Crimson Blood Stains

Part 1: Crimson Blood Stains

Continued in part 2: Journey to the Kingdom

By Radon

By Perilsflames100 and RadonTheHybrid, this fanfiction will show more of Radon and the depth to his history, and reveal the truth about Crimsonfang. Is she really as much of a monster as the queen has painted her? 

Chapter 1: Ambush

Crimsonfang soared over the Driftwing kingdom. So perfect, not a house out of place, not a light on in a window. Not for long.  She thought. Tonight, the full moon rose over the streets, and that meant one thing to her: Revenge. Revenge on all the Driftwings for never accepting her, only paying attention to the daughters of Graceweaver. Crimsonfang went to a larger house, one with a carefully woven straw roof. Crimsonfang smiled, then blasted the house, watching in satisfaction as screams tore through the streets. Crimsonfang tore across the sky, but not before a muddy brown driftwing looked like he caught sight of her scales. Crimsonfang flapped her wings, glad to see that the young driftwing had stayed put, landed gracefully in her cave, and fell asleep, the moon shining on her sandwing skull mask, but worry of witnesses still haunted her. 

Chapter 2: Underbrush

There was a falter against the stars. A silhouette of a dragon could be seen against the overhanging abyss. Radon knew it wasn't natural for a dragon to be flying this late, though it wasn't uncommon. He watched the dragon soar above him from the underbrush of a tree. Who is that? Radon thought. As soon as the dragon had flown out of sight, he spread his wings and shot after it. Well, whoever it is, is gonna be face to face with me! Far ahead, he could see the dragon swooping down towards a cave quite gracefully. There was a quick flash from the head of the dragon as it dove down. A Sandwing? He thought with a hint of anger in his mind. His grudge had still been set on the Sandwings, forever a burning flame of pain and sorrow. He swooped down towards the cave, landing on a branch in a near by tree, trying to be as quiet as possible. His amber eyes locked on the sleeping figure below, its body rising slowly, then leveling back out. "Wrong day to be you, silly Sandwing." He thought aloud, as his body slowly seeped into the darkness around him.

Chapter 3: Discovered

Crimsonfang was woken up from her precious minutes of sleep by a dragon outside her cave, rustling the branches of a tree. Wait. There was a dragon outside her cave! Crimsonfang pretended to still be asleep, trying to keep her breath steady, even though her heart was beating like a mouse's does when it is seen by a cat. Hopefully, even with the moonlight, the dragon would not recognize her. Hang on she thought. That's not a driftwing. This dragon doesn't know who I am at all!. All worry of discovery gone, Crimsonfang lept to her feet, growled softly, and pounced.

Chapter 4: Attacked

Radon let out a small yelp, and flared his wings to catch the pouncing dragon. As they collided, he and the dragon fell towards the hard ground below. He, being on the bottom, hit the ground first. There was a loud thud before the sound of roars and wingbeats of both dragons. Radon soon pinned the mystery dragon below him, having one talon around the its neck, and the others pinning its wings to the ground. Radon tried to look menacing by flaring his spines, and having his mouth open around the dragon's lower neck. "I could break your neck right now if I wanted to." He hissed. His amber eyes locking on to the other dragon's.

Chapter 5: Helpless

Crimsonfang felt herself smash into the other dragon, his wings stuck out like a seagulls as they plummeted like stones. She tried to use her fire, but her throat was rough and dry, and she couldn't get a spark out. She slashed with her claws, and her favorite attack, managed to sink her teeth into his leg. However, her victory was short lived, as the strange dragon flew up and slammed into her, his teeth around her neck. She stiffened as his orange gaze turned to meet her amethyst ones, and he whispered "I could break your neck right now if I wanted to." And he was right. She couldnt flare her wings, she couldn't use her fire, she couldn't fight back. Though she hated it, she knew she was at his mercy.

