Wings of Fire: The Forgotten Dragonets

Winglet

She hadn't quite expected it - not after Shadow's remarks - but Queen Glory and the teachers allowed her to come to the school. She'd been met in the front by a nervous Seawing with a long scar down one side. Now here she was. It was time to see who she'd be stuck with for the rest of her time as a student. It was time to meet the others.

Doomsayer entered the prey center, a large cave that was open to the elements on one side, the only border between her and the outside being a low wall. It seemed pointless against dragons, but then again, it was only meant to keep the prey in. She looked at the dragons around her, and listened for a few moments. The room was quiet. The others looked at her with interest. Slowly she lowered the wall around her mind.

She looks a lot nicer than the other one. He was scowling from the very beginning. I wonder where . . .

Name. . . Clay said something about her. It was sort of scary. She doesn't seem too. . .

I wonder if she'd let me paint her. Those silver scales by her eyes are really pretty.

Why did she come here? I thought that . . .

Hmm . . . There's something about her . . .

Is she . . . Is she part Icewing? I've only seen scales like that here. The Sandwings . . . She looked at the dragon whose thoughts echoed so chillingly through her mind. For a few moments she was confused, as she realized that there were two Sandwings in the room. Then his scales rippled for a second, turning shades of blue and green like a Seawing. That . . . That was a Rainwing? She frowned slightly. He was nothing like the slow, dull-witted dragons she'd been expecting. He grinned at her as his scales shifted again. They turned black and silver like the night sky, the edges of his wings fringed with pale purple and gold like the first glimpse of a sunrise. She shivered slightly, remembering what she'd been told about the Rainwings' venom. After what the Nightwings had done . . . But he didn't seem threatening or slow, the only two traits she'd been expecting. The only dragon he seemed to resemble in his thoughts was the cool, calculating mind of Queen Glory.

Clay finally stood up, coughing slightly as he tried to dislodge a large chunk of goat from his throat. Doom smiled slightly. It wasn't visible to the others, but it was all there in his mind. "Okay: Doomsayer, welcome to Jade Mountain Academy. This is the Silver Winglet - your Winglet. I know the reasons for your late enrollment were less than ideal, but I hope you enjoy your time here." She nodded, saying nothing. For a few moments he seemed to flounder, having not expected that answer - or lack thereof. "Umm. . . okay, then I think now you should get a chance to meet your Winglet . . . If you have any questions then Sunny is probably around here somewhere. . ." He looked around for a few moments, his thoughts as well organized as his speech, then added, "Your Clawmate's Sepia and . . . I think I might have a class now, so . . . yeah." He smiled nervously, "I should probably go." Doom nodded again, letting the imagined wind blow the others' thoughts away.

It was time to meet her Winglet.

* * *

The Icewing spoke first, his voice deep and warm, "Since it seems like the others have lost their voices I'll go first. I'm Changbai, my favorite season is spring - although the others think I should like winter because I'm an Icewing and everything - and I've never really known a Nightwing before." Except for the one I was stuck with before, but he was rather unpleasant. And Starflight but he's a teacher so . . . He shrugged, jabbing the dragonet beside him, a thin Skywing with massive orange wings and a red body.

The dragonet shivered at the coldness of his clawmate's wing. When he finally spoke Doom was surprised to hear a faint note of awe in his voice. Or perhaps she was imagining it. Or perhaps it was fear. "I'm Thrush. I like scrolls. I . . . I like writing. And I like green." He shivered again, ending abruptly.

The Seawing stepped forwards, her head tossed back regally, her snout in the air. Her scales were a strange pale pink, and the pearls she wore wrapped around her horns were sparkling blue-grey. "I am Anemone. I am the daughter of Queen Coral. My favorite color is blue, and I think that the Nightwings are a very . . ." sneaky "interesting tribe." She gestured vaguely at the Sandwing beside her. "And this is Ostrich."

The little Sandwing looked at Doom warily, her talons slowly clenching and unclenching on the stone floor. Her mind was . . . strange. Who is she? Why is she here? Is she going to steal my Clawmate? NO! I can't let her take her away! Then who will I help? Well . . . Maybe she isn't that bad. Let's see how she is after a few days here. Will she be my friend too? I wonder how father is. What would be think of her? I must write him. Qibli's gone now. That's good. I never trusted him. Too . . . loud.

The Rainwing stepped forwards, scales still the beautiful, baffling, dawn-and-star scheme. He looked at her calculatingly. "I am Boto. I am a Rainwing. I am the best camouflager in the tribe despite having not lived in the rainforest for three of my seven years. And you . . ." he gave her the same cool, deliberate look, "are hiding something."