Young Writers Society

Blue lightning sliced across the clear night sky, hissing and spitting like a nest of serpents. The two crescent moons ghostly figures loomed in the sky above while thousands of comets shot across the heavens. A cruel wind whipped through the forest’s craggy branches, the groans of the trees nearly drowning out Zoltar’s calls as he wondered through the undergrowth.

He shivered, tucking his wings in closer in a futile attempt to stay warm. Strange scents bit at his nose, musty and bitter. He was exhausted after running aimlessly for hours. He still couldn’t find a way out. He was lost.

Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of lightning and the howling wind vanished, leaving the forest deathly still.

Zoltar cringed. Not a sound disturbed the night air. It was silent, still as a ghosts whisper.

Shivering, he crept forward through the dark underbrush, careful to keep his wings close to his sides. His eyes darted wildly from shadow to shadow as they seemed to take on a life of their own, twisting and coiling like snakes about to strike. It was impossible to tell were the danger would come from, from where the Wisp Talons would leap.

The earth underpaw shifted as damp leaf litter gave way to sand. Finally, a break in the trees. He dashed out of the woods, relieved to finally be out of that seemingly never ending forest.

“Hello Zoltar,” a crooning voice echoed out over the desolate shore, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Zoltar looked around wildly, but was only met by thick clouds of swirling vapors, their tendrils concealing the dragoness.

“Who are you?” he yelled, twisting around as the mist enveloped him in an icy veil.

“Oh Zoltar. You know who I am,” The dragoness growled, her voice laced with venom.

The dragoness flung out her wings, the mist parting to reveal the Wisp Talon.

“Emerald, what are you doing here?” Zoltar tried to move towards her, but his paws wouldn’t budge. What was going on?

“Poor Shadow Talon. You were foolish to trust me. Have you learnt nothing?” she laughed, baring her fangs in a cruel smile as her scales blazed a brilliant scarlet.

“You and your friends should never have come here,” she hissed as she stepped back into the mist, her scales seeming to melt into the deathly white aura as she disappeared.

Zoltar buckled, falling to the ground as a wave of wailing screams echoed out around him, filling his ears and mind. He clutched his head, desperate to stop the sound.

“How could you do this? How could you forget us?” A dragoness emerged from the mist, her once obsidian black scales laced with ugly crimson tendrils.

“No, Nira,” Zoltar cried, desperately reaching for her as she began to melt back into the night. “I haven’t forgotten you. I could never forget you.”

A dark figure loomed in front of him, his fangs dripping crimson blood as his silver wings blocked out the light, “Its full moon Zoltar.”

“No, no, no,” Zoltar roared, spiking pain shooting though his chest, “You can’t do this. You can’t take them too.”

“How could you betray us?” Felistia and Shiraku’s blood soaked bodies appeared before him, their wings ripped to shreds. “We trusted you.”

Black flashed before his vision as the world around him began to collapse. A thundering roar filled his ears as the ground gave way and he began to fall, his mouth agape in a soundless scream.

“No!” Zoltar leapt up, his heart thundering in his chest as he thrust out his claws to catch a grip of something solid. His talons met the hard rock floor as he looked around frantically.

Slowly it began to sink in. It had only been a dream. He took a few shaky breathes as he tried to calm his trembling. It wasn’t real…yet.

Sucking in another deep breath, Zoltar got to his paws. He quietly padded over to the cave entrance and sat down. He stared out over the gloomy forest, not a whisper of wind disturbing the silence hanging over the trees. What was he going to do?

He was in an impossible situation. He had to get the Wisp Talon gem, but how could he do it without trading Felistia’s and Shiraku’s lives for it? They were all he had right now. Sure, Shiraku wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine, but she wasn’t terrible. Felistia on the other paw was warm and caring.

He blinked away the tears threatening to spring forth as he stared out over the still forest. In the distance a nightingale called out, its sharp notes cutting through the cold night air.

He couldn’t let Sidious use them, but how could he stop him? Sidious would only leave them be if he somehow managed to get the gem on his own.

How could he do that? It must be in the Wisp Talon village somewhere, but he didn’t know where it was and the place must be swarming with Wisp Talons. How could he sneak in without being caught, let alone manage to steal the gem?

He hissed quietly in frustration. If only Nira were here. She’d probably have an idea.

“Hey,” a quiet voice whispered.

Zoltar flinched as he turned to see Felistia waling over to him, her golden eyes soft in the pale moonlight.

“Did you have a nightmare? I heard you yell,” she continued, sitting down beside him. She brushed him with one of her silver wings, the icy scales a stark contrast to her comforting voice.

Zoltar lowered his eyes, not sure how much he should tell her. His heart ached for someone to talk to, to share his fears and concerns with, but how much should he tell her. She couldn’t know about Sidious or Emerald.

She did already know about Scorpus though… well, at least a little bit. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to tell her about Nira. He had to talk to someone. Keeping all this locked up inside was slowly killing him.

‘No, you can’t trust them’ Zoltar’s mind screamed, ‘She’s an outlaw and an Ice Talon. What does she care if you had a little nightmare?’

He turned away from her, “It’s nothing. It was just a bad dream.”

Felistia stared at him for a moment, before whispering, “I have nightmares about my home too.”

She gazed out through the vines, the moonlight illuminating her ice blue scales as she seemed to look into the past.

“It’s not good to bury these things you know. They’ll catch up on you eventually,” she laid a paw on his shoulder comfortingly, “You don’t have to tell me, just…don’t let it turn you into something you’re not.”

Zoltar stared out at the night, Felistia’s words echoing in his ears as she returned to the back of the cave. She was right. This wasn’t who he was. He’d turned into a scared, withdrawn shadow of himself and it was only getting worse as time went on.

He couldn’t keep going like this. The mistrust and fear had to go.

Steeling himself, he turned around, “Hey…Felistia?”

“Yah,” she glanced over her wing.

“Umm,” Zoltar looked down at the floor as he rubbed his talons awkwardly, “Do you think… I could come hunting with you guys tomorrow?”

Felistia smiled warmly, “Sure. We’d love for you to come.”