FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 55

"Stop daydreaming girl and pick up the pace before our element of surprise runs out!" Ignus stomped his paw, a dash of scorching fire hurled itself across the floor

Iris yelped, bouncing up when her paws were suddenly burned, full of aggression eyes shifted at him, for a moment there he could see his own reflection being torn apart in those white orbs, hate far, far exceeding the recent burn he applied.

Like poking a hornets nest.

A nest with a dormant grudge that if the flashing fury would be any indication reached the very depths of both their existences. It made him wonder, even though evidence was quite clear, that if they are really a family.

Such anger could rarely be seen even directed against your worst enemy.

"Stay focused Iris until we reach our lair" throwing a brief glance around he approached his future niece, pretending not to notice the flashing eyes of the many spies lurking in the shadows, eyes that didn't try to really hide in the first place.

Her piercing, cold glare followed his every step, it was so intense that he felt the weight of it tying his knees. And just when he was about to stop before her one of his legs had enough of the pressure and bent, making him lean down towards the girl.

Still acting that it was all part of his plan he immediately threw his paw forward, snatching Iris by the chin and forcing her nose to aim directly at his own.

A powerful quake shook her entire body when he groped her so fiercely, her feathers bristled, standing on end like strands of fur of a terrified animal. There was a brief change in her look, a shade flashed across her eyes, so swiftly that he could barely notice it, like a blink caused by the movement of the nictitating membrane of a lizard's eye.

There was so much pain there.

He immediately knew that he was responsible for it, it was idiotic considering that he barely knew her, yet he couldn't help it, the sudden guilt he felt was so crushing that he could feel it squeezing his very heart.

And then the hate returned, so cold, so murderous that most likely the only thing holding her fangs and claws back from his snout was the sense of accomplishment. He had no idea how long she desired to see Athron, but the urge was strong enough to hold her hate back.

A feat he suspected that didn't happen very often.

He began to feel indescribable disgust the longer he held her, he didn't want to look but he wouldn't be surprised if the paw on her chin would already began to wither.

"We are being watched. You are a bastard, filth that Athron will personally torture, bleak future awaits you, you can't be happy" Ignus whispered so quickly that his tongue could rival that of an electric dragon

The holes her glare drilled were too big for him to bare any longer, steeping to the side he shoved the girl in front of himself, the push was so rough that Iris had to tap several times with her paws to prevent herself from falling down.

He immediately started to feel light as a feather when the weight of her stare was no longer upon him. A good decision that he instantly appreciated, not only he got rid off this nonsensical guilt, he also put up a little show that would push away any suspicions that would make the two of them look related to each other.

"Move" he commanded and Iris obeyed him almost instantly

She didn't start walking immediately, instead she straightened her figure, puffed out her chest royally and neatly folded the pair of magnificent wings. Her entire body showed no signs of hate, radiating only proud confidence.

Iris obeyed her command, moving forward with an elegant gait, swishing her full hips from side to side.

She too voiced a command, demanding from him to know his place, even though her lips did not move, body doing the talking instead.

And Ignus was defenseless against the provocative and sensual sways of the sexy butt waving in front of him, a glance falling down to admire all the godlike curves that he was certain would stop the entire war if only each side could get a piece of it.

A powerful bolt cracked inside his skull, forcing him to immediately drag his gaze up and straighten as a log. A thought, a glance far worse than any war crime he committed, he didn't believe in otherworldly powers, but right now, for some reason, just looking at her with a lustful instinct of a male felt like the most ugliest of crimes against the very universe.

He felt himself touching some sort of a line that when crossed would mean eternal damnation by the gods of this world and all the others.

It was so insanely terrifying.

His horn started to itch again, he pulled at it instinctively, his heart stopped its beating when his earholes recorded the faintest sound of a crack. A piece so tiny that it was smaller than an ant dislodged itself from the horn, falling down onto the floor.

Right behind the border of damnation.

Only now he noticed that there were more crumbs like that scattered beyond.

Each of them looked as if they belonged to the same horn.

His horn.

He shook his head fiercely, the tugs so strong that it put his whole body in motion, the fiery tip of the tail showering the ground with flaming sparks. A powerful bolt of chill crossed his spine, a force so potent that his hot blood together with the natural warmth of his scales could not match it.

Terror.

He sprang forward with a snarl, speeding past Iris and taking the lead again, head aimed in one direction only, leaving the stench of fear behind.

Fucking nonsense.

No one stopped them as they approached the castle, yet despite the emptiness of the streets they weren't alone, many eyes, many figures hid in the corners, yet for some reason none dared to step up. He could only guess what was the reason, however he was quite certain that he would be correct, the one responsible for this hesitation was as pretty as the young dragoness behind him.

