AN: This story has now surpassed 100 pages in Microsoft Word, which is surprising to me even though I've been the one working on it this whole time. Thank you all for supporting me this far! You leave the sweetest, most encouraging reviews, and I get excited every time I find a new one. And of course, I love each and every one of you. You guys are the best!
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I think that's all for now. Thank you so much for reading!
The morning air was brisk against their scales as Ozone and Sard prepared to set out for Possibility. It was odd to be up before the rest of the soldiers, who wouldn't start their day until an hour later. Not only did the soft darkness give Ozone a fuzzy, sleepy feeling, but the early-morning silence pressed uncomfortably against his ears.
Sard could never be counted on to make conversation before the sun was up, so he didn't try to talk with her as she stomped around getting ready. He felt a lingering concern that she might still be annoyed with him, though she hadn't changed her mind about coming when he'd shaken her awake, so that had to count for something. Besides, her apparent grouchiness wasn't really unusual considering the time.
Ozone still remembered the day he'd met her like it was yesterday.
It had been a rainy day when the new soldiers-in-training were summoned to the base where they'd be living for the next few years of their lives, and Ozone had clutched the single bag carrying the few possessions he'd brought with him nervously between his talons as he flew through the splattering shower. He'd spotted a small group of dragons gathered on the edge of a cliff, shivering and wrapping their wings around themselves in a failed attempt to keep out the chilling wind.
There were three dragonets already there: two females and one male.
"Y-you too?" muttered a female dragonet with rosy scales as he landed tentatively near the edge of the cluster, digging his claws into the cracks in the rock to prevent the wind from snatching him back up into the air. "I'd say 'welcome to the freezing-our-scales-off club', but celebrating someone else's suffering doesn't feel right."
Her voice oozed bitterness, and Ozone had shifted instinctively away from her.
The movement brought him closer to the other female dragonet. She was curled up in a ball, red wings wrapped over orange scales, and her head was tucked so close to her chest so that only the tips of her red-and-white striped horns poked out.
"Keep standing right there," a muffled voice said from within the tangle of limbs. "You're blocking the worst of the wind right now."
"S-sure," he said, teeth chattering. It had been closer to an order than a request, but he didn't mind the tone. At least one of them would be warm this way.
"Th-thanks," responded the orange dragonet, sounding a bit friendlier now.
"I'm Ozone," he offered, adjusting his grip on his bag as the fabric flapped in the wind, which threatened to whisk it away.
"My name's Sardonyx," she said, poking her head out to meet his gaze. Her eyes were a bright yellow, like sunflowers. Ozone's vision was blurred as a raindrop smacked him in the eye, but he still caught the flash of white teeth as she grinned at him. "But you can call me Sard. Everyone does."
"N-nice to meet you," he managed to say, still trembling from the cold.
"You too," Sard responded. "You make an excellent shield from the wind, so I'd consider myself very fortunate. Frankly, I don't see how you benefit from it, though."
Ozone laughed a little at that, though he would have found it funnier if he hadn't been so cold. His claws were starting to turn numb.
Sard looked pleased that she'd amused him, her ears flicking up. "Hey, since you laughed at my joke instead of only glaring at me like the other one, I guess we can switch places in a little while and I'll try to keep the wind off your back."
"Th-thanks," Ozone said, pleasantly surprised.
He glanced over his shoulder at the dragon she'd nodded to, and saw a big dragon with pale orange scales like a sunset. His brow was bunched in a scowl as he lowered his head to keep the wind from stinging his eyes.
"Th-that's Buzzard," Sard told Ozone, following his gaze. "I only met him earlier today, but he seems ornery. I'm not actually sure he can talk. All he did was glare."
"I can hear you, you know," the larger dragonet growled, glaring at the other two with dark amber eyes. A tendril of smoke snaked from his nostrils, but was dispersed by the gale. It blew into the amaranth dragonet's face, and she coughed before shooting a hostile look at the perpetrator.
"I guess he can talk," Sard amended.
"Of course I can," Buzzard snorted, flicking his wings to shake out the cold. They made a snapping sound as they rippled in the wind. "It's just too cold for conversation."
"I agree," muttered the pink dragonet.
"It's never too cold to talk!" Sard said passionately.
The other female dragonet only snorted in response.
Ozone smiled at that, and Sard glanced sideways at him, seeming pleased. "We can switch places now, if you want. You'll have to catch me if I blow away, though. You will, right? You won't let me be swept away forever?"
