Hello, everyone!

First off, I want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm and support! It really made my day to see everyone so excited! On that note, I'd like to thank TheNaturalLlama3, VigoGrimborne, Wodenfang, Nacktgranate, NomexGlove, TheFuriousNightFury, Alongtimereader, Lightbrightfury, Athnay, Sterr, Zerac, Vognar-The Legendkeep, and Umbra Lycan for your reviews! I really appreciate all of you reviewing in just the first day! It's so wonderful to hear from all of your familiar faces/usernames.

Additionally, I'd also like to thank my fantastic betas: Crysist, kwizjunior, ReclusiveShadows, Anticept, and Dragon Crusader!

As for scheduling: as of today, I am stocked up to Chapter 47, each chapter averaging 8-12 pages long. As I said in the last chapter, my free time is severely limited now. This gigantic buffer will hopefully prevent any hiatuses. I'm aiming for one chapter every other week. I have no idea how this will work out; my time to edit AND write is gone now. I may also simply do a multi-chapter update over a weekend once a month, just like today and yesterday. Either way, there's a long time to go already, so we'll see how it works out!

That's all for now! I hope you enjoy, and as always, comments are greatly appreciated! Have a wonderful day!

Chapter 2

nameless

Though I did not need to, I called out into the deep water with my sight-sounds. The image that blossomed from their reverberations was familiar, a path I had taken long enough to swim by memory.

There was a slight vibration on my scales. My ears and frills pricked at the faint sight-sounds bouncing off of me, but because I was not the one who made them, I couldn't make sense of them. I sight-sounded myself, jerking away as another dragon of my flock materialized before me.

They let out their naming call in its own unique clutter of rumbles, clicks, and whistles. A pang of envy struck my heart. It was Hunted a Whale, who was the same age as me, who got to have a name, and who was mad at me.

Her growl vibrated the water, distorting my sight-sounds and crafting a blurry image of her movements. You're late! As if to pipe up in agreement, her stomach rumbled along with her.

I whined in apology, drooping and sinking in the cool water. Hunted a Whale gave another irritated growl and thrust past me. As she did, she flicked her tailfins out so that they bit into my hide, sharp enough to draw blood. I winced away, curling against the stony wall of the underwater river.

Desperate to fix things, I cried one more apology into the black. I didn't think I was late, but maybe I was?

Twisting, I paddled my tail and wings, sight-sounding in earnest. The cavern's paths emerged in my mind's eye. An occasional glowing crystal dotted the tunnels, casting faint, colorful light that less-experienced dragons needed.

I closed my eyes and put my faith in my sight-sounds. The underground river surged against me, trying to swallow me into its depths.

o.O.o

Through the twining tunnels I swam. There was that sharp curve to the right, there ahead was that stalagmite that I crashed into as a swimling, there was the divergence of the tunnel into three other paths—there!

I opened my wings to slow down and swam upwards. The current fought to drag me back down into it. Weak and small as I was, the Under of the Shell was more my home than any sun-dappled mountain crystal. I brushed the clinging currents off, flapping my wings and swinging my tail.

A bulge of the water, a shock of air, and I launched into the cool, green-smell air of the nesting-place. I opened my wings and flapped, keeping sure to make my landing gentle.

"There you are!" a male dragon cheered. "You're taking over caretaking responsibility, right?"

I turned towards the voice and let out a stream of sight-sounds. He was larger than me, although that didn't mean much. His left ear had been torn halfway off, creating a distinctive shadow in my mind's eye. His scent was familiar, a musky mix between rain and moss.

"Yes, Saved the Swimlings," I whispered, dipping my head.

"Thank the Prebirth, I was worried I would starve—you've saved me! Maybe I should bring you some of my catch back to thank you. Also, these little troublemakers here need some practice, even on a dead fish!"

"I'm certain they would like that," I said in a near hush, shifting a bit from foot to foot. My heart sung in my chest, but I guarded myself against the hope that blossomed there. Only down in the Under did dragons ever act so kind to me, and never, never, for long.

