Tsunami

I can't believe it's my hatching day today! Tsunami thought with glee.

Tsunami had just woken up in her hut in the RainWing kingdom, the one she slept in the nights she was there to train the army as general. It was a comfortable hut- not too much smaller than Glory's, but definitely larger than the ones the regular denizens made their homes in.

It was early morning outside by the looks of it- the sun wasn't up yet, in fact. The whole world was asleep, it seemed.

This is peculiar, Tsunami thought, screwing her face up in disbelief. I usually have to be woken up, for moons' sake, and now I'm first up in the whole kingdom. Strange.

If it had been a regular day and Tsunami had woken up this early, she might have pulled a few pranks- trash Glory's cabin, hide some of Starflight's favorite scrolls, etc.

After all, Tsunami thought. Who wouldn't pull pranks on a whole kingdom of sleeping dragons?

The only reason Tsunami wasn't getting her throwing eggs ready was that it was Glory and Starflight's hatching day, too- it would be a little inhumane to take advantage of them today.

Rain check, Tsunami mentally noted. How about tomorrow I wake up early?

But wait, she thought. What should I do to commemorate today? Staying here for the party would be super lame.

Just then, a spendid idea bloomed in her head like a flower (which she'd seen a lot lately, most notably when the unfathomably exasperating ranks of the army would point a particularly 'interesting' one out to her. Tsunami wanted to rip their puny little heads off when that happened.)

That's it! Tsunami grinned. I can go visit Anemone, Auklet, and Mother!

Tsunami had just broke through the borders of the RainWing kingdom, inhaling the early morning air that curled into her nostrils like gifts from heaven. Tsunami was glad to leave the rainforest and all its splendor behind her for a few days.

Initially, Tsunami planned to bring Glory and Starflight along with her, but there were a few blatantly obvious reasons why not. First things first, Glory was the queen, after all, and probably couldn't leave the kingdom for long. Starflight, on the other talon, would be stumbling around aimlessly the whole time, being as annoying as he usually was. Finally, even if those two things could be ignored, there was one more thing to consider- Starflight and Glory couldn't breathe underwater.

There was the Summer Palace, of course- the very same place the five dragonets had visited last year, seeking refuge from the SkyWings. But it was completely defunct now, razed by the SkyWings' makeshift firebombs.

Evidently, bringing her friends along was not exactly the epitome of good ideas. More like the bottom of the barrel.

Anyway, Tsunami couldn't be more excited. She hadn't seen her kin for months now, and she was going to go maniacal if she was seperated from them any longer.

What do you suppose Mother's going to plan? Tsunami asked herself. I bet it'll be absolutely wonderful! Feasts, battles, games, I'll make sure this party has it all!

Tsunami flew for a while, an air of euphoria everywhere around her. She soared as fast as she possibly could, determined to make it in time to set up festivities. Tsunami was dead-set on making this the best hatching day ever.

Her full attention on her ploy for the party, Tsunami's guard was completely down. So when she collided full-force into a gigantic dragon, Tsunami fell hard, her face getting an unexpected meeting with the white sand below her.

Everything spun around her, making the blue and green SeaWing nauseous.

For moons' sake, what in Pyrrhia crashed into me? Tsunami thought lividly. I'm going to give whatever it was a piece of my mind!

Tsunami stood up, rolling up her metaphorical sleeves to deal with whatever put her off-course. Whatever did it was nowhere to be seen.

"Where in the world did that thing go?" Tsunami said quietly. Tsunami had to admit it- she was a bit intimidated. Her hushed voice quelled, and Tsunami waited nervously for a sign of a malevolent force.

The beautiful white sand beach was completely silent, save for the whistling of the palm trees' leaves in the wind and the rustling in a large sand dune's long grass several meters away.

Wait, Tsunami thought. Rustling in long grass? I'll check there.

Tsunami crouched down and snuck ever so quietly up to the dune. All kinds of emotions were rushing through the young SeaWing- anger, thrill, determination- but anxiety and fear were the most prominent. What would happen if this... this thing got to her? What would become of the former dragonet of destiny? All that ran through Tsunami's mind now were grisly scenes of murder- her broken body lying there dead, her mother and sisters taking a stroll on the beach only to find her flayed, sliced, or bloody corpse there, rotting away. Or perhaps the burned-out husk of her body, fried to a crisp, if the opponent was anything but a SeaWing. Maybe a scavenger's sword piercing her brain, or an arrow right between the eyes...

