Today was the day. Shaneya's daughters had grown into fine young dragonesses, and this would be the day that one would prevail while the rest would fall. Shaneya had left Nora and Sheriah back with their father while she led Pernessia and Aegis to the training fields.
Mixed emotions fluttered through Shaneya. There was a pang of regret as she knew she was leading at least three of her children to their deaths, a pang of fear that what she ws doing would be discovered, but also a feeling of burning ambition, as she knew she was only making her bloodline stronger. She was ready.
"What are we doing, mom?" Pernessia asked, grinning as she was excited to see what was in store.
"We're going beast slaying" Shaneya responded simply.
"Oooh, do you think we'll find any treasure?" Aegis asked.
"We might" Shaneya said.
She knew the lands were crawling in beasts, watching them and waiting to strike. They had their first encounter rather quickly, they were up against Emerald Webwings.
Pernessia made the first move, rakeing her claws down one's face, Aegis following suit and attacking the webwing as well. This mearly ****** it off, and it scored Pernessia's face with it's own set of talons. Growling, Pernessia attacked the Webwing once more, Aegis backing her up, the sisters fighting as a team. Things got shaky however, when the Webwings turned their attention to Aegis, attacking her relentlessly. Pernessia managed to fight them off of her, but not until after they had done a number on her sister.
"Aegis..." Pernessia said. "You shouldn't fight anymore" She urged.
Aegis shook her head. "I'm fine." She said confidently.
Sheneya sighed at their exchange before noticing that the commotion from the battle had attracted more beasts.
"We still have company, girls" Shaneya alerted her daughters.
A mere Amarant moth decided to challenge them next, but the trio made quick work of it. However, the peace was short lived, because ember mice came lurching out of the bushes behind the fallen moth, snarling. They were much faster than the previous enemies, and Pernessia got struck with a few strong blows. Then, the enemies kept coming, this time a trio of webwings. There was no rest for the sisters.
Suddenly, a silky webwing dug his claws into Pernessia's neck. After a brief struggle, the silky webwing flew off, but Pernessia had fallen to the ground.
"Pernessia!" Aegis cried, trying to run over to her sister.
"Leave her, Aegis! We need to finish this battle!" Sheneya ordered.
Tears filled Aegis's eyes, but she did as her mother wished. At the end of the battle, she crawled over to her sister, sobbing.
"Pernessia, wake up!" Aegis cried, shaking her sister's body.
Shaneya came up to Aegis. "That beast snapped her neck..." Shaneya observed, seeing the kink in her daughter's bones. "There's nothing we can do for her, she's gone."
Aegis sobbed harder.
~~~~
Shaneya had taken Aegis home to her father, and now had Nora and Sheriah with her and took them to the training grounds. She sighed, but her resolve had strengthened. She had witnessed one of her daughters die, but having gone through it, she knew she could grin and bear the two other inevitable deaths coming her way.
During their first battle, Shaneya was actually suprised by how well Nora was fighting. Nora was doing surprisingly well striking down her enemies. However, Shaneya also saw that she was too easy to hit. Sheriah, on the other hand, could dodge easily, but couldn't seem to manage a hit. Only time would tell who would survive.
However, a pair of sparrowmice were all it took. They attacked Nora relentlessly and easily struck the fae down. Shaneya hissed at this. Nora had shown her strenght yet, proved her weakness. A mixture of anger and releif hit Shaneya when Nora died, anger that she had succumbed so easily, yet releif that a fae wouldn't carry on her legacy.
Anger also seemed to hit Sheriah, as the spiral raged and struck down the sparrowmice afterwards.
~~~~
Shaneya's biggest challenge yet was to pursuade Aegis to go back in the field.
"Aegis, your sister's have passed thanks to these retched beasts. Don't you want to get stronger to avenge them?" Shaneya said.
Aegis had her back towards Shaneya and said nothing.
"Please Aegis, come with Sheriah and I, we'll get stronger and avenge your sisters."
"You did nothing when that webwing attacked Pernessia!" Aegis shrieked, turning on her mother. "You let her die!"
"Aegis, Mother wouldn't just let her die." Sheriah hissed. "I watched her attack and help me kill the demons that killed Nora."
Aegis growled but looked away.
"Please, go with them to train" Baroke said, placing a talon on Aegis's shoulder.
"Fine."
~~~~
The sisters persisted through their first battle, then their second, their third, and their fourth. Their fifth was their challenge, a Ragepuff striking down Sheriah shortly after the beginning of the challenge. Aegis did her best to beat back the puffs, and Shaneya aided her. They had killed them rather quickly.
Aegis landed on the ground and caught her breath. Everything was quiet. However, it would yet again be short lived. The greatest challenge would be yet to come.
Shaneya looked at Aegis. Her heir. She smiled, but was soon tackled from behind.
"You are under arrest by the order of the queen!" A mirror spat, holding Shaneya down. Shaneya twisted her neck to look at her captor. It was
Angmar, one of her old clan-mates. They had figured her out.
"Aegis, run!" Shaneya yelled.
Aegis didnt have to be told twice, she bolted as soon as her mother gave the word. After all, she had never seen Angmar before, nor any of the other dragons she had picked up by scent. There were at least five strangers to her. She dissapeared into the woods.
~~~~
Back where they were training, Angmar already had Shaneya detained. She was sitting on the ground, legs and arms tied so she couldn't escape. Angmar was sitting beside her, waiting for the others. Shaneya could feel vibrations in the ground where she sat, a Guardian dragon, or maybe an Imperial, was coming.
It turned out it was both. An Imperial that Shaneya had recalled was
Venandi, came into sight first, a tied up Baroke hanging from his new binds in her maw. Behind her was
Thero, Shaneya's father, and leader of the clan's guard. Riding on either of his shoulders was
Shaneya's mother, the queen of their clan, and
Scorch, the dragon known as the Deceptive oracle among the clan members.
"Seems both subjects have been detained." Scorch said.
Thero nodded. "Thank you for reporting them, Scorch" the king said.
"Filthy spy!" Shaneya shouted on impulse. She was going to say more, but was silenced when her mother leapt down from Thero's shoulder and flew up swiftly.
"Shenaya... how could you?"
