A Fight for Survival ~ Darkness Approaches Chapter 6

Viper was jerked awake when a sharp talon was jabbed into his side, the slight pain rippling along his body. Viper groaned as he flapped one of his wings at the door to try and shoo away what as bugging him so early in the morning.
Another sharp pain could soon be felt again on his side. The pain a little more intense than the last one.
“Are you awake?” A hushed voice spoke, their breath tickling Viper's black horns.
“I am now.” Viper grumbled, slowly lifting his head to be met with another’s eager gaze.
The other Sand Wyvern looked back at him, his eyes seemed to have a spark to them. “I want to get training!” Ndutu whispered, poking Viper again.
Letting out a groan Viper slowly sat up, stretching his wings out around him, his bones cracking back into place. Once he stood to his full height he looked down at Ndutu, who was giving him an eager look.
Letting out a yearn Viper asked. “Why so early?” He arched an eye crest.
Ndutu shrugged his shoulders. “I wanted to get as much training in before you get sent out on a mission,” He said haply, his dark mood from yesterday now gone. “Also what you said yesterday, really got me thinking.” He paused to take a breath. “The thing you said about how I’m going to take years to even get to the level you’re at? Well, I’m going to prove you wrong!” He said triumphantly.
“Oh, and how so?” Viper questioned with a grin, happy to see Ndutu come out of his shell, and ask him to train, he was really worried it was too soon for him to train a dragonet. He was afraid he didn’t give Ndutu what he needed yesterday. But things seem to have worked out.
Ndutu looked up at Viper his face shining. “Well I practically stayed up all night thinking about it, and I came to two solutions!” He put one talon in the air while closing his eyes. “The first one is that I train double-time with you! Which with work, but then another better idea came to me. I could train double time and you show me all your cool tricks and moves!”
Nodding his head Viper let out a chuckle. “Sorry Ndutu but you have already gone wrong with two things.”
“What!?” Ndutu shouted, a look of devastation upon his face.
“Ssshhh!” Viper hissed his eyes narrowed. “Listen, your intentions are good, there is nothing wrong with a plan to become the best soldier you can be, or in your case future chief. But you mustn’t stay up all night thinking about it, a good soldier always s gets their rest when they can.”
“Oh.” Ndutu’s face fell, a dark cloud seemed to come upon him. “What was the other mistake?”
“Well, we can’t call it a mistake it’s just something all us soldiers had to learn at one point in our lives.” Viper paused to think over what he’s going to say. “You see I may be able to teach you all the tricks and moves, but I won’t be able to teach you the things that I have come up with.”
Cocking his head Ndutu asked. “Why not?” The newly lit fires dancing along his scales.
Letting out a chuckle Viper began to explain. “Well let’s say you have the ability to mix venom with your bite. That ability is unique, because you are the only one that can do it, and it’s very unlikely anyone else can do it.” Letting out a sigh Viper continued. “But I will be able to teach you all the basic skills of fighting, but from there you need to expand and make your own attacks.”
“Oh, I get it now!” Ndutu yelled, jumping up from where he had sat down. Then his eyes turned stern again. “So is that what you did yesterday with the Onyx Wyvern? Was that an attack you came up with?”
Walking out the sleeping cave and into the halls Viper gave Ndutu a small nod, the memories of yesterday coming back to him, he had hoped it was a nightmare. But that wasn’t the case. “Yes that was a move I came up with more ales, I will teach you how to spin in the air that is something you can do.”
Viper frowned when he looked into the empty sleeping caves, normally everyone was still asleep, and it wasn’t even past sunrise yet. What was going on? With hurried steps, Viper walked into the busy halls of the underground caves. Ndutu just behind him.
“What is going on?” Ndutu asked his eyes wide with wonder as he watched other dragons run too and fro.
“I don’t know.” Viper looked behind him at Ndutu he sighed. “Look I need to find out what is going on, it could be important. You go train or something. I will try and train with you later.”
Seaming to understand Ndutu nodded his head and ran in the direction of the exit to the caves.
Looking from the crowd of dragons running through the halls to the roof Viper reckoned there was about two dragons worth of space between the ceiling and the dragons. Spreading his wings out Viper took to the air flying over the other dragons, he knew this was forbidden but he had to find out what was going on, and quickly.
His coal eyes scanned over the dragons in the hall in search of a dragon he knew would know what was going on.
It felt like hours had passed when he finally found a lean body pushing her way through the crowd. Their scales like lava as the firelight on their scales were distorted by all the shadows. Swooping down Viper hooked his talons around their waist.
The dragoness he was carrying through the halls let out a growl. “Viper put me down!” She barked.
Viper turned down into a dark hall, he then put the dragoness down then landed next to her. “What is going on Nuddia?” He asked casing a look out into the lighter hall.
Shrugging she said. “I don’t know, Venom has called a meeting…” She paused looking at Viper. “I think it has something to do with what happened yesterday.”
…
Viper and Nuddia pushed their way through the crowd as they tried to get to the front. Viper could see Venom standing on the platform in front of his throne, with four other dragons standing next to him, two on each side. Spreading his wings out so the firelight behind him seemed to burn through his wings he looked over the dragons before him, who quickly went silent.
‘This doesn’t look good! What if I was right and we are going to war. Are we ready for something like that? What about all the dragonets, and the villagers? What will happen to them?’ Viper thought his body going tense with worry.
A soft wing brushed against his, the touch almost soothing, but it wasn’t enough to stop his heart from racing. What if he was right, had Venom thought it through?
“What will happen if we do go to war?” Viper whispered to Nuddia, his voice seeping worry.
She just sighed, “I don’t know. Many things will change, and once the war is over nothing will be the same, just like the last three.” She looked over at him, her eyes holding the same worry he felt.
‘That’s if it ever ends.’ Viper thought, his eyes falling to the floor.
“Thank you for gathering here today!” Venom bellowed, his voice traveling throughout the room, his face holding no emotion, just like the day Viper met him. “Yesterday Viper saw something on patrol…” He paused. “Something I thought wouldn’t even cross our borders.”
“What was it?!” a dragoness called from the back of the room, you could hear to faint worry in her voice.
Razing a talon Venom continued. “An Onyx Wyvern!” he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.
The whole room let out a gasp as all the dragons looked around at one another and began to whisper among themselves.
A dark figure on the right side of Venom stepped forward his snout covered in many scars from the previous wars. His eyes were as hard as stone as he looked over the crowd of dragons. “We have lived through many other wars, I’m sure this one will be the same!” He shouted, his voice raspy with age.
Viper looked over to the aged dragon, coal eyes meeting another’s empty soul, feeling uneasy Viper quickly looked away. He then saw Vesirrion on the platform on Venoms left. The older dragon looked doubtful but he remained quiet.
“Are you saying we are going to be going to war again?” Another dragon hissed, his voice holding the fear of an inexperienced fighter.
Stepping forward quickly Vesirrion shook his head. “That is unknown to us still, we don’t know if they mean us any harm. Besides, we know nothing about this tribe.”
“So what do you plan to do about it?” The same dragon from before shouted.
Venom sighed. “We are going to send two of our most qualified soldiers to do a spying mission. They will hopefully be back in a month with the information we need, that is if all goes to plan, and while they're gone I want the rest of you to take on an apprentice, get them ready for war. That is if it comes to that.”
A young dragoness stepped forward out of the crowd, “Who will you be sending sir?” Her voice was soft and quiet as she spoke.
Looking over the dragons before him Venom's eyes held a light spark of pride. “Two dragons I trained as my apprentices. Viper and Nuddia will be going on the mission!”