It wasn’t long before the two dragons pushed their way into the packed clearing. Tadpole was still trying to determine why there was such a need for something like this so late into the night. MudWings were notorious for avoiding nighttime gatherings, it was a very taboo thing to even suggest. Yet here they were and she could sense the general air of confusion. The main ‘stage’, if one could even call it that, was a shoddy log platform thrown together some time ago in order to bring a sense of community development into the area. To say the structure had been graced with dignity during its time would be a lie. Most used it as a glorified sun bed.

Torches sat buried around the perimeter of the meeting space as their flames only helped to illuminate the expressions of generalized disconnect and partial anxiety. Not two minutes ago she was enjoying a brief escape from reality with Blitzkrieg. Part of her felt guilty for that. Her brother was dead. To even have the ability to smile felt like such a distasteful expression of the grief she still carried. He had given her hope even in his passing. Stork had given Tadpole something to believe in and she felt his strength through that letter. It was the strength to face the world with confidence. He would’ve wanted her to smile at Blitz, to take a mud bath.. to live.

Still, that guilt gnawed at the back of her skull. His hope was overshadowing her pain yet she still desired to feel that hurt. While she could fight for him, she wanted a chance to fully mourn her brother who’d fallen. All of this inner dialogue seemingly played out on full display to the dragon next to her. Blitzkrieg gave her a supportive look. It wasn’t pity or joy that he tried to lift her with. It was a simple look of dedication, a true statement of ‘I’m here for you.’. The comfort lingered for but a moment before murmurs started to boil over into their own personal bubble. Both dragons looked around cautiously as voices and statements made in the crowd became more clearly pronounced.

“Is that Colonel Brimstone?”

“The hell do these rock lizards want in the dead of night..”

“Couldn’t just send a letter..?”

Brimstone. The name alone caused Tadpole’s blood to curdle. He was the grand architect of MudWing suffering. Scarlet was less than trusting of Queen Moorhen to handle the logistics of the Delta’s forces, so she’d instilled her own puppet to command the legions of mud-dwellers. Tadpole had only ever heard of the colonel but he matched every description perfectly. Massive billowing wings, deep velvet colored scales, twisting black horns, he was the definition of imposing. Brimstone was larger than your average SkyWing and arguably had just as much muscle as a proper MudWing. It was bad news enough seeing him here of all places, but something far more telling screamed out towards Tadpole.

He was wearing combat armor. SkyWings were never ones to shy away from military parading. She recalled seeing battalions of the red-wings flying overhead towards the palace many times, their glistening decorative armor shimmering in the sun. Colonel Brimstone was not here to show off his suit, nor was he here to give a half-expected dressing down to the dragons who surrounded him. It looked like he was geared for war. Tadpole nudged Blitzkrieg to draw his attention to this as well, but she stopped. His expression confirmed that he understood the meaning of what was to come.

SkyWings silently glided by overhead forming a vulture circle. She was only now taking notice of this as more and more red bellies began appearing in the sky. Their superiority in terms of flight was on full display, with wing beats so quite a majority of the dragons around her had yet to notice the growing masses overhead. As more and more gathered, it became harder to ignore. Tadpole still felt as though the deep of night betrayed truly just how many of Brimstone’s battalions were present. If she had to venture a guess, easily over two-hundred dragons. Even that felt like a lowball estimate..

Then it began.

“ATTENTION ALL MUDWINGS!”

The crowd fell silent as Brimstone addressed them directly. The light air of sleepiness she’d felt beforehand vanished from her body, as was the case with all the previously weary dragons around her. His voice was gruff and hoarse, as if his throat had grown callused from yelling a great many years in a row. Still it managed to dominate all other sounds that sought to rise from the surrounding marsh..

“I am aware that tonight may very well be the first time many of you have seen me. And for my sake I hope I never have to see the lot of you again. But short notice requires immediate action, and we are running behind schedule as it were.”

The SkyWing took a moment to clear his voice up before continuing with a speech he’d seemingly prepared well in advance. Either that, or he was very used to giving this type of address. Either possibility seemed likely, both led to the same conclusion. A high ranking official in the SkyWing kingdom was visiting his fighting force in the dead of night on short notice. He wasn’t trying to make this any less clear and yet Tadpole watched as some of her fellow MudWings failed to realize the situation.

“Queen Scarlet is seeking to gain control over Sun Kissed Mountains just south of the SkyWing border. The SandWing Blister is attempting to further her grasp in the mountains and we will not let that happen. As we speak, SkyWings are already lining up to take back the desert range. And you all have an obligation to fill.”

