Prologue

About two years ago...

Looking out at the Kingdom of the Sand, Dawn could see all the way to Queen Thorn's palace. In other words, the place they avoided during the war. Dawn looked sort of like a regular SandWing, except of the RainWing frills behind his ears, which were midnight blue given to him from his RainWing, NightWing mother. Burn would have loved to have him and his sisters stuffed in her Weirdling Tower. It would never be the same if either Pawpaw or Dusk were gone. "Dawn," said Dusk coming up behind him, "When are you going to learn to stop worrying? The war is over! Live a little would you, for Paw and me?"

"Okay."

"I'm serious!" she yelped then, nudged affectionately. He pulled a weird face and wrapped his wings around her. A little red figure popped in between them.

"Hey!" she said, "What happened to me being your favourite sister!?"

"Why are you two always fighting about this?"

"Because I am your twin!" said Dusk and at the same time Pawpaw said.

"Because I am younger and deserve more love!"

They all laughed. Other dragons would say hybrids, should be forbidden, but they all knew that their existence was a good thing that nothing could take away. Having this family was the best gift he could have ever gotten. "Dawn what do you, think?"

They both turned to him emerald and magenta eyes staring into his. "I'm going with Pawpaw," he said ducking out of the way from Dusk's wing coming down on his head. "You didn't let me finish!" he yelped, "I am choosing both of you because you both mean the world to me. So I'm NOT choosing I'm GOING with both of you."

"Wow," Dusk said awestruck, "I-" Pawpaw cut her off by yelling crazed things about scavengers, and finished with saying:

"Who's hungry? Dad told me to ask"

"Me"

"And me never forget me when we are about to EAT!"

"Really Dusk?"

"What?"

"Okay let's go!" Pawpaw shouted over both of them.

Racing back to their hut, Dawn was able to see some dragons flying by. He knew nothing would happen but he instinctively flew down. Accidentally crashing into Dusk. "Ack," she said, "What in the name of the MOON'S was that FOR?"

"Dusk he didn't mean to," Pawpaw said, reading him like an open page book.

"I promise I didn't," he said holding up his talons, where she could see them, "I'm just so used to hiding from dragons."

Dusk stayed surprisingly silent for the rest of the trip. He knew that she could see he really meant it. In the entrance to their hut, they could see Smoke. "Hi dad," the all said in unison. Their father laughed. Dawn knew their father loved seeing them together. Smoke liked to talk about the history of the SandWing royal family, and the Outclaws. He often told the story of how Queen Thorn had offered him a place as an Outclaw to Pawpaw before he sent them to bed. In Dawn's opinion he favoured his father over there mother, Eclipse-bringer. Because unlike her Smoke chose to stay with them. They visited their mother occasionally because of Pawpaw, which Dawn found out was not the reason she wanted to go to the rainforest. It was because she made friends she was particularly fond of called Kinkajou and Tamarin. Dawn later found out the he was very, very fond of sloths after Kinkajou had explained everything about them. Looking at their home he could smell rabbits and chicken on the fire their father had started.

"Hello beautiful," Smoke said hugging Pawpaw, "what took you all so long?"

"Dawn freaked out at the sight of – guess what ooo scary DRAGONS! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Dusk said teasingly. She bumped his side and dissolved into giggles.

"Is that so?" Smoke raised a brow in his direction a smile played on his lips, "strange of you, Pawpaw, you can protect Dawn now,"

Pawpaw wriggled her way out of his grasp, smiling with pride, bouncing inside. "Dinner smells grea- AHHH!" she screamed. They all rushed inside to see what the commotion was. Oh no. Dawn thought franticly. Dawn expected Pawpaw to have slipped and fell but when he, entered she stood frozen in place. He followed her gaze to the sandstone floor where there was a dragonbiteviper. Dusk reacted first using her fire trying to set it ablaze. The snake darted out of the way towards Pawpaw.

"Look out!" Smoke said pulling her away. Smoke pushed her into Dawn. He grabbed a hold of her as soon as she touched him. When she looked up into his eyes, he noticed she had burned her snout, not a huge scar. However, then he saw what she saw: everyone dying, her screaming to them then the viper sinking its fangs into her neck. Finally her dying. NO! PAWPAW NO! He thought. Her ears pricked up as if she'd heard his thoughts.

"Dawn," Pawpaw said a little alarmed, "Dawn! DAWN!"

"Huh?" as he turned around he saw the snake darting towards, "DUSK!" He spread his wings clutching the small dragonet and flew outside. When they were a safe distance away, he landed. "Are...you...okay?" he asked in gasps, she looked up at the moon lit sky. Dawn saw the moonlight reflect in her eyes, the little moonstones embedded under them and her small teardrop scales. When she looked into him, her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were full of tears. "Stay here," he instructed her, "and don't by all the dead hearted moons MOVE!" She looked very taken back, but nodded.

Flying back to the hut Dawn could see the whole thing had gone ablaze. When he got there, there was no sign of Smoke anywhere "DUSK?!" he yelled, "DAD?!"

"Here," said a soft voice. He ran over to his sister and hulled her out of the spot that she was, cramped in. They dogged the flames and reached the entrance where Pawpaw sat, shaking. When she saw them, her face lit up a little, in a flash her expression changed to horrified. She had feared the worst.

"Where is Dad?"