Wings of Fire Oneshots

3. What if Anemone Killed Her Mother?

Don't think about the dead seagulls, Princess–or, rather, Queen Anemone–thought as she paced across the beach. Her webbed talons sunk into the sand, sticking her scales, while oppressive heat beat down on her scales. A horrible stench from several rotting birds pressed on her nose, and she had to dunk her head in the ocean to get it away.

Or, she tried too, but she only succeeded in getting a burning nose and a mouth of salt water.

Damn you, stupid seagulls. She growled. How they'd gotten there, she hadn't a clue. Maybe someone was being particularly careless with their prey. Either way, she hated them. Them and their stupid, stupid seagulls! She hated them!

"Go away!" she snapped, hissing furiously. Her tail lashed against the ocean, causing a small tsunami to rise up and crash down onto the sand below. Never had she been so annoyed to be right next to a beach.

Everything was wrong in the world. She was a princess, damnit! She should be relishing in luxuries right now, not towing over her misfortunes and hissing as seagulls. This was all because of STUPID MOONWATCHER! And her STUPID FACE! UGH!

Before she'd fled Darkstalkers palace, she had yelled she'd kill Queen Coral to all of them–Qibli, Moonwatcher, Darkstalker, Kinkajou and Turtle. All of them had given her the same "oh-no! she-is-going-to-kill-the-queen!" look, and she remembered seeing Turtles fist clench, as if he was about to do something really stupid.

But what could Turtle do? She was an animus, for goodness sake! And it wasn't like he could teleport to her to try and stop her! She would kill her mother! And there was nothing Moonwatcher of Turtle could do about it!

She would kill her mother.

The reality of the situationship crashed down on her like a thousand-foot-tall tsunami. She clutched herself, stumbling into the waves as she sunk into the rippling water. She would kill her mother. She had too. It was her destiny. She loved Coral–but she was also the queen. And if it was her fate, shouldn't she just accept it and kill her now? Get it over with? Whirlpool's murder had already condemned her to evil, and the amount of spells she'd been forced to cast was already too much. She was probably already on the brink of insanity.

"Anemone!"

A familiar voice rang from the other side of the beach. Her head snapped up, and she wiped away the tear that had been slipping down her cheek. Baring her teeth, she whirled around to see Turtle.

"Turtle!" she spat, surprised at how much venom was in her voice. "What are you doing here!"

"Anemone–I'm so sorry–" he gasped, stumbling towards her. He looked out of breath and nervous, twitching like she was going to kill him any moment now. Like she was already that far gone.

Even my brother doesn't believe I can be saved.

"Save your breath," she hissed, taking a step back. "I know what I have to do, and there is no way you can convince me otherwise!"

"Please, don't!" he cried, flinging his wings out. "You can't! Anemone, I know you aren't like that–"

"It didn't seem like that beforehand, huh, big brother?" she shot him a look of disgust. She didn't need him–she could kill him right now! She could just enchant one shell–hell, even one grain of sand–and he'd be dead. Dead like Whirlpool.

His body flashed before her eyes, and she shivered. He was a horrible dragon, but he was also the first and only time she'd ever killed someone. Did she have the power to do it again? Her claws shook as she took another step away.

"Anemone, you aren't Albatross! You're–"

"I'm exactly like Albatross." Her voice shook as she spoke, but she knew it was true. She couldn't be saved.