Hello everyone! NaughtyCat9 is me and NaughtyCat9 is now posting the first bit of this story! This is just the first chapter, told from Auster's perspective. If I were Auster, I'd probably be put in the 7th circle heh. OMSC! If I keep talking your ears off then you won't be able to read the story. Tee hee! Anywayyyys, (Here's me scolding this dragon). Auster-Chan, what in the name of StarClan am I going to do with you? You really need to take a chill pill and cool off! Seriously, Auster-Chan, stop being so cold to everyone who crosses your path. Anyways, with all that out of the way, I hope you enjoy reading this story. Now, without further ado, let's take flight.

IceWing circles were essential to functioning society. It kept the palace stragglers in their rightful place and the elite at the top, with positions earned with discipline, hard work, self control. The ranking list was everything. Prey hunting rights, permission to live within the palace, appropriate mate choices, all the intricacies and decisions were made based on that list. The most capable and ambitious rose to the top while the weak willed, immature, ineffectual were punished effectively. The perfect meritocracy.

Well I thought so anyways. Frost felt the rigid structures limited dragons, cut off their potential and wasted too much time on formalities. What the IceWings needed was clever ideas, new ways of fighting. Take the standard spears for instance. He argued that the spears, though reliable, were too fragile to go up against the fire, poison and better tactics of other tribes.

Frost could preach reform all day if he liked, but I was still stuck in the 6th circle, only a tier above the lowest dregs of palace society and being banished to a desolate corner of the continent. Avoiding that fate required discipline and strict adherence to the codes.

I stood upright, spear grasped firmly in my right talons, eyes narrowed halfway to appear fierce and ready when the first bell rang, signaling the start of palace activities. My room stood next to the hall entrance, and was always the first to be inspected. The slightest twitch in ears or rattle of spikes could be grounds for dismissal so I took shallow breaths, staring straight ahead at the polished ice wall of the hallway.

Hey Auster, good morning to you too. I have no idea how you just stand there absolutely still, it's amazing what discipline you have. Day after day, it must be so boring, but hey, it could be your lucky streak today.

'Frost, you know I do not believe in luck.' I retorted silently. 'Luck is for the weak, you must take control of your life, plan 17 steps ahead of your competition. Those who don't help you, they are your enemy. Must grind them into dust, weaken them so you can rise on top. Discipline, hard work, self control.'

Tsk, such hostility. Why can't we have a happy world where we all work together and sing songs and accept each other for who we are. That's what I would do. Imagine all the IceWing nobles dancing, that would be a wondrous sight. And hilarious.

'Dragons do not cooperate. They are selfish, only interested in their own personal gain. Use them as stepping stones to reach a higher level. In fact, I think I may be up for a promotion to 5th circle soon due to the reports I sent in last week.'

Oh no, you actually sent in the report of Leopard extending his wings a scale length too wide? That is so unfair for such a petty thing. You know ' that he has a family outside the palace that he needs to support too.

I almost snorted out loud at Frost's pity. 'I do not care, I have a promotion to worry about. Besides, Leopard will be fine, he was a little stuck up anyways, he ought to be sent off to the outpost, while my name moves up the ranking list. Then I finally won't be on the bottom any more.'

Three moons, with all this backstabbing, someday you're going to alienate everyone and nobody will like you. Is this the standard process for promotions? You should try to make some friends or something.

'Look around, how many actual friends could I have? None. How many useful friends? Few, but that would increase the burden on me. No thank you, I will stick to myself, I am the only dragon I can trust.'

Sure, very wise words indeed. Listen! Someone is coming, we can talk later.

I barely held in my disgust when the mystery agent appeared in the hallway. A skinny, ragged IceWing with the most ridiculous disheveled spike arrangement clambered down the hallway. He was accompanied by my quarter leader, Mink, who stood two heads taller but dipped her head in respect to the scrawny dragon next to her.

I did not make eye contact with either dragon, for that would be far too impolite and awaited my inspection patiently. Mink was an efficient worker, and did her usual examination of posture and grunted her quiet approval and let the smaller IceWing approach.

The IceWing bore no jewelry, no rings, no sign of the higher classes, but clearly he was of some authority. His snout bore the strangest pattern of dark blue scales, which only made him stand out more from the near pure white snout of Mink standing nervously next to him. He opened his mouth and abruptly began his barrage.

"Auster, do you like working with math? I have an upcoming project that requires assistance. Could you be my assist-" Floe asked rapidly, but Mink interrupted him before he could finish by whispering into his ear.

