WARNING
This page contains profanity, extreme violence, blood, gore, and other forms of mature content.
Written/Edited by: Isis The Masked Dragon
Prolog:[]
Shrike was struggling with his letter. He didn't know how to start it. He had the middle, but no beginning or end. It was bothering him. "Father?" Shrike looked up from the scroll he was writing on and down at his son Falcon.
"Yes?" Falcon opened up a book and put it in front of Shrike.
"This book has your name in it. I was reading it for school and I saw your name…What did you have to do with the Shadow War?" Shrike took the book and looked at his name. It was in a list of POWs rescued after the war. His name was there alright. Shrike closed the book and sighed.
"Your mother won't like it if I tell you." "Why?" Falcon asked.
"Well…" Shrike looked for the right words. "It's just that…Well it's not a good story. It's a sad one full of death and pain. Your mother doesn't like fighting very much, and she doesn't like to think about all the terrible things that happened during the war."
"Oh…" Falcon said sadly. Shrike sighed again. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Ok, if you promise not to tell Mother then I'll tell you. But you better not make me regret it, and if you stop paying attention I'll stop." Falcon nodded very quickly.
"I promise I'll won't tell Mother, a-and I'll listen!"
"Right. This is a long story so get comfortable."
"Ok! I'll be back in a second!" Falcon ran out of the room and came back with a pillow. He put it on the floor in front of Shrike.
"Now I'm ready." "Good. This story starts 27 years ago in the Sky Kingdom…
One: The Beginning of Everything:[]
Shrike was five years old when the war started. Like the rest of the dragons who weren't on the Triple Alliance's side he wanted to be a soldier and go to fight. Since Shrike could already read and write the army took him to train as a soldier. His parents signed up to fight too. But it was going to be hard for them. They were both printers and knew nothing of war and fighting. Shrike took being a soldier quickly enough. All he had to do was what he was told and end every sentence with "Yes Drill Sargent!" Shrike spent three years in training and graduated top of his class as a wing commander. He was sent to the northeast under Commander Inferno to fight of an attempt by the Triple Alliance to invade the edge of the Sky Kingdom and get a foothold there near the palace. It was during that battle he met Hurricane.
The sky was an iron grey as Shrike stood at the front of his wing trying not to throw up. This was an important battle, it was also his first and he was very afraid of messing up. Shouts rang back and forth over the wind. "They're coming, be ready!" The waves battered the rocky coast as the SkyWings readied for the attack. Suddenly the sea boiled spewing blue and green dragons out at the soldiers. The dragons in the front charged the SeaWings while the ones behind them breathed fire towards the invaders. Shrike was in the third row, waiting for the order to charge. When it came he and his wing and those around him ran for the enemy. As they smashed into the SeaWings the clouds opened up and rain poured from the sky. Shrike threw himself at the nearest SeaWing and tackled him to the ground. The blue dragon writhed under Shrike and tried to knock the SkyWing off. Shrike wasn't going to let him up so easily. Shrike heard someone shout his name over the rain and the fighting and the SeaWing took the chance to lunge for Shrike's throat. Shrike felt the SeaWing's weight shift and he turned just in time to smack his head away and cut his throat out. Shrike jumped off the corps and tried to find who had said his name, or another target. Shrike had been trained very well. He fought and killed well, he was taught to strike first ask questions later. A green SeaWing flew at Shrike clipping his shoulder. Shrike roared and swung to face the SeaWing. Shrike was bigger than the green dragon, and he hoped faster. The SeaWing launched herself at the SkyWing and Shrike ducked and raked her underbelly as she flew over him. She hit the ground hard and Shrike was on her instantly, slashing at her chest and face. A different SeaWing hit Shrike knocking him off the green SeaWing, but he didn't chase after him. The new, and bigger SeaWing was helping the green one try and get up and get away. Shrike sprung back up and moved closer to the SeaWings. The bigger one could escape unharmed if he left the green one but he didn’t he put himself between her and Shrike.
"If I were you I'd move SeaWing, or don't I don't care." The big SeaWing didn't say anything he crouched lower. Shrike shrugged and was about to attack the SeaWing, but he paused. The bigger SeaWing was trying to protect the green SeaWing. Shrike's training said kill them both, but his conscience wouldn't let him. Shrike growled and stepped back. He watched the big SeaWing step back to the green one, help her up and then run off. Shrike was mad now, he should have killed them.
"Shrike!" It was the same voice as before. Shrike recognized it from before. The red SkyWing looked around and he saw who'd shouted his name. Two SkyWings where cornered against an outcropping by four SeaWings. The smaller of the two SkyWings saw Shrike looking at her and she shouted again. Just as she did so one of the SeaWings sprang forward and slashed at the second SkyWing's snout releasing a spray of crimson blood.
"The SeaWing's are playing with them!" Shrike ran as fast as he could past other SkyWings and SeaWings, over bodies and rocks until he was at the outcropping. Shrike jumped on one of the SeaWings from behind ripping open his wings and smashing him to the ground. The other to SkyWings took chance and attacked the other three sea dragons. Shrike broke the neck of the SeaWing he had crushed and jumped up to help the SkyWing who'd shouted for him. She was fighting to at once, but they were fast. Shrike crashed into one , smashing him up against the rock. Shrike heard a satisfying snapping sound and he knew he'd broken the SeaWing's spine. A high pitched shriek came from Shrike's left and he watched the second SkyWing. The SeaWing he'd been fighting at ripped him open and was watching his innards spill out onto the sand.
"Himalaya!" the other SkyWing shouted. She was still grappling with her SeaWing so she couldn't get to her friend but Shrike could. The SeaWing was distracted with killing Himalaya, so he didn't see Shrike coming until it was too late to do anything. Shrike tore the SeaWing's throat out and threw him away. When Shrike turned to Himalaya he was already dead. The other SkyWing had killed her SeaWing and came up next to Shrike. Shrike saw her, but he also saw two more SeaWings come up out of the water and see them.
"Thanks for saving me-"
"Thank me when we're safe, look!" he pointed at the SeaWings and the SkyWing nodded. As the SeaWing's charged at them Shrike said
"My name's Shrike, yours?"