Chapter 6: Inspection

Radon's eyes slowly relaxed, and his talons loosened from his almost death grip on the other dragon. He let go slowly and stepped back a bit, studying the dragon from snout to talon. He noticed her scales were almost gold-like, as the light of the moon reflected off of them. He also noticed that it had black markings on its wings. Radon noted that 'It' was a girl. She was unlike any other dragon he had ever seen before, with bold amethyst eyes, that looked powerful and fearless. The Sandwing face he had seen before was not her real face, only a mask to hide her face, that, her realized with a shudder, was an actual skull. He was very confused about who this dragon was, but wanted to find out sooner or later.

Chapter 7: Ensnared

Crimsonfang lay under the black dragon, stiff as a board. It felt like he was using his eyes to unravel her DNA, looking at every part of her. She could do nothing, and she knew that before she started struggling. She twisted, she smacked him with her tail, she tried and failed to breathe fire, "I must have hurt my throat when I burnt down the house" she thought. Finally, she decided she had had enough. Barley able to choke out the words, Crimsonfang said in a horse whisper, "Who...are....you?"

Chapter 8: Introduction

Radon jumped off her when he got smacked with her powerful tail. He sat down near her, and rubbed the sore spot. "Who...are....you?" She choked out in a horse voice. He blinked at her for a moment, then began to talk in a low, gravely voice. "My name is Radon... I am a dragon who just got attacked, and slapped with a tail..." He flashed his amber eyes at her, his speech becoming hesitant after finishing. His eyes were still glued to her amethyst ones, like he was some how drawn into them, and had no intrest in anything else.

Chapter 9: Royalty

Crimsonfang stared at Radon, who had just stated the obvious, and seemed to be trying to get her to talk by sheer willpower if he stared at her long enough. When he asked her the same question, she confirmed that he must not be a common visitor around the kingdom. " Soon to be my kingdom" she thought. She then spread her wings majestically and asked him, " Well, if you're poking around my cave, you must know who I am, she said, angling her wings so that the moonlight made her black scales shimmer.

Chapter 10: Speculation

Radon stared at her with a confused look on his face. "Was she some type of royalty?" He thought, turning his gaze to her black scales. They were beautiful. They looked like shimmering black crystals, that had found their way into the bright light of the moons. He made a full, silent circle around her, watching how her scales seemed to glow against the moonbeams. "What are you?" he said in hushed, awed whisper. He sat down in front of her once again, "You don't look familiar... Are you royalty?

Chapter 11: Secrets

Crimsonfang stared down her thin snout majestically, the way she had been taught in the high class, and said, being sure to sound high class, "Why yes, yes I am. I don't suppose you come to this area often, so I suppose I will introduce myself. My name is Crimsonfang of the driftwings, relative to the queen, and-" Crimsonfang cut herself off at the last part, almost giving away her secret trips at night. Some rumors around the kingdom referred to her as " The Phantom of the Full Moon", and she had adapted to it quite well. It seemed to scare everyone more if she left a note signed "The Phantom", and no one was going to suspect that she, of all driftwings was the menace that terrorized the kingdom. Crimsonfang came back to reality, and finished "and someone the queen has painted as a monster. Someone who never got their story told."

Chapter 12: Realization

Radon gave a quick smirk at her properness, then did a deep bow. "You don't seem like a dragon to be a monster, princess." He said, rising from his bow. He look over at his leg, still bleeding slightly from when she bit him. "You can sure pack a punch, though." He touched the wound with the tip of his talon, wincing at the pain, but soon it healed right before their eyes. He looked back at her as she had just witnessed the magic healing, a surpised expression on her face. He then touched the place where he had been smacked, and the pain was gone, just like that. "I have never met a Driftwing before..." He said gazing back into her eyes. "I didn't know they could be so beauti-" ACK! What am I saying!? Radon cleared his throat, and darted his gaze away from her, "I mean, I didn't know they could be so interesting..." He said with a nervous chuckle at the end. He mentally slapped him self. I can't just go around saying that dragons are beautiful! What are you thinking, Radon?

