hide behind Windracer's mother, along with the RainWing twins. The orange dragon paid no attention to them. She was smiling wickedly at the SkyWing that was standing before her.

"Auburn? How thrilling. I've been looking for you for an awfully long time."

Windracer noticed the look Arid was giving the orange SkyWing, and before he could stop her, she threw herself between Auburn and the strange dragon.

"Who are you?" Arid demanded fearlessly.

The orange dragon chuckled as she held her head high. "My name is Scarlet. But I highly recommend you call me 'Your Majesty' if you want to live."

Windracer inhaled sharply.

They were all standing face-to-face with the queen of the SkyWings.

Leave it to the twins to stir up trouble, right?

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick

Chapter Text

I guess now things will start to get a little more exciting.

For a moment, the only thing Windracer could hear was the loud thump-thump of his hammering heartbeat. They were in the presence of the one dragon that wanted Auburn dead more than anything else.

"It's funny," Scarlet said as she slowly circled the group. "Me and my guards go out searching for a scavenger that stole some of my treasure, and instead I find the SkyWing that has so long evaded me."

Auburn raised her wings to shield the dragonets.

But Scarlet had already seen them. "Now, why would a NightWing, a SeaWing, and a MudWing be hiding out in my mountains? Along with whatever sort of SandWing that is and those two color-changers? This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain prophecy, would it?"

"What is going on out there?" Dune grumbled, limping out of the nearby cave. He stopped short at the sight of the SkyWing queen. Windracer could see fear on Dune's face for the first time ever.

"Webs!" he yelled, and then the maimed SandWing hurtled himself toward the queen.

Then out of nowhere, a pair of SkyWing guards swooped down and pinned Dune into the dirt. More guards arrived, each trapping the tails and wings of Auburn and the dragonets with their talons.

"It's about time you got here," Scarlet said with a wicked croon that was going to haunt Windracer's nightmares for the rest of his life. "How many of you actually saw my fire signal?"

Webs came pounding out of the cave, only to be pinned to the wall by yet another SkyWing guard.

"These dragonets are sacred," Dune shouted as Queen Scarlet approached him. He could see Auburn shaking her head, but he ignored her. Morrowseer's prophecy may have been fake, but they needed to keep that a secret for the sake of all the dragons in Pyrrhia that believed it was real. "They're the Dragonets of Destiny! You can't have them!"

"But what if it's my destiny to play with them?" Scarlet said. "Oh, wait, that's right. I don't care about destiny. I don't care about prophecies or any of that NightWing silliness." She slashed at Dune's face, leaving claw marks. "Besides, they made me awfully mad and then ran away. That happens to me far too often, but you know what? I always find the ones who betray me in the end. Even if I have to wait six or seven years." The queen seized Dune by the neck. "Isn't that right, Auburn?"

Windracer tried to throw the guard that had him pinned off of his wings. The red SkyWing was relatively young, around a few months older than him, but he was still quite strong. He was able to keep Windracer pinned to the ground without any problem. The battle seemed to freeze for a moment, and from his position Windracer could see Kestrel slide out of the cave.

"Poor, poor Scarlet," the SkyWing guardian said bitingly. "Everyone betrays you." She eyed Auburn coldly.

Knowing her older sister would likely let the queen take her without a second thought, Auburn lifted her head as best she could, straining against the claws of the SkyWing holding her down. "You have me, Scarlet. Take me and let the dragonets go, they have nothing to do with the SkyWings!"

"You will come with me," said Queen Scarlet. "Funny that you thought you had a choice about that. We've got a thrilling trial planned, followed by an even more thrilling execution."

Windracer couldn't help but shout in protest. "No!" He immediately regretted that as the SkyWing queen shifted her glare to him.

Scarlet let go of Dune, padded over to Windracer, and got a good look at him for the first time. "Tell me, Auburn," she said as she grabbed Windracer's head in her talons and forced him to look at her. "Why does this NightWing have some aspects that resemble our own?" She tugged one of his wings open, and quite forcefully at that. Windracer had to bite his tongue to stop himself from screaming.

"Get your claws off of him, you monster!" Auburn shouted in reply.

Queen Scarlet turned her head to look at Auburn out of the corner of her eye. A wicked smile curled her face. "Such protective ferocity you display now would only apply to a mother," she said. The queen's eyes glimmered with realization. "You went and had an egg with a NightWing, didn't you?"

Auburn didn't reply.

Scarlet pulled on Windracer's head until Auburn could look him in the eyes. "This dragonet is your son, isn't he?"

"Yes," Auburn admitted. "He's my son. And I won't let you take him from me!"

Windracer once again tried to heave the young SkyWing off him, but the soldier was too strong. He barely glanced down at the hybrid's pathetic struggles.

"This might be turning out to be quite a family reunion," Scarlet said, letting go of Windracer. She was mostly talking to herself, but it was loud enough for all the other dragons to hear. "Don't a couple of these soldiers look familiar to you, Kestrel?"

Windracer turned his head to look at Kestrel. The SkyWing's eyes were locked on the soldier who had him pinned. Her eyes were narrow, but Windracer could see a hint of recognition.

"Inferno?"

The young SkyWing looked confused. He turned to the soldier who was restraining Auburn - a big dark orange dragon with rippling muscles and huge powerful orange wings. "Dad, how does she know my name?" Inferno asked.

"That's Kestrel, son," the older soldier replied. He locked eyes with Kestrel. "She's your mother."

Kestrel glared at the soldier. "Hello, Scorch."

Windracer's head started spinning. The SkyWing soldier restraining him was the son of Kestrel, who was the older sister of his mother, Auburn, which meant that Inferno was his cousin.

Wow.

Talk about a family drama.

"Take them all," Queen Scarlet announced. "Except this one, of course." She dashed over and grabbed Dune by the neck once again, shaking him lightly. "I mean, what use is a crippled dragon who can't fly? I'm surprised you haven't killed yourself already, SandWing. But I can take care of that for you."

"No!" Arid screamed.

Windracer would have jumped at her sudden shout, if he hadn't been restrained. With everything going on, he had completely forgotten that all of his friends were also there.

But the next sound he heard was even more startling.

With a chilling *crack* Queen Scarlet snapped Dune's neck. She let his lifeless body fall to the ground as the soldiers released him.

Windracer was too horrified to move. He could hear Arid roaring and screaming angrily at Scarlet.

Kestrel suddenly lunged at the SkyWing soldiers. She grabbed the one who was clutching Webs and ripped him free. "Tell the Talons," she snarled, shoving Webs toward the cave.

Before anyone could stop him, Webs pelted into the cave and vanished from sight. The sound of a distant splash told them he had dove into the river. With any luck, he was swimming as fast as he could down the stream.

"Oh," Queen Scarlet said, trembling in mock fear. "The Talons of Peace. I hope they try storming my sky palace to save you. That would be thrilling fun. Especially the part where we slaughter them all."

The SkyWing soldiers brought chains forward and started wrapping each of the dragonets in heavy iron. Windracer realized that they must have brought them in case they found any sort of dragon Scarlet was interested in taking to her palace.

Arid being Arid, she tried to fight off the soldiers, snapping her jaws and swinging her tail. The SkyWings held her tail down so she couldn't sting or stab them.

Windracer tried to throw Inferno off of him for the third time that day. "Leave her alone!"

The last thing he remembered was something slamming into the back of his head before he passed out.

The SkyWing queen kept her prisoners in the sky. Or, rather, really super close to it.

When Windracer came to, he found himself on top of a towering spire of rock. A narrow stone platform gave him just enough room to walk in a circle and lie down. There were no walls. There was no roof. There was only open blue sky and the fierce wind whistling around his ears.

With his large wings folded over and clamped in metal clips, falling meant death. Horrible, painful, bone-shattering death.

But then, he wasn't entirely sure if that would be worse than Queen Scarlet's plans for them. Whatever they were.

His rock-tower prison was one of about a hundred spires, spread out in a huge circle. Nearly every one had a dragon on top, and, like him, they each had thin metal clamps on the outer edge of their wings.

He also noticed the thin wires that twisted around his neck and legs. The wires stretched out from him out to the necks and legs of other prisoners, who all had them as well. One went to his left, to one leg of a pale blue IceWing on the next column, who was asleep with her tail over her nose. One wire was attached to the dragon on his right, a sandy yellow SandWing whose pacing made the wire shake. The last three wires snaked out across the circle. He couldn't tell where those wires went, they disappeared into a tangled web, connecting all the trapped dragons.

So even if Queen Scarlet's captives could escape, they'd have to all lift up at once, and then all one hundred prisoners would be stuck with each other. They wouldn't get very far that way. Windracer didn't want to think about what might happen if one dragon fell off their spire.

Then, all of a sudden, there was a fleeting image of a blue dragon thrashing in the wires like a fly caught in a spider's web.

Well, hurray for being able to see the future.

...But I can read minds, too. Maybe I can use that to find my friends here.

It was hard, trying to find the other five dragonets in a sea of strangers. He could see several blue and green dragons who must be SeaWings, but none of the ones close enough to identify were Lagoon. Most of the trapped dragons were SeaWings, IceWings, or SandWings - prisoners of war. There were no bright color combinations that would indicate RainWings, which meant the twins were probably being kept somewhere else. Only one of the prisoners was brown, and he was nearly on the opposite side of the circle from Windracer. The hybrid couldn't see the dragon's face, but he knew it had to be Bog.

Maybe if he tried to focus his attention on one dragon at a time...

Windracer looked to his left. The SandWing prisoner was still pacing, and he looked nervous.

One more fight, the yellow dragon chanted in his own head. I just have to beat Scarlet's champion, and then I'll be free to go. Then I'll come back for Storm, and we'll resume our search.

Search? What would a SandWing have to search for?

The SandWing turned his head toward Windracer. "What are you asking for?"

Windracer gulped. Had he said that out loud? "Sorry, I was just...thinking out loud. Long story short, I'm half NightWing and I can read minds and I couldn't help hearing your thoughts. But I promise I'll stay out of your head from now on. Just one question - what do you mean 'one more fight'?"

The SandWing gestured with his head to the area below them. Windracer tentatively stood up and looked over the edge.

In the center of the circle of rock spires was a bowl of rock, like an empty lake, with sand at the bottom and sheer walls. Above the walls were rows of benches, balconies, and caves for spectators to look down into the arena.

"Prisoners here fight for their freedom," the SandWing explained. "After a few or more victories, they do battle with the Queen's Champion. If they succeed, they go free. I've won four battles so far, and I'm sure I'm due to battle the champion soon."

"Who is the champion?" Windracer asked. He knew if he was going to end up fighting in the arena, he needed to learn everything he could.

"His name is Inferno," the SandWing replied. "He works as a soldier and has been trained in the most exclusive battle techniques. I've seen him battle different sorts of prisoners here, and he's beaten all of them."

Windracer's blood ran cold as ice. His cousin was Scarlet's champion. That meant he'd have to kill Inferno in order to earn his freedom, if he ever made it that far. How can it get any worse?

Hoping to take his mind off of Inferno, Windracer told the SandWing, "You mentioned someone named Storm. Who is that?"

The yellow dragon pointed to Windracer's left with his claw. The hybrid turned to look at the napping IceWing. "Oh, her? You're friends with an IceWing?"

"I suppose you could say that," the SandWing said with a chuckle. "Storm and I have known each other for quite a while now."

"What is it you're searching for?" Windracer asked. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

The SandWing sat down on his platform. "You certainly ask a lot of questions. But you seem to be a nice dragonet. Perhaps I should introduce myself." He placed his talons on his chest. "My name is Ocotillo."

Ocotillo. That was the name Windracer saw in Dune's mind. He couldn't help but ask, "Did you know Dune?"

"Yes," Ocotillo answered immediately, his voice filled with desperation. "We fought in the war together; he was my friend. Where is he?"

Windracer shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but Dune is dead. Scarlet killed him."

Ocotillo's face fell. "I see," he muttered sadly. "I've been looking for Dune so he could tell me where he took our egg. Storm and I have been searching for so long..."

"Your egg?" Windracer repeated. He was pretty extra sure he knew what Ocotillo was talking about. "Dune did mention that he found a SandWing egg hidden out in the desert somewhere, but he never said where. He took it for the prophecy. You know, the one about the dragonets coming to end the war?"

"Yes, I know that prophecy," Ocotillo said. "But I never would have thought Storm's and my egg would be chosen for it. Then again, I trusted Dune to help us hide it in the desert, so of course he knew where to find it. I just didn't know he was working for the Talons of Peace."

Windracer looked from Ocotillo to the sleeping IceWing, and then back again. "So, you had an egg with an IceWing."

"Yes, I did," Ocotillo admitted, looking guilty. "Such an act is forbidden, even with the SandWings and IceWings being allies in the war, but I couldn't help but fall for Storm. She's quite fierce, yet kind and polite once you get on her good side. We were married in secret, and we had an egg. A beautiful egg, white as snow with little yellow speckles. Now, I was rather worried about how other dragons would take it, if they ever found out that Storm and I had eloped and conceived a dragonet, so we hid it in the desert sand near our home and took turns checking on it frequently. When I went out one night, the egg was gone. I went to find Dune, but he was gone, too. He was the only other dragon besides me and Storm who knew of the egg, and where to find it, so I knew that he was the one who took it."

It was as though a bolt of lightning had struck Windracer's brain. It all made sense now, why Arid didn't look like a normal SandWing. He'd had his suspicions when Morrowseer insulted her appearance, but now the facts were as clear as crystal.

"There's a dragon I know," Windracer said. "We grew up together, hidden in a cave under a mountain. She kind of looks like a SandWing, but also like an IceWing. Her name is Arid."

"Arid," Ocotillo repeated with a smile. "That's the name Storm and I picked for our dragonet. See, we spent a lot of time discussing names, sometimes with Dune, and we both agreed that word could describe an area that is either hot or cold, so we reasoned it would be a suitable name for our dragonet. This dragon you speak of, it has to be our child, I just know it!"

Windracer looked back at Storm, who was still asleep despite all the noise he and Ocotillo had been making. "IceWing," he muttered under his breath.

NightWings and IceWings were supposed to be sworn enemies.

Arid was an IceWing-SandWing hybrid.

And Windracer was in love with her.

The young hybrid held his head in despair.

"Why, of all things, did she have to be half IceWing?"

One big revelation after another. Poor Windracer just can't seem to catch a break, can he? Anyway, leave a review if you wish.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout

P.S. The reason I'm not including Ocotillo and Storm on the list is because we've never actually seen Astrid's parents in the HTTYD movies or the TV and Netflix shows.

Chapter Text

Now we get to see some action in the arena!

Spoiler alert: no one gets killed, because I don't have the heart to do that to Arid's father.

So many questions going through Windracer's head, and the one that kept popping up the most was, Why didn't Dune tell us?

If Dune had known about Ocotillo and Storm's relationship, then he would have had to know that Ocotillo's dragonet would be half IceWing. Perhaps he didn't tell the dragonets, or the other guardians, for the sake of the prophecy. It never spoke of any IceWings, so maybe Dune was trying to protect Arid, like her parents had tried to do when they had her egg.

Either way, it did provide a much-needed explanation for why Morrowseer wanted Arid killed. In hindsight, it wasn't really hard to figure out that she was half IceWing.

Windracer didn't know how he couldn't have figured it out himself. All of the clues were there, and he had missed them. The white scales, the icicle-like spikes, her sharp claws, the pale blue of her wings and underbelly, and the fact that SandWings and IceWings were allies in the war. Perhaps his love for Arid had blinded him to her "abnormalities," as the guardians called them.

The young hybrid's thoughts dissolved at the sound of dragons talking in the arena far below him. Windracer crouched to peer over the edge, hanging onto the rock spire tightly with his talons. Dragons were starting to fill into the seats of the arena. Nearly all of them were SkyWings, but he spotted the pale yellow of SandWings here and there as well. There were even one or two MudWings.

He didn't know how long it took for the stands to fill, but the sun was blazing directly overhead when two of the guards let out a trumpeting roar. All of the other dragons snapped to attention. Across the stadium, heads bent, wings tipped, talons were crossed, and silence fell as everyone waited.

Queen Scarlet stepped out onto the large balcony and spread her wings, catching the sunlight in the reflection of her orange scales. The fire-breathing hiss of all the gathered dragons greeted her as a sign of respect.

Windracer squinted at the dragons around the queen. Several large SkyWing guards (Windracer thought he recognized Scorch among them) took up positions along the balcony, two of them moved to pull something forward into the sunlight - a dragon that was nearly covered from head to tail in heavy chains, her mouth clamped shut tightly with an iron muzzle. Even from way up high, Windracer could see a very familiar mixture of colors - white, pale yellow, and light blue.

The guards linked the chains to metal loops that looked as though they had been most recently added. The heavily restrained Arid growled as she tried to pull free, but the thick chains held fast.

Queen Scarlet stepped forward and gestured to Arid with her wing. "Well?" she said in a sly, smiling voice that carried across the arena and up to the prisoners. "What do you all think of my new pet?"

Pet! Windracer thought furiously. As if Arid's nothing but a possession!

Dragons in the lower seats began to applaud, and soon the whole stadium thundered with the beating of wings and talons. Queen Scarlet settled herself on a large flat boulder, looking pleased, and flicked her tail for silence.

"Bring in the combatants," she called.

Inferno suddenly swept in from the tunnel, waving to the crowd. Once again, the stadium filled with applause, this session louder and more thunderous than the last.

Meanwhile three of the SkyWing guards flew up to Ocotillo, unclipping his wires and hooking them to a ring in the center of the ledge. The SandWing had just enough time to tell Windracer, "Wish me luck," before the guards grabbed him and swooped him into the sands below. They dropped him in a heap in the middle of the arena.

Windracer leaned himself over the edge of his platform as far as he could go without the dreaded feeling that he was going to fall, so he could watch what was happening. He saw Ocotillo look up at Arid from his place in the arena and found himself wondering if the SandWing recognized the chained dragonet as his daughter.

One of the SkyWing guards stood in the center of the arena and clapped his wings thunderously until the audience was quiet. He bowed to the queen and announced, "After four wins, Ocotillo the SandWing - formerly, and unwisely, a soldier in Blaze's army - has been challenged to a match with the Queen's Champion, Inferno. Claws up, fire ready! Fight!"

He sprang out of the arena, leaving Inferno and Ocotillo facing each other. Ocotillo sank down to the ground, hissing. Inferno stalked toward him, smoke curling around his horns.

All at once, the two dragons clashed.

Ocotillo didn't bother to try and use his tail stinger, just his claws and teeth like Inferno was doing. The younger and more well-trained SkyWing dodged each swipe of the SandWing's claws, lashing out with his own talons and leaving a large gash on Ocotillo's leg. The older dragon roared in pain as Inferno swung around and struck his opponent's side with his tail. That was enough to make Ocotillo topple over, dazed and disoriented.

Windracer's stomach felt heavy. A stupid trip, and it was all over. Ocotillo was completely exposed, leaving the door wide open for Inferno to go for the kill. He couldn't imagine what Arid would be feeling if she knew the SandWing Inferno had been fighting was her father.

Suddenly, one of Windracer's wires jerked sharply, nearly pulling him off of his rock spire. Digging in his talons, he looked to his left to find Storm thrashing in the net of wires. Some of the other prisoners, including Windracer himself, were scrabbling to hold onto their rock towers as the weight of the dragon threatened to drag them all down.

Windracer had been so focused on the battle, he didn't notice Storm waking up from her nap. He realized she must have thrown herself off of her prison cell, trying to get to Ocotillo. But the wires held her fast, and she was fighting like an insect caught in a spiderweb.

All of the SkyWing guards lifted off at once, heading up to where Storm was struggling. Ignorant of the approaching dragons, the IceWing cried out, "Ocotillo!"

Every other dragon in the arena, including Inferno, had their eyes locked on Storm. Her call brought Ocotillo to attention, and the first thing he noticed was that his opponent was distracted. Seeing his opportunity, he lashed out, shoving Inferno off of him and into the sand with a *thump*.

Inferno roared with rage, clawing frantically at his opponent. Instantly, every dragon's attention was back on the fight.

Except Windracer's.

The moment he heard Inferno holler, another set of visions plagued him. A dead SkyWing, chaos erupting in the arena, and the piercing eyes of an angry IceWing.

When Windracer regained his senses, Storm had been placed back on her platform and Ocotillo had Inferno pinned below them. The young SkyWing struggled, but Ocotillo was heavier and held him down with ease.

"You know you've lost," the SandWing spoke for all to hear. "And frankly, I don't wish to kill you. We can end this now, if you yield."

There was a stunned silence across the arena. Windracer noticed Queen Scarlet standing up to argue with Ocotillo. But before she had the chance, Inferno shifted his head to the side, avoiding Ocotillo's gaze, and growled out through his teeth, "I yield."

All the SkyWings in the audience erupted into protest. A satisfied Ocotillo lifted himself off of Inferno, and the young soldier padded out of the arena, his head hung down low in an effort to hide his shame.

Windracer watched his cousin leave the arena before shifted his gaze to the other three dragons he knew down there.

Ocotillo, who looked pleased.

Arid, who looked surprised.

And Queen Scarlet, who looked...furious.

After the protests in the audience died down, Ocotillo was flown back to his tower and locked down again.

"Why'd you let him go?" Windracer asked when the SandWing was secured. "If you killed Inferno, they'd set you free."

"Maybe," Ocotillo said. "I thought I could kill him, but it turns out I didn't have it in me. He's still only a dragonet, after all. He might not have even had a choice about becoming the Queen's Champion. Besides, even if I did kill him, I doubt Scarlet would keep her word about letting me go. She has quite a nasty habit of changing her mind at the last minute, if you know what I mean."

Windracer had only just met Queen Scarlet, but if he had to choose one word to describe her personality, he'd have to go with 'slippery'.

His thoughts drifted back to the fight. If it ever came down to it, could he kill another dragon? Would he be able to live with it? He didn't know, and he wasn't in a hurry to find out.

Then he remembered Arid. "Ocotillo, did you notice the dragon Scarlet had chained next to her? The one she said was her..." He winced, then choked out the last word. "...pet?"

Ocotillo didn't say anything, he only nodded.

"That was Arid," Windracer said, his voice wavering with dread. "That was your daughter."

Ocotillo's eyes went wide with both shock and realization. An angry shriek from Windracer's left brought both dragons' attention to Storm. The IceWing looked so angry Windracer thought she'd start spewing fire instead of ice.

"Of all the selfish, conniving, weasel-faced firebreathers in Pyrrhia!"

"Storm, please," Ocotillo said in a surprisingly calm voice. "Not in front of a dragonet." He gestured his talons to Windracer.

The hybrid gulped nervously as the IceWing eyed him angrily. "L-look, I...I don't want any trouble, really, I...I'm a friend of your daughter's. I don't hate IceWings, even though I'm half NightWing and NightWings have hated IceWings for centuries, but I don't know why, and really, it's kinda hard for me to hate something when I don't have a good reason to, I mean..."

"Shut up," Storm commanded.

Windracer obliged. He'd been rambling again.

"You know he has a point," Ocotillo said. "How can you hate something without reason?"

"A NightWing stole Prince Arctic," Storm hissed. "It says so in the history scrolls. Queen Diamond told all her subjects about it."

Windracer knew the story of Prince Arctic. It was in one of the scrolls Webs would give him whenever he brought food for the dragonets. According to the text, Arctic was an animus IceWing prince who was kidnapped by a NightWing named Foeslayer, with whom he had dragonets, passing the animus genes to the NightWings. But Windracer was the kind of dragon who liked to believe there was more to what was written - surely there had to be more to the story than that.

"You don't know that for sure," he said. "There has to be another side to that story."

"And how would you know, NightWing?" Storm asked. "That all happened two thousand years ago; you can't prove what's real and what's not."

"You're right," Windracer admitted. "I can't. Not now, anyway. But believe me when I tell you, Storm, Arid is my friend, and I do not think ill of any IceWing."

Ocotillo stretched his neck to look at his mate. "Please listen to him, Storm."

The IceWing snorted, but her gaze on Windracer softened a little. She glanced at the SandWing. "Only for you, Ocotillo."

A noise down below brought their attention to the arena. Dragons were once again filing into their seats, but they seemed quieter and more subdued than they were for the fight. Scorch and a few other SkyWing soldiers dragged two large boulders out onto the sand. One of them twisted three large iron rings, similar to the ones that held Arid on Scarlet's platform, into the ground in a triangle before attaching thick chains to them.

"What's going on?" Windracer asked nervously.

"It looks like they're holding a trial," Ocotillo replied. "Didn't know they'd be holding one today. Must be a recent addition."

Windracer had a bad feeling about this.

His fears were soon confirmed as Auburn was hauled into the arena, muzzled and chained so she couldn't move or breathe fire. The guards pulled her over to the iron rings, chaining her in place.

A horrified and helpless Windracer couldn't help but whisper, "Mom."

Ocotillo and Storm heard him. The IceWing looked skeptical, but the SandWing look horrified.

Queen Scarlet entered, with a still thrashing Arid being brought in and rechained to the platform on which the queen stood.

The SkyWing who did all the arena introductions climbed onto one of the two boulders and spread his blood-red wings.

"That's Vermilion," Ocotillo explained. "Queen Scarlet's oldest son. He always argues for the prosecution."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Windracer asked.

"Well," said the SandWing, "it turns out that if you're desperate enough to find your stolen egg you hire dragons to infiltrate the other kingdoms to try and find them. I didn't know where the Talons of Peace were hiding, and I couldn't very well search the whole continent by myself no matter how much I wanted to. I never did find the Talons, but my informants have delivered useful information about the other tribes."

"Then you must know a lot about them," said Windracer.

Ocotillo nodded. "In the Sky Kingdom, only SkyWings get trials. From what I've heard, Scarlet only likes them because of the drama."

The crowd's murmuring died down as another, much older SkyWing climbed onto the other boulder. His scales were more of a purplish shade, and both of his wings were missing.

"That's Osprey," Storm said. "He argues for the defense."

Windracer was quite nonplussed about how Storm was actually speaking to him in such a natural tone, considering how angry she'd been only a few minutes ago.

In any case, the trial was about to begin. Queen Scarlet beat her wings, and all the dragons turned their attention to her.

"Loyal subjects," she said. "This dragon, Auburn, once of the SkyWings, stands accused of the highest treason - disobeying me, and contaminating our beautiful and perfect SkyWing genes. Vermilion speaks for the prosecution."

"Your Majesty," Vermilion said, bowing and crossing his talons. "The facts are clear. Auburn had an egg with a dragon outside her species, disobeyed your order and fled the kingdom. She has been living on the run for the last six years, aided by her sister, Kestrel, and the Talons of Peace, who also refuse to follow Your Majesty's orders. She deserves a long, painful execution. There is no need to drag this out."

The dragons in the seats hissed and flapped their wings. Auburn looked around fearfully, her eyes searching for any sign of Windracer. Even though she was facing certain death, she needed to know that her dragonet was still alive.

"Well said." The queen nodded to Vermilion. "Now Osprey may speak for the defense. Or not, if he'd prefer to sleep through this trial, too."

The crowd laughed appreciatively.

Osprey stretched his neck toward the queen, the toward Auburn, as if he were trying to get close enough to see their faces from his boulder.

"Your Majesty," he said in a voice creaky with age but still loud enough to carry to the prisoners up above. "I do have one or two words to say in the prisoner's defense."

Queen Scarlet's tail lashed slowly behind her as she stared him down. "Certainly," she said. "That's what you're here to do. Go ahead."

Osprey cleared his throat, coughing out a black puff of smoke. All the dragons were leaning forward to listen.

"Consider first the charge of contaminating the SkyWing blood. Auburn was sent through the breeding program, on your orders, and brought forth one egg. An egg fathered by a NightWing known by the name of Killer."

"And exactly how do you know of these details?" Queen Scarlet asked, smoke seeping out of her nostrils.

"Auburn was a close friend of mine," Osprey answered. "She trusted me to keep her secrets, and I did. When you ordered the destruction of all the SkyWing eggs that were due on the brightest night, Auburn did what any mother would do. She tried to sneak her egg out of the kingdom. But you cornered her in the palace and ordered her to destroy the egg and kill the dragonet inside it."

"No," Windracer whispered.

"But she refused, of course," Osprey said. "She fled into the mountains with her egg. You told your guards - I know, for I was one of them - to find her, destroy the egg and bring her back for trial. I was the only one who stayed behind. When the other guards caught her, she had decoyed them with a rock. Thus, you ordered us to search the mountains, but neither an egg nor a dragonet was ever found. Auburn escaped before her trial and was never seen again until this very day."

There was a heartbeat of silence. Even Arid had stopped thrashing as she listened.

"Sounds guilty to me," Queen Scarlet said cheerfully. "We'll execute her tomorrow."

"NO!"

Windracer nearly launched himself off his tower, like Storm had earlier, his shout of protest carrying throughout the area. He could see Auburn shift her gaze up to his position, and the second she saw him she started fighting against her chains with more ferocity.

A pair of SkyWing guards flew up and grabbed Windracer. They unclipped his wires and carried him down to the arena, throwing him into the sand next to Auburn. The chained SkyWing reared up, pulling against her restraints in an effort to get to her son. From the look on her face, Windracer guessed she had feared he was dead that whole time.

"You have some nerve interrupting a trial, half-breed," Queen Scarlet spat in anger. "I should execute you both right now."

"I won't let you do this," Windracer said bravely. "All Auburn ever did was try to protect me! Is that a crime?"

Arid looked quite surprised. She'd never seen Windracer this courageous or determined about anything in all the years they'd known each other. There was a glint of pride in her eyes, along with what Windracer could have sworn was attraction, but he ignored it for the time being. His mother's life was at stake, and he had to do something to save her.

Queen Scarlet growled. "Look at the trouble you've caused," she said to Osprey. "Listen here, no one in this kingdom ever gives orders to me, let alone a filthy little half-breed such as yourself. If you know what's good for you, you'll shut your trap and don't ever talk again unless I ask you to!"

Auburn roared unintelligibly through the muzzle.

Windracer looked up at his mother, then at Arid, and finally at Scarlet.

"Put me in the arena. I'll fight for my mother!"

Auburn stared in shock. She shook her head as frantically as she could with the chains restraining her movements.

"Only the Queen's Champion can stand for a prisoner, fool," Queen Scarlet snarled.

"Then I'll make you a deal," Windracer offered desperately. "If I win the fight, you let Auburn go free. And if I lose..." He forced himself not to think too much about the consequences of such. "...I guess we both die."

Queen Scarlet snorted in amusement. "That doesn't sound thrilling enough," she said. "How about this? You lose, and I'll kill not only your mother, but all of your precious little friends as well."

Windracer's heart sank like a stone, deep within the pit of his stomach. If he agreed to this, it would not only put his and Auburn's lives on the line, but Arid's, Bog's, Lagoon's, Marmoset's, and Mango's.

But what other choice did he have?

With no way out, the hybrid finally uttered, "Fair enough."

Satisfied, the queen clapped her wings together. "Guards, take the prisoner back to her cell." She flicked her tail at Auburn. The SkyWings came toward her, visibly unhappy about the delayed execution.

"As for this one..." Queen Scarlet pointed at Windracer. The hybrid shut his eyes and lowered his head as she spoke the words he was dreading most.

"Prepare him for the arena."

In this universe, calling a dragon "half-breed" is a racial slur. Using the term "hybrid" is perfectly okay.

Also, I did not give Inferno firescales because he would have been way too dangerous if he had them.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout

Chapter Text

Poor Windracer has gotten in over his head. Lucky for him, there are other dragons out there fighting for the freedom of others.

The battle that would decide the fate of Auburn and the dragonets was set to take place on Queen Scarlet's hatching day, which happened to be the next morning. No doubt she'd be planning for the execution right after the fight, if Windracer lost.

Back up on his rock spire, chained between Ocotillo and Storm, Windracer tried to find his friends among the prisoners. He could see several blue and green dragons who must be SeaWings, but none of the ones close enough to identify were Lagoon. Most of the trapped dragons were SeaWings, IceWings, or SandWings - prisoners of war. There were no bright color combinations that would indicate RainWings, which meant the twins were being kept somewhere else. Only one of the prisoners was brown, and he was nearly on the opposite side of the circle from Windracer. The hybrid couldn't see the dragon's face, but he knew it had to be Bog.

Windracer had hoped that he'd be able to find the others. He wanted to apologize for putting their lives in danger...and say goodbye, in case the worst happened. But with so many other prisoners in the same area, their thoughts were pretty much lost in a sea of minds.

What was that dragon thinking?

A SkyWing with a NightWing dragonet?

Scarlet is really going all out tomorrow.

I hope he wins.

I didn't know Windracer had it in him.

That last thought had to be Lagoon or Bog. Windracer wished he could hear what Arid was thinking, but she was much too far away from him.

He remembered the way Arid had looked at him when he confronted Queen Scarlet about the fate of his mother. He'd been acting like a completely different dragon, fearlessly defending another in front of someone who could have easily killed him on the spot. Brave, but stupid. He could do brave, but being stupid was the last thing he wanted Arid to think of him as.

Heavy wingbeats in the distance distracted Windracer from his thoughts. He looked up as a score of SandWings appeared from the west, outlined by the red glow of the setting sun. The largest was in the lead, with the others fanned out in a V formation behind her. They swooped toward the queen's palace, staying in perfect lines, and vanished beyond a distant wall, where Windracer guessed the landing field for visitors was.

Burn had arrived.

She was the biggest and meanest of the three rivals for the SandWing throne. She held the SandWing palace stronghold. Allied with the SkyWings and MudWings, it was no surprise to Windracer that she'd be stopping by, most likely to watch the arena battles with Scarlet the next morning.

Dune had warned them that she was the most dangerous dragon in Pyrrhia, even meaner than Queen Scarlet. They knew the story of what she did to the SkyWing egg before they had all hatched. Scarlet was bad enough, but Burn was the worst possible dragon to get her claws on the Dragonets of Destiny.

We need to escape.

Now.

Tonight.

He couldn't imagine what Scarlet and Burn would do with him and his friends. Chances were, they'd kill them all even if he did win the fight. Windracer shut his eyes tight. Now would be a very good time for him to have even just one vision of the future. Maybe he could see how they escape, and where they go to get away from Queen Scarlet.

Nothing.

Not a single vision.

Stupid powers.

Or maybe not. There was still his animus magic. But Windracer had never tried any big, fancy spells, mostly out of fear of what it would do to his soul. All throughout history in the scrolls he read, animus dragons went mad after using their powers to excess. But there had to be more to the story than that.

Maybe losing their soul isn't the right way to describe it, Windracer realized. Maybe it's more like...the more they use their power for bad things, the more they feel like they can get away with using their power for anything.

That's not the kind of dragon I am, and it never will be.

But what spell should he use? And how could he be sure that it wouldn't be noticed? He didn't even want to start thinking about what would happen if Queen Scarlet or Princess Burn found out he was an animus.

"Psst."

The voice came from Windracer's left, but it wasn't Storm. The pale blue IceWing was fast asleep.

All of a sudden, a dragon materialized right before his eyes. It would be hard for any other dragon to make them out in the darkness, but Windracer had inherited the NightWings' night vision. He recognized a long and graceful body with scales colored in various shades of hot pink, a ruff behind their ears, curved horns, and a prehensile tail. He didn't have to guess what kind of dragon it was.

A RainWing.

But what was she doing in the Sky Kingdom? Didn't RainWings spend all their lives in the rainforest? Had she gotten lost somehow? It just didn't make sense.

Stunned, Windracer barely got out a friendly, "Hello."

The RainWing tossed her head a little. "Wanna get out of here?"

Windracer could tell by her voice that she was older than him, maybe around nine years or so. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded yes.

The RainWing went to work trying to cut through the thin wires with her teeth and claws. Windracer tried to help, but their claws weren't strong enough. Getting an idea, the hybrid breathed a small stream of flame on the wires, which snapped in half at the heat.

But the metal clips on Windracer's wings were too thick and sturdy for them to remove. Instead, the RainWing flew over him, grabbed him in all four of her talons, curled her tail around his for extra grip, and pulled up as hard as she could. Windracer flapped his restrained wings in an effort to help the RainWing lift off. It worked, but not as well as either would have liked. They were only flying a few feet above the platform, but it would have to do.

Flying to the nearest tower was no walk in the park. It was a miracle the RainWing was able to stay airborne long enough to fly into an empty room near the top of the tower before letting go of Windracer and collapsing in exhaustion. There were some mounted torches on the walls of the room, and they were all lit, providing light. After recovering, the RainWing got a good look at the dragon she'd helped. Her eyes went wide when she noticed that some of his scales were black.

"You're a NightWing?"

"Well..." Windracer gave her a half-shrug. "Sort of."

The RainWing sighed. "Great. I just escape from being kidnapped by NightWings, and the first dragon I think to rescue happens to be one of their kind."

"I'm not a full NightWing," he said quickly. "My mother is a SkyWing, so..." He paused as he realized what the RainWing had just said. "What do you mean, kidnapped?"

The RainWing stood up and turned around so she was looking Windracer in the eye. "The NightWings have been capturing many of my kind and bringing them to this volcanic island to learn more about our venom. They care very little of our wellbeing, and three of my fellow tribe members have died so far. I managed to escape by picking the locks. Then I camouflaged myself and slipped past the guards. I tried to free the others, but I only managed to rescue one before the NightWings started looking for us. We had to fly across the sea for who knows how long to get back to the mainland. I'd hoped it would lead us to the rainforest, but, as luck would have it, Kinkajou and I ended up on the shores of the Sky Kingdom. I didn't know what else to do, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to help a dragon who was trapped like we had been."

"I appreciate that," Windracer said. "And I'm sorry about what happened. Just know this, I'm not like those NightWings, and I never will be. You're safe around me. I'm Windracer."

"Vivid," the RainWing said. "My name, I mean. It's Vivid."

"Nice to meet you," he said. "So, Vivid, can you also rescue my friends? There's a MudWing named Bog, a SeaWing named Lagoon, a pair of RainWing twins named Marmoset and Mango, and an IceWing-SandWing hybrid named Arid being held here with me. There's also my mother, a SkyWing named Auburn; she's in line to be executed by the queen."

"You sure have some weird company," Vivid said, almost in disgust. "Why are you not with your own kind, anyway?"

"Because of the prophecy," Windracer answered automatically. Then he remembered that the RainWings weren't involved in the war and didn't even know about the prophecy. So he explained further. "Well, actually, it's a fake prophecy. It says a group of dragonets that have hatched on the brightest night will end a war on Pyrrhia that was started by a trio of SandWing sisters who all want to be queen."

"Sounds dramatic," Vivid said. "Good thing us RainWings aren't involved. Then again, everyone else seems to think we're lazy and stupid dragons who do nothing but lie around a lot."

Windracer didn't think that. Especially not with Marmoset and Mango running around the caves pulling pranks on the other dragonets for the six years they had lived there.

"You said you escaped with another RainWing," he said. "Where are they?"

"Hiding," Vivid said simply. "I told her to wait until sunrise. If I don't return by then, she should head back to the rainforest without me. I won't let Kinkajou risk her life trying to save me from whatever trouble I might end up in."

"Maybe we could help each other?" Windracer offered. "If you help us escape, we could help you and Kinkajou get back home."

"I don't know," she replied. "You saw how hard it was for me to carry you. Imagine me trying to lift up a MudWing!"

"Maybe I can help with that," Windracer said. He scanned the room and found a bronze bracelet lying in a pile of polished jewelry. "Queen Scarlet doesn't know I can do this." He grabbed the bracelet and held it in the center of his palm, his eyes locked on the jewelry as he spoke loud and clear. "I enchant this bracelet to grant any dragon who wears it super strength, but only for as long as they're wearing it."

Without missing a beat, he lifted one of Vivid's front talons and slipped the bracelet on her. It was a perfect fit.

The RainWing lifted her leg to look at the bronze band. "So, you're an animus, too? Interesting."

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Windracer asked nervously.

Vivid nodded. "As long as this bracelet works, I won't." She flapped her wings and flew over Windracer, grabbing his legs and wings and lifting up. This time, she was able to carry him with ease. She gently set him back down on the floor of the room before landing nearby. "What did you say your name was, again?"

"It's Windracer," the hybrid replied.

"Windracer," Vivid repeated. I'll definitely remember it this time. "Thanks."

The hybrid held up a talon as he searched the room again. Many of the items looked foreign to the Sky Kingdom, presumably objects that were taken off of the prisoners and then thrown into the room without so much as a second glance. He rummaged through a chest and found a broken spearhead that was missing its pointed tip.

Windracer grabbed it and held it up to his eyelevel. "I enchant this spearhead to help any dragon who wields it find whatever they're looking for." He then handed the spearhead to Vivid. "This might also help."

The RainWing stared at him wide-eyed before lifting the spearhead for a closer look. With some hesitation, she stated, "Windracer's friends."

The spearhead twitched and twisted in Vivid's claws, too blunt and worn to cause any real harm. The broken tip of the spearhead pointed and pulled Vivid in several different directions. She'd asked it to find more than one dragon, and they weren't all in the same place.

"Try following it in one direction at a time," Windracer offered. "And don't let any of the SkyWings see you."

Vivid glanced back at him and smiled. "Not a problem."

In an instant, the color of her scales had changed so that she was almost invisible.

Silence followed, and Windracer realized that the RainWing had left. With nothing else to do, he sat dead center in the room and let his mind wander.

He wasn't sure how long it had been when his thoughts drifted back to the story of Prince Arctic. If there really was more to his story, then how could he find it?

Eyes lighting up with a stroke of genius, Windracer searched the room a third time to see if he could find anything useful. Some tattered scrolls, several paintings of Queen Scarlet, and an old mirror small enough to fit in Morrowseer's palms.

Windracer grabbed the mirror, examining his reflection for a few precious moments before suddenly getting an idea. "I enchant this mirror to show any requested event from Pyrrhia's past."

The glass of the mirror shimmered for a moment, as if in response to the spell. Now all Windracer needed to do was test it out. The young hybrid raised the mirror a bit higher and requested, "Show me what happened to Prince Arctic of the IceWings." When nothing happened, he quickly added, "Please."

The results were instantaneous. His reflection in the mirror swirled out of focus and was replaced with an image of an IceWing, nearly seven years of age, sitting and conversing with a female NightWing - Foeslayer, Windracer realized. Judging by all the snow, he guessed they were somewhere in the Ice Kingdom. This must be when they first met.

The image shimmered, and all of a sudden Arctic and Foeslayer were in a mountainous terrain with canyons and caves, a coast lined with rocky black-sand beaches and littered with tide pools and half-flooded caves. The two weren't fighting; they were talking with each other, and, as Windracer watched, they would occasionally turn their heads and nuzzle each other's snouts.

Prince Arctic wasn't stolen by the NightWings, Windracer realized. He fell in love with one. He could see it in Arctic's eyes. It was the same look he'd seen Killer give Auburn in his mother's memories. With new curiosity, he asked the mirror, "Please show me what happened to Queen Diamond of the IceWings."

Most of it was a blur, but he could make out a few events - Queen Diamond forcing her son into an engagement with an IceWing he wasn't in love with, Diamond fuming over the fact that her son eloped with a NightWing, her feeding lies to all of her subjects, that Foeslayer, coveting the power of the IceWings' animus dragons, had kidnapped Arctic so that her tribe could benefit from these powers as well. The final image showed Queen Diamond killing Foeslayer by stabbing her in the heart with a diamond spear.

So, it was all a misunderstanding, Windracer thought to himself. The IceWings all believed Diamond's lies, and assumed the NightWings stole Prince Arctic from them. That's why the two tribes hate each other so much. But what can I do to fix that? How can I show them it was nothing but a lie?

He didn't get a chance to figure it out, as Vivid suddenly entered to room with her vibrant, colorful scales. The moment Windracer lifted his eyes to look at her, the images in the mirror faded. "Did you find them?"

"I found where your RainWing friends were being kept," Vivid replied. "In a room in one of those other towers nearby. I brought the MudWing and SeaWing there, those other two are being held in some sort of cage. I promised I'd bring you there to them."

Windracer took the spearhead Vivid was still holding, uttering, "My leather bag," under his breath. The spearhead twitched and twisted in his talons before pulling him into one of the piles of the prisoners' belongings. The bag he had been wearing around his neck when he first stepped out from under the mountain was half-buried in the pile. He grabbed it quickly, stuffing the mirror and spearhead into it along with the wooden bowl, the beaded bracelet and the stick that made him invisible. He was immensely relieved they were still in there; most likely the guards had left the items alone on the assumption that there was nothing special about them.

He hung the bag around his neck before turning to Vivid. "Now I'm ready."

Vivid flew over Windracer, lifting him up with ease. Within seconds, the two were outside, the RainWing flying herself and the hybrid towards one of the towers. It didn't take long for them to get there, and the moment Vivid set Windracer down on the floor of the tower's room, a certain MudWing was squeezing him in a tight hug.

"Windracer! You're okay!"

The hybrid sucked in a breath as best he could. "Air, Bog, air!"

Bog quickly let go of his friend. "Sorry."

Lagoon was the next to greet Windracer. "That was a very brave thing you did, standing up for your mother like that."

"Wish I hadn't done that," Windracer muttered. "All of our lives are on the line if I fight tomorrow." He scanned the room but found no traces of Auburn or a certain female hybrid. "Where are Arid and my mother?"

"One is in the palace," Vivid answered. "The other's in the prison. It would have been too risky to free them with the guards around, even with my camouflage." She pointed a talon over their shoulders. "But your twin friends seem alright. Wish they'd stop babbling so much, though."

Indeed, Marmoset and Mango were quite fine. Well, as long as you counted being held in a sort of birdcage "fine." And that didn't really work for Mango. "This is worse than being inside the egg."

Her brother snorted. "How do you think I feel?"

"Will you cut your complaining already?!"

The shout hadn't from Vivid. Or Lagoon. Or Windracer. And definitely not from Bog.

The RainWing twins weren't the only ones being held prisoner in that room.

There was an IceWing in there with them.

Once again we start "spinning away from the canon," as Cottonmouth25 put it.

So now Windracer has started to embrace his powers a little more. For the record, I don't really believe in the "animus dragons losing their souls" theory. I really think it's more like, they use their powers for bad things and then think they can get away with anything. Good thing Windracer uses his magic for the good of others and takes the time to word his spells carefully. It really seems like a Hiccup thing to do. (Well, to me at least.)

Also, Vivid is not a counterpart to anyone in the HTTYD series; she's an original character.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout

Chapter Text

Now for things to reach new levels of drama.

The IceWing was around six years old and was chained to the floor and walls of the room to keep from moving around. Her icy blue scales and white spikes glimmered in the moonlight, and her dark blue eyes glinted as she studied the dragonets.

If Windracer wasn't so horrified at the fact that there was an IceWing in the room with them, he would have been wondering why she wasn't being held outside with the other prisoners.

"Is she one of you friends, too?" Vivid asked, her scales a mixture of orange and green. Windracer guessed she was rather displeased, or even downright disgusted.

Bog shook his head. "Nope."

"Never seen her before," Lagoon added.

Mango stuck her head out from between the bars of the cage that held her and her brother. "I think she said her name was Sleet."

"It's Princess Sleet to you, Ditzy!" the IceWing snapped. "My mother is Queen Glacier, and she can freeze you solid!"

Great. Just what they needed. An IceWing princess.

Windracer would have up and left the room if he'd been able to fly. But even if he could fly away, he would never leave his friends behind.

"You, NightWing!" Sleet shouted. "You've got a lot of nerve being in the same room as me!"

Bog jumped back at the IceWing princess's yelling. "Guess they really do hate NightWings with a passion."

"Well, you're gonna have to deal with it for now," Lagoon said. She gestured to herself, Bog and Windracer with her webbed talons. "We're the Dragonets of Destiny."

The anger in Sleet's eyes subsided. "The Dragonets of Destiny? For real? The ones in the prophecy?"

Windracer somehow found the courage to step forward so he was in full view of the IceWing princess. "That's us." He hung his head apologetically. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but we're trying to escape before Queen Scarlet kills us all tomorrow."

"No need," Sleet said, her tone the polar opposite of before (no pun intended). "Being locked in here for so many weeks, and then having to deal with Ditzy and Bozo over there, it's driving me to my wit's end. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

The RainWing twins simultaneously cried out an offended, "Hey!"

"What are you in here for?" Windracer couldn't help but ask.

"My brother, Frost, and I were guarding our cousins, Hailstorm and Winter, while they were searching for scavenger dens in SkyWing territory," Sleet said. "Before we could even blink, about fourteen or so SkyWings ambushed us and took us to Scarlet's palace. Hailstorm gave himself up so Winter could get away, but Frost and I weren't so lucky. My brother didn't want to be held responsible for anything that happened to me, so he made a deal with Scarlet - if he won enough fights in the arena, she'd let me go unharmed. But the SkyWing queen hardly ever keeps her word. I'm barley fed, on the verge of dehydration, and it's so hot in here! I'll probably be dead before Frost wins the final fight."

She narrowed her eyes at Windracer. "You don't look like any NightWing I've ever seen, and those were just in scrolls. What exactly are you?"

In all honesty, Windracer wasn't at all surprised she'd asked him that. "I'm a hybrid. My father is a NightWing, but my mother is a SkyWing."

"Well," Sleet chuckled, "whatever you are, you're cute."

Windracer's eyes went as wide as they could go, and he froze like a statue. Cute? In what way would the princess of the IceWings find a dragon like him cute?

"You know, you could come with us," Bog offered. Sleet looked at him, and suddenly he wasn't entirely confident. "If you really want to escape tonight."

"Of course I do," Sleet said, grabbing at her chains. "Get these chains off me, and let's get out of here."

Windracer finally managed to find his voice. "But Arid and my mother-"

"We'll hide somewhere and wait until we can free them tomorrow," Lagoon said.

An impatient pair of RainWings called out to the others, "Hello? Is anyone gonna get us outta here?"

Vivid mentally rolled her eyes as she approached the caged twins. "Right, sorry." After a few moments of working her claws into the lock, she wriggled her talons around until there was a distinct *click* and the lock fell away. The door to the cage swung open, and the twins bounded right out.

Sleet held her chains up for the others to see. "Now, me."

Gulping nervously, Windracer padded over to the IceWing princess. "Have you tried your frostbreath?"

"Don't you think that was the first thing I tried?" Sleet said, sarcastically. "These chains are impervious to ice. Try your fire, it might break them."

"Are you sure you want the help of a NightWing?" Windracer asked, nervously. "We're supposed to be enemies, you know."

Sleet snorted. "Yeah, but I don't see any point in us fighting over something that happened so long ago. Arctic left with a NightWing, Queen Diamond was a jerk, and now our tribes are constantly squabbling over a big, fat lie."

Windracer's eyes went wide, a light shimmer of realization in them. "So, you already knew?"

"That Arctic fell in love with a NightWing?" Sleet said. "Yeah. Queen Diamond had a private diary she kept hidden from everyone, even her family members. I found it by accident while I was playing around in Mother's room on my third birthday. Secret compartment in one of the walls; silly little scroll had all the answers you could ever hope for when it comes to why IceWings and NightWings hate each other so much."

"Never thought we'd be getting a history lesson out of this," Lagoon joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sleet paid her no mind. "Now, are you going to free me, whatever-in-Pyrrhia-your-name-is?"

"Oh." Windracer had been so shocked by Sleet's presence, he had forgotten to introduce himself. "My name is Windracer."

The IceWing princess gave him a look he had trouble reading. "As cool as that sounds, how about I call you Wind? I think it's easier to remember that way."

Windracer nonchalantly shrugged his wings. "You can call me what you want, just as long as it's not 'half-breed'."

"Deal." Sleet pulled on the chains that still held her. "Now, less talking, more escaping."

The hybrid wasted no more time using his fire breath on Sleet's chains. The metal melted into a bubbly mess and broke apart, freeing the IceWing princess's wings and tail. In no time she was able to walk around the room, albeit with the chains still wrapped around her legs.

"Thank you, Wind," Sleet said, batting her eyes at the hybrid. "So, when we get out, maybe you could escort me back to my kingdom?"

Was she trying to flirt with him?

Apparently so, because then next thing Windracer knew, she was all up in his face and trailing her talons up his leg. "Once you fulfill the prophecy, you can come visit. Who knows, maybe I'll be queen by then."

"I see some claw holds," Lagoon said, pointing. Windracer gladly took his attention off of Sleet and onto the SeaWing. "If we free our wings, we can rest there, and -"

An orange dragon suddenly swooped up into view, blocking their way.

"Going somewhere?" asked Queen Scarlet.

Windracer instinctively rushed forward, shielding his friends as best he could with his wings bound.

"Honestly, did you really think you'd be able to get out of here without my guards noticing your absence?" Scarlet taunted. She moved to the side to reveal Inferno, decorated in a full set of armor for guard duty. Behind him were about ten other SkyWing guards, Scorch included.

Windracer spared a glance over his shoulder to find Vivid gone, most likely camouflaged.

"It's really very selfish of you," Scarlet said, shaking her head. "Ruining my party. My hatching day only comes once a year. I've been planning this for months. So, why don't you all be good little dragonets and stay here in this tower? That way, you'll all be well-rested and ready for my thrilling arena battles tomorrow morning." That last sentence was spoken with a very wicked-looking sneer.

"Vivid?" Windracer said quietly. "Are you still here?"

"Yes," a voice said softly into his ear. She must have been right next to him. "Do you have any bright ideas? 'Cause I've got nothing."

Windracer racked his brain, trying to find a solution. He didn't think they could fight their way out; there were too many guards. But maybe if they could keep the SkyWings busy somehow...

"We need a diversion," he muttered.

"I can do that," whispered Vivid. "When I give the signal, you guys get out of here in any way you can."

"What signal?" Windracer asked.

Vivid didn't answer.

Sleet pushed past Windracer, her dark blue eyes flashing with a ferocity that reminded him of Arid. "No way you're making me fight for your entertainment, firebreather! Do you have any idea who my mother is?!"

"Queen Glacier," Scarlet answered without guessing. "And your brother has been fighting for you, hasn't he, princess?"

Something about the queen's tone of voice sent chills down Windracer's spine.

There was a shimmer of scales near the closest SkyWing, a crimson guard with a scar across his neck. Then, out of nowhere, a jet of small black droplets spattered against the side of the guard's face and neck.

The crimson SkyWing flinched, his eyes filled with confusion, and automatically reached up with one talon to wipe his face clean. But before his claws reached his snout, there was a horrible hissing noise. The scales on his face began to melt.

Then he screamed.

It was the worst sound Windracer had ever heard. The SkyWing was writhing in midair, howling in agony, clawing at his face and neck to try and rid himself of the black goop.

"Help me!" he cried. "Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!"

The other SkyWings raised their spears, pointing them every which way as they searched for the mysterious attacker. But there was no one to be seen.

One of the drops had landed in the guard's eye, and that was the first thing to disintegrate, leaving a smoking black cavity in his skull. The side of his face slowly dropped away like ice melting, and the spray on his neck ate into the open wound like a swarm of termites on a wooden log.

"What is happening?!" screamed Lagoon.

"Uh..." Windracer was terrified to the point of near speechlessness. "I guess that's the signal."

Like magic, Vivid materialized right in front of them in a blaze of sunflower gold and cobalt blue. "Of course that's the signal," she said. "Now hurry and get out of here while they're distracted!"

How? Their wings were still bound; they couldn't fly. ...Unless Windracer magicked them away.

But what sort of spell could he use without giving away that he was an animus? If Queen Scarlet found out...there was a whole plethora of visions of futures that ended horribly for everyone in the Sky Kingdom.

"No time to think," Sleet said commandingly. "I'll carry Windracer. Ditzy and Bozo, you get the MudWing and SeaWing."

"I should carry Bog," said Vivid. "I'm the one with the magic superstrength bracelet. Marmoset and Mango, you two carry Lagoon."

Razor sharp talons dug into Windracer's shoulder, making him flinch. Sleet turned out to be stronger than Vivid had been without the enchanted bronze band; she could lift him off the floor with her own two wings without too much of a struggle.

In a single swoop, the IceWing and the three RainWings flew out into the cool night air, carrying Windracer and Bog and Lagoon with them.

By this time, the crimson SkyWing guard had died from the venom and fallen to the unforgiving ground below. At least half of his face was gone, and a good chunk of his neck had been reduced to a blackened and bubbly mess.

