The Lion and the Lamb

Hello folks, I'm finally back from my extended vacation! This is goin to take place roughly a year and a half after the epilogue of Eggshells. It's primarily starring Wildfire, Seastar, and their dragonet (page is being worked on) but some of my other characters will make appearances or mentions. This is going to be longer than Eggshells and might lead to its own multichapter fic. There will likely be some minor violence and mild language so be warned. I hope y'all enjoy!
== Prologue ==
A red dragon laid curled on the sand, the waves of the ocean lapping at her tail and the midday sun beating on her back. She was wrapped around a small egg, the color of the thistle flowers that grew in the mountains she called home or the lavender that grew near the shore she rested on. Lavender would be a nice name, she thought. It's been well over a year since she went there, to her cave high in the mountains. Too many bad memories she would rather not dwell on.
"Wildfire, ma'am?" A tentative grey-green claw reached for her. Wildfire snapped at it and growled when the owner pulled it away in time. The small SeaWing held her claws close to her chest. "Sorry," she yelped. Wildfire snorted a small plume of flame before returning her attention to the egg sitting in the warm sand and curled around it even closer, glaring at the portly dragon.
A large SandWing with mottled scales and small spectacles stepped in front of the nervous SeaWing, barely out of reach of the snarling aggressive dragoness. "I know you're protecting your egg and want it safe but there's no reason to snap at Miss Storm Petrel here. She and I are here to help you make sure it hatches safely," he spoke gently.
Storm Petrel opened her mouth to chime in but was interrupted when an elegant purple SeaWing landed on the sand by Wildfire, followed by an amber MudWing carrying a large satchel with her. Wildfire lifted her snout at the sight of the violet dragon and seemed to relax ever so slightly. He ran over to her and sat near her, close enough to be able to rest his webbed hand on hers. He dare not get any closer; last time she left a nasty scratch on the tip of his snout, although she apologized profusely for it.
Meanwhile, the MudWing carried the bag over to the pale speckled dragon and laid it gently before him, metal clattering gently as she did. "Here you go Dr. Mosaic! I brought some of your tools from the city, just like you asked," she chirped. Storm Petrel peeked over his shoulder as he opened it, revealing an array of shiny medical tools. "I doubt you'll need all of them, though. Seastar is a wimp but I don't think his dragonet would be if its Wildfire's." Seastar, the purple SeaWing who accompanied her, glared at her from his spot next to Wildfire.
Mosaic carefully began organizing the tools. "Thank you, Junebug. Your help is greatly appreciated. And you can never be too careful, no? And you know as well as I the health risks associated with hybrids." He turned his head to Wildfire who still lay curled around the small lavender egg. "Wildfire, dear, may you move? The egg is due to hatch any minute now and Storm Petrel, Junebug, and I need to be close by to assist it."
The red SkyWing lifted her head, ears pinned back and hissed. "No. I'm staying by its side. I'm not going to lose another dragonet. I'm going to protect it," her voice cracking at the end.
Her mate gently pet her talons. "I know, love, but they're some of the finest doctors in Pyrrhia. Storm Petrel knows all about SeaWing health-"
"I do! If anything goes wrong I can get them to the Deep Palace and they'll get the finest care!" Storm Petrel interrupted cheerfully. Seastar and Wildfire shot her a look and she mumbled out a quiet 'sorry' and sat down awkwardly.
Seastar turned back to Wildfire and continued his little speech. "Mosaic is the leading expert on eggs this side of the continent," Mosaic gave a small wave at the mention of his name, "and as much as I hate Junebug she knows all about medicines and injuries," he concluded. "Now come on, let's let our dragonet have a little space." He gave a pleading smile.
Wildfire looked conflicted and looked from the pale purple egg to the dragon around her. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden crack. The egg was hatching. She curled around the egg tighter than before, her back to the others. Her thoughts were a turbulent mess but heard above all the din was I must protect.
Mosaic sighed, "I guess this calls for plan B. Sorry, dear." Wildfire had no time to react before she felt a sharp pin prick in her neck and her tensed muscles relax as her world faded to black.
