Of Feathers And Flames- A Wings of Fire AU RP

Kapok glanced back at Shrike worriedly, before picking up his pace, beating his leaf-shaped wings to propel him forward. He landed at the entrance to one of the caves, ignoring the humans offering to check him over for injuries. The Leafwing slid between the other dragons, glancing around as the cave widened out into a large cavern about the size of the lots back at the Scorpion Den. There were bright, warm-white lights hanging from wires strewn across the ceiling. Kapok bounded over to one of the grills where a human was handing large chunks of meat to some of the dragons. She glanced at Kapok as he approached and smiled warmly, gesturing him over.
"Do you want it cooked or raw?" she said, her English accent making her words much higher pitched, but still understandable.
Kapok shook his head and grabbed two large pieces of what he assumed smelled like cow, glancing at the woman. She simply laughed and gave him a reassuring wave before he turned and began weaving between the groups of dragons again, leaping impatiently into the air and gliding as far as he could before landing in the narrowing tunnel.
Outside in the sunlight again, Kapok took off into the air, relishing the feelings of the air running over his scales before he swept his gaze over the checkpoint area, spotting Shrike not far from the transport, alone. Kapok angled his wings toward the Cloudwing, landing carefully in the sand next to him and then holding out one of the pieces of meat from the cave.

(Eesh, not my best write)
@Blue Raptor
“Ahh, Kapok..” Shrike said, swiping his tail awkwardly through the sand. He took the meat and bumped the LeafWing’s shoulder. “Now go fly. C’mon, I’ll watch.”
 
The moment Gen stepped into The Maze, he knew something was wrong. Like, wronger than before. He stopped in the doorway, the familiar click of weapons cocking echoing through the he corridor. He glanced up at the Patrol Guards with a wary look, fully expecting the tranq dart as it thunked below his cheek bone.

A sharp intake of humid air, and Gen jerked his body back, slamming the side of his face on a thick iron bar. He let his head drop, relaxing in the restraints as a sharp voice shouted. Each breath seemed to choke his throat, each gasp more strangled than the last. He lifted his gaze, moving with a deliberate slowness. Soldiers lined the rectangular room, guns trained on his head. A single unarmed man stood before him. He was pale, and tall, dressed in a well tailored suit, grey shimmered in his curly black hair.
"Bienvenido de nuevo, soldado."
Gen didn't meet his gaze, keeping his head respectfully low as the man advanced, running a cold hand down his neck. The man leaned in closer. A loud snap, and the muzzle fell to the ground. Gen didn't react, his breaths steadying. The man slammed his knee against Gen's chin, forcing him to lift his head and meet the pale man's gaze. "I have a job for you."

(Okay okay okay okay, what's the most natural way for the dudes to be introduced? Like, a place they could meet and maybe be told their mission? Gen's memory-less, no longer thinking for himself like before, I just haven't had a good scene to show that yet.)
 
"That's awesome." Sol agreed in a quiet tone. "But.. could you bring a human there? Into the Kingdom? I'm not-" he looked away, "I'm not leaving Tobias. He's all I know. I couldn't leave him." Sol sighed, bracing himself to hear his father's next words.
Helios smiled at his first words, but his smile faded slightly as he continued. He was silent for a long time, making it seem like he might not even respond, but finally he spoke in a soft and cautious tone. “I’m not sure what Lumos would say. The Queen has been communicating with the humans of the Bay of a Thousand Scales, and a potential peace treaty is being considered…” he replied, looking thoughtful. “But…Sol, I don’t think your friend would survive very long in the Solar Kingdom. You don’t understand how much that battle affected our view of the humans.”
Phoenix shrugged, an up and down motion of her wings. “I guess… but I don’t think you are the dragon he wants to see right now. He’ll be fine.”
King nodded, wondering what that meant. Suddenly the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Kapok practically leapt out of the truck, unable to contain his excitement at the aspect of freedom. But despite his urge to leap into the air and fly and swoop until his wings hurt, he stayed beside Shrike, sensing the Cloudwing's caution and unease. Dred dropped out of the sky suddenly, making Kapok jump a little and he gave the Mudwing and amused grin when he crashed into the side of the transport clumsily.
Kapok blinked up at the blazing sun still rising in the sky. The feeling of the light on his scales made him want to lay on the ground with his wings unfurled like a giant leaf, soaking up every drop of its rays. He couldn't stop smiling.
Dred smiled, “we’re free.” He simply said, taking a deep breath of air and settling his wings.
 
Sunrise sighed. If she was going to get anywhere, she would have to be part of a group. She hated being in groups. When you were by yourself, all you had to take care of was yourself. You didn’t have to fix other idiot’s stupid mistakes. But if she wanted to make a change, she had to go to the nests. She took off, and arrived there in about three hours. When she landed, many other CloudWings eyed her suspiciously.
 