Floe's snout lit up in embarrassment. "Right, formalities first. I will try again. Auster of the 6th circle, I am Floe of the 3rd circle. Um... Mink what comes next?"

Mink looked as if she wanted to vomit and laugh at the same time. How could a 3rd circle dragon forget such simple courtesies, how did he even attain 3rd circle when his manners were as blunt as the wall in front of me.

"Sire, may I do the talking for you? Only if it would suit you better of course. I do not wish to disrespect you in any way."

"Uh sure go ahead Mink, I need to consult the beginners guide again. Ugh all these traditions, they are so confusing. Wish I could just speak normally without all this dodging around ranks and politeness."

Hey! That handsome dragon agrees with me. Looks like its two versus one.

'Please Frost, he looks hideous with those snout deformities, definitely not handsome. No sense of class either, he is guaranteed basic jewelry yet wears none. And also now is not the time to argue, not in front of Mink.'

Mink cleared her throat awkwardly. "Auster of the 6th circle, I address you as Floe of the 3rd circle's messenger. The lord seeks a dedicated assistant in his endeavors. The applicant must exhibit strong propensity in the following categories: patience, passion and ability to learn. Do you feel as if you fulfill the requirements and wish to submit a formal application? You may respond in the form IW-392 given to the lord no later than the 2nd bell tomorrow."

I hated serving others, but to a 3rd circle elite, that was worth considering. 'What you think Frost?'

Sounds interesting enough, if all you want is a promotion, I can think of far worse ways, like reporting your fellow guards for petty infractions.

I sighed internally and spoke up. "I address Floe of the 3rd circle with all respect and dignity as befits your honorable ranking. I, Auster of the 6th circle can demonstrate strength in the categories of patience, passion and ability to learn. With this in mind, I formally request a IW-392 form to submit my application. Your honor."

The scrawny IceWing dug through a bag of scrolls, eventually finding his prize and handing it to me. "Just stop by the library on the 3rd level whenever you finish the application. I think you will be an excellent candidate and look forward to working with you." He winked disarmingly, for which I took much offense to, but did not counter for respect of his rank.

Mink coughed again. "Sire, shall we move on to the next room? There are four more hallways after this."

Floe packed up his items hurriedly. "Yes, let's move, this is going to take forever though. Can we skip the formalities? Please?"

The burly IceWing sighed, "The codes dictate the method of discussion, not I, but if you feel that the traditions are a burden to you, then you may forgo them when addressing us for you are higher rank than I or any of the recruits."

The scrawny IceWing breathed a huge sigh of relief and hurried off with Mink to disturb some other guard.

The morning went on without a hitch, the schedules of the guards always ran on time. Because if they didn't...

The offending guards get sent to the dungeon to explain why they were seven seconds late. Auster, we ought to talk about this fellow Floe. He intrigues me.

Of course I had plenty of questions too, such as why Floe did not adhere to dress protocol with his neck spikes, or why he had scrolls instead of the usual ice pads. Form IW-392 probably held none of those answers, but a position in the upper levels of the palace? That was certainly worth raising an eyebrow.

I placed the scroll gently and respectfully upon my desk, for parchment was expensive and hard to come by in the Ice Kingdom. This scroll that Bering had almost carelessly thrown to me was the most valuable item in my room. I drew my talon along the smooth surface, admiring the feel.

IW-390, tutorial on how to tell your snobby neighbor that you have more jewelry than them. IW-391 the treatise on how to be even more stuck up than an IceWing noble. As for IW-392, here we await the magnificent Auster as she admires the surface of the scroll. We can expect to see the contents of the scroll in about a month when she decides to actually read the darn thing…

I scowled, wishing I could throw an ice pad at him. But fine, Frost had a point; the useful portions of the scroll were on the inside, so carefully, I unfurled the document.

A Hypothetical Model of Air Currents in the Eastern Reaches and the Mechanics of Air Flow Within Mountain Ranges

Dragons have reported for decades of a mysterious gale force originating in the Claws of the Skies range. Unfortunately we have been unable to research the phenomenon as they are within SkyWing territory, but I hypothesize that similar effects exist within the Eastern Reaches Range on the border that could be investigated with minimal risk.

My proposal includes sending a reconnaissance party to find out where these gusts originate from and provide data on the patterns. With this data, I can perform cross-analysis with current known patterns. This would be an incredible scientific boon. I hope you consider my proposal and approve the necessary resources to conduct this study.

Floe

End Stat

Well that's certainly not IW-392.

