Hey, everyone! I'm coming at you from the coast of North Carolina this week. Worry not, though! Even family vacations and the lure of fresh seafood won't keep me from updating for you guys.
This week's dragon spotlight is a bit of a blast from the past: Cassie from Dragon Tales. If you're in my generation and watched PBS Kids, I guarantee that you've seen Dragon Tales at some point. It was a childhood staple along with Arthur, Cyber Chase, and Sesame Street. Cassie was always my favorite, largely because she was pink (which was my favorite color when I was little). Looking back, I realize that she was incredibly relatable: intelligent, but self-conscious. She would sometimes refrain from saying anything due to a fear that she was wrong or that people wouldn't listen to her. When she became sad, she would shrink to a small size. I remember both her and the show fondly. I drove my brothers crazy with how often I'd watch it, actually.
This week sees a return to our friends in Team JNPR. Enjoy!
"Do you think they could operate on him?" Ren wondered as he watched Ao Guang pounce on Twiggy and playfully bite at her foreleg.
"On his gills, you mean?" Pyrrha asked. Titan was lying next to her, blue-white eyes fixed on his brother and sister, ready to leap in if Guang started being too rough.
"Yes. We had another swimming lesson today. He's having trouble keeping up." Ren thought back to the lesson, which had involved racing underwater. Since Guang had needed to surface regularly to breathe, he had lost every contest. Barracuda had even bitten him to add insult to injury.
Nora looked at her best friend's frown and touched his shoulder. "Hey. No one's going to let Guang be culled, okay? No dragons get culled at Beacon, right?"
"It's happened before," Jaune muttered. "A few years ago, I read about a wind dragon with a stunted wing. Ozpin kept it under wraps until graduation, but the Council stepped in once the Rider was out of school and had the dragon culled."
Noticing Ren's stricken expression, he quickly added: "But, we won't let that happen. We'll fight anyone who tries to take Guang away. Right, guys?"
"Yeah!" Nora said, grinning eagerly. "And we can be rogue Riders, roughing it in the wild, and-"
"Easy, now," Pyrrha chuckled. "We're not even done with one semester yet. Let's at least wait for our dragons to grow up before we talk about becoming rogues." She turned back to Ren. "As for your question, I'm not sure. While there are healers trained in helping dragons, they're mostly taught to heal certain battle wounds. I've never heard of a dragon being operated on due to a deformity."
Jaune snorted. "That's because the Council doesn't think they're worth the time or money. Why waste effort on a water dragon with no gills when they could just breed a shiny new one? I mean, remember when Twiggy hatched? You guys were talking about how everything would be fine. I'd get a new dragon. I could play with your dragons while I waited."
The others looked guiltily at each other. Pyrrha frowned. "I guess a certain lack of concern exists even in people who genuinely care about dragons." She touched Titan's back. "I know that I wouldn't say anything like that now."
"I guess Riders are the only ones who really understand," Nora noted. "I mean, I notice a lot more things and get angry a lot easier when I see dragon-related stuff on the news now. I didn't used to, at least not as much."
Deciding to change the subject, Pyrrha asked: "So, how is your one classmate doing? The one who's scared of water?"
"Neptune. He's…showing some improvement," Ren muttered. By "some improvement," he meant that Neptune didn't flinch as violently when he got splashed. The poor boy shook like a leaf whenever he had to enter the water. "Russel's taunting isn't helping."
"That whole team just needs to go away!" Nora snapped. "Sky was making fun of poor Scarlet just yesterday. Kept snapping his fingers in Nimbus's face. I thought Scarlet was going to punch him."
"Why didn't he?" Ren wondered.
"Tornado was already agitated, and Scarlet figured he would bite Nimbus."
Pyrrha shook her head. "They should never have been given dragons."
"They passed the combat test, and their rich parents paid for their tuition," Ren sighed. "So, that's that. I heard that Ozpin wants to get rid of the combat test and make all new students go through the sight test. Of course, the Council thinks it's immoral to let 'a bunch of animals' decide who becomes a Rider and who doesn't. They've been trying to get rid of the sight test completely."
"Good thing they didn't, or I wouldn't be here!" Jaune exclaimed.
"And neither would Twiggy," Pyrrha added. "Most likely."
The group continued to talk, Twiggy and Guang continuing to play in the grass while Titan kept watch and Freya slept. They were so content, they almost didn't react when another dragon jumped into the fray. Only Titan's immediate growl alerted them before the playful scuffle turned bloody.
It wasn't Mudslide, but the blue-gray Barracuda who jumped in, swiping at Ao Guang's chest while hissing. Guang's large tail lashed and he warbled nervously, suddenly favoring the leg that had gotten bitten by the other water dragon only hours before.
Twiggy immediately started shaking, ducking her head and whining. She wanted to run back to Jaune, but couldn't bring herself to abandon her brother. So, she just sat down and let out a distressed whimper.
This whimper was quickly cut off as the familiar form of Mudslide barreled into her from the side, followed closely by the green Tornado.
