Disclaimer: All Wings of Fire property belong to Tui T. Sutherland, I only own my OCs.
Sirbobbo's notes: Finished this chapter, had some fun in writing this.
Not gonna say much, Ima save it for the bottom of this page.
As per usual, please do NOT hesitate to criticize my work. Or point out any flaws and consistencies about it, I only ask you to do so politely.
Hope you guys like this chapter.
Third person POV:
*A time before the Dragonet of Destiny succeeded in ending the war.*
The once green grass was now destroyed, scorch and frost marks now took its place.
'It was just supposed to be a scouting mission!'
A MudWing, a BigWing in particular. Protectively stood over a fallen soldier that was encased in frost breath, the soldier being a much smaller MudWing that was a member of her sib. She desperately scanned her surroundings, doing her best to discern the location of the rest of her sib. Dust and ash filled the air as the battle continued, with the occasional roar from both sides.
The only reason Herself and her sib were even out here to begin with, is because they simply needed to scout the area. Locate any possible enemy hideouts and routes, and only when they have properly scanned the area. Is when the more experienced fighters/generals of both the SkyWings and MudWings would take the offensive lead.
Not her, not her sibs.
They were only dragonets after all, barely breaching the adult mark at 6 years old.
Their opponents were experienced, they were anything but sloppy with their methods of ambush.
That fact was only proven with how fast her group of sibs was falling, the group of sibs she swore to protect the moment she hatched.
*The events that lead to this very moment.*
In an effort to avoid being spotted and passing the burden of flying through the skies for hours at a time to the SkyWings, the group of sibs simultaneously opted as a group to trudge through the forest floor. They left the moment the sun rose, and made haste to the direction of where they were tasked to scout.
Course, It didn't take long before a few of her sibs began to complain that they were thirsty and exhausted. And being the BigWings she is, she naturally sought out a water source and a safe place for them to take a small rest.
After finding an opening of the forest that contained one of the many streams connected to the diamond spray river, they took that as an opportunity to refresh themselves.
Anaconda, the BigWings. Took the lead.
That was the plan after all, in BigWings fashion. It was expected of them to take the necessary precautions when leading their sib into possible enemy territory, and Anaconda was not at all going to take any chances.
But.
Her much smaller sib, Pebble. Had other plans, due to being dehydrated for the past few hours of them traversing through the land. He rushed towards the stream of water past Anaconda, eager to take a sip.
A brown blur flew past Anaconda, leaving her momentarily dumbfounded at the speed Pebble flew towards the water. Didn't take long for him to start inhaling the stream down his throat, the rest of her sibs found his antics amusing. Anaconda rather found them to be reckless and stupid, but not wanting to be a stick in the mud. She found some humor in her little brother's actions.
At this moment, Anaconda had let her guard down, and this mistake would end up costing the life of Pebble.
Just as fast as Pebble flew past Anaconda, he was dragged under the stream by a pair of claws that wrapped themselves around his horns. Yanking him down. Without a shred of hesitation, and ignoring the cries of her sibs. She rushed in, the water staining red before she even crashed in the river.
Anaconda broke through the river surface, and was Immediately welcomed with a sight that would haunt her mind for years to come. Her little brother, Pebble. Remained limp, slowly floating down the stream with a cloud of red surrounding him. Anaconda was so overwhelmed with emotion that she didn't even realize that she unintentionally knocked out a SeaWing when she crashed into the river.
Her daze lasted a second longer, once her mind registered another brightly glowing SeaWing making a beeline towards her. A trident aiming straight for her neck.
Anaconda's eyes snapped just below her, in arms-reach. A trident lazily floated down towards the riverbed, the same trident that previously held another SeaWing. But let go of the moment Anaconda had accidentally knocked them out.
Using the trident that seemed to call out to her at that very moment, she grabbed it with her claw and just barely managed to block the attack from the SeaWing. Positioning the Trident sideways to block the three-pronged spear that was thrusted towards her direction, silently hoping she wouldn't miss the block, since the SeaWing glowed to the point where it was blinding, making it difficult for her to block.
Anaconda's block was successful, as they clashed, Anaconda was knocked back towards the bed of the river floor. The SeaWing remained unrelenting, continuously pressing his own trident against Anaconda's trident. Anaconda felt her back collide against the river bed, and she found herself pinned against it.
*Chrrrick.*
Her trident was breaking, the rod of the trident was slightly bending from the force the SeaWing was inflicting on it. With every slow bend the opposing trident edged ever closer, threatening to stab her chest. The SeaWing grew a wicked grin, savoring the dominance he had in this moment.
Anaconda couldn't think of a way out of this situation, the odds were stacked against her. She was entirely out of her element, she had no skill with a trident, let alone any combat abilities underwater, especially against a SeaWing.
*Snip.*
Anaconda's trident broke in half, and the SeaWing took the opportunity to jab it into her chest.
Pain throbbed throughout her entire chest, her blood spewing into the water, enveloping the already wicked SeaWing in a red mist as he continued to shove the trident deeper. Letting out a roar, she grabbed the head of the trident that broke in half with a claw, while her other claw remained on the SeaWing's trident, doing its best to prevent it from digging in deeper. With the trident head, she stabbed it into the side of the SeaWing head. The red mist prevented the SeaWing from noticing in time, therefore allowing Anaconda to land a single killing blow.
The SeaWing went limp the second Anaconda landed the stab, and red mist spewed out of his head into the water. Ignoring the pain to the best of her ability, she shoved away the floating corpse of the SeaWing. She then pulled the trident that was lodged into her chest, grunting in pain as she did so.
Anaconda felt weak and heavy, but she knew she needed to remain strong. She floated for a few seconds with her back against the riverbed, her eyes scanning over her little sib's body. In a feeble attempt to find any signs of life in him, his body was still as motionless as ever.
Just then, the SeaWing who Anaconda unintentionally knocked out woke up. She rubbed the back of her head in slight pain before she turned her head to face the bloody sight around her, her eyes widened in both shock and slight fear.
She assumed the worst, that one of her companions was killed and that the rest of the team was currently battling it out on the surface.
With this in mind, she flapped her wings with great strength, propelling herself towards the surface. If only she took a second longer to accurately scan her surroundings, she would have noticed the hulking mass of rage behind her.
The SeaWing breached the river surface, but so did Anaconda. Feeling a presence behind her, she turned her head. She caught a faint glimpse of Anaconda, before her entire being was essentially hydraulic pressed under the weight of her.
Anaconda landed on top of her, using her weight as a means to smush her. While only using her claws to grab the back of her head, and smashing it into the ground. Multiple cracks were heard and felt, The SeaWing couldn't even roar in pain as the side of her face was being squished against the solid ground.
Anaconda wasn't done yet, she knew the SeaWing was still alive. So positioning herself higher on the SeaWing's body, she used her weight to continue crushing the SeaWing's head.
"P-Pleashh!"
The SeaWing pleaded for her life as she continued feeling the pressure on the side of her head grow, but it fell on deaf ears.
A second later, a deafening crunch was heard.
Feeling the blood coat her entire claw, she let out a small relieved smile. But her smile dropped as soon as it appeared, once her gaze fell upon the disastrous battle field in front of her.
The once green grass was now ash black, like a simple strong gust of wind would turn them into dust. Various signs of battle were scattered all over the field, with vegetation being trampled, dust still lingering in the air from the struggle, and the obvious smell of smoke to accompany it.
Even then, the most concerning feature of this battle field would be the trails of thick ice that lined the ground, a faint chill in the air.
Anaconda heard the sounds of distant battling in the background, no doubt from her sibs and they're attackers.
She needed to act fast, and be there to fight alongside them.
Determined, she then-
"Anaconda?"
Just about to charge into the mess, a voice called out to her.
It was familiar, belonging to one of her sibs.