Chapter 13: Offers

Crimsonfang smiled, happy to have found a dragon who had some respect. She walked over to one side of the cave, placed her mask in a nook in the rocks, and turned back to Radon. "Sorry about that." She said, indicating his leg. She faltered as he touched the wound, and stared as it closed right in front of her eyes. She hadn't seen something like that before. She then turned her attention back to him. " Never seen a Driftwing?" She asked. "What were you doing in the area?" She turned to him curious, and careful to keep her face out of the moonlight. She didn't need him to have more identification for her, but her mask wasn't ment to be kept on for a long time. And it had taken forever for her to carve. She beckoned to her cave, and offered a deal. " You tell me who you are, and what you were doing, and I will do the same."

Chapter 14: History

Radon walked towards her cave, glancing at her mask with a worried expression. Noting that if she was a monster, he didn't want to get on her nerves. He stepped onto the stone of the floor, and sat on the edge, just in case he needed to make a quick exit. "Well," he started "as you know, my name is Radon of the Swiftwings. Or the Flamewings. It's kinda hard to decide which one you are when your parents are two different dragons. Anyways, I was on my way to gather some things from the Scavenger's den, when I heard screaming from somewhere. I decided to follow the noise to see where it was coming from, but I saw you flying overhead. I thought you were a Sandwing, so I followed you. Now I'm here, talking to you." He gave a small smile in her direction. I wonder why she hides her face? Radon thought, he shifted on his talons and pulled his wings in so he would take up as little space as possible. He felt comforitable, and uncomforitable at the same time. Even though he didn't know the dragon, he felt that she was a dragon who would tell him the truth.

Chapter 15: Outcast

Crimsonfang sat on a ledge, listening to Radon. "A hybrid" she thought. " Here I am, the Phantom of the Full Moon, listening to the story of a hybrid. I knew there was something different about him." But she had promised to say her story, and she wasn't going to add being a liar to her long list. "Before I start," she said, "you need to promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Ok?" She waited a moment, and them started.

"I was born like any other driftwing. In the high class, niece to the queen, almost all the luxuries. I aced all my classes. I swept through the trial, a test that determines your strengths, and should have had a few dragons know who I was. But instead, they all treated me horribly. They gave all the action to the cute little princesses, never even acknowledging that I existed. I might as well have been low class. They gave the maid my quarters, and gave me the bottom floor, witch no one had slept in for three years. Graceweaver, my queen, was even worse. I had to find and cook my own food without anyone to teach me. I never got any parties. I had 6 birthdays pass without a single present. I went mad. I couldn't see straight. Mossdancer, my only friend back then, almost helped me come back, to be normal again. But it was just worse. One night, I was sleepwalking. snuck into the hatchery. I smashed every egg. I woke up in the morning, covered in eggshells, and was thrown out, the matter was kept quiet between me and Graceweaver so as not to worry her kingdom. She told me that if I ever showed my face in her kingdom again, she would kill me. Now, I make her pay for it. I attack once a month, on the full moon, to remind her that I was once a dragon who looked up to her, and how easy it is to do something you regret forever."

Chapter 16: Fascinated

Radon listened with great interest. After she had finished, he let out his breath that he had been holding in the whole time. He didn't want to disturb her fascinating story with even the slightest noise. "Wow...." He started glancing at the ground. "The queen must really hate you!" He looked back up at her with eyes full of sympathy. "But it wasn't your fault. You couldn't control what you were doing." He thought back to when she said something about her friend, Mossdancer. He winced as he thought about his own past, where no one was his friend. "Well, at least you had a friend that wanted you to stay... I had little to no friends when I was little.." His smile faded into a small frown. "All because of my stupid parents. They never let me do anything with the other dragonets. At least I had one dragon that I could count on back then." Radon glanced up at the now setting moon. "OH NO!" He said, jumping up in a panic "I totally forgot about the Scavenger den!" He tried to run out of the cave, but tripped on his own tail. He looked like a seal trying to get away from something.

