A/N: TO HECK WITH BLISTERSEER!!!
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"You-you USELESS son of a RainWing!" Morrowseer yelled at the dragonet of destiny cowering beneath him. "Why can't you fight like a respectable NightWing! You're supposed to lead, not run and hide."
Starflight. Morrowseer remembered, His name is Starflight.
"S-sorry," the failure stuttered. Tears shook his words and threatened to shatter them like glass. "T-to be fair, you-"
"Do you really think life is fair, coward?" Morrowseer bent his neck down, down, until his snout was almost touching the little NightWing's. "Well, let me tell you a well-kept secret." He hissed the tiniest plume of flame into the scarce distance between them. The light reflected in Starflight's wide black eyes, illuminating fear and a little determination. "It's...NOT." The dragonet took a step back. "Go hide behind your annoying sorry excuse for a girlfriend. NOW!" He barked the last word into the failure's ear, scaring him and making him run, just as expected.
Morrowseer watched Starflight turn tail and bolt down the hall of the NightWing fortress. He sort of reminded Morrowseer of himself, he thought as he walked back to his own quarters, innocent and curious and clueless and in lo-
Don't. Don't think that. You'll show too much weakness... they know you to be strong. You can't let them see otherwise.
But it was too late. Morrowseer could already feel the tears rushing in, his throat constricting, talons shaking. Stay strong...
He ran into his quarters and slid the rock-door closed. The large, fierce NightWing slumped to the ground against his door...
And welcomed the tears, welcomed the pain he always had to keep hidden until he was alone.
Weakling.
You failed once, and it keeps happening.
The tears came more and more often nowadays, since the dragonets (mostly Starflight) showed up, but Morrowseer wouldn't admit it even if he'd been tortured.
He looks so much like me when Duskpainter was alive.
Duskpainter...
Gulping down his pain, Morrowseer pulled a picture from his neck pouch. In the photograph, there were two radiantly happy NightWings holding talons and beaming like they'd just won the three moons in a bowl.
Life for the NightWings was still awful back then, twenty-two years ago.
But it hardly mattered when you and your boyfriend had just turned ten, had just been given permission to leave the island, to go live somewhere else.
Together.
It hardly mattered when you were together.
A dragon who loved scrolls and science and life altogether, fiercely protective of the other, the one named Duskpainter, who was handsome, artistic, and kindhearted.
The Scorpion Den had been their home for one blissful month after the picture was taken, but one night, Morrowseer's life changed forever, because his loved one's ended.
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A mile outside the Scorpion Den, two NightWings lay side-by-side on a tapestry blanket. They would have been invisible under the darkening sky, except for the lanterns placed on all four corners of the blanket, forming a diamond of protection.
Or so it seemed.
"Hey, Morrowseer," Duskpainter said, tracing one claw along the lines of his boyfriend's wing, "what's your favorite color?"
Morrowseer pretended to think for a moment, twining his tail around Duskpainter's. "You know, there's one color I love more than anything."
"Do tell, I'm practically dying to know!"
(A/N: Now, if this were a football game, this would be the part where you would facepalm and groan... 'Why did you say that, Duskpainter??' )
"Well, I think you've seen it before." Morrowseer pressed his forehead against the other NightWing's, smiling. "It's your eyes. My favorite color is the color of your eyes. It's the most beautiful blue with flecks of purple and pink and-"
They kissed, and Morrowseer's heart threatened to burst out of his chest and dance, like a SandWing at the Full Moon Festival.
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"What are you doing out here?" The two NightWings woke to gravelly voices all around them.
Morrowseer opened his eyes, slowly, and sheltered them from the glare of the lanterns being held in front of his face.
They were surrounded by SandWings, Queen Oasis's patrol, by the looks of it. There were about eight, all with sharp tail barbs and equally sharp glares.
"Come on, answer us."
"We-we were just watching the stars." Duskpainter answered nervously.
"Are you sure? Two sneaky NightWings, sleeping on a blanket outside the Scorpion Den... just watching stars? A likely story," the one in front hissed. He had a scar running from his right ear to the tip of his snout, and it somehow made him look more menacing than he already was, as he was much bigger than Duskpainter and Morrowseer.
"Addax," one SandWing said tentatively from the back, "maybe they are telling the truth."
"Nah." The scarred one kicked Duskpainter lightly. "Own up, you frog-faced blobs of camel spit."
"General Addax, maybe if they go back home we can-"
Morrowseer stepped protectively in front of his boyfriend, wings spread wide to keep him safe. "We will not go home just because you don't like us. We weren't going to hurt anyone."
"Of course... well," Addax said smoothly, "really, I don't think two male dragons- NightWings no less- sleeping in our territory are up to anything good. And you know I'm always right."
A/N: This is where you start freaking out and shrieking HOMOPHOBE at the top of your lungs.
"Hey, Morrowseer, it's okay. We can go home if-"
Morrowseer held Duskpainter's talons in his. "We are not going home. This idiot can eat his sand if he wants to, but we need to stand our ground."
"Aww, you're cute when you're mad."
"Not the t-" Morrowseer started to say, but then he saw the plan in Duskpainter's eyes. "Oh. Why, thank you."
They kissed, just to show Addax who was going to win.
Addax didn't agree.
"Mesquite, take the defensive one and hold him back. I want him out of the way, no matter what."
"A-are you sure?"
"Very," he hissed, and snapped his fingers.
Morrowseer and Duskpainter got torn apart abruptly, Morrowseer held back by three SandWings, struggling madly, but he was no match for three dragons bigger than him.
Duskpainter suddenly found himself pinned to the ground by Addax, any chance of escaping smothered by the barbed tail an inch above his snout.
"This is it, cactus. Liar, you know you were up to something, but it's too late to own up now."
Addax's barbed tail struck Duskpainter's heart, killing him instantly.
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That night, the compassionate part of him died.
Happy, smart Morrowseer turned into Vengeful Morrowseer.
He sent scavengers on course for Queen Oasis's palace,
returned to the Night kingdom,
and wrote a prophecy.
There was never another Duskpainter. Morrowseer was required to court a female named Secretkeeper, but their egg broke, and their relationship with it.
All day, every day, apart from times like these when he couldn't hold the tears in, Morrowseer's head was clouded with pain mistaken for rage, muffling every ounce of joy, and it showed through towards others. He was the one every dragon respected, but also the one every dragon feared. Nobody wanted to talk to him, to befriend him. To be honest, Morrowseer didn't want anyone to talk to him. But... if somebody understood...
Weak.
That's what you are.
He lit the picture on fire and clenched it his talon, enjoying the burning he knew would leave a scar.
The volcano rumbled in the distance. It would erupt soon.
And, Morrowseer vowed, these dragonets would die, and his own body would stay here, right here, engulfed in lava-
But his soul would be with Duskpainter's.
The one he loved.
And that was what mattered.
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The end.
Fulfilling, huh?
So, honestly, I ship a lot of gay ships, probably more than straight ships, and I'm starting to think people are under the impression that I ship gay because it's gay.
That's BS.
So if you'd like to know why I ship anything, just ask and I will be happy to give you a long long long list of reasons.
Or ask for a brief summary and I'll give you a shorter list of reasons.
Thanks so much for reading and I hope you liked my oneshot!!!
-Rowan
