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Chapter Text

It was a dark night in the Skywing kingdom, most were asleep and the few that weren't inside were working away on the annual Skywing race. For the first time ever, any tribe would be allowed to compete. There were two Skywings flying about a couple of kilometers away from the palace. They were flying southward, one was following the other. The one in the lead -Carmine- was rather skinny for a Skywing, his structure was leaner allowing him to be faster, yet he was clearly not that strong; his scales were a light red with his wings being a vibrant orange; his eyes were both a fearful yellow and a fiery orange. The one behind him -Crimson- was a bit larger, her body shape matching the average look of a Skywing, her scales were a dark red with a pinkish underbelly; she wore a silver chestplate and braces indicating her position as a decently high ranking guard.

"How much further, Carmine, I should really be heading back to my post," Crimson called out from behind. Her voice was a bit harsh sounding, as if she was just starting to lose her voice. Carmine glanced back briefly at his, having a small smile. "It's not much further, sister. I promised you we would make it back before anyone noticed you were gone," Carmine responded, his voice as smooth as oil, and crisp as a reflection in clear water.

Crimson sorted as her wings flapped with ease to keep her in the air. She sped up a bit to catch up, now being just behind Carmine's head. "I have no idea how you convince me to go with you," she huffed, "but since we are already so far from the palace, where are we even going?" Carmine chuckled, zooming further ahead of his sister, turning to catch a glimpse of her face. What Crimson saw though was his serpentine horns and the briefest glimpse of his yellow eye.

"It's an old scavenger ruin I found, it has something fascinating," Carmine said with a giggle. He always got giddy like this when it related to history, but it tended to be Skywing history due to his role as royal recordskeeper. It was held by their family for generations but often forgotten, and briefly abolished by Queen Scarlet. "Really, scavengers? That's why you pulled me from my post?"

Carmine huffed as they began to fly over the forest. "No, those vermin mean nothing, but the ruins hold more than crumbling stone and bones," Carmine quickly countered to defend himself, sound offended by his sister's simple mindedness. "No, it's far more than that. It's my ticket to increase my status in the Kingdom," Carmine answered looking down through the trees and greenery. With the speed they were going it was mostly a blur of green.

Carmine suddenly stopped, allowing Crimson to get ahead of him. The guard dragon quickly stopped and turned toward her brother, raising her brow. Her blue eyes studied the peculiar Skywing. "Why did you stop?" Carmine scanned the forest, muttering softly to himself. Carmine paid no mind to his sister as his yellow and orange gaze flowed across the treetops. "Carmine, are you listening," Crimson asked, her voice rising. Carmine still paid no mind, like he usually did. Then to Crimson's surprise he suddenly burst toward the forest at blistering speeds.

Crimson quickly dove after him chasing her little brother. Then it caught her eye: a moss covered tower, hanging just above the treetops, half broken and completely overgrown. Carmine disappeared through the leaves and foliage just behind the tree-looking tower. Crimson followed behind him, and saw a forest of rotting buildings, crumbling pathways, and old trees blocking the moonlight. She glanced around in search of her brother, it was clear this was long since abandoned and ever more clearly scavenger made. Crimson walked about in search of her brother walking toward a rotting structure. The rotting building was caved in with what seemed to be a large door slightly smaller than a dragon.

Crimson walked about in search of her brother, walking toward a rotting structure. The roof was carved with what seemed to be a large door, slightly smaller than a dragon. It was surrounded by fencing with multiple cracked statues of horses, covered in moss, fungi, and vines. Mushrooms and various fungi clung to the old rotting wood of the decrepit building. Crimson was surprised it hadn't turned to dust and soil by now.

Crimson glanced over at the crumbling stone wall, kept together by vines and faith. The Skywing guard shifted her attention elsewhere, following the wall to a gate made of metal, held up by rested chains. If Crimson was being honest, she was impressed by the gradual progress these ruins had, but how had no one discovered these? She stared passed the gate into a courtyard where Carmine stood.

"Three moons, Carmine, never fly off like that," Crimson growled marching toward the lean recordkeeper. Carmine glanced over at his sister. "Look around, we are standing in the last battle from the Scorching," Carmine said, his silky voice filling Crimson's mind and for a moment she believed him. Looking around she saw statues of scavengers in strange armor piercing dragons statues of various tribes v spears, other scavengers holding curious tu and others on horseback. Looming over them was a crumbling castle -a keep.

Crimson shook her head and growled at Carmine. "These are just statues!" she shouted as Carmine laughed walking toward the keep, gesturing with his wings for his sister to follow him. "But what if they're not, records state that here was where one of the scavenger empires fell to the hands of the first Skywing queen, Queen Calamaity." Crimson followed until they reached the steps of the keep where one last statue stood, its beaked helmet glaring forward pointing its sword in-between the two siblings. "Really? How do you know that brother, and furthermore how has no one discovered this place yet?"

It held a large wooden medallion unscathed by time -just big enough for a dragon- tucked under his arm. Carmine cackled a bit as he approached the statue, his mismatched eyes staring at it. "I read every piece of recorded history in the Skywing archive, if most of anyone read those scrolls they would be able to piece together the events that happened here. Notice how realistic the dragons are, or the detail in the scavenger armor and the strange weapons they wielded. To answer your other question sister, people have found it, the tower and those ruins behind us were created later. We dragons haven't discovered this place as where is located holds no importance really, sitting just east Diamond Spray River. So if no one has any reason to come by here, then they won't."