"Anaconda!?" The voice called out once again, carrying a tone of panic and fear in it.
The voice belonged to Caiman, the third eldest member of their sib.
Hearing the distressed call of her sib, Anaconda changed course and headed towards Caiman's direction.
"Caiman!" Called out Anaconda, stopping in her tracks to hear where she could possibly be located. Anaconda's anxiety was at an all time high, she still heard the battling in the distance. The faintly recognizable roars of her sibs, them being Hog, Boar and Platypus. Everything urged her to join the fray but she couldn't simply ignore the cry of help from one of her sibs.
"H-here!" Caiman's voice shivered.
Anaconda heard Caiman's voice, and instantly snapped her neck towards it. Her voice was close, but the only thing around her was more evidence of frost breath being used and various burn marks in the ground.
"I…Can't breathe." Wheezed out Caiman.
Anaconda took a few anxious steps towards her voice once again, her eyes fell over a faintly familiar figure in the ground.
Covered in frost breath.
"Caiman!" Exclaimed Anaconda, the relief of finding her but shock of seeing her current state both overwhelmed her.
Caiman remained half frozen into the ground, the majority of her body basically stapled to the ground thanks to the frost breath that coated her back and lower body. The only exposed parts were her head and upper body, however the Frost breath was slowly claiming those parts as well, as it slowly spread further and further up her back.
"Just don't!-"
Anaconda was interrupted by a ferocious roar in the background, a roar she recognized to be one of her sibs.
'What to do!?'
*Back to her current predicament.*
'What to do!?'
She was presented with 2 possible options, either stay behind and do her best to possibly rescue one of her sibs from frost breath. Or jump into battle with the rest of her sibs, they're ferocious roars echoing in the background.
Anaconda didn't think they were winning.
"I-I don't wanna die…" Caiman spoke, in a shaken tone.
Anaconda felt her heart break in two, she had already lost a sib in a span of a minute. She didn't want to lose another, but neither of her options seemed to care about her feelings.
Caiman remained limp on the ground, and only turned her eyes as she noticed Anaconda lowering her head to her level.
"I'm right here, you're gonna be fine silly." Despite the situation, Anaconda did her best to reassure Caiman. Nuzzling her neck in an effort to provide any sense of warmth and comfort.
"Stay still, I'm going to burn off the frost." Anaconda lowered her head even further to meet Caiman's eyes.
"Think you can handle that?"
Caiman meekly nodded, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Good." Anaconda nuzzled her once more, and prepared to draw her fire breath-
"BOAR!"
Anaconda slightly jumped and choked on her own smoke at the sudden scream from behind her. Her heart dropped the moment her mind recognized that scream belonged to Hog, one of the twins in the sib.
Boar was the other twin. At hearing the petrified tone of Hog, Anaconda assumed the worst.
"Go help them!" Shouted Caiman, finally raising her head to speak.
"I-" hesitated Anaconda, both of her options clashing with one another.
"They need you!" Caiman yelled, her tears flowing freely down her cheek.
Anaconda hesitantly stepped back, her unease apparent on her face as she stared at her little sister. Who slowly became encased in frost.
"I-I'll be fine." Caiman gave her a reassuring smile, doing her best to ignore the freezing pain that steadily grew around her.
Anaconda didn't say anything, backing away slowly, as if in disbelief for what she was about to do. Everything screamed at her for not doing anything to save her sib, who was clearly dying right before her eyes. Anaconda knew she had to make a decision between the rest of her sibs, or to try and save Caiman.
But it was a decision Caiman herself already took for her.
Anaconda didn't have to respect it, but it was her little sib's wish. Anaconda would just have to trust in Caiman, that she would stay strong against the frost breath, strong enough to where Anaconda could return and save her.
With that in mind, she gave a stern nod to Caiman, and she took off above the forest.
Caiman watched as she flew into the forest, and carefully laid her head back down on the ground.
She began to weep.
She didn't want to die, she was terrified of it. Caiman still had many plans in life, and dreamed of visiting other kingdoms throughout the continent once the Dragonets of Destiny ended the war.
But her love for her sibs easily overshadowed her fear.
So with that.
Caiman was fine with dying, she valued the life of her sibs more than her own.
'...'
As Anaconda rushed through the air, vigorously flapping her wings.
Her eyes fell upon 3 distant figures on the ground, in a small circular open area in the middle of the forest.
Once she drew closer, it became increasingly obvious that this open area was made by the very battle itself; multiple trees were broken, some burned or chopped into splinters, others stood frozen in a capsule of frost breath.
Hog stood at one end, visibly exhausted and injured. His left hind leg was wounded, along with his wings which were partially torn and covered in slight frost. His chest was covered in lacerations and patches of frost.
One of Hog's horns was missing, broken in half. Blood seeped out of it, partially covering the side of his face in it. And just as the other parts of his body, his head was covered in various cuts and bruises, with the occasional frost crystal on his neck and face.
His opponent, an IcWing. Didn't seem to fare any better.
The IceWing stood taller than Hog, but looked visibly pained and exhausted just as Hog is. Covered in various cuts and scratches throughout his body, blue blood seeping out of his wounds. His sharp spines on his back were majorly snapped off from their battle, and patches of his scales were burned off. Leaving only a smokey black patch in their wake.
The only one that didn't stand was Boar, who remained limp on his side against the ground.
Missing his head.
His head in question was scattered around him, it being reduced to nothing but blood red ice crystals and fragments.
Anaconda dove down.
The IceWing soon noticed her, and his eyes narrowed in frustration. Deciding this fight was no longer worth it, he turned tail and began to fly away.
Just as he was about to fly off, Hog rushed and grabbed onto his tail using both of his claws, standing on his hind legs.
The IceWing flapped his wings with greater power and frequency, doing his best to shake off the claws of Hog off his tail. Hog held the IceWing's tail firm as he attempted to escape, doing his best to stop the tail from whipping at his face with its pike.
"Let go of me you!-"
Was the IceWing's last words, due to being rammed by Anaconda who dove down at full speed back into the ground.
The ground shook and dust picked up, blocking out Hog's vision entirely. He attempted to block out the dust by using his wings as it continued to blow into his face.
Once the dust cleared, Hog waited on a shaky breath. Staring at the decent sized crater that had formed in front of him, moments later. Anaconda slowly stepped out towards him, her entire chest drenched in blue blood.
She paused her approach and weakly scanned her surroundings, noticing the absence of one of her sibs.
"Where's Platypus?"
Hog grimaced, and lowered his head.
"She's dead."
Anaconda closed her eyes and took a breath.
"Oh."
They stood there together for a few seconds simply facing each other, a solemn understanding of their current situation.
A second more and Anaconda took off unannounced, back towards Caiman.
"W-where are you going!?" Shouted Hog, and he took off after Anaconda, looking back hesitantly at Boar's limp body.
She didn't wait to answer him, nor did she have to.
When she returned, Caiman was nothing but a lump of ice in the ground.
Anaconda stood over her, tears threatening to break through her eyelids.
Hog stood behind her, his face expressionless. The shock of finding out the family you once cherished minutes prior was gone was hitting him.
"Is Pebble dead too?" Asked Hog from behind her, his tone flat.
Anaconda didn't respond.
Not because she didn't want to, but because the only thinking ringing in her ears was her failure.
Failure in protecting her sibs.
Third person POV:
*Present time.*
"Three moons…" Groaned Hog, rolling in his bed.
"Ohh shit!-"
*THUD.*
He fell off his bed, and landed on his back.
Hog groaned and stared up at the ceiling of his wooden shack, which was hidden in the rainforest.
This was his new life now, the loss of his sibs happened long ago. Now, he had new priorities.
Like setting up shop.
With another groan, he stood himself up again. Hunching over due to the lack of space his shack supplied him, he looked back to his bed. Consisting of only straw and other soft fibers he managed to find in the rainforest. Refusing to fix his bed, he took a minute to stretch his back and legs.