Immediately the crowd of MudWings erupted into chaos. Roaring and name-calling ensued as the irate dragons echoed their sentiments of rage. The Sun Kissed Mountains had been a fierce point of contention for months now. While MudWings were already fighting the SandWings in the Succession Wars, Queen Scarlet had wanted to use the chaos to do a little territory claiming for herself. Her SkyWings were swift and deadly, but the MudWings were the physical strength behind a large majority of her’s, Moorhen’s, and Burn’s campaign. Calling on the Delta to fight a proxy war over a useless range of ‘mountains’ was nothing less than a stab towards low morale and an ego inflation for the witch that governed it all.

Due to the already heavy fighting from the ongoing Succession Wars, the Delta was spread too thin to keep fighting this other ‘lesser war’, especially when Burn, the SkyWing’s choice for the SandWing successor, could care less about supplying any troops for this smaller conflict. Naturally, the burden fell continually on the Delta. They had no political power. These dragons didn’t have a strong enough voice. They were the perfect nameless soldiers to throw at problems and it was this fact that caused such an uproar out of the assembly.

“WE DESERVE TO BE TOLD THESE THINGS AHEAD OF TIME!”

“TO HELL WITH YOU! AND THAT WRETCHED RED WITCH!”

“HOW ABOUT YOU MAKE US MOVE!”

Stubbornness was a gift in some situations, but tonight it was nothing shy of a deadly plague. Brimstone stood perched on all fours, his stance radiating absolute authority. A simple tail flick sealed the fate of four random dragons in the crowd as glistening spears were hurled down into their bodies. The sounds of metal piercing scale and flesh made a silence fall over the gathered body. The sky then began to light with simmering fire as the mouths of hundreds of SkyWings opened. Their flames sat curdling in their mouths, threatening to be unleashed upon the whole gathering if another uproar began.

“Civility would be appreciated. This is not a point of debate. This is a direct order from both Queen Scarlet and Queen Moorhen. You all have until first light to gather what will be necessary. Deserters will be killed without question. That is all.”

A majority of the crowd was too shocked to move for a moment. MudWings had just been slaughtered in cold blood, but what could they do about it? Fight back? Run? The dragons overhead were known across the continent for their unmatched speed. Tadpole glared daggers towards Colonel Brimstone, seething with fury as her mind screamed at her to tell the MudWings there was hope! A treaty had been passed that excluded them from this happening! They were being shipped off to fight for mountains that no longer bound them! She went to open her mouth, but instead gave out a small, uncomfortable yelp as a talon dug into her front foot.

She whipped her head around to find the perpetrator only to be met with the silent gaze of Blitzkrieg. Confusion and anger filled her as she glared back towards the dragon who was supposed to have her back in all of this. He began ushering her away from the square, away from her kin. Brothers and sisters were already crying over the corpses of their fallen comrades. She needed to be there! It’s what Stork would’ve done! Blitzkrieg only added pressure as she added resistance until the two were finally a good distance away.

It was hard to see him as well in the pitch black of the Delta. Reeds and mud surrounded the two as Tadpole glared daggers towards the SkyWing. What was that about?! This wasn’t what she’d envisioned based off of last night’s gathering. None of this was going how it needed to. Lichen and Crocodile were on their way right now to grab that treaty. And now all the sudden the Delta was called for another deployment? That meeting was the perfect chance to tell everyone of the hope they’d discovered! They could’ve charged Brimstone together, taken out his forces and stood their ground for once. Her silent accusations were perfectly received by the dragon in front of her. She watched as he took a deep breath.

“We have to go with them, Tadpole..”

WHAT?! Sure, last night she’d been adamant about keeping this all a secret until they got the treaty. But things were different now. Too much had changed for her to keep that former resolve.

“Excuse you? Blitzkrieg.. That- that’s sentencing my family to death! You’ve been there! You’ve seen those battlefields! How many more of us are going to die on those mountains? We are fighting a war that we have no more business in! We have a treaty!-”

“No. We don’t.”

She paused, astounded that he’d even suggest such a thing. Whether they had a physical copy or not, it had been signed. Stork never lied and he would never dream of pulling such a cruel prank.

“So what?! How- I can’t let them go fight for mountains when I KNOW we don’t have to anymore!” Her voice ached with betrayal as his words kept echoing in her mind.

