Outcast

*Valoris POV*

Stepping out from the lightning, I couldn't help myself from grinning. Lightning travel was one of the more rare powers that some storm dragons had acquired.

Once properly trained, they would be able to travel long distances at an incredible speed And become practically untouchable in a fight.

Looking around, I spot Rentil staring at me with her face slack from shock. As I'm about to greet her she starts screaming at me, before rushing off mentioning something about getting Vanor and getting her stash of rocks.

Confused, I shrug and continue towards the training area. Arriving, I try to remember the feeling I felt when I activated lightning travel.

My claws start to tingle when I hear my name shouted behind me. Looking back, I see Vanor coming towards me, his eyes haunted.

"Lord Tohil found something, you need to come with me," he says. His voice is subdued, nearly a whisper.

Concerned by his behavior, I climb onto his back, and he takes off. Flying faster then

I had ever seen him ever go before. I struggle to stay on him

We arrive at a cave near the base of the Bloodyfang, deep in the former Silverback's tribe. Lord Tohil, along with several members of the Thousand Feathers clan are waiting outside.

Their faces are all very grave, some of the younger members seem to have been crying. Looking at Lord Tohil, I can see the sadness on his face.

"Lord Tohil... what's going on?" I ask.

"Emperor Vanor asked Selena what she did with the bodies of the beasts she experimented on that died. She just smiled and gave us this location, and said we better hurry.

Not sure what she meant, I sent some members to find the cave, once they did they came and got me. When I found what was inside, all I can say is that I wish we had gotten here sooner" he says, his voice filled with grief.

Scared by how everyone is acting, I crawl towards the opening into the small dark cave. A large rock next to it that clearly use to be used to block it off.

I step inside, waiting for my eyes to adjust. Inside are countless oddly shaped rocks. As I want to step over one, my claw brushes it and I coil back at the feeling of flesh. Then the smell of rotting flesh hits me.

Horror rises inside of me as I realize that the hundreds of what I thought were rocks were actually dead, deformed newborn beasts.

The images in front of me get burned into my very soul. Emaciated, deformed, Covered in injuries. None of them can be older than 6 months old. I rush back outside and start dry heaving. Tears trickle down as I feel a terrible grief.

"This is the work of evil, pure evil. Most of them are newborns from the Bloodyfang clan. How could she do something like this?" says Lord Tohil, his voice choking up.

"Something was wrong with her, and the clan head. They had a madness that I have only seen once before" says Vanor.

"Where?" I ask, my voice hoarse from holding back tears.

"During the war with humans, they captured Beastkin, broke them, and then released them back to cause havoc. They would do things like this. Burn entire communities alive, even yearlings, make parents watch as their children are eaten alive" He says, a deep rage in his voice.

I process what Vanor says, that plus the swords in Valoris's body makes it increasingly clear there may be a human element going on here.

"What do we do with the bodies?" asks Lord Tohil, as he looks down the cave of horrors.

"Step back, Valoris come with me," says Vanor.

"What are we doing?"

"Close your eyes, search deep inside your dragon core. Within it should be a burning flame. It will be very small, so look carefully for it. So you feel it?" He says as I follow his instructions.

After searching for several minutes, I find the crimson veins having a scorching heat inside them.

"Connect with it, let it feel your emotions. Then burn them, set them free from this horrible place with your Fyre" he says, his voice barely a whisper.

I let the crimson veins feel my grief, my rage, my horror that this terrible act. It responds by sending burning power that rushes towards my throat, I let it burn, gathering as much as I can.

"Do it! set them free"

...

....

.....

Roarrrrrrrrrr

I open my maw, and roar as a crimson fire shoots out of my mouth, the heat from it nearly blinding me.

It shoots down the cave, burning even the rock with how intense the heat is. Crimson flames soon cover every inch inside the cave before it collapses. Soon any trace of the cave disappears in a wall of fire.

"Now they are free"