Hello, and welcome to my first Wings of Fire story. This little tale is set approximately six years following the conclusion of the Jade Mountain Arc of the series. While I enjoy the Wings of Fire: I did have some issues with the second arc, one of the biggest I have with was the conclusion to Darkstalker's character arc.

How Darkstalker was defeated bothered me, but nowhere near as much as learning that Peacemaker would never learn of his past life and that those most precious to him in said life are now just empty faces in a history book who he would never remember in his entire life. With this story, I hope to address that major issue.

This story primarily centers on loss and grief and, most importantly, learning to overcome both and move forward.

While reviews are not necessary, they are greatly appreciated.

Now, without further ado, let's take flight.

"We have enemies to the North, East and the West. The Rainforests have protected our tribe for Centuries. But in an era where Dragons who command spears with only their thoughts, I wonder whether our home will be enough?

Very soon we will be forced to remind all of Pyrrhia what happens when they scheme against the Rainforest and her people.

Just as we stalk an unwelcomed guest's every step in the Rainforests, we will stalk their dreams with unrelenting terror.

Through their Nightmares: We will force our enemies to be the architects of their own demise before they even consider desiring our tribe harm."

-Excerpt from Queen Anaconda's speech to the RainWing Tribe in response to increasing hostilities with the SeaWing and SkyWing Tribes.

Circa 3,000 AS (After Scorching)

"I do wish I had been a better father."

It always started this way.

Words that were meant to sound like genuine regret towards a loved one…

"If I were, I would have strangled you the moment you hatched."

…only to be words filled with bitterness and hatred.

Those words always made Peacemaker think, why would you want to strangle your own dragonet? Why would you say such a thing?

But said dragon's reply changed Peacemaker's opinions on the situation, very quickly.

"Cut out your tongue," A cold voice responded to the original voice.

Gasps of horror, and a faint whimper, in the background as the sound of talons slicing into flesh could be heard and were followed by the inevitable drips of blood hitting a wooden floor. Something hit the ground, followed by the sound of even more blood hitting the ground.

Vision entered Peacemaker's eyes.

He stood on a wooden stage, overlooking a market place that was filled with a crowd of NightWings, all looking at over at him. Peacemaker was normally not a fan of attention, whenever a large group of people he did not know all looked at him, he would feel his breath get caught in his throat and he would wish he had inherited camouflage scales from his father. But this time he was not afraid of the looks the NightWings gave him.

Actually, it was the opposite. He enjoyed the looks of fear and terror in the eyes of the crowd. Which, he admitted, was strange. He did not want people to be afraid of him, nor a lot of attention on him, in this case. The thought of Moon, Kinkajou and mother looking at him the way the NightWings were made him feel guilty, deep down.

But, regardless of what he told himself, his body was moving on a will of its own.

Looking to his side, Peacemaker stared at an older dragon, an IceWing, beside him. His mouth was filled with blue blood. And, laying in front of his talons, was a severed tongue and a pool of blue blood.

Peacemaker felt like he was going to be sick…he wanted to be sick. But, again, there was that small feeling of satisfaction in his mind. In some twisted way, Peacemaker was enjoying the sight of the IceWing in pain. In the back of his mind, Peacemaker ordered his body to race up to the IceWing and find a way to stop the bleeding.

But his body refused the order…

In sadness, Peacemaker wanted to tell the dragon he was sorry and to forgive him.

Then came the next words, the words that horrified both Peacemaker and the assembled dragons.

"Now," Peacemaker began, leaning forward at the IceWing to glare into the dragon's hooded eyes. "Take your talons, rip open your stomach, and show us all what you're really like on the inside. Pour out your life on this stage."

NO! Don't listen! Peacemaker pleaded in his mind. Ignore me! Don't do this! PLEASE!

He deserves this a voice, his voice, said in his mind.

The IceWing rose his claws to his stomach…

And drove them forward.

NO!

BOOM!

The roar of thunder in the sky shook the entire hut, waking Peacemaker from his nightmare. Raising his head from his bed, Peacemaker found himself breathing rapidly and his heart beating just as fast. For a brief second no sounds registered in his ears but soon the sound of a downpour of rain beating the roof of his and his mother's hut filled his ears.

Looking around, he saw that he was still in his small room instead of that stage that had been appearing in his dreams for the past few months.

A sigh escaped his mouth as he raised his talons to his forehead, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

It was just a dream, he told himself. It was not real. It was not real.

Despite making those assurances, that did not stop seem to stop the nightmares from happening. The dreams happened once every few weeks, but no matter how many times he had them the scene of the IceWing preparing to…kill himself in front of Peacemaker always led to the same reaction from the dragonet.

Peacemaker shook his head, trying to shake out the lingering thoughts from his brain as if they were raindrops pattering on top of his head.

…oh, wait.

Looking up at the ceiling of his room, Peacemaker saw small leak start to form above him.

Darn it…didn't Mightyclaws say his drawings were waterproof this time?

With a sigh, Peacemaker stood up off of his bed with his blanket, shaking his head again as another drip hit it, and walked out into the front room of the hut. Looks like he would have to tell Hope that there was a leak, again.

