Wings of Fire - Cavernous Promises

Chapter 45

DRAGONFLY II

Dragonfly raced across the war-filled sky, his wings feeling the equivalent to boulders attached to his scales. He heaved and he thrusted. He twisted and he turned. But yet, he still could not locate the voice of the petrified LeafWing.

Come on, come on, where are you! Dragonfly hissed, hastily scanning the scarlet-plunged grassland below him. I nearly died because of this!

The LeafWing's voice, he assumed it was a LeafWing, had grown fainter and less frequent throughout the raging battle, making Dragonfly's stomach churn.

What if I'm already too late?

"TRAITOR!" He heard Wasp's voice call after him, through one of her many HiveWing henchmen. "Kill that aggravating backstabber!"

Yeah, no, thank you. Dragonfly snorted, barreling closer to the ground. Just gotta lose 'em.

He heard multiple wingbeats behind him, only to whip his head around, to find at least a dozen HiveWings chasing him. All were commanded by Wasp.

Dragonfly cursed Clearsight, focusing his head in front of his talons.

That's a lot more than I need right now!

"Kill the HiveWing." Dragonfly heard many voices behind him, daring not to look back.

"Help!"

The amber HiveWing almost froze in midair. He recognised that voice, it had become all too familiar within the passing minutes. That voice, that was the one he had been searching for.

Slowing to a halt, Dragonfly shot up into the sky, beating his wings as if his life depended on it. When his trailers followed, he didn't seem all too surprised, Wasp wouldn't just give up on his capture. Not like that, anyway.

Let's see if they can catch this.

Once Dragonfly had soared to the height of the clouds, he angled himself downward, letting gravity take him.

Wind rushed by his snout like a swarm of buzzing bees. His stomach leaped from his insides, as he tilted his head backwards, brushing his horns against a rushing air current. Dragonfly loved flying - even if it was a delicacy most princes liked to ignore. Well, he was hardly royalty anymore. He was at his freedom.

Dragonfly's amber form twisted and flared in the sky, as he spiralled closer and closer to the red-washed soil. His hearing was muffled by passing air-flows, but the HiveWing ought to hear one of Wasp's minions cry a bellow of dismay. Yes, his Aunt's cackling trail in her subjects' voices had run dry - she had set her henchmen free of the hivemind.

Hah! I never knew Wasp was so gullible. Dragonfly chuckled. Probably so scared she'd suffer the pain of falling. Now, I can finally find that dragon...

Dragonfly thrust his wings out, and his light-amber underbelly upward, slowing his fall to a mere glide. Without looking back at the remainder of HiveWings still falling, Dragonfly flapped his wings viciously, his ears peaked for another sound of distress.

Come on- for the moons! Can't you just call again, so I can locate you?

As if Clearsight herself had granted his wish, Dragonfly heard another desperate cry.

"Help!"

Bingo.

He looped his tail around in the air, causing him to change direction, north-face. Dragonfly had never held his gaze for such a long time in his life.

When it seemed all hope had failed him, the amber HiveWing spotted a small, hunched LeafWing, castaway to the side of the fighting. In their claws, was cradled a young dragonet, who was sleeping restlessly through the fighting. Dragonfly was baffled.

How can anyone sleep through the middle of a war, nevermind a dragonet?! Like seriously, how com-

"Anybody!"

Yes, that was definitely the voice Dragonfly had tracked down, and it was coming from the LeafWing and her child.

Without a single glimpse of hesitation, Dragonfly swept downwards through the fight, landing beside the frail mother. Her scales were an orange ash-brown and her eyes were the colour of an everlasting sunset. Then, his gaze landed upon the dragonet, and his jaws cascaded open.

The dragonet had four wings.

And it wasn't just that. It's frill was replaced with black-and-red-marbled spines and it's horns and snout appeared to resemble that of a HiveWing's.

Dragonfly was awestruck. That- that's a-

"Stay away from me, worm!" The mother hissed, spreading her maple wings around her dragonet protectively. "And don't you dare touch my child!"

"Woah, woah, cool it! I'm here to help you, you ungrateful LeafWing!" Dragonfly barked back.

"How do I know you won't just hand us over to your wicked Queen?!"

"Because I'm a fugitive, for moon's sake!"

That comment seemed to snap the LeafWing's jaws closed.

"Ok, look, we don't have much time, but me and my friends have a spot just a mile's east from here, where we're helping LeafWings to safety, and I'm gonna get you and your dragonet there."

The mother LeafWing nodded vigorously. "My name is Lily."

"Mine's Dragonfly," Dragonfly responded, flicking a talon in the dirt. "Well, Dragonfly the II."

"Wait..." Lily's eyes widened. "A-are you Prince Dragonfly, of Vinegaroon Hive?"

The amber HiveWing swallowed down a lump in his throat. "Formally... then, yes."

"Oh my goodness, it's you! Did you by any chance know a HiveWing, n-named Longhorn?"

"Longhorn..." Dragonfly muttered, searching through his mind. "No, I don't think so. Just curious, how did you know who I was?"

"M-my mate, Longhorn, he used to be one of Vinegaroon's top guards, in rank, anyways. He used to guard her all-day and all-night, from what he told me. One day, he just flew the Hive, a-and then he met... m-me."

"Oh, I would very much like to meet him, maybe if we survive this battle?"

"H-h-he's dea-d, Wasp k-killed him..."

"O-oh..." Dragonfly didn't know what to say - another innocent, killed by his Aunt. "I'm incredibly sorry."

"D-don't be, but this was his only egg," Lily gestured to the dragonet between her talons. "And I'm willing to sacrifice my life for him."

"You won't find that necessary," Dragonfly growled, turning back to the raging war above-head. "Because I promise, I promise to you, that you and your dragonet will live this day."