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SunFire

By: Tidota Eru



           Table of Contents

Ch.1: The Birth of SunFire                       Pg. 4-8

Ch.2: Sky Burns, Stars Fall                      Pg. 9-13

Ch.3: Seeking Purpose                              Pg. 14-16

Ch.4: A New Island                                   Pg.17-19

Ch.5: A Terrible Storm                            Pg. 20-21

Ch.6: Treasured Joy                                 Pg. 22-23

Ch.7: Poison In Paradise                          Pg. 24-27

Ch.8: Spawn of A Hunter                         Pg. 28-31

Ch.9: A Lost Flame                                   Pg. 32-33

Ch.10: Telsa Returns                                Pg. 34-36

Ch.11: Un-Noble Knights                         Pg. 37-41

Ch.12: To Reach The Heart                     Pg. 42-45

Ch.13: A Fiery Confrontation                  Pg. 46-48

Ch.14: SunFire’s Roar                              Pg. 49-53

Ch.15: The Repercussions of Hate           Pg. 54-59

Epilogue                                                      Pg.60



 

 

 

       

 

“My name is Z-Nar. For many years, we book keeper dragons have been blessed with the responsibility of guarding the history of all dragon kind. 

Although such knowledge of our history is highly forbidden nowadays, as my apprentice, you have been granted special permission to learn what others would dream to know. Here is one story I think you'll find extremely fascinating. The story of a golden dragon, and how he saved the world,"



Ch.1: The Birth of SunFire

Miles away, deep inside of a sanctuary known as the Golden Gate Hatchery, a volley of newborn dragon eggs could be found, destined to be cared for and raised by the single dragon who watched over them. A female dragon named Zatal. 

 

Zatal was a beautiful, purple, gold, and blue scaled dragon, with soft amber eyes that spoke with compassion and wisdom, wings that glowed like the crescent of the autumn moon, and a smile that let everyone around her know that she truly cared. 

 

Unfortunately for Zatal, not everything in her life had started out wonderful. Before the Golden Gate Hatchery had even been formed, the elder dragons of her homeland had confirmed to her that she had an unknown condition that would forever prevent her from laying an egg. She would never have her own child to raise. Never give birth. Never have a dragonet in which she would love and cherish with all her might. 

 

The news was devastating to Zatal, and depression quickly seeped deep, digging its claws viciously into her mind. What would she do now? What kind of life could she live if she couldn’t be a mother? No male would court her. For what reason should she stay just to be considered a pariah among her kind?

 

Coming to a decision, after weeping to herself quietly throughout the night, the next day Zatal decided to spread out her wings and fly away from her homeland, far away to Farlow Island, where she could hopefully mend her heart’s gaping hole and find acceptance to her trauma. 

 

An old cathedral stood there, in the midst of a great forest on the island, twisted inside a star of swirling sand. There she could be alone, mourning for the loss of her fertility in peace.

 

The spiraling towers of the cathedral reached up to greet Zatal as soon as she arrived to the island, softly fluttering her wings to land upon the ground, outside of the cathedral’s old, large, ornate, wooden oak doors. The female dragon stood still for a moment, eyes gazing upward, to admire the structure’s majestic beauty, breathing in the salt-flavored air as she admired every cut of the earth and stone. The cathedral was truly a wondrous sight, capturing the artful skill of its master’s hands, it would be a lovely place to stay and call a home. 

 

Making herself feel comfortable, Zatal rested in one of the cathedral’s empty chambers for many days, pondering in her own thoughts, meditating, and becoming blind to time passing by, until, one morning, the winds changed and hatching season finally began. 

 

Mother dragons started flying over the island, looking for a safe place to stay so that they could lay their eggs. Some dragons decided to land on Zatal’s island, and asked for her permission if they could stay. 

 

Zatal nodded, never turning an expectant mother away from her care, and watched as the mother dragons started to fill up the church, getting excited and ready for the moment their children would come, anxious to see that first expression of joy as a young dragonet finally burst from out of their egg, eager to experience the thrilling gift of life.

 

Swallowing her silent, boiling, envy in order to shield her loving heart from darker thoughts, Zatal carefully monitored herself around the expecting mothers, determined to behave and stay in a good mood, despite the personal struggles she herself had. Days passed as she continued to watch over them, and then suddenly, one evening, an idea slowly formed in Zatal’s mind. Maybe she would be happier if she was busy helping the mothers out, instead of roiling over in her own grief.

 

The mother dragons were pleased when Zatal offered to help, and warmed up to her, trusting their wellbeing and children to Zatal’s care. The children that hatched loved Zatal as much as they did their own mothers, and she smiled happily, loving them equally as well. The mother dragons grinned, pleased to see their young dragonets feel so happy and warm. Zatal truly was, in their minds, the best caregiver in the land. 

 

In respect of her kindness, the cathedral’s numbers grew, and more eggs passed through the door, turning the old church into a hatchery, a safe haven where all mothers could come and raise their young. Truly heaven had come to smile down upon Farlow Island, and the cathedral was renamed the Golden Gate, rumors spreading through the grapevine, shining out proud its glory to the world.

 

 Over time, some eggs came to the hatchery that were confirmed to either abandoned or lost by other dragons, and it hurt Zatal’s heart to see and know that a dragonet was about to be born into this world all alone, without a father or a mother to care.

 

  An orphanage was added on to the hatchery, where these little, lost dragons could be raised in peace. They grew up to love Zatal, respecting her just like a teacher, and learned what skills they needed to survive before being adopted out by others of their kind, ready to experience the world in a whole new light.

 

There were times when Zatal wished she could adopt one of the orphans under her care, but she couldn’t let her selfish wish for a child taint her gentle heart. Deep down, she felt a little unworthy, despite the numerous arguments that could be made. Nevertheless, the important thing was that these dragonets deserved a chance to live in good homes with loving families. It was the greatest gift she could ever give to them. Families that would love them and care for them, be there with them for all of time.

 

Finally, after a while, the hatching season came to a close, and Zatal was left alone again at the cathedral. No more eggs crowded the hatchery, and no more orphans needed new homes. The hole that Zatal had in her heart had mended, but in the emptiness of the echoing chamber, it once again began to crack.

 

Sighing in discontentment, Zatal walked out towards the beach, looking out into the fading sunset as she strolled around gently, talons sinking deep into the swirling sands. A cool breeze brushed past her purple-gold-blue scales, and she shivered slightly, feeling a little chilly at the wind’s icy touch.

 

Oftentimes, after a busy day of caring for the mothers, Zatal found out that she would always go out and walk on this particular shore. It had become a routine at this point. Every time she did however, her tranquil thoughts would find a way to drift back to her condition, reminding her of the dream she would never have. She could still never have a child. Never give birth. Though her heart had now accepted it, she still wished it could happen, hoping some miracle could make it be so.

 

"But there is nothing to be done" Zatal sighed as she thought, looking down, depression gleaming deep in her amber gaze. "If only I could…A child I could raise for myself, and not feel guilty about giving it away to another. A child for whom I could keep and care for on my own."

Drifting waves banged up against the shore, as the solemn dragon continued to walk silently along the beach, whispering the song of the thundering ocean as it beat around delicately humming a haunting tune to nature’s ears. 

 

The sun was almost gone now. Night was falling. Soon the moon would rise, and it would be time to return to the cathedral for some rest. 

 

Relaxing her muscles, Zatal stopped, gazing at the sun one last time, before breathing and then turning around, ready to make her way back home. Before she could even start however, for just a moment, something strange caught the female dragon's eyes.

 

There appeared to be a spark of some sort of glow suddenly coming up from the sand. A mysterious glow. A golden glow. Instantly rest became the last thing on Zatal’s mind.

 

Curious, Zatal ran over to where the glow was shining, and began to carefully lean in and dig through the sand, scraping investigately with her claws, eager to discover just what on earth was there.

 

Upon immediately unearthing it, the purple-gold-blue dragon gasped, jumping backward slightly with surprise. What she had just uncovered was an egg, golden and bright, beautifully layered with an unforgettable scaly design. From the size of it, it looked like the egg had been laying here for a while, and was only a few weeks away from hatching, vibrating slightly in the sand.

Zatal was shocked. Never before had she found an orphaned egg upon her island. Most of the orphan eggs at the hatchery had come from the other kingdoms, having lost their parents due to conflict, war, or human plague.

 

 How long had this golden egg lay hidden here? Where did it come from? Did she really never notice once after walking here for all this time?

 

Zatal looked up to the sky as if its vast expanse held the answer, and then looked back down at the egg, her eyes taking on a gentle, amber glow.

 

"This must be an answer to my prayer," Zatal thought, carefully picking the fragile egg, holding it delicately within her claws. 

 

The universe hadn’t meant for her to discover this treasure until just the right moment. Now was the time. She would finally be granted her wish.

