~ CHAPTER 22 ~

"Are you ready Snow?" Cliff's voice called from the entrance of their sleeping cave.

"Almost!" Snow called back, before turning his attention to the little scavenger in front of him. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yes Snow," Green said. "My answer hasn't changed from the last twenty times you've asked. I don't want to go with you to your 'combat tutorial' with Cliff."

After their encounter with Shiver the previous day, it seemed like Cliff took her words to heart. The next morning, he had offered to teach Snow to fight (or at the very least defend himself in the face of danger). Supposedly, it would help with Snow build confidence as well ("Maybe a part of your nervousness around strangers comes from the fact that you'd be defenseless if they went feral and decided to assault you," Cliff had said, morbidly).

"But… are you gonna be safe all by yourself?" Snow asked Green. "What if a dragon comes inside our sleeping cave and attacks you or something?"

Green sighed. "First of all, why would any dragon come into your sleeping cave when none of you are here? Second of all, even if a dragon did come inside, nobody would attack me because there's a strict no-hurting-scavengers policy. And third of all, I'm going to be in my little room in the wall the whole time! So even if a rabid dragon did come into the sleeping cave and wanted to hurt me, they wouldn't fit through the tiny door to my room. I could freely taunt them from the other side of the glass wall. I'm completely safe."

"But…"

"No buts! If you're so worried about my safety, then you should realize that having me in your bag while you're rolling around and fighting would probably be way less safe than me sitting in my room."

"…All right, fine," Snow said with heavy reluctance. "But promise me you won't leave your room until I get back, okay?"

"As you wish, sire," Green said with an exaggerated hand movement as he entered the room and jumped backwards into his scavenger bed. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?"

"Yes. You. All the time."

"Well, you do," Green said, pulling a large scroll into his lap. "Hope you have fun out there today."

Snow stared at the scavenger beyond the glass wall with paralyzing hesitance.

"Just go already!" Green yelled.

"All right all right! I'm going," replied Snow, turning to leave quickly before his indecision decided to grip him once more. He walked beyond the cave entrance and out into the tunnel, where Cliff and Peacemaker were waiting for him.

"Finally," Peacemaker said.

"Sorry. I was having, uh, second thoughts about leaving Green behind," Snow said as they began walking together towards their destination. He was already feeling a little strange not having Green with him for the first time since he came to Jade Mountain. It feels oddly… empty, he thought.

"Well it's probably for the best," Cliff piped up. "I'm going to need your utmost focus and attention today, and having to worry about Green's safety would just hold you back."

"I guess you're right," Snow said, trying to get used to the lack of weight on his back as he walked through the tunnels. "Oh, and thanks again guys for taking time out of your day to teach me how to fight."

Truth be told, Snow wasn't super enthusiastic about the upcoming fighting lesson, but he enjoyed being with his friends a touch more than he dreaded fighting.

"Oh, is that what we're doing?" Peacemaker asked. "That sounds like fun."

He didn't know…?

"Yes, that's what we're doing," Cliff said. "And I've brought you along to be Snow's opponent, while I act as a referee and coach."

Snow relaxed a little. I thought I was going to have to fight with Cliff. Peacemaker seems like an easier opponent.

"Hey!" Peacemaker said with a frown at Snow. "What makes you think I'd be less challenging than Cliff?"

"I-I didn't say that."

"Well your face sure did. I saw how you relaxed when Cliff said I'd be your opponent."

He sure can be weirdly observant at times, Snow thought. "All right, you got me. But it's not that I think you're weaker! It's just… you're a little more… playful," said Snow carefully.

"Well I hope you're not thinking this is gonna be a walk in the park," Peacemaker said. "I take my play-fights very seriously."

"Isn't that the opposite of what you're supposed to do in a play-fight…?"

"We're here," Cliff announced, as the three dragonets walked out into the sunlit plateau where they had their first self-defense class. Memories of being nervous flooded back to Snow, as he scanned over the flat, empty expanse of rocky floor where he had once battled Shiver. The cool morning breeze was offset by the pleasant warm glow of the early sun. It was early enough in the day that no other dragons were there, which Snow was grateful for.

Cliff flew up to the elevated ledge where Clay had once sat. "I'll be overseeing the fight from up here."

"Couldn't you just watch the fight from the same level as us?" Snow asked.

"Well, yeah probably," Cliff said. "But I'm a SkyWing. I like being in high places."

