CHAPTER 4

Morning broke the next day and Ria was stirred from her sleep by her friends muzzle.

"Wake up Ria, your mother says its time for school." He said as she rubbed her eyes with her wingtips as she did every morning.

"Ok..." She yawned as the normal dread began to fill her, but was quickly cast aside as she realized who would be joining her in class today.

'He's as big as Jerrath! Alexis wouldn't dare pick on me with him around!' She thought happily as she got ready for school and bounded down the stairs.

"Your looking happy today pumpkin." Xenith commented to his daughter not looking up from the daily scroll.

"I am daddy! Mr. Bubbles is going to school with me today!" she said excitedly.

"That's good, you and him have fun now." He said putting away the scroll and gathering his son to take him to school.

Ria sat at the table and turned to her friend.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Nope."

"Do you ever eat Mr. B?"

He laughed slightly and answered.

"...Every now and then..."

She shrugged and turned around to keep eating as her mother joined her.

After a quick breakfast, they were off. They were running a bit late, so they had no time to stop and pray to the Holy crystals, they could only afford a passing bow.

"What are those?" Mr. B asked, eyes widening at the sight of the giant crystals.

"Those are from the creator. We have to talk to them for some reason, but I guess we aren't gonna do that today." She said as she was pulled along by her mother.

He stopped and stared at the massive objects.

'That's it...that's how I will-' His thoughts were interrupted by Ria calling to him.

"C'mon! Dont get so far behind!" She yelled to him. He growled then put on a smile and faced her

"Coming Ria!" He said running to catch up.

They arrived at school well before Alexis and her bullies got there. She sat on her cushion and Mr. B sat on the floor beside her, and wrapped his tail neatly around his feet.

after a few minutes of waiting, Alexis came in, and made a bee-line for her.

"Here she comes Mr. B..." She said with fear in her voice.

He turned his head in her direction and sized up the girl she was talking about.

'Ha! That's it? This will be easy...' He thought getting off his haunches and facing the bully.

"You think you got away yesterday? You think its funny to make a fool out of me in front of my friends?" She said seething with rage.

Ms Silverhorn was nowhere to be found and Ria felt tears building in her eyes.

"DO YOU?!!?" Alexis screamed in her face.

"Mr. B what do I do?" she whimpered softly.

"Who are you talking to freakshow?!" She demanded.

"Stand up." Mr B said to her softly but commandingly.

She did as he told her and faced her tormentor.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes, and on the count of three, roar, as loud as you can, ok?" He instructed.

"Roar? But what will that-"

"Just trust me Ria, it'll all be ok. After this, Alexis will never pick on you again." He said

"Ready?" He asked

She nodded as Alexis' patience grew thin.

"That's it! Time for you to pay for humiliating me!" She said raising her fist to Ria.

Mr B put his tail tip on Ria's back between her wings and closed his eyes. He reopened them into a glare and they began to glow dark purple.

"One...two...three!" He growled

Alexis fist was inches away from Ria's face when she roared as loud as she could. A pulse of dark energy flowed from Mr. B's tail into little Ria, and exiting violently through her muzzle. She felt something rush down her back and tingle all the way down to her paws. It felt strangely satisfying as she felt the newfound warmth exit through her muzzle. She was almost sad to see it go, but couldn't wait to see the look on Alexis' face when she stopped roaring. The dark beam fired from Ria's muzzle was huge as it hit Alexis in the face and sent her through two walls and burning everything it touched as it blinded all around her.

As soon as it began, it was over. Ria closed her mouth and opened her eyes. She saw the massive trench she had made with what she thought was her roar, but realized was some kind of energy.

"I don't think she'll be bothering you anymore." He said smiling smugly.

Just then Ms. Silver horn darted in after hearing the noise.

"Oh my Ancestors, what happened here?!" She demanded.

"Ria went crazy and attacked Alexis! She wasn't doing nothin either!"one of Alexis' gang said.

She walked through the rubble of both walls and saw Alexis half buried and bleeding from various places.

"We need to get a healer in here quickly!" She said running out of the room calling for help.

