Their new home, the Complex as the dragonets referred to it, for it had no name and did not need one. Its purpose was simple, to house the growing revolution and the soldiers they needed to train. Not many former guards and old soldiers lived amongst the caves and only the most devoted to the ideas of their rebellion. While many Icewings were very militaristic, the cold anger that clouded the nobles and their followers blinded them to their own cruelty and the constant society changing decisions the queen put forward only made the rage simmer longer.
The two found dozens of other hatchlings in the Complex's cave systems that wound through the guts of their mountain home. They were organized into groups and sectioned off, growing and learning as members of cohesive groups at first, running through formations and tactics in groups. These groups were often led by the hatchlings of nobles to develop their leadership experience. The Complex was vast and empty, only occupied by those who could spend long times away from their posts like lower rank nobles, guards, and veterans who ran and organized everything in the headquarters, there was even a mockup of the Gift of Order in the largest cavern. Notches had been carved into the stone and metal hooks hammered into place, each hook had a wooden slate with a name.
There were seven sets of notches to represent each of the Circles that the original gift had and every hatchling had a slate to represent their worth. As time passed more and more hatchlings arrived at the complex and filled the mountains. Time passed as they moved through all the lessons of war and combat that the Icewings had learned during the last war, learning how to not just fight Sandwings and Skywings but other Icewings as well. They were simplified and limited, these soldiers weren't meant for more than fodder. They were expected to act as the new claws of the government that the nobles wished to impose. It wouldn't be much different but the powers of the queen would be greatly stripped and render it just a figurehead position, a puppet position. Occasionally they were brought in small groups to see the palace and other nearby villages to learn and understand their own culture, socialize in acceptable ways. The leaders may be heartless but they were afraid that their little army under the mountain may not understand their own society and turn violent at undesirable times.
The cohesive units that the first group had grown up in were broken down further and further as they lived there, lines were drawn in the sand and groups were made. Even if they were to act as a unit they did not like one. Rimefrost managed to stay with her friend Taiga, and while they were both excellent students in tactics of war Rimefrost knew that Taiga was simply smarter than her and often came up with plans she would never have thought of for their progressively shrinking group of friends. Rimefrost was their protector and kept the others safe but try as they might they lost members. Not many of the first wave stayed together, either due to failure or accidents.
However the two hatchlings Rimefrost and Taiga who have now grown into dragonets were almost inseparable, such close friendships weren't uncommon as even in their frigid culture no one wanted to really be alone.
Rimefrost woke, and groaned softly. Her body was sore and beaten down, the bruising blending in with the purples and gentle blues of her scales. She was wrapped up with another dragonet and carefully began to pull away from him but like always he woke up anyways. Luckily today was a designated rest day to allow their bodies to recover from training, so when Taiga pulled her back down into their cramped little niche in the wall they slept in, she didn't resist and ignored the painful twinges and stiffness in her muscles.
"Morning Taiga, you're lucky we don't have training today or I'd have smacked you for that." Rimefrost said, slightly raising her voice before nestling her head under their overlapping wings.
Young Icewing dragonets were very nosey and often would eavesdrop where they could. Usually this was done to the adults more than other dragonets but they all were just as likely to push you in front of a blast of ice breath if they could. Rumors, gossip, and news were as valuable as food and good duty shifts.
"What have we got planned for today?"
Taiga's grin was broken by a yawn as he brought a paw up to rub at his eyes and said, "Well we found that river, maybe we could go fishing there for a while."
He paused and lowered his voice before continuing. "We could see if the river leads out of this valley. We might be able to slip away without being noticed, unlike Snow and Shiver."
Rimefrost replied with a short nod and said, "Come on Taiga all you ever want to do is fish or hunt. I can train you in some combat and maybe you'll be able to join me in the top of the third circle instead of sitting in the middle of the sixth."
The two were drifting dangerously far apart in rankings, Rimefrost wished she could hold back and drop her ranking but for some odd reason the adults had taken a keen interest in her and if she did it'd be noticed. A few other pairs had attempted and they had been forced into a mockup of the Diamond Trial. If she didn't and Taiga didn't change the slow downward spiral he was on then he'd be pushed into the same trial anyways.
"Please, Taiga. I don't want to be alone."
"I'm sorry, I'm trying Rimefrost."
"I know.."
They lay there together, holding each other before slowly slipping back into sleep. Both of their bodies tired, Rimefrost curling her wings around the noticeably more beaten down Taiga.
Other Icewings had already been stirring, many wore scraps and claw marks, some had scars from where they had been bitten but all were covered in swathes of black, blue, and purple. Some limped, and others walked hiding their discomfort as they moved around and interacted with their peers. Some left the already small and cramped cavern on various tasks or duties they had been assigned.