"Was that you?" Bog asked Vivid. "I mean, did you really do that?"

"Of course it was me," she said. She opened her mouth and pointed at her two longest fangs. "It's not like any of the other tribes can shoot venom from their teeth."

"We didn't know RainWings could do that," Lagoon tried to explain.

Marmoset and Mango stared at the older RainWing's fangs in amazement and wonder. Marmoset asked Vivid excitedly, "Can we do that, too?"

"Yes," was the only word Vivid said aloud. In her mind, however - Why am I suddenly so filled with dread right now?

Of course, by then their absence had been noticed by the guards who were still very much alive.

"The prisoners are escaping!"

"After them, you fools!" shouted Queen Scarlet. "Don't let them escape!"

If there was one thing Windracer knew about SkyWings, aside from their fiery tempers, it's that they were the fastest and most powerful fliers of all dragonkind. They didn't have half a chance of escaping now.

"We're not gonna make it," he said grimly. He could see the claw holds Lagoon had found, but the guards' wingbeats were rapidly approaching.

"We're gonna make it," Sleet argued, her voice full of determination. She beat her wings more powerfully, and she lurched forward, nearly dropping Windracer.

"No, we're not!" cried Bog fearfully.

"We have to!" Vivid said.

A spear flew past her head, making her flinch.

Despite himself, Windracer glanced over his shoulder at the pursuing guards. One of the SkyWings threw their spear at his head, but he managed to duck at the last second and it sailed right past.

"Don't kill them, idiots!" Scarlet demanded. "I need them for my arena!"

At least half of the SkyWings lowered their spears. (Windracer wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Inferno draw himself back, like he wanted to abandon the chase.) The rest kept their weapons raised at the ready.

The next thing Windracer knew, he was tumbling out of the sky, his legs and tail tangled up with Sleet's. They landed on a smooth hard surface - the floor of the claw holds, it turned out - and a minute later Vivid and Bog and Lagoon and the twins collapsed a few feet away.

Queen Scarlet and her guards hovered above them.

"Quite noble of you to try and save a dragon from another tribe," she hissed at Windracer. "You remind me of your mother in far too many ways, half-breed."

Windracer cautiously opened one eye, only for both of them to shoot open in shock. Sleet was lying in front of him, a spear impaling her through her back and out her chest. Blue blood gushed out of the wound.

"No!" Windracer threw himself at the collapsed IceWing's side.

Scarlet chuckled to herself. "It's a shame, really. I was actually starting to think about considering letting the princess go. That brother of hers has been giving such entertaining battles in my arena. Now, what to do with all of you."

Windracer avoided her gaze; he couldn't stop looking at Sleet. He had to do something, anything. But what? Could he use his magic? Should he? What would Scarlet do to him, or his friends, right now if he revealed he was an animus?

"Why don't you just kill them now and be done with it?" hissed a voice.

Windracer was pretty extra sure he knew who that voice belonged to. He kept his talons pressed to Sleet's chest, trying to stop the flow of blood, and looked up.

Burn was much bigger than Scarlet, and probably twice as terrifying. She wore a vest of ruby-studded chainmail, her claws and teeth were stained red from all the blood she had shed, and a vicious scar was burned along her left side, below the wing. There was no white in her eyes at all; they were orbs of pure, menacing black.

"Because that wouldn't be fun," Queen Scarlet answered. "I want to see them fight. We have a whole day of entertainment planned for tomorrow. It's my hatching day! I want it to be thrilling."

Windracer was really starting to hate the word thrilling.

"Besides," Scarlet said, "if we kill them now, out of sight, it won't do us any good. Even if we hang their bodies on the palace walls, no one will believe it's them. But if we put them in the arena, then everyone can watch them die. They'll lose all their faith in the prophecy. Much more powerful than just making them disappear." The SkyWing queen cast a sly look at her SandWing ally. "Don't you agree?"

"And what if they win?" Burn demanded.

"They won't," crooned Scarlet. "But of course killing them ourselves is a solid backup plan."

Windracer gulped and looked at his friends. Bog was completely frozen with fear, Lagoon's talons were shaking, and even Marmoset and Mango were completely still and silent for perhaps the first time in their whole lives.

Vivid was camouflaged again. Whether or not Scarlet and Burn had seen her, Windracer didn't know. Nothing in their conversation or their thoughts indicated that they'd noticed an extra RainWing.

All of a sudden, Sleet coughed. "You know we can hear you, right?"

"Still alive, are you?" Scarlet sneered. "I'll admit I'm impressed. But you're as good as dead, princess. As for the rest of you" - she smiled sinisterly at the dragonets - "Sleep well, so you'll be thrilling in my arena. I thought I'd get to play with you for longer, but I guess you all have to be dead by sunset tomorrow." She sighed. "No one lets me have any fun."

Windracer listened to Scarlet and Burn's wingbeats as they flew away. The SkyWing guards circled the tower, each of them landing on a ledge outside. Inferno glanced at Windracer once, but then turned away and went to his post.

The hybrid paid no attention to his cousin, or anyone else for that matter. Without stopping to think about what he was doing, he cradled Sleet's head in his talons. "I'm so sorry, Sleet."

Despite the pain she was in, Sleet managed a smile. "Don't be," she said, her voice weak and quiet enough to be a whisper. "There are more IceWing princesses. But there's only one NightWing dragonet of destiny."

"Sleet, the prophecy..." Windracer paused for a moment. Sleet believed in the prophecy, like most other dragons on the continent. She believed in the dragonets that would end the war and bring peace. She believed in him.

How could he tell a dying dragon with so much faith in their heart that it was all a ruse?

"...really means that much to you?"

"If it means no other dragons will be killed in the crossfire," Sleet strained to say. "Then yes." She raised her talons to rest on his. "Tell my mother what happened. She won't hurt you if she knows you're my friend. And Wind?"

Windracer forced himself to look into her eyes.

"I hope you find a way to end the war soon."

The hybrid shook his head. "I'll try, but I'm no hero."

Sleet smiled at him one last time. "You are to me."

He felt her talons slipping from his own, and Windracer watched as Sleet's eyes slide shut and she went limp in his clutch.

Blue blood flowed out of Sleet's wound and onto Windracer's talons, but he didn't care. He'd just seen a dragon die in front of him. A dragon who had given her life to save his.

He barely knew her, but at the same time, he did know her. She reminded him of Arid in certain ways, and now she was gone.

Eyes glistening with tears, Windracer looked over his shoulder to see Bog bawling his eyes out. The MudWing was leaning his head on Lagoon's shoulder, she patted him gently with a somber look on her face. Even the usually chipper and hard-to-upset RainWing twins looked devastated.

Vivid slowly materialized before Windracer's eyes, her scales a gloomy blue-gray, and he realized he'd forgotten about her for a moment.

"You should get out of here," he told her. "Kinkajou's probably worried about you. Don't worry about us; we'll figure something out."

She nodded at him wordlessly, then her scales shimmered, and she disappeared.

The five dragonets - a SeaWing, a MudWing, two RainWings, and a SkyWing-NightWing hybrid - curled up together to sleep, the way they all used to before Kestrel insisted on the sleeping caves and rocky ledges for beds. Windracer rested his head on Lagoon's shoulder, and he could hear her crying. Bog was also sobbing, and every now and again he heard Marmoset and Mango sniffle a little. He let himself cry, too; it was all he could do, all any of them could do, in that moment.

It wasn't until Windracer was almost asleep that he remembered Vivid still had the bronze bracelet he'd enchanted that night.

Let it be known that I have never written a character death before, especially not one that graphic. But I figured it was something Tui T. Sutherland might do, and it adds drama to the story.

Still, I kinda hate myself for it.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Now things will finally begin to take a turn for the better. Well, for the dragonets of destiny, anyway.

The roaring of dragons woke them up the next morning. The five dragonets barely had time to scrabble to their feet before guards began pouring into their room.

A few minutes later, Windracer was thrown into the arena while his friends were all chained and muzzled on the queen's balcony, bolted to rings on the floor. Queen Scarlet was already there, lounging on her throne and stroking a thrashing Arid's head like she was a harmless cat. She smirked at them.

"I thought you'd appreciate the best view in the house for this." She nodded at the arena, where Windracer was crouching low in a futile effort to avoid being seen. He'd lost his leather bag again, likely ripped off him by the guards and then thrown into the room.

Burn stood next to Scarlet, ignoring the throne that had been provided for her. She glowered at all the dragons equally, until her black eyes settled on Arid.

"Oh, this is my new pet," Queen Scarlet said airily. "Pretty, isn't she? I bet I'm the only queen with my very own whatever-she-is."

"She'd look better in my collection," Burn muttered, her expression rather envious.

The seats were filled with hundreds of dragons - all the dragons in the SkyWing Kingdom, it seemed to Windracer. They roared and stamped their feet, demanding bloody entertainment.

Vermilion fluttered down into the center of the arena. "Fellow dragons," he called. "Loyal SkyWings and visiting MudWings and honored SandWing guests. In honor of Queen Scarlet's hatching day, we have a treat for all of you. A prisoner, Auburn, has been put on trial, and a dragon has requested that he fight for her freedom." He gestured to Windracer. "This dragonet is the child of Auburn, a traitor to our beloved tribe, who went and had an egg with a NightWing."

The SkyWings in the audience booed obediently.

"Indeed," said Vermilion. "This so-called dragonet of destiny is willing to fight for his mother's freedom, but let's see if he can survive the arena. I give you, Windracer of the SkyWings and NightWings!"

The sound of beating wings and hissing fire-breath filled the arena. It was louder than Windracer had been expecting, as if the watching dragons were really rooting for him. He could pick out some of the dragons' thoughts in the crowd.

It's really them! The dragonets of destiny!

I've never seen a dragonet like that before.

The way he stood up for his mother yesterday, so brave.

...must be an omen.

...the dragonets are here...

...should have worn my favorite necklace today.

Good luck, weird little one.

Windracer might have felt better about it if he wasn't being stared down by a psychopathic queen and an equally psychopathic princess who were both waiting to witness and applaud for his imminent death.

"Ahem!" said Vermilion. "We have a full slate of thrilling games today, so let's begin!"

A white and gray dragon stomped out of the tunnel. He was slightly bigger than Windracer, with talons sharp and serrated. His dark blue eyes, the same shape and color as Princess Sleet's, were raging with eagerness at the inevitable bloodshed.

Vermilion flew up out of the arena to avoid the IceWing's claws. "Here we have another dragon fighting for a family member," he said. "After three wins, he's hoping to get the queen to release his dear sister. It's Frost of the IceWings!"

Frost. Windracer knew that name; he distinctly remembered Sleet mentioning that her brother was named Frost. And Vermilion explicitly said that this IceWing was fighting for his sister's freedom.

I'm gonna have to fight Sleet's brother. And he doesn't even know what happened to her. Should I tell him? If he learns his sister is dead...will he stop fighting? Or will he just kill me anyway?

"But wait," Vermilion said, "there's more!"

More? Windracer's mind started reeling. Visions upon visions of himself lying motionless in the sand, killed in too many different ways to count, flashed before his eyes.

"Now," the SkyWing prince continued, "some of you may remember a dragon a few months back who refused to fight."

"BOOOOOOOOOO!" the crowd chanted.

"Indeed," said Vermilion. "Tried to start a prisoner revolution, didn't he? Tried to get all the dragons to stop fighting. Well, clearly he had to be taught a lesson, or we'd all be lying in our caves right now, bored out of our skulls. Am I right?"

"WOO HOO!" the crowd agreed.

"So what's the best way to punish a SeaWing?" Vermilion swooped over the audience, trying to look as if he was perfectly comfortable in the air instead of in the sands where he usually did his announcing.

"Chop off his head!"

"Stuff grass in his gills!"

"Drown him!"

Vermilion sighed. "All very good suggestions," he said. "But no. The best way to punish a SeaWing is to take away their water. All their water. For months."

Windracer looked up at the queen's balcony and met Lagoon's eyes. Her scales were pale with horror.

The writhing SeaWing landed hard on the sands, dropped by the guards. He was twice the size of Lagoon, with talons as sharp and curved as fishhooks. Dried blood flecked his mouth as if he'd been trying to drink from his own veins. His pea-green scales were dull and crusted, and his dark green eyes were bloodshot and rolling wildly in his emaciated skull.

He looked completely insane.

"Dehydrated, mentally unstable, and ready to fight at last. It's Gill of the SeaWings! Claws up! Teeth ready! Fight!"

Gill didn't wait for Vermilion's order. He tore across the sand toward Windracer and Frost as soon as he'd regained his balance. His mouth was open as if he thought he was roaring, but no sound came out. His tongue, purple and swollen, lolled to the side.

"Two against one isn't fair!" shouted Lagoon. "You can't do that!"

"I can do whatever I want," Scarlet hissed. "I am the queen. You are a lowly dragonet who will never be a leader."

Gill leapt at Windracer, but the hybrid tucked and rolled under him...only to nearly be sliced by Frost's claws as the IceWing swiped at him. He wasn't expecting to fight two dragons at the same time; he wondered if maybe Scarlet had planned this from the start, to try and guarantee that he wouldn't survive.

Windracer scrambled across the sand as Gill tore after him. He knew nothing about how to fight a SeaWing, or an IceWing for that matter. The only dragon he ever sparred with under the mountain was Kestrel, and even then she pretty much yelled at him half the time.

"Oh, no you don't!" Frost slammed into Gill's side, throwing the SeaWing off balance. "The NightWing's mine!"

Windracer skidded to a stop and watched as Gill tumbled into the sand. He used to be someone, before they took all his water away. There has to be something we can do to save him. ...Maybe my magic?

He had experimented so little with his animus powers; he'd only ever enchanted inanimate objects. He never once thought about using his magic on a living creature, let alone a full-grown dragon.

Sharp claws grabbed Windracer's throat, and he found himself looking into the rage-filled eyes of Frost.

"Stop, please!" the hybrid choked out. "We don't have to fight!"

"Yes we do!" Frost snarled. "Dragons fight every day! I've killed every opponent they put me up against, I can handle killing one more!"

Gill came barreling in, knocking Windracer out of the IceWing prince's grasp. Frost blasted his frostbreath at the SeaWing, but Gill shot out of the way. The ice from Frost's attack hit the wall underneath the queen's balcony.

Frost fired again, this time at Windracer, who rolled the other way. More ice marched up the wall and to the talons of the chained dragonets, but Scarlet and Burn remained unfazed.

The big green SeaWing reared up with his wings spread and tried to slam himself down on Frost's back. The IceWing slashed at his underbelly with his claws. Bright red blood spurted over the prince's white scales. Gill's talons slipped off his back, and he crashed face-first into the sand as Frost ducked out of the way.

Windracer went to roll again, but Frost anticipated it. He grabbed the hybrid in his talons and slammed him down, pinning him into the sand.

"Fight back, you weasel-brain!"

Although startled by Frost's yell and angry gaze, Windracer shook his head. "No. I won't fight you, Frost. This isn't what Sleet would want."

Frost's eyes went wide for a moment before he glared at Windracer. "How do you know about Sleet?!"

"I met her while trying to escape," Windracer explained. "I was afraid at first, but she was nice to me. I helped her out of her chains, so she could escape with me and my friends. She knew about Queen Diamond; everything you think you know about NightWings is not true. Scarlet found us trying to get away. She ordered her guards to attack me, but Sleet saved my life. I tried to save her, but she didn't make it."

After waiting a moment to catch his breath from rambling, Windracer looked the IceWing straight in the eye.

"Frost, your sister is dead."

The IceWing prince hesitated, but then shook himself back to his senses. "Liar!"

"I'm not lying," Windracer insisted. He wished he had something that would show Frost it was true, but for now his words were his only proof. "I don't care what you do to me, but I won't fight you. It's not what Sleet would want, and it's not what I want, either."

He noticed the closest dragons in the audience were leaning in, listening intently. He hadn't been speaking for the whole stadium to hear, but at least a few had.

Queen Scarlet wasn't among them. "Hurry up and finish it!" she called from her balcony. "You have him at your mercy! Freeze his head off! Slice his throat! Kill him!"

Windracer looked up at his friends, thinking it was the last time he'd ever see them. That's when he saw Arid. She had lowered her head enough to reach up with her front talons and attempt to pry her muzzle off. A patch of ice from Frost's breath had formed in front of her, its cold temperature chilling her scales. But she paid no attention to it; she dug her claws into the space between the muzzle and her snout and pulled as hard as she could.

Miraculously, the muzzle broke off, and Arid reared back and let out an angry roar.

Burn and Scarlet stared wide-eyed at Arid, who glared at both of them. Then she opened her mouth and sucked in a long breath. Scarlet lifted a wing to shield herself just as a blast of what looked like sparkling smoke shot out of Arid's mouth. It hit Scarlet's wing squarely; the membrane blackened and snapped as patches of frost began to form on the queen's orange scales.

Scarlet stared wide-eyed at what was happening to her. "Ice? How did you...?!"

She didn't get a chance to finish her question, as Arid readied another frostbreath. Burn shoved Scarlet in front of her and shot into the sky. The SkyWing queen barely avoided being hit a second time.

Seeing Frost distracted by what was happening on the queen's balcony, Windracer threw the IceWing off of him and started desperately digging around in the sand. If he could find something, anything, to enchant, he could free himself, his friends, and all the other dragons being held prisoner.

Finally, he found a small rock, which he palmed tightly. "Free every prisoner in the Sky Kingdom!" he shouted.

And just like that, the metal clips on his wings vanished. He looked up to the queen's balcony to find his friends' chains had also disappeared. The sound of wingbeats prompted him to look up. All of the prisoners were flying off of their rock spires without any clamps or wires holding them down. Windracer scanned the fleeing dragons, hoping to find his mother among them.

He didn't get a chance to find her, however, as something big slammed into him. Gill's claws seized his wings and yanked hard, lifting Windracer off his feet. Within seconds, the hybrid dragonet was pinned down into the sand for the second time that day.

"You don't have to do this," Windracer said. "You're free now. Go fly home."

Gill did his soundless roar again. Windracer could sense something fluttering in the back of the deranged SeaWing's mind - a shadow of a memory or an echo from the past - but it was brief. He was nothing more than an empty shell of his former self. Even if Gill managed to find some water and rehydrate, he'd never fully be the dragon he once was.

There was a flash of orange, and a loud snapping sound. Gill fell off of Windracer and landed in the sand with a thud. His neck was horribly twisted.

A second later, Queen Scarlet was in Gill's place, her back talons pinning Windracer's wings down.

His secret was out. He'd used his magic in front of Scarlet, and now she knew he was an animus.

"You think by freeing every prisoner in this kingdom, that you've saved all of Pyrrhia?" Scarlet asked. Her tone was unusually calm, and that terrified him. "I can always capture more dragons for my arena. And next time, you won't be there to save them."

Windracer gulped as his vision started to blur. All he could see was the SkyWing queen's menacing yellow eyes. "How thrilling it would have been to see you die fighting," she crooned. "Perhaps I should have killed you last night when I had the chance. It's too bad you couldn't save that pretty little princess. What was her name, again? Sleet?"

Then she grabbed Windracer's neck in her front talons. "Well, she's dead now. Pity she won't get to see how her attempt to save you was in vain. Now, say goodbye, you filthy little half-breed."

Windracer shifted his eyes to look at his friends, who were being pinned to the walls by Scarlet's guards. He focused his attention on Arid, who was thrashing like mad, trying to get to Windracer. He didn't want Scarlet's eyes to be the last thing he saw before he died.

All of a sudden, the weight holding him down was lifted off. He looked up to see Frost holding Queen Scarlet by the neck. The IceWing prince glared at her, his dark eyes full of rage.

"You killed her?" he snarled.

Scarlet shook her head, her widened eyes showing fear for the first time since Windracer had met her.

"I heard you!" Frost shouted. "You said her name! You killed her!" He pried Scarlet's mouth open with his talons, and, without hesitation, breathed his frostbreath right down her throat.

Windracer turned his head away, his eyes shut tight. He could hear Scarlet screaming, the sound becoming more hoarse and cracking as the ice overtook her from the inside.

The stadium erupted into pandemonium. All the dragons tried to take to the sky at once, crashing into one another and clawing viciously to get away from Frost and the dying queen.

Finally, the noise stopped, and Windracer opened his eyes in time to see Frost let go of Scarlet's head. The queen fell into the sand, her mouth wide open, the scales of her head and neck a chilling blue instead of her normal orange. Icy mist seeped from her mouth, and her teeth looked like icicles. Her piercing yellow eyes were now a pale blue, frozen over by a thin layer of ice.

The queen of the SkyWings was dead.

Frost panted heavily, his eyes locked on the dead queen for a few moments before he shifted his gaze to Windracer. The hybrid gulped soundlessly, waiting fearfully to see what the IceWing prince would do next.

After a long, terrifying moment, Frost raised a talon to point at Windracer. "Just this once, NightWing," he hissed. "For Sleet." Then he spread his wings and flew off, leaving Windracer shaken, but alive.

His vision had come true. The arena had erupted into chaos, Frost was the angry IceWing, and Scarlet was the dead SkyWing.

The guards on the balcony were all standing shocked at what had just occurred. They all looked at each other, their eyes asking, What do we do now?

Another SkyWing, a dark orange, just like Scarlet, landed on the queen's throne. "Release them at once!" she commanded.

Hesitantly, the guards released their hold on Windracer's friends, bowing to the new arrival. "Yes, Princess Tourmaline."

"It's Queen Tourmaline," the former princess corrected. "Now, grab all the jewels and gold you can find and start renovating this arena. We'll have no more of these gruesome battles! And go clean up that mess down there, the look on Mother's face is freaking me out."

Windracer flew up onto the balcony as soon as the guards dispersed. "I'm so sorry about all of that," he said. "I only wanted to free my friends, and I didn't know what Scarlet -"

"No need to apologize," Tourmaline said. "I'm nothing like my mother. The only reason the SkyWings have been so mean and bloodthirsty all these years is because we've had her sitting on the throne for so long. I can assure you, things in the Sky Kingdom will be much better with me in charge. Speaking of which, I heard about Auburn's trial." She patted Windracer's shoulder. "And in light of what Osprey said, I'm dropping all charges on both you and your mother."

Windracer's voice caught in his throat for a moment, but he managed to blurt out, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" He then turned to his friends, all free of chains and guards. He rushed toward them, finding Arid first and seizing her talons in his own. "You're okay!"

"Course I am," Arid said, squeezing his talons in response. "I was waiting for the right moment to do something."

"How in all of Pyrrhia are you able to do that?" Bog asked, pointing at the ice on the balcony that had come from Arid's breath.

"I never could before," Arid said, shrugging. "I didn't even know I could do that in the first place. I'm not even sure how I did it. All I remember is feeling really cold, and then, poof! Frostbreath."

"The ice," Windracer jumped in. "Dragons draw strength from their natural habitats. I bet you had to encounter ice before your frostbreath could develop."

Realization dawned in Arid's eyes. "But, that would mean..."

"Arid!"

The sound of Ocotillo's voice caught Windracer's attention. He turned around to find both the SandWing and Storm landing in the sand of the arena. Ocotillo rushed onto the balcony, stopping just in front of Arid. He glanced at Windracer, his mind asking, This is my daughter?

Windracer nodded, and Ocotillo threw his wings around Arid.

"My little one," he sobbed into her ear. "Thank the moons you're safe."

Arid pulled back and examined the SandWing. Unsure, she whispered under her breath, "Dad?"

Ocotillo nodded before holding his daughter close. Storm padded past Windracer and folded her wings around her husband and their daughter.

Arid blinked at the IceWing in confusion. "...Mom?"

Storm locked eyes with Arid, who sucked in a breath. The IceWing's eyes were the same striking blue as her own.

So it's true, Arid thought to herself. I'm half IceWing.

Windracer sat down quietly as he observed the family reunited. Just as it occurred to him that he should try to find his mother, Auburn suddenly charged in out of nowhere and hugged him tightly in her wings.

"My baby!" she cried in relief.

The hybrid stumbled a little in surprise, but recovered quickly and hugged her back.

Auburn smiled at the feeling of Windracer's talons on her back. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought you were dead," Windracer replied. He kept one eye on his friends, to make sure they were alright, then buried his head into Auburn's shoulder. Tears slipped out his eyes and trailed down his cheeks like tiny rivers. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed. "I should have done something sooner. But I was so scared for you, and for my friends. Dune...Sleet...and now Gill. I could have saved them...but I wasn't fast enough, not clever enough, not brave enough. This...this is all my fault."

"No." Auburn pulled back enough to look her son in the eye, still holding on to him. "This is not your fault, Windracer. Don't you dare think this is your fault." She cupped his face in her talons. "You did what you could. I know it's hard, but the truth is...we can't always save everyone. I can't even begin to tell you how many dragons I've seen die in this war."

"I had eleven sisters," Tourmaline confessed, quite suddenly. "They all died fighting Mother for the throne."

There was a soft whoosh as Vermilion landed next to her. "She killed our father, too," he said. "He died in that arena."

"I was part of an IceWing squadron," Storm said. "We were sent to the desert to battle Burn's forces. I'm the only one who made it out alive."

"Dune was one of my best friends," said Ocotillo. His voice cracked a little as he spoke. "Although he betrayed my trust, I will remember him fondly."

Windracer bowed his head at each of them. "I'm..." What could he say? "I'm sorry to hear that." He turned to look at Gill's and Scarlet's bodies, still lying in the sand. The SkyWing's golden chainmail shone in the sun, and the rubies glinted at him.

Maybe we can't save every dragon...but we can still give them hope.

He set his jaw and squared his shoulders.

"I know what I have to do."

I wasn't sure whether to give Arid fire or frostbreath, so I gave her both!

Also, Chameleon doesn't exist in this universe, so Tourmaline has remained herself the whole time. She's still a much better queen than Scarlet, I can assure you. Heck, I'll bet even Kestrel would have been a better queen than Scarlet!

Anyway, reviews are appreciated.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

And now it's time for the Dragonets of Destiny to start bringing hope back to Pyrrhia.

Windracer leaped down into the arena and padded across the sand toward Scarlet's half-frozen corpse. Some of the rubies in her golden chainmail had come loose in the struggle; he gently pried one of the little red gems out and examined it.

"I enchant this ruby to teleport my leather bag, and Queen Diamond's diary, into my talons."

A moment later, Windracer's bag and an old scroll bound shut with some rope appeared in his claws. He checked inside the bag to make sure all of the contents were still there - thank the moons they were still there - before he dropped the ruby into the bag, which he then hung around his neck. He carefully untied the rope off of the ancient scroll and unrolled the parchment. His eyes skimmed the contents, and he smiled with relief that he indeed had the right scroll.

If he did what he planned on doing, he'd be exposed. Everyone would know he had NightWing powers, and that he was an animus.

But between his own freedom and the freedom of every dragon in Pyrrhia, that was a risk he had to take.

Windracer reached into his bag and retrieved the ruby. "Now I enchant this ruby to spread my voice to every dragon in Pyrrhia until I say stop, and then become a normal ruby again."

Arid, Bog, Lagoon and the RainWing twins stared at their friend in shock. Only the IceWing-SandWing hybrid was able to find her voice. "Windracer, what are you doing?"

Windracer looked up at them. His eyes shifted from his friends, to Auburn, to Ocotillo and Storm, and then to Queen Tourmaline. Then he said in his boldest voice, "I'm going to tell everyone the truth."

He raised the ruby he was holding to his snout. Maybe this idea of his was the most insanely dangerous stunt he could ever pull, but the dragons of Pyrrhia needed every ounce of hope he and his friends could give them. They deserved to know the truth.

"This message is for anyone and everyone in Pyrrhia who can hear me," he began. "My name is Windracer. I am the son of Auburn of the SkyWings and Killer of the NightWings."

He could hear his voice emitting from several different places, like he was speaking to every individual dragon in the Sky Kingdom, face-to-face, all at once. The ruby was doing its job; he was speaking to every dragon on the continent.

Windracer continued. "I'm a dragonet of destiny. For those of you who know the prophecy, there is something about it that you need to know. But there's something else you all need to know. I hold in my talons the diary of Queen Diamond, the IceWing queen from two thousand years ago. The NightWings and IceWings haven't always been enemies."

Windracer opened the scroll he was holding and found the entry that spoke of Arctic and Foeslayer. "Allow me to read to you what really happened. 'My son has left our kingdom. I fix him up with the perfect mate, and this is the thanks I get? He's gone and eloped with a NightWing. My subjects can never know what has happened, I will never hear the end of it! Arctic was our best chance of passing down the animus genes, and he's betrayed us!'"

He skipped ahead to another entry. "'I finally captured the NightWing that stole my son. I should have known that Arctic would never kill his own dragonets. And now his own son has killed him. I will see to it that this NightWing will spend the rest of her life suffering for what's she's done to our tribe. Every IceWing, today and tomorrow, will hate these stalkers of the night as much as I do. The NightWings are thieves, and they will eternally remain our enemy. They shall forever rue the day they stole our prince.'"

The hybrid paused for a moment to let the truth sink in for any and all IceWings and NightWings who had heard. He spotted Storm amongst his friends, her eyes wide with surprise and rage, though she didn't seem to be mad at Windracer. He gently tucked the scroll into his bag. "Just like how Queen Diamond lied to the IceWings to start a war, someone else has been lying to all of Pyrrhia to win a war. And that someone is Morrowseer."

He paused once again, the sound of loud gasps from the SkyWings flowing into the wind. After the noise died down, Windracer continued.

"The NightWings haven't had telepathy or precognition for several generations. Except for me. We get our powers by hatching in the light of the full moons. That's how I got mine. I was underneath the three full moons of the brightest night when I hatched. I am also an animus. That's how I'm sending you all this message. But you don't need to be afraid; I'm not like the dragons who have gone mad from using their power. I don't fully understand it myself, but I know that there's more to animus magic than what we think. The thing is, I haven't used any of my powers until most recently because I was too afraid of who I was. Afraid of what I'd become. But I'm not afraid anymore. The prophecy you all know, the one Morrowseer delivered, it's all a fake. But there is one I've given that I can assure you is real."

He paused a third time to take a breath before he spoke his prophecy loud and clear.

"Blood and tears soak in the sand,
In the fight for an empty throne.
Three in battle, two shall fall,
And one shall stand alone.

Find the eye that sees the worthy.
Fear the dragons of the night.
Fear the ones who seek to conquer.
Find the dragons of full moons bright.

Wings of mud and sea and rain,
Wings of sand, ice, night, and sky.
All seven form the wings of fire,
And the time for peace shall be nigh."

Unlike when he spoke the prophecy the first time, when it was all jumbled and odd, his voice was confident and full of pride. No longer would he be hiding his powers. Sure, Morrowseer and other NightWings in on the plot behind the fake prophecy would come for him, but he was no longer the insecure dragonet that had been hidden under a mountain his whole life. The dragons of Pyrrhia needed heroes, so that's what he and his friends were going to be...or at least what they'll try to be.

"If you feel you have nothing else to believe in, believe in that prophecy. Believe in me. Believe in us. We can't do this alone, which is why I'm asking for your help. Only when we unite all talons in this world can we succeed in helping each other. I'm not asking as a dragonet of destiny, but as a friend. Help us end this war. We can't fix the entire world, but we can fix some of it, if you help us, if we all work together."

Satisfied with his speech, Windracer whispered to the ruby, "Stop."

Just like that, silence fell over the Sky Kingdom, and probably all the rest of Pyrrhia.

Sighing, Windracer dropped the ruby, now devoid of all animus magic, into the sand beneath his talons. He sat there for what felt like forever, wondering what the outcome of his message would be. He snapped out of his reverie when he felt talons patting his shoulder. He looked up to find Arid smiling at him.

"That was a very brave thing you did, Windracer," she said.

That got his heart fluttering with a very pleasant warmth he didn't want to leave.

"Send a message to all the other queens," Tourmaline declared to the guards, who were returning with their talons full of gold and jewels. "Except for the NightWings and the three SandWing sisters. We all need to unite our forces. This war has gone on for far too long, and if Windracer's prophecy is true, then these dragonets will need all the help they can get." She smiled at the dragonets. "We can start by allowing them to spend the night here, as our guests."

No one really expected Queen Tourmaline to have a party for the dragonets, but that's what she did. A dinner and dance party right in the palace ballroom.

Everywhere he turned, Windracer encountered a SkyWing decorated in either guard armor or jewelry. And, to his surprise, the guards he accidentally bumped into didn't scowl or snap at him; instead, they smiled and patted him on the back.

Except for one, who stomped on Windracer's tail.

The hybrid turned to find Inferno giving him a glare that reminded Windracer of Kestrel.

"You know, this is all your fault," snarled the SkyWing dragonet.

"What is my fault?" Windracer asked, his voice heavy with annoyance and confusion. He didn't have a clue what his cousin was talking about.

"Don't try to change the subject!" snapped Inferno. "Ever since you've been brought here to the Sky Kingdom, nothing but bad luck has happened! I'd still have the popularity I so justly deserve if it wasn't for you!" He advanced on Windracer, who stepped back. "I don't care if we're related through our moms, I should kill you right now! I'm still the Queen's Champion!"

"Scarlet is dead," Windracer said. He tried to sound brave, but his voice was trembling. "Tourmaline is the queen of the SkyWings now, and she doesn't like the arena. You're not going to be a champion anymore, Inferno." He bumped against the wall of the ballroom, trapped.

"I don't care!" Inferno snapped. "You and me! Fight! Here! Now!" He gave his cousin a sly smile. "Unless you're too afraid to fight me."

Windracer was afraid for a minute, but he took a breath and swallowed that fear. "No. I'm not afraid of you, Inferno." Now it was his turn to advance, and Inferno's turn to step back. "You only fight other dragons because it makes you look strong and tough. But the only thing strong about you is your pride and arrogance." The hybrid ignored the stares directed at them as their argument became more public. This was between him and his cousin, no one else. "You can keep pretending to be the kind of dragon everyone dreams of being, but if you're not going to do or say anything good to me and my friends, then you should leave. Now."

"Well," Inferno started, his voice wavering nervously. His back was against the wall opposite of the one Windracer had been pinned against. The young SkyWing guard forced himself to sound tough. "What if I don't want to...?"

Windracer cut him off. "I said now!" he roared.

Inferno's eyes were wide in amazement and fear. The young guard ducked under Windracer's wings and bailed out of the room, his tail tucked ever so subtly between his back legs.

Feeling a set of eyes on him from behind, Windracer turned to find Kestrel staring. Instead of her usual scowl, however, her eyes were wide with pure, undeniable amazement. She shook it away, however, when she caught the hybrid looking at her.

Windracer knew Kestrel well enough by now to know she would never admit she'd been impressed.

Queen Tourmaline was there in an instant. "Is everyone alright?" She looked to Kestrel, who stalked away with a huff.

"I am now," Windracer replied, bowing slightly. His throat felt rather dry; he'd never yelled like that before. "I could use a drink, though."

Nodding, Tourmaline gestured for one of the guards to bring her a goblet, which she then handed to Windracer. The young hybrid eyed the contents of the goblet, his nose crinkled in suspicion.

"It's only water," the new SkyWing queen assured him. "I'd offer you wine, but I think you're a little too young for that."

Windracer nodded in thanks before lifting the goblet to his mouth and downing all the water in it. "Now I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

Tourmaline gestured to a buffet table with her wing. Several different types of food, mostly meat, decorated the flat surface. Windracer spotted Bog, hungry as ever, stuffing several talonfuls of meat and whatnot into his mouth, even going so far as to snatch things out of the talons of some nearby SkyWings. The hybrid chuckled at the sight. He padded toward the buffet, weaving his way through the dragons that were mingling.

When he finally reached the table, he found a medium-sized pig with bits and pieces of its meat gone, courtesy of other hungry dragons who liked the taste. Windracer cut off a piece with his claws, sniffing it cautiously. Overwhelmed by the delicious smell, he couldn't help devouring the slab of meat. "Not bad."

"That's what I thought, too."

Windracer jumped at the sudden voice, but relaxed somewhat when he realized it was Arid. Ocotillo and Storm were with her. The hybrid cowered a little as the IceWing approached him.

"I owe you an apology," Storm said, her voice calm and collected. "I was wrong about you, NightWi...I mean Windracer." She gave him a genuine smile. "I'm glad my daughter has a friend like you."

Momentarily speechless, Windracer barely managed to utter, "Thanks," before Storm and Ocotillo left to share a dance. It had been a while since they could show affection for one another in public.

Now Windracer was alone with Arid. This could either turn out really good, or he was about to make a complete and total fool of himself.

Clearing his throat, Windracer managed to choke out, "Nice party, huh?"

"It is," Arid said. "Though I never would have thought a SkyWing queen would be holding it. Especially not with us as the guests of honor." She looked over Windracer's shoulder at the RainWing twins. The color-changing duo were trying to figure out how to shoot venom out of their fangs, with minimal success (fortunately).

Windracer spotted Lagoon over Arid's shoulder. The SeaWing dragonet gestured to Arid with her talons, but her eyes remained locked with Windracer's. The hybrid knew that Lagoon was the only one, besides himself, who knew about his crush on Arid. Bog was always more concerned with food, Marmoset and Mango were always hiding and pulling pranks, and of course Arid didn't know.

Lagoon kept gesturing with her claws, first to Windracer, then to Arid, and finally to the dragons dancing in the middle of the ballroom. Windracer didn't have to read her mind, the message was clear.

Ask her to dance!

Gulping nervously, Windracer locked eyes with Arid. "So...what's it like to use frostbreath?"

"Hey!" Lagoon half-whispered, half-yelled at him. "What are you doing?!"

Surprisingly, Arid didn't seem to hear her. "I'm not sure," she said. "The only thing I know for sure is that I felt really cold. Can't imagine how Scarlet must have felt."

Windracer shuddered. "I certainly wouldn't want to find out."

"Me neither," Arid said, chuckling. After a moment of awkward silence, she shrugged her wings. "Well, I'm going to go find my parents. There's still a few questions I want to ask. I'll see you later, Wind."

That last word made him freeze. "That's...that's what Sleet called me. Before she...you know..."

Arid's smile faded. "Wind?" When he nodded in confirmation, she sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

"It's okay," Windracer said quickly. "You can call me that, if you want to."

Arid's smile returned, she patted his shoulder with her talons before heading to the dance floor by herself. Windracer immediately met the face of Lagoon, who was glaring at him in disappointment and frustration.

"What?" he asked. "What did you expect me to say? 'Hey, hot stuff, I was wondering if you'd like to dance, but I'm so crazy in love with you that I can't even talk to you without going completely bonkers!' Pretty ridiculous, right?"

Lagoon opened her mouth to say something, then stopped, her eyes focusing on something behind Windracer. The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid followed her gaze, his heart skipping a beat and his stomach doing a backflip when he saw what she was looking at.

Arid was standing right behind him. And the look on her face told him that she had heard everything he had just said.

Windracer lowered his head in embarrassment. "Oops."

Elsewhere, on an island that was mostly volcanoes, Morrowseer was raging with anger.

"That Killer went and made an egg with a SkyWing?! And their half-breed dragonet has powers!"

Of course, Windracer's message had also been sent to the NightWings. Their home was still technically a part of Pyrrhia, so Windracer's spell to spread his voice to all the dragons of Pyrrhia had worked on them, too.

"Where's Killer?!" Morrowseer demanded.

"We don't know," a female NightWing answered. "He hasn't returned from that assignment we gave him."

Morrowseer grumbled, "He'll be on the run, now that he knows." He turned to the female and one other NightWing with a bent tail. "Eclipse, Preyhunter!"

Both NightWings stood at attention.

"Find the half-breed and his father," Morrowseer said with a snarl. "Bring them both to me!"

...Yeah, I hate Morrowseer. Like, really hate him.

Anyone else?

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Let me tell you guys, the adventure isn't the only thing that will be progressing in this chapter.

After his accidental confession of his feelings for Arid, Windracer no longer felt like mingling in a large crowd of dragons. So, he went outside. The tower where the banquet was being held had a balcony, which gave him a very nice view of the setting sun. He sat down and watched for what seemed like an eternity when a certain IceWing-SandWing hybrid padded out next to him.

"Mind if I join you?"

Windracer was startled, he hadn't expected her to follow him. Unable to form words, he just nodded.

Arid took it as an invitation to sit with him, so she did. "This is actually my first time seeing a sunset," she said. "It's really beautiful."

Suddenly able to form words again, Windracer sighed. "It sure is." He wasn't referring to the sunset, though. His eyes were locked on Arid. He quickly looked away when she shifted her gaze to him, but he was pretty extra sure she had already noticed.

Chuckling to herself, Arid shifted closer to Windracer. "So, you're in love with me?"

"Yes," Windracer admitted. He thanked his lucky stars his scales were too dark to show any blush. "Ever since I was old enough to start noticing females. And I didn't tell you because...because I believed I wasn't the kind of dragon you'd be interested in."

"I never really thought about being in a relationship," Arid said. "Bit hard to, with the guardians always breathing down our necks and preparing us for that prophecy. You could have told me, though. It's not like I would have ripped your wings off, or anything."

Windracer gave her a nervous smile. "That's not the only thing I haven't told you. A while back, I had a vision. Well, it was actually more of a dream, and it's become a much more frequent thing recently. We were together, and...there were dragonets." When she didn't reply, he quickly summed it all up. "I had a vision of us having dragonets."

"I know, I understood you the first time," Arid said assuringly. "When did that first happen?"

Windracer looked away sheepishly. "Not long after I started crushing on you."

Smiling, Arid laid a talon on his shoulder. "Can you tell me about them?"

"Oh?" Windracer turned to look at her. He'd only just heard the names of their future dragonets from a dream he'd had last night. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to share this information with Arid, he replied, "Well...there's Skyfire, the telepath. Then there's Bluemoon, the king of ice. Then there's the twins, Dawnbringer and Duskflight. And the last one..." He paused for a moment, then finished, "...the last one is named Oasis."

He hadn't expected Arid to still be there when he finished. The smile she was giving him made his insides turn into mush. "They sound nice," she said, sounding blissful. "I can't wait to meet them."

Windracer thought for a moment that he had imagined that, because there was no way Arid would ever say that. ...Right?

"Really?" he managed to choke out. "You...you're okay with all that? I mean...I thought you would have...I never really told anyone about that vision, because...I was afraid of what you'd think. If you didn't love me back -"

"I did love you," Arid admitted. "But more like a brother. Then we got older, and I started noticing that..." She hesitated. Which was odd, because she never hesitated. "...that I was seeing you differently. You were always so nice and considerate of others, putting our needs before your own and defending us from the guardians' insults. Then you started being brave, protecting your mother from Scarlet and trying to convince Frost that there was another solution other than fighting. And what you did for all of those dragons out there caught in battle, fighting for a throne that isn't theirs, you told them all the truth about the prophecy and gave them hope in a way none of us could even imagine." She moved her talons down off of his shoulder, finding his and clasping them tightly. "You have all the qualities that I admire, Wind."

Speechless to say the least, Windracer gazed down at their intertwined talons. Her white scales and serrated claws reminded him of the IceWings, specifically Princess Sleet. He didn't want what happened to Frost's sister to happen to Arid. Morrowseer would be coming for him, Windracer knew that; did he really want to risk being with Arid now of all times?

"Arid, I..."

He paused when he heard what she was thinking.

He looks pretty worried. I would be, too, if I went and blew my own cover to all of Pyrrhia. Maybe I should leave him alone for a little while.

"I love you," he blurted out. The rest came tumbling out of his mouth like an avalanche on a mountaintop. "You're all I think about and I want to be near you and it hurts when I'm not, and everything I do, I think, what would Arid want me to do? And I think you're the only dragon who sees me the whole way I am and likes me anyway...When I found out you were half IceWing, I couldn't bring myself to dislike you, because I knew you more than I knew IceWings. I don't want you to hate me because of what the other NightWings are planning, you know me more than you know NightWings, you know I'm not like my father's tribe. Don't look at me like I'm one of them, like I could ever do what they've done. I know, it's a lot to take in, but...I had to tell you, in case something happens to either one of us, although I don't know how I could live with myself if anything happened to you, and...please, just feel free to stop me at any time..."

Chuckling, Arid held up a talon to silence him. "Windracer, stop. Three moons, I didn't think you cared about me that much."

"I always have," Windracer blurted out. Then he clamped his jaw shut with his talons. How many more things was he going to say without thinking? Hopefully not much else; he was already as embarrassed as one could get.

Arid didn't seem to mind his accidental outbursts, however. Then again, she was probably more prepared after what he had let slip earlier in the ballroom.

"I love you, too, Windracer," she said.

Stupefied, Windracer released his jaw, lowering his talons to the floor of the balcony. "But...Morrowseer..."

"Doesn't have to know," Arid told him. "We can keep this between the two of us, until we feel it's safe enough to go public."

A secret relationship. That sounded both interesting and risky. Windracer was too caught up in the thrill of Arid loving him back to stress about the idea. "Alright," he finally said. He glanced back into the ballroom behind them. "So...would you, maybe...like to dance, or...something?"

Arid grasped his talons in her own, her face breaking out into a huge smile. "Why, Wind, I thought you'd never ask."

As the new couple padded back into the ballroom, talons intertwined, they failed to notice the blue SeaWing that had been spying on them from inside. Lagoon trotted away from the doorway that led to the balcony, muttering under her breath, "Finally."

Queen Tourmaline called the dragonets to the throne room that was once her mother's rather early the next morning. Windracer started to bow, but Tourmaline held up a talon to stop him. "You don't have to do that."

"I'm half SkyWing," Windracer reminded her. "You're as much my queen as you are to my mother."

Tourmaline caught herself smiling. "Very well. If you wish, you may bow." The hybrid obliged. He stayed there until the queen stated, "At ease."

Windracer stood up at her request. "May I ask why you have brought us all here, Your Majesty?"

"You don't have to call me that," Tourmaline said. But she went along with it anyway. "We've received a message from the Mud Kingdom. Apparently, Queen Moorhen is interested in meeting all of you. She wishes to speak to the dragonet responsible for the speech across the continent."

Bog suddenly brightened up. "Maybe while we're there, we'll find my family!" he exclaimed. "I've always wondered what my parents are like."

"Dim and hungry, like you."

That comment came from Kestrel, who was standing off to the side with Auburn, Ocotillo, Storm, Scorch, and Inferno. Windracer wondered how he didn't notice them earlier.

"While you're at it," Lagoon said, unfazed by the SkyWing's insult, "can you tell us what you know about our eggs and where we came from?"

Kestrel snorted. "Well, there's no surprises with you. Webs stole your egg from the SeaWing queen's own hatchery."

"I'm royalty?" Lagoon asked, looking surprised and thoughtful.

Kestrel ignored her question. "My sister brought us Windracer's egg." She glared at Auburn as she said that. "Dune found Arid's egg in the desert, hidden near the Scorpion Den. And the glutton over there came from somewhere around the Diamond Spray Delta, near the sea, where the lowest-born MudWings crawl." She then looked at Marmoset and Mango. "I have no idea. Webs scrounged you two up somewhere after we lost the SkyWing egg. I never cared where, because I knew you weren't important."

Auburn went to join the dragonets, looking hurt and disgusted by her sister's words. "I'll go with you to the delta," she told Windracer. "I've waited far too long to see you again; I'm never letting you out of my sight."

"But the other dragons..." Windracer began, but Auburn cut him off.

"Listen to me," she said. "I'm not ashamed of you, or of where you came from. If other dragons have a problem with it, that's their problem. It's not against the law to be with a dragon from another tribe. It just...hardly ever happens, that's all. Usually each tribe keeps to itself. Which makes you rare, but not illegal, or taboo, or anything like that. Don't ever let any dragon make you feel like you shouldn't exist." Auburn spared a glance at Kestrel before she brushed her front talons over her son's head and horns and cupped his snout. "Windracer, you are perfect just the way you are. Powers and all."

I second that, Arid thought in her new boyfriend's general direction. He smiled at her to show he heard it.

Ocotillo went to embrace his daughter. "That goes for you, too, Arid." Storm folded her wing over the two of them, expressing those words even more so.

"You should all get going," Kestrel said, a little too eagerly. "When you realize you need me, you can send me a message through the SkyWings. Not that I'll come running, mind you." She glared at her nephew. "You deserve all the trouble that's coming to you, Windracer."

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid couldn't remember the last time Kestrel had called him by name. Call him crazy, but to him it was worth more than a thousand goodbyes.

Tourmaline gestured to the throne room exit with her wing. "Please, you may go. I wish you luck. If you ever need shelter, you are always welcome in my kingdom."

Windracer gave a slight bow in appreciation. "Thank you, Queen Tourmaline."

With that, Auburn, Ocotillo, Storm and the dragonets left the room. It led straight out into the open air, as it was the Sky Kingdom, and Windracer was the first to spread his wings. This was the first time he had ever really flown, and it was exhilarating. He whooped and laughed as he flew this way and that, even performing loop-the-loops. For the first time in his life, the young hybrid's dreams and wishes of doing something big and legendary and helpful seemed like they belonged to this world instead of his imagination.

But most of all, he felt free.

He caught a glimpse of his mother and Arid, both smiling at him proudly as they followed him through the air. Lagoon wasn't too far behind, while Bog was flapping his wings more frequently and the twins were constantly pushing and shoving trying to out-fly the other. Ocotillo and Storm were in the middle of the somewhat sloppy formation, their wings overlapping by nearly three feet.

Windracer shifted his gaze to the sky, blue and gold and bright. He wasn't sure how they would fulfill his prophecy and end the war. He didn't know how the other dragon tribes would react to them. He knew that Morrowseer and the SandWing sisters would be hunting them down.

But he knew what he was here to do. Stand beside his friends, and lead them through thick and thin, no matter what. Visions of pained dragons and frightening foes flashed before his eyes, but he ignored them. Whatever was coming, they would face it together.

Big Heroic Destiny, here we come.

Somewhere hidden deep within the rainforest that was the kingdom of the RainWings, a NightWing mother was rejoicing.

"There's another NightWing with powers," she said. Her dragonet watched her with wide eyes. They'd both heard the message sent by Windracer, but while the mother was quite happy, her daughter was rather confused and frightened.

"There's another dragon out there like you," the mother said, her voice more gentle and calm.

The dragonet shook her head. "I'm nothing like him, mother." That wasn't entirely true. Like Windracer, she had a silver teardrop scale on the outside corner of each eye, signifying her mind-reading powers. That wasn't all, she could also see the future.

"We need to find Windracer," said the mother. "I know he'll help us. You won't be alone anymore."

The dragonet stared into her mother's eyes, fearful and sad. "But what if we don't?"

The mother NightWing clasped her daughter's talons tightly within her own.

"We will find him, Moon."

Elsewhere, in a part of the rainforest not far from where Moon and her mother were hiding, Vivid was relaxing in a tree. She watched her small yellow and pink companion swoop through the trees, playfully swatting at passing birds and butterflies and picking tasty fruits and pretty flowers.

"We're home!" Kinkajou cheered. "I'm so glad we made it! I was so scared!"

"I was pretty scared, too," Vivid admitted. It felt good to be back in the rainforest, but she couldn't help but feel a little guilty for leaving those odd dragonets behind to fend for themselves.

Her eyes drifted down to the bracelet that was still on her forearm. The bonze band Windracer enchanted to give whoever was wearing it super strength. If she'd remembered, and had enough time, she would have given it back to him before she left.

"Vivid! Kinkajou!"

The pink RainWing lifted her head to see another of her kind, ten years old and the color of chocolate, swooping down from the treetops above. She smiled. "Hello, Hoatzin."

"I'm glad you're safe," Hoatzin said, smiling back at his girlfriend.

"Hoatzin!" Kinkajou dove into him, her whole body trembling with excitement. "You wouldn't believe what happened to us! There were NightWings everywhere, and there was this humongous volcano, so we flew across the ocean but then we got lost in the mountains and I was afraid that Vivid might get caught by SkyWings or something, but she didn't and then we made it here and now we're home again!"

The brown RainWing blinked, looking equal parts confused and entertained. "That's quite a story," he said.

"It's not just a story," said Kinkajou. "It really happened!"

"Sure it did," Hoatzin said. Then he noticed something on Vivid's arm. "Is that a bracelet?" he asked.

Vivid nodded wordlessly.

"Who gave it to you?" Hoatzin asked, his eyes narrowed.

Vivid guessed he was suspecting that she was having an affair with someone else. She gave him a reassuring smile before gazing down at the bracelet. She could still remember how awful it was being held captive by the NightWings on their horrible volcanic island, it would probably haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. But Windracer was kind, helpful, and respected Vivid as a dragon rather than an object, which she was immensely grateful for.

Realizing that she'd yet to answer Hoatzin's question, Vivid looked him in the eyes and stated clearly, "A friend."

Frost ended up flying right into Burn and her soldiers while trying to escape the Sky Kingdom. Now he was being held in the SandWing princess's stronghold. The strongest SandWing soldiers he'd ever encountered were pinning him against the wall. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get free.

Burn stared the IceWing prince down. "Morrowseer's prophecy may be fake, but there can only be one queen of the SandWings. I want you to go to Queen Glacier and get her and the IceWings to side with me. My sisters won't be able to withstand armies from three tribes."

"The IceWings will never follow you," Frost snarled. "Now let me go, or you'll be sorry!"

"Sorry I haven't done this sooner," Burn grumbled. She turned to her soldiers and said, "Put him in the tower, and keep him there until I figure out what to do with him."

The last thing that went through Frost's head before the SandWings knocked him out was how in all of Pyrrhia had he gotten himself into this situation.

Queen Glacier sat upon her throne, looking over the NightWing that she had been keeping in custody. Beside the queen stood her daughters - Crystal, Snowfall, and cute little Mink. There hadn't been any news on the status of Sleet, Frost, and Hailstorm, and Glacier was starting to worry.

Her guards had caught the NightWing sneaking around the kingdom's border, and more importantly the Great Ice Cliff, out by the sea. A clever move, they had to admit.

"Tell me again why you came to my kingdom," Glacier commanded.

The black dragon shivered from the cold but held his head high, nonetheless. "Morrowseer sent me," he said. "My orders were to kill the queen to weaken the IceWings. But I'm through taking orders. What Morrowseer is doing is wrong, and I won't follow him any longer."

"How do we know he's telling the truth?" asked one of the guards, his grip on the NightWing firm.

"The message sent by the dragonet is no laughing matter," Glacier said. "No animus would waste their powers on something that wasn't so serious. I should know, IceWing royalty used to have animus dragons, and they were never ones to waste their magic." She glared at the NightWing. "Killer, was it?"

The NightWing nodded wordlessly.

Queen Glacier looked back at the guards. "Escort him beyond the borders of the kingdom and release him. After what we've all heard, I'm sure he has better things to do than play the role of an assassin."

"Mother, you can't!" Snowfall cried.

Glacier ignored her daughter's shouts of protest. "While you're at it," she told the guards, "find the dragonets of destiny. I wish to have a word with Windracer personally."

Nodding obediently, the guards escorted Killer out of the throne room.

"How could you do that, Mother?!" Snowfall shrieked. "He's a NightWing! He tried to kill you!"

"If what the hybrid animus said is true," said Queen Glacier, "then we need to end this meaningless feud. We can start by giving him a second chance."

"And who knows," said Crystal, "maybe they'll find Sleet and Frost while they're at it."

Glacier stared at the spot where Killer and the guards had been moments before. "One can only hope."

"I miss them," Mink said, her wings drooping sadly. "I hope they're okay."

"So do I," sighed Glacier.

The whole way to the area where the Ice Kingdom ended, Killer paid no mind to the guards escorting him. His thoughts were on the message Windracer had sent to all the dragons of Pyrrhia, including him.

Killer shook his head, a disbelieving smile curling his snout. "I have a son..."

Yay, Aridracer! (Just made that up)

Both friend and foe will be looking for the dragonets, now. Let's hope the former finds them first.

And just to clear the air, the protagonists from the second arc (minus Peril) will appear in this story. I'm very much looking forward to when Windracer meets Moonwatcher.

P.S. I came up with the name Killer for Windracer's father from the rumor that Stoick killed a dragon as an infant. (Scientifically speaking, that's impossible.)

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Now let's meet one of the other dragon queens of Pyrrhia, shall we?

It didn't take the dragonets as long to reach the Mud Kingdom as Windracer would've thought. The Diamond Spray Delta was only about a couple hours' flight from the Sky Kingdom.