Chapter 17: Risks

"Radon", Crimsonfang said, her calm tone contrasting his panicked one, "why do you need to go to the Scavenger Den? What is so important there? Know what, never mind. I know this area better than you do. I can help you find one." she said, grabbing her mask. "It's so Graceweacer can't kill me", she said. "This way, I never show my face. Multiple dragons were unhappy when I disappeared, witch is odd, considering that they didn't even know my name. Normally, I stay out of town until....the right time, but I will come with you, if it's that important to you." She said. This was an awful risk. The Phantom of the Full Moon out in daylight? That could decrease her mysterious history, and could even lead to a dragon connecting the dots. But there was something important there, and besides, Radon needed someone to show him the nearest one. She put her mask on, turned to Radon and said, a glimmer in her eyes, "Are you coming?"

Chapter 18: Hunting

Radon shot up into the air in a graceful spiral, followed by Crimson, who also did a graceful spiral. She went ahead, looking around to make sure that no dragons were in the area, then dove downwards to the ground. "Why are we stopping? We couldn't be here already, could we?" She dragged him behind a tree and told him to stay quiet, but he didn't listen. "Wait, why are we-" Radon couldn't finish his sentance, because Crimson was giving him a Be-quiet-or-I'm-going-to-strangle-you kind of look. They watched the sky, and waited. Soon enough, a dragon high above them. By the looks of it, it looked like a Driftwing. It had the same tail shape, same sail, but different colors and markings. Who is that? He wondered. He looked over to where Crimson was hiding. She was eyeing that Driftwing down like it was her prey, and she was the predator.

Chapter 19: Diversion

"It's him" Crimsonfang thought. "He is the driftwing who saw me that night" She beckoned for Radon to help her, but then stopped, an idea blaring in her head. She flew up silently, and then spiraled down towards the dragon, letting the sail catch the wind and make a slight whistle, alerting the dragon to her presence. "Phantom" the dragonet whispered, staring at her with wide eyes. Crimsonfang roared, her voice somehow deeper, echoing , and more deadly. She watched as the dragonet flew off, no doubt to go get some others to search the area. She then wheeled around to Radon, and almost smiled, but caught herself before she opened her mouth. "All clear" she said. "They think I'm going that way, when really" she gestured the opposite direction, "the Scavenger Den is over that hill. Come on! There are quite a few thorns, and we will have to go on foot, so watch where you step. Those things are not easy to get out of scales.

Chapter 20: Possibilities

Radon quickly made his way over to Crimson, turning his head to look at the dragonet who was flying away. "What happens if he tells the queen? Won't she be mad, if she knows its you?" He glanced at Crimson with worry filled eyes. What if they capture us? What will happen to her? Radon thought. Crimson had went ahead a few feet and started telling him about the thorns, but he wasn't listening. He was deep in thought. So deep, that he hadn't noticed the tiny eyes that were watching them. What will the queen do with her? What will happen if she kills her? Where will I go? Radon's mind whirled with different outcomes, that he also failed to notice that Crimson stopped in front of him. He bumped into her, and she whipped her head around, surprised. "Sorry..." He mumbled. Glancing up, he found out why she stopped. They were here. The Scavenger den... was in ruins.

Chapter 21: Careful

"Well that's the point" Crimsonfang said. " Oh, I don't mean like that. Remember when I introduced myself, and almost let something slip? Well, I lead my ambushes on the full moon, so some of the village dragons called me "Phantom of the Full Moon" . So, Graceweaver knows that the Phantom exists, just not that it is me. I was too careful for that. Then she saw the Scavenger Den." What?" She whispered. "What happened?" She walked to the rubble, talonprints left in the mud, which she was careful to smooth over with her tail. "Who did this?" She asked herself. "Radon, I want to help you find who or what was here, but first, I need to know what it was. Come on, my second cave is up there" she said, pointing up on the cliff. "I make it just in case, and now it has a use."  