I poured over the scroll, hoping to encounter some hidden page or corner where I had missed, but indeed, the page contained nothing but the letter and some strange symbols imposed upon a map of Pyrrhia. Surely there was a mistake. Without form IW-392, I couldn't apply, but maybe there was something in this letter that I could use. A careless error or slight miscalculation would be an excellent tool to store away.

Scientific stuff isn't your strength Auster, perhaps you should give this back to Floe. You could ask him for another form, he seems nice enough.

I would return the scroll of course, but only after I examined it for any dirt to scrape into my bin of useful threats for future opportunities. There could be valuable information to blackmail a noble dragon with, and I definitely would not give up that chance.

That is if I could understand the document at all. The text itself held nothing of importance, a simple science mission in safe territory, that was boring and harmless. But what did "end stat" mean anyways? And that symbol on the map looked like an upside down spear head. Maybe Bering was plotting an assassination. The council would love to hear about that, worth a promotion to 5th circle at least. With my notes securely stored I shoved my ice pad deep into a recessed nook under my sleeping shelf and flew out to find the library.

Being in the 6th circle, the only glimpses I saw of the palace came from the long an arduous guard inspections in the courtyard, with the long ice slate of the rankings dominating everyone's attention. That list made careers, it destroyed lives, but as long as my name stayed out of the 7th circle, there was still a chance to rise to the top.

Soaring over the eastern spires of the palace, I could see the busy dragons flitting about the place, probably with their own ambitions of rising the ranks. To the north, the great ocean sat still, the glistening surface reflecting the magnificent design of the palace. But I was no fool, the ocean still roared and raged during storms, it just had mild restraint today.

The library stood atop the southern wing, open to the cool breeze and occasionally harsh winds. It was one of the few palace rooms open to the public, a beacon of knowledge perhaps. I cared not for the material contained within, as pompous, arrogant, haughty volumes occupied far too many of the shelves. The stories were always the same, some noble doing great deeds, or learning to suck up in the right way to gain a favor. They were true classics, antiques so old and pretentious that everyone avoided them out of fear of boredom. Some higher ranked IceWings were forced to read them, and a select few enjoyed wasting away their minds on the meaningless pages, but that was not a luxury I could afford. Perhaps some day though, I too could put myself to sleep with a treatise on the formal way to bow.

The central desk was shoved between two massive shelves stacked high with the most interesting scrolls and ice pads. Floe sat deep in a pile of scrolls, his snout furrowed with thought. Upon hearing my steps however, he swept all of the parchment under his desk and beamed brightly at me, grinning stupidly like he just won a promotion to the 1st circle.

"Are you here to submit your application?" he asked jovially.

I plopped the scroll in front of him and unfurled it and his cheerful expression turned somewhat sour but not as much as I had hoped. The scroll might not had been as valuable as I thought.

"I see you found my proposal. I assume you didn't get the application form then?"

"That is correct sir," bowing my head in deference to his rank.

I heard him awkwardly shuffle his talons before tapping me gently on the shoulder. "Three moons this is embarrassing. Auster, please, stop bowing. Just treat me like a normal dragon alright? Here, I found the proper form if you still wish to apply." He passed me a much thinner scroll.

Grabbing the form, I gave my thanks, without bowing this time, and made my way to a private corner of the library to fill out said form. The form was fairly straightforward, containing only basic fields and an entire section of asterisks, due to IceWing bureaucracy I presume. It only took a moment to fill out and this time when I brought it back, Floe wore an even more ridiculously cheerful expression, his eyes sparkling with expectation.

Leaning in close, Floe whispered to me like he had confidential information to share. "Did you like my proposal? I know you read it, so can you give me your thoughts?"

I was not curious, merely slightly interested, but I decided to humor the higher ranked IceWing purely to gain his favor. "Yes, I did take a quick peek. I am not quite sure why you are planning spear attacks or assassination in the eastern mountains, but that is none of my business."

"Ha!" Floe doubled over, laughing like he heard the funniest joke of his life. "I've got nothing to do with spears my friend, no assassinations involved in this project. Those upside down triangles are changes in atmosphere patterns, where the air currents meet and diverge among the peaks. In other words, it is where the wind blows."

He pointed to one of the triangles, drawn over the mountains at the eastern border of the kingdom. "You see here, this is a valley surrounded by the slopes of these mountains. Supposedly there are very interesting patterns of winds. But I need to go and see these winds myself and take data observations. Perhaps you are interested in helping me? That will be our first task if you are selected as my assistant."

