"Sleep my child." Animosity's soothing voice filled Lydia's ears from where she laid curled up upon the cold, smooth stone beneath her within the cave, the nights bright moonlight shining down upon her as the guards watched over them from the shadows. "Let your dreams take wing and tell me what they bring to you."

Lydia could feel the gazes of the guards within the cave, each one watching her with interest. It made her want to feel small, tiny, invisible, but she kept her cool as she laid curled up upon the cold rocky floor below her, letting its rough texture help to hold her down into reality.

"Why do I need to sleep mother?" Her voice came out as a mere whisper, revealing the young princesses confusion and uncertainty. It was the middle of the night, the time when NightWing's were awake and most active, she didn't want to rest, but the feeling of cool air softly brushing against her scales and her mothers soothing voice that filled her ears was attempting to lull her to sleep.

But I don't want to sleep, she told herself with a shudder that made her spines quiver. What if I go back to that awful dream with the torches again? She could practically already hear the strange voice from those dreams, reaching out and trying to grasp at her awareness and pull her back into that cold, pitch black darkness that even her night vision couldn't see through.

"It's alright my child." The tip of Animosity's slipped it's way under her chin and rubbed itself upon her cheek, similar to the way she would cradle Lydia's head within her talons. "You've been raised for this, alright? Everything will be alright. You just need to let the moons share with you."

It was almost as though her mother was speaking in riddles and rhymes. Making no sense at all but also making sense at the same time. It messed with Lydia's mind. But this was her mother, her mother always knew best and she was the queen! A Queen always knows what to do.

And one day I'll know exactly what to do as well, she could feel her eyes growing heavy under the pull of her mothers voice. One day I'll be Queen just like Animosity, I'll rule over our kingdom and make sure to be just like her.

"There you go by precious little star." Lydia now could feel Animosity's talons rubbing the top of her head in a circular motion that Lydia couldn't help but lean into with a pleasant and sleepy hum.

Lydia's sparkling scarlet red eyes soon closed, encasing her into a world of black as the quiet noises around her soon fell upon deaf ears as sleep welcomed her with opened arms and wings, surrounding her in comfort.

Much to her surprise, when she opened her eyes, she wasn't in that dark tunnel with a trail of torches and voices that shrieked within her ears, instead, she woke up to sunlight that shown through a lush canopy. The wind blew softly and felt welcoming as it brushed against her scales.

Everything was bright and vibrant, like nothing Lydia had ever seen before. She couldn't keep her awe hidden as her jaw dropped open slightly at the sight around her. Birds chirped and sang with their early daylight songs that fluttered through the forest like a butterfly riding along the soft breeze.

It was beautiful.

"What is this place?" She heard herself mutter out loud was she spun around in a slow circle to take it all in. Everything sounded real, everything smelled real, everything looked real, everything felt real.

But this couldn't be real, it had to have been all a dream. This was all a dream. Lydia's thoughts came to a halt as she heard the sound of voices off in the distance. With hesitation, she started to make her way closer to them, feeling the dew that cling to the long blades of grass cling to her talons as the grass tried to wrap around her wrists and ankles as well.

She kept walking until the voices grew louder, soon enough, she could see who they belonged to as she peaked through the lush foliage.

Stood playing within a small clearing were two dragonets, both looking to be around her age, one who had sandy yellow scales with speckles of dark brown along with stripes lining the edges of one row of his scales that ran down along his neck and down his spine. His grill was a dusty grey-ish brown, speckled as though he'd been splattered with warm honey brown dirt. She guessed he was a SandWing, based off of how he had a frill and a stinger, as well as the colour of his scales.

The second dragonet was another SandWing, though his scales blended more into a peachy tone with warm brown freckles under his eyes that were a sparkling emerald green that glowed in the sunlight.

The two male SandWing dragonets tumbled around within the grass, swatting at one another as their tail were fouled tightly behind them, keeping them out of the way and making sure not to accidentally stab one another while they play fought.

After a few moments, two more dragonets showed up, a female SandWing with pale coloured stripes running across her snout and down her scales much like that of the first SandWing dragonet. The dragon beside her was clearly a SandWing and IceWing hybrid who sore a silver pair of glasses that swirled around her horns to keep them on.