Snow chuckled, earning a huff out of Cliff. "You're like an oversized bird."

"You shouldn't be teasing your coach!" Cliff warned.

"Sorry, coach," Snow said half-heartedly.

"Ooo, can I call you coach too," Peacemaker asked.

"No, you're my assistant," said Cliff. "And I'd like you to stand over there, and you stand over there Snow," he directed, pointing at the opposite ends of the arena. "Now, the goal of this fight is for you to get on top of your opponent. If you can do that in a real fight, you'll be in a great position to bite or claw or do whatever to your enemy… but obviously don't do any of that in this fight."

"So I just need to get on top of Snow?" Peacemaker asked.

"Yes. And Snow needs to try to get on top of you."

Okay, fairly straight forward, Snow thought to himself as he looked at Peacemaker across the small arena.

"Start!" Cliff called.

Snow launched into the air and flew over to above where Peacemaker is. If I act quickly enough, maybe he won't have time to react.

It looked like his idea was working, as Peacemaker hadn't even moved yet. Snow hastily attempted to land on top of Peacemaker from above, but the hybrid saw it coming. He reared up on his hind legs, grabbing Snow during his descent and dragging him to the ground, before plonking himself down on top of him.

"I win!"

"Ow," Snow said, as he recovered from being slammed into the ground. He just dragged my whole body down like it was nothing, Snow thought with astonishment.

Peacemaker grinned down at the IceWing. "Told ya I was strong."

"And he's a lot heavier than you too," Cliff said from the raised ledge, "so that automatically gives him a major advantage."

"Hey! I'm not that heavy."

"You're going to find that most of your opponents are heavier than you Snow," Cliff continued, "considering how light you are. And the heavier they are, the stronger they'll be during a fight."

"Oh great, as if I needed more handicaps to deal with during a fight," Snow grumbled.

"But, we can twist that disadvantage to our favor," said Cliff.

Snow cocked his head inquiringly.

"You're clearly not strong," Cliff said (rather harshly, Snow thought), "but you are nimble and dexterous. That is your one advantage over heavier dragons. You may not be able to hit as hard as they can, but with some practice, you'll be able to move around the battlefield fast enough that they won't be able to hurt you."

Snow nodded studiously.

"Now try again," Cliff instructed, as both dragonets moved back to their original positions. "Start!"

This time, Snow waited for Peacemaker to charge at him instead, and speedily dodged into the air at the last moment.

"Good!" he heard Cliff call out.

Now while he's turning back around, I'll dive at him, Snow schemed, and then promptly put his plan into action. He dove at the dark dragon, but Peacemaker seemed to have predicted his strategy, as he quickly flew upwards and dodged the dive.

Snow landed on the ground beneath where Peacemaker had been, and had almost no time to react before Peacemaker landed down on him, sitting on the IceWing's back.

"I win again! Brrr," Peacemaker said with a shiver. "You're cold. It's like I'm sitting down on a pile of snow. Wait, I am sitting on Snow. Hah!"

"Oof, you really are heavy," Snow wheezed, barely able to move beneath the weight of his friend.

"Hey now! I'm just a little plump."

"Remember to focus on agility and maneuverability!" Cliff called out. "Now try again."

Time passed by as Snow made several more attempts, all with similar results. He was started to get disheartened by the lack of progress. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this stuff…

Running out of new ways to approach the situation, Snow tried to go for a direct tackle, even though it directly contradicted Cliff's advice about focusing on maneuverability. Hopefully Peacemaker won't see it coming.

Snow rushed headfirst into him, but Peacemaker simply caught him in his arm, entirely unperturbed by Snow's feeble charge. He wasn't even pushed back at all by the impact.

"Daww, if you wanted a hug Snow you could've just asked," Peacemaker said as he wrapped his arms further around the thwarted IceWing.

Snow sighed in defeat and decided to give in to the embrace.

"Stop hugging!" Cliff yelled with a hint of frustration. "This is a fight!"

"But hugging feels so much nicer than fighting," Snow said, and felt Peacemaker giggling against him.

Despite his irritation, Snow saw Cliff's expression thaw into amusement before long. "All right, you both look very adorable like that. But I can see that you're having trouble taking this seriously, Snow. Your heart isn't into it."

"I'm trying, I swear!" Snow said as he pulled out of the embrace. "It's just… Peacemaker is my friend, not someone who I would ever need to be worried about 'defeating in combat.'"

