Legends ~ Drip and Scorch

DRIP HAS A DREAM. SCORCH HAS THE POWER.
Breaking down walls, revealing the truth, finding friends and foes... Peace has been restored in Pyrrhia, but a spirit remains. Everything has a consequence.
"Nobody accepts that we shouldn’t keep trying to steal from dragons and kill them. Maybe we should try talking to them.
I told them that. I had to leave them for it." - Lapis
Taking place shortly after the Second Arc, here's the tale of a new team, heroic allies, unseen misdeeds... and an old felon.
And so it begins.
The first dragon you meet here is SandSerpent. He's no one special. But he's different. He has saved a life. Moreover, in a place where poverty is abundant and kindness is fading. An act of selflessness. Virtue has brought him to a higher destiny than his peers. More lives could be saved. 
But it's not up to SandSerpent to save these lives. This savior doesn't know they are the savior. First, they need to know who's the enemy. It's not always that easy.
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We have transitioned from a weekly schedule to an irregular schedule. We feel that continuing on a weekly schedule will result in lower quality chapters. 
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“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
__TOC__
==Cover Info==
<tabber>
|-|Please Read This!= 
===Please Read This===
*Firstly, we recommend reading in the PDFs. The format is more organized and there is more font variety. To access the PDFs, click on the chapter title.
*DISCLAIMER: This fanfiction is still in progress. The storyline plot is already determined, but writing, proofreading, and revising is still an ongoing process. The published text is still subject to change. Feedback, corrections, and suggestions are always appreciated!
*PLEASE! Do not edit unless you are given permission or what you want to edit is a simple grammar mistake. If there is a grammatical or format mistake in a PDF, comment the mistake and we will fix it. Please do not edit the preface (summary/intro, prophecy, or tabber). Thank you!!
|-|Credits=
===Credits===
Before the story begins, I'd like to give credit to those who have contributed to the fanfiction. 
*Storyboarding, editing, cover art, writing, and publishing -- @DripTheSeawing
* Writing, editing, text design, some character design, and publishing -- @Quadractive (aka. ScorchTSw)
We are still open to art contributions! Please reach out to us if you are willing to illustrate an OC. Your credit will be posted here.
*"Tiger-eye" OC contribution -- @Angel Of madness001
|-|OC Links=
===OC Links===
The OC links provided below will navigate you to a page with info, trivia, and illustrations of the character. New characters and information will be added as the book is released so that spoilers will be avoided. 
*Drip the SeaWing
*Scorch the SandWing
*SandSerpent the SandWing (Needs Art)
*Honeydewmellon the LeafWing (WIP)
*Wiki the Scroll (WIP. Needs Art)
*Lapis the Human (WIP. Needs Art)
*Primrose the SandWing (WIP. Needs Art)
*Wilt the NightWing (WIP)
*Potter the MudWing (WIP. Needs Art)
*Leaflike the RainWing (WIP. Needs Art)
*Tiger-Eye the Celestial (WIP. Needs Art)
*Lazuli the Human (WIP. Needs Art)
</tabber>
==Prophecy of the Deep==
==Prologue - SandSerpent ==
33 years before the Brightest Night...
SandSerpent had never been the exploitive type. It’s what separated him from the rest. Not exploitive, that is, except for when he chose his name, of course.
He was an orphan, a 6-year-old SandWing rebuked by society everywhere but the Scorpion Den, just like the other several dozens of SandWing dragonets trying to make a living.
“Serpent, yer shift’s off!” called a rough voice. It was the shopkeeper. SandSerpent picked up the fish-goop infested washing cloths and a bucket of water off the floor, bringing them out the back alleyway of the shop for a rinse.
SandSerpent sighed. He always felt that he had a bigger purpose in life than washing floors. It didn’t even pay much. But it was the only job anyone would accept an orphan for. The Scorpion Den was the hotspot of the desert, a dense Dragon town of shelter from the sun, but not from dragons.
SandSerpent walked back into the store once he was finished. “Mister, may I get a portion of my paycheck early? My stash is running low and now I don’t even have enough to buy a roasted lizard.”
“Low? Ho ho, you get more money than a fat leprechaun. What’d you spend it all on? A house?” he laughed as he juggled a gold coin in one of his talons. “Go eat sssand, Serpent,” he hissed. A few drops of saliva sprayed onto SandSerpent’s snout, and he flinched. SandSerpent wasn’t lying; he had been paid only one opal a week. That equates to about 2 ducks, not many.
SandSerpent submitted and left the shop, wondering what his next meal would be. Selfish fish seller, he thought, then snickered to himself.
“Hey guys!” a small voice called. Before SandSerpent could find out who said it, he felt a shiver of painfulness at the childhood memories the innocent, young voice brought up.
SandSerpent looked in the direction of the voice. It was a small SandWing, probably 2 years old, a couple buildings away. “What y’all up to? I wanna play too!” he said. It was not often that SandSerpent heard such a lighthearted young dragonet, so unwary of his surroundings.
Then he saw who the young dragonet was talking to. A few other dragonets, twice as old and mean as the first one, but not as strong or smart as SandSerpent. He knew what would happen next.
SandSerpent wound back through the shop. “Ay, watch it!” he heard. Once he got out the back doorway, he turned left and kept going until he got to the alleyway where the detestable SandWings were encroaching on the poor dragonet.
“Wh- what’s wrong?” the young dragonet said, concerned.
SandSerpent glared at the bullies. Their scowling faces reminded him exactly of his childhood struggle. It was awful.
SandSerpent scowled back. “Go bully someone your own size, dimwits.”
“Yeah? What ye gonna do, Bigwings? Haha, you’s outnumbered here. We’s got business with this newbie,” the largest of them said.
SandSerpent hissed and knocked down a small wooden pole with his tail. The fabric awning it was supporting whooshed down as the three dragonets gaped upward. The fabric of the awning stretched across them on the ground like a blanket. SandSerpent and the little dragonet watched through the dust as the bullies ungracefully struggled free and scrambled out of the alleyway, humiliated.
SandSerpent couldn't hold back his smile.
“Wowsers,” the dragonet whispered. SandSerpent lowered his wings and shifted his focus to the little dragonet. They were now alone in the alleyway.
“Oh, uh, hi there. My name is SandSerpent.”
“Hi.”
An awkward pause.
“You need to be more careful. It’s every dragon for himself out here. I haven’t seen you around. Where from?”
“The stronghold,” the dragonet said. “It’s weally far away.”
“What? Why are you here, in the Scorpion Den?”
“Daddy had to talk to Miss Thorn about something big and weally serious. Anyway, I never been to this place, so I came here to play with the servants. They not nice as my daddy’s.”
“Ok. Wait, who’s your dad?”
“My dad? Um, everybody else calls him Char, and they bow and say ‘Majestry’ a bunch. I dunno exactly why. But anyways, he’s busy right now. I asked Palm to go and ask him how much longer he would take. I got bored and that’s why I came to look for dragons to play with. Sandy, I wanna go home now.”
“By the sun’s fury!” SandSerpent gasped. “Scurrying scavengers, you’re a prince, and we gotta get you back!”
“Hey! YOU TWO!” came an irritated, tough-sounding voice. “Worms, fix this awning RIGHT NOW, or I'll HUNT YOU DOWN MYSELF!” it boomed.
“Time to go!” SandSerpent shouted and darted further back into the alleyway as he pulled the unexpecting wide-eyed dragonet behind him.
“Ack! Woah! Bellowing butterflies!” he said. He was small and couldn’t keep up with SandSerpent at full speed, although he was good for his age at using his wings to help avoid obstacles. SandSerpent slowed down a little.
Left, right... Right! Right. Left! Left again! SandSerpent thought as they shot through twists and turns on the way to Thorn’s Oasis. SandSerpent had lived in the Scorpion Den almost all his life, so he knew his way around the dark alleys. The furious dragon became harder to hear, and the dragonets began to relax a little.
In a few moments they burst out into the bustling central road that led up to Thorn’s Oasis. SandSerpent slowed down even more to make sure the little prince was not lost in the river of dragons and talons and tail barbs.
Meanwhile, Palm and King Char were anxiously searching for the prince. Thorn was ordering some SandWings to search as well.
“Scorch! SCORCH!” King Char bellowed.
“Go! Find him!” Thorn ordered.
Just as the guards were about to disperse and as King Char was about to lose hope, the little dragonet -- Scorch -- came running up to his father. His face was bright with delight, and King Char’s relief was immeasurable. Thorn and her guards watched, relieved as well.
“Scorch! Where have you been? And who is this?” Palm called out. Unlike the others, Palm was angry and shameful, feeling that the blame was on her.
“I went to find friends, but they not nice here,” Scorch explained. “Sandy made them run away.”
SandSerpent finally felt the adrenaline of the situation. “My name is SandSerpent. I’m just another orphan trying to make a living. King Char, Your Majesty, I saw him being cornered by a few dragonets and spared him. Your Highness, I didn’t know he was a prince!”
SandSerpent expected the king to come and throw him in jail. He had never even thought about talking to the SandWing king. Neither did he expect to ever see a king this close to crying. But it was not so.
“Thank you,” said King Char, humbled. He looked back at Scorch, who was still hugging him. “I was beginning to think I lost my son. I wish there were more dragons like you in this world.”
SandSerpent sheepishly stood at the entrance to Thorn’s Oasis.
“I hear you’re an orphan. I am truly sorry for your loss.”
SandSerpent looked at the ground. There hadn't been a single hour when he didn’t wish his parents were there, ever since he found out how cruel the world can be.
Scorch turned and looked at SandSerpent. “Well, wanna come live with us? We got plenty of room.”
SandSerpent was lost for words at the sudden suggestion.
After a moment, King Char also looked up. “Would you?”
These words changed SandSerpent's life. He was shocked. He had just been invited into a new life with a new family, even as he was scrubbing floors laden with fish parts not long ago.
“S-s-sir, uhm- yeah!- I mean, yes sir! I would love that!- Your Majesty!” SandSerpent blurted.
For the first time in a long while, King Char laughed. “Come rest.”
Prologue Recap
33 years before the Brightest Night...SandSerpent, a 6-year-old orphaned SandWing who lives in the Scorpion Den, is just trying to make a living. He finishes his job for the day. He leaves the shop, wondering what his next meal will be. Then he hears a 2-year-old dragonet. The little SandWing innocently wants to play with a group of slightly older dragonets, but is unaware that they are actually bullies. SandSerpent fends the bullies off. He talks with the dragonet and finds out that he is a prince who wandered off. SandSerpent takes the dragonet back to Thorn's Oasis, which is where the dragonet said his father, King Char, and caretaker, Palm, were. When they get there, King Char is very grateful. The dragonet, whose name is Scorch, childishly asks SandSerpent if he would like to live with the Royal Family, since they have plenty of room. Surprisingly, King Char, humbled by SandSerpent and Scorch's youth, also asks if SandSerpent would like a new home with them. SandSerpent accepts. 
*What would've been different if Queen Oasis was there, instead of King Char?
*What would've happened to SandSerpent if he hadn't saved Scorch?
==Chapter 1 - Lapis==
Peaceful. Calm. 