Dashing out from the bushes was another dragonet, though Lydia couldn't see her face from this angle. The dragonet had warm orange scales that blended into warm browns and greys down her hind legs and wings.

The new dragonet, who looked to be a hybrid between a SkyWing and something else. Maybe a MudWing? NightWing? What other dragon tribes could have that brownish grey colour? She shook her head to push those thoughts away as she watched this new orange dragon rush out and tackle the first SandWing dragonet, the two tumbling in the grass with yelps and laughs.

Emerging not to long after her came three green dragons with wings that looked as though they'd been made from leaf's.

LeafWing's, she remembered. Am I having a dream about the LeafWing and SilkWing settlement? Lydia wondered as she watched them. The eldest of the dragons, a fully grown female LeafWing, called over the orange dragonet and started to pick off leaf's that cling to her scales, having to sometimes hold her down because of how the two male SandWings taunted and called to her with smirks upon their faces.

With the way she smiled and hummed, it reminded Lydia of Animosity. Motherly. Was this LeafWing the mother, or at least guardian, of all these dragonets? One of the LeafWing's looked older than the rest, but he must've just became a biological adult.

Lydia heard rustling beside her and she nearly jumped out of her own skin when she saw it was another LeafWing. This LeafWing was slender with angular shoulders and a sharp looking frame. Her eyes were steady as she watched the group of dragonets from a distance, and that distance marker was right beside Lydia.

The LeafWing turned to look at Lyida, looking her in the eyes. As their gazes locked, a voice rang throughout her head.

Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary. Roseary.

Lydia had to force down the shudder as she couldn't look away from the LeafWing before her who had now moved closer. All Lydia could now hear was the found of the large and thick forest all around her. The sounds of the family not to far away had disappeared, along with the clearing which was now empty and quiet.

"There was a traitor," was the first thing the LeafWing said, watching Lydia. "our plan was revealed. There was a liar, a trickster, a fox, a thief."

"W-what do you mean?" She couldn't hide the stutter well within her voice, but at least only her begging word was effected.

"Our plan was given away, someone told, someone tattled. We were ratted out."

"Ratted out to who?"

"The hives, the hives, the hives. They knew of the plan before it took effect, they knew of our snatching! They knew of our plotting!" The webbed spines along the LeafWing's back rises up in agitation, quivering with mixed emotions. "Lost, we lost. I lost. Lost, lost it, I lost us."

"Lost what?!" She cried. "What did you lose?! Who are you? What do you want?!" The questioned flowed from her mouth before she could stop them.

"Roseary. Roseary. Roseary." Said the LeafWing, the same word that had rang throughout her mind, which she now was putting together that it must've been the LeafWing's name; Roseary.

"The golden flower, find the flower! Where has she gone?! Snatched, SNATCHED! She had been snatched!" Roseary cried out, her wings flapping wildly as her eyes looked dazed and confused, lost. "The hives! The hive the hives the hives! They took her away beneath the bay."

"What are you saying?!" She's gone mad!

"Find the flower! The more the more they took, they more they snatched! Find the fox and seal the trap!" The canopy and flora around her felt suffocating, almost as though it were trying to cave her.

"The flower is down below, trapped down there with no where to go! Her life will wander and wither away."

"Who is Flower? Where is she?"

Roseary took a breath, her chest heaving and eyes unsteady as her webbed spines continued to fidget and twitch. "Lives are cut short and more will follow." She was no longer crying and screeching in rhymes and jumbled words. "Find the flower, find her wandering."

Find the flower, find her wandering? She must be talking about a dragon, but where would Flower be? Her mind buzzed with questioned but her jaws felt tied.

"The bay, where the hives can't fly, that's where she hides." The world around her began to blur, becoming a mixture of lush floral tones and colours. "Down, down, down below, where only bones and stones can lay down cold and alone."

Lydia was forced to close her eyes as the merging colours began to hurt her head. Roseary's voice continued ring throughout her ears, continuously talking about Flower and a bay, bones and the hives. A fox and a thief. She clamped her talons over her ears, attempting to drown everything out and for a few moments it felt useless, but then suddenly, everything was quiet. Not a single sound could Lydia hear.