At this point, the members of Team JNPR were on their feet and trying to pull their dragons out of the sudden scuffle. Titan was quick to jump on Mudslide, pinning the earth dragon down and biting down on her thick neck.
A few feet away, the members of Team CRDL were talking loudly and laughing it up.
"Look at that! Only the fire dragon is worth anything."
Sky snorted. "Yeah, the wind one is still napping."
Nora, eyes blazing, didn't hesitate to give Tornado a good kick, which allowed Twiggy to scramble out from under her and rush into Jaune's arms. "Her name is Freya! You should know, since you take lessons with us. But I guess you just don't listen, or you wouldn't be pathetic enough to send your dragonets to- OW!" She was cut off suddenly when Tornado, angry at being kicked, jumped forward and sank his fangs into her ankle.
Unlike the relatively harmless half-bites that dragonets often gave their Riders, this was a full-on attack. Nora's vision went white as the dragonet's teeth hit bone, and she fell to the ground.
In a haze of pain, she heard a shriek, saw a pastel-colored form zipping past her, and felt the teeth suddenly withdraw. She clutched her ankle, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ren was at her side immediately. "Easy, Nora. You're okay." He tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and hurriedly started wrapping her ankle. It was bleeding a fair amount, but it didn't look like Tornado had hit anything important. He desperately wanted to go over to Sky Lark and beat him into the ground, but held himself back. Nora needed him, and he didn't want to further aggravate any of the dragons. He felt Guang pressing against his side and let out a sigh of relief.
Titan, meanwhile, had locked his jaws over Mudslide's neck and was refusing to let go. His eyes blazed like white fire as the dragonet beneath him thrashed and gurgled.
"Titan, that's enough!" Pyrrha shouted. She knew that this wasn't Mudslide's fault. It was Cardin. His dragon didn't deserve to suffer for his cruelty. To her horror, Titan only bit down harder. "Titan!"
Jaune's head was reeling. Everything was chaos. Nora was on the ground injured, Freya and Tornado were in a heated fight, Titan was trying to kill Mudslide, Twiggy was howling in distress, and through it all, Team CRDL was just standing there! A crowd was starting to gather, but of course no one was going to risk themselves or their dragons solving this dispute. He could see Doctor Oobleck rushing toward the scene, blowing into a whistle as he did so.
That's it. Taking a deep breath, Jaune placed Twiggy on the ground. "Twiggy, stay," he murmured. Ignoring his dragonet's squeak of protest, he strode across the grass, his right hand forming into a tight fist.
Russel, Dove, and Sky took one look at his face and stepped back, giving him a clear path to his target. Cardin, who was too preoccupied with yelling at Mudslide to get up, didn't even have a chance to blink before Jaune's fist smashed into his face, throwing him to the ground.
Mudslide froze, trying to turn her head toward her partner, letting out choked cries of distress. Titan paused, surprised at the sudden thump on the ground. Even Tornado and Freya paused, sensing a shift in the atmosphere around them.
Pyrrha took this opportunity to pull her dragon off of Mudslide, barely wincing when Titan bit her hand for the first time. Her eyes were on Jaune.
Jaune glared down at Cardin, who was gaping up at him. He then turned his gaze on the rest of Team CRDL. Russel and Sky looked unsure of what to do. Dove was hanging back a few feet away. Jaune noticed for the first time that the bronze fire dragon Tank had never joined the fight. Instead, he was curled up behind Dove, trembling in a way that reminded him of Twiggy or Zircon.
"You listen to me," Jaune growled. "You are going to stop messing with our dragons, and everyone else's dragons. You're going to stop treating your dragons like your own personal attack dogs. You are going to leave right now." Shooting Cardin a final disgusted look, he turned and started to walk back toward Twiggy. He noticed that Doctor Oobleck's dragon Gust had arrived while he was yelling at Cardin, and was now firmly shepherding Tornado, Mudslide, and Barracuda away from the JNPR dragons.
Twiggy, meanwhile, was staring up at him with wide silver eyes. She bounded forward and rubbed her head against his leg, crooning softly.
Behind Jaune, Cardin was struggling to his feet. He blinked dumbly, then started forward, a murderous gleam coming to his eyes. However, he was swiftly stopped by a kick to the groin followed by a punch in the jaw that sent him sprawling yet again. This time, a weight settled on him, keeping him from getting up.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Pyrrha murmured, her voice calm but her eyes blazing. "I stopped Titan from attacking Mudslide, but I'm perfectly willing to face the consequences for setting him on you."
Cardin could only groan in reply.
"I'm glad you see things my way." Pyrrha stood, turning away with a satisfied smile. She noticed Jaune gaping at her and shrugged. "I couldn't let you have all the fun, could I?"
Doctor Oobleck cleared his throat, looking at the crowd of people. "Move along! Nothing to see here. Out, out!" He clapped his hands, sending the students off before kneeling next to Nora. "Now, let me look at that. Quite a nasty bite, but nothing serious. I'll have that cleaned and wrapped up in a few minutes."