"I would," grumbled the other female SkyWing.
"I wasn't asking you, Gale," Sard retorted. "I was asking Ozone."
The pinkish-red dragonet swept her pale yellow gaze towards Ozone. It lingered on him for a moment, taking in his slender build and the nervous wrinkle in the golden scales on his snout, before flickering balefully away. He tried not to let that upset him.
"I won't let the wind take you," he promised Sard.
"Good," she said, and unraveled herself from the ball she'd been tucked into. She circled around Ozone and unfurled her wings to block the wind. She was smaller than him and struggled not to be blown away, but as he coiled himself into a ball in the space she had yielded to him, she made a fierce face and held her ground.
She was right; it was just the tiniest bit warmer with someone blocking the wind. Slowly, Ozone stopped trembling so violently.
"Isn't someone supposed to be coming for us?" he asked worriedly. He'd been speaking to Sard, but the others heard the question and looked over at him. "Do you think we might be waiting in the wrong place?"
"Three moons, I hope not," Buzzard said vehemently.
Sard didn't say anything, but a similar look of dismay had appeared on her face.
"I honestly wouldn't be surprised," growled Gale.
"It could be a test," Sard ventured. "Of endurance or something."
"If it is a test, it's testing my patience," the amaranth dragonet grumbled.
Ozone found that amusing, but he doubted laughing at her words would earn him anything but disdain. Trying to ease the cold instead, he breathed a small puff of smoke onto his talons and rubbed them together. It helped, but not much.
The dragonets fell into silence, apart from the chattering of their teeth.
"I think someone's coming," Buzzard said suddenly.
The others all followed his gaze and spotted a dark red figure gliding seemingly effortlessly on the storm winds. She didn't seem to be another dragonet, who would most likely struggle to fly in this weather like all the others, though she didn't look much bigger than Buzzard, who Ozone assumed was seven, like himself.
"You there," she called, her voice sharp with commanding authority, as she came to a stop in front of the dragonets, parachuting her wings to land. "Why are you here?"
They were all silent.
Ozone and Sard exchanged equally uneasy glances. Was this not where they were supposed to be waiting? Had they messed up so soon after starting their training?
Gale was the one to cut the silence.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm here to become a soldier," she said, lifting her chin defiantly and staring down the full-grown dragon. "If this isn't the place for that, then point me in the right direction."
It was a bold statement—worse than bold, challenging—but the burgundy dragon didn't comment. Her eyes, pale yellow like the moons, shifted to the others. "And you?"
"I wouldn't put it that way," Ozone said, twisting the straps of his bag nervously between his claws, "but I'm here for the same reason."
"Me too," said Sard.
Buzzard nodded in agreement.
"Good," said the adult dragon. "You've all passed my first test."
Buzzard looked offended to have been tricked, while Gale's eyes were unreadable, and Sard only grinned. Ozone himself let out a small sigh of relief.
"I am Claret, your new commander," the dark red dragon told them, her pale eyes softening a little. "I had to make sure you were really the students I was expecting. Not just any dragon can know the location of our secret base. However, you have passed my test and will now be permitted entry. But first, one more thing. Names?"
"Sardonyx," said Sard.
"Ozone," Ozone offered.
"Buzzard," the pale orange dragonet said shortly.
"Gale," the last dragonet finished.
"Good," Claret said again, looking pleased. "Ridge, the last trainee, is already at the base. Since his mother is a member of the army, he's been living here for a few days already. He was raised in a military family, so if you have any questions about your new lifestyle, I suggest you go to him. Now, I'm sure you'd like to get out of this weather into the shelter of our cave. Come with me."
She turned and launched herself back into the gusting wind, catching it beneath her wings as if it were no stronger than a gentle breeze. As he unraveled himself from the ball he'd curled into, Ozone hoped she knew that the dragonets couldn't fly through storms so easily. It would probably be a skill they acquired during their training, but for now it was certainly a daunting task.
Sard seemed to be thinking the same thing, judging by the face she made at him. She took a deep breath, leapt into the air after Claret, and flailed disgracefully in the air for a moment before she managed to straighten out. Ozone, who was struggling to remain airborne beside her, gave her a sympathetic look.
"We'll have to suffer through training together," joked Sard, wobbling in the air as the wind buffeted her wings. "I guess that makes us friends."