When she opened her scarlet eyes once more, the world around her had changed. She was no longer within the lush forest of brightly coloured leaf's, fluffy canopy's that rustled in the wind and beautiful flowers. Instead, she seemed to be in a village with dragons of all kinds. The sounds of a soft flowing river filled her ears.

It didn't take her long to spot the group of dragons behind her. One was a stocky NightWing, another was a tall and slender SkyWing. There was a SandWing with two barb-less tails and odd splotches upon her scales. The fourth dragon in the group looked to be a RainWing NightWing hybrid with wrapped up wings that held them close to her sides. Beside them, was an older NightWing with glasses and a warm brown and orange RainWing with floral bracelets wrapped around her wrists.

Speaking to the group of dragons was the same LeafWing she'd seen before. Not Roseary, the LeafWing who was taking care of the group of mix matched dragonets. She couldn't hear what she was saying, but one thing she could hear was the ear splitting wail that came from the tall SkyWing.

"NO! MY BABY! WHERE'S MY BABY?!"

Lydia jumped with shock and spun around to watch as the wailed and cried, her large wings flapping in distress, tears gushing from her eyes like angry rivers that were running with grief and disbelief.

"MY LITTLE BIRD!" The SkyWing sobbed, the NightWing beside her was also crying But was also trying to comfort the SkyWing who sobbed her heart out, screaming in agony up into the air with broke sobs. "MY BABY! SHE MUST BE HERE! WHERES MY BABY!?"

A force slammed into Lydia, snapping her back through the air before the world around her turned into black and she felt as though she were falling into a dark pit of nothingness. She clapped her wings as the sobs from the wailing SkyWing drowned out.

Within moments, she slammed down into something that wrapped around her, suffocating her. It was cold and dark, she moved and thrashed, creating bubbles around her. She was in water. Cold water that tried to seep the energy out of her bones like a miskito drinking blood.

Water tried to force its way down into her lungs as the world lit up around her, showing her an ocean of sparkling blue. The corners of her vision started to turn dark as something else slammed into the water, swinging towards her with all their might. It was a dragon with solid blue eyes and silver glasses that wrapped around their horns. It was the hybrid she had seen before, the one with the LeafWing's and other dragons within the clearing, just before she met Roseary.

She wanted to scream out for help, but her voice died out in gurgles and bubbles that floated up to the surface without her, leaving her being to be pulled down into the dark depths no matter how hard she thrashed. Everything went dark in a matter of seconds, she felt as though she was being pulled from one place to the next without the chance to even take in what was happening all around her.

When she was thrown into the next place, she fell onto a cold smooth floor that was hard beneath her. It was cold, making her shiver as she took in gasping breaths. It was overwhelming, everything was overwhelming.

Lydia took a few moments to calm herself before she opened her eyes again. When she did, she felt relived. She was back within the palace, a place that was familiar to her, but... she wasn't within her room. She was laid within a hallway lit by torches that hung on either side of the long hall. There was a door beside her that was closed, everything was quiet, to quiet.

The NightWing started to get up onto her feet when there was a loud BANG! She helped and jumped away from the door that had bent under the force before bounding back into place.

What is going on?! She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Her throat felt sore and dry.

The door rattled and shook as sounds came from within the room, a dragon was in there and what ever was happening, it didn't sound good. Against her better judgement, she rushed forwards and grabbed the knob, yanking the door open with a gust of wind that revealed who was inside.

There was nobody.

The door lead into a dark hallway that seemed to go on forever. At the end, as far as she could see, was something tiny and glowing yellow; A torch.

"Follow the torches."

It was that voice again, the one that won't leave her alone. She felt emotions bubble up inside of her, anger, fear and more. She didn't know what to do besides squeeze her eyes shut and just hope for the best, her body rattling as she tried to control herself and just keep still.

The young NightWing felt cold once more, curled up upon a stone floor. She could feel her spines rattling nervously and she could hear hushed whispers all around her.

"Is she okay?"

"Is this normal?"

"This must be a part of the prophecy. Right?"

"Queen Animosity knows what she's doing, she knows the prophecy and her daughter best."