The wind on my face was the only sound. It supported my wings and gave way for me to pass. The sun rose behind me and serenely lit everything it saw. Gliding above the clouds was a lovely place to be. 
I was approaching the village. I playfully swooped down through a cloud. Moisture gathered into droplets on my body, flowing through my scales and giving me exhilarating energy.  
Once I was below the cloud, I briskly rotated my wings to catch the air. It once again supported my weight as sure as the ground below. I softly landed in the forest outside the village. 
Feeling nervous, I hesitated. What will they think? my mind puzzled. I hadn’t thought this far. I ruffled my wings.  
Quenching my uncertainty, I walked into the village, as I had a thousand times before. Then came the first scream. 
“AAAAAAUGH!!!!” I heard, startled. “DRAGON! DRAGON!” the little boy shouted as he ran to his parents, where he started crying. They glanced at me with a shot of pure terror and rushed away with the child. 
I was heartbroken to see that terror. 
Wait, I tried to say, following them. Wait! I’m Lapis! Don’t worry! 
But it just wouldn’t come out. 
I won’t hurt you! Wait... 
Then more people noticed me. Children and their parents took refuge, expecting the worse. Those on the street began to panic. I looked at them, but then they ran away. I was the villain here. 
I’M NOT A DRAGON! I tried to shout, desperately and angrily, as hard as I could. Please... I tried. But they couldn’t hear me. I couldn’t hear myself. I was moving my mouth, but it was not speaking. The village was descending into chaos. Everything was falling apart. I couldn’t take it. 
Then I noticed someone with a crossbow pointed straight at me. 
It wasn’t just anybody. It was my father. 
I stared at him, stunned with deep misery. 
“I’m not a dragon...” I whispered.  
I awoke. Light shone through my window, just like every morning. The first thing I saw was a small bird, perched on my windowsill, staring at me. There were no dragons. 
No dragons, I assured myself, wiping away a tear. 
“Lapis!” someone shouted, knocking on my bedroom door. I startled, and the curious bird flew away. “Get up! We’re waiting for you so we can eat!” It was my mom. I rose from my stone-cold bed. 
“Coming ma,” I shouted. I threw on some clothes and rushed out of my room. “Sorry,” I yawned. 
She grumbled back, “You’re an eighteen-year-old. You should be used to waking up early by now. Great dragons! You should’ve moved out by now. Huh.” 
I ignored my mother and plopped down at the breakfast table as she got back to cooking. Rich, creamy eggs awaited me, alongside crisp, goopy bacon which emitted a salty meat smell that filled the air. 
“What took you so long, little sleepyhead?” asked mom, absently. 
“Nightmare again.” 
“What was it about?” 
“I told you already! it is personal!” I lashed out. 
Mom paused and looked up at me for a second. “Okay, okay, son.” 
Mom resumed cooking. There was an awkward pause. 
“So, any plans today?” my father asked before he took a sip of his herbal tea. 
“More dragon studying,” I replied. “Lazuli must be waiting for me by now.” 
Another awkward pause. Dad seemed lost in thought. 
My mom sighed. “Son,” she started. “There's something we need to discuss.” 
“Yes,” my dad added, coming back to attention. “Remember all those books about dragons? Just one of them can destroy a whole town, and they have! Imagine what one of them could do to you if you let them see you.” Dad sighed. “Listen, Lapis, although we agree that your work is very interesting, we have decided it is best for your own safety to stop going near those dragons. Okay? I don’t want you going out to the field anymore. It’s dangerous.” 
“But it’s not just interesting! It’s more than interes-” 
“No more,” Dad interrupted. 
Dad was always the kind of person taking charge, but I knew he didn’t like forcing me to follow rules. He expected me to take this seriously. “Okay,” I responded, looking at the floor. But I didn’t really mean it. 
I’ve been obsessed with dragons since I was ten. When I was twelve, I started studying their behavior patterns and keeping journals of different individuals. To this day, I still study them, research them, and dream of them. 
Most people see dragons as terrifying, horrible creatures with an instinct to kill. In my opinion, that’s only because of the war that just ended. For years, I’ve been observing dragons fight in oddly human-like battles all the time. However, as of recent times, there hasn’t been much fighting. Different types of dragons are even getting along with each other.  
My family’s tribe is mobile; we move from place to place yearly. Even though it takes a lot of work to move, our tents are quite luxurious. In about a week, I’m feeling at home again. There are four locations that we move between, each one having replenished resources such as fertile soils and abundant water by the time we move back to them. In each location, I’ve made some type of secret hang-out area where me and Lazuli, my best friend, spend most of our time. 
During our travels, I’ve been able to observe every type of dragon in Pyrrhia. First are sand dragons: They breathe fire, have venomous tail barbs, and blend into the sand. Next are ice dragons: They breathe frost instead of fire and can withstand very cold environments. Next are earth dragons: They breathe fire, can hold their breath for a long time, and like to hide in the mud. There are many more, but my favorite dragons are the sea dragons. They don’t breathe fire or ice, but they have gills to breathe underwater. They also swim surprisingly well, and they sometimes appear to communicate underwater with their bioluminescent scales. 
“Welp, I’ve gotta get to work,” my dad yawned as he stood up. The village was beginning to bustle. “Those weapons at the smithy aren’t gonna mend themselves.” My dad grabbed his tools and headed out the door after kissing my mom. “Be good, Lapis. Remember: It’s for your own safety.” I headed out the door too, waving goodbye as I left.  
As I made my way to the secret cave, I thought out loud, “Today’s the day, I can feel it!” 
“The day for what?” I heard someone behind me say. I whipped around to see Lazuli. He had the same odd, blue hair and shimmering eyes as me. The other village children swear we look as if we were twins, even though we’re not. 
“So, what’s the big plan today?” Lazuli asked again, snacking on a spotted banana. 
“It’s kind of a secret,” I replied, opening the door to my hidden cave hideout. “Sorry.” 
Lazuli looked disappointed. “Dude! I’ve kept every single one of your secrets since we were six!” he exclaimed. I stopped to ponder for a second. He’s right, I thought. Lazuli and I have shared secrets since early childhood. He has never let one slip. 
“Well,” I said. Lazuli gave me a sideways glance and a smile. “All right, but you better not laugh, OK?” I replied 
“Haha, promise,” Lazuli assured, pleased. 
“Come inside,” I called as I entered the cave. 
It was not that big of a cave, but plenty enough space for me and Lazuli, considering we didn’t eat or sleep in it. It was sort-of roundish shaped, naturally made. I assumed it previously stretched farther back, but caved in at some point, evident of the roughness on the back wall. Me and Lazuli smoothed it out with the excess brick mortar from construction of the front brick wall so that moisture wouldn’t seep into the cave. 
I’ve always been a good painter. I painted a mural of flying dragons on top of the mortar on the back wall and on the inside of the front wall. It was probably one of the best paintings I’ve ever done so far, and the dragons were even anatomically accurate based on my research. It was so vibrant when lit that it almost looked like I was outside, in the field. 
“So, I love studying dragons, as you know,” I start, “But I’ve always wondered what it feels like to be a dragon; to see through a dragon’s eyes. Well, in my studies, I’ve done two things: Firstly, I’ve sold my newfound information to other humans to make a little money. I’ve been storing it up here for a while now.” I pointed to my desk on the left side of the cave. It was covered in papers, candles, books, and boxes, with a scroll rack hanging on the wall near it. “Secondly, I’ve discovered that some dragons can cast spells and use magic. Real magic!” 
Lazuli was now sitting on his favorite ledge, next to his stalagmite-hanging hammock. His precious stack of golden pie dish trophies sat atop a higher ledge. He won them from the regional Pie Eating League. “OK, go on!” 
“There’s a particular sand dragon I’ve been watching. It has this floating magic scroll that follows it around. The dragon’s behavior indicates that it's probably the gold keeper for the ruler of the sand dragons. And some of the dragon scrolls I’ve deciphered talked about dragons who could enchant anything. So, I plan to bribe him to turn me into a dragon! Although, I’ve never actually seen him perform magic, so I might have to really put in some skin and make him do it.” 
As I finished, Lazuli started choking on his banana as if he’d just tried to suppress a laugh. I glared at him with a stony face. 
“Sorry!” he muffled, then swallowed. “Hey, your idea’s so good it caught me off-guard.” 
“Fine, I forgive you,” I sighed.  
Lazuli leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Uhm, but don’t you think that there are some kinks in your plan, though? And what are you going to do with your life as a dragon?” Lazuli asked.  
I was overjoyed that he took some interest. “Dragons can fly, they’re strong, and they can do anything! We would be the best trade exporter on this side of the world because of me! We could make alliances with the dragons! And what kind of kinks?”  
Lazuli listed them. “How are you going to keep the dragon from killing you on the spot?”  
“Ha, glad you asked,” I said, holding up a white, weather-bleached flag that was formerly perched next to the door. “I’ll use this. Turns out that dragons use white flags to represent surrender or peace, just like we do.”  
“Okay, but how in the world are you going to tell the dragon what to do once you bribe it?” he countered. 
“Already covered,” I responded. “Guess what? I learned dragon writing! I’ll write in the sand to communicate with him. It’ll be my first time writing in front of a dragon, but you don’t have to worry. I know everything about their written language. Analyzing foreign text is a fun hobby when it has to do with dragons.” 
Lazuli’s eyes widened. “You know how to write in dragon?!”  
I beamed with arrogance at his response. “Yep! And some dragons are good at it too. My favorite dragon scroll is called ‘The Lost Princess’ or something like that. I believe it was written by the sea dragon queen herself!” 
Lazuli looked at me with a curious expression on his face, now leaned back with his legs propped up. “Wow, I can’t believe you haven’t told me about this, with that big mouth of yours. I admit you thought of everything. How long have you been scheming this?”  
I shrugged, not sure of a definitive answer. “I don’t know. I have been dreaming of what it would be like to be a dragon since I was, what, ten?”  
After a long pause, Lazuli asked, “So, are going to try the plan out, or what?” 
“Oh, yeah! We’re going to head for the sand dragon den in the desert, where this dragon and most of the sand dragons live.” I paused for a second. “Well, not right now. My target for the plan won’t be in a position where I can bribe him today,” I sputtered. 
“Why not?” 
“Second and third weeks of the month he gets a day off.”  
Lazuli blinked at me. “Hah, if you ask me, you know this dragon on too personal of a level.” 
I shrugged and gave a little smile, dismissing the comment. 
“Well, is there anything we can do while we wait?” Lazuli asked. “I’ll have a hard time sitting still.” 
An idea popped into my head. “There is something, but you may not be interested in it.” 
Lazuli gave me a suspicious look. “Let me guess. Dragon studying,” he remarked. As close as I was to Lazuli, surprisingly, he still insisted not to come studying with me.  
He was right, but not precise enough. “Well, you see, it’s not your normal dragon studying,” I giggled. “In case you didn’t know, it’s dragon mating season!” 
Lazuli gave a disgusted expression. It was going out to the field, or chores. “What am I doing… Fine, count me in.” 
