The Twin Islands-Wings of Fire

Mamba

She woke with a start, and found a sharp talon poking at her snout. Hissing and baring her fangs, she instantly sized up the dragon in front of her. Once the culprit squeaked and leapt back, she realized it was just Artemis.

"I almost bit you!" She exclaimed at the Nightwing, but Artemis's attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. "What are you looking at-?" Mamba began, but Artemis gave her a fierce look and held  paw over her own mouth, signaling for quiet.

She glanced around, taking in their surroundings. One thing was for sure, they certainly weren't in the desert anymore. The cool, damp stone beneath her talons was abundant with moss, and tiny weird little bell shaped flowers. She had been laying on a bed of leaves, and she could clearly see five more around her. The thing was, except for her and Artemis's, two more were empty. Snowfall was curled into a spiky blue ball, asleep, and he radiated a stronger cold than usual. Tempest was snoozing nearby, her wings splayed out like she was trying to take flight in her dream. But Potent and Mudpuddle were not there. For a moment, icy claws gripped Mamba's heart with a familiar feeling.

She hadn't lost more of her friends, had she?

"Well, would you look at that." A voice suddenly echoed, and Mamba took a staggering step back towards Artemis. Her gaze follows Artemis's own, until she sees what the Nightwing had been staring at. Two incredible blue eyes and the hazy outline of a dragon can be seen, shadowed away in a dark corner. "The colorful one is finally awake." It sighs.

Mamba glared into the corner, unease rippling down her back and up her wings, only to be muted by the red crawling up her scales. "Show yourself." She hisses, "or else."

"Or else what?" They barked a laugh, and Mamba confirmed the voice definitely belonged to a male. He had a faint accent she couldn't quite pinpoint, but it reminded her of bright, sunny days. Nice at first, but it could grow deadly. "Unless whatever tribe you are can bend time and read my mind-" they mocked. "You don't have a chance against me."

Artemis's brow creased once he mentions reading minds, but that was understandable. Mamba snorted, having enough of this mystery figure. She stubbornly marched to the corner, where she could easily see the figure trying to retreat, and grabbed a hold of his forearm. She quietly noted how muscular his arm was, but didn't say anything. Dragging the figure into the filtered light, she was startled by what she saw.

This guy was a Nightwing. At least, he looked a lot like one. A lot like a certain Nightwing in particular. Mamba glanced at her friend, meeting Artemis's astonished gaze. He was the same height, maybe a inch or so taller than her. His body shape, while a bit more muscular and less starved looking, matched hers exactly. Every snout curve, their tail shape, and talon length. It was like she was looking into a very messed up mirror.

But that's where the similarities ended.

He was gold. His scales were like coins that had been melted down to fit his mold. He had sharp white horns and spikes, talons as well. He wore a slightly ridiculous black mask, which had space for his eyes to peer through. But his eyes; wow. They seemed to be every color of blue at the same time. His underbelly was a softer gold, and was littered with small knicks and scars, as were his arms. A faded cloth was tied around one of his biceps, and crimson could be seen through the fabric. A necklace of dragon teeth encircled his neck.

"Draw a picture." He smirked. "It'll last longer." There's that accent again.

"Who are you?" Artemis exclaims.

"That is classified." He said seriously. "You are not allowed to know my name until you are fully accepted into the Desert Rogues."