After his mini yoga session, Hog plucked out a few items he had in a chest that stood right besides his bed. Picking out a comically small notepad along with a pair of glasses, he then fixed a small bag on his neck and buckled it in place with a strap. Stuffing the notepad and glasses inside.
"Ah right." He muttered to himself, forgetting his quill and ink.
Fortunately it was nearby, just behind him stood a small desk that he'd normally use for his business. That and other personal projects of his, just on that desk he had his trusty quill he stubbornly refused to get rid of, and on an old opened jar of ink.
He turned around, careful to knock anything over with his tail. Once he did, he took a moment to scan his desk over.
Everything looked fine, nothing out of the ordinary.
His eyes drifted a bit to the side, a small peep hole to the outside world. A soft glow beamed through it, with the faint sound of crickets chirping in the background.
'Is it still dark out?'
Now he was even more annoyed, he wasted precious few minutes following his morning routine. Only to realize it wasn't even the morning, in fact it wasn't even the next day.
It was dark, late in the afternoon.
'My few minute nap must've turned into a few hours.'
"Hmph."
Hog lowered his head and groaned in frustration, after a short session of self-loathing. Hog's eyes fell upon the square mirror that hung above his desk, it was slightly crooked. Letting out an annoyed grumble, he reached a claw over and properly repositioned. Once fixed, he stared at his reflection.
Hog was a mature MudWing, evident by the scarring and the subtle appearance of wrinkles in his face. His once bright orange eyes now became a dull color, the scales that used to resemble a caramel brown color now dimmed down to a much less appealing shade. Almost entirely black in the dark.
His body was decorated with various scars and cracks along his scales, something he grew to hate with time. But the most eye-catching thing about him was his horn, which was snapped in half.
It served nothing, but as a constant reminder of the day everything changed.
The day he lost his sib-
*DING.* A bell rang in the background.
"Ah!-"
*BANG.*
Caught off guard, he jumped and bumped his head on the ceiling. Hog then lowered his head and quickly swiped his claw over to rub the back of his head, but this also resulted in him knocking over the jar of ink, spilling some on his table before it inevitably rolled off onto the floor.
Hog was snarling with anger, but managed to hold himself back from exploding with it.
Mostly that is-
*DING DING.*
"FU-"
'Deep breath…'
"Coming!" Hog shouted over at the door, his tone audibly hostile and annoyed.
He spent a minute or so cursing under his breath, but finally felt himself capable of going out and dealing with whoever came into the shop this late in the day.
Hog didn't bother to put up a fake smile or anything to make himself presentable, once he opened the door. He was greeted with the same sight he's been seeing for the past few years of living in this shack.
Hog's shack served as his place of business, where he sold various unique items he himself procured throughout the years.
A pawn shop of sorts.
A soft warm glow of light illuminated the inside of his shop. On the walls hung a wild assortment of items, it being paintings, tools, scrolls, plates, cups etc.
Hog's shop was home to anything peculiar and unique. Hog doesn't discriminate between what he takes on his business trips throughout the continent, even the most obscure item you can possibly think of can most likely be found in his shop.
Just below the walls stood tables that remained pressed up against the wall, with even more items laid upon it such as keys, talon clippers, toys, fossils etc.
He doesn't even have to worry about things being stolen, the crime rate has been so low in the rainforest kingdom that it might as well not exist.
Though his most precious items he hid in his own room, under the floorboards. He only sold those to anyone willing to pay the price for 'em, he met very few throughout the years.
His large office desk, he conveniently built it for himself so the moment he left his room. It'd be right next to him so he can comfortably maneuver towards it should he need to do some business, like now for example.
Though his visitors weren't looking to do some business, once Hog walked through the door, he paused and his eyes slightly widened as he stood at the doorway, but his surprised expression turned into one of anger.
"Surrrpriise…" droned out a SkyWing dragoness in a flat tone, playing with the bell that sat on his desk. she stood in front of his counter along with her companion. A NightWing void of any color on her scales, the only color being her dark red iris. That dwelled inside her pitch black sclera.
Hog took a breath and glared at the duo as he slowly walked behind his counter, doing his best to stand tall despite being forced into a hunch. Once he comfortably stood behind his counter, he promptly sat down. Causing the shack to jump violently at his weight.
"Fatass." murmured the SkyWing, a small grin edged on her lips.
The NightWing nudged the SkyWing with her wings, eliciting a playful chuckle from the SkyWing. Hog continued to glare down at both of them, mentally sizing up the SkyWing. She bore the usual SkyWing scale shades, with the only interesting feature about her being the strange coloration on her maw. A strong shade of black originated from the tip of her maw, and slowly faded into a brighter yellow, then eventually shifted into the usual red color.
Much like a falcon's beak.
"I thought I made it clear that you two aren't welcomed here, leave." Stated Hog, his tone laced with displeasure.
"We aren't here because we want to be here." Replied the NightWing, partially annoyed but did her best to remain professional.
"Then why now? It's about to be midnight and I have better things to do than deal with you lizards."
"Like what, eat?"
Hog snapped his eyes to the SkyWing, fury written all over them.
The NightWing dragoness exhaled and retrieved a bag that hid under her wings, plopping it onto the counter with a loud thud.
"Your sister wanted us to give you this." Mentioned the NightWing dragoness, Hog's gaze softened for a moment at the mention of his sister. But was soon replaced with hatred, Hog eyed the dragoness. Scanning for any sort of reaction or even an indication of what could be inside the bag, she only gave him a solemn nod.
The SkyWing yawned obnoxiously, and smacked her lips.
With his mind mentally prepared, he opened the bag with a claw, and took a quick peek inside.
Few moments of silent rummaging past, then Hog snapped his gaze back up with slight bewilderment.
"You sick fucks…" Muttered Hog in disbelief, catching the NightWing dragoness off guard.
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't I'm sorry me!" Shouted Hog, causing the NightWing dragoness to jump slightly. "You bastards stole this off a volunteer SkyWing a few days ago, and you seriously expect me to accept this!?"
"I-"
"It was all over the NewsScroll, don't tell me you didn't think I'd know?
While the NightWing dragoness was mentally panicking, thinking of a way to salvage this interaction. The SkyWing mindlessly scanned the various wares that hung around the shack, with a small hint of interest.
"Why do you think it was us?" Asked the NightWing, a faint tone of desperation in her voice.
"You're the only bozos that would swoop down to that level of criminal antics." He reached a claw into it, retrieving a small tag. "And you idiots forgot to remove the tag, the tag belonging to Queen Ruby's kingdom!"
The duo looked at eachother, acknowledging they're stupidity.
"And conveniently enough, there's recently been a NewsScroll about criminals killing and robbing a poor old SkyWing volunteer, and all of a sudden you two show up in my shop, with the same bag of goods he was reportedly carrying." He lowered his head mockingly, staring into the NightWing's soul. "So am I wrong to assume that you guys are responsible? Especially with this tag as valid evidence, and the bag being contained with random shit I would never use!"
The bag held a random assortment of items, scrolls for teaching young dragonets to read, write, unopened jars of ink. It even held some toys, small bits of clothing, packaged snacks, and so on. Things Hog would never have a use for in his shop, or in his personal life.
'What Kind of gift even is this? Just what are you trying to do now Anaconda…' Hog thought to himself, with the NightWing dragoness folding from the pressure before him.
"W-We never targeted him, it was just a misunderstanding!" The NightWing folded entirely.
"Bullshit!" Hog exclaimed angrily. "I know what type of dragons you guys are, I know EXACTLY the types of business you and my crazy sister get into!"
"But!-"
"Crush." Interrupted the SkyWing with her usual casual tone. "Just admit it, we messed up."
