We Can Try

Note: Contains a bit of light gore. 
== We Can Try ==
=== Chapter One ===
Peril stepped down the stairs, her heart pounding with glee. The third battle this week, and against a SkyWing! They almost never had traitors, they all knew to be loyal.
Like me, she thought. She was completely loyal. She was going to destroy this traitor right now, too! She grinned as the other dragons parted around her, giving her an easy path. She sometimes regretted being a fireborn, but it was a good thing. That's what Scarlet said.
And Scarlet was her queen, her protector, the only dragon who liked her. She'd given her the black rocks so she didn't die, gave her something to do, something to be proud of.
And right now, it was her job to kill a traitor. She stepped into the arena, opening her wings in a public display of her smoking scales. The dragons roared for their champion, wanting gore, wanting blood.
The guards shoved the SkyWing into the arena. His wings were bound, like always, and he had a thin build. Hard to make thrilling, but Peril could do it. For the queen.
"On this side, our champion, PERIL!!!" shouted Vermilion, winging onto the boulder in the middle. His cocky smile and assuring face made him the perfect announcer. The crowd screeched her name, and cries of Yes, or Kill, or even BLOOD! 
"And on the other side, the traitor, Harpy!" Vermilion said with a dramatic point. The crowd once again yelled, but this time with hate.
"BEGIN!"
Peril opened her wings and dived towards Harpy, her blood filling with adrenaline, the thrill of fight, of blood. Harpy rolled off just a second before she struck. She growled at him, and opened her wings, blocking off most of his escapes.
"Please... please don't kill me...," the dragon pleaded, panicked. She ignored his cries. This was her duty to the queen, to everyone. She took a step closer, and he shuffled back into the corner, knowing her abilities. 
She felt a twang of guilt. What did this young dragon do to deserve this? The way he looked so scared.. it made her sad. He could have been a friend, in another world. But he was a traitor, and she was the Queen's Champion.
She lunged, her claws plunging into his underbelly. She closed her ears, trying to mute his painful screech. She sunk her claws deeper, and she saw his scales blackening, burning. His eyes faded out as his screech was silenced. 
The guards dragged away the body as Peril watched, her mouth turning into a slight frown. She felt a angry wingbeat behind her, and she turned, facing Queen Scarlet.
"That was less than thrilling. It could have been better, but it was probably better not to last it out. But still, at least try, dear," Scarlet told her, smiling sickly. 
"Yes, your majesty," Peril sighed. She sidestepped as the Queen and her guards walked past. She walked after them, frowning. She walked through the empty maze of hallways to her quarters.
She was about to flop onto her bed and take a rest, but a dragon stepped in and gave her a grin.
"That was great! Did you even see the look on his face? Ha, that was great! Good luck next battle!" The dragon told her, that cocky grin still on his face. 
"Thanks, Vermilion," Peril said, and turned around toward the wall. The stone door clunked shut as he left. How could a dragon feel so happy, even though he was watching murder every day? Just another mystery.
Peril sighed as she dozed off. 
=== Chapter Two ===
Vermilion stretched his wings as he left Peril's room. He felt good, giving her a complement. She got so much hate. He'd been hearing all the new gossip, and rumors about Peril were spreading, and they weren't nice.
He headed over to the tavern. It was where everything happened, all the chatter, all the gossip. Scarlet had put him in charge of stopping any unsavory rumors, true or false. He tucked his wings in as he stepped in. All the normal scenery. The bar, the dragons, the constant chit-chat. 
"Eyy, V, come on over! Wyvern just said he'd bet a bar o' gold on the next battle! He thinks the challenger'll win! What a fool!" yelled his friend Griffon. Vermilion walked over and shoved himself onto the chair.
"V, Peril's in trouble in this one! Next up's a hybrid, half blood-red MudWing, half NIGHTWING! Fire resistant, with mind reading and foresight! My gold bar's gonna be back with papa by tomorrow night!" Wyvern told him excitedly. 
"Guys, guys, I think Peril's gonna be just fine. Fire resistant isn't fire immunity!" Vermilion told them, getting excited. This battle would be exciting, he just knew it!
"Yea right! Peril's going to be dead before dawn tomorrow. You know how rebellious she's getting. She almost left yesterday, before the battle. Haven't you heard? It's the most important news there's been all week!" yelled a server at them.
A cold chill went down Vermilion's back. Peril was going to be dead? How and why? How would she die?
"Wait... why?" he asked the server. They rolled their eyes, like; You don't know? Vermilion frowned.
"So basically," the server started, "Peril's getting too rebellious, and definitely too dangerous. So Scarlet's sending an assassin to get rid of the problem. Its not like the dragons like her, they like the battles she's in," the server told him.
"Well. That's something... anyway, guys... I have to leave. For a ba-battle meeting. Yes," Vermilion stammered. He couldn't let the Queen's Champion die. Scarlet didn't see it, but without Peril, the arena would be worth half a rat tail.
He stood up and without a word, walked down the corridors to Peril's room. She had to still be asleep, but he could wait. He stepped into the room and sat down, waiting.
=== Chapter Three ===
Peril woke up to face Vermilion's concerned face.
"ARGH!" She yelled, almost skewering him in shock. Why was he here again, and why did he look so worried?