Chapter 1 RecapLapis dreams of being a dragon and entering his own village. The villagers panic and Lapis cannot speak. Lapis' human father is aiming a crossbow at Lapis before he wakes up. Lapis' mother is knocking on his door for him to wake up. He goes eat breakfast, and his parents tell him that he cannot study dragons in the field anymore. Lapis goes to the secret cave, where Lazuli follows shortly behind and meets him. Lapis tells Lazuli of his plan to bribe a "magical dragon" to turn Lapis into a dragon. Lazuli is reluctant to believe it is a possibility, but Lapis convinces him that the chances are not so slim, and that being a dragon would be tremendously helpful to the other villagers. Lapis and Lazuli go into the field to watch dragons after that. 
*What do you think about Lapis' dream?
*What do you think about Lazuli? Is he a good friend or not?
*Do you think Lapis' plan will work out? Should he even dare taking it on?
== Chapter 2 - Scorch==
It was the day that Prince Scorch had been anticipating since he was born. In the Royal Family, only the toughest brothers could lead a prosperous life. This was the day he had to prove himself. Every son in the Royal Family had to take an intelligence test and an endurance test at the age of 7. As the youngest, Scorch was going to be the last to take it.  
Smolder, Scald, and Singe, Scorch’s brothers, had all scored high, setting the bar for Scorch. Better hope for the best, Scorch thought to himself.  
But Scorch was prepared. He had studied hard over the past few years of school, not to mention being at the top of all his classes. 
It was early in the morning, inside the SandWing stronghold’s library. Scorch was sitting at one of the desks, waiting to start his intelligence test. Observing with a watchful eye from the balcony above was King Char. 
“Ready,” announced the proctor from the other side of the desk. “Begin.”  
Scorch took the scroll in front of him and unrolled it. Inside were math questions, literary questions, SandWing trivia questions, and battle technique questions. They were hard. In school, even Scorch usually didn’t get a perfect score all the time. And now, the pressure was on. He had to impress Queen Oasis, King Char, and all his siblings, with no help. 
By the time Scorch got to the end of the scroll, he was feeling good about himself. There were only a few answers that he didn’t feel confident about. He still wasn’t quite sure how he did compare to Smolder, who had gotten the highest score overall. 
“Thank you. You may proceed to the courtyard,” the proctor instructed once Scorch had rolled up the scroll and laid it on the desk. He left, feeling slightly light-headed. 
Once he was out in the courtyard, refreshed by the movement, Queen Oasis gave him instructions for the endurance test.  
“You will fly two times around the stronghold. Your score will be based on time. Impact with stronghold structure will result in disqualification. Understood?” 
“Yes, Your Highness,” Scorch affirmed. 
“You can do it, Scorch! I know you can!” cheered young Blaze excitedly from one of the stronghold’s large balconies, accompanied by Burn, Smolder, Scald, Blister, Singe, and SandSerpent. Burn rolled her eyes and Scald mumbled something incongruous. 
“Go for it!” shouted SandSerpent. 
Queen Oasis took a step forward. 
“Ready,” she roared.  
Scorch braced himself. It was time. Scorch was about to prove his seven-year-old self worthy of a noble position. 
“GO!” 
With a rush of adrenaline, he leaped into the air like a winged scavenger running for its life.  
Making it through the first lap, Scorch could hear his little sister cheering him on: “Go, Scorch! Go, Scorch! Go, Scorch!” 
He was on pace. If he could keep it up, surely, he would place high. Maybe even set a record. 
Scorch felt so good, flying through the cool wind, above the vibrant desert and the expertly constructed palace. The sky was clear blue, promising a great day, with no clouds or sandstorms. Despite his worries, he was doing great on the test. The air was crisp and dry, so Scorch could hear everything going on around the stronghold. He could see the sky meet the land on the horizon, which was surpassed by endless sand in every direction. 
He felt so good, that is, until he heard someone shriek. 
To Be Continued...
Chapter 2 RecapScorch is not a dragonet anymore. He is a 7-year-old young adult (5 years after the prologue). At the age of 7, each SandWing prince takes an intelligence test and an endurance test. The purpose of these tests is to determine the position each prince will get for the rest of their life. You can imagine how much pressure Scorch feels, especially since he is the youngest prince and the last to take it. Scorch performs well in school and finishes the intelligence test with confidence. His score is not revealed yet. Next, he is guided outside, onto the courtyard of the stronghold, to begin his endurance test. Scorch's siblings are spectating and Queen Oasis prepares to time him. With the call of the start, Scorch pushed into the air. Interestingly, he was not as anxious as he thought he would be. Until, out of nowhere, a shriek pierced his ears and his destiny was disturbed. 
*What do you think Thorn would change about the test system?
*How do you think Scorch would react to success? Failure?
==Chapter 3 - Lapis==
We were supposed to meet next to the village entrance two hours before dawn. Lazuli didn’t show up. 
It was odd. Lazuli was always on time. He kept his promises and stuck to his word. 
Things happen, I thought. His parents probably set him on a chore and grounded him when he tried to sneak away. It sounded like something Lazuli would do. 
But still, I felt... weird. The air seemed to have shifted. The houses and pebbles and trees were the same as the day before, yet my memories somehow painted them differently.  
I turned to the tree line outside the village entrance. It was interrupted by a break in the brush, like the parting of a sea. The winding trail was still muddy from the dew and the sky was not yet bright enough to reveal the forest floor. I estimated dawn was near. Soon the village would awake. I couldn’t let my parents find out what I was doing. 
Well, the show must go on, I thought. Suddenly, my ambitions seemed ambitious. Here goes nothing.  
I took the first step. 
The journey was rough. I had been on hiking trips to the field, but nothing like this. The trail was overgrown. There were a few close calls where I had almost gotten lost. It was long, tiring, and there were several times I thought I wouldn’t make it.  
As I staggered up a sharp incline, plaguing me was one of those moments. 
If only Lazuli was here, I thought. He would lighten the mood. I walked face-first through a deserted spider web.  
“Ugh,” I sputtered. I tried to spit it out of my mouth. I kept walking. It was mentally racking to bear the physical weight of my pack as well as the emotional weight of my growing pessimism for such a long period. 
Regardless, next came one of the most frightening and awe-inspiring moments of my life thus far. 
As I wearily crested the peak of that hill, from the edge of the forest, I beheld an incredibly vast expanse of pure, blinding, golden light. I gasped and choked on the spider web. It was so bright I had to squint my eyes. 
The looming desert was at hand.  
“Yes. Yes! FINALLYYYYYY!” I shouted. I sprang to life and ran down the hill at full speed, feeling the wind on my face, and collapsed on the sand where the shadows ended, only head in the sun, with my arms spread wide. I felt so small with the whole of the desert just above my head. The weight in my mind lifted and I was determined I could make it. 
I laid on the sand for a while, perhaps even for an hour, eyes closed. I sighed with pleasure and relaxed with the cool wind flowing past my sweaty skin. 
But it would not stay cool for long.  
Once I had time to rest, I began to set up camp. I would sleep until night and travel then, when it was not as harsh. 
I did not sleep much. It was unfair to assume my body would change habit simply because of will. Maybe it wouldn’t have been such a big deal for Lazuli, but I was never a big sleeper. Oh, besides for in the mornings. 
I rose, drank a little, and packed up. My hair was messy from tossing around. Ironically, I was more tired than before; apparently it took energy to force myself to sleep. 
It was a few hours past dusk. I felt the sand for its temperature; it had enough time to shed off the heat of the day. 
I double-checked everything I had. Nothing missing. Jewels intact.  
I glared at the tree line. I pictured the many nocturnal hunters prowling in the night. I pictured the skittish prey hiding in their burrows. I pictured something staring at me through the darkness. I shivered. 
I turned. Taking yet another first step, I set off toward Eastmark Star, the brightest in the sky and guiding east, with the two moons gazing from behind. They almost looked gossipy, rumoring among themselves of the silly young human who dared adventure into such a far-fetched quest. 
I took a moment to reflect on the situation around me. I had hiked an entire day, all by myself, in the total wilderness. My parents were probably searching the village into the night far and wide for me. Tirelessly. Desperately. 
I felt bad for them. I felt sadness and guilt and self-betrayal. I felt disbelief in what my eyes saw and what my skin touched in that deafening silence. 
I kept walking.  
How could I have ignored my own parents? How could I think of doing this without having a consequence?  
I kept walking.  
Will my parents ever look at me the same? Will they despise me for the rest of their lives?  
I kept walking.  
Will I ever be the same?  
I admit that I cried for a very long time. The ghost-white sand rose and fell. Each time I crept over a dune, Eastmark Star shone happily before me like the last hope I had. The night critters of the desert drank and flourished on my tears. I could almost hear the little murmurs of thanks and exclamations of relief behind me. It’s humbling to see how the despair of one can bring rejoice to another. 
I kept walking. The silently twinkling stars, stationed at their own distant corners of the galaxy, all alone, wept just as I. 
I stopped walking. My sleepiness overcame me, and I rested in the sand until sunrise. The moons snickered and taunted me. 
Something happened inside me that night. Maybe it was the end of my childhood. Maybe it was a last goodbye to my old life. Maybe it was something calling me to turn back. To go and live out the rest of my life in peace. To have a family and build a house. To gain and give wisdom. 
But I didn’t.
Chapter 3 RecapLapis has a dream. All that's left is to carry it out. Lapis is waiting before dawn at the entrance to the village, and for an unknown reason, Lazuli does not show up. Lapis must go on or else he would risk being caught. So, he leaves the village and heads East. The journey was much more trying than Lapis thought it would be. When he finally gets to the desert, hope is somewhat restored and he rests until nightfall. When he rises, the sun is down, the desert is cool, and all that's left is to continue East, following Eastmark Star. On the journey to the dragon den in the night, Lapis' mind catches up to his ambitions and he realizes the gravity of his actions for the first time. He confronts an internal conflict with his past life. Regardless, he continues.
*Would you have turned back? Do you think Lapis should have turned back?
*Do you think Lapis' decision to continue was a good or very bad decision?
== Chapter 4 - Scorch==
“Hmm… 57.34 dunwets… Check,” I mumbled, as the weight appeared on a magic scroll.  
I was in the treasury. It was an underground chamber, directly under the center of the SandWing stronghold. The sandstone and limestone walls were cold and rigid, blocking out moisture, but very dusty. Dripping candles were mounted on either wall of the treasury and were constantly maintained by SandWing stewards. 
I had created the magical scroll with my animus powers. It was the first and last thing I’d ever used my powers for thus far. As a dragonet, I was taking one of my schoolwork tests and wished aloud that I knew the answer to every question. Without meaning to, I enchanted the scroll. From then on, it floated and followed me around, possessing something like a personality. I named him Wiki, and we came to be great companions.  
No one except SandSerpent knew I was an animus, and I was intending to keep it that way. My excuse was that I stole Wiki from the NightWings. The lie worked and boosted my social status. Wiki answered every question I asked, if it didn’t involve the future. He could also choose not to answer my questions if he wanted to, which proved annoying sometimes. Mostly, he stuck to answering questions about the immediate surroundings, but held back answers to bigger questions, like what the enemy is planning. Animus magic is mysterious. Perhaps he held back information for the better of myself. Or maybe it’s because the test I was taking at the time was on language arts, a very contradictory subject. 
