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"C'mon, Berylsythe'll scorch you if you're late!"
Ignitus hurried to catch up with his friend, "And you're telling me Thraklor won't smash you into the ground if you're late?"
"No, but Berysythe is as short tempered as Cyril."
The little red dragon snorted, small body shaking. "You've got that right."
Abruptly, a queer expression crossed his face, and he sneezed, two small jets of golden flame rushing out his nostrils.
Terrador yelped and leapt out of the way, "Watch where you point that bomb you call a head! You nearly roasted me!"
"Sorry," Ignitus mumbled, raising a forefoot to rub his nose, embarrassed.
The green dragonet muttered profusely, shaking his head. He had a stocky build, with overlapping brown plates on his shoulders, and a pair of ram's horns protruding from the back of his head, which, with the addition of the hard spiked ball at the end of his tail, gave him an oddly fierce appearance. Whether Terrador knew of this or not, with his personality…Ignitus thought it better that he didn't know.
The two young dragons were startled by a trumpeting roar, not too distant from where they were, that set off a chorus of irritated replies from nearby dragons.
Ignitus turned urgently to Terrador, "That came from the Temple, come on!" Abandoning all attempts he had been making to ensure that he arrived unnoticed, the red dragon jumped into the air, Terrador close behind.
Even in his haste, Ignitus still reveled in the exhilaration of flight, of the wind whipping through his wings. In the air, he felt he could go anywhere, without stopping or tiring.
At a second series of bugles, Ignitus drove his wings downwards and flapped strongly higher in the cool morning air.
When he achieved the desired height, he hovered for a moment, and upon seeing the Temple not far away, he folded his wings and dived, a crimson streak in the sky.
Though he couldn't see him, Ignitus heard Terrador's wings beating heavily in the air as the green dragon tried to match his friend's speed.
"An admirable effort," Berylsythe commented dryly as he surveyed the two panting dragonets before him. This had surprised them, as it was no secret that he had an explosive temper.
Glancing at the host of other dragonlings behind him, Berylsythe said coolly, "off with you Terrador. I expect your training master has a few things he would like to say to you." Where upon Terrador hurried off to find Thraklor, the Earth Guardian, and the other dragonets of that element.
Ignitus watched him go wistfully, then with a sigh he returned his attention to Berylsythe.
"Berylsythe, sir, I'm-
"Never mind," the larger dragon shook his head, but glared disapprovingly at the red dragon, "I hope this is the last time you burst in late, Ignitus."
Ignitus nodded quickly, hoping to be spared one of the older dragon's anecdotes. He had taken to reminding them all of the Ancestors, of how important winning and defeating the Dark One was. And he always added, when every dragon had images of personal glory embedded in their minds, that training was the way to achieve this.