Crimson stared at her brother with a worried gaze, his voice slowly became more slimey like it did when he was planning something. "I've read some of the scrolls about Queen Calamity and they all said she was an animus, but it's been disproven since the Icewings were the first to develop animus powers. So, if you were right, how did they all turn to stone?"

Carmine reached a claw out to grab the wooden medallion carefully trying to pry it from its stone prison. "It was also stated she lost her powers, and since animus magic has practically no proper rules, so what if our former queen was gifted it by the Icewing, what if this item that granted her magic also turned them to stone," Carmine explained as he took the medallion from the statue.

Crimson already knew what Carmine was referring and reached out to grab the wooden medallion. Carmine used his wing to block his sister staring at its engraving which was the silhouette of a skywing with twin tails. "Then that trinket should be brought back to the palace and returned to the queen where it belongs," Crimson said as Carmine turned away from Crimson, clicking his tongue. "Not exactly, you see Queen Calamaity had no heirs, so technically the current queen has no claim over it," he told his sister, his claws rubbing against crevices of the medallion. "Now how does this thing work?"

Crimson growled at Carmine when the two Skywings heard a crack, originating from the statue. It shot as stone fell off to reveal silver. The siblings turned their head toward the statue, as the stone slowly cracked off. First was its arm as it dropped its blade, followed by its legs where it collapsed to the ground, and lastly was the torso and head. Carmine and Crimson watched the statue become a scavenger. First they heard coughing followed by squeaking, then the beaked helmet looked toward them. It grabbed its sword as it stumbled straight toward them.

Crimson growled at the creature as Carmine backed away, thinking about what to do. "What happened," it growled at them, its voice slightly muffled, aiming its blade at the two of them. Crimson eyes widened noticeably while Carmine hid his shock at the revelation. "How do you know our tongue," she roared demandingly, and suddenly she realized that Carmine might've been right, which worried her more that he had the artifact. Though why did he not take it, why bring her here, why is this statue alive, why can it speak their language? "Of course, we need to know your language to tame you beasts," it growled, it seemingly felt the weight missing from its arm. "Where is it? Where is that wretched liar's medallion?”

Carmine stepped forward, bowing his head down to the scavenger. He never saw himself bowing to a rodent, but he knew it could aid him. "I have it," Carmine said, the slimness in his voice disappearing. "I'm the one who freed you from your stoney prison." Crimson stared at Carmine both confused and disgusted, baring her fangs at the armored scavenger. "A drake freed me? Why did you do such a thing, dragon?"

"I wished for the medallion for myself, you see how frail I am compared to the dragons you probably fought and slain, even compared to my sister here." Carmine began speaking honestly, Crimson was in both a daze and panic of confusion and fear. "I was hoping for its power to make myself great, but now I see it's impossible especially compared to you." The armored scavenger turned away from Carmine, as Crimson lurked toward her brother. "What are you doing, we should go back and inform the queen," She hissed at Carmine, hoping her scheming brother would at least inform her.

Before Carmine could speak to the scavenger. Before Carmine spoke the scavenger turned around. "What happened to humanity, are there others left," it asked. Carmine slithered away from Crimson, who didn't know if she should act just yet. "They are still around, but scattered and uncivilized compared to you." Carmine

explained, gaining a sweet yet somber tone. The scavenger shook a bit before letting out a sigh. "I will kill them all," it muttered to itself before glancing at Carmine for a moment. "I will help you drake, if you help me. I scratch your back, you scratch mine," the scavenger said and Carmine smiled.

Crimson slowly backed away, she couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing. Her brother is seemingly planning treachery against their kingdom. "Don't you dare, Carmine!"

Carmine glanced at Crimson then back at the scavenger, and then it clicked for Crimson. Her own brother brought her here to kill her. Why would he do such a thing, yes he is ambitious, but never like this. She flared her wings, ready to defend her kingdom from all threats. Then -bang- she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck. Blood dripping from a circular wound. Her claw pressed against the wound as she screamed in pain. She looked at the scavenger, who was holding a smaller version of those strange tubes the other statues held.

Her heart pumped quickly as she growled. The scavenger tosses the tube aside, stepping toward Crimson, gripping his sword. Crimson leapt forward to open her jaws. The scavenger rolled to the side stabbing her exposed throat with his blade. The dragon guard attempted to swipe at the scavenger as she gagged, coughing up her red iron filled liquid. Her vision blurred as she glanced over at her brother who had a toothy smile.

The next thing Crimson saw was nothing, for she was dead. A guard of the Skywings struck down by a scavenger. Carmine glanced at the scavenger. "I will help you, but first tell me how to activate the medallion." The scavenger turned to Skywing, the beaked helmet pointing at Carmine. "My name is Emperor Copperhead," it told Carmine, stepping toward Carmine, who bowed before Copperhead. "Well, then Emperor, could you please give me my desired information and I shall help you once I gain power," Carmine pleaded.

"That red drake, all those years ago told me that it will only work for those that she would deem worthy, before tricking to turn into stone," it hissed at Carmine. Calamaity was known for her speed and wit, known for setting up races in the Kingdom. Most records of the races showed her winning, so what better way than to showcase his worth than the very race she created. "I think I know how to prove myself to it, they are still missing a prize, I bet the Queen would be ecstatic to use this as her prize. Oh, so I didn't have to get her killed, poor thing," Carmine muttered to himself.

