Hello and welcome back to another chapter

Not much to say this time around so let's just dive right into things…

Chapter 16 – Diamonds in the Rough

Dear Diary…

Life can have it's rough patches. It can seem that all there is bad opportunities after bad opportunities; but sometimes, you'll find a shining diamond that brightens up your life…

Crystie turned over on her side as she rested against Storm, trying to get a few more minutes of sleep. While her 'bed' wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, it did allow her to get a reasonable amount of hours of sleep. She felt something lightly nudge against her back.

"Mmmm. Five more minutes" Crystie mumbled, curling in on herself, bringing her blanket closer, desperately trying to keep her eyes closed.

The thing kept nudging her, getting more frequent.

"Nooooooooo" Crystie groaned, weakly dismissing the thing with her arm before letting it drop to her side.

Luckily, the nudging stopped and Crystie internally sighed, enjoying the peace and quiet she'd gained. Suddenly, something violently shoved into her back, knocking her onto her stomach. The young viking groaned, shaking her face and pushing herself into a sitting position. Rubbing her head, she twisted her body around so she could see what had slammed into her

Cypress, SwiftSpeed and Snowflake were standing there, big smiles on their faces.

Crystie rubbed her eyes and yawned, bringing her blanket closer around her "Hi guys".

The trio happily chirped and meowed before scuttling out of view, probably off to cause mischief. Crystie stretched her arms and stood up, nudging her blanket to one side with her foot. Looking over at Storm, she saw that her best friend was still fast asleep; Walking over to the blue dragon, the young viking lightly tapped the side of her head. Storm slowly blinked her eyes open, glancing around wearily before her eyes landed on Crystie.

"Morning sleepyhead" the young viking whispered, giving Storm a small smile.

Storm rolled her eyes but they had a glint of fondness to them; She stood up and slightly stretched, not having the space to fully stretch. The blue dragon began to walk towards the entrance but stopped in the archway and looked back at Crystie.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be out in a minute. There's something I want to do first" Crystie reassured her friend.

Storm nodded in understanding and headed outside, leaving Crystie alone in her room. Crystie stretched her back out as it had an ache in it; She really needed to find a better sleeping position. Going over to her stuff and kneeling down, she picked up her hoodie and slipped it on with ease. Also picking up her bag, she swung that over her shoulder, making sure it was secure.

Making sure she had everything she needed, the young viking stepped out into the open and breathed in the cool air of the late-March morning. Crystie felt good and she felt like today was going to be a good day.

A small while later, Crystie and her group were walking down one of the many tunnels on the island. This group contained the young viking herself; Storm, who was walking behind Crystie; Flame, who was behind Storm and had his head lit up as a guiding light; SwiftSpeed, who was now just above Crystie's knees and was walking excitedly at her side and Raven, who was recovering well and was at the front, leading the group.

The current objective was to search for Whisper and generally explore the caves and tunnel system under the island; They were looking for Whisper as they needed him to help expand the cave since, with gaining more and more members, they were running low on space and it wasn't going to sustain them all for much longer. Crystie personally wanted to explore the tunnels and caves of the island since last time she was in them she was running for her life and injured her leg so she hadn't exactly had time to look around.

The tunnel the group were currently walking down had a somewhat of low ceiling, meaning that Storm and Flame had to bend over just to be able to walk down the tunnel. They'd found the entrance of the tunnel at the base of the mountain; And as they went down it, it stuck out to Crystie that this was not naturally made or made by a Whispering Death; it had too many jagged edges and unnatural bends and it was too small for a Whispering Death. Crystie pondered what kind of creature could've made this tunnel.

Holding her hand up, Crystie signaled for the group to stop, not wanting to go any further without at least a bit of precaution. She turned to Raven who was looking back at her with a curious look in her eyes.

"Can you see ahead if there's anything there?" Crystie asked the dark dragon, gaining a nod in response.

Raven turned back towards the dark depths of the tunnel and let out an echoing roar, vibrant purple rings of energy zooming down the tunnel, briefly illuminating it for a second. Crystie had learned that Night Furys possessed the ability of echolocation, which they used to search for hidden things or things that were a distance away. Ravens ear like appendages were raised and alert, likely waiting to receive information that there was something there.