Even so, he'd spent the entire flight going over what he'd say to Queen Moorhen in his head. One wrong word could lead to things going in a very horrible direction.

The sound of a waterfall up ahead was the first clue that they were getting close to their destination. Even from far away, Windracer could see the river branching into a hundred small streams as it wandered through the marshes into the sea. And he could see the homes of the MudWings - tall mounds made of mud, several dragons high and several more wide, jutting out of the marshes like fat brown teeth.

And even further away, little more than a speck on the horizon, was the outline of Queen Moorhen's palace.

They landed on a cliff edge next to the waterfall, overlooking the swamps.

All of a sudden, Bog gave a frightened yelp and stumbled backwards, his talons stomping clumsily on Windracer's tail. When the hybrid dragonet looked down, what he saw almost made him throw up.

Right below them, between the ridge and the marshes, was a battlefield littered with dead dragons.

The river below the waterfall was muddy and dark with spilled blood, and the ground was littered with blood and bones and broken wings. From their perch, Windracer could see muddy brown, icy blue, and the near-white of desert sand scales.

"This battle must have happened recently," Arid said. "Look, some of the fires are still burning." She pointed a claw to the orange flames that dotted the muddy ground, belching ugly, foul-smelling black smoke into the sky.

From the corner of his eye, Windracer saw Bog turn away. He desperately hoped that none of the dead MudWings were members of Bog's family.

"Who do you think won?" Storm asked.

"Nobody," Auburn said mournfully. "Who could look at all this and think 'we won'?"

"Blaze's army must have attacked the MudWings," said Lagoon. "IceWings and SandWings - that's Blaze's alliance."

Ocotillo leaned over the edge a little to examine the bodies. That could have been me down there...if I hadn't left the army, if I didn't flee to the Scorpion Den. "The MudWings must have sent a message to Queen Scarlet asking for help," he said out loud. "I'll bet she decided to let them fight alone rather than interrupt her hatching day festivities."

Now Windracer felt really sick. This was why they needed to end the war - to stop all of the bloodshed, to save as many dragons as they could, so no more dragons would die fighting for a throne that had nothing to do with them. How was it fair for an IceWing and a MudWing to fight over who gets to be the SandWing queen?

It's not.

"We can't all go in," Windracer said. "Not all at once. IceWings and SeaWings are the enemy here, and Marmoset and Mango won't be much help."

The RainWing twins were currently splashing each other with the cold river water, not paying any attention at all. Which more than proved Windracer's point on the matter.

"I should go in for sure," Bog said. "If my family is still alive -" He stopped as his stomach heaved.

"I can go with you," said Windracer. "I could probably pass as a SkyWing, if I keep my wings folded in. Even if they do figure out I'm half NightWing, I should be safe. After all, I'm the one Queen Moorhen wants to talk to." He turned and addressed the others. "If we're not back by sunrise tomorrow, come look for us."

"I'm coming, too," Auburn said suddenly. She folded her wing over Windracer's shoulders. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again." Her voice and eyes were full of emotion.

He nodded. "Okay; let's go."

"We'll wait by the river," Arid said. "Be safe."

Windracer watched her sleek white form fly away, with her parents tailing her and Lagoon dragging Marmoset and Mango, who had gotten themselves literally tangled up with each other in a spat, after them.

"So, how do we do this?" Bog asked. "Fly down into the swamps and ask for directions to the palace?"

"Worth a shot," Windracer said, shrugging his wings. "It may just be that simple."

As they flew down into the marshes, Windracer couldn't help overhearing Bog wondering to himself why no one had come to bury or burn the dead on the battlefield. He couldn't imagine leaving any dragon lying out there like that, not even enemies.

"Down there," Auburn said, tilting her wings. Windracer and Bog saw a small circle of seven MudWings on the ground near one of the mud towers. They seemed to be practicing a formation - turning and lashing out and defending their flanks without losing their positions.

Wind that smelled of the sea whistled around Windracer's ears as they swooped down. Reeds bent and ducked away from the breeze of their landing. Bog, being the heaviest, sank ankle-deep into the wet, marshy dirt.

The MudWings heard them land and whirled around, teeth bared. Windracer and Bog threw open their wings and held up their front talons, trying to look harmless.

All seven brown dragons stared at the two dragonets and Auburn for a moment as if confused. Then the biggest one shifted her wings and made a dismissive noise deep in her throat. At once they all turned their backs and returned to their formation practice.

Bog blinked at them as the dragons shifted left and darted forward one at a time, clawing at an imaginary assailant. The biggest dragon grunted orders now and then, although they sounded more like suggestions than commands. "Watch your tail on the outside - save some energy for the next thrust - don't forget the signals from the inner wings," she called.

"Excuse me," Windracer said, trying to sound as polite as possible. "Could you help us out?"

The biggest dragon glanced at them, arching her brows. "Keep practicing," she said to the rest of the soldiers, then slithered over to face Windracer. Her thick bulk slid easily over the mud, giving her a sinuous grace even though she was solidly built. She had patches of mud and grass plastered over several recent wounds on her sides and neck, and one of her horn tips was broken off.

"Look, I don't know what you SkyWings are doing here in our swamp," the MudWing said bluntly, "but you go tell Queen Scarlet we're not interested in attending any arena showcases today. She can go stick a crocodile up her snout, for all I care."

"Actually," Windracer said, "we're here on behalf of Queen Tourmaline. We got a message from Queen Moorhen saying that she's requested an audience with the dragonets of the prophecy."

"Queen Tourmaline?" said the other dragon, sounding confused.

"Scarlet is dead," Auburn explained. "Her daughter, Tourmaline, is our new queen. She sent us here to meet Queen Moorhen."

"Dead!" hissed the MudWing. "Well, it serves her right!" Her talons flexed open and shut ominously, squelching in the mud. Bog took a step back.

"Can you direct us to the palace?" Windracer asked.

The MudWing raised a claw and pointed at a gap between the mounds. "Our queen lives farther south. Follow that path straight to the palace. It's pretty big; you can't miss it."

"Thanks," Windracer said as she turned back to her formation. He heard her give a harumph in response, and she muttered something like "tourists" under her breath.

There was a raised dirt path winding between the tall dragon mounds and swamp grasses. Clumps of reeds shushed and swished in the breeze and gnarled trees dotted the marsh. Most of the trees were covered in hanging vines, but upon closer inspection some of the vines turned out to be thick coils of crimson and olive-green snakes. The deep croak of bullfrogs warbled through the air.

As they followed the path, Windracer could hear several MudWings thinking to themselves, this mud feels nice, and what are those dragons doing here?

"It could take all day to reach the palace at this pace," he said. "We should fly, it'll be faster that way."

Bog had been galumphing happily through the mud next to the path; he wriggled out and onto dry land, shaking the biggest clumps of goop off his wings. Then the three dragons leaped, quickly clearing the trees.

The MudWing palace looked more elegant than Windracer had been expecting, even though it was mainly built out of mud bricks. It wasn't as tall as the SkyWing palace, but it was twice as wide; the towers were short and quite bulky, with oval-shaped windows on every side.

No sooner did Windracer, Auburn, and Bog land in the mud outside the palace door when they found themselves surrounded by MudWings carrying spears.

"State your business!" bellowed the largest of the guards, his spear pointing right at them.

Before Windracer could speak, Auburn padded forward, the mud squelching underneath her talons. "We're here on behalf of Queen Moorhen's request," she said calmly. "She wishes to speak to my son, Windracer."

Eyebrows raised, the guard lowered his spear. "My apologies. We didn't expect to see you here so soon." He gestured to the palace with his wing. "Please, you may proceed."

Gulping nervously, Windracer padded towards the MudWing palace. Stopping at the foot of the palace entrance, he called, "Queen Moorhen?"

Moments later, a russet-colored head poked out of the doorway. Then the rest of the MudWing's body followed. She was big, as big as Morrowseer, or maybe even bigger, with various gemstones embedded onto her head and ankles.

Queen Moorhen's eyes landed on the dragonet who had called her name. "You must be Windracer. Not quite how I pictured you, but I suppose you can never tell with hybrids. Where are the others?"

"Waiting outside the swamp," Windracer said. "We didn't want to cause any alarm by barging in unannounced. This is my mother, Auburn, and my friend Bog."

"Smart decision," Moorhen said. "I'll send my guards to escort them to the palace; they'll make sure no harm comes to your friends. I promise you're safe in my kingdom."

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," Bog said, stirring the mud with his claws. "But I was wondering if you might be able to help locate my family. A caretaker of ours said I came from a blood-red egg that was laid somewhere in the Diamond Spray Delta."

Windracer wasn't sure if 'caretaker' was the best word to describe Kestrel, but he couldn't think of what else to call her that wasn't offensive.

"Of course," said the queen. "We haven't received any theft reports in the last six years, but we'll ask around and see if anyone knows about a red egg that was taken from here. In the meantime, I'm sure you have lots of questions about MudWings."

Bog nodded eagerly.

Queen Moorhen was rather surprised with how little Bog knew about MudWing life, but she was happy to explain it all. She told him that MudWing dragons had breeding nights once a month, and the couples likely never saw each other again after that. The mothers laid their eggs in warm mud nests protected by walls of hot rocks. They were so safe that the mother never needed to check on them, and the dragonets were usually born whenever she wasn't there. The firstborn, or bigwings, as they were called, was always the biggest, and his or her first task was to help the other dragonets out of their eggs by cracking their shells from the outside.

"So from then on, the bigwings takes care of all the others," Queen Moorhen said. "Just like how I watch out for all of my tribe."

"But, if the group is so tightly knit," Bog mused, "and MudWing mothers don't know which dragonets are theirs, how do you choose an heir to the throne?"

"The royals keep track of their eggs," Moorhen explained. "There's a hatchery in the palace. However, I have yet to think about having any dragonets of my own at this time. My biggest concern is protecting my fellow MudWings. Burn promised us immunity from attack for the next hundred years if we helped her win. If we don't...she'll destroy us. She is a powerful enemy, Windracer. A lot more powerful than you, and she's an enemy I don't intend to make."

"Then maybe it's time for a change," Windracer suggested. "Things have pretty much remained the same since the Scorching, at least that's what I've heard. What if we tried something new? Like MudWing parents actually getting to know their dragonets, or choosing queens based on who's the best candidate instead of focusing on royal blood?"

The queen of the MudWings gave him a sad smile. "There is wisdom in your words," she said. "But I'm afraid the times are not so easily changed on Pyrrhia." She turned and started heading back into the palace. "Now, we best get ready for your friends' arrival. We have a lot to discuss about the war."

There was no formal party for the dragonets this time, but they were still welcome in Queen Moorhen's kingdom. Even Ocotillo, Storm, Arid, and Lagoon were being treated kindly by the MudWings.

Moorhen had laid out a sort of impromptu banquet for their guests, after learning that they'd yet to eat. Bog, of course, was having the most fun, stuffing food in his maw and wallowing around in the mud like an overexcited one-year-old. He didn't mind being tripped by the tails of the camouflaged RainWing twins, so long as it meant he'd fall in the mud and get more dirty.

Windracer was sitting by a pond, trying to wash the mud off his talons, when four more MudWings arrived. As they drew closer, Windracer realized they were dragonets, not yet full-grown. The biggest one looked like he came to around Burn's shoulders, while the smallest dragon was about two-thirds the size of Bog.

Curious as to what the newcomers wanted, Windracer followed them as they approached the queen.

"We came for info you requested regarding the blood egg," said the biggest dragonet. Windracer guessed he was the bigwings of the group.

Then the littlest one jumped in with an arsenal of questions. "Do you know what happened to it? Did it hatch? Who came out? Where's the dragonet?"

"Who's asking?" Windracer said.

Bog rose up out of the mud to see what was going on.

The four dragonets looked at the two. "I'm Alligator," said the biggest one. "This is Squelch, Sepia, and Newt." The smallest one, Newt, waved at Bog.

"I'm Bog," the MudWing answered.

Alligator's eyes fixed on him. "Are you the dragonet who hatched from the blood egg?" he asked. "Are you our missing sib?"

Bog flexed his talons nervously. "I think so? I mean, I do know I came from a red egg, but I don't know where exactly..." He trailed off when he noticed the warm smiles the siblings were giving him.

"You're our brother," Squelch said, gripping Bog's talons in her own. "You should have been with us all along."

Windracer left to give the siblings some space. The last thing he wanted was to be buried under a dragon pile in the mud. He found Arid and Lagoon talking nearby and went over to them, eager to reveal what he and Bog had learned about MudWings.

The two females listened to their friend with interest, with Lagoon jumping in after he had finished. "So, where are we going next?"

"Well," Windracer said with a smile, "I've been thinking that Queen Coral would be interested in meeting her long-lost daughter."

Lagoon's eyes lit up with excitement. "Are you suggesting we head to the sea?"

"As long as it's okay with the others," Windracer replied, glancing nervously at Arid. He knew from reading her thoughts that she had plans of going to the ice and sand kingdoms at some point.

Thankfully, the IceWing-SandWing hybrid didn't look all that upset. "We'll go wherever you lead," she paused, then finished with a warm smile, "Bigwings."

Windracer thought his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He didn't care whether that was supposed to be a pet name or not; he knew Arid was right. He wasn't a MudWing, not in the slightest. But he was their leader. Their bigwings.

He nearly laughed. Morrowseer had wanted him to lead the other dragonets, but he had every reason to doubt that this was what the false prophet had in mind.

The sound of splashing mud brought their attention to Bog, who was padding over to meet them, his siblings following. "So," he said, "where are we headed next?"

Sepia frowned at her brother's question. "You want to go with them?" she asked, nervously.

"You can join us," Alligator offered. "There's more fighting ahead, and we can always use another strong dragon at our side."

Bog shook his head. "I'm no fighter. Besides, my friends need me. And no offense, but I don't really know a whole lot about MudWing customs."

"The MudWing guardian that brought Bog's egg under the mountain died from injuries she sustained in a crossfire," Windracer explained quickly. "All we had were a SandWing, a SkyWing, and a SeaWing to take care of the six of us. But it wasn't really all bad..." Windracer wouldn't let himself be caught saying anything ill about the guardians, especially when Kestrel was one of them.

Newt nudged Bog's wing with his own. "Good luck with that prophecy."

"Thanks," said Bog. "Maybe after we've stopped the war...I could come back?"

"You're one of us," Alligator said with a smile. "You can come back anytime."

"I hope you do," Squelch said. The others nodded.

Windracer looked from Bog to the four MudWings that were his friend's siblings. He could hear all their thoughts - the siblings' sadness at their brother leaving so soon, and Bog's concern for his brothers and sisters, and how much he was hoping they'd still be alive when the war finally ended.

He snapped back to reality when he felt Arid's wings brushing against his own. "So, what now, bigwings?" she asked with a warm smile.

Windracer returned her smile. "We'll be like the MudWings. We'll stick together. No matter what happens."

Bog looked at the pair, confused at their intimacy, while Lagoon just sat and watched, a smile the size of Pyrrhia on her snout.

Kestrel hadn't been completely honest when she said she wouldn't come running to save the dragonets. The moment she heard they were in potential danger, she up and left the Sky Kingdom in search of them.

Of course, she quickly came to regret her actions when she found out it was a trap set by Blister and Morrowseer. The SandWing princess held Kestrel in her talons, with Morrowseer towering over both of them.

"Trust me, you're the one," he said. "We've chosen you to be the next SandWing queen."

Blister regarded him with glittering black eyes. She was smaller than Burn, with a long, cunning face and a black diamond pattern running down her spine. She had an eerie stillness about her, like a venomous snake about to strike. Unlike Burn, she had no scars. She was much too clever to do any of the fighting herself.

"The facade is over," Kestrel snarled. "We all know your prophecy is fake. I couldn't care less myself, but I still won't let this war drag on until the end of time."

Blister sneered at the SkyWing. "You won't have to."

Kestrel didn't have time to register the devious princess's words as Blister plunged her venomous tail barb straight into her heart. The SkyWing collapsed on the rocks, thrashing in agony. Her mouth opened to scream curses or breathe fire at her murderers, but nothing came out.

Morrowseer glanced down at her, then reached out with one talon and nudged Kestrel's body over the edge of the cliff. The wind caught her splayed wings and tossed her against the rocks until she disappeared into the ocean waves below.

"There's one more," Morrowseer said. "A SeaWing named Webs. If he made it out of the mountain, he'll be looking for them, too. We need him dead before we can dispose of the dragonets, especially that half-breed."

"Not a problem," Blister said. She stared out at the pounding sea below them. "What's a few more dead dragons here and there on my way to the throne?"

Morrowseer smiled. "Then we understand each other."

"Kill the dragonets," she said, "and we'll both get everything we want."

And so we find ourselves transitioning from the first book to the second. As far as I know, all the SeaWings in the Kingdom of the Sea will remain as they are, with Lagoon being a sort of replacement for Tsunami. (Only not really, because I doubt any dragonet can really replace Tsunami.)

Anyway, who's excited about going to the ocean? Besides Lagoon, that is.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

New adventures are on the way!

Part Two:
The Lost Heir

Webs dragged his long, aching body out of the river he'd been hiding in. Shocked, to say the very least, at the wording of Windracer's message. He'd already been informed of Morrowseer's prophecy being fake from Auburn, but the idea of so many dragons fighting over something that wasn't even theirs made him feel sick to his stomach. He'd risked everything he had in the Kingdom of the Sea for practically nothing.

Just when the poor SeaWing thought it couldn't get any worse, he noticed three dark shapes in the forest, waiting for him. He spun around, but a new dragon loomed out of the river and blocked his escape. Black spiral patterns gleamed in the moonlight.

"Webs," said the other SeaWing in a horribly pleasant voice, "I thought we'd never find you."

Webs drew his talons through the riverbank mud. "Nautilus," he said. He hated the tremble of fear in his voice. "I have important news for the Talons."

"You don't say," said Nautilus. "We all heard that message. You never told us the NightWing could do magic." His voice became a growl as he said that last sentence.

"We didn't know," Webs said, truthfully. "He's been a mystery to us ever since he hatched. The prophecy never really said the dragonets had to be purebred, or that they couldn't have animus magic."

"Have you forgotten that the prophecy is fake?" asked a voice from the shadows. Webs recognized Crocodile, a MudWing new to the Talons of Peace. In his few meetings with her, she'd been sympathetic. Perhaps he had one ally here.

"Morrowseer's prophecy is fake," Webs said, "But Windracer's is very real. We've been going about this all wrong. Perhaps, if we let the dragonets pave the path for themselves..."

"Do you not see how much trouble they've caused?" Nautilus interjected. "Queen Scarlet has practically been standing on the tallest mountain shouting, 'I have the dragonets of destiny! They're all mine!' Those dragonets don't know what's best for them, which is exactly the reason we counted on you to keep them hidden and safe!"

"Maybe not," Crocodile said. "Something happened in the SkyWing palace yesterday, remember? We don't have any clear reports yet, but Queen Tourmaline has sent out message scrolls saying that Scarlet is dead. Killed by an IceWing prince by the name of Frost."

"Queen Glacier's son?" asked one of the figures, in a voice as smooth and clear as a frozen-over lake. Polynya, Webs thought. Of course the one living IceWing that was associated with the Talons would recognize the name of Glacier's dragonet.

A murmur went around the circle of dragons. There were seven including Nautilus, as far as Webs could tell. He wondered if he could fight his way past seven dragons.

"If the dragonets are loose in Pyrrhia, how do you suggest we find them?" Nautilus asked.

"I don't know," Webs admitted. He had no idea where the dragonets might go. Where they could go without potentially encountering one of the SandWing sisters, or Morrowseer and the NightWings. Perhaps the Rainforest Kingdom is the only place that's safe...

"We'll have to find them ourselves," Nautilus mused. "Even if it takes us a hundred years to do it. In the meantime, I suppose we'll have to consider our backup plan." He scratched his gills thoughtfully.

Webs felt a wave of fear wash over him. "Please don't hurt them. They may be the only ones who can stop this war!" Then he realized something. "What backup plan?"

"I never said we were going to hurt the dragonets," Nautilus said, ignoring the question. "Have a little faith in the prophecy, Webs."

"Yes, don't worry," Crocodile said reassuringly. "The Talons of Peace wouldn't put all their eggs in one nest. It's a good backup plan."

Webs looks from one shadowed face to the next. He saw nothing friendly in Nautilus's eyes.

"I don't understand," he said. Was there something about Windracer's prophecy that he didn't know about?

"Of course," Nautilus said, "that means you would be a problem."

Webs barely had time to say, "What?" before Polynya flung him down onto his back. "What are you doing?" he yelped. "I'm one of you! I've been with the Talons of Peace for seven years!"

"I know, Webs," Polynya said. The amount of fear in her voice was equal to his. She hated having to kill other dragons.

"We're the dragons of peace," Webs pleaded. "If we kill each other, aren't we just as bad as Burn and Blister and Blaze?"

"Sorry, Webs," Nautilus said. "Peace is more important than any one dragon. And you would disrupt our backup plan. We're doing this for your own good. For the prophecy. For peace."

Webs heard the horrible echo of his own words - the same thing he'd said to the dragonets whenever they complained about life under the mountain. It's for your own good. Peace is the most important thing. He'd believed it when he said it. No doubt Nautilus did, too.

Nautilus gestured with one talon. "Rip out his heart."

Polynya flinched at his words. She leaned in and whispered to Webs, "I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to come to this, believe me."

Whatever she had been about to do next, Webs would never know. Because Crocodile cannoned into her, knocking Polynya into the undergrowth.

Webs didn't hesitate. He flipped upright and shot into the sky as fast as his wings would carry him. He heard shouts below as Crocodile struck out at the dragons around her, then the sound of wingbeats as she flew after him.

"Thank you," he called back to her, twisting his neck to see her heavy brown shape soaring behind him.

"Where will you hide?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know. But I need to find the dragonets. I need to talk to Windracer, tell him I'm sorry."

"You should go home," Crocodile said, tilting her wings to swoop under him. "From what I hear, Queen Coral is in a merciful mood these days."

The thrill that ran through Webs from horns to tail nearly took his breath away. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. "She'll never forgive me, not after everything I did. It's not just that I deserted her during a battle. She must know I'm the one who stole her egg for the prophecy."

"You might be surprised," said Crocodile. "Isn't she supposed to be one of the greatest queens in history? At least, that's what all the SeaWing scrolls say. Perhaps she'll forgive you. Why not take the chance, if it means you can go home again?" When Webs didn't answer, she added, "It's up to you. I'm just telling you what I've heard. Good luck, either way."

"Good luck to you, too," Webs called. She vanished into the trees, and he found himself wondering where she would go now.

He missed the sea with every scale on his body. He missed the palaces, the currents, the whale songs, the feasts, the gardens...the other SeaWings.

If the Talons of Peace are done with me...if I promise her I'll be brave this time...

Maybe I can go home again.

Given that the edge of the ocean that led to the Kingdom of the Sea was not too far from the Mud Kingdom, Windracer and his friends had gotten there in little to no time at all. They were all standing on a beach, Lagoon's eyes transfixed on the horizon where the ocean met the sky.

Windracer subconsciously tucked himself under his mother's wing, his eyes scanning the skies above them. "Shouldn't we stay under the trees? What if a NightWing spots us? I mean -" He stopped and took a deep breath. "We must stay under the trees. All right. Yes. Everyone back into the trees right now."

The others ignored him, although Auburn and Arid gave him pitying glances.

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid looked back into the forest he'd suggested they hide in. How long had it been since Auburn had retrieved them from their guardians? A few days? A week? They'd only been in the kingdom of the SkyWings for three days at most, but at the time it felt like an eternity.

There was one thing Windracer would always remember clearly: the sight of the IceWing princess Sleet dying after she had tried to save him.

He poked a hole in the sand with his claw. Sleet died for me. Queen Scarlet wanted us dead, and Sleet tried to help. I should have done something, cast a spell, anything to save her. But I was too afraid, too...useless.

The same devastating thoughts kept circling in his head like lame-winged dragons. Prince Frost had only spared his life because of his affiliation with Sleet. So, in a way, the IceWing princess had saved his life.

"You know what I love?" Bog said mournfully. "Fish. Lots of fish. Big fish I can eat, not these little wriggle-scraps."

The MudWing sat down on the sand beside Lagoon. His stomach growled loud enough for all of them to hear.

Storm rolled her eyes. "It's only been a day since Ocotillo and I caught those enormous pigs for all of us."

"Weren't enormous," Bog said. He sighed, his wings drooping. "They were the smallest pigs in the whole world."

"You should have eaten our carrots." Arid padded forward and peered out at the ocean. The sun was just rising in a peach-pale sky, casting broken paths of light across the water. Two of the moons, barely slivers like thin claws, were vanishing behind the mountains.

"I'm serious, everybody," Windracer said. "It's not safe out on the beach, not with Morrowseer and all the other NightWings in on the plot looking for us." Auburn shook the sand off her talons before gripping her son's assuringly.

"But we've already wasted a day flying from the stupid delta!" whined Mango.

"You're always so worried about who's gonna find us," Marmoset added. "Pulling a good prank might get you back on your claws."

Windracer was used to hearing the RainWing twins complain. Yes, the NightWings were after them. Yes, they were probably mad about the dragonets' escape from under the mountain. And they were pretty definitely mad about the part where Windracer revealed that the prophecy was fake and that he was the only dragon with NightWing powers.

But Lagoon and the twins didn't want to keep running. They wanted to find their families, like Windracer, Arid, and Bog had. But most of all, they wanted Windracer to stop worrying so much.

"Why are you so worried?" Lagoon asked him. "If they do capture you, won't you be able to use your NightWing and animus powers to escape?"

Windracer fluttered his wings indignantly. "I'm not worried for me," he said. "I'm trying to keep all of us safe." He glanced at Arid and ducked his head.

"We've been keeping you safe just fine!" Storm protested.

"Hey," Ocotillo said, nudging Storm's wing with his own. "It's all right for Windracer to worry. We can't say for sure where Morrowseer and the NightWings are. But," he added quickly to the dragonets, "I know you want to find the SeaWings as fast as possible. So let's find them instead of fighting about it, and then we can get to safety sooner."

Windracer gave the SandWing a grateful look.

Arid settled into the sand of the beach. "So now what? Should we shout 'Hey, SeaWings, we've got your missing princess!' and wait for dragons to bound joyfully out of the ocean?"

"With a feast!" Bog cried, startling a seagull into the air. "There was a feast at the end of the story! When the missing SeaWing princess got home, her parents were so happy they made a feast. I remember the feast. They ate a whole whale. That was a good feast. I bet I could eat a whale. Do you think we'll get a feast?"

"The Missing Princess was just a story in a scroll," Windracer reminded them. "We have no idea what we'll actually find in the Kingdom of the Sea."

"True," Lagoon muttered to herself as she stared out at the welcoming waters of the sea. "I could just dive in and look for the SeaWing palace," she mused aloud.

"What about us?" Bog's big brown wings flapped. "Lagoon, we can't go with you to the SeaWing palace. We can't breathe down there! How can we stick together if you're underwater?" He clawed at the water, leaving deep gouges in the wet sand. "What are we going to do?"

"The SeaWings have an above-water palace, too," Windracer said in his 'I know something helpful' voice. "So they can receive guests, like their SandWing ally Blister. It's on an island somewhere in the Bay of a Thousand Scales."

Arid looked at her boyfriend over her shoulder. "So, we go there, right?"

"Not easily," Windracer said. "Both SeaWing palaces - underwater and on land - are well hidden. That's how they've lasted so long in this war, even though they don't have fire like some of the other tribes. Nobody can find them to attack their homes."

"Sounds like the NightWings," Mango sniped.

"It's nothing like the NightWings!" Lagoon cried defensively. "SeaWings aren't trying to act all mysterious and pretentious. They're just being sensible about guarding their home." She glanced at Windracer apologetically. "No offense."

Windracer held up a talon. "No, I'm with you on that." He then pointed out towards the ocean. "There are over a thousand islands to search, but it's still probably -" He stopped midsentence and glanced at the forest again. "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Arid asked, her head tilted slightly in confusion.

Windracer padded away from Auburn, his eyes focused on the spaces between the trees of the forest. From where they were, the woods led to the kingdom of the RainWings, and the hybrid could hear someone saying something to themselves in their mind over and over.

Stay secret, stay hidden, stay safe.

Had they been speaking out loud, Windracer would have had an easier time figuring out what dragon was saying that. Were they a dragonet? An adult? Male? Female? And where were they? How could he find them?

Who are you?

No sooner after he had that thought, the mantra in Windracer's head stopped suddenly. The hybrid's eyes went wide at this occurrence. Could the other dragon hear his thoughts like he could hear theirs?

Windracer thought again, Who are you?

The response he got was one simple, little word that left him with more questions than answers.

Moon.

Dumbfounded, Windracer sat down in the sand. What could that mean? Were they from one of the moons? Windracer didn't think so. But perhaps they did have something associated with a moon. Another NightWing with powers? That would explain why he was able to communicate with them with his thoughts. Or maybe "Moon" was the dragon's name.

Yes, it had to be their name.

There was only one way to find out. Moon? Is that your name? Mine is Windracer.

First, silence. Then...

It's  Moonwatcher. But I like Moon better.

Now Windracer understood. "Moon" was a nickname. He could work with that. You can call me "Wind," if you want to. Where are you? Can you come out? He paused before adding, Are you a NightWing?

It might have been a stupid thing to ask, since NightWings were the only dragons he knew of that had mind-reading powers, but he had to know for sure.

Wherever Moon was, he or she hesitated. Yes. Then they added, Wind, are you the one who sent the message? I remember a dragon named Windracer saying he had NightWing powers. Is that you?

Windracer didn't even hesitate to answer their question. Yes. That's me. Please, come out. I won't hurt you. I just want to help you.

No, was Moon's response. I can't come out. Mother told me to stay hidden. Please, don't tell anyone. I'm not supposed to be here.

Ever the considerate one, Windracer tried to reassure the other NightWing. My friends and I will protect you. Now, please, come on out. I can't help you if I can't see you.

These powers are a curse, Moon thought. You said you were an animus, right? Can you take my curse away?

Windracer hesitated. He'd never thought of it before, but he certainly didn't like the idea of using his animus powers to remove a dragon's abilities. No, I can't. But I can help you learn to live with your powers. I've only just learned how to myself, but I know I can help you.

Moon's reply was not what he'd hoped. No one can help me. No one can know I exist. I need to stay secret. Stay hidden. Stay safe.

They went right back to repeating that mantra over and over again. Moon's thoughts gradually trailed off until Windracer could no longer hear them. Hoping that Moon could still hear him, wherever they might be, Windracer thought to the other NightWing as hard as he could, Don't worry. You're not alone. I'll help you, somehow.

"Windracer!"

Arid's shout shook him out of his stupor. "What?"

"Weren't you listening?" his girlfriend asked.

"No," he admitted sheepishly. "I was...thinking." Technically, that wasn't a lie.

Lagoon padded up to him, her bioluminescent stripes all aglow. "I was thinking we head for the bay," she said. "Maybe spread out and try to find the above-water palace. What do you think? Are there any futures where that plan backfires on us?"

Yes. Here was a vision of them being drowned by a squadron of SeaWings, and there was a vision of them getting hopelessly lost in the hundreds of islands in the bay.

"There are some holes in that plan," Windracer said. "But it's a start."

"We'll be careful," Lagoon promised. "Definitely not split up in SeaWing territory; that would be bad for all of us."

"Maybe you should lead," Arid said, nudging Windracer's tail with her own. "That way if you hear any strange dragons or see something bad, you'll have time to warn us."

He shrugged. "Well, if you insist."

So they all lifted into the sky - Windracer at the front, with Arid and Auburn right behind him. Then came Storm and Ocotillo, filing in behind their daughter, then Lagoon and Bog, and finally Mango and Marmoset. The smell of salty air greeted them as they soared over the ocean and left the mainland behind.

And among the calling of the seagulls, and the crashing of the waves, Windracer could hear Lagoon thinking hopefully, Soon I'll be with my family.

He hoped fervently that was true. Try as he might, Windracer couldn't very well predict exactly what they'd find in the kingdom of the SeaWings.

Some readers were practically begging me to have Windracer meet Moon, but I want to time it right, so I thought I'd have their first encounter be a telepathic conversation, since they can both read minds. Like how Darkstalker first spoke to Moon at Jade Mountain in the books.

Like I said before, no Chameleon the RainWing. If there was, the IceWing Talon of Peace would still be Cirrus.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

A missing princess is coming home.

It was four mornings after they'd arrived on the beach when Lagoon finally woke up on an island that was officially part of the Bay of a Thousand Scales.

They'd been traveling cautiously, trying to avoid attracting unwanted attention and keeping an eye out for any NightWings or members of the SandWing princesses' armies or anyone else who wished them harm. For a few days they stopped whenever they saw an island, ate a seagull or fish if they could catch any, and then flew on. Lagoon had tried diving into the ocean several times and was disappointed to discover she couldn't swim as fast as she flew.

Lagoon had wanted to be home with her family in the heart of the SeaWing kingdom by now. But after the horrors she'd seen in the Sky Kingdom, she had to agree that it was better safe than sorry.

She couldn't stop thinking about that poor SeaWing that Scarlet had sent in against Windracer. Gill had been dehydrated to the point of insanity; he was the only prisoner besides Frost and the Dragonets of Destiny who didn't escape the moment he'd been freed. The memory of the SkyWing queen snapping his neck so she could kill Windracer herself had been haunting Lagoon's dreams for the past few nights.

I wish we could have saved him. I wish there was something I could have done to help him. I wish...I wish I knew who he was.

Maybe taking a dip in the ocean would help clear her head.

Lagoon stretched her wings and then tipped forward out of the cave opening. Wind whistled past her snout, tugging at her tail as she plummeted down the cliff. At the last moment, she snapped her wings open and sailed across the top of the water, skimming it with her claws. Joy tingled through her scales. She spun and dove into the water.

The sea was warm and busy with underwater life. Her splash sent what seemed like thousands of fish scattering away, several of them disappearing into a pinkish-orange coral reef that curled out of the sand like a petrified forest. A blobby dark blue octopus goggled at her from the branches. Lagoon kept seeing flickers of bright yellow and silver at the edge of her vision as fish fled from her webbed claws.

No welcoming committee of delighted SeaWings, though.

No glowing jellyfish marking a path to Queen Coral's castle. No cavalcade of bowing seahorses and bejeweled lobsters to lead the way.

Not a big surprise, she thought. This isn't "The Missing Princess" after all.

Lagoon swam along the coral reef, peering at the creatures hiding in the nooks and holes. A hideous thing she thought might be an eel stared back at her. Little orange-and-white fish nestled in the waving lavender anemones.

She wasn't used to swimming in the sea. Unexpected currents kept knocking her off balance. The saltwater felt like it was scraping roughly against her gills. This is harder than I thought it would be.

Something flashed below her in the shadows of the coral reef. Something very large. Something with dark blue horns and sky-blue scales.

Another SeaWing!

Lagoon ducked behind a large piece of coral, wondering if he'd seen her. Could he be a member of Blister's army? Or a relative of the queen? What if he attacked her?

Maybe I should try following him for a little while. See what he does before I go say hello.

She crept along the top of the reef, peering over the edge at him. Her claws caught on small gaps in the coral.

The strange SeaWing was paddling by the reef, shifting his talons and wings slightly to change course. His head turned alertly from side to side.

Is he looking for something? Lagoon wondered. What could he be hoping to find out here? ...Is he looking for me, the lost princess? Has Queen Coral been sending out SeaWings to try and find her missing daughter?

The dragon checked around him, staring into the ocean depths, then lit up the stripes along his wings.

Almost immediately another dragon swam out of a cave in the coral reef.

Now who is he? Lagoon thought. His green scales were perfectly nice, but she didn't care for the black spiral patterns on them. She'd never seen a pattern like that on a dragon before. And his face wasn't nearly as friendly-looking as the first dragon, although perhaps that had something to do with the giant bruise swollen over his left eye.

Could they be guards switching patrol duty? Probably not, not with how strange they're being about it.

The two dragons floated in place, staring at each other, for what seemed like an eternity. Occasionally the stripes on one SeaWing would light up, then on the other. They moved their talons about as if waving away fish, even though no fish went anywhere near them.

And then the spiral-marked dragon ducked back into the cave, and the blue dragon swam on.

Some kind of SeaWing patrol ritual? Lagoon wondered. I guess I'll have to learn all that stuff if I ever want to be queen. She hadn't thought much about taking the throne, but Windracer and Bog had told her that Queen Coral didn't have any heirs. There was even a rumor going around about a curse on her hatchlings. If that were true, it meant that someday Lagoon would have to be the queen of the SeaWings.

But could she really handle the responsibility? Did she even want to be queen?

The sky-blue dragon swam back the way he'd come, toward the stretch of open sea between this island and the one where Lagoon's friends were sleeping.

Now or never, Lagoon thought. She'd rather meet this dragon than the other one, and she'd rather do it while he was alone, if she could. That seemed easier than trying to explain herself to a whole bunch of dragons at once.

She beat her wings to catch up, dove over the edge of the reef, and swam around in front of him.

The SeaWing started back in an eddy of ripples. His eyes were a blue so dark they were almost black.

Lagoon pointed up at the surface. Come on out of the water so we can talk, she tried to signal. Hopefully he'd figure out what she meant.

To her surprise, he whipped around and fled. His tail smacked a wave of water in her face.

Well, that didn't work, she thought. She swam after him, swinging her tail to propel herself even faster. He glanced back over his shoulder, saw her chasing him, and put on a burst of speed.

Why was he running away? And how was he so fast?

"Stop!" she tried to yell through the water. "I just want to talk!"

Of course that didn't work. He didn't even slow down.

But then he twisted to look back at Lagoon, and so he didn't see the whale that suddenly loomed out of the deep in front of him.

The SeaWing smacked into the whale's side and careened backward. The whale was only slightly bigger than the dragon, with ridges all along its back and a flat, mild-mannered face. It made a weird squeaking groan and blinked at the SeaWing in confusion.

The dragon was still shaking his head, trying to reorient himself, when Lagoon caught up, grabbed his shoulders, and pinned him to the sand.

She gave the dragon an apologetic look and pointed at the surface again. Flashes of sunlight shimmered up above them, like pieces of broken gold-white glass floating on the water.

The other dragon tipped his head to one side. Luminescent stripes lit up along his wings, flashing fast, then slow.

Okay, Lagoon thought. I can do that, too. Maybe he's testing me or something.

She lit up her own stripes, illuminating the ones on her snout, then the ones along her tail, and finally her wings. See? My stripes flash, too. I'm a SeaWing. Now let's go up and talk.

Slowly she spread her wings and lifted up, prepared to grab him if he tried to bolt again. He scrambled upright but stayed with her. Encouraged, Lagoon swam a bit closer to the surface.

All of a sudden, the SeaWing's wings flared open with a whoosh that scared fish into the reef. He lunged toward Lagoon, fast as a minnow. His front talons reached for her.

Lagoon screamed, blasting him in the eyes with bubbles, and kicked at his underbelly with her back talons. He coughed up a stream of bubbles and fell back. Lagoon spread her wings and shot to the surface.

She burst into the air and kept beating her wings to rise into the sky. In the distance, she could see the cliff-side cave and the worried faces of her friends poking out.

An enormous splash sounded behind her. The other SeaWing surged out of the ocean. His massive tail whacked the water twice as he lifted into the air, sending giant waves rushing in all directions.

"Wait!" he yelled. "Where are you going? What's wrong?"

Lagoon's wings missed a beat, and she nearly dropped into the ocean. She swung around, hovering over the sea between the cliff and the beach. The other SeaWing paused as well. He kept the length of two dragons between him and her.

"What's wrong?" Lagoon parroted. "Didn't you just attack me?"

"I certainly did not!" he protested. Glowing lines flickered along his snout. "I thought you - that's the normal -" He seemed to be getting more and more embarrassed. "You said you liked me!" he finally burst out.

Lagoon blinked at him. "Okay, what?"

"Well, maybe not in those exact words!" he said. "It was a little confusing... Maybe a lot confusing..."

"Stop," Lagoon said. Maybe she'd misunderstood his actions. Maybe his approach had been a SeaWing greeting ritual she didn't know. Something else I'd have to learn to be queen. "Tell me exactly what you think I said."

He sighed. "I said, 'What are you doing all the way out here?' and you said -" He paused, rubbing his front talons against his head. "You said, 'Hey, sparkling teeth, I totally love three of your claws but not the others, and I wish your nose was a herring so I could eat it, and also your wings sound like sharks snoring.'"

Lagoon burst out laughing.

He stared at her. "Are you seriously going to pretend you didn't say any of that?"

"I didn't say anything at all," Lagoon said. "I mean, we were underwater."

The strange dragon hovered for several wingbeats, glowing stripes lighting up along his blue scales. His face slowly went from confused to angry as he frowned at her. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm a SeaWing," she said. "Just like you."

"A SeaWing who doesn't speak Aquatic?" he growled. "Not likely. What are you really? How did you make yourself look like a SeaWing?"

Lagoon's heart sank. Aquatic? SeaWings have their own language?

Why hadn't she thought of that before? The dragons of the sea had a whole palace underwater - of course they needed a way to communicate down there. They couldn't just pop to the surface every time they needed to talk.

She glanced down at her webbed talons and remembered the gestures she'd seen the two SeaWings making while their luminescent stripes flashed. Talon signals and glowing stripes - she must have said all that nonsense with her stripes without realizing it.

How could I ever be a good queen of the SeaWings if I don't even speak their language? And why didn't anyone ever tell me about this?

Bog had never met a dragon of his own kind before; that's why he knew nothing about MudWings. But Lagoon didn't have that excuse - one of the guardians who'd raised them had been a SeaWing.

So why hadn't Webs ever taught her the SeaWing language, or even told her they had one?

All those scrolls about SeaWings...now that she thought about it, there was plenty of dialogue in the underwater scenes, like in The Missing Princess when the lost daughter found her parents. The dragonets had always assumed that was a storytelling technique, not an actual underwater language.

She looked up and met the SeaWing's dark blue eyes. His head was tilted curiously.

"You don't look guilty," he observed. "You look sad. And I imagine it would be hard to fake those." He nodded at the webs between her claws. "So where did you come from, and what's wrong with you?"

Lagoon bristled. "There's nothing wrong with me," she said. "At least, I don't think so. I just never really learned about -"

His gaze suddenly shifted behind her. "Look out!" he yelled. His tail whipped around and slammed into her, knocking her aside. She spun toward the water, dizzy and shocked. Her wings brushed the ocean waves as she righted herself and turned around.

The strange SeaWing was grappling with Arid up in the sky.

Lagoon gasped. The SeaWing was full-grown, bigger than Arid, and he was not afraid to lash out with teeth, tail, and claws. But she could tell Arid was holding back, worried about hurting a possible ally. The IceWing-SandWing hybrid tried to dive away, but the SeaWing seized Arid's tail and dug his talons viciously into her scales. Arid howled with pain.

The other dragon started to drag her down to the ocean, where he would have all the underwater advantages of SeaWings, and Arid would eventually drown.

"Arid!" Windracer shrieked, launching himself out of the cliff-side cave.

Lagoon got there first. She smacked the SeaWing over the head with her tail, seized his wing in her talons, and yanked him away from Arid when he turned around in surprise. He tried to spin around her to get back to his prey, but she blocked him with her wings. He flinched back, and that was enough time for Arid to scramble out of reach.

"What are you doing?" the SeaWing yelled at Lagoon. "I'm saving you from that IceWing!"

"She's not an IceWing!" Lagoon yelled back. "Well, not completely - she's half SandWing. And she's my friend!"

"What -"

Windracer slammed into the back of the SeaWing, landing between his wings and wrapping his talons around his neck. "Leave her alone!" he cried.

The SeaWing looked more astonished than alarmed. He wriggled his shoulders and twisted his neck, trying to see what was on his back. Windracer bit his wing, and he yelped.

"That's my other friend," Lagoon said. "Windracer, we're fine. You can let go of him."

The SeaWing's eyes went wide with astonishment. "The Windracer? The dragon who sent that message?"

Neither Lagoon nor Windracer was expecting that kind of reaction, but the male hybrid gave a curt nod in confirmation.

At that point, the SeaWing's demeanor changed rather quickly. "I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't scare anyone too much. Are you alright?" That last part was directed at Arid.

"I'm fine," was her blunt response.

"I'm sorry, too," Lagoon said, twiddling her claws awkwardly. "We were all raised under a mountain, and the SeaWing who took care of us never taught me how to speak Aquatic. I guess the Talons of Peace aren't the best at raising dragonets."

"Talons of Peace," the SeaWing repeated to himself. "So, then, that must mean you're the Dragonets of Destiny."

"That's us," Windracer said with a smile. Though it quickly faded when he spotted the RainWing twins at the mouth of the cliff-side cave, trying to turn themselves blue like SeaWings, but only managing to get just about every color but that. "More or less."

"Riptide," Mango said again. "That's a funny name."

"I like it," Lagoon said. "Strong and fierce, like a soldier."

Riptide was pacing the beach, lashing his tail in a long swooshing trail through the sand. His sky-blue scales glinted metallically in the morning light.

"And you're the Dragonets of Destiny." Riptide stopped, inhaled deeply, and blew out again. "Do you know Webs? I heard he was with the Talons of Peace, and I really want to meet him."

"He left when Queen Scarlet and her guards captured us," Bog explained. "We haven't seen him since." The MudWing's voice wavered with a hint of sadness.

Lagoon wasn't surprised at that. Webs was pretty much the nicest out of the three guardians. "Is Webs a friend of yours?" she asked.

Riptide shifted nervously. "Not exactly."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lagoon saw Windracer giving Riptide an odd look. If she had to give it a label, she'd say it was about fifty percent surprised, twenty-five percent intrigued, and twenty-five percent 'how am I going to explain this to my friends?'

"Holy meteorites," Windracer said with a shaky voice. "Webs is your father."

Riptide looked down at his talons, half-buried in the sand. "Yes. He is."

Lagoon's eyes widened in surprise. Webs never mentioned that he'd had dragonets. Then again, that probably wasn't something a member of the Talons of Peace would go bragging about, with the war going on and everything.

"I joined the Talons of Peace because I thought they could help me find him," Riptide explained, looking every which way to avoid the eyes of the other dragons. "But they wouldn't tell me anything except that he was safe. I've been working with them for a few years now, passing them information about the SeaWings. Queen Coral sees my father as a traitor to the tribe because he stole one of her eggs. Being his son, you can probably imagine how well she treats me."

"That's ridiculous!" Lagoon blurted. "I mean, sure, Webs could have done better with us, but he had a good reason, didn't he?"

Riptide shrugged. "Maybe at the time, but the prophecy is fake, isn't it? At least, that's what Windracer said in his message."

"It's true," Windracer admitted, albeit reluctantly. "I know I may have hurt a lot of dragons out there who believed in that prophecy, but I had to tell everyone the truth. What Morrowseer is doing is wrong, and if no one else is going to do anything about it, then I will."

Beside him, Auburn and Arid brushed their wings against his. Windracer shifted his talons sheepishly.

"So," said Lagoon, "can you lead us to the SeaWings' above-water palace? We need to speak with Queen Coral, I mean, my mother. It's rather urgent."

Riptide gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course. I should warn you, though, the guards aren't very trusting when it comes to outsiders. And I mean that in the best possible way."

"As long as we can still speak with the queen," Windracer said. "We need all the tribes to work together if we want to end this fight. Queen Tourmaline and Queen Moorhen are already on our side -"

"Tourmaline?" Riptide repeated in confusion.

"Scarlet's daughter," Arid explained. "She took over the SkyWings after her mother was killed."

Riptide jumped back in surprise. "Scarlet's dead?! What happened?"

Everyone turned to look at Windracer, who shifted in the sand and scratched at the scales on his neck nervously. "It's...kind of a long story."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to tell it on our way to the palace," said Riptide. "Just follow me." He sprang into the sky, with the other dragons close behind.

They all took turns explaining their story to Riptide as they flew over the bay. Green-and-white islands glowed like scattered jewels in the ocean below them. Several of them were shaped like claws, curving neatly through the water. From up by the clouds, Lagoon could see part of the spiral pattern in the archipelago. And when they swooped down close to the sea, she saw pearlescent pink dolphins leaping in the clear water.

Windracer told most of the tale, with Bog jumping in at the part where they visited the Mud Kingdom. Lagoon herself recounted the dragonets' failed escape from Scarlet's prison and seeing Windracer fight Frost and Gill in the arena. Arid mostly complained about being chained up - twice, she made a point of - with a bit of excitement at the discovery of her IceWing abilities and how she totally caught Scarlet off guard. Even Auburn, Storm, and Ocotillo contributed to the story, explaining the bits that the dragonets themselves weren't fully aware of. But Marmoset and Mango...they would either butt in with completely irrelevant questions or try to stick a crab or lobster onto someone's ear.

Just as they'd finished filling Riptide in, Lagoon spotted a formation of blue and green dragons flying toward them - fifteen or more, with huge wings and bared teeth. She could hear them hissing from a distance.

"Here comes the welcoming committee," Riptide grumbled. "The advance guard. They make sure no one even gets close to the Summer Palace."

A few moments later, they were surrounded. The flapping wingbeats filled their ears and pushed the air currents around.

"Riptide," growled the lead dragon. His scales were a green so dull it was almost gray, like stone where moss had been scraped away. He had tiny bone-pale eyes that never seemed to blink under a knobbly protruding forehead, and his horns twisted strangely toward each other. Unlike the rest of the guards, he bore no battle scars. Which either meant he stayed away from fighting - or he was a very skilled fighter.

"What are you dragging home now?" he snarled.

Riptide looked him straight in the eyes. "I've found the missing princess." He gestured to Lagoon, or more specifically, her wings.

Curious, Lagoon looked down at herself. Under her wings, when she lit them up, the luminescent stripes formed spirals around the outer edges. Starbursts shaped like webbed dragon footprints branched away from the lines in the middle. She glanced at the other SeaWings. Most of them had smaller starbursts and no spirals. Only the lead dragon's patterns matched her own.

"Who is he?" she asked.

Riptide winced. "This is Shark," he said. "Commander of palace defense and brother to the queen."

That's why our patterns match, Lagoon realized. We're both royalty.

Shark narrowed his eyes until they nearly disappeared into his scales. "And what are those other dragons doing here?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"We're here to speak to Queen Coral," Windracer said. "I'm Windracer. The animus hybrid with NightWing powers." When Shark didn't respond, he nervously asked, "You have heard of me, right?"

Let it be known that being locked in a cell within the SeaWing prison was NOT the answer Windracer had been hoping for.

It wasn't like the prison in the Sky Kingdom. Instead of bars, the cages had channels of water each as wide as two dragons encircling each prisoner, trapping them on islands of stone - some large enough for multiple dragons, some with barely enough room for one. More water poured from grooves in the ceiling down to the channels, creating cascading walls around the island.

And all the water walls and all the moats glowed the same bright blue and gave off the same fizzling, crackling sound. Electric eels slithered and swam in all the moats, providing all the water with a shocking surprise for any dragon who would dare try to escape.

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid sat sulking in the dead center of his and Arid's cell, the only sound accompanying him being the water running down from the ceiling. "Well, that went well," he grumbled sarcastically.

"I'll say," Arid said from behind him. "But hey, at least they didn't kill us."

"Please don't jinx it," Bog pleaded from his cell. "I'm allergic to being executed."

Somewhere far off, the RainWing twins scoffed. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"I guess I should have known coming here was a bad idea," Windracer said. "I'm sorry everyone."

"Don't be," came Auburn's comforting, motherly voice. "Your intentions were pure, son. Some dragons just have a harder time seeing that."

"I know I did," Storm chimed in from her cell.

"To be fair, I wasn't entirely sure they'd let us in myself," Ocotillo admitted.

The only voices Windracer didn't hear were Lagoon and Riptide's. Of course, the two SeaWings were the only ones spared from being thrown in the dungeons. It was anyone's guess where they were now.

But even with the other dragons comforting him, the only thing a depressed Windracer could even think of doing at that moment in time was sit on the tiny little stone island and wait for something to happen.

Believe me, something will be happening very soon.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Don't think for a moment I'd just leave them in that prison for too long.

The Summer Palace was more beautiful than Lagoon could have ever imagined.

She and Riptide were inside the island, surrounded by towering cliffs on all sides. Far above them, sunlight filtered through a thick green canopy — the vines and treetops she'd seen from the sky, woven so thickly it looked like a jungle from above. Like an emerald umbrella over the island, the canopy protected the Summer Palace from view and gave the light a sea-green quality that made Lagoon feel like she was still underwater.

Waterfalls cascaded down from several holes in the cliffs, like slender dragon tails of silver, bursting into spray as they hit the lake. The only exit Lagoon could see was the tunnel behind her.

Four pillars of blue-tinted white stone spiraled out of the water, winding toward one another until they formed a towering pavilion in the middle of the lake. The pavilion had twelve circular levels, each one smaller than the one below. There were few walls, most of them very low, and the whole structure was latticed with curving shapes and holes and little wading pools. It didn't look like it had been built; it looked as if it had grown that way, although Lagoon was pretty sure that was impossible.

Dragons were clustered along the edges of the pavilion, on ledges of the cliffs, and all across the water. She'd never seen so many faces like her own, dark blues and pale greens and sharp see-in-the-dark eyes staring.

The only sound was the splashing of the waterfalls, the soft hush of dragons breathing, and the quiet lapping of waves on the beaches around the lake.

But all Lagoon cared about in that moment was finding out what had happened to her friends. Her long-awaited reunion with her family could wait just a little longer; she had to know that her friends were still alive.

It had all happened so fast - Shark gave the command and the SeaWing soldiers swarmed the dragonets, as well as Windracer's mother and Arid's parents, like locusts descending on a wheat field. She tried to save them, she fought as hard as she could even though her fighting skills were terrible, but the soldiers didn't relent in the slightest. They shoved her off hard enough to send her tumbling out of the sky and into the sea below. By the time she gathered her bearings and surfaced above the waves, the soldiers were gone and so were her friends.

Here and now, Lagoon could see Shark hunched on one of the spirals of the closest pillar. But her friends were nowhere in sight. What had he done with them? She turned to Riptide, who was watching Shark with a grim expression.

"Riptide, where are my friends?" Lagoon asked in a low voice - or she thought it was low, but her voice echoed off the rocks, much louder than she'd expected.

"I don't know," said Riptide, shrugging his wings. He glanced at Shark again. "Hopefully they're still alive somewhere."

Lagoon wasn't really sure what to feel. She wanted to trust him, but then Windracer had to go read Riptide's mind and find out that Riptide was Webs's son. Which he'd carefully neglected to mention. Was he hiding anything else from her?

"What about my mother?" she asked. "Can't she do something?"

"The queen is conducting business at the Deep Palace," Riptide said. "You'll have to wait for her up there." He nodded to the top of the pavilion.

Only now did Lagoon realize that nearly every SeaWing in the vicinity was staring at her. She'd never been the center of attention before. Her insides felt like a writhing mass of angry snakes. She tried to speak, but no sound came out.

"Nervous?" Riptide asked.

Lagoon could only nod at him.

He grabbed her wrist and led her up into the air.

"Can you tell me about the palace?" Lagoon asked, trying to distract herself.

Riptide flicked his tail at the cliffs. "Each level has a different purpose - for instance, there's a floor for dragonet school visits, one for celebration spectacles, and one for war planning. Guest rooms are in the caves. Queen Blister usually stays in the one closest to the tunnel. We brought in extra sand to line the floor for her, and it's the only cave where fire is allowed." His snout turned toward the pavilion as they flew higher. "She meets with Queen Coral on the second level from the top, which is only for visiting royalty. When they are here instead of the Deep Palace, the Council meets on this level, halfway up."

He paused, beating his wings, so Lagoon could look across the middle level. Twelve dragon-sized pools were arranged in a circle with small channels running from one to the next and crisscrossing the center. Glittering emeralds the size of fish eggs, which were embedded in the stone, spelled out words by each pool. Lagoon saw one marked TREASURY, one labeled DEFENSE, and another that said SECRETS & SPIES. Before she could read any further, Riptide turned to fly higher.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

"I think the top pavilion would be best," Riptide said. He landed gracefully on the uppermost ledge of the pavilion, his claws catching on polished ridges in the bluish-white stone.