"Why are you so quiet? Is something bothering you?" he asked, concerned. "Don't worry, I can help." He aimed a casual round of sight-sounds at me and sniffed the air. Then he gave a sharp intake of air. "Oh."

My ears and wings lowered.

Saved the Swimlings scraped his claws on the ground with a snort of disapproval. "You could stand to lower yourself more to me, nameless."

I crouched until my belly pressed against the smooth river-stone and laid my neck on the ground. "I'm sorry," I breathed.

His tail flung across the ground with the sound of rushing leaves. He raised his wings and lowered them again, disturbing the air just enough to feel the slight wind of it. A terse silence passed. I felt his glower searing into me.

"May I take over my responsibility?" I asked in as polite a voice as I could manage.

My sight-sounds reflected off his broad shoulders and neck as he lifted himself into a high, regal pose. "Certainly," he said with forced haughtiness. "After all, I have no reason to pick a fight with a cursed thing like you."

He shouldered past me—hard. I stumbled to the side. As I fought to regain my footing, he snapped his tail out, allowing the sharp barbs of his fins to pierce into my hide. I forced myself not to flinch.

A splash, a slight tremble along the water, and he was gone, having already dipped into the underground river.

I waited, tense like a prey animal peering out from its burrow.

Once I was certain it was safe, I rose up from my crouch and sniffed at where he'd stung me. It bled a little. I licked it clean, shook myself off, and sighed. It wasn't that bad; he could have clawed or bitten me, after all. If I had been late, maybe I even deserved it.

Taking some solace in that reasoning, I composed myself and padded over to the swimlings. It was him and his brother, her, and her from another dragon, and him as well. They all waited with anticipation, too young to have noticed anything unusual with the wrongdoing they had witnessed. Little vibrations against my scales told me of their attempts to use their own sight-sounds.

I slammed my paws on the ground. "Who can catch me?!" I cried, bolting away into the tunnels.

High-pitched squeals bounced on the walls, followed by the pitter-patter of dozens of swimling claws scampering across wet stone. I gave them a challenge, climbing onto stones and stalagmites and crawling into nooks in the cavern walls, all as silent as a spirit. The swimlings had to use their sight-sounds to find me.

I squeezed into a crevice. All of them skittered past me...except for one. He halted, ears twitching against my sight-sounds. Though I knew they were giving me away, I continued to chitter in his direction. His ears and frills stuck straight up. He whipped about, claws clacking on the ground and little nose twitching. Spinning in a slow circle, he let out several bursts of high-pitched sight-sounds. They were too slow for use in high speeds like swimming, running, or flying.

But when he finally aimed them at me and felt them bounce off of me, he let out a victorious shriek and pounced onto my chest.

"You found me!" I wailed in mock despair, falling to the ground and rolling onto my back. "And I hid so well!"

"I got you! I saw you!" he crowed, climbing atop my belly and preening. His clutchmates scrambled back over to us, amazed that they had run right past me and that he had found me anyway. He launched into a retelling of what had just happened, and his peers gasped in admiration with every over-dramatic twist of his tale.

"Alright, alright," I finally interrupted him, nudging him down and rolling over onto my stomach. "Now, let me teach you all how to use your sight-sounds to find me next time. It's important to learn how to do this, or you'll never be able to swim out of these rivers to the higher levels."

The swimlings clambered atop me, nestling into the warmth I provided. "Why do we have to?" one female whined.

"Well, you want to go Above, don't you?"

"I like it Under!" she announced.

I chuckled. "I do, too." My smiled faded, but luckily, they couldn't see that. "But you need to go Above, so you can meet all of our flockmates. By the time you emerge in the lower levels of the Above, where the mushrooms grow large and the mountains cast shadows, you will be strong enough to be flightlings."

A male lounging on my forehead patted me with his little pine-needle claws. "And then we go up, right?"