Don't think like that, Tsunami chastised herself. You'll only make the anxiety worse. And maybe you can beat this thing. You don't even know what it is. It could even be benevolent, you never know.

With a newfound confidence, Tsunami gulped and pulled back the long grass.

Nothing repulsed, frightened, or even unsettled Tsunami in the slightest. In fact, what she saw quite pleased her.

"Riptide!" Tsunami cried, stooping down to embrace him. "Hey, squid-brain!"

"Oh. Hey, Tsunami," Riptide said, scratching his head embarrassedly. "Sorry I ran into you. That was you, right?"

"It was," Tsunami said, sitting down beside him. "Why'd you hide in the grass? You freaked me out."

"I guess I inherited the run-away-from-your-problems gene from Dad," he muttered, clearly talking about Webs. "I didn't exactly know who I'd run across until after I hid like a coward in the grass. I peeked out, and I saw you."

"Let this be a lesson to you, then," Tsunami said jokingly. "Don't be a coward."

"You're unusually happy today," Riptide jibed.

"I know, squid-brain," Tsunami said. "I thought you liked when I was happy."

"Sometimes, when I'm in a good mood," Riptide said under his breath.

"What's the matter?" Tsunami asked, a faint trace of sympathy in her voice. Tsunami felt like she had to act all tough around Riptide, like she had to prove something. After all, the first time they met, they were locked in a life or death struggle. She didn't like to reveal her true to feelings to many other dragons except her sisters, mother, and the other dragonets. Even then, Tsunami always felt reluctant to do it.

"Queen Coral's been extra malicious to me lately," Riptide said, his eyes meeting Tsunami's. "Especially when it comes to you. She's always on my case in regards to being anywhere near you, like she thinks my father's treachery will somehow rub off on you and you'll try to overthrow her. Stuff like that is making me crazy, to be honest."

"I'll talk to her," Tsunami said, chomping at the bit for adulation from Riptide. "Go back to your post," she advised. "It won't do any good for you to slack off."

Riptide looked graciously up at Tsunami.

"I can't thank you enough," he said. "Thanks, Tsunami. This is why I love you. You care about others before yourself, and you're so brave."

"Thanks," Tsunami said. She knew she'd be red in the face if she could blush- her senses were overloading right about now. It didn't compute why Tsunami was scared to show her face, because she loved Riptide with all of her heart. "I love you, too."

Before Tsunami left, she saw Riptide look at her, and light up his stripes. Squid-brain.

Squid-brain, she flashed back. They smiled at each other.

Tsunami crawled back out of the grass, ready to prove to her mother that Riptide wasn't a traitor.

I can do this, she thought. At least, I hope I can.

Tsunami lifted into the sky, setting course for the Deep Palace of the SeaWing kingdom.

Here we are! Tsunami thought. The Deep Palace!

Tsunami loved to be able to breathe through her gills. It felt like they were what she was supposed to breathe through- not her lungs. She felt free, to say the least.

Tsunami swam around, admiring the scenic land displayed before her. Bubbles frothed as far as the eye could see, the ubiquitous green and blue scales of SeaWings rippled through the water as the dragons went about their day, and the tendrils of seaweed and swaths of coral pervaded the scenery.

The Deep Palace was true to its name in both regards. It was certainly deep- miles under the ocean, in fact. The only reason Tsunami could see was because of the ability to see in dark places that SeaWings possessed.

There was no doubt the Deep Palace was indeed a palace. Regality hung in the water like a thick fog, and there was no denying the elegance of the marble structures there.

Okay, Tsunami thought. I need to find Mother and clear Riptide's name. But where could she be?

Tsunami wasn't in the Deep Palace very often- she spent most of her time in the RainWing kingdom. Also, she only knew the rudiments of Aquatic, so she wouldn't really be able to communicate with anyone to find where her mother might be.