Luckily, I was educated on the incident of Jerboa the evil animus dragon, and I was determined never to let myself fall into the trap of greed. I swore to myself and to SandSerpent that I would never use my animus magic for selfish reasons. 
This is perplexing, I thought, after logging the weight of 57.34 dunwets at the bottom of a long list of recordings. The queen’s treasure has weighed the same for months. Surely some scavengers would have tried to steal from the Royal Treasury by now... 
Wiki’s answer to my question vanished, and he was a blank scroll again, floating in the air.  
I turned to leave. The exit was on the wall opposite the massive collection of gold and gems. I ascended the flight of dank spiral stairs to return to ground level. Upon exiting I passed a pair of guards before they closed the treasury door behind me, careful to make sure Wiki made it out as well. 
I proceeded to check my quite flawless scavenger traps. Nothing, not a single starving scavenger or piece of debris anywhere. There were many traps scattered around the stronghold. I felt a little embarrassed about it, but I was always relieved when I didn’t have to see the poor things curled up in whatever trap they could have gotten stuck in. Queen Thorn and her advisors, on the other hand, greatly complimented me when my traps caught scavengers.  
“Scorch!” a voice called down the hallway. It was Queen Thorn.  
“Yes, Your Majesty?” 
“I’ve come for a status report on the Royal Treasury,” she declared. “If your procedures are complete, of course.” As usual, she was just as, if not more, assertive and confident than any other queen. I always figured it was because she was trying to avoid the low expectations of being the first of a new royal bloodline, but maybe it was just her honest self. However, there was no need to impress me further; even though I grew up in a royal family, my father, King Char, and adopted brother, SandSerpent, were the only dragons who treated me with the kind of respect Queen Thorn gave me. 
I glanced at the non-magical scroll in my talons. “All is well. There hasn’t been a single confirmed attempt of theft for six months. However, this raises my suspicions.” I handed the scroll to Wiki to carefully replace it on a rack. I turned back to Queen Thorn. “Typically, a scavenger or two would’ve been found in a trap by now.” 
Queen Thorn gave me a curious look. “Why does this concern you? Maybe they’re finally learning that dragons are not to be messed with,” she said with exasperation. 
“I’m not sure, Your Majesty. Perhaps they’re plotting a larger attack,” I explained. “I’ve observed that when more than three scavengers attack at once, there is a significantly higher chance that they make it out with gold.” Wiki made an enthusiastic nod. 
“Do you think they’re capable of that? Planning a larger attack?” 
“Yes, I believe they are. And if they have been plotting for six months, possibly gathering more companions, I estimate this will be one of the largest attacks on records.” 
“And what does Wiki have to say?” the queen asked, looking at the floating scroll next to me. 
“Nothing. He doesn’t want to answer.” 
The queen gave an understanding nod. “Should I assign guards to watch over the chambers?” 
“Yes, Your Highness. Security code.” 
Queen Thorn nodded in approval. “I’ll assign the necessary guards their positions, starting tomorrow, along with two extras, just in case.” She started back out of the treasury chamber. “And I told you to stop calling me that!”  
After logging the information I collected into the treasury long-term archive, I left the stronghold for a nice stroll with Wiki in the brisk outdoors. The clear sky promised a sunny day. With guards scheduled to patrol the stronghold, I felt that all would be fine.  
When Wiki and I had made it to the outskirts of the stronghold, I caught a faint whiff of a scavenger. Wiki and I both turned to see the odd-looking tiny menace approach, shouting and waving a white flag. It bore strange blue eyes and fur, carrying a bag of treasure.  
At first, I was alarmed, thinking that this little scavenger had stolen from the treasury while I was distracted by Queen Thorn. However, as it came closer, I noticed that the bag held gems and jewels that I had never seen before. Additionally, its bag of goods was so small that I had no interest in it; it wouldn’t even satisfy a poor dragon’s financial needs. Shooing the scavenger off, I continued my walk, preferring not to have anything to do with the strange creature. Weird, I thought. Usually, scavengers avoid dragons and come in packs. Maybe this one has a mental condition.  
Annoyingly, the scavenger persevered, waving the flag enthusiastically and shaking the bag of treasure with its other paw. I tried again to relax on my walk. Still, the crazy scavenger kept up with me, only squeaking louder. I stopped and turned toward the scavenger again, giving it an agitated snort and spreading my wings. Surely it got that message, I thought. Wiki did his best to imitate me. 
But as soon as I continued walking, the scavenger leaped and latched onto me. Startled, I whipped my tail, flinging the wimpy creature to the ground and angrily spinning around in the same motion. The scavenger had gotten on my nerves.  
“Can’t I just take a walk on a great day and de-stress without being bugged?” I grunted. Wiki shook himself in what resembled a fit of agreement. 
Running out of patience, I spun my tail in the scavenger’s direction.  
To my surprise, instead of flesh, I hit bare sand. The scavenger wasn’t there. I looked around and saw that the creature was on the ground and to the side of where he was just a second ago. Another, older scavenger was on top of him as if it had just tackled the first one out of the way. The older one stood up and pulled one of those dinky claws from its waist and held it in what appeared to be a defensive stance. I was getting ready to strike again, after giving the new scavenger a good look over. Wiki turned expectantly between me and the new scavenger. 
“So, you do have a friend,” I remarked. “Maybe it was a good thing that I stumbled across you, because neither of you are going to make it to the treasury now.” 
I squinted my eyes at the one holding the weirdly shaped claw. “Wait a second,” I whispered, tail lowering. It was here. The one from years ago. The scavenger from the ill-fated day of my endurance test. I can’t believe I recognized him. 
It was a strange, pitchy shriek. Not a dragon shriek. It sounded more like a scavenger. Scorch looked down to see one of the foolish creatures stuck in quicksand near the outskirts of the stronghold. It was flailing around with a SandWing necklace in its paw.  
A mental battle surged in Scorch’s mind. I must finish the final lap of the test, or I won’t qualify, he thought, but I can’t just let the poor thing die. Especially not in quicksand. Scorch stopped in mid-air, struggling to decide what to do. Besides, it looks like it stole something from the Royal Treasury... If he saved its life and got the necklace, Scorch might still have enough time to get a somewhat decent score. But that was being generous. 
Scorch stopped wasting time and dove for the hapless scavenger. As he was about to scoop it out of the quicksand, it gaped straight at Scorch, absolutely petrified. Scorch briefly considered that it might die of stress, but he had no time for sympathizing. He pulled the scavenger up in his talons and out of the quicksand, keeping it from falling while it wriggled and squeaked. Scorch set down the writhing scavenger far from any pool of quicksand. When it was finally on the ground, it stopped noisily protesting, appearing to have understood that Scorch wasn’t going to mercilessly eat it. He didn’t have time for that. 
A short moment passed, and the scavenger recovered. I felt weird to have just saved it. And now, watching it get up from ground, didn’t feel right. I was usually not on the receiving end of my interactions with scavengers.  
To my surprise, it gave a little squeak and held out the necklace it was holding, still with windswept fur and panting. The necklace had an emerald-green chain of sparkling beads with a vibrant red ruby in the center. It could easily fit around the waist of the tiny scavenger but was perfectly sized for the neck of a dragon. Scorch accepted the necklace, pleasantly relieved that he didn’t have to force it from the scavenger’s grip. Usually, scavengers were awfully greedy. Apparently this one wasn’t. Maybe it has a mental condition, I thought. 
“I think I’ll call you Pitfall because you almost sunk into a pit of quicksand,” Scorch said, slowly and enthusiastically so that the scavenger might understand. It just stared back. A moment passed. 
That was the day Scorch first saw a glint of passion in a scavenger's eyes. It just came out of the blue. Something snapped, a minute realization that finally came together in some distant corner of Scorch’s mind, and suddenly, he felt like he wasn’t alone. 
Scorch came back to himself and remembered he was supposed to be completing that last lap. He took off with a few pumps of his wings, now overcome by anxiety. 
He took one last look at the scavenger he left behind. It stared up at Scorch in what looked like a combination of awe and weariness as he gained distance. 
Scorch picked up speed like never before. He was sure he didn’t have much time left. In a few moments, the finish line was in view. Feeling like his wings were on fire, he dove down and stuck an epic landing.  
Silence. No cheering. But there were people around him. 
Scorch, panting and exhausted, now aware of the blazing sun, considered those around him. His smile faded. He had got back from what seemed like a tremendous journey only to see that everyone else had troubled faces. 
“What’s wrong?” he asked. Maybe the journey was too long. 
“Son,” Queen Oasis sighed, “even in the two-hundred-year history of this tradition, your time has placed worst of all. I am disappointed. You won’t be getting the role of Lead General.” 
Scorch stuttered, “Wh- what? But-”  
“No excuses,” she harshly interrupted. Then she spotted what was in my talons. “What have you got there?” she accused, expecting the worst. 
“Your Highness, it’s a necklace- a scavenger stole it from the Treasury,” Scorch panted, regretful. “It would’ve been lost to the quicksand along with the scavenger- if I were not to save it.” Scorch held out the sparkling generosity of colors to his mother, sadness creeping up through his joints.  
“Hmm,” she mumbled. She turned the jewelry in her talons. It seemed to have changed her attitude. “I see. Treasurer for you. Keep the jewelry.” At that, Queen Oasis gave back the necklace to Scorch and set off. The others, all except SandSerpent, retreated to their daily tasks as well. 
Scorch’s wings and heart slouched alike. He stared at the happily sparkling red and green necklace in his talons. He thought about the oncoming butchering of insults he would receive from Burn, Blister, Scald, and Singe. He felt a pang of sadness and humility. He had imagined hearty applause and welcoming compliments from the dragons he had known all his life as he finished the test with a ground-breaking time. But it turned out to be the opposite. 
“I can see the good in you, Scorch,” SandSerpent spoke. “The good is all that matters. It could’ve been worse.” 
Scorch looked down at the necklace in his talons and the scavenger’s eyes came to his mind again. He felt like he did at least something right. He just couldn’t see it yet. 
Chapter 4 RecapScorch is having a regular day as the Royal Treasurer: Checking the Treasury chamber to detect if anything is stolen, reporting to Queen Thorn, and checking his scavenger traps. When he reports to Queen Thorn, he notes that nothing has gone missing for 6 months. He says this could mean that the scavengers are planning a larger attack. Queen Thorn acknowledges this and schedules extra guards to be assigned. Scorch, feeling content that the treasury is safe, takes a stroll outside. Annoyingly, he does not get to walk for long before a scavenger disturbs him. It pesters him and he attempts to knock it away with his tail, but misses; another scavenger had ran into it and pushed it out of the way. Scorch unexpectedly recognizes this new scavenger, reminding him of the endurance test he failed when he was 7 years old. 
