Prymrose and Droplet (a story set in the Scorpion Den)

Written by Sarahyasmine and DeltaTheSeaWing. Special thanks to Coast the hybrid.
The SandWing returned soon enough, muttering directions to himself. Droplet looked up at him, her ears perking up before he seized her wings and yanked her up, brushing the sand off of her in an almost gentle manner. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. 
"Ok." He muttered. "Enough sitting around. I know a few friends in the underworld who might have an idea about who wants to buy you. Just sit there and look pretty." Droplet nodded, distracted by the distant clanging noises, like pots being smashed together. 
"Do you hear that?” Droplet said. The SandWing looked around and then yanked on the rope around her neck, stalking towards a dark alley. 
"For moon's- Yes, whatever it is, yes I hear it. Just shut up." Droplet's snout snapped shut and she followed after the dragon, humming to herself. Buy me? That's kind of odd. Can you do that? Like to . . . adopt a dragon into your family? But I already have a family…
Prymrose cautiously walked through the market, glancing at every dragon she saw, not at all sure that she could trust any of them. She remembered what had happened to her sister and shuddered. Then a small noise caught her attention. She peeked down the nearest alley and observed two dragons, talking to eachother in hushed tones. Then she tripped over a garbage can. Aaargh! She thought to herself. Whyyy am I SO CLUMSY!?
The dragons had noticed her standing at the entrance to the alley. Now what am I going to do? Prymrose thought.
The SandWing automatically stopped talking to Droplet, and shoved her behind him, snarling. Droplet peeked out from behind his wing, tilting her head curiously. The SandWing had dropped the rope around her neck, but he was still watching her, she could tell. The banging of the pots were really loud now, and it made her ears hurt. She heard the SandWing mutter something like 'Outclaw', and his face twisted into a cruel smile. 
"Don't just lurk in the shadows, friend," He said, but Droplet recognized that voice. Please don't. She prayed to the SandWing. "Come on our and talk to us.”
Prymrose froze at the words spoken. She felt an odd shiver run down her wings, and even though it was scorching outside, she felt cold. "I don't trust you," she said, bracing herself. "I don't trust anyone." Prymrose heard a dry laugh towards the back of the alley, and then a small scuffle, as if... as if someone was being held captive. Oh moons, Prymrose thought. What on Pyrrhia have I gotten myself into?
Droplet looked nervously between the SandWing and the . . . other SandWing. She tilted her head at her captor's claws, which were digging huge gouges in the sand, his tongue flicking in and out angrily. 
Prymrose grinned. Here was a dragon she could get behind. As the sunlight shifted, she saw a male SandWing, smaller than her, but ruthlessly agile. Behind him, there was another dragon... Prymrose squinted. She was small, huddled up... Prymrose barely made out a tentative wave towards herself.
"Why don't I trust you?" Prymrose said, directing her voice at the SandWing. "Because it looks like you have dirty business on your hands. Who is this? What are you planning to do with her?" Prymrose straightened her wings and glared at the dragon, planting her talons in the dirt.
"Why should I tell you?" He spat, shooting a poisonous glare that could kill twenty dragons mid flight at the other SandWing. "I have no idea who you are or who you're with.”
The dragon's voice sunk deep into Prymrose's chest. She recognized it somehow--or maybe she just recognized the strong malice in the words. Prymrose made a deep growling sound in her throat. There was no reason this dingy (but slightly handsome) dragon should get the better of her. He was keeping a prisoner, she just knew it. And she also knew she wasn't going to let him take the little helpless dragonet.
"Spare me with the 'who your with' bit, dirtpile." Prymrose growled. "The only reason you'd be asking that was if you were on a wanted poster somewhere in this city. Who are you, and what is the reason you're holding that dragon hostage!?" Prymrose grimaced at her extremely loud last words.
Droplet widened her eyes at the SandWing who was standing in front of her. She scratched her gills nervously, her scales shifting to a confused purple-orange splashed with acid green. The SandWing didn’t look impressed.
“I’m just a traveler.” He spat, all the warmth melting away. “Not in any of your little posters. I just want to do is get in, make a pile of coins and get back out. This pathetic creature is not being held hostage,” He poked Droplet with one sharp claw. “She just happened to stumble into my path and will be useful to my plan.” He narrowed his fathomless black eyes. “Most dragons who stumble into my path don’t do very well after, get the picture?” Droplet boinked at him, the bugs crawling along her spine again as she observed them politely and quietly.
