Wings Of fire: Shadowstalker

Chapter 22: The Scorpion Den

As the day went on Shadowstalker and Starhunter flew towards the scorpion den. It was blazing hot at that point as the sun was directly over them. The smaller Nightwing used the position of the sun to calculate where that would be based on what he knew. Shadow was impressed as the town came into view just ahead. They flew as quickly as they could, hoping Nighthawk would spot them and meet up.

"Hey you two! Stop right there and land at the gate!" One yelled. Shadow was puzzled, but he landed at the main gate with Starhunter. The two guards walked up to them. "Perfect. A word of advice before you venture in there. Most residents aren't fond of Nightwings, so be wary. And don't be causing trouble either. You may be big but we have plenty of guards to keep you in check."

"Understood." Shadow said simply before beginning to head towards the gate. The guards pointed their spears at him and he jumped back. "What?"

"What are your names?" One growled and eyed them suspiciously.

"Uh..." Shadow glanced at Starhunter with a small shrug. He shrugged back and opened his mouth to speak.

"No use in lying. Sharpmind and Vastness." He said calmly. Shadow knew that wasn't smart but the confidence in his friend's voice was enough to convince the guards. The two moved aside and Shadow walked in after Starhunter, relived that worked so well.

"Vastness? Really?" Shadow huffed while they walked through the wider streets. "Ouch."

"Hey, it's believable." Starhunter laughed and nudged him. Several dragons were giving them a variety of looks. Some curious, most furious. The amount of new smells, sounds and colors were an incredible sight to the prince. "Hm."

"Alright can you review your notes?" Starhunter asked, hinting for him to check the stone. Shadow did so and looked over it, hoping he got a message from Nighthawk. He quickly wrote something down before heading to a secluded spot to wait patiently.

"Hm.. alright. Got something." Shadow said after a few quiet minutes. Five armored sandwings had gathered in the shade behind him, then he turned and tilted his head as one walked out before him. "Hello?"

"The boss wants to see you. Come with us." This dragon appeared to be around Nighthawk's age.

"I'm busy." Shadow said with a small snort as he kept reading the instructions he was given.

Meet me behind the tower by the oasis, we'll talk there.

The sandwing growled and pointed a small crossbow at him. "I wasn't asking. You either come with us or we kill your friend. What'll it be?" He gestured over to Starhunter, who was pinned to the ground by two burly sandwings, one of their tail barbs was pointed at his chest.

"Shadow.." Starhunter mumbled. "Just do what they say-"

"Hmph.. alright alright. Get off of him and I'll go with you. But don't try anything.." Shadow grumbled and stood up. The leader of the sandwings stood up and put the crossbow back. Now stepping into the light, Shadow could make out more of his features. He was lean, mean looking and very tidy. His scales were more of a wet sand color with a lighter underbelly.

"Perfect. Follow me." The leader lifted his chin and began to walk into the street with the end of his barbed tail nearly curled. Reluctantly the prince followed with his friend. A sickening feeling was forming in his stomach as he started to realize how bad this could go. As they walked he passed by the tower Nighthawk mentioned, but he couldn't stop. For a moment he thought he spotted the cloaked Nightwing staring at him, but he quickly turned his head forward and kept walking.

After several minutes of travel they arrived at a vast compound surrounded by large sandstone brick walls. In the middle of the wall was an iron gate with snakes for handles. The leader unlocked it and walked through, signaling for the prince to follow. Shadow did so, but he was quite nervous and wary. Palm trees lined the path towards the main structure, which was very large with a dome in the center. He quickly followed behind the sandwing, still quite nervous.

"Who is your boss? I've heard of someone in charge of the scorpion den before but I don't really know much about them."

"Just keep walking.." The leader growled. "Or we'll gut your friend." He hissed as he opened the doors to the large building. To Shadow's surprise the wooden doors were more than large enough to accommodate him. When he walked inside he soon learned why. An enormous sandwing that looked identical to the one who brought him to the compound. He was even taller than the prince by at least two heads.

"Moons..Shadow.." Starhunter said quietly, shaking a tiny bit. "This isn't good.." He whispered.

"I know it's not good but they're gonna kill us if we don't do what they say.." Shadow whispered back, lashing his tail a little. Before them, an old scarred dragon with an eye patch stared down at them.

"Now now, nobody is being killed today. That would be awful." He spoke. Something about his voice made the prince shiver. It was slithery and smooth, as well as slightly dry. Starhunter bowed and Shadow followed suit, just staring at this dragon. The color of his scales were a dull shade of the large dragon beside him and they looked worn, but he seemed healthy. "Thank you for bringing them, Cactus, my dear son. Basilisk, go make sure our new guests don't leave."

"Of course." The big one rumbled. It didn't take a genius to guess that was Basilisk. The behemoth of a dragon walked past him, his large muscles flexing as he did. Then he sat by the door and curled his tail around himself, glaring at the two. Shadow got a good look at his face, and he could tell this dragon was very bright.

"Now." The old one said, catching the Nightwing's attention once again. They turned and looked up. "It's a pleasure to meet you prince Shadowstalker. My name is Viper."