Crush the NightWing, gave her the 'are you serious?' look.
"WE?" exclaimed Crush, now directing her anger to her companion. "Peregrine, you're the one that rushed in without even waiting for me, let alone not even waiting for my confirmation that we found the right one to rob!"
Peregrine narrowed her eyes down at her companion as she spoke. "I don't think I like this attitude your giving me-"
"Shut up!-"
"Both of you shut the fuck up!" Yelled out Hog, silencing the both of them.
"I still can't believe it…" Hog trailed off before continuing. "So you guys senselessly kill an innocent dragon, rob him of goods that were supposed to go to families in need. Then offer said goods to me." He paused for a moment. "What in three moons was your intended goal with doing all of this?
Peregrine snorted, while Crush lowered her head in shame.
"It was your sister's idea, not ours to be fair." Peregrine remarked, Hog turned his attention onto her.
"Was it also her idea to dissect the damn dragon!?"
"WHAT!?" Crush instantaneously shot her head up the moment she heard Hog, her eyes wide in shock and disbelief.
"Dissected!?" Crush paused then continued. "Three moons of course we didn't dissect him, who do you take us for!?"
Even Peregrine was alarmed at this sudden accusation.
"Well we did mess him up pretty bad…" Peregrine trailed off uncomfortably. "But it's not like we gutted him or anything."
Hog didn't look convinced.
"Have you even bothered to read the NewsScroll today? Or even the day prior?" They both shook their heads, Hog huffed and continued explaining. "Apparently the dragon was found cut open, wings torn off, head missing, claws missing, and several of his entrails were cut off with incredible precision."
The duo of dragonesses equally looked disgusted.
"I figured it only makes sense for the same crazies that work with my sister, to do this type of shit to innocent dragons."
"Well, that wasn't us." Stated Crush in a matter of fact tone.
Hog raised an accusatory brow.
"I find that hard to believe-"
Hog was interrupted mid sentence by an obnoxiously loud yawn. Crush glared at Peregrine assuming it was her, Peregrine looked down at her and rolled her eyes. She then nodded behind them, motioning towards a dragonet behind them.
"Shit!" Crush muttered under her breath, stuck with a dilemma.
The risk of this dragonet spreading their crimes for all to hear, was far to great. Peregrine and Crush looked towards one another, nodding in understanding. They knew what they needed to do, to prevent any trouble coming to the-
"N-no it's okay, take your time…" The dragonet spoke with an incredibly obvious drowsy tone, this was only emphasized with his slouched posture and tired eyes.
Somehow the dragonet managed to sneak in unnoticed, maybe cause of his small form? Or the way he walked in slowly and lazily inside? Or was it out of pure and utter luck that he got the jump on them?
It doesn't matter now, what matters is how much did he hear and know?
Crush can't afford to take any chances.
Peregrine stood straight, claws and teeth at the ready. Prepared to kill him at a moment's notice, Crush was slower in reacting. She started to have second thoughts about her plan.
'Do we kill him?-' Crush instinctively flexed her claws at this thought, her body already preparing to slaughter him.
"You will not harm that dragonet." Hog stated, glaring down at Crush once again, like he was reading her mind.
'What do we do!?'
Crush knew with just a glance at Hog, that he would not allow harm come to this dragonet. Nor it's not like Crush wants to, but there was a great risk of information leaking about her and Peregrine's crime. And if such a thing were to occur, Crush had no doubt Anaconda would go to great lengths to defend herself and her followers from the authorities.
While in truth, the dragonet didn't hear a single word anyone said and fell asleep in a hunched sitting position.
Serenity's POV:
*Much Earlier in the day.*
'Seeing this never gets old.' I felt a smile tug on my lips as I admired the sight before me.
The Jade Mountain Academy.
Fanged-shaped twin peeks stood strong as always despite the unfortunate events that have happened here, the mountain top was filled with the dozen dragonets leaving for the upcoming school break. All visibly eager to return home, and to spend they're break with their families.
The Mountain top itself was decorated with dozens of trees and other unique forms of plant life, many from the rainforest and even a few from Pantala.
I was careful when trying to land, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt someone with a sloppy landing. But thankfully that never happened, and I was able to point out an open spot and landed successfully without a hitch.
Pulling my wings close and keeping my tail in check, I maneuvered past many of the dragonets. I received a few odd stares but that was to be expected, I'm not a frequent visitor here after all.
Soon I made it to the Great Hall.
The Great Hall itself was a large expanse in the cave, large enough to fit hundreds of dragons. Many stalactites hung from the roof and a few stalagmites grew from the ground. Shrubs and other vegetation have found their way and managed to grow along the walls and ceiling of the large expanse. A few vines hung from the ceiling and a dozen flowers bloomed alongside the cracks in the stone wall.
The view itself was enchanting.
A large bronze gong hung against the back wall, three dragons were expertly forged into it. Despite its many years and uses it still remained polished, as if it never had been used in the first place.
Just above it hung a large banner of pure white silk between two stalactites, beautifully woven. The banner read "Till next time students!" In bright orange flowers.
I diverted my gaze from the banner and finally focused my sights on what I came here to do, my eyes fell upon a large map that remained in the middle of the Great Hall. Allowing students and dragons like myself to be able to find what they need here.
I approached it to get a better look and skimmed it.
'Library.'
Finding my destination, I took the appropriate hallway and began my journey to find it.
The tunnels were just as vibrant as the Great Hall, globes hung off the ceiling emitting a soft glow throughout the hallway. Vegetation grew along the side of the walls, letting off a pleasant smell thanks to the many flowers that grew with it.
Students still traversed these halls, a few scurried past me excitedly to leave.
I slightly envied their excitement, I wish I was able to experience something similar to this when I was a dragonet. And it's a shame I was never given the opportunity to teach the young ones here.
'Ah it would've been so fun!'
A few more steps and I arrived at the library.
Scrolls hung on the walls, each carrying their own inspirational quote. Taking a step inside, my gaze immediately turned to the librarians desk.
'How unfortunate…' I sighed.
The desk was empty.
Ever since the previous librarian Starflight retired, the school relied upon student librarians to take his place. So it would make sense for that desk to be empty, but I wasn't looking forward to idly browsing through the hundreds of scrolls this Academy gathered throughout the years.
'The things I do for dragons...'
Putting aside my feelings, I began to scroll through the endless sea of scrolls. Looking through each cubby hole, racks, and cylinders, making sure I didn't end up missing the one scroll I needed.
Many of the kingdoms throughout Pyrrhia, and even from Pantala. Had generously donated their scrolls to the ever growing Jade Mountain Academy, forcing the once humble and relatively small library to grow much bigger in size to accommodate the necessary storage of scrolls and space for the influx of students.
Which is of course a good thing.
But.
I was afraid the one scroll I need, could be somewhere within this library.
Much of the older scrolls that the Rainforest kingdom no longer needed were donated to the academy, and stuck with no other option I ventured out to the Jade Mountain Academy library. I hope that once I find it, it'll help find the solution to whatever…
The dragonet has.
Almost three months have passed and he has yet to decide on a name. I've long since run out of ways to refer to him. So I began to call him a nickname that Princess BeautyBat so graciously gave him, Pinkie.
He hates the name very much.
*Snort.*
Suppressing a laugh, almost dropping a scroll I was holding. Taking a moment to clear my throat, then I continued my search.
But the name grew onto me, so even though I recognize his distaste for the name. I continued to refer to him as such, only until he finally picks out a name is when I'll drop the nickname.
Though I make no promises.
Pinkie's condition…Hasn't improved much. If anything it got worse, and that's another reason why I'm determined to find this scroll.
During his first few weeks of living under my wing. He displayed his own variety of emotions, of course not through his scales. But through his expressions and tone of voice, like any other dragon who isn't a RainWing would express them.