Chapter 22: Ashes

"Come on, my second cave is up there..." Radon's head was blank. He could comprehend anything that was around him. He stepped into the rubble, crushed scavenger bodies under rocks, charred huts, and small puddles of blood were all around. The scrolls..... He picked up the pieces of parchment. They were covered in mud, and some were burned into ashes. Scrawled, red ink, was still visible on one that wasn't all that damaged. He picked it up, read it, then choked out, "Who could have done this?" He turned his head to Crimson, a tear staining his eerie black scales. He looked back to the scroll and rolled it up, sticking it in a pouch that was near the damaged scrolls, then flung it around his neck. A dragon symbol clanked against the side of the pouch, waking Radon from his deep thoughts. He turned his full body towards her, pure anger burning like an inferno in his eyes. "Let's go...."

Chapter 23: Plans

"Radon," Crimsonfang said, an anxious expression on her face, "what are those scrolls? Something important, but what? Some precious family thing?" Crimsonfang was growing more impatient by the second, wanting to know what on earth was so important. She winced as Radon made a ruckus landing on the ledge she had painstakingly carved for over a year, and led him through the caverns, some laced with gold veins that glinted dully. "Radon!" She said, raising her voice a little. "Are you going to tell me, or do i have to find out myself?" Radon didn't answer, so she decided that she was hungry. "Be back in a second" she said." On the plus side, I learned how,to cook quite well. Lucky for you, I dont like mine too spicy."

Chapter 24: Messages

Radon kept looking over the scroll, you would think that he could burn a hole through the paper, because he had been staring at it for so long. He sat down while Crimson disappeared to make the food. Why would he leave like that? He had no reason to do that... He thought. Crimson returned a while after, with some food. "Is that some precious family thing?" Radon looked up, and met her impatient face. "Uhh... Yea... They were my grandfather's..." He looked back down at the scroll, then passed it to her.

"Dear Volcara,

I would like to schedule a meeting with you tomorrow about Radon's safety. As you know, he is a special dragonet, and would need to be protected. His parents are looking for him, so I've heard. I would like to sign over another legal guardian to take care of him. If I fail my duty to protect my grandson. I have sent this messenger to greet you with this. May the land of Phyrria rest in your talons. Sincerely, Pyralis"

Chapter 25: Animus

Radon looked up at her with a soft smile, then frowned. He got up and began pacing around the cave. "Well, the FlameWing kingdom is far away from where we are right now... Being in DriftWing territory right now, would mean that we would have to come in contact with at least 9 different tribes, including the FlameWings. On the other talon, we could take a route that would allow us to limit our contact with the other tribes, but it could be more risky. And if we do make it to the FlameWing kingdom, you could be spotted wearing your mask. Even being a DriftWing could hint that something wasn't right..." He stopped and looked at Crimson, who looked very lost in the rally of information. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off inside his head. "Unless....." Crimson now had a nervous look on her face, not wanting to know what other possibility there could be. "Unless?" She asked. Radon smiled and faced her. "Unless, I could enchant you."

Chapter 26: Shifting

"What?" Crimsonfang asked, her voice full of so many emotions she couldn't tell how many there were. Fear, admiration, happiness, anxiety..... "How?" she asked, looking at him with a worried expression. "You are an animus?" she almost asked, but thought better of it. If he could enchant things, he must be an animus. "Do it." she said, trying to sound confident. Radon said something, but Crimsonfang could not hear it, and a moment later, she thought she felt the air grow colder around her. And then her scales felt like they had caught fire, a burning feeling stretching across her. "Radon!" she yelped. "Is this supposed to happen?". She had barley finished talking when she felt her wings stretch and contract a little, just enough to make her muscles screech faintly in protest. She stood up again, not realizing she had fallen over, and looked at herself in a small pool in the back of the cave where she got her drinking water, and her reflection, a shocked, crimson Flamewing stared back at her, still with her bloodstained teeth, the mark that she couldn't get rid of.