"Now, Emperor Copperhead, I shall take you to the nearest human settlement for you to begin whatever plan you have, I shall contact you once I get this new power!" Copperhead didn't respond at first studying Carmine, yet Carmine couldn't read the scavenger. "Very well, take me to my people," Copperhead said with a small nod. Carmine smiled, lowering himself for the ancient scavenger.

Chapter Text

PART 1: The Lonely Dragon

Eclipse landed on the snow, crunching beneath his feet. He was panting after flying through a mountain range and a desert. Nightwings were not made for the constant climate shift of non-stop flying for three days, especially one of his age. If he wasn’t doing this for a very lazy friend then he would've stayed home and prepared for the grand Skywing race. It was announced three months ago to be open to every dragon in Pyrrhia, with its prize being announced to be a medallion, with rumors that it could grant wishes. Though he doubted its validity was questionable, he had to try.

Unfortunately he was stuck waiting in this fridgid place. Eclipse was a normal Nightwing, no special powers, no fancy prophecy making him special, and none of that youthful energy dragonets had. He wasn’t old, but he was far from his youth. He glanced about, his violet eyes scanning the pure white landscape. He shivered from the cold wind, and was wondering where his escorts would be. He was told that they would be waiting for him at the border of the tundra, yet they were nowhere to be found

The reason why Eclipse was even here was due to his Rainwing friend, Prism, who had become one of the ambassadors for Queen Glory. Though they rarely spoke, the ambassadors were specifically for when Queen Glory could attend events herself, such as right now for she was with Queen Ruby preparing for the first race in the Rainforest. Eclipse glanced about when he heard the flapping of wings.

The old Nightwing turned toward the sky to see two Icewings, holding spears and glaring at him. Eclipse glanced at the two Icewing guards, attempting to give them a mostly friendly smile. “Who are you, and what are you doing here Nighwing,” one of them hissed, causing Eclipse to let out a nervous laugh. “I am an ambassador for Queen Glory, she couldn't make it unfortunately due the Skywing races coming soon,” Eclipse partially lied giving the two Icewings cordial bow. “And mail doesn't reach halfway across the continent nearly fast enough.”

The two Icewings both glanced at each other then at Eclipse, with one having a nasty scowl. The one with the scowl had nasty scars along their neck, as if slashed by claws. The other was rather plain looking, if not a little young for their position. “Do you have proof of this, Nightwing?” The scarred one asked, teeth baring at him. Eclipse rolled his eyes, “I have a name-” “and I don't care!”

The younger Icewing quickly stretched her wings to block her companion. “Don't mind them, they're a bit old and cranky,” she said, earning the glare of her partner. “This is the first time we are dealing with an ambassador, so could possibly show us what to look for in others.” Eclipse nodded, noting how strangely polite this Icewing was compared to the few he had met before… after the battle at… no, he didn't want to think about that day. Eclipse dug through a satchel which hung from his neck. Some curious trinkets fell into the snow, none of any importance though. Eclipse took the satchel off to get a better look, he swore he brought it with him.

“Where is it,” he muttered to himself, his wings twitching from nervousness. The scarred Icewing snarled, raising their wings. “He's lying,” they growled, causing their younger partner to roll her eyes. The young Icewing raised her claw up to her partner to calm them down as the Nightwing pulled a scroll from his satchel. “I found it! Here is the formal declaration of my position, signed by Queen Glory,” Eclipse said, handing over the scroll to the two Icewing guards. The scarred Icewing marched over and snatched the scrolls from his hand, reading it very carefully.

“Is our friend here a liar,” the young one asked, and the other responded with a low growl. Eclipse gulped a bit when the scarred one handed the scroll back to the old Nightwing. “It seems official enough,” they hissed and their partner seemed pleased. “Thank you,” Eclipse chirped, unable to resist a smug grin as he took the scroll away and placed it back into the satchel. The scarred one growled at Eclipse as the young one stepped forward.

“Now that we got that settled, your escorts are a bit further to the east so you should get going, Sir ambassador,” the young one said, her snout pointed toward the rising sun. Eclipse smug smiles fell, he knew what it meant: more flying. The scarred one laughed at the sudden misery the old Nightwing faced. Eclipse stretched his wings, his bones cracking causing Eclipse to recoil in pain. This had been happening for years, it was the only reason he was debating on being a part of the races. Eclipse gritted his fangs, growling in pain. “Very well,” he winced, stretching his sore wings.

Eclipse reluctantly flew off, he swore he heard the scarred Icewing laughing their tail off. Eclipse growled, he wasn’t the biggest fan of dragons like that, distrust in everyone always led to problems but that is what Icewings are. Eclipse felt his wings pop from the three days of travel. He was going to kill Prism when he got home, and then take a trip to the coastline to feel the sand between his talons and the warm sun against his scales. “How did you convince me to do this my friend,” he grumbled to himself.

The flight to the palace was a couple extra hours, but the escorts were at least better than that scarred Icewing. The entire flight was still unpleasant due to the sheer cold of this horrid tundra. Though the palace itself was grand and beautiful, having stood in its place for centuries. Unfortunately, the false ambassador felt unwelcome in these icy halls. Some of the Icewings -as he flew in- shot glares at him. It was somewhat understandable, Nightwings and Icewings had a rivalry as long as he knew, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

When he touched down into the courtyard with his escorts -who mostly seemed indifferent to his presence- he was met with a rather looking young Icewing, which he noted that a lot of younger dragons have been taking jobs he usually saw dragons older do. The Icewing was curious, they had a smile on their face and blue freckles along their snout. Eclipse didn't really know what this dragon's job was just by looking at them, and he would say he was good at reading dragons. The Icewing leaned down, giving a bow to the old Nightwing.

