Two shapes, one lean and red and the other large and ice-white, carefully picked their way through the steaming volcanic fields, slowly nearing a massive golden palace. Two guards stood at the iron-door entrance, clutching sharp spears in their talons. They eyed the strangers, and one stepped forward, a fiery red and orange FlameWing.
"Halt!" the guard barked, his companion shifting to move in front of the door as he stepped forward.
"State your business, SkyWing and IceWing." he demanded.
The strangers stopped, giving each other a quick sideways glance. The IceWing's dark eyes glinted cruelly and she took a step closer.
"I am Princess Sleet, and I want to see Queen Glare." her voice was crisp and cool, sliding over her tongue like a sheet of ice on water.
The FlameWing guard straightened himself, raising the spear. He looked back at the other guard before clearing his throat, "I'm afraid we can't do that, Princess." his amber eyes narrowed with suspicion.
'Of course they wouldn't just let her through.' Breeze hissed to herself, casting a spiteful glare at the IceWing princess. As the smartest of her siblings, Sleet should have known better.
Sleet sighed, her cold breath forming a cloud as it mixed with the hot air, "I didn't want to have to do this to you, but I'm afraid you give me no choice." the IceWing's jaws snapped open, and before either FlameWing could make a move she shot a frozen stream of ice, right into the first guard's face. He shrieked in pain and recoiled, dropping his spear and clawing at his scales, which were already clouding over with a rigid, deadly layer of frost. The second guard roared and leaped into action, but his claws sliced the air right where Sleet was as she darted around him.
"SkyWing, take care of him!" she snapped and slithered towards the iron gate.
Breeze turned to face the large angry FlameWing, his orange eyes burning like fire. He jabbed at her with his spear, but she hopped to the side, narrowly avoiding being poked in the neck. Thanks to her small size, Breeze was able to slip in between his legs, turning to slash in between his shoulders before he whirled around, but she was already dashing around his side.
The FlameWing guard, realizing that holding his spear would get him nowhere, flung it to the side and snarled, whipping around to face Breeze as she attempted to sneak around him again. His eyes were still burning, but as Breeze looked closer, she noticed that they were actually, literally burning. The guard was setting himself on fire, a famous and infamous trait of the FlameWings. Flames tore through his wing membranes, reaching his scales and spreading down his front legs. He lashed out at her, catching her off guard and sending her tumbling with a burning wound rippling down her shoulder.
Breeze grunted and regained her footing, pinning her ears as the FlameWing snarled and spread his wings, leaping towards her. She pulled under him, a maneuver that never seemed to get old with these FlameWings, and took the brief second to stare at Sleet.
The IceWing princess glanced back at her, vapor pooling from her mouth and around her face as she pushed the gate open.
'She won't help me.' Breeze thought angrily, turning back to the guard and sending a burning spout of flames at his hindquarters. His whip-thin tail lashed, striking the SkyWing's red-golden scales, but she flared her broad wings and took to the skies, soaring above him and diving down. Her claws grasped his horns and she forced his head downward, pushing it into the hard, stony ground. He grunted, flames racing up his neck and enveloping his face, scorching Breeze's talons. She hissed in pain and clenched her teeth, but kept her grip, lowering her head until her sizzling jaws were right next to the FlameWing's ears. As fast as a cobra Breeze snatched the side of his face in her jaws, letting go of his horns and tearing into the other side of his head. Her claws tore through scales, and then the squishy feel of flesh surrounded her talons, sending a shiver through her spine. She could feel her teeth hook onto the scales, pulling them loose and exposing the skin. The FlameWing's fire burned down, having exhausted himself, but he was still struggling. Breeze could barely keep her hold; he was much larger than her, and his thrashing eventually sent her stumbling back.
Before the guard could get up, Sleet towered over him holding his head still with her foot, breathing her chilling breath onto him. He wheezed and went still, his mouth becoming stuck shut with the ice. Sleet tossed him aside and pushed past Breeze, stalking through the gate.
"Well, aren't you going to come, SkyWing?" the IceWing hissed, and Breeze flapped after her, holding her talons to the stinging scar on her neck.