*Flashback.* 
Scorch heard a scavenger shriek. He found out that the source was stuck in quicksand, grasping a very valuable red and green SandWing necklace. Mid-lap, he decided to save the scavenger and retrieve the necklace, as the jewelry would be lost if he left the scavenger to die. When he had gotten the scavenger out of the quicksand, it, to Scorch's surprise, handed the necklace voluntarily. Scorch accepted it and named the scavenger "Pitfall." For a moment, Scorch saw something special in the scavenger's eyes; a glint of passion that he had never seen before. Then he remembered the test was still going on, and he scrambled away hurriedly to try and salvage a somewhat decent time. When he gets to the finish, however, all the dragons have grave faces. Scorch explains to Queen Oasis what he did, and instead of granting another attempt, she assigns Scorch the role of Treasurer. SandSerpent reassures Scorch, and recognizes the good in him, unlike the other dragons. 
*Who is the scavenger that pestered Scorch? Who do you think the new scavenger is?
*Would you have saved the scavenger? What else has happened so far which resembles this act of mercy?
*SandSerpent is a good friend. What do you think Scorch would have been like if SandSerpent hadn't influenced him for the good?
==Chapter 5 - Lapis==
I arrived at dawn. I would have collapsed in exhaustion if not for the speck of the dragon den on the horizon. That was a while ago. 
But right now, at full noon and just fifty cubits from the den, my foolishness had led me right into the claws of a vicious sand dragon who probably wanted me dead by now.  
Looking up at the dragon, panic shot through me. However, it seemed to be lost in thought, as if my dad’s sudden action of saving my life had somehow made it realize something. 
Several long seconds passed before the beast looked down with sympathy and glared at my father who had just shoved me away from potential death. It made a couple of growls and noises.  
“Dad, why are you here?!” I exclaimed. 
“Lazuli told me you had left to find a ‘magical dragon,’” he responded sternly, not looking away from the giant scaled threat. I felt a pang of betrayal from Lazuli and a concoction of mixed feelings to have my father there. 
Returning to my surroundings, I remembered my studies on dragon language. I was nearly fluent in writing, but I couldn’t speak it. I thought of what I should write to the dragon. 
My dad looked at me with a confused expression. He was attempting his best to protect us from the living death machine in front of us as I appeared to be pondering a math problem. “What are you doing? And why have you got those jewels?” he hissed out the side of his mouth, getting more nervous by the second. I ignored his remark. I wrote to the dragon with the best translation I could muster.  
“MY FATHER,” I wrote in the sand with the wooden pole of the weather-bleached flag. The sand dragon’s eyes widened more and more the closer I got to finishing. As I raised my hand to point to my father, it jumped back and fluttered its wings, creating a small quake around us. It looked stunned, and reasonably so; I had just communicated to it in its own language. I smirked at the idea that it didn’t expect us humans to be so smart. It blinked its eyes, apparently trying to make sense of what it saw. It rumbled an exclamation that sounded something like “What?!” 
My father stared at me, his eyes also wide. “D-did you just write something to that dragon?” My cheeks flushed. I hadn’t told my dad about any of my plans yet and how I had prepared for them. “What did you say to it?” 
“Listen, dad, this is something I need to do myself. It’s something I’ve been planning for a while now and it’s kind of personal,” I explained.  
My dad stared at me grimly. “Handle this by yourself?” he spat. “You nearly got yourself killed! You would be dead to that dragon right now if you were ‘by yourself!’”  
I could see out of the corner of my eye that the dragon was watching curiously as I and my father argued over the dilemma. We kept yelling back and forth about what should be done. 
As we were absorbed in our argument, the dragon pulled out a strange, sparkling piece of jewelry from the pouch slung across its torso.  
When my dad glanced back at the dragon, he flinched. He shushed me and seemed to be caught off-guard. I saw his dagger lower just a bit. 
“Dad! What are you doing? We need to force this dragon to listen to us or we’ll be killed!” I shouted. 
“Ha,” he said. “What a ludicrous world this is.” The sun mercilessly beat down on our tired figures in the silence. I was suddenly aware of the wind and my eyes felt dry. “I came to this awful place. As a kid, just like you. I stole that necklace. I was so self-absorbed because of the feat that I fell and almost suffocated in quicksand. This dragon. This one came and saved me. I gave the necklace to it.” He turned from the dragon to look at me with yearning eyes. “I was worried that you would not be so lucky. I ran after you to stop you.” He looked back at the dragon, which hadn’t looked away from him. “I could never get over my fears again.” Dad walked away and sat in the sand a stone’s throw behind me. I thought I saw a tear on his face. I understood he had some things to think about. 
I realized that this is why he was always so interested yet disapproving of dragons. I had always suspected there was something he wasn’t telling me. I peered at the dragon and it peered back. I asked the beast, “Have you met this human?” 
“SCAVENGER, YOU MEAN,” it responded, also writing in the sand with its mighty claws. “YES. CHANGED MY LIFE.” It pointed at the necklace that it was now wearing. 
I was ecstatic. The weariness of my travels had faded, and I was flooded with curiosity. I thought I almost saw a glint of sorrow in the dragon’s eyes. 
“WHAT'S YOUR NAME?” I wrote. 
“SCORCH,” it wrote. “WHAT'S YOUR NAME?” 
I savored the moment. I was on the brink of a new life. I grinned. 
“DRIP.”
Chapter 5 RecapLapis arrived at the sand dragon den. He had found himself in a difficult position; the dragon he was trying to bribe was not accepting any jewelry. It seemed to ignore the white flag. It was all over for Lapis. But out of nowhere, Lapis' father rammed him out of harm's way just as the dragon was swinging its mighty venomous tail. If it weren't for Lazuli to tell on Lapis and inform Lapis' parents, Lapis would have died. Nevertheless, bitter betrayal it was. But Lapis didn't have time to think about that; a fierce dragon was facing him and his father, not even a rock's throw away. But after it saw Lapis' father, as far as Lapis could tell, it seemed to be lost in thought. Lapis then tried communicating to the dragon. It worked. To his knowledge, Lapis had made the first human-to-dragon contact ever. What an important moment. It was a new beginning.
*Here, Lapis is faced with a complicated situation: What should he think about Lazuli betraying him? Did Lazuli do the right thing, or the wrong thing?
* This is Lapis' destiny: To become Drip, even if his plans didn't work out exactly the way thought they would. We've found out that Scorch's destiny isn't to lead the SandWings as Lead General. What do you think Lapis' father's destiny is? Remember, he never overcame his fear of dragons after narrowly escaping the stronghold.
== Chapter 6 - Scorch==
“TURN ME INTO A SEA DRAGON,” Drip wrote.  
I scrunched up my snout. How does this scavenger know I am an animus? I thought. I looked at Wiki. Oh, Wiki’s the giveaway. 
I stamped out Drip’s message so that no other dragons would see. He noisily protested, as if to say “I know you can!” while shaking the bag of jewels. 
He stopped short once I lowered my right wing to the ground, inviting him to climb on. Wiki nestled himself into the pouch that I previously had my necklace in. 
It took a moment for Drip to realize I was inviting him. He looked between my wings and the bag of jewels in his paws. 
When his eyes finally landed on my face, watching, his face lit up and he decided. Drip flung the bag of jewels away and excitedly squeaked something to his father. His father squeaked back, saw me, and ran over. Drip energetically climbed onto my back. His father was more reluctant but followed suit. It felt weird and unsteady to have something riding on my back, but they held tight. 
As they were climbing on, I stared at the colored jewels on the ground. Being a scavenger, Drip must have worked most of his life to get them. Seeing him just throw them away like that — it’s not something a selfish person would do. He is ready to give up everything, I realized. 
I lifted into the air, filled with these thoughts. With three great pumps, we were fifty tails into the air, and I could sense both scavengers were thrilled. 
I craned my neck to check on how they were doing. 
I grinned. Their fur was already ruffled, both scavengers with wide smiles. I gave them a moment of soft gliding so they could take in the view of the desert.  
Then I plummeted down. They both squealed as I swooped though the arched entrance on the wall of the stronghold and up onto the sandstone balcony of my quarters. 
The scavengers were shocked still. I felt them trembling lightly, probably filled with adrenaline. They looked at each other for a moment as I watched. Then they both slumped to the floor, giggling. Wiki got out and similarly slumped to the floor. He didn’t expect the sudden swoop, either. Drip’s father made an exhausted “Weehee!” expression and limply threw one paw into the air. Their windswept faces and smiling figures were hilarious.  
I couldn’t help chuckling as I opened my balcony door and entered my quarters. Just like the rest of the stronghold, the walls, floor, and ceiling were constructed with bricks of a mixture of sand and clay. Simple as they were, the bricks were strong and kept the interior cool on hot days. The color of the bricks were sandy white, to match the background of the desert. 
My quarters was not very extravagant. Princes didn’t get many special things. But it worked for me. The balcony, with glass doors, peered on the 4th floor of the stronghold. It gave a relaxing view of the desert while also in the shade of some of the higher levels. 
From the perspective of the door to the balcony, my bed was directly on the left, head against the left wall, about a dragon’s length from the balcony wall. Past the bed was my lounge area. There were a few seats and cushions and a table. To the right of my lounge area, obstructed from view by the right wall, was the doorway. My bed, lounge area, and the exit door formed an upside-down L-shape, with the balcony door being at the top of the L. On the opposite wall of the exit door was another doorway. From the perspective of entering it, my closet was on the right and my study was straight ahead. My study was where I spent most of my time. Upon entering it, on the left was my desk, on the wall of the doorway was my personal scroll rack, and on the back wall was Wiki’s scroll pile. I emptied all my scrap scrolls there and he enjoyed lounging among them. I didn’t have very many candles in my quarters. Wiki has a severe phobia of them. 
I sighed and started tidying up my bed. I had to get up early that day. Primrose, my waitress, would practically scald me if she saw the condition of my sheets for most of the day. To be honest, I hadn’t taken tidiness seriously enough for being royalty. 
Wait, Primrose! I thought. She’ll be here with my lunch soon! I can’t let her see Drip and his father! 
The scavengers walked through the doorway and into my room, exactly as Primrose knocked on the door. 
“Scorch, your lunch. May I enter? Scorch!” 
“Sorry! Sorry! I’m coming!” I shouted. The scavengers realized something was going on.  
“Come here! Hide! Quick!” I whispered as I raised my bed sheets and signaled them to hide under them. Wiki pushed them forward as they scrambled up my bed and under the sheets.  
“Squeaps boing quee?” I heard. 
“Shhhh!” the other one shushed. 
Their tiny voices made me laugh. I opened the door for the waitress, still smiling.  
“Scorch, what’s going on? I’ve been waiting here for practically an age. Ew, why are you giving me that smile?” 
“Sorry Primrose! I just got back. Uh, my walk took longer than I thought it would.” 
She gave me a sideways glance as she rolled the cart in. 
Primrose was my best friend ever since childhood. We and SandSerpent played all sorts of games. When SandSerpent left for a job and a life at the Sea Kingdom, we became distant. I always wished life was like it was when SandSerpent was still around. 
“You told me you would be home at noon,” Primrose reminded me. 
“Okay, okay. I got distracted.” 
“Sheesh, well that could have been anything. Here’s your lunch. With coffee, as you asked.” 
“Thanks,” I said, pushing her out of the room. “See you at dinner!” 