 

“Thank you Oh Great One” Zatal whispered joyfully, eyes leaking with tears of happiness as she turned her head upward gazing to the now dark, twinkling, star-filled sky. “I shall always be thankful."

 

With that thought, Zatal hugged the egg to her chest and traveled back up towards the Golden Gate Hatchery, heart filled with love and joy as the life of a new heartbeat, beat melodiously in her hands.

 

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Time passed as the days wore on, but to Zatal the light was endless. The lone, female dragon kept finding herself being cradled around the golden egg. Cherishing it with warmth and wooing it with love.

 

For three weeks it was this way, never leaving its side, until finally, the golden egg began to wiggle, starting to hatch. 

 

A happier grin couldn't be found on any other dragon's face as Zatal watched the first claw break through the shell's hard surface. Soon it was followed by another claw, and then the head as the baby slowly crawled out on to the floor.

 

Glistening wet from the slime of its egg, the young, golden dragon stumbled to stand, curious of the world, and of being alive as his blue eyes gazed around rapidly, landing on Zatal.. 

Zatal smiled down at the young dragonet, admiring the spark of innocence in his eyes. A trait all hatchlings seemed to share, and according to the mothers, there was nothing better to their sight.

 

Knowing immediately that the young one would require milk, Zatal quickly got up to head to her kitchen and pulled out a bowl of milk for the young dragon to drink.

 

Not able to produce milk of her own, Zatal had to rely on Z-Nar and his cattlefish for most of the milk that supplied the Golden Gate Hatchery’s stores. The book keeper dragon was the only one in the seven kingdoms who raised animals like that on his land. He was odd soul, but a kind one. A historian who kept meticulous records concerning all dragonkind.

 

Setting down the bowl in front of the young, gold dragonet, Zatal watched as the youngling sniffed it first, and then slowly began to lap at the liquid, bringing it up with his tongue. 

 

Most of the birth slime was now gone from the young dragon, making his golden scales shine even more brightly in the light of the sun. 

 

Zatal lifted up her head and looked outwards, towards the sun rising, before turning her face back down to look at her charge.

 

The inspiration for a name was instant.

 

"SunFire,"

That is what she would call her son.



 

Ch.2: Sky Burns, Stars Fall

Two months after SunFire had hatched, the breeding season began anew, and the mother dragons returned to Farlow Island, ready to lay their eggs again.

 Eggs soon crowded the Golden Gate Hatchery, and, within a week, the sound of new life pulsed throughout the cathedral’s walls. 

Some of the mothers who had been to the island before took notice of SunFire right away, just seconds after their arrival, and smiled at the young one’s motherly attraction towards Zatal. Zatal confirmed to the mothers’ that she had decided to adopt SunFire as her own, telling the tale about how his egg was found on the beach and that he needed someone to care.

The mother dragons were delighted with this news, and watched as the golden youngling played around with their newly hatched daughters and sons. It was about time Zatal had her own hatchling to care for. 

"SunFire" thought one mother dragon, as she watched the golden dragon giggle with delight. “I hope you make her proud.”

Zatal couldn’t help but smile as she watched SunFire play happily with the other dragons in the orphanage part of the hatchery. Not many orphan eggs had been found this year, but the ones that had been found and hatched, grew to love her son instantly. 

Zatal didn't know what made SunFire so different, but throughout all the young ones she had raised through the years, something struck her that SunFire was special. His golden scales, that fiery personality, all were factors that Zatal had come to love.

Already SunFire had made best friends with two dragons at the hatchery. A young black and blue feathered-winged male named Sonic, and a spicy purple-orange female that called herself Fire Lily.

The three young dragons were almost inseparable. They teamed up together in almost every game. And, unless her eyes were deceiving her, Zatal could swear that she could see a slight blush on SunFire's face whenever Fire Lily was around.

The thought made her laugh to herself.

"Only a few months old" thought Zatal "and he's already developing a crush."

However, that crush never got a chance to develop, when a few days later, an aging male dragon came to the island and adopted Fire Lily away. SunFire was glad that his friend got to find a new home, but was still depressed about the whole affair.

Even Zatal's and Sonic's best attempts to cheer him up seemed ineffective. As Zatal watched her forlorn son gaze up at the moon, she silently wished in her heart, that one day, he would find Fire Lily again.

Four weeks passed, and soon both SunFire and Sonic grew into the full kid stage. Playing, laughing, and pulling pranks all throughout the Golden Gate Hatchery.

The two young dragons were busy playing tag in the halls, when Sonic suddenly stopped, hearing whimpering from underneath a nearby table.

Stunned by his friend's stop, SunFire followed Sonic's gaze and peeked his gaze under the table to find a cringing black and red dragon whimpering beneath the stone.

"Hey there" said SunFire to the female “who are you?"

"Cynder," responded the crying dragon.

"What's wrong?" asked Sonic, bending his head under the table as well.

“Daddy didn't want me" cried Cynder “Mommy gone."

SunFire nodded understanding. His mind suddenly recalled Zatal introducing Cynder to them at lunchtime, but apparently his mind had been more focused on the food than hearing her life story. SunFire couldn't help but feel guilty at that.

At an orphanage everyone needed to respect other's own life stories. To them, it was the only story they had, and the only way to hope.

"Why don't you come play with us?" Sonic asked Cynder, to which SunFire readily agreed.

Cynder looked up at the two young dragons, tears drying with hope, but still unsure.

"You mean it?" she asked.

"Sure we do!" grinned SunFire “Let’s play Fire Tag, you're it!"

With that said, both Sonic and SunFire cheerfully ran away, while Cynder couldn't stop her own gleeful smile as she ran to catch up. Finally, for once in her life, she had found a home.

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One full year passed, and soon the happy trio of SunFire, Sonic, and Cynder had reached the adolescent stage. The breeding season was over, and only a few orphans still occupied the island.

Zatal had been getting more time to rest when SunFire and his friends grown up. The young dragons immediately took the remaining orphans under their care giving the purple she-dragon more time to relax.

Zatal couldn't have had a happier year if she tried. And tonight, if Z-Nar's star charts were true, she would have a very special reward for all her young dragons to see. 

Later at lunch, when all of the young dragons were gathered and eating their Deer Ray meat, Zatal stepped into the hollow to announce her amazing news.

The Emerald Rain was beginning tonight. A meteor shower that only came once every thousand years. All of the orphans were delighted at the news, they couldn’t wait to see it.

So later, gathered in the grotto, Zatal along with all her young charges, sat beneath the starlit sky waiting for the Emerald Rain to begin.

Cynder was the first young dragon to notice a falling green star. After that SunFire spotted one, then Sonic. Soon the entire sky was bathed in a bath of green fire, as the Emerald Rain poured through the sky.

The sight and color was hypnotic to the dragons as they watched thousands upon thousands of stars fall. 

Barely a minute passed before one the orphans spoke up to Zatal.

“Zat” said the youngling, pointing up “ why is that one getting closer?”

Zatal didn’t have time to answer, for right then a flaming, green meteor decided to crash into the south side of the island.

The impact crater was huge, and the earth melted from the searing heat.

Shock gripped the air, but worry flooded through Zatal’s mind.

Looking up to the skies, the purple dragon noticed even more green streaks heading their way.

The tide of the wind had turned. The Emerald Rain was now an Emerald Storm!

“Everyone to the hatchery!” yelled Zatal, and immediately started to herd the orphans towards safety.

Fiery, green missiles chased the dragons as they ran, striking their deadly fury onto anything that moved.

The impacts were so close that flying debris felt like arrows against their scales. The hatchery seemed like a faraway light in a very dark tunnel.

SunFire was running just behind Zatal, making the long climb up the steep hill. Sonic was trotting close by, just a few feet behind SunFire.

SunFire felt glad when he saw his friend, knowing that soon they would both be safe.

But then a horrible thought pierced through SunFire’s mind as he realized that both he and Sonic had left a friend behind.

“Cynder!” SunFire shouted “Where’s Cynder?!”

Overhearing his friend, Sonic halted in fear. The blue dragon hadn’t noticed that Cynder wasn’t running along with the group until now. They had left her behind on the shore!

“We got to go back!” shouted Sonic, and with that said both he and SunFire dashed back towards the beach. 

Frantic shouts rang through the air as both Sonic and SunFire called out into the night.

“Cynder!”

“ Where are you?”

“Answer us!”

“Over here!” cried out Cynder’s voice, directing the young dragons attentions towards the rocks.

Looking over, SunFire could just barely make out a small, black and red form, lying motionless under a tree.

Signaling Sonic with his tail, SunFire rushed over to help lift the tree off Cynder.

“Don’t worry Cynder” said SunFire, grunting in effort “ We’ll get you out!”

“SunFire!” shouted Sonic in warning. 

And then, suddenly, the whole world went white. 

Up at the hatchery, Zatal was busy counting the orphans as they filed in, breathing silent waves of relief as the number grew.

All nine younglings seemed to be safe.