"Hush!" Came a familiar voice, it with was her mother. The sound of Animosity's voice made her physically relax, knowing her mother was there helped ease herself. "This is all normal, this has all been seen by my seers."

"What is happening to her? Your majesty."

"She's getting the wisdom she needs, the prophecy is making sure she's right."

With that, Lydia opened her eyes. Her scarlet red irises scanning the world around her. The moonlight wasn't as bright anymore now that the moons were starting to set and were no longer in the right position to light up the whole cave in sparkling silver light.

"My Princess!" Animosity smiled as she caught her daughters gaze, she was quick to move closer and wrap her wings around her, embracing her in warmth and security. "What did you see?"

Lydia felt as though her lips had been sealed shut, her throat feeling clogged, but she forced herself to speak, forcing words out of herself.

"I saw...." she paused and huffed, hurting herself into the crook of her mothers neck. "I don't know what I saw." Everything flashed before her eyes once more, the voices of dragons filling her ears.

"Follow the torches."

"MY BABY! WHERE IS MY BABY!?"

There was a traitor, our plan was revealed. There was a liar, a trickster, a fox, a thief."

She didn't know if she even wanted to tell her mother what she saw, but she could feel the way her mother relaxed and a smile blossomed upon her features as she held Lydia's head within her talons.

"Oh my little princess! Our tribes little star, you've done it, you're ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Your destiny is coming, the one you've been training for. You just need a few more lesions then everything will piece itself together before your very own eyes!"

Her mothers excitement felt contagious, Lydia couldn't help but smile, even though it felt forced and weak.

My destiny, her mother and father, as well as Wiseflight, had all girl her about her future and all the good she would do for the NightWing's. She was meant to save the NightWing's from their manipulative false Queen, Queen Misfortunate.

Was she even ready though?

Am I ready?"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

The next few days passed on almost seamlessly. Each day followed the same pattern; wake up, go to Wiseflight's room to listen to her lesions, go to the throne room and sit with her parents as the solved issues or spoke to higher ranked members of the guard about some plan, then she'd go with Animosity to the cave where the moonlight flooded in and trained. Either physically or mentally.

Then, each night, she'd have the same dream of running down that dark black stone brick hallway, following the line of torches with the voice chanting like an echo. It only ended once she woke up, but last night her dream ended differently from all the rest.

Lydia could remember it clearly since it had been racing throughout her head all night, she could hardly focus on anything else.

Running,  she had been running for what felt like an eternity. Her heart pounding heavily within her chest and ringing loudly within her ears as the voice whispered inside of the heard, bouncing off the walls around her as bough it was both inside of her head and outside of her head.

"Follow the torches."

It continued to say the same thing over and over and over again, and again, and again. It only stopped when she came across the last torch. The young NightWing skidded to a halt in front of the torch that flickered hungrily. It almost looked to be dying from how weak it looked, hardly reprint itself lit unlike the other torches that flashed hungrily and proudly in the dark.

Why was this one so weak? She wondered as she looked up ahead. There were no more torches to be seen aside from the ones behind her. When she turned back to look at the trail and glowing flames she had followed, she felt her heart stop and shiver in fear.

The torches, one by one, were going out. Then, she was by herself with that singular torch, the weaker one that flickered in hunger, desperation.

"Find."

"Follow the torches."

"Follow the torches."

The voice continued to whisper within her head as she looked around. This was all becoming to familiar to her. In most cases, it never change so it just felt like an never ending nightmare, but now, with it changing. She was starting to worry.

There was a flicking sound before something slid out from the dark and stopped right beside the torch and in front of her talons. It was a small, tattered piece of paper that looked soggy, but had been dried. It was crusted with age and gave off a salty smell.

Written on it, in aged black ink that now looked like a light brown, was a note.

Gjoe Ifs. Gjoe Ifs. Gjoe Ifs.
Pdfbo. Epxo. Gmpxfs.

It was clearly written in dragon, but she couldn't understand what it meant. The letters written down didn't form anything other than gibberish, aside from the last few words that she could read as 'ifs', but even then she didn't know what it meant.