“Okay! Wait, what’s under your sheets?” 
“Nothing! Bye!” 
She raised an eyebrow questionably. I nervously laughed as I shut the door. 
I sighed. “That was appalling.” 
“Ail squong?” Drip said from under the sheets. 
“Skweeeewr...” one snored. 
Drip gave a high-pitched sigh as he climbed down from the bed. I watched, unsure of what to think about these scavengers. 
“Schwebethins swrite?” he asked me. I just groaned and took a sip of coffee. 
Drip walked up to me and pointed to my necklace. “Hmp? Pweeese?” 
“Alright,” I said. I had already made the decision when I flew them over here. “Okay. How do I do this...” 
But it felt wrong. For a second I changed my mind; I would return them to the nearest village and go on with my life. What was I thinking, going to use my animus powers? 
But then I remembered Drip’s father. When I had first saw him, there was a glint of pure passion in his eyes. And what are the chances that I would meet him twice? I thought. I held my necklace in one talon.  
I looked back at Drip. I was surprised. That same glint of passion was in his eyes. It was powerful. It was intricate. 
It was proof of a soul. A passionate soul. A soul that would never give up. I couldn’t just throw him down the drain. I made up my mind. 
“May this scavenger, Drip, become a dragon, just like any other SeaWing. And in case he wants to return to being a scavenger, the spell be broken as this necklace does,” I lightly spoke, brimming with tears. I thought for a second. “Yes, and who can make real anything he draws, because he has painted for me that scavengers have souls.” 
Nothing happened. I ungracefully took another sip of coffee, expectantly staring at Drip. He looked confused.  
What...? I thought. Something went wrong. I had just cast an animus spell, and nothing was happening. I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t see anything change. It was as if I didn’t even say anything. 
“Grr.” It was Drip’s stomach. “Grrrr.” Drip made his way to my lunch cart. Only his head rose above the rim. He began eating.  
And eating. 
And eating some more. 
I was very impressed. I never thought a creature his size – Person, I thought – could eat so much.  
I went to my desk. I wasn’t very hungry; the coffee was holding me off. I studied SandWing politics until my mug was empty. Wiki cuddled on a pile of discarded scrolls, in the farthest corner of my quarters from any sharp objects or candles. 
When I came back into my bedroom, to my amazement, the cart was completely barren of food. Drip had eaten my entire lunch, all the rest of the coffee, and all the sugar packets, to the last speck. Even I couldn’t eat all of that in one meal. Primrose usually returned the cart before dinner with at least one course left over. One hungry scavenger, I thought. 
I looked at my bed. I heard them both snoring. They were completely covered in blankets. I smiled.  
After that, my day was quite ordinary. Except for when Primrose found out my secret. 
I was in the halls of the stewardship wing of the stronghold, pushing my lunch cart along. I didn’t want Primrose to get suspicious. I had closed my bedroom windows and locked the door so that nobody would find out about Drip or his father. 
I was trying to lay low. Who knew if Primrose was rounding the corner, or if someone would recognize me? 
I got to the room labeled “Dishes and Carts.” I rounded through the door and into it. The room was rectangular-shaped, just like all the other stewardship rooms, with the longer walls on the left and right. The ceiling was speckled with organized, square holes that let in daylight. They each had a lever that would cover the top so that rain and sand would stay out during night and sandstorms. In the back were the carts, and lining the long walls between the door and the carts were washing sinks.  
There was one other dragon in the room, casually washing dishes. I cautiously pushed the cart past him. He looked up and I stopped, but after observing me and the cart for a suspenseful moment, he went back to washing dishes. I held back a sigh of relief. 
I emptied the cart’s dishes into one of the sinks and placed the cart at the back, with the rest of them. I made my way to the door. 
“Hey, are you going to clean those? My shift’s almost over.” 
I froze, thinking of what to say. “Umm. Uh, I have another cart to get. Bye!” 
“Wait- we’ve got all of them here!” he called. But I was already darting back down the hallway. 
I accidentally bumped into someone on my way. At this point I was not worried about being sneaky as much as getting out of there. “Hey! Watch it,” they said. 
“Sorr- Eek!” I yelped. Primrose jumped in front of me and cut me short. I skidded to a stop. “P-Primrose...” 
“Gotcha,” she snickered. 
“I can explain...” I said, forcing a smile. 
“Yes, you can. We need to talk.” She dragged me by the wing to one of the stewardship chambers that were not being used at the time. 
“I know your secret,” she said, intimidatingly. 
“Wh-what secret?” I asked. I knew Primrose paid attention to details. I confirmed my doubts that there was no way I could get away with keeping Drip secret from her. 
“You’re not getting away with this, Scorch.” 
“Getting away with what? I’m just... Just helping you out...” I fidgeted. 
“No. I saw it. There was no food left on your cart. You never eat all of it. You’re hiding someone.” 
“What?” 
“Ha, you thought I wouldn’t notice? Someone was under your sheets this morning.” 
“Uhm...” I blushed. 
“Scorch!” she shouted. “Who was it? Answer me or I’m telling Thorn!” 
“Okay! Okay! Primrose, calm down!” I uttered, not sure of what to say. “You don’t need to talk to her. I’m not hiding anyone. It was a scavenger. I brought a scavenger into my quarters!” 
“Oh yeah? Really?” she asked, skeptically. 
“Yes!” 
Primrose glared at me grimly. 
“Where’s Wiki when you need him...” 
“Who is it?” she taunted. 
“Primrose! Please, listen!” 
“Listening isn’t enough. Show me.” 
“Well, I-” 
“Spit it out.” 
“It's none of your business!” 
Primrose turned to leave. “I’m telling the quee-” 
“No!” I cried. I tackled her as she was heading out the door. 
She managed to slip away and dashed out of the room. 
“Wait!” I shouted. “Okay! Primrose! Fine, I’ll tell you the truth,” I panted. 
Primrose peeked into the room again, pleased. “Yeah? Well, go ahead.” 
“So, I brought two scavengers into my room-” Primrose rolled her eyes. “Wait, don't leave yet! The scavenger knew how to write in dragon!” 
“Ugh. Scorch.” 
“Listen. It asked me to...” 
“To what?” 
“To, uh, do something for him- It, I mean.” 
“Do what?” 
I sighed. “Primrose. Can I trust you to keep a secret?” 
Primrose entered back into the room. “Have you met anyone else that knows as many secrets as me?” 
“You better keep it.” I gave her a distrustful look. “So...” 
I paused for suspense.  
“Come on,” she said. “I’m running out of patience!” 
It wasn’t often that I could get Primrose under my talons like this. “I’m an animus. I’m going to turn a scavenger into a dragon.” 
At first, Primrose didn’t seem to believe it. Then her face lit up with realization. “Oh! Wiki- I knew you weren’t sly enough for-” She frowned once she saw my smug look. “Shut your face.” 
I snickered. “Dinner time.” 
Her eyes followed me out of the room. 
==Chapter 7 - Drip==
I awoke. Light shone through a window. The first thing I saw was a small bird, perched on the windowsill, staring at me.
This time, there were dragons.
I was in the middle of a whole nest of dragons. They were everywhere. Somehow, I was still alive. I did feel fuzzy though. I couldn’t feel anything. I got a headache. Colors mixed and swirled. Everything became fuzzier.
The bird fluttered away. Silence.
I blinked. My headache cleared. Things sharpened. I didn’t feel fuzzy anymore.
But I felt cold. I realized I was lying on the floor. Something was askew. I didn’t get up yet.
I sniffed. It was incredible. I smelled things I had never smelled before. Great things, awful things, and things in between. I didn’t know why I smelled these things.
I blinked again.
I felt weird.
I dared move my arm.
My skin was... stiff. I couldn’t feel anything. But I could feel pressure. It was like I was wearing a glove.
I moved my other arm. It was the same.
I moved my head. I looked at myself. Blue. Blue, blue, blue. I love blue. It was a familiar blue. Dashing, vibrant, blurry blue.
I stood up. I fell immediately. 
Blue. 
My head spun. Woah! Woah, woah, what’s going on? Dude! Chill! My brain told me. I was confused.
I stood up again. I tried to walk.
Blue.
I felt dizzy. I tripped on something and fell to the floor.
Blue.
I couldn’t see very well. The floor seemed slippery. I didn’t try to stand again. I closed my eyes.
The headache came back and I grimaced.
It lifted. I didn’t feel dizzy anymore.
I took a deep breath. The air was cool and crisp.
I opened my eyes.
Blue. My vision was sharp.
Scales.
Click, and it fell into place.
I tapped the floor.
Tap, tap, tap, like stone on stone.
No more headaches. No more dizziness. No more fuzziness.
My ears perched up. I stood, this time looking at my talons. I didn’t fall. My heart raced.
I stumbled to the balcony door. It was glass, reflective and shiny. I looked into it.
I was no longer a human. I was so blue. I flinched, thinking for a second that there was something on the other side.
It was so surreal. I stared at myself through the reflection. Fright, shock, and curiosity filled me to the brim.
I was beautiful if I say so myself; perfect, shiny scales covered my whole body. They flowed from my face down my neck, to my belly and back, spreading through my wings, talons, and tail. Until that point, I had never seen a dragon’s face with so much... soul.
Dragon, I thought. I’m... a dragon?
I couldn’t believe it. Is this real? I thought.
I looked into the eyes of the dragon in the reflection for a long time. Its jawline merged into a long, thick neck. A strip of polished, smooth scales ran from its snout up between its eyes to its forehead, where it met two graceful horns. Light blue, bioluminescent scales speckled its face. Its eyes were bright with life. It looked like me.
I smiled. The mirror smiled back.
This is me, I thought. It was me. A dragon.
I turned and bounded across the floor. I felt powerful and big. My talons pushed off the floor as easily as if I were no more than a feather. I could move faster than ever. It was almost like I was flying. 
I stopped in the middle of the floor. I tried pumping my wings. With each motion, they could move great masses of air. On the return, they naturally folded inward to let the air pass. I was impressed with the power they had. It was hard to keep my balance with my wings folded out all the way.
I checked my tail. It was big, looking much stronger than Scorch’s. I had observed that sea dragons use their tails for swimming.
Swimming. I felt my gills. They were closed. I couldn’t wait to swim for the first time! I would explore the deep without having to worry about breathing.
I finally shifted my attention to Scorch. He was still sleeping on the floor, opposite the side of the bed where I fell onto the floor. Only his tail and tail barb were visible from my angle. I could hear him breathing slowly.
I crept around the bed with shimmering inspiration. He was sleeping, belly on the floor, head resting sideways on his talons, wings folded. I folded my wings, too. It was much more comfortable.
I crept even closer, trying not to wake him. I grinned. I tapped his nose.
His eyes opened just a tiny bit.
“Momm... Not sweeping dutyyyy...” he mumbled wearily.
“RISE AND SHINE, SLEEPYHEAD!” I shouted, looming just above his head.
“JIGJUGGLES!” Scorch cried, instantly roused and scrambling backward. “How did- Who are you?! How did you get in?!”
I collapsed onto the floor in laughter. “Ha! Jigjuggles!”
“Who are you?” Scorch repeated, starting to loosen up.