Wait, nine? Three were missing! Where were Sonic, Cynder, and SunFire? Had they not made it through the storm?

“I have to go back out for them,” said Zatal.

But before the purple dragon could even think to leave, a large chunk from the Emerald Rain blasted out of the sky, and struck the Golden Gate Hatchery like a nuclear bomb.



Ch.3: Seeking Purpose

Pain ached through the young dragons heads as they awoke, shaking off the darkness from their minds.

SunFire groaned while Sonic and Cynder mewled. That last strike from the Emerald Rain had left them all dizzy and confused.

But that dizziness was soon to wear off when the sharp sting of reality stung their senses, opening their eyes up to the horror before them.

“No,” said SunFire, tears broadcasting his disbelief.

The entire island had been destroyed. And even the strongest walls of the Golden Gate Hatchery were crumbled to ruins.

“Zatal!” thought SunFire worriedly, then shouted to Sonic “ We have to go back!”  

“Mind getting me out first?” said Cynder, still pinned under the tree.

“I got it!” said Sonic, running to help Cynder “ Go, SunFire, go!”

With his friend’s blessing, SunFire ran over to the ruins of the Golden Gate Hatchery, hoping with all the hope in his heart, that Zatal was still alive.

Horror greeted SunFire’s eyes as soon as he reached the shattered walls of his former home.

A grave-site lay before him, covered in fresh corpses, draining blood.

The bodies of young dragons, were mangled and mauled by sharp debris. Wings were torn, and necks clipped. Crushed in a desperate attempt for escape.

The bringer of their destruction lay mockingly in the center of the hatchery, burning deep in a pit of green flame.

A faint glimmer of a purple tail could be made out just near the center of the pit. Panic lit up in SunFire’s heart, as he rushed towards what he hoped was a mirage.

  “Zatal!”

It wasn’t a mirage. The purple, she-dragon was dead.

Tears cascaded down SunFire’s eyes as he looked down at the deceased form of his adopted mother, pain clinching his heart. The truth of the horror was almost to much to bear.

She was dead! Zatal was dead!

Almost daring to prove himself wrong, SunFire cuddled up close to the dead body of Zatal, and tried to feel for even the tiniest sense of life.

But there was none. No heartbeat, or even a breath.

A few minutes later, Sonic and Cynder finally arrived, only to sympathize with their forlorn friend in the middle of this mass grave.

Everything they’ve ever known and loved was gone. Killed, in a flash of green fire.

“SunFire” spoke Sonic, almost nervously “ I think it’s time we should go.”

“Go where?” asked Cynder, looking at Sonic “ This was our home,”

“Maybe we can find another island” said Sonic “ or visit Z-Nar.”

“Zatal’s friend?” said Cynder.

“We’re not going anywhere yet” said SunFire, rising up, his eyes still stung with tears.

Both Sonic and Cynder gazed at their friend as the golden dragon pointed his solemn gaze back to Zatal.

“Not until we bury the dead.”

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For the next three days and nights, SunFire, Cynder, and Sonic scoured the island for bodies and laid them properly to rest.

Zatal’s body was saved for last.

Ironically, the meteor that had caused her destruction, had carved the perfect grave.

Slowly, the three youngling’s pulled Zatal’s body down to the center of the pit, and wrapped her body around the meteor that lay there.

Her body snuggled against the rock, as if guarding anyone nearby from similar destruction.

With the last of their cries, SunFire and his friends burned their flames up into the night, ridding themselves of their sorrow, and the sting that poisoned their hearts.

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Sunrise rose early on the fourth day, and three young dragons stood gripped at the cliffs to the shore.

This was the time, there was no going back. It was time to leave and move on, from the tragedy of the past.

“Ready?” said SunFire to his friends.

Sonic and Cynder nodded.

“Then let’s go,” said SunFire, and with that he pumped his golden wings and took off, Sonic and Cynder following close behind.



Ch.4: A New Island

The sky was brilliant and clear, with only a few swirls of white teasing at the wind.

Three young hearts pounded breathlessly as their winged carriers flew flawlessly over the sea.

SunFire flew out in front, while Sonic and Cynder soared by his side.

This was the time of their rebirth. The time to find a new island and make it their happy home.

But so far, no islands were in sight, and even the peak of Z-Nar's castle was dull from view.

“Are you sure we're heading the right way SunFire?” asked Cynder.

“Zatal only showed me the map once before” said SunFire “ There's a landmark to the West called the Dragon's Tail. It points straight to Z-Nar's island,”

“Good” said Sonic, pumping his wings tiredly “ Maybe when we find it we can take a rest, my wings are starting to get tired,”

“I think I see it,” said Cynder, pointing with her claw.

Down below, standing like a stinger out of the water, a long, thin stretch of rock decorated the sea.

“The Dragon's Tail!” said SunFire in excitement, and swooped down for a landing. Sonic and Cynder weren't too far behind.

“It's about time” said Sonic. Collapsing in exhaustion “ Is there anything to eat here?”

“I'll go look,” said Cynder, and started exploring the tail.

SunFire, meanwhile, traveled over to the tip of the tail to see which direction it pointed.

“Northeast” SunFire thought “ so that's where we have to go,”

“Success!” called Cynder, coming back with food. “ The place is crawling in Rock Rats.”

Laying down her bounty, Cynder called SunFire and Sonic over, and three young dragons tore into their meal, filling their bellies with the delicious, raw meat.

After their bellies were filled and they took a short siesta on the rocks, SunFire guided Sonic and Cynder over to the tip of the tail, pumped out his wings, and flew to the Northeast.

Hours passed as the younglings journey resumed, and soon the peak of Z-Nar’s castle was well within their view. It was even more beautiful than Zatal had described.

“So this is Z-Nar’s home,” thought SunFire in admiration.

Beautiful forests and fields of flowers lay spread out across the land, while a ribbon of waterfalls carved rivers into veins.

A mountain stood like a sentry, overlooking the luxury of the land. A castle tipped its peak.

Tucking in his wings, SunFire dove down towards the castle with Sonic and Cynder following suit.

The whole structure was enormous as it was quiet. Hopefully the book-keeper dragon was home.

“Z-Nar!” called SunFire, as he and his friends walked inside “Are you here?”

No one answered back, and the trio of dragons continued to walk.

Finally they spotted Z-Nar’s library, where the old, brown dragon spent most of his time, and entered to see an amazing sight.

Z-Nar wasn’t in the room, but his books were. Thousands upon thousands of volumes stacked high upon desks and shelves. It had to be the largest library in the world.

“Wow,” was all the three dragons could say, as they split up to explore this amazing world of books.

Most of them were from various, different authors, but some of the books were ones that Z-Nar had written himself.

Looking upon one of the open books on the desks, SunFire focused his eyes and began to read.  

“As a world we all come in many shapes and forms. Mysterious of each other’s ways unless we closely observe them.

Perhaps the most complex character in this world, is that of the Humans.

They are a mix of random emotions, ranging from happiness to anger in a blink of an eye. They are fearful, but loving. Kind, yet scornful.

It is easy to see why many find it difficult to make peace within chaos. But I have heard a rumor of an island just five leagues East of my own, where humans and dragons have successfully made peace.

If this is true, there just might be hope for both human and dragon kind.

I plan to visit this island someday, but for now, my work lies somewhere else. Discovery will wait for another day,”

“Hmmm,” said SunFire as he finished reading the passage “ maybe…,”

“Hey SunFire” called Cynder, snapping the dragon out of his thoughts “ I think I’ve figured out where Z-Nar is,”

“Where?” asked Sonic.

“According to this calendar” said Cynder “ today he is traveling towards the Northward Islands to visit the Kingdom of Tusan, apparently their king has died,”

“Great” said Sonic “ Does that mean we wait here, or go travel to find Z-Nar?”

“Well” said Cynder “ we could stay I guess. Where else can we go?”

“I think I have an idea” said SunFire “ In one of Z-Nar’s books it mentions an island that sounds perfect for our new home, and it’s just five leagues to the East,”

“But what if it isn’t perfect?” asked Sonic “ Would the citizens accept us?”

“There’s only one way to find out” said SunFire “We’ll stay here for tonight and rest before going to the island. If it isn’t perfect, I promise we’ll come back here and wait for Z-Nar,”

“Sounds like a plan” said Cynder “ I’m in,”

“Me too,” said Sonic.

All agreed, the three dragons searched the castle until they could find sleeping quarters for the night. Closing their eyes just as the first rays of the full, harvest moon peeked in from the tower windows.

Dreams of paradise flooded through their minds, as hopes for a home filled their young hearts.



Ch.5: A Terrible Storm

Dawn rose with the darkness of clouds, and a harsh wind sailed through the air.

It was obvious that a fierce storm was on its way, but the threat of rain did little to quench the fire of determination in SunFire’s heart.

Flying faithfully by his side, Cynder and Sonic followed after SunFire as the golden dragon plunged bravely into the storm.