Prymrose gritted her teeth. She thought of her sister, and how she had been victim to a dragon just like the one she was standing in front of. "What's your plan?" Prymrose said. "I am, quite honestly, a very helpful dragon when it comes to things like these." Prymrose flashed a smile at the haughty SandWing. "How much are you willing to pay me to help you?" The dragon's eyes widened slightly with surprise. 
"Trust me," Prymrose said. "Actually, don't trust me. I can't be trusted. Just like you.”
The SandWing rolled his eyes, his tongue still flicking in and out as he observed the other dragon coolly.
“Really?” He said in a cold voice, shoving Droplet behind him. Droplet looked between the two SandWing’s nervously. She thought this dragon might help her, or at least leave, but she only wanted to get money? The SandWing suddenly growled and shrugged. “Sixty-forty.” He snapped.
"Sixty-forty?" Prymrose said, playing with her silver teardrop earring. "Done. But first you've gotta tell me what your plan is." Prymrose looked at the crouching, tiny dragon behind the SandWing, and she felt a little twang of sympathy for her emotions. "Hey little thing," She said, mustering up her courage and trying to sound slightly harsh. "What are you anyway?”
Droplet twitched away from Prymrose, pulling up the SandWing’s wing and hiding behind it. She opened her mouth to answer, but he cut her off.
“Hybrid.” He said curtly, grabbing the rope and yanking her behind him. “And no. I’m not telling you the plan. Just let me do the talking.”
Prymrose rolled her eyes at the SandWing, feeling little pangs in her chest at the thiught of scaring the little hybrid. "Fine." she said. "You'll do the talking. But at least tell me your name. I'm Prym, by the way." Prymrose felt her heart skip a beat. Her parents had taught her her whole life to only ever introduce herself with a nickname. They had taught her that she couldn't trust anyone. And Prymrose knew they were right.
The SandWing narrowed his eyes at Prym, his tongue flicking in and out. Droplet looked at the dragon for a long moment, acid green earring her way through the purple on her scales.
“I’m Sand.” He snapped, turning a corner. Droplet wrinkled her snout. That was a terrible name.
Sand? Prymrose thought, treading down the sandy path. That's a terrible name. Yeesh, I wonder why his parents named him that? "That's an awful name--" Prymrose snapped her jaw shut. Did she just say that out loud? "Ahh, I mean that's an awe-some name. Yup. that's exactly what I meant to say. Awesome..." Prymrose trailed off. The shy hybrid had come out into the bright sunlight, and her scales shone brighter then the sand. Prymrose couldn't tell what she was, tribewise, but she seemed as if she was maybe a SeaWing/RainWing hybrid. "Wow." Prymrose said. "Where'd you pick her up?" and then she tripped over a rock, her snout splatting in the sand. AARGHH! she thought. WHYY!? Prymrose exhaled little sand granules from her nose.
Droplet giggled, a high pitched squeaking noise and extended her webbed talon to help Prym up, but Sand swatted her talon away and waited for Prym, tapping his talon.
“Bay of a Thousand Scales.” He snapped. “The east side.” Droplet blinked at him. Really? He had never said much about her backstory, only that her parents had been happy to give her up. Her flicked her ruff, rubbing her gills and quietly trying to slice the ripe off her neck, but to no avail.
"Cool," Prymrose groaned, sitting up and spitting sand out of her mouth, and then started wiping it off her tongue. "Thabs a cwewl plbce, hmm? Howbd you get therb?” 
Sand glared at Prym abs then turned sharply and kept walking, Droplet following after.
“I don’t have time to explain.” He snapped curtly. “Coming?”
Prymrose scrambled up out of the sand and tripped a few more times, before she fell into place next to Sand. "Yep! Coming! Where are we going, exactly?" She heard the hybrid still giggling behind them and tried to suppress a smile.
Sand edged away from Prym with disgust, then shook his head and stopped outside a building. He reached down to one of the many metal rings in the sandy ground and tied Droplet’s rope to it.
“Stay.” He snapped, waving his tail towards her. Droplet nodded and sat down, licking her claws gently. “You too, but if I find her gone, I will hunt you down and kill you.” Then he vanished into the dark interior.
"Okay, stump-snout." Prymrose said after Sand left. "What an interesting dragon he is, right, little one?" Prymrose crouched down besides the young dragon and put her talons over hers. "Hey, it'll be alright. I'm not sure whats happening, but it'll be alright. Hey, listen," she said as the hybrid ducked her head, "If I'm going to help you, I need you to tell me what's up.” 
