The Twin Islands-Wings of Fire

Artemis

Artemis was drowning in nightmares. One second, she was fighting to remove a spear that had pierced through her chest. The next, she was bowing in front of gold talons. Giving a startled hiss, she leaps back. Her back is pressed against familiar golden walls from the first encounter.

"Well." Solar smiles. "I expected you to be dead by now. You have proven to be quite resilient." She gave a dismissive talon wave. "But no matter. You will be dead within the week."

"Long time no see, Solar..." Artemis mutters.

"That's all you've got to say?" The Daywing barks a laugh. "After all you've been through.. Your friend's death, because of me?"

Artemis's eyes burned with anger, but she let her gaze drop.

"My, my. Little hero.." Solar faked a pout. "What happened to all that energy? Don't you still want save the tribes?"

Artemis was too caught up in despair. They couldn't do it. What were they thinking? Especially not without Seaglass. It all was impossible. Maybe there was a chance before, but, as the Opal Winglet fell, they forgot to grab the edge. The thing was.. what were the rest of them supposed to do now?

"I see that hopelessness in your eyes." Solar snarls. "It seems like you're finally in the right place. Give up."

"Give up.."  Artemis mumbles, in a daze. The necklace around her neck suddenly grew warm. The black dragon's eyes glinted.

"....No." To her, Artemis's voice felt as hard as steel, but it still wavered gently. Solar blinked down at her in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"No," Artemis says, with stronger confidence. "I will not give up. We will not."

Solar bares her teeth, advancing forward. But Artemis met her halfway, flaring her starred wings and returning the snarl.

"We will find you Solar. And we will end all of this."

Solar shifted on her talons, her tail flicking back and forth. "You are making a big mistake, dragonet. You will die in the clutches of the desert. All memories of you will fade once I take over Pyhrria."

"No, Solar. You're wrong. And you'll certainly remember me when I'm clawing the life out of you. " Artemis snarls, and shuts her eyes, forcing herself from the dream. She's thrown into a different, black void. At least she gets to think.

Her vision was now wobbly, so she guessed she was shaking. She always doubted she had the courage to do that. Especially to a queen. Especially to her worst enemy right now. All of the built up anger in her subsides, bringing on more familiar faces that seemed centuries old. She wanted to wake, yet she didn't want to face whatever she had to when her eyes opened.

But the Nightwing is shrouded in disappointment moments later. It was inevitable. Artemis felt herself slowly drift away, and she shot awake with a gasp. Her mouth was dry, and her throat felt hoarse. She had a skull-splitting headache, and couldn't see. But she was alive. She couldn't quite figure out if that was good or not.

The sun was blaring down on her eyelids, causing her to groan audibly. There was faint shuffling, then a sharp poke directed at her snout.

"Artemis."

She leapt up, talons outstretched and teeth bared until she realized it was just Mamba. The Rainwing gaped in surprise, but her scales didn't show it. She was already a thundercloud of black, white , green, and dark red. Looking at her made Artemis dizzy, so she turned her head.

"I feel like I've been bashed in the head with a brick." She moaned, clutching her head and hissing when a sharp pain traveled up her skull.

"Don't we all." Mamba mutters, finally calming her scales down to a flat shade of garnet and yellow.