"Hurricane." Hurricane said and Shrike nodded, as the SeaWings closed in. The rest of the battle passed in a blur for Shrike, the only thing that stayed content was Hurricane at his side. When it was all over the Allied Army had won, but the casualties where high. They'd lost almost half their troops, including Commander Inferno. After being sent back at the Allied Army's main base Shrike was promoted to Battle Commander for his performance and given a battle group.. For his second in command he chose Hurricane. After the battle he trusted her with his life and he hoped she trusted him with hers. Shrike was happy. He and survived his first battle and he'd been promoted. He was also enjoying being with Hurricane. As they spent more time together they began to fall in love.
The Fighting Never Ends:[]
A few months later, a few more battles later. The Sky Kingdom:
They attacked faster than anyone thought they would. Shrike was ready, for half of them. There was nearly three times the amount of Triple Alliance soldiers then there where Allied soldiers. It was chaos. There were corpses everywhere. In the eerie glow from the fires Shrike could barely make out the bodies of his friends and fellow soldiers. The Triple Alliance had attacked in the early morning, no one expected them. They came in a wave of destruction burning and killing any in their way. There were so many bodies. The fires from attacking MudWings licked at the branches of the trees setting the forest ablaze. Shrike was awakened by the screaming and fighting. He could tell that they were being attacked. He shook Hurricane awake. "Come one!" Triple Alliance soldiers were everywhere, hunting the Allied troops. Ripping them part where they stood. They slit the throats of the sleeping and let them bleed, or they set them on fire. Shrike gasped there was devastation all around him. Some Allied troops were fighting, but they were vastly outnumbered by the enemy. "Where's Alpine!?" Hurricane shouted.
"I don't know! See if you can find him or Blizzard, I'll try and muster more resistance, meet back here!" Hurricane nodded and ran off. Shrike grabbed the nearest dragon, an IceWing.
"Come with me, we need more fighters." The IceWing nodded, but Shrike could see him shaking. "I need you to fly to the nearest camp and get reinforcements, understand?" The IceWing nodded and took to the air. Shrike ran through the camp, dodging fires and MudWings. They sent MudWings to burn them out. It would be particularly effective against the IceWings. Any soldier Shrike found who was still alive he ordered them to fight, running and hiding wasn't going to do anything. Any IceWings, he ordered to try and put out fires if they could. With Shrike's orders the Allied soldiers started fighting back against the onslaught of enemies. He fought his way back to where he was supposed to meet Hurricane and if she'd found them Alpine and Blizzard. She'd gotten there first and was waiting for him.
"Did you find them!?" Shrike asked. Hurricane nodded.
"Alpine's dead, burned alive! And Blizzard is nowhere to be found, he might be dead!" Shrike cursed.
"At least we have some resistance now!" Shrike said. Hurricane nodded again.
"Come one we better get out- Shrike watch out!" Hurricane shoved Shrike to the side and out of the way of a wall of flames.
"Hurricane!!!" Shrike tried to find her in the smoke and flames but a MudWing grabbed him throwing him into a tree. Shrike screamed as he felt his wing snap. The MudWing that had thrown him pinned Shrike to the ground by his throat. Shrike choked and gasped, he couldn't breathe. The SkyWing thrashed and bucked but the MudWing was too strong. One of Shrike's flailing claws clipped the MudWing's face and the brown dragon reared back . Shrike gasped for air can bucked as hard as he could knocking the MudWing off him. Shrike slashed at the MudWing's throat and face killing him. Shrike sprang up and screamed. His broken wing hurt so badly, but he had to find Hurricane. Shrike ran to where he had last seen her, and there she was. Her scales where charred and burnt into a black color, her wings burnt up. "Hurricane…" Shrike crouched down next to her body tears pouring down his face. "Hurricane, no…" She'd sacrificed herself to save him. He should have been paying attention better. He should have seen the fire coming. She'd died because he hadn't been doing his job right. He'd failed her as a commander and as a mate, he let her die. The world around Shrike was quieting, the fires continued to crackle and there were still the distant screams of fighting. Until Shrike heard the shout
"Incoming! They're coming back in for another attack!!!"
"No!! No, they can't! they've already defeated us what more can they do?!" Looking back at Hurricane's body Shrike knew that he couldn't let anyone else die. Shrike got up started yelling orders. "
"Everyone get ready!! Don't let them take us down!" Shrike dropped down a slope and landed next to three SkyWings and an IceWing.
"Sir!" the shouted. But Shrike shook his head.
"Now's not the time, reinforcements should be coming, but we have to hold out until they get here. How many do we have left?"
"Sir! We don't know Sir! We're all separated all over!" one of the IceWings said. Shrike growled.
"That won't do, we need to get everyone together. All of you, find anyone who's still alive, and get them over here."
They all saluted and snapped to the task. "I hope that we don't have to last for long." Shrike climbed up the ridge and looked down at what was left of his camp. Everything was on fire, and dragons where running around and fighting. Shrike shouted as loud as he could, "Everyone! There's more coming, pass the word around, we need to stand as a unit!" Some dragons heard him and passed around his order. Quickly Shrike was looking down at a wing and a half of soldiers. Shrike slid down the slope and stopped in front of them all. "This is our strong point, we do not retreat we do not surrender. They had their chance to take us as prisoners but they squandered it. Now we give them death!" Shrike shouted. The surviving soldiers shouted too. Shrike thought back to battle cry that Commander Inferno had used during the siege on the beach head. "Death Or Glory!!!!"
"Death Or Glory!!!"
When the Triple Alliance soldiers crested the top of the ridge a few minutes later Shrike ordered for a charge. His troops surged forward into the enemy. For every Allied death he or she took three Alliance soldiers with them. Beside him Shrike heard the hiss of flames and he rolled to the side. He sprang up to face his attacker. It was a NightWing with a scar over his right eye.
"You're command ends here SkyWing." The NightWing spat as he ran at Shrike. They collided and the NightWing set into Shrike slashing and biting. Shrike wasn't stupid, he knew wildly attacking wouldn't work, he needed a plan. Shrike waited for an opening and then slashed open the NightWing's stomach spilling his guts out onto the ground. The NightWing froze and keeled over dead. All around Shrike heard a shout go up,
"Reinforcements! Reinforcements!" Shrike looked up and he saw wing after wing of fresh soldiers flying in and blasting the MudWings with fire and ice. Shrike smiled, but he wasn't happy. This had been a disaster. Hurricane and Alpine had died, so had many other soldiers. And if the Triple Alliance could launch a massive attack like this, then they were much closer and much more entrenched in the mountains then Shrike wanted to even think about.
