Fire and Stardust

Fire and Stardust

⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔_Dedication_⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔
To those who fought the battles others couldn’t, thanks to those who changed their perspective to help another, and those who go the extra mile to encourage. You are the warrior we all needed at some point.

⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔_Author’s Playlist_⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔
Mad World- Micheal Andrews
Sucker- Jonas Brothers
So Long, Mother Earth- Chevelle
Intrusive Thoughts- Natalie Jane
Arcade- Duncan Laurence
Power Over Me- Dermot Kennedy
Brother- Kodaline
Daylight- David Kushner
How Do I Say GoodBye- Dean Lewis
Shadow - Livingston
Gravedigger-Livingston
Traitor- Livingston
Half Life- Livingston
Last Man Standing- Livingston
Look Mom I Can Fly- Livingston
Atlantis- Seafront
River (Acoustic)- Myles Smith
Figure You Out- VILOA

⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔_Fire and Stardust_⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔
⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔_ Lieutenant Astraea_⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔

         The sky bleeds into darkness, leaving the distant sound of agonizing screams echoing through everyone’s soul. The whimpers of sorrow etch themselves into the mind. And a crackle of power sweeps through the hearts of the masses, lighting the sky in a ray of brilliant death. Children swim through bodies searching for mothers huddling under what’s left of their homes. Sisters are looking for traces of their brothers. Fathers hovering in the sky preparing for the next attack. Generals huddled over battle plans. Commanders picking up the warriors. Nurses covered in oozing velvet. The mail carriers are now holding swords, not pouches. Families slowly drowning in rubble, foe’s burying us in brilliant black and sorrow. Peace is gone. Has been for years. Now it’s strictly survival and no matter who is destroyed in the process, the goal is keeping the few alive.
         I was huddled amongst a group of warriors, trying to patch our battle worn bodies back to health- or something dealable. Many with bones snapped, disease crawling between layers of skin and scales as they haggle out grueling coughs. Pitty is long gone for these lost souls.They did everything in their power now only death is waiting behind their eyes. Our numbers keep dropping like flies. We can barely break the clouds without the beast killing or injuring us.
         “Lieutenant.” Someone shouts. My head snaps in that direction, eyes hollowing out the piles of bodies as a young boy-maybe ten- comes running to me. “W-we got word from the south!” He cheers. Sadly I know what’s held in that letter and it’s not as brilliant as he hopes.
         Slowly I ease to my feet from my crouching position and walk over to him. My bones groan in dismay while I reach for the scroll He holds in his hands, then I drop a dime of star flake in his hand. It’ll feed him for a day or so. “Thank you.” I say, my own voice foreign in my ears due to the lack of hydration.
         The child nods before tucking the flake into his tattered coat and running off. Spies. My eyes flicker around searching and ears straining for the sound of anyone living under the mountains of the dead. I quickly stash the note in the pocket of my straggly leathers before turning on my heel and walking to the makeshift barricade. The smell of burning rotting flesh stings my nose as I find myself a corner to open the note. Most missives are burned on the way over by the wicked and others half torn or smudged, yet this one made it.
Lieutenant,
         The south is slowly dying out. We have five left though we are holding them back. Back up will be needed, the sooner the better. Most have already been evacuated further south, even as far as the river eye. But if our sources fall, nothing more is protecting our young. We pray our northern brothers and sisters are faring better than us.
         If we don’t make this, I’ll see you in hell my battle-sister. I am writing in haste. I hear their howling now.
Please be safe.