Despite this feeling of safety he still out his march to a halt when suddenly in front of them grew up a group of soldiers stationed in front of the castle. Guards of course, nothing too crazy to see, especially in front of the mansion of your leader.

It was different this time though.

Skyward was a mess after the recent explosion and the pressure on the gates by the population of the city, basically all of the armed soldiers were busy dealing with the chaos and while it supposedly is no shocker that some of the soldiers would be left behind to guard the castle against the looters, it still bothered that there was no peacekeeper among them.

It was no secret that the city guard didn't hold Athron in much favor, but his stubborn sister insisted of keeping them close as a sign of incoming change and as a way to keep rebellions at bay. He believed it to be too risky and he will berate her for it at the closest opportunity, it would at least help him in this very situation without the need to rely on options that are most suitable for a rat than a dragon of his stature.

There is no way he is going to risk it, Iris was too much of a valuable cargo and knowing the short fuse that many of the muscle has, the chance of them venting their disapproval against a walking figure of their weakness and betrayal was rather high.

Not to mention that he had a strange feeling that it would be him making the situation worse, something deep down told him that he wouldn't be able to just stand there and watch as they would vent their frustration on his niece.

Shit.

Marble was right.

Family is his weakness.

"Okay Iris, change of plans, we go-" his voice was cut off the moment he turned and saw that the girl was no longer behind him

Veins started to pump blood faster when an initial scare grabbed his heart, telling him that he had lost her to the many shadows that he so naively believed to be only silent watchers. The pressure however never reached its highest level since after one of the panicked turns he had finally spotted her, squeezed through an alleyway that normally is covered by thick vegetation.

A secret entrance to the castle, magically warded against any unpleasant guests that didn't share their royal bloodline. Of course among the attention of all the spies the idea of having a secret door was a naïve thought, those who wanted already knew about it.

It was of no matter, what scared him the most was the fact that Iris squeezed through there without issue, not only proving that she wasn't a fake when it came to her bloodline to him, what terrified him the most was the idea that if anybody intelligent saw her doing it, she also proved her bloodline to them.

He quickly rushed after her, trying not think about the probable consequences of her decision, nor about the fact that Iris actually knew about the secret path in the first place, daughter or not she was a dragoness from the future.

Did they keep this path open even after so many years?

The vines locking themselves behind him offered no answer.

"This is the last time you act on your own, do you hear me?" Ignus hissed angrily at the girl "If anybody saw you, do you know what trouble that would get us into? Are you even aware of what you're doing or you're striding blindly forward without worrying for far reaching consequences just like your mother?"

"Do not call my mother shortsighted, she changed this world" cold eyes of the blue dragoness gazed into the red ones "She did that because she never listened to you"

Ignus hacked, feeling as if someone would kick him right in the guts, he was surprised by the reaction considering the fact that Ahtron behaved like a spoiled brat from the very beginning, should be no surprise she continued to act this way in the future as well.

It hurt hearing it from Iris though and his lack of knowledge as to why is that brought only the numbing stench of fear back.

"I don't care what happened in your time. If you were seen going through this entrance the secret about you being my sister's daughter is spoiled and this will bring trouble onto this family and whether you believe me or not I don't give a fuck. Today's me still cares about the blood in my veins, as ungrateful as it may be and that's what matters. Tomorrow can still be changed, despite your vile vision of the past. You are a guest in my home, you owe me your life and all I want in return is that you will listen to me. My great sister wouldn't teach her daughter to be dishonorable, right?"

Iris kept staring into the eyes of her uncle, waiting for that deceitful spark she hated so much, a whip that whenever it appeared reminded her that she is only a toy in his secret agenda. So desperately clinging to the idea of being far better than mother always was.

Come on motherfucker, we both know you want it.

Blink you damn fire.

"Simple _okay_will suffice, or is there anything specific that you are looking for on my face?"

It's not there.

Iris pulled her eyes away, rubbing her cheek as if a tooth would hurt her, yet the heat she felt there suddenly was not because of pain.

It was something else, something alien, something she didn't feel for a long time, yet still remembered it well.

She was flustered.

"There is only a single corner from which we could have been seen entering the alley, the building there is built upon rich fungal soil, part of a red cap of a mushroom pierces the cracks, from a distance seemingly being a small flaw on the stone left by a heated claw, too small to be noticeable without knowing where to look for. Whoever would hide there would cover it, it wasn't the case when I entered the alley so we are safe"

Ignus' brows raised in shock, he couldn't tell what surprised him more, was it Iris' sudden openness or the fact that she knew awful lot about their behavior. As strange as it may be, neither of those things worried him too much, it seems that recklessness cannot be wiped from their bloodline.

He couldn't say if that stagnation was good or a bad thing.

