~PROLOGUE~

~PROLOGUE~

Fireburst loved the sky. She soared through the clouds, diving and spinning and laughing. The wind blew all around her and whistled in her ears. Her fiery orange scales glinted against the setting sunlight, making them look golden and glimmering. She caught a fish and dove down to the little SkyWing village where she lived.

Her family was already there, waiting for her. Redstart, her younger brother, flashed one of his quirky little grins.

“Hey Fireburstie! Glad you made it! Oooh, a fishy! I call dibs!”

“Ahem, Redstart, I caught it, that means I get to eat it.” Fireburst replied.

“Oh.” His smile faltered a little bit, but his eyes still glinted the way they did when he was about to break down and cry. Her parents frowned at her, as if to say, Don’t be a greedy MudWing.

“But… you can still have a little.” Fireburst added quickly. Having a screaming little brother was the last thing she needed in front of her parents.

Redstart’s eyes lit up. “Hey lookie! Some friends!”

“What?” said Fireburst.

“There.” Redstart pointed with his claw. Flying across the sky were black shapes, each carrying something spiky and round in their talons. They darkened the sky and cast huge shadows, dimming the ground below.

Fireburst’s mother’s face went ghostly white. “Mother!” cried Fireburst. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“We need to move.” she said. “Now! Go!”

Fireburst ran. She ran and ran and ran, tearing across the mountainous brush like a speeding cheetah, going so fast everything surrounding her was a blur. She didn’t look back. Then there was an earsplitting sound and a bang like an explosion. A black cloud of rubble, dust, and dead grass swept up behind her, and she was knocked unconscious.

She woke up later, and pain hit her instantly. Wounds burned across her body, pouring red blood over her orange scales, staining them. Even though it was midday, the sky was dark black like night, with splotches of orange and red. Looming in the distance was a huge mushroom cloud, floating up like a humongous jellyfish.  

“Mother, we made it!” she yelled triumphantly.

There was no answer.

“Mother?”

“Redstart?”

“Anyone?”

She flew back to the village, but it was barely recognizable. Smoldering ruins of buildings were scattered across the ground. The surrounding trees were bent and stark, black like skeletons. It began to rain, but the drops were darkened from ash, giving the scent of sulfur and death. The clouds turned bleak, gray and drab, as if the sky itself were weeping. There was no one left in the village but her.

       .             .               .     

Fangtooth swam, propelling through the water and trying to catch up with the rest of his family. Bubbles rose out of his nostrils as he struggled through the murky bluish mass that was the bottom of the Bay of a Thousand Scales. He grumbled with exhaustion. Wherever we’re going, it better be worth getting out of bed, he told himself gruffly.

He could hardly see his brothers and sisters, as their navy blue scales matched perfectly in the deep water. To a contrast, Fangtooth’s scales were a strange iridescent greenish-blue, more like the color of shallow ocean waves or a peacock.

To his right, his sister, Cuskeel, turned to face him. Her scales flashed-

What a slowpoke. I’m not even trying to swim and I’m still ahead of you. Hurry up! I’m getting bored.

So am I, replied Fangtooth sadly. Where are we going, anyway?

Cuskeel grinned, her eyes flashing mischievously. You’ll see.

Fangtooth didn’t like the sound of that. It seemed… ominous.

After what felt like an hour, his family stopped at what looked like the entrance to some kind of small undersea cave. His father, Spookfish, nodded at him.

Fangtooth, come with me, he said.

Fangtooth swam with him into the cavern.

Why are we going in here, of all places? What am I supposed to be doing? he asked.

Then his vision cleared, and he saw what his family must have been after. The cave was humongous, much bigger than he would have thought by looking at the front. The floor was tiled with gold and polished coral. And the whole cave was filled with treasure. Piles of gold coins, glittering rubies, shimmering emeralds, diamonds that looked like fallen stars. All kinds of jewelry, necklaces, earrings, and chain mail, all studded with precious gems.

The second treasury of the SeaWings, Fangtooth thought. He had read about this place in the scrolls. It was where extra treasure was stored. Apparently, the SeaWings had a lot of extra treasure.

It took a lot of self control not to let out cries of joy or leap into the mounds of treasure. Something however, was bothering him.

Why, Fangtooth thought, just why would someone leave all this treasure unguarded?

Then he saw her. A skinny, green little dragon, only one or two, lay fast asleep on one of the mounds. A silver trident lay next to her.

The guard, said Fangtooth in Aquatic.

Indeed, said Spookfish. You must kill her now, so we can loot this treasure and escape.

Kill her? Fangtooth thought. But… she’s so young… and innocent.

Killing her would be the last thing he would think to do.

But… isn’t there another way? said Fangtooth. I don’t want to kill someone.

Oh, you don’t WANT TO, replied his father in a mocking tone. But you have to, son. Prove your abilities to your family. Be useful. Help us. That runty dragonet is no loss to the world.

His father’s words sunk into Fangtooth like poison. I should kill her, his mind whispered. For the good of our family. We need that treasure.

But… why should I? That’s not what a good dragon would do. And why do we need the treasure anyway?

No, he decided. I will not kill her.

No? said Spookfish. Why, you snivelly little creature. Who told you that you had a choice? Kill her now.

“I WILL NOT!” yelled Fangtooth, and then he realized he had just spoke aloud.

Oops.

The dragonet opened her little green eyes, and at the sight of them, shrieked and ran down a tunnel.

They both swam out of the entrance to where the rest of their family was waiting.

Leave now, his father flashed to the rest of his family. Go!

All of Fangtooth’s family swam away.

Fangtooth’s father turned to face him angrily. Why you revolting piece of seagull droppings, you alerted the guard. Now she’s going to get the others. The whole mission is ruined, thanks to you! We could have been rich!

Spookfish roared and slashed his talons across Fangtooth’s snout in fury. Fangtooth howled and dropped to the ground, clutching his bleeding snout. He saw the blurry shape of his father swimming away, abandoning him…. and then everything went black.

         .             .               .  

Endwhisperer was lost in the rainforest. It was dark and cold, and she shivered in the freezing rain. The odd sounds of chirping and snoring RainWings had confused her, and with no moonlight to see by, she was almost completely blind in the pitch dark.

Twice she tripped over branches, got caught in spiderwebs, or whipped in the face by a branch. A few times she felt something hairy crawl over her back. One time she could have sworn she saw a jaguar dart by, but she had no idea if it was just her mind tricking her. Oh, I wish I knew the way back to the cave, she thought. Then I could be warm and safe and not stumbling around in this blackness.

“Mother?” she called out again.

It had been several hours since she had seen her mother. She remembered her mother, Sharpview, whispering, “I love you, my sweet Endwhisperer. I will be going out to get you something to eat. Wait for me.” Endwhisperer recalled waiting for hours and hours, but her mother had not returned. She had chosen to go out and look for her.

Suddenly, a scream tore through the air. “Mother!” Endwhisperer cried. She dashed through the rainforest, her claws ripping through the mossy forest floor. She finally made it to a clearing, where a black shape was hunched over. Next to her was the pale body of a dragon. A RainWing.

“Mother! Is it you?”

Sharpview whirled around to face her daughter.

“Oh, mother… I thought-” Endwhisperer stopped mid sentence. Because Sharpview looked rather different. Her eyes, which used to be a dark violet-blue, were now a blood-red. “Yes, little one?” said her mother, baring a set of giant, razor sharp fangs, dark dragon blood dribbling from the corners of her mouth.

Her mother was a vampire.