Cliff thought to himself briefly. "We're never going to tap into your primal dragon fighting instincts if you keep thinking of this as just a play-fight… You need to pretend that this is the real deal."

"…Pretend?" Snow echoed incredulously.

"Yes. Pretend like you're actually in a fight where your life is on the line, and Peacemaker is a scary dragon who's trying to kill you." Cliff turned to Peacemaker. "And you pretend like you're an evil villain who wants to murder Snow."

Peacemaker nodded firmly and looked back to Snow, lowering his body into a more aggressive stance. He put on a (not-so-scary) scowl in an attempt to help the illusion. "Grr," he said in a very adorable way, despite his best efforts to be frightening. "I'm evil! And I'm gonna kill you!"

Snow couldn't help but burst into laughter as he witnessed his friend's wholly unintimidating display, even as the dark dragon charged towards him and dove into a tackle, landing on top of Snow. Not long after, Peacemaker started laughing as well as they were tangled in each other's limbs.

Cliff let out a deep, soulful sigh. "Break it up boys, get back to your positions."

Peacemaker stood up and waddled back to his side of the plateau, still coming down from his fit of laughter. "This is pretty fun."

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves, even though we've made zero progress," Cliff said.

"Sorry…" said Snow.

"No, it's okay," Cliff replied with a wave of his talon. "If it's not working out, it's the coach's fault, not the pupil. I just need to come at this from a different angle." He looked down at the IceWing from his ledge with a scrutinizing glance, searching for an idea in his mind. "If fighting with your life on the line isn't going to drag out the dragon within, then pretend like… Green's life is in danger. And you have to beat Peacemaker, or else he'll get eaten."

All the mirth was rapidly drained out of Snow as he snapped to attention, feeling physically ill at the mention of Green being eaten. He hated even thinking about dragons eating scavengers, let alone Green. Push it down Snow, he told himself. Don't think about it, don't imagine it, don't picture it.

"Mwahahaha," Peacemaker laughed with exaggeration, already in character. "I'm an evil villain and you must defeat me, or else your scavenger's life is forfeit! I've always wondered what scavenger tastes like!"

Snow winced. Even though Peacemaker was still using the same silly 'evil voice' as last time, it suddenly felt a lot more real. He was frozen in place. It's not real Snow, he tried to convince himself. Green isn't even here. He won't be eaten. I'll never let him be eaten.

"Come on and fight me!" Peacemaker said when he noticed Snow wasn't coming towards him. "…Well all right then. I suppose you don't care about your scavenger after all. Time to start gobbling him down."

Before Peacemaker could finish his sentence, Snow was already charging towards him. His mind was muddled with terrifying images of unspeakable things happening to Green, and his body moved on its own.

I have to stop him, Snow thought to himself, as something deep and primal within him pushed its way up to the surface, overtaking the fear in his heart.

"That's better!" said Peacemaker. "Best me in combat, or else!" He swiftly flew to the sky and avoided Snow's attack.

Snow turned around and bolted into the sky for a mid-air tackle, not missing a beat. Peacemaker caught the IceWing in his arms and effortlessly spun him around, launching him back to the ground.

"Hah! You're light as a feather. You'll never defeat me in a battle of strength!" he shouted as he descended back to the craggy floor.

"He's right!" Cliff called out from the ledge. "Remember what we talked about! Take advantage of your speed and agility!"

Snow barely managed to process Cliff's words. The blood was pumping thunderously in his head by this point, and his field of vision narrowed down so he could only see Peacemaker.

"Hmmm," Peacemaker said tauntingly. "Maybe I'll start by eating the legs and working my way up."

Snow pushed down the overwhelming sense of nausea and dashed towards Peacemaker with lightning speed.

"You never learn," Peacemaker said as he prepared himself to stop Snow's charge head-on.

But Snow swerved around at the last moment and instead circled around behind the dark dragon. Peacemaker was too slow to react as Snow jumped on his back, gripping him tightly.

"Oof," Peacemaker grunted as Snow grappled him. "Oh hey! You did it Snow!"

A low rumble was seeping out of Snow's throat, and everything else went quiet.

"Whoa, are you… growling?" Peacemaker asked, though Snow was hardly listening anymore.

I have to keep him down, he thought. I can't let him hurt Green. No matter what.

Snow bared his teeth and bit down on Peacemaker's shoulder with all the power he had.

