So some of the OC's are coming in now, but I didn't use the backgrounds you guys provided, as they didn't fit in with the plot. I tried to incorporate as much as I could though, so yeah...

.....

Loyalty.

Such a strange, vague thing.

You can say you're loyal to someone, but only if that belief is tested, do you realize just how loyal you really are.

All Scorpions are loyal to the Den. We are loyal to each other as well, but there is no one dragon that holds our complete loyalty. Instead, our loyalty is intertwined, woven together like a tapestry, so that removing one thread is hard, but if you do, we are still strong.

The other SandWings, those that are loyal to Queen Gazelle, I compare them to a tree. There are hundreds, if not thousands of leaves, and those leaves are connected to twigs, which in turn are dependents on branches. No matter how far you go down though, you will always end up at the trunk. The irreplaceable part of the tree. 

That's why it reminds me if the palace hierarchy. 

You can get rid of an enormous amount of leaves, they will easily be replaced, not even to be missed. 

The twigs will only be missed by the leaves, but are just as easy to forget. The further you go though, the more important the part is, although anything can still be regrown.

The trunk is the only really important part. Cut off the trunk, and the whole tree comes falling down, and ultimately dies.

All these thoughts, and more, fly around me head the next morning. After we had woken up, two guards had come and taken Dustbunny away, to where we don't know.

Spike had reverted into himself, only speaking when spoken to, and ignoring the world the rest of the time. Honestly, he reminded me a lot of a perfect soldier, doing everything without question.

Me?

I've been busy, doing whatever they say, but keeping my eyes and ears open. Me and Spike were constantly watched by a one of two guards, Fennec and Cactus.

Fennec was a dusty yellow color, with a black ridge and barb, rose tinted wings, and big ears. Her back left talon was a mess of melted scales, although how it got like that, I could only imagine. 

Cactus was an off-white color, with light yellow diamond patterns on her back and tail. She had a long scar twisting from her neck to her back, an onyx studded earring, and pitch black eyes. Her wings were tattered around the edges, though she could still fly.

It was the next night when I had my first conversation with them.

Since Myotes had stabbed me that first day, I had to daily apply a bit of Bright Stinging Cactus, as it had stabbed right into the muscle there. (Don't care if this is canon, it's for the plot)

When I got back to my room later that day, I noticed that I've used all of the cactus, and had to get more. Sighing, I went back down again, only slightly feeling the pain in my leg.

As I walked out of the door, I noticed Fennec standing outside, not noticing me.

Must be her turn to guard, I thought, letting out a long breath. 

"Fennec," I said, catching her attention. She looked me over, and I felt her gaze linger on my sore leg, as I've relaxed it a bit, not putting too much pressure on it.

I inclined my head towards the healers tent. She nodded, and walked over to me.

It was silent between us, but not uncomfortably so. I could feel my muscle staring to burn more with each step, and halfway there, I was limping badly.

"Why did you call me?" Fennec asked suddenly, and I could see a bit of suspicion in her eyes.

I shrugged. "It's your job to guard me, and if I went somewhere and you didn't follow, we could both get in trouble.

I saw her studying me, but I didn't look at her. Her eyes were a pretty honey color, darker in the middle than the edges, making it look like a gateway into her soul.

I chucked silently at that.

"Are you Hyena's daughter?" Fennec suddenly asked, and I froze. Hyena was my mother's name, and I only knew that because my father told me so. Before I was even hatched, Hyena dropped off my egg at my father's house, leaving me with nothing exept a tiny, brass key I hid in a secret pouch under my wing. 

I had long since stopped calling her my mother, preferring to call her by name, not wanting to acknowledged being a soldier's daughter.

"No," I said, masking any emotion I might have felt with cold, hard anger.

She's lucky she died in battle, otherwise I might have just killed her myself...

"You look like her," Fennec said, a strange edge to her words. I look up at her, but her face was set in the same anger as mine.

"Did you know here?" I asked, and I saw a flash of hate flicker in her eyes, before disappearing again behind her mask.

"No," she said, matching my tone.

We didn't talk again, but I felt strange feeling of comradeship descend upon us, and I could tell it had effected Fennec as well. She was more relaxed in her walk, and her eyes weren't flicking around hastily like before.

After getting a new piece of cactus, she even helped me dab a bit on my wound. 

When we reached the barracks again, it was dark, and I was about to go in again when Fennec stopped me.

"I was," she seemed to swallow past a lump in her throat. "I was her daughter. She left me here when I was one year old."

Her words stirred something in me, and before I could stop myself, I was talking as well.

"She was my mother too," Fennec looked at me, anger and surprise and, vulnerability, swinging in her golden orbs. "She left my egg at my father's place, she wasn't present in my life."

We were silent for a moment.

"I've always wanted a sister."

I smiled at Fennec's words.

"Me too."

That night, I went to sleep with a smile, feeling the tiny flame of hope lighting up in my chest, once again.

...

Just a note, something came up at home, so I'll be without internet until about next month. I'm currently updating this from a friend's house, and if I somehow go somewhere that has internet, I will do my absolute best to check Wattpad, otherwise I'll be offline.

Bye bye now, love you!