Gila was panting, beating his wings hard and struggling against the cold wind. The sky felt heavy and choked with humidity, as if it were about to spill out onto the world and suffocate it. He was starting to regret all the snacks he'd brought.
His sister, Garter, was just a venom-tipped tail length ahead. She was struggling with an odd lumpy bag of scrolls, but she was getting on a lot better than Gila. The two were flanked by the graceful, curling forms of their parents, Chuckwalla and Coachwhip.
The terrain below them had transformed from pink mesas and beige scrublands to steep, reddish columns of rock, interspersed with fresh green patches of conifers. The sun had been muffled by the thick clouds, and the light it cast was almost like a pink candle, making the trees even greener and the rocks even redder. The scenery looked glorious, although it was a bit stuffy to fly through. The hazy outline of Jade Mountain loomed a few miles ahead, obscured by distant streaks of rain.
"You guys think it'll stop raining by the time we get there?" Gila asked.
"Eh, it shouldn't matter much either way. We'll be spending the whole time in a cave," Coachwhip said absent-mindedly. "Of course, we'll have to keep Garter's scrolls safe on our way there."
"I'm betting it'll be raining," Chuckwalla answered. "It's too muggy out for it to quit."
"Right. Of course, it might not even be raining on Jade Mountain, it's too far away to tell." Gila pointed out. Garter shrugged, probably indicating a lack of opinion on the matter.
The group flew on in silence, their formation gradually reversing order so that Gila and Garter were side by side. The land below shifted to rocky, tree-laden slopes, and thunder rumbled on the horizon. Rain started pounding their wings, forcing Garter to awkwardly shove her bags under her chest, and it became harder and harder to breathe, let alone fly, as they gained altitude. The shape of the mountain peak was lost to the rain, and it was hard to tell where they were going. Gila was immensely relieved when his mother pointed out the caves.
"Oh, look! I think I see the entrance to the Academy!" Coachwhip said, peering through the haze of rain. If Gila looked closely, he could make out a small clearing, fringed by bright yellow lanterns. If not for those, the school would be impossible to find in this weather.
They spiraled slowly downwards, and Gila skidded to a halt in the mud and threw his sore wings over his head, breathing heavily. "Oh, the ground! I missed you so much!" He said, squishing blobs of mud in his talons. His legs still felt shaky from flying so far, and so he started pacing in circles, trying to return the feeling to his limbs. One end of the clearing gave way into a huge hole, several wingspans wide, the quiet din of conversing dragons pouring out of it.
His sister curled her wings protectively over her scroll bundle, a look of dismay on her face. "Oh, I hope they survived this," she muttered, her bespectacled snout nudging them anxiously.
"I bet they did," Gila said. "I mean, that bag's at least a little waterproof, isn't it? They should be fine. You know, I don't think I've ever been this wet in my life. This is a totally new experience! Isn't it awesome?" Gila said, spreading his wings to feel the full force of the storm again.
"Yeah, it's awesome. If you're a Mudwing, that is," Chuckwalla landed next to Gila, wrinkling his snout teasingly.
Coachwhip landed on his other side, shaking the water from her scales, only to get drenched again within seconds. "Oh, come now, we don't have time for jokes! Let's go in now, we're probably late." She swept all three of them into the cave entrance, which had a lantern on either side and a painted sign welcoming them to Jade Mountain Academy with cheerful shades of red and orange.