Then, a part of the palace Tsunami had seen before caught her eye- the Royal Hatchery! There probably wouldn't be any new eggs- after all, her mother's mate, her father, Gill, was dead, so they couldn't have any more dragonets.

Tsunami swam down anyway, and was invigorated by the familiarity of the place. Remembering the spar she'd had with her late sister Orca's statue in the room last year, she giggled a bit at the empty pedestal where the marble menace had once stood vigil over the eggs.

Swimming around the hatchery to get aquainted with it once more, Tsunami noticed something.

A large baby-blue egg was propped up in the side of the room. It was the only egg in there, but it looked almost hours, minutes from hatching. That sent a myriad of questions through Tsunami's brain.

Who the hell did Mother have that with? she pondered. If she found a new mate, why only one egg? Also, why the hell is the egg unattended?

Motherly instincts kicking in, Tsunami rushed over to incubate the little unborn dragonet, hoping he or she hadn't frozen with no one there to help them.

Tsunami let out a sigh of relief as she got on the egg, insuring its safety until the moment it hatched.

Typical, Tsunami thought grumpily. I do a laudable act for once, and there's no one there to see it! On my hatching day, no less!

Tsunami sat there for what seemed like days, watching the hopes of clearing Riptide's besmirched name and parentage and to have the party of a lifetime wash away in the water. Worst. Hatching Day. Ever.

Her eyes affixed on the hatchery door, Tsunami expected to see someone- anyone- come up to her and take the job. No one did. Also, the egg was seeming to warm up, which gave Tsunami the bleakest of hopes it would survive.

"Huh?" Tsunami gasped, awaking with a start. Bubbles escaped out of her mouth clouding her vision to a large extent.

I must have fallen asleep! Tsunami thought worriedly. I could have crushed the egg!

Tsunami lifted herself up and scanned the egg for damages- there were none evident. Thankfully.

Just then, a cracking sound reverberated through the hatchery. The egg was hatching! Tsunami remembered the rapture that had overtaken her when her youngest sister, Auklet, had hatched. She felt the same jolt now, and was absolutely giddy with elation.

The dragonet inside was struggling to get out, and Tsunami could see their futile attempts to break the egg.

"Don't give up, little one," she cooed affectionately, bubbles again obscuring what was in front of her. "You'll get it, I know you will!"

After a hard-fought battle, the small dragonet finally burst out of the egg. It was a boy!

Then, however, something finally struck Tsunami. She recalled falling asleep, but if she had, she would have crushed the egg.

Unless, Tsunami thought. The egg held twins.

As she had suspected, another dragonet crawled out of the eggshell, also a boy. He had a gleam in his eye of fury, showing he'd also participated in the cracking of the egg.

Both dragonets thrashed wildly, their stripes lighting up at random.

"Food! Food!" they seemed to chant. Tsunami swiveled towards the entrance to bring the dragonets to find a fish, when she noticed who she'd been looking for all day standing there.

"Mother!" Tsunami yelled through the water.

Queen Coral gestured up, as if to signify, Follow me up so we can talk.

Tsunami nodded in agreement and followed the queen of the SeaWings up towards the exit to the Deep Palace.

"Okay, Tsunami," Queen Coral said. "What's on your mind?"

The four dragons had just broken the surface of the water, and were floating right in the middle of the vast sea.

"Mother?" Tsunami said. "Why was the egg in the hatchery unattended?"

"I sent Moray to incubate that egg!" Queen Coral yowled in rage, going off on one of her pedestrian tirades Tsunami had come to expect from her evey now and then. "That... that... UGGGGGHHHHGGHHGGHHH!"

"Mother, at least I saved them," Tsunami said, holding up the two baby-blue dragonets. "Do you have any ideas for names?"

Both of the dragonets writhed in Tsunami's claws, and Queen Coral cocked her head at them.

"How about Tempest and Squall?" Queen Coral suggested.

"Nice!" Tsunami said, grasping on to Squall extra hard to quell his fidgeting.

Queen Coral looked at Tsunami lovingly. "Well, I'm so glad you're here on your hatching day! We were planning something for you, and we thought you'd never come!"

"Mom!" Tsunami gasped in exasperation. "Don't ruin the surprise!"

"Surprise ruined. Sorry."