Rain pelted down like tiny spears of ice, and lightning flashed his deadly dance.

The wind had picked up, making it harder to fly, but still they struggled and kept their wing beats strong.

Suddenly, the wind curled in a fierce tempest, and SunFire and his friends found themselves being spun in a twisted gale.

All control was lost, and they were left to the mercy of the wind.

For about five minutes they spun until the storm finally decided to spit them all back out into the calm.

The bright blue of the sky was glaring, and SunFire had to squint his eyes to adjust to the light. 

Sonic sighed in relief and pointed to the storm behind them, its dark hand raining all over the land.

“Whew” he breathed “ at least we’ve made it out of that,”

“Yeah,” said SunFire. 

“Look down there!” shouted Cynder, pointing to the water below.

“What is that thing?” asked Sonic.

“Let’s find out,” said SunFire.

With that said, all three dragons glided to the water below, making out a bright orange comet as the descended closer to the waves.

The comet soon formed teeth and scales, and bright, blue eyes which shown like twin sea jewels. It was another dragon like SunFire and his friends. However, there were no wings perched upon its back.

“How strange” thought SunFire “ to see a dragon without wings.”

“Ah, good morning young’uns” said the orange dragon, taking notice of the trio. “ Lovely morning for a flight,”

“Yes” said SunFire “ but why aren’t you flying?”

“I’m a sea dragon lad” said the orange dragon. “ Telsa’s the name. I can’t fly like other folk, but I can dive down deep and explore a world different to you land-dwellers.”

“Where are you going?” asked Cynder.

“Anywhere and nowhere” said Telsa “ My life is the sea. But I’ve heard a rumor, and I’ve been meaning to check out about this island where humans and dragons have finally managed peace.”

“Really?” said Sonic “ That’s where we’re going too!”

“How fortunate to meet then” said Telsa. “ Why don’t you rest those weary wings and I’ll give you a ride? Let you see what it’s like to travel on open water.”

Nodding at the invitation, SunFire and his friends rested on Telsa’s back, and gripped hard to the sea dragon’s spines as the female took off at comet speed. 

“Do you know much about this island?” SunFire asked Telsa.

“No, but I know of others” said Telsa “ tons of others. Usually places where dragons and humans manage to keep themselves, once they settle whose actually will be living there. But I never have traveled up to Fanglow Island. That place is still at war for who gets to claim it.”

“You mean” said Cynder “ that the humans and dragons are fighting?”

“That’s the way it has been for years lass” said Telsa “ and I doubt it’s going to change. Hopefully those craving for peace will set a trend for the other kingdoms to follow. And maybe, the world will seem bright again.”



Ch.6: Treasured Joy

“Is that it?” asked Cynder, as an island came into view.

Sonic and SunFire followed the young she-dragon’s eyes. Floating not two leagues ahead on the waves was a large island with a crescent curve. The beautiful roots of trees covered its surface, along with a city a marbled stone.

Boats lay about in the bay of the beach, as humans and dragons plodded through the town carrying on their everyday tasks. The sight of humans and dragons walking together side by side, was almost to much for SunFire and his friends to phantom.

“This place really does seem like a paradise,” SunFire thought.

After a few minutes, Telsa pulled onto the shore of the bay, and the three passengers on her back departed.

Seeing their new arrivals, both the humans and dragons immediately ran up to welcome their new guests. A tall, elderly man, with crystal blue eyes stood out amongst the greeters.

“Welcome my friends to Fuego” said the man “ I hope you will enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you Sir,” said SunFire, then he and his friends split up to explore the town.

There was so much of this new island to see. Sonic headed West to explore the Dragon Park, while Cynder walked East to check out the human’s palace.

SunFire stayed within the town itself, strolling the streets of an amazing civilization. 

The sweet smell of bread suddenly wafted SunFire’s nose, and the gold dragon turned a corner to see a bakery a few feet ahead.

A stand stood out in front of the shop, filled with yummy treats. A black cat lay napping on top of the stand.

There was no sign of the baker, but that did not deter SunFire from approaching the shop. As he approached, the clicking off his claws woke the cat from his slumber.

“Ah” yawned the cat, still sleepy, but noticing SunFire “ Another dragon launching to the belief of a fool’s paradise. How easy we are deceived.” 

“Why are you talking like that?” asked SunFire confused “ This place is supposed to be perfect correct?”

“Note the ‘supposed’” said the cat “ I’ve been hearing rumors lately of a revolt that will attempt to destroy all of this treasured joy, by eliminating the ones who attempted to make it.”

“Who would that be?” asked SunFire.

“You,” grinned the cat.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, over at the Dragon Park, young Sonic was taken in by an amazing sight; humans and dragons cheerfully at play.

Some dragons were playing ball with the children, while others granted short flights on their backs. Flame pictures painted the sky in an unique form of charades, and the rest enjoyed a nice picnic and nap.

This place truly seemed like paradise.

Sonic was about to make his way join in the fun when he noticed a lonely she-dragon standing alone. Shining beautifully in orange and purple scales, the mysterious she-dragon was truly a sight to behold.

Her golden eyes seemed to glow fiercely at the humans and dragons and play. Curious to her dislike, Sonic decided to approach her.

“Hi there!” said Sonic “ Isn’t this place great?”

“There’s nothing to be cheery about!” snapped the she-dragon “ Humans can’t be trusted! They murder our kind! This paradise is just a trap, and these fools are rushing right into it!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Sonic, confused “ They don’t seem like a big threat to me?”

“Oh no?” said the she-dragon smoothly, starting to leave “ See if you still believe that fact when we meet at the gardens tonight. I’ll arrange an escort to the cave. You’ll see how terrible humans are.”

With that said, the mysterious dragon flapped out her wings and took off to the sky, leaving behind a stunned Sonic, standing confused.



Ch.7: Poison In Paradise

“Ah” moaned Cynder, breathing in the sweet air “ this place is wonderful. It’s like a dream.”

Everywhere the young she-dragon looked, there was beauty to be found. Lovely gardens, delicious aromas, a fountain or two, and a large white castle over-looking the land.

A soft sound suddenly stopped the wonderment of the scenery, and Cynder paused, frowning in concern. Crying. A child was crying!

Worried, Cynder ran off towards the sound, wondering if she could offer any aid. A young, brown-haired girl, in a white dress, soon met her eyes. Concerned, Cynder approached the girl.

“Are you alright?” asked Cynder, making the child glance up in surprise.

Quickly, the little girl wiped her eyes, trying to conceal the tears she had shed. Cynder wasn’t fooled and stepped closer, swishing her smooth, black tail around the girl’s body.

Silence gripped the air for quite a while before the little girl began to feel comfortable and began to speak. Her name was Princess Emory, and the reason she was crying was because she had followed her father out of the castle and became lost in the town.

She wanted to meet the dragons her father had invited to the island, but the first few dragons she met when she arrived were very mean, and didn’t want anything to do with humans at all.

One dragon even breathed fire at her, which caused Princess Emory to flee in fright, and lose her path back to the castle. Cynder was stunned by Emory’s tale, and promised the little girl that she would guide her home.

But Cynder’s mind was also curious to the reference of bullying dragons on this supposed to be peaceful island. Was it possible that some dark secret lay underfoot? Was there any way for dragons and humans to truly be at peace?

A familiar golden glint soon caught Cynder’s eye, and the black dragon looked up to see the shining form of SunFire walking up the path. His green eyes widened in confusion when he saw Cynder and the little girl lying just ahead.

Introductions were soon made between SunFire and Princess Emory, and the two grinned kindly smiles. Cynder immediately explained to SunFire that she wanted to guide the princess home, which SunFire readily suggested his assist. 

Being stronger than Cynder, SunFire helped the princess up onto his back, and then took off to the skies, with Cynder not far to follow. The entire layout of the island lay before them now, and Princess Emory squealed with delight.

Not too far behind the town, an elegant, white castle stood covered in a bowl of blooming rose petals, gleaming like ice in the marvel of the setting sun.

While SunFire glided towards the castle, he was almost stunned to see that the day had gone by so fast. Zatal would have loved to see all the dragons and humans laughing in peace here. How proud she would be.

Soon SunFire, Cynder, and Emory landed outside the castle gates and were allowed by the guards to stroll inside. The King was glad to see that his daughter had returned, and scolded Emory for leaving the palace grounds.

“I know you wanted to see the dragons” the King said “ but our association with them is thin. I wanted to make sure it’s safe before I ever take you out there,”

“But Daddy it is safe” said Princess Emory “ I wouldn’t have met Cynder and SunFire here otherwise. By the way, can they stay for dinner, please?”

Chuckling a bit the King offered up his daughter’s invitation to the two dragons, who joyfully agreed. The cooks soon were off to set the feast, and while SunFire and Cynder waited with burning stomachs, Cynder’s thoughts suddenly turned to a friend they had left behind.

