Wings of Fire: A Lone Grain in the Sand

Chapter 5: Cactus's Competitor

  Cactus whipped around to prepare to attack the hovering dragons with her barb, Remember, Nameless said make it believable, struggle as you would any other time. One of the SkyWings bit hard on her tail while the others unchained Cactus and brought her into the air. She continued to kick and snap at them.

"Not a wise choice, cripple!" One of the guards griped, "You wouldn't want to fall from this height, would you?!"

"I am not a cripple!!!" Cactus screeched into the guard's face, blasting fire at him with a welling rage. She then fell limp, and let the soldiers carry her into the arena.

Cactus landed on all four feet when she was dropped into the arena. Dragons in the stands jeered at her, mocking her winglessness, but she shrugged it off and tuned them out. I'm not letting them get to me. C'mon Cactus, just last here until Nameless is sent in!... If he's sent in....three moons I hope this plan works........

A hushed silence fell over the arena, as tens of SkyWing guards wrestled with a mass of sandy scales in the air. Whatever dragon they were struggling with, it was big, and strong, it kept batting dragons out of the air like flies. Eventually, somehow, they managed to drag the frothing SandWing to the arena's sands.

Cactus did a double take, this dragon was much bigger than her. He was foaming at the mouth, his face and upper body flawed with scars and barely scabbing gashes, with parched scales cracking at the seams, missing teeth, and milky eyes rolling blankly in their sockets. He dug his talons in the sand and a grin spread across his face, he knew this was the place where he got to kill dragons, and he hadn't been in this sand for a while.

He looks familiar, just like the time Grit had gone too long without water. But now, he's not even a dragon anymore, just a crazed killing machine Scarlett keeps for cheap tricks.