"That's right!" I cooed. "Just like the Under, there are levels in the Above, but they are made by mountains and crystals, plateaus and valleys, steppes and buttes. Waterfalls fall hundreds of wingbeats into rivers and lakes, which then flow Under. Forests and foliage cover all the land they can. Mushrooms glow in the shadows." I wrinkled my nose, remembering the sting-smell of the organisms. I never liked them. "As you learn to fly, you ascend higher and higher until you are only met with the sky, and then you are a nameless young adult."

"I wanna fly!" one swimling cried. "Can't you take us up now?"

"No." I made my voice uncharacteristically stern so that they would listen. "Remember, you are responsible for finding your way Above. No dragon will carry you, but the currents will, if you are not strong enough."

They quieted at the ominous thought. I let them dwell on it, keeping to myself that I would never let a swimling be lost to the dark rivers. After all, they might try to leave the Under while I was not there, taking up some other responsibility. I wouldn't make a promise that I couldn't guarantee.

Sobered, the swimlings were much more eager to learn now. I focused on each one's skills, showing them my sight-sounds and correcting the mistakes I heard. Then, when all of them were confident, I dashed away without warning, shouting at them to find me again.

Just like that, the dreadful thoughts of being lost underwater dissipated like morning mist. The swimlings shrieked and gave chase, sending their sight-sounds out ahead of them like sun rays through a canopy.

And so we played: me hiding in increasingly difficult places and the swimlings stumbling through the dark after me, honing their skills and competing with each other to see who could find me first. In the simple joy of play, all else was forgotten. I didn't worry about the painful stings in my side, nor that my stomach was growing emptier by the hour. The game was joyful, and in that joy, I helped them grow.

It was only when their exhaustion showed in their slogging footsteps that I called an end to the game. "Come along," I said, "I want to show you something." When the swimlings moaned in protest, I asked, "Well, I suppose you won't see something amazing, then..."

That perked them up. I spread my wings low across the ground, pulling them all towards me. Then, urging them along, I led them down a tunnel, dragging my tail on the ground for them to hold. They eagerly grabbed on with their gums and trotted after me, their stumpy, plump tails sticking straight up.

We wove through the familiar gloom, the ground below smoothed by thousands of dragon footfalls. I had no need for my sight-sounds, but used them anyway to set an example. Soon, however, even the swimlings didn't need them.

"Look!" I said. "Do you see it?"

In answer, the swimlings gasped and whispered in awe to each other. Up ahead, a dim, rose-colored light had emerged from the black. All of them squeezed close to me, sheltering beneath the mantle of my wings.

"Don't worry," I murmured to them, leaning down and nosing each one in comfort. "It's safe. Watch!"

I walked into the open cavern. Dozens of glimmering crystals jutted out of the floor, ceiling, and walls. They awoke as I neared, coming to life like an individual sunrise in their own right, and bringing just as much warmth. Some were gold, some lilac, some soft pink, some yellow-white. To my eyes, the colors bled into a soothing wash. Were it not for my sight-sounds, I would have never been able to avoid the sharp edges of the stones. The swimlings, following at my feet, tip-toed forward with their backs arched, little gray-blue smudges against the brilliance.

I had not realized it, but being so young, this must have been the first time they saw something—truly saw with their eyes instead of sight-sounds. A few clung close to me, wary of the new and overwhelming sensation of sight. I leaned down and nosed their rumps, pushing them out from below me. Better to face the fear now rather than be frightened by the sun later.

"Is this what the Above is like?" one swimling wondered.

"A little," I said. "These are crystals. They grow out of all the soil of our home and form the Shell that protects us from Outsiders."

The swimlings were emboldened now, tottering across the cavern and sniffing the crystals. One rose up on her hind legs and cautiously batted at one. When it glowed brighter in response, she let out a yelp, fell backwards, and scrambled back to her paws and all the way back to me.

"It was warm!" she whimpered, curling up between my paws and peeking out at the crystals.

"I'm glad you noticed," I said, leaning down towards her. "It's warm for a reason. Do you know why?"

If I squinted, I could just make out the amber of her wide, confused eyes. She tipped her head to the side.

"Does anyone else know?" I asked the rest of her clutchmates. They abandoned their investigations and trotted back over to me, tails and ears standing straight up, eager to learn something new.