So it was a scientific mission after all, no secret weapons test or assassination. That was disappointing. But if I were to help Floe, there was something to be done about that proposal. Normally, speaking up and criticizing a higher ranked dragon meant career suicide, but talking with Floe felt different. He felt genuinely friendly, not just taking advantage of others.

"Sire-"

"Please just call me Floe."

"Right. Your proposal is well written, with excellent reasoning, but I fear that the council may not approve of the project without a clear benefit, as scientific boon will appeal to few. If you were to include a section on the advantages this expedition would bring to IceWing society, or even better, the army, I believe that your proposal will receive unanimous approval."

The scrawny IceWing fidgeted with his spikes. "Well… I can think of a couple benefits, but I need you to swear to secrecy. I'm not the only one who is seeking the council's approval. I'm sure you know all about the stealing that goes on in the higher circles. It's absolutely ruthless up here. Sometimes I just wanna toss the ranking list into the ocean and tell everyone to stick a seal up their hoity toity rears. Unfortunately, I am dependent on higher ranked council members to fund my projects."

Floe's rant didn't surprise me, I had heard all of this before from Frost. However, I had never heard someone so brazenly speak negatively of the ranking system. Was he not afraid that I would report him? Did he trust me that much? I really wanted to find out.

"Sir Floe, I do solemnly swear upon the blood within my veins to keep the details of this discussion private. You will not hear of this discourse from others on penalty of ripping my own heart out."

He blanched. "Yuck, I definitely didn't need to imagine ripping your heart out. You make it sound like a matter of life or death, which honestly it's not that important. Anyways, the interesting thing in project comes from the wind patterns. I don't have the evidence to back this up, but I suspect the winds to blow strongly in a predictable manner, which we might be able to use to carry heavier equipment, or save energy while flying, or even," Floe lowered his voice to a hushed murmur, "fly faster than a SkyWing."

"Nonsense, everyone knows that a SkyWing is the fastest dragon in the air."

"In still air yes, but we can make use those air currents to our advantage, more so than the SkyWings. Maybe if the project is approved, I'll show you." Floe's eyes sparkled with excitement.

He sounded excessively confident.

"You said you don't have the evidence, but have you already tested this? You sound too sure of yourself. Is there something you want to tell me?" I narrowed my eyes at this strange dragon.

Of course he didn't give me the real answer, instead opting to shoo me away, all while with a smirk wider than one of the moons plastered over his blue snout.

"Nope. You heard nothing. Go to sleep, Aus, you look tired. Be ready for the council tomorrow." With that unceremonious dismissal, he turned his back on me and continued sorting his scrolls.

And it was true, all the explanation and deliberation and consideration and other science '-tions' were too much for my rigid mind to handle. He had imprinted more information in my brain in an hour than years of guard training. And he trusted me with his classified information! Probably because I did not understand half of it, but this was the best treatment I had ever received from a higher ranked dragon.

As I was browsing through the shelves of scrolls, I caught sight of an IceWing dragonet that I despised. She was one of the lower-ranked IceWings, she always picked on me for being weird and for the way I thought about certain IceWing matters.

But that is none of her business, she always gets her little group of friends and they all tease me for always reading in class instead of doing all of the pointless work and writing notes. To be honest, I could care less about that stuck up IceWing named Skylark.

As I walked around the library looking for a good scroll to read, I caught sight of two of my friends. Frostbite and Silverstream. I smiled and waved them over with a wing. They both smiled and bounded over to me. "Hay Aus, whatcha lookin for?" Frostbite asked me, tilting her head with curious stormy blue eyes. I sighed and shrugged my wings. "Need any help?" Silverstream asked me with a warm smile on her face as she swept her gaze over the scrolls that were lining the shelves. I nodded with a smile and a grateful look to my friends.

"Yes, yes please, but only if you don't mind." I replied back before continuing, "I'm looking for a scroll about when the circles and rankings were first developed." I told her and Silverstream walked over to another shelf with me and Frostbite following her.

"I think I found something similar to what you were explaining to me. Here, come and check it out, Auster." Silverstream called to me with a wave of her tail. "It might be the one your looking for," Silverstream replied with a smile of pride on her face.

As the 3 of us walked up to the librarians desk, a small IceWing with silver-and-white scales with dark blue tail spikes and horns was organizing the many scrolls that were on top of the desk. "Hello, Icelily. We have some scrolls that we wish to check out," I explained to her and the IceWing looked up from her task to check out our scrolls.

"You 3 are my most frequent visitors, you all must love reading, am I correct?" Icelily asked us with a wide grin on her face. I nodded and Iceberg made an hmm sound and handed us our scrolls. I bowed to her and with that, Frostbite, Silverstream, and I flew out of the library and flew to where I lived.