King nodded, wondering what that meant. Suddenly the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Phoenix rubbed one talon up and down her arm anxiously, ruffling the shimmering feathers. “Um- me and him got into a fight, is all. But it’s okay.” She finished quickly, stumbling over her words. She settled her wings closer around herself.

King still seemed distant. What did I do wrong? Phoenix thought.
 
The moment Gen stepped into The Maze, he knew something was wrong. Like, wronger than before. He stopped in the doorway, the familiar click of weapons cocking echoing through the he corridor. He glanced up at the Patrol Guards with a wary look, fully expecting the tranq dart as it thunked below his cheek bone.

A sharp intake of humid air, and Gen jerked his body back, slamming the side of his face on a thick iron bar. He let his head drop, relaxing in the restraints as a sharp voice shouted. Each breath seemed to choke his throat, each gasp more strangled than the last. He lifted his gaze, moving with a deliberate slowness. Soldiers lined the rectangular room, guns trained on his head. A single unarmed man stood before him. He was pale, and tall, dressed in a well tailored suit, grey shimmered in his curly black hair.
"Bienvenido de nuevo, soldado."
Gen didn't meet his gaze, keeping his head respectfully low as the man advanced, running a cold hand down his neck. The man leaned in closer. A loud snap, and the muzzle fell to the ground. Gen didn't react, his breaths steadying. The man slammed his knee against Gen's chin, forcing him to lift his head and meet the pale man's gaze. "I have a job for you."

(Okay okay okay okay, what's the most natural way for the dudes to be introduced? Like, a place they could meet and maybe be told their mission? Gen's memory-less, no longer thinking for himself like before, I just haven't had a good scene to show that yet.)
Alicanto kept his shoulders looped back and his chin lifted as he paced down the colorless hallway, radiating an air of confidence and defiance. He hated this place. More than anywhere in the Den. No matter where he went or how many missions he went on, he could never get far enough away. The smell of chemicals and humans stung his nose and throat, making his mouth feel tainted and dry. The lights that were embedded in the ceiling lit the whole facility in an unnaturally white light, adding to the bleached and lifeless aura of the giant building.
Occasionally, Alicanto passed a few Nightwing hunters in the halls, all of them shooting him a cold look from the corners of their dark eyes. The Cloudwing didn't acknowledge them, only continued unphased through the maze-like building of testing rooms, offices, and hallways.
He stepped out of the large stairwell and onto the lowest floor, deep under the ground. Most dragons in the Den would have shuddered at the thought of even setting foot on this floor of the facility. Alicanto felt the ridge of spikes and feathers on his back rise in apprehension, his crest flaring and making the glowing tipped feathers brighten. This level of the research facility was just as well-lit as the rest, but somehow, it felt darker, as if some sort of dark presence was hanging between the rooms and halls. The doors were more heavily bolted and they didn't have any windows.
Alicanto kept his posture straight, shoving the chilling feeling away as he strode down the halls. Now and then, the sound of a dragon's shriek echoed through the corridors like a lost ghost, sending a shudder down the Cloudwing's spine.
The central office was in the center of the facility, and there was an elevator that ran beside it through every single floor. But of course, the humans didn't care to devise any easy way for dragons to navigate through the halls, and the only way to switch between floors was through the winding stairwells set at all four corners of the building.
Alicanto paused outside the large, swinging doors, hesitating before gripping the handle with two claws and pulling it open, ducking through the low doorway.
Two walls in the room were covered in monitors and computers, papers littering the table tops. Another smaller door was set off to the side of the farthest wall, and there was a stack of papers and clipboards piled on the end of the large table in the center.
An older human was sitting in a chair at the large table and a woman was standing at the computer, clicking something into the monitor on the keyboard. The older man looked up as Alicanto stepped inside, smiling and standing up at the sight of the Cloudwing. Most dragons weren't allowed to be inside the central office, even some of the most privileged Nightwing hunters usually met with their superiors outside.
Despite the otherwise pleased look on the man's face, something menacing glittered in his dark eyes. This was always the hardest part for Alicanto to ignore. He'd seen this human often, and he had no recollection of the professor ever harming him in any way. But something deep inside recoiled at the sight of the older man, and he felt his claws curl slightly into the hard floor, his jaw clenching and his feathers bristling. The professor never noticed.
"Ali, it's good to see you again," the man trilled happily. Alicanto's eyes slitted barely further at the sound of the uncharacteristic nickname the human had insisted on calling him.
"I have another assignment for you," he scratched a hand through his unruly mustache, the only hair on the bald man's face, before turning and rummaging through the stack of papers on his desk and pulling out a thick clipboard, which he flicked across the table at Alicanto.
"You heard about the breakout--how some of the richer dragon hunters were in on it? Well, there was one in particular that was arrested late last night and somehow disappeared this morning. There's still a lot of investigating going on to figure out how, but if you ask me, it's all smoke and mirrors. No one's really trying, and I'd bet you a pound o' Lunarwing scales there're bribes circulating through the whole situation."
Alicanto glanced down at the tiny writing on the clipboard, fixing a bored expression on his face and shoving away the wrenching feeling in his stomach when the professor mentioned the scales.
"What is the mission," he said bluntly. He almost had the nerve to give the old man a stinging retort along with the question, but he knew how things operated in the labs. The nicest thing he'd be asking for was a death wish.
The professor sat back down, reclining in his chair.
"There's already a bounty for whoever can bring the fugitives in. I have a couple of deals made with some fellow scientists who have hunters of their own. Of course, they wouldn't be able to pull it off without some help. They should already be waiting at the truckyard. Your mission is to work with these two to bring in the fugitives in the name of my company."
"And what's in it for me." The words were out of Alicanto's mouth before he could stop them. He'd asked this question a few times before, and usually, the answer was the same. Every now and then, the professor would come up with something more appreciatable than simply allowing Alicanto to keep both his memory and his position, but usually, that's all it was.
And guessing from the dark look that crossed the man's face, that was exactly what he was going to say.
"This is a privilege, Ali, to hunt for the Den's assets. Most Nightwings don't even have this opportunity, and you would do well to remember that." His expression darkened further and his voice lowered. "Assuming when you return, you still can remember it."
The woman at the computer had stopped typing, angling her head slightly as if looking at one of the different monitors, but obviously listening to the exchange.
Same old, same old. Alicanto thought bitterly, dipping his head submissively to the professor.
"Yes sir. I will meet up with the others and bring the fugitives back."
Every word was dripping with tension, and the professor slowly stood up, furiously scraping a hand through his mustache again. Alicanto kept his deep, blue eyes fixed on the blank tabletop.
"Good," the man growled, every note of his previous cheerful manner gone. "Now get out."
Alicanto didn't need to be told twice.
He turned and pushed through the doors, pacing quickly through the halls, the eerie facility finally pressing into the corners of his mind and making his nerves spark anxiously. By the time he reached the stairwell, he was practically running.
The trip from the central office to the front entrance was over quickly, and before he knew what he was doing, he was already in the air, beating his wings furiously to get away from the horrid building.
 