Despite his difficulty flying, Ozone had laughed. "Yeah, I guess it does."
Now, as they left the soldiers' base side-by-side in the early morning, they didn't say anything to each other. Ozone didn't know what to say even if he'd wanted to speak. Though he and Sard hung out together all time, he had to admit that he didn't really know her as well as he always tried to pretend he did. He had no idea how to bridge the gap between them when she was having a bout of moodiness.
He'd met Jackal a little less than two weeks ago, and known Cornice only marginally longer, yet he already felt like he had a deeper connection with each of them than with Sard, whom he'd been friends with for months.
Why can't I get close to dragons in my own tribe? he wondered ruefully.
"The sunrise is pretty," he commented, as the first light of dawn began to spill out over the horizon. Sard only gave a noncommittal murmur in response. Nature probably didn't cross her mind enough for her to consider it beautiful.
After that, Ozone gave up. He figured that she didn't feel like talking.
They flew for about half an hour in silence before they arrived at the bend in the river where Ozone had arranged to meet with his friends. Even from far away, it didn't take long for Ozone to spot the trio of figures, recognizing Jackal's dusty brown scales alongside Kulta's glittering gold and Tumbleweed's darker tawny.
He didn't think his voice would carry, so he waved to them with one wing instead. Tumbleweed noticed him first and nudged the others. All three then looked toward the pair of SkyWings, smiling in welcome, as Ozone and Sard approached.
"Hi, guys," Ozone said, pleased by their enthusiasm.
Jackal turned to Sard, looking unsurprised by her presence even though Ozone had forgotten to mention that she was coming.
"I'm Jackal," he said pleasantly. "You must be one of Ozone's fellow soldiers-in-training. I remember seeing you at our tribes' meeting a couple weeks ago, but you'll have to forgive me for not being able to recall your name."
"It's Sardonyx," she said. Ozone waited for her to add, But you can call me Sard, but she didn't, watching the SandWings with narrowed eyes.
"My name is Tumbleweed," the tawny dragon chimed in.
"Kulta," the third SandWing finished, nodding in greeting. It was the friendliest gesture Ozone had ever seen from her, but Sard didn't seem impressed.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
Ozone glanced to Jackal for help.
"Well, let's not just stand here and watch the sunrise," the SandWing said easily, sweeping his wings behind his friends to move them along. "We want to make the most of the day, don't we? Excellent. Let's not waste any more time!"
Kulta gave him an irritated look, but didn't argue. She opened her pale wings and took flight. The others lifted off after her, Tumbleweed nudging Ozone excitedly.
"We're off!" she said cheerfully.
They flew in silence for several minutes, which ticked slowly and awkwardly by.
"So, what are we planning on doing today?" Ozone asked the group of soldiers at large, hoping to start up a conversation.
"Anything we want," Jackal said, grinning at the SkyWing. "Specifically, there are a bunch of cool shops I know of. I also have a couple of friends to introduce you to."
"By friends, he means the dragons who can actually stand him," Kulta said dryly.
Tumbleweed burst out laughing.
Sard wrinkled her snout, looking like she couldn't decide what to think.
Jackal laughed too, angling his wings to bump into Kulta. She glided away from him, making a face. Ozone smiled at the way the pair interacted; he'd managed to guess by now that they were only teasing each other.
The trio of SandWings continued bantering as they traveled, allowing Ozone to fall into a comfortable silence. Sard's frown even softened a little as she listened to them exchange jokes and playful insults.
Eventually, Ozone caught sight of a group of buildings in a valley at the very edge of his range of vision. "Is that it?" he asked Jackal, pointing with one claw.
The SandWing squinted, then beamed. "That's it!"
"It looks exciting," Sard remarked, her teeth flashing in the mid-morning sunlight as she grinned. It seemed she was finally in a good mood again.
Kulta glanced sideways at her and seemed to take note of this as well.
"It's an interesting place," the gold dragon said lightly.
"Bet you can't wait to check out all the shops," Ozone teased Sard, hoping to get back on her good side. "You like shopping, right? I'm guessing you'll disappear as soon as we touch the ground, and I'll probably never see you again."
She barked a surprised laugh. "I don't like shopping that much."
"Oh." Ozone felt a little embarrassed, but he shoved the feeling away. At least his friend was talking to him again; that seemed like a good omen for the day ahead.