"Have we really not changed after so many years?"

"You did" her white threw him a quick glance, eyeing him from top to bottom

He chocked on his own breath, feeling a hot wave of arrogant joy splashing against his heart under the weight of her intense stare.

"Unfortunately" and then the beautiful attention was gone, the host of the pair of piercing eyes stepped right into a wall, with ease recognizing the illusion

He followed her immediately, stopping right before the entrance since the blue tail still remained outside, the owner stopping inside the passage for some reason.

"What are you waiting for? Get in, we can't be seen"

"Rats use the canal behind this stone to traverse the keep, it is almost hollow, when you put your head to the stone and listen you may hear steps above" following her own advice Iris pressed the side of her head to the cold rock, blue paw caressed the wall gently like it would be her favorite pet

"Someone's at the exit to the grand hall, we must take the path that leads to my room"

"You're making this up" Ignus rolled his eyes "I already believe you, you don't have to try proving that you come from this place"

Blue tail slinked inside the hole.

"Listen for yourself then"

He had no intention to if he has to be honest, he swims in dirt long enough, getting a break from all this filth was a welcoming change. However Iris was strangely polite, he didn't know what caused this change in her behavior, it was like he would be talking with a completely different dragon than the one he hosted in his house. She had some kind of influence on him, that one was clear, yet this time the pull was not so...blunt?

Not so demanding.

He could refuse and somehow he could sense that she expected something like that to happen and wouldn't be mad about it.

Yet he couldn't say no.

He simply didn't want to.

He pressed his head to the very same spot she did, he had no troubles finding it, it was the only sole spot where dirt was picked clean, precisely scooped up by the blue cheek that embraced it previously.

He listened, he really did, forgetting even about the dangers and worries Iris' action might have caused, focusing solely on the task at paw. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he heard absolutely nothing, not even the supposed rats that made the area behind their rock their home.

Maybe there was a different echo here than in any other spot, but the difference was so insignificant that without Iris' guidance and wish he wouldn't even notice it.

"I can't hear anything" Ignus said honestly, still thinking that she was making this all up

"Good" she whispered softly

Again this weird itch that reached his very heart, a sensation telling him that this wasn't all pointless, even though he didn't understand the girl's recent change of heart at all.

Truth be told he doubted it was even about him, he started to feel like a prop in a play, something that Iris uses to shape her universe. He didn't even try to think what it all could mean or why she was doing it, he had no idea how he would have behaved if he would be the one traveling through time to an era of his childhood, especially when reaching back in time was your entire purpose.

Doing everything just to connect with your own mother again.

He didn't have to know the details to tell that her story was one full of pain and loneliness if she never found respite in the present.

What tragedy could have happened that one of his own blood was sentenced to live through such downfall?

His horn started to itch again.

"Look Iris" he sighed softly "It's nice and all that you recognize some of your childhood memories and take me for the ride, but be aware that it's all memory okay? Be prepared to have your visions brutally verified, Athron, your mother, she isn't the dragoness you used to know. I don't know why I'm warning you about it, but I can't help it, just know that it won't all click like this tunnel does"

"Let's go to my room" Iris said, trying to sound confident, yet he still managed to catch the vibration in her voice that betrayed her stress

"Your room doesn't exist yet"

"Yes...where does the path lead then?"

Ignus swallowed.

"To my room"

The blue tail that just a moment ago stood high, with the tip almost tickling his throat, fell down sharply, tightly squeezing itself between the shapely hind legs.

All of her feathers bristled, vibrating out of order, as if licking an unsteady gust of wind.

Ignus stretched forward, the tight space preventing him from doing anything else since if they want to progress forward the warding magic demands to sense his touch. Backing away and switching places was too dangerous of an option, they risked much already and giving the spies more opportunities for them to notice something unusual was simply unacceptable.

At least that's how he explained it to himself.

His leaning forward chest brushed against Iris' back, he could feel her back jerking downwards roughly right after the initial, faint touch, it never reached complete bottom though, kept aloof from the ground in a very uncomfortable position.

Breath stopped pumping through his lungs, making the accumulated air puff them out as he leaned a little more, reaching past her back and backside of the neck, naturally the damn button had to be right in front of her head.

And then he nearly fainted, pinning her under his weight when suddenly the blue, striped back that avoided him slapped into his chest, the smack squeezing all the built up air in one, strong groan that he wanted to let go just as much as he tried to muffle it.

Cursing himself for this reaction, it was obvious that she couldn't hold her body in such position for long, it was only a matter of time before it sprang up again. Nothing serious.

And then he felt the tender brushing that turned his mind numb and blood hot in an instant, it was impossible to tell if it was her who grazed her soft scales and feathers against him, or it was his constantly stretching body that caused the friction.

