Secrets of the Scorpion Den - A Wing of Fire Fanfic

A Secret

    Mirage flew west, towards the desert. She should've never come to Jade Mountain. She should've never left the safety of the Scorpion Den. But her family would take her back. Her brother was probably still alive-Although he might've already died years ago. He was much too kind, and her family was much too poor.

    Mirage wiped the tears off her face. No. They weren't tears. Her eyes were just...sweating. I don't cry. Mirage thought.

    Below her, Mirage could see mountain peaks streaking as she soared away from the Academy. In the distance, there was the vast yellow patch of barren land that was the desert. Her home was close. 

    Mirage stopped and rested after about twenty minutes of flying. She could walk from here. The desert was just a few steps away.

     She slid down the remaining stretch of mountain, and touched down on the hot, dry sand. It was familiar and amazing. She felt like she hadn't felt sand under her claws for centuries, even thought this had been her first year at Jade Mountain.

    Mirage didn't take any time to acknowledge how wonderful it was to be in the desert again. She headed straight for the Scorpion Den, on foot, because her wings ached. She would never go back to Jade Mountain ever again. The Scorpion Den was where she'd stay for the rest of her life. Well, maybe not the Scorpion Den...She had a feeling she'd murdered too many dragons to stay there. Maybe she'd just spend the night.

    Mirage sighed as she stepped into the shadow of the vast gate that guarded the entrance to her old home. The guard standing in front of it cleared his throat.

    "Name?" He asked. Mirage froze.

    I can't tell him my name! He'll turn me in!  

    "I...I'm..." Mirage looked around. She saw a palm tree in one direction, the small speck that was the sandwing palace in the distance, and everywhere else, sand. "Sand! My name is Sand!"

    The guard laughed. "Sand?"

    "Y-Yes."

    "Well, in you go then. Your mother's worried sick!" He threw open the gates and stepped aside to let her pass.

    Mirage walked through into the Scorpion Den, relieved. I can't believe that worked!...There's an actual dragon named Sand?

    She laughed softly. Then, she remembered why she was here and immediately became miserable again.

    She headed to her old house, where her mother and brother were probably still living- If they weren't dead.

    It was an old house, in the poor part of the city. It was made of tightly packed sand and had a dry brush roof that let all the rain in. There were absolutely no windows, unless you counted the many unintentional skylights. The door wasn't even a door. It was just a gap in the wall, which must've made breaking in very easy. Mirage held her breath, and stepped inside.

    The inside was not at all what Mirage had expected. There was a pile of jewel-encrusted weapons in one corner, and a chest in the other. Other than those, it was empty. 

    My family doesn't own any weapons or treasure.

    "Hello?" She asked quietly.

    "Yes?" A voice said. A dragon stepped into the house behind her- But it was definitely not her brother.

    This dragon was big, and brownish-yellow with pale yellow streaks along his sides and down his snout. He didn't look like a kind dagon, with his unnecessarily sharp teeth and his claws curled in aggressively, but he spoke like he was. He didn't even sound genuinely kind; He sound like one of those dragons who pretended to be your friends but then stabbed you in the back. Mirage didn't like the way he was casually blocking the doorway, like he didn't want her to escape.

    "Um-Hi...Do you know if Brushfire and Hare still live here?" Mirage asked nervously.

    "...No, this is my house. I think there's a dragon named Hare living down the street, though. He couldn't afford this place anymore."

    "Oh, thank you!" Mirage started towards the door, and the other dragon stepped aside, but before Mirage could reach the door, he held his arm out.

    "Why do you want to see them?" He asked. Mirage stopped.

    She didn't want to tell anyone that she was related to anyone so poor and nice, but maybe this dragon would let her go if she told him.

    "Brushfire is my mother and Hare is my brother." She said.

    "Really?" He snorted. "Well if you're part of that family, this will be much easier. You've seen too much."

    "What?" Mirage said, confused. "I...didn't see anything..."

    "Yes, you did. Don't lie to me little dragon. You know I'm in control of Vulture's Talons of Power now, and I'm going to assassinate the queen."

    "Actually, I didn't know that. But thanks for telling me!" Mirage dug her claws into the weak spot on the dragon's tail, and he screamed so loud Mirage was afraid everyone in the Scorpion Den would hear. 

    She dove out of the house through the small door and ran. She ran all the way back to the front gate of the Scorpion Den, and took off back towards Jade Mountain. She would have to see it one last time.