Chapter Text
High, in a cove between tall mountains there was a gathering. Nearby Vikings trembled as they heard hundreds of shrieks occur amidst the night. A shriek any viking would know, the shriek of a Night Fury.
Within the cove, among the many dreadwings gathered was one with bright deep blue scales pacing the ground, specks of cyan sparkling as the white light from their spikes reflected against it. The Dreadwing looked to a small cave, constructed by themself and their mate, as a small coo came from within.
They entered without hesitation, letting out soft chirps to the larger, deep amber Dreadwing within. “Auric, has our clutch lay well?” Auric’s spikes glowed a soft orange color, before they moved their wings, revealing a clutch of 2 softly glowing eggs. “Of course, why would you expect less?” She cooed in response to their Mate’s preposterous worries. “You worry too much Nox,” Nox sniffed the eggs, their pupils widening, before roaring for all to hear.
“OUR FIRST CLUTCH IS HERE!”
~~
Nox and Auric stayed close to the nest, watching over the egg. One of the eggs, the smaller, had lost its glow within the month. Bringing Auric and Nox great grief for it. But even so, they stubbornly cared for the larger egg with a deep red glow.
One day, upon the three month mark, it began to shake. Slowly cracking as every Dreadwing that had gathered surrounded the area. Moments passed, as a hole was created. And from within came a small Dreadwing, with deep purple scales, and small Yellow Eyes. Nox quickly came to them, helping them out the rest of the way, before Auric came close and softly sniffed them. Both Furies came together, before roaring, once more, with every Dreadwing nearby joining in.
“THE HEIR OF NIGHT HAS BEEN BORN!”
~~
This story is well known among those of the Dreadwings, of course. Especially so for Shadow, after all, she IS the Heir of the Story. After her birth, many of the Dreadwings nearby had left as there was no longer a real reason to stay. Leaving gifts of fish behind for the Alpha’s to feast upon. With this abundance of fish, they shouldn’t have needed to hunt for a year.
However, little did her parents know, she wouldn’t be just any Alpha Dreadwing. She ended up as an ArchDreadwing. ArchDreadwings weren’t super well known, even among Dreadwings themselves. Afterall, we are only born every few thousand years. The last known ArchDreadwing passed several hundred years ago buried deep within the Dragonhome.
From what my Bearer, Auric, has told me, the only thing different between a Dreadwing and an ArchDreadwing is our size and Age. ArchDreadwings rival the IceSpitters and ForestWalkers in size, as compared to the Spinetail rivaling size of a Dreadwing. The only reason we know I am one is because of the fact that I am already the size of a fledgling, and I am a mere 7 winters.
I yawned as I stretched my wings, before stepping out of the nest. Looking around the Cove, there wasn’t much to do in terms of things to play with and such. Especially since Auric had clutched another 3 eggs this winter, Nox won’t fly me out of the cove to play or teach me more hunting and abilities of our kind. Not when their Mate’s eggs are so close to hatching.
Each of the eggs are unique in their own way, the largest was a deep amber with a soft pink glow between each scale in the egg. The smaller was a rather light- for a dreadwing- green that had a soft orange glow between the scales. Finally, the runt was a midnight blue egg with a bright sky blue in the scales.
From what I have been told, the colors that the eggs glow corresponds to their respective glow as an Alpha. The glowing of the eggs is how you figure out if a Dragon is an Alpha Variant or not, this is true for any Dragon species barring Icespitters and Flamehearts, the Natural Alphas.
Either way, the fact that I will have younger nestmates soon is a strange thought to me. Especially seeing as the only nestmate I ever had didn’t ever hatch. What was I supposed to do with a nestmate? Teaching them is what the Sire and Dam does, so certainly not that. I suppose you would treat them similarly to a friend?
I don’t really know how nestmates normally act, seeing as dreadwings don’t tend to live in groups. The gathering for my hatching was rare, it only occurred since I was the Heir born of two Alphas, which is extremely rare for any type of dragon. Even more so a reclusive type such as our own.
Seeing nothing to really do, I decided I would practice my flying seeing as I was rather… unpracticed with it. I climbed a small rock formation on the side of the cove, stretching my wings as I began running, jumping off the edge I began flapping my powerful wings on either side, making sure to fan out my tailfins nice and wide. Bringing myself into the air.
I went high up, close to the top of the mountains surrounding us; before diving down into the cove. I pulled my wings inward, curling them as I twisted myself into a spin extending right before the ground and swerving back upwards in the air. I completed a few aerial tricks as I repeated diving and going upwards over and over. Twirling, maneuvering, clicking my wings into place, almost akin to a dance within the air-
“SHADOW!I”
I froze and locked my wings midair, causing me to land… not so gracefully upon the ground. Stumbling and in an attempt to stop my momentum getting dirt and grass all in between my claws and scales. I quickly snapped my vision over to Nox as he ran over to me, and picked me up bringing me to the nest; where the eggs were cracking.
“The eggs are hatching- your Siblings are gonna be here-!” Nox chittered excitedly, before rumbling “Ooh~~ We will need to figure out their True Names too~” Auric huffed softly, flicking an earflap against Nox.
I watched with bated breath as the eggs shook, each of them cracking, as the orange glowing egg cracked open first, revealing a dreadwing smaller than any I had ever seen, chubby around the middle with soft raw newly formed scales of a light green color, reminiscent of the lightest of leaves. Their eyes were a dim magenta color, very similar to our Dam’s dim red ones. Their wings had yet to form a dip between them yet, which would allow for true flight.
They let out a quiet cry, a trilling chirp calling for attention; as the smallest egg broke open. Out came an even smaller dreadwing, this one a deep midnight blue darker than even our parents scales. Their earflaps were barely nubs upon their head, not even a single spike was able to be defined from their back yet as they blinked their tiny bright green eyes and yawned.
Finally, the biggest egg hatched, letting out a still small, but notably bigger hatchling that had scales an amber like our dam’s but lighter. Despite their bigger size their claws still didn’t even come to a point. Their teeth were sharp yet so tiny that I could not see how they would eat their prey with it, but their eyes were bright. A bright light pure enough to rival the Moon in brightness just like my Sire’s Alpha Glow.
“I wish to name the Amber-Claw, as their scales are just like mine.” Auric crooned, “Their True Name shall be Ignate.” Nox purred at the name his mate decided for their hatchling, “As such, I will name the Blue-Scale, as theirs come from mine.” He cooed “Their name shall be Dusk.”
I looked away and chuffed at their lovey-stuffiness, as every Fledgling or Hatchling that has any self awareness would. Before looking at the Forest-Winged one, I realized they didn’t yet have a name. “I… I want to name the Forest-Winged… for their scales are unlike both Dam and Sire just as is mine, their name shall be… Tempest. Like the greatest forest skies before a storm.” I breathed softly.
“That is the perfect name for them, my star.” Auric cooed, “I agree, dearest.” Nox crooned alongside her.
I wasn’t sure what this was going to be like, but so far, I know one thing for sure.
No matter what, I would protect my Nestmates.