Lagoon landed beside him. The top level was bigger than she'd expected. A spiraling starburst of webbed talon-print shapes was carved into the floor and filled with glittering water, lined all along the bottom with tiny pearls - the pattern was the same as the one on her wings.

One end of the top floor was raised and carved into a magnificent dragon throne, studded with emeralds and sapphires and shot through with gold lines in the shape of waves. Beside and below the throne was another, smaller throne carved to match, with the same patterns made of tinier gemstones.

Lagoon tilted her head at the second throne. It looked too small to be for a king. Was it for her? Had Queen Coral prepared a throne for her missing daughter, waiting six years for the lost princess to come fill it?

"How soon will my mother arrive?" Lagoon asked.

"That depends," said Riptide. "She's been especially busy after we all got that magic message from your animus friend. And Queen Blister has been -"

The sound of flapping wings interrupted him.

A huge, majestic, blue SeaWing flew up over their heads. Vines of pearls were woven around her horns and neck and wings, and a twisted white horn with a wicked-looking point was attached to the end of her tail. She had odd black stains on her claws, but she was perhaps the most beautiful sight Lagoon had ever seen.

"M-mother?" she stuttered, dazed with awe and disbelief.

Suddenly Queen Coral was landing and running toward her.

"My baby!" Coral cried. Enormous blue wings whooshed around Lagoon, enveloping her in a hug that smelled of sea air and starfish. Pearls pressed into Lagoon's face as Coral cuddled her close. Her wet scales were warm and her talons were gentle as she stroked Lagoon's head and back and wings.

"I knew you'd come back to me," she said. "I knew you were out there, trying to find your way back. I never stopped searching for you."

It was exactly what Lagoon was hoping to hear.

...Actually it was word-for-word what the queen said in The Missing Princess.

Lagoon leaned into her mother, feeling elation flood her from horns to claws. She forgot about her friends, and the prophecy. It was just her and Queen Coral in this precious moment.

"Mother," whined a tiny voice from behind them. "Ow. You pulled me too hard. I think I hurt my claws."

Queen Coral loosened her grip on Lagoon, and she saw that her mother was wearing a thin, webbed harness with a long cord...which led to a harness on another dragon standing behind her.

The second dragon was much smaller - a dragonet only about a year old, perhaps. She was a pale, pale blue, almost white like an IceWing, with hints of pink along her wings and ears and horns. Her eyes were large and blue, and tiny strands of pearls were woven around her neck and tail as if to match the queen's.

Queen Coral let go of Lagoon, whirled around, and tugged the younger SeaWing closer with the harness cord. The little dragonet crept under her wing and held out her front talons with a pitiful expression.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Coral said, carefully examining the dragonet's claws and then giving them a quick lick. "Is that better?"

"I guess," the little SeaWing said, flexing her talons mournfully.

"Who's this?" Lagoon asked. With a jolt of shock, she spotted the royal pattern of stripes on the underside of the dragonet's wings.

"This is your sister, Anemone," Coral answered. "And, Anemone, this is your sister. The one who was stolen six years ago." Coral reached out and slid one webbed talon over Lagoon's snout. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

Sister? Lagoon felt numb. She'd read The Royal Lineage of the SeaWings, from the Scorching to the Present which had stated that none of Queen Coral's daughters had survived. But a lot of their scrolls were old and outdated; it must have been written before Anemone was hatched.

Sister. Lagoon allowed the corners of her mouth to curve up into a smile. I have a sister. She held out one of her front talons to Anemone, and after a small pause, Anemone pressed her own talon against it.

"Hello," she said. "I'm Lagoon."

"Hi," said Anemone.

"Hmph," Queen Coral said. "Another thing Webs did wrong." Her green eyes narrowed. "Where is he now? I have been planning his punishment for years." She glared over Lagoon's shoulder, but when Lagoon looked around, the only dragon there was Riptide. He had his head ducked and his wings folded as low as he could get.

"I knew he was a coward and a deserter," Coral said, "but after he returned to steal my egg...well, let's just say it won't be a quick death."

"He's not here," Lagoon said. "But, Mother, my friends, the Dragonets of Destiny...Shark took them somewhere, I don't know where. Are they still alive? Please, you have to help me find them! You can trust them, I promise."

"Oh," Queen Coral said slowly. "Oh, I see." Then she tilted her head, as though she were listening for something.

Lagoon could hear a faint sound over the splashing of the waterfalls and the murmur of SeaWings on the lower platforms. As she listened, the sound got louder, and louder, and louder.

Is that...singing?

Each minute in the SeaWing prison felt like an eternity to Windracer. He couldn't stop thinking about what may have happened to Lagoon. Wherever she was, he hoped she was alright.

Did she even know where they were? She had to be looking for them, surely. They couldn't end the war if they were stuck in prison, and not a single one of them, especially not Lagoon, could fulfill the prophecy all by themselves.

Windracer could hear other prisoners in the area besides his mother and his friends. Their minds would grumble about the water or the slippery floor or when was the last time they'd seen the sun. But he drowned it out by listening to the sound of the rushing water.

He stared at his claws. Should I use my magic? I could make the water evaporate, or the eels fall asleep, or enchant something to send a message to Lagoon so she can find us.

Hang on. Maybe there was a way to solve the problem without magic. There had to be another way to get Lagoon's attention. But what?

A song. The only song he knew was the one Arid sometimes sang to annoy the guardians - about the dragonets coming to save the day. Still, it was worth a shot.

"Oh, the dragonets are coming..."

He paused. His speaking voice was nasally and a bit crackly, but when he sang it was throatier and had a sort of ring to it like a bell.

"They're coming to save the day..."

Arid had been pacing the floor behind him, and now she'd stopped and was looking at him like he'd just sprouted three extra heads right in front of her. Windracer cleared his throat self-consciously.

"They're coming to fight...for they know what's right...the dragonets..."

He stopped. That last "hurray!" would sound awkward and ridiculous in such a gloomy atmosphere. Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all.

"Oh, the dragonets are coming..."

Windracer leapt to his feet and peeked through the pillars of water surrounding him. Was he hearing things?

"They're coming to save the day..."

No, this was definitely real. There was someone singing. And more voices joined in, one by one, as the song continued.

"They're coming to fight...for they know what's right...the dragonets..."

Now there were at least six voices, each one gradually getting louder and more fast-paced as they recited the lyrics. They slowly faded out, leaving out the last hurray just as Windracer had done. He stuck his head out between the water pillars, being careful not to get too close, and found several other prisoners, mostly SandWings and MudWings, looking hopeful despite their less-than-ideal surroundings.

The prisoners were singing.

Windracer smiled at Arid and began to sing again. This time one voice after another joined in.

He picked up the pace a little the fourth time around, and even added in the "hurray!" at the end. It seemed like every prisoner was singing now. He was pretty sure he could even hear the twins' croaky voices and Arid's strong and beautiful pipes.

The song meant something, even to the dragons hardened on the battlefield and stuck in prisons like this one. Even if Morrowseer's prophecy wasn't real, they still believed in the dragonets.

They were on their sixth time through the song, all of them singing wholeheartedly, when a huge blue SeaWing decorated with vines of pearls on her horns and neck and wings burst in quite suddenly.

"What is going on in here?!" Queen Coral roared.

The singing broke off at once. Windracer retreated back to his position in the middle of his stone island, as far away from the electrified water as he could manage.

A blue figure streaked past the queen's imposing figure, looking at every prisoner they could find. "Guys! Where are you?!"

Lagoon!

"Over here!" Windracer called out.

"You're alive!" Lagoon hurried over to their cage. She stood as close as she could get to the moat and the crackling water. Lagoon wished she could reach over and wrap her wings around her friends.

The SeaWing queen approached the cell in long, graceful strides, and peered at Windracer through the running water. "And who are you?" she asked.

"Windracer," the hybrid answered automatically. "Son of Auburn of the SkyWings and Killer of the NightWings." He sank to his knees and bowed at her. "It is an honor to meet you, Queen Coral."

"Hm," said the queen, tilting her head a little. "Such surprisingly good manners. I assume you're one of Lagoon's friends?"

"Yes," Windracer answered. "We've known each other since we hatched. We were all raised under a mountain by three guardians. I'm sorry for any trouble we've caused, Your Majesty."

The sudden appearance of Shark made Windracer jump back in fear. He'd figured out by now that he needed to be wary of Queen Coral's brother.

"How do we know what he says is true?" hissed the SeaWing commander.

"Windracer is not a liar!" Lagoon cried. "He's my friend, and he really does want to help! Now, please, let my friends go!"

Shark didn't look convinced. "Prove it."

"Prove it?" Windracer repeated in confusion.

"Prove you're an animus," snapped Shark. "Prove you have powers."

Gulping nervously, Windracer rattled off all of the stray thoughts he could hear in the SeaWing commander's mind. "Your daughter's name is Moray, your position on the SeaWing Council is Defense, you despise taking orders from your sister, you plan to kill us all behind Lagoon's back, and the odds of me accurately guessing any of that without the ability to read minds is zero."

If that didn't convince Coral and Shark that he had real powers, or that he and his friends really were there to help, then he didn't know what would.

"Let him out," the queen commanded her brother.

Shark hesitated, but obeyed. He padded over to a chain on the cave wall and pulled it up. What sounded like an enormous metallic groan echoed overhead, and then suddenly, the cascading water around Windracer and Arid shut off.

Windracer did his best to ignore the hateful glare Shark was giving him as he leaped out of his cell.

"What about the rest of my friends?" Lagoon asked. She tried not to look at Shark's unblinking, menacing eyes as his gaze shifted onto her.

"You heard my daughter," Coral said. "Free the other dragonets. We'll need them all to testify before the Council."

Arid leapt over the moat of eels and stood next to Windracer. "Testify for what?" she asked boldly.

"The war, of course," replied Queen Coral. "It's your destiny to end it, after all. Shouldn't be too hard, with Windracer being an animus and all."

"Actually," Windracer said, "I don't think I should -"

"And Queen Blister will be so interested to meet you," Coral went on. She didn't seem to have heard him at all. "I'll have Moray send a message to her. Now, all of you follow me." She swept back out of the prison.

Windracer reached out and brushed his wings with Arid and Lagoon as Shark shut off the water for the cells containing the other three dragonets plus Windracer's mother and Arid's parents. Whatever happened next, at least they were all together.

The dragonets may be free, now, but they're not out of the woods yet. Or should I say the sea?

...Yeah, I know. Lame joke.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Now, let's keep things moving along.

Windracer was at the forefront of the group as Queen Coral brought him and his friends to the SeaWing Council. As they flew up to the pavilion, they could see several guards clustered on one of the lowest levels, half of them sleeping and half of them drinking something steaming out of handheld cauldrons. They looked well fed, well rested, and content, not thin and grumpy like Queen Scarlet's guards in the SkyWing palace.

When Queen Coral landed on the Council level, a flurry of wingbeats sounded all over the palace. Council members swept down from caves or surged up from the water below. Coral settled herself in the largest pool, which was labeled QUEEN. She tugged Anemone into the water with her, although it was a bit of a squeeze, and the little dragonet had to curl under the queen's wing.

"Mother," Anemone protested. "Quit squashing me." She wriggled around until there was a little more space for her.

Small turquoise dragons darted in with platters of food, laying them all around the pools as Council members slipped into their places. Windracer and his friends stood awkwardly to the side.

"Lagoon," said Queen Coral, "you can sit there. Tortoise is guarding the hatchery at the Deep Palace, so she won't be joining us today." The queen pointed her claw at a pool two down from hers, labeled DRAGONET CARE in tiny emeralds.

Why would anyone name a SeaWing Tortoise? Lagoon wondered. The wet stone was chilly under her talons as she climbed into it.

Windracer scanned each of twelve dragon-sized stone pools set in a circle around them. The pools on either side of the queen said DEFENSE and COMMUNICATIONS. Shark splashed down in the first one, and a moment later, a female dragon who looked a lot like him (obviously his daughter) landed in the other.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Moray said, bowing and dipping her wings.

"Thank you, dear," said the queen. Her eyes were scanning the rest of the Council. A dark green dragon flew up beside Moray. His pool was labeled MAGIC & PUBLISHING. Windracer tilted his head at the green dragon. Is he an animus, too?

He reached out into the minds of the Council dragons.

The dark green dragon's name was Whirlpool. If he was an animus, he sure didn't think like one. The only animus Windracer knew was himself, and he would often think about when the right time was to use his powers and how to word the spells.

Whirlpool didn't think like that at all. And he certainly didn't look very pleasant with those blobby, pale green, frog-like eyes of his, or his oddly small teeth. His main accessory was an immense golden hoop earring piercing one of his ears, but he also had multiple golden rings on his ink-stained claws.

To sum it all up, he was a very oily dragon. Definitely not someone Windracer would want to run into in a dark area...or trust with anything super important.

A SeaWing named Jellyfish sat in a pool marked AQUACULTURE. Piranha, a dark blue-gray and scar-covered dragon, was in WAR. The TREASURY pool housed an elegant pale green SeaWing appropriately named Pearl.

The smallest Council member, in the DRAGON HEALTH pool, was named Shrimp. The SECRETS & SPIES pool was occupied by a blue SeaWing named Larimar. And the dragons in the JUSTICE and HUNTING pools were Koi and Pelican.

The sound of Queen Coral's voice brought Windracer back to reality.

"These dragons entered our territory after being led by that creature. The hybrid Windracer comes bringing a negotiation for me. He now has my permission to speak."

Everyone sat in silence.

Steeling himself, Windracer padded across the pavilion into the center of the circle of dragons. He waved a wing at the others, and they followed.

"Your Majesty," snarled Shark, "These intruders are a danger to us. We have no idea whether they might have led others to our palace, or what they might be planning."

"Now, now," said the queen. "Those are our guests, not intruders. If my daughter trusts them, then of course I do, too." She nodded at Windracer.

"Uh," it took him a minute to find his voice. "Many thanks, Queen Coral. It's...it's an honor to be in your presence." He mentally kicked himself for sounding so stupid.

Every Council member's mind was aflutter with anxiety and accusations - what are they planning? and what if he casts a spell on us? and is his prophecy really real or did he make it up? and we can't trust the dragonets.

Lagoon's mind was the calmest. Windracer latched onto her thoughts.

Don't panic, Windracer. Just speak. I'll vouch for you.

He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"I am sorry if I caused you any sort of trouble," he said. "I'm sure that what you've heard about the prophecy was quite a shock. But you all deserved the truth. And the truth is, I sent that message to instill hope, not crush it. If you don't believe me, then I won't force you to. We came here so Lagoon could find her family...and to be safe from Burn. Now that Queen Scarlet is dead, Burn will be coming for us. And with this new prophecy, Morrowseer and the NightWings will be coming for us, too. There may be no way to make you trust us, but right now we need your help."

Lagoon quietly applauded the short, but heartfelt, speech, her eyes shifting to the other SeaWings nervously.

The Council members all muttered amongst themselves for several minutes before Queen Coral made her final declaration.

"The dragonets, and their parents, are welcome to stay safely in my palace for as long as they need to."

Windracer let out a sigh of relief. In that moment, he didn't really care where they'd be staying, just as long as it wasn't in the prisons.

The next thing Windracer knew, he and his friends were standing on a high level of the pavilion they hadn't noticed before. It was shaped like a bowl, with low walls and a slight slope down to the center. Weapons were lined up along one side: white twisting horn spears like the one attached to Coral's tail; battle armor of chain link or scales hammered over more scales; gleaming metal claws like the ones scavengers carried in all the scrolls.

Coral, Anemone, and Whirlpool were there, too.

I don't like the way he keeps looking at me, Windracer heard from Lagoon's mind. Like I'm either a tasty treat or a statue made of the grandest and most expensive treasure in the world.

The queen cleared her throat. "Before we get on with it, I'd like to dedicate my daughter Anemone's next demonstration to our honored guests." She gestured to the bewildered group with her wing as Anemone padded into the center of the bowl.

"May I?" Whirlpool said officiously, gesturing to one of the strands of pearls on Coral's neck. She dipped her head so he could remove it. He strutted to the center of the bowl and carefully laid the rope of pearls on the floor in front of him.

"All right," he said, rubbing his talons together. "See if you can return it to your mother's neck."

Anemone sat down and sighed. "Do I have to?" she said. "It seems like a waste."

"Practicing is never time wasted," Whirlpool said, wagging a claw.

"But I don't want to end up like Albatross," Anemone said. She flicked her wings and looked up at Lagoon.

"He made an entire pavilion grow from stone before he went mad and tried to kill everyone," Whirlpool said patronizingly. "You have a way to go before that happens. Now. The necklace, please."

Anemone sighed again. She held out her front talons and, to the amazement of the Dragonets of Destiny, the necklace began to slowly lift into the air, floating higher and higher until it settled around Queen Coral's neck where it was supposed to be.

"An animus," Windracer muttered to himself in awe.

Queen Coral heard him. Smiling proudly, she explained, "It runs in the royal family."

"Who's Albatross?" Lagoon asked.

"Prince Albatross was a hero at first," said Anemone. "But they didn't know about the price of animus magic then. Every time he used his power, he lost a bit of himself. Then he built the pavilion...it turned him evil. He killed more than half his family before he was stopped."

Windracer stared at the little princess wide-eyed. "Are you sure he really went insane? I mean, I've been using my magic recently to help my friends and other dragons, and I still feel like myself. Maybe Albatross used his power for his own gain, or someone or something made him mad?"

"We all know the story," said Coral. "His sister, Queen Lagoon, had him serve her as her personal animus. Truly an honorable position; he did such good deeds for the kingdom. But that was nearly two thousand years ago."

"I want to learn and understand everything I can about animus magic," Windracer explained. "I can't help but feel there's more to it than what the scrolls say."

Queen Coral's only response was a curt nod before her attention went back to Anemone.

With the SeaWing queen distracted, Windracer reached into his leather pouch and pulled out the mirror he'd enchanted. He said to it in a whisper, "Please show us what happened to Prince Albatross of the SeaWings."

The images that swirled into focus, revealing a bluish-gray SeaWing, very much confirmed Windracer's suspicions. He saw Albatross building the Summer Palace with nothing but his animus magic. Albatross being forced by his sister, Queen Lagoon, into creating whatever she wanted with his magic. The last image showed Albatross looking at his sister with hooded eyes before enchanting a knife to slit her throat. After that, it was all blood and destruction.

But what really sealed it in was what Windracer heard Queen Lagoon say just before Albatross killed her.

"Do you think you're done? Do you think you'll ever be done atoning for what you did to Sapphire? It's not going to end, Albatross. You'll always be mine."

Combined with all the ways Albatross had been forced to use his power for someone else's needs, it was surely enough to make even the calmest and most collected of all dragons snap.

Windracer shut his eyes tightly as he slipped the mirror into his bag. What if that happened to him? He couldn't bear the thought of murdering his own mother, or even his beloved Arid, because he'd gone mad from using his animus magic for all the wrong reasons.

That isn't me, Windracer said to himself. It can't be me. It will never be me.

It also explained why Queen Coral seemed unhappy whenever she said her eldest daughter's name. Lagoon was the name of Albatross's sister, who was the first dragon he'd killed in the massacre. Windracer wasn't sure if Webs knew of that fact when he named their friend, but one thing was certain - Queen Coral had another reason to hate their SeaWing guardian.

A set of webbed talons on his shoulder made Windracer jump. He looked up to find Lagoon staring at him with wide eyes.

"She used him," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper. "He was her brother, and she used him." Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. "How could she do that? How could any dragon do that to HER OWN FAMILY?"

She sounded angry and scared and sad all at the same time.

"I don't know," Windracer choked out. "But that's not you. You're not like that."

"But what if I am?" Lagoon asked, her voice full of tears. "I don't...I can't do that to Anemone!"

"You won't," Arid said fiercely. "We'll make sure of it."

"Y-yeah," Bog stuttered. "Super extra sure."

Marmoset and Mango were too busy trying to make the spears on the wall move with their own imaginary magic powers to comment on the matter.

Whirlpool cleared his throat loudly. "Moving on," he said. He picked up a metal armor breastplate and flung it up in the air, over the edge. "Catch it with a spear!" he called to Anemone.

None of the spears moved. The breastplate plummeted toward the lake.

"Sorry," Anemone said, not looking very sorry. "You didn't give me enough warning."

"Ow!" someone yelled from below.

"Anemone," Whirlpool said with a sigh. "Battle is all about quick thinking."

"How would you know that?" she said.

He frowned at her.

"Try it again," Queen Coral said, clapping her front talons together. "And this time do as you're told, Anemone."

Whirlpool flung another flat piece of metal armor into the air. Instantly one of the narwhal spears shot after it and pierced it through.

Queen Coral applauded, but Windracer thought it was more interesting that the spear then carefully brought the armor back to rest safely on the floor.

"Is this really necessary?" he asked. "Even if she doesn't lose her soul, it just doesn't seem very practical."

"Of course it's practical," Coral said. "Practice makes perfect, you know."

"I have to tell you something," Lagoon said, hoping to change the subject. "I don't know the underwater language. Webs never taught it to me."

Queen Coral stared at her. "What is wrong with that dragon?" she growled. "It's all right, sweetheart. Whirlpool, Lagoon needs lessons in Aquatic. Can you believe she never learned it, poor thing?" She tapped her claws on the floor in front of her. "Such a sad upbringing."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Whirlpool said. He inclined his head toward Lagoon. "I would be happy to instruct the princess."

There was definitely something off about the dark green SeaWing. His mind was oily from the inside out; even just brushing the surface sent Windracer plunging into a torrent of dark and slippery thoughts.

If he's trying to make Anemone lose her soul...how can we save her?

Lagoon had wondered if there was a pool for the king, but she didn't see one. Queen Coral hadn't said anything about Lagoon's father yet, and in all the excitement about her missing friends, Lagoon hadn't had a chance to ask. Maybe he was at the Deep Palace. Maybe she could meet him later today.

The next pavilion they visited was below the armory level; the floor was paved with beautiful sea glass in various shades of blue that shone magnificently when the SeaWings lit up their glowing stripes.

Auburn, Storm, and Ocotillo were waiting for the dragonets off to the side, watching as a dozen or so SeaWings mingled and danced on the sea glass floor.

"So it's true, then," Queen Coral said to them. "Scarlet is dead?"

"Yes," said Auburn. "I was put on trial by Queen Scarlet, and Windracer offered to fight for my life. One of his opponents, Prince Frost of the IceWings, turned on Scarlet after he learned she killed his sister; he breathed his frostbreath down Scarlet's throat."

"It's true," Lagoon blurted. "I was there; I saw the whole thing." She could see Windracer shuddering as his mother recounted the event. Seeing Frost kill Scarlet in front of him was one of those things that would haunt him for life.

"You were at the SkyWing palace?" Coral lunged and seized Lagoon's front talons in her own, clutching them so hard it was a little painful. Behind her, Anemone was yanked quite suddenly off of her feet with a squeak of protest, but Coral didn't seem to notice.

"Did you see a SeaWing named Gill?" the queen cried. "Green scales, big and powerful, with brave eyes?"

Lagoon felt sick. Gill. Yes, she remembered Gill - but not the way Queen Coral described him. Windracer had been forced to fight Gill, and Frost, in Scarlet's gladiator arena after the SeaWing had been deprived of water for months and driven mad with thirst. He'd been covered in scratches, as if he'd tried to drink his own blood.

The sound of dragon bones snapping.

"We did see him," Lagoon said slowly.

"Can you tell me where he is?" Queen Coral asked urgently. "We've been planning a rescue mission, but he's not in the regular prison with the others. And we've got to get him back, Lagoon. You have no idea how important it is."

Lagoon curled her tail in close to her talons. She wanted to dive into the lake, crawl down to the bottom, and stay there forever with her wings over her head.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Windracer said, his voice cracking. "Gill is dead."

"Dead?" Queen Coral released Lagoon's talons and staggered backward. "How?"

"In the arena," said Arid.

"But he refused to fight," Coral said. "We heard about it, through our spies. He convinced each of his opponents to lie down and refuse to fight along with him. He has - had a way with words. No one who met him would be able to kill him." A smile flickered across her snout and vanished. "Queen Scarlet was furious, I heard."

"She was." Lagoon swallowed. "She punished him. It was - really awful. She drove him mad. She kept him away from water until he lost his mind and - and when he was crazy, he was dangerous. He was barely even a dragon anymore."

"I was sent into the arena to fight him and Frost at the same time," Windracer explained. "But I couldn't...I wouldn't kill another dragon. I managed to cast a spell to free all of Scarlet's prisoners, but Gill didn't leave with the rest. He tried to kill me, but Scarlet wanted to kill me herself. She...she snapped his neck. I wanted to save him, we all did, but it all happened so fast; we didn't know what to do."

Queen Coral didn't look angry at all. She dropped her head, her eyes shut tight. "Dead," she mumbled sadly. "My Gill is dead."

"Your Gill?" Bog repeated. His eyes were wide as the pieces started coming together in his head.

The SeaWing queen lifted her head and said in a hollow voice, "He was my husband."

Darkness seemed to be rushing into Lagoon's vision, sucking away all her breath. She knew what Queen Coral was going to say next, and she would have fled back to the mountains to avoid hearing it if she could.

"Lagoon...Gill was your father."

At least it wasn't his daughter that killed him this time. Not that that makes it any less sad...

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

New allies are made, and new foes are on the way.

Queen Coral pulled Anemone into her wings and clutched her tightly. The little dragonet wriggled a bit, then gave up and rested her head on Coral's shoulder. She blinked in a resigned way at Lagoon over their mother's back.

Lagoon felt like oceans were pressing against the back of her eyes. Her scales were heavy, as if they were clogged with seaweed.

He was my father. And I had no idea.

Everyone on the pavilion was staring at them now.

"I must grieve," said the queen. She stepped to the edge of the pavilion and flew off to a nearby cave, still holding Anemone.

Lagoon collapsed to the floor and clutched her head. Now what was she supposed to do?

One by one, Windracer and Arid and Bog's wings folded over her back. After a moment, Marmoset and Mango added their own wings to the stack. Lagoon could see each of them open their mouths to speak to her, but no sound came out. None of them knew what to say. What could be said?

Then something tapped her on the top of her head.

She looked up and found Whirlpool rubbing his claws together. "Time for your first lesson," he said in his oily voice.

"Now?" Lagoon said.

"Why not?" He spread his talons. "It is never too soon to begin filling our minds with knowledge."

Lagoon groaned softly under her breath.

"Go ahead," Windracer said. "We'll handle things here."

She nodded at him. This won't be fun...but maybe it'll be distracting.

"Come," Whirlpool said, strutting to the edge and diving over. Lagoon reluctantly followed him into the cavern lake. He was hovering several lengths below the surface, flashing his stripes at her.

Lagoon sank to his level and watched him. She kept her own scales dark. She most definitely did not want to say something to him like what she'd said to Riptide.

After a few moments, Whirlpool looked at her expectantly.

She hesitated for half a moment, then imitated what he'd done. The lesson seemed to go on for eternity. Lagoon copied each flashing path of light - along her wings, her tail, her sides, alternating and sometimes flashing faster or slower. Finally, Whirlpool nodded with satisfaction and led her to the surface.

"Excellent," he proclaimed.

"What's excellent?" Lagoon asked, spreading her wings to float.

"We recited the first chapter of the queen's very first work, The Tragedy of Orca. It's extremely moving, glorious writing. You nearly repeated it perfectly."

Lagoon scrunched up her snout. "But...I didn't learn anything."

"With repetition comes perfection," he said. "Shall we continue?"

"No!" Lagoon said. "Teach me something I can use. How do you greet strangers? How do you warn other SeaWings of danger? For moon's sake, at least show me how to say 'I don't speak Aquatic!'"

"All knowledge can be found in the queen's writing," Whirlpool insisted.

"I have to get out of here," Lagoon sighed. She turned and swam toward the exit tunnel.

"I am not impressed with your work ethic!" Whirlpool called.

Lagoon plunged her head under the water so she couldn't hear him anymore. The exit tunnel yawned ahead of her, and she shot into it as fast as her wings could beat.

Windracer watched Lagoon interacting with Whirlpool from up on the pavilion. He couldn't clearly hear what was being said, and he was pretty sure he didn't want to. But he could still hear their thoughts - Whirlpool's oily mind and Lagoon's apprehensiveness.

He couldn't see any future where Lagoon married Whirlpool, which was an immense relief. Windracer didn't know what that SeaWing was up to, but he doubted it was anything good.

When Lagoon swam away, Windracer allowed his mind to drift back to Gill. He'd already felt guilty for not being able to save the dehydrated SeaWing, but now that he knew who Gill was...he felt like his stomach was full of cold, heavy rocks.

"This is not your fault, Windracer." His mother's words echoed through his head. "You did what you could. I know it's hard, but the truth is...we can't always save everyone."

Nothing helped.

Below him, Whirlpool gave a huff of indignation and swam away to parts unknown. A minute later, Anemone's head breached the surface. She spotted Windracer and waved for him to come down.

"I'll be right back," he told the others. Then he dove off the platform, spreading his wings to stop his fall just seconds before he hit the water.

"Is my father really dead?" Anemone asked.

Windracer wasn't expecting her to ask that outright; he was so caught by surprise that he almost fell into the water. All he could think to say was, "I'm afraid so."

"I heard you have magic," said Anemone. "Is that true? Are you an animus? Why didn't you save my father?"

"Yes," Windracer said, "I am an animus. I wanted to save Gill; really, I did. I just didn't know how. I wasn't clever enough, or brave enough. Animus magic can be dangerous if we're not careful. I couldn't risk Scarlet finding out about my powers, if she ever got the chance to use my magic for her own purposes. I couldn't let her use me to hurt my friends; they're like my family. You wouldn't use your magic to hurt your family, would you?"

Anemone's gaze fell to her talons below the water. "I..." She blinked back tears. "I hope not."

Windracer let himself drop into the water so he could hug her. It was a little awkward at first, since he couldn't swim as well as a SeaWing, but he managed to keep himself afloat with his wings and tail while he scooped up the little princess in his talons. She tensed in surprise, but soon relaxed and laid her head on his shoulder.

Some nearby SeaWings were watching them; Windracer could see them out of the corner of his eye. One of them, around four or five years old, was looking right at him and Anemone.

...Was that guilt Windracer saw in the SeaWing's eyes?

The little princess gently wriggled out of the hybrid's grasp and settled herself back into the cavern lake. "Thank you," she said softly. "I needed that."

Windracer could sense just how lonely she was - constantly tied to her mother, surrounded by brothers, and now finally meeting her missing sister...but she couldn't interact with anybody. The pace of her conscious thoughts slowed for a moment, just long enough for him to catch glimpses of several SeaWing dragonets - some with the royal pattern on their wings - chasing and wrestling playfully with each other while she watched longingly from a distance.

Poor Anemone.

"I'm sure things will get better soon," he said.

"At least you have friends," Anemone sighed. "I never get to do anything except what Mother's doing."

"What about your brothers?"

She snorted. "Mother thinks they play too rough, and she won't let them near me. My cousins are all possible suspects in her mind, except Moray, who's perfect and boring and old and can do no wrong. And nonroyal dragonets aren't special enough for me to play with." Anemone sighed, blowing bubbles across the water at Windracer.

"I can be your friend, if you'd like," Windracer offered.

Anemone glanced down into the underwater cave. Queen Coral was curled up on a bed of seaweed, her face buried in her talons, mourning for her beloved King Gill.

"I should go," the princess said. She started, then quickly added, "But I'll think about it."

She was thinking about it, Windracer could hear her clearly - I need friends. Why can't Mother let me have just one friend?

Anemone dove below the water, swimming to a small seaweed bed just before Coral lifted her head.

The other SeaWings had also dispersed...except for one. The dragonet, dark emerald-green in color, watched as Windracer paddled awkwardly to the nearby beach. Then his eyes drifted to below the water, where Anemone was resting.

His face looked full of...regret?

"Excuse me," Windracer called out. He waved the SeaWing over and asked, "Can I help you?"

The dragonet shook his head.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Windracer asked.

The SeaWing hesitated, then nodded. He paddled over onto the shore, his head hung. As he climbed out of the water, Windracer could see the distinctive pattern on the dragonet's wings - spirals and shapes like webbed talon prints. He was a royal SeaWing.

"You must be one of the princes," Windracer guessed. "Are you okay?"

Scrunching up his face as though he were in pain, the prince avoided Windracer's eyes. No, he thought. I don't think I'll ever be okay; not after what happened with Snapper...or with Anemone at the Talons of Power ceremony...

Before he could stop himself, Windracer blurted in confusion, "Snapper? Talons of Power? What happened?"

The SeaWing prince gaped at him. "How did you -?"

"I can read minds," the hybrid confessed. "But I wasn't trying...I didn't mean to invade your privacy; I can't really control it."

Sighing, the green dragon sat down in the sand. His tail curled around his claws, and he bit his lip, leaving little spots of red. "I..." he choked. "I made a big mistake."

"Mistake?" Windracer pressed as gently as he could.

I might as well tell him, thought the prince. He's going to find out from my thoughts anyway. "I'm an animus," he said. "Anemone...she wasn't born with her powers. I enchanted her to become an animus because I didn't want to be discovered. There's this event called the Talons of Power ceremony; it's basically a test to see which SeaWings might be animus dragons. Mother always dreamed that Anemone would be an animus, and I didn't want them to find out about my power. So, I enchanted Anemone to have magic, to let her have all the attention instead of me. To Mother, I'm just another one of her many sons who is useless and can't inherit the throne, and I want it to stay that way. I've always dreamed of being a hero, but I guess I always knew deep down that could never be me.

"Snapper was one of the guards in charge of keeping the eggs in the royal hatchery safe. She wasn't at her post, and I volunteered to find her...but I couldn't. My sisters were killed because of me. I'd enchanted a piece of coral to help me find what I was looking for, but it wasn't leading me to anywhere near where Snapper was supposed to be. After that, I knew then that if anyone found out I was an animus, I'd always be the animus who failed to use the power he had to save his sisters. Maybe that's who I'm destined to be - a failure."

Windracer sat down. Hard.

There were aspects about this prince that resembled him. His insecurity, his fear of failing, his desire to hide his powers to avoid hurting anyone or doing something wrong.

Windracer reached into the leather pouch that was hanging from around his neck and pulled out the wooden bowl he'd enchanted. "Let me explain something, uh..." He wasn't sure what to refer to the SeaWing as.

"Turtle," the prince blurted out. Then he explained, in a much calmer voice, "My name is Turtle."

Windracer nodded. "Turtle," he said, testing out the name. "Your powers don't make you who you are. It's what you do with that power that counts. The choices you make, the actions you take, that's what defines who you are. I may not know much about animus magic myself, but that's what I believe. And I think you should believe that, too." He held out the bowl for the SeaWing to take. "I enchanted this to increase the amount of whatever is in it. All you have to do is put something in there, say 'twice as much, please,' and the amount will be doubled. I haven't really used it much, so...you can have it, if you want."

Turtle reached out and grabbed the bowl. His eyes were cloudy, as if he was about to cry. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Windracer, right?"

The hybrid nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you," said Turtle.

All of a sudden, Moray and three other SeaWings burst out of the water. Moray broke off from the group and dove into Queen Coral's chambers while the rest carried something big and red up to one of the pavilions.

Windracer couldn't understand what Moray and Coral's flashing stripes meant, but he could still hear what they were thinking - A SkyWing? This close to the palace? What was she doing out there?!

The SeaWings were bringing the big red something to the Council level. As they passed the ballroom pavilion, there was a shrill scream of horror. Windracer launched into the air, and nearly crashed into Auburn as she flew past him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Oh, no. Windracer had a pretty good idea what, or rather who, the big red shape might be.

"Auburn!"

Six dragons of different colors flew off the ballroom pavilion after Windracer's mother. Below them, the water sprayed magnificently as Coral, Anemone, and Moray emerged from the queen's chambers.

"Windracer," Arid called out as he hurried to catch up to them, "what's going on?"

"I'm not sure," he answered. "But somehow it involves a SkyWing."

They landed on the Council level, and Moray pointed to the middle of circle, where a rust-colored body was being laid across the floor. "The patrol found it on a nearby island. We didn't know what to do with it, so we brought it here. Apparently, she was attacked and killed by a SandWing. Which is odd, because, for what reason would a SkyWing and a SandWing be fighting in SeaWing territory?"

Windracer's blood ran cold as ice as he pushed past the others to get a better look at the body. He'd already had a suspicion about who it was, but only when he officially recognized the corpse did he understand why his mother had been so upset.

It was Kestrel.

Explanation: Turtle doesn't get his skyfire until the comet passes through the sky, which won't be happening for a while. Therefore, Windracer can still read his mind...for now.

Sure, Kestrel may have been unnecessarily harsh and aggressive, but I still can't help feeling sorry for her. I like to think that if she lived longer in this universe, she would have continued to warm up to Windracer. After all, he's part of her family.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

The plot thickens...

Dead.

Kestrel was dead.

Windracer's aunt was dead.

Auburn's sister was dead.

Auburn!

Windracer turned away and flew off the platform in the direction he saw his mother going. The only way in or out of the Summer Palace was underwater; the dragonets and the three adults accompanying them were lucky to be able to hold their breath long enough until Shark and his guards let them use the breathing holes meant for Blister and the SeaWings' allies.

Auburn looked too upset to try swimming her way out. She had to still be in the palace somewhere.

The atmosphere in the palace had dimmed. Windracer couldn't see much of the sky through the thick canopy of trees that hid the palace from view from above, but the sunlight seemed to have vanished. He could hear the wind whistling outside, and the air had a chill to it.

A storm was coming, and it suited the mood rather perfectly.

Through the cluster of dragon thoughts in the palace, Windracer could hear his mother's mind wailing, Not her. Please, it can't be. Not my sister.

He found her in the highest cave, far up the cliff. She'd buried herself into her wings, though she raised her head at the sound of her son's wingbeats and his talons settling on the cave floor.

Windracer wanted to say something, anything, to assure his mother that everything would be alright. But what could he say to a dragon that had lost her sister? Finally, he managed to force out a very sympathetic, "I'm so sorry, Mom."

Auburn's eyes glistened at the sound of her son's voice. The next thing he knew, she was hugging him tightly, her talons on the back of his neck while her wings enveloped his body. She was still sobbing, Windracer could feel her tears trailing down his scales as she held him close.

"I didn't know Kestrel like you did," he admitted. "We only ever knew her as a grump who hated dragonets, but I know she was a lot more to you. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not as upset as you are."

Auburn pulled back to look at her son, but she didn't dare to let go of him. "My sister was the only dragon who ever understood me," she said. "I was with her when she met Scorch. Queen Scarlet sent us both through the breeding program so we could give her more soldiers for the army. After Killer left, I lied and said I was infertile. Kestrel was the only one I knew I could trust with my secret. But I didn't dare tell her whose egg it was; I was afraid that if she knew I was carrying a NightWing's dragonet, she'd tell the queen, and I might as well have ended up dead. She helped me hide you. We left half-eaten carcasses all around my room to explain my gaining weight, but it was harder when you came out. I did everything I could to protect you from Scarlet. Hiding you in a pile of blankets, posing you as a decorative egg... Then I tried to sneak out of the kingdom the night you were due to hatch, to take you to the Talons where you'd be safe."

Windracer was left speechless. He'd only known what Osprey had said at the trial. Hearing the entire story from Auburn was a different experience - this was the whole truth, not just fragments of it.

"I was with Kestrel when Inferno hatched," she said. "Scarlet immediately took him away to be trained for the army. She wouldn't let Kestrel go anywhere near her son. The queen fed Inferno lies about his mother, that she didn't love him, so he wouldn't have anything that Scarlet considered a liability. Kestrel was so furious with the queen; she left the kingdom to work for the Talons of Peace full-time. She'd only ever been a source of information for them until that point. Because she had a dragonet, she was assigned the duty of guardian for the Dragonets of Destiny. I know because she told me herself. I never considered myself a Talon, but I knew I could be safe with them if Scarlet ever tried to hurt me, or those I love."

Now Windracer felt like he was about to cry. Kestrel had done so much to help Auburn keep him safe, and he could only remember his aunt as a mean guardian SkyWing who had treated them poorly for years, all because Scarlet had kept her away from her own son.

Auburn lifted her talons and cupped her son's face, caressing his scales and horns lovingly. "Don't think for one second that this is your fault," she said, reading his expression. "Kestrel chose to do what she did, and there's nothing we can do to change that. No matter what my sister said to you, you have never been a burden to anyone." She embraced him again. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Windracer. I will never regret having you."

With that, Windracer descended into a series of sobs befitting of a one-year-old dragonet. "Mom!" he choked out, hugging her back. This was where he wanted to be more than anything - here in his mother's warm embrace, like he should have been all along.

Much calmer now, Auburn stroked her son with a gentle, mother's touch. "It's alright," she crooned. "I have you, now, my little moonbeam. I'm never letting you go again, I promise."

Windracer didn't have to read her mind or look into the future to know that was true.

He must have dozed off at some point, because he woke up to the sound of wingbeats at the cave mouth. There were his friends, and Storm and Ocotillo, hovering outside and looking at him and Auburn. The sky had darkened, and the canopy was dripping with rainwater.

Auburn was asleep, curled around her son with one wing draped over his shoulders like a blanket.

"It's okay," he whispered. "She's okay. Come on in."

As they landed on the cave floor, he realized Lagoon had joined them...and she was holding an egg. A SeaWing egg, green in color with blue swirls on its shell.

"What happened?" Windracer asked.

"Only a lot," answered Lagoon.

She told them everything - encountering Riptide outside the palace, him teaching her some Aquatic, getting attacked by a mysterious dragon in the tunnel, visiting the Royal Hatchery in the Deep Palace, finding one of the last two princess eggs smashed, Queen Coral killing Tortoise brutally as punishment for failing, and how she'd vowed to protect the last egg herself - all without raising her voice too much so she wouldn't wake up Auburn.

"Someone tried to kill you?!" Bog said.

Windracer shushed him. Behind him, Auburn stirred and her eyes blinked open.

"Sorry," squeaked Bog.

"It's alright," Auburn told him. "Having been on the run, I've become a rather light sleeper." She rubbed her eyes. "What is it you were saying?"

"Apparently someone tried to kill Lagoon," Windracer said.

Arid snorted and rolled her eyes at him. "That's what you took from all that? Not, 'oh no some whack-job is destroying the princess eggs' or 'oh my gosh your mother is actually kinda terrifying'?"

"Coral is a good queen," Lagoon argued. "She just makes mistakes, is all." Maybe a lot of mistakes. But that doesn't make her a bad queen...does it?

Windracer had to agree that Queen Coral was much better than Queen Scarlet. In some ways, at least.

"But if someone is killing the SeaWing princesses," he said, "then Lagoon might be in danger."

"Not if we catch them," snarled Storm. She flexed her claws and thrashed her tail.

"Let's not do anything too hasty," said Ocotillo. "We don't even know who it is."

For a moment, they all sat in silence. Windracer could hear his friends contemplating in their minds. ...Except for Marmoset and Mango, who were imagining themselves dumping a big cauldron full of raw fish over an unfortunate dragon's head.

"Well," Windracer said awkwardly, "we do know who it isn't - Queen Coral. Lagoon, you said Anemone is always with her, right?"

"I didn't say that out loud," she replied. "I thought it, though. But yes, Mother keeps Anemone on her harness at all times. She couldn't have broken the eggs, not with a witness. And whoever attacked me in the tunnel didn't have a dragonet attached."

"Or what if the attack on you isn't related to the princess murders?" Bog suggested.

"What about Shark?" Arid said, ignoring him. "He imprisoned us as soon as we got here, and he wants us either gone or dead."

"That doesn't necessarily mean he's guilty," Windracer said.

At the same time, Auburn asked, "But what's his motive?"

"Well, there's Moray," said Ocotillo. "If I remember correctly, only the daughters, sisters, nieces, and granddaughters of a queen can issue a challenge for the throne. Shark is Queen Coral's brother, so that makes his daughter an heir. Maybe he wants her to be the next SeaWing queen."

"So he can tell her what to do," said Storm. "Instead of Coral always telling him what to do."

Windracer nodded. "That's certainly possible. But still...there's something fishy about all this."

"Fishy?" Arid repeated with a snort of laughter.

"Oh!" Windracer laughed, too. "No pun intended."

"Whirlpool seems like the kind of dragon who'd kill a baby," Lagoon said with a shudder. She cuddled the egg to her chest and patted it gently.

"Does he have a motive?" Bog asked.

Lagoon shrugged. "Is being creepy a motive?"

"You guys," Marmoset jumped in suddenly. "We've figured it out. It's Blister!"

"What's Blister?" Auburn asked, looking confused.

"Blister is the mystery assassin," Mango said.

"You're kidding, right?" Arid scoffed. "Queen Coral is her ally. And besides, Blister can't breathe underwater."

"So she had someone else do it for her," said Marmoset. "Duh!"

"Maybe," Lagoon said. "Still, I'm not sure that theory works."

"Windracer, you're an animus," Mango said. "Can't you just magic something to tell us who it is?"

"Uh..." Windracer didn't know how he didn't think of that earlier. "We'll call that Plan B. If we can't figure it out otherwise, then I'll try using my powers." Then he yawned. "Anyway, it's getting kinda late. Why don't we sleep on it and discuss it more in the morning?"

They curled up together to sleep, sheltering the egg in the middle of their pile. Windracer rested his head on Auburn's shoulder and listened to the rain pattering on the canopy far above them. He felt Arid's tail twine carefully with his, her touch sending sparks through his entire being.

Don't worry, her mind whispered to him. We'll be okay, as long as we stick together.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Windracer had slept better that night than he could ever remember. He'd never felt so safe and loved in all his life, surrounded by his friends and with his mother, a dragon who loved him with everything she had, by his side. Every time a chill from the wind blew through the cave, Windracer would instinctively snuggle into Auburn's wings to keep warm.

He awoke early that morning to the sound of something hissing. He lifted his head up and found a figure towering in the entrance of the cave. Glittering black eyes met Windracer's emerald green ones. A venomous tail barb flicked up and down. White-gold scales marked with black diamond patterns caught the glint of sunlight now trickling through the canopy.

Windracer leapt to his feet as he recognized the SandWing that was watching him. "Blister."

"Queen Blister," the SandWing insisted, her voice hissing with irritation. "Staying dry, I presume," she went on conversationally. "Very wise. I would have done the same thing."

A crazy amount of bravery coursing through him, Windracer stood as tall as he could and looked Blister in the eye. "You're not the queen of the SandWings," he said. "And you won't be unless either you kill your sisters, or if we choose you to be. And based on what I know about you, it's very likely that we will never choose you to be the next queen. Everyone's afraid of you, in all the bad ways. You're too dangerous. For all we know, you could be plotting this unspeakable plan to take over every tribe on the continent, and then some."

He was expecting the SandWing princess to stab his heart with her tail and kill him right then and there. But instead, a large menacing smile curled her snout. And it was the most nightmarish thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

"I was planning to come here and visit my allies," Blister hissed, "when you made the mistake of exposing yourself to everyone on Pyrrhia with that big heroic speech of yours. The SeaWings are too afraid of me to break off our alliance because they know what I can do to their queen. I disposed of Kestrel, and I can just as easily do the same to you."

She took giant steps toward Windracer, but he stood his ground, spreading his wings to block his still-sleeping friends from her view. She towered over him, staring with her sinister black eyes narrowed and piercing into him like two sharp knives.

"Morrowseer's prophecy may not be real, but you know as well as anyone that the SandWings still need a queen. You can look into my head, see all my futures, and cast as many spells on me as you want, you filthy little half-breed, but nothing you do will ever stop me from becoming queen. You have a choice. You're either with me, or against me. You don't have to answer right now, I'll give you until the end of my visit. I'll warn you ahead of time, make the wrong decision and you and all your loved ones will be sleeping with your guardian dragons. Dune, Kestrel, and Webs, right? Ah, yes, and Asha and Hvitur. Of course, you don't know those two, they died before you brats hatched on that phenomenal brightest night. Consider yourselves lucky, though; they would have filled up your little heads with nonsense about how great the prophecy is and how much hope it holds for all the slaves and commoners that are forced to get their claws dirty for me and my sisters."

It took every ounce of self-control Windracer had to keep a look of confusion off his face. How did Blister know their guardians' names? The only dragons who'd know, besides himself and his friends, were the Talons of Peace...and Morrowseer.

Windracer let go of the calming white noise of the others' sleeping minds and dipped into Blister's.

It was like walking into a den full of vipers. Danger and death everywhere, with no clear way to escape. The SandWing princess's mind was full of possible scenarios on how to kill her enemies - a magic spear that would stab into Burn's heart with absolute precision, Blaze and her IceWing allies drinking some kind of beverage secretly spiked with desert thorn-apple, the SkyWing palace caving in on itself and killing all the dragons within, and, perhaps the most terrifying of all, Windracer and his friends and Auburn and even Storm and Ocotillo lying dead at her feet with black starbursts all over their bodies.

His heart hammering in his chest, Windracer tried to look as fearless as he could. What would Arid do? How would she handle this? His girlfriend was the bravest dragon he knew, besides his mother, of course, so she was the example he turned to when he needed to say or do something brave.

"You won't get away with this," he finally uttered, though he had to admit that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say right then.

He was proven right when Blister let out what was most likely the most evil and spine-tingling chuckle he'd ever hear. "You really are a stupid half-breed. Can't you see? I already have."

After that, all Windracer could see was darkness. His breathing grew fast and shallow, countless thoughts flew through his mind like birds scattering out of the trees. Only one string of thought was clear.

I'm dead. Blister has killed me, and now I'm dead.

And then...

...he realized he had his eyes closed.

He opened them.

Blister was gone.

There was no stabbing pain in his chest, or anywhere else.

There was no venom coursing through his blood, seeking to end his life.

Had he been dreaming? No, it felt much too real. Blister had been there, and she'd still be there, in his head, haunting the nightmares he had about his friends and family dying and all of Pyrrhia falling into chaos.

A strong chill slithering down his spine, Windracer padded over to where his five friends and the three adult dragons were still sleeping and slipped back into Auburn's wings. He sighed at the protective warmth that enveloped him once again. There was still some time for him to get some more sleep, and hopefully shake off the frightful experience he'd just had.

They couldn't choose Blister, he knew that all too well. She was too smart, too dangerous, too conniving. She'd plunge the entire continent into a never-ending nightmare of tyranny and destruction. She'd kill any dragon who'd dare to stand in her way, and really anyone who'd only maybe be a threat to her reign.

We can't let her do that. She can't be queen. She'll kill us if we don't choose her, but she might kill us anyway if we do.

I can't let that happen. I need to stop her. I need to protect Mom, and Arid, and all my friends.

No matter the cost...

Blister is the walking definition of nightmare fuel. I mean, if she isn't, then, I don't know what is.

On a happier note, we got a touching mother-son bonding moment. I almost cried while writing that. Almost.

Up next: a further investigation of the princess murders.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Now the investigation really begins.

Windracer had planned on telling - or rather, warning - his friends about his unsettling encounter with Blister earlier that morning. But they were rather rudely awoken by Queen Coral storming into the cave demanding to know where her precious egg had gone.

"It's safe," Lagoon said. "And warm, like I promised." She stepped aside to let her mother see the dragonets curled around the egg.

Queen Coral hissed and lashed her tail. "You never said anything about these dragons touching my egg."

"Oh, but think about it, Coral," interjected a voice that made Windracer's stomach churn. "These are not ordinary dragons. These are the Dragonets of Destiny. If they can't be trusted with our future, who can?" Blister smiled at them, but those cold and glittering black orbs that were her eyes seemed to be burning a hole into Windracer's head.

Queen Coral took a deep breath, then turned to Blister with outstretched arms and wings spread wide. "Queen Blister, my friend," she said. "You got my message! I'm so glad you came. I knew you'd want to hear right away that we found the dragonets."

Windracer had to sit firmly on his talons to stop them from shaking.

Blister clasped Coral's front talons in hers and quickly let go. "I was thrilled to hear it," she said. "And one of them was your beautiful missing daughter, as we always suspected."

"I knew the Talons of Peace must have sent Webs to steal her," Queen Coral said. "Dragonets, say hello to my ally, Queen Blister."

"We've met," Windracer said. I have to warn my friends...but I can't do it now, not while Blister and Queen Coral are here. He could feel their gazes on him.

He's met Blister? Arid's mind wondered. When? How?

He wished he could tell her.

"Marvelous," said Blister smoothly. "All so brave and clever-looking. I can't wait to get to know them." She smiled at Queen Coral. "Let's all have breakfast together."

The feasting hall was two levels above the kitchens, so the smells of pickled fish and roasting seagulls ("in honor of our SandWing guests," Queen Coral explained) surrounded them as they arranged themselves around the long, low oval table. Queen Coral's seat was higher than everyone else's, but Blister's, right beside her, was not much lower.

Windracer sat down between his mother and his girlfriend, the two dragons he knew would protect him. Storm and Ocotillo sat together on Arid's other side. Bog was seated to Blister's right, with Lagoon next to Anemone on her mother's left. And on Lagoon's other side were Marmoset and Mango, who stuck seagull feathers between their teeth, slurped loudly as they ate, and playfully slapped each other in the face with the pickled fish.

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid eyed Blister worriedly. She killed Kestrel, my aunt. She can just as easily kill me, and all my friends. Unless I stop her...how can I stop her?

Then the SandWing princess spotted him, and he quickly shifted his eyes to a plate of herrings in an effort to not look too suspicious. He grabbed one of the slippery little squirts and swallowed it whole, then reached out to grab an octopus tentacle. A tap on his shoulder made him turn around. He jumped when he realized that Queen Coral was standing right behind him.

"Before I forget," said the SeaWing queen, "I was wondering if you would be interested in being Anemone's animus tutor."

Because she had said this while Windracer had been eating the tentacle, he started choking on it in surprise. When he managed to spit it out, he stuttered, "W-what?!"

Coral gave him a somewhat amused smile. "Queen Blister suggested we have her learn from an older animus so she will be more prepared for ending the war. You're the only other animus I know, so of course you're the obvious choice."

Windracer looked over at Blister, who was wearing an almost triumphant grin. He bowed his head to Queen Coral. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, Princess Blister has no authority over you here in the Kingdom of the Sea." He made sure to put a lot of emphasis on the word 'princess.' "Perhaps you should try making those kinds of decisions on your own? Anemone is your daughter, after all." He tried not to notice the look of pure murder that was now on Blister's face.

"You don't have to teach her any new techniques," Coral promised. "Just some advice will do just fine." She pulled on the cord that was connected to the harness that kept Anemone tethered to her mother. The little princess padded over obediently.

"You want my advice?" Windracer asked. When Anemone nodded, he stated, "Don't use your magic unless you absolutely have to. Try every solution you can think of first. If that doesn't work, you can try a spell. And make sure you're using your magic for the benefit of others, not just for yourself. That's what I've been doing. I like to believe we have these powers for a reason, and I want to make mine a good one."

"I want mine to be a good one, too," said Anemone. She gave him a grateful half-smile. Maybe I do have at least one friend.

Windracer gave her a warm smile before looking up at Queen Coral. "Have you ever considered the possibility of there being more than one animus in your family, Your Majesty?" He figured that if she was going to learn about Turtle, he'd want it to be under the best possible circumstances.

"Nonsense," Coral said, shaking her head. She looked down at her daughter with a proud smile. "Anemone is the only animus we need."

But she isn't, Windracer couldn't help thinking. Turtle is the real animus. He at least deserves some recognition for giving Anemone her gift. He wanted to tell this to the SeaWing queen, but if he did, he'd be betraying Turtle's trust, and his friendship.

So, he said nothing.

"I'll leave you two to talk more about magic," Coral said. Then she gracefully padded back to her seat at the table.

This could very well be the kind of opportunity Windracer needed. "Listen," he said to Anemone in a whisper, "I know someone's been smashing all of your sisters' eggs, and we need to find out who and why. Is there anything you know that might be able to help us?"

Anemone shifted her talons nervously. "Well, there was one other princess that made it all the way to their hatching time," she said. "Orca. She was Mother's oldest daughter."

"What do you know about her?" Windracer asked.

"I only know what the other dragons have told me," Anemone explained. "They said she challenged Mother to the throne almost the moment she turned seven. She nearly won, too, but Mother killed her in the end. She was devastated, but a lot of the other SeaWings still hate Orca."