That dusk when she woke up to the pounding of her own heart, she felt relieved, but also confused. She-

"Lydia!" A roar split through the air, shaking the dragonet from her thoughts and she whipped her head back to look at the dragon that stood a few paces away from here in the cave, her voice bouncing off of the slippery cave walls and drowning out the dripping of water.

Queen Animosity stood a little ways away from her, her shoulders and wing tense as her tail held itself up stiffly, she didn't look angry, just annoyed, but the look alone made Lydia focus on her instantly instead of her thoughts.

Right, training, she felt nervous now, guilty for letting herself get lost within her own thoughts, letting them control her and blind her to what was going on around her. It's what mother told me not to do, it could be dangerous.

"Lydia, lay attention." Lydia could hear the grinding of her mothers teeth as she spoke through them, her jaws clamped shut. Animosity had been more stressed lately, tense, anxious, excited. It was like a bubble of mixed emotions that she could practically taste whenever she was around her mother.

It was almost like every NightWing could feel it, something was coming.

"Sorry mother." She winced at the tone of her own voice. Animosity closed her eyes, letting out a sigh through her flared nostrils, calming herself before she opened them, no longer looking annoyed nor angry, instead, looking calmed and pitiful. Her stance loosened before she made her way over to her daughter.

"I know all of this is stressful, especially with the day rising ever so closely." What day is she talking about? Lydia wondered as she let her mother wrap her wing around her, pulling the red eyed dragonet close. "But you need to focus, you're the future of our tribe my dear."

"I know mother." The words flowed from her mouth, she almost didn't realize that she had even started talking.

"Why don't you go find your father? I bet Charming would love to spend some more time with you since I've been taking away his little princess."

Lydia couldn't help the warmth that spread through her chest and the small smile that tugged at her lips as she looked up to meet her mothers gaze. "Okay mother." She huffed before standing up a little on her hind legs to bump the bottom of her mothers jaw before she was pulled into a tight hug by her mothers strong arms.

"Now off you go little star," her mother let her go and have her a nudge with her snout. "Your big day is coming soon."

-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Lydia walked down the stoney halls, listening to the tap of her talons. It had been quite the walk from the cave she and her mother trained in, but she was going to see Charming so it was worth it. The tunnels felt as though they were blending into one another with each twist and turn, but she hadn't found any guards on patrol, or any dragon really.

It was almost as though the whole kingdom was dead. It made her scales feel cold.

Maybe I should go to my room and then head for the throne room. She hummed to herself at the thought before she stared to find her way back to her room, following the torches the lined the stone cave halls and polished, smooth floors. It all felt, familiar, but not in a way that brought comforting familiarity.

More like, she was living a nightmare that she couldn't yet figure out.

Soon enough, the dragonet made it back to her room, spotting the door with the golden hoop used for knocking. Lydia was about to turn around when she noticed something that made her confused, there was light coming out from underneath her door, a flickering golden light.

That caused the NightWing dragonet to pause, freezing in place as her mind swirled. I don't remember leaving anything lit, and I don't think it's dawn yet, with that, she made her way closer to the door, ignoring her fear as she grasped the golden hoop attacked to the dark wood.

Lydia sucked in a deep breath before she pushed open the door, letting it swing wide open, revealing the inside of her room. The walls were smooth stone, there was a small window, large enough for one a dragon's arm to fit through. It showed the silver light the moons were giving off as they shone brightly along side the stars that danced within the sky.

She could see her bed of soft scarlet red silks and cloths, pillows too. Dark wood tables covered in scrolls from Wiseflight's lesions as well as things her parents wanted her to read about. Situated beside her bed was a dark wooden nightstand which had a candle on a small circular metal tray.

Lydia stood frozen, fear gripping her heart.

Standing beside her bed was a dragon. They were tall and thin, their scales were a dark colour, a NightWing. She couldn't make out much aside from that, because as quickly as she spotted them, they were gone.

Just like that, vanished.

In their place, was a piece of paper, old and torn. It fluttered through out the air before it slowly made its way down onto the floor.

As soon as her panic subsided, she rushed forwards towards the paper and snatched it before it hit the floor, her mind believing it would disappear too, but it didn't. It was real.

Lydia's mind was racing as she smelled something coming off of the page, it smelled salty, aged. Written on the paper in old ink that was nearly light brown with age, was something all to familiar with the young NightWing Princess.