“If we reveal that treaty now- the SkyWings will destroy it for good. Any trace of it. Any mention of it. Any dragon who knows of it. It will all be gone. Once that treaty is gone, so are every single MudWing’s chances at escaping this.” Blitzkrieg paused to let his argument catch root within her. “Even if we ignored that fact, we’d be making a promise with no proof. I know everyone here is desperate to leave those mountains behind, but they want to leave them behind for good. They can’t do that without proof. And what happens if Lichen and Crocodile-”

Tadpole instantly snapped at him, shutting that thought out.

“They will come back. They have to.” She held a hostile edge in her voice, two wills battling over the control of her final decision.

If she didn’t say anything to them, Tadpole would be leading her fellow MudWings directly to their deaths. What would she say to them when they did reveal the treaty? ‘Sorry we couldn’t get this sooner. Also we knew about this before that deployment where a third of us died’. It made her want to puke. She gripped the sides of her head as her talons tapped against her scales viciously. Her tail writhed in agony on the muddy banks as she sat on her back legs. Blitzkrieg wasn’t wrong. Any mention of that treaty would spell disaster for all the Delta. Was she willing to sign off on the deaths of hundreds to ensure the lives of thousands? Would it be worth it? What if the treaty was already gone? Were they already doomed? Would fighting the SkyWings ever bring more to the Delta than guaranteed destruction?

It was hellfire in her heart, a black poison that clouded her mind with such anxiety that it threatened to cave her skull in. Her eyes narrowed further as potential futures and scenarios waged war for total dictatorship of her senses. Each image was more horrific than the last. Every thought left more and more blood smearing Tadpole’s claws at the end of it all. She would live as a monster to her own kin and die as a coward for never making the right decision. This- this moment was the tipping point that would set in motion every other decision she’d make in her conquest towards freedom.

Blitzkrieg now came to sit beside her, his right wing engulfing her as she pressed her snout into his chest. Shaking, she fought back waves of anxious, angry tears. There was no right answer. No matter what she decided, things would never be the same again.

“...burn in hell, scarlet..”

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‘Morning’ was a misleading descriptor for how early the Colonel had described his desired time for them to be up and ready. The sun was nowhere close to the horizon as MudWings were awoken from their patchy sleep. Tadpole had been up ever since her conversation with Blitzkrieg. His points had been so outlandishly jarring, yet they held sound logic behind them. Was logic something she was really going to trust though? It had been four brutal years of war already and there was no end in sight. How logical was that? This had been going on for so long that brothers and sisters were having to catch the next generation up about it. The image always made Tadpole sick to her stomach. What was even more disturbing was how streamlined they’d made their summaries.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

As she stepped out from the muddy abode, the silhouettes of her fellow MudWings filled in around her. Some were covering themselves in a light layer of muck for the three day journey while others tried to gauge what was even worth bringing. Her ears caught the distressed conversation between a baby dragonet and her big brother.

“But whyyyy?” A tiny trill voice asked innocently.

“We can’t stop fighting until a SandWing is made queen, Skipper. Burn, Blister, or Blaze. Once one of them has killed the other two and takes the throne, we can stop.” The voice that responded clearly didn’t believe the words he was speaking.

Had it really started with the SandWing civil war? Once their queen died, the entire world seemed to be interested in propping up the supposed ‘heiress’ from among the three sisters. It wasn’t hard to piece together why Scarlet backed Burn over the other two. The eldest of the sisters, and also the most brutal of them all- the two held similar beliefs that power trumped all else. Scarlet had made her allegiances as soon as the civil war was starting to turn into a broader conflict, as had all the queens across Pyrrhia. Four years later and no sister seemed to be collecting any significant edge over the others, only more and more corpses to build their future throne upon.

The Sun Kissed Mountains was a very separate, yet somewhat interconnected conflict. It was a move by Scarlet to take some long sought after mountains in the desert region. What better time to do so than during a civil war? Why the MudWings had become involved was the question on every dragon’s mind that populated the Delta. Not only were they fighting a Succession War, now there was a whole new operation to throw their bodies at? It was the primary reason Stork had opposed this so heavily. It was an abuse of power. Yet it happened anyway.

As she began making her way towards the gathering crowd, questions arose that Tadpole had never given as much heavy thought to. Queen Moorhen was no idiot. Their queen was a tactician and a brilliant engineer. It was clear her kingdom was paying its dues to the SkyWings but what angle did their queen see in all this? Was there something else on the table that would tempt her to let Scarlet essentially ransack the Delta? Lichen spoke of the palace itself being under silent siege. It didn’t make sense. With everything they knew, even with the treaty, there was no outcome in which Moorhen seemed like the winner.