“Huh, where’s Sonic?” she asked.

“Oh no,” said SunFire turning his gaze to a window that lead outside. In all the excitement in exploring a new island he had forgotten about his best friend. He was still out there in the city, lost somewhere.

“Maybe he’ll be okay” SunFire thought “ on an island this peaceful, there will be no trouble right?”

But his earlier conversation with the cat continued to echo through SunFire’s ears, and the gold dragon hopefully wished that feline’s words were wrong.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Far away, walking among the cavernous regions of the island, a lonely Sonic stood confused about which direction to go. Before nightfall, he had searched tirelessly for SunFire and Cynder to tell of his experience with the weird female dragon, but had no luck as the moon rose.

Now he was lost in this cavernous region, following stealthily behind a trail of young dragons, which flowed like a parade in the gripping darkness. 

“Could they be going to this meeting that dragon told me about?” thought Sonic.

Knowing that there was only one way to find out the answer, Sonic trailed after the dragons until they led him to this huge cave. The cave itself looked very intimidating, carved into the shape of a dragon’s head, with its jaws hanging open as if to bite.

Passing through the jaws, Sonic soon found himself standing in a crowd of dragons, young and old alike, but none true grown. True grown was the size of someone like Zatal or Telsa. The dragons here ranged from child to teen.

A cliff-like podium stood up near the center of the room, sprouting from the West wall of the cave. Ontop of its peak stood the purple-orange dragon Sonic had run across in the park. Her wings were spread out, making her scales sparkle brilliantly in the small fires that lit the room. Her eyes called for immediate attention.

All chattering stopped, and the young dragons turned their eyes towards her. Sonic locked his gaze as well, and with a deep breath, the female dragon began to speak.

“My fellow dragons” she said “ thank you for coming here. I’m sure you all were tempted by the façade constructed outside. The humans have gone a long way to deceive you, but do not fall for their tricks. Humans will always be our enemies.”

“They have hunted for us, killed us, and enslaved us! No one can forget the horrible history we’ve shared, especially those who survived. I myself came from the cruelest of islands, where savagery over-ruled morals and love. Hatred became a means for survival. If it wasn’t for hate no one, even me, would still be alive. Thrive on your hatred and let it go to powers of unimaginable means!”

Sonic stood quivering from the she-dragon’s words, while many of the other dragons gathered around him started to roar with agreement. He couldn’t even begin to phantom what dark world he must have stepped into.

All these dragons around him had been mistreated by human kind, and their rage surged in the fury of their roars. Sweat started to pour off of Sonic’s blue scales as he slowly made his way back towards the exit. He had to leave to tell SunFire and Cynder about this immediately, but before he could escape, his tail bumped into someone standing nearby.

“Ow, watch it!” called out a female voice.

“Sorry...,” started Sonic, then stopped in amaze, his eyes not believing the truly beautiful sight he sees.

The form of a stunning white dragon with hazel-blue eyes stood before him. Her wings were lined with the color of sparkling amethyst, and the end of her tail was decorated with a fan of yellow plumes.

Sonic was so enraptured by her beauty that he almost missed the signs of some serious scarring on her scales. Cuts and scrapes could be plainly seen all across her body, with one nasty gash displayed cruelly on the left side. 

“Who…” Sonic stumbled “What happened?”

“My name’s Destiny” introduced the she-dragon “ The scars are terrible aren’t they. I was beautiful once, but the humans and their experiments robbed that away. I can never forget what they’ve done,”

“You don’t look ugly to me,” said Sonic, wrapping one his feathered wings around Destiny.

“Thank you,” said Destiny, and leaned her head closer to Sonic’s neck. 

Sonic stood still, finding warmth in the comfort he was providing for a dragon who had been abused. Maybe whoever the purple and orange she-dragon was right in claiming that humans couldn’t be trusted, but did that mean everything he had thought about this paradise was false?

Maybe the rift between dragons and humans was to much to repair. And if common ground could never be reached, what could it mean for the world?



Ch.8: Spawn of A Hunter

Early the next morning a yawn broke out among the castle stones as SunFire kneeled and stretched his golden scales in the bright glow of candlelight. Down the hall aways, SunFire could here Cynder going through the same routine. 

Dragons had a habit of getting up earlier than humans, right before the evening shadows ever left the land. The reason to why was to start early on the hunt so that they could gather plenty of prey and have it back by sunrise, feeding the hungry mouths at home.

Cynder, SunFire, and Sonic often volunteered for the morning hunts back with Zatal, when the hatchery was still standing. It was extremely hard to modify that habit now, since the King's chefs haven't even got started of preparing breakfast in the castle.

“Well” yawned Cynder approaching SunFire “ I see you're up. What do you think we should do until breakfast is ready? I wonder if the other dragons are still doing their hunts. Do we even need to hunt now since the dragons and humans are friends?”

“They probably still do hunt” said SunFire “ but maybe not much. As for what we should do, I think we should find Sonic. We kind of abandoned him yesterday when we helped Princess Emory.”

“Sounds like a plan” said Cynder “ but I need to show you something first. Follow me.”

Curious to just what could Cynder had found, SunFire followed closely behind the black and red dragon, and stared in surprise when his eyes came to view the eerie frame of an ominous-looking door. 

Bordered by black wood, and made of strong maple, the door before the two dragons definitely broad-casted secrets beyond its barrier. A carving of a fearsome-looking dragon sat growling, with an iron ring clutched in one of its claws, as if daring anyone to get mauled if they even thought of stepping inside.

“I saw this last night when Emory escorted me to my room” said Cynder “ Spooky isn't it? Emory says that not even her father goes in here. The room just stays sealed.”

“Then why are you showing me this?” asked SunFire, already getting a bad feeling.

“Because I want to check it out” said Cynder excitedly “ just before anyone else wakes up and we go search for Sonic. Please SunFire, just a little peek?”

“Uh,” SunFire groaned.

Cynder was always the most curious orphan back at the hatchery. Ever since SunFire and Sonic helped boost the young she-dragon's confidence and stop being afraid, Cynder had become interested in a qualm of mysteries. Zatal could barely eat her meal through one sitting without Cynder's voice bugging in her ear.

Knowing no other way to quench Cynder's detective instinct, SunFire gripped the iron ring in the dragon's claw, and pulled outward, swinging the door open wide. A deep pit of darkness now stood before them, and as the chefs woke up to prepare the dishes down below, both dragons disappeared, inside the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadows lit up as two beings walked, fire shining off their colorful scales. SunFire surrounded by a golden glow, and Cynder surrounded by a striking red one. 

This natural glow was created when dragons increased their inner fire to join with their scales, casting bright light into even the darkest places. This made exploring things easier for dragons who could not see things so well at night.

Zatal had once explained at the Golden Gate Hatchery how every dragons eyes function to help them do different things. Dragons who hunted in the sun, needed eyes to see in the sun. Night-time dragons usually avoided the sun. And some dragons, couldn't see at all.

SunFire had never yet met a dragon that couldn't truly see, but as his and Cynder's scales shined light upon the objects in the room, he selfishly the sight had remained blind.

Cruel-looking weapons and armor decorated every crude portion of the shadowy chamber. Grotesque trophies of disembodied dragon parts also harbored the walls, making both Cynder and SunFire's hearts grumble down in disgust. 

This was the lair of a dragon hunter. A malicious being that hunted dragons down just for pure hatred and pleasure of sport. It had been this dishonorable band of fiends who both tore humans and dragons apart so long ago.

To see a hunter's lair on an island supposed to be promoting peace between humans and dragons was disturbing to say the least. Maybe, SunFire thought, it was wrong for them to come here. Humans weren't as peaceful as they thought.

“Here they are Daddy!” called Princess Emory's voice, making the two dragons instantly turn around.

Shock registered on both of their faces as the glanced at the King and his daughter. The princess was smiling, but the King's face wore a stern frown, as if he were disappointed that both Cynder and SunFire had stumbled onto this room.

“I see you have discovered my ancestry” said the King to the two dragons “ It is not one I am particularly proud to claim. My father was the most ruthless of the dragon hunters until I claimed the throne. Since then, I have tried to amend my family's mistakes, but its not easy when so much of the world disagrees.”

“Yeah” said SunFire, shaking off his fear “ It is pretty hard to face the world.”

“This island is meant to change all that though” said the King “ and hopefully start a new era. I don't want my daughter to grow up in a world despised by what her family has done in the past. Please, do not take all this horror personally, and know that you will always remain friends with us.”

“Well...,” said SunFire and Cynder, looking at each other, but before either could decide what to say, a scream echoed from near the entrance, and a cruel voice shouted into the room.

“Oh, Your Highness! Hahaha!”

Worried for his daughter, who he had left waiting by the door, the King instantly turned around and raced towards Emory's rescue, SunFire and Cynder following behind. 

