If I Die Young

If I Die Young is a story by Beatles Neko. Only edit if there are spelling or grammar errors.
A/N: I was poking around one day, when I noticed there were a couple song-based fanfictions, like Angel and How to save a life. So, I decided to write my own.
IF I DIE YOUNG LYRICS
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in a river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh, uh oh
Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh,
And life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well
I've had just enough time
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well
I've had just enough time
And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger,
I've never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand,
There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever,
Who would have thought forever could be severed by...
...the sharp knife of a short life, oh well?
I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
A penny for my thoughts, oh, no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh (uh, oh)
The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh
The sharp knife of a short life, oh well
I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls.
== If I Die Young ==
===Prologue===
Salty liquid rolled down a scaly cheek. Rain thundered down from the sky. The tall rainforest trees swayed in the violent gusts of wind. Dragons stood, cloaked in black, in front of a figure.
A single dragon stepped forward. She was shuddering violently, and extended a talon to touch the icy cold scales.
"Satin," the dragon rasped, her voice sore from being unused and the coughing, sputtering, and crying.
Lightning flickered down from the sky, illuminating the fallen dragon's peaceful face. It was shaped into a serene smile, more genuine and peaceful than ever seen before.
Another dragon stepped forward, his wings dragging along the ground, becoming caked in mud and soil. He stared at the body, and those his eyes trembled, he had no tears left to shed. All he could do was put a wing on the grieving female's back.
"She's in a better place," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
The male started to guide the female away from the body, when she broke free, and screamed. "Satin!"
A dam of mud gave way. A flood of water came down, decimating everything in its path. The body of the dragon was swept away before the female RainWing's eyes, shattering what was left of her heart.
===Chapter 1===
The sun shone down upon lush, green foliage. The rays reached into every nook, cranny, and splitting of leaves it could.
Below the treetops, it was much darker, the sunlight not reaching below as well. A dark figure slunk through the shade, his dark scales blending well with the dark colours. His talons crushed the leaves undertalon, and his tail slithered across the ground.
In short, he was not being very quiet.
A flash of transparent blurriness shot by. The dragon's head snapped around, and he bared his teeth. His tail lashed, stirring up life. Ants fled his tail's scaly wrath, and small rodents scrambled away so as not to be flung.
Another blurry flash. The NightWing growled, and his purple eyes shone in the darkness.
A small sting of pain suddenly went through his right thigh, and his vision began to blur. The dragon rubbed his drooping eyes, until he fell to the ground, no longer dangerous.
----
Vatten watched the sea swallow up the Sun, its brilliant rays casting shadows and warm light everywhere. The RainWing stretched her wings, her scales shifting colourfully, first to the shining sea, then to the approaching darkness that came from the opposite direction of the setting sun.
The RainWing tucked her wings, and curled up amoungst the leaves. She let the remaining bits of Sun bathe her in its light. She stayed up there until the life-giving star dipped below the horizon, letting the moon illuminate the sky.
"Hey, Vatten! What are you doing up here?" a shaky voice called.
The female lifted her head and looked over her shoulder, smiling at seeing another RainWing flying over.
"Satin," Vatten greeted warmly, but felt her blood freeze at what she saw.
Satin landed shakily, and she looked like she was trying not to show something terrible had happened, but eyes never lie. Hers were full of pain.
Vatten rose suddenly, grasping Satin shoulders, her tail wrapping around her two front feet. "What happened, Satin?"
Satin looked down, sweeping her tail away as she sat down. "Nothing," she replied, not making eye contact.
Vatten sighed. She hated it whenever Satin was in denial. "Something happened," she growled. "Now tell me what it was."
Satin sighed, and plucked Vatten's talons off her shoulders. "It was really nothing, honestly. Father just threw me out the window."
Vatten sighed. "I don't see how you put up with him. I've offered you to come live with me many times, but you always reject. My parents won't mind."
Satin gave a crooked smile. "Your parents already have to take care of four children, I simply couldn't burden them." The RainWing adverted her gaze. "And besides, this town is so poor anyway. It would burden you far too much."
Vatten frowned, dropping her talons down. She stared long and hard at Satin. "But my parents really wouldn't mind taking you in. Or at least help you."
Satin shook her head. "No, I can survive. Honest."
