"You dare challenge me for the throne of the SkyWings?" Queen Amber growled at a big golden orange SkyWing.
"Yes," the challenger replied, then hurtled at Amber. The small SkyWing queen dodged nimbly, letting the other dragon crash into a rock wall. The queen waited patiently for her challenger to recover. The bigger dragon lashed her tail.
"Why do you challenge me?" Amber questioned. The other SkyWing did not reply. She charged at Amber, who sidestepped. The big dragon expected that, blasting her fire at the queen as she ran past. Amber staggered back, her wings beating frantically to diminish the flames on her scales. Using this as a distraction, the challenger pounced on her back, digging Amber's snout into the ground with her talons.
"So you think you can beat me?" the challenger sneered. "Well, I just beat you. And now, I will take your throne." Amber opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the orange dragon flipped her over and swiftly sliced her throat. Blood poured out of the inevitable wound, slowly forming a red puddle.
The challenger stood up. She stepped over Amber's body, leaving bloody talonprints behind.
"Ah, yes, I have not introduced myself to you. My name is Queen Topaz, new ruler of the SkyWings."
Five years later...
The first time she heard noises was when she was inside the egg, almost ready to hatch. She did not understand what they meant, but she knew they were there.
Muted voices sounded outside her egg.
A high, small voice was what she heard first. "Is it ready to hatch?"
"Not yet." A deeper voice replied.
"When?"
"Any day now."
"I mean like, totally specific?"
"I already told you, I don't know exactly. Now stop pestering your father."
Then she felt her egg being lifted.
A new voice chimed in.
"How is our egg?"
"Oh, it's fine," the deep voice responded. "I see our future dragonet moving inside."
"I hope this one is healthy. The last one died."
"Don't worry."
The voices stopped talking.
The first time she could see was when she hatched. The egg cracked open, and her tiny head thrust through. She staggered out of the egg, tripping over her own talons. Then she blinked open her eyes. Everything hit her like a jolt of lightning. The many colors were strikingly bright. She blinked. It took a while for her to adjust.
Her sunset-colored scales shone in the sunlight filtering in, gold running through the orange. Her eyes were the most peculiar. They were a calm blue-green, with yellow ringed around the edges.
She stared up at two dragons, one a deep gold-red, the other fiery orange. A smaller dark red dragon peered out from behind the two bigger dragons.
"Hello!" The rusty dragonet chirped, hopping in front of her. "My name's Typhoon. I'm your big sister!" The newly hatched baby cocked her head curiously, wondering what sister meant.
"Wait!" The gold-red dragon pushed Typhoon aside. "Look! This one has a flaw!" He pointed to her back.
The hatchling had no wings.
"Turbulence!" The orange dragon gasped. "You aren't going to report our flawed hatchling, are you? Like your brother did last time?"
Turbulence winced. "Of course not, Sunset, dear."
"Even so, a patrol will come and check on us," Typhoon interrupted, "like they always do."
"My little daughter," Sunset curled around the hatchling. She looked up and squeaked.
"What should we name her?" Turbulence asked. "Maybe Canyon? She has nice orange scales."
"Or Streak?" Typhoon suggested. "I'm sure that she can run like the wind. If SkyWings could fly real fast, then she could run too!"
"Run like the wind…" Sunset murmured. "That's it. I have the perfect name."
The two other SkyWing leaned closer to her.
"Her name shall be Gale. This is a good SkyWing name. She will run as fast as the wind, faster than any other dragon have seen. She will be a gale."
Nearly five years later...
Gale crashed through the undergrowth, chasing after a deer. She growled as she bumped into trees and branches. The deer galloped out of sight. Suddenly, Gale tripped over a log and fell flat onto her snout.
"Get back here, prey!" Gale shouted, popping back up to her feet, only to whack her head into a branch. She rubbed her head, scowling.
"Are you okay?" Typhoon padded up. Gale's sister was one year from being a full-grown dragon.
"No," Gale growled. "Three moons! Five years, and I am still unsuccessful in hunting prey. I really hate it when I can't hunt for myself."
"Let's go home," Typhoon suggested kindly. "We can play hunt again." Gale nodded. Another dragon flew down next to Typhoon, slightly bigger, and one year older. He had a mix of red and shining golden scales, just like Turbulence.
"I'll help fly you back home, Gale," the dragon offered.
"Our brother," Typhoon greeted. "Whirlwind." They set off for the high ledges. Since Gale had no wings, she needed air transport. This meant that two dragons were to assist her. One dragon who carry her on their back, since she was only a dragonet. If that dragon got tired, then the second dragon could carry Gale.
Gale thought that was extremely annoying if other SkyWings outside her family carried her. They would carry her hanging underneath them, their claws digging into her sides. Sometimes, on their backs, they would accidentally let her slip and almost fall.
Not that those dragons really wanted to assist her.
Everywhere Gale went, there were whispers and stares. Some would glare at Gale, hating her for her flaw, while others would have pity in their eyes. A few looked disgusted at her lack of wings, and merely thought her an overgrown lizard. Gale didn't want any attention. She felt like a fish out of the water.
"It's the wingless," they would whisper, "the wingless dragon. The cursed one."
Gale shook her head clear of these thoughts and instead tried to enjoy the wind coursing through her scales.
Whirlwind took a turn carrying Gale, then finally landed onto a high ledge. Gale slid down his red back.
The three siblings sat there for a while, staring at the sea crashing against the rocks many, many winglengths below.
"Tomorrow is your hatching day," Whirlwind told me. "You'll be five years old by then." I nodded.
"We can celebrate!" Typhoon piped in.
"Wait," Whirlwind halted Typhoon, a shadow crossing his gaze. "We can't." Typhoon went still, her wings drooping and her eyes sad. She agreed reluctantly.
"Why?" Gale asked the two SkyWings. "What is it?" Whirlwind only turned away. Typhoon swallowed, refused to look Gale in the eye, instead staring at the ground ashamedly.
"What is it?" Gale repeated. What is my siblings hiding from me?
Typhoon only shook her head.
Gale had not heard what her brother and sister had said to each other. She wondered why they were suddenly being so secretive now. They usually never kept things from her. So why were they doing it now? Was it because of her having no wings?
Little did she know, this hatching day was going to be the worst day in her life.