Helios smiled at his first words, but his smile faded slightly as he continued. He was silent for a long time, making it seem like he might not even respond, but finally he spoke in a soft and cautious tone. “I’m not sure what Lumos would say. The Queen has been communicating with the humans of the Bay of a Thousand Scales, and a potential peace treaty is being considered…” he replied, looking thoughtful. “But…Sol, I don’t think your friend would survive very long in the Solar Kingdom. You don’t understand how much that battle affected our view of the humans.”
Sol closed his mouth rightly, feeling rather torn as he turned back to his father. "Helios.." Sol sighed. "I don't remember anything from when I was younger. The humans cleared my mind. Like, I can't remember much from before I came here. I remember you. And.. my sister, right? But, it's all vague. Just... Just barely a thought, an inkling. I suppose you are expecting me to leave with you. But, Helios.. I don't think I can."
 
“Ahh, Kapok..” Shrike said, swiping his tail awkwardly through the sand. He took the meat and bumped the LeafWing’s shoulder. “Now go fly. C’mon, I’ll watch.”
Kapok smiled at the Cloudwing. Excitement was buzzing through his veins like the sound of the cicada bugs on a summer evening. He set his hunk of meat on a large rock nearby before bounding a few paces forward and leaping into the air. The wind whipped over his scales, whispering and laughing as it hissed over his wings like a tumbling stream.
Kapok spiraled in the air, twisting sideways in long loops as he flew. Several other dragons seemed to be enjoying the freedom as well. A pair of young Skywings were chasing each other between the jagged rock formations and an older, dark blue Silkwing was watching them in amusement, basking in the warmth of a large boulder higher up the slope.
Kapok angled his wings up, catching the warm air currents and spiraling higher into the sky like a hawk. He watched the whole scene from above, unable to stop smiling.
 
Sol closed his mouth rightly, feeling rather torn as he turned back to his father. "Helios.." Sol sighed. "I don't remember anything from when I was younger. The humans cleared my mind. Like, I can't remember much from before I came here. I remember you. And.. my sister, right? But, it's all vague. Just... Just barely a thought, an inkling. I suppose you are expecting me to leave with you. But, Helios.. I don't think I can."
Olaf.
 

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