“Hello, I am Lynx, an advisor to Queen Snowfall,” the Icewing said, straightening herself a bit. He forgot that Princess Snowfall took over the Icewings, he didn't pay much attention to when it was publicly announced -due to other things happening for him at the time- so he only heard in passing. He then cleared his throat before giving a bow in kind. “I am an ambassador of Queen Glory, sent on her behalf,” he declared, ignoring the quiet popping in his neck and back.

“Oh, so I take it that we will not be seeing Queen Glory this evening,” Lynx stated before letting out a sigh. "That might be better actually. Anyhow, Queen Snowfall is currently busy, and told me to entertain you.” Eclipse raised a brow at the comment as he stared into the blue eyes of Lynx. “She never said how to entertain you so how about I give you an exclusive tour of the palace,” she finished. The Nightwing stared at her blankly for a moment, she was very strange to him. To be honest he thought she was a hybrid for a moment. “Well then, lead the way, Lynx,” Eclipse responded and the two walked into the palace.

“You never told me your name, ambassador,” Lynx noted walking beside the taller dragon. The Nightwing shifted his wings glancing down at the Icewing. “It's Eclipse, mother wasn't that creative when naming me and simply named me after the event I was born under,” Eclipse said plainly, as he felt the wind pick up a bit.

“Aren't Nightwing powers related to the moon phases, what does an eclipse cause?” Lynx asked curiously. Eclipse responded with a laugh, shaking his head. “An eclipse means nothing, it used to be an old superstition about the Nightwings that a dragonet born under the eclipse would be cursed, but that was centuries ago, I think there was a law related to it about five hundred years ago before being dropped not even a decade after.”

Eclipse noticed the Icewing stare at him as they entered the palace. They were in a large grand hall, and at the very back was the throne. There was no one on it, and only two souls in the room -room beside themselves- who guarded the front gate. Although, Eclipse would rather those two souls would stop staring at him. “In a world where Animus magic existed, and in a tribe who can have the abilities to see the future and read minds, you don't believe in superstition,” Lynx stated.

“To my knowledge there is only one living Nightwing with those powers, but I get your point. Why would I believe in a superstition that makes me less than I am,” Eclipse stated. Lynx nodded at the older dragon before glancing out into the throne room. “Touche, anyway this is the Throne room where Queen Snowfall spends most of her time talking to the annoying nobles and aristocrats.” Eclipse stared at Lynx for a moment, wasn't she a noble, or at least he assumed she was due to her being an advisor of a queen. Lynx though was not speaking in a general sense, not exactly. She was more so referencing a couple of specific dragons.

The two left the throne rooms and wandered the halls. Lynx showed Eclipse bedrooms, the library, the mess hall, and a couple other rooms. The two dragons had minor banter to fill up the dead air and it further proved to Eclipse how strange this Icewing was. As they returned to the throne room, Eclipse noticed a dark room and stairs spiraling into the darkness. His violet eyes stared into the abyss, not realizing he had stopped. Lynx backed up a bit to look at Eclipse rather confused.

“What's down there?” Eclipse asked, glancing over at the Icewing advisor. Lynx glanced at what he was staring at the dark entryway and then at the old Nightwing. “It's the palace dungeons, where the Icewings greatest criminals are held.” Eclipse stepped toward it, curiosity gripping him by his talons and pulling him into the dungeons. “Hey, where are you going?” Lynx yelped following after the Nightwing.

Eclipse followed the stairs down, and by the moons he wished he could stop. He wished he could turn back and avoid the possible trouble he could face. He could get caught in his partial lie, or cause serious harm to the relations of the Rainforest and the Icewing Kingdom. But he just couldn't, something in his gut guided him down here. He could hear Lynx behind him but no make up what she was saying. Once he reached the dungeon, the snow still glimmered under the darkness. Most of the cells were empty, all but one.

“Why did you walk off! And here of all places, you must have a horrid taste in scenery," Lynx joked. Eclipsed glanced back at her then at the dungeon as a whole. He had many issues, but his taste in scenery was not one of them. He simply had this feeling deep in his gut that told him to come here, and he listened to it even if he didn't want to. “Sorry about that. Where are all the criminals,” Eclipse asked curiously since he expected the dungeons to be more full and have a couple more guards.

“Well, Queen Snowfall had them moved to prisons outside the castle, only one remains here, but we are currently trying to figure out what to do with her. Now will you please get out of this dark place before I suspect you are up to something,” Lynx explained, ending in a joke which Eclipse did laugh at. He stepped toward the only closed cell, the crystalline entrance closed. Eclipse stared into it to see an Icewing, she was about Lynx's age it seemed covered in horrid burn scars. Eclipse couldn't tell much else, but it was a pitiful sight and that it reminded him of his… “Who is that?” Eclipse asked. “The former princess, Icicle, why does it matter?”