"What is it? Is it a story?" one of the males asked hopefully.

"I could tell the story," I hummed. "But just a few moments ago all of you were so tired…"

"No, we're not!" all of them cried out, jumping about at my feet. "Tell us! Tell us!"

I closed my eyes and lifted my head high in imitation of our flock's leader. "Hm…" I wondered. "Well...if you all stay awake...then maybe I could—"

The swimlings began cheering and leaping in the air before I could even finish. I laughed and settled down on the warm crystal floor. The swimlings fought each other to get on top of me, nestling in the nooks of my legs, on my shoulder beneath my wings, and curled up against my belly. One of them yawned. His clutchmate slapped him with his tail to wake him up more.

"The world began in the Under," I began. "It was warm and safe, filled with vessels of water and magma. At its center were four hearts: the hearts of the first ones, the first dragons. There was Created the Land, who was so big that their scales formed the Above, with all of its mountains and earth. There was Created the Water, who bled the oceans and rivers that we hunt in. There was Created the Sky, who breathed the air we need for our lungs and for flying. Lastly, there was Created the Fire, whose magma warmed the world and the hearts of living creatures.

"These are the great ancestors of dragons. It is why we alone are blessed creatures of earth, sky, water, and fire. It is why we are born in the Under, sheltered by the earth, and swim through the rivers to the Above, where we can meet the sky and make our fire."

"Was that the Prebirth?" one swimling asked.

"Yes," I said. "You heard Saved the Swimlings mention it earlier, didn't you? The Prebirth is the sacred time when the first ones lived together. When they had completed their creation, they curled upon each other until one land of earth, sky, water, and fire came to be. In this time, life began to form. Plants grew. Fish started to fill the sea. Storms and stars emerged in the sky and little animals began to fly in it. It was a fragile time with fragile creatures, because the first ones made it in waiting. Do you know for what?"

"The first egg!" a swimling squeaked.

"Very good!" I said. "With their bodies and souls, the first ones changed into the first egg. They had nurtured the earth just as we nurture eggs before they hatch, so that the creatures inside may live and thrive. But…"

I paused. The swimlings held their breath.

"Something terrible happened."

I reached out a paw and used my sight-sounds to touch a nearby crystal. Its rosy hue brightened. The warmth it provided brought a forlorn smile to my lips.

"The first egg was for us, the dragons. But the first ones weren't the only ones. Out of their image for us, two beings stole the shape of the dragons and the nurturing energy of the first egg. They emerged from the first egg instead of the dragons, shattering the bodies and souls of the first ones in their wake."

"How?!" a swimlight gasped, shrinking closer to me. "If they made the whole world, what could hurt them?"

"They used magic," I said, growling the cursed word. "The power to steal the first ones' blessings and shape it to their own liking. The two beings emerged from the first egg and declared themselves holy. They called themselves the Dragoness of the Moon and the Dragon of the Sun and then began to war with each other, creating chaos all throughout the Above."

"Didn't the first ones stop them? What did they do?" someone asked.

I sighed and shook my head. "They died."

The swimlings gasped and whimpered, curling up against my hide.

"But," I said. "The world is their creation, and they live through it. These crystals are remnants of their hearts and blood. It's why they're warm, and why when you touch them…" I patted the crystal again, prompting it to glimmer, "...they glow, showing us that the first ones are still watching over us. For there is danger and war in the world now. That is why we raise our swimlings in the Under, out of the magic-wielders' sight."

I lifted my head as if I could see the Above. "The Dragon of the Sun and Dragoness of the Moon still live to this day. They possessed the sun and moon and live inside them. But they are not the creators of this world, nor the sun and moon. They cannot truly understand everything, and they cannot see below the ocean or the ground. That is why our Shell is our sanctuary. It is the remains of the first egg. Even though the magic-wielders stole from it, dragons were already growing in it. We were born in time, smaller and less powerful than the first ones intended. But we survived. And we, unlike them, are creatures of the earth, water, sky, and fire. We live in all domains, while they can only rule above in the heavens."