Vatten emitted a deep sigh. "If you say so," she murmured.
Satin smiled. "Hey, I brought a few coins, why don't we go see if there is something in the bakery?"
Vatten smiled. "Sure."
The two RainWings spread their shimmering wings, and took off, weaving through the thick branches. They finally reached the city limits, where the weak lights trickled through the trees.
Satin and Vatten finally landed on the pebbly streets, and walked down the dark roads. Street lamps flickered as they tried to keep the roads illuminated.
At the end of Main Street, the bakery sat, vacant of any costumers. The two female RainWings entered, an old bell tinkling.
A RainWing turned from a stove, and smiled at the two. She had bags under her eyes, her ruffs drooped, her wings sagged, and her tail dragged along the ground.
"'Ello you two; something I can help you with?" she asked.
Satin looked at the goods that were being sold, and then at the little money she had brought with her. Vatten peeked over her friend's shoulder.
"What if we split something?" Satin asked cheerfully.
She's masking the fact she has so little money, Vatten bitterly thought.
"Okay," Vatten replied. She scanned the counter. "What about a cupcake?"
Satin swished her tail, and smiled. "Sure."
She turned to the counter. "One cupcake, please."
The counter RainWing nodded, and grabbed one cupcake. "Would you like that in a bag?"
Satin looked over to Vatten. The latter noted nodded her approval.
"Yes please," Satin told the dragon.
The RainWing placed the cupcake in a bag and Satin forked over the money. The two split the cupcake in half and left the bakery.
"I should probably head home," Satin said as they walked down the road. Vatten stopped, causing Satin to walk into her.
"Are you sure?" Vatten asked.
Satin took a bite out of her cupcake half. She swallowed before speaking. "I'm sure. I can endure whatever Father does to me."
Vatten frowned, and her scales shifted uneasy colours. "If you're sure..."
Satin gave her signature broken smile. "I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Just holler if you need anything," Vatten said, waving her wing as she and her friend parted ways.
===Chapter 2===
Vatten blinked her eyes open as sunlight streamed in through her window. She shifted in her bed, still comfortable under the sheets.
Her eyes half-lidded, the RainWing began to feel herself drift away into sleep. Then, a message lit up on her phone. She grabbed it lazily, and read the message. As soon as she did so, she leaped out of bed.
Vatten grabbed a bagel out of her pantry, and threw on some orange shades and a peach-coloured scarf. The RainWing grabbed her book bag and ran out, tucking her phone inside her bag.
She literally flew full speed ahead down her street. Based on the wet pavement, it had to have been raining.
Vatten arrived at the bus stop just as the last dragon got on. She scrambled up the steps, and the driver gave her a scornful look.
Heaving a deep sigh, she flopped down on a random seat, grabbing her phone once more. She read the message over.
Where are you? Did you miss the first bus?
-Satin
The small, humid town had the bus pick up kids once, drop them off at school, and then go around and pick up the kids who had busy mornings or were just stragglers. The same was with after school. The bus drivers didn't like this, and at first, Vatten didn't think it was a very good idea. But now that she had almost missed school, she was glad that the second bus came around.
Vatten quickly ate the bagel, and checked her bag to make sure she did all her homework. She was good to go.
The RainWing typed a quick reply back to Satin.
I forgot there was school today. I missed the first bus, but right now I'm on the second one.
-V@TT3N
Vatten relaxed, when she got another message from Satin. She looked at her phone, when she heard raindrops starting to splatter against the window.
Clouds must have been moving in.
Okay, I'll meet you at the lobby.
-Satin
Turning off her phone, and placing it in its special spot in her book bag, Vatten turned and looked out the window. The rain had progressed from a small drizzle to a complete and utter downpour. She shivered at the thought of walking through that monster.
The bus pulled as close to the school as it could, and Vatten took advantage of that, zooming into the school as soon as her first talon touched the ground.
Just as promised, the first dragon Vatten saw was Satin. She smiled at her friend as she entered.
"So, you overslept?" Satin asked, adjusting herself. She was wearing a scarf like Vatten, but it was accompanied by bandages.
Vatten winced at seeing her friend like that. But, she didn't want to press matters. It could majorly upset Satin.
"Yeah," Vatten admitted, as she started down the hall to her locker. "How was your morning?" she asked, making it seem like an innocent question.
