Starflight jolted awake from the ice cold seawater running down his face and back.
He had been reliving all his memories since their escape from under the mountain while he had been unconscious.
"It worked!" A dragonet exclaimed with joy.
"Dang. I though he was dead. Hey! Go back to being dead." The unfriendly female NightWing dragonet about a year or two older than him told him.
He looked around at all the six or seven, maybe eight, blurry dark shapes of dragonets looking at him; it was hard to tell how many of them there were die to the darkness of the cave.
He tried to ask who they were, but it didn't work very well.
"What did he say?" One muttered to another who just shrugged their shoulders in confusion.
Then the dragonets got into an argument about the dragonet that hated him not being able to be in the prophecy because she wasn't "the chosen one".
That's when Starflight noticed that Sam wasn't anywhere to be seen.
His eyes roamed all over the room, looking for his Rider.
He remembered the NightWings grabbing him but he didn't know what happened to him after the NightWings knocked him out.
If only Clay hadn't gone to chase after that boar or if Tarren hadn't been knocked out.
Starflight sighed.
"What's wrong with you?" The kind dragonet asked him.
He didn't respond. He was too busy trying to find Sam's mind through their connection. He could read minds because of his bond with Sam, but reading dragons that were constantly aware of everything around them and defended their minds, like these dragonets, made it hard to listen in without getting caught; all magically bonded dragons could do this. But he still had no visions.
"He's weak and a cry baby. That's why they should have chosen—,"
"Alright, alright. We've heard you talk about that for the past hour. Now put a tail in it." One of the dragonets exasperated.
"Ya, Fierceteeth. You really need to be a better big sister to him. I mean who wants their little brother to die?" The kind dragonet asked Fierceteeth, who apparently was his sister.
A few of the dragonets introduced themselves to him. Mightyclaws was the dragonet that was nice to him.
Mindreader was another dragonet that had introduced herself.
"Why am I here?" He managed to get out.
"Probably because you failed and they're—," Fierceteeth started but was interrupted by the annoyed dragonet.
"Say it one more time, Fierceteeth, I dare you."
Fierceteeth gave him a irritating look, and bellowed at the top of her lungs, "I'M GOING TO REPLACE HIM AS THE NIGHTWING DRAGONET IN THE PROPHECY!!!"
The annoyed dragonet gave chase after Fierceteeth.
The two dragonets jumped on and over small rock nests.
There were only fifty of them but only eleven of them looked like they had been slept in.
There was room for plenty of dragonets but not enough dragonets to fill them.
Maybe the volcano was playing apart in the lack of NightWing dragonets? And all the ash and lack of plants, proper sunlight, and clean air.
"Ooof." Fierceteeth said as she rammed into a large black dragon, landing on her back with the dragonet chasing her, jumping on her and pinning her to the ground.
"How many times have I told you? You have to meet the specific requirements to be in the prophecy, and you're too old for it." The dragonet continued on even as the other dragonets tried to silently tell him to stop, clearly afraid of the large dragon glaring down at them.
"What is going on in here?" His voice rumbled, making Starflight jump at its familiarity. Morrowseer.
Both dragonets immediately jumped up, and apologized to Morrowseer.
"If I even catch you two acting like this again, I will report you to the queen. And I don't think you want that, do you?"
"No, sir." The both said, keeping their heads bowed to the ground.
"You. Up." Morrowseer pointed a black claw at him. "The queen wants to see you."
Starflight quickly scrambled up to his feet.
He never had good experiences with any of the queens he had met before. He really hoped he didn't have to talk to her alone. Even guards and Morrowseer would be better than being alone with the NightWing queen.
He quickly followed the large NightWing along the stone corridor.
He kept all his questions to himself even though he wanted to know when he could go back to his friends and where was Sam.
He soon heard the arguing of dragon voices ahead and then they came into the large dome like cavern with NightWings hanging like bats from the ceiling.
All their heads swiveled towards him.
He got a scolding from Morrowseer when he accidentally walked into him. Now he knew why.
