Screaming.

Not of dragons, mind you, but that of them.

The Fliers.

Ash was the first to hear it. His ears perked while the females continued to discuss war plans. He had been standing guard just inside the door. He turned  Queen Luminescent's head general, named Koi.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I did... You don't think?"

"I think so" Ash said. "We need to get the queens out of here. ASAP."

The SeaWing general nodded, turning to the MudWing next to him. Who in turn warned the IceWing, the NightWing, the RainWing.

"We're under attack!" Ash shouted when each tribe's head general was ready. The queens turned around, and craned their ears.

Sure enough, there it was. The Fliers' song. Screeching across the sky.

Queen Nightmare of the NightWings was the first to shout.

"I hear them! He's right!"

Then Queen Mahogany of the MudWings.

"Let's go! Quickly!"

After that, Queen Luminescent, Queen Icepick, and every general became frantic.

Queen Toucan stood frightened, rooted to the spot.

"Enough!" Ash yelled above them all. "Right now, we need to fight! Queen Toucan's RainWings are under attack! Our first strike against the Scavengers must be us united to stand with our other tribes!"

"He's right!" Queen Icepick yelled. She turned to her IceWing general. "Get the assembled troops! I want every IceWing up there after those fliers!"

The IceWing general nodded, and flew out the open door, shouting orders as soon as his wings hit the open air.

Then, the other queens ordered their troops to do the same. Screeching filled the afternoon hea as wave after wave of dragons stood to alert, ready and willing to sacrifice all against the threat. Venom went out with Queen Sandstorm, fighting with her tribe. Or going to find Capuchin.

Toucan rushed over to Ash. "They're smart." she said, terrified. "They knew to attack us during suntime. Every RainWing is asleep, closest to the open sky, in plain sight. Even if they wake up, they'll still be too groggy to stand a chance against them!"

"It's okay, Queen Toucan." Ash said, holding the RainWing's hands. "We won't let your kingdom become the Sky Kingdom. We're prepared. They won't win."

Toucan nodded, and rushed off, to collect her own army.

Ash flew out of the palace hut and towards the highest treetops. Capuchin was up there, and he had to wake him up. Being an animus, the RainWing would be able to help immensely.

More screaming. The Fliers were close. They were right over their heads, above those of the innocent, sleeping RainWings. Any moment, they could drop explosives.

Ash yanked his earring off and flew about the sea of sleeping RainWings, flapping his own heated wings and screeching at the top of his lungs.

"GET UP! GET UP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! ATTACK! WAKE UP! LET'S GO! HURRY!" he shouted. At once the RainWings groggily woke up, standing to their feet. The soldiers immediately shot into the air, while civilians took a moment to get used to Ash's screeching before they heard that of the Flier's. Then they realized what was going on.

"HEAD TO THE FOREST FLOOR!" A few guards started to scream. Smart idea. The Flier's bombs might only take out the treetops in the RainWings were too far down to be hit.

At once, the tribe of foresty dragons, with their scales painted all sorts of mortified colors, dove down below the trees, clutching their children, screaming their heads off.

"Ash!" Capuchin shouted, winging over to the fiery SkyWing. A smaller RainWing clung to his tail stub, also colored a pale green and puke yellows of fear. "What's happening!"

"The Fliers. They're here. Get her down to the forest floor. Use your powers to protect the RainWing tribe from any explosives from the Fliers.

Capuchin nodded simply, and dove down into the trees.

Ash watched as the Fliers screeched overhead again. RainWings were still ducking for cover as the first bomb dropped.

"TAKE COVER!" He screamed, clipping his earring back on.

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Capuchin was pitched forward by the first blast that rang out overhead. The RainWings all around him screeched, and flapped for their lives, closer to the forest floor. Singsong shuddered in his arms, as Capuchin landed in the spongy dirt.

"Everyone gather around!" he yelled. His tribe got closer.

"Pack yourselves together as tightly as you can! I'm going to create a barrier to protect you all!" He shouted. The RainWings, petrified in fear, still did as was told of them. When everyone was sandwiched together like sardines, Capuchin shut his eyes as tightly as he could.

Place a barrier big enough to enclose every RainWing here inside. Make sure nothing except dragons can get in or out. Anything other than that, is killed or destroyed if they touch it.

He felt the coldest shiver of his life pulse through his body. And Capuchin convulsed. He felt the barrier shimmer and sparkle around every RainWing packed together. and there it hung, like a dome, shimmering protectively over every RainWing's head. Colors started to relax, as did the dragons inside.

"You are safe! Stay in here and nothing can hurt you!" Capuchin yelled. A sharp, excruciating pain shot through his body, and Capuchin looked down to see his magic eat away at his other back leg. The RainWings below screeched again, but didn't move.