A friction that was as vile as it was blissful, a moment of fascination and dread, like standing with your legs spread in between two pieces of a cracking in half earth after an earthquake.

The button he tried to reach seemed to be farther than he thought, but then again it was not like it was all that important anymore, his eyes were already locked on the back of the blue head, mouth parted and panting heavily with the fresh inhales of air.

Some distant voice screamed at him, demanding to know what he was doing, the goal he reached out to couldn't be found among the scales of his niece.

Niece.

Niece.

Niece.

The last word echoed inside his very soul, wringing it into a knot, tightening its grip so strongly around it that he felt as if his spirit was being squeezed through his nostrils. His body was so hot that he felt as if it was about to implode, head was pulsing in the rhythm of his pounding heart.

And to make things worse Iris seemed to sense it too, she turned her masked head, full of sweetness and obedience white eyes gazed right into his own. They were his to take, ready to obey his every command, ready to fulfill every wish.

The sight brought him back to the moment where she sneaked inside his room, with only one, very crucial difference. This time it was his eyes that were the dominant ones. He could do everything he wants to her and she will submit.

Her eyes seemed to want just that.

The one responsible for the brushing became more bold, shifting the friction to the spots around his waist, he did not dare to look who was the one responsible for it.

He was sinking into her eyes, seeing his own reflection shining back at him from the diamond mirrors, he saw himself there, locked in a skirmish with her soul, a skirmish that he was dominating, wrenching her will to live and to think away, taking it all for himself.

Succumbing to hellish desire that tasted like his own blood, his own bloodline.

And all this wicked, demonic vision was completed by the dreadful, blood chilling noise of a shattering into pieces rock. With the eyes of his imagination he could see shards of his own horns pouring onto her body, each dropped piece awakening a pulse that grew stronger and stronger with the growing pile to the point that he had troubles breathing, at the brink of an heart attack.

It was a downfall.

A downfall of his own dignity.

The line he feared to cross was already behind him.

A feeling of fear and shame so powerful manifested itself in his imagination as a powerful gauntlet that grabbed by the throat, dragging him back across the hellish border, filling his entire being with fright so strong that it threaten to kill him if he won't act now.

He slammed his paw against the button, claws sinking into the stone above it so deeply that he almost shattered them. The pain that exploded across his toes brought him back to his senses, with a growl of anguish and shame he quickly pushed himself back, using so much strength to pull away from her that he basically shoved himself through the very opening they used to enter this place.

The passage leading to his room opened up with dreadful creak that so much reminded him of a laughter, so similar to that of Marble's.

"Go" he pointed at the recently opened passage, splashing droplets of blood on the walls from his recently wounded toes, crimson started to paint the area where the claws connected with the flesh

"You are not my uncle" Iris obeyed the command, purring as she continued onwards, as if basking in his whiny, weak tone, acting as if nothing extraordinary has happened

As if it was a day like any other to her.

And that thought pained him more than his paw did.

They traversed the secret passage in total silence and complete darkness, one might believe that it was all on purpose, from the tactical point of view naturally, after all you wouldn't want your enemies to know that you are passing through their checkpoints using secret tunnels.

But it was obvious to the both of them that this stillness had nothing to do with militaristic way of thinking.

Ignus didn't even care about the fact that Iris led him through the dark tunnel without any light and without any hesitation, as if she knew the path by heart. He was so badly focused on his own beating organ that everything else was unimportant. It was pounding crazily in his ribcage, the sound of it echoed so loudly that he was sure that it could be heard by Iris.

He tried to calm it down, hold to some manner of dignity, yet his attempts were mostly futile, even though he couldn't see her, his eyes were locked on the spot where he could hear the girl, worse, his eyes kept painting before him the picture of her swaying body, even the dirt underneath his paws felt soft, like her scales.

It was not the first time he became infatuated with a pretty girl, but it was the first time where that girl was related to him, so instead of managing to cast her away from his thoughts by thinking about something unimportant his mind immediately caught up on the fact that she was his damn niece, that the thoughts he was having were completely sick.

From there to protect his own peace of mind he began explaining to himself that it was nonsense, she was not his niece, she's just a random girl from the future, she didn't come from the Athron he knows.

And then the thoughts returned to Iris' obvious familiarity with the surroundings and her influence on him, then came the vile thoughts about their relations and again explanations. His thoughts kept bouncing back and forth in the same circle, the only thing that remained the same was one name.

Iris.

And whenever he thought about her the heart instead of calming, sped up even further.

When does this fucking tunnel ends finally? Somebody moved his damn room for it to stretch for so long? It was so impossibly hot in this forsaken rat's canal that he felt himself melting, suddenly he began to feel claustrophobic, which only made the heart in his chest beat that so much faster

And then Iris pressed on the covered by shadows rock, opening an entrance to a lit room.