A rare, genuine smiled flickered across Satin's face. "Better than usual. Father was out cold, so he didn't pester me this morning."
Vatten smiled, as she punched in her locker's code, and opened it. She unloaded what she didn't into her locker, and kept what she would need first period in her book bag. "That's good," she said happily.
"Yeah," Satin replied, her gaze drifting away.
"Where's your stuff?" Vatten asked, breaking the silence by talking and closing her locker.
"Oh, it's already in my class," Satin said, looking back over at Vatten.
"Are you okay?" Vatten asked. She tried not to ask this question today, but she was so overprotective of Satin. She was the little sister she never had. All her siblings were brothers.
"Yes, I'm fine," Satin said, giggling.
"Okay," Vatten said. "See you around!"
She waved her talons as she walked off, and Satin did similar.
----
After the first periods of the day, Vatten was glad that it was lunch time. She was able to see Satin, and she didn't have homework dumped on her.
When arriving at the lunch room, Vatten was surprised to see that Satin wasn't there. They had one table that was always deserted. Probably because it was under six dead lights, making it very dark, and with no windows in the area, no sunlight was streaming in.
There was only one table there, and Satin and Vatten always had it to themselves.
But, it wasn't like Satin at all to arrive after Vatten. Her last class and locker was closer to the lunch room than Vatten's; she practically had to walk across school to get there.
Vatten had a feeling in her gut that something wasn't right. She left the lunch room, and began searching the school. She looked through every nook and cranny, until she heard a sobbing. Tracking the noise, she found it was tucked between two lockers in a dark hallway.
"Satin?" Vatten asked. It could be other RainWings. There were plenty of dragons who got picked on at the fairly violent school. Whether it be words or physical contact, many dragons got their fair share of bullying.
The sobbing RainWing looked up, and they met eyes. "Satin..." Vatten whispered.
Satin was a mess. Her bandages had been ripped off, letting her wounds bleed, Vatten also thought she spotted a few new wounds, and the RainWing's scarf had been ripped into threads and draped all over her as though she were a decorative tree.
Vatten crouched, and touched Satin gently, who flinched. "Shh, it's alright," she whispered soothingly.
Satin's sobs became hiccupping coughs, until finally just ragged breathing.
"What happened?" Vatten asked, searching her lunch bag for the napkins she'd packed.
"C-Condor and h-his friends a-attacked m-me when they s-saw my band-d-dages," Satin said shakily.
Vatten kept a reserved expression, though inside, she felt like someone had started a fire. She knew that even with her calm face, Satin would know the fury she felt. Finally finding the napkins, she used one to dab away the tears, and the others to clean up the wounds and blood as best she could.
Then, Vatten pulled off all the threads of her scarf, and was about to throw it in the trash when Satin stopped her.
"No! I'll sew them together," Satin insisted, putting each and every one around her neck until it had the appearance of a ragged, past-its-due-date scarf.
Vatten sighed, and gave a small, ghost of a smile. "Let's get you to the nurse's office," she said.
The two walked down. Or at least, one walked. The other limped.
----
Satin had gone home early because of her wounds, but Vatten wasn't so sure that was a good idea. Her father might beat her because she didn't defend herself, or some other illogical reason.
When school ended, and Vatten was putting everything in her locker, she got a message from Satin.
I'm not going to school tomorrow. Can you get the homework for me?
-Satin
Vatten sighed. She had today's work for Satin, and was going to take the later bus to her house, since Satin walked to and from school.
Sure.
-V@TT3N
Vatten got everything, and proceeded her walk to school. She wasn't really able to do any homework while walking, but it was a short walk. When she reached Satin's house, she shivered.
The house was small, and painted a pale, dull, gaudy yellow. Dead plants along the front of the house showed the unsuccessful attempt at growing a garden, and the grass was dead, announcing how it was never watered. Shingles were falling off the roof, and the windows were scratched, ensuring no one looked through. The path to the front door was falling apart, and front door was made of scratched, rotting wood, with a busted screen in front of it. Ivy grew up the walls, snaking around, as though trying to break into the house over the years. If it weren't for the poorness of the town, and the state of houses that were like this, except a little...nicer-looking, this house could possibly be deemed a health hazard.
Swallowing, Vatten approached the front door. When she did, she opened the screen door, than gave the rotting wood a small knock.