Capuchin landed on the ground, and held Singsong's head between his two talons. He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Stay safe. When this is over, I'll come and get you, and never leave you again."

Singsong sniffled, and nodded, tears rolling down her pale fear-imprinted face.

Capuchin shot out of the protective barrier, and back up to the treetops. His ring would keep him safe from any explosions or attacks, just like Ash's earring and Venom's armband. Wherever they were, they would make it out alive.

Another bomb dropped, and Capuchin watched the RainWing village disappear before him. He was knocked back by the shockwave, but kept airborne. Above, through the trees, he saw IceWings freezing over the Flier's propellers, and letting the machine crash to the ground. Ash, his earring between his teeth, was melting the steel between his own claws. And RainWings, hidden behind their scales, snuck up on the Fliers, and stuck gummy starfruit in the engines, causing them to gunk and malfunction.

That's when Capuchin heard another sound. Rumbling, along the ground. Huge tanks of camoflauged green and brown tore along the rainforest floor, and started blasting more explosives towards the armies of dragons.

"TANKERS!" he screeched, flying up to Ash. The SkyWing saw the rumbling tanks along the ground and screeched. The MudWing soldiers' attention was got, and they along with Ash, dove down to the Tankers.

Capuchin saw it, the last remaining hut of the village. Toucan was huddled inside, along with Queen Luminescent wing-shielding her, the only two queens who couldn't fight themselves.  And below the hut, a Tanker, swiveling its nozzle to aim straight at them.

"LOOK OUT!" Capuchin screamed hiimself hoarse as the Tanker fired a fiery projectile towards the hut. Toucan looked up from her cowering position, and met Capuchin's eyes, with a spark of hop in her terrified pupils.

Before the explosive hit home.

"NOOOOO!" Capuchin yelled! He stopped in mid-air, watching the hut, in a blaze of fire and shrapnel, come tumbling down along with the tree it sat in.

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Venom flew deftly around the falling trees and flying bullets that sounds rang in her ears. Insight was tucked safely in a pouch around her shoulders, cowering in fear. Overhead, Queen Sandstorm, and Queen Nightmare fought back-to-back, setting ablaze and puncturing with tail barbs every single Flier that flew too close. The NightWing queen was gifted with insanely honed and heightened perception and intuition, as a result from her moon-born. She could sense every sneak attack on her and her SandWing friend.

Meanwhile, the armies of Nightmare and Sandstorm were zipping about in orderly formations, attacking Fliers and dive-bombing Tankers as a group. Most were quickly overpowered, and the screams of dying dragons filled the air along with the tearing and burning of the scavengers weapons.

Venom swooped upwards to a lone Flier, away from the rest of its wing. It was honing in on the RainWing hatchery, full of defenseless eggs and teeny tiny dragonets. With a screech, she attacked, knocking it off course. Venom was only a little smaller that the Flier, and latched onto its paneled steel with her claws rather quickly. She beat her wings, keeping the Flier off its course, and tore away at the metal casing with her claws and tail. The scavenger inside locked its beady, bloodthirsty eyes with hers, and turned its guns towards her,shooting the SandWing's belly full of lead.

But, only the first few bullets hit home, the rest plinked off her scales like harmless raindrops. Venom broke the glass of the Flier's cockpit, and wretched the scavenger inside out of the plane. She roared, and watched Insight cover his eyes as Venom ripped the enemy scavenger in half. She kicked away the Flier with her hind legs, and swooped down to the hatchery as it crashed farther away into the forest.

Inside, the tiny RainWing dragonets owled, and the eggs shuddered.Nursing RainWings lay around the edge of the hatchery, shot to death.

"HEEEEEEEEY!" Venom yelled. "I NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!" Immediately, she caught the attention of the SeaWings, and they swooped down to the hatchery.

"They can be taken to the barrier!" she shouted. "In the forest where all the RainWings are! It's safe there! Animus touched!" Venom explained as the SeaWings scooped up as many infants as possible and began winging away deeper into the forest. When all the SeaWings had gone, Venom took the last three eggs and one dragonet into her arms. The little RainWing was absolutely mortified.

"Shhh. It's okay. It's okay, we'll take you to a safe place, I promise." Venom cooed.

When she reached the barrier, Venom stopped just outside. It was only able to let dragons inside. It would kill her and Insight if she touched it. She pushed the eggs and the dragonet inside, and watched three RainWings scoop the infants into their arms. No one would be able to tell whose egg was whose, so they all acted as if each was their own.

Venom flew away, about to take out another Flier. Gunfire came out of nowhere,and blasted her forwards. Venom watched the armband's leather straps snap and fall away.

The last thing she saw was Insight lunged for the band.

And then all flashed to white.