He heard of Icicle before always in passing. He only knew that she tried to kill Starlight and managed to kill two other Nightwings, but as he stared into the cell he could only see a scared little child. She was nothing but a dragonet. Eclipse shook his head, why was he feeling sorry for a criminal he barely knew. What did he have to gain from it, then an idea entered his head. It was a devious one, but it would allow him a chance to get that prize in the race and see if the rumors are true!

He turned toward the Icewing advisor. “We should go check on Queen Snowfall now, right,” he chirped. He noticed a strange look from Lynx. A look he had yet seen which was shocking for his circumstance. She was studying him, which was understandable. He just walked randomly into a dungeon and stared at a known murder for longer than zero seconds. “You're right, she is probably getting annoyed right now, and when she is annoyed she is a bigger pain to deal with.”

The talk with Snowfall was quite successful, he managed to set up the trade routes that Queen Glory wanted and was met with little push back. He was honestly thinking of actually becoming an ambassador when he got back home, until he remembered the flight being a pain. Then came his proposal for him to look after Icicle, to rehabilitate her. This was met with tons of push back, yet he somehow managed to convince him. If anything they seemed relieved to not have to deal with the former princess. He had no plans to tell anyone in the Rainforest about his deed, and he was already beginning to regret it as he realized how stupid this was. But what's done is done.

Eclipse stood in the courtyard staring at the two guards who held Icicle. Icicle herself had a murderous glint, and a constant snarl on her face. Her scared scales became less notable in the sunlight as the blue coloration blended with the white. After today he was going to hopefully avoid this criminal from killing him and train them to race so he gets his chance to bring her back. To bring back the only dragon he cared about.

Chapter Text

The first day of the flight home was silent. Icicle never said a word, only glaring at Eclipse. He felt her icy eyes on him. The false purple stars scattered along his wings all wanted to flicker out and freeze over due to her look. Eclipse was a couple of feet ahead of Icicle, who noted his rather short tail. It seemed to have been torn off years ago. Eclipse looked downward to ignore the former princess, seeing the sand beneath them as an orange blur. He was still questioning why he did this! Why did he petition the release of a known criminal? At the palace he rationalized it for winning a chance to see his family again, but now the realization hit him. Though he didn't like his stupid idea, nor liked the idea of bringing a murderous Icewing home with the chance she would be found and they both would be imprisoned due to his impersonation.

Eclipse fell back to meet Icicle, his wing stalling to allow her to catch up. Icicle growled upon seeing this, her eyes filled with anger, but a subtle determination. “You seem angry, I'd figure that you would be happy to see the sun again,” Eclipse noted. Icicle snarled at the old Nightwing, clearly hating the fact that he was talking to her. “Look, if you are going to be living and working for me for the foreseeable futu-” Eclipse began before Icicle suddenly but in. “A year, I will only be with you for a year.” Icicle snapped at Eclipse. The Nightwing nodded, looking back to his conversation with Queen Snowfall. It was a hard sell, but he did manage to convince her.

Their wings flapped through the air, the blue faded into a fiery orange as the sun fell behind them. Icicle huffed, seeing her try to pick up speed, but Eclipse followed suit. “Well, you will have your work cut out for you for you will be entering the Skywing races,” Eclipse declared. Icicle stared at Eclipse, baring her sharp teeth. There was no way she was going to be a part of some stupid Skywing race, especially after everything their former queen did to her. She didn't care that they were under different management, she didn't care that their current queen was a “good dragon”. They kidnapped her brother, they turned him into a Skywing for years, and that wretched Queen Scarlet plagued her and stole everything away from her.

Eclipse paused as Icicle's breathing picked up, her wings moved erratically and quickly. Eclipse's neutral look grew to one of worry. He didn't want his racer to die before the race. He saw the sun behind him, coming up with the perfect excuse to land. “Hey, let's land and set up camp for the night,” Eclipse suggested. Icicle shook her head and her breathing slowed ever so slightly as she saw Eclipse glide down toward the ground. She followed him, touching down onto the soft sand.

Eclipse looked about, sand surrounding them for miles. He noted a cactus near where they landed, and the mountains further out. He felt his legs pop as he landed, his walking was stiff and odd. He was getting too old. Eclipse saw Icicle land behind him luckily. The Icewings scales glimmered in the setting sun like falling snow. Eclipse wandered out to the cactus, opening his mouth slightly and a soft glow could be seen in the back of his throat. Icicle watched him, looming a bit away. Fire escaped the Nightwing's mouth, setting the cactus ablaze. The orange sky slowly turned a dark purple as Eclipse sat beside the fire. Icicle laid down just outside of the light, her eyes shifting about before setting on him with a glare.

“As I said you will be joining the Skywing Races for me,” Eclipse began to speak. Icicle growled, picking herself up and walking over toward Eclipse. “Why would I ever actually help a Nightwing, let alone be used for someone else's gain again?” Icicle asked with a deep growl in her voice, fire illuminating her face. Eclipse felt her blue eyes lay upon him, past the fire. His violet eyes glanced down. He cleared his throat. “Well, minus the fact that you are under my care I will allow you keep the prize. You see the prize is rumored to grant wishes, I simply want one wish and then you can make as many wishes as you want, does that sound fair?”