Droplet looked up at Prym, her snout a mask of confusion. She sniffed, rubbing her talons together as she laid down. 
"But I thought you were the bad guy." She whispered, her scales turning instantly a strange shade of blue-gray that automatically became streaked with very dark purple. "Sorry." She whispered, then poked the ground. "I- I can't remember what happened. Only a little bit. I've been traveling most of my life.”
Prymrose grimaced, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I had to pretend--Sand seems like a very bad dragon. I know this is confusing for you, but you need to tell me your name and where you came from. I need to get you back to your family." 
Family. The word echoed in Prymrose's mind. She couldn't remember the last time she had been a family, been whole--until her sister was kidnapped.
Prymrose hung her head. She wanted to help this young, disabled dragonet more then she wanted anything in the world... except to find Cholla. Shouldn't she be wandering the streets still, working for money so she could find her sister's captor and pay for her to be released? Or was hope lost? Prymrose knew she had to accept the fact that her sister was long gone. Dead.
"Listen," she said to the dragonet. "I need you to answer my questions. Even if it's hard. Please.”
Droplet looked up from the hundreds of huge beetles that were stomping around on the sands, tilting her head at Prym. 
"His name isn't Sand." She giggled, realizing it suddenly. "He uses different names every time he interacts with someone." She turned back to the beetles, then poked the ground. "They don't want me back." She muttered, folding her wings around herself. She wasn't sure of many things in her life, but that was one thing she was very sure of. "They gave me to . . . 'Sand' . . . and . . . I doubt they want me back." She paused. "I'm Droplet.”
Prymrose was taken aback. "They don't...Want you? So what has 'Sand' got to do with any of this?" she said. "Do you want to go through with his plan?" Prymrose swallowed, poking a beetle that was crawling over her tail. "Listen...Droplet. He's going to sell you. I can tell. He won't give you to the nicest dragon, or sell you to someone you like. He's going to give you away to the highest bidder. That's how it works here... In the scorpion Den. Trust me, I've lived here since I was little. My parents had to move to Jerboa's Tail because of what...of what happened.”
Droplet bit her lip, poking the ground nervously.
“I’m sure that’s not it.” She whispered, at least five different colors chasing along her scales until she settled into a light baby blue that matched her eyes, which were full of worry. “He wants the best for me.” She laid down, burying her nose in her wings and curling her tail around her body. “I’m sure he does. What that is, I’m not sure…”
Prymrose sighed. "I can see you trust him," she said. "I only joined this mission because I thought I could help you. How...I'm not sure anymore. But I know that you think your safe with this... 'Sand'. And maybe you are. I don't think me helping him will do anything." Except bring in money, Prymrose thought guiltily. "Do you think I should leave?" Prymrose flopped down on the sand besides Droplet. "Or should I stay?”
Droplet hesitated, a bit of rose pink drifting through he claws, though she quickly quelled it.
“Why do you want to help me?” She asked curiously, scooting closer to Prym. She liked the warmth her scales gave off. “I don’t even know you. And you don’t even know me.”
Prymrose looked down at the ground. She could feel the light brush of Droplet's tail, slowly sweeping the sand. "I'm not sure." she said. "I've... I've always had a soft spot for dragons like you... slaves. My parents are slaves. I was a slave. My sister is dead, and she never got to be free. the truth is, it's not fair. Dragons deserve to have their own thoughts, a conscious will to be spoken. Including you.” 
Prymrose's red-brown eyes met Droplet's bright blue ones. Prymrose's heart shriveled up. Her dear sister had been only a bit younger when she was stolen, and Prymrose couldn't get the thought of that terrifying, fateful night out of her mind.
Droplet wiggled nervously, frowning at the dragon with new eyes.
“Um...” She whispered. “A what?”
Prymrose glanced at the young dragonet. "A...a, um... You wouldn't understand. A slave is someone else's... someone else's property. They can buy you, sell you, do whatever they want, because you belong to them. You have to earn your freedom. Like I did. Or else you'll be trapped forever--doing things you don't want to do. Like my parents." Prymrose caught Droplet's expression. "Listen, Droplet, I'm not trying to tell you that Sand is bad, or trying to make you believe things you don't want to, but...I don't want you to live a long life of slavery. I don't want anyone to.”
Droplet let our a shriek that practically echoed across the Scorpion Den, turning a pale acid green and a pale green.