"Don't get separated when we land," warned Jackal, swooping over to fly next to the two SkyWings. "It's very busy, so you'll have to be careful not to get swept away by the crowd. Dragons tend to shove their way by. Very inconsiderately."
Sard rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Duly noted."
But even the thought of being in a crowd couldn't dampen Ozone's enthusiasm. The day had gotten off to a rocky start, but he was here with all his friends—who actually seemed to be getting along despite his initial reservations—and the weather was warm and sunny. The air had a faint smoky smell, like firewood.
It wasn't much longer before they reached the stone archway which marked the entrance to the town and angled their wings to land. The area was busy with dragons of various tribes coming and going, landing and taking off. Ozone had to duck his head to avoid being smacked in the face by an emerald-green wing.
When he looked up, he realized that his friends had disappeared from sight. To him, the trio of SandWings had always stood out thanks to their greater height and pale scales, but they blended right into this crowd of multi-colored dragons.
Ozone felt his heartbeat speed up in alarm as he realized that he was being swept along by the crowd and had no idea where the others had gone, and it was much too loud to be heard if he called out for them. He scanned the sea of dragons again, hoping to spot someone he recognized, but couldn't find even Sard's bright orange scales.
Suddenly, he felt a gust of warm air against his scales. "Found you."
He turned, and was relieved to see Kulta standing beside him.
"It's very busy," the SandWing said, her wings twitching against her sides as if she subconsciously wanted to fly away. "But you'll adjust to it soon enough. Just stay close to me and you won't get lost, don't worry."
He nodded gratefully and followed as she turned and plowed through the crowd, most of the other dragons clearing out of her way as she walked. Soon, Ozone spotted Tumbleweed, her black eyes scanning the crowd, and waved. She saw him, grinned, and waved back before turning to Jackal and Sard and letting them know.
"Thought we'd lost you," Jackal said, grinning, once they'd gathered again.
Kulta shook herself, as if ridding her scales of some contamination. "You did lose him. But I brought him back instead of letting him wander off like a lost puppy."
"Aww, thanks," Jackal responded, turning his playful smile to her next. "I don't know what I would do without my little puppy Ozone."
Ozone wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Tumbleweed noticed his expression and tugged on one of Jackal's wings. "You're freaking him out," she said. "Let's just go into the town already!"
"Yes, let's," agreed Kulta.
Sard didn't say anything, but her eyes were bright with excitement as she took in the scene around them. She didn't seem to mind the crowd at all—but then again, she wasn't even remotely timid like Ozone was. She looked positively delighted by the chaos all around, probably because it was so different from anything she'd ever seen before. The Sky Kingdom was made of small villages scattered throughout the mountain range; there was nothing as grand as this bustling center of activity.
There were various stores standing on either side of the main street, all decorated in bright colors and eye-catching large bubble letters.
"Oh look, it's a fortune-teller's tent!" Tumbleweed exclaimed, flapping her wings excitedly and pointing ahead. The tent was made of violet fabric and was embroidered in intricate patterns with golden thread. "That wasn't here last time, was it?"
"I don't think so," Kulta said, in a more neutral tone than the tawny dragon's.
"We should go," Jackal said, nudging her and grinning as she frowned and moved out of his reach. "Don't you want to learn about our future together?"
The pale gold dragon grumbled about it, but reluctantly agreed.
Jackal wrapped his wing cheerfully around her shoulder, and the two SandWings disappeared into the tent, letting its door flap shut behind them. Murmuring voices could be heard through the embroidered purple-and-gold fabric, but Ozone couldn't make out what the dragon running the shop was saying.
"I don't want my fortune told," Sard told him, "but I'll go in with you if you want to find out what yours is." It was an oddly specific suggestion, but if his friend was more interested in his fortune than her own, he'd might as well try it.
"Sure, I'll go," he decided.
"Great," she said, with a mischievous grin.
"Are you going to get your fortune told?" Ozone asked Tumbleweed.
"Oh, no," she said, laughing. "I just wanted to get Jackal to do it with Kulta."
"Why?" He tilted his head to one side curiously.
"Because they're totally in love," she informed him. "Kulta might like to pretend she's completely out of Jackal's league, but it's obvious that she's secretly into him."
"Really?" he asked, surprised. He'd thought they were only joking around.
Sard nodded. "Yeah, even I could see that. You're really dense, Ozone!"