When all three finally poured out of the entrance, their eyes widened in shock to see the terrified form of Princess Emory, struggling helplessly in the elbow of a castle guard. More guards stood behind the one holding the princess captive, bearing arms, and ready to fight.

“What is the meaning of this?!” the King demanded. “Let my daughter go!”

“Ha!” laughed the guard holding Emory “ This is where the foolish monarchy comes to an end. Dragons and humans? Friends? Blah! I never heard of something more ridiculous in my life! The dragons have and always will be our enemies! And if you're to blind to see that, why should you, or your daughter have right to bear the throne?”

Crouching low and growling in anger, SunFire and Cynder stared down the guards, light flashing in their eyes, an unmistakable sign of pure fury. No one deserved to get away with something like this.

However, before the two dragons could jump and help the King reclaim his daughter, the whole palace suddenly shook with multiple blasts, and the ceiling caved in from above, nearly crushing everyone who was standing in the room.

The guard holding on to Emory lost his grip when the ceiling crashed, freeing the child to escape and rush into the arms of her worried father. Enraged, the guard looked up through the newly created hole to see who had stopped his rebellion, and gasped when he saw the forms of dozens of dragons hovering in the sky.

“Yay!” cried Emory in joy “ The dragons came to save us!”

The child's theory was proven wrong however once SunFire saw fire light up every air-borne dragons mouths. 

“Run!” he cried, and everyone instantly ducked for cover.

The rebellious guards escaped out of the room, while the King sheltered his daughter behind a bust. SunFire and Cynder merely dodged out of the way, side-stepping the dragons flames without barely a care.

“SunFire! Cynder!” shouted a familiar voice from above. 

“Sonic?” thought SunFire, confused, instantly looking to see if he could spot his friend in the flying crowd.

“Watch out!” cried Cynder, and SunFire turned his head to see a beautiful purple and orange dragon flying towards them. Her fierce eyes locked upon SunFire and Cynder, and a familiar twinge tugged at SunFire's heart.

“Move!” the she-dragon demanded.

And even though it was a single word, the tone in which it was used made SunFire sit stunned in shock. Just barely a whisper, his trembling voice echoed his disbelief.

“Fire Lily?”



Ch.9: A Lost Flame

It was like an unbelievable dream come true. For the many years after she had been adopted, SunFire had never stopped longing and hoping for the day when he would see Fire Lily again.

Even though the she-dragon had grown up some, he could still tell her apart from any other. However, something about Fire Lily's appearance at this exact moment seemed wrong, and SunFire peered deeply into the eyes of his former crush.

Two sapphire pools of gentleness were now frozen and hard, emotionless as the very air that pumped beneath a dragon's wings.

“Stand aside!” commanded Fire Lily to SunFire and Cynder “ or be burned!”

“No!” responded SunFire “ Fire Lily what are you doing? Why are you leading these dragons against the castle?”

“Fire!” shouted Fire Lily to her troops, and immediately the dragons obeyed, bursting out their streams at SunFire's group.

Tooling out of the line of fire, SunFire and Cynder dodged the flames, took hold of the King and princess before soaring off into the air. Making sure to avoid the hoard of dragons in their path, SunFire and Cynder took the westerly route towards the sea, hoping for escape.

“After them!” shouted Fire Lily, and a trio of dragons raced off in pursuit.

“What's going on here Daddy?” asked Princess Emory in Cynder's claws “ Why are the dragons attacking us?”

“I don't know sweetie” responded the King, twisting in SunFire's claws “ but there are three more on our tail, and they're closing in fast.”

SunFire turned his head to see that the King was right and pumped his wings to go faster. The boat docks could be seen just ahead, they were almost over the sea, but would they make it out of range in time?

The answer seemed to be 'No' as their trio of pursuers managed to catch up and unleashed a volley of fire against the quartet. Maneuvering as best as they could, SunFire and Cynder managed to guide their way safely through the flames, until one dragon managed to get a lucky hit, singing Cynder's tail.

“Ouch!” Cynder cried, as her steering was lost, and she flew to the ground.

“Cynder!” SunFire cried, diving after his friend, flame striking his wing as he did.

“Ouch!” SunFire cried, knowing now that his flight was lost. One of their pursuers had taken advantage of SunFire's rescue dive and attacked, hitting one of the vital areas for flight.

Now, both SunFire and Cynder were falling down like wounded birds, missing the wooden boat docks by inches before plunging into the sea, taking Emory and the King with them.

Seeing that the threat was now gone, the pursuers laughed and flew back towards the castle, ready to give Fire Lily the gleeful news.

–--------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the castle, Fire Lily and her army had successfully taken the throne, and the purple-orange dragon seated herself upon the King's chair.

“This” she stated to her subjects “ is the beginning of a new era. The reign of humans is coming to an end.”

Cheers erupted from the joyous crowd, but Sonic didn't feel like celebrating. His friends were being chased out there right now, protecting the humans who had founded this island to bring peace. What would happen to them?

Sonic's answer soon came, as the trio of dragons Fire Lily sent out to stop Cynder and SunFire returned, reporting all four targets had drowned at sea.

A heaviness entered Sonic's heart, as his gaze dropped down to the ground, tears refusing to come to his eyes. SunFire and Cynder dead? It could not be so! But Sonic had the strange feeling it was.

–---------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, hiding deep in the mountains outside the city, the rebel knights who had threatened the King watched hatefully as their once peaceful island was now ripped apart by the dragon hoard.

“Filthy beasts!” growled one knight “ They're worse than any plague on the world. With the King gone, it up to us to act! Follow my lead men, and we shall erase the dragons from history!”

Bloodthirsty cheers shouted out in agreement to the knights ideals, and maliciously the traitors began to plan. Fire Lily and her troops were going down, and then the royal family would be next.



Ch.10: Telsa Returns

It all seemed like an endless dream, as SunFire felt himself sink beneath the vast ocean waves, the pain on his wing throbbing, keeping him awake.

The water felt cool against his scales, making his sapphire eyes became woozy with. He could barely make out the three floating forms above him, following him as he sank. 

As the water swirled around him, and the darkness tightened it's hold SunFire's mind, the golden dragon's only thoughts were of the person who he had saw, leading an army under her own command, steal away the King's castle, and drive them towards the depths of the sea.

“Fire Lily” SunFire spoke in his mind “ Why?”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

“SunFire! SunFire!” called out Cynder's voice just a few moments later, bringing the gold dragon's mind back from the abyss. “ Wake up!”

“Cynder?” asked SunFire weakly, as his eyes opened up, seeing that they were in some sort of a cave. “ Where...where are we?”

“An undersea cavern my friend,” spoke out a familiar voice. “I brought you all here when I spotted you beneath the waves.”

“Telsa!” said SunFire shocked, looking at the orange sea dragon “Man, it's good to see you again!”

“Likewise laddie,” the she-dragon grinned.

“She rescued us all” said the King, sitting nearby with Emory in his lap “I am forever grateful to her.”

“You honor me, Your Highness” bowed Telsa's head, the rest of her body was still underneath the waves of the entrance. “ Now, tell me, what happened to make you all try swimming in the ocean?”

After looking at each other for a brief moment, SunFire turned to Telsa and began their tale, sharing with her that at first all seemed great, but then the dragon hating knights, followed by a full scale dragon invasion on the castle itself.

Telsa's orange scales seemed to bristle with fury, when SunFire finished explaining how they all got into the water. Shot down by their own kind. A dragon attacking dragon was unthinkable! Dragons never messed with each other unless it was for territory or food. Anything else was considered treason to the dragon code.

“This is an outrage!” said Telsa, shaking her head “To believe that such a thing has happened! It's...,”

She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. Rage had completely consumed her mind.

“I know” said SunFire, looking down “ and what's worse...I think I know their leader.”

“You do?” asked Cynder surprised.

“Yes” said SunFire, eyes reflecting pain “ Fire Lily. She was raised at the Golden Gate Hatchery before you and Sonic even arrived. An elder dragon came and adopted her, taking her away from the island. I was very sad when she left. Guess you could say I had a crush.”

“You?” said the King shocked “ You’re in love with that witch?!”

“She didn't always used to be so mean” said SunFire defending his past love. “ When I knew Fire Lily she would have never committed the horrible actions she did today. Something just changed her, and I need to find out why.”

“What you need to do now is rest” said Telsa “ Heal. Sleep away the pain, so clearly think of good plan in the morning. I'll be back for you a little past dawn. Good night.”

And with that said, Telsa's head disappeared back beneath the waves, joining the rest of her body as she swam deep into the ocean, leaving SunFire's group to both rest and worry about what tomorrow could bring.

–------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back at the King's castle, Sonic wasn't really getting a good sleep either, his mind plagued with the worries of his friends drowning towards their deaths while he stood here on the opposing side. Guilt refusing to let him sleep, Sonic slowly got up and made his way carefully past the dragons sleeping around him.

