Tarragon opened and closed his wings, relishing the freedom of the wind that blew in his face. He was sitting on a ledge sectioned away from the school, near the top of the mountains, where he could see rolling hills, forests, and grass for miles. Tarragon had invited the scary looking NightWing in his cave to join him, but he still hadn't shown up. Probably couldn't think of an excuse not to show up, so he just bailed, Tarragon guessed with an exasperated huff. Wing beats interrupted his train of thought, and when he looked up, a dark purple dragon ascended onto the ledge, waving to him with a grin. He shuffled to make room for the tall NightWing, even though the rock ledge meant they would be incredibly close together.
"Hello!" NebulaChaser called, landing on the rock. "It's a bit cramped, but I think there's another stone over here." Nebula hopped neatly off of the protruding ledge, landing on an identical one a little way above his. "Now you won't squish me to death, you great honking giant." Tarragon rolled his eyes, tucking his venomous tail-barb neatly over his claws. The NightWing lifted his head to stare out across the hills, sighing dreamily.
"It's so beautiful and open-skied. Nothing like the NightWing village in the jungle...I can barely move my wings without accidentally slapping a toucan in the face." He glanced over at the dark-scaled dragon in surprise. "Really? That must be horrible. I grew up in the outskirts of the desert, so I had the whole sky to fly through!" He said heartedly, spreading his wings. "The feeling of getting an entire world to explore... nothing can beat it."
NebulaChaser opened his mouth, as if he were going to say something, but hurriedly clamped it shut a moment later. "Huh, Sponge was right, you really DO think a lot about what you say." This sentence apparently got his attention again. "What? Sponge was talking about me?" Tarragon glanced down at his talons. "Yeah, we were kind of... gossiping. He really does know everything going on in school, though. Every fight, every whisper, every crush- that sort of thing." He paused for a moment, watching NebulaChaser's expression closely, before continuing.
"He knows all of it. I guess that's just another upside to being popular." Nebula regarded him for a moment. "Well, what was he saying about me...?" He prompted. Tarragon couldn't tell this dragon the massive crush that Sponge had on him. He flexed his talons angrily. This dragon doesn't need to know the strange emotions I get whenever I look at his and Sponge's faces. He thinks conflictingly, lifting his head to stare directly at Nebula. "He hates you."
NebulaChaser blinked at him, his face falling. "What...? He hates me?" Tarragon immediately felt a crushing guilt at the look of this tall, dazzling, cheerful dragon's face turn to anxiety and shame. "I mean- not hate, but not like, either. I'm not making things better, am I?" He asked helplessly, patting the large dragon on the shoulder comfortingly. "I don't get it. He always smiled at me, he literally said I had "some handsome scales on my face" so I have no idea what he thinks of me now!" Nebula groaned, resting his head on his claws miserably. Tarra stepped over to the rock that the NightWing was laying on, resting one wing on top of his. "Hey, does it really matter what that snob thinks of you? He's just another popular dragonet that everyone worships, for some reason. If he has an opinion on you, so what?" Nebula lifted his head to smile at the dragon next to him. "Thanks, I think I needed to hear that."
Chapter 4: Sponge
Sponge stared up at the ceiling, his tail lashing in restlessness. Glancing around the dimly lit cave, he noticed the flickering of a lantern on NebulaChaser's rock ledge and tiptoed over. He has a scroll pinned between his talons, looking deeply focused. What the fuck is he reading…? "How to appear more likable to-"' NebulaChaser snapped his head up, stuffing the scroll underneath his blanket.
"Hey, you wanna go on a walk? I can't sleep." Sponge asked as the NightWing looked down at him with a strange glint in his eyes, before nodding. "Uh...sure." Sponge led him through a dark hallway then through another, and after a series of winding, terrifying dark corridors, he finally spotted what he had been looking for. An underwater lake stretched vastly over the pebble shore, with phosphorescent bugs that glowed eerily throughout the massive cavern.
"Wow..." He breathed, sitting on a rock that overlooked the water. A second later Nebula joined him, staring straight ahead. "Hey Sponge..." He glanced over at the NightWing. "Yeah?" Nebula looked over at him. "Do you hate me?" Sponge blinked at him, dumfounded. "The hell? No, of course not! Why?" The dragon sitting next to him shuffled his talons across the damp stone. "Well... Tarragon said that you despised me. I don't understand why-" Sponge grabbed his talons on his own, pulling down NebulaChaser's face so that he could look him in the eye.
"Does it look like I hate you, idiot? I don't know what the fuck Tarra has been telling you about me, but I've never said I hated you." Nebula blinked at him; his head still bent so that they were staring directly at each other. "I barely know you; how could I hate you?" The large dragon gently put his talons around Sponge's face, pulling him a little bit closer. "So, then uhm... Why don't you learn a little bit about me?" Sponge chuckled softly, then hesitantly leaned in to peck him on the lips. "That's all you'll be getting for now, you hungry NightWing." Nebula smiled, and after a moment, he slid out of the cave. Sponge sat there in silence, listening to the water swish quietly. That dumb dragon… I can't get his dopey face out of my head.
He glanced up at the sound of talons entering the cavern, and to his surprise, Mamba was standing in the entrance, his tail swaying beside him. "It sure is pretty in here, isn't it, Sponge?" The SandWing walked over to his side, staring down at him with pitch-black eyes. "Uh... yeah." He answered uncomfortably, shifting away from the assistant principal. "You and that NightWing would make an adorable couple." Mamba said out of the blue, giving him a smile that made him want to run across the continent and hide. "Huh. I guess he's pretty cute." Sponge mumbled, his tail twitching in anxiety. What the hell does this dragon want? He's terrifying! Why is a teacher even UP this late? And why is he talking to me about CRUSHES?
Mamba looked at him expectantly. "That hybrid in your winglet... He seems to like the purple dragon almost as much as he likes you." The SandWing gave him a smirk, before continuing. "You might have some competition. I saw them... cuddling on a boulder near the top of the mountain." He hissed, his venomous tail rattling ominously against the pebbles. Sponge growled. "How do you know that...? And how did you know that I liked Nebula? Have you been spying on us?!" The SeaWing hissed, taking a step away from him. Mamba gave a dangerous smirk. "You feisty SeaWing." He muttered, before sweeping out of the cave. Sponge stared after him, wrapping his wings around himself. What… The fuck…?
Chapter 5: NebulaChaser
Nebula trotted out of the cave, the butterflies in his stomach still making his heart jump. I can't believe he KISSED me! He thought dreamily. Suddenly he stopped, his ear twitching. He heard the faint clank of talons go by, and the slither of a tail on stone. What in the…"Hello?" Nebula whispered into the darkness, but the sound was gone. Weird, I probably just need some sleep… He shuddered, picking up the pace until he could slide quietly back into his cave. Tarragon was still fast asleep, draped over the side of his hammock in a very uncomfortable looking position.
"Sponge still isn't back... I guess he wanted some alone time." NebulaChaser whispered to himself, climbing back onto the rock ledge. He grabbed a blank scroll that was on a shelf hung from above him, dipping his talon in a well of ink. Nebula began to scribble on the paper with a bored expression, heaving a sigh. He was interrupted by Sponge stumbling into the cave, his shoulders hunched and a grim expression on his face. Huh? Why does he look scared…? He thought worriedly, but Sponge didn't look up once. He collapsed onto his moss bed, throwing his wings over his head. Nebula stared uneasily at the SeaWing for a long few moments, and after a while he started to drift off into an uneasy, light sleep.