"So, where's Anemone and Auklet?" Tsunami asked.

"Classified, Tsunami," Queen Coral said. "You'll have to wait a while. You're gonna love this party so much!"

Way to go, Mother, Tsunami thought. Now I know where they are. I just need to know when the party is starting!

"Hey, Mother?" Tsunami said.

"Yeah, Tsunami?"

"When will the party start?" Tsunami asked.

"Soon," Queen Coral replied. "Go find Squall and Tempest something to eat in the meantime. I'll get you when I'm ready."

"Okay," Tsunami said. "Thanks, Mother!"

Wait! Tsunami thought. I forgot to mention Riptide!

"Mother! Hold up!" Tsunami called. It was no use. The Queen of the SeaWings had gone under the waves, and they wouldn't meet again for a while.

How could I forget? Tsunami thought, enveloped in sorrow. What a friend I am.

Tempest and Squall swam around, fighting over the fish and causing a ruckus.

Will Mother ever be here? Tsunami thought, bored. I've been sitting here for hours, I bet. And Tempest and Squall certainly aren't helping.

Tsunami was sitting on a beach near the Deep Palace, watching the tide and her brothers, so they wouldn't run off. The sun was shining, the water was perfect, and everything seemed to be alive. It was a great day, which at least raised the spirtis of Tsunami at least a bit.

"Will you stop, Tempest?" Tsunami asked frustratedly, as a sand-covered Tempest whacked his brother over the head. The small SeaWing then proceeded to kick Squall in the ribs, causing Tsunami to pick up Tempest and glare menacingly at him to frighten him.

Tempest, now scared, leaped away and helped Squall up off the ground.

"Thank you, Tempest," Tsunami said, looking towards the far end of the beach.

As if heaven itself sent Queen Coral down to Pyrrhia, the blue queen walked up and spoke five words; "Come on. The party's starting!"

The party was held at the Summer Palace, where Anemone and Auklet had fixed it up enough so a group of dragons could gather there.

The two sisters had immediately approached Tsunami and the twins, sighing about how adorable they were.

"Oh my moons," Anemone said. "They are SO cute!"

"Can I hold Tempest and Squall now?" Auklet sighed. "I just want to eat them up..."

"You can hold them, but don't do that," Tsunami said, handing off the dragonets to her sisters, who acted like they would faint.

Walking past all the craziness of the party- beach volleyball, numerous food fights, and tails thrashing everywhere- Tsunami scoured the group for her mother. Queen Coral needed to reconcile with Riptide.

Finally, she found Queen Coral sitting in a blue plush and gold throne. She was overlooking the party, and beckoned Tsunami over with a talon upon spotting her.

"Tsunami," she said. "You clearly needed to tell me something before I left. Sorry I didn't turn around- I needed to help Anemone and Auklet with the setup."

"Actually, yes, I do," Tsunami said. She cleared her throat. This was going to be massive news- there was a abundant chance this wouldn't go over well.

"I was wondering, Mother, if you could perhaps forgive Riptide," Tsunami announced. Remembering the pure lust for forgiveness Riptide had been aiming for, she added in, "Webs, too," for good measure.

Queen Coral stayed silent for a painfully long time.

What will she say? Tsunami thought, quaking with nervousness. Please say yes.

"Well, Tsunami," Queen Coral said, looking straight into Tsunami's eyes. "Turn around."

Tsunami did as she was told, and was surprised to find the water that quenched the neverending fire of her heart, the most handsome, amiable dragon she knew, the key purpose to her life- standing right there, looking softly at her with his dark, dark blue eyes, beautiful black pearls that enveloped her in a comfortable grasp that could only be described as vehement love.

"Riptide, I can't believe it!" Tsunami cried, letting her green gaze merge with his midnight blue one. "How did you ever coax her into trusting you again?"

"I can explain, Tsunami," Queen Coral said. "I just... you know... thought about that today. Webs, now Webs will be disemboweled and have his organs strung like streamers if he tries to step in the SeaWing kingdom again. I can't forgive him, no matter what. He stole you, and I couldn't stand it if I lost you again." Queen Coral sniffled.