The healers carted Alexis off to the medical ward and Ria's parents were called as were Alexis'.

"Where is she?! Where is that monster who hurt my little girl?!" Gafron demanded bursting through the crowd that had now formed. Ria was now standing outside the room, looking desperately for Mr. B, but he was nowhere to be found.

"I know that thing was a danger to normal society! Chain her up immediately!" He ordered as his guards sprung into action. No one could stop them as Ria's father wasn't there yet.

She was harshly chained and guarded by two soldiers as she listened to Gafron rant to the current elders, who were also called to the scene.

"When I'm head elder, I can assure you that beasts like these are dealt with before they can hurt innocent hatchlings!"

"Typical Gafron! Playing your daughters injury to gain political momentum!" Xenith said interrupting his rant having just arrived.

"That offspring of yours is a evil monster!" He shouted at him angrily.

"You dare call a seven year old girl an evil monster?" He asked dryly.

"She nearly killed my daughter!" He shouted, so angry his normal grey face was now red.

He turned away from Gafron and saw his daughter chained up.

"Whats the meaning of this?! Unchain her now! She is not a criminal she's a little dragoness!"

"I dont think that is in the best interest of the people of Megaton Xenith. She will be taken back to the temple and locked in solitary for observation." Gafron said, as his payed off elders nodded in agreement.

"It is the will of the council." Gafron added with a smug smile on his face that Xenith would love to cut off if he thought he could get away with it.

"Whats going on daddy?" Ria asked through tears.

"They're...going to take you to the temple for a little while sweetheart..." he said tearing up in frustration over not being able to help his daughter.

"Mr. Bubbles told me to do it because Alexis wouldn't stop being mean to me." She tried to explain, but Xenith just nodded and hugged his only daughter.

"I'll come see you soon Ria, ok? I love you." He said kissing her on the forehead.

The soldiers picked her up and carried her away.

"Daddy! Don't let them take me there!" She shouted as she looked over the shoulder of one of the soldiers. He had given up the ability to protect his daughter for a shot at power. He couldnt bear to think about what he had just done. Her mother then landed next to him and they just hugged each other and cried as their little girl was carted off like a common criminal.

xXx

Jerrath fought to stay awake in his first class of the day, as the unreasonably boring lecture being given by his instructor was interrupted by another teacher opening the door and whispering to her.

This perked him up as well as the rest of his class as she looked at him. He continued to whisper as she gasped and covered her mouth with her paw in shock.

"Jerrath, you need to go to Ms. Silverhorns room right now." She said in an urgent tone.

He was glad to get out of that class, thought he was slightly confused as to why he had to go to that room. If he remembered right, that was his sisters teacher. He hoped she didn't do anything crazy that would reflect badly on him. He'd never hear the end of it from his friends if she was going on about that imaginary friend of hers.

He came upon the room and saw what looked like a three ring circus. Elders, soldiers, staff and students were all gathered around the room.

He pushed through the crowd and saw his parents holding each other

"Mom, dad! Whats going on here?" He asked walking up to them.

His mother immediately hugged him as he continued his questioning.

"I love you too mom, but what was I called out here for?" He asked. His mother was in tears, so his father had to explain.

"Well son...Ria attacked Gafrons daughter. She's in the medical ward. The witnesses say she used dark energy."

'Dark energy?' He thought. He had learned about that in ancient history class. Dark energy hadn't been practiced in hundreds of years! How would his little sister know how to do that?

"Thats ridiculous! Ria doesn't know how to use dark energy! No one does!" He said.

"I know Jerrath, but the witnesses say different...and it was Gafrons daughter." He answered sadly.

"Where is she? Let me talk to her!" He said angrily.

"She was taken to the temple to be locked up for observation..." He said frustrated.

He looked back at her classroom, and at the smoldering hole she made in the wall and thought.

'How...?'

ok, I'm sorry to say this but I have finals to study for and the next update may not come for a while. and on top of that, my laptop screen is wrecked, so its in the shop, and I'm using my roomates computer. he is never off of it long enough for me to write, only to review and maybe read a little. peace.