After the battle was over one of the Wing commanders came up to Shrike while he was being tended to by a field medic.
"Commander Shrike, I've been ordered to tell you that you've been ordered to report back to the palace for medical attention and for new orders." Shrike nodded.
"What about my soldiers?"
"They will be sent back too. You're all being sent back." Shrike nodded again.
There was supposed to be something here, but I either can't find it or it doesn't exist... so next part!
“They’re coming in for another attack!” Shrike cursed. “Wipe out the SeaWing/MudWing presence in the mountains they said, it won’t be hard they said. It won’t be hard.”
“Fire wall!” Shrike shouted working up a fire burst of his own.
“Here they come!” the scout screamed. The SkyWing formation hissed out a wall of flame into the oncoming SeaWings. Shrike watched as the SeaWings scattered screaming, flames licking at their wings burning off their scales.
“Take’em out!” Shrike shouted hurling himself at the burning SeaWings. Shrike slashed his claws across a SeaWing’s throat and face. The SeaWing screeched and bat at Shrike’s claws. Shrike growled and plunged his talons into the SeaWing’s neck lifting the smaller dragon into the air. The SeaWing writhed in his grasp, clawing at his arm. Shrike grinned evilly and threw the SeaWing into the forest then leapt over the head of another to stand in a circle with his friends Condor and Storm.
“These SeaWings don’t know how to stop!” Condor shouted as he sent a deep blue dragon spinning. Shrike nodded then spat flames at three approaching SeaWings.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get’em.” Storm said between gritted teeth. Storm then grunted as he threw a greenish black dragon into two of its fellows.
“Retreat!!” Shrike heard someone shouting. He looked around quickly, making sure that the order wasn’t coming from his soldiers. At the shout all the SeaWings around Shrike, Condor and Storm ran into the forest shouting. A reddish orange SkyWing stumbled up to Shrike and saluted.
“Sir the SeaWings are retreating. Some of the boys want to keep chasing them, what do you want us to do?” Shrike looked around at the burning trees and bodies and shook his head. Mission or no mission, sending his already weakened troops into more fighting wasn’t going to help win the war. “Tell them that nobody is to chase the SeaWings, and if they do, then the answer to me.” The orange SkyWing nodded and left.
“Shrike! What’s wrong with you? If you’d have sent dragons after them we would have destroyed them!” Shrike shook his head again.
“The army needs time to rest Storm. Sending them into battle after battle, it wears them down.” Storm made and upset noise.
“You’ve gone soft Shrike. Ever since the slaughter you’ve been too easy on the troops.” Shrike spun and got right in Storm’s face.
“Don’t you dare call me soft! The slaughter was death its self, you know that. What I can’t understand is why you would have me lead troops into another battle like that. I think that you need to learn some restraint. Pretty soon using an army like a tool stops working. And when that happens dragons start dying, dying stupidly.” Shrike shoved Storm and walked away. Storm just didn’t understand, you can’t use soldiers like weapons. You can’t just point them at something and tell them to destroy. It wears them down; it makes them angry and rebellious. Leading soldiers like that is impossible. Shrike heard a noise and turned around; it was Condor.
“Shrike sir, if we aren’t chasing after the SeaWings then what are we doing now?”
“Condor, the only thing we’re going to do is wait. Wait till we can send a message to Iceblaze and Skytop.” Condor nodded and left Shrike alone.
A few hours later:
“There’s too many of them!!” Shrike smashed the MudWing against the mountainside, his head made a satisfying crunch as it hit.
“There’s no such thing as too many!” Shrike looked up and saw Iceblaze swooping in a wing of IceWings following spraying ice. Shrike threw himself into a SeaWing who was tussling with a SkyWing soldier. Snapping the SeaWing’s neck Shrike leaned down and pulled the soldier back onto her feet. She nodded her thanks and ran back into the fight. Shrike spotted Skytop and fought his way over to him.
“Skytop! They’re tearing up our right flank!”
“I know that, I sent Storm and Condor’s troops to take them out.” Shrike nodded then barreled into another MudWing biting into his neck. The MudWing roared and shook Shrike off, flipping him onto his back and pinning him. Shrike writhed and bucked but the MudWing was too heavy.
“I’m gonna enjoy crushing you SkyWing!” the MudWing growled. Shrike saw a flash of blue scales and grinned.
“Good luck with that.” Shrike said as two IceWings smashed into the MudWing sending him flying. A third younger IceWing pulled Shrike to his feet and saluted.
“We’ve got your back sir!” Shrike grinned again and said,
“Come on, we’ve got some MudWings to kill.”
“Yes sir!” the IceWing said. As they flew back into the battle Shrike asked,
“What’s your name kid?”
“Frostbite sir.” Shrike nodded.
“That’s good Frostbite take theses six dragons and see what you can do with them. Be creative just kill as many MudWings and SeaWings as possible.” Frostbite saluted smartly and waved his dragons over. It was bloody fighting, but in the end Shrike and his dragons came out on top. Shrike had sent two groups to search around the main battle ground for any survivors. Shrike was standing next to Colonels Skytop and Iceblaze, going over some battle plans.
"Why are they having us go through the Mud Kingdom, to reach Windstorm's group?" Skytop said jabbing a claw at the map.
“Probably because it's faster.” Iceblaze mused. Skytop shook his head.
"Most likely it's because of the objective. Are you both forgetting the mission, we know that Piranha will be bringing a large force across MudWing territory. If we take out Piranha then we deal a crippling blow to the Triple Alliance, and we'd be poised to attack the MudWings in their home."
Hey guess what!? There was supposed to be something here, but I either can't find it or it doesn't exist... so next part!
Shrike moved slowly through the trees. He looked back at Condor and waved him forward. Condor lifted Iceblaze's wing of his shoulder the walked up to Shrike. "I'm going to go on ahead you guys stay here." Condor nodded and Shrike moved off. Quickly he spotted a camp. It was a small group of IceWings. Shrike recognized a few of them and was about to go talk to them until a huge NightWing crashed down from the sky flinging the IceWings every which way. Shrike cursed. It was the same NightWing that attacked him before. Shrike didn't know what to do, he was the only one who knew how to get home, but he couldn't let anymore soldiers die. "Don't do it Shrike! There's nothing you can do!" Shrike turned to see Condor and said
"I thought I told you too stay behind."