You would think that an Animus touched artifact would be able to come up with a waterproof hut.

Poor Mightyclaws, mom is going to give him an earful two times in one month…

Normally Hope would not mind a few mistakes here and there, she was quite forgiving towards mistakes. She would even be willing to fix the leaks herself, but Mightyclaws had taken it upon himself to make a perfect structure for any of his tribemates who asked him. But in the past year, there had been small flaws in the designs that Mightyclaws drew up using his Animus touched earring. Needless to say, Hope was not at all pleased that the roof of her and Peacemaker's hut had to, literally, be redrawn once every few months.

Peacemaker once suggested that it wasn't Mightyclaw's fault, maybe the Animus touched earring was just growing tired?

"Animus touched items don't 'grow tired' sweetie, Mightyclaws just needs to do a better job." She had told him six months ago after she yelled at said dragon shortly after redrawing their roof.

Maybe she was right, but Peacemaker always admired Mightyclaws drawings. He did a lot of good for the NightWing village in the Rainforest, repairing houses with his drawings and drawing up fun little creations for young dragonets. Peacemaker wished he still had that toy scavenger Mightyclaws had drawn for him…where did that go off to anyways?

"You're up early," Came the voice of his mother from the living room of their hut, dragging Peacemaker from his thoughts as he stepped out of his room. Hope sat on a cushion, a scroll in on a table in front of her. Peacemaker saw his mother's kind eyes look at him with concern "The storm wake you, dear?"

Peacemaker nodded, not wanting to tell his mother about the nightmare that he had been having for the last few months. The last thing Peacemaker wanted to do was worry his mother, one of the most important dragons in his life.

"The thunder," Peacemaker said, a yawn escaping him as he walked over to his mother, though not before grabbing a strawberry from a bowl of fruit as he passed. "And…well…we have another leak."

"Three moons, again?" Hope said, exasperated. "I swear, Mightyclaws…" She groaned briefly but calmed as her son approached. "I will talk with him after I come back from taking you to Jade Mountain."

Oh, that's right. Jade Mountain Academy. He was going to start his first term at the Jade Mountain Academy. The very school ran by four of the five Dragonets of Destiny. The same school Moon and Kinkajou went to.

A mixture of feelings surged in his stomach at the thought of going to the same school that two of his greatest friends had attended, and became well known during their time at the Academy.

Yet Peacemaker admitted he was nervous. On one talon he would be leaving the Rainforest, the only home he had known for most of his life, and be spending the next four months living in a mountain filled with dragons he either did not know or not know well enough. Many dragonets he went to school with would be there, but Peacemaker would not say they were his friends, more like acquaintances. Meanwhile, the rest of his friends would be continuing their schooling here in the rainforest.

Then, on the other talon, there was the fact he would not be able to see mother or Moon. They assured him that they would visit him as many times as they could. But Peacemaker knew it would not be as often as they claimed, not with both Hope and Moon serving as diplomats for Queen Glory and being sent to other tribes in order to maintain the peace.

Hope must have seen the expression on his face, because Peacemaker felt one of her wings gently brush against his before wrapping against him, pulling him into a hug.

"You'll be fine, Peacemaker," Hope assured him, pressing her snout to his forehead, making Peacemaker smile softly.

"I hope I don't mess up," Peacemaker commented. "I think some of the NightWing and RainWings that will be attending still remember my first attempt at tree swinging." Which ended with me landing in a bunch of mud…

"Just be yourself," Hope said to him, smiling. "Smile, talk with others and just be yourself, your smile is especially contagious."

Peacemaker chuckled a bit but nodded.

"Maybe you'll even find the biggest strawberry somewhere on Jade Mountain?" Hope suggested.

Peacemaker looked up at his mother and smiled brightly.

The illusive biggest strawberry in all of Pyrrhia and Pantala…the one fruit that Peacemaker had made his primary goal in his short six years. He admitted it was a rather childish quest. But Strawberries were, after all, his specialty dish.

"Maybe," Peacemaker answered. For a second he perked up, an idea coming to his mind. "Then, when you and Moon come to visit, I'll make it into a pie."

"And it will be good," Hope said. Her head then turned out of their leaf windows, seeing the rain still pouring. "You should get go back to sleep, darling. Still a few hours until sunrise."

Peacemaker hesitated for a short moment, wanting to come up with an excuse in order to stay up with his mother. Anything to spend the next few hours speaking with her. While also avoiding the idea of going back to sleep and seeing the horrid nightmare of the IceWing killing himself…

But he did not want to worry his mother that was the last thing Peacemaker ever wanted to do. Not with so much stress already on her as a diplomat who traveled to the Mud Kingdom, back to the Rainforest and then to the distant continent, Pantala.

Lowering his head and neck onto the floor, Peacemaker slid his blanket over himself, closing his eyes as he listened to the rain beating against the roof and the now distant booms of thunder that had traveled a long distance.

Despite not wanting to go to sleep, his eyes began to grow heavy and his mind becoming foggy.

Just before falling peacefully asleep, he felt his mother's wing gently wrap around his side again.

And then a dreamless sleep began.