A big, burly RainWing opened the door roughly. He had bloodshot eyes with bags under them, talons with...blood? on them, dull scales, and sharp teeth poking out of his mouth.
"Who are you?" he snarled.
"I-I'm Vatten, Satin's friend. I'm here with her homework," Vatten replied. The dragon was rather intimidating.
"Fine. Come in. Satin's in her room. After you drop off her homework, leave." The RainWing turned and walked away, going into a grubby-looking kitchen.
Vatten picked her way through the house, trying to guess which room was which. She finally found a door at the end of the tattered hallway that had satin draped across it. Cautious, she opened the door, and saw Satin lying in bed, her breathing calm, but ragged.
"Satin?" Vatten asked, opening the door wider.
Satin's eyes opened, and she smiled. "Vatten..."
"I brought your homework," Vatten replied, setting down a file on her bed.
"Thank you," Satin said gratefully, grabbing it and flipping through it. While she did this, Vatten took the time to examine her friend's room.
It definitely looked a lot nicer than the rest of the house. The bed was tidily tucked in a corner, and her door wasn't too rotted. The carpet looked a little shaggy, but being kept clean was clear. Yet, there were red spots on it. Sickened, Vatten refrained from looking at it any longer. The walls were a silky grey colour, and the dresser, desk, and desk chair were white. A mirror she had was cracked and chilling, while a closet was cracked open, but not wide enough to reveal was laid inside.
"Well, I better go before your father kills me," Vatten said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
A ghost of a smile graced Satin's snout. "Yeah. You should probably hop out my window. My father might yell at you for being here longer than five minutes."
Vatten could tell her RainWing friend was serious, and walked over to the window. She opened it gently, and waved goodbye. Satin did similar. At that, she hopped out the window, and back to her school to catch the late bus.
== Chapter 3 ==
A month passed. Ad every day of this month, Satin did not arrive at school. And every afternoon after school was out for the day, Vatten would bring her homework to her. She'd sneak in through the horrible window. Every morning, she'd get the homework from Satin, and bring it to school.
One day, she texted Satin, telling her that she was coming to get the homework, when a different reply than usual came back to her.
You don't need to.
-Satin
Confused, Vatten shrugged it off, and left, catching the bus to school. She clambered off the steps when it arrived, and entered the building.
The RainWing was putting her things away went she felt a weak tap on the shoulder. Spinning around, Vatten saw it was Satin.
"Satin," she breathed, enveloping her friend in a hug. The RainWing returned it. "It seems like such a long time."
"I saw you yesterday," Satin said, smiling somberly.
"But that was only for about three minutes," Vatten replied, collecting what she needed for her first period.
Satin blinked, before her gaze wandered away. Vatten had to wonder what was on the RainWing's mind. What it was like, to have such a fragile mind. To have such fragile mentality.
Vatten checked the clock, and almost jumped out of her scales. "Wow, we better get to class!"
Satin looked over, her sad smile returning. "Yeah."
The two parted ways.
----
This may contain sensitive material for some readers.
"What's wrong, shrimp?" Vatten glared up at the RainWing before her. Satin was trembling behind her, tears running down her snout.
It had happened again, but this time, Vatten had intervened before they could potentially kill her friend. "Leave her alone," Vatten rasped.
"Leave her alone? Who made you the boss of me?" the RainWing bully hissed, roughly kicking Vatten. It took all her might not to gasp in pain. She knew Satin could tell she was trying to remain strong.
"Think you can tell me what to do? Re-examine your pathetic life!" the bully yelled in Vatten's face. His comrades laughed behind him, apparently find the entire thing very amusing.
"Leave her alone," Vatten said, but this time, her voice was frosted over with ice. She watched as the bully took one startled step back.
"Psssh, you'll regret this," he hissed, walking off with his friends.
Pulling herself upward, Vatten turned and saw Satin shaking, sobs racketing her body. The RainWing lowered herself down. "Shh..."
Vatten wiped away the tears. "Don't listen to them. They can't tell a hockey stick from a baseball bat," she murmured, comforting the sobbing RainWing before her.
The lights flickered out in the hallway, probably from being on for so long, and low school budget, and the two remained, on vigil.
Category:Genre (Poetry)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Content (Rainpool123)
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)