Gjoe Ifs. Gjoe Ifs. Gjoe Ifs.
Pdfbo. Epxo. Gmpxfs.

It was the same note from her dream earlier that night. Her wings twitched in confusion as she pried her eyes away from the paper to look around her room. The dragon wasn't there.

"I....." her voice died off in the back of her throat as she stood back up straight, clutching the paper like it was her life line. "W-What is happening?" She asked out loud, as though someone would be able to answer her.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Lydia felt as though she had jumped out of her own skin as she whipped around fat enough to give herself a headache and to make small black dots appear within the corners of her vision.

Her door was now open, and standing in the doorway was a guard, the young guard she'd spoken to before. He had a confused and worried look within his warm brown eyes that popped against the cold dark shades of blues that spread across his nearly black scales.

"Your majesty, is something wrong?"

Your majesty, the words rang like an echo throughout her mind. That title always felt odd to Lydia. She didn't mind being called your majesty, but it made her feel weird. She had to hold herself up to expectations, being the heir to the throne and born to a prophecy said to save the split tribe.

"No." She couldn't stop herself in time before she said that, making her wince. I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that, I-

"Is...there anyway I could help?"

The NightWing princess blinked for a few moments before she met the other dragons eyes. It couldn't hurt to let him see it, right?

"You could try, but, I don't know if you'll be able to." She mutters quietly before she held out her talons, opening them to reveal the written note. It still confused her. It was clearly dragon, but she couldn't understand it.

"This,"Lydia nodded towards the note as he carefully took it in his own talons to examine it closer. I won't tell him about the weird figure, he won't believe me. "Showed up in my room. I don't know who left it, but I didn't write it."

The NightWing Princess awaited quietly as she fiddled with her talons, watching as he looked to be thinking, reading the note over and over based off of the way his brown eyes scanned over it time and time again. She could hear him muttering as he scratched at the back of his neck with his talons.

Why dose this all have to happen? Why can't my dreams just stay dreams? She thought to herself with a whine, her teeth calmed down tightly together to keep herself from saying anything out loud. First the dream about the torches, then I find some strange dragon in my room with this note and they vanish.

"I think I might have an idea on what it is."

"You can read it?!" Lydia exclaimed with wide eyes as she stared at the other NightWing before her.

"Oh! No, I can't!" His wings twitched nervously. "But I think I have an idea on how to find out what it says."

"Oh... well, it's better than not knowing what it means!"

"Mhm." The young guard nodded his head before he shuffled closer to where the two of them were seated side by side. He held out the note so they both could read it. Using his other free talon, he pointed to the letters.

"With the way it's written, it must mean something. Based off of how jagged the writing is, that means it was done quickly, so, who ever wrote it knew what they were writing and could understand it."

"How can you tell that just by how it's written?"

"It's something my older sister taught me. She's in the guard too, her names Fateful."

Fateful, Lydia hums. That name sounds familiar. "And what would your name be? Does it match your sisters?"

"It does, actually!" He laughed. His laughter sounded smooth and calming, something that would make anyone smile. "My names Fatefinder."

"Fateful and Fatefinder, I bet you both get your names mixed up a lot."

"We do, as well as our little sister, Faith."

"Fateful, Fatefinder and Faith, that's to many F's." Lydia shook her head, trying to clear away her thoughts as they kept racing around with the three similar names. Fatefinder laughed at Lydia's comment before turning his attention once more to the paper in his talons.

"Have you ever heard of code writing? Some dragons call it a cipher, but both mean the same thing."

"A cipher?" Lydia scrambled through her mind as the world sounded and felt familiar to her. "I believe I've heard Animosity speak of it before."

"It's basically a disguised way of writing, like wearing something to hide who you are."

"So this is a disguise for writing?"

"Exactly!"

"There's all kinds of ways to do it, but I'm sure I could figure out which one it is if you'd like me to your majesty."

"That would be great, Fatefinder." She said, giving him a smile before she took one last glance at the paper within his talons.

Gjoe Ifs. Gjoe Ifs. Gjoe Ifs.
Pdfbo. Epxo. Gmpxfs.

——————————————————————

- MindlessTyper