“WHAT?!” She screamed, leaping up, her eyes blazing. “ARE YOU KIDDING-“ She abruptly cut off, sitting back down, her scales instantly becoming a calm aqua. “Me?” She said softly, then laughed. “You’re wrong. That’s not what’s going on. That’s not what’s going to happen to me.”
Prymrose jumped to her feet, alarmed. "What--Droplet!" she scolded, glancing around at the hostile SandWings, and met a passing SkyWing's eyes. When the dragon saw her, she quickly ducked her head and rushed away, sending a shiver down Prymrose's spine. "You can't scream like that here! Dragons will notice!" Prymrose nervously sat back down next to Droplet. "And what do you mean that's not what's going on? What aren't you telling me?”
Droplet shrugged, glaring slightly at Prym, a flash of red breaking through into her scales.
“You startled me!” She said and then shrugged. “I don’t care if dragons notice me. They can’t do anything to me or Sand will kill them.” She smiled dazzlingly at the closest SkyWing as she walked by. “He’s always protected me from danger and has kept dragons from trying to kill me. I’m just not sure he’s that bad.” It was shocking how unconvincing her voice was.
Prymrose raised her eyebrows at the sudden audacity of Droplet.
"I'm not sure I know what you mean," she said. "I can tell--the thoughts racing through your mind are battling. Tell me your true opinion, Droplet, before Sand comes back out. I need to plan a course of action? Don't you understand?? Life is fight or don't fight. You can't just make peace with dragons that want to harm you. It doesn't work like that.”
Droplet wiggled on her claws, looking down as she tried to understand, the red instantly vanishing into a pale whitish green.
“I’ve told you everything!” She said, a little more sharply than maybe was nessucary. “And why are you trying to help me? There are plenty of other dragons with evil dragons controlling them? Can’t you see I’m fine!” She turned away, watching huge vines crawl up the walls, in all shades of colors. That was too harsh. She thought, wincing.
Prymrose blinked. The harshness of Droplet's words washed over her like a wave, cold and wet and terrifying.
"I see." Prymrose said sharply. "Your fine." Prymrose got up off the ground and shook her wings out, little bits of sand flying off them. "I should have guessed that when I saw a dragon parading you around with a noose around your neck." Prymrose sliced the bonds off Droplet with one quick stroke of her claws, then stalked away into the dark building from which Sand had disappeared.
Droplet looked at Prym with sadness, her scales turning a gloomy shade of bluish gray. The first kind dragon I’ve met in this town, and I messed it up. She sighed. Ok, what to do. If I’m to go back to Possibility, I need to get... what did he say... money. How does one get that? Do they just... uh... I need to afk someone! Oh and find a temporary home! Somewhere where Sand ain’t find me. She reached out a picked up a bunch of colorful dragon bite viper. Let’s go!
Prymrose stalked angrily but sadly into the building, searching for Sand. She looked around and realized she had no idea what this place was. Dragons stood in clumps, growling in the dark room, tossing coins and meat onto tables for gambling tokens. Is this a trade shop? Prymrose thought. Or maybe it's just a shop where people like to trade... 
Suddenly a buff-looking SandWing blocked Prymrose's way, cracking his talons against each other. "It's Horsefly, here," he said in a deep, rough voice. "And I don't think you have no business messing with Horsefly."
Prymrose tried to avoid grinning. Did this dragon want to fight? Prymrose reeeaally wanted to fight someone right now. Aaargh, she thought. I need to clear my head. I need to find Sand. I should really avoid things like this. "Ahh, sorry," Prymrose said apologetically to the SandWing. "I wanted to fight too, but I've got my own business." She clapped Horsefly on the shoulder and walked past him, enjoying the shocked look on his snout. 
There he is! Prymrose thought, seeing Sand at a nearby table. "Hey," she said. "I'm dropping out. Your hybrid wants nothing to do with me. Honestly, I think she might like you.”
Sand looked at her, then snorted.
“You’re kidding right?” He looked up and then back down, tossing a coin onto the table in front of him. “That pathetic creature hates me.” He hesitated. “I have protected her, from everyone, including her family.” He spat our family as if it was covered with rotten fish. “So maybe that’s why. But I’ll be glad to get rid of ‘er.”
Prymrose sighed. "I had a feeling you would say something like that. Listen, I have absolutely no idea what's going on with you and her, but I just wanted to ask if you're taking her somewhere safe. That little dragonet deserves it." Prymrose looked at the dragon sitting across from Sand, partly hidded in the shadows. "And who is this?" she asked. "You've been in here forever."
Category:Fanfictions
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