"Probably because of how close she came to killing the queen," Windracer reasoned. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Any new piece of information could be useful."

Anemone pointed to some of the carvings that decorated the feasting table. "Mother says that Orca was very talented at sculpting. Apparently, a lot of the statues in both palaces were carved by her."

Windracer picked up one of the carved, stone seahorses and examined it carefully. A few pieces he hadn't known about before were slowly starting to come together in his head.

The sound of talons scraping on the floor warned him that Blister was heading their way. He set the statue down and looked the other way. The SandWing princess patted Anemone on the head. "I've heard you're coming along rather nicely," she said. "I can't wait to see what new spells you've learned!"

"Why?" Windracer asked. "So you can use her to win the war for you?"

All of his friends turned their heads to look at them. He hadn't been speaking loud enough for everyone to hear him, but at least they had.

Blister glared at the hybrid. "I take it you didn't understand my message to you earlier," she hissed. "Do I have to remind you?"

"No," Windracer said, boldly. "You made yourself very clear. You killed Kestrel, and now you want to kill us because you know we don't want you to be queen."

Beside him, Auburn looked at Blister with wide eyes. She knew the SandWing was dangerous, but she hadn't considered the possibility of Blister being the one who killed her sister.

"You seem to have a habit of talking when you're not supposed to," Blister said with a snarl. "Filthy half-breed!"

A furious and tail-lashing Arid threw herself between her boyfriend and the sinister SandWing princess. "Don't you dare talk to him like that!"

Blister gave the IceWing-SandWing hybrid an amused smile. "And just what do you think you're going to do about it?" she asked.

"Anyone who messes with me, or Windracer, will end up with a face full of flames and frostbreath!" was Arid's response. Strong and fearless; very typical of her.

A grinning Mango whispered to her twin brother, "Try saying that five times fast."

Of course, Marmoset had to give it a try. "Face full of flames and frostbreath, face full of flames and frostbreath..."

"Brave," Blister complimented the female hybrid. "But sadly misguided. You all know, deep down, that I'm the best candidate to be queen." She lowered her head down to Arid's eye level. "But if you favor Burn, I'm sure she'd love to reserve a spot for you in her Weirdling Tower. Your white and yellow mixed scales would look so pretty with all the other décor. After all, it's not every day you find a IceWing-SandWing hybrid that's lived past three years. Most of them are killed in their eggs, you know."

Windracer saw the princess's tail rise up behind her, ready to strike. Letting out a silent gasp, he dug his talons into his bag and grasped at the thing he was looking for.

The next moment was all a blur. Blister's tail sprung forward, aimed at Arid's heart. At the same time, Windracer flung himself towards his girlfriend, grabbing her talons and slipping something over her wrist.

"NO!"

The venomous barb on Blister's tail grazed harmlessly off of Arid's chest. It hadn't even left a scratch.

What just happened?! Arid silently screamed. She looked down at her wrist. Her boyfriend's talons were grasping hers tightly, and a set of brown beads on a string were clashing against the white color of her scales.

It was the bracelet Windracer had enchanted to protect its wearer from harm. That was what had saved her life.

All eyes were on them now. Even the SeaWing queen couldn't hide her shock at what had just occurred. Surely she wouldn't allow Blister to stay in her kingdom very much longer after what had just happened.

Coral didn't get the chance to say anything before Blister suddenly flapped her wings and lifted off of the floor. She flew out of the feasting hall faster than any SkyWing Windracer had seen.

She can't be running away, he thought to himself. She's too clever for that. Maybe she's getting a hostage to threaten Queen Coral with? But then she would have stayed and used Lagoon or Anemone, or even that poor little egg. She must be up to something else.

But there was still an even bigger mystery to be solved - the princess murders. Now with ample time to think, Windracer grabbed the carved, stone seahorse on the table and examined it again.

Animus magic runs in the royal family...the murders started after Orca was killed by her mother...Orca had a talent for sculpting...what if...?

He didn't have time to finish his thought before Blister suddenly returned with a dragon in her talons. "Found this fellow hiding in the canopy. A spy, most likely."

Windracer saw Queen Coral's eyes flash dangerously as she recognized the dragon the SandWing princess was clutching. "Not a spy." She grabbed the dragon by the neck and shook him. Her green eyes were sparks of rage and triumph. "This is Webs, our tribe's biggest traitor. I've been looking for him for years."

"Your Majesty," Webs croaked, scrabbling at his throat. "Please. I've come to beg for mercy."

"Mercy," Coral hissed. "After what you did." She shook him again, harder. "Mercy denied." She flung him to the floor and slammed her tail into the side of his head. Webs went limp, his eyes closed, and he fell over with a thump.

"Stop!" Windracer yelled. "Don't hurt him! He never meant any harm!"

Why did he just shout like that? Why was he defending Webs? He was the nicest of our guardians. Maybe we reminded him of his son. I want Riptide to have the chance to meet his father, just like I want to. Or, at least, I think I want to.

Coral shifted her gaze to the dozen or so other SeaWings in the room. "We'll take this somewhere else," she said. "There's been far too much of a scene here already."

Somewhere else turned out to be Blister's cave.

Webs had awakened, his face lit up with joy when he saw the Dragonets of Destiny. He stared from Windracer to Arid to Lagoon as if he couldn't believe they were all alive.

"You're all safe," he said, his talons twitching as he restrained himself from reaching out towards them. "I was afraid someone might have gotten to you...that message you sent...they'll be coming for you now."

"We know," Arid said assuringly. "And trust me, we can handle them."

Webs saw Queen Coral and the thunderous look on her face, and Blister coiled menacingly behind her. He shuddered. "I know I am not worthy of your mercy, Your Majesty. But the egg, it was so blue...I only did it for the prophecy."

"A prophecy that isn't real," Coral reminded him. "How did you get into the hatchery? I had guards posted every moment until the eggs hatched."

Webs hung his head. "I drugged the guards," he said. "I knew someone who helped me. It wasn't their fault."

"Well," Coral said dismissively, "I killed them anyway. As for that someone who helped you...your wife, I assume? Of course, that's why she was reassigned from the kitchens to the front lines. Too bad that first battle was such a bloodbath."

Webs looked as if all the light had been scraped out of his scales. The poor SeaWing descended into quiet sobs.

Windracer felt his heart ache. He couldn't imagine leaving behind the one he loved the most, but it had to be one of, if not the absolute, most difficult things Webs had done.

She's gone. I'll never see her again. All I have left now is Riptide...if he's still alive.

"Riptide's alive," said Windracer. Some of his heartache faded away when he saw Webs's face light up a little. "He helped us get here to the Kingdom of the Sea. He actually told us more about you, and himself, than we thought he could."

He turned to Queen Coral. "I know you're angry with Webs, but killing him now isn't going to change anything. All he's ever wanted to do is end this war, and he believed that following the prophecy was the best way to do it." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Plus, he kind of accidentally saved Lagoon's life."

Saved me? Lagoon's life was most certainly ruined by the Talons of Peace. Kept in a cave under a mountain, never taught the SeaWings' underwater language, treated like an undeserving brat like the rest of her friends.

"He most certainly did not," Coral growled.

"He did," Windracer insisted. "All of your other female heirs, besides Orca and Anemone, have been killed before they could hatch. Lagoon would have died, too, if Webs hadn't taken her egg for the prophecy. I know it's hard for you to believe, or accept, but the Talons of Peace saved your daughter's life."

They all knew he was right. Lagoon's life had been saved almost like his and Arid's had. He would have been killed by Queen Scarlet if Auburn hadn't brought his egg to Kestrel, and Arid probably would have been killed and stuffed in Princess Burn's tower if Dune hadn't taken her egg from Ocotillo.

"Horrible lies," Blister snarled. "What more can be expected from a filthy half-breed?" She grabbed Webs by the neck and held him up for Queen Coral to see. "Before you send this fellow to the prison, why not wait and ask him about why he's killing off all your heirs?"

"WHAT?!" Lagoon nearly roared in shock. She jumped up so suddenly, she had to scramble to maintain her hold on the egg that was soon to be her baby sister.

"It's all part of his plan to make you the only living SeaWing princess," Blister said, her sinister smile making a return appearance. "With all the other possible heirs dead, you'd become more and more valuable. A bargaining chip, if the Talons of Peace ever needed one."

Windracer wanted to yell out in frustration and cower in fear at the same time. He was very much afraid of Blister, but it was hard not to get irritated at the fact that the SandWing princess was lying through her teeth.

"That's not possible," he finally said, his voice shaking with both anger and anxiety. "The murders started two years before Lagoon's egg was stolen. Webs wasn't even a Talon then. Also, he's been living with us underground, half a continent away. He couldn't have flown here and back just to kill those dragonets."

Blister shifted her gaze on to him in a very bone-chillingly slow fashion. "And you know who's really behind it, oh great prophecy-speaking dragonet?"

"I have a hunch," Windracer admitted. He turned to the SeaWing queen. "Did Orca carve any of the statues near the Royal Hatchery?"

"She dedicated a statue of herself to the hatchery specifically," Coral answered with confusion in her eyes. "It's been in there since before she challenged me to the throne." Then she glared at him. "How do you know about Orca?"

"We had some scrolls that mentioned her," Windracer said. "And I learned more from Anemone just this morning. Don't be mad at her, though; I was the one who asked."

Blister easily silenced him with a glare. "Nevertheless, I'm sure that with Webs locked away, or preferably executed, your egg will be safe, Coral."

"That's a lie," Windracer nearly yelled. "Blister killed Kestrel. She just tried to kill Arid. She wants Webs dead for her own reasons, not yours! Your Majesty, please, think for yourself for once!"

Queen Coral looked from him to Blister, then him, and back to Blister again. She knew the SandWing could easily kill her right then and there if she made a choice Blister didn't approve of.

"Sorry, young prophet," said the SeaWing queen. "But Webs has too much to answer for. Including why he thought Lagoon was an appropriate name for my daughter." That last sentence came out in the form of a snarl.

Webs bowed his head down low. "It was the only name I could think of," he said with every drop of honesty he could muster.

Coral turned to Lagoon. "Go put the egg back in the Royal Hatchery. It'll be safe there, now that we have the assassin."

Lagoon's eyes went wide. "I'm not risking a dragonet's life because you've fallen for some crazy story Blister just invented! I'm staying with this egg until it hatches, no matter what!"

"In the Royal Hatchery?" Queen Coral asked. "All night?"

Lagoon nodded firmly. "I'll make sure she hatches safely," she said. She glanced at the egg. The dragonet was close to hatching, pressed against the thinning walls. Every once in a while, the egg rocked in her arms. "But when I catch the real murderer, I want you to promise that you'll let Webs go free."

"Ha," Coral snorted. "Webs will never be free again."

"Even if I save your last heir?" Lagoon asked.

Coral scraped her claws across the rock. "You won't have to," she said. "We have the assassins now."

"So it should be an easy bargain to make," Lagoon said. Blister stared at her coldly.

"All right," Coral said, waving one talon. "I'll promise you that Riptide will go free. But Webs has too much to answer for."

Windracer noticed Blister settling back. So it was definitely Webs she wanted dead, not Riptide.

That was the best Lagoon could do for now. They'd have to think of another way to save Webs.

Coral grabbed Webs by the neck and dragged him out, calling for her guards to escort him to the prisons. Blister followed her ally outside. Her sinister, lying mouth said nothing. But her eyes said, You're next, half-breed.

It didn't matter, though, because Windracer had it all figured out the moment Queen Coral said that Orca had dedicated a statue of herself to the Royal Hatchery. It all fits!

"Lagoon," he said urgently. "I think I've figured out who the assassin is."

Auburn, Storm, Ocotillo and the dragonets all looked at him like he was insane. "Are you sure?" Lagoon asked.

"I'm about eighty-five percent sure," Windracer admitted. "And I have an idea to catch them. But I need you to trust me."

Leave it to Hiccup's smarts to save the day. Or, in this case, Windracer's smarts. Now it's all down to whether or not his plan will work.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

If I gave these chapters titles, I would name this one "Turtle's Second Chance".

"I need you to trust me."

For most of her life, Lagoon had only known eight dragons, and two of them had died in the last ten days. She couldn't lose another friend, or family member for that matter.

When she and her friends first arrived at the Summer Palace, she'd expected to feel warm and happy, like she was coming home. But she hadn't. How could she ever be a good queen of the SeaWings if she didn't know anything about their laws and rituals?

"You are a lowly dragonet who will never be a leader."

Queen Scarlet had been right about that. Lagoon wasn't leader material. Not just for the SeaWings, but for her friends. She could never do what Windracer, and sometimes Arid, did - tell the other dragonets what to do to get out of, or stay out of, trouble. She was more like the kind of dragon who followed orders, rather than give them.

Lagoon looked down at the egg cradled in her talons. She'd vowed to protect this last heir, her littlest sister. Queen Coral trusted her enough with the egg's fate. But the queen also trusted Blister, who radiated menace, and she didn't trust Riptide just because he was Webs's son.

I trust Riptide. He's not a bad dragon, and he helped me when I needed it. Even if I can't trust any of the other SeaWings here, at least I know I can trust him.

She raised her head to look at Windracer, who was watching her with a patient expression. Lagoon's friends had never once expected anything more from her that what she already had. They never looked at her like they saw a future queen, or a heroic savior, or anything but a SeaWing who was their friend-slash-foster sister.

They trusted her with their lives...and she trusted them with hers.

"I do trust you," Lagoon said confidently. "So, what's the plan?"

"First," said Windracer, "we need to find Prince Turtle."

"Prince Turtle?" Arid repeated in confusion. "Why?"

"I can't explain right now," her boyfriend said hastily. "But he's the only one who can help." He dug his talons into his leather bag, searching desperately for something. Probably an item he'd enchanted.

When he finally pulled his talons out of the bag, Lagoon recognized the broken spearhead Vivid had been carrying when she'd freed her and Bog from their spires in the Sky Kingdom. She knew Windracer had enchanted it, but what exactly was the spell?

Windracer held the spearhead up near his mouth and said to it, "Prince Turtle of the SeaWings."

The spearhead twitched and twisted in his claws, tugging him out of the cave. Lagoon quickly followed, clutching the egg like a lifeline.

It's enchanted to lead us to what we're looking for, she guessed. That's how Vivid found us.

It was leading them down toward the beach, where a lone green SeaWing was sulking. One of the princes, Lagoon realized. But how can he help?

"Turtle!" cried Windracer.

The prince looked up at the sound of his name, his eyes widening at the sight of the two dragons descending upon him. "Wh-what?" he stammered. "What do you want?"

"Your help," said Windracer, tucking the spearhead back into his bag. "Your sisters are in danger, and I have an idea to save them. I enchanted a stick to turn the holder invisible; I want you to take it and head into the Royal Hatchery with Lagoon."

"Your sisters." Windracer means me and this egg. So, this dragonet must be one of my bothers. Lagoon tried to give the prince her friendliest smile, but it was hard when she was so worried about the egg's safety.

Turtle looked equal parts shocked and confused. "Me? You want me to go into the hatchery? B-But," he scrambled to find his words. "Shouldn't you go? You're more hero material than I could ever be."

"I can't breathe underwater," Windracer said.

"But couldn't you enchant something to give you that ability?" Turtle asked.

Windracer shook his head. "There's no time. Besides, some problems need to be solved without magic."

Lagoon thought back to Anemone's training session with Whirlpool. That slimy son of a slug didn't care if his method of teaching, or the war, cost the little princess her soul. And Queen Lagoon hadn't cared about Albatross's soul, either. They both used other dragons' magic for their own ends.

I'm not like Queen Lagoon, or Whirlpool. I can't, and I won't force Windracer and Anemone to use their magic for me. If there is a way to catch the assassin without casting any new spells, then we should try it.

"Turtle, think about it," said Windracer, "if you had another chance to save a princess egg, wouldn't you take it? You think you're a failure, but you don't have to be. You can still be the hero your sisters deserve, if you try. If we let you try."

Lagoon could hear the wingbeats of their friends as they searched for her and Windracer throughout the palace. From the way Windracer tilted his head, she guessed he must have heard it, too.

Finally, Turtle nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'll try."

Then there was the dull thud of talons landing on the sand, and they heard Arid say, "There you guys are."

The SeaWing prince shrank back at the sight of so many dragons he didn't know.

"It's okay," Lagoon said. "They're our friends. Everyone, this is Turtle, my brother."

Windracer upended his bag, the contents spilling out into the sand - including, and most importantly, the stick. "Alright, here's the plan..."

It was pitch-dark in the Royal Hatchery. Dark and horribly quiet.

Turtle could see in the dark, of course, but everything was gray and a little blurry. The only flashes of color came from the eggs when the dragonets inside moved. Nests made of seaweed were tucked into niches in the floor, with wide pathways stretching between them. One clutch of three eggs was tucked against a wall, containing soon-to-be princes that could never inherit the throne.

It felt weird to be invisible. He could still feel himself, but to look down and not see his talons was so eerie. When swimming behind Lagoon, he had to hold on to her tail, so she'd know he was there. Which must have felt very weird for her, touching a dragon she couldn't see.

No one had seen him. None of the guards knew that the queen's eldest daughter was being followed into a coral cavern, down a tunnel, and through a set of doors into a room that was shaped like the inside of a large, pale egg. Turtle had never been inside the Royal Hatchery, at least not since he'd hatched from his own egg. The very first thing he'd noticed when he and Lagoon entered was a SeaWing dragon carved from dark green marble standing in the center of the room, upon a stone pedestal. The base of the statue had the word ORCA spelled out in various gemstones.

Princess Orca, the very first daughter Queen Coral and King Gill ever had, had died long before Turtle hatched. He only knew that much. That, and that she'd been a good sculptor. Turtle wondered if Orca had carved her own self-portrait, and if she'd known it would be a memorial one day.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Lagoon curled up beside the egg and stared worriedly around the room. She had a narwhal spear lying on the floor beside her.

I hope this plan works, thought Turtle. Please let it work.

What if Windracer was wrong about the assassin's identity? Would the plan still work if it turned out to be someone else?

Scrrrrrrraaaaaaaaape.

Lagoon's head shot up.

Stillness. Darkness.

And yet...Turtle had a creeping feeling that someone was suddenly in the room with them.

Scrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaape.

His scales tingled between his wings, as if eels were slithering down his back.

Lagoon stood up and brandished the spear. The one door to the hatchery was closed. The eggs were still. The only movement in the room was the blip of small bubbles rising from the floor.

But wait...

The statue.

Hadn't it been facing the door before?

Turtle stared at it until his eyes hurt.

Had it turned its head? Was it looking at his sister?

Turtle's whole body was shaking. He blinked through the darkness at the statue of Orca.

The statue stared straight at Lagoon. Its eyes were sapphires, but in the shades of gray here they gleamed as obsidian-dark and vicious as Blister's. Turtle was sure the statue had been facing the door when they came in. But now its head was turned toward Lagoon and the egg, watching them darkly.

Scrrape. Scrrape. Scrrrrape.

Stone claws curled around the top of the pedestal.

A stone tongue flicked between jagged sharklike teeth.

Windracer was right, Turtle had a moment to think. Nobody's sneaking in. The assassin's already here. She's been here all along.

And then the statue hurtled off the pedestal, talons reaching to snatch the egg.

Lagoon flung herself between the statue and her unhatched sister. Green marble claws raked Lagoon's neck. One caught in her gills and ripped a wider hole. Blood bubbled out as she shoved the statue away.

It's going to kill her! Turtle staggered back against the wall.

The statue attacked again, relentless as the tide. It plowed into Lagoon and knocked her backward. Its weight bore down on her, crushing her against the floor. She struggled, clawing at its snout, but her claws scraped uselessly against marble.

DO SOMETHING, Turtle's brain screamed at him. But how could he fight a statue? How could anyone beat a dragon of solid stone?

He knew an animus dragon must have cursed the statue, but because he had experimented so little with his own powers, he didn't know how these enchantments worked. Would smashing the statue stop it, or was it set to keep trying, to kill no matter what, until all the royal heirs in the hatchery were dead?

Windracer had guessed it was enchanted to kill only when it was sure no guards were around - no queen, no one to witness its crimes and stop it from striking again.

But Lagoon was an heir. She wasn't a witness. She was a target.

And as long as Turtle remained invisible, the statue would continue its assault until Lagoon and the unhatched dragonet were surely dead.

Lagoon carefully reached around the nest and picked up the narwhal spear. Normal fight rules didn't apply here. She could try piercing the eye socket, but there was no brain in there to skewer. No heart to find through the scales, not even the vulnerable spot on the tail all dragons had.

She hefted the spear, spun it around, and smacked the side of it into the statue's snout. It stopped, swung its head from side to side for a moment, and sat back on its haunches, lifting its weight just long enough for her to wriggle free.

Finally, Turtle regained enough of himself to move. He launched forward, propelling himself through the water toward Lagoon. He grabbed his sister's talons and shoved the enchanted stick into her open palm.

Now she was invisible, while he was in plain sight.

Marble Orca, which had been lunging for Lagoon's throat with claws outstretched, was now still and unmoving like an ordinary statue.

The enchantment only worked in secret. It dropped away when the door was opened, or when there was another dragon approaching. Whoever had set the curse - and Windracer had had a good idea who - didn't want anyone to look in and catch the statue at its deadly work. Turtle guessed that the spell also alerted the statue when someone was coming, so it normally had time to return to its pedestal. And the statue would remain still as long as anyone else was around - like the queen or her guards. This statue was meant to keep murdering royal female dragonets for as long as it could.

Remembering the egg, Turtle turned around and reached for it. He felt a set of invisible webbed talons brush his, and he realized that Lagoon had had the exact same idea.

Tap tap tap.

The egg cracked down the middle and a small green head poked out. Dark green eyes blinked at Turtle.

Turtle smiled warmly at the newly-hatched princess and flashed a few tiny stripes along his snout to say hello.

Beside him, Lagoon released the stick, bringing herself back into view so she could hug their new baby sister.

He tapped her shoulder and lit up his stripes in one of the few patterns she knew. All right?

All right, she signaled back. Then she grabbed his arm and pulled him into her wings. Thank you.

Turtle's whole body trembled with relief. He'd done it. He saved his sisters.

Suddenly, he remembered the statue. Leaving the magic invisibility stick to float up to the ceiling, he swam over to the Marble Orca, and, in a rare moment of impulsiveness, laid his talons on its forehead.

Come back to life, he thought at it. Leave all of the princesses unharmed. Go straight to Queen Coral, wherever she might be, and tell her who enchanted you to smash those eggs.

The statue gave a jolt before pulling back, looking from side to side as if it had just woken up from a deep sleep. Then it darted for the doors, throwing them open and disappearing down the tunnel leading out of the hatchery.

What? Lagoon flashed the stripes on her snout. How?

Turtle looked at her guiltily. I'm sorry. He wanted to say more, but Lagoon only knew basic Aquatic phrases. He raised one talon and made a circular motion: Not right now, we'll finish later.

She nodded. Okay. Then she turned toward the tunnel, waving a talon at him. Come.

He swam after her, taking a slight detour to retrieve Windracer's stick. Far ahead of them, Turtle could see a dark green shape rushing out into the open water, shoving past very confused and startled guards.

Orca's statue would never assassinate another dragonet or crush another egg. Its killing days would soon be over.

Bright morning light filtered through the canopy, casting puddles of green sunshine all across the Summer Palace. Windracer watched the little emerald-green dragonet whose life Lagoon and Turtle had saved romp on the beach, kicking up sand and stopping in surprise when it drifted into her nose. She sneezed hard enough to knock herself backward, then sat up and gave Lagoon an indignant look.

"Well, stop putting sand in your nose, then," Windracer suggested.

The newborn princess shook herself, spotted a tiny crab digging in the sand, and pounced. The crab vanished into its hole, and the dragonet looked at her empty talons in confusion.

It had been a great relief to see Lagoon, Turtle, and the newborn princess emerge onto the beach alive and well. But it had been quickly replaced by concern when the dragonets saw the blood pouring from Lagoon's gills. Fortunately, it was nothing a simple healing spell from Windracer couldn't fix - a seaweed bandage wound twice around the eldest SeaWing princess's neck, and the bleeding stopped instantly.

"What's her name?" Arid asked. She leaned into Windracer's side for a moment, allowing him to feel the pleasant mix of her hot-and-cold-radiating scales.

"I'm trying to think of the perfect name," Lagoon said. "Mother said it was up to me."

The dragonet glanced up from her digging. Sand covered her snout like a mustache.

Marmoset and Mango laughed uproariously at the sight.

"She's awfully cute," Bog said. "I think she has your snout, Lagoon."

The dragonet jumped at an insect in the air, lost her balance, and landed with her head in the sand and her tail sticking straight up. She flailed her wings furiously until Turtle gently lifted her free.

"Please excuse us for a minute," Windracer said, standing up. He tapped Lagoon's tail with his own, and, when she looked up at him, pointed to Turtle. The SeaWing prince had moved into the shallows and was washing the sand off of his little sister's claws and snout.

Windracer and Lagoon waded up to him. "So, how does it feel to be a hero?" the hybrid asked with a smile.

"Feels good," Turtle answered. The dragonet reached up with wet talons and batted at his snout. "But at the same time, maybe not so good."

"Because of the statue?" Lagoon guessed. He made it move. He must have.

Turtle wrung his talons nervously. "If Mother asks," he said to Windracer, "can you tell her you enchanted the statue? Can you keep my secret?"

Windracer wasn't sure how to answer that. He wanted to say yes, but he wasn't sure if that was a promise he could keep. He shook his head. "I don't know if I can, Turtle," he said with the utmost honesty. "I hate lying, especially to someone as important as a queen. But I also don't want to expose you. You're probably the one resident of this kingdom that I consider a friend."

Turtle's jaw dropped. Friend?

"I see myself in you," Windracer continued. "You're inventive, resourceful, and you try to use your power in all the right ways." He patted the prince's shoulder. "I won't force you to share your power with the other SeaWings. That's a choice only you can make. Just listen to your heart. I can promise you that it won't steer you wrong."

"And don't worry," Lagoon cut it. "Your secret's safe with me, too."

Turtle stared at them for about half an eternity before his jaw snapped shut, and the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. Then the dragonet crawled up onto his face, and he laughed with delight.

"I have an idea for a name," he said. "If you're interested."

"Sure," said Lagoon. "What is it?"

No sooner after he'd told her, the sound of wingbeats filled the air above them, and they all looked up to see Coral, Anemone, and Blister circling down from the Summer Palace pavilion.

The green dragonet scampered up to Anemone as soon as she landed and tackled one of her talons. Anemone laughed and flipped her over playfully. The baby princess yelped, struggled upright again, and started clawing her way up Anemone's leg.

"Have you picked a name?" Queen Coral asked.

Exchanging a smile with Turtle, Lagoon said, "What do you think of Auklet?"

"An auklet is a kind of seabird," Bog explained to the twins.

"Oh," Mango said. "Cool. I mean, duh, we knew that."

"Orca's statue has been destroyed," Queen Coral said with a sigh. "It was so beautiful, too. I can't believe Orca was an animus and hid her powers from me. We'll have to examine all her other carvings, too."

"We're sure it was Orca, right?" Lagoon asked.

Coral shook her head. "The statue came to me during the Council meeting, moving around like a real dragon. It said Orca, plain as day."

"That was me," Windracer said. "I reanimated the statue and ordered it to tell you who had enchanted it." From the corner of his eye, he could see Turtle looking relieved and grateful.

The SeaWing queen eyed the SkyWing-NightWing hybrid with interest. "But how did you know it was her?"

Windracer gladly jumped right into his explanation. "It occurred to me when I remembered you saying that animus magic runs in the royal SeaWing family. Being an animus myself, and reading so many scrolls about animus dragons, I was aware of the capabilities of those who possess that power. And then when you told us that Orca had sculpted the statue of herself in the Royal Hatchery, it all made sense. Orca carved that statue and dedicated it to the hatchery shortly before she challenged you for the throne. She'd expected to win, so she was setting up a way to get rid of her possible heirs and challengers. That way she'd be free to rule the SeaWings for several generations."

"It explains her last words," said Coral sadly. "She said 'I did this all wrong. You're going to rule forever, aren't you, Mother? You should thank me. No one can stop you now.'" The queen looked down at Anemone and Auklet, playing in the sand. She stroked Anemone's head with a wistful expression.

"Impressive," Arid said, nudging Windracer. "You should consider becoming a detective."

Windracer only smiled, absently patting his leather bag where the stick was safely tucked away.

"But..." Bog said hesitantly. "But if Orca was the assassin, then who attacked Lagoon in the tunnel?"

Queen Coral shrugged. "We'll catch them eventually," she said. "That's how stories work."

Anemone gave Lagoon a frustrated look.

"So," Turtle said with a shrug, "now what?"

"You all come with me, of course," said Blister. The diamond patterns on her side writhed as she stepped closer.

"You can't tell us what to do," Arid said boldly.

"I am your choice," Blister hissed. "The Ni - the Talons of Peace want me."

Windracer stared at the sinister SandWing princess suspiciously. Was she about to say...?

Storm and Ocotillo brushed past their daughter, facing Blister with fire in their eyes. "You threaten our daughter, you threaten us, too!"

Auburn quickly joined them, placing herself between Windracer and the SandWing princess.

"We will never choose you, Blister," Windracer called out from behind his mother's wing. "You will never be the SandWing queen."

Blister bared her teeth and raised her tail, ready to strike. "Oh, yes I will!"

And suddenly, a firebomb crashed through the canopy above, followed by several round cacti.

The Summer Palace was under attack.

Assuming Orca actually succeeded in becoming queen, unless she planned on making herself immortal at some point, she would have eventually died without heirs and the SeaWing kingdom would have plunged into chaos.

I'm just saying.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

In which the level of intensity increases to "off the charts".

Panic.

Screaming.

For a palace surrounded by water, it was surprising how much caught on fire so quickly.

Large sections of the canopy collapsed, carrying flaming branches and leaves and debris down onto the Summer Palace. Windracer saw dragons spiraling toward the water, their wings alight with flames, shrieking with pain.

The firebombs were just logs set on fire, but they caused terrible damage as they crashed through the pavilion and knocked SeaWings out of the air. The cacti soon followed, exploding at even the slightest touch of fire and sending spiny seed pods everywhere.

"Someone's found us!" cried one of the guards, looking skyward in terror.

"But how?" asked a second guard.

Should I use my magic? Windracer asked himself. Can I save these dragons without casting a spell? ...Or will everyone die if I don't?

He'd already failed to save a dragon's life before, when he could have used his powers to heal their wounds. He couldn't let any more innocent dragons die all because he'd failed to act while he had the chance.

If he had acted, Princess Sleet and King Gill, and perhaps even Dune and Kestrel, would still be alive.

Frantic dragons shoved their way into the underwater exit tunnel, even though it wasn't anywhere near big enough for everyone to fit at once. There was only one other way out - flying out through the canopy, into the claws of the attackers.

"Those aren't SkyWings," said Queen Coral.

She was right. Instead of red and orange, the wing of dragons that was dropping bombs and breathing fire down on the canopy were as black as shadows.

"NightWings," Windracer realized. That's what Blister almost said. She's conspiring with them!

Speaking of which, the SandWing princess flashed them a sadistic grin and hissed, "Looks like backup has arrived for me. And not a moment too soon."

Queen Coral spread her wings and took off for the pavilion, the harness dragging Anemone and Auklet with her.

Lagoon and Turtle lifted off the beach and darted after them. "Mother!"

Windracer spread his wings to follow her, but Blister stepped in front of him.

"No one is going anywhere," she said. "Not until you tell everyone you've chosen me as the next SandWing queen."

"Guess we're all living here from now on," Arid tried to joke.

It might have been funny if not for the firebombs that were raining down through the canopy and setting the pavilion ablaze.

Blister wasn't amused. "You watch that sassy little mouth of yours, half-breed!" She lashed out with her claws and tail, but the fleet-footed Arid sidestepped the attack.

A seething Storm stepped between the two dragons and snarled, "Not my daughter, you beast!" Then she lunged, pushing Blister onto her back and pinning her in the sand.

"Let's go!" Windracer shouted, spreading his wings.

The five dragonets, Auburn, and Ocotillo burst into the air. Below them, SeaWings were still trying to shove their way into the tunnel, and the churning mass of wings and scales around the exit didn't look any smaller than it had before.

"We can't go that way," Bog said.

"We'll have to go through the canopy," Arid said. They all looked up and saw three black dragons shoot by, breathing fire.

"I don't really love that plan either," Bog said in a smaller voice.

"I do!" shouted Marmoset.

"Best plan ever!" Mango agreed. The two siblings bumped their heads together and laughed joyfully.

Windracer spotted Lagoon at last. The SeaWing princess was standing at the entrance to the prison cave, with Riptide and a wounded Webs. The two younger SeaWings exchanged a look reminiscent of the ones Windracer shared with Arid.

Two clear futures lay before the SeaWing Dragonet of Destiny.

One was easier and less remarkable - a pleasant-enough life with someone who loved her more than she loved him, where Coral was reasonably unsatisfied all the time, but at least everything was somewhat normal.

The second was harder and darker, with buzzing wings and white-eyed wasp-dragons, but somewhere deep within the masses waited great love and a happy life.

Riptide was not that great love.

Lagoon was meant for someone else.

She, Riptide, and Webs soared up toward the tattered remains of the canopy to join her friends. Another flaming log came barreling down toward them, and Windracer yanked Auburn out of its path. It plummeted toward the lake, careening off the pavilion and setting another dragon on fire as it fell.

The pavilion was the nearest landing point. They could settle there for a bit while they thought out a proper plan to escape. Windracer led them down, dodging embers that blew in the wind.

No sooner had their talons touched the pavilion when Blister suddenly appeared hovering above them, holding Storm by the neck. "Brave," she hissed. "But very foolish. Did you really think you could defeat me that easily?"

Rather than answer, the IceWing sank her teeth into the SandWing princess's wrist. Blister yelled out in pain, her claws instinctively releasing their hold on her victim. Storm swooped out of Blister's reach and landed on the pavilion, right next to Ocotillo.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," was her blunt response.

A huge, dark shape they recognized as Morrowseer turned in midair and dove for them. Windracer flared out his wings in an attempt to make himself look bigger than he really was. Pretend you're Arid. Be confident. Speak with authority. Be fierce and tough and strong and smart.

Don't let them see how afraid you are.

The large NightWing landed on the pavilion with a thud and stood tall and imposing as he glared daggers at the dragonets.

"What are you doing here?" Windracer tried to sound demanding, but it came out as more of a squeak.

Instead of answering, Morrowseer turned to Blister and asked, "Where's the queen?"

"Below us," said Blister. "Throwing her silly romantic scrolls into the water." She flicked her tail towards Windracer. "Have you found his father?"

"We're still searching," Morrowseer replied. He finally shifted his gaze to Windracer. "Might as well deal with this filthy little half-breed now, while we can."

As if on cue, a dozen or so NightWings landed on the pavilion behind him. All were standing with the same imposition as Morrowseer, but there was something else Windracer noticed about them. They all looked painfully thin - he could see their ribs - and their eyes held hidden feelings of sadness and fear, a few even looked uncertain, or even reluctant.

"What did you do to them?" he asked without thinking.

"Nothing," growled Morrowseer. "There's nothing wrong with them."

"There is," Arid snapped. "Do you not see them? They're scared and vulnerable."

Morrowseer turned his head to the waters. "They should be."

"Not the SeaWings," said Windracer, chancing a step forward. "Your NightWings." He focused on the malnourished dragons, or rather, their minds.

Is that really him?  Killer's son?

Why is he looking at me like that?

Is he really as dangerous as Morrowseer says?

Do we really have to kill him?

He doesn't look very dangerous.

I really don't want to kill him.

We mustn't disappoint Battlewinner.

"Who's Battlewinner?" Windracer asked, his voice much more demanding than before.

The NightWings behind Morrowseer all stiffened with fear. He really can read minds!

"That's none of your concern," snapped Morrowseer.

"I'd like to know," hissed Blister. "Whoever this Battlewinner is, they sound exactly like the kind of dragon I need to tip the odds in my favor."

The malicious NightWing stood seething for what seemed like forever before he finally grumbled, "Battlewinner is our queen."

And then a whole swarm of visions flooded Windracer's mind. An exploding mountain, dragons falling in lava, Morrowseer ripping another NightWing's throat open, Arid in a cavernous prison screaming furiously through the bars, Auburn wielding a long spear in the middle of a battle, dragon blood everywhere.

There was so much, so many paths ahead, and most of them tending toward terrible violence. These scared and vulnerable NightWings had almost no chance at a peaceful future. Lied, liar, murdered, murderer; death and fear surrounded them with their vast wings, no matter what they did.

Was that the price of their deception? Had they already lost too much of their innocence to be worth saving?

"You're all dying," Windracer said. "Killer told Auburn that the home of the NightWings had a lot of volcanic activity. No dragon could live in a place like that, not with all the lava and smoke and fire killing everything else in the ecosystem."

"That's right," Morrowseer growled. "Queen Battlewinner and I wrote the prophecy together after the last eruption destroyed part of the fortress. We knew we'd need a new home soon, and the prophecy was our plan to get it."

"How?" Windracer asked, running the prophecy through his mind. "What does the Dragonet Prophecy have to do with where the NightWings live?"

"The idea was that we would control the dragonets," Morrowseer said. "By including a NightWing, who, naturally, would be the leader of the group. Your meaningless existence was our first problem. Then we'd choose a SandWing queen, and eventually the NightWings would join the war, with our strength in numbers tipping the balance so our ally would be sure to win."

"And then your ally, whoever you picked, would help you seize power," Windracer puzzled out. "It's all about you, but not in a way that anyone would have noticed. Darkness will rise to bring the light - that's the NightWings."

"Exactly. The only really important part of the prophecy; we couldn't be too obvious about it," said Morrowseer. Behind him, the other NightWings shifted their talons with guilty looks on their faces. "The rest of it? Smoke and mirrors."

"But his isn't," said Auburn, pointing a talon at her son. "His is real. You know it, we know it, everyone on Pyrrhia knows it."

"No one will follow a half-breed," Morrowseer growled. "That tainted SkyWing blood makes him weak."

"Windracer is not weak!" argued Arid. "He's the strongest dragon we know! If anyone around here is weak and pitiful, it's you! You're a liar and a killer, and I'd rather pull all of my spikes out, one by one, than be a part of any prophecy of yours!"

The NightWings behind Morrowseer all looked at each other with guilty expressions.

An enormous crash sounded below them as something smashed into the pavilion.

"We have to get out of here," said Windracer. For once, he didn't care that he'd said it aloud instead of in his thoughts.

"Um," Bog's voice said behind them. "Guys? Do we know this dragon?"

They all turned and saw a large MudWing looming on the other side of the pavilion. Her brown wings were creased with soot and a horrible scar pulled down one corner of her mouth into a strange grimace.

Webs flicked his tail in surprise. "I do," he said. "She's with the Talons of Peace. She saved my life. Crocodile! What are you doing here?"

The MudWing chuckled. "Poor Webs. So wrong in so many ways." She stepped toward the group and gave the dragonets an appraising look. "These are the brats the Talons are so obsessed with? Scrawny." She lashed her tail. "But the NightWings want you, anyway."

"You're not working with the NightWings!" Webs cried.

"Of course I am," Crocodile said. "Who knew infiltrating the Talons of Peace would be so useful? I never thought I'd get the chance to follow an idiot SeaWing back to the secret palace we've been searching for all this time. Or try to, anyway. Turns out, the new queen of the SkyWings has no interest in fighting the war, unlike Scarlet. You slipped away before I could figure out which way you'd flown over the ocean. But, lucky me, I found the NightWings, who were searching for some pathetic half-breed dragonet who thinks everyone on Pyrrhia will just put the war on hold and listen to his silly little fantasies about peace and sunshine and flowers and butterflies and blech! Shrimpy little idiot!"

Windracer ducked to hide behind his mother.

"The NightWings wanted him," Crocodile said. "And I wanted to find the Summer Palace. So, we made a deal of sorts. Then, lucky me, again, I got a tip from a traitorous SeaWing that you dragonets were hiding out in the Summer Palace. And here we are now. I am so getting a promotion."

"Who?" blurted Windracer. "Who told you we were here?"

Lagoon spotted something dark green slinking away from behind the NightWings and cried, "Whirlpool!"

The oily SeaWing froze at the sound of his name.

"What is going on here?" a familiar voice demanded.

Everyone looked up to see Coral (and Turtle and Anemone and Auklet) descending onto the pavilion from above. Whatever she'd been doing to help her subjects escape the burning palace safely, she seemed to be finished.

"Whirlpool tipped off our location to the NightWings!" Lagoon cried as her mother landed next to her.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Coral said.

"You're right," said Whirlpool. "There is." He stepped out into the open, keeping himself a good distance away from Morrowseer, Blister, and Crocodile. He might have helped them find the dragonets, but he trusted those three no farther than he could throw the palace they stood on. "I was merely trying to ensure that Anemone dear would be queen."

Slowly, surely, a memory bubbled to the surface of his oozy mind - a blue dragon, in an underwater tunnel, her head covered by a hood made of seaweed, thrashing in Whirlpool's grasp. A very familiar blue dragon.

"It was you," Windracer breathed. "You attacked Lagoon in the entrance tunnel."

The green dragon shrugged and reached up to play with the gold hoop earring in his ear. "So what if I did? I'm sure Queen Coral would find it quite admirable of me."

"But why?" asked Bog. "Why did you do it?"

"Well," Whirlpool said, "frankly, I really don't want to marry her." He pointed at Lagoon.

"Likewise," she snapped.

Whirlpool then lifted his talons and made a big show of examining them. "But, you see, I do want to be king." He eyed his claws with contentment, clearly picturing them covered with dozens of bejeweled rings. "So I thought if I got rid of you, I'd improve my chances of marrying a more agreeable daughter." He then eyed the two smaller princesses.

Anemone held Auklet to her chest as she ducked to hide under Coral's wings.

Lagoon stood seething at the oily SeaWing for a moment before shouting, "That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my life!"

"Doesn't matter," Whirlpool dismissed. "With you dragonets at the mercy of the NightWings, Queen Coral will let me have anything I want."

The SeaWing queen gawked at him, speechless for once. Windracer could see it in her eyes and mind, she'd never seen this side of Whirlpool before. All of those fantasies she had of him being a perfect king would always be just that - fantasies.

"You won't get away with this!" Riptide shouted.

"Don't you see?" said Whirlpool. An eel-like smile stretched across his snout, making him look even more twisted than he normally was. "I already have."

Finally, Coral gathered enough of herself to move. With an enraged shriek, she flung herself at the traitorous SeaWing, but he slipped through her claws and lifted off of the pavilion.

"It's funny," he said. "You seem to have a habit of always trusting the wrong dragons." He turned to fly out of the canopy, where Shark and several SeaWing guards were trying to ward off the attacking NightWings with narwhal spears.

"Stop him!" Windracer cried out, waving his talons to get the guards' attention. "Don't let Whirlpool escape!"

All of a sudden, faster than any dragon could blink, one of the guards' spears wrenched itself out of their talons and flew straight at the retreating SeaWing like a bolt of lightning. Whirlpool didn't have any time to react before the spear smashed into his side. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He plummeted down like a rock, splashed into the lake, and was seen no more.

Feeling sick to his stomach, Windracer stumbled to the edge of the pavilion and looked down for any sign of the oily SeaWing. Behind him, everyone craned their necks to try and get a glimpse. The SeaWing guard looked at his empty talons in bewilderment, wondering what had happened to his spear.

The rippling water where Whirlpool had vanished was turning a very alarming shade of red, and in the center of it all was a dark, unmoving shape.

Shocked, Windracer collapsed, wide-eyed at what had just occurred. In all of the commotion, he'd completely forgotten about his animus magic. But he didn't ask anyone to kill Whirlpool, so why had the spear done just that?

Because I wasn't specific enough, he realized. Every other spell he cast had been worded out carefully, to avoid as many consequences as possible. But he didn't make it clear how he wanted Whirlpool to be stopped.

He's dead because of me. I killed him.

Whirlpool definitely wasn't the nicest dragon, but the fact that he'd been killed by one of Windracer's spells made the hybrid feel rather nauseated. It didn't matter if it had been an accident - the SeaWing was dead, and Windracer had killed him.

The NightWings all stared at the young hybrid, appalled.

He just killed that SeaWing!

He has magic!

He reads minds!

He can see the future!

It can't be!

What will he do next?

What can we do?

It's another Darkstalker!

Windracer knew about Darkstalker. It was in the same scroll he read about Arctic and Foeslayer. Half NightWing and half IceWing, the son of an animus prince, hatched under the three full moons of a brightest night.

Mind-reading.

Precognition.

Animus magic.

The most powerful NightWing - no, the most powerful dragon Pyrrhia had ever seen.

And Windracer had all the same powers as him.

The SkyWings killed off all of their animi over two thousand years ago, he remembered. And just like that, his brain was off and running. Darkstalker never had any dragonets, but he had a sister - Whiteout. She must have had dragonets at some point, and then those dragons had dragonets of their own, and so on, until Killer and Auburn had me. That's where my magic comes from. I've been trying so hard to use my powers for all the right reasons, but how can I when all of these other dragons see me as a monster that has to be stopped? What if that's really what I am, and I don't know it?

What if every mind I read, every vision I see, every spell I cast only brings me a step closer...to becoming like Darkstalker?

He would have stayed in his thoughts forever if a set of talons hadn't pulled him back forcefully by the shoulders. The hybrid looked up at the dragon holding him and found it was a semi-brawny NightWing with a few missing teeth and a tail that was bent at the end, as if it had once been broken and then fixed incorrectly.

"Keep a hold on him, Preyhunter," commanded Morrowseer. Then, to the rest of the NightWings, he bellowed, "Grab them all!"

For a moment, none of the NightWings moved. Were they startled by the sudden yell, or unwilling to follow the command?

Either way, they did as they were told. One NightWing grabbed Arid by the shoulders while a second pinned down her tail - her most deadly weapon. Queen Coral knocked one of the NightWings away with her tail, only for three more to swoop in from above and pin her to the platform. They were coming in from all directions, abandoning the fight and going for the dragonets, and the dragons attempting to guard them.

"These skimpy little salamanders think they're so tough," Crocodile chuckled. "That they actually stand a chance in this war. How could you have bested Queen Scarlet when you can't even take on a NightWing?"

"Well, lucky you," smiled Arid, quoting the MudWing's earlier words. "You're about to find out." Her jaws snapped open, and a burst of frostbreath erupted from the back of her throat, straight into Crocodile's eyes.

The MudWing screamed in agony and fell back, clawing at her snout, but the ice was already spreading across her face. She lunged blindly, knocking the NightWings away and falling onto Arid's tail. Both spikes and stinger pierced into her chest; she twitched and then went still.

"Enough of this!" shouted Morrowseer. He grabbed Arid by the neck, claws digging into her scales. "You dragonets were only ever important because of us, and we can destroy you just as easily!"

Windracer still felt nauseous from what had happened to Whirlpool, but he had to save Arid. He strained against Preyhunter's hold, but the NightWing held fast.

The next thing anyone knew, the waters below and the skies above were suddenly swarming with dragons. Red and orange SkyWings, green and blue SeaWings, brown MudWings, pale yellow SandWings, and the snow-white scales of a small talonful of IceWings.

At the front of it all was a cobalt-blue dragon with a white underbelly and solid black eyes. The spikes around his neck marked him as an IceWing, but he also had stripes under his wings that glowed phosphorescently - like a SeaWing. In his left ear was a snail-shell earring.

The hybrid raised his talon to point at Morrowseer, commanding in a bold voice, "Everyone! Save those dragonets!"

After that, it was chaos.

There were too many dragons fighting for Windracer to keep track of who pinned who, but eventually the cobalt dragon found his way onto the pavilion, among a small talonful of SkyWings and SeaWings, and struck Morrowseer in the head with his powerful tail. The NightWing stumbled, his grip on Arid loosening just enough for her to wriggle free.

Windracer looked over his shoulder at Preyhunter, who was distracted by all the commotion but retained his strong hold on the hybrid. The next thing either of them knew, there was a SandWing standing over them. For a brief, terrifying second, Windracer thought it was Blister, because of the pattern of black diamonds running down their spine. Then he realized that it couldn't be her; this SandWing looked more than ten years younger. Their scales were pale gold, not yellow like Blister's, and their crest and wing membranes were a dark gold.

Preyhunter jumped back in fear, releasing his grip and stumbling away. "W-what are you doing?!"

"Saving a friend," the SandWing said, matter-of-factly, their voice undeniably male. He lunged forward like he was about to charge, and Preyhunter screamed with fear, lashing out and slicing the SandWing's underbelly with his sharp claws. The SandWing winced at the sudden pain, then his tail instinctively shot out and stabbed into the NightWing's heart. With a shriek of pain, Preyhunter collapsed, dead.

"Not my favorite part of the job," said the SandWing as he turned and looked at Windracer. "But in times like this, I'm afraid, it's either kill or be killed." His friendly smile faltered when the hybrid didn't answer.

"Oh, thanks," Windracer said. "Sorry, I...I thought you were Blister."

The SandWing laughed. "If I had a ruby for every time I heard that, I'd have only one, because, honestly, you're the first." He extended his talons. "I'm Diamondback, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

All Windracer said in return was a squeaky-sounding, "Hi." Then he peeked over the SandWing's shoulder and found Arid, who was being helped to her feet by the blue hybrid.

She smiled, "Good timing, uh..."

"Typhoon," he said. "Sorry it took us as long as it did. We've been following the trail of you dragonets for quite some time, and picking up several others along the way."

"How did you find us?" asked Windracer.

"My mother heard from the other SeaWings that you were here," said Typhoon. "It's fortunate we weren't too late. You've inspired a lot of dragons on Pyrrhia, Windracer. They're all here fighting for you."

A shadow fell over the group, and they looked up into the eyes of Blister. "You can't escape," she hissed.

Typhoon uttered out of the corner of his mouth, "Run," before tackling the SandWing princess. Then, to the other dragons, he shouted, "Get them out of here!"

Everyone took off into the sky, each with a pair of dragons flying beside them for protection.

Except for one.

Morrowseer rushed forward and managed to grab one of Arid's wings. The NightWing gave a mighty pull and flung her across the pavilion like a rag doll.

Windracer heard his girlfriend's cry of pain and turned back to help her. He was beaten by Ocotillo, who pounced onto Morrowseer's back and bit down on his neck as hard as he could. But the NightWing didn't so much as flinch. In the black-on-black scales, it was impossible to find a weak spot.

Arid leapt to her feet and slashed at Morrowseer's snout. The NightWing responded by grabbing Ocotillo and throwing him on top of her. Then he raised his head and opened his jaws, the glow of a fire burning in the back of his throat.

Windracer threw himself at the massive dragon, digging his claws into Morrowseer's neck and biting down hard on his ear. Morrowseer let out an enraged roar and reached up to pluck the hybrid dragonet off of himself. But Windracer wasn't going to give up that easily. He bit and scratched at every part of the NightWing that came at him, his eyes burning with fury and determination.

This is what I saw, back under the mountain, he realized. This fight.

He blasted a stream of fire at Morrowseer's face, but the large NightWing stood firm. It was easy to tell that he'd fought against dragons far bigger and stronger than Windracer was. The hybrid wasn't even leaving a scratch on him.

Windracer turned at the sound of talons landing on the pavilion behind him. He sighed internally when he realized it was Diamondback, who was standing over Ocotillo and Arid, his face etched with concern.

"Are you okay?" asked Diamondback, extending his talons so he could help them to their feet.

Ocotillo grasped the other SandWing's talons, allowing him to pull him up. "We're fine," he said, smiling. "Thank you, Diamondback."

Talons closed around Windracer's neck, and he choked out. Twisting around, he instinctively shot a blast of fire into Morrowseer's eyes. The NightWing's scales deflected most of the flames, but he recoiled at the heat and fanned at his eyes with his wings.

I can't win this fight, Windracer knew. Not without my magic. And after what just happened...

He slipped through Morrowseer's talons and headed for the open sky.

He barely got ten feet into the air when a horrible pain erupted in his left hind leg. Roaring in agony, he looked down and saw Morrowseer's teeth imbedded in his appendage. The hybrid flapped and flailed every which way to escape, but Morrowseer's jaws were too strong. He couldn't even loosen their grip.

The NightWing only let go when Typhoon came barreling in from out of nowhere and slammed into his side.

"Move it!" shouted the older hybrid.

Windracer didn't hesitate. Ignoring the pain that was still throbbing in his leg, he shot into the air after Arid and Ocotillo, who were being escorted out by Diamondback. He found Auburn, Lagoon, Bog, Storm, Webs, Marmoset and Mango among the fleeing dragons, each with a dragon from Typhoon's alliance on either side, blasting at and pushing away any NightWing that flew into their path.

But other NightWings were behind them. Windracer twisted just in time to see Riptide charging at Blister with a spear. The SeaWing shouted over the commotion, "Keep going!" before ducking to avoid the SandWing's striking tail.

So they all kept flying south, toward the continent, too shaken to even spare a glance back at the Summer Palace.

But none were more shaken than Windracer.

He could fly all across the continent, and further, but he had no chance of escaping. Morrowseer and Blister wouldn't stop trying to find him. Even if every dragon in Pyrrhia stood in their way, they'd only cease when Windracer was dead. He was a threat to them, and so long as he had his powers, they'd claim he was a threat to everyone else as well.

Maybe he could slip through their talons once again, but there was one thing he could never escape from, no matter how far he flew.

He would always be in Darkstalker's shadow.

How many of you were expecting Windracer to be kin to Darkstalker? I'll admit that I wasn't, and I'm the one writing this story! Just try to imagine how Windracer feels right now...

Remember that the NightWings on the volcano have bacteria in their mouths that cause the bite wounds they inflict to become infected. And it's Windracer's back left leg that's hurt. I think you can see where this is going.

Be sure to remember Diamondback, too. He's...kind of important.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Please don't hate me for what happens here.

They were on a beach again.

This time it was dark, long after sunset, and dark clouds were moving fast in the sky, blotting out the small stars that shone like the silver scales on the underside of Windracer's wings. The injured hybrid stared sullenly down at the waves lapping up the sandy shore.

Part of him was scared. Morrowseer and Blister would most likely be doubling their forces now, scouring the continent to find and kill him.

And the rest of him was revolted. He had killed a dragon. With his magic. He'd sent a spear flying into Whirlpool's heart without even touching it.

The small part of his brain that kept telling him that he shouldn't worry about it, because it was an accident, was being drowned out by all the turmoil that was pounding throughout his head.

What if it happens again? Only next time, it's someone I love? What if it's Mom, or Arid?

They think I'm a monster. That's all they'll ever see me as, because I killed someone.

When Queen Scarlet found them, and when he was sent to fight Frost and Gill in the arena, everything had happened so fast; he hadn't had any time to think. But he couldn't use that excuse for what had happened to Princess Sleet.

His first failure was not using his magic to heal Sleet's wounds, to save her life while he had the chance. Why?

And this was his second failure. Using his power to hurt another dragon, to rip the life right out of them.

No.

Sleet wasn't his first failure.

The brightest night was.

His earliest memory was a voice that came from outside the darkness.

"We're almost there, my little moonbeam. You'll be safe, I promise."

He couldn't understand them yet, but he knew they held some meaning. Something he wanted to understand. He wanted to come out, and be wrapped up in the warmth those words provided.

A scratching noise, and then the world tilted. Suddenly there was light, dim and soft but there, beyond the wall he had only just discovered around him. How long had it been there? How long had he been stuck inside, all alone?

He wanted to come out.

He had to come out.

So he pushed.

There was a satisfying crack, and the sensation of something giving way in front of him. And when he pushed again, a piece of the wall fell away.

He fought harder, trying to free himself. Whoever had spoken to him, he was sure they were waiting. They wanted him out.

When the walls finally fell away, the very first thing he saw was the light.

Three big orbs were hanging high up in the sky above him. They were embracing him in their light, feeding him with their power. He wanted to pluck them right out of the sky and roll them around like little marbles.

But something was missing. The voice was gone. He was the only one there.

He was still alone.

He tried to cry out, "Mommy?" but the only sound he could make was "Squeak?"

