Thunder and Nimbus watched the glowing orange dots come closer and closer. Thunder lashed her tail, feeling herself tense.

"Mom." She said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"I have an idea."

Nimbus looked deep into her daughter's eyes.

"What is it?" She asked, her eyes saying that she already knew what she was going to say.

Brief memories of the storm and the power she had harnessed flashed through her mind.

"I can lead them away from here," she said.

"I can use the power I've unlocked to make sure that don't tell the others where we are."

Nimbus looked at her for a moment longer, then at the rapidly growing FlameWings.

"Go." She said.

"But please come back to me."

Thunder looked long and deep into her mother's eyes and saw pain and sadness within them. She understood why it was there. She had already lost one dragonet, losing both of them would destroy her.

"I'll come back, I promise." She said, turning and spreading her wings.

She took off and flew towards where the FlameWings were approaching from, gathering height and strength with each long wing beat. The StormWing took a deep breath and called upon the power she had discovered earlier that day.

She saw the sky darken, the clouds roil and low thunder roll over the mountain.

Electricity crackled over her wings and spine as she approached the FlameWings.

"So the Chosen One chooses to face us?" Asked one of them, his voice a low and dangerous hiss.

Thunder watched as three of them circled around behind her.

"Come back with us and surrender yourself and we won't attack this continent." Hissed the same dragon.

"Or we will kill you and the other dragons you brought with, including your family."

Thunder narrowed her eyes, trying to look like she didn't care, but in reality she was terrified. Her family could die if she didn't win this battle.

"Never." She hissed at him, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

The wind picked up, howling around the six dragons and Thunder spread her wings, gliding up into the clouds, the five FlameWings close on her tail.

She called lightning bolts to her, and they struck her scales, and she absorbed their power, electricity running along her scales.

She fanned her wings and dropped back, the FlameWings flying right passed her. Thunder opened her mouth and bathed the nearest dragon in blue flame, going until his fireproof scales gave out and he fell screaming to the ground far below.

She dodged the flaming dragon coming at her and raked her claws down his side, causing him to roar in pain and anger. The StormWing then flew up into the clouds further as driving rain began to fall.

Below her the others followed.

Suddenly a FlameWing was in front of her and the others were around her, trapping her. She looked from one dragon to the other, her heart in her throat.

"Come back to me." Her mother's voice echoed in her head.

"I promise I will." Her own voice echoed back.

Thunder closed her eyes, the memory still in her mind.

"Looks like we have you cornered." Said one of the dragons.

"Time to say goodbye."

He opened his jaws and an orange glow gathered at the back of his throat, just as he was about to breathe his killing flame Thunder's eyes snapped open. They were glowing white, her gold markings glowing as well.

Lightning crackled between the spines on her back and four lightning bolts arched outward from Thunder's body, striking the Flamgs in the chest.

She watched their bodies fall, the scales of their chests, necks and front legs blackened by the shear power of the bolts.

Thunder's rage at the FlameWings boiled over at that point and she roared her rage into the darkening sky, Thunder shaking the air.

She had won this small battle.

She turned towards the academy as she let the power drain from her, her eyes becoming normal, the sky fading from a dark, angry grey to a light grey. The wind died down and the rain slowed, and lightning no longer forked across the sky.

It was then that Thunder realized how tired she was. Using that power had drained her, and her wings felt heavy as she flew back to the Academy, to safety.

When she got back she landed very unsteadily, fanning her wings to help her balance.

"Thunder!" She heard someone yell.

She saw a blur of green and brown scales and knew it was Pineneedle.

"Are you okay?" He asked, going to hug her.

"Don't touch-" said Thunder.

Her sentence was cut off by a cry of pain from Pineeedle.

"Me." She finished.

"You shocked me!" Pineneedle said.

"Yeah, because of my power." Said Thunder.

"It needs time to fully subside."

Pineneedle looked at her with concerned eyes and nodded silently, walking beside her, being careful so as not to touch her scales or wings.

She began her walk back to the cave, the hallways completely empty. Everyone was in their caves, but as Thunder walked down the hallway she saw heads peek out of the entrances and whispers spread from cave to cave.

As she came into her cave she heard her mother say something to her, but she didn't hear it, and instead curled up in the corner of the cave and fell asleep immediately, tail over her snout.

** ** **

Thunder woke up with a pounding headache. Her wings were sore and her head felt heavy. She blinked a couple times before carefully standing and stretching her sore wings.

She groaned softly and heard her stomach rumble. She was hungry, extremely hungry. As Thunder looked around the cave she didn't see anyone else. Her mother, father, Rainstorm and the others had already left to go eat or fly.

Thunder walked out into the hallway, ignoring the other dragons as they stared, and went to the eating cave where she found Pineneedle.

She settled next to him and began to eat, taking fruit after fruit and eating two whole legs of roast lamb.

"Someone's hungry." Said Pineneedle.

"I used all my energy." Said Thunder, picking up a banana and peeling it before eating it.

"And now I'm hungrier then a starved RiverWing."

Pineedle laughed, and Thunder smiled.

"Thunder!" Said a familiar voice.

She looked up to see Thunderhead walk into the room. All talk died as the dragons in the room turned their attention to him.

"We need you and Pineneedle to come meet with us. It's important."

Thunder finished the banana she was eating and followed him, Pineneedle close behind. Whatever they were about to discuss was very very important, and Thunder had a feeling that it involved going back to Ventus.

She took a deep breath.

Let's just hope that the continent is still in one piece. She thought.

As they neared a cave entrance leading into a large room they heard yelling voices. Pineneedle and Thunder exchanged a quick look.

Whatever was happening in there wasn't going well.