"Ah, Auster. you're back. And you brought Flurry and Glow to visit," I looked up to see my mother, Stormheart. I nodded and went back to reading my scroll. My mother laughed quietly and left the room. "Hay there kiddo!" I sighed and twitched my tail in annoyance. Can't I just read in peace? I sighed and looked up to see my father, Whitecloud. I then smiled brightly and looked up at my father.

"Um... hay, father? Where's Peppermint? How was school for her today? Do I need to freeze anyone?" I asked him with a serious expression on my face. Anyone who knew me also knew that I was very protective of Peppermint, she's a hybrid and she gets picked on because of it. She's a SkyWing-IceWing hybrid like me. Peppermint's only friends are her clawmates at Jade Mountain, and in the IceWing kingdom, her only friend is an IceWing named Lynx.

"Oh Aus, violence isn't always the answer." My father gently scolded me, I sighed and nodded with a slight frown. "She'll be going back to Jade Mountain in a few days, so you should spend some time with her before she leaves. She's really missed you, Auster." My father informed me with a motion of his tail to my sister's room. I nodded and rolled up my scroll. Peppermint is 3 years younger then me. I am 5 and she is 3.

My father laughed and patted my head. "I don't mean right this second, Auster. You can keep reading your scroll, I mean spend time with her tomorrow." My father remarked with a small laugh and I paused what I was doing and smiled sheepishly.

Frostbite and Silverstream were just watching us with amused smiles on there faces. I then hugged my father and he hugged me back before he turned and left the room. "Well, that was interesting." Silverstream replied with a small laugh while Frostbite and I just shook our heads in amusement. I then unrolled my scroll and continued to read its contents.

"I guess you could say that, Silverstream." I replied while looking up briefly to glance up at Silverstream with a raised eyebrow, then I dived instantly back into my scroll.

Frostbite laughed and playfully batted me with one of her wings. "Three Moons! Your such a bookworm, are't you, Auster?" Frostbite commented with a small laugh and a teasing grin on her face. I just nodded and laughed quietly at my friend's observation.

"Your observation is correct, Frostbite, I am a huge bookworm. I mean, come on! Just take a look around my room," I replied while gesturing to my many small shelf's to prove my point.

"Oh... um... hay, Auster? Don't you have an important meeting sometime today that you need to attend right about now?" Frostbite asked me and I looked up from my scroll, my eyes widened in alarm. I then began scrambling to clean up my scrolls and get my spear and pouch, witch were hanging on a hook on my wall.

"Three Moons! I almost forgot! Thank you sooooo much for reminding me, Frostbite!" I exclaimed and gave my friend a tight hug.

"No problem, Aus. I know how important this meeting is to you, and I would blame myself if you were late and missed your appointment with the cancel." Frostbite replied with a small smile and a nervous laugh. I grinned and put my scrolls and other Items that I would need inside of my pouch as I prepared to spread my wings and take flight.

"Thanks again! See ya later, Frostbite! See ya later, Silverstream! I'll be sure to tell you guys what happens when I get back!" I called over my shoulder as I flew out of my bedroom window.

FROSTBITE

I smiled and shook my head at my friend. She's quirky, a bookworm, sweet, a scatterbrain, and a klutz. But she's awesome. I wouldn't want Auster any other way because then she wouldn't be... well... she wouldn't be Auster.

I then turned to Silverstream, who was drawing on a scroll. Oh, and I forgot to mansion, Auster also loves music and drawing. If her walls don't give it away... her room is filled with all of her drawings and paintings. Oh, and scrolls. Lots and lots of scrolls.

"Hay, where are Tempest, Ermine, Seal, and Ripple?" Silverstream asked me while briefly looking up from her drawing to stare at me with questioning stormy-blue eyes. I just sighed and shrugged my wings.

"I'm not sure, Silverstream. I think they'll be here soon," I replied after a moment of silence. If Auster were to move up in the rankings, she'd be able to live in the palace with Snowstorm, Blizzard, Silver, and Sapphire. Oh, and with the Queen and her daughters as well. Yeah... I know... we have a lot of friends.

Even though Silverstream, Auster, and I are all in the 6th circle, we are all really popular in school. Auster is the bookworm and the dragonet who would often make sassy and snarky remarks to both the teacher and to the students. Silverstream is the artist in the group, and as for me? Well, I'm the one who dragonets came to if they needed help with homework or other things like that. Yeah, I'm the smart one in the group.