It was a miracle that no one managed to wake up as he stepped out of the room. Wiping off a bead of sweat with his feathered wings, Sonic breathed a huge sigh of relief that he managed to escape, and started to explore the castle grounds.

After a few minutes of exploring, Sonic found himself in the same room Cynder and SunFire had discovered, cringing at all the dragon-hunting artifacts he found. The King had apparently been a very cruel hunter in his day to have such a collection amassed.

Bladed weapons and nets shined at Sonic, striking him with fear. Gruesome trophies hung on the walls, displaying the frozen truth of a horrid past.

Terror gripped Sonic as he continued, and he was about to turn out of there, when a gentle sparkle suddenly caught his eye. Moving closer, Sonic could see that it was some sort of amulet with a large, amber jewel in it's center, with a black dragon carved around it, serving as a frame.

The amulet seemed to call out to Sonic's mind, making the blue dragon scoop it up with his claws. Sonic's gaze became lost in the gem, and his eyes took on an unnatural glow.

A spell had been cast. The amulet claimed his soul.



Ch.11: Un-Noble Knights

The midnight moon hung eerily in the sky, casting down its light on a city that was thrown into chaos. Humans cringed and cried in terror, sheltering themselves in their homes in fear of the dragon menace.

The children were especially horrified on how bad things had turned. These dragons had been their friends only the day before, and now they were monsters seeking nothing but blood. Why oh’ why had they become so mean?

Outside, skulking through the shadows, the rebel knights of the King shared no qualms with the children’s worries, for their minds were already set on their task. Stomping through the streets, they made their way up towards the castles, determined to stop the reign of the dragon queen once and for all.

One specific artifact, left over from the King’s dragon hunting ancestry, would be all they needed to assure complete and utter victory, the Keystone Amulet.

The Keystone Amulet was a powerful charm, said to be crafted by a sorcerer, and gifted to the first King of this island, making him a fierce dragon hunter as well as leader for all to adore.

Kinseth, leader of the rebel knights, had wicked plans for this charm once he obtained it. The Keystone Amulet was rumored to either win a war or start one, and he would use it to set an all-out war against the dragons, in which human kind would win.

As soon as the rebel knights were just a few feet in front of the castle, Kinseth ordered two of his followers to take down the dragons guarding the gate. Screaming in with their swords raised, the two knights charged slicing against the beasts.

The two dragons on guard immediately went on the attack, and roared out a cry for assistance in the slaying of the knights as they fled. Three more dragons joined in the chase, leaving the gate vulnerable for Kinseth and his remaining knights to slip inside.

Once inside the castle, Kinseth ordered all but two of his remaining followers to divide among the East and West wings of the castle, attracting as many dragons as they can. This huge distraction would no doubt keep the leader and all her soldiers busy, leading the secret room unguarded so Kinseth could steal the amulet. 

A few seconds later the distraction began, and Kinseth and the two knights traveled up to the wooden door. In the throne room, Fire Lily, Sonic, and Destiny heard the screams of battle and wondered what was going on. Eyes narrowing in anger, Fire Lily immediately went out to help her fellow dragons, while Sonic stayed behind to guard Destiny who was trembling in fear.

Wrapping a feathered wing over the scarred, white dragon, Sonic drew her in protectively, scales touching the amulet that now hung from his neck. No one was going to harm Destiny on his watch.

“This way you fools!” suddenly shouted a dark voice “ The chamber is nearby,”

Motioning Destiny to be quiet over the sound of the unexpected voices, Sonic listened and then stealthily followed the trails of speech as they traveled upstairs, towards the secret door. Sonic was surprised when they arrived upstairs, to see the door was open. He knew he’d remembered to seal it when he left, so that meant only those who had invaded the castle had slipped inside.

Destiny was very reluctant to go into the chamber, but under Sonic’s urging they entered, and stepped into the room. Fire Lily and the rest were to busy with the rest of the castle invaders to handle this bunch, Destiny and Sonic would just have to handle this alone.

The inside of the room was as creepy as before. All the dragon hunting memorabilia hung around with an ominous air, staring down with the hated sins of long ago. The amulet on Sonic’s neck gleamed, reflecting in the pale moonlight. The blue dragon still had no idea why he wore it, or why he had ever removed it from this room.

“Search the place!” yelled Kinseth’s voice, bringing the dragons to a halt. “ Find it!”

“What are they looking for?” Destiny quietly asked Sonic.

Sonic shrugged and gazed his eyes at the rebel knights, who were flinging stuff left and right in order to find whatever treasure they were seeking. Shifting his posture so he could maintain a better look, Sonic accidently pushed one of his feather wings forward into a rack of hunting spears.

The rack fell over with a clatter, sounding with the rhythm of a thousand snaps as they landed upon the floor. The shattering noise directed the knights’ attention towards the dragons immediately, and Kinseth’s face grew red with fury as he ordered his men to attack.

Standing to defend, Sonic bravely raced ahead of Destiny to face down the two knights charging towards them. Making use of whatever weapons there were in the room, the two rebels battled against Sonic in a fearsome match of metal and claw, fighting to see who would win.

Twisting his tail to the right, Sonic smacked one knight as he sliced in with his sword, knocking the armor-plated felon into a nearby wall. The other knight, wielding a mace, attacked with fury, narrowly managing to miss one of Sonic’s wings as the blue dragon dodged, escaping the furious swings.

 

A corner was coming up fast, crowded by mannequins in dragon hunter garb. If Sonic didn’t find some way out of this corner, he would be pinned, and possibly lose the fight.

A sharp idea suddenly coming into his mind, Sonic clawed at one of the mannequins as the knight with the mace came close, and collapsed it, crushing the knight under its wooden weight. Grunting at the weight now upon him, the knight struggled to get from the under the wooden post, his hand losing grip on the mace, making it roll across the floor.

Sonic leaned his head down and glared at the knight, his mouth open wide, revealing a gleaming set of fangs. The knight cringed, seeing the fire in the back of Sonic’s throat, and passed out from fear, afraid to get burned.

Once the knight was knocked out, Sonic smiled, and turned to see how Destiny was doing when the white dragon’s cries suddenly echoed out through the room.

“Sonic!” shouted Destiny, her body entangled in a heavy net thrown by Kinseth, a sharp sword pointed at her throat.

“Destiny! No!” shouted Sonic, then he growled at the knight. “Let her go!”

“Now why would I bother?” said Kinseth, grinning evilly “ You dragons are a plague upon mankind, who have no right to even exist in this world. Why shouldn’t I spill her innocent blood all over these ancient stones?”

Eyes glowing gold with rage, Sonic once again growled…

“Let…her…go!”

Kinseth was about to laugh at Sonic’s demand again when his eyes suddenly caught the dark gleam of something hanging from Sonic’s neck. Peering closer with eyes, Kinseth finally saw that it was the very amulet he had been searching for! He had to get it from that dragon’s claws!

“Hmm” said Kinseth, finally playing mercy “ I tell you what my friend, you can have your sweetheart back, if you just hand over that little trinket you wear. Do so, and she goes free. Refuse, and I slay her.”

The anger glowing in Sonic’s eyes lasted for a few moments longer, before desperation sunk in and they returned to their normal shade. Fingering the amulet that hung around his neck, Sonic glanced at the dark jewel before looking back at Destiny and making up his mind.

Although every instinct in his body was screaming that giving the amulet to Kinseth was a mistake, he’d be dead and gone before he would let a little thing like a gem separate him from his love.

“Take it,” said Sonic, starting to remove the gem. The action was met with resistance as the amulet suddenly glowed.

Shining a dark red light, the dragon hunter amulet suddenly embraced its aura around Sonic’s skin, striking with the fury of a thousand thunderbolts as the dragon battled through the pain.

“Wha…” Sonic gasped “ What’s going on?”

Kinseth was stupefied at the sight, not believing the chaos happening before his eyes. His disbelieve grew even more as Sonic’s shadow grew slightly larger than the dragon itself, and glared out with glowing red eyes, reflecting a dark arua.

From her prison in the net, Destiny could hardly see what was going on, but she could feel it in her scales that something was terribly wrong.

An eerie roar escaped Sonic’s mouth as his now living shadow suddenly draped over him, transforming him into a demonic state. Blue scales now glowed black, gold eyes turned to red, and the feathers on his wings were ragged and torn.

Without a word, Sonic launched himself at Kinseth and started tearing the knight apart. Defended some by his sword and armor, Kinseth fought back against the dragon who just a second ago was ready to surrender towards his will.

“This beast has changed” thought Kinseth, as he swung his sword to block another claw. “ The power of the amulet is stronger than I thought.”

Rolling out of the way of a lethal fire blast, Kinseth quickly searched around for anything he could use to defend. Grabbing nearby shield made out dragon skin, Kinseth held it out as Sonic charged at him again, wiping away the fury of teeth, and then swung a punch with his sword.

