Wings of Fire - Fallen Souls

PROLOGUE

Harp didn't feel like an ordinary IceWing.

Ordinary IceWings always worried about their positions in the rankings. Ordinary IceWings always cared about their posture. Ordinary IceWings never acted childish. Harp was the exact opposite of all of that.

She never even cared to look at her rankings, but her parents always pestered her about it. "Now Harp, eating that seal without permission at the table lost you points" and "Harp! You have been acting very childish lately! You've moved down two spots!" and "Look, Harp! You've moved up one! Now you're number three in the rankings!" (That last one was told yesterday.)

Harp always slumped her shoulders whenever she had the chance to. (When no one was looking, she would sometimes try to sit down. But her mother would most likely see her, and poke her sharp in the back with her pointy tail) And Harp never did the perfect posture she'd learned when she was a year old, unless she was in front of the queen, or higher ranks than herself. Her mother told her these things were childish.

Harp grumpily argued one time. "Why are the IceWings the only tribe who never has any fun?" She'd asked her mother.

Snowstorm's reply was, "Because we're perfect."

That was her mother's favorite response. "Why do we have to have raw food all the time?" Harp would ask. (She quite wondered sometimes on what it would feel like for warm food to go down her throat. She desperately wanted to try it) "Because we're perfect" Snowstorm would shoot back at her. Basically every and any question you can even think of asking Snowstorm, the answer would most likely be: "Because we're perfect."

Harp sure didn't feel perfect.

But that's all going to change today! Harp thought. The day had come. Harp had been waiting for it for months. Queen Blaze was coming to visit as their special guest. She was bringing her ten best soldiers in with her, she and Queen Glacier, were yet again, going to plot on how to kill Blister and Burn.

Harp was invited to attend.

Sure, to all the other IceWings, this was just an every month thing, but last month when Queen Blaze came in, Harp's position on the rankings was somewhere in the middle of the third circle. (Who could remember all of those numbers??) Which is why for the past month, Harp worked extra hard trying to follow her parents' guide. They were the ones who got her to position three in the rankings. Harp wanted to be number one so badly, she wanted to forget all the worries of trying to get there and just get there already and then sleep and relax.

Tonight was the night. Harp could feel it.

She had desperately wanted to find love since she was a young dragonet, but deep in her soul, she felt her soulmate showing up at the banquet after the meeting. She wondered what position he was in... (Harp didn't quite know any of the IceWings in the Ice Kingdom... Which was pathetic) What if he was related to the queen? What did he look like? Was he nice? Was he cute?

Harp had a soft heart for love, and she wanted to know when she'd find her soulmate. After all, she was seven years old.

Just a few more minutes... Harp thought impatiently, waiting in front of the Ice Kingdom for the messenger to say that the SandWings were waiting for them somewhere in a secret specific area.

There! Finally! Three moons, that took forever! Harp grinned up at Snowstorm who was next to her, Harp was trying to contain her excitement in one smile. Which was failing.

Her mother returned to her, a small, kind smile, then looked up at the flying messenger again, snapping herself back into the 'Tough Stance' (that's what Harp always called it).