The sight of the light calmed his beating heart, but then the spectacular body stepped into the illumination, the shadows paired with the light emphasized the godlike curves as if they would admire them themselves. In a second his ribcage was assaulted again with force so strong that he could swear he could hear the bones cracking.

He quickly sprang from the hole the moment he noticed the tiniest opening, accidently shoving Iris away as he jumped out. He inhaled heavily, like he would resurface from the depths of a sea, when his view was filled with nothing more than mundane furniture.

It felt so damn good.

Iris observed the struggling Ignus from the side, she watched him heave and twitch with a great deal of pleasure and arrogance. He was so sweetly weak, so shy and undecided, so under her command that a word alone would be enough to make him kill himself if she played her cards right.

Uncle was never so sweet.

In the end she knew he liked the torment, she too enjoyed to see him writhe, it felt so innocent compared to how it all ended. She didn't want it to finish here, it almost felt like home, the only difference being that she had more experience when it came to dealing with males, but that was a small price to pay to live her life with mother.

At least it was fun.

And fun was a thing she didn't feel for a very long time.

"I see the bed is in the same place" she purred, her accented voice smooth and velvety, soft and thrilling like the most precious silk

So perfectly intoned that if there would be anyone in the room looking at the dragoness right now they would notice her smiling.

All the sensations of peace shattered like a dropped vase, Ignus balked, gazing towards the mentioned bed with wide eyes filled with utter terror. The bolt of dread shooting across his spine that paralyzed his every limb reached even his tail tip, nearly extinguishing the fire there, shrinking the formidable flame to the spark of a dying candle.

He felt the heart finally breaking the cage that held it, jumping up right into his throat, he stared at the bed as if it was a maw of a bloodthirsty monster, surroundings disappeared from his view, pupils zooming on the sheets and mattress.

Sheets and mattress that he could swear were grinning at him lustfully.

Suddenly a loud slam echoed throughout the keep, followed by muffled commands yelled by a voice which he recognized immediately. The zoom on the bed shattered like glass, sense and anxiety instantly took over the chaos that polluted his mind.

He couldn't believe it, but he was really glad that Athron has arrived.

"She's here" he announced, trying not to think about the amount of time they had wasted, hoping that perhaps it was his sister that managed to sort her goals quicker than she believed it was possible

He is not allowed to lose focus if he wants his race to survive.

Iris who carried that veil of subtle allure lost it completely at the sound of the announcement, her entire frame seemed to shrink, losing the initial attractiveness with which she carried herself, turning into a child, preparing to be chastised by her parents.

"Let's go" Ignus commanded, feeling the wickedly enticing stress melt away as he reached for the door

"Let no one inside!" his sister's shout echoed loudly in the keep when he opened the door and stepped onto the balcony that overlooked the massive hall downstairs

"Get in you two" Athron shoved two young dragons inside "Keep your eyes open for any questionable presence and if you see a Squeaker around here...deal with the filth as you see fit. We don't need more vermin around here"

She closed the main door, Ignus watched her giving commands to soldiers that aren't truly loyal with a great dose of skepticism. Many around here weren't happy that a female leads them, no matter how attractive she might be, but then they were aware of the fact that if she managed to climb as high she must posses certain aspects that might be problematic to deal with.

Still, despite his original dissatisfaction he had to admit, as disgusting as it was, that Athron played to the egos of the highborns well, after all royal blood doesn't like mingling with the lowlifes and nothing stimulates some suppression than acceptance of aggression against those weaker than you.

A practice that he finds to be totally abhorrent.

"Storage is to the right, head there and you'll find your drug. Get your head straight and don't overdose it again, my patience runs very thin. Be a good brother young dragon and make sure your sister takes what she needs" Athron waved them off "At once!"

The pair of dragons immediately followed the order, even though the glances they shared between each other were far from friendly.

"Did you really just brought the Warden's brats into the palace?" Ignus asked, truly surprised and unhappy

Athron growled in irritation.

"It was necessary"

"The girl is a forsaken junkie and the brick of muscle...I don't know his flaws exactly but the fact alone that he is related to that piece of crap is enough to render him to the level of a worthless rat. Not only you invited this vermin here, you even willingly fed it"

"Stop lecturing me!" Athron snapped angrily, unstrapping the helmet from her head and throwing it furiously away in a completely random direction "I know what I'm doing, I didn't get here by accident"

"Obviously"

She rolled her eyes.

"Just get down here Ignus and undress me" she sniffed at the plates, wrinkling her nose in disgust "I must get this armor off. It stinks"

He obeyed the command with a rather audible growl.