"I don't care. I won't let you kill yourself for no reason." Shrike shook his head.
"I'm not like that Condor." Condor lunged at Shrike smashing him into the ground. Shrike bucked and twisted trying to throw Condor off, he was bigger than Shrike and heavier. Shrike slashed at Condor's underbelly and wriggled free.
" I know you to well Shrike, you'll kill yourself. I-I can't let you do that."
"I don't care Condor I'm going to help them." Shrike spotted Frostbite he was spread-eagled on the ground but moving. The NightWing was busy ripping into a different IceWing, this was Shrike's chance. Shrike tore out into the clearing stopping next to Frostbite.
"You're gonna be ok kid," Shrike said. Frostbite didn't say anything just nodded. Shrike helped him to his feet and helped him into the trees.
"Stay here, I'll be back." Shrike moved back around to where he'd left Condor. As expected he wasn't there. Neither was Iceblaze or Garnet.
"When I find you Condor I'm gonna kill you." Shrike growled. The NightWing had left so Shrike went ack into the clearing to check for survivors. The NightWing had really destroyed the IceWings. Two of them weren't even recognizable as dragons. Shrike returned to where he'd left Frostbite angry, but the anger melted away when he saw Frostbite.
"Are you ok?" Shrike asked. Frostbite looked up at him then looked down.
"There weren’t any survivors were there." Shrike nodded. Frostbite sighed and said
"What happened. Who was that NightWing?" Shrike shook his head and sat down next to him.
"He attacked me too. He killed Skytop and the rest of our soldiers. I escaped with Iceblaze and two other SkyWings everyone else he killed." Frostbite nodded. Then looked up at Shrike.
"Is he still out there?" "No, but there are still Trippel Alliance soldiers in the area, can you move?" Frostbite shook his head.
"It hurts." "Where?"
"I don't know." Shrike looked him over. He could already see that he had a few broken ribs. When he looked at Frostbite's other side he saw that his shoulder had been dislocated.
"This is going to hurt so be ready." Frostbite nodded. Shrike grabbed his holder and in one fluid motion stuck it back into place. Frostbite screamed and tried to move but Shrike wouldn't let him. "Stop moving, it make it worse!" Frostbite stopped moving but tears streamed down his face from the pain. "You aren’t going to be going anywhere for the time being so get comfortable." Shrike said. Frostbite wiped the tears of his face and Shrike noticed how young he truly was. He couldn’t have been more than ten years old, barley full grown. Shrike sighed.
"Look kid, this is my fault. I shouldn't have put you in charge."
"Hey that's not fair I did ok!" Frostbite said stung.
"It's not you. You did fine. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. What I'm saying is that when bad stuff happens they blame the one in charge and I don't want you to deal with that." Frostbite nodded.
"Shrike, can I ask you something?" Shrike nodded. Frostbite hesitated then asked "Shrike why do you fight? Why did you join, because I know you weren’t drafted."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know that if you get drafted you almost never get command." Shrike sighed again.
"You're right. I guess I joined the army because I was angry. You've heard about what the Triple Alliance has done. The prison camps, and the killing of innocent dragons. That made me mad I wanted to fight them. To walk into the camps and save our brothers. Then I got caught in the slaughter and everything was over, I'd almost died. Gale saved me though. Now I fight for her." Frostbite nodded and Shrike said
"Why do you fight?"
Because my parents wanted me to. We're a fifth circle military family. My father is a soldier and my mother's one too. They expected me to join. To bring them honor. When the fighting started I was too young and my father went to fight. My mother had a new clutch of eggs to care for so she couldn't fight. Then on day they told us my father died in a battle at the Diamond Spray Delta. I signed up and was shipped out here."
"What was your father's name Frostbite?" Shrike said.
"Drift." Shrike was quiet and then said
"Are you sure." Frostbite nodded "Sorry kid." "Frostbite I knew Drift. He fought with me in the Slaughter, or the battle for the Delta. He was one of the first to die in the ambush." Frostbite didn't say anything but Shrike could see the sadness in his face. Shrike wrapped his wings around the IceWing hugging him. "I'm so sorry kid. It's just the way the world is sometimes." Frostbite started crying. 'I'm so sorry…it's hard to loose someone you love…trust me I get it."
A few hours later:
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Shrike snapped awake. He was surrounded. Six MudWings and four SeaWings, too many for him to fight. He squared his shoulders and got ready anyways. The speaker was a black SeaWing, and he had Frostbite by the throat. "Here's how this is going to go SkyWing, if you want your little friend here," he shook Frostbite and Frostbite gurgled. "To live, you're going to come with us and not resist." The SeaWing then grinned. "Or you could try and fight us. You wouldn't live very long and the IceWing even shorter." Shrike nodded and two of the MudWings grabbed him. "Now, you're going follow me and not do anything or we'll kill you."
"Wait, what about Frostbite, what are you going to do to him?" Shrike said. The SeaWing chuckled,
"Yes I would think you would be worried about this IceWing wouldn't you, Commander Shrike. Don't be so surprised, you were going to be captured eventually. That was our orders, find you and capture you. Skytop is dead after him you’re one of the most important SkyWing commanders. Sending you to our prison camps would be a demoralizing blow to your precious Allied Army. I'll tell you what I'm going to your IceWing Commander, I'm going to snap his little neck and leave him here, alone in the forest." Shrike broke free of the MudWings and hurled himself at the SeaWing but the others grabbed him and pinned him to the ground. "You wouldn't dare!" The SeaWing chuckled dryly. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to complete my mission and honestly what's another IceWing to anyone?" Shrike roared and struggled under the MudWing's weight. "Let him up." the black SeaWing said. "He won't do anything since we have his IceWing." "Please, let him go… I'll do anything." "Hmm, let me think about that…" The black SeaWing stared from Frostbite to Shrike. He stared at Shrike for a long time then he nodded slowly. "Ok, I'll let the IceWing go but you have to both come with us and you will do exactly what I say, or he dies." Shrike nodded and the black SeaWing let Frostbite go. The IceWing glanced at the SeaWing and then quickly went over to Shrike.
"Thank-you." he whispered.
"Where are we taking them?" One of the MudWings asked.
"This one, he's going to Devil's Island, should be fun. Kill the other one."
"Noo!!" Shrike shouted, but it was too late. He was too late.
More stuff that should have been here, but isn't. NEXT PART!