== Chapter One ==
Wildfire awoke groggily on soft white sand, the rays of the setting sun shining down on her through the leaves. She strained to lift her neck upwards and saw the twisting white-pink walls of the SeaWing Summer Palace and its canopy above her. Various SeaWings of varying shades of blue and green flew above her from floor to floor, many giving glances of distrust or anxiety or even hostility. A familiar chubby grey-green SeaWing leaned into view.
"Good morning! Sorry for drugging you and all; we wouldn't have been able to monitor your egg otherwise," Storm Petrel chirped.
The foggy haze Wildfire's mind was in was replaced with panic. She attempted to speak but only let out a raspy croak before her neck gave out and she lay flat on the sand once more.
"Oh, yeah you shouldn't try moving or anything, we gave you a pretty heavy dose to make sure you didn't get up and cause any trouble. You'll probably be out of commission for the rest of the day." She sat back on her haunches and looked down at the SkyWing with an apologetic smile.
Wildfire would lash her tail in anger if she wasn't so stiff. She attempted to speak again. "Where..."
"The Summer Palace! I thought you would know considering you're dating a SeaWing noble and all. Didn't he ever take you here? It would make for a nice romantic outing. Maybe I used too strong a dose..." she trailed off.
Wildfire narrowed her eyes. "Egg?" She was beginning to grow tired of this SeaWing and her chatter. Did she forget she could barely speak?
Storm Petrel's ears perked. "Oh, yes, of course! Yes, Mr. Mosaic and I took her to the nursery for further observation. The MudWing couldn't join us though; y'know, tribal tensions and such." She fiddled with her front talons nervously. "She gave us a scare, your dragonet. She was very weak. But she's alive, I promise! Mr. Mosaic is quite skilled so I wouldn't worry. I helped too but he said I should keep an eye on you so I can drug you again if you get up and cause a scene." Storm Petrel continued to chatter away, quickly going off topic and explaining the chemical makeup and effects of the anesthetic using big complex words and terminology Wildfire couldn't understand and didn't care to.
Wildfire could begin to feel her energy waning. It must've shown on her face as the plump little dragon stopped mid-sentence, apologizing for rambling and asking if she needed anything. She closed her eyes and once more drifted into a dreamless sleep as Storm Petrel continued to babble on.
== Chapter Two ==
A bright sunbeam shone down in the eyes of the SkyWing, making her groan. Her neck was still horribly stiff but at least she could move it now. She moved her face out of the blinding light and took in her surroundings.
She noted she was still on the sandy floor of a guest cave at the very bottom of the Summer Palace. Storm Petrel was still in the entrance with her back to her and humming softly while weaving strands of seaweed together. Judging by the angle of the sun and the relative lack of activity outside, she assumed it was rather early in the morning. She quietly watched random SeaWings flit to and from the many rooms in the palace for a while, not feeling up to dealing with the one she was stuck with just yet.
Wildfire was about to doze off again until she saw the brilliant purple scales of Seastar fly towards the cave. She shut her eyes and lay still, hoping to eavesdrop unnoticed.
She heard the soft thump of a dragon landing on the sand. She heard Storm Petrel drop her braided seaweed onto the sand with a wet plop. "Good morning! How's the little one doing?"
Seastar audibly yawned, "She's still under close watch. Doc said they're going to keep her for a few days at least, her condition is so fragile." Wildfire couldn't help but tense although thankfully it went unnoticed. "I don't think Wildfire is gonna like that. She's been so excited to have a dragonet since she had our first clutch. How is she doing?" he continued.
"Oh! She woke up briefly yesterday evening but seems to be sleeping the brunt of the drug off. She should be up around noon I'd say! Would you keep watch for a minute while I grab us some breakfast? Thanks!" She took off before the noble could answer. He sighed and sat down, and Wildfire assumed he was fiddling with one of his many rings like he normally did when nervous.
She heard the shifting of sand and felt a snout lower to rest next to her face. It took Wildfire all of her willpower to not hug him close and ask him what was going on, but she knew it would be best to keep up her act for now.