"It's all right, Queen Coral," Riptide consoled. "I will be Tsunami's personal bodyguard, and I will protect her with my life. You'll never lose her, not ever. And if I do lose her, you may disembowel me and hang my organs like streamers."

"Thanks," Queen Coral thanked Riptide. "I'll consider it. And Tsunami, I shall exonerate Riptide if he doesn't try anything. I know Webs' treachery wasn't his fault. Sorry for ever misjudging you."

"Mother, I can't thank you enough," Tsunami said. She looked up at Riptide, who in turn looked down at her. They both nodded, as if to say something silently. "Would you... approve a relationship between Riptide and me?"

"Don't be silly, Tsunami," Queen Coral giggled. "Of course you can. Oh, and the guests are here! Great."

What guests? Tsunami thought, glancing quickly at the ruins of the Summer Palace. Vines still pervaded the place, although they were very charred and blackened, and so gnarled you'd have thought they were snakes. Tsunami found the entrance, covered thickly in vines with the same little pool from before still intact. There, four dragons purveyed the snack tables with drinks and fruit from the RainWing kingdom. SeaWings immediately rushed to grab a glass and a piece of fruit, and walked off to their congregations of friends.

Three other dragons followed the first four, one of them with an armload of snacks and one dragon guiding another along.

Instantaneously, Tsunami recognized those three dragons- Clay with the armload of snacks, Starflight being guided along, and Fatespeaker there, helping him.

Then, Tsunami noticed the other four dragons were familiar- Peril, Sunny, Glory, and Deathbringer!

The whole gang's here, I guess! Tsunami thought, smiling like a dope.

"Hey, Riptide! Come on!" Tsunami tore though the crowd towards the snack tables, where her friends were gathered.

"Wait up, squid-brain!" Riptide yelled, following her in hot pursuit.

Tsunami waited, out of breath, for Riptide to reach her. She was a few paltry feet away from her friends- she wanted to approach them with Riptide.

"Okay... I'm... here..." Riptide panted.

"Okay, let's go say hi!" Tsunami said jubilantly.

Tsunami and Riptide approached the seven dragons. Sunny noticed them first, and skipped over to join them, happy as ever.

"Hey, Tsunami! Hey, Riptide!" Sunny said. "I missed you guys so much! Hey, Clay, Tsunami and Riptide are here!"

Clay and Peril walked over to the three dragons, and both dragons greeted Riptide and Tsunami.

"Hey, guys," Clay said. Peril stood beside him, looking quite bothered. She probably was afraid of hurting someone.

Eventually, the nine dragons were all together, talking away.

"This party had better be good, Tsunami," Glory said. "I expect nothing short of the best hatching day ever. I'm missing the praise of my whole kingdom for this!"

"Anything will be better than the crappy parties our guardians had for us under the mountain," Starflight commented. "Talk about insipid."

"You said it," Glory agreed.

"Hey guys!" Sunny squeaked. "The band's playing!"

The SeaWings' band started up on a song to celebrate the heir of Queen Coral's hatching day. The squeaking of the woodwinds and dissonance of the brass was vexatious, but Tsunami didn't mind. Nothing could ruin her day now- she was with everyone she cared about, it was her hatching day, and mostly nothing had gone wrong all day.

Queen Coral, Anemone, and Auklet approached the nine dragons, handling the two small baby-blue dragonets, Squall and Tempest. Sunny, Glory, and Fatespeaker cooed over them and hugged them. Peril hung back uncomfortably, and Clay was soothing her.

Tsunami recalled the only question she hadn't gotten answers to yet- who was the father of Tempest and Squall?

"Mother?" Tsunami asked Queen Coral.

"Yes, Tsunami?" Queen Coral answered.

"Who was the father of Tempest and Squall?"

"I don't know, Tsunami. I found their egg in the hatchery one day. I don't know how they got there."

"Thanks, Mother," Tsunami said. She glanced over at the two squirming dragonets in Sunny's arms.

You two are a mystery. Tsunami thought. I wonder who your real parents are?

Tsunami looked over at her friends. But really, this was the best hatching day ever. I'm happy with today, and I'll remember it forever.

Tsunami walked over to Riptide and whispered something in his ear. "I love you."

Riptide didn't answer. He just hugged Tsunami.