Icewing was shocked, and Eclipse knew it from the expression on her face. Eclipse couldn't blame her, her reward was going to be a simple wooden trinket, though she did you quite know that. He was putting all this on the line for a superstition, and he never liked believing in those. “You want time to race for something that might grant wishes. I will not be risking my chance at getting my old life back so you can play pretend with some fantasy. I will not be used and be taken as a fool. I am a princess of the Icewings, and I refuse to fall into the same trap as la-”

“Former princess of the Icewings,” Eclipse corrected, his voice becoming more serious. Icicle immediately stopped talking, her mouth agape out of the shock from the sheer audacity he had. “From what Snowfall told me, you were disowned by your mother and since you are a cousin your title is null.” There was a pause until Eclipse continued. “My point is your life will not go back to normal, you will merely accepted as a citizen instead of a criminal, so what's bound to happen is that you get assigned to some job out in the tundra alone -assuming you Icewings have jobs out there- because those are the only jobs that would except a treasonous little princess.” Icicle's eyes were wide, her expression shifting to a deadly scowl, her claws gripping into the sand.

“You know nothing about me!” “I know enough, and enough is all I need. Look lets say the wish stuff is fake -all a farce. What do you think would happen if you won,” Eclipse asked her. Icicle paused and looked at the sand as if it would grant her answers that she would like. The silence was long, but Eclipse waited for her answer. She looked up and opened her jaws to speak, her tail shifts digging into the sand. “It doesn't matter as I won't be doing it,” she growled at him.

“They would love you! You as an Icewing would be cheered for and adored by your entire tribe. Imagine it! Icicle is the fastest dragon alive. If you want your life back that's how you do it. You show them that you are the best!” Eclipse let out a laugh before adding: “and if the rumors are true you could wish for whatever you want.” Icicle didn't respond yet again, she was deep in thought. Her wings shifted, curling around her body. She seemingly moved closer to the light.

“Why don't you race yourself then,” she asked. Eclipse glanced at the now starry sku, sitting just above the desert and smiled. “I am getting too old, but if you still refuse then I guess I would have too, because I would do anything for my wish.” Eclipse didn't know why he said that. He should just force her to race for him simply so he can get his claws on that prize, yet he could muster up the courage to tell her to do so. Icicle lacked the energy to maintain her scowl, resting her head on the soft sand. She quite enjoyed the desert night, it was cool but not harsh like the tundra of the Icewing Kingdom, nor the blazing heat the day had. Eclipse enjoyed it too.

“When we get to my home, you will go by the alias, Cryo,” Eclipse informed, Icicle raised a brow. She thought he had given her a pardon from that wretched place. “Why is that?” “Some of the folk there aren't fond of you since you murdered two Nightwings, and attempted to murder a Dragonet of Destiny,” he lied. Icicle looked away, not feeling like growling anymore. Eclipse was told by both Snowfall and Lynx that she was volatile yet all he saw was tiredness. “Why should I care what they think, I never have and never will,” she shot back at him. Eclipse sighed. “It's mostly to avoid conflict, I don't want you getting into any sorts of trouble.”

Icicle snorted, shuffling away from Eclipse. The Nightwing stared at her. “Since you're tired, can you please sleep on my proposal about the race,” Eclipse stated softly. Icicle didn't respond, her wings covering her face as she curled away from him. Eclipse let out a sigh and glanced at the stars. He missed them; he missed seeing them across the clear sky, with no trees or branches in the way. The fire crackled, the orange glow was cozy.

He thought back to his conversation with Queen Snowfall. He remembered his case he gave to the young Icewing. He also remembered how Lynx aided him, and their relieved faces when they no longer had to worry about her. It was sad almost, how this child made dumb mistakes that led to where she was now. He almost wondered what it would be like if none of that ever happened. Eclipse prayed that his lies would never be sound, he didn't want to be responsible for ruining her life yet again.

Why? Why was he like this, taking these dumb risks? Why did he ever listen to Prism!

Four days and five nights ago, Eclipse laid in his home that stared over the coastline and beaches. He didn't live with the other Nightwings, not after the battle of Jade Mountain, not after his daughter died because they all -no he- listened to that mad hybrid. It's been two years since that day and yet he refused to return. He laid in a small bed of rainforest leaves -which was surprisingly comfortable- as he read a scroll titled: Lullaby. It was something his mate gave him long before she passed. It was a series of songs passed down through her family, songs she sang to their daughter for one year she had with her. Eclipse remembered one that she sang to their daughter during the blood moons, and it was the one he was reading right now.

Star twinkle in the sky

Night's end will be nigh

As I sing this lullaby.

Hush now and close your eyes

The sun will come and day goes by

And soon the moon will be up high

The night will change

The stars rearranged

Yet you will stay at my side

When the moon is way up high.

He remembered every word of that lullaby, it was his favorite. When she died he started to sing it to their daughter every night. Eclipse smiled at the memories. Though his reminiscing came to an end he heard the peculiar hello of his Rainwing friend. “What's up Eclipse,” the voice said. Eclipse closed the scroll and set it beside his bed. He walked over to the main chamber of his home down a small spiral staircase. There he saw Prism -a male Rainwing. His scales were a deep emerald green with a yellow spiral on his head, and orange going along the bottom of his neck. His frills were a vibrant orange yellow and red, looking like a fourth pair of eyes.

Eclipse had a smile when seeing Prism here, going over to give him a hug. “Hey, Prism, what brings you here?” the old Nightwing asked Prism. The Rainwing gave a nervous chuckle which immediately caused Eclipse's smile to fall. “What did you do?” “You know how I got the new ambassador position, well my first job is to head to the Icewing kingdom to set up a trade deal, and I might’ve accidentally set up my date with Cherry that same day.”