Maybe to someone who hasn't spent enough time with Pinkie, would never notice the faint change of tone in his voice when he speaks, or even take note of the subtle facial expressions he makes when speaking. And after a week or so, I was able to spot and identify such.
Now however?
It became increasingly concerning when now even I can't discern whether he's serious about a certain subject or not, I can't even tell if he's happy, mad, or even sad anymore!
He does however, experience brief moments of lucidity. That essentially means he'll randomly show a great reaction to seemingly any random thing or interaction, that or you just happen to give him a scare. The most recent example of this was when Princess BeautyBat suggested painting on his wings.
I had the luxury of being present when Princess BeautyBat proposed this idea to him, after days of hearing his continuous monotone voice. I finally heard a proper change of tone when he desperately called out for my help after he rejected the prospect. As expected, Princess BeautyBat refused to let him off easily. The little dragonet began to menacingly approach him with a wet brush, going as far as to threaten to paint on him in his sleep.
He wanted me to kick Princess BeautyBat out of my house before he threw her out the window, and I'd never forget the expression he held once Princess BeautyBat tossed a jar of green paint at him.
It was a messy day.
So not all was lost, and there was definitely still hope somewhere inside Pinkie's mind.
On the other claw, I gave up on trying to find a way to heal his scales. I wholeheartedly believe that the fall he suffered had caused his inability to shift colors. Unless he happens to run into an animus willing to cure him, he unfortunately just has to live with his condition.
So all of this extra work was simply mental, therapy of sorts. I'm trying to do everything I can to find out what could be causing this abnormal lack of emotion, and maybe this scroll would be the key in unlocking them.
Not my specialty, but I've made an exception for him.
"That has to be it…" I grumbled, trying to reach for a scroll that teasingly hung off a ledge that was conveniently just out of my reach.
I'd admit, Pinkie's presence has grown on me. It felt nice to share my home with someone else for once, and it's been many moons since I even had anyone to properly enjoy dinner with in my own home.
Even with his unique flaws, he's proven to be incredibly independent, intelligent and even has his own odd sense of humor. After his wing healed, it only took him a few attempts to learn how to fly, and a few more to learn how to properly land. The only thing he struggles on is his reading and writing abilities, but he's made more than satisfactory progress in the short week I've begun to teach him.
Truly, it's only a matter of time before he becomes fully independent. Assuming he gets better of course, but I won't force my help on him if he so chooses to leave.
I only ask that he visits me if he does.
Just once or twice, I don't think that's too much to ask.
Is it?
'Doesn't matter.'
*Yoink.*
"Yes!"
Retrieving the scroll, I eagerly unrolled the scroll to read its title.
'Scroll of useless information…' The title read.
"Hmm." I grumbled, feeling my frustration slowly build up. Rolling the scroll back up.
I looked around me before I quickly tossed the scroll back up onto the ledge, and pumped my fist when I saw it landed successfully, a small victory.
Just a couple more hundreds of scrolls, and I'd hopefully find the knowledge I need.
'I wonder how he's faring.'
Today, Pinkie expressed his need for a job. Something not entirely unheard, but the only strange thing about it is his persistence for it. He even woke up early this morning to get a head start, he planned to take the entire day for it should he need to.
I've advised against, in an attempt to save him from the rejection he's bound to receive. Being able to read and write is one of the most pivotal skills someone needs to possess to succeed with a job, and I haven't even tested his mathematical skills. If his mathematical skills are as bad as his literature skills, then I just can't imagine him succeeding in finding one.
I wonder what's driving him to get a job?…Dragonets were rarely heard of having a job, fewer were heard actively looking for one. It's usually when they become adults when they want to be able to afford the higher commodities of life.
As long as it's something he wants, then I'm fine with it. Maybe it could even help with unlocking his emotions?
'Or…'
Looking around the empty library, a sudden realization slowly came into view.
'Why am I even bothering with this scroll?'
The answer was literally in front of my face, I could just enroll him into Jade Mountain Academy!
It's the perfect place for a maturing dragonet to discover their self worth, and find purpose in the Pyrrhia. With the amount of other fellow dragonets, classes, clubs and other activities, I have no doubt he'll be able to truly find himself.
'But that does mean I'll be able to see him less…' Frowning at the thought, but the well being of Pinkie was far more important. I'm sure if I can't find a way to help him, the Jade Mountain Academy will surely do the trick.
It just has to.
Isaac/Pinkie's POV:
'My tail is getting sore.'
I hung upside down from a branch, overlooking the busy public hub or whatever that's below me. It's the first place Serenity ever took me ever since I woke up in this world, and after a couple visits this past month or so. I've slowly become familiar with this area and what it has to offer, and today I'm on a personal mission.
But I had to wait for my sidekick, who wanted to have breakfast this morning.
I had a pretty good vantage point over the area I'd say, hanging off a branch that belonged to a nearby tree. The wind was calming, and this time I wasn't under threat from the branch snapping.
Below me, multitudes of dragons happily conversed and mingled with one another. Other's sold items in their own stands they had set up, each selling a pretty cool array of items. From accessories, clothing, food, and other typical items you'd find in a busy market. The dragons were diverse, from the common RainWing and NightWing. To even some LeafWings and StringWings.
'StringWings? That doesn't sound right-'
"SilkWing!" I shouted in realization, then quickly looking left and right to make sure no one else was hanging around with me to notice my random outburst.
'Coast is clear.'
All in all, the Rainforest kingdom was thriving.
In the middle of the marketplace, stood the same comically large pile of fruits. It only seemed to get bigger since my last visit here a week ago, dragons would randomly swoop in as they flew to grab a random fruit to go. Some dragonets would submerge themselves into the mound of fruits only to be scolded by their parents, surprised that those little guys weren't crushed.
Thankfully, the branch I hung off of was taller than the mound. So it allowed me to view past it, which was the village itself. The RainWing village specifically, majority of the homes were treehouses and platforms. While others simply used a hammock and called it a day, I can entirely respect that.
You can easily see during the day or early morning, such as now. Many RainWing dragonets happily fly around in the air, playing whatever stupid game that comes to mind. The smaller dragonets would play on trampolines, jumping in the air giddily as they practiced flapping their wings. It's a shame they don't have a trampoline my size, it honestly looks pretty fun.
Further, you'd easily see the Banyan tree. An absolute behemoth of a tree, towering over any other tree in this rainforest. I never visited it personally, but even from such a distance I can tell just how large it is. BeautyBat told me a few stories about it, how she'd used to play games on it with other fellow dragonets, before she pushed one as a joke. And conveniently enough the one she pushed off didn't know how to fly, unlucky.
She didn't go further into detail from that point on.
It's an interesting story nonetheless, it gave me even more reason to keep my distance from her.
"Hm." A familiar figure scurried out from the canopy, a short distance away on my right.
Spider the spider monkey, walked on all fours on a small branch that protruded from a tree. Carrying a vine in his mouth that linked all the way up into the canopy, the branch slowly bent down under his weight. But that seemed to be exactly Spider's plan, the further he walked, the branch would continue to bend. Slowly, the branch would bend to the point where it hung just above the mound of fruits.
"Heh." Couldn't help but let out a small giggle as Spider's plan became obvious, Spider coiled his tail around the tip of the branch and descended towards the mound of fruits. Outreaching his arms to grab a particularly large hand of bananas, just barely grabbing the stem with his lanky fingers. With one hand on the stem, he reached into his mouth with the other to grab the vine, and wrapped it around the stem of the bananas. I heard a small chirp of excitement as he jumped off the branch and stood on said bananas, the branch immediately swung back up violently. And even to my surprise, the branch snapped another vine just above it. Causing whatever weight Spider the spider monkey had set, to plummet in the distance, with loud sounds of branches snapping and crashing, a sign that something incredibly heavy was falling down through it. Of course, this caused the vine that held the bananas to shoot up into the canopy, and I couldn't tell if Spider was screaming in excitement or utter fear as he held onto the same vine like tarzan into the canopy with the bananas.