A moment later, before he could respond, Jackal and Kulta came out of the tent. Jackal said something to Kulta, laughing, and she rolled her eyes, pushing him away.
"See?" said Tumbleweed and Sard together.
"No," Ozone answered, because he still didn't.
"What did the fortune-teller say about you?" Tumbleweed asked their friends eagerly, as Jackal and Kulta rejoined the group. "Are you made for each other?"
"That's not how fortune-telling works," Kulta responded, flicking her ears. "If the prophet can really see the future, she'll tell you a little about what will likely happen to you, but nothing's set in stone. There's no such thing as destiny. And even if there were, I seriously doubt romantic relationships are involved in it."
"What a realist," Jackal remarked, looking amused.
"You mean pessimist," Tumbleweed said.
Kulta hissed at her. "I am not a pessimist!"
"Right," the tawny dragon said, entertained. "And I'm not your best friend."
"You aren't," Kulta huffed. "Jack is."
Tumbleweed pretended to look wounded for a moment, but then straightened up, grinning. "Of course he is. But I knew you wouldn't admit it otherwise."
The pale gold dragon sighed. "You're a pain."
Jackal watched his friends without comment, looking hugely entertained.
"Come on, it's your turn now," said Sard, pushing Ozone towards the tent and snapping him out of watching the SandWings bicker. He obligingly walked the rest of the way and ducked into the small structure. Sard followed him in.
The tent smelled faintly of incense and was darker than outside, illuminated only by candlelight. It took Ozone's eyes took a moment to adjust to the lower lighting. Only after they had did he notice the NightWing sitting near the back of the tent. The silver scales under her wings glittered faintly, as did her dark eyes.
"Welcome," she said, in a quiet, melodic voice.
Ozone didn't know how to respond, so he only nodded in greeting. Sard peered curiously over his shoulder at the fortune-teller.
"I am Soothsayer," she said. "Gifted with the NightWing power of foresight. I do not speak in riddles like many of my fellow prophets, but I can provide you with a brief glimpse of your future, should you ask the right questions."
Ozone thought about it.
"Will I always be restless?" he asked, thinking of his lingering dissatisfaction with life as a soldier. He hoped it wouldn't last forever. He didn't know what he'd do if she told him that it would, but he felt like he had to know.
Soothsayer gazed at him for a long moment, her eyes searching his as if she could see the answer written in them somewhere.
"Not always," she said at last. "But if you are hoping that your path straightens out in the near future, you will be disappointed. Satisfaction will not come to you on its own; you must go out and look for it."
Sard looked back and forth between Ozone and the NightWing, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. It was clear that she hadn't noticed Ozone's restlessness; it wasn't really something dragons could see from the outside. But he could never feel satisfied with the endless training drills and the confining tunnels of their base.
Ozone paused, thinking again, and silence stretched out between them.
"Will there be romance in his future?" Sard asked playfully.
Soothsayer tilted her head to one side, as if listening to something that Ozone and Sard couldn't hear. "Perhaps. But it's very complicated. In some ways, it isn't black and white. But in others, that's exactly what it is." She laughed a little at that, as if it were some kind of inside joke.
Sard frowned.
The NightWing's words didn't make much sense to Ozone, either.
"You may ask one more question," she told him. "Choose wisely."
"Okay," Ozone said, twisting the end of his tail thoughtfully between his claws. After a moment, he realized that he knew just what to ask. "Is there anything that you see that you think I should know about?"
Soothsayer smiled enigmatically. "SkyWing, I believe you are the first dragon to ever ask me that question. You are wiser than most, to realize that a seer knows more about her trade than you do. I do in fact have some advice for you: There may come a time when you no longer trust your own mind or your own heart. But know that you can always trust your acts of kindness and the friendships they have brought you."
Ozone blinked, feeling uneasy. Considering her warning, he wasn't sure thanks were appropriate.
"I'll remember that," he said instead, nodding to her. He paid the fortune-teller by depositing coins in a jar which stood between them, and she nodded back.
Sard reached the door first and held open the flap for Ozone. Together, they went back outside into the sunlight. As they returned to the main street, where his friends were waiting for them, Ozone wondered how much truth the seer's words had held. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to believe them.
AN: I decided to cut it off here for now, because the chapter was becoming overly long I didn't want to keep you waiting without any updates. Next time, Ozone's adventures in Possibility continue!