"You solved the troubles at the gate rather quickly"

"With my looks it is trivial to catch the necessary attention, experience comes in finding the right moment before all those eyes staring at you will start thinking clearly, eventually getting used to the sight of the hot body in front, and your sister is perfect in making both those things to work together"

"Naturally" he began working at the armor "My sister is perfect in everything" while working on the straps of the armor he noticed that there was hardly any other smell coming off of it than that of her own scent

"What's exactly wrong with this armor? I don't see any dirt or blood, nor do I smell everything"

The blue dragoness snorted mockingly.

"You rolled with the thrash you sneak from the dungeons for so long that your nose can no longer tell the difference between shit and filth"

"Whatever you say"

"What? Am I wrong? You know that I had to let the filthy Squeakers into my city? Every true royal would feel that immediately. Excluding those two here, now the Upper City is filled with that crap, I could feel their stench clinging to me with each step I took. I despise these lowlifes, but giving them any sense of equality was the only thing to calm that panicked, dirty hive mind. We need those bodies, but let Skyward be damned, do I hate dealing with that filth. It will take many days to clean the Upper City from all that stench"

Ignus shook his head, keeping his thoughts to himself about it all, the only thing that depicted his displeasure with that attitude was the seemingly accidental nick he left on the blue back as he removed another one of the straps.

"Careful with the claws you clumsy fool" Athron hissed

"Sorry. I didn't mean to" the last of the plates fell down, leaving only the plates around the legs still intact, straps of which he already loosened

"You can step out now"

"Finally" the blue dragoness popped from the armor elegantly, dropping her body onto the floor and kicking her rump up to get a good stretch of relief

Ignus observed her with an increasing tempo of his heart.

"Now, where is that feathery bastard?"

"In my room upstairs"

Athron grinned mockingly, her ears flickering as if in laughter "Naturally, you couldn't keep your paws to yourself you dirty freak"

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous Athron"

"Whatever you say. Get the armor cleaned, it's my favorite one, while I'll deal with that nuisance"

His eyes widened in shock.

"What?"

"Don't act dumb, you heard me"

"You'll keep me away from something as important as this?!" he growled, habit of pulling at the horn struck so violently that he didn't even notice he was already yanking at it in anger

"Of course, it's a matter of Skyward's security and as a Queen I will be the one handling it. Alone, as my stature dictates"

His blood started pumping violently, he could feel his fire essence burning his insides.

"It's better I'll come with you, you will need counseling in this matter"

She strode towards him, eyes glowing with fierce magic as she glared right into his fiery orbs, their noses almost touching themselves.

"I decide what I need brother. Right now I need you to wash my armor, is that clear?"

Red paw clenched around the horn tightly, Ignus heard more soft cracks, yet this time he did not care that it was his own leg pouring the shards across the impassable, in theory, line.

"Very clear" he intoned slowly, his voice emotionless

Athron smiled, patting him across the cheek.

"Good boy and now do yourself a favor and silence that ugly habit of yours. I swear, one day you'll yank that horn from your brain"

He immediately dropped his leg, smacking it so hard against the floor that a bolt of pain shot up his leg joint.

"If you see me without any of my horns then you better kill me yourself because that would mean I lost all manner of dignity"

She chuckled, turning away and heading upstairs.

"Sister!" he yelled suddenly, feeling a cold clench around his heart, eyes aimed at the floor

"Yes, Ignus?"

"No matter what..." his voice hacked"...just..." he swallowed deeply, pushing the beating heart down that suddenly sprang up again inside his throat "...don't hurt her"

"Ohhhhh" her ears flopped down in mocking innocence "Will you cry if I break your toy?"

"No" with a gulp he pushed his head up, eyes flaring up as he gazed at his sibling "You will"

Athron jerked her head back at the unexpected sign of dominant masculinity, something that she believed Ignus was incapable of considering that she put him against the corners whenever she wanted to.

Screw it.

She had way too much on her head right now to worry about such trivial things, it is most likely nothing anyway, this whole day is one big mess, so it is highly probable that her stupid brother got confused by the events like many others did.

Athron waved him off indifferently.

"Get to work and let me worry about the important stuff myself"

With no additional words she climbed the stairs, giving her brother one final glance as he began picking up the armor like the good, obedient boy he was.

"You should give Ignus more slack, he was so much nicer when he was young"

Athron stopped in her tracks at the sound of the voice and the growing image of the half-blood standing in the doorstep of Ignus' room. The comment had struck her so aback that she wasn't even angry that a freak like that just told her what she should or shouldn't be doing.

"Follow" the ordered, passing the room with a rapid step, keeping up with her royal posture, ignoring the weird disgrace the little thrash just washed her with

This was no time, nor place for a scene and a lesson in authority.

