Wings of fire Book one: Befriending a monster.

Darkness

"Does anyone hear that?" Sunny said, looking around.

"Hear what?" Tsunami responded.

"Dragons flying, I hear it too." She said to Sunny.

"Maybe we should hide, if Kestral is coming back that would be pretty bad for us." Clay said, looking at Glory.

"It sounds like more than one dragon." Starflight said, now hearing the noise.

"Like ten." Starstorm added.

"Kestral would never bring that many dragons to the cave, or with her to look for us." Glory said. "She mostly prefers working alone."

Suddenly the sound stopped, but now she could hear something else, the sound of talons hitting the ground and the sound of metal clinking against scales. Nine sky-wings wearing armor and carrying chains entered the entrance of the tunnel, being led by Queen Scarlet who was wearing a gold colored chestplate that had several rubies attached to it.

"Hello again." Scarlet said, walking closer, forcing everyone deeper into the cave.

"Oh no." Clay said, spreading his wings in an attempt to hide the other dragonets.

"You followed us here?" Tsunami asked.

Scarlet smiled. "Oh, I didn't have to. Someone sent up a lovely, helpful smoke signal for me. What a brilliant idea."

Starstorm went around Clay's wing and raised her barbed tail threateningly with a hiss, ready to defend them from the queen's fire if she decided to attack.

"Oh my, you're here too. How peculiar." Scarlet said, looking directly into Starstorm's purple eyes.

"Who are you?" Sunny asked, confused.

"Now, really, this is getting insulting. You're in my territory. How dare you not recognise me!"

Starflight went to the side of Clay's wing, bowing as he said. "Queen Scarlet of the sky-wings."

"You're a night-wing! How thrilling! I've never had a night-wing in my arena before. Tell me, what am I thinking right now? Too hard? I'll give you a hint. Why would a night-wing, a sea-wing, a mud-wing, and whatever those three are, be hiding under my mountain? This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain prophecy, would it?"

A heavily scarred sand-wing with a missing front leg limped towards them, saying. "What's going on out here? Scarlet!" The sand-wing limped forwards as fast as he could towards the queen, yelling. "WEBS! KESTRAL!"

Scarlet grabbed him by the neck, saying. "Kestral's here too? What a fun reunion this is going to be."

Clay turned to glory, whispering. "Go! Hide!"

"Disappear while you try to die for us again? No way." Glory whispered back, her scales now a mix of dark red and light green.

"They're the dragonets of destiny!" The sand-wing said, trying to get out of Scarlet's grasp. "You have to leave them alone!"

The terrified Starflight and sunny were hidden behind Glory and Tsunami, while Clay and Starstorm were standing in front of the others, ready to protect.

"But what if it's my destiny to play with them?" Scarlet replied, suddenly twisting her talons, breaking the sand-wing's neck with a loud crack.

"DUNE!" Sunny screamed as his body fell lifelessly onto the ground.

A green-blue sea-wing and a bright red sky-wing with a scar on her snout entered the cave, the sea-wing slowly edging sideways towards the river.

"I always find the ones who betray me in the end. Isn't that right Kestral?" The queen said with a satisfied smile, looking at the sky-wing across the cave.

"You've got me now. Let these worthless dragonets go." Kestral responded calmly.

"Why, Kestral! Have you gone from disobeying orders to giving them?"

"I'll come with you. Just leave them alone."

"Of course you'll come with me. We've got a thrilling trial planned, followed by an even more thrilling execution. And these little dragons will be perfect for my arena." She turned to the armored sky-wings, yelling. "TAKE THEM!"

The sky-wings went towards the dragons, two cornering Tsunami, one grabbing Clay, two fighting Kestral, another sky-wing approaching Glory and Sunny who was crying by Dune's body, and one more pulling Starflight towards the entrance. Starstorm was facing one of these guards as well, while she heard dragons roaring, talking, and yelling.

"Dune, wake up!"

"Webs! Run! Tell the talons!"

"Excuse me, if I could just get my scrolls."

She hissed, raising her venomous tail, getting ready to stab the sky-wing if necessary. The sky-wing rushed towards her so she rammed headfirst into their chest, knocking them back for a moment. They quickly flew over her head and landed on her back, forcing her to the ground, she moved her head to the side and bit one of their legs, suddenly pushing herself up and out of their grasp, then turning to face them again. A sky-wing behind her grabbed her tail so she turned, lashing out at their wings with her talons, effectively scratching them. She felt a dragon firmly grab her head from the side and slam it brutally into the cave floor, everything around her quickly fading into darkness.