Eclipse rubbed his eye with his claws with irritation. He knows he shouldn't help him, it was his dumb mistake of not paying attention to his schedule when making dates with his boyfriend. Yet when he looked at his dumb face he could help but offer to take his place. “Fine, I go for you; however you must take the blame if it goes wrong,” Eclipse ordered and Prism gave a funny little salute, his tongue lazily sticking out. “Thank you, buddy! I promise you won't regret it. I'll get tickets for that race coming soon,” Prism promised, leaving just as fast as he left. The Skywing races have been the talk of Pyrrhia for months, ever since they were announced. Eclipse didn't care much for the races themselves, only the prize for winning: a wooden medallion rumored to be able to grant wishes. The rumors spread like wildfire after some Skywing scholar told a dragonet who went to Jade Mountain Academy a few days later, after that the rest is history. Meanwhile, Prism didn't take long for him to return though, to give the old Nightwing the necessary items to pass as an ambassador.

Eclipse could remember the constant thank you's as Prism left, and now the Nightwing was here while he was enjoying his little date. He even heard himself humming the lullaby. The fire dimmed, his violet eyes felt upon Icicle. She was asleep from what he could tell, yet her body chased the light, whenever the shadows touched her she shook and shifted violently to re-enter the fire's aura. Eclipse glanced down at the fire and huffed. The false grew a bit bigger and Icicle's movement stopped momentarily. He laid his body down, and slowly closed his eyes to prepare for the long flight in the morning.

Chapter Text

The sun shone upon the sleeping Nightwing. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the sand slowly get hotter until his eyes finally opened. His violet eyes shifted around the barren landscape and the no scorched cactus. Eclipse glanced down to make sure a certain Icewing didn't leave, and to his luck she was still asleep. Eclipse looked at her and then at the sand, and a smile grew on his face. He flicked his tail and the sediment flew onto the icy color dragon. She immediately jumped at it, her claws and wings outstretched and her fangs baring. The old Nightwing couldn't help but break down laughing, causing the young Icewing to stare. “Good morn-” he began until Icicle did something he probably should've expected.

Icicle leapt at Eclipse, her claws outstretched, causing them to roll along the sands. She looked over at him, her claw on his neck, holding his head down. Her blue eyes stared into his ones. “What was that for,” Icicle roared. Eclipse thought this was the end for the briefest of seconds -perhaps his stupid decisions finally came to haunt him- but if she truly wanted to kill him she would've done it already. “You should not threaten your guardian, especially over a little practical joke,” Eclipse said calmly, trying to hide his fear.

Icicle pushed his head down into the sand before getting off of him with a huff. She walked off toward the mountains, seeing them stand tall and stern. Her glare remained on her face. Eclipse stood up, shaking his short, scarred tail and wings to get the sand off of him. Though he knew it was a fruitless effort. He stared at her seeing the faded blue burn scars all around her body, contrasting with her shimmering scales and horns. Eclipse wondered how someone young got so hurt? He walked toward her, feeling the area quickly heat up around them.

“Are you ready to get going, Icicle,” he asked her, “he has about a day and half journey left.” Icicle snorted, turning her head away from Eclipse. The older dragon sighed. Why was she so difficult to simply talk to? “Have you thought about my offer for the race?” No response again. Eclipse let out a small growl, getting mildly irritated. “You know if I will be taking care of you, the least you could do is at least get rid of the hostilities.”

Icicle turned sharply toward Eclipse, her iconic snarl on her face. “Oh, you want me to be peaceful, to you a Nightwing! Well excuse me if I don't really want to be talked to by the same tribe who killed my father -the only family member that might’ve actually still loved me- nor the dragon who wants to join a race run by the same dragons once ruled by the one who tormented me!” Icicle ranted, her front claws gripping into the sand had her muscles tensed. “You know you remind me a lot of… nevermind, let's just go.” Eclipse and her stood in silence for a second that felt like eternity. Eclipse's expression was unreadable and so was Icicle's. The Nightwing was the first to break eye contact, his wings spreading as his tail swayed. “Then the mountains await,” Eclipse stated in an exhausted tone.

With a flap of the wings he took off into the air, dust from the desert following him for a couple of feet. Icicle took off shortly after, remaining behind him. This officially rated as his third of worse mornings, just short of the morning his daughter and Prism almost accidentally burnt his home and the tree he was living in to the ground. The mention of Icicle's father hit a small nerve in his heart, though he didn't quite remember who it was. His knowledge of the Icewing royal family was quite limited. He assumed it was from the battle -due to the context of Nightwings killing him, a battle that should've never happened, a battle he wished never happened. He also assumed she was informed of his death in her cell; she probably wasn't allowed to see his funeral or whatever ritual Icewings did with their dead.

The mountains approached quickly, the rocky cliffsides and the snowy slopes becoming more wondrous. Eclipse glanced back at the former princess, who seemed to cautiously glancing around as if awaiting an ambush. Eclipse stalled himself, allowing Icicle to meet up with him. When she saw him do this she let out a soft yet barely noticeable growl. “How about we play a little game?” Eclipse offered her, giving her a polite smile. Icicle glanced at him, there wasn't a snarl on her face like usual. It almost seemed like she was intrigued, then she shook her head and her usual glare took its place. “Games are a waste of time, we have somewhere we need to be,” she grumbled.