Something fluttered from the corner of his eye, and he turned. A thin sheet, partly muddy, was blowing in the wind.

Maybe he couldn't play with the shiny orbs, but he could play with this.

He pounced, but it flitted away. He pounced again.

And again.

And again and again and again.

Finally, he caught it.

But what was it?

He barely got a good look at it when an enormous yellow dragon limped out of a large black portal-thingy and scooped him up in its talons. It made a gesture towards his prize, and he released it. What did this dragon want with him? Did it know where his mommy was? Was it going to take him to her?

Wait and see, he thought to himself.

And then he was plopped right into a decently-made nest made of scratchy straw, with three oval-shaped eggs about the size he was. One brown, one blue, and one white with little yellow spots.

Then the white one moved.

Lots of yelling, and two more dragons entered. A big red grumpy one, and a nervous blue-green one. The yelling was mostly coming from the red one.

A fourth egg, a rainbow-colored one, was squeezed in next to the brown and blue ones, but he didn't notice. He was too fixated on the white and yellow egg that was jerking and squirming. He could hardly look at it without seeing a spiral of confusing flashes: pain, anger, screaming dragons, and yet something so, so wonderful. The dragonet inside this egg had the will and power to change the world.

He did not understand yet that he could see the future. He had no idea what the flashes meant. He couldn't follow the paths that were unfolding in his brain; cause and effect and consequences were still beyond him. But in the dragonet's mind, he found the idea of strength and bravery, and the faintest outline of something called compassion.

He knew there were dragonets in the other eggs. Alive, and almost ready to come out and join him. He knew the three big dragons were talking and yelling about something important, something that he and these other dragonets were meant for.

Something tingled in his claws.

He could change that.

He could touch the eggs and stop them from hatching. He knew it, somehow; he could see in his mind how the eggs would go still under his talons. Then they'd hatch tomorrow, when the moons were no longer full, and he'd be the only special one.

He reached for the white egg...

...only to stop with his claws just centimeters away from the smooth shell.

A thousand futures flashed before him as he moved in to touch it. Futures where he conquered all the land; futures where he fought and stopped countless armies single-handedly; futures where he killed every other dragon on the continent and beyond; futures where he lived forever and alone on a desolated planet.

And none of it felt right.

As he folded his talons together, choosing to keep them still for tonight, every possible future with a lone Dragonet of Destiny fell away and disappeared. He saw them blink out, and although he didn't know exactly what they meant, he somehow felt a tiny bit happier.

This is right, he thought, not in so many words, as he watched the odd-looking, but beautiful, dragonet claw her way out of her egg. Visions of their futures cascaded through his mind, bright and warm and oh so perfect. This is my power. I get to choose what I do with it. Just me, and not anyone else.

This is what I choose.

The only mistake he'd made that night was not neutralizing his powers the first chance he had. He could have used his magic to make himself just as normal as any other dragon. Or, rather, a small, unimpressive, skinny miniature of a dragon with no tainted blood or any cursed powers.

That was where he went wrong; that was his first failure.

"I know it's dark," Arid said behind him. "But maybe we should stay under the trees tonight. You know, just in case."

If she was trying to make him feel better, it wasn't working. Not in the slightest.

"Just go," he muttered, gazing down at his talons. "I'll...I'll catch up."

They were the only ones left on the beach. All of the other dragons had gone into the forest to rest for the night.

Arid sat down next to him. "I know that look," she said. "What's wrong?"

"You saw what I did back there," Windracer said. "At the Summer Palace. Whirlpool and the spear."

"I killed a dragon, too," she reminded him. "And that wasn't on purpose, either. You don't see me moping about it."

"That's different," he grumbled.

"How?" she asked.

Only then did he finally lift his head to look her in the eye. "I have magic. You don't. Whirlpool wasn't killed by frostbreath and SandWing venom, he was killed by my animus magic."

"By accident," she insisted, truthfully.

He bowed his head, avoiding her gaze. "What if it happens again? What if I end up hurting you? Or Mom? Or Lagoon, or Bog, or the twins?"

He's never been like this before, she thought. Whatever he's getting himself into, I've got to help him out of it. "You'd never do that," she said. "Everything you did was to help us. To save other dragons."

He let out a shaky breath. "Or what if it's a part of me, something I hatched with? Darkstalker and Albatross helped other dragons, too, before they snapped and tried to kill everyone. What if I'm destined to turn out like them, no matter how many times I try to stop myself?"

"Hey." Her talons cupped his chin, lifting his head back up so she could look him in the eye. "You said it yourself, Wind. It's our choices that make us who we are - what we do, how we help or hurt the world. You make the world a better place by being in it. With or without your powers, that's always been true."

He pulled away from her, scrambling to his feet and stumbling away. "Don't touch me," he pleaded. "Please. I could never live with myself if something happened to you. I can't, and I won't, let you get hurt because of me. Just...stay away from me, please!"

Dead silence followed, lasting several long minutes. Windracer was just about to turn and look at Arid when a talonful of sand smacked him in the back of his head, just behind his horns.

Pivoting slowly, he found himself looking at the epitome of anger. Arid's eyes were narrowed, her teeth were bared, she was breathing heavily, and her talons were quivering. She looked like she wanted to bite him, blast him, and slash his face off all at the same time.

"The Windracer I know is kind and smart," she said in an eerily quiet tone that gradually increased in volume as she spoke. "He always tries so hard to protect his loved ones, and he never gives up on his friends, or himself!" She was yelling now, and throwing more talonfuls of sand at him, most of it landing in his eyes. "YOU'RE NOT ACTING LIKE THE WINDRACER I LOVE!" Something small and hard bonked him on the head, and he fell sideways onto the shore. "Let me know when you find the real Windracer, because YOU'RE NOT HIM!"

Arid exploded into the sky, leaving a large cloud of sand in her wake. Had Windracer been looking a bit closer, he would have seen tears in her eyes as she yelled at him. And if he wasn't trying to gather his bearings, he would have heard quiet sobs uttered in the wind as she flew away.

Instead, he pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the pain from the bite mark on his left hind leg, and scooped the bracelet Arid threw at him into his talons.

The bracelet he'd enchanted to protect the wearer from harm. She must have taken it off and thrown it at him while she was yelling. That's what had hit him.

But what did she mean "the real Windracer"? What was she expecting from him?

Slipping the bracelet into his bag of enchanted items, Windracer let his own tears fall.

"Arid, I'm sorry," he whispered. Despite knowing she couldn't hear him, he carried on. "This power I have...it's too dangerous. You keep telling me that I'm not a monster, that I shouldn't be afraid of who I am. But no matter how hard I try, every other dragon on Pyrrhia will always see me as another Darkstalker. I don't deserve someone as amazing as you."

Turning away, the broken hybrid spread his wings and launched himself into the sky. But instead of heading inland, he was heading out over the ocean.

It's better this way, he told himself. They'll all be safer without me around.

Arid stormed into the woods, shaking the sand off her talons and wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks. If there was one thing she'd never let herself be caught doing, it was crying.

Her father was having what appeared to be a rather deep conversation with Diamondback, the SandWing who had saved his and Arid's lives. But she was too angry and conflicted to question why - yet, anyway.

"Where's Windracer?" Auburn asked. "I thought he was with you."

"He was," Arid replied. "But he's being a...a..."

"Frog-faced blob of camel spit?" offered Diamondback.

Arid opened her mouth to retort, but paused. After a moment of thinking, she relented. "Yeah, that."

"Maybe I should go check on him," mused Auburn.

"He'll come back in his own time," said Lagoon. "He always does. This one time, after a total beatdown in battle training, he hid in his room for five straight days. He finally came out just as we were starting to think he was planning to stay in there forever."

"But, what are we supposed to do until then?" asked Bog.

Typhoon was laying on a patch of moss nearby, his SeaWing stripes providing a source of light amongst the dark forest. "I know a place where you'll be safe," he said.

"Where?" Arid asked.

"Possibility," said the older hybrid. "It's a large town on the Great Five-Tail River. It originally consisted of a SandWing settlement on the west side and a SkyWing village on the east, but the two sides have been slowly merging together over the course of the war. Hundreds of dragons from all seven tribes occupy the town, including my parents." Then, to Ocotillo, he directed, "The Outclaws are all waiting there for us right now."

"Good," sighed the SandWing. "I've been wondering where that clever little Qibli was. He'll be so delighted to finally meet Arid."

Arid twisted around to give him a sharp look. "Why?"

Her father yawned and said, "I'll tell you in the morning."

"Stay on guard," Typhoon said to the dozen or so SeaWings and SkyWings hiding in the shadows of the trees. "In case Blister or the NightWings come by. And keep an eye out for Windracer, too, in case he comes back."

"Will do," said one of the SkyWings, who was still only a dragonet, about five or six years old. She went to take her post on the left, along with another SkyWing and a SeaWing, both of whom looked about her age.

"Overheat, Charcoal, and Torrent may still be young," said Typhoon, in response to the confused looks he got from the Dragonets of Destiny, "but they're among the best dragons we have. They'll keep us safe."

Arid settled herself between her parents. The corner of her eye was fixated on Diamondback, who had flopped down next to Ocotillo. "Who is he?" she asked no one in particular.

"He's family," answered Storm. "A little unorthodox, but family."

Arid started, then realized that she was too tired to ask any more questions. All of her friends were curled up around each other, trapping in their shared heat. Even Webs was partaking in the dragon pile, though his face scrunched up every now and again, and his talons twitched, signaling a nightmare.

Before she drifted off, Arid's last thought was of Windracer, and the altercation she'd had with him on the beach. Perhaps she'd been a bit too harsh with him, but she didn't know of any other way to bring him back to his senses.

He'll come back, she thought. And we'll...I'll be waiting right here for him when he does.

Windracer didn't know how long he'd been flying for. His only thought was that he had to get as far away from his loved ones as possible, so he couldn't hurt them with his powers. His left hind leg was still throbbing with pain, but he remained ignorant.

He didn't stop to rest even once. Not even when he noticed the pitch black storm clouds that lay ahead.

He did slow down, however, when he thought he heard wingbeats behind him.

Was he being followed?

He swiveled his head around, but all he saw was open sky.

No, wait!

Were the stars moving?

Well, yes and no.

Stars could not move.

But NightWings can.

Windracer put on a burst of speed, his wings flapping at an increased pace. Even a dragon as scared and broken as he was would rather not die. A small part of him wanted to use his powers to stop his pursuers, but he squashed that thought like it was a tiny beetle under his talons.

The clouds, he realized. Even the strongest dragons wouldn't follow their prey into a storm.

He streaked forward, and the sound of concussive booms filled his ears. Blinded by the flashing lightning and deafened by the roaring thunder, he was certain that not even Morrowseer would dare to try and catch him in such a strong squall.

But he was wrong.

There must have been dozens of them, black scales and star-shaped scatters of silver under their wings, dive-bombing him from all directions. He flew this way and that, trying to find an outing, but each time he found his path blocked by a swooping NightWing.

I have to get out of here! Windracer knew without knowing. He had to go back. He didn't care if Arid was still mad at him. He'd gladly take being yelled at by his (possibly ex) girlfriend than being massacred by a gazillion angry NightWings any day of the week.

He burst out of the clouds, but they followed him - the NightWings and the storm. He was out and alone over the ocean, with nowhere to hide. What chance did he have?

No magic, he thought to himself. I can't, I won't, not after what happened. FOR THE LOVE OF THE THREE MOONS DO NOT USE YOUR MAGIC.

There was something on the horizon. It was faint, but it was there. Trees and mountains stretched across a long edge of land.

He knew those trees and mountains. It was the Sky Kingdom. If he could just reach it, maybe Queen Tourmaline could help him.

Then something slammed into his back, and he heard a loud SNAP!

And then he was falling.

He saw what hit him - a large NightWing, not nearly as big as Morrowseer, with a spear in his talons and a penitent look on his face.

Windracer tried desperately to regain his balance, but one of his wings flopped helplessly in the wind. He remembered the snap, which he'd feared was his spine, and realized that it was his wing that was broken.

Even still, the edge of the Sky Kingdom drew closer. He knew he could make it, he just had to keep going for a little longer...

He passed out in midflight.

A few minutes later, he awoke on the edge of the mountains, lying on his back. Rain pattered down on his scales, and he felt his body shaking, but he couldn't tell what the cause of it was.

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was an unfamiliar SkyWing staring right at him, their face a mask of startled terror. A bright flash of lightning made him blink, and the SkyWing was gone, and he wondered if he'd imagined them. And then the pain flared all along his body and he opened his mouth to scream but it hurt too much.

Soft thuds reached his ears as countless sets of talons landed on the ground behind him and he had a moment to utter in a pleading whisper, "Arid..." and then everything - the pain, the worry, Whirlpool and Crocodile, his powers, Arid, the mystery SkyWing - everything faded away, and Windracer dropped into darkness as black as a NightWing's scales.

Trust me, he's not dead. If he was, the story would be over.

And that SkyWing that appeared briefly? Well, you may remember from the prologue of Escaping Peril (and this fanfiction story, too), when Queen Scarlet had all of the SkyWing brightest night eggs destroyed, one of the eggs was missing from the assembly. Tui herself confirmed that she planned on getting back to that character eventually, and I wanted to include them here, but I got tired of waiting and decided to make a new character from the little one's "blueprints", if you will. Which means, yes, she will appear again soon.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

I figured it wouldn't be fair to leave you guys hanging on that last chapter, so I concocted this one up "just now-ish" , as said by Prince Cliff (who does still exist in this universe, in case you were wondering) .

When Arid woke up the next morning, she expected to find Windracer standing over her with an apologetic look in his eyes. Instead, she found herself looking into the dark green eyes of a young female dragon with cool, smooth, shiny purplish-black scales with shades of dark blue and green mixed in.

The hybrid leapt to her feet and roared threateningly, awakening her friends. Contrary to what she expected, the NightWing gasped and fell backwards, her talons and wings flailing as she scrambled to catch herself.

Arid's posture relaxed as she took another look at the young dragon. Her dark scales were gleaming in the morning light, as though they'd been polished; she was lean, but not skinny (much less painstakingly thin), and she had an overall healthy glow. Whoever she was, she certainly didn't look much at all like the NightWings that had attacked the Summer Palace the day before.

Typhoon pushed past Arid's outstretched wings to look at the dragonet. "It's okay," he said. "She's with us." Then, to the NightWing, he said, "You're supposed to be waiting for us in Possibility. What are you doing out here?"

The dragonet shifted her talons bashfully. "Looking for Windracer," she admitted. "Dark red, black wings with silver star-scales, about this tall." She reared up a little on her back legs and held her talons up to about a head taller than her own height. "I thought he'd be with you."

"He was," Typhoon confirmed. "But he hasn't come back yet."

"Who are you?" demanded Arid. "And how do you know Windracer?"

Her shouts made the NightWing shrink back down and curl around herself. "I'm Moon," she squeaked. "Well, Moonwatcher, but...just Moon is fine." She stared down at her talons with a shameful look. "My mother hid my egg in the rainforest, away from the volcano where all the other NightWings live, so that's where I hatched. A few days ago, I was in hiding, waiting for my mother, and I got bored. I thought it wouldn't hurt to take a walk, but I got lost and ended up in these woods." She lifted a claw to point in the direction of the beach. "I saw a bunch of strange dragons on the shore, and I ended up speaking to one of them with my thoughts." She turned her head to reveal a set of silver teardrop scales by her eyes, just like Windracer's. "I didn't want to leave, but Mother told me to stay hidden, and I knew she was going to be back to look for me soon. She's been trying to find Windracer, and she happened to meet Typhoon while she was looking."

"And I invited them to join us," Typhoon finished for her.

Now that that had been settled, Arid scanned the trees, looking for any sign of her boyfriend. "Windracer should have been back by now," she mused.

"Perhaps we should go search for him," Typhoon suggested. "Though, we ought to regroup in Possibility first. The more dragons looking, the sooner we'll find him."

"Alright then," said Arid. "Let's go to Possibility."

Typhoon was in the air first, heading inland towards the Sand and Sky Kingdoms. Arid was the first to follow, then Auburn, then Moon, and then all the others. The female hybrid glanced back to see Lagoon and Bog on either side of Webs, all three wearing expressions of anxiety, exhaustion, and the tiniest hint of vexation towards Marmoset and Mango, who were pushing and shoving against each other (likely trying to hide their own nervousness about the situation).

She spotted her parents taking up the rear, conversing with Diamondback, and she realized she'd forgotten to ask about the SandWing. Oh well, it could wait until later.

Arid looked back to the horizon that lay ahead, thinking to herself, Windracer, wherever you are, hang in there. We're coming to get you.

"Well," Morrowseer said. "So that didn't go as planned."

"You neglected to mention a few things," said Blister calmly. "Such as the fact that those dragonets are remarkably annoying." She draped her barbed tail pointedly over her talons and folded her wings back.

"Yes," said the NightWing. "True. Especially that half-breed. He doesn't deserve to have our powers." He stared down at the charred ruins of the Summer Palace. Fires were still smoldering on a few floors of the pavilion. Nothing remained but smoke and corpses.

"Queen Coral survived?" he asked.

"And both of her brats as well," said Blister. "Ally or not, it wouldn't be convenient for me if she died." She bared her teeth and hissed softly. "Of course, now she's hiding in the Deep Palace where I can't get to her. And she insists that my secret weapon will be no use to me for years still. She's gotten all squeamish about animus powers since finding out about her first daughter - like she'd rather waste that little one's magic just to keep her from turning homicidal."

Blister sighed a small burst of flame. "It's not been my favorite week of the war."

She batted away a piece of smoking foliage. "So, NightWing, I hope for your sake that your dragons bring me news I want to hear."

"There is another option," Morrowseer said, "but I'm not sure you'll like it all that much." He spread his wings and beckoned to a green shape circling in the sky overhead.

The SeaWing landed carefully on the cliffside, vines crumbling to ashes below his claws. He glanced down at the palace and shuddered. Morrowseer noticed that he stayed well away from Blister. Perhaps he'd heard - or guessed - what had happened to Kestrel.

"This is Nautilus," Morrowseer explained. "One of the leaders of the Talons of Peace. Nautilus, explain your backup plan to the queen."

"Possible future queen," Nautilus corrected, then jumped back nervously as Blister raised her venomous tail. "Er," he said quickly, "we have a...a set of alternatives."

Blister's black eyes glittered with interest. "Alternatives?" she said. "Really. My, my. I had no idea the Talons of Peace could be so devious."

Nautilus frowned. "We prefer to think of it as planning for every contingency," he said. "We did whatever we thought was necessary for the prophecy to come true."

"Or true-ish," Morrowseer interjected. He shot the SeaWing a look to remind him that no amount of trying to weasel his way out was going to work. Even if every dragon on the continent knew the Dragonet Prophecy was fake, Morrowseer still planned to make it come true the way he wanted - one way or another.

"Of course," Blister said. "Dragonets can be so unpredictable. You are very wise."

"Well," Nautilus said, pleased, "it was my idea."

"Of course it was," she said. "Very clever. We are talking false dragonets, yes?"

"But," rumbled Morrowseer.

"Yes," Nautilus said. His tail twitched. "But. They're, ah - not quite perfect."

Blister snorted. "Can't be any worse than the originals."

"We'll take the best options from each group," Morrowseer said. "Kill the half-breeds, obviously. And the RainWings. We can probably work with the original MudWing."

The sound of beating wings alerted them to an approaching NightWing. He landed on the cliffside in between Nautilus and Morrowseer, his expression and posture submissive.

"Risktaker," Morrowseer said impatiently. "Whatever news you're bringing, it had better be good."

The NightWing laid his spear down and spoke carefully. "Right. We have captured the uh...the hybrid. The one that 'stole our powers', as you put it."

"Excellent," said Morrowseer. "Make sure he's out of the way by the time I get back."

Risktaker nodded obediently, picked up his spear, and took off.

"And the other dragonets?" Blister growled. "How do you plan on handling them?"

"We have dragons working on it as we speak," Morrowseer promised. "Recruiting assassins is surprisingly easy in the middle of a war."

"Good," Blister flicked her tail menacingly. "Those dragonets need to know they're not as valuable as they think they are. Anyone can be replaced."

She smiled with all her teeth. "After all...there's more than one way to fulfill a prophecy."

Not that it's especially important right now, but Moonwatcher is probably my most favorite Wings of Fire protagonist, and the one I can relate to the most. Socially anxious yet friendly and with secret abilities is exactly my kind of dragon.

As for my least favorite, I like all of the protagonists in different ways, but I would say that either Winter or Peril is the least like me.

And my least favorite Wings of Fire character of all time... there's too many horribly evil and cruel dragons in the series to pick just one, but Morrowseer and Blister are ranked relatively high on my list at the current time. And I don't particularly like Nautilus, either.

The next chapter should be out soon.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur

Chapter Text

Here's that chapter I promised. Hope you guys like it.

Part Three:
The Hidden Kingdom

The five dragonets were fighting. Again.

Bright scales in green and black and gold caught the rising sun as the young dragons darted between the rocks, claws and teeth flashing. Beyond them, below the cliff, the sea crashed against the sand with a muffled rushing sound, as if it didn't want to compete with the shouts of the dragons.

It was embarrassing, was what it was. Nautilus glanced up uneasily at the massive black dragon beside him. The dragonets were so busy yelling at each other that they hadn't even noticed him yet. Nautilus wished he could read Morrowseer's mind like he'd once thought the NightWing could read his.

He also wished there were more Talons of Peace around, but when the word spread that the NightWing was coming, most of them suddenly found urgent missions elsewhere. The peace movement's hideout on the seaside cliffs was virtually deserted this morning. Occasionally a dragon snout would emerge from one of the caves, spot Morrowseer, and instantly vanish again.

The five dragonets were the only ones on top of the cliffs; although there were several other young dragons living with the Talons of Peace, they'd all been whisked out of sight.

But apparently no one had seen fit to warn the objects of Morrowseer's scrutiny that he was coming, or that they were going to be inspected.

"Well," Morrowseer said. "They are...energetic."

"They were just a backup plan," Nautilus said defensively. "Nobody thought we'd need them. Especially not all of them; we thought maybe one, or two, if something went wrong with the originals. We haven't spent a lot of time training them."

"I can see that." Morrowseer's dark eyes narrowed as Viper, the SandWing, fell into a crevice and the MudWing promptly tripped and landed on top of her.

"I'm sorry!" Heron shouted as she scrambled to get off of the dragon she feared she'd crushed. "I'm so sorry!"

Viper didn't seem to care, though, because once she was back on her own talons, she hissed and bit the MudWing's tail, setting off a yowling cry of pain.

Hawk, the orange-red SkyWing dragonet, stepped between the two. "Leave her alone, Viper," he chided. "She said she was sorry!"

"Excuse me," Nautilus said. He could see where this was going. He stepped forward, cuffed Viper's ears, and snatched Squid, the little green SeaWing, out of the way before the others could set his tail on fire.

"Stop this!" he hissed. "You're being watched!"

Morrowseer stepped into the light of the sunrise and looked down his snout majestically.

"Finally," boasted the NightWing dragonet. "Another NightWing. It's about time you got here. These bone-headed salamanders clearly need to be more organized. And, of course, we're the best tribe for that."

"Shut up, Malicious," Hawk thrashed his tail.

"No one asked you," said Viper.

"Yeah, no one asked you," piped up Squid from behind Nautilus's back.

"All you've ever done is brag about how awesome NightWings are," said Heron. "That they're far more superior than the other tribes. You think the whole universe revolves around you and your tribe."

"I never said that," Malicious said. "Well, of course, I did say those first two things, but never that last one. I should have, though, because it's true, isn't it?" He smirked up at Morrowseer with a triumphant gleam in his dark green eyes.

The older NightWing blinked slowly. "Hmmm. Nautilus, a word, please."

"What about us?" the brown dragonet asked. "Can we go home? Please? My sisters and brother have to be worried sick about me."

"Stay. Here." Morrowseer snarled. Heron sat down and curled her tail around her talons with a frightened whimper.

Morrowseer stepped down the rocks, out of earshot. When he turned, he found Nautilus right behind him. But clinging to his tail was the SeaWing dragonet. Morrowseer gazed at Squid disapprovingly.

"I can't leave him alone with them," Nautilus said apologetically. "Whenever I'm not watching, Viper or Malicious bites him."

"Or they both do," sniffed the small green dragon.

Morrowseer flicked his tongue out and in, considering. "It is clear to me," said the enormous NightWing after a moment, "That leaving the dragonets of the prophecy in the care of the Talons of Peace was a mistake. Both the real ones and the false ones."

"Who?" asked the dragonet.

"Hush," said Nautilus, covering the dragonet's snout with one talon. He saw the look on Morrowseer's face and added hastily, "You remember, Squid. We taught you about the prophecy. You know the war that all the dragon tribes are fighting?"

"The one you want to stop," Squid said. "Because we're the good guys! We want peace!" Then he scrunched up his nose. "But it's a fake, isn't it?"

"Right," said Nautilus. "You're absolutely right. But that prophecy may be our only chance at making peace, so bear with me. So, the prophecy says that five dragonets were hatched six years ago - a SeaWing, a SkyWing, a MudWing, a SandWing, and a NightWing - who are going to end the war. They get to choose which sister should be the new SandWing queen: Burn, Blister, or Blaze."

"Oh," said Squid. "Hey, I hatched about six years ago."

"Really," said Morrowseer. "You're barely the size of a three-year-old dragonet."

"I have a big personality," Squid informed him, as if he'd been told this enough times that he was certain everyone knew it.

"And your friends are about six years old, too," Nautilus said quickly.

"They're not my friends," Squid grumbled. "Viper and Malicious are bullies, and Hawk and Heron don't pay any attention to me at all."

Morrowseer glanced back at the dragonets. Heron was curled up into a ball in despair, Hawk was stretching his wings, Viper was snarling at the MudWing, and Malicious was watching him and Nautilus with an expectant look on his face.

"Well, Squid," Nautilus said. "What if you were one of the dragonets in the prophecy? What would you think about that?"

The SeaWing gave Morrowseer a canny look. "Would I get treasure?"

"You'd get fame and power," said Morrowseer. "If you did what you were told, that is."

"How about treasure?" Squid insisted.

Morrowseer gave Nautilus an incredulous look. "Is this dragonet bargaining with me?"

"I like treasure," Squid pointed out. "The Talons of Peace are so lame because none of them have any treasure."

"We gave up worldly things to fight for a higher cause," Nautilus said. "Peace is more important than jewels or gold."

"Eh," said Squid. "I'd rather have gold."

"Would you be willing to choose whichever SandWing queen we told you to?" Morrowseer asked. "If so, we could perhaps talk about gold."

"All right," Squid said with a gleam in his eye. "But I don't want Malicious to be a part of it. Or Viper. Or Hawk."

"There's nothing wrong with your NightWing," Morrowseer told Nautilus. "The SandWing, on the other talon, is brainlessly violent. And what's he complaining about the SkyWing for?"

"Nothing," Nautilus said. "Hawk and Squid just rub each other up the wrong way, that's all."

"He never pays attention to me!" Squid said. "It's not fair! I'm special! Everyone should notice me!"

"The SkyWing is nonnegotiable," said Morrowseer.

"You're nonagoshabibble," Squid said.

"Squid, be polite," said Nautilus tiredly.

"I foresee that I am going to regret this," said Morrowseer, frowning down at the SeaWings. "But I will be taking over the training of the prophecy dragonets. They have been mishandled for too long. Obviously they need clearer guidance."

"What does that mean?" Nautilus asked. A sense of dread was starting to creep across his scales. He glanced at Squid. Perhaps they should have chosen a different SeaWing to be the fake dragonet of the prophecy. If Morrowseer hurts Squid...if anything happens to him...his mother is going to kill me, Nautilus thought.

"It means they're coming with me," Morrowseer said with a flick of his tail.

"Where?" Squid demanded.

"You'll find out when we get there," said Morrowseer. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stop asking nosy questions and do what you're told."

"I can do that," Squid said, "But good luck with Viper." He thought for a moment. "And Malicious, for that matter."

"Wait, no," said Nautilus. There was so much noise in his mind that he could barely think straight. "You can't take them. Except for Malicious, who came from you, all their parents are Talons - that's how we got their eggs in the first place. They won't want them to leave."

"Except Heron," Squid offered. "Her mom won't care. It's a MudWing thing."

"Shut up," said Morrowseer. He studied Nautilus with narrow black eyes.

Oh no, Nautilus thought with dread.

"Three moons," Morrowseer said with disgust. "This dragonet is your son."

Nautilus stared down at his claws. It had seemed like a good idea when the Talons first decided to have backup dragonets. Squid hatched around the right time, if not exactly on the brightest night. And it meant that everyone in the movement treated the dragonet like the precious creature Nautilus knew he was.

"Of course I am," said Squid. "Isn't it a funny coincidence? Wow. I'm the son of the leader of the Talons of Peace and a dragonet of destiny." He puffed out his chest. "Fake prophecy is better than no prophecy. I'm even more important than I thought I was." He strutted off toward the other dragonets, having forgotten, as he often did, that none of them liked hearing about how important he was and that he would almost certainly end up with a singed snout before long.

Nautilus watched him go, wondering how everything had gone so wrong. Why had the Talons agreed to work with Morrowseer? Why had they decided to get involved with a prophecy that turned out to be phony? And how had they lost the original dragonets? That was the question that drove him crazy.

Kestrel, Dune, and Webs should have been able to keep a handle on five dragonets, especially when they were conveniently trapped in a secret cave. Instead, the dragonets had escaped, killed Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings, turned Queen Coral against her allies, wrecked the SeaWing palace, and disappeared once more into the wilds of Pyrrhia.

Worse yet, there was no one to punish. Kestrel and Dune were dead, while Webs had wriggled away from the Talons and vanished. And who knew where the dragonets were or when they'd turn up again with their spectacular talent for trouble and chaos.

"Quite a coincidence," Morrowseer echoed Squid's remark, sounding rather unimpressed.

"Well," said Nautilus. "I thought, why not? Of course, none of those five actually hatched on the brightest night, or else the prophecy would be real, wouldn't it? But they're about the right age, and nobody has to know the rest."

"Except anyone who was at their hatching," Morrowseer mused. "It would be tidier if we could kill any witnesses."

Nautilus blanched. Do their parents count as "witnesses"? he wondered before he could squelch the thought.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Morrowseer said briskly. "Since we can't be sure yet which ones we'll use and which we'll discard." He shifted his gaze over to Malicious, who had tripped Squid with his tail.

Nautilus felt properly faint now. "Discard?" he echoed.

Morrowseer snorted. "Very well. I'll try to bring yours back in one piece." He wrinkled his snout, looking as close to amused as Nautilus had ever seen him. "But isn't peace the most important thing, SeaWing? Don't you tell your Talons all the time that any sacrifice must be made to end the war?"

"Yes, but -"

"The alternate dragonets were your idea in the first place," Morrowseer hissed softly. "A good idea, as it turns out, since those six have proven to be so unsatisfactory."

"Wait, what? Six?" asked Nautilus. "How can there be six dragonets?"

Morrowseer deliberately ignored the question. "So we get rid of the most dangerous ones. I train their replacements myself."

He smiled in a way that made Nautilus feel queasy right down to his claws.

"And then we make sure my prophecy is fulfilled the way it's supposed to be."

Windracer was dreaming, but it wasn't so much a dream as it was a memory.

He was waiting by the cave entrance when Webs rolled the boulder aside and came in. His wings unfurled and he leaned forward, trying to see the guardian's claws.

"Just one this time," Webs said, untangling a scroll from the net full of fish he was carrying. He tossed it to Windracer, who caught it and examined it thoroughly. It was damp around the edges and smelled like fish, but he'd take anything that he hadn't already read through more than five times. He had to study, to learn more about the outside world. How else were he and his friends supposed to figure out how to save it?

He carried it to the study cave and found Arid curled in the small beam of sunlight that came through the hole in the roof. A dreamy sigh escaped his throat, but he didn't notice. Her scales gleamed as though they'd been polished, her claws were perfectly curled crescents, and the way the rays caught her spikes made them glimmer like were made of diamonds. He didn't care what the guardians said, she was talons down the most beautiful dragon on Pyrrhia.

His heart skipped a beat when she opened her blue eyes and smiled at him.

"A new scroll?" she asked. "What's this one about?"

He sat down next to her and unrolled it carefully. "It's about us," he said. Then he added hastily, "I mean, all of us, the dragonets of destiny, the ones who are going to save the world." His eyes scanned the text quickly. "It's all theories about where we are and who might be part of the prophecy and how it might come true."

Arid sat up and peered over his shoulder, her scales pressing against his. "Sounds interesting."

"It says there were seventeen SeaWing dragonets who hatched on the brightest night, but only six of them were from blue eggs, and maybe it's none of them because perhaps there were other SeaWing eggs outside the Kingdom of the Sea. Like offspring of the Talons of Peace, it says."

"Or an egg that was stolen by the Talons," Arid pointed out, with a hint of contempt in her voice.

"Right. It doesn't mention that possibility." Windracer went quiet, reading a little further.

"Does it say anything about the SandWing egg?" she asked curiously.

"The author seems confused about that." Windracer rolled the scroll along, searching for references to SandWings. "He, or she, says if a SandWing dragonet hatched on its own in the desert somewhere, it couldn't have survived. So it must be someone's egg - maybe from the Talons of Peace again. That would explain 'hidden away from the rival queens', right?"

"Maybe you should skip ahead to the part about stopping the war," Arid said. "I'm sure you have a few ideas yourself, but I'd like to see what this dragon thinks. You know, just for kicks."

Windracer nodded, rolling the scroll through his talons. He paused on the word SkyWing. "It says something about how there aren't any SkyWings left that hatched on the brightest night. That's weird. There must be some in the Sky Kingdom."

Before he could say, or do, anything else, a twinge of pain started creeping up his temples and into his forehead. He shut his eyes, and a strange image slowly pieced itself together in his mind.

A SkyWing. One he had never seen before. Very small, smaller than Kestrel, smaller than him, maybe even smaller than they were supposed to be. Who were they? Where were they? Were they important somehow?

He snapped out of it when he heard Arid call out to him. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said, lifting a talon to rub his head. "I just...I had a vision, but I'm okay."

She hummed. "What did you see?"

Windracer shrugged. "I'm not really sure."

That wasn't a lie. He'd thought that being able to see the future would give him answers, but so far all he'd ever gotten from them was more questions.

He kept reading, hoping to keep Arid close to him for as long as possible.

"Here," he said. "Possible ways for the dragonets to fulfill the prophecy. Um...all right, theory number one is that all of the dragonets are royal daughters, so they'll all become queens of their tribes and end the war that way."

Arid snorted with laughter. "I can totally see Bog as a MudWing princess."

He managed to let out a chuckle before his face contorted into a thoughtful frown. "It doesn't make sense, though, without an IceWing - and it means you'd have to be the next SandWing queen."

Arid's laughter dwindled down into a smile as she considered that. "Well, I have to admit, Queen Arid does have a nice ring to it."

He couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a joke, or if she was being serious. He'd have to ask her about it later.

"All right, theory number two -" he started, when suddenly a commotion of running claws sounded from the tunnel.

They both looked up as Kestrel burst into the room with Dune and Webs right behind her.

"Give me that," Kestrel snarled, snatching the scroll out of Windracer's talons. She peered at the paper, then whipped around to glare at Webs. "What were you thinking? Handing them any piece of trash you find on the beach?"

"The fish trader gave it to me," Webs said defensively. "She knows I'm always looking for new scrolls. I didn't have time to read it, but I didn't think it sounded that bad."

"Where Are the Dragonets of Destiny?" Kestrel read off the title. "That doesn't sound dangerous to you? Filling their heads with questions and ideas?"

"It's not his fault," Windracer piped up, despite everything in his right mind screaming at him to not to. "I just ran out of scrolls to read, so I thought -"

"Quiet!" Kestrel snapped. "We'll tell you everything you need to know about the prophecy. You don't need a pile of gossip and rumors and speculation cluttering up your tiny little minds. This is not for you." She waved the scroll before pointing it at him. "You. Battle training.  NOW ." She turned and stomped out of the cave with the other guardians close behind her.

If dragons could literally shrink in shame, Windracer was sure he'd be the size of a pea by now. To add insult to injury, he didn't even know what it was he'd done wrong.

"Are you just going to let her do that?" Arid asked. "She took your scroll! Don't you feel even a little mad?"

"I do," he said truthfully. "But it's not gonna do me any good. Roaring until my throat gives out or slashing up the walls until my claws fall off isn't going to get my scroll back. Knowing Kestrel, it'll be a pile of ashes before dinner. Besides, that scroll wasn't going to have all of the answers. Nobody really knows how the prophecy will unfold. We just have to always do what we know is right and, if luck's with us, fate will take us in the right direction."

"Maybe," Arid said. "But I'm more of an old-fashioned 'take it down with my tail and then slash its head off' kind of dragon."

"That's true," he said, feeling again how lucky he was. Of all the caves in all of Pyrrhia - of all the eggs that could have been chosen - somehow his and hers had wound up here, and two dragons who probably would have never met otherwise were together.

And that's how we'll always be, he thought.

"Hey!"

Something nosed Windracer in the ribs, and he woke up with a small yelp of pain.

"Are you awake?" Tiny claws lifted Windracer's eyelids, and something blurry came way too close to his snout to peer at him.

"Mmmmf?" Windracer said through a metal clamp that was binding his mouth shut. He tried to push the something away, but his talons felt heavy and he missed.

"Oh, sorry," said the little voice. "Am I too close? It's just, well, I've never really seen a dragon like you before." The tiny claws poked at his snout. "What are you?"

"Mmmmf," Windracer said again. His head hurt. His wings hurt. His left hind leg hurt. Everything hurt. Nevertheless, he pushed himself up and blinked his eyes until the world came into focus.

A small snout hovered only a few inches from his. Gigantic purple eyes peered out of purple and pink scales. The little RainWing dragonet couldn't have been more than four or five years old. He poked Windracer's snout again.

"Don't worry, I know you can't talk. They don't have a gag small enough to fit me. Well, either that or they decided my venom wasn't strong enough or I couldn't shoot it far enough to be dangerous, or something, I guess, which is actually kinda true, because it's been a while since I last practiced."

Windracer sat up so he could look around. The pain in his broken wing and his injured leg flared viciously, and he had to grit his teeth because he couldn't scream.

When his eyes opened fully, he realized that the blurriness around him wasn't just his vision. The air was hazy with smoke. Pulsing heat wafted over his scales, although he couldn't see any sign of fire. He glanced up and saw jagged stone walls pressing close overhead. It seemed like the heat was coming from the rocks themselves.

His wings were bound to his sides, and thick cloth was wrapped around his claws. Thick, heavy chains were wrapped all around his neck, all four of his legs, and even his tail. The other ends of them had been jammed into the stone walls all around him, with hardened masses of melted metal undoubtedly caused by dragon fire securing them in place.

I'm a prisoner again, he thought. Great.

He didn't need to ask, he knew it was the NightWings. But why would they cover him in chains from head to tail when they knew he could easily cast a spell to free himself?

They must know about my insecurity somehow, he guessed. If they can't read minds, they must have figured out some other way to eavesdrop on other dragons, something that could create the illusion that they still have telepathic powers. They know I won't use my magic, even if I have to.

"I know I'm not much help," said the RainWing, tilting his head sympathetically. "But I thought maybe you could use some company. I know I did, when I first woke up in this scary place. My name's Poison Dart, by the way, in case you were wondering."

Windracer had been wondering, actually. He'd also been wondering how far he could go with the chains on. The way they looked, he could only take about half a dozen steps in each direction before they'd started to tug on him.

"I know what you're thinking," said Poison Dart. "I've gotten pretty good at that, especially since I'm the only prisoner who can talk, so I have to try and imagine the other side of every conversation I have. You're wondering where we are, and trust me, you do not want to know. There are lava rivers everywhere, we can barely take a breath of fresh air because of all the smoke, and don't even get me started on the black dragons. Sinister, right? I mean, who in their right mind would ever want to live in a death trap like this?"

Windracer knew the answer to that. He didn't want to, but he did.

This is the secret home of the NightWings.

Not looking too good for Windracer so far. But don't worry, the good guys always win.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar

Chapter Text

Shall we continue?

Windracer sat down as best he could with his injured leg, his gaze locked on to the RainWing dragonet.

"I wish you could talk," said Poison Dart, a blanket of blue-gray, which Windracer guessed indicated sadness, creeping along his wings. "I don't even know your name. I bet we could be friends, especially since I only have a few of those back home. I miss the rainforest. Do you miss your home, too?"

Windracer never thought of the caves under the mountain as home, but his friends almost made it worth living there.

He missed his friends. They weren't there to help him because he'd run away from them, and they didn't know where he was now. How could he escape?

"I know I'm not supposed to visit other prisoners," Poison Dart said. "But it gets really boring on my own. There's nothing to do around here except wait around for those black dragons to take you in for a venom test. And I don't mean the kind of venom test like the ones we do, I mean they take us to this fortress and have us melt a bunch of stuff. Weird, right? So far, all I've melted is a pile of leaves. They told me to melt this metal claw-thing, too, but our venom doesn't work on nonliving stuff. And then they had me spit some venom into a bowl and who knows what they want with that."

They're studying the RainWings, Windracer realized. Or, at least, their venom, apparently. But what for? Are they trying to replicate it somehow?

It's either that, or...they want to know how to defend against it.

"Maybe I can find something sharp enough to cut those ropes," said Poison Dart, gesturing to the hybrid's bound talons. "Like a really sharp rock, or something. Or I could check one of those really disgusting dead things they feed us for sharp bones. That would be pretty gross, though."

His one-sided conversation was cut short when the sound of wingbeats from outside the cave increased in volume.

"They're coming!" The little dragonet darted behind one of the larger rocks, his scales flawlessly copying their surroundings. "Pretend I'm not here!"

Are they looking for him? thought Windracer. Or are they here for me?

Three NightWings ducked into the cave, one after the other, crowding the narrow space. Windracer held his ground and stared back at them. At least there was no sign of Morrowseer. He'd have been dead for sure.

The lead dragon had golden wires wound around his horns and down his forehead, each suspending a circle of glass in front of each of his eyes. He was carrying some scrolls and a small container of ink.

The last dragon who came in had a disturbing scar twisted across his snout. Strange bubbles of deformed skin protruded from his jawline, and one of his nostrils was sealed shut, so he breathed in a loud, snuffly way.

The spectacled NightWing cupped his talons under Windracer's jaw. He lifted the younger dragon's head so he was looking him in the eye.

"Fascinating," he said. "He definitely looks more like a SkyWing. Of course, there are those NightWing genetics poking through, especially in the wings. So much to study, and so little time...perhaps I could get special permission from the queen." He withdrew his talons so he could write in one of the scrolls he was holding.

"But what do we do with him after that?" asked the unscathed guard.

"Get rid of him," said the scarred dragon. "Obviously. He's too dangerous to be kept alive, Risktaker."

"Well," said the spectacled NightWing, "he certainly doesn't look very dangerous to me. Nothing at all like the Darkstalker."

"You'd risk our tribe for that, Cleverclaws?" the scarred NightWing demanded. "I heard what he did to that SeaWing. He can easily do that to us!"

You don't think I don't want to? Windracer wanted to say.

"Take it easy, Vengeance," said Cleverclaws. "We all saw in the Obsidian Mirror. He won't harm a fly."

The Obsidian Mirror? Windracer asked himself, only to come up with the answer a minute later. That's what they must be using to spy on everyone. Most likely animus-touched. I wonder who made it.

There was a booming thud outside, and a massive shape blocked the exit. The three NightWings turned to find themselves staring into the glaring eyes of Morrowseer.

Windracer slumped to the cave floor. Da da da, I'm dead.

"Risktaker!" bellowed the enormous NightWing as he stepped into the cave. He smacked the guard's snout with his tail and pointed at the cowering hybrid. "What is that?!"

"The hybrid?" Risktaker answered after a moment's hesitation.

"Why didn't you do what I said?!" Morrowseer roared.

"But I did!" said Risktaker. "You told me you wanted him out of the way!"

"Well," snarled Morrowseer, "what's he doing here?!"

"I dragged him all the way back to this death trap," Risktaker said, "and chained him up with the RainWings. How much more out of the way could he be?"

"Dead, you imbecile!" Morrowseer's growl turned into a roar as he spoke. "Dead is what he could be! DEAD!"

Quivering with fear, the guard started, "But he's..." Whatever he was about to say, he lost his nerve before he could finish.

"Let's not be too hasty," said Cleverclaws. His ink-covered talons flew across the scroll as he spoke. "We really ought to study this hybrid. I mean, look at him! The characteristics of two separate tribes merged into one entity! Think of what we could gain!"

"Or lose," snarled Vengeance. "You remember what happened when that idiot SandWing went and mingled with a SeaWing. No gills, no fire, no venom, just a useless little blob of glowing stripes."

"The possibilities are endless," Cleverclaws continued as if he didn't hear. "We could breathe underwater, fly faster than any dragon, shoot venom from our fangs. We could be all-powerful again! We could be...AllWings!"

Windracer sat there in silence, trying desperately to ignore all of the horrific visions that featured dragons like that.

"Stop stalling," Morrowseer demanded. "Queen Battlewinner and I want him dead, and we want it done NOW!"

"Gladly," snarled Vengeance, readying his spear.

"Wait!" Risktaker finally spoke up. "I'll do it. I should have done it in the first place, when we caught him."

Morrowseer opened his mouth to speak, but Cleverclaws cut him off. "Very well, Risktaker. Go ahead."

Windracer did nothing but watch as the guard padded closer to him. This was it; he was going to die. He was never going to see his friends again, he was never going to end the war, and, most important of all, he was never going to get the chance to apologize to Arid.

Strangely, he could still see visions of his future with her and their dragonets - confident Skyfire, loyal Bluemoon, friendly and cheerful Dawnbringer, kind and smart Duskflight, and sweet and funny little Oasis.

Risktaker was standing over him now, his spear pointing down. The sharp end had three twisted claw-like points and glinted evilly in the reddish light.

But he wasn't aiming for Windracer's heart.

There were latches on the chains that had the hybrid trapped. Windracer had not noticed them before, but, if he had to guess, they were probably the locks that held the chains in place.

It was hard to see exactly what Risktaker did, but the hybrid felt the spear points hook into one of the latches, then twist and pull. The chains loosened, and the NightWing guard whispered one word to Windracer.

"Run."

There wasn't time for the confused hybrid to register what was happening before the chains fell off of him, and the NightWing leaped back.

"He's loose!" Risktaker screamed, flailing around and trying to pass as a surprised and frightened guard.

Morrowseer wasn't fooled. "Seize him!"

Vengeance lunged at Risktaker, who swung his spear at him in response. The tip caught the scarred flesh on his snout and left a small cut.

"Now, Cleverclaws!" Risktaker shouted over the noise.

The spectacled NightWing slipped past Morrowseer and Vengeance, his scrolls and ink left forgotten on the cave floor. He grabbed Windracer in his talons and gently pulled him up onto his back.

"Hold on tightly," he said. "This is going to be a bumpy ride."

He was in the air almost before Windracer could get his talons around his neck. He slipped sideways and nearly knocked Cleverclaws into the lava.

"Mmmmf," Windracer tried to apologize with the metal clamp still around his mouth.

"We'll take care of that later," said Cleverclaws, undoubtedly referring to the clamp.

Then he suddenly halted, a hiss of pain escaping his throat. Both dragons turned their heads back over their shoulders to find Morrowseer clutching Cleverclaws's tail in his talons.

"You're not going anywhere, traitor!" he growled. "Hand over that filthy half-breed or I'll -"

Something black dripped down onto his neck from an invisible source. There was a sizzling sound, and Morrowseer left out a roar of pain. By reflex, his talons released Cleverclaws and flew to his neck, which had started smoking.

"Take that, you big bully!" said the invisible source of the venom, their natural purple and pink color replacing the reddish black of the landscape.

Poison Dart! Windracer had forgotten about him.

"He wasn't part of the plan," said Cleverclaws, mostly to himself. He shrugged. "Oh, well, the more the merrier. Follow me!"

Windracer stared at the spectacled NightWing as if he'd just peeled off his scales and revealed a hippo underneath. A quick peek into his mind told the hybrid everything he needed to know.

RainWings chained to the walls, starving and dehydrated, scales colored a sorrowful dark gray, and with several NightWings studying them. Cleverclaws was one of them, but his heart wasn't fully into it. He was quite possibly the only NightWing scientist who saw the RainWings as fellow dragons rather than as test subjects.

Windracer didn't see where Cleverclaws was flying, but he did notice several NightWings standing on a high rock ledge below them. He also saw Poison Dart flapping madly to keep up with them.

And there was a NightWing guard flying on their left.

"Wisdom," Cleverclaws said, "Risktaker needs backup, fast!"

"Of course," the guard called back. He swooped down into a U-turn and made a beeline for the cave where they had once held Windracer captive.

"They should be around here somewhere," Cleverclaws mused. "Aha! Down there! Hold on!"

He went into a dive, and Windracer had to adjust his hold so he wouldn't fly right off. He squeezed his eyes shut as the pain from his broken wing and injured leg flared up again.

Then everything was still.

Windracer opened his eyes and found a plethora of NightWings staring at him. Most of them were mothers holding their dragonets, but he saw a few armored guards here and there.

Cleverclaws lowered the hybrid off of his back and onto the ground. "Help me get these off of him," he told the guards, tugging at the restraints on Windracer's wings.

Windracer's snout contorted in discomfort as one of the guards worked his broken wing free as gently as he could. Another guard hooked his spear into the latch on the clamp that held hybrid's mouth closed and gave it the same twist and pull Risktaker had with the chains. The clamp slipped open and fell off, and Windracer let out a croaky, "Thank you."

"Our pleasure," said one of the guards.

Cleverclaws adjusted his glasses as he examined the hybrid's wounds. "That wing will be an easy fix," he said. "But that bite on your leg...which NightWing did that?"

"Morrowseer," Windracer answered automatically.

Cleverclaws shook his head, tsk tsk tsking. "It looks bad. Probably infected. We need to get him to a healer right away."

"Why?" Windracer wheezed. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're the only hope we have," said one of the NightWing mothers. She was holding her dragonet tightly to her chest, even in spite of their protests of being squished.

"It's true," said Cleverclaws. "Queen Battlewinner and Morrowseer are ruthless. They're too concerned about making our fake prophecy come true. They don't see how much we're really suffering right now. We'd hoped you'd be able to help us."

So there is still hope for the NightWings, Windracer thought with relief. "I want to," he said, coughing on the smoke. "Really, I do. But I don't know how I can do that." Then he remembered something. "Risktaker! He needs help!"

"Don't worry," Cleverclaws assured him. "He and Wisdom are among the best soldiers we have. They'll be alright. Now, we need to get you fixed up."

"The healers won't take him here," said one of the mothers. "Not with the threat of the queen hanging over their heads."

"Then we'll take him through the tunnels," said another NightWing. "Find a healer we can trust. It's the only other option we have."

Windracer strained to look at her. It was hard, due to the lack of light, but he could see a diamond necklace contrasting against an ugly scar that rippled down her chest. She lifted her talons to claw at the necklace nervously, as if she was afraid no one would believe what she had said.

"Princess Greatness is right," said Cleverclaws. "We have to get him off of this island."

"Princess?" Windracer repeated.

"This was all my idea," she said. "Cleverclaws helped plan it, but I thought of it. We recruited the most trustworthy guards we knew to gather all of the mothers and their dragonets. We were going to look for you, but Risktaker told us they were bringing you here, so we had to improvise. My mother can't know about this. She'd kill me if she ever found out."

"No, she wouldn't," Cleverclaws argued. "You're the only heir to the throne. A kingdom without heirs is a disaster waiting to happen."

Greatness tugged at her necklace. "But I don't want to be queen. Being queen is awful!"

Windracer opened his mouth to speak, but a groan of pain escaped instead.

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there," Cleverclaws decided. "Right now, he's our number one priority."

"Poison Dart," said Windracer, pointing. The RainWing dragonet had changed his scales to match the color of the NightWings, but he was still recognizable. "He needs to go home. To the rainforest."

"That's where we're going," said Cleverclaws, lifting the hybrid onto his back again. "There's a magic tunnel that leads from here to there. Your little friend can go home, and we'll head out through the other tunnel to the Kingdom of Sand and look for that multi-tribe town on the river. I hear the doctor there is one of the best in Pyrrhia."

Magic tunnels, multi-tribe town, doctors...so many questions were buzzing around in Windracer's head, but he was too tired and in too much pain to ask any of them.

"Sleep," Cleverclaws advised. "You'll need your rest."

"My bag," said the hybrid between tired pauses. "There's a spearhead...I enchanted it...to find what I'm looking for."

"I have it here," said Risktaker's voice. He and Wisdom landed a few feet away, the hybrid's leather bag resting safely in the former's talons.

Exhaustion was starting to overwhelm Windracer. He tried to settle onto the scales of Cleverclaws's back, but he was in too much pain.

He missed his friends. He wanted to be eating boar with Bog, talking with Lagoon, cuddling with his mother, yelling at the RainWing twins for pulling another prank on him, like sneaking worms into his dinner.

But mostly he missed Arid. He missed her scales leaning against his, her blue eyes watching him while he talked. He wanted to tell her about everything that happened today - about the kidnapped RainWings, the Obsidian Mirror, the horrible living conditions of the NightWings, and the revolution that was being led by Princess Greatness.

He wanted to tell her all about Poison Dart.

And Vivid.

And...

His eyes closed, and sleep came for him.

Before you even ask, no, the NightWings are not trying to trick Windracer. This revolution is the real deal, no traitorous schemes at play.

I can't make any promises, but there may be at least one more chapter before my wait for the Runty SkyWing triggers a more long-term hiatus.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar

Chapter Text

Be ready to meet new dragons.

Windracer was surrounded by scrolls. Stacks of scrolls, walls of scrolls as high as ten dragons, scrolls as far as he could see in every direction.

There was so much to read. Surely the answers he was looking for had to be here somewhere. How would he ever find them all in time? How could he possibly come up with a plan before the war tore the whole continent apart?

"Oops," said a voice from the next aisle as a pile of scrolls went tumbling, scattering all around Windracer's talons. Lagoon's face poked out of the wreckage and grinned at him. "Oh, hey. There you are."

"Please be careful," Windracer said. He started picking up scrolls and re-stacking them as neatly as he could. "I need these."

"For what?" Lagoon wrinkled her snout. "Does the prophecy say 'A bunch of scrolls are coming to save the day'? Because I don't remember that part."

Windracer picked up the next scroll. How to Save the NightWings and RainWings. "See?" he said, "The answers we need are all here." He unrolled the scroll, only to find it completely blank inside. Smooth, empty parchment stared back at him, indifferent to his disappointment.

"Come on, you silly scrollworm," Lagoon said. "We could use your help."

"Give me a minute. I just need to find the answers." Windracer spread his wings, knocked over another stack of scrolls, and turned in an agitated circle. Had the walls of scrolls gotten taller? He picked up another scroll: How to End the War of SandWing Succession. "That's what I need," he muttered, rolling it open. But it was blank, too.

Lagoon was still waiting. "Just one moment," Windracer told her. "I'll be right there, I promise." He pulled a shimmering golden scroll out of a pile. Surely something so beautiful had to have something useful in it.

How to Apologize to Arid.

Windracer sighed. He knew before he unrolled it: blank, blank, blankety-blank.

"Hey," Lagoon said. "Are you okay? Come on, wake up!"

It wasn't Lagoon's voice anymore - and someone was shaking his shoulder - and Windracer blinked awake, muddled and still sleepy. He shook his head and the pain ricocheted around inside. He tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but his infected leg flared up every time he moved it.

Six or seven or maybe eight dark blurry shapes surrounded him. Beyond them, trees as tall as two Morrowseers towered over them all. Crickets chirped somewhere in the grass, and, not too far away, an owl hooted.

"Who are you?" Windracer gasped, or tried to.

One of the shapes came close enough for him to make out the features of a bluish-black dragonet a year or two younger than himself. "I'm Knowledge," he said. "Don't mind me. I'm just curious about you. I've never seen a hybrid up close before. This is my friend, Mightyclaws."

"Hello," piped up a friendly voice from one of the other NightWing dragonets. Windracer guessed he was Mightyclaws.

