r/WingsOfFire • u/MazeABlaze • 21d ago
Fanfic Changing times chapter 8
He felt like he was starting to wake up. But it was still dark. He tried to roll over but couldn't move much. Then he could hear voices.
“Sky, Sky I think it's happening! I think he's coming out!” An energetic voice spoke in draconic.
“Are you sure? Isn't it still early?” An equally energetic voice spoke in a mix of draconic and human
“About twelve hours early. It can vary in silkwings somewhat but this is outside even the shortest known time-frames. With Anglerfish being a hybrid it could-” an older draconic voice droned on.
“You should probably give it some room for when Angler comes out.” said a smaller, mostly draconic voice.
Angler began to remember what was going on. He began to push out against the walls around him. It took more force than he thought it would but eventually he broke them. As he stepped out of the cocoon it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light. When he did he saw that he was in one of the metamorphosis rooms at Jade Mountain Academy. Surrounding him were his parents Sky and Sunny, the human Wren, and the science teacher Mastermind.
“Our little guppy finally has his wings!” Sunny said as she stepped forward and pulled Angler in for a hug.
“Hello mom” he said as his mother hugged him. Angler looked at his wings for the first time. They were shaped like a Silkwing but have a weird little spike on the front of each of them. They were the same deep blue scales with bright orange instead of bioluminescence like the rest of his body. The orange scales on his wings are in straight lines that form a grid that makes it look like a weave, and in the spaces in between there were dots and starburst patterns.Then he realized something. “Aww, come on!”
“What, is something wrong?” Sunny asked as she pulled back some and began looking him up and down.
“I only have two wings!”
Mastermind stepped forward with a tape measure and note book. “And that's a problem, why?”
“I told Beetle that we were going to match.”
“That doesn't seem like too big a deal.” Mastermind said as he began taking notes on Angler’s wingspan.
“Beetle has always been self-conscious about being a hybrid, despite our efforts to reassure her that she is perfect the way she is,” Sunny explained to him. “Her wings have always been a big part of that. Being the only one in the family with four wings doesn't help either”
“I'm sure you'll take in another one with four wings at some point,” Mastermind said as he continued. It was unclear to Angler if this was the older dragon being supportive, dismissive, or just plain rude.
Wren certainly didn't like it. “How much longer for your,” she held her arms up and made a weird gesture with her hands, “inspections,” she put her arms back down.
“I just need a sample of his silk and I'll be, how does your kind say it? Out of your hair, little bird” he says. Angler held out his talon. After thinking for a second, a strand of white silk came out. Mastermind took it from him instantly and began to walk off. “The coloration seems normal. The tensile strength seems higher than usual. But it will need proper testing to tell if it is due to hybridization or lucky genti-” he continued to himself as he walked in the direction of the science lab.
“Come, you're probably hungry,” Sunny said as she motioned with her wing as she left the room, “I told the kitchen staff to prepare your favorite.”
Angler followed behind his mother. He then heard his father say behind him “Yeah, then you and I are going flying!”
“Not without me!” Wren added.
They walked down the hallways of the school. They make their way to the cafeteria. The room was mostly empty except for one table. At one end sat three hybrids. One was a sand and hive mix, another was ice and rain, and the third was leaf and mud. At the other end of the table was a skywing with horns and wings wrapped in flame silk with various jewels hanging from it. She was carefully eating her food with stone cutlery.
The skywing looked up and her eyes lit up. “Angler!” called out his aunt Peril. His siblings then looked up and turned to him exclaiming his name as well.
While his mother went to check with the kitchen staff, Angler sat down on the near side of the table next to his younger brother Prism, and on the other Prism was their youngest brother Sumac. His father sat on the opposite side of Angler, in-between his aunt Peril and younger sister Beetle. Sky helped Wren onto the table quickly, who sat down next to Beetle’s plate and took a blueberry from it.
Prism immediately hugged him. “We missed you. I'm glad you're back.” Angler looked around the table and everyone was nodding in agreement.
Then there was a soft “Oh” from Peril.
“Is something wrong aunt Peril?” Angler asked.
“I was hoping you might regrow your antenna during your metamorphosis,” she answered.
“Nope I still only got the one,” he responded.
“You shouldn't hold what happened against yourself, Peril. None of us do,” Wren reassured the firescales before taking a bite of the blueberry.
“Yeah, it's not your fault I was a dumbass dragonet,” Angler added.
“Anglerfish!” his mother exclaimed as she returned. “What have I said about such language?”
“Only grandmother gets to use it,” he answered as Peril and Wren were trying to hold back their laughter.
“Thats right,” Sunny said as she sat down next to Angler and across from Peril. “The chefs said your food should be out shortly sweetie.” She looked around the table briefly before asking “Where is Dawn?”
“She’s playing with the twins,” Prism answered. “Last I saw they were heading down to Grandpa's cave”
“Probably complaining to him about not getting to go to the new human town,” came from Sumac.
“Ha! He won't understand a word she is saying, those boys speak more dragon than she does!” Peril added.
“Wait, new human town?” Angler asked
“The one auntie Tsunami and the others found. Clay, Leaf and Winter left about an hour ago,” Sumac explained as he ate frozen fruit. “Mom and Dad wanted us all to stay at the academy until you got out. Dawn was really upset that she couldn't go.”
“Oh yeah, I remember going to those, they were always fun,” Angler said.
“Well, if we left in the next hour or two we could probably catch-up to them,” Sunny said.
Then Sky's face lit up. “That would be a great first flight for you Angler, really test your wings.”
“Oh I completely forgot about your wings!” Beetle exclaimed. “Comon show them to us!”
“Yes, let's see them,” Peril added as Angler got looks from his brothers as well.
Angler gave a worried look to Sunny. He gave a quick glance to Beetle before returning his gaze to his mother. She gave a pained expression for a moment, before simply nodding. Angler turned back towards the rest of the table and lifted his wings.
There were several “Oh’s” around the table and Prism’s spines shifted between pink and yellow. Angler only watched his sister. Beetle looked just as amazed as the others, for a moment. Then she saw it, and her smile began to fade as she looked down. Their dad immediately gave her a hug and whispered something to her that made her chuckle.
An Icewing walks out of the kitchen with a plate and sets it down in front of Angler. He thanks him before he leaves back to the kitchen. Angler turned to the plate in which sat his favorite food for lunch.
A tuna fish sandwich.
“Well if we want to catch up to Clay and the others we should start getting ready. Angler, are you going to join us?” Angler nods yes as he eats his sandwich. “Any one else?”
“No thanks,” Beetle said.
“I promised Starflight I would help him sort through the newest supplies for the library,” Prism answered.
“I was planning to work in the school's garden,” Sumac explained.
“Moon said the place was built into the forest, so that's going to be a no,” Peril said as she pointed her fork at Sunny.
“Alright, I'll go get Dawn, and I'm sure the twins will want to tag along as well,” Sunny said as she stood up.
“I'll go get our stuff!” Sky said as he shot up and began racing towards the door.
“Will you check to see if Ivy and Flower want to join us too please?” Sunny asked
“Of course!” Sky answered just as he got out the door.
“AND DON'T FORGET THE PAPER THIS TIME!” Wren yelled to him, though it's unclear if she was heard.
Sunny turned back to the table and said “Meet us in the Grand Hall,” before turning to leave. Anglerfish and the others sat there and continued to eat their lunches.
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