Faint screeching and branches snapping was heard, and somehow no one seemed to notice or care.
"He better not take long now." I grumbled, I spent like an hour or so waiting on this guy. Seriously telling me now he just got his bananas?
*Chirp!*
Snapping my head to the right, Spider the spider monkey was casually hanging off the same branch with his own tail. Already peeling off a banana with his mouth, then proceeding to vacuum it the next second.
His eyes locked onto mine, and offered the other banana he had in his other hand.
"No thanks."
Spider held the banana expectantly for the next for seconds, then seemed to finally get the message. He soon devoured the banana after that.
"I'm not waiting for you any longer, come on." Letting my tail unravel, I fell for a short distance then opened my wings. Putting me into a short glide, allowing me to discern just how the hell ima land in this crowd of dragons.
A short few moments later, I was able to determine a spot. With Spider the spider monkey on the back of my neck, I felt ready for anything. Now I can truly begin my mission.
To get a job.
I landed without too much trouble.
Looking around, it was as you expect it. Looking past the dragons walking around, you'd spot vendors selling their goods. Truth be told, I tried not too long ago. Asking them if they accepted new hires, some looked at me with a face while others told me they couldn't afford to have someone working under them.
Today, I was back to job hunting. But I wasn't scouting for vendors, now I planned to try my luck with more established businesses. Like that one restaurant I visited with Serenity ages ago, or some other thing. I had no idea what sort of business I wanted to get into, if it pays then it's fine by me.
Walking around the marketplace, it felt much like when I was younger.
When I was a human.
Growing up, I majorly depended on myself. Scouting out various locations around the town to find the best cheap deals and taking odd jobs from strangers for some easy pocket change since no one would hire ol' 12 year old me. Little me was resourceful, I only hope now I still had that trait in this body, though I don't see a reason why I wouldn't.
*Spider monkey chirp.*
"Hm?" I stopped in my tracks, perking my ears up at Spider's call.
Spider remained silent.
"Spider?-"
*Exaggerated spider monkey chirp.* Spider squealed into my ear, and began to smack the top of my head with his palm while pointing in a certain direction with his other hand.
Turning my head to the left, I squinted at whatever Spider was pointing at. At this distance I couldn't see squat, just more dragons and the occasional RainWing/NightWing guard.
*An even more exaggerated spider monkey chirp, followed by furious smacking of Isaac's forehead.*
Letting out a solemn sigh, I walked towards the direction Spider was pointing at. Avoiding dragons and doing my best to ignore his squeals.
A vendor came into sight, I paused for a moment awaiting Spider's confirmation that this is where he wanted to go. A quick smack to my forehead, a squeal, and followed by the point of his finger did just that, and I resumed my approach.
The vendor is a LeafWing, and was like any other vendor I've seen so far. He owned a wooden cart, the type of cart you'd see on the Oregon trail. But just without the white blanket above, it lay completely exposed to reveal the wares that hid underneath. His wares consisted of accessories and luxurious fabrics, I think? They look pretty expensive to me, especially how they all hold a faint shine to them under the sunlight.
Approaching the LeafWing vendor, he caught my form and formed a toothy smile.
"Hello fellow dragon!" The vendor spoke with an accent I couldn't exactly lay a finger on.
"Uh hey." I replied admittedly a bit awkwardly as I approached, the LeafWing essentially radiated with positive energy. Energy I was entirely unprepared for.
'Its early in the morning, how can you be this…Happy?'
"Come come!" He motioned for me to come closer. "Let me get a better look at you!"
'What the hell did you get me dragged into Spider?...'
Mentally sighing I did what he asked, he sat on a podium that laid right next to his cart. While he was examining me over, I took the opportunity to examine him back.
He fit the normal physical appearance of a LeafWing, he had a pattern of dark green scales that vaguely resembled one of a tiger. One thing caught my eye, that being the few scars he had scattered on his chest and abdomen, and I believe a burn scar on his shoulders? Don't take my word for it.
"Um, do forgive me for asking this…" The LeafWing trailed off uncomfortably, his claw cupped on his chin while examining me.
'Here it comes.'
"I'm not exactly an expert on RainWings, but I don't believe that means wells." Squinting in my direction, clearly referring to my scales.
"I'm okay."
The LeafWing raised a small brow, and I had to force myself to resist an eyeroll.
"I suppose I'll take your word on it." He finished off, turning his back towards me while he stood on his hind legs and began to look for something in his cart.
"Hm." I mumbled, about to turn away before Spider the spider monkey began to smack my forehead once again.
"Dude, what do you want from me!?-" I was fed up with his behavior.
"Try this on!" Out of nowhere, the LeafWing popped his face right next to mine with the same toothy smile, which was a lot more disturbing this close.
"AH!" Jumping back, almost knocking a dragon behind me. Spider the spider monkey also shrieked in fear, finding refuge on my back, right in between my wings.
Suddenly the world went black, I felt his claws place something on my head. It being a soft, warm fabric.
"Oop, let me fix that for ya."
The Light returned.
"W-what?-"
"Look!" Flashing a handheld mirror in my face, revealing what exactly he put on my head.
"Oh…" It was a pink beanie, of course it's pink!
"No likey? I could find one of a different color, or I even think I got some-" He turned around and began to scour his cart again, he held a determined look on his face.
"Nah dude, it's fine." Interrupting him as fast as I can before he gets too carried away, and don't get me wrong. The beanie was surprisingly warm and snug, but this thing could be worth crazy doubloons that I just don't have.
Plus, I didn't come out here today to go shopping for clothes.
"So, you like the beanie!?" He immediately turned towards me once again, staring down from his podium with his signature smile.
"It's alright." I lied, the longer I had this beanie on the more I wanted it, I fucking loved it.
"But I didn't come here to purchase anything." I continued, lifting off the beanie off my head begrudgingly.
"Ah, I see…" The LeafWing replied, with a slight somber tone. Still holding his smile but you could tell he was a little disappointed.
"Then why did you come here directly?" He gently grabbed the beanie from my claws, and watched me intently, awaiting my answer.
"Cause of this fella." I gestured behind me with my thumb, or thumb talon, surely there's a better name then thumb talon, right? Maybe I should stop thinking so deeply into it.
The LeafWing blinked. "Who? I'm sorry, I can't see who you are referring to." He held a sheepish smile.
'What.'
"Spider?" I asked, doing my best to crane my neck to view my back. "Do you see a monkey on my back?"
"I'm afraid not."
'Where the hell did he-'
A sound of a faint ceramic jar wiggling was heard, followed by a short squeak. The LeafWing looked startled, and I instantly found where the sound came from.
Crouching just a bit, under the podium. Sat a jar that's been tipped over, with the tail of Spider the spider monkey leaking out.
'Well I'll be damned-'
"Spider!" I snarled out, grabbing on his tail and pulling it from under the podium with a claw. "Get your ass outa there!"
*Desperate spider monkey shrieks* He flailed and grabbed something from the jar before ultimately letting me drag him from under there, he proudly held in both hands a pouch of some yellow liquid, smells like honey.
'So this was the reason he smacked me to go here, crafty little rat.'
"I was saving those…" The LeafWing muttered, sounding more somber than ever before.
I did my best to snatch the pouches from his hands but he easily dodged and climbed onto my back, my one weakness.
"I-I'm really sorry, I swear I didn't-"
"No need to apologize." He cut me off, he sounded a bit heated but still maintained a semi-friendly demeanor.
"Right…" I muttered, not sure where to take this conversation. Feeling Spider nestled comfortably between my wings, then begenning to slurp on the honey pouches.