"I really like those scales by your eyes," said another dragonet behind Knowledge. "The ones that look likes tears. I wish I had ones like those. I'm Mindreader. But don't worry, I promise I'll stay out of your head."

The other dragonets laughed uproariously, as if that was the most hilarious joke in Pyrrhia history. Except for Knowledge, who rolled his eyes sadly.

She can't read minds, Windracer knew. Even in spite of her name, she has no powers, because she didn't hatch under the moons. None of these dragonets have scales by their eyes like I do. They must be some sort of symbol of the NightWing powers, so others can know what they're capable of.

"Where are we?" he blurted.

"In a forest," one of the other dragonets said. "I think."

"That's Fearless," said Knowledge. Then, to his friends, he said, "The scouts will be back any minute. They'll be expecting us all to be asleep."

"Scouts?" Windracer repeated.

"They're using your magic spearhead," said yet another NightWing dragonet. Her dark purple scales shimmered with purple underscales scattered with hundreds of extra silver scales, sparkling along her belly, neck, tail, and legs like starry freckles. "They're trying to find Possibility so they can take you to the doctor. At least, that's what I heard."

"And Poison Dart?" Windracer asked.

"You mean the RainWing dragonet," Knowledge said. "Back home in the rainforest, where he belongs. He's lucky he has a good home. Us, not so lucky."

"Can you help us?" asked the starry dragonet. "I'd love to have a new home, with lots of food and pretty night skies and soft fluffy beds!"

Almost in unison, all the dragonets sighed longingly.

"I'll do what I can," Windracer promised. "Now, can you please keep it down? I'm really tired and in a lot of pain, and I'd like to get some more sleep before we have to get going."

"Oh, sorry," said the starry dragonet. "We've been keeping you up, haven't we? I told them we should have let you sleep, but they were all like, 'He's been asleep all day, Stargazer, we need to make sure he's not dead, because if he is then he can't save our tribe'. And I said, 'Okay, but please be gentle', and they were and that made me very happy." Then, upon seeing the exasperated look he was giving her, she quickly added, "I'm gonna stop talking now."

Now that everything was quiet, Windracer's tiredness caught up with him and his eyelids started drooping.

"Wait," he said suddenly, having remembered something. "Do any of you know a dragon named Moonwatcher?"

The dragonets all looked at each other, their snouts masks of confusion.

"Who?" asked Mindreader.

"Moonwatcher," Windracer said. "We talked to each other once before. I mean, we talked with our thoughts. That's what I think these scales by my eyes mean. I think they're a symbol of the powers I got from the moons. Is there any other NightWing you know that has scales like these?"

"No, sorry," said Stargazer, shaking her head sadly. "And I know everyone."

Mightyclaws looked suspicious. "How can there be a NightWing with powers we don't know about?"

"We didn't know about him," Knowledge said, pointing to Windracer.

"That's different," Mightyclaws insisted. "His mother is a SkyWing, she had him on the mainland. We were all laid on the volcano."

"All but one of us, apparently," said Knowledge, scratching his chin. "I'll bet one of the mothers hid her egg someplace off the island, where the moons could reach it."

"I wonder who was brave enough to do that," said Fearless.

"Not mine," grumbled Mightyclaws. "Which is TOTALLY unfair."

Windracer sighed. "Thanks anyway. I just...I thought you would have known them. Let's get some sleep."

Unfortunately for the hybrid's tired eyes, the scrabble of claws from between the forest trees heralded the appearance of a dragonet smaller than the others, perhaps three years old. She raced into the clearing and gasped, "They're coming back!"

Immediately the dragonets scattered to patches of grass that had been arranged into soft nests for them to sleep on. Half of them dove into the grass and pretended to be asleep while a few of them curled around Windracer.

With a flapping sound, Cleverclaws, Risktaker and Wisdom landed in the clearing, the spectacled NightWing holding Windracer's spearhead in his talons.

"We've found Possibility," he said. "We'll fly there in the morning."

Windracer didn't remember much, aside from a few things he picked up between fainting spells. He was so tired, he could barely open his eyes. How serious was his infection? Was it life-threatening? Was he going to die?

He didn't want to die like this, far away from his friends and his mother, not before he had done anything to save them and everyone else being plagued by the war and Morrowseer's wicked plot.

He remembered waking up to the sound of the wind in the sky. There were tears creeping out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He remembered whispering Arid's name and begging her to come and save him.

Please, Arid.

I'm sorry.

I need you.

I love you.

He could hear voices, but none of them belonged to whom he was desperate to see.

"He's getting worse," said Risktaker.

"We're almost there," Cleverclaws said. "I can see the Great Five-Tail River. The town should be right around here."

"I see it!" cried Wisdom.

Windracer strained to open his eyes and see if it was true, but his head hurt too much.

"Where's the healer's hut?" asked Greatness.

"We'll have to spread out and look for it," said Cleverclaws. "Try not to attract too much attention, we don't know how the residents will react to a plethora of NightWings landing in their town."

"Probably not well," Risktaker said. "They all know what Morrowseer did. They'll think we're on his side. That we're looking for the Dragonets of Destiny."

"We are," said Wisdom. "Just not for the reasons they might think."

Windracer fell asleep again.

He woke up when Cleverclaws landed, jolting the hybrid a little.

"Sorry," he uttered.

Then there was the sound of rushing talons, and voices calling out Windracer's name.

"I'm here," he tried to yell, but it came out all quiet and croaky.

Talons touched his scales, and he recoiled as the pain flared up.

"What did you do to him?!" demanded a familiar voice.

Arid!

"It wasn't us," promised Greatness.

"We're trying to save him," Risktaker said.

"He's the only one who can help us," said Wisdom.

"Likely story," Arid growled.

"Arid," Windracer managed to say in a weak voice. "They're telling the truth."

For a long moment, it was quiet.

"Windracer," Arid gasped. There was not an ounce of anger in her voice. Her talons brushed his neck, and he willed himself to not flinch away. "W-what happened to you?"

She'd stuttered. Arid never stuttered.

"Morrowseer happened," he breathed. "Risktaker and Cleverclaws saved me. Arid...I'm sorry. The beach...the things I said...Arid, I'm so sorry..."

She caressed his snout. "I know, I'm sorry, too. But I'm here now. You're gonna be okay, I promise."

"Where are the others?" he asked.

"We're here," said Lagoon's voice, somewhere behind Arid.

Auburn was there, too, he could hear her fearfully hyperventilating nearby. She was afraid - terrified that she might lose her son.

"We need to get him to the doctor," Cleverclaws said.

"I can take you there."

Windracer forced his eyes open at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

A young, handsome SandWing came bustling over. "Hello, I'm Meerkat," he said with a friendly nod. "The doctor's hut is just over this way. I must warn you, though, there's not enough room in there for all of you. Mayfly is very strict about her space. Extra visitors can wait in the garden."

"Mayfly?" echoed Princess Greatness. "The doctor is a MudWing?"

"The best in Possibility," said Typhoon's voice from somewhere Windracer couldn't see.

Many dragons would have never thought that any MudWings could be smart enough to become doctors, let alone the best in town. But there was such a thing as exceptions.

Windracer passed out on the way there, but he woke up in time to see a compact structure with walls of whitewashed bricks and a roof of dried reeds with a riot of greenery trying to vault over from the back of the house. A small green flag stuck out of the wall by the door, with the word 'DOCTOR' neatly printed on it.

A brown dragon with a wide, flat face limped outside. She paused for a moment, glancing at Windracer. "Is that a SkyWing?"

"Yes and no," Cleverclaws answered. "He's half SkyWing. The other half of him is NightWing. His name is Windracer."

"I know him," said the doctor. "The magic hybrid with special powers. Never seen him before. What seems to be the problem?"

"He's hurt," Greatness said. "Bad."

Mayfly took a few limping steps forward to examine him.

Windracer realized that the doctor's back left leg and half her tail were covered in what appeared to be frostbite scars - blackened and blistered, with two claws missing. Likely a result of getting in an entanglement with an IceWing during the war.

He hissed in pain as Mayfly's claws brushed his injured leg.

The doctor shook her head. "That looks awful. What bit him?"

"Morrowseer," said Cleverclaws. "We're not entirely sure how it works, but I have deduced it to be something we picked up on the volcano. Any prey animal that we bite gets an infection and dies a few days later."

"Can you help him?" asked Arid.

The moment her eyes landed on the female hybrid, Mayfly glared at her. "What are you doing here, ice dragon?" the doctor snapped with a hiss.

"I'm half SandWing," Arid declared. "And I'll have you know that I'm his girlfriend, and I'm not letting him go in there without me!" She didn't care if their friends were there, she wanted to make it clear that she belonged with him.

Mayfly looked a bit calmer. "I'll see what I can do," she said. "But it won't be an easy task. He'll be lucky to still have his leg when I'm done."

"What?" Windracer croaked. "What are you gonna do with my leg?"

"I'm going to try to save it," she said. "Emphasis on 'try'."

"Do what you must," said Auburn, her voice full of tears. "Just as long as my son lives."

Cleverclaws shifted, and Mayfly pulled Windracer off of him and gently laid him down on a stretcher. "You can come in and stay with him," she said, nodding at Arid. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you."

The beautiful hybrid grabbed one end of the stretcher, and together they carried him into the house. The room was sunlit, clean and uncluttered. The only furniture was a large, plain white table in the middle and a few shelves on one wall that held neatly labeled bottles and jars.

Windracer grit his teeth as he was lifted onto the table, his broken wing and infected leg flopping helplessly on his side.

"I'll start with the wing," said Mayfly, limping over to the shelves. "That'll be an easy fix. After that, I'm afraid I'm not sure."

"That's okay," said Arid, clutching her boyfriend's talons in a death grip. "Do what you have to." Then, to him, she whispered, "It'll be alright. She can fix you. Y-you're gonna be okay."

She'd stuttered again. And her talons were shaking. She was really scared.

She was afraid she was going to lose him.

Mayfly shoved a bowl full of something into his snout. "Drink up," she ordered. "It's best for you to not be awake for this."

Whatever it was, it smelled awful, but he downed it in one gulp. He didn't want to see whatever she had to do to his leg. Or feel it, for that matter.

He was already feeling sleepy. "Arid..." He wanted to say something to her before he passed out again. "If something goes wrong, I...I want you to know...I love you. I always have."

"I love you, too," she answered automatically. She swallowed, then said, "But I want you to promise me that you'll make it. That nothing will go wrong. Please, I...I can't imagine a world without you in it."

He wanted to say something, anything, to let her know that he would be okay.

But he was already asleep.

My plan for the next chapter: Windracer's recovery, proper reunion with his friends, and meeting new dragons in Possibility (including some that I have been looking forward to for a really long time).

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar

Chapter Text

New characters are on the way.

Three days.

That's how long it had been since Windracer had returned. Mayfly was still working on his leg.

And Arid was scared for him.

The MudWing doctor had allowed her to stay for as long as she wanted, but that only lasted for a few minutes as the hybrid found she didn't have the stomach for what Mayfly had to do to Windracer's badly infected leg.

She was sitting by the river, far away from the commotion in the markets. Every now and again, she'd dip her talon into the water and watch it ripple. Her heightened SandWing hearing picked up the sound of tiny talons scurrying through the sand, but she drowned it out with her thoughts.

He'll be fine. Mayfly knows what she's doing. He'll be okay.

Those thoughts had been looping around in her mind for a while. She wouldn't allow herself to think anything else.

"Hello," piped a small, friendly voice from beside her.

Arid turned her head just enough to see a little SandWing dragonet sitting next to her. Her yellow scales were as pale as the sand beneath their talons, and there was a diamond pattern running down her side like the one on Diamondback. Unlike his, however, this dragonet's pattern was a shade of yellow so pale it looked white.

The dragonet tilted her head, confusion evident in her warm brown eyes. "I said 'hello'!"

Arid turned her head away.

"You look sad," the dragonet observed. "You know what cheers me up? Coriander seeds. You can have some, if you like." She reached up to grab the small pouch she had looped around her neck like a piece of jewelry.

"No thanks," Arid grumbled.

The dragonet looked the tiniest bit happy that Arid had spoken to her. "My name is Coriander, but you can call me Cori. What's your name?"

Arid sighed. "Listen, I want to be alone right now, okay?"

Coriander sulked a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

Somewhere from the market, a dragon called, "Cori!"

"Is that your mother?" asked Arid.

"Orphanage supervisor," Coriander corrected. "Gotta go." She looped the string of her pouch over her neck and laid it in the sand at Arid's talons. "You can have my coriander seeds. They'll make you feel better. I hope."

When Arid looked up, the dragonet was gone. She gazed down at the small pouch Cori had left, and the little SandWing's words sunk in.

That poor, sweet little dragonet was an orphan.

Arid lifted the pouch out of the sand and opened it, revealing several talonfuls of coriander seeds. She sighed. Coriander had been trying to cheer her up, and all she could think about was Windracer. The dragon she was destined to be with forever, and have eggs with.

How could she be a mother to her own dragonets if she couldn't even pay attention to an orphan that had been sitting right next to her?

We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Windracer would say.

Arid stood up, the bag of seeds in her talons, and started back toward Mayfly's hut.

Windracer was dreaming again. But it wasn't a flashback this time.

It was a vision.

Arid - older, bigger Arid - passed a scroll into the talons of a small dragonet with a head of white-gold scales, serrated claws shaped like crescent moons, silver scales  that sparkled like diamonds on the  undersides of her black wings, and a venomous stinger on the end of her long, orange-red tail.

Oasis's onyx-black eyes shimmered with excitement that rippled down her SandWing frill. She kissed Arid's temple and flew off down a nearby hallway, calling, "Thanks, Mom!"

"No flying in the halls!" Arid called after her, but she was smiling.

The bubbly little dragonet practically plowed into Windracer, fidgeting with excitement.

"Daddy!" she squealed, waving the scroll under his nose. "Will you read this to me? Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Oasis," Windracer said, gently pushing her off. "Of course I will. But your siblings will want to hear it, too, and you know I don't like playing favorites."

Oasis wasn't at all disappointed to hear that. "So read it to all of us! I saw them in the Jade Mountain library with Miss Lagoon!"

Windracer laughed. "Alright, but be patient. And try not to blow all the scrolls off the shelves when we get there."

"I won't," Oasis said through excited giggles. "I promise!"

Jade Mountain. The tallest mountain in the Claws of the Clouds mountain range. And home to the inter-tribal school called the Jade Mountain Academy.

Sunlight poured through the windows as father and daughter moved through the caves. Small dragonets, each of them a different color, played a game of chase in the sky.

They came into the library and the dragon behind the desk raised her head to greet them. Lagoon exchanged friendly hellos with her friend and his bubbly little dragonet before directing them to the window bay.

A fiery orange SkyWing-like dragonet with reddish-black NightWing spines, sunshine-yellow SandWing talons, orange-white IceWing wings with a pinkish tinge, icy blue spikes on her head, and a silver teardrop scale on the outside corner of her blue eyes, was curled up with two other dragonets - one white with dapples of orange and one pitch black. Both had white IceWing spikes, red SkyWing talons, sand-colored SandWing wings, and teardrop scales by their eyes like their sister's. The three had a scroll spread out in front of them and were studying together.

"Can you imagine?" the white one said. "The tribes hated each other so much back then."

"It's a good thing we're so much smarter than all the dragons who lived before us," said the red one importantly. "We'd never make their mistakes."

"All the dragons?" asked an amused Windracer. "Are you sure about that, Skyfire?"

The red dragonet's head shot up at the sound of her father's voice. "Sorry, Dad."

"What brings you here, Father?" asked the black dragonet.

Oasis answered the question for him. "He's gonna read us a story, Duskflight!"

"What kind of story?" the white dragonet asked, her green eyes shining with intrigue. "Adventure? Comedy? Romance?"

"All of those, Dawnbringer," Windracer smiled. "It's the story of me and my friends." He held up the scroll so they could read the title.

"'A Fate Fulfilled, by the Dragonets of Destiny'," Duskflight read aloud. His blue eyes twinkled faintly. "Sounds exciting."

Oasis bounced in excitement, but it died down when she noticed that there was someone missing. "Where's Bluemoon?"

"He's out gathering strawberries with Peacemaker," Skyfire answered.

As if on cue, two more dragonets entered the library, carrying a large wicker basket filled to the brim with strawberries. The older of the two, Peacemaker, had black scales, a round face, wide-set eyes, and a constellation of rainbow-colored scales on the undersides of his wings. The other one, Bluemoon, had sapphire blue scales with hints of white, black NightWing talons, a pale yellow-white SandWing frill and tail with IceWing spikes in place of a stinger, striking pale blue eyes, a narrow, elegant, diamond-shaped head, and bluish-red SkyWing wings, the membranes of which were snow-white with a scattering of jet black scales.

"Dad!" Bluemoon perked up at the sight of his father.

Windracer chuckled. "Hey, you little berry-pickers. Want to hear a story?"

"We'd love to," his son answered.

Peacemaker held up the basket proudly and declared, "There's enough for everyone!"

The six dragonets all sat down in a circle around Windracer, the basket of strawberries placed right in the middle so they could all reach in and grab some when they wanted to.

"Be sure to put that scroll back before you leave," Lagoon said, sliding out from behind her desk.

Skyfire answered, "Sure," absentmindedly.

Windracer unrolled the scroll, gazed fondly at his children, and began to read.

Windracer didn't want the dream to end. It was so bright and beautiful, and it felt so real.

But he had to wake up.

And that's what he did.

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes were the sunshine-yellow eyes of his mother, Auburn. The SkyWing sobbed in relief and caressed her son's face and horns lovingly.

"Mom." His voice sounded much better now. "How long was I out?"

"Almost a week," was her answer. "You gave us quite a scare. How do you feel?"

"Better," he answered honestly. He gave his limbs an experimental stretch. His wing was as good as new, but his leg...

He turned to look over his shoulder at his left back leg.

It still had Morrowseer's teeth marks, but the inflammation that signaled an infection was absent. It looked better than Windracer had expected. But when he pushed himself off the table and onto the floor, he stumbled a little. He started for the exit, and his leg faltered. His injury had come with a price, after all.

Windracer would be scarred and limping for the rest of his life.

But he was alive. He'd survived the infection. That was what mattered.

A shadow blocked the doorway, and Mayfly hobbled in. "Good, you're awake," she said. "Your friends are all waiting for you."

If the MudWing could get by with a limp, Windracer didn't see why he couldn't. Arid would still love him even if he did walk funny, right? He knew for a fact that his mother preferred having him alive and well no matter the circumstances, but could the same be said for his friends?

Steeling himself, the hybrid padded forward, only to trip when his bad leg stalled. He braced himself for an impact on the hard floor, but found himself being cradled in Auburn's wings instead.

"Thanks, Mom," he breathed. His heart leapt when he remembered that Oasis had said the same thing to Arid in his vision-dream. He preferred not to play favorites with his future dragonets, but, if he was being honest, he was probably looking forward to meeting his youngest daughter the most.

Windracer straightened himself back up and resumed his walk to the door, his mother walking right next to him in case he were to trip again.

When he made it outside, he only expected his friends to be there. So it was a complete surprise when he found a whole crowd of dragons of varying tribes waiting for him.

He recognized Queen Tourmaline and Queen Moorhen among the SkyWings and MudWings, Princess Greatness and Cleverclaws were standing out amongst the NightWings, Queen Coral and her two younger daughters were standing next to Lagoon, and at the head of the IceWings was a tall and majestic white dragon with arctic blue eyes. Windracer didn't have to read anyone's mind to know that that was Queen Glacier.

"When did they all get here?" he asked no one in particular.

"We got word from our subjects that you dragonets had been attacked," Tourmaline said. "We came as soon as we could."

One of the SkyWings standing next to her - Inferno, Windracer realized - pointed his talons at the hybrid and said, "Just so we're clear, this does NOT mean we're friends!" He shrank back, however, when his queen gave him a warning glare.

Bog was the first of Windracer's friends to reach him. The MudWing gave the hybrid a crushing hug that Windracer thought was strong enough to snap his spine in half. Marmoset and Mango each nudged either of his shoulders. Lagoon gave him a sisterly hug and told him how glad she was that he was okay.

And then there was Arid.

The first thing she did was nudge him hard enough to make him stumble, and nearly fall thanks to his bad leg. "That's for scaring me," she said, her tone neutral.

Incredulous, Windracer stuttered, "W-what?! Y-you know, after everything I went through, I thought that you would have -"

He was cut off when she rushed into him and, much to his surprise, kissed him.

His eyes went wide for a split second, by reflex, before he closed them and returned his girlfriend's affection. He paid no mind to the stares they were mostly likely receiving from all of the other dragons around them. This was their moment, and he wasn't going to ruin it.

I'm not letting go now. I'm not ever letting go of her again. If this is it, all our truth spilled over the table, then this is my truth: I love Arid. Even if she is half IceWing, and I'm half NightWing.

Arid pulled away after about five seconds, but it felt like an eternity to the utterly lovestruck Windracer.

Unfortunately for the hybrid couple, the moment was ruined when a black dragon from somewhere in the giant assembled group called questioningly, "Auburn?"

The SkyWing padded out of the doctor's hut and met the NightWing's eyes. She replied neutrally, "Killer."

Windracer's eyes shot open the second his mother mentioned that name. He gave the crowd of gathered dragons a once-over and found a burly-looking NightWing who was staring at Auburn as though she were made of precious jewels and gold.

Finally, after all of his imagining and wondering, here he was - face-to-face with his own father.

Fun fact: Tui wanted to include a Ripnami kiss scene in The Lost Heir but she left it out because her editor thought it was too weird. As far as dragon kisses go, we'll just use our imaginations.

Also, first look at the Aridracer dragonets! As for Coriander, I wouldn't have introduced her if she wasn't going to be important later on.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar

Chapter Text

*peeks in* Hi, everyone! I'm back!

Windracer could only open and close his mouth silently.

Killer stood as still as a statue, unblinking. Windracer could see in the NightWing's mind that he was afraid Auburn would disappear if he shut his eyes.

Auburn looked at him with the same shocked expression, but she didn't look as surprised to see him as Windracer would have expected.

"I know what you're going to say," Auburn said quietly; the first of the two to speak. "That you never should have left me alone in the Sky Kingdom. Stayed away all these years...never coming back to me." Her voice cracked, just slightly, and her son didn't fail to notice. Auburn looked at Windracer, then back at Killer. "To the dragonet you didn't know we had."

The burly NightWing took a step forward.

"Do you have any idea what I had to go through?" Auburn said, sounding on the verge of tears. Killer continued walking, his talons never stilling. "Lying to that wretched Queen Scarlet about being sterile, hiding our egg for several months, trying to keep our son safe and alive during such a blood-spilling endeavor?"

Killer was close enough to reach out and touch her at this point, and Auburn's voice grew panicked and desperate. "And you didn't think to tell me," she said, "or leave a note, or..." She looked terrified. Absolutely terrified. "Oh, stop looking at me like that, Killer!" she pleaded. "Go on. Shout! Roar! Say something!"

Killer reached out his talons and put them gently against her cheek, as if she would vanish like a cloud of steam or shatter like glass. Auburn stiffened, her sunshine-yellow eyes filling with tears.

There was a moment of silence.

And then, Killer whispered in the most quiet, gentle tone Windracer had ever heard anyone use. "You're as beautiful as the day I left you." His voice cracked multiple times as he spoke.

The tears finally broke free. Auburn lowered her head and shut her eyes, tears slipping past her lids. Killer closed the gap between them, embracing her in his massive wings.

Windracer felt his heart flutter wildly in his chest. His parents...his family, was finally being pieced back together. He was finally seeing his mother and father in the same place, finally seeing them happier than anyone he'd ever seen before in his life.

It seemed like an eternity before Killer finally released his mate. His eyes fell on Windracer, and his expression turned neutral. "This is my son?" he asked.

Was that a hint of disappointment in his voice?

Windracer pushed that thought aside. He held out one of his front talons to his father. "Hi," he said, "I'm Windracer."

Killer stared at his son's talon as though it were a snake about to bite him. "Hello." I used to think about what our dragonets might look like, if Auburn and I ever had them...but I wasn't expecting that.

Windracer's heart sank. Was there really something about him that his father didn't like? I should have known better than to get my hopes up, he scolded himself silently.

"Well, this is a touching moment," Arid snarked.

Killer looked at her, a hint of hostility flashing in his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Arid," the IceWing-SandWing hybrid said. "Windracer's girlfriend."

Unexpected tiny bursts of joy exploded all through Windracer's body, from his claws to his wingtips. They had never told anyone that before! (Well, he remembered Arid telling Mayfly before his operation, but he was barely conscious at that point so that one didn't count.) Hearing Arid say it out loud, casually, to a dragon they'd just met, was probably the third-greatest moment of Windracer's life, right after him and Arid becoming an official couple and their first kiss. He wondered what his father must think of his son wearing whatever incredibly giddy expression he probably had on his face.

"Arid," Killer recited. He flicked his forked tongue out and in as he studied her. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Lagoon," said the oldest SeaWing princess. "And this is Bog, Marmoset, and Mango. We're the Dragonets of Destiny."

If dragons had eyebrows, Killer would have raised one. "But the prophecy -"

"Is false," Windracer finished. "We know. But mine is real." After catching the skeptical look his father was giving him, he added, "Well, at least, it seems to be."

"It is real," Arid said supportively. "And I'm going to help you fulfill it."

"Me too," said Lagoon.

"And me," Bog put in.

"We're in," Marmoset announced, and his sister added, "As long as there's danger where we're going."

Windracer gave his friends an appreciative smile.

"And we'll help," Typhoon said. "We want this war to be over, too. Just say the word, and we'll do what must be done."

Being surrounded by dragons from different tribes who all wanted the war over as much as they did, and ready to lend their support in any way he and his friends needed - it moved Windracer to tears.

Arid nudged her boyfriend, and, once his attention was on her, she tilted her head curiously and asked, "How did you escape?"

"You wouldn't believe it," he said. "I woke up in a volcano with this RainWing dragonet hovering over me -" Then it clicked. "Oh, no, the RainWings!"

"What about the RainWings?" Lagoon asked nervously.

A nervous Cleverclaws adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "During the creation of the false prophecy," he said in a repentant tone, "Queen Battlewinner led expeditions to find a new home for the NightWings. She and Morrowseer decided that the Rainforest Kingdom would be the perfect place to live, and, against better judgment, and my best efforts to propose a simpler plan, decided the only way to claim it was to either enslave or exterminate the RainWings."

A murmur rippled through the crowd of dragons.

"That's why Morrowseer didn't want the twins in the prophecy," Bog realized.

"Marmoset and Mango would never agree to that plan," Arid said. "Even if they are dumber than a bag of rocks."

(Somewhere in the background, the RainWing twins shouted an offended "Hey!")

"Yeah," Windracer said, "and it also means that the RainWings are in grave danger. We have to warn them!"

"What about the war?" asked one of the SkyWings.

Windracer turned to face the entire group. "If we don't act quickly, there might be two wars going on."

Everyone looked squeamish. One war was bad enough, but two at once? The entire continent could be doomed.

"So, what do we do?" asked a small voice Windracer recognized as Prince Turtle of the SeaWings.

"I don't know," the male hybrid admitted. "But none of us can do this alone. 'All seven form the wings of fire, and the time for peace shall be nigh.' I think that means we all have to work together, all seven of the tribes. It's the only way to end the war and save everyone."

"How?" Queen Moorhen asked. "The SandWings don't have a queen, Battlewinner is evil, and the RainWings are too peaceful to fight. How can we possibly get those three tribes on our side?"

"We may not need their queens," Glacier said. "Not as long as there are dragons from those tribes who are willing to contribute to this cause." She nodded at the NightWings.

Ocotillo stepped forward. "The Outclaws will gladly assist the Dragonets of Destiny," he said. Beside him, Diamondback nodded.

The Outclaws? Windracer would have to ask about that later. "That just leaves the RainWings."

"So we go to the rainforest," said Killer.

"Sounds like a plan," Windracer smiled.

"What?!"

Everyone turned to stare at Inferno.

"I'm sorry," the SkyWing snarked. "I must have missed the whole 'plan' part of the plan. That last fight almost killed me. Morrowseer wants us dead. What are we even supposed to do once we get to the rainforest?! Fly into the tress and shout 'HEY RAINWINGS, WE'RE HERE TO SAVE YOU, COME END THIS WAR WITH US'?!"

A scarlet-colored SkyWing dragonet whacked him upside the head with the blunt end of her spear.

"Carnelian," Queen Tourmaline chided. "We talked about this."

"Sorry, Your Majesty," the dragonet said. "But he really gets on my last nerve."

Inferno gave her a coy smile. "You know you like me, Carnie."

She hit him again.

"OW! Will you QUIT IT?!"

"Alright," Windracer said, "here's the plan: the Dragonets of Destiny - that's us - go to the rainforest with an escort from -" he paused as he gestured to Typhoon's group "- the...Dragonet Defenders?"

"Dragonet Defenders," Typhoon echoed, smiling. "Sounds about right."

Arid nudged Windracer to go on. "Okay, so, we go to the rainforest with an escort from the Dragonet Defenders, find the RainWings, warn them about the NightWings, and figure out a way to stop Morrowseer and Queen Battlewinner before they get there. How's that?"

That last part was directed at a scowling Inferno. "Fine," he grumbled.

"So," said Typhoon, "we must choose who will accompany the dragonets to the rainforest. Any volunteers?"

"We will go," Auburn announced, her tail twined around Killer's.

"So will we," said Ocotillo. He and Storm both stepped forward, and Diamondback quickly followed.

From somewhere within the large group of gathered dragons, a quiet voice spoke up. "I...I'd like to go."

Something about that voice was oddly familiar to Windracer. Is that...?

A NightWing dragonet stepped out of the crowd. She looked much healthier than any of the dragonets Windracer had met that one night in the forest. On the outside corner of each of her eyes, a silver scale shone like a teardrop about to fall.

Just like his.

"Moon?" he asked hopefully.

Her response was a shy smile. "Hi, Wind."

He offered his talons, and she took them.

The moment they touched, a whirlwind of visions flashed through their minds. A forest on fire, an erupting volcano, dragons dying, a lake freezing solid at an IceWing's touch, a SkyWing hiding in the shadows, a flash of deadly fangs, a burst of electric shock, and a crumbling palace.

They both jumped back, startled.

"Did you see?" Moon asked fearfully.

Windracer nodded. "Yeah, I saw." He grasped her talon again. "You have no idea how happy I am to meet you."

Moon said nothing, but her mind was reeling. What was all of that? What does it mean? Was it a mistake, coming to him? What if all the tribes are doomed? What can we do?

Windracer wished he had the answers to all of her questions. We'll think of something, Moon, I promise.

She looked the tiniest bit better after hearing that thought.

All around them, dragons were volunteering to escort the Dragonets of Destiny to the rainforest. However, they couldn't select too many candidates, or else they would risk being found out by their enemies.

Some of the choices were easy - Windracer and Arid's parents would put their hearts and souls into protecting their dragonets (Windracer wasn't entirely sure about Killer, though), and Bog's siblings would never let their brother go anywhere without them. Queen Coral, on the other talon, had to be persuaded from volunteering herself because she still had a kingdom to run. They got her to agree to sending Torrent and Turtle instead.

Cleverclaws and a two-legged NightWing named Forger convinced Killer to let them come along. Ocotillo looked worried when Diamondback said he and a SandWing dragonet named Qibli wanted to go, but he agreed in the end.

Queen Tourmaline offered Inferno and Carnelian, despite the dragonets' best efforts to convince her to let one of them go alone.

That just left the IceWings. That tribe had the least amount of volunteers, but from what he knew about IceWings, Windracer wasn't surprised.

"I nominate Subzero," Queen Glacier said.

The dragons surrounding her let out a collective gasp.

"Subzero?" squeaked one of the SkyWing dragonets. "Are you sure?"

"Who's Subzero?" Windracer asked.

Typhoon pointed his talon at a pale blue IceWing that was standing apart from everyone. Dark blue spots, the shape of snowballs, of varying sizes decorated his scales, while his horns, spikes and talons were a slightly darker shade of blue than the spots. His wings and underscales were as white as snow, but his eyes...his eyes were black.

"He's my friend," Typhoon explained. "He's been living with me in Possibility ever since his father died."

"His father?" Arid echoed.

"His name was Hvitur," Subzero snarled. "He was caught stealing some stupid SkyWing egg for some stupid fake prophecy by that stupid warmonger princess Burn."

Windracer felt his heart sink. This dragon had lost a family member to one of the SandWing princesses. For Subzero, this wasn't just about putting an end to meaningless conflict, it was personal.

"What about your mother?" Lagoon asked.

Subzero just snorted.

"She's still alive," Typhoon translated. "Her name is Polynya. As far as we know, she's still with the Talons of Peace."

"Um," said Bog. "Why is he standing so far away from us?"

Instead of answering his question, Typhoon asked Subzero, "Why don't you show them what you can do?"

Rolling his eyes, Subzero plucked an apple from a nearby fruit stand. Before anyone could blink, a layer of ice started creeping up around the fruit, starting from where Subzero's talons were touching it. Within seconds, the apple was frozen solid.

Windracer had read about this. The scrolls on IceWings described how some dragons hatched with a rare and dangerous condition that enabled them to freeze whatever they touched - even the saltiest, hottest water would freeze in just seconds.

"Frostscales," he breathed.

Subzero crushed the apple into bits of red ice.

"He's sensitive about it," Typhoon said.

"Winter will accompany him," said one of the IceWings, who was standing next to Queen Glacier. Windracer could tell from their behavior that he wasn't the queen's husband; he was probably her brother or something.

"Winter?" Storm repeated quizzically.

The IceWing (whose named turned out to be Narwhal) forced the dragonet of his choice forward, looking as though it were a piece of trash he wanted to throw away.

"Father," Winter protested. "You're just looking for an excuse to get rid of me!"

Windracer would have never guessed from the way Narwhal was acting that the dragonet was his son. "You can come with us if you want to," he offered. "But it's really your choice."

Winter spent a good minute sitting there, looking like he wanted to slice Windracer's face off, before slinking over to join them.

"My brother was one of Scarlet's prisoners," he told Windracer in a low voice. "He's alive because of you."

His words reminded Windracer of Sleet and Frost. He knew that he'd have to tell Queen Glacier about them eventually, if she didn't already know.

As if the thought had summoned her, Glacier approached the hybrid in long, graceful strides. "Hailstorm told me that Sleet is dead," she said, her voice cracking at the last word. "Is it true?"

"Y-yes," Windracer choked out. Then, before he could stop himself, he explained, "I met Sleet while trying to escape with my friends. Scarlet caught us and ordered her guards to catch us. They threw spears...one of them impaled Sleet. I know I could, and probably should, have used my animus magic to heal her, but I...I was scared, and I couldn't think quickly enough." He lowered his head to hide the tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty."

He expected the IceWing queen to yell at him. Instead, she lowered her head down to look him in the eye and said, "I don't blame you, Windracer. Sleet was always thinking of others before herself."

"Thank you, Queen Glacier," he said, bowing slightly.

"What about Frost?" Glacier asked.

Windracer shrugged his wings. "I don't know," he said honestly. "We were pitted against each other in Scarlet's arena. He almost killed me, but he let me go after he found out about Sleet. I thought he'd returned home."

The queen shook her head. "We've been searching everywhere, but we haven't found him. I fear he may have been captured by our enemies."

"You can look for him while we go to the rainforest," said Cleverclaws. "The sooner, the better. Now, let's hurry. The more time we take to get there means more time for the NightWings to prepare for takeover."

"Wait!" said one of the SkyWings - the same one that had asked about Subzero earlier. "Can I go, too?"

Windracer got a good look at her for the first time. She sounded like she was around his age, but she was unnaturally small, about the size of a three or four-year-old dragonet. Even standing on her hind legs, she'd still be less than half of Kestrel's height.

Wait a minute...

It had been dark during the storm, but Windracer had managed to get a glimpse of the SkyWing he'd seen that night. Fire-orange scales and pink wings, like a warm sunrise.

That was exactly how this SkyWing looked.

Following his hunch, Windracer asked her, "Were you in the Sky Kingdom during that storm?"

The dragonet's orange-pink eyes widened at the sight of him. He remembers me! "Yes, I was," she said. "I saw you fall out of the sky. You're Windracer, right?"

"Last I checked, yes, I am," Windracer joked lightheartedly. "What's your name?"

The dragonet shifted her talons a little before answering, "Ember."

He held out one of his front talons to her with a warm, welcoming smile. "Nice to meet you."

Ember tentatively poked at his claws, as if to make sure they were real, before pressing her own talon against them. "You, too."

So the escort team was gathered. Their first stop: the Rainforest Kingdom.

Until they got there, the best they could do was hope that they weren't already too late.

Okay, so, I ended up introducing more characters than I originally planned. But they will be accompanying the dragonets to the rainforest, so we'll get to learn more about them along the way.

Also, frostscales for IceWings. Wanted to include that, so I made Subzero.

Next chapter: the rainforest.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar
Forger - Gobber

Chapter Text

Out of the ocean and into the rainforest we go!

It was raining when they got there.

Windracer wasn't really surprised. It was called a rainforest for a reason, after all.

In the caves under the mountain, the dragonets had never, ever been rained on. The downpour felt almost unnatural, and especially wet.

I hope we can find the RainWings soon, he thought as droplets rolled off his snout, seeped through his scales and soaked his wings until they dragged heavily behind him. I hope they're okay, and that we're not too late to save them.

Everyone said RainWings were useless and lazy. But the tribe lived off by themselves in the rainforest where no one ever saw them, so everyone might be wrong. From what Windracer had seen from the RainWings he'd met so far, he had a fair reason to believe they were wrong.

The dragonets' escort composed of Windracer and Arid's parents, Bog's siblings, Inferno, Carnelian and Ember of the SkyWings, the NightWings Moonwatcher, Cleverclaws and Forger, Diamondback and Qibli of the SandWings, Winter and Subzero of the IceWings, and the SeaWings Torrent, Turtle and Webs.

Webs wasn't originally a volunteer, but since Queen Coral hated him so much, and he wasn't allowed back into the Kingdom of the Sea, he didn't really have anywhere else to go. It was Lagoon's idea for Webs to come with them; she was much more sympathetic to him than most dragons he'd met.

"I'm sick of all this rain," Mango grumbled. She shook her whole body and glared at the fog-shrouded sky. They were walking today instead of flying because of all the trees, the heavy rain, and the fog, which would have made navigating in the air very difficult if not impossible.

"We can see that," Subzero snapped in response to Mango's complaint. Angry red patches were rippling across her orange-yellow scales.

Marmoset wasn't happy either. "How are we supposed to dump a leaf full of water on someone's head when everyone's already soaking wet? Stupid rain's stealing our fun!" His green scales shifted to a frustrated orange.

Subzero uttered something like "idiots" under his breath as raindrops froze onto his frostscales. As he walked through the mud, he left patches of ice where he'd stepped, only for them to quickly melt in the muggy heat.

The IceWing's mind was almost impossible for Windracer to read. It was all ice and snow, like trying to navigate through a blizzard, with barely a sign of any tangible thought.

It felt like hours before Cleverclaws finally suggested, "Maybe we should take a break. At least until the rain lets up a little."

They took shelter under a thick canopy of leaves where the rain could barely seep through.

Bog swept his tail through the mud, looking worried. "I hope the RainWings are okay," he said. "I'd be devastated if we came all the way here and something really terrible already happened to them."

"I'm sure they're fine," Alligator said reassuringly. "Your two friends have made it this far and they're still just as energetic as a pair of one-year-old dragonets."

"How did they end up with you, anyway?" asked Sepia.

Webs lowered his head in shame. "It's my fault they're here," he confessed. "When we lost the SkyWing egg for Morrowseer's prophecy, I went to get another one, and the only place I could get in and out of safely was the RainWings' kingdom. I never meant to cause any trouble, not with Lagoon, and not with the twins. I only did what I did for the prophecy, and learning that it was fake...what if everything I've done was for nothing?"

"We know how you feel," Storm said, lashing her tail. "I, personally, would like to slash that NightWing's throat." She flexed her talons for emphasis.

Windracer scooted away from the IceWing and brushed up against Arid, instinctively twining his tail around hers. Across from him, poor Moon was shivering.

The little NightWing had been remarkably quiet for the last few days. Windracer had learned from his thought-to-thought interactions with Moon that she wasn't used to being around so many dragons, which he found reasonable based on how she'd basically grown up alone and in hiding.

"At least there's still hope," Auburn said, "And not just because of Windracer. The Dragonets of Destiny have come a long way, trying so hard to end this war, and we're all grateful for it."

"You were always the hopeful one," Killer muttered softly.

Diamondback shifted away from the canopy's edge to avoid the rain. "But we still have enemies," he said. "It would be pretty helpful if we could keep track of where they are, wouldn't it?"

"Maybe we can," Windracer said, an idea already forming in his head. "Cleverclaws, do you have any spare scrolls I can borrow?"

"I always have spare scrolls," said the NightWing scientist. He reached into the sack that hung around his neck and pulled out a black roll of paper, which he passed to Windracer.

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid opened the scroll as best he could without getting it wet. Barely had he started to speak when Arid grabbed his talons.

"Aren't you worried about your soul?" she asked.

"Not anymore," he said, smiling warmly at her. "It's yours now...if you still want it." His smile quickly faded as he realized what he'd just said, right in front of everyone. "Was that corny, or...?"

Arid's lighthearted laughter provided the answer.

Windracer turned back to the scroll to hide whatever sort of blush was probably spreading across his cheeks. "I enchant this scroll to show a detailed map of Pyrrhia with the current locations of the SandWing princesses."

A map blossomed in ink across the page: the entire continent of Pyrrhia, with the positions of the dragons marked in different colors: brown for MudWings, yellow for SandWings, orange for SkyWings, blue for SeaWings, green for RainWings, white for IceWings, and black for NightWings. And scattered here and there, a few small red dots, one in SandWing territory, one near the Kingdom of the Sea, and one near the border of the Ice Kingdom.

"Looks like the RainWings are all okay," Qibli observed. There was a large cluster of green dots in the rainforest, not too far away from a small band of multicolored dots that marked the dragonets and their entourage. Aside from Killer, Cleverclaws, Forger, and Moon, there wasn't a single black dot in the rainforest.

Windracer and Arid's dots were dark orange and light yellow, respectively. They guessed that the dots that marked hybrids were supposed to be a combination of the colors that marked each of the two or more tribes they were made from. Windracer spotted a gray dot nestled in Agate Mountain, but, other than mild confusion, he didn't think much of it.

"Great," Winter grumbled, "The sooner we go warn them, the sooner I can get out of this horrid rain and back into the snow."

"You mean, back with your horrid parents," Qibli said.

"He's got a point," said Torrent, "Your father seemed pretty eager to get rid of you, like he never wanted to see you again. My pops is pretty strict, but he'd never send me away like that. Things between us haven't been the same since my mom died of a brain aneurysm."

"We don't have time for your sob stories," Winter snapped. "We're on a mission here!"

The sky rumbled with thunder.

"We're not going anywhere 'til the rain lets up," Forger said.

Five hours.

It took five hours for the rain to stop.

"Remind me why we're walking toward the place with the garish colors and muggy rain?" Winter asked.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Windracer said. "You can head back to the Ice Kingdom at any time you wish."

He could hear the white prince mulling it over in his head. I'm an IceWing. That means I belong in the Ice Kingdom with my own tribe. But my brother wouldn't be there right now if not for that red NightWing dragon and his magic. Why wasn't I born an animus?

"Just suck it up, you whiney prince," Subzero said. "There are worse places to be than a rainforest. Like in the SkyWing prison. Or a mile underwater. And what about under Morrowseer's claws?" He glanced up at the trees, which seemed to be getting taller and taller as they walked.

It was also warmer the farther they went, and up in the vines overhead they could see flashes of color. The bright summer yellows and purples and blues might have been birds or flowers, but they were definitely not typical of the brown, brown, brown Mud Kingdom. Windracer wasn't sure, but he guessed they were in the rainforest for real now. Warm bursts of sunlight nudged through the leafy canopy, making all their scales glow.

"Hey, guys," Mango called excitedly. "Guess who I am." Her scales shifted from yellow-orange like her namesake to an icy blue. "Grr, everything is awful! I'm a big grump!"

"I am NOT!" said Winter.

"Hey, maybe it's Storm or Subzero," Qibli said. "You do look alike."

The frostscales IceWing snorted. "Except for these spots, you mean." He pointed his snout at a few of the dark blue patches that decorated his scales.

"And I'm not grumpy," Storm said. "I'm protective. There's a difference."

"Look at me!" Marmoset crowed, his scales rapidly turning a muddy brown. "I'm Bog! Hungry, hungry, hungry!"

"Hey!" Bog whined, offended.

Mango laughed. "Hey, who's this?" Her scales turned a familiar shade of dark red and black, and she said in a nasally voice, "I'm a really smart dragon who's always stressing out about this silly little prophecy. My leg's all busted up. I got magic powers from the moons."

"I don't sound like that!" Windracer protested, although his words fell on deaf ears. "And P.S. my leg isn't 'busted up'!"

Something crackled off to their left, but when Windracer whipped around, all he saw was a shaggy gray sloth, hanging from a tree and blinking sleepily at them.

"Have I mentioned this place makes me nervous?" Ember asked.

"Only about a thousand times," Inferno said.

The runty SkyWing lowered her head and tucked in her wings, as if she were trying to make herself look smaller than she already was. "I wish my mother was here," she said. "How can I stay safe in this world when there's so many dangerous things out there?"

"Where is your mother?" Lagoon asked.

Ember looked up at the SeaWing princess with the saddest eyes they had ever seen. "Dead," she choked. "Scarlet and Burn got her. They were looking for me, but Mother wouldn't tell them. She took her own life to protect me."

Windracer and Arid sped up a little to walk next to the SkyWing dragonet. "What was your mother's name?" the female hybrid asked.

"Topaz," Ember said.

Auburn gasped. "I knew Topaz," she said. "We grew up together. I know how much she wanted to keep you safe, because that's exactly how I feel about my son, Windracer." She draped her wing around Ember's shoulders. "If you ever need a mother to protect you, you can always come to me. I know I can't replace Topaz, but I promise to take care of you like you were my own daughter."

"Thanks," Ember said in a small voice. She smiled gratefully at Auburn, but it quickly faded. "I'll never forget my mother. She was always there when I needed her, ever since I hatched. I remember, once I was out, she was right there, under three full moons, waiting for me."

"Three full moons?" Windracer pivoted slowly to stare at the smaller-than-average SkyWing. "You mean, you hatched on the brightest night?"

Arid quickly understood where he was going with that. "You don't think she could be our missing SkyWing, do you?" she asked in a skeptical tone.

"I'm not sure," Bog said, shifting his talons nervously. "Fake or not, the prophecy called for the largest egg in the Sky Kingdom."

"But if all of the other SkyWing eggs were destroyed," said Windracer, "then that would mean that Ember's egg, the only one left due on the brightest night, would have been the largest by default. Right?"

Ember's eyes lit up. "That's true," she said. "You really think I could be part of your destiny?"

Windracer extended his talons to her with a warm smile. "If you want, you're welcome to find out with us."

"Oh, come on!" Inferno exploded. "If any pure-blooded SkyWing's gonna be part of a Big Heroic Destiny around here, it's me!"

Carnelian whacked him on the head with her wing. "What part of 'full moons bright' do you not get? Did you hatch on the brightest night?" She answered her own question. "No, you did not."

"That's one interpretation," Cleverclaws said. "On the other talon, it could be referring to Windracer and Moon, who both hatched under full moons and therefore gained actual NightWing powers." When he noticed everyone glaring at him, he quickly amended, "But it's definitely about the dragonets hatching on the brightest night."

While they were on their way to the rainforest, Windracer had taken the liberty of filling Cleverclaws in on his theory of NightWings getting mind-reading and precognition by hatching under full moons. He'd informed the NightWing scientist about how he'd hatched under the three full moons of the brightest night, and made sure to ask for Moon's permission before confessing that she'd hatched and grown up in the rainforest thanks to Secretkeeper's protective mother instincts. Needless to say, Cleverclaws found the theory to be quite reasonable based on all of the useful data he'd been given.

Something chattered loudly in the branches overhead and they all jumped.

Turtle yelped and ducked under Lagoon's wing. "What was that?!" he squeaked fearfully.

"It was just a monkey," Arid said fiercely. "Or a toucan or something."

"Can we eat toucans?" Newt asked hopefully. Then he laughed. "Sorry, I'm trying to be more like Bog."

"CAW! CAW!"

Storm leaped into battle pose, her teeth bared, with Killer a step behind her. The others stopped as they glared around, looking for the source of the noise.

"I'm telling you," Arid said. "It's only toucans. There's nothing to be scared of. You're just jumpy."

"Now why would we be jumpy?" Carnelian said. "Oh, right. The NightWings."

"Ha!" Inferno crowed. "I'm not afraid of some phony prophet! I'll chop the legs off of every NightWing I fight! With my FACE."

"Guys -" Windracer started, only to get cut off by Forger.

"It's the wings and the tails you really want," the two-legged NightWing explained. "If they can't fly, they can't get away. A downed dragon...is a dead dragon."

"GUYS!" Windracer yelled. They stopped and looked back at him. He was turning in frantic circles, staring out at the trees. It took them a moment, but they realized what he was looking for right before he said, "Where's Moon?"

They all fell silent.

Moonwatcher had vanished into thin air.

Well, it's better than disappearing into fat air!

*crickets chirping*

Oh, come on, fat air! That's gold!

Anywho, the RainWings will defend their home just like any other dragon. Even from small, interesting-looking intruders who really don't mean any harm.

And, yes, the gray dot in Agate Mountain is Darkstalker. NightWing black and IceWing white make his hybrid color gray.

Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar
Forger - Gobber

Chapter Text

Things can get pretty wild in the rainforest...

"MOON!" Windracer bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Maybe she ran off because she was mad," Bog fretted. "I mean, we were saying some unpleasant things about the NightWings."

"Run off into the rainforest on her own?" Lagoon said. "That doesn't sound very safe."

They all knew by now that Moon had spent almost her whole life in the rainforest. Even still, it wasn't safe for a dragonet to be wandering around such a wild environment on their own. Poisonous snakes. Deadly swarms of ants. What other dangers were waiting in the rainforest?

"MOON! MOONWATCHER!" Windracer yelled again.

Winter growled. "Will you stop already with the yelling? Do you want the whole rainforest to know we're here?"

"Oh, no," Qibli said melodramatically. "Moons forbid all of the toucans find out there's a group of unarmed dragons lost in the rainforest."

Diamondback snorted with laughter.

"She can't be gone," Windracer said, his voice vibrating with panic. "She has to be here somewhere. I was looking at her only a few moments ago!" He turned his gaze up to the trees. Another gray sloth hung from a nearby branch, yawning.

"Cleverclaws, what do you think happened?" Arid demanded, following her boyfriend's gaze.

There was no response. They all turned around.

Cleverclaws was gone, too.

"No way," Windracer said, flaring his wings. "He was just here. I saw his face when we realized Moon was gone. Maybe ten seconds ago. He couldn't have disappeared in ten seconds."

"You'd be surprised what some dragons can do," Forger said. "I, myself, was quite surprised that I could still get around on just two legs. Course, it takes longer to forge all the metal -"

"Oh!" Auburn cried out, clapping a talon to her neck. "I think something just stung me."

Arid jumped and clawed at her neck as well. "What in the world is -" she started, then blinked dizzily before slumping over.

Auburn started to fall, too, but Killer managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Then he gave a yell, clapping a talon on his neck and scratching it.

Bog and his siblings bunched up together under Alligator's outstretched wings. "What's going on?" the bigwings asked.

"I don't -" Windracer started, ducking to look at his barely-conscious girlfriend. He heard a soft buzz as something whizzed by his ear, followed by a tiny *thunk* as it hit the tree behind him.

He spun around and saw his parents literally disappear right in front of him. It was as if the forest reached out leafy arms, quietly wrapped them up, and bundled them away. One moment Auburn and Killer were there, blinking dizzily, and then they were gone. A heartbeat later, so was Arid.

Aha!

Windracer turned back up to the trees, opening his wings to their full length in what he hoped was a welcoming gesture. "It's okay," he called. "We're not going to hurt anyone. You can all come out now."

There was a pause, and then the air seemed to shimmer for a moment, and suddenly a hot pink dragon stood in front of him, grinning.

Another dragon, chocolate brown in color, appeared beside the first. He looked nervous.

Rustling overhead made Windracer look up.

Suddenly the trees were full of dragons.

RainWings curled around the trunks or hung from the branches by their tails. Several of them were colors he'd never even imagined. He saw deep shades of violet, iridescent peach, pale jade, and a yellow so bright it was like being stabbed in the eyes with the sun.

"Windracer!" said the hot pink dragon. "It is you! I knew I was right not to shoot at you, I knew it!"

It took Windracer longer to recognize her than he would have liked. "...Vivid?"

"Long time no see," Vivid said by way of answer. "I was wondering if you'd gotten out of that sky prison. I'm so glad you're okay."

"Excuse me," said the brown dragon, "but would someone like to bring me up to speed on what's going on here?"

"This is my boyfriend, Hoatzin," Vivid explained. "He's a bit paranoid around dragons he doesn't know."

"I'm Windracer, and these other dragons are all my friends," the hybrid said. "Speaking of which, what happened to the three NightWings, the SkyWing, and my girlfriend?"

The brown dragon - Hoatzin - tilted one of his wings up at the trees. Amid the dragons clustered overhead were five hanging nets woven of vines. Moon, Cleverclaws, Auburn, Killer, and Arid were inside; they all had their eyes closed and hung limply like sacks of fish.

"Are they okay?" Ember cried.

"Sleeping darts," said Vivid, producing a tiny blowgun from a pouch around her neck. "Let's just say we have some tree frogs around here you wouldn't want to lick. Your friends will wake up fine in a few hours."

"It's easier to meet new dragons this way," said Hoatzin. "We've had a couple of grumpy brown ones stumble in here, and for some reason they start biting us before we can even say hello. This way we get to chat first, while they're still a bit groggy."

"It's a good thing we didn't bring enough nets for all of you," said Vivid. "You probably didn't picture a reunion with an old friend with all of your other friends out of commission."

"So...what do you do with the dragons you capture?" Bog asked.

"Take them back to our village and wait for them to wake up," Vivid said. "Once they get back on their claws, we send them off on their way."

Subzero snorted. "Seriously? You just let your prisoners go?"

"RainWings don't take prisoners," Hoatzin said. "I mean, what would we even do with them?"

"Interrogate them for information," Storm suggested. "Trade them for hostages or weaponry. Contain them to minimize any threats."

The RainWings blinked at her as if she'd suddenly started speaking toucan.

"Just a few ideas," she murmured.

"We need to head to the village anyway," Windracer said. "We need to speak to the queen as soon as possible."

Vivid's expression went from friendly to serious in less than a second. "Follow me." She leaped gracefully into the air and spiraled up toward the treetops. The rest of the dragons did the same. It looked a bit like a rainbow exploding and spattering color all over the trees.

Windracer led the group into the canopy, high above the forest floor, where they were surrounded by sunlit emerald green and the whirring whisper of tiny wings.

The RainWings moved through the treetops with grace, using their tails or spreading their wings to glide between the trees. Windracer saw Arid's net soar past them, handed smoothly from talon to talon, from RainWing to RainWing.

Their minds were as colorful as their scales. A majority of their thoughts consisted of things like I've never seen a dragon like that before and that's an interesting color, mixed in with ooh butterflies! and bananas, yum!

There was a crunching, crashing sound as Diamondback collided with one of the trees and became entangled in a cluster of vines. One of the RainWings, light pink in color like some of the hibiscus flowers that were blooming all around, swooped in and sliced the vines with her claws, freeing the struggling SandWing.

Diamondback gazed at her as though she were made of polished jewels. "Wow, you're beautiful," he blurted. It took all of a second for him to realize what happened. "Did I just say that out loud?" he asked, his cheeks blushing bright red.

The RainWing chuckled warmly.

"We're almost there," Vivid said, landing on a sturdy-looking branch.

Windracer tried to land next to her, but overshot his mark and ended up dangling upside down by his claws and tail for an awkward moment. With a grin, Vivid reached down and helped haul him back upright. His talons gripped the rough bark of the branch; it felt like ancient dragon scales under his claws.