Welcome To Devil's Island:[]
"Welcome to Devil's Island SkyWing." A skinny raven black NightWing said looking Shrike up and down. "My name is Deathseer. Life here is very simple. You answer to me. If you give me backtalk I hurt you. You don't do what I say, I hurt you. Do anything I don't like, I hurt you. You get it? I can either be your best bud or your worst nightmare. I can tell you're afraid. That's good. Fear will make you safer, it'll keep you from doing all the stupid things that make me mad. If I'm not mad then you get to live longer, got it? Great! Now since I hear from my buddy Ink that you're an officer this gets you 'special privileges'. But what privileges you might be wondering SkyWing, too bad you can't ask about them though." Deathseer poked Shrike's snout. "Too bad you're chained up. Now, because of your status you get to be interrogated every day by my good buddy Shadow. Now Shadow has been instructed to do anything it takes to get information out of you. Best part is I get to watch!" Shrike shivered. What would this Shadow dragon do? "Luckily for you if you comply and give me information Shadow won't do anything. When you're not being interrogated you will be with your fellow POWs, get to know them, make some friends. It makes it all more interesting when we make you fight them to the death!" Shrike felt sick. Fighting to the death? Fighting your brothers in arms to the death for what? "Now you might be wanting to know what in the moons would make you want to kill your friends?" Deathseer was good. It was creepy. "Well the winners get extra food. And as you'll soon find out food is a very important commodity. Also I want you to know now that if you refuse to fight we will stop feeding everyone, kill you and your opponent and then proceed to kill one POW every day until you all start fighting again. Refusing to fight just hurts everyone worse than actually fighting. Just thought you would want to know, it's better than finding out the hard way like a couple of POWs found out at the beginning of the war. If you see an IceWing with broken horns and a broken jaw if he wants to stop fighting." The whole time that he'd been talking Deathseer had been grinning. And when he talked about killing Shrike or one of the POWs his grin just got bigger. So, so creepy. "Right now you might be thinking that I'm a sadist and a monster. I would like you to know that I'm also a psychopath and a sociopath If I wasn’t here I would probably be in a prison or mental hospital. Here I can be myself, so fear me. You could hate me too, but that would make me feel bad." Deathseer was now snout to snout with Shrike. "It might make you feel a little bit safer to fear me though. That's all I have to say so see you soon. Who knows I might just come down to the prisoner barracks and say hi! We could be buddies, for some reason none of the other POWs want to be my friends, same with the guards. Funny right? Goodbye and sleep easy, I won't make you fight tomorrow or interrogate you. Aren’t I so nice?" Deathseer straitened and with one last grin and flanked by two NightWing guards took his leave of Shrike. "What was that, because it sure isn't a dragon." "Oh, one more thing!" Deathseer said peeping his head back into the room. "Don't try escaping or we'll kill half the camp. Bye!"
Two SeaWing guards unchained Shrike from the floor and led him down a few halls and out of the Warden's quarters. As they were walking from the building Shrike spotted a pit sunk into the ground with a ring of benches around it. "That must be where they have the fights. Fun." further past the pit Shrike could see mounds of earth. "Burial grounds. If I don’t die here I must make sure that the ones who died here be given a proper burial and their families told their fates." It wasn't very far from the pit that the SeaWings stopped Shrike. It was a long squat building and like the Warden's quarters, the gates and the guard barracks it was made out of imported wood. It looked cold and dark. The guards unchained Shrike and opening the door shoved him inside. He could hear them lock the door behind him. Ineffective honestly since more than half of the Allied Army where fire breathers. It was the knowledge of what would happen if escape was attempted that kept the soldiers imprisoned. Looking around Shrike could just barely make out wooden shelves or ledges jutting out a few feet from the wall. Perched or sprawled upon them where an assortment of SandWings, SkyWings and IceWings. The only similarity was that most had terrible scars and wounds. From the war, but more likely the arena. A SandWing standing to Shrike's right cleared his throat. Not all noise in the room stopped, but most. "So, you're the new guy?" he rasped. Shrike nodded. "Interesting." the SandWing licked his lips. "What's your name and rank new guy?"
"Oh, uhm my name's Shrike."
"Mm'k got that. Rank?"
"General" whispered
"What? Gotta speak up there buddy" Shrike hesitated for a moment then said,
"General of the SkyWing/IceWing division, last assignment: eliminate all Triple Alliance in the mountains." The SandWing was speechless for a few moments. Then said,
"Very interesting. Listen Shrike, why don't you head down to the back over there with the other's similar in rank."
"Similar?" Shrike said incredulously. "The captured someone else? ?" The SandWing shook his head.
"No sir. Highest rank we have would be most likely be your subordinate. And as far as I know before I was captured there four Generals and if you're here then that means only three left. It also means you’re a prize. This camp takes mainly from the SkyWing/IceWing division and then any overflow and extras from other camps."
"Hmm. Ok. One thing though. I'm the only commanding officer left. The rest are dead." The SandWing nodded.
"Sorry to hear bout it sir." Shrike nodded and started making his way to the back of the room. When he reached the end of the room there was a gap and then those dragons similar in rank to Shrike. There were five of them. Three SandWings, one SkyWing and an IceWing. One of the SandWings was a bronzy color and missing the tip of his tail, but was relatively unharmed. The second was a sand color but her main was a color so dark it was almost brown. She was missing a few teeth and her snout was crisscrossed with scars. The final SandWing was a dusty color and had a jagged slash running from the top of his throat to the bottom. Shrike could smell that it was infected. The SkyWing was light orange and his neck was crisscrossed by scars. Shrike gasped slightly when he saw the IceWing. He white with a purplish throat, underbelly and chest. His horns too, but his main ones where snapped off at the base and his bottom jaw had been broken, but healed crookedly leaving his top jaw overhanging awkwardly.
"So." The IceWing said his tongue moving in and out of his mouth as he spoke. "You say you're a General." Shrike nodded. "Then how'd you land yourself in here?"
"What's it to you?" Shrike asked. The IceWing moved closer to Shrike.
"Because. I think you're a liar."
"Ok. Who do you think you are, telling me that after everything I've done and sacrificed for this rank is a lie?"
"I'm Blizzard, second in command to Colonel Alpine of the fourth SkyWing/IceWing division." Shrike didn't say anything. And Blizzard looked smug.
"I'm so sorry."