Iris obeyed her command without a word, her claws clicking in perfect unison with her mother's. The unsuspected symphony caught Athron's attention and forced her to move that bit faster just to put some manner of chaos in this weirdly, unnerving melody.

Iris did not care where they were going, her eyes were locked solely on her mother, watching her tail swinging back and forth, hypnotized by it, the closeness of it stirring long forgotten desires of a child just itching to give that naughty flipping tongue a playful slap or two.

"In here" giving the corridors one final look Athron bit into her toe, drawing a droplet of blood , with the crimson tear on her lips she gave the wall in front a tender kiss

It parted in front of her like velvet silk.

The magical wall immediately locked itself behind them, the room that was no bigger than a cell was filled with a deep, red light that kept slipping through the cracks of all the stones this room was built from, shifting between darker and lighter hues as if thousands of eyes were hidden behind the walls, blinking their attention in and out.

The red color splashed against the bodies of both females elegantly, floating and swaying like waves of a calm sea licking the shore of a sunny beach.

Iris looked around the place, she was no stranger to darkness, tightness and colors of thick blood, yet she still felt rather uneasy in here, she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something with them here.

She challenged the reddish glances with a piercing stare of her own, realizing that the constant changing of colors was caused by movement, whenever it was brighter she could tell that she was looking at a reddish crystal, but the moment it got dimmer she could swear that she saw some part of a dissolved limb floating in there.

Whatever was there was definitely big, big enough to cause ripples in the light with its wriggles.

It was quite unnerving to find out that mother kept such a secret and the fact that she led her here only added more strain to the already uncomfortable situation.

Athron looked around the gloomy, dancing with red colors walls, watching their reddish shapes float across her body like spotlights.

"The only place in this damn city where I know for certain we won't be watched and listened to" she mused out loudly, glancing into one of the red, blinking holes "By anyone that would give a damn at least"

"You don't show this place to anyone" Iris said calmly, even though her mother was clearly hostile towards her, in this place, she felt like they were no borders, as if she would be in her womb again where nothing mattered but honesty

And even though Athron hated the wind dragons, she felt the same way.

"No"

Womb, was there any better place where a child could say that she is closer to her mother? Where she could say that she understood her life giver in every way as if they were the same creature?

Iris watched her mother, knowing her thoughts before she spoke them, the broken cold remains that were her heart once began to bleed.

"Some saw it anyway"

In between the windows that were the tossed about stripes of red Iris could see cold steam swiveling from the blue scales.

"Some did"

The voice, it was more chilly than the existence she called life after the tragedy.

Iris glanced towards the red cracks again, a sense of overwhelming emptiness engulfed her, making her feel as if she was standing on the tongue of a gaping maw that was about to slam shut.

"They are there now"

Among the darkness and red she noticed a fierce spark of blue flashing from the eyes of her mother. She had seen such callous determination in her own reflection many times to realize that a specific, murderous decision has been made.

Being at the end of it felt totally unfair, especially after all this time, this cannot end this way.

"You know who I am" Iris growled, probably the first time in her entire life when she was truly mad at her mother

First time she saw herself in her.

What a disgusting sight it was.

"A ghost" Athron advanced forward, her steps firm, a derail that couldn't be said about the magic radiating from her eyes, magic that kept fluctuating like the determination of a castaway who clings to life at the open sea.

With each step her mom made forward Iris made one backwards.

"On the drawer you call Milestone Well the day of my birth is the final entry you ever mark there"

Blue tail smacked onto the ground, drawing a frosty path behind itself, ice undulating under the effects of strong magic as if there would be corpses trying to dig themselves from the frozen line.

"You named me after your favorite flower"

Athron stopped, for a second her paw raised, out of unconscious habit, to touch the mark on her neck, ignoring the fact that she wiped off the makeup that hid it.

"You always said that when you grew up it was difficult to find flowers so as a child you decided to scratch one yourself on your neck to keep a mark of a flower forever. You did it so poorly and used Binding magic to make the tattoo that you ultimately scarred yourself, even though deep down you still believed it be a flower. You hid it to the day you learned that you were pregnant, father redid after that and you never covered it up again"

Athron pushed forward again, the last step Iris did put her against the wall, the touch of the stone on her scales wiped the determination to fight in her, realizing that if her mother is like her than there was no point to continue this.

"You have a soft spot for bright, white eyes" Iris aimed her diamond orbs directly at her approaching mother

The strong, blue legs wavered slightly but kept pressing on despite the small delay.

"The attention your looks bring you tires you, the other biggest joy after raising me is solitude where you spend time making jewelry out of sapphires"

The distance was cut, Athron stopped in front of the pinned dragoness, gazing at her with eyes that no longer resembled a sensible creature with a beating heart, pupils completely covered by otherworldly, murderous frost, the only thing that differed her from a walking, infused corpse were the deep, hard pants her throat was making.