The two woke back up around midday and carefully pulled apart, wincing occasionally as they worked their stiff muscles. The two had learned stretches from some of the more friendly soldiers and began to go through them, each helping the other stretch further than and deeper than they would have by themselves. They weren't the only ones waking up for the day as small groups, pairs, and individuals that hadn't woken up before made their way out of the sleeping cavern.
Rimefrost let Taiga lead, his scrawny and small stature letting him weave through the crowd while Rimefrost with her larger and taller body kept an eye out. Many Icewings bent and broke rules where they could and only few were ever really enforced. There was to be no fighting outside of sanctified duels and training didn't mean that 'accidents' didn't happen. More often than not opposing dragonets would strike or swipe other weaker ones. Sometimes it was to hinder the competition and sometimes some of them just seemed to enjoy it.
In their short walk to one of the entrances a smaller dragonet tried to slip between her and Taiga, aiming a far too obvious swipe at one of his hindlegs. Rimefrost felt like she gave a perfectly reasonable response and slammed her wing hook into the side of their head, knocking them into the path of another dragon. Slipping away through the crowd she already began to hear the fight and then more voices joined in. Dragonets shifted to turn and watch and as she broke through the bodies to Taiga she looked back to see a ring had been formed and a fight had started.
Taiga lifted an eye ridge and Rimefrost just gave him a shrug of her wings before heading to the closest entrance to the Complex. It was summer or what passed for it this far into the Ice Kingdom, the sun shining down on her white scales was a little warmer than she'd have liked. There was some mild amounts of green along the ground in the forest and the few none evergreens had some leaves. She stretched out her wings and winced slightly as she worked her muscles and heard Taiga flapping his right next to her.
They both leaped into the air and with a few wing strokes were soaring over the forest. Rimefrost followed his lead, reading the shifts and changes in his flight and adjusting to follow the river up its path towards one of the mountains in the valley. They had located a cliff side cave. It was inaccessible from the ground and so they had taken to stashing supplies like food and whatever small amounts of medicine they could swipe.
It wasn't much but they were getting stronger and stronger and the two figured it wouldn't be long before they could actually run away successfully. The last dragons who had tried got caught heading back north while hunting for food. They had been starving when found and were dragged back to the Complex in chains.
The adults made an example out of the two and while there had been a regular amount of break out attempts before, what they had done to those two dragonets was more than enough to dissuade the others, except for Taiga. Taiga was the one who got her through all the classes on history and writing, Rimefrost found she had no interest in most of her studies except for when it came to combat.
Without his help she probably would have failed and been punished more than she had, but now with the growing focus on combat Taiga had been suffering greatly. Rimefrost did what she could to teach him but his severe lack was apparent to her. She couldn't just abandon him however, and so for the last year she dragged him through combat session after combat session.
The adults had been making the two of them fight more and more often in training, and the fights were being forced to grow more violent than she wanted. Worries and frustrations began to loop and swirl in on themselves as her thoughts ran through a well worn track in her mind. She barely noticed landing at the lip of the cave and walking inside.
A wing suddenly rested across her back and her head snapped towards the dragon next to her, seeing what was almost undoubtedly a mirror of her own expression. "You're doing it again, remember we are taking this a day at a time. No need to be crushed by the unknown future."
"I'm sorry, come on, we should enjoy the day off today."
They took a few minutes and checked the meager food supplies they had saved up from the Complex and left the cave quickly, checking the skies above and the slopes around them in case someone was watching. Leaping into the pleasant and frigid air, they turned off towards the river.
Rimefrost laid down on a rocky outcropping as Taiga waded into the river, shivering slightly as the water dragged at his talons and tail. He'd sit there for minutes on end with his mouth slightly open, his eyes darting from side to side. His expression of focus and concentration looked so dumb even now Rimefrost had to suppress a small giggle.
His head would track whichever fish he had picked out before with a silvery flash his head would dart forward and into the water. He'd pull back with a fat fish desperately squirming in his jaws, the fish flapping hard enough his head bobbed with it. He waded over to her and Rimefrost reached down and got a firm grip on the fish and pulled it out of his mouth. He had the dumbest smile on as she looked down at him, pinning the fish under her claws.
With a flourish of wings and a bow Taiga spoke up in the best pompous and nasally voice he could. "Is the morsel a fitting offering for her gracious lady?"
Rimefrost flicked her nose up and harrumphed. "I say, fetch me another servant."
Taiga waded back into the river, the two bouncing back and forth before it was Rimefrost's turn to fish and flipped their roles. By the time they had finished they each gathered up their respective piles of fish and took to the sky, careful to not drop any as they angled back to the Complex. They were quiet on their flight back, taking the time to brace themselves and blank out their expressions. Taiga had brought back a significant amount of food on a day where he wasn't assigned to hunt and was moved up a few lots. Rimefrost stayed in place.