Eclipse rolled his eyes at the response. “Well, we have plenty of time to waste,” he remitted. In actuality he was doing this to try to egg her on to join the race, to try and get her to do what he wanted. He knew it was wrong, yet he needed that prize, he needed that wish. He knew his aging body wouldn't get him far enough. He wanted his daughter back too much. Icicle scoffed at Eclipse's response. She stared at him before relenting. “I’m assuming I don’t have a choice in the matter, like usual,” Icicle muttered, the last two words inaudible to anyone around her. Eclipse gave her an empathetic look, almost a look of pity. He saw her glare when she noticed his expression. “Look, you are still a kid - a dragonet - you should have some fun, just for this once, humor me.’

Icicle didn’t respond, but Eclipse could see her thinking. Her shifting eyes, her snarl faltering hand, her fidgeting tail and claws. Icicle finally sighed, “fine.” Eclipse smiled at the ice dragon. “Well, the game is simple, all you have to do is catch me - simply tap me with your claw. Once you do, you have three seconds to fly away before I chase you, repeat until we're tired or one of us gives up,”

Icicle blinked at Eclipse before he zoomed off into the mountains. She knew there was practically nothing stopping her from abandoning the game immediately, yet she wanted to win. There was no practical reason for her to even follow the drake, but there she was giving chase. The two twisted and swerved between the mountains, Eclipse always keeping his eye on Icicle, seeing her move with nearly the same grace the average Skywing has.

Eclipse turned suddenly to the left heading down into a narrow canyon, with Icicle following close behind. At these high speeds Eclipse is barely able to make out the little smile growing on Icicle's face. As the two barreled down the canyon, the old Nightwings felt one of his bones pop. He gritted his teeth, trying to maintain speed. The Icewing was gaining on him, and the canyon was coming to a dead end. Eclipse halted just before the rock wall and changed direction upward at blistering speeds.

Icicle nearly hit the wall herself, but she caught herself with her claws. She pushed herself off it to gain just enough momentum to catch up with her keeper. She couldn't believe she was even having fun right now, though she knew it was useless to her, but what uses did she herself have these days. Icicle reached out a claw and managed to tap the Eclipse tail. Eclipse stopped, panting heavily, feigning a frown. “Dang it, you got me! Well, you better get flying before I get back at you,” Eclipse taunted a big smile creeping in his face as if reliving a memory.

“I doubt your old bones could even keep up with me,” Icicle taunted in return. Catching the Nightwing was invigorating, she felt genuinely happy like no one required anything from her, like she didn't need to prove anything. Eclipse laughed at the challenge. “I used to be the fastest Nightwing kid, I could fly circles around you,” Eclipse rebutted. “Then why did I catch you?”

“Oh ho, you're on.” And the two chased each other through the mountain range, the chaser switching every couple of minutes. The sun just passed into the west when Eclipse called the game, him the loser. “I won! I actually won, as expected of course,” Icicle cheered for her victory for just a second, before her face fell down back into the grimace and her old self returned. “We wasted too much time, let's get going,” she grumbled. Eclipse stretched his wings, a small smile still on his face. “Did you have fun?”

Icicle looked away from Eclipse to hide her face. “Of course not, it didn't serve any purpose in regaining my status, my home.” Eclipse sighed as they kept flying. They would reach the edge of the mountains by sundown, which would leave them a half a day's flight toward the Rainforest. Eclipse sighed and opened his jaws to ask a question. “I asked you this yesterday, but I have changed your mind on racing?” Eclipse asked.

Icicle glanced at the old Nightwing with mild surprise, she would have thought that he would've given up on this but from what she learned the past two days was that he was persistent. She then thought about the prize, a medallion rumored to grant wishes. If the rumor was true she could wish herself to be Queen of the Icewings like her mother wanted, or wish to bring back Queen Glacier to challenge, or father. Yet she knew the rumors were likely false, even Eclipse who believed them knew that it was a possibility -though he still wanted her to join instead of joining himself.

“I am reconsidering it, but I do have a couple of questions: why should I give you a wish from the medallion?”

“Well that's simple, I'll be training you. You are fast, and graceful, but there is more when it comes to racing,” Eclipse admitted with a shrug. Icicle gave a slight glare at Eclipse, she's been training her whole life. “Why don't you race yourself?” Eclipse chuckled, he was old or older than he used to be. When he was younger he probably could've flown circles around the competition, now he could barely outpaced Icicle and not for long. “If I answer then I would have to admit that I'm not as spry as I was,” he laughed. 

Eclipse already knew the last question, it was simply going to be if the rumors were true. The truth was he didn't know, but he wanted them to be, so when the question was asked he gave a similar response he did yesterday. “If it wasn't true, you would lose nothing from it. If anything it would speed up the process of being a true Icewing citizen yet again, and maybe regain your title as princess.”

Icicle thought over Eclipse words, both from yesterday and now. She was weighing her options: spend a full year with this Nightwing, or possibly speed up the process with the race. She hated the Skywings, the idea of being used, and she hated this moon's forsaken Nightwing, so why was she reconsidering her choice from last night? There has been no new information, the only thing that changed was that her mind began considering the possibility of the wishes. Then words she never thought would leave her mouth did. “I will race for you Nightwing,” Icicle grumbled. Eclipse could respond with: “you know I have a name right?” Then he said the two words Icicle had never heard from anyone in her life: “but, thank you.”