"What do you mean?"
Because I know who you are. And what you lived through."
"What. Do. You. Mean?"
"The Slaughter. You were there. You were Alpine's new second. I don't know if this," he gestured at Blizzard's face. "Came from the battle. What I do know is that you disappeared during the battle…Just before Alpine lost his life." Blizzard starred at Shrike.
"You were there too. So you must be Shrike. You look younger than I expected, but just as beat up." Shrike cracked a smile. "So Alpine's dead?" Shrike nodded. "They grabbed me before I could get to him, I got separated."
"It's not your fault. There wasn't anything you could do." Blizzard nodded very slowly.
"So what happened to your second?"
"She'd dead too. Right next to me one minute, the next she's bleeding in my arms. I don't like talking about it."
"Such is the way of war." Said the bronze SandWing. "I'm Fennec." Shrike dipped his head in recognition.
"My name is Twister." The female SandWing said stepping closer to Fennec and rested her head on his shoulder.
"That’s Dusty over there." Fennec said nodding at the scarred SandWing. "He doesn't talk very much." "I used to be a Lieutenant . Twister was my second. Dust's a normal soldier he just hangs out back here."
"Probably because he's afraid someone would hurt him otherwise." Twister put in. "We’re all overflows from the Delta Island prison.
"Who are you?" Shrike asked, the orange SkyWing.
"Huh, what? Oh, yeah sorry. Falcon, Squad Commander. Used to serve under Iceblaze. Captured in an early skirmish."
Shrike nodded. "I think I remember seeing you once." Falcon nodded.
"Suns going down. Pass it down then I strongly suggest that you try and get some sleep." Blizzard said. Falcon nodded and passed down the message then laid down on one of the ledges. Dust climbed up onto one on top of his.
"How do you know the sun's going down there's no light but the lamp.?" Shrike asked.
"like this." Blizzard moved from where he was standing and Shrike saw a small crack not big enough to be noticed, but enough to let light in. and the light was red, like the setting sun.
"Interesting." Blizzard nodded and laid down on the ledge under Falcon's but above the floor. "One question, where am I going to sleep?"
"Doesn’t matter long as it's not the floor." Fennec said.
"Why?"
"Cuz floor's ours." he said gesturing towards Twister. "So we can be together." Shrike nodded. He got it. Fennec and Twister where a couple, being together was one way that they could make their lives there better. Shrike climbed up to the highest ledge on the same level as Dust. Shrike closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he was afraid to. Afraid because he knew that even though he might be 'safe' for the next day his new friends weren't. He was afraid that Blizzard and the others could be selected for interrogation by Shadow and Deathseer or that any of them could be chosen to fight. And Shrike knew that in one day that fear would spread to him too. This prison camp could very well be where Shrike's story ended.
In the morning he came. It was the silence that aroused Shrike. A room shouldn't be so silent. "Hey buddy!" talons grabbed Shrike pulling him off his ledge. It was Deathseer and his guards. "So guess, what! Since I learned that you were a General from my good friend Harpy," Deathseer said as his guards pulled Shrike up. "Do you remember him? Scrawny black patterns? The door guard?" Shrike nodded. "So you do know him!" he made a claw motion to one of the guards and then started walking away. The guards dragged Shrike behind him. As Shrike looked around all the dragons around him as Deathseer passed averted their eyes, not out of deference but fear. "So as I was saying, Harpy told me what you are and well, I couldn't just leave you alone now could I? No, you're to interesting." Deathseer opened the door and they exited the barracks. "So, for today there won't be any fights or anything. You are my sole focus." Shrike was completely certain that this was a bad thing, but at least his friends would be ok for a little while. "Of course this doesn't change anything I said yesterday. Shrike wasn't sure where Deathseer was leading them, they'd already passed the Warden's quarters and the Island wasn't very big.
"Where are we going?" Shrike asked.
"Oh, so that's what your voice sounds like. I expected it to be deeper. Where are we going? We're going to where Shadow lives."
"He doesn't live with the other guards?" Deathseer laughed.
"You see Shadow is a little bit different from the other guards." Shrike didn't want to ask, but he knew he had too.
"How?"
"Well… I could tell you or I could show you, that's more fun." they had stopped in front of a small building hidden in the undergrowth. Deathseer opened the door and Shrike looked inside.
"He's a SkyWing?" Shadow was a dark color like dried blood with black highlights. "Or is he a NightWing?" It was impossible to tell. "He's a hybrid?" Deathseer nodded.
"I found him here, he was dying and I thought that he was just to interesting to let die, so I saved him." Shrike was appalled, the only reason the dragon in the building was alive was because he looked 'interesting'. "I played with him for a little while and I discovered that he isn't one dragon. He has two personalities. The NightWing, Shadow is a monster. Similar to me but not as bad. He's a tool. A very good one, as I said yesterday I do the talking and he does the hurting. It keeps him from challenging my authority. It would be a shame to kill him. The SkyWing, Spire I don't like. She has no like for violence at all, but I think she's in love with me. At first it was a problem, but it's not anymore. She'll do anything I tell her because she loves me. Since I haven't told her that I don't it works, works in many ways." Shrike shivered.
"Which one was the original?"
"I would like to say Shadow but I'm unsure." "You two can go now." Deathseer said nodding towards the guard barracks. They saluted then half ran half walked away.
"They don't protect you from things. They're job is to protect things from you."
"Yep. After you, General." Shrike nodded and stepped into the room. Shadow turned to face Shrike and he could see a nasty scar slicing itself across his face.
"Who is this Deathseer?" Shadow hissed drawing out the shadows like a snake.
"This is General Shrike. Today we’re going to see if we can learn anything from him."
"Hmm. Never seen a General before. Do you think he's harder to break?"
"Mentally or physically?" Deathseer asked and Shadow shrugged. "Guess we'll have to find out!" Deathseer took Shadow aside and was whispering to him. Shrike looked around the room. It was lit by torches on the wall. In one corner there was a pile of straw and some books, other than that the room was bare. The floor where Shrike was standing was stained red. '"Probably from the blood of other prisoners." "So, shall we get to work now?" Deathseer said turning back to face Shrike. Shadow slithered up behind Shrike.
"If he doesn't talk where should I start?" Shadow wrapped one his talons around Shrike's horns, the other inching towards his eye.
