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[color=E5E4E2]Every single one of her footsteps felt like they were weighed down with boulders. From the shallowest end of the tunnel, she heard the cries of the dragons who hollered for bloodshed and gore. She shuddered. How could they be so willing to see their own kind tear each other apart? If they even consider [i]them[/i] at least half their own kind. Vivid wished she could just turn invisible, but then they’d just laugh at her and force her to fight anyway. The light on the other side of the tunnel became brighter and brighter, closer and closer, until both of them were shoved out into the hot daylight once again by the guards.

Her ear pricked slightly at the other hybrid’s warning. His words registered in her head, though they were quickly drowned out by what laid in front of them. Rows and rows of dragons, mostly SandWings, hooted and roared from the siderows. An elaborately-decorated booth, cloaked with golden silks and trimmed with silver, was nestled above the rows of writhing heads and wings. There stood Queen Caracal, flanked by two more SandWing guards. Her scales were a brilliant bronze color and her underbelly was a lovely cream, though what caught her attention the most were the black markings that surrounded her eyes and ran down the length of her muzzle. Her ivory horns were adorned with golden rings and bangles inlaid with topaz. Vivid had heard many things of Queen Caracal– of her sheer beauty, her deadly temper, and how she was the only queen in the whole existence of Pyrrhia who ruled both the SandWing Kingdom and the Scorpion’s Den. That went to show where her morals lay…

Caracal’s wings flared from her seat as her eyes, black as pitch, settled on the dark SandWing from earlier. [b]”What is the meaning of this, Boa? I thought I ordered that the trophies were not to set foot in the ring.”[/b] Her voice lingered between a hiss and a snarl.

Boa stepped out into the ring behind them. [b]”No worries your Majesty. I thought that you might like something a little more entertaining before your meal.”[/b]

[b]”The NightWing monster will kill that puny thing in an instant with its ice breath. Answer me this– how will I sell a dead or crippled trophy? Its worth will be gone in an instant.”[/b]

[b]”Ah, that’s the thing, my Queen,”[/b] Boa answered with a flick of her black tongue. [b]”Let them fight using only their strength. No poison, no ice breath, nothing of the sort. It will thrill the onlookers… along with your palette.”[/b]

Queen Caracal grinned, revealing golden fangs that glinted in the desert heat. [b]”Very well, then. Let them fight. If something happens, though…”[/b] She slowly raised a paw and pointed a golden claw in the SandWing’s direction. [b]”Let it be on [i]your head[/i], Boa.”[/b]

Boa bowed her head and fanned out her wings. The other guards beside her did the same. With that, the crowds’ voices raised in excitement once again. Their roars drowned out the thumping of her heart in her ears and muted her thoughts. Before she knew it, she was shoved to one end of the arena. Her shackles were undone, and the unburdening of her wings and limbs felt like she had just ascended to the moons themselves. A sigh left her maw as she raised a paw to rub at her tender scales around her wrists and muzzle. Then, she glanced up at the other hybrid across the Pit. They were both ready to fight. How [i]did[/i] one even fight a NightWing-IceWing hybrid, though? Just because he couldn’t use his ice breath didn’t mean he couldn’t read her mind. If he even had those powers to begin with, that is.

Vivid stood up on all-fours and ducked her head, standing her ground in front of Frostbite. If he was confident that his plan could work, then she might as well go along with it. Her yellow eyes glimmered with anticipation as her scales slowly shifted into a vibrant indigo. The crowd’s roars turned into chanting as the battle was wont to begin.[/color]