Chapter 27: Amulet

Radon stood back to marvel over his creation. He watched as she looked herself over in the puddle. She stretched her wings, looked over her scales, and noticed her sail had turned into webbed spines. He then felt an icy, sharp pain run through his scales. He winced slightly as the pain subsided. That must have taken quite a bit of power... He thought as looked his scales over. Thankfully they weren't showing any signs of power overdose. "What's this?" He heard Crimson say as she tapped the gold amulet that was around he neck. The amulet itself was just as beautiful as the dragon wearing it. The amulet was in the shape of a gold dragons talon, that was holding a beautiful ruby. "That," Radon started "is your shifting amulet. Whenever you put it on, you will become a FlameWing, and whenever you take it off you will become your old self again. I didn't have anything to enchant, so I also enchanted one of these cave rocks to become the amulet." He picked up one of the rocks as an example, then put it pack down in his place. "Before we go to the FlameWing kingdom, I need to tell you something about your new form. I have enchanted the amulet, or rock, to give you all the abilities and powers that a normal FlameWing would possess. One of those powers include setting your own scales on fire."

Chapter 28: Ignite

"Setting my scales on fire?" Crimsonfang asked, now more curious than shocked. "Won't that hurt? And why is my sail all...spiny? I'm going to have to get used to flying without it. And I don't think that Crimsonfang is a normal name. I need a better one, for when I use this form." Here I am, not yet twenty, having three names. Or, soon to be three. She thought. "Now, what else can I do? My wings sure look different. How do I use those? What-" Crimsonfang had thought rushing around her head like mad. Why are my claws shorter? How do I fly? What do I say? The more she thought about it, the more worried she became, until she felt a slight heat. "YIPE!" she yelled. Her scales had the smallest of red fire, not enough to really stand out, but fire all the same. She stared as her scales ebbed back to their normal heat, and then asked Radon, "How did I do that? I was trying to figure out how to carry this plan out, and then I looked like a firestorm! And what do I say? If we are going to meet up with a Flamewing, what do I do? Stay silent?" Crimsonfang was worried. So many things could go wrong at this point! Cool down she thought to herself. Radon knows what he is doing. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and that they were about to find out.

Chapter 29: Unknown

Radon watched as she was sent into a frenzy of questions, untimately setting her scales aflame. "Woah! Easy there! I will be able to answer all of your questions in the end. After all I am part FlameWing." He spread his wings as a refrence, making Crimson spread her wings as well. "Your amulet has enchanted you to have the ability of setting your scales on fire. This is a common power of the FlameWings, because it is used as a defence mechanism. Try not to use it a lot though, FlameWings usually use this for when a they are fighting, or in a stand off. The longer you use it, the less you are resistant to your own fire." Crimson had a worried look on her face. "What do I say? If we are going to meet up with a FlameWing, what do I do? Stay silent?" He took her talons into his and looked her in the eyes, making sure she was listening before he spoke. "You are going to be fine, Crimson. You don't even have to talk if you don't want to." She still had a worried look in her eyes, which, in return, worried Radon even more. What is it? He thought. Why won't you tell me whats wrong? I'll listen to you... His mind trailed off, filled with the same worry that Crimson had. "Well," He started, unhooking his talons from hers. "I've thought of many names for you in the time that we have succeded in the enchantment. Tiki, Wildfire, Borvo, Serafino, etc." He glanced out the cave, noticing that the sun was starting to rise. Maybe I should tell her..... No.... She doesn't need to know right now...

Chapter 30: Serafino

"I'll just go by Serafino. " Crimsonfang said, choosing the one that seemed to roll off her tongue. "And I am in no mood to be scorched to a crisp." She looked at where Radon was staring, and noticed with a jolt that the sun was rising. "Come on." She said. "If we are going, we need to go now. Flamewings are not common around these parts, and we don't need any hitchhikers." She tried to fly out of the cave, but quickly lost height. "I can't fly like this." She said. " at least, not right now. I'll put it back on when we get to the border; my scales should provide some camouflage in the sunrise. Now, come on!" She said, looping the amulet around her talons until it was bracelet size. "We don't have forever."