Wings of Fire • Dragon of Storms [1]

Chapter Two

I thank you for the memes and puns we shared DANANANANANNANANA Darklord Cheesy Biscuits, all because we happened to like the same show :)

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What's going to happen now? Lightningtail thought as she flew after the flock. She furrowed her brows with determination and she tightened her grip on the marlin.

     "Need help?" Asked a dragon passing her. He was one of the ones helping to carry the net.

     Lightningtail shook her head 'no' and he nodded, flying off with his partner. A few heartbeats later, Eagletalon and her brother Thunderclap settled in formation beside her.

     "What did the dragon look like?" Eagletalon asked. He looked like he was having trouble carrying his catch, but he kept it to himself.

     Lightningtail blushed and looked down at the water far below them to hide it. "Well, he was big... and blue... actually... no. It wasn't just blue. It was really hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure it had webs between its talons and gills on its neck. Maybe even glowing scales... I don't know..." She trailed off as she tried to remember.

     Eagletalon gazed at her thoughtfully. "Really?"

     "That's what I remember at least." Lightningtail looked up again and sped forward. Being a younger dragon, she was having difficulty carrying the marlin for this long. Lightningtail slipped in behind a larger dragons' eddy. The pull of it helped her glide along effortlessly.

     Thunderclap caught up to her first, Eagletalon trailing behind.

     "What will you tell Mother?" her brother asked.

     Lightningtail shrugged. "I have no idea..."

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By the time Ventus came back into view, it was three days later and the sun had set. Lightningtail's stomach churned with hunger and it took all her willpower to not eat the marlin she was carrying... the delicious, salty-smelling, juicy-looking marlin...

     Two of the three moons were round and full while the last one was just a tiny sliver in the starry night sky. Warm drafts of air left over from the day met the patrol as they glided down to land.

     Lightningtail had dropped her marlin in the net as she was asked, but when she turned to leave the hunt leader called her back.

     "Princess Lightningtail, wait! I need you to describe what you saw to Her Majesty." The older dragon said. She used her wing to guide Lightningtail along a wooden walkway built into the side of the cliff. Torches illuminated their path.

     Eventually, they reached a massive scar in the rock wall. The mouth of the cave stretched for tail-lengths above her, and Lightningtail looked up as she was led under it. A huge wooden storm door hung on the ceiling. Inside, the tunnel divided into three pathways.

     The hunt leader took the middle one which led them to a long, oval cavern. There was a slightly raised 'table' in the centre of the room where a pale gray dragoness sat. Two guards – the older one with black scales and the younger one a light gray apprentice stood by her side.

     "My Queen." The hunt leader dipped her head and bowed low, wings folded back and tail tucked around her talons.

     The pale gray dragoness across the cave smiled and walked over. She had orange and black scales on her snout making her resemble a swan.

     "Hello, Gullwing, Lightningtail, how was the hunt?" The Queen asked.

     Lightningtail shuffled her feet nervously and sat down.