#WIPpet Wednesday Number 3 Flying Upon One Wing

‘Tis the most busiest time of the year, for some of us. My work’s large fundraiser/Holiday event was last Saturday, so I haven’t been able to write/edit a lot lately. That will change soon, though, because I have some serious time off staring me in the face. My goal is to have Flying Upon One Wing completely edited before I return to work after the Holidays. For now, I’m continuing to share from the Prologue.

This week I’ve got 35 sentences from the Prologue for 12/05/2018. I’ve included a few sentences from my last WIPpet (two weeks ago) as an intro for this week’s entry.

“The dragon lunged at the Unicorn, and a fight ensued. Their cries were heard throughout the forest. At the end, the Unicorn lay dead, her horn clutched in the claw of a confused dragon. The dragon truly had not meant to kill the Unicorn but in a fierce moment he had.

In another moment, Unicorns and dragons alike surrounded him. The Dark Dwellers pleaded his innocence, the Unicorns clamored his guilt. The High Dragon Council did not know what to do. Then a plague hit the Forests, and the dragons fell ill. The only cure came from the Unicorns’ fine hairs. The dragons could not afford to lose the friendship of the Unicorns. Without them, all dragons would perish. The young Dark Dweller was executed. Betrayed by their own species, the Dark Dwellers turned their backs on the other dragons. One misfortune grew into another. Soon a war was upon the land. The Orange Dusks sought to end the war, but it was a task they could not achieve. The war exhausted the Orange Dusks and their gentle hearts.

As the war reached its twentieth year, the last of the Orange Dusks died. Land moved from one side to the other. The Dark Dwellers would be beaten back only to reform and advance once more. For a time the war quieted and there was talk of peace. The leader of the Dark Dwellers was called to meet with the King at the Court of Dragons. An agreement was not to be reached, however. An assassination attempt ended all proceedings. The Dark Dwellers were beaten back once more. Punishment upon crippling punishment was inflicted upon them, but a change in leadership led to a new energy among the Dark Dwellers, a new fervor, a new desire to triumph.

The last ten years of the war had seen the rise and fall of the Dark Dwellers. For a time, the Dark Dwellers held the Court of Dragons and were in charge, but they could not hold on forever. Starvation and ruin forced them to peace, a false peace. There was no treaty, there was no accord; there was only a pause, a break in the fighting. After thirty years of war, not a one of them remembered how normal, daily life should be led.

The forest was divided, Dark Dwellers to the East, Unicorns to the North, and the other dragons everywhere in between. Life went on and renewed itself. Winter turned to Spring.  The uneasy silence lasted a year, then two, and then three. Dragons continued to live their separate lives. The Dark Dwellers hated the Unicorns and all the other dragons. The other dragons hated the Dark Dwellers in return, and the Unicorns, tucked away in the Vale of the North, viewed all dragons as vile. This was no peace; this was only a momentary break.”

*WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop hosted by Emily Wrayburn wherein writers share excerpts of their latest WIP. All genres and levels of accomplishment are welcome. The only stipulation is that the excerpt must coincide with the date in some manner. For example, on 10/8/14 you might share 10 lines from page 8, 8 paragraphs from chapter 14, or perhaps 18 sentences by doing WIPpet math and adding the day to the month. We’re flexible like that.  

#FlyingUponOneWing #editing #midgradesfiction #dragons

(Photo by Thomas Quaritsch on Unsplash)