Wings of Fire • Dragon of Storms [1]

Chapter Fourteen

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A talon roughly shaking her shoulder woke Lightningtail from her slumber. She blinked her eyes open and saw Mother, father, and Thunderclap all crowded over her.

     Lightningtail rubbed her face and groggily asked what time it was. Rapidwings said something about inspection day.

     Then she remembered.

     It was a month after the visit to Fallen Star Point and her talk with the mystery Star Reader. Fall was well on its way, daily storms rolling in like clockwork. This particular day was the day Lightningtail and Thunderclap were coming with their parents were going to check on the progress of their army.

     Lightningtail yawned and rose from the nest, quite tired from the lack of sunlight. The gloomy weather dampened her spirits a little (pun not intended) and left her yearning for summer when she could effortlessly soar on warm breezes.

     "Hurry up, Lightningtail, or we'll be late!" Mother hissed.

     "Well, do I need to wear anything?" She retaliated. The talons of sleep still had a strong hold on her and Lightningtail blinked.

     "Just look presentable," Father answered and all three dragons left the cave. Lightningtail scurried over to her jewelry box and took out the armband and clipped it on her front right talon. She scrambled outside into the freezing morning air and dove down to the water.

     Considering she was still sleepy, Lightningtail tossed her head into the waves and let the cold shock her awake. She joined her family on the flight to the camp.

     "This will be pretty boring..." she moaned to Thunderclap.

     He, however, thought very differently. Thunderclap said that it would be a "Fun learning experience". Lightningtail didn't really want to argue with him so she turned the conversation to an even odder one, she had no idea why.

     "Thunder, do you like anyone?" She asked. She instantly regretted it.

     Thunderclap seemed to pick up on this and brushed it aside smoothly. "Well... I like you as a sister, our parents as parents and our friends as friends."

     "Never mind." Lightningtail hastily tried to avoid even further conversation.

     "But I am open!" Thunderclap said, pointing at her and grinning.

     "I didn't need to know that!" Lightningtail hissed while Thunderclap laughed.

     The family flew over the pine forest, heading for a clearing near a small bay. There were fleets of dragons of all shades of gray flying, sparring, or marching about.

     Two groups were in the sky, copying WWS (WWS, aka "Wing Waggle Signals" was a form of soundless communication SwiftScale soldiers were taught for the battlefield. All war efforts were originally intended to use against SkyWings, in case anything happened to the tribe but now new techniques were being adapted for SeaWings).

     Lightningtail watched as the commander of one fleet shook his right rudder-wing three times, sending the fifty SwiftScales behind him to jab below them with their claws.

     Lightningtail frowned. Even though SwiftScales were dragons, it didn't mean that they had hard claws. The material was actually pretty soft, and, even if sharpened it wouldn't be enough to seriously damage another dragon with only one claw swipe. Their claws were more suited for fish catching and being lightweight for flight enhancement.

     "Mother?" She asked. "Do the guards sharpen their claws?"

     Swansong turned to Lightningtail. "Yes, though I think it might not be enough."