"You called me your little Snowflake to keep with the tradition that many called you the embodiment of Winter and to remember your own childhood nickname"

Iris swallowed, a powerful sense of defenseless overwhelmed her. She suddenly felt so, so tragically tired.

"I'm the one that killed you" she clung to the medallion she wore around her neck, the chain around the neck feeling extremely heavy all of a sudden, at the brink of snapping her neck "I accept vengeance mother as a possible outcome, dying by your claws would be mercy anyway"

"How something so pitiful as you could be my downfall?" Athron hissed in disgust, there was some layer of curiosity vibrating in her freezing voice, of all the things she most likely expected, she clearly didn't consider one of her own blood to be so docile

Or perhaps there was something else holding her back, something she didn't want to admit she still had, this cruel world had a way of using it against you.

Conscience was a very trivial thing to exploit after all.

Iris' claws nervously clicked over the medallion, the clang caught Athron's attention, she immediately pulled at the chain, examining the jewelry from up close, lifting Iris from the ground with the strong jerk, the frost from her eyes vanishing when she began to look it over carefully.

"Who gave this to you?" there was a barely noticeable vibration of anxiousness in the chilly voice

"You did"

"Why to do you wear it?" Athron's eyes locked themselves at the small letter embroidering the round necklace, she didn't even seem to care about the sapphire in the middle, something Iris believed that would certainly catch her attention

"To remember. To anger my uncle since he hates it. To see my uncle bleed every time he touches it"

"You have no idea" the Queen let go of the necklace, shoving it back into the blue throat, throwing the brightly colored girl that wielded it at the wall

"I knew. Why did I allow it to happen?" blue eyes aimed themselves at Iris who looked genuinely confused by the spoken words, her mother really acted like she would be talking with ghosts

"I am not your mother girl, you are nothing but a burden to me"

Without thinking Iris reached for her mask, opening it and revealing her yet now healed snout, her white eyes glistening with tears.

Athron jerked her head back, paw immediately raising to trail the features of her own draconic face.

"Not yet perhaps but I am your daughter, not once in your life you called me your burden, I was always the one that gave you strength. Please mother, accept me back or kill me, but I swear to you that if you allow me to stay I'll prove to you that I'm not lying. I will do everything for you, you will find no one more loyal than me. Just let me be close to you"

Blue leg reached for Iris' face, claws touching her gently as she began to tilt it around, examining the young snout with clear awe.

"Your pitifulness disgusts me, but at least you're pretty, beauty is so rare in this cursed world, it would be such a waste to just throw it away" the claws caressed the soft, young scales like they would be made from the most precious and sensitive of materials

Iris locked her eyes tight under the pressure of an imaginable wave of security and pleasure, she could tell that it was not the touch of the same motherly love she missed so much, there was more purpose and curiosity here than actual affection.

But it still felt wonderful, it managed to squeeze the two tears that built up in her eyes, flow of which created a pair of craters that carved their way down the cheeks and onto the blue toes holding it .

Athron watched the moist appearing on her paw with a great deal of callous fascination, the pair of tears leaving a burning mark choked her breath, touching her heart with an alien feeling of...guilt?

"A loyal ally, hmmmm, a precious risk" she wiped the tears from the eyes, being unimaginably gentle about it

Iris immediately rubbed her cheek affectionately into the opened palm.

Blue eyes watched the show of affection closely, something deep down told her that she wouldn't be able to pull her eyes away even if she wanted to.

Who could have guessed that Ignus could be right.

"I have expectations towards you Iris, big ones, and I don't tolerate failure"

Diamond eyes opened sharply, glowing with a familiar determination. There were many similarities already to be found in the girl that she could easily connect with herself, but if she still had any doubts about the origins of the feathered female the white gems dispersed them effectively, being a vivid glass of a pristine mirror where she saw nothing else but her own reflection in every tiny detail.

Blue wings opened fully, puffing out the groomed feathers proudly, if they ever felt tormented by the hostility they showed no sign of backing away under the pressure.

Athron took in the sight, feeling her mouth stretch into a smile. Making the best of who you are was the creed by which she overtook Skyward. It was a lonely, difficult trek, summit of which is still far, far away.

A difficult climb for one special soul like her.

"We live to exceed expectations" Iris stated with a tone that was as strong as it was pristine, no rasp, no vibration of sound, perfect, like she would be repeating a motto that she took to heart

Yet she knew it was no motto, but a quote.

And even though it was her daughter's lips that moved, she could still hear herself speaking through that mouth. Mind immediately started to race with one thought.

Is the trek as difficult for two?