“I’m Jigjuggles,” I giggled, still lying on the floor.
“Is this a prank?”
“Jigjug. No.”
“You’re... Who? Have I met you before?” Scorch said, dumbfounded.
“It’s me!” I said as I leaped up on my talons again. “You did it!”
“Did... Wait, it worked?”
I was already next to the cart, swallowing a biscuit. I took two mugs of coffee and drank both, each in one big gulp.
“Dragon, dragon, dragon!” I sang as I childishly bounded about the room. My bioluminescent scales flashed uncontrollably. “I’m a dragon! It worked! They said it was crazy! I thought I was crazy. Not anymore. I can talk Dragon! I’m blue!” I leapt past Scorch.
“Sheesh, calm down a bit!” Scorch said, now smiling as well. “And don’t eat all my breakfast- I need some too!”
I hopped back to Scorch and sat down, fidgeting with my tail.
“Test. Dragon,” I said. “I can talk to dragons! Hahaha! This is weird.”
“Uhm,” Scorch said. It felt so unreal to be having a conversation with a dragon, just like I would talk to a human. “Well, nice to meet you.”
Awkward silence.
“I always knew dragons were just like us on the inside,” I said.
“Us?” Scorch asked.
“Yeah, us!”
“You mean scavengers?”
I looked up at Scorch. “Hu? You call us scavengers? Wow.”
“Yes. Scavengers,” Scorch explained. “I guess most dragons think your kind is... You know, bothersome. But not me. Well, not anymore.”
Another pause.
“I’m sorry- it's just, I don’t know what to say. You’ve disproved- Ever since the Scorching-”
“I know,” I interrupted. “We’re selfish sometimes. Nobody accepts that we shouldn’t keep trying to steal from dragons and kill them. Maybe we should try talking to them.”
Another pause.
“I told them that,” I said. “I had to leave them for it.” I absently observed my talons.
Scorch looked over at the bed. “You still have your father,” he said.
My face fell somber. “Yeah,” I said. “Maybe,” I remembered the night of my travel. Everything has a consequence, I thought.
But I had just broken down the biggest wall of my life. I was no longer just studying dragons. I was a dragon. I could fit in with them. I could learn about them. There was so much to be done. And from what I could tell, I was quite handsome, too.
But... I could still turn back. I could make peace with dragons and humans. Maybe go back and help my village. I thought about it.
I remembered my nightmare. What if it really does happen? I thought. What if it turns out to be the last time I walk into my village? And for what? 
I remembered my mother. I feared I would never see her again. And my father. He wouldn’t know me anymore.
Nobody would.
I’m not one of them anymore. A new life is ahead.
“So, what do you think?” Scorch said, grinning. I looked up at him. I felt a great, penetrating lightning bolt of passion and excitement.
My future was in his eyes.
==Chapter 8 - Scorch==
“Let's go learn how to fly,” I said as I helped Drip up from the floor.  
“Yeah!” Drip suddenly seemed cheery again. “Wait, but what about the other dragons? Is it okay if they see me?” 
“Hmm, you have a point. We can’t go outside,” I said. “There is a place we could go, though. A cave below the stronghold. It used to be a gold mine until they realized it was about to collapse.” 
“Hu,” Drip remarked. 
“And as far as I know, nobody has been there in hundreds of years. No one talks about it anymore. But I’d bet there’s enough room for us to practice without being disturbed. Until you can fly, there’s no way you’re getting out of here unnoticed.” 
“All right then, sounds like a plan. Time for adventure,” Drip said weakly. “Uhm, well, maybe not. Any time to just chill out and plan some more?” 
Knock-knock. Drip and I snapped our eyes over to the door. It was probably Primrose again. 
“Nope. Hide!” I cried. 
“Oh no, not this again... Where do I go?!” Drip asked frantically. 
“Over there,” I said, pointing to the entrance to the short hallway that led to my closet on the left and the bathroom on the right. “Go in there and turn left!” Knock-knock-knock-knock. At this point, I knew Primrose was flipping through her mind to find the worst accusation she could muster. It would only get worse the longer I made her wait. 
Drip sprinted into the closet as I sprinted over to the doorway. I would have to face Primrose upfront. I reluctantly opened the door. Indeed, she was waiting on the other side, expectantly tapping a claw on the ground. She didn’t look happy. 
“Ha,” she grumbled. “You better be grateful because I'm right on the verge of exposing you right now.” 
“Where’s breakfast?” I asked, trying to play dumb, immediately realizing I should’ve kept quiet. 
Primrose closed her eyes and sighed in clear frustration at my blunt ignorance. 
“Sorry,” I said, embarrassed. “Umm, anything you need?” 
“Move. I’m going to see this stupid scavenger for myself.” She entered my quarters and looked around for a moment. I was hoping she would find nothing and leave. Don’t open the closet, I prayed. Please don’t. 
Primrose’s eyes passed over the doorway that led to the closet where Drip was, landing on my bed. I realized Drip’s father was still sleeping under there. She gave me a grave look and I awkwardly smiled back. She walked over to the bed and ripped the blanket away. 
Drip’s father didn’t wake up. He continued giving high-pitched snores, sprawled belly-down on my bed. 
“Hmph. Scavenger,” she said, flicking her talons to throw the blanket back over the scavenger in dismissal. 
“Yeah, that’s the one,” I said, playing along. “I told you. By the way, technically you shouldn’t enter without asking.” 
Primrose glared at me again. “Keep your little powers to yourself for now. I better see this scavenger here in your quarters until I get proof.” 
“Okay. Got it,” I said. I would somehow have to get her to believe this scavenger had turned into Drip. With her watching? Oh boy, I thought.  
“And get your own breakfast. They gave me a double shift today.” Primrose left the room, slamming the door behind her. 
“Safe?” I heard Drip’s muffled voice. “It’s very cramped in here!” 
“You can come out,” I called. I heard the closet door open and Drip fall to the floor. 
“Ow,” he said as he got up. “Wow. I’m starting to not like that dragon. And who knew closets could be so dusty? All you have in there are unused pouches, crumply scrolls, and ancient-looking armor.” 
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I said, grinning. “Primrose is getting suspicious. I already told her I’m an animus. She doesn’t know about you, though.” 
“Who’s Primrose?” 
“A friend of mine, basically since I was old enough to speak. But ever since SandSerpent left — I don’t know, I guess maybe I’m doing something wrong.” 
“Who’s SandSerpent?” 
“SandSerpent. He was such a good dragon,” I said, basking in the memories. “My childhood best friend. Probably also Primrose’s best friend. One time, when my father took me to a meeting in the Scorpion Den, I wandered away and got lost looking for dragonets to play with. It turned out that the dragonets I wanted to play with were not very considerate towards smaller dragonets. They probably could have changed my life for the far worse. I don’t know where I would be now if SandSerpent didn’t bring me to safety. That’s why we offered for him to come live in the stronghold.” 
“Who’s your father?” Drip asked, getting more and more interested. 
“King Char,” I said. 
“Wait, you’re a prince?! I didn’t know that!” 
“Yeah, I am,” I said, shyly. “You don’t have to call me Prince or anything, though.” 
“You’re lucky. Oh, that’s why Primrose comes every morning. She’s your servant. Ha, that’s ironic,” Drip said. For the first time in a long while, I considered Primrose’s perspective. I cringed at how she must feel humiliated, being a servant. She was the kind of dragon who defended honor above anything. 
“Too bad I can’t say hi to the King and Queen,” Drip said, looking at his blue scales. 
“No. They’re both dead.” 
“Oh,” Drip said, taken aback. “I- I didn’t mean that.” 
“It’s alright. I don’t look back on my childhood much. Queen Thorn does much better than my mother. My father – he was different, though. He’s the only place I felt safe – like, the genuine feeling – in my entire childhood.” 
Drip paused in thought. “I don’t know. I can’t really say the same. I’ve always been trying to escape my father, ever since I was little. Dragons seemed so mysterious and awesome, like the big sun on a background of dim stars. I just couldn’t ignore them. I never understood how other people just went on their days treating them like pests.” 
“Well, you were right. It all paid off.”  
Drip seemed to gain some encouragement. His hesitance from a moment ago disappeared and his eyes filled with passion. We both grinned. 
“Let’s go follow the sun!” 
==Chapter 9 - Drip==
After a very long and nerve-racking walk, Scorch and I eventually arrived safe and undetected at the cave he had suggested. The entrance was very shabby; a simple wooden doorframe rotting away with time. As we entered, it began to grow dim and I could see Scorch fumble around for something.
“What are you looking for?” I asked.
“Ow!” Scorch replied after hitting his head on the cave ceiling. “Something to make a torch out of. I can barely see!”
I looked at him with an odd expression. “You can’t see?”
The cave was dark, but it wasn’t enough to hinder my sure-footedness.
“Well, obviously! You’re the one with night vision, not me!”
Suddenly, I beamed with excitement. This was probably another SeaWing ability I hadn’t yet discovered.
“Hold up,” Scorch realized. “You have bioluminescent scales! You can light the way for us.”
How could I have forgotten about that? I wondered. I began to flash my bioluminescent scales, my heart fluttering with excitement, but the soft aura accounted to barely anything.
“I still can’t see,” Scorch informed.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “I’m still trying to get the hang of this.” I tried flashing them brighter and the room glowed a lovely blue hue, reflecting off the slightly damp rock walls and lighting the way.
“Woah!” I exclaimed, looking at our surroundings. Highly reflective blue insects lined the walls of the cave, almost as if they were glowing. I was surprised to see that insects further down the cave were visible just as brightly as the ones next to me. Even stranger, I felt an odd presence that I couldn’t quite place my fingers – Talons, now, I thought – on. For some reason, the old, barely taught, fading religion of my tribe ancestors came to mind. I never believed in it.
“The old record books never said anything about this!” Scorch remarked, amazed. “It’s almost as if a whole ecosystem has just formed itself down here over the years, without us even knowing!”
As we walked further, stunned with awe, the mineshaft opened into the spacious area that Scorch had suggested we practice in. Surely, it was plenty enough room; probably four times bigger than my old secret cave.
I remembered the paintings of those dragons that I had drew on the inside walls of that old secret cave. All that time studying, observing, trading for treasure, and none of it had got me to where I was. It was my persistence, my dad and his father’s great-grandfather's old map to the dragon den, and Scorch who had got me to where I was.
And now it was time for me to be one of those majestic flying dragons.
I came back to reality as my eyes adjusted even more to the darkness, revealing the countless rotten boards, boulders, and sharp tools littered on the floor.
“Oh, here’s a torch!” I said as I spotted one on the floor. I grabbed it and handed it to Scorch in the dim light.
“Wow. This thing is ancient!” Scorch chuckled. He exhaled a little tuft of fire onto the torch. He took a few tries before it actually lit.
With the torch’s extra light, I was now able to see the many mineshafts dotting the walls. Rickety old wooden minecart ramps led to each one of them. They seemed eerily dark, even the one we came from. The light of the torch gave a completely different mood than the soft, blue, reflective light of my scales, and the intriguing fluorescent creatures weren’t visible anymore.