The vast lake of glowing lava made him want to go back to Queen Scarlet's arena even if he had been forced to fight Scavengers and almost all the IceWing prisoners.
"That's him?" One of the forty dragons hanging from the ceiling asked, tearing him from his searching of the room.
He didn't like how they were all looking at him as they talked about attacks and the RainWing escape.
Doing what Eir taught him years ago, he focused on something to hide his thoughts from mind readers. He focused on the lava pool in front him as he stood on the rock plank above it. If this didn't work then he didnt know what else to do.
The dragons continued to argue back and forth avoid what might happen next since Glory and Kinkajou escaped with knowledge of what was going on here.
His eyes continued to roam all over the cavern in search of escape—that would never happen—or Sam.
Morrowseer must have seen because he gave Starflight a look that said: "Don't say a word or I'll shove you into the lava myself."
Then they all went quite as a dragon with diamonds on her neck and horns, who was definitely not the queen, leaned towards the screen with small holes all in it. He assumed the queen was in there.
He strained his ears to try and hear her but he couldn't hear anything.
Then the diamond dragon with the scar on her chest straightened up, and announced, "Queen Battlewinner says to shut up and ask him." She pointed a claw at Starflight. "That's why he's here isn't it?" She asked Morrowseer.
"Yes, Your Highness." Morrowseer gave him another look that clearly meant: "spill your guts or else."
"H-her name is Glory." He stammered in fear of all the NightWings looking at him.
"Are they planning on attacking?" A dragon asked.
"Ya! Are they!" Several others added.
"Y-yes. Or I think so." He mumbled loud enough for them all to hear.
A roar of voices filled the cavern instantly that he had to clutch the rock below him to prevent himself from falling over from the guilt and betrayal he just committed.
He was a horrible friend. Sunny would hate him forever once she found out.
"It doesn't matter anyways." A raspy new voice said. "RainWings are too stupid and scared to use their venom." Spat the disfigured scarred dragon with one nostril sealed shut and bubbles on his jaw line.
"Vengeance! You're not suppose to be here. You were not invited. Only those with—," The diamonds dragon said in annoyance as she listened to the queen on the other side of the screen.
"Yes, yes. I know. Have to be invited and blab blab blab. But let me tell you all this so you stop having panic attacks: The RainWings may have the most powerful and dangerous weapon in all of Pyrrhia but they don't dare to use it I'm any living thing." Pointing to his scar, he continued. "You all know I got this from one of their queens when I grabbed her. This is proof that won't try and kill us. She didn't even mean to do this. It was an accident on her part. Stupid dragons."
"Vengeance it is your fault they know about us in the first place. Deathbringer said to wait till the dragonets and this Glory were gone and out of the rainforest. But you disobeyed."
"But I'm not the only one who had disobeyed orders, isn't that right Greatness? Or are you too afraid to admit that your pet didn't kill the dragonets he was suppose to kill. Well princess, here's your traitor. The conspirator who was helping the enemy. Deathbringer."
The assassin was dragged in by four guards and flung on the ledge with Starflight. Both of them throwing out their wings for balance on the narrow ledge.
"Do you have any proof of these accusations, Vengeance?" Deathbringer asked.
"Yes, I do. The guard at the tunnel says you distracted him while the MudWing dragonet snuck through. Then the other guard feeding the RainWings that was attacked by Glory says he saw you helping her escape. Well, Greatness, is this enough proof to condemn your traitorous pet?"
Greatness seemed nervous at her answer she was undoubtedly going to give.
"Deathbringer, the punishment for these crimes, if they are true," she shot a look at Vengeance, "is death."
"Your Highness, Princess Greatness, I swear I've only done what I have thought would be best for our tribe."
"Then why are all the dragonets still alive?" Vengeance asked with a triumphant look on his face as if he had already succeeded in sending Deathbringer to his death.
"I admit it is true. My mission in not yet complete, which is why I need to go back to the rainforest and—,"
"Only so you can continue to betray us some more!" Vengeance hollered in rage.