"Hmm. Compelling question. What do you want to do?" Shadow's tongue flicked in and out of his mouth like a snake's.
"I want his eyes. He's got two of them, really only needs one."
"This is his first interrogation so, what the heck!" Shadow grinned.
"Thank-you."
"So Shrike you know what’s on the line. Let's start out simple. How many troops does the Allied Army have. I want a number, a real one."
"I don't know." Shadow's talon had moved from Shrike's horns to the back of his head. His claws inches from his eye.
"Are you sure?"
"I don't know." Deathseer sighed. "You're choice, Shadow?" Shadow's claw stabbed into Shrike's eye socket, sending up a spurt of blood and missing his eye by a hair's breadth. Shrike gasped and fell to one knee.
"He's not lying. He doesn't know." Shadow said pushing deeper until he reached bone. Shrike cried out in pain.
"Are, you sure?" Shadow nodded pulling his claw out tearing away flesh and scales in a wash of blood. "If you say so. Now Shrike, after you eliminated Triple Alliance soldiers from the mountains what was the plan?" Shrike did know, he was to lead his troops down the back of the continent to regroup with General Windstorm. He could feel the burning pain next to his eye and could hear Shadow's breath on his face and yet he said.
"I don't know."
"Are you very sure?"
"I don't know, they didn't tell me." Shrike lied. If he was going to do this he may as well make it a believable as possible. "They told Skytop, but he's dead." Deathseer shook his head.
" Colonel Skytop is still alive."
"No! he's dead! I saw it!" This was true but Deathseer didn't care. Shadow cut down from his original stab cutting a jagged slash that oozed blood. Shrike groaned and fell to his knees.
"I'm upset that you feel the need to lie to me Shrike. I thought we were friends." Shrike put one claw to his face and felt the slashes. The claw came back covered in hot blood. "We're not going to get any information out of him like this. Go get me someone else." Shadow dipped his head and left. "I know dragons like you. You'd do anything to protect your friends." Shrike could feel the blood dipping off his face onto the floor.
"No, don't do this." Deathseer got down on Shrike's level.
"I can do anything that I want." Deathseer stabbed his claws into Shrike's wounds and cut them deeper. Shrike screamed and writhed. Shadow came back and Deathseer straitened up. Shrike didn't know who it was until he was side by side with them. It was Falcon. "Good choice Shadow. Remember, if Shrike doesn't talk do something nasty to him and this SkyWing" Shadow took his place behind Falcon. "Now Shrike, where is the main staging and training ground for the Allied Army."
"Don't say anything. Falcon whispered. "No! I have too! He'll kill you!" Shrike thought, but he said
"I don't know."
"Are you sure?" Shrike nodded and blood dripped onto the floor. "Shadow?" Shadow tore through one of the membranes of Falcon's wings. Falcon didn't make a sound, didn’t even move. Shadow moved in front of Shrike and held his jaws open. He tore one of Shrike's teeth out. Tears streamed out of Shrike's eyes as Shadow pulled out another tooth. He let them clatter onto the ground. They looked like bone lying there. "This is getting nowhere. And I am getting angry. Shadow, are there guards outside?" Shadow nodded. "Tell them to get these two and take them away." Shadow nodded again. And moved to do Deathseer's biding. The guards pulled Shrike and Falcon up roughly and dragged them out of Shadow's room. They brought Shrike and Falcon back to the back of the prison barracks and left them there. Someone pulled Shrike up and propped him against a wall.
"What happened" Someone asked. Shrike's eye was clouding over with blood.
"Shadow went for his eye, then his teeth." Someone was wrapping something around Shrike's head.
"What about you?"
"Just cut membrane. I'll be fine."
"For now." Shrike recognized the second voice as Blizzard. "If he keeps going for your wings you're gonna be flightless." "
Yeah, I know. I'll be fine." That was Falcon.
"How many teeth?" asked someone else.
"Two, Deathseer got mad and sent us away before he could do more." Falcon said. The unknown voice winced. "
I know what that feels like." "Must be Twister."
"Where's Fennec?" Falcon asked.
"Beating Harpy. The sneak." Blizzard said voice loaded with venom. Shrike's head felt very light and he could still feel the blood dripping.
"Guys!" Twister shouted. Shrike felt himself falling. It felt weird, like he was floating. His head hit the ground and the world went dark.
More stuff should have been here...
Shrike was laying on his ledge replaying his interrogation over in his mind. The pain and the humiliation of not being able to do anything about it. The more he thought about it the more he wondered if he should have given Deathseer any information. It would have saved himself a lot of pain, but what would it have meant for lots of other dragons. Shrike touched the bandage around his head and winced. His face still hurt, but at least it wasn't bleeding anymore. Shrike wanted to see what the wound looked like, but he was afraid of how bad it would look. The SkyWing could feel the heat radiating out from the sides of the bandage. "Is it infected? Hasn't been long enough to get infected, right?" "Shrike." Shrike sat up and looked down at Blizzard.
"What."
"You know what's going to happen now don't you?"
"What do you mean?" Blizzard paused then said
"He's going to make you fight tomorrow… you probably made him angry by not saying anything, so it will be a hard fight." This wasn't supposed to be happening. He was supposed to have time.
"Do you know when?" Blizzard shook his head.
"They could grab you anytime. All that's for sure is tomorrow so be prepared." Shrike nodded.
"Thanks for the warning Blizzard." Blizzard grunted.
"Thank me later, after you win." Shrike smiled slightly and closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come for a while.
It was morning when someone shook Shrike awake. It was Falcon. "The guards usually come around now, so be ready and good luck." Shrike nodded and looked around the room. Most of the POWs were asleep, but some were awake and watching the door. Everyone knew that there would be a fight, and they were all afraid it would be them. Shrike couldn’t find Blizzard anywhere. The guards shoved Shrike in front of them, spears in his back. Shrike grimaced and moved where he was told. The edge of the fighting pit was surrounded by guards and soldiers, all shouting and clamoring at a fight going on. The guards led Shrike to a set of stairs at the edge of the pit occupied by Deathseer sitting on a ornately carved thrown and his 'friends'. The fight ended with the breaking of bones and the crowd roared.