'Spider better not make a mess with that on my back, I already spent the entirety of last night cleaning myself from paint, I can't imagine honey being easy to clean off my back.'
"Yeahh Ima just, head out and…Do my own thing…" The LeafWing nodded in acknowledgment. "Is it cool if I can get your name though?" I asked, attempting to give a friendly smile despite the slight awkwardness.
The LeafWing sighed and flashed his usual smile. "Of course, my name is Tobacco."
My mind went blank.
'His name is Tobacco!?'
"Are you serious?" I muttered bluntly, not thinking twice about my question.
"Y-yes, why wouldn't I be?" He answered, with a genuine tone of intrigue at my stupid question.
"Just making sure is all." I shrugged trying to play it cool, while mentally facepalming myself a dozen times.
"May I get your name?"
'…'
"It's um." I paused, cursing myself for what I'm about to say. "Pinkie."
Tobacco blinked.
"Are you serious?" He asked himself this time around.
"…"
"…"
Sigh
"Yes, that is my name." I shamefully lowered my head, Spider's munching was faintly heard as I awaited whatever ridicule came my way.
"Ah, well." He said, a tone of amusement in his voice. "It suits you at least, hehe."
I slowly raised my head to face him again after his comment.
"Yes, why yes it does." I replied, gritting my teeth. "I'm leaving now, peace." Deciding I was done with the conversation, I left without hearing his goodbyes.
But I hurried back to ask a question, quickly lifting my maw up to his ear as I appeared before him.
"Pinkie? What are you-"
"How much for the beanie?" I asked in a hushed tone.
"I uh-" Understandably caught off guard, he cleared his throat and answered. "Normally it's 3 silver coins, but since your friend ate my honey that my loving mate had prepared for me, it's 1 gold coin for it." He side-eyed me with a frown.
1 gold coin? I had no idea how much that is worth in this world.
"Hm." I mumbled in thought, refusing to step back. "How many mangoes can I buy with a gold coin?"
"Mangoes?"
"Yes."
"Around a hundred, if not significantly more I'd imagine."
'JESUS.'
A hundred mangoes!? That's a lot of damn mangoes, For that amount of money that beanie better wash itself!
'Well I guess it's fair, considering what the stupid monkey did, but a gold coin? Just how much were those honey things?'
"I'll see you soon." I left just as abruptly as I had invaded his personal space, more determined than ever before to get a job.
Then I returned again, lifting my maw back up to his ear. He seemed to expect it this time around, and didn't seem to react when I began to whisper in his ear for the second time.
"And for the record." I paused. "Pinkie isn't my real name, it's my nickname."
"But then, what's your real name?" He asked, turning his head slightly and his ear visibly perked up.
'Didn't think this far ahead.'
"Pink, that's my name."
"Like the color?"
"Yes."
"…"
"…"
"Are you serious?"
I dipped once he asked that.
Making a decent distance away from Tobacco's stand, I had to address the monkey problem.
"Spider, mind if I can see you real quick?"
I felt him scurry around on my back, then jumping off it and appearing before me. Spider's face was coated in honey, his fur distorted and disheveled with the sticky substance. Wrapping my right claw around his chest, I picked him up, stood on my hindlegs, and heaved my right arm back.
Preparing to throw him into the jungle.
Spider looked at me innocently as I heaved my right arm back as far as I could, cocking his head to the side in curiosity.
"It's gonna hurt me more than it does you, little buddy."
I threw him, and that was followed by a high pitched shriek as he flew into the jungle brush. I looked around me and found that nobody seemed to care, or even question my actions.
"Huh."
With that problem dealt with, I decided to continue my mission on my own.
'Back to job hunting.'
Choosing a random direction, I walked casually while keeping on a lookout for any job. I would've asked to be hired by Tobacco, but definitely not after what Spider had done.
Talking about jobs, the craziest thing about this world is…
That I don't even need a job if I don't want to, can you believe that? Turns out as long as you're capable of finding your own food and building your own home then you're set for life, no need to pay ridiculous prices for the basic necessities to live or anything of the sort.
Hell, I even told Serenity about me getting a job. She straight up told me to abandon that idea, and rest until I get better.
Does she not have bills to pay!?
Last thing I wanna be is a bum living in Serenity's home, so that's one of the few reasons why I'm trying to get a job. To at the very least help Serenity pay whatever bills she has, and to be able to purchase my own stuff.
I can only leech off of Serenity for so long, and she deserves better than a pest living in her house. I really don't want her to kick me out, I know it's bound to happen at some point. But I wanna be ready for when that happens, so hopefully whatever job I find will be able to support me in whatever I need.
'Can't be that hard.' I thought to myself, yawning.
*Time skip to much later in the day, around dusk.*
'I shouldn't have pulled off an all nighter before this…'
I walked down an eerie path, what little sunlight that remained up in the sky barely penetrated through the dense foliage that covered the space above me. The path was moist and generously seasoned with random sticks and old dead plants, a small squelch was heard with every step I took.
My eyes were threatening to close shut, feeling ready to pass out at any second. My purpose in following this incredibly sketchy path in the dark was simple, someone promised another shop just at the end of this path, and the possibility that the shop owner may be hiring.
Taking a stranger's word at face value is one of the easiest ways to get yourself mugged, or suffer an even worse fate. But in this world? I haven't met a single dragon that would be capable of causing harm, everyone here looks like saints compared to the individuals back in my old world.
No one is perfect of course, so I'm confident that trend won't hold up for long. Hopefully that trend would still continue as I walk down this dark path, if not, then I'll just have to learn the hard way.
I was still determined to get a damn job, I tried every other business I found in the marketplace and even in the village. None of them was looking to hire a dragonet, especially one that hardly could read and write.
A faint warm glow appeared at the end of the path, bugs flying around it. Small surge of relief flowed through my body, and I began to walk with more confidence towards the light.
This was my last chance for the day, if nothing works out here then I'll just attempt the NightWing village. Should that fail, then I'll just wander around the world.
'Not the worst fate.'
Coming into view, an old withered building stood. Being built from wood and other stuff, it had a porch large enough to hold a dragon or two, a few steps leading up to the entrance of the porch. The front door was partially open, slighting swaying under the wind.
A large sign hung from the porch, something written on it. No idea what it could say, and I didn't have the energy to put in the effort of deciphering the message.
Small lantern hung just beside the door. The inside was also partially illuminated, another faint glow was seen through the windows that were installed directly next to the doors.
I slowly climbed the few steps of stairs, almost falling over entirely. The fatigue was proving to be overwhelming to the point I can't even hold my head up.
'I've committed too far into this, I will get a job so help me god!'
The determination of the possibility of getting a job gave me a short burst of strength and hope, I lethargically walked through the already open door. My head hung low and my eyes lazily sweeping the place as I walked inside.
Nothing registered in my mind, only the form of 3 dragons in front, 2 of them seemed to be conversing with the dragon that owns the store.
"God damn it…" I muttered, fighting a battle against falling asleep, a battle I was losing.
This most likely wouldn't have been a problem, if I didn't spend the night prior scrubbing off the damn paint BeautyBat used on me. That child used the wrong brand of paint, the type used on materials, not on scales!
'I'll just wait in line then…'
Waiting didn't last long, maybe a few seconds before I muttered something else and fell asleep.
Third person POV:
"What are you still doing in my shop, leave."
A few minutes have passed, Peregrine and Crush still made no progress on their decision on what to do with the dragonet, Isaac.
"We can't leave until we decide on what to do with him." Crush firmly replied, Hog snorted at this.
"There is nothing you can do with him, you realize that?"
Crush narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Three moons…" Hog pinched the bridge of his snout in frustration. "Do you live under a mountain? Have you at all been keeping up with any Rainforest NewsScrolls?"
"Stop talking about NewsScrolls and spit it out already!" Exclaimed Peregrine.