"I am a loyal NightWing. But I question whether we should really kill these dragonets—," Vengeance interrupted Deathbringer once again.
"See! He doesn't have it in him to kill these dragonets. He's a loose end! He'll—,"
Greatness drew herself up to her full height, spreading her wings as she looked at Vengeance.
"The queen has decided." She said. Vengeance looked smug as if he knew who would end up in the lava pool. "Vengeance, you have endangered our tribe and disobeyed orders. You also irritated the queen. For that the punishment is death."
"What? No! He's—," Vengeance pointed his claw at Deathbringer.
Four guards quickly seized Vengeance as he tried to escape and threw him into the pool of lava below Starflight's feet.
Deathbringer jumped into the air as lava splashed up.
Starflight reacted too slowly and a small droplet of the molten liquid fell in his talon making him hiss with pain.
What amazed and horrified him next was that Vengeance wasn't quite dead yet.
The scarred dragon surged up from the fiery demise waiting for him as he cried out for mercy and forgiveness.
The armored guards used the same type of spears that Glory had brought back to shove Vengeance back down in to the pool of lava and hold him there until his dark shape finally stopped thrashing.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Deathbringer said to the hidden queen.
"We're not done with you yet, Deathbringer. We will have to investigate these accusations. Guards, to the dungeons with him." Greatness ordered for her mother.
Deathbringer landed and allowed the guards to take him away.
"Morrowseer see what else you can claw out of the dragonet. Now, all of you are dismissed till later. And if it is your week to eat, go do that now." Greatness said.
"Come on, dragonet." Morrowseer told him, slithering out of the glowing cavern. Starflight followed.
He wondered if he could find Sam and try and get away. No, that wouldn't work. They would throw them both into the lava as soon as they caught them.
Morrowseer then surprised him. They weren't going back to the dormitory. They were taking to the sky.
He would have a chance to see where the RainWings were. Possibly the main land or any landmarks.
As they flew over the island, Starflight felt dismay. There was no way to see the mainland or anything beyond the island through all the smoke and ash from the volcano.
He officially hated this place even though it was suppose to be his home. This was not the home he thought that the NightWings would have. He would have imagined a peaceful, glorious place filled with all the knowledge in all of Pyrrhia. Not this miserable, happiness sucking island.
They landed in a forest—the whole island had been covered when the NightWings arrived before the volcano erupted from what Morrowseer said—with the same horrible smell he had smelled when he, Clay, and Glory found the dying sloth.
During their flight he had told Morrowseer he didn't know anything, which didn't seem to surprise the older dragon at all.
Then what Morrowseer mentioned about a rotating schedule on who gets I hunt when interested him. Only five days out of the month were the NightWings, except the exempted like Morrowseer, allowed to go hunting and foraging for food here, the rainforest or the Kingdom of Sand. Now it all made sense about them all being skinny. Not enough food on the island to support them, so they we're all basically malnourished and half dead. It hurt him to think about his tribe and seeing them like this. He wished he could do something.
Morrowseer has gone sniffing around in the forest for something when they landed.
Starlight followed him to come upon the black dragon tearing into a dead, rotting albatross.
It sickened him when he saw the maggots squirming out of the carcass. He wanted to throw up til he couldn't any more.
Now he knew why NightWings had bad breath. There must be bacteria or something in their saliva so when they bite their prey it gets infected and dies and then they come to find it.
Well, that solved that problem. Only a million more to go about the NightWing tribe.
He wished he could write all of this down. He would just have to remember it for later when all of this was over.
He promptly refused the wing offered to him, explaining that it would make him sick.
Morrowseer just stared at him like he couldn't believe something that Starflight just said.
"What?" He asked nervously.
"Well that answers the question of who your father is." He said, using his claw to pick out the rotting meat and feathers out of his teeth and mouth.
Starflight's mouth fell open. He couldn't believe he might get to meet his father today.
"And do not bombard me with a million questions about what your father is like. You'll get to see when we get there." Morrowseer told him, jumping into the sky with Starflight behold him.
He was going to meet his father!

P.S. Hope you all are enjoying so far.