After a few moments of silence, Raven suddenly darted forward, running into the depths of the tunnel.

"Wha- RAVEN!" Crystie yelled, running after the black dragon. The others quickly followed suit, with SwiftSpeed darting ahead of them. Crystie's chest heaved as she ran; She did not like running like this, the ground was uneven and hard to run on; Plus, she really needed more exercise.

After nearly tripping over her own feet and falling into the wall, Crystie finally managed to catch up to the night dragon, who was standing at the end of the tunnel, looking up. The young viking had to bend over, resting her hands on her knees, just to catch her breath back; She really needed to run more.

Spending a few minutes gaining her breath back, Crystie finally looked up at what was infront of her; And by the gods, the sight nearly took her breath away.

They had ended up in a ginormous cavern; The whole area was around the same size as Stoneshard Peak, if not a slightly smaller. Stone columns stretched from floor to ceiling; stalactites hung from the ceiling and rocks of varying size were scatted about while stalagmites protruded from the floor; There were a few small waterfalls and streams that coursed through the area; And in-between everything else, there were hundreds of vibrant, lustrous clusters of gemstones. The whole area was illuminated in a low, warm, colourful light. It was simply amazing to stare at.

The young viking was knocked out of her thoughts when she felt something lightly nudge against her leg. She shook her head and looked down to see SwiftSpeed looking up at her with a confused and worried look.

"I'm fine SwiftSpeed, just stuck in my own thoughts" she reassured the small dragon before turning back to the view. This place was simply spectacular. Crystie turned to talk to Storm only to see she was not around; She continued to look around to see Raven was also missing.

"Uh guys, did you see where Storm and Raven went?" Crystie asked, still searching around.

Both Flame and SwiftSpeed shook their heads and Crystie sighed; Where could've those two dragons have gone? The young viking motioned for the two present dragons to follow and the three of them began searching around for the missing members of their group. Crystie noted that the floor of the cave was quite smooth as they walked.

As they searched around, Crystie admired the beauty of the gemstones; The spectrum of colours and different shapes were so beautiful and spectacular to Crystie that she had to make sure she didn't stare for too long.

The trio luckily didn't have to search for long before they found Storm and Raven; The two dragons were peering around one of the stone columns, like they were watching something.

"Hey guys, why did y-" Crystie began asking as she walked closer but was suddenly cut off as Storm rushed over and slapped her wing over the young viking's mouth.

Crystie sputtered and removed the blue dragon's wing. "What the hell Storm?" Crystie hissed.

Storm made no sound but instead, made a gesture with her head for them to follow. The trio followed Storm over and slotted in beside her and Raven, peering around the stone column. Down a small stony slope, was a small area filled with clusters of gemstones; And in the middle of that area, was a dragon; or more specifically, a Snafflefang.

The Snafflefang had a rounded body and head; It had a pair of small front legs which were thinner while It's back legs were bigger and thicker, three claws on each leg; They had a thick tail that ended in a bludgeon, similar to the Gronckle except the Snafflefang's had thick spikes on it; It had a pair of segmented horns on both sides of its head, similar to the Terrible Terror's horns; They also had a curved horn on the end of its snout; They had a pair of medium sized wings and a row of spines running along its back; They had a grey underbelly, horns and spikes and grey splotches all over their body; Their main body colour was white while their eyes were a vibrant yellow. It also seemed to be a female Snafflefang.

The boulder class dragon chomped down on a piece of quartz, a piece of it splintering off into the distance.

"Alright. We're going to go in there quietly and-" Crystie began to say but was cut off when Flame burst out from behind her and began running towards the Snafflefang.

"FLAME!" Crystie hissed as she jumped down the slope to go after the flaming dragon.

Flame roared angrily as he charged, startling the Snafflefang. The stoker class dragon pounced upon the boulder class dragon, pinning them flat on their back with one of his claws. The Snafflefang grunted as they were being pinned. Crystie thought it was over until the boulder dragon kicked Flame off of them, sending him flying; Crystie had to duck behind a stalagmite to avoid being hit.