"YEOW," Peacemaker yelped loudly. "SNOW! What the heck are you doing?! Let go!"

Peacemaker thrashed around in an attempt to knock the IceWing off, but Snow kept his maw clamped tightly around his shoulder. You'll never eat Green, Snow thought as he bit down even harder, feeling Peacemaker recoil below him.

Suddenly, Snow was forcibly removed from Peacemaker's back as Cliff flew into him from the side, tackling him off. With a loud thump, Snow landed with his back to the stone floor, and Cliff quickly descended on top of him, holding down Snow's arms with his talons.

"Hey, hey, it's all right now Snow," Cliff said with as soothing a voice as he could muster, looking down into the eyes of the pinned dragon beneath him. "Everything is all right."

Snow was panting heavily, his eyes unfocused as the taste of blood swirled in his mouth.

"It's okay, you're safe," Cliff continued. "There's no one trying to hurt Green. It's just me and Peacemaker here."

The haze over Snow's eyes slowly began to clear, and he finally saw Cliff's face full of concern over him. All the adrenaline in his body immediately deflated as he realized what he had just done.

"O-oh no…" he said quietly.

Cliff released his pin over Snow and helped the IceWing up to his feet. Snow looked over to Peacemaker, who was holding a talon to his bleeding shoulder.

"Geez, I didn't realize my acting was that good," he said.

Snow shakily approached Peacemaker, mortified to see his own teeth marks imprinted in his friend.

"I'm so sorry!" Snow cried. "I-I don't know what came over me. I just got so scared, a-and angry just thinking about someone hurting Green, and how easy it would be... He's got no scales to protect his body, no claws to defend himself with, no wings to escape… And a lot of dragons probably think he's just food..." He felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. "But that's no excuse for hurting you. I'm so sorry Peacemaker."

"Whoa, h-hey. Don't cry Snow," said Peacemaker, looking flustered. "You didn't hurt me that much. It was just a bite, I've been through worse. I should be the one saying sorry. I didn't realize how bothered you were by the stuff I was saying. I shouldn't have taken it that far."

"No, this is my fault," Cliff said, pointing his snout to the ground in shame. "I shouldn't have suggested that we bring Green into it. I knew it was a sensitive subject, but I wanted to drag out the dragon within. That was messed up of me."

"Well if we're all partially to blame," Peacemaker said, "then no one has to be sad, r-right Snow?"

Snow sniffled quietly, a little confused. "You're trying to cheer me up even though I was the one that just hurt you?"

"Yes. J-just, please don't cry. I never know what to do when my friends cry."

"Okay," Snow muttered, wiping the evidence from his eyes with the back of his talon. "…So you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not," he said. "I know you didn't mean to do it. And hey, that was a pretty slick move you pulled off at the end."

"Why don't we take Peacemaker for a quick stop by the infirmary, and then head back to the sleeping cave," Cliff suggested. "Then you can spend some time with Green."

"All right," Snow said, hanging his head down. "…Sorry for ruining your lessons, Cliff."

"Well, it was partially successful. You did end up getting on top of Peacemaker!"

Snow nodded his head silently, though he was still feeling terrible about the situation.

I lost control, he thought to himself, sneaking peeks at Peacemaker's shoulder as the three of them made their way to the healing cave. It felt… awful, Snow thought, thinking back to the deafening thrum in his ears, and the feverish heat in his scales, and the taste of dragon blood… He shivered.

I really wish Green was with me, he thought, only now recognizing how greatly he missed the company of his scavenger friend. Just knowing he was always there on his back whenever Snow needed him… provided more comfort than he realized.

After stopping by the infirmary briefly (and getting appropriately berated by Doctor Minnow for roughhousing), the three dragonets made their way back to their sleeping cave.

"Phew," Peacemaker said as he entered. "What a day. You know, despite how it ended, I still think it was pretty fun." He rubbed his shoulder gently.

"Don't touch your shoulder," Cliff commanded. "You'll wipe off the ointment, and then we'll have to go back to Doctor Minnow."

Peacemaker quivered, immediately retracting his talon. "I don't want to get scolded again."

While his friends chatted amongst themselves, Snow noticed something strange. The door to Green's scavenger room was open. It was closed when I left…

"Green?" Snow called out.

No response.

Snow's heart dropped as he ran up to the glass wall of the room, searching every corner of the little room for the scavenger, but he wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere.

Green was gone.