In our prayers,
Lieutenant Colonel
McKenzie of the southern tribe of Fire and Earth
April 23,2000

         I stare at the paper in absolute shock. Gone. More than we lost here. It took months for me to receive this. There is no way we can even attempt rescuing…And the ones who dug the unholy graves of my people burn bright in the sky. They have officially pissed me off.
         My body shakes in rage as I feel tears of anger singing my dry eyes. I quickly wipe them away, stuffing my note into my leathers again before standing up stiffly. My mind was howling in my ears as I stifled the need to set this cruel species attacking us into fine stardust. Now is not the time to eliminate a group of people for following cowardly orders.
         The swift crisp breeze flows through the camp as I walk towards my cot for the night. My body was sore from the days work and sleep drawing me into oblivion. I fall onto my cot with a groan, my feet numb as I close my eyes. I let the dreaded peace overcome me as unconsciousness takes its place.

⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔_THUNDERING SKIES_⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔

         The screams of the wonderful sirens ring in my ear and the earth rumbles in defense. We’re under attack. I rush out of my bed and grab my leathers before running outside. I watch my people shoot for either cover or the skies and I immediately go to help evacuate. The sky cries in agony as pelts of magic crash down.
         The terror running though our small city causes me to speed up. As I grab kids from the raining hell. My legs scream in disbelief as I push them to move faster to help before it all comes to a raining stop as my commander yells at me, his voice dark and demanding.          “Lieutenant! We need you in the skies now!”
         I look at him in shock, panic filling my lungs in silent pleas not to go. They have me on land for safety. “But sir-“
         “Now Lieutenant” he commands his dark green eyes to hold no room for debate. I nod my head passing the frail child to another warrior before running to the fields.
         I feel my bones scream as my much more dangerous form takes over causing the earth beneath me to rattle and the sky to moan in anticipation. My large membraned wings beat the air to get some space between me and the ground. Every beat of my wings causes a shudder to erupt below me. The dark sky engulfs me into oblivion as I soar to battle. My mind races as I overview the scene around me. Bright colors light the sky as blues, purples, greens, and reds ignite in a swirl of fear. My heart hammered in my chest as I broke through the clouds. I pause for a millisecond - a deadly mistake.
         I look back up in front of me to see a swirl of heat collide with my chest igniting pain through my body. A roar of disbelief that I messed up ripples through me as I send my own night filled blast in retaliation. The world shudders as I hear cries from the beast in front of me. his deep ruby scales flake off into nothingness. My eyes search the dark sky as small remnants of star dust fall to the ground. My head aches as          I search for whom my blast hit. Once I can confirm the threat either fell to the ground or retreated I continue to push on hitting anyone          I could with a blast of stardust. My fear slowly simmering into pure, unchained rage.
         My body shakes as I push further into the dark. My core aches as I send these monsters into oblivion. My head pounds as I try to focus on not hitting the wrong targets. My fellow fighters collide with the beast screams of terror ripping through their souls as limbs, wings, and scales drift away. Yet we still press on.
         Time soon becomes a figment of imagination as it retreats like a fleeting thought. My mind was focused on strategy while my body executed smooth attacks. Next to me a familiar dragon sends fiery blasts lighting the sky. He leaves a trail of smoke in his wake as he sores past me in fury. I watch my commander fly ahead, his massive wings covering the sky in elegant rays. His furious puffs of smoke lingering at his nostrils as the beast around him burns.
         I scream in agony as I watch my people fall from the sky, while I'm stuck down here helping move the children and mothers to safety.          The wyverns attacked us. No ambushed us. We all were sleeping, living in blissful ignorance to the political war raging between rulers. Then they hit us with an unyielding force.
         Lights of fire flicker on the top of our homes as we scramble to get our families to safety. I myself feel my heartbeat racing, screaming to deal with these beasts. I shove a child into a young boy's arms before running off. My legs burned, as I raced for a ledge. They need help up there. I feel my body groan as I let my monsters free. I scorch the earth in a galaxy blaze. My anger is controlling me - I know this. My abilities guide me as i watch the beast retreat-