Flame was sent crashing into a large cluster of amethyst, crushing them and sending them flying. Flame grunted but was unable to get up as the Snafflefang landed on top of him, pinning him down with their weight; They were growling angrily at Flame.

"STOP" Crystie called out, running up to the pair, the rest of the dragons coming up behind her.

The Snafflefang turned and looked at her with a curious but suspicious look in their eyes.

"Sorry about that Ms. Snafflefang, we didn't mean to spook you or attack you" Crystie apologized, sending a quick glare to Flame who ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Can you get up off of Flame please?" Crystie begged.

The Snafflefang narrowed their eyes before stepping off of Flame, allowing the flame dragon to stand up and shake himself. Storm, with Raven at her side, walked up to Flame and began angrily squawking at him, likely scolding him.

Crystie turned to the Snafflefang "Sorry about that. Flame can sometimes act without thinking".

The dragon nodded in understanding, giving a small smile. SwiftSpeed began jumping up and down, trying to get the bigger dragon's attention; The Snafflefang looked at the fast dragon curiously. SwiftSpeed ran in a small circle before attempting to stand on one leg, which ended with him falling over.

Crystie and the Snafflefang both chuckled at the small dragon's antics.

"Do you mind if we stay here for a bit?" Crystie asked the boulder class dragon. The Snafflefang shook their head, giving Crystie a small smile.

The next few hours were spent in the gemstone caverns. The group had planted themselves next to one of the small waterfalls and stream; Crystie had planted herself on-top of one of the small boulders near the water.

Glancing down, Crystie looked at what the group was doing. Flame was laying near the base of one of the columns, pouting because he'd been bested in combat; he was a very proud dragon.

Storm was laying down, happily looking around when Raven bounding over to her, carrying something in her mouth and deposited it infront of the blue dragon; From where Crystie was sitting, the object seemed to be some sort of round gemstone that was a dark blue colour. Raven looked pleased with herself and excitedly looked at Storm; Storm chirped happily and nuzzled happily against Raven who nuzzled back. Crystie smiled at the two.

Ever since Raven had agreed to stay with them, she and Storm had bonded quickly and were growing closer every day; Crystie would even dare say there was something between the two dragons but it wasn't her place to say if there was or not.

Crossing her legs and resting her arm on her leg, Crystie put her head in her hand and looked down at the stream; She let out a saddened sigh, watching the gentle water. Crystie longed for that kind of relationship; While yes, she had her best friend Storm, who's relationship she loved and the relationships she had with the rest of the group, she wanted something more.

She wanted to be with someone who'd not be afraid to talk to her when they needed to; someone who she could rely on to be there in her darkest times; someone who she enjoyed being around and vice versa; someone who liked her for who she was.

Crystie sighed wistfully; someone like that either didn't exist or she was unlikely to ever meet them. She pushed those thoughts aside; she'd deal with them later.

Turning her head, she looked over at SwiftSpeed and the Snafflefang who she'd named Quartz; The two dragons were on the other side of the stream. The two of them were near a cluster of red gemstones, likely rubies. SwiftSpeed was looking up at Quartz with awe as the pale dragon was roaring, gesturing to the cluster, likely explaining something. Quartz then raised her tail before slamming it down into the ruby cluster; the cluster broke apart and pieces were scattered about the place; Luckily SwiftSpeed was not hit and looked like he'd been told all the wonders of the world.

Crystie chuckled at the young dragon; he was so fascinated with learning about the world around him.

The young viking reached into her bag and pulled out a scattered gemstone she'd picked up. The gemstone was an odd shape and a dark green colour, likely an emerald; it shone slightly in the light of the area. She didn't exactly know why she'd picked it up; Maybe it could be kept as a trinket, maybe she could sell it if she found the right place.

Crystie paused; Why had they exactly come down here again? Ah right, to find Whisper for help. Her eyes glanced over to Quartz who was now playfully chasing SwiftSpeed around; Maybe Quartz would be able to help them instead.

Putting the gemstone back in her bag, she hoped off the rock and walked over to where the two dragons were. SwiftSpeed ran up to her and chirped happily at her. Crystie smiled down at the Speedstinger before turning to attention to Quartz who was looking at her.