I leaned down and nudged the enraptured swimlings. "So do you understand now? Why we begin life in the Under, and why swimlings must bring themselves to the Above?"

"We have to be strong," said the male who had found me first in our game.

"Yes," I said, "and you will be, with this training. There are dragons that have abandoned the Shell and gone to live only in the sky. They have forgotten the first ones and taken on the magic-wielders as their gods. Even worse, they have been granted magic in return. They are the Outsiders, and we must always be ready to protect our sacred home from them."

"I'll fight them all!" one swimling declared, rearing on her hind legs and lifting menacing pine-needle claws. "Away from our sacred land, Outsider!" she screeched. She leapt clumsily into one of her clutchmates, who immediately began wrestling with her.

"I'm an Outsider!" he shouted. "I hate the first ones and love fake gods!"

"Get the Outsider!" another swimling shrieked from my back, tumbling down and joining the fray.

"Not if you can't catch me! I have magic!" he cried, bolting away and becoming nothing but a gray-blue blur against the vivid colors. His clutchmates all rushed away from me to pursue him. He laughed with the simple joy of a good chase.

"Remember to use your sight-sounds!" I called after the no-longer-sleepy swimlings. They did just that, reverberating through the cavern at a much faster and higher frequency than before. Pride filled me. They had learned well.

And so, the swimlings played a very long game of Chase the Outsider. When they were eventually caught, the one pretending to be "the Outsider" cried out that they were defeated and their magic gone, prompting celebration and bravado from the others. Then someone would suddenly cry out that they were an Outsider the whole time and bolt away, trying to outrun and sneakily hide. I lied on the warm crystal, eyes half-lidded with contentment.

But as always, the swimlings tired out—and when they did, it was fast. It seemed that within the blink of an eye, they went from scampering all across the crystals to plodding over to me and nestling up to my side. I counted each one as they came, breathing in their scent and giving them a quick bath with my tongue.

One lifted her head as I bathed her, eyelids fluttering heavily. "What do we call you?" she asked.

The question stunned me. I halted, tongue still half-out. Dread brought me back to my senses and I composed myself. "I...don't have a name, yet," I said, struggling to keep my voice gentle and even.

"But you're old," she said.

I snorted. "Not that old!"

"But Fought the Leader told us stories of elder dragons, and that they were so old their scales turned gray and white." She sniffed my leg, which she was resting on. "She said 'white' is the brightest color, ever, and you are the brightest dragon, ever! Even more than the crystals!"

It was difficult to keep my discomfort from showing. I shifted, looking away until I was certain she would not know she had upset me, and then craned my neck down to see her better. "You're right," I murmured. "My scales are white. The rest of our species are different colors of gray, with scales on their necks that catch the sun and nearly glow." I poked her with my nose. "Yours are green!"

She giggled, batting me away, and then swung around to investigate her clutchmates' scales. A relieved smile touched my lips.

"But why are you white?" one of the males asked.

Despite my best efforts, my ears and frills went flat against my head. "I don't know," I whispered.

They all blinked at me, shocked that I didn't know everything in the world.

I stretched my jaw wide in an enormous, toothy yawn. "Well!" I said. "I'm getting sleepy! Aren't you?" Curling my tail around them and shrouding them with my wings, I nosed them close to my side. "When we wake, I want to teach you all how to swim against a current. But you must be well-rested! So sleep, and no pretending!" I set them with my sternest, narrow-eyed look. "I'll know if you do!"

The swimlings all but flung themselves into sleeping arrangements, clenching their eyes shut and trying to force themselves to fall asleep. I chuckled, running my tongue over them again, soothing them away. Like all dragons of their age, they surrendered to sleep quick enough.

Only to be sure, I lifted my head and sniffed the air to check for any odd scents hanging about. Trilling with my sight-sounds revealed nothing unusual. When I was sure that all was safe, I tucked my head beneath the half-translucent membrane of my wing.

I slipped into sleep to the soft whooshing of breathing dragons—a privilege that I was so often denied.