Tadpole would have liked to continue delving into this mystery, but the ambient noise of irritated and downtrodden MudWings brought her back to the moment. It was evident throughout the crowd that a growing sense of doom hung over them. Last night served as a reminder there was no way out. Once again, the desire to speak hope to her kin welled up within her throat. If only they could know about the treaty! Blitzkrieg wasn’t here to stop her now. It was on the tip of her tongue, reaching through her teeth as if they were bars in a prison.

The rejected outcry felt like swallowing an anchor. It tore back down her throat, creating a weighty pit within her stomach. She couldn’t. As much as her heart desired to be Stork in this moment, what good would it do without proof. Tadpole lowered her gaze to the trampled ground beneath her. She felt powerless even with such a powerful weapon at her disposal. She’d vowed to only ever chase freedom, yet already she was trying to discover what that really meant. Where was freedom found in a situation like this? Would dying here in the Delta be any more free than dying there in the mountains? Was a potential liberation today worth sacrificing the more assured salvation of tomorrow? Was it even right for her to decide the worth of lives by the decisions she was currently making?

“Chin up Tadpole- if we fight hard, maybe we can end this stupid land war before it takes us all.”

The young dragon lifted her head to see the hesitant half-smile that sat on Moccasin’s snout. It hurt to know that was the general consensus. ‘Fight hard and maybe we won’t all die’. What kind of option was that? She wanted to respond back with something in that moment, but what good would it do? Nothing she wanted to say would benefit anyone right now. She envisioned her older brother standing there. Would he have rallied the people together for a rebellious stand? Played it safe until a physical treaty came around? Had he really expected her to be able to do this?

“Hey- your brother is gonna get us out of this. Just wait and see.”

Three moons above it was nothing but agony. She forgot that no one knew their great hero was dead. Tadpole struggled to give a weak nod in response. Tears threatened to gather at the corners of her eyes as she excused herself and slinked away from the other dragon. It was just a reminder of how alone she felt in this moment. She didn’t have her big brother to fall back on this time, nor were the others here to advise her on what to do. She could only envision the shocked faces of Crocodile and Lichen upon hearing the decision she’d made.

The grand shouts of SkyWings above signaled that it was time to go. Wingbeats began filling the air all around her as MudWings took off into the sky. She watched on as each one of their fates were personally being signed off by her. Dragonets barely old enough to learn basic fighting techniques, elders who were just at the minimum fitness required for such a flight, all of them had no notion that their future struggles were being allowed by the only dragon who had the knowledge to say otherwise. Tadpole gripped the mud beneath her as her own wings now unfurled.

Each stroke downwards felt like hell as Tadpole fell into rank behind a group of dragons. The flight would be a torturous three day slog through freezing mountain air and scorching SandWing heat. She looked back towards the villages they were now leaving behind. Small dragonets and crippled dragons all watched them leave with a solemn sense of both reverence and intense sadness. Tadpole turned back to face ahead as the sun began slowly cresting over the horizon. What a horrible day for good weather.

It wasn’t long before an even pace was established. Most dragons’ wings would be sore upon arriving at the Sun Kissed Mountains, not that Brimstone would care. Tadpole rode upon the winds effortlessly, thanks in part to the many flying lessons she had received from Blitzkrieg over the past two years. Her eyes scanned the horde of dragons around her as she sought to find where he was. It was unusual that she didn’t run across him earlier that morning. It wasn’t like she had withheld her emotional turmoil last night and he was almost always there when he knew things were hard. Maybe Colonel Brimstone had called him to fly with the SkyWing divisions today.

Blitzkrieg had been in the Delta for a while now, it was so difficult to associate him with others of his kind. There were a number of SkyWings who currently lived in the Diamond Spray Delta. No one knew precisely why they were living in the mud and not out on the mountains, but Blitzkrieg said those who chose to did so in order to create a better bond with the dragons they’d be fighting with. It was a laughable sentiment. Many of the SkyWings who’d originally come to live in the marshes ended up heading back to their homes. He, along with a couple dozen others, insisted on staying. She wasn’t complaining. Meeting her mate was a pretty solid reason to not be annoyed that a few SkyWings hung around every now and then.

As Tadpole mused over these thoughts, a rather interesting one came to mind. She didn’t know much of his time in the SkyWing territory. He had been a soldier for quite some time, though there wasn’t much she could figure out about his time before then. Apparently he had regretful excuses for parents and grew up without any siblings. She couldn’t imagine a world without family. Then again it showed how vastly different the cultures of dragons all across Pyrrhia truly were. His life had been one of service to the SkyWing army.