Hog raised a talon and poked Peregrine's chest, Peregrine would normally never let this slide. But In this case, she didn't like the threatening look Hog was giving her. "Don't yell at me…" He paused ominously, and removed his talon.
"He's in cahoots with the Princess." Hog stated, Crush muttered something under her breath, while Peregrine didn't look shocked or startled by this claim.
"What type of cahoots are we talking about?" Inquired Crush, Peregrine looked uninterested in where the conversation was going, and took a few glances at the sleeping dragonet, just to make sure he was really sleeping.
"Fuck do I know?" Hog shrugged, while Crush frowned in contemplation.
"That doesn't change anything-" Peregrine spoke up, But then Hog swiftly cut her off.
"Okay, you have to be special needs or something to not understand." Hog took a breath before continuing. "You can't just kill any dragon willy nilly when that same dragon is personally affiliated with a royal family."
"Why not?" Asked Peregrine, genuine curiosity.
"I've met MudWing dragonets with more common sense than you…" Hog deadpanned Peregrine, Crush let out an audible sigh.
"It's because there's a good chance the Royal family would seek out justice with whoever killed someone that they considered an ally or close friend, it also makes them look good in a political stance and what not." Crush answered, her head low, still deep in thought.
"Heh." Peregrine snickered. "You really think they'd go to war for this guy?" Peregrine had turned and now stood diagonally to Isaac, poking his head with her sharp talons. Isaac remained asleep, his claws weakly swatting away Peregrine's talon from his face.
"He looks more dead than alive already, I say let's speed things up, yeah?" She looked back with a smile, but then frowned once she saw Hog's and Crush's unamused glances.
"We know nothing of what he is capable of, or why he is even close with the Princess." Hog stated to no one in particular. "It's much safer to not kill him, for the both of you of course."
"Are you sure they aren't just friends?" Crush asked, a hint of hope in her voice.
Hog shrugged again at this question."Again, what do I know? In fact, the Queen even addressed the particularly weird rumors and conspiracy theories surrounding it."
"She did?" Crush gave him her full attention.
"Mhm, something around the lines…" He took a moment to think, then answered. "My daughter is capable of having friends, stop being creeps about it."
Hog himself didn't look confident with his interpretation of it. "Ah well, something around the lines of that I guess, just more proper obviously. And it was a while ago, so most rumors about it died down, and it still doesn't change the fact that conspiracy theories do exist about it, and none have been outright denied."
Crush took a moment to digest the information, then finally decided on her decision.
"Okay, I'll kill him."
"Did you not hear anything I just said!?"
Crush turned and faced the sleeping dragonet, Peregrine gave a small mocking pat to Isaac's head and backed off to give Crush space.
"Yes I have, even if he somehow ends up being someone of more importance." She turned to face him over her shoulder. "He still knows of the crimes we did, by that point it's only a matter of time before he spills it, rat us out, and eventually bring trouble to the All-Moth-"
"You will not mention her title under this roof." Snarled Hog, slamming his claw on the counter.
"Still bitchy about it, huh?" Quipped Peregrine, she received a murderous glare from Hog as he huffed a cloud of smoke from his nostrils.
Hog watched in slight despair, watching Crush gently lift the chin of the slipping dragonet, exposing his vulnerable neck.
"I'll watch him." Stated Hog, sitting up straight, narrowing his eyes at Crush. Who paused her claw which was just about to dispatch Isaac from the mortal coil.
She narrowed her eyes back.
"How?"
Hog paused in thought, dumbfounded as to how he will do just that, then an idea popped into his head. "I'll make him my employee, and he will come to work. With time, I will find out more about him, and prove that he isn't worth being killed." Hog spoke confidently.
Crush let Isaac's head fall back down, and turned her body to face Hog with suspicion.
"Why are you willing to go that far for this dragonet?"
"Is it so unusual that I don't want a young dragonet to be killed?"
Crush hummed in response, and asked Hog another question. "How will I know that you won't report us to the Queen the moment me and Peregrine leave?"
Hog's gaze softened for a moment, but resumed his stoic stare. "I-" Took a small breath. "I know that if I do, the Queen will hunt you two down, and anyone who is working with my sister, I'm certain that in the end…" Hog spoke with a slight somber tone. "They'll kill my sister."
After a silent moment, Crush nodded in agreement. She looked towards Peregrine who sat bored out of her mind, secretly disappointed that they didn't kill Isaac.
"Let's go, it's getting late." Crush spoke in a softer tone, and looked back at Hog for a final time. He still held his stoic expression, she shot him a look saying 'Don't make me regret this.'
She then took off out the door, Peregrine in tow. Muttering something under her breath as she brushed passed Isaac, shoving him awake.
The door slammed close after Peregrine had used her tail to do so, a small gust of wind whooshed by and the sound of rattling from the goods that hung on the walls filled the air for a few short seconds.
Isaac slowly blinked and raised his head towards Hog, who still held his determined expression.
"I just wanted to ask if you were hiring-"
"You're hired." Despite Hog's expression, he was mentally relieved at the question and jumped on it without hesitation.
A small smile formed on Isaac's lips, beginning to wobble as he sat.
"Really!?"
"Yes, now leave and return in 3 days." Isaac was about to respond, but Hog beat him to the punch. "And for your own safety, Forget everything you just heard prior, we'll talk about it when we meet again."
Isaac blinked in confusion, not understanding what he was referring to but was content with succeeding in his job hunt.
"M'kay…" Replied Isaac, nodding slowly in recognition.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Did I really get the job?" Isaac had to ask one more time, he was contemplating whether he was dreaming or not.
Hog huffed in annoyance. "Yes."
"Heheh." Isaac chuckled weakly, his body failing to support him any longer. He fell on his side like a ragdoll, sleeping peacefully.
SirBobbo's notes: If any of you picked up on it, I tried to use this chapter as a means to expand the world a little bit. Introduce y'all to the state of JMA, or at least give a hint of how its doing in my universe. I also attempted to expand the rainforest kingdom, I hope I provided enough detail to help you paint a mental image of it.
This chapter also served as a fine stepping stone for the character of Isaac, and for the world as whole. You may or may not know, what one of the antagonist I plan to properly introduce at some point in this fic is, or what their goal is gonna be. If not, don't worry about it. I of course plan to write more about them and expand on their lore and whatnot.
I wanna apologize if this chapter may have been a little difficult to follow due to the time skips, I did my best to make it obvious as possible but in the case I didn't, I'm sorry, I'll do better in the future.
I wonder what you guys think of the characters? I hope I made them interesting enough to where you guys don't roll your eyes at the mention of them, I'm 100% planning in expanding they're characters alike. Hog and Serenity will be prime example of this, maybe even Crush and Peregrine. Naturally I have big plans for Isaac and Doctor Caine, I'm only afraid I might not execute them properly as I would hope to. Isaac is a pretty difficult character to write compared to Doctor Caine, since Doctor Caine is pretty straight forward with his goals, while Isaac essentially has none other then to try and live his old normal life in the whimsical world of Wings of Fire.
With a little bit of writer's magic, I'll continue to find ways to drag him into random shenanigans that will help build up his character, and further his story along, maybe sprinkle in a couple action sequences and stuff. Doctor Caine is already doing a pretty decent job on that element, and he's gonna continue to do just that for the next future chapters I have for him, already simmering in the back of my mind.
They will meet at some point, how will remain a secret till then.
Thanks for anyone who continues to read this fic, I truly mean it. I know these past 2 chapters have been long, the next one may be a shorter one, depending if I feel like expanding certain aspect of it or not.
Till then, have a great rest of your night, or day.
Whichever one.
Small edit: I fucked up, I left a small plot hole open so I covered it. At least I think I did, either way I'm pretty sure it's fixed now.
I hope.
Even smaller edit: Just fixed a few lines lmao.