"I almost forgot," she said, slipping something off her wrist and holding it out to him. "You're probably going to need this later."

It was the bracelet he'd enchanted back in the Sky Kingdom, the one that gave the wearer super strength.

"Oh," Windracer said as Vivid gently placed the jewelry in his palm. "Thanks, Vivid. I forgot that you still had it."

"What are friends for?" she said. Then, glancing at his wings, she offered, "We could teach you tree gliding, if you want. You may not be a RainWing, but, considering how strong a flyer you are, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it fairly quickly." She spread his wings and leaped off again.

A few swings and glides later, suddenly all the RainWings around them veered up, spiraling even higher into the treetops.

And then the dragons started to land, and the multi-tribal group began to see the home of the RainWings.

"Oh, moons above," Lagoon breathed.

They all stopped to hover in the air so they could look at every thing.

The iridescent colors of the dragons brought the hidden world forward; otherwise the village was camouflaged as well as any RainWing.

Wide vine walkways, shimmering with talon-sized orange orchids, hung between leafy platforms. A few of the treehouses had low walls or woven ceilings; others were open to the sky and carpeted with soft white flowers like fallen clouds.

"Seriously?" Inferno groused. "You live here? This place looks like some dragon swallowed a hundred rainbows and then threw up everywhere."

Carnelian whacked him with her tail.

"This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen," Squelch gushed.

"Definitely more colorful than the swamps," agreed Sepia.

Newt trembled with excitement. So much fruit! I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks.

"Everyone!" Vivid called, "these dragons are our guests!"

Brightly colored heads popped up all around the village. Most of the RainWings were in hanging contraptions like hammocks, strung between two trees, sturdily woven of vines and lined with violet feathers and blue petals.

"Very clever," Windracer said, tilting his head at the hammock. "That hammock design, I mean - you can't fall out, and with RainWing camouflage, enemies aren't likely to spot you either."

"Thanks," Vivid smiled. She had one corner of Auburn's net in her claws; carefully she and the other RainWings lowered the sleeping SkyWing onto a platform wide enough for twenty dragons. Windracer swept up to land beside her and watched the other RainWings gently set down the other sleeping dragons.

The light pink dragon who'd helped Diamondback landed gracefully next to Vivid and Hoatzin. "It's not often we get visitors," she said. "Let alone dragons from other tribes."

"This is my friend, Hibiscus," Vivid said, "she's a fruit gatherer."

Behind Windracer, the rest of the group landed on the platform.

"Hibiscus," Diamondback breathed. "A pretty flower is the perfect name for a pretty dragon. I like it."

Streaks of yellow and gold rippled across Hibiscus's wings, which Windracer guessed meant that she was flattered. He seems nice, she thought. I didn't know SandWings could have diamond patterns. It looks good on him.

"How long will they be asleep?" asked Ember, flicking her tail at the five tranquilized dragons.

Vivid wrinkled her nose. "A few hours, at least," she said. "They'll probably be up and about when we're finished with our sun time."

"Sun time?" Turtle asked.

"It's the hours when the sun is highest," Hibiscus explained, "so we climb up as close to it as we can and sleep. The sun recharges our scales while we sleep. It makes us prettier, better at camouflage, smarter, and happier. It's pretty important for us."

"Not for them," Lagoon said, pointing a claw at Marmoset and Mango, who were wrestling with each other. "They hate taking naps. They're perfectly happy sneaking live crabs into our dinner or dumping cold water on our heads when we least expect it. Not that I mind that last one, being a SeaWing and everything."

"Well, that explains why their scales are so dull and mousy," Hoatzin said.

"I don't think we can wait a few hours," Windracer said. "Every minute we waste is a minute Morrowseer's NightWings get closer to victory."

"Maybe you could magic them awake?" Torrent suggested.

Windracer shook his head. It was too much of a waste to use his animus power on something as trivial as waking a few sleeping dragons. He turned to Vivid, Hoatzin, and Hibiscus. "We urgently request an audience with Queen Dazzling."

The three RainWings wrinkled their snouts thoughtfully. "Queen Dazzling?" Hibiscus said. "You don't mean that."

"I do," Windracer insisted. "It's of the utmost importance. We need see her right now."

"Dazzling," Hoatzin said to Vivid. "It's not her month, is it?"

"No, it isn't," Vivid agreed.

"Wait," Lagoon jumped in. "What do you mean, 'not her month'?"

"Well," Hoatzin said, "wouldn't you rather see the current queen? If it's so important?"

"But," Bog said, "I'm sure the NightWing Guide to the Tribes said Queen Dazzling -"

"It also said that RainWings have no natural weapons," Windracer pointed out. "And that NightWings still have powers. So, obviously, it's not the most reliable source, at least for those two tribes. Who's the current queen?" he asked Vivid.

"Queen Magnificent," Vivid said. "Unless she's decided to hand it over to Grandeur a bit early."

"You take turns being queen?" Winter burst out. "Are you serious?!"

"Only the ones who want to," Hibiscus said. "Most of us find it way too much work."

"Yeah, super boring. Dragons bother you all day long," Hoatzin agreed. "Makes me glad I can't be queen."

"Pretty much any female in the tribe can be queen if she wants to," said Vivid.

"Anyone?" Lagoon asked. "What about the royal family?"

The three RainWings shifted uncomfortably, looking at each other with expressions Windracer couldn't place.

"I hate to tell you this," Vivid said, her scales shifting from hot pink to a gloomy blue. "But...RainWings don't do families."

...but not as wild as political problems.

Good thing the dragonets of destiny are there to save the day!

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar
Forger - Gobber

Chapter Text

Don't think for a moment they'll be going to the lazy bum who dares call herself a queen.

"What do you mean RainWings don't do families?" Windracer asked. Part of him was horrified, but mostly he was confused.

"Well," Vivid said, scratching her ear with one claw, "it's like - I mean - maybe it's better if I show you." She turned to Hoatzin and Hibiscus. "You two stay here with the sleeping dragons. I'll go show our guests around the kingdom."

"Maybe one of us should go with you," Hibiscus suggested. "You know, just in case things get out of hand."

Hoatzin eyed the large group warily. "Hasn't it already?"

"You can stay here, then," Hibiscus said, spreading her wings.

Vivid spread hers as well. "Try to stay close." She shook off a winding vine and dove off the platform.

Hibiscus's gaze locked onto Diamondback, and a pink blush creeping across her snout and rippling through her wings. "Try not to get tangled up again," she said.

"If I do, you can just get me untangled," he said, smiling warmly.

She giggled, a soft sound that lilted through the SandWing's ears, then she took off after Vivid.

Windracer could hear what Diamondback was thinking, and very clearly at that.

So pretty. So kind. So calm. She's perfect.

Windracer wasn't sure what everyone would think of a SandWing and a RainWing together, but he imagined that a lot of dragons would balk at the idea of anyone wanting to pair with, quote, "a lazy and stupid fruit-eater".

But so far they hadn't really met any RainWings who actually matched that stereotypical description. And considering that a lot of the scrolls about the tribe had been written by NightWings, who'd been lying for probably centuries about their mystical powers, it wasn't too much of a stretch to believe that a lot of what they'd heard about RainWings was false.

"We'll all stay here, too," said Ocotillo, "in case the others wake up early. You go on ahead. You are the Dragonets of Destiny, after all."

Windracer was the first to follow the pair of pink RainWings, gliding carefully between the trees and hanging vines. He tried not to mind the dozens of eyes staring at him as he passed, or the equally abundant tracks of thought that were echoing through his head. He could hear crashing sounds from behind telling him that his remaining friends were having trouble navigating through the obstacles.

Wherever Vivid was leading them, it was some distance from the center of the village. They passed more platforms, covered with sleeping dragons, and something like a trampoline of enormous interwoven leaves stretched between four trees, where a few little dragonets were bouncing and flapping their wings furiously as they learned to fly.

Everyone looked happy. There were none of the horrible war wounds and scars the dragonets had seen in some of the other kingdoms. Nobody seemed tense or terrified. Nobody was being forced to fight to the death or punished for failing at guard duty.

No fighting, no worrying about the war, no starving or bowing to an evil or psychopathic queen - so far, so good.

Was that thought Windracer's own or one of his friends'? It was hard for him to tell sometimes.

Vivid and Hibiscus angled down toward a structure shaped like a gigantic green egg. Holes all over the roof allowed sunlight through the overlapping leaves, but the bottom was reinforced with tightly woven vines and branches, so it looked sturdier than anything else Windracer had seen so far. He wondered for a brief moment if this was the palace, but it wasn't big enough for that. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen anything large or regal enough to be the RainWing queen's palace yet.

The pink RainWings landed on a branch next to one of the window holes, and Vivid gestured for Windracer to look inside.

Rainbow eggs lined the entire floor, packed closely together. In the sunlight from above, shimmering colors glowed under the thin shells as the unhatched dragonets wriggled and squirmed. Windracer guessed that the eggs around the outer edges were the closest to hatching, since he could see more movement inside them. A few even had tiny cracks along the top already.

"This is a hatchery," he realized. "Why did you bring us here?"

"There are three hatcheries," Hibiscus explained. "We keep all of our eggs together like this. They keep each other warm and hatch whenever they need to. We stop by every couple of days to check for newly hatched dragonets. Otherwise, we don't have to worry about our eggs. They're all safe in here."

"Except for the twins," Lagoon pointed out. She tried to land on a branch above them, but she miscalculated her momentum and ended up hanging upside down like a bat.

"And nobody even noticed," Bog said slowly, realization dawning on him. "You had no idea any eggs had been stolen."

Vivid gave them an apologetic shrug. "We don't have any counters," she admitted, sounding embarrassed. "That is, any dragons who count the eggs. Everyone says we don't need them, because why would anyone take a RainWing egg, but I'm one of the few who thinks we should keep an eye on these little miracles. I mean, these are real, living dragons, not jewels or pretty rocks or whatever other things that dragons like to collect."

"Hey, we survived just fine," Mango said. "My brother could use some work, though."

"I could use some work?!" Marmoset parroted angrily. "What about you?! Can't do anything to fix that messed-up face of yours!"

In the blink of an eye, his sister was as red as a SkyWing, and her enraged expression made her look even more like one. "Hey, you're just jealous 'cause everyone knows I'm smarter than you!"

"Are not!" Now Marmoset was red, too.

"Am too!"

"ARE NOT!"

"AM TOO!"

Finally, Vivid snapped at them, in a loud, authoritative voice, "Will you two just SHUT UP?!"

The twin siblings quieted almost instantly, their scales swiftly changing back to their normal bluish-green and yellowish-orange with some patches of pale green, which their friends had learned was the color of fear.

"Sorry," she sighed. "I usually take my sun time right now, and I can get cranky if I skip it."

"Then maybe you should rest," Windracer said. "We'll wait here until you're ready."

She looked at him like his scales had just turned into beetles. "Are you sure? Time is of the essence, you said as much earlier."

The young hybrid glanced at his friends, who were looking quite bedraggled from their flight through the trees. "I think we can afford to wait an hour or two," he said. "As long as we meet with the queen before night falls."

That sounds fair, Vivid admitted in her thoughts. Windracer nodded to show her that he heard.

The two pink RainWings swung around the branch and glided off, chatting idly to each other.

Windracer turned to his gathered friends. He couldn't help but notice that Ember was not with them. He understood that the rainforest was new and scary to her, especially without her mother, and he knew that he shouldn't force her to come with them if she didn't want to.

He landed on Lagoon's branch, claws digging into the bark.

"So," said the princess, "what do we do until they get back?"

"One of us should probably go back and check on the others," Windracer said. "Any takers?"

"It should probably be you," Bog said. "Arid, Auburn, Moon, Killer - they all mean the most to you."

The hybrid nodded at the MudWing in thanks. "You two keep an eye on the twins until I get back," he said, half-joking and half-serious. He launched off the branch and glided through the vines and leaves back the way they'd come.

Windracer wasn't surprised to find Arid twitching violently in her sleep when he landed. His girlfriend would probably be ready to fight someone the moment her eyes opened.

What was surprising, though, was discovering what Ember got up to when she was bored.

"Hey," she called the moment she spotted him. "Watch this!"

The SkyWing rolled one of the larger pieces of fruit - a round, light pinkish melon-looking thing - next to Subzero's tail and jumped back.

Although the IceWing's scales weren't touching it, the skin of the melon gradually frosted over with a soft crackling sound. Subzero turned to look behind him, spotting Ember, then the melon. He scowled.

Ember quickly took the melon away. "Isn't it fascinating?" she asked Windracer.

"You mean dangerous," Subzero snapped.

Ember's claws drifted to her neck, and she fiddled with something small and shiny.

"What's that?" Windracer asked.

The runty SkyWing turned to face him. Her talons were cupped around a small blue diamond that fit neatly in her palm. A thin gold chain, from which the diamond was hanging, wrapped around her neck, and Windracer realized it was a necklace. It was so small and plain that it was easy to miss, which is why he didn't notice it at first.

"It's a hatching day gift from Subzero," Ember said. "Well, he picked it out for Typhoon to give to me. We've run into each other a lot in Possibility, and we're sort-of-but-not-quite friends, I think." She shifted her gaze to the IceWing, her eyes sparkling like snowflakes. He thinks his powers are a curse. He doesn't see how they make him special. I wish I was special. Then we could be special together.

Fourth moons and fireballs, Windracer realized. She's in love with him. Looking at the two, they couldn't be any more different - Ember was gentle and quiet, while Subzero was bitter and snappy.

But hidden somewhere underneath the icy layers of the IceWing's heart was a burning flame of warmth. Whenever Subzero looked at Ember, his mind was a lot less blizzardy. Windracer could just catch some small snippets of she's looking at me again and why does she hang around me all the time and she looks so pretty with that necklace on and what is happening to me right now and stop thinking about her and my father's dead because of a SkyWing and I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH EMBER.

In that moment, two paths to the future twined into one.

Windracer could see it clearly - there was a lot of ice, but within it burned the warm embers of love. Glittering scales meeting orange ones, warming at the touch. Frost melting away in the heat, revealing the greens of life. An icy blue dragon curled around an orange one, an egg cradled in their joined talons.

A Subzero without his frostscales. He can be happy with her. But he has to choose it for himself.

Choose it...

What if he could choose when he has frostscales? What if everyone could choose when to have their powers? Animi wouldn't have the pressure of their magic all the time, mind-readers and foreseers could rest without interruption, and SkyWings with firescales and IceWings with frostscales could touch and interact with anyone or anything they wanted. Maybe that's what we need - a world where dragons can choose whatever makes them happiest.

We can make that happen. All of us, not just me, even if I do have magic. Because magic can't just be the answer to every problem. But it can still help Subzero, if he wants.

"You're back early," Ocotillo observed. "Is there a problem, Windracer?"

"Vivid and Hibiscus are taking mandatory noontime naps," the hybrid dragonet explained. "They need to recharge themselves. I thought I'd come back and see how everyone else was doing while me and my friends were waiting for them to return."

"Did they show you anything?" asked Turtle.

Windracer told them about the hatcheries, and how the RainWings failed to keep track of their eggs, so they never knew that Marmoset and Mango's went missing.

"And what do they expect all of us to do while we wait?" Inferno groused.

"Well," Windracer said thoughtfully, reaching for the leather bag he had hung around his neck, "there is one way we can navigate through the rainforest without any RainWing help." He pulled out the broken spearhead he'd enchanted way back when to help Vivid find his friends, and told it, "Queen Magnificent of the RainWings."

The spearhead spun around, pulling Windracer toward where his friends were still waiting. He held on tightly to the splintered wooden handle that had once been attached to the long staff of a spear, but the blunted head pulled harder.

"If anyone wants to come with me," he said, "you're quite welcome." When he didn't get an immediate answer, he took off.

He ended up crashing through the overgrowth, as the enchanted spearhead would twist and turn abruptly whenever he tried to glide around a branch or vine that was in his flight path.

"Windracer?" Lagoon called up to him when he arrived at the hatchery. "What are you doing?"

"Magic spearhead," he explained briefly, jerking in midflight. "I asked it to show me where the queen is. Just so we know where to find her." He lurched forward as the spearhead dragged him ahead with increasing force.

"Wait for us!" Bog cried.

The treehouse the spearhead led them to was not much different from all the others, although it was a bit higher and closer to the sun, with an open roof and five giant open windows in the curved outside walls. A short hanging walkway, glowing with fuchsia flowers shaped like dragon tongues, led from the doorway to another large platform. Seven dragons were standing in a line on the platform. Most of them looked bored or sleepy, although one or two had angry red flickers sparking through their scales.

"Well," said Lagoon, "we know where to find her now. Maybe we should get back to waiting for Vivid and Hibiscus."

There was a pair of frustrated groans, courtesy of Marmoset and Mango.

"But waiting is so boring!" the female twin complained.

"It's just for a few hours," Windracer said as he tucked his spearhead back into his bag. "They'll be here before you know it."

The wait was longer than Windracer had thought it would be - mostly because he had to listen to the twins whining about it for three whole hours.

They'd reached the rainforest in the early morning, had to wait five hours for the rain to stop, arrived at around noon, and now it was about three and a half hours later, and they were still no closer to thwarting Morrowseer's evil plan.

Finally, finally, the two pink RainWings arrived.

"Thanks for waiting," Vivid said as she hovered over Windracer, who was slumped on a branch like the many sloths that were hanging from high above their heads. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Other than those two salamander brains, no," he snarked.

Vivid actually laughed at that.

"Your friends might be awake by now," said Hibiscus. "Let's go check on them." And I can see Diamondback again.

And so Windracer was flying back to the platform where their escort was waiting with the five tranquilized dragons. The hybrid landed beside his girlfriend, who was beginning to stir.

"Arid?" he prompted gently, nudging her shoulder with his snout.

"Nothing's going to get me!" she yelled, leaping to her feet. "I'll fight off anything Morrowseer throws at me! WHERE IN THE MOONS ARE WE?!" She wobbled on her talons and would have fallen over if Windracer didn't catch her.

"Don't move too fast," Hibiscus suggested helpfully. "The tranquilizer takes a little while to completely wear off."

"TRANQUILIZER?!" Arid shouted. "How dare you -"

"Arid, please," Windracer said. "They're taking us to see the queen. Well, one of them."

She stared at him as if he'd suddenly started speaking dolphin. "One of them?" she echoed.

"Ouch!" said a voice behind them. "I think something bit me...what - where are we?"

Windracer helped Arid back up before bounding over to Auburn's side. "Are you alright?" he asked, helping his mother stand up.

The auburn-colored SkyWing blinked several times and stared around at the RainWing village. "How did we get here?" She shook out her wings and peeked over the edge. "Oh my goodness, that's a long way down."

"Auburn?" Killer woke up next. "What is going on?"

"Oooooooorgh," Cleverclaws moaned. He clutched his head with his eyes still closed. "Now that's a headache."

There was still a small black dragonet curled up in the middle of the platform, her brows furrowed even as she slept.

"Moon?" Windracer said. He nudged the slumbering NightWing. "Hey, wake up. Are you okay? Is she okay?"

"She should be fine," said Hoatzin, swooping up behind Vivid. "Her dose wasn't any different than the rest of yours."

"I'm awake," Moon muttered. She buried her head under her talons. "I'm just waiting until everyone's thoughts die down. How do you block them out so well?"

Windracer thought for a minute before answering. "Well, I'm mostly SkyWing, so I think that my NightWing powers aren't that much stronger than yours, even though I hatched under three full moons. And I've probably had a lot more practice with restraining my powers. Between high expectations and three - well, actually two - angry guardians, I was afraid of accidentally hurting my friends, so I didn't really use them very much while we were in hiding."

"Excuse me," Vivid interjected politely. "But if you guys are finished discussing what sounds like a moderately important topic, we'll take you to see the queen now."

"All of us?" Diamondback questioned. Does Hibiscus want me to come with her?

Vivid shook her head. "If all of you go, Magnificent will just rant about how new and exciting you all are for the rest of the day, and we'll never get a word in. Not that she'd care, because she's lazier than every RainWing in the kingdom put together."

"Sounds awful," Arid snorted.

"All of our queens are pretty awful," said Hibiscus. "Aside from Magnificent, Dazzling is a total glutton, Grandeur is super old and kinda grumpy, Exquisite is obsessed with sloths, and Fruit Bat spends all her time working in the royal gardens to make herself smell like the flowers that grow there."

"Don't forget Splendor," Hoatzin said. "She's a total scaredy-dragon who's always thinking about the worst-case scenario. She's been missing for quite a while; the other queens have just been skipping her turn."

Magnificent, Dazzling, Grandeur, Exquisite, Splendor, Fruit Bat. Six queens in one tribe. Well, five, excluding Splendor, who Windracer suspected (for very good reason) was being held captive by the NightWings.

"If Magnificent is as lazy as you say she is," Lagoon said, "then we should try speaking to one of the other queens. Maybe they will actually do something."

Arid flared her wings and glowered fiercely at the three RainWings. "Would somebody PLEASE explain to me why you have more than one queen?! It's ridiculous!"

"My thoughts exactly," growled Winter.

"We don't know," Vivid said. "Wish I did, though. I'm probably the only one in this whole rainforest who ever thinks to ask any questions that are actually important."

"Grandeur sounds like she might be the best of them," Windracer thought aloud. "Do you know where we can find her?"

Vivid glanced up at the sun's position in the sky, then said, "At this time, she usually heads out to this secret clearing of hers that isn't really much of a secret, but no one else ever bothers her there."

"Well," said Arid, "there's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

There was a flicker of excited gold in Vivid's wings. "I think I'm starting to like you," she said.

Windracer looked around at the gathered dragons. His parents and Cleverclaws still looked a bit dazed from the tranquilizers, Moon was curled up into a ball, Winter was pacing angrily, Turtle was twiddling his claws, Diamondback was completely spellbound by Hibiscus's beauty, Ocotillo was sitting rather calmly next to Storm, who was slumped in a tired manner, Forger was carving something out of a chuck of wood that he'd found, Bog's siblings were busy sharing a pile of fruit that Alligator had gathered for them to eat, Torrent was leaning over the edge of the platform looking at something below, Qibli was sniffing some of the flowers that hung overhead, Webs had somehow gotten himself tangled in a mess of vines, and Carnelian was standing straight and tall over Inferno, who looked so angry that Windracer was sure he would burst into flames.

"Ember," he called out. "Why don't you come with us this time?"

The SkyWing dragonet had been lightly fiddling with her diamond necklace, but she perked up when she heard Windracer call her name. "Me?" she squeaked. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm no one special, really."

Windracer smiled warmly at her. "You're the only SkyWing who hatched on the brightest night," he said. "Well, the only full-blooded SkyWing, seeing as I'm half NightWing. The one and only SkyWing currently living that has hatched on a once-in-a-century occurrence. That sounds pretty special to me. So, yeah, you can come with us. If you want to, that is."

He'd seen her insecurity and heard her desire to be special. He wanted to show her that she was underestimating herself, that she was better than she thought she was, and that she'd always have a place with him and his friends.

She padded over to him, her snout turning up into a smile. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Thank you." Then she glanced back at Subzero, who was lashing his tail as he glowered at them.

"Uh, Subzero," Windracer gulped. "You can come, too. There's something that I actually want to talk to you about."

The frostscales IceWing raised his eyebrow, looking skeptical but intrigued. "Tell me on the way," he said bluntly.

"Eight dragons," Vivid said. "Well, nine, counting me. That should be enough. Come on, follow me."

Hibiscus and Hoatzin stayed behind with the others, most of them waving, as Windracer and his friends followed Vivid up into the treetops.

Quite a remarkable coincidence that the queen they're going to see is the one that's actually descended from the original line of RainWing royalty, isn't it? (Not really, because I totally planned that!)

Regarding Ember and Subzero, I didn't want either of them to be alone their whole lives. Maybe they're not the best match, but I think they can be good for each other.

Anywho, if any of you lovely readers would like to drop a review my way, I'd really appreciate it.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar
Forger - Gobber

Chapter Text

Let's hope Grandeur is in a listening mood...

The flight path to Queen Grandeur's not-so-secret clearing led them back to the queens' treehouse. The line had gotten slightly longer - Windracer counted at least twelve dragons standing on the platform.

All those dragons waiting in line to see a queen who won't even lift a claw to help them. They deserve better than that. A rabid goat deserves better than that!

Definitely Arid's thoughts. She was right to be mad. Aside from Queen Moorhen, and possibly Queen Glacier, almost every queen they'd met so far was pretty awful. Yes, Tourmaline was now ruling the SkyWings and Queen Coral wasn't nearly half as bad as Queen Scarlet was or how Queen Battlewinner sounded, but Windracer didn't understand why anyone would actually allow such terrible dragons to sit on their tribes' thrones.

I guess even a terrible queen is better than no queen, he reasoned. Still, it doesn't seem fair to everyone else.

"How much further is it?" Lagoon asked politely.

"We're almost there," Vivid promised. "It's just beyond those trees." She pointed to the stretch of rainforest behind the queens' hut.

There was a snort, accompanied by a small burst of chilling air, courtesy of Subzero. "I don't see why Mr. Moony-Eyes can't use his magic to get all the RainWings back," he said.

"Because magic can't be used to solve everything," Windracer said. "Some problems are better solved the long, hard way instead of taking the easy way out. If I teleported every dragon in that death trap of a kingdom somewhere else, or made the volcano disappear, or something, there could be consequences to those scenarios that haven't been considered. And what kind of spell could I possibly use to, say, end the war? It's just too risky. Not just for me, but for everyone."

"I agree," Vivid cut in. "We need to tell Queen Grandeur about this. It's the right thing to do."

Subzero looked at them both for a solid minute.

Now would probably be a good time to be able to hear what he's thinking, Windracer said to himself. The frostscales IceWing's thoughts were all but lost in a raging mental blizzard, too fast and too plentiful to read clearly. If there was one thing about Subzero that Windracer knew for absolute certain, it's that he definitely wasn't a happy dragon.

"Fine," Subzero finally said, grumbling. "But don't blame me if this whole place gets covered in snow and ice by tomorrow morning. It was your idea to bring a walking and talking snowstorm into the rainforest."

Is that really what he thinks of himself? Ember thought. A living hazard? He can't be as dangerous as he thinks he is. Maybe he's just lonely. I would be, if I had to stay away from all other dragons all the time.

Windracer silently agreed with her. Maybe Subzero would be happier if he had a friend or two. And he still had to talk to the IceWing about his idea for how to help with his frostscales.

"Right this way," said Vivid. She weaved through the tree trunks, playfully scattering some leaves with her tail as she passed by.

Of the eight dragons that followed her, Windracer and Ember had the easiest time navigating through the trees. They were the best fliers. Marmoset and Mango, on the other talon, got tangled up in each other's tails and wings and started yelling at each other for getting in the way.

Subzero didn't even bother trying to dodge the obstacles. Everything he touched frosted over and snapped right off when he pushed through.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Bog said timidly. He clambered over a particularly large branch that he'd crashed into. "This is the RainWings' home. We can't destroy it."

"It was gonna get wrecked anyway," Subzero snapped at him. "The second I touch something, it freezes over. Why bother trying to avoid all this nature that's in my way if it'll freeze at one stray tap of the tail?"

"Because it's a nice thing to do," Arid offered. "Because it might scare the RainWings or hurt the animals. Because the rest of us aren't destroying the trees."

He glared at her, but said nothing.

"Maybe you don't have to," Windracer said. "Freeze something when you touch it, I mean. I can help with your frostscales, but only if you'd like me to."

Subzero still didn't say anything, but, if Windracer was reading his expression right, he looked mildly intrigued.

"I can give you a choice," he continued. "I can cast a spell so you can only have your frostscales when you want them. But that's a choice you have to make for yourself; I won't use my magic for you, or on you, without your consent. You don't have to answer right away, you can think about it for however long you need to."

For an agonizingly long moment, Subzero hovered there staring at Windracer with an unreadable expression. The mental blizzard in his mind had calmed down a little, but it was still too chaotic for Windracer to navigate.

"Alright," the IceWing finally said. "I'll think about it."

When they reached the clearing, Windracer was blown away by the sight.

It was smaller than they'd imagined, about the size of Mayfly's hut, and there were small, elegant flowers everywhere. The sunlight peeked through the overgrowth, casting a warm glow on the dragon lying in the middle of the clearing. She was roughly as big as Queen Coral; her scales were a pale lavender color, seemingly glittering with tiny dewdrops, and her ruff was a pale orange. She was clearly very old, judging by her wrinkled snout and half-asleep eyes.

The moment Windracer saw her, a few new futures opened up in his mind - a white dragonet writhing in pain, a crowd of cheering rainbow-colored dragons, a NightWing clawing his own face off, a purplish-pink and yellowish-orange dragonet chasing butterflies in the sun.

He could hear what she was thinking, too. It's always so peaceful here. Too peaceful. At least none of the other queens will bother me here. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to share the throne after all.

"Queen Grandeur," Windracer whispered in realization.

Vivid nodded at him. Then she folded in her wings and dove elegantly into the clearing, landing softly on the flowers. "Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty," she said. "But there is an urgent matter we need to discuss with you."

Windracer and the others followed her lead. Half of them came tumbling out of the air, and the other half stamped too hard on some of the flowers.

Grandeur studied them with a sour expression. "Well," she said, "there's something you don't see every day."

Windracer picked himself up and bowed his head at the older dragon. "Queen Grandeur of the RainWings, we are in desperate need of your help. Your subjects are being abducted and experimented on by the NightWings, who are planning to take over the rainforest. We need to put together a rescue expedition to go and save them immediately."

She didn't look nearly as alarmed as he hoped she'd be. "Magnificent is the current queen," she told them. "If you have a problem, you should go see her. Or wait a month to see me about it."

"Magnificent won't lift a claw to help us!" Arid shouted. "We need you!"

"You're the most qualified RainWing queen we know," Lagoon tried. "And we're running out of time. The NightWings could invade any time within the next month, or the next week. Maybe even tomorrow."

Now Grandeur looked alarmed. "That does sound serious."

"You should also know," Windracer said, "that I can read minds. And see the future. And I have animus magic. I heard you thinking about the other queens. You thought that maybe sharing the throne wasn't such a good idea. Can you tell us more about that?"

"It was my idea," Grandeur confessed. "The truth is, I am descended from the original line of RainWing queens. We used to keep track of the royal eggs, but my daughters were useless, so we merged our eggs with the tribe's. I was hoping to find successors who were queens in spirit, if not blood. Unfortunately, it didn't do any of us much good. I dare say even my daughters would have been better queens than those five."

"But if you're the true queen of the RainWings," said Bog, "then you can help us, right?"

Grandeur shook her head. "Magnificent and the others don't see it that way. In their eyes, I'm just an extra who has no more power than any of them. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."

Windracer was at a loss. He couldn't see any future where they succeeded without Grandeur's help.

"Please, Your Highness," Ember pleaded in a broken voice. "We need your help. There has to be something you can do! Anything!"

"There is another way," Vivid said. "It's a bit crazy, but it may be our only hope."

"What are you saying?" Arid asked. She didn't understand where this was going.

But Windracer did. Vivid had been thinking about it ever since she and Hoatzin and Hibiscus had told them about the RainWing queens. He knew exactly what she was about to say.

Vivid spread her wings and stood tall. "Queen Grandeur of the RainWings, I hereby challenge you to a contest for throne and kingdom."

A gasp scattered among the eight dragons like leaves in a windstorm.

"A contest?" Arid echoed. "You mean a duel, right?"

"No, I mean a contest," Vivid said. "We don't fight for the throne."

"That's how it works in every other tribe," Subzero pointed out. "You fight, and whoever survives gets to be queen."

"RainWings used to duel like any other tribe," Grandeur explained, "but then we devised a method that doesn't end in death. A challenger must defeat the queen in a competition. That's the basic gist of it."

"But why her?" whined Mango. "Anyone could have the throne, even me if I wanted it!"

Marmoset pointed at Vivid. "Yeah, why should she be queen?"

"Because Vivid is the smartest and most capable RainWing we know," Windracer said. "And I see literally zero futures where Mango is queen of anything."

"Hey, I'm smart!" Mango shouted. "I know what two plus two is - five!"

Arid shook her head. "That wasn't correct the first hundred times you said it, and it still isn't."

"Yeah, stupid," said Marmoset. "Anyone with a brain knows two plus two is eight."

Windracer sighed. Here we go.

"Who are you calling stupid, stupid?!"

"You, duh."

"Duh yourself, pineapple breath!"

"Monkey tail!"

"Fig ears!"

"Jaguar nose!"

"ENOUGH!" Grandeur ordered in a loud, authoritative voice.

The twins promptly fell silent.

Grandeur turned to Vivid. "I accept your challenge. However, it is customary that we take a day to prepare the contests. Meet me at the Arboretum tomorrow at sunrise."

"I understand, Your Majesty," Vivid said. She bowed her head at the larger dragon. "Thank you."

No sooner after Queen Grandeur had returned from her not-so-secret clearing, the news of Vivid's challenge to the queens spread through the kingdom like wildfire.

Everywhere Windracer looked he saw two or more RainWings muttering to each other, and anyone who saw the group passing by would stop whatever they were doing and stare at Vivid. Their thoughts were all buzzing around like a swarm of angry bees; it was hard for Windracer to listen.

Fortunately, he'd figured out a trick to handle that. In his first year, he'd toss small stones into the underground river and watch the ripples. The sight was strangely relaxing, especially after long days of training and lessons and studying and getting thrown into the walls by Kestrel. He'd imagine other dragons' thoughts as ripples, whisking them away into the quiet water. And if that didn't work, he had another trick - find the calmest mind and latch onto it.

They landed on the waiting platform, which had reduced to nine dragons. One of them - blue with the seven colors of the rainbow running up and down her sides, legs and wings - stepped toward the group.

"Vivid!" she said cheerfully. "I heard the news. Are you really challenging the queens?" She blinked at the other seven dragons as though she were noticing them for the first time. "Who are all these dragons?"

"They're friends of mine," Vivid replied. "And, yes, I am challenging the queens. Everyone, this is my mentor-slash-friend, Tui."

All around them, the other RainWings started murmuring. Maybe Windracer didn't know too much about the RainWings in the rainforest, but that was the kind of news that would spread quickly - mainly because it meant they'd have some entertainment at sunrise tomorrow.

Four small dragons swooped in from the trees, two yellow, one blue, and one purple. "Wow!" cried one of the yellow dragonets. "Did you hear that?"

The other one smiled from ear to ear. "Sure did," she said, her voice trembling with excitement.

The purple dragonet's scales suddenly changed to an eye-blinding combination of pink and gold, and he darted past the other three, crying, "Windracer!"

From the ripples in Windracer's mind came a string of joyful thoughts, He's okay! He's safe! He's free! Does he remember me? He must remember me!

And remember him, Windracer did. "Poison Dart!"

The little dragonet careened into him, almost knocking him off the platform.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," Windracer said.

"Not as glad as I am to see you're okay!" chirped Poison Dart.

Vivid regarded them with a smile. "Poison Dart told us all about how a dragon named Windracer helped him escape the NightWings. I knew it had to be you, because what are the odds there's someone else out there with the same name?"

"We actually helped each other," Windracer confessed. "And I think he helped me more than I helped him."

"Well," Vivid said, her ruff turning a prideful indigo, "if there's any dragon I know I can trust, it's you. Excluding fellow RainWings, of course."

There was a light thumping sound as the other three dragonets landed on the platform a few feet away.

Poison Dart waved them over. "Paradise, Kinkajou, Tamarin, this is Windracer. He's the other friend I told you about, remember?"

"I remember," said the second yellow dragonet. "I always knew you were telling the truth. You'd never lie to us."

The two yellow dragonets weren't exactly the same, Windracer observed. The one Poison Dart had addressed as Paradise was yellow and white with yellow-orange wings and thin black lines running down both sides of her body. Kinkajou, on the other talon, was bright yellow and pink with a tiny bit of purple mixed in.

The blue dragonet - Tamarin - moved confidently across the platform, keeping her wings up and out like an insect's antenna. Her eyes were a light shade of blue and stared blankly past them at the trees.

"Over here, Tamarin," Poison Dart called, reaching out his talons to grasp hers.

She's blind, Windracer realized. "Hello," he said warmly, reaching out his own talons and patting Tamarin's shoulder.

"Hello," she echoed, reaching up to feel his face and wings. She wore a garland of red and pink and purple flowers around her shoulders. Whatever they were, they smelled amazing.

"I like your flowers," he said.

"Thank you," Tamarin said simply. "I picked them myself."

Kinkajou bounced over, her excitement evident in both her expression and her scales. "Isn't this great, Tamarin?" she said proudly. "We not only get to meet new friends, but we're also going to have a proper queen for once!"

A few of the RainWings exchanged glances, turning an odd shade of light purplish-orange. Windracer recognized it as meaning puzzled or confused; it was a color he saw the twins wear way too often.

"A proper queen?" echoed another of the RainWings. "Is, uh...is that something we need?"

"What's wrong with the ones we've got?" asked another.

"Why don't you ask Gibbon that question?" Poison Dart shot back. "Or Orchid? Or Splendor, or Tualang or Loris?"

All of the dragons were frowning now; several of them glanced around at the trees as if they expected Orchid and Splendor to come sauntering out to be interviewed.

"Hmmm, that's right," Kinkajou said. "Haven't seen them in a while, have you? That's because they've been kidnapped, like I was. And they're still trapped there - except for Tapir and Bright and Orangutan, who died awful deaths, alone and far away from everything and everyone they loved. And the only dragons who's willing to do anything about it are Vivid and her friends. That's why Vivid should be our queen."

"Don't listen to them." A dark burgundy RainWing shouldered her way through the other dragons and glared at Kinkajou. Her tongue flicked in and out of her mouth. "These dragonets are nothing but trouble. For all we know, Poison Dart could have been hiding in the forest for three weeks to spite me, and now he's made up some ridiculous tale just for the attention."

Violent orange shot through Poison Dart's wings, but he stayed at Windracer's side.

"Put a sheep in it, Bromeliad," Vivid said, placing herself between the older dragon and her friends. "It's all true. I was there, too." She turned her attention to the other dragons on the platform - and the ones who were starting to gather in the trees as well. "Listen to me. Our friends are suffering. They're tortured and trapped in caves in a horrible place that smells of smoke and death. There's no fruit. There's no sun time."

Horrified murmurs swept through the branches overhead. "No sun time?" somebody squeaked.

Vivid took a step along the bridge and several of the RainWings quailed back. "This could have happened - could still happen - to any of you. These dragons I brought with me want to help rescue them, but they can't do it by themselves. And we can't do it without them." She lashed her tail. "I know a lot of you would rather sleep than deal with problems, but those missing dragons are from our tribe, and they need us."

She glanced at the queens' treehouse behind Tui and raised her voice. "That's why I'm going to take the throne tomorrow. Not because I want the biggest pieces of fruit or the highest sun platform. I'm doing this for the missing RainWings - and for you, so that you don't have to spend the rest of your lives looking over your shoulders and thinking, Our friends are still lost...and we could have saved them."

Most of the dragons looked confused, but a few had dark purple stripes rippling over their scales - guilt and shame, living right next to pride on the color spectrum.

"So there," said Kinkajou, sticking out her tongue at Bromeliad.

Windracer heard a few dragons snicker.

"What do we do now?" Paradise asked Vivid brightly. "Never mind, I know exactly what you should do - train for the challenge, right?"

Vivid turned her back on her wide-eyed audience and focused on the four young dragonets. "You four go find Mangrove; he could use some good news right now. I have to bring my other friends back to their escort and tell them all what just happened. Meet me at the big landing platform."

Together, the four colorful dragonets shot off into the trees. Ignoring the crowd, Vivid spread her wings and flew away. Windracer was the first of the group to take off after her.

The dragonets' escort was still on the platform where they'd left them, only Inferno was pacing back and forth across the length of the platform with such vigor it was a wonder he hadn't worn out a trench in the wood.

"FINALLY!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw them approaching. "Do you have any idea what it's like waiting here with all these salamander-brains?!"

Carnelian broke off a stray branch and whacked him in the head with it.

"OW! Oh, come on! Seriously?!"

Auburn slinked past her nephew and approached her son calmly. "So," she said, "did you see Queen Grandeur?"

"Well..." Windracer wasn't sure he was the one who should be breaking the news to them. "We did see her, yes. And, before you ask, yes, we spoke with her, too."

"And how did that go?" Killer asked. Was that too forceful? And what's that apprehensive look he's got? I know Auburn wants me to try and connect with our son, but how can I do that if we don't have anything in common?

Windracer had been trying to connect with his father, too. But Killer had a point - there wasn't much in common between the thrice-moonborn animus hybrid dragonet and his muscular and hard-headed NightWing father.

Vivid spread her wings and stood tall and proud, waves of indigo and reddish-orange rippling through her wings. "I've challenged Queen Grandeur for the throne," she declared.

Everyone on the platform stared at her like she'd just sprouted three extra heads right in front of them.

"But why?" Hoatzin said. "You've never wanted to be a queen."

"You don't know that," said Vivid. "It just didn't come up because we were too busy telling Mangrove about where Orchid is and Poison Dart showing up after weeks of absence with a story of how Windracer saved him from the NightWings."

"Wait," said Diamondback, sitting up and flaring his wings. "If you want to be queen, don't you have to kill Grandeur?"

Inferno, who had been rubbing his aching head, practically burst into the air. "Yes! Finally, some excitement around here!"

"Oh, no," Hibiscus said. "We've developed a peaceful way of fighting for the throne. We compete in bloodless contests and the winner becomes queen."

Inferno's expression turned more sour than a basket full of lemons. Oh, for moon's sake!

"Fascinating," uttered Cleverclaws. His talons twitched as he fought the urge to reach for his scrolls. "I wonder...if I could study this unique behavior, perhaps it could be applied to all the other tribes. It would certainly get rid of all the pressure of preparation for such a fateful fight. Say a queen had only one heir, and if she killed that heir there'd be no one left after her to rule the kingdom. Unless, of course, she was willing to choose a worthy successor outside the royal family."

"I don't know," Windracer interjected. "The other tribes have been doing things their way for hundreds of years. Queen Moorhen said so herself when we visited the Mud Kingdom to find Bog's family."

"That doesn't mean we can't change," Arid said. "We're dragons, not caterpillars. We can do things differently if we choose to."

Vivid smiled at her. "Remember when I said I was starting to like you? Well, I definitely like you. Windracer's lucky to have you as his girlfriend."

The two hybrids instinctively glanced at each other, blushing furiously.

Cleverclaws adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Well, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to observe you RainWings in your natural habitat. It's very much an improvement from those dark caves on the volcano. I'll never forget how miserable those poor dragons looked to be away from their beloved rainforest."

"And we'll all help out in whatever way we can," Ocotillo said.

"Whatever," Inferno snorted.

Moon shuffled her talons nervously. Windracer made a mental note to teach her his ripple trick later.

"Well, before we save the missing RainWings, choose a SandWing queen and stop the war, first I have to win the challenge," Vivid said. "So right now I have to go train for this contest thing tomorrow. If anyone wants to come watch while the others keep an eye out for the NightWings, it's in the Arboretum at sunrise tomorrow."

"I'll be there," Lagoon said.

"Me too," Bog piped up.

"No way we're missing it!" Mango cheered.

Arid gave a curt nod. "It'll be nice to know a queen we actually like. If you win, of course."

"I will win," Vivid said, her voice full of determination that Windracer could feel as though it were his own. He could hear her thinking about the other rainforest dragons, chained and muzzled and fed rotting prey, imprisoned away from the sun and their own tribe. "I have to."

Part of the reason I created Vivid in the first place was so the RainWings would have a better queen than most of the ones they had. I knew from the start that Mango would be unfit for the throne, and Vivid isn't the same as Glory but she's definitely a better candidate than Mango.

I'll admit that I could, and probably should, have done a better job giving each and every one of the dragonets' allies an active part in this chapter. But that's the price you pay when you have so many characters in the same place at once.

If you wouldn't mind dropping a review, by all means. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar
Forger - Gobber

Chapter Text

Chapter 33

One must be prepared for facing the queen. Crazy-prepared.

But there are some things that you can't really prepare for...

"Papaya," Vivid said. "Star fruit, tangelo, clawmentine, kumbu, dragonberry, mango, fire pear, and that one's a trick that only looks like a fruit, but is actually a poorly designed snail." She poked the purple snail shell with one claw and its nervous antennae vanished.

The sun was high above them, and the morning rain had stopped, although the leaves kept showering the dragons every time someone bounced through and shook the trees. All the toucans and parrots and lorikeets that had disappeared during the rainfall were back, perched on the highest branches and hollering joyfully at the sun as if they'd never expected to see it again.

Vivid could identify all the birds in sight, having lived in the rainforest her whole life, and with all the extra studying she'd been doing. Birds, insects, flowers, fruit - anything Grandeur might test her on, she would memorize. Whenever she felt her brain getting tired, she'd think of the smoky air choking the caves of the RainWings, and that would snap her back into focus.

"Wow," said Arid. She blinked her eyes at Vivid. "There must be a million different plants and animals in the rainforest. How do you memorize all of that?"

Vivid shrugged her wings. "It's basically Survival 101. Some of the first things we learn are what to eat, what not to eat, what to stay away from, that sort of thing." She plucked the snail off the platform and placed it on a nearby branch. "It never hurts to take a refresher course on my rainforest knowledge."

There was an older RainWing watching nearby, dark purple in color with a serious expression on his face that was absent from most others. "You dragonets have never had any of these before?" he asked, surveying the forty or so fruits arranged around the platform.

"One or two, maybe," said Windracer. "You should probably taste them all, too. Just in case the queen chooses a blind taste test?"

"I don't think anyone's ever thought of that before," said Vivid. "But, then again, you never know." She peeled a banana with a few swipes of her claw.

"Bog would dominate a blind taste test." Lagoon smirked from above a treetop which she was laying on.

"I would! Are you going to finish that?" Bog asked.

Vivid took a bite and then lobbed the rest of it at him. Bog fumbled to catch it and ended up with banana smeared all over his talons. He licked it off with a contented expression.

"You can practice your camouflage at the same time," the purple RainWing said. "See if you can match this mango." He rolled it to her with his nose.

Vivid studied the outside of the mango and let her scales slowly turn a dull green with black speckles, shading to warm red around her wings and tail.

"Okay," said Arid, "I have to admit that's pretty cool."

"Hey!" Mango cried. "We can do that, too! Watch!" She clenched her talons and made an unflattering grunting sound, and all of her scales shifted to a very sickly shade of green that was absolutely not mango colored at all.

Vivid shook her head at the display. "Not even close. You're trying way too hard." She lifted a claw and pointed to her own head. "First, imagine the mango in your mind. Then you imagine yourself becoming the mango. Let the colors flow through your scales naturally."

Mango groaned. "Too many words!"

Windracer spotted the light pink scales of Hibiscus shimmer into view, and he called out, "Hey, Vivid. We have a visitor."

Vivid and the purple RainWing looked up sharply. She'd asked for a secluded spot where they could practice without any interruptions. It was rather unsettling to keep finding dragon eyes on her every time she turned around.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hibiscus said as she landed elegantly on the platform. "I wanted to see how the training was going." And I needed a break from that loud red SkyWing.

Windracer chuckled. That was definitely about Inferno.

"It's going quite well, thanks," Vivid said, popping berries in her mouth. Raspberries are sharper than cloud berries. Figs taste like desert winds. Guavas are the ones I could eat every day for the rest of time. "Shall we move on to venom practice?"

"Actually," said the purple RainWing, "I think it's time you gave your brain a rest."

Marmoset sighed. "You guys are so boring. Who needs time to sleep when there's much cooler stuff to do?"

"You mean like sneaking furry spiders into our fruit?" Hibiscus asked, her ruff shifting from pink to orange. "That wasn't funny, by the way. I nearly had a heart attack."

The twins snickered.

The twins...

"I have a question," said Windracer. "If you don't keep track of your eggs, how can you tell who's related to who?"

"That's easy," Vivid said. "Before two RainWings decide to have eggs together, they do a venom test." She plucked a floppy oval leaf from one of the hanging branches and laid it on the platform. "Mangrove and Hibiscus, would you care to demonstrate?"

Windracer remembered Vivid mentioning a dragon named Mangrove earlier. And every now and again, he heard the purple RainWing's mind whisper, Orchid, as Vivid was training to challenge the queen.

Orchid was one of the RainWings who had been kidnapped by the NightWings, and Mangrove clearly had a connection to them.

Mangrove opened his mouth wide, nearly unhinging his lower jaw, and spat a small amount of black venom on the leaf. It immediately began to sizzle and melt.

"Cool," the twins chorused.

Hibiscus bared her fangs at the leaf and spat her own venom on Mangrove's.

The melting stopped instantly.

The two RainWings gasped.

"What does it mean?" asked Arid.

"Well," Vivid said, waving a talon at the half-melted leaf, "when two RainWings come from the same family, their venom cancels out. If not, then the leaf would melt faster."

"So, Hibiscus and Mangrove are related?" Lagoon asked. "How?"

"I think I know how," said the purple RainWing. "Orchid and I had an egg about twelve or thirteen years ago." He turned to Hibiscus. "You're twelve, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, I just turned twelve last month. Does that mean...?"

Mangrove stepped forward and seized Hibiscus's talons in his own. His ruff and wings flushed a joyful pink as he smiled. "You're my daughter."

"Cool!" Marmoset grinned.

"Congrats," Lagoon praised.

"Yeah," Bog nodded.

The light pink RainWing smiled at Mangrove. Gleams of sunshine yellow rippled through her wings. Mangrove is my father. Orchid is my mother. Dapples of blue-gray bubbled across her claws and wingtips. My mother...

Orchid was Mangrove's mate, and Hibiscus's mother, and she was trapped on a volcanic island away from them. They had to save her.

"I'm happy for you, Hibiscus," Vivid said, smiling. "As for taking a break, I can wait. I don't have time to be lazy."

"Resting when you need to isn't being lazy," Mangrove advised. "You won't have the energy you need to win if you don't sleep."

"Vivid," Windracer said. "Stop panicking for one moment and think about how you feel right now. And I don't mean mad; I mean, physically."

"I'm not panicking," Vivid said, ruffled. "I am pretty close to mad, though."

"And?" he prompted.

"And getting closer," she shot back. He gave her a patient look. "And...exhausted," Vivid realized, as she took a deep breath. Now that the rush of adrenaline from earlier had worn off, her mind was becoming slow and foggy.

"Okay," Vivid conceded. "One hour. Then it's back to work."

"We'll see." Windracer smirked.

The dragonets saw it fit to fill in their friends and family members on what had occurred while Vivid rested. Windracer had a feeling that a scientist like Cleverclaws would be interested in how RainWing venom worked.

He was right.

"How fascinating," Cleverclaws mused aloud, absentmindedly scratching his chin. "Who would have thought that the RainWings had such a unique use for their venom? This changes everything! Just think, what if all the tribes have some sort of innate ability to distinguish their relatives from others of their kind?"

"Well," said Lagoon, "only the royal SeaWings have a pattern like this." She lit up her wings, revealing the spirals and webbed-talon-shaped starbursts in all their splendor.

Cleverclaws's eyes lit up almost as brightly as the SeaWing princess's wings. "Of course! Genetic patterns. We NightWings have it, too, see?" He lifted one of his wings and gestured to the silver star pattern underneath. "My star scales streak downward, like a meteor shower, whereas Killer's, for instance, flare out like a burst of flame." He reached for Killer's wing, but the bulkier NightWing batted him away with a grunt. "You might have the same pattern, Windracer. My son Knowledge has inherited my meteor shower star scales."

Windracer flared one of his own wings and squinted at it. Now that he was looking carefully, he could see that Cleverclaws was right - his star scales weren't just scattered randomly, like they seemed at first glance; the brighter spots of silver formed the outline of a fiery explosion.

"What about SandWings?" Arid asked. "I don't suppose our venom works the same as the RainWings' do." She glanced at her tail.

"I'm afraid not," Ocotillo answered. "If you and I combined our venom, for example, it would become more potent, and more lethal. And we SandWings keep track of our eggs, anyway, so we usually know exactly who is related to who."

"So do IceWings," said Storm.

"And SkyWings," Auburn added.

Windracer glanced at Bog. They'd learned from Queen Moorhen when they'd visited the Mud Kingdom that MudWing parents didn't keep track of their eggs. They had families made up of brothers and sisters. Bog had Alligator, Sepia, Squelch, and Newt; he'd never asked them about their parents. He'd thought about it, Windracer knew that much, but he never had the nerve to actually ask.

Until now.

Bog squirmed nervously. "What about MudWings? I know the parents leave their eggs alone, but do the dragonets ever meet them?"

"Sometimes they do," said Alligator. "We haven't. We don't know much, but we've heard a lot of things about our mother."

"What's she like?" Bog asked.

Windracer had never seen the MudWing look so eager to learn something, even with all the scrolls they'd shared under the mountain and how often they'd quiz each other on different subjects.

"A lot of MudWings say she's soft-hearted," Squelch said. "I share that with her. Before she left the Mud Kingdom, she would moon around little dragonets and tell them about the prophecy. I like to think she'd love to meet us."

"She left the Mud Kingdom?" Bog echoed. "Why?"

"They said she joined the Talons of Peace," answered Sepia.

Newt looked to Webs. "You're with the Talons," the littlest MudWing said. "Do you know her?"

Webs's wings drooped. His thoughts drifted to Crocodile, the MudWing who had tricked him into returning to the Kingdom of the Sea so she could follow him to the Summer Palace. Even if her plan hadn't worked the way she wanted, he still felt guilty over it.

"There's three MudWings I know of," the SeaWing answered. "Sorrel, Crocodile, and Asha."

"Asha!" Alligator seized Webs's shoulders. "Where is she?"

"Asha's dead," Arid said. "She died bringing Bog's egg to the Talons."

"Dead?" Squelch looked devastated. "Are you sure?"

"I was with her in her final moment," Webs said. "She was caught in a battle between Blaze's and Blister's forces on the way to our secret cave. She still made it with the red MudWing egg, but she died of her wounds soon after."

Alligator released him and stumbled back. He nearly collapsed, but Sepia, Squelch, and Newt held him up. The four siblings looked at each other, then bowed their heads in mourning.

"Wait," Bog said, the gears in his head turning. "Asha...was she...?"

"She was our mother," Alligator said. He looked at Bog with tearful eyes. "She was your mother."

Bog's wings flopped onto his side, and he sat down. "My mother," he breathed. "Asha was my mother. Asha. She died protecting me, and I never got to meet her."

"I'm so sorry," said Webs. "I didn't know...I would have told you about her if I knew. Asha never told us about her family, or that she had dragonets. We never spoke to each other about our families; it was our way of protecting them."

"But why didn't she take us?" asked Newt. "Why didn't she bring us to the Talons along with Bog?"

"She probably thought you'd be better off in the Mud Kingdom than with the Talons," Windracer guessed. "And the prophecy only called for one MudWing egg."

For the longest time, Bog just sat there quietly. He had never spent much time thinking about Asha, the dragon who brought in his egg, but now his chest ached with sadness that she was his mother, she was dead, and he had never known her.

Alligator reached his talons out to his brother. Bog hesitated for only half a second, then grasped them tightly. Slowly, gently, the eldest sib pulled him into the waiting wings of his family.

"I know how you feel," Diamondback said softly. "I never knew my mother either; she died before I hatched."

"Caracal," Ocotillo breathed.

A memory bubbled to the forefront of his mind - a beautiful, smiling SandWing, with light yellow scales and brown wings, her eyes filled with love.

"You knew her," Windracer realized. "Was she a friend?"

"More than that," said Ocotillo with a sad smile. "Much more. She was my wife."

Arid stared at her father, her eyes as big as dragon eggs. "Your WIFE?" Then she turned to Diamondback. "So you're -"

"That's right." He beamed at her. "I'm your brother."

Half-brother, to be exact. (Which is something anyone who has read How to Train Your Wings of Fire: Winglets would already know. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend it.)

As always, reviews are appreciated.

Auburn - Valka
Windracer - Hiccup
Arid - Astrid
Lagoon - Heather
Bog - Fishlegs
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut
Killer - Stoick
Inferno - Snotlout
Scorch - Spitelout
Frost - Dagur
Malicious - Hroar
Forger - Gobber