They sat in silence for a long moment before a whisper broke the silence. "She's a fighter. Our daughter I mean. I was scared she wouldn't make it and even the doctors told be to be prepared for the worst but she's still hanging on. Kind of like you, I guess." She felt her talons being pet gently now, too. "You'll love her. She's the prettiest little thing. Purple like the anemones growing in the royal gardens or those little snails I showed you that one time. She-"
The moment was ruined when Storm Petrel landed heavily outside, startling Seastar to his feet abruptly with an undignified squawk. "Breakfast! Hope you like tuna!" Wildfire cringed internally; she hated most seafood bar maybe a lightly roasted salmon or pike. She heard her drop a fish in front of him before digging into her own heartily. Seastar ate in a much more dignified manner, taking small clean bites.
Minutes passed as the two SeaWings ate, Storm Petrel jabbering on about some weird kelp she saw the other day between mouthfuls of tuna. Knowing Seastar, he was probably making a disgusted face but trying to stay polite. After they finished Seastar excused himself and took off, likely back to wherever their dragonet was being kept. A comfortable silence settled over the cave, broken only by Storm Petrel humming and weaving seaweed again and the sound of distant SeaWings as the day began in the Kingdom of the Sea.
== Chapter Three ==
What felt like hours passed until Wildfire felt a sharp poke to her nose. "Hey, time to get up! You can't sleep all day y'know." Wildfire feigned exhaustion and weakly snapped at the offending talon, that quickly pulled back with a startled yelp. She stretched her massive wings out wide and yawned. Her amber eyes opened in a glare from both the brightness of the midday sun and annoyance at the small SeaWing before her.
"Good morning! Or afternoon rather. You've been out for a while. How are you feeling?" Wildfire closed her wings and stretched her long muscular legs. "Stiff. Angry. Tired. Hungry," she paused then added quietly, "Worried."
Storm Petrel gave another obnoxiously sunny grin, only slightly forced. "I can get that. I was gonna see if you could see your dragonet but I"ll get you breakfast f-" "Take me to her," she interrupted, her voice forceful but with an edge of undeniable panic. She also wasn't in the mood to force down some slimy fish.
"Oh, are you sure? I mean-" Storm Petrel was cut off by a sharp glare. "Or see your daughter yeah we can do that too," she quickly finished. "I just have to check in with the doctors and make sure it's alright."
"Be fast about it," Wildfire snapped. The pudgy green dragon nodded briskly then turned and opened her wings, taking off.
Wildfire paced around the cave, tail lashing. She so desperately wanted to soar out of the confined space and roar and breathe flame and tear dragons and the palace itself apart to find her precious dragonet and hold her close to her flame colored scales. But she couldn't; Seastar wouldn't like that. She was lucky to even be allowed in the palace at all, considering the uneasy relations between their tribes.
She clawed the fine sand beneath her and growled. Where is that irritating little SeaWing? she thought. As if the Divines heard her, the dragon in question alighted in front of her. "Alright, the doctors said you can see her." Wildfire unfurled her large wings and was about to take off until Storm Petrel spoke again. "But due to concern for the other dragonets, they want you to wear this." She held up the braided rope of seaweed she was working on earlier. "May I put it on? It's just to keep your snout shut so you don't accidentally breathe any fire."
Wildfire was angry at the inconvenience but could supposed she could understand the concern; she was a powerful and volatile SkyWing being taken to the most vulnerable dragons in the kingdom. She snatched the rope from the SeaWing's talons and firmly tied it around her snout. She nodded outside and flapped upwards, waiting for Storm Petrel to lead the way.
She took the hint and flew up to the first floor, landing in a blue-green room adorned with seashells embedded in the walls. There was a desk carved from coral near the back of the room with two hallways branching further inside on either side of it, labeled 'General Care' and 'Nursery' respectively. At the desk sat a wiry turquoise SeaWing with tired eyes. He glanced up briefly when he heard the two enter but did a double-take at the sight of the great red dragoness. Storm Petrel quickly explained before the secretary jotted down in one of the many papers littering his desk. He gestured towards the 'Nursery' door and the two proceeded.
They passed a large room with a number of eggs in varying stages of development, but Wildfire payed no more than a glance. Her baby wouldn't be in there. She followed Storm Petrel further down the hall, who remained blissfully silent for once. They finally reached a narrow staircase and crept down. The stairs led to another long hallway, dimly lit by glowing lanterns that shone a gentle turquoise. Storm Petrel suddenly stopped, the hall seemingly ending at a small pool.
