Wings of Fire - Cavernous Promises

Chapter 44

LOCUST

Locust bowed his head watching Acacia with narrowed eyes. There's another of us who's killed one of our parents. Or family member. Locust raised his head looking back to the raging battle, a whirl of emerald green, amber, sunlight yellow and blood red. Several casualties of both sides lay sprawled on the grass. Between further classing dragons fighting on the ground. Then three blinding flashes emitted through the battle, like lightning splitting through a storm cloud. Several dragons fell from the path of these bolts, trailing scarlet blood from them. Locust looked back to the collection of his friends, who were trying to help a jade coloured LeafWing. "Guys, the other LeafWings can help her, I believe the CavernWings have joined the battle." Locust called to them, turning on the dusty grass, as another bolt of blinding light flashed amongst the warring dragons behind him. A tumbling dragon fell close to the group with a crunch. The scales along their side seemed torn away from their flesh and the bones on the dragon's arm were revealed. Locust remembered the first time they'd all seen a cave flare, as Skull had called them, he hadn't seen its effects in battle, but now, he saw what could have happened to him.

Cobalt turned to look at Locust, "No, we have to help her." she said, holding her claws to one of the LeafWings wounds. Somewhere in the battle an earsplitting, spine raising scream, several blasts of blinding light emerged from the middle of the fight, many more dragons tumbled out of the sky around them. Ghost plunged out from the battle, her wide wings gliding swiftly between the clashing tribes. Every now and then she would snap at a dragon's leg and swiping her tail back and forth. Mica was clinging tightly to her scales, obviously terrified. She spotted them and glided swifty toward them. She pulled up and landed close to them, watching them with her glinting green eyes. She then crept up to them, glancing back at the battle and the fallen dragon with the exposed bones. Mica sat shivering on her back, wings pulled close to her sides, showing the gem like pale colours splattered across them. Ghost walked up to Locust, her slender tail trailing across the blood stained grass.

"What's going on here?" she asked, looking at Cobalt, Admiral and Acacia, who were wrapping long grass around the jade coloured LeafWing's wounds.

"Acacia just killed his father." replied Locust, blandly.

"Yeah, that sometimes happens, my dad did it by accident." replied Ghost, watching them with mild interest.

"What?" asked Locust looking at Ghost.

"Oh it's a very long story, I'll tell you later." she replied, looking back, she then stood up and walked up to the rest of the group, "You know you can burn them shut, it's painful, but it stops the bleeding."

Cobalt looked between Ghost and Acacia, before spinning silk from her wrist, before pressing it into the jade LeafWing's wounds. The LeafWing growled trying to stand up as the sickly scent of burnt flesh filled the air. Cobalt continued to do this, moving on to different wounds. For the first time, Locust noticed an elderly LeafWing and two young dragonets, who were being shielded by the elderly dragons' wings. The jade LeafWing pulled themselves up and gripped the ground with their long claws. Many of the wounds they sustained would definitely scar and never fully heal.

Locust gazed back into the battle, before noticing a flailing amber form. Oh, great, I'll have to help him. Locust pulled himself into the air, pumping his wings to get enough speed to duck beneath LeafWings trying to attack him. He circled the amber dragon judging him, it was Dragonfly alright, he was tussling with a gold and amber dragon, their eyes milky white and glaring. Locust plunged down toward the dragon, running his claws across their muzzle, before quickly swooping back into the air. The dragon whipped their bloody muzzle into the air hunting for him. Locust aimed carefully and shot a jet of acid straight into the dragon's face. Wasp almost instantly cut her strings with them, causing them to scream out in their own pain. "GAAAHHH! IT BURNS, IT BURNS!" they roared. They thudded to the ground, howling in pain as the acid ate into their eyes. Locust landed next to Dragonfly, "Get to the edge of the fighting, now." he snarled, looking into Dragonfly's fiery amber eyes.

"There's a LeafWing who needs help." Dragonfly said firmly, turning back into the fighting, Locust looked at him, taken aback, Dragonfly... actually wanting to help someone... I never thought it would happen. Locust looked up into the fight, seeing Skull fighting with a scarlet HiveWing. Locust flew up and slammed the sharp axe-like protrusion on his head into the HiveWing's stomach. The HiveWing gasped as the wind was knocked out of them. Skull took the opportunity, sinking his long claws into their throat, before quickly snapping their neck. Locust pulled out from beneath them as they fell to the ground, dead.

"Thank-you Locust, that was quite a challenge." hissed Skull, turning and gazing into a rush of oncoming HiveWings, rearing his head and sending a blaze of energy into the crowd, Locust saw the dragons tumble down to the earth, one of them with barely any flesh on their face.

Locust moved through the fight, trying to find Mallow's mint wings, Skull was fighting off any HiveWings that got too close. He called out to Metatarsals at one point when they came close to him, he was fighting with a dark green LeafWing covered in scars and fearsome emerald eyes. Metatarsals then flicked the LeafWing beneath him and blasted a cave flare through their chest. Soon Calcite joined them after pushing the dragon he was fighting into a thrashing ball of Leaf and HiveWings, probably getting them killed. Eventually, Locust spotted Mallow's familiar colours and moved toward her. As he got closer, he realised the dragon was larger, their shoulders were brouder and they had several scars across their scales. The dragon plunged into the long grass chasing out a dragon, Locust realized the dragon was Mallow and the other dragon was angry at her, for some reason. Locust pulled himself into a dive plunging toward the dragon, fanning his claws. The dragon turned to face him, with narrowed icy green eyes. Locust snarled and lunged toward the dragon, as they swiped their claws toward him.