"Hi Quartz. Are you doing well?" Crystie asked which gained her a nod from Quartz.

Crystie clasped her hands together. "I have a favor to ask of you" she asked.

Quartz tilted her head, looking at the young viking curiously.

A few days later, Crystie was in her room, actually tidying it for once. Now that she actually had space in there, she decided to actually organise it. She pushed the stuff like boxes and bags and stuff to one side, making a neat pile; while she put her more personal things in another pile to another side. After making sure everything was neat and good, to a good degree; Crystie headed outside and towards the new cave.

Quartz had starting making a new cave since Crystie had asked her too and had spent the past few days making it; completing it yesterday. The young viking was expecting Quartz to head back to the gemstone after she was done but she actually ended up sticking around; She was enjoying being around the other dragons, especially SwiftSpeed as the small dragon was basically stuck to the Snafflefang's side.

Anyway, the new cave was much bigger than the previous cave and was located a bit away from her cave. The new cave, which Crystie had nicknamed 'the nest', was almost as big as lake Talia, if not a bit smaller. There was a small slope that led down into the nest; The nest was very tall, being roughly thirty feet high while the cave width was likely fifty feet. There were several smaller side caves in the walls of the nest, being in varying points. Each cave was for a specific dragon, or dragons if they decided to share.

There was one for Storm and Raven but the two of them usually preferred to stay with Crystie so that one was normally empty; Rocky, Flame and Burst and Spark all had their own dens which they were very content with; Blue and Red shared one; Redwing, Cypress and Snowflake all shared one; Boomerang and Ty, who had both grown to be around Crystie's shoulders, both shared one; and Quartz and SwiftSpeed shared one. There was a large open area in the middle that held a fire pit. This area was much better for the dragons, it gave them the space they needed.

Crystie leaned against the archway that led down into the nest, watching everyone have a good time and enjoy themselves. She couldn't lie, it was a bit more lonely in her cave and Crystie did miss the company slightly, but she still had Storm and Raven's company so she couldn't complain that much. She pushed those feelings aside; there was no point feeling like that when there was no problem; Nope, no problems at all.

Pushing herself from the archway, Crystie walked over to the lake, stopping in the sand several feet from the waters edge. She inhaled the calm air, letting it fill her lungs. Things were going to be alright, they had to be; They were having a good time and they would continue to have a good time, Crystie was sure of it.

The sound of footsteps brought Crystie out of her spiraling thoughts; the footsteps stopped beside her and she didn't even need to look up to know who it was, she just knew. Storm squawked at her, a hint of concern in her tone.

Crystie felt a sigh escape her lips "I'm fine, just thinking about some things".

She felt Storm nuzzle her side and Crystie patted the blue dragon's head.

"Thank you Storm. I'm glad to have you guys by my side" the young viking murmured, looking over at Storm, giving her a soft smile. Storm returned the smile before raising her head and turning her gaze towards the lake. Crystie also turned her gaze towards the lake, watching the calm water.

Crystie was right, everything was good, she felt like it was going to be good. She also had the feeling that something big would happen soon; Whatever is what, she was going to be ready, with her friends by her side, she was ready.

So that's what happened.

While these events weren't the most extreme, I still enjoyed them, even though I did go a bit off. It's all going to be fine though, things will be good and I am prepared for anything that comes next.

That's all from me this time.

I hope we talk again soon,

This is Crystie, signing out

So that was the chapter

Did you guys like it? I enjoyed writing it and wrote it in a surprisingly short amount of time.

We are at the end of this block of chapters. There will be a two month-ish gap between this block and the next as the next block has a lot of chapters and is quite important to work on so it'll take time.

You can expect chapter 17 to come about New Years' time, quite possibly a bit sooner if I am really getting into it but no promises.

But that's all from me this time

As always, check my twitter ChaoticViking for updates and check out my DeviantArt for art I do of the series and other stuff.

Let me just say Happy Early Halloween, I'll see you in the new year.

I hope you have a nice day

This is CrystieSong, signing out.