         I scream in agony as I feel my scales sizzle pain shooting from the base of my wing up. My altitude drops quickly as I try to control my fall. The pain felt like a hundred knives. I snap my jaw at whoever attacked me, not willing to go down alone. My jaw collides with a soft scale as I bite down. THe beast screeched in anguish. The bitter taste of blood floods my mouth as the wind screams around us as I fall to the rocky earth beneath us. I shut my eyes preparing for impact.
         My heart races as I pull my eyes open. Below me I feel a barely breathing scaled being. His back was burnt, his wing bleeding with deep teeth marks. My eyes widen as I take in the long thin body. Gray blue scales two wings and two legs laying limp. A wyvern.
         My heart races as I struggle to get back on my feet. My wing arced in a painfully unnatural position. I slam into a tree as I struggle causing a loud thud causing the creature's eyes to shoot open. I freeze hoping he can’t see me. Or is in too much pain to fight if he can. His eyes were an angry red as he pushed himself up only for him to fall back down. I stayed very still in the rather large and bushy section of woods I was in to watch.
         As I stood there panting rather heavy and regaining my composure I heard voices and footsteps. My ear perks up as I still and calm my breathing to my greatest abilities. I watch as four figures approach the creature on the ground. I take in their thin and angular bodies, definitely not dragons based on the strange tattoo-like markings climbing their bare arms.
         “What a pitiful excuse for a wyvern” One says, his demeanor gave off that of an officer, but his words, and lack of pity gave more of an arrogant prince. His hair was black as night, eyes the brightest blue. He was in a tattered uniform of black and his arm was filled with animal like tattoos.
         I shift my broken wing trying to hold in a groan. I watch the dark haired man freeze, calling his troop to a halt as his eyes scan the woods. I hold in a breath as I feel his eyes zone in on the brush and wood I was currently trying to hide my massive form in.
         I felt my heart hammer till the ground shutters beneath me and the wind seemed to scream in terror, the treetops bending in the chaos. Gushes of flame pound the forest floor as a familiar form quickly makes his appearance known.
         “What's going on?” one of the man’s troops stutters out in a confused daze.
         “Oh no” the leader says as my commander’s familiar form takes the whole area up. His wide frame of fiery orange and red scales glow from his power use.
         Another troop one with a scare through the left eye starts “Who is-”
         “Where is she!” My commander's voice booms as he turns into a rather large man, ruffled amber hair and deep green eyes that were hard bamboo. His shoulders were wide and bulky while his waist was a little narrower. His uniform tho dirty- was still put together bearing the Northern Kingdom Fire tribe arms on a single patch.
         I pulled my eyes away from my commander and back to the troop who were in a defensive stance at the sound of his voice. THe dark haired blue eyed leader of the group grows stiff and bristled with anger. “Where is who, dragon?” he spats.
         “Lieutenant Astraea” My commander hisses and I can smell the fire grow around him.
         “Who?” the leader asks his tone unfazed.
         “My Lieutenant. Where is she, Wyvern.” My commander growls his fire wrapping around the wyvern crippled by my blow in the sky. “Speak quickly, beast”
         “Haven't seen any dra-” my wing hit a bush causing a rattle of leaves and stems that hit the ground. I take it as my chance to stumble out from hiding. My form towering over their humanoid like bodies. Even the commander only reaches half my shoulder.
         “I-it’s a-a a-” one frail troop stumbles scurrying backwards.
         My commander looks up at me with a slight look of ‘better late than never’ flashing across his face with a slight hit of frustration. “A dragon” the leader of the troop says in a duh tone.
         “Leave.” Commander's voice rumbles, the fire in the area still hissing with his rage.
         I watch the troop scramble, none of them touching the beast on the ground still. My eyes follow the dark haired leader as he shifts into a beautiful flying creature of the night before disappearing from sight with his men.
         My commander coughs. I slowly turn my head, my star filled gaze honing in on him. “Well. time to get you to camp,” he says before setting the wyvern on the ground into flames. I nod my large head stretching out my wings only for agonizing pain to hit me. “I'll carry you” he grumbles shifting into his much larger form that was a solid head taller than me.