To an extent, she too understood that aspect. Stork, her bigwings, was always looking out for her. Their other siblings didn’t make it, sadly. A sickness had taken them early and there was nothing the medicine dragons could really do. However, as fate would have it, Lichen and Crocodile were soon brought into the fold. Their bigwings, Heron, had died earlier that year fighting off the same sickness. Stork basically did everything that was expected of him and more. As the elders taught him to fight, so he taught her, Lichen, and Crocodile. Whenever a spare moment was available, he’d recount the many stories he heard and tell them all what the world was one day going to look like.

What’s the world without a little hard work?

The older they got, the less time they had for stories and dreams. Whenever Stork wasn’t on patrol, he was teaching her how to handle herself. It wasn’t the military, sure, but it was a constant reminder to always be ready. It instilled the idea in Tadpole that this world housed far more enemies than it did friends. Once the Succession Wars began, it was all claws on deck. She’d been fighting ever since. No- they had all been fighting ever since. It was the driving factor for Stork to become a diplomat and it had been the inspiration she thought she needed to chase after him.

Was her brother a fool to think wars could be won with paper and talon-shakes? No, he knew it took more than paper. Maybe that was one of the reasons he chose to stay at that snake-infested palace. Perhaps he saw his death as a necessity to put a stop to this. Tadpole was grieved that the thought of her brother would now always be haunted by the shadow of his passing. She didn’t want to remember that. He did too much good for her and the Delta to only be thought of in sorrow, but what other feeling could she possibly hold to in a time like this?

She missed him. His laugh, his smile, the numerous jokes made at her expense- Stork had been her safe haven from all the cruelty this world had to offer. His wings had been a shield to block out the pain of growing up like that. He was the icon of MudWing pride. How was she supposed to leave his wings and take his place? Could she? It was like replacing gold with granite. He was everything she wanted to be. Without him, who could teach her how to get there? It was like trying to read a map with a hole cut through the center.

As her brother dominated her thoughts, a slight disturbance next to her caught Tadpole’s wandering attention. It was a smaller MudWing, barely scraping by as eligible to be in this war. If she had to guess, this dragonet was an adolescent, probably around three years old. Tadpole herself was seven years old, which was an odd realization to come to at the moment. She’d practically forgotten to keep track of her age for the past few years. The dragonet was focused on the horizon, but had a rather intense look of fear written across their face.

“First time flying out to the mountains?” She felt awkward asking such a question. So much hung in the unknown, much of which Tadpole was herself terrified of. Could she really offer any comfort to this dragonet?

“Yeah- and I think I’m gonna freeze my scales off!”

Part of the reason some covered their scales with mud was to help add a little extra layer of thermal protection. Then again, it didn’t ever do much. And when it did freeze it was pure misery to get off.

“Trust me, once we’ve been in the air for a few hours you’re gonna welcome the feeling of a cold chill.”

“How many times have you done this?” The younger dragon’s voice was a blend of inquisitive and fretful.

“This flight in particular? Around four times. Throughout the Succession Wars? I’ve flown to the SandWing kingdom at least thirteen times.”

This dragon held the same look in his eyes that Tadpole remembered feeling so long ago. There was of course the dread of battle, but it was coupled with the wonder of getting to see something new. Deserts the size of oceans and mountains that could tear the skies in half, the feeling of discovery always helped her in her younger years of travel.

“What’s your name?” Tadpole asked, flying a little closer to the young dragon.

“Duckweed. What about you?”

“My name is Tadpole. It’s nice to meet you, Duckweed.”

The young dragon seemed to relax a little now that someone else presumably knew his name. Was he all alone? Where was his bigwings? Or the rest of his siblings?

“Where is your bigwings?”

Duckweed gave her a half-hearted attempt at some sort of prideful smile.

“That would be me.. All my brothers and sisters were too young to come along, so the elders are taking care of them for me until I get back.” His voice held firm, but the shakiness beneath it betrayed his true feelings.

Tadpole solemnly nodded. It was twisted that something like this even had to happen in the first place. She felt the pit in her stomach grow in weight. He was out here because she’d refused to make a stand. But what would’ve happened had she made that stand. Would he have been caught in the crossfire? Would his siblings have lived? Seeing his face, hearing his voice, was this what Stork felt everyday leading up to his departure for the SkyWing palace? Did he feel like he held every life in his hands? If this was the price of leadership, she felt as if she suddenly didn’t want it.

“When do we get to go home, Tadpole?”

“...soon. I promise.”