I caught a whiff of smoke from the torch. “Eww, it smells like burning hair,” I said.
“I don’t think it’s that bad,” Scorch said as he put the torch on one of the wall mounts. The mount was so rusty it almost crumbled away.
“Brutal,” I said.
Scorch didn’t get it. “Well, let’s clear out an area,” he said, finally seeing all the junk on the floor. “You’re not going to be able to learn to fly with all this stuff in the way.”
With that, me and Scorch got to work. Scorch began lighting more torches, which he scattered around in crevices in the walls where he couldn’t find functional torch mounts.
I found a heavy crate right in the middle of the cave that seemed to be filled with coal. I gave it a hefty shove towards the nearest wall of the room, expecting it to barely move an inch. However, to my surprise, the box practically flew to the other side of the cavern. Charcoal spilled everywhere.
“Woah!” I exclaimed as I fell flat on my face, cracking an old floorboard in half.
“Not used to your own strength, I see,” Scorch remarked, grinning, who had apparently been watching the whole time.
“Apparently not.” I giggled as I stood back up and felt my chin. It was completely fine.
It took us a while, but we eventually moved enough items to create a clear flight course that was suitable enough for basic training.
“All right, time for your first lesson,” Scorch said. “Umm… To be honest, I don’t know how to teach someone to fly. Once I learned, I kind of forgot how I was taught.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but I cut myself off as a strange feeling hit me. I felt a tense arura in the air. Someone was approaching. Scorch must have felt it too, because his mildly confused expression vanished as his eyes snapped to the cave entrance we came from. Then we heard footsteps.
“Scorch! Come out right now! Don’t think I didn’t see you enter this cave!”
Scorch and I gawked at each other. Primrose had found us out.
“Quick, hide!” Scorch whispered in a panicked voice, as Primrose’s steps got louder and louder.
“I heard that!” yelled Primrose, getting closer every second. “Who else is with you? Are you up to something?” she uneasily remarked.
Before I could find a place to hide, the highly irritated form of Primrose entered the light of the cavern. Drip and I froze, not able to move an inch under her glare. Her gaze shifted from Scorch to me, puzzled, probably wondering who I was. She looked back and forth from me to Scorch, then again, Scorch to me, trying to comprehend what was going on.
After a few overly drawn-out moments of silence, Primrose sighed in disappointment. “You did the enchantment without my consent!” she said, breaking the sharp silence.
“Listen, I-” Scorch started, before receiving a hearty slap to the face.
Primrose clearly wasn’t amused.
“I told you to wait until I gave you permission! You know what animus magic does to dragons!”
I had to intervene before they could fight anymore. “Stop it you two!” I hollered, stepping in between them to prevent any further injuries. “Why are you two fighting? Scorch can use his magic if he wants!”
Scorch retreated behind me, wincing.
Primrose gave me a cold stare. “You don’t know what animus magic does to dragons, do you?”
“You didn’t hav-” Scorch started.
“Shh. Don’t talk,” Primrose shushed, keeping her eyes on me.
I returned the stare with contrasting curiously. She sighed a deep, exasperated sigh. She began to impatiently explain to me basic animus lore I would need to know. She explained how over time, the magic wears down a dragon’s soul the more they use it. If an individual uses it too much, they will go insane, killing everything and everyone in sight.
“It’s happened before! Other Animus dragons have gone mad like that!” Primrose snapped, “That’s why I was so mad at Scorch. If he uses his magic too much he will go insane. We don’t want that to happen, do we? And we all know how easy it is to just snap whatever you want into existence without any sort of-”
Frustrated at her attitude, I snapped back, “He’s only used it three times in his life, three! How do you already expect him to already be on a killing spree? Those other dragons used their power without any sort of rules. Scorch knows better.”
Scorch cringed, knowing that Primrose’s next response was inevitable. However, instead of an annoyed reply, she simply growled.
“Ugh. I admit, you have a point, Scavenger. Still, Scorch should refrain from using his magic, understood?” Primrose finished, talking to the both of us. I couldn’t help but feel like yelling at her again, she had such a bossy attitude.
“All right, I get it,” I replied hotly. I glanced at Scorch. He had a relieved look on his face, as if he had just narrowly escaped a predator’s jaws. “And my name is Drip.”
After a few moments of loud silence, Primrose resumed speaking to Scorch. “So, if he over there is a scavenger you enchanted, mind explaining to me why the exact one I saw earlier was wandering around the palace talking to Rose, Smolder’s pet scavenger, before I came to find you?”
Scorch thought for a moment, realization dawning. “That was Drip’s father. Now that I realize... We left my door open. He must have woken up and escaped...”
I had a terrified expression on my face. I could only imagine how much trouble my dad could be in... But there was another human, Rose, who had apparently been one of the dragons’ pets. That gave at least some comfort.
Primrose smirked. “Makes sense, even though you did lie to me earlier. Other than that, what are you two doing here anyway? Nobody ever visits this mineshaft. In fact, it’s prohibited to do so.”
Scorch looked a little flustered, now realizing he was oblivious to the unknown rule. “Drip doesn’t know how to fly. We came down here so I could teach him without being seen,” Scorch stammered. I could see him blushing even in the dim light. Our secrets were now exposed. Primrose knew Scorch was an animus, and she was aware of an intruding SeaWing, a spy for all the SandWings knew. And to add on top of all that, we were both trespassing in forbidden areas. She had pinned us under her talons.
She looked between the both of us before putting on the face of a hardcore fitness trainer. Just from the fierce look in her eyes, I could tell what was going through her mind. “Well, you’re in luck about that learning-to-fly thing,” she declared. “I know exactly where to start.”
== Chapter 10 - Scorch==
I assumed it was around evening when Primrose started training Drip. She began with the basics: How to hold your wings at the right angles, maintain a smooth glide, and flap your wings to gain height. Drip did not seem pleased that Primrose, of all dragons, was the one teaching him. He consistently groaned childishly when she pushed him to try harder on a complicated flight technique.
After watching them train for a while, I suddenly felt a strange urge to do something. I couldn’t quite place my talon on what that “something” was. My mind wandered to the treasury. I hadn’t checked on it in a while. Surely there’s nothing wrong with it, I thought. But despite my attempts to quell the urge, I felt like doing nothing would end in something drastic.
I eventually gave up and started sneaking out of the cave.
But Primrose caught me. “Where are you going so fast?” she questioned as Drip once again fell out the air.
“Ugh,” he groaned.
“To check on the treasury,” I responded. “For some reason, I feel like something’s off.”
“You’re just going to leave me here to be tortured by this awfully stubborn girl?” Drip mocked.
Primrose gave Drip a quick, painful jab in the chest at his remark.
“OW!” he exclaimed. “Worth it though.”
“You’re the stubborn one, kid.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed at him. Somehow, even though I’ve only known him for a couple days, I felt like Drip was almost as good of a friend as SandSerpent was. Shaking off the memories before I got sentimental, I headed out of the cave, remembering to bring a torch with me. But I couldn’t help smiling at Primrose and Drip. Despite my circumstances, I felt a sort of warm glow in my chest.
Approaching the entrance of the cave, I saw that it was nearly nighttime. A few other dragons were sure to be curious about my whereabouts. Swiftly, I took off towards the treasury.
As I was gliding through the golden sky, I saw a few dragons shadily strolling through the mostly abandoned markets. I made sure to stay in the air; I knew from childhood experience that these SandWings were usually bandits or outlaws.
After a nice, relaxing flight, I arrived at the royal treasury. However, as I approached, there was a certain tenseness in the air; the same tenseness you feel when you know your elders are about to reprimand you.
As I approached the treasury doors, I noticed that the two door guards had nervous faces. “Is… there something wrong?” I cautiously asked them.
“N-N-Nothin' sir!” the left one stammered.
Ignoring their unusual response, I walked up to the entrance door. The guards’ eyes still hadn’t made contact with mine. I could hear nervous mumbling on the other side. However, as I reached for the handle, the guards shakily blocked the door with their spears. I gave them a mixed look of impatience and confusion.
“S-S-Sorry sir, t-the other guards are t-trying to fix something. Please wait…” stammered the one on the right.
I snorted in anger. These guards had no right to block me; there was definitely something up. I pushed their spears aside with my talons, “I believe that, as I am the Royal Treasurer, you don’t have any right to prevent me from entering. If the others are truly fixing something, then I shall see their work in progress.” With that, I walked through the door. Not promising, I thought. As I passed, I could hear both of the guards mutter vulgar language under their breath.
Before I knew it, I was inside the Treasury once again. There was an odd concentration of guards at the left-most door in the back. One of them looked over at me and began to panic. The other guards quickly caught wind of the situation and soon the room was full of guards shouting vulgar phrases at themselves and causing ruckus. I even heard one of them yell “He’s going to kill us all!” This kind of behavior was certainly not expected of Royal Guards.
“QUIET!” I roared. The room instantly fell silent and all the guards looked at me feverishly. As the guards gave me their worried looks, I also noticed that the treasury’s mystic atmosphere had vanished. Something was wrong. I couldn’t help but expect the worst. “Now, would someone mind explaining to me why you are all having a mental breakdown?” For some reason I felt a bit dizzy.
One of the burlier guards gave his companion a gentle shove in my direction. The dragon walked up to me nervously and began to explain. I recognized him from the training ground. “S-Sir, w-we believe that a-a… scavenger may have....” He glanced around at the other dragons and gulped.
“Well, go on!”
“M-may have... R-raided the treasury, s-sir.” He took a step back and gazed at his talons.
My eyes widened in shock, “You can’t be serious!” I huffed. “A scavenger?! Of all the NightWings and RainWings?” Determined that he was lying, I went to check the chambers of the treasury, every step feeling heavier. Sure enough, in two of the chambers, all of the most precious artifacts and about half of the treasure was missing. My jaw gaped, my eyes widened, and I was shocked to the core. There was no mistake. This was Drip’s fault. And his father. How could I let this happen? I thought, furiously. All of a sudden, I felt my eyes twitch. Then I started to laugh, in the kind of way only a mentally unstable Animus would laugh.
“A-Are you okay, Sir?” the previous guard asked.
“Yeah, I’m totally, perfectly fine.” I sarcastically replied. Then, faster than a hummingbird could blink, I slammed him against the wall in a chokehold. “You idiots! This is exactly how the Great War started! Let’s just hope the queen is still alive, you hopeless bag of worms!” Before he could start choking, I threw him onto the floor with a hard thump. I lifted my claws to slash at his throat in anger, but before I could, I heard a loud voice shout from the treasury door. “Sir Scorch of the SandWings! What in Pyrrhia are you doing?!” Then I felt a growing lump of bitterness in my throat. There was no mistaking that voice: It was Queen Thorn. Standing right next to her were an agitated Primrose and a shocked Drip, along with Wiki floating above, all of them staring directly at me.
Only a few minutes ago I had felt like everything would be fine. But now I was panicking as my life seemed to be falling apart. And the bitterness had only grown. But even worse was that Drip had betrayed me. Us, I thought.
I glanced down at the terrified dragon under my talons, shakily stepping off him. What have I come to? echoed my conscience.
Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)
Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon)
Category:Fanfictions
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