"I'm going to enjoy watching you die today Shrike…" Deathseer said. "Remember you fight or everyone suffers." Shrike glared at Deathseer and the NightWing grinned and sat back. The guards shoved Shrike down the stairs into the pit. Shrike looked around, there were two dragons already in the pit, but only one was alive. "As most of you may or may not know," Deathseer shouted. "We have a very important dragon here among us, a Battle Commander." The crowd booed and jeered. Deathseer laughed. "Yes exactly. Anyway, he has decided that he wishes to defy me and not give me any information. As you can all see, he will live to regret this choice." Shrike recognized the IceWing at the other end of the arena. "His opponent? A long time champion, Blizzard." "Oh no…" "Now, I hate both of the equally so either way I win, because one of them dies."
"Never thought that I would have to fight you Shrike." Blizzard said. And Shrike nodded.
"Same here."
"We all know the rules, but for theatrics here they are. Two dragons enter one leaves. I don't care how you kill each other just do it. And remember, if you don't fight, everyone dies! Ready? Doesn't matter, fight!" Blizzard and Shrike started circling each other, both making sure not to step on Blizzard's previous opponent.
"You heard the NightWing, there's only one way this ends." Blizzard said lunging at Shrike and knocking him over. Shrike leapt back to his feet.
"I don't want to do this Blizzard!" Shrike said as he dogged the IceWing's serrated claws. Blizzard was off balance and Shrike bowled him over pinning him against the ground.
"You don't really have a choice Shrike, sorry." Blizzard struggled under Shrike's talons, but he wasn't strong enough to get out. Shrike looked up at Deathseer and the NightWing grinned and slid a claw across his neck.
"I can't kill you…I can't." Blizzard stopped struggling and looked up at Shrike.
"We both know that you're going to win anyway…you're supposed to win." Blizzard smiled his crooked smile. "There's never any shame in dying Shrike. So long as you don't do it like a coward."
"But I can't kill you! You're my friend!" tears where welling up in Shrike's eyes.
"Yes you can, you just need some help. Don't forget me when everything's all over, alright?" Shrike was going to say something when Blizzard lunged for Shrike's throat. Shrike didn't think, he dogged Blizzard's attack and slashed open his friend's throat. "NO! NO!" The crowd roared as Blizzard choked on his own blood then lay still, dead. Shrike let the tears fall freely as Deathseer shouted laughing
"What a show! Didn't think Blizzard could die so easily, probably should have pushed harder when interrogating him!" Shrike looked at the blue blood staining his claws. He wiped his eyes, leaving a streak of blue over his face and glared up at Deathseer. "
I'm gonna kill you! I'll kill you Deathseer!" Shrike screamed. Deathseer stopped laughing and leaned down from his thrown.
"Any time SkyWing, I'll come down there right now if you want." Shrike glared daggers at the evil NightWing. "I thought so SkyWing, too afraid." Shrike was anything but afraid. He knew that Deathseer could do anything to hurt or kill Shrike's friends in an instant. Shrike had to protect them, and if he died he'd be no help to anyone. "I'll keep everyone safe and keep your memory alive Blizzard. You won't have died here for nothing."
Deathseer wasn't a stupid dragon. Shrike knew that. Deathseer knew that Shrike would never give away any information ever, so the NightWing reasoned that the best and only use for Shrike was a slave to the arena. Shrike could see Deathseer's pleasure at seeing the him kill, to know that he was forcing the SkyWing to do what he hated. It was eating away at Shrike. The daily fights, the constant killings. Every day another fight, another death.
"Come one General, don't give up yet!" Blood on his claws, body count rising. The guards threw Shrike back into the prison barracks. Sometimes he wasn't even concise. Every time Falcon was there to help him back up.
"Let's see just how long Shrike here can fight!" Deathseer said. "Keep sending them down there until I get bored!" So Shrike fought, one dragon after another, he killed one after another. He lost count after ten. When all was said and done twenty where dead, their bodies piled all over the arena. Deathseer sighed.
"Why don't you just die already!?" Shrike couldn't die. He couldn't let his friends be hurt by the evil NightWing. More time passed. More fighting. After one of his fights Dusty came over to Shrike.
"Nobody here blames you. We get you're only fighting to live, you’re just better than the ones who died. We get over it pretty quickly." It was more words then Dusty had ever said to Shrike. The SkyWing nodded
"Thanks Dusty, it makes me feel a bit better."
"Welcome everyone!" Deathseer shouted. "Today we have something interesting. I have decided to make this SkyWing here," he pointed down at Shrike, who was standing in the pit. "Today he won't just be fighting one dragon, no today he will fight two. At once!!" "Have you fun Deathseer, make me fight…I'm going to kill you. Whether it's down here or someplace else. You're going to die." Since Shrike had killed Blizzard he had become obsessed with killing Deathseer. Two SandWings where brought down into the pit. "Listen up you two." Deathseer said. "Your goal is to kill this SkyWing. Do that then I probably won't make you to fight each other ok?" The SandWings nodded as Deathseer said "Ready? Doesn't matter, fight!" The SandWings started circling around Shrike.
"I didn't want to do this…" Shrike said. Every time he fought he told his opponent he didn't want to kill them. It was his way of making himself feel better about doing it.
"Nobody ever does, but you're still doing it." One of the SandWings hissed, then he jumped forward at Shrike slashing at his face. The SandWing then jumped back out of Shrike's reach, his buddy did the same on Shrike's other side. Fighting them one at a time wasn't going to work, what could he do. Watching the SandWings move he could tell they were fast, but they didn't look very strong. A plan was starting to form in Shrike's mind. When one of the SandWings passed behind Shrike near the wall Shrike spun on him and smashed his shoulder into the SandWing's chest smashing him into the wall. The guards roared as the SandWing's bones broke against the wall. Out of the corner of his eye Shrike saw the second SandWing's venoms tail arcing towards his back. The SkyWing rolled to the side and the SandWing's tail stabbed his buddy in the chest killing him. The SandWing shouted and pulled his tail out of his friends body then flew at Shrike, slashing at his face. Shrike let him get close, and as the SandWing was attacking his face he left his underbelly undefended. Shrike used his huge wings to batter at the SandWing confusing him then tore open his stomach, spilling his guts out onto the ground. The crowd of guards shouted and laughed as Shrike shoved the dying SandWing away and Deathseer said
"As always, the Commander never fails to impress." Then he turned to the guards standing next to him and said. "Take him away. This is getting boring."
Deathseer is right. This is boring, and I'm not doing anything else. There is plenty of other stuff in this story, but I don't care anymore. Its all garbage.