He stood up, glaring in the direction of Team CRDL. "As for you, I've had just about enough." He zipped over. "I had hoped that being responsible for these lovely dragons would somehow cure you of your utter stupidity, but that clearly isn't the case. I want the three of you to take your dragons to the infirmary, then report to Ozpin's office! Don't think of trying to run. I'm going to call him to make sure he makes time for you."
Glaring sullenly, Cardin, Russel, and Sky trudged toward Beacon. Russel and Sky waited for their dragons to catch up while Cardin didn't even look over his shoulder, leaving Mudslide to blink a few times before rushing after him.
Dove hadn't moved, his squinty eyes unreadable as he waited for Doctor Oobleck to tell him what to do.
The professor looked at Dove, then at the shaking Tank, and let out a sigh. "Mister Bronzewing, you may go back to your room. I will just say this to you: Evil only prospers when good men do nothing. Think about that."
Dove gave Doctor Oobleck an uncertain look before walking off, muttering something to his dragon as he went down the path.
Doctor Oobleck turned toward Team JNPR and clapped his hands together. "Okay, who wants bandages?"
A few minutes later, they were in one of the many hospices scattered around campus. No one in JNPR wanted to go to the main infirmary and see Cardin or his cronies again. Doctor Oobleck was silent as he cleaned and wrapped Nora's ankle and tended to the dragonets. Thankfully, the worst they had were a few scratches and bites.
"Sir, can I ask a question?" Jaune spoke up.
"You just did, but feel free to ask another," Doctor Oobleck replied.
"Why are people like Cardin allowed to do that? They've been giving other Riders and dragons a hard time since day one!"
Doctor Oobleck let out a sigh. "I agree wholeheartedly with you, Mister Arc. There are some people who should never have been given dragon eggs. However, the law says that they are allowed to study here, since they passed the combat test and paid their tuition."
"Can't they be disciplined, though?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yes, but some people don't respond to discipline," Doctor Oobleck explained. "Trust me, they have had several detentions these first few weeks, and many lectures. They just refuse to listen. We can't expel them, as that would cause their dragonets to be culled."
Jaune hugged Twiggy against his chest, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth at the unfairness of it all.
"I know this is difficult," Doctor Oobleck said. "And we will do everything in our power to sway Team CRDL toward the right path for their sakes, their dragons' sakes, and everyone else's. In the meantime, I hope that you can continue to be strong, like you were today." His eyes glittered under his glasses. "A bit of retaliation will never be punished by the likes of me, I can assure you."
He gave Nora's ankle another look. "You should be fine, but try not to go for any long walks. And don't run on it. Or play hopscotch, obviously. Do kids even play hopscotch anymore…? Anyway, why don't you go to your dorms and rest? And don't forget that there's a test on water dragon anatomy tomorrow!"
Minutes later, Team JNPR was settling in their dorm, trying to calm their dragons down. Freya was still agitated and kept licking at Nora's bandaged ankle. Ao Guang, suddenly sapped of his playfulness, was curled meekly in Ren's lap. Titan was pacing back and forth in front of the door, as if expecting Mudslide to come crashing through. Twiggy was snuggled against Jaune's chest, purring loudly.
Pyrrha sighed, running a disinfectant wipe over her bitten hand. It looked like Titan wasn't a textbook-perfect dragonet. He had some fire dragon anger in him after all. He just needed to be heavily provoked. Hopefully, that won't happen often… she thought, remembering Mudslide's distressed, gargling cries.
Jaune glanced at Pyrrha. "That was pretty awesome how you handled Cardin."
Pyrrha's face flushed and she shrugged. "I was simply adding to what you already did. Did you see his face when you hit him? He couldn't believe it."
Jaune grinned. "Yeah. Too bad I didn't have a camera." He looked down at Twiggy. "So, do you think this is the last time he'll be bugging us?"
"Probably not," Ren said bluntly, rubbing Nora's shoulder with the hand he wasn't using to stroke Guang. "Still, I doubt he'll be so eager in the future."
Team JNPR remained in their room that night, talking and studying. The dragonets eventually calmed down enough to go to sleep. There was something new in the air as the four humans went about their evening routines, a realization that made all of the annoyances and injuries of the day fade into irrelevance. Each team member now knew without a doubt that they had three Riders and four loyal dragons who would always be on their side.
Whatever else came at them, whether it was Team CRDL, the Council, or a pack of Grimm, they wouldn't have to face it alone.
Hopefully, this chapter cleared up why CRDL has been able to get away with being such buttmunches. Unlike the usual circumstances, when the teachers and principal just ignore the problem unless they need to suspend the victim for fighting back, Beacon's teachers do want to help, but can only do so much. If you have someone who won't respond to punishment, what can you really do? And if you're fuming at how easily a dragon can be culled in this world, good! Hold onto that anger. You're not the only one who's going to be feeling it as this story goes on.
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!