"So we're going to have to do a little swimming. I'll keep my tail lit so you don't get lost!" Wildfire scowled. She hated swimming, especially in the ocean. It was too salty and cold and murky for her liking. Storm Petrel dove into the water with barely a splash and looked back at the SkyWing. "It won't be too long a way. Remember, just watch for my tail," she chirped before diving under, a small green light already emanating from below.
Wildfire took a deep breathe through her nose and went under. The water was an unpleasant shock from the warm, humid air above but nowhere near as cold as she expected. She crouched to fit through the short tunnel and awkwardly crept after the blinking light ahead of her. Her eyes stung from the salty water. She had no clue how SeaWings lived like this, always under the suffocating weight of the water with no sunlight. She'd much rather be high in the mountains with freedom to spread her wings and soar wherever she choose.
She was so caught up in her thoughts she barely noticed the light was now above her, just a wiggling tail dipped into the water. Wildfire surfaced with a messy splash, breathing in the air deeply through her nose. She pulled herself out of the water and flopped onto the rocky floor. Storm Petrel sat above her, a content smile on her face. "I always forget how slow you other tribes are in the water. Anyways, we're here! You're in luck, your daughter seems stable enough now that you can handle her, but you still gotta be real gentle."
Wildfire ignored her and took in her surroundings now she blinked away the water on her face. The first thing she noticed was how warm and humid the cave was, almost like the rainforest. The ceiling was rather low in this central chamber and she had to duck slightly to avoid bumping her head. It was dimly lit as well, almost like it was lit with candles. The stone was an odd light purple in color and smooth like eons of water wore away at it. The source of the light, however, were a number of small volcanic vents sparsely emerging from gouges in the rocky walls.
Storm Petrel saw her lingering gaze and smiled brightly, a sign she was about to lecture her. "Oh, those vents are really cool, huh? You must be wondering how they don't spit out lava or toxic gasses right? Well this whole cave system is animus enchanted!" Wildfire tensed ever so slightly. She didn't like animus dragons, or rather their corruptive power. Anything animus wasn't to be trusted, as you never know what spells could be secretly cast on them. If she was the one who held such a power, however, it would be an entirely different story. The bubbly SeaWing didn't notice and continued her rant.
"It was made hundreds of years ago by our Prince Spindrift as an indestructible safe bunker for royalty to hide in in case of an emergency. But we haven't needed it in over a hundred years so we've converted it to a secondary nursery made for dragonets who need the extra care and protection," she concluded. The tall SkyWing began tapping her tail on the floor and gave her a pointed look. "Oh yeah! She should be in the cave ahead."
Wildfire followed her gaze to an opening in the rock, leading to another smaller room she could already see had a number of dragons crowded in, one being Seastar. She made her way over, ready to see her dragonet.
A small table was in the center of the room, surrounded by four dragons. Two were rather old looking blue SeaWings who gave Wildfire an untrusting stare. The other two were familiar: Seastar and Mosaic.
"Ah, good morning dear! I'm happy to say your daughter is in a stable condition. Just be careful not to wake her, that was difficult in and of itself," he chuckled. The SandWing sidled away from the table, allowing her to finally see her only child.
The small dragonet that laid before her was small, smaller than a normal SkyWing dragonet, and covered in delicate lilac scales. Wildfire could already see she was more SeaWing than Skywing. A small row of fins ran down her chest, stopping just before her stomach. But small slightly dulled spines ran down her back like a SkyWing, and a tiny spike jutted from the tip of her nose as well. Her wings, although folded and held close in her sleep were visibly different: one was significantly larger than the other and had a reddish tint to the wing membrane. She lacked the jagged stripes of her father, instead having few rounded spots along her body that glowed a delicate pale yellow. She was sleeping soundly, her tiny snores making her back rise and fall with her breath.
Wildfire could hardly keep herself from leaping over and holding her close. She wasn't what she was expecting, she looked much more like Seastar than herself, but she was perfect. If it wasn't for the kelp rope binding her snout shut, she would tell her just how perfect she was herself.
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Content (bpdstanley)
Category:Fanfictions