"O-Okay... Peril, I know this is weird, buuut... Queen Scarlet is sending an assassin after you! You need to hide," he said, panic in his voice.
But wait... why would Scarlet want to kill me? she thought. She didn't want to, but she had to admit that it was something Scarlet would do. But anyway, she didn't need to hide.
"Well, I can defend myself. I don't need to hide. I can just burn anyone who tries!" She told him matter-of-factly. He shook his head sadly.
"I think it's going to be something else. A dragon who's immune to fire, I think. He's been hired to kill you, by Scarlet. You have to hide! Please. For the sake of all the dragons of the arena. We can't lose the Champion," he said hastily.
She realized he was right. He would know, he knew all the gossip, all the arena news. She had to trust him. "Okay," she mumbled.
He gestured for her to walk out. She did, and he closed the door behind them. She wasn't good at stealth, but she tried. She curled in her wings and tried to be quiet, but she knew she wasn't doing the best. Her talonsteps lightly echoed across the halls, while Vermilion's didn't make a sound.
He motioned to a window and flew out. She followed suit. They quietly flew through the sky, looking for a hiding spot. Peril saw a large shape winging toward the palace. She wondered if that was the supposed assassin.
The shape paused, and turned toward them. It started to approach. Peril felt her fear mount, and Vermilion's face told her he was equally terrified. They flew down toward a crag where they could hide.
The dragon followed them. Vermilion muttered something that Peril had once gotten in trouble for saying, and dove into a cave. Peril flew down to another. The dragon wasn't fooled. It flew towards Peril's cave.
Peril could hear her heart pounding in the shadows, her wings shivering from the cold wind. The dragon was know recognizable. A mud-colored dragon, with a black underbelly and seemingly hungry eyes.
As it stepped toward her with small clinking sounds, she knew she couldn't hide. So she sized him up quietly. It was clearly a Mud-Night hybrid. He had metal claws over his real ones to inflict extra damage. She gulped as she looked at him. This fight would not be like Harpy's.
Creak. Creak.
The stones seemed to creak as the dragon approached. Peril steadied herself into a battle-ready form. The dragon stopped in front of her, and lunged.
She sidestepped and tried to scratch him, but he dodged. She panted as she flew out, and he followed her with surprising speed. She tried over and over to claw him, but he kept dodging, landing hits on her when she wasn't on guard. 
They landed on a rocky platform, and all Peril could do was to not let him land a fatal blow. He was fast and skilled, dodging an guarding and attacking all at the same time. Peril would soon be overpowered.
She saw Vermilion sneaking up on the dragon's back, ready to land a hit. But he didn't get the chance. The dragon tackled Peril and she lashed out, scourging black mark across his underbelly.
She rolled him over, now having the upper hand. She knew she only had one shot at this. She stabbed her claws into his underbelly, burning him from the inside. She dug deeper, fury taking her too far as she stabbed him, ruthless as a wolf.
His pained shrieks ended as he died, his body reduced to a shriveled black outline. She looked up, her head clearing. Vermilion stared at her, terrified.
I really am a monster.
=== Chapter Four ===
Vermillion hadn't slept for days. They'd had to get a replacement announcer for a while, his voice was shaky and scattered and not good for announcing right now. Every he time he closed his eyes he saw that hybrid's gory death, up close and personal. Every time he smelled something it had a scent of burnt flesh. Every time he heard something he remembered the painful screeching.
He was scarred. He hadn't left the palace in a week. He was trying to recover, though. Slowly.
He blinked, and breathed. In and out, in and out. Not the dying dragon, his room. He had to calm down. Scarlet might kill him if he couldn't come back to the arena. He had to go back. 
But... He didn't know how. He'd tried watching the battles he'd so gladly watched before, and now he couldn't keep his stomach down watching one. Peril's new kills gave him flashbacks. Bad flashbacks. He often fainted right in the seats. He had to try.
He got off his bed and walked towards the arena. Other dragons cleared out, whispering when they saw him. His recent shocks had been a large part of the kingdom's new gossip. He arrived at the arena just as his replacement, his friend Griffon, announced the new contenders. A SeaWing, a SandWing, and an IceWing. Peril flew down slowly as the crowd cheered. She looked almost as troubled as him.
The three dragons were rounded up into the arena by the guards. They ran around, trying the best they could to avoid Peril's flaming talons as slowly, she caught up to each one.
He held himself together best he could as slowly, each dragon's scales and insides melted down by Peril's claws, their screams lasting unnatural lengths and cutting off quickly as they died.
He could barely watch. But he kept doing it. He had to. For hours and hours each day, he forced himself to watch the dragons shrivel and die by Peril's claws. Slowly his ears adjusted back to hearing the screams. He didn't have flashbacks every time she stabbed her claws into another dragon's underbelly.
He met with Scarlet a few days later.
"Your Highness, I believe I am ready to continue to announce the battles," Vermillion told her. He hoped that she still would accept him.
"Oh, fine... as long as you make it thrilling. We recently caught some very special dragonets who claim to be the infamous dragonets of destiny," She said, slithering around the room, her sinister voice echoing around the gold-plated walls.
"Especially the MudWing, Clay. I do believe he shall make quite the show," She said darkly.
"Quite the show," she whispered again.
WIPCategory:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Content (Blitz the SkyWing)
Category:Genre (Romance)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)