Metal clanged hard on Sonic’s head, as the demonic dragon slammed to the ground, blacking out from the shocking blow. The amulet was still glowing fiery red as Kinseth laughed and stood back on his feet, blade pointed down in order to pierce Sonic’s throat.

However, before the knight could even make the kill, a screeching wail of purple and orange fury rushed in pinning Kinseth to the ground. Fear gripped Kinseth’s soul as he turned his head to stare into evil eyes of an angry Fire Lily. The gaze lasted for only a half a second before the claws came down and ‘Rip!’, Kinseth was gone.

With the knight now gone, Destiny finally managed to claw her way out of the net, and rushed over to Sonic, worry showing clear on her face. Tears flew from her eyes as she looked upon the darkened form of her good friend.

“Oh Sonic” Destiny thought “ what happened to you?”

“Destiny” growled out Fire Lily’s voice, instantly making the white dragon turn snapping her from her thoughts “ don’t worry about him. These knights invaded our fortress and dared attack our kind, worried for the precious human race. Well, we’ll see how precious, when all of them die.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ch.12: To Reach The Heart

In the early light of a rose dawn, the blue seas parted, opening up a passageway for Telsa and her friends to reach dry land. SunFire breathed out a sigh of relief as his claws safely touched shore. It had felt like forever since he had seen the open world, after having to rest in the underwater sea caves all night.

“Things seem pretty quiet,” said SunFire as the King and Princess Emory climbed off Telsa’s back “Fire Lily and the rest are probably asleep,”

“Yeah” said Cynder, walking up next to SunFire “ but we’d better find a place to hide. Once the sun comes up, we’ll be totally exposed.”

“I can show you where to go” said the King “There’s a bunker not far from here.”

“Great,” said SunFire, agreeing to the King’s plan.

“Telsa” asked Emory, looking at the orange, sea dragon. “ Will you come with us?”

“Sorry little one” said Telsa “ but I am bound to the sea. I trust that everything will be fine though.”

With that, Telsa waved a claw goodbye and disappeared into the growing swells, leaving SunFire and his friends on their own.

“This way,” said the King, and the group followed his lead.

A few minutes later, after skulking around to make sure no one would spot them, SunFire and the others finally arrived at the bunker the King had mentioned, hidden under brush.

Moving the branches out of the way, the King opened up the silver doors and ushered the dragons in, closing them just as the Sun raised its head into the sky.

The inside of the bunker was dusty and old, so filthy that SunFire could see his claw-prints on the floor. A large table surrounded by several chairs stood in the center of the room. Underneath its shadow lay the painted symbol for all the dragon hunter race, the mark of Oja, the original founder for all the dragon hunts so many years ago.

“Heh” said the King, looking around the room “ This place brings back so many bad memories.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually related to dragon hunters,” said Cynder, turning to face him.

“Some days I find it hard to believe myself,” said the King.

“What changed then?” asked SunFire “ Why did you try to befriend the dragons?”

“Well” said the King nervously “ in the beginning of their history, Oja was the first and most brutal of the dragon hunters. Legend says he lost his family in a horrible way during a dragon assault, and he swore revenge against dragons until everyone was killed.”

“He gathered up others who felt they were wronged by the dragons, and developed the most powerful cult in the land. I’m ashamed to say that my father was a part of that cult, and I was initiated into it at the age of five.”

“Oja was long dead by father’s time, but his influence still held. The cult even still had this special amulet Oja had worn to pass down to other leaders who would guarantee their legacy to live on. My father inherited the amulet, and the power made him go mad.”

“I grew scared of my father and betrayed the secret of the dragon hunter clan to my mother’s ears. The palace guard was immediately sent out to put an end to this chaos. Many members of the cult were captured, but my father escaped, swearing revenge.”

“The years passed onward, and I grew into a young man, exploring the kingdom that I would someday rule. During one of explorations I ran into a dragon hatchling that had found itself separated from its mother, and I cared for it instead of slaying it. The mother wasn’t happy with my presence at all at first, but slowly over time she began to accept me.”

“My heart grew a new respect for dragons, and I started to erase all the teachings my father bestowed. After my mother died and I was crowned King, my father returned with a new army at his command. He had started a colony on another island, but he never forgot home.”

“The battle was fierce, and at one point, my father had me cornered within the halls of the castle, a blade pointed to my chest. It seemed like the end, until a miracle came. The same dragon that I helped many years ago, thrust himself before my father, and took the blow that was meant for me.”

“I was shocked at this brave sacrifice, but had to focus back on the war happening around me. With the help of my kingdom, the dragon hunters were finally defeated and placed in chains. I took over their possessions and sealed their dark history away.”

“Since then I had made a vow to do everything in power to make things right between the dragons and people. That is my final goal. That is my wish.”

“Wow” said SunFire, when the King had concluded “ that’s quite an interesting tale.”

“Agreed” said Cynder, looking towards her friend “ but right now that dream is in jeopardy.”

“You’re right” said SunFire “ Fire Lily has to be stopped. This whole feud needs to end. Once darkness falls, we’ll sneak into the castle and end this terrible reign, once and for all.”

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Meanwhile, back in the palace infirmary, a worried Destiny stood bowing over the unconscious form of slumbering Sonic. His body had taken a brutal toll ever since the battle in the secret chamber, and the amulet still hung, gleaming from his neck.

Destiny had never felt this hopeless in a long time, not since her own clan was destroyed years ago by human kind. Fire Lily was supposed to make this island into a place where all dragons could rule and live in peace, but with her uncaring attitude on how Sonic had caught hurt soon had Destiny questioning why she had started believing in the she-dragon’s cause.

Leaving Destiny to take care of Sonic on her own, Fire Lily dragged the body of the knight she had slaughtered and hung it up on the parapets for the people in town to see. Rebellion was useless, the dragons ruled them all.

“Oh Sonic” said Destiny, peering towards the blue dragon “ I don’t know what to think anymore. My support for Fire Lily wavers, while my concern continues to grow. I must a way to remove that amulet and make you feel well again, no matter what the cost.”

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Meanwhile, during the dropping gold of the late afternoon, a weary Z-Nar returned to the peace of his island, the falling light reflecting coolly against his dark brown scales. Tiredly, his large wings drooped to the sides as he stalked his way inside his palace. 

The den shielding his books looked mainly undisturbed, but from the moment Z-Nar stepped one claw through the door, his gold eyes narrowed with the sense that someone had been in here before him. A closer look to where all his tones lay, only supported his theory that there were visitors while he was gone.

His journal hung open to a certain page, describing the island he had heard about in the recent months, an island where the humans and dragons could finally be at peace.

“Hmm” said Z-Nar, closing the book “ It seems like a friend has flown to the island, but which friend could it be?”

Suddenly a purple flash lit up Z-Nar’s pupils for a brief moment, immediately bracing the male dragon’s soul with a sense of dread. Something dangerous was about to occur, he could feel it in his very bones. Knowing better than to ignore his special senses Z-Nar immediately rushed back out the palace gate and readied his wings to fly. 

 

A new story had begun, and he had to be there to write its tale, before fate brought the characters to a tragic end.



Ch.13: A Fiery Confrontation

Later on, as the brought forth the hand of darkness to the land, a chill wind wafted and curled through the halls of a dragon infested palace, descending down into the shadows where the black light seemed to fade away all hope.

Concealed within these shadows, groans were heard as the shaky hands of poor and terrified human beings gripped the rusty iron bars of their cages, seeking an escape. 

When the dragons took over, all of the humans who survived the first assault were forced to be brought here, shivering in the cold of the palace dungeon until Fire Lily would later decide their fate.

Cuddling in the warm comforts of his mother’s arms, one little boy lay especially frightened of their coming fate. Desperately his mind reached out to dissuade the torments of death by focusing back on happier times.

He remembered the joy and the laughter he had shared while playing at the park, playing with the dragons all day long, bonding in innocence. Then the horror came when the dragons turned nasty and mean, imprisoning them in the dark, banished away from light.

“I thought they were my friends” the little boy thought sorrowfully in his mind. A tear threatened to fall from his eye. “ Why? Why has all of this changed?”

The sound of stone grinding against stone suddenly snapped the youth out of his thoughts, and his grey eyes turned beyond the cage bars to see a large brick steadily rise up from the ground. 

Watching from their cages, the other imprisoned humans noticed the moving brick as well, and their hearts lit up with hopes of rescue. Who was pushing up from the other side of that brick? The King? Rebel forces? Dragon Hunters? 

The people didn’t really care who it was, because their hearts screamed to free. Please let a noble hero rise up from beneath the earth and shake them from their bonds.

The brick finally popped out, and the whole dungeon was coated with silence. Dozens of eyes peered at the hole, waiting for their savoir to emerge. Gold claws gripped on to both sides of the gap, and the gleaming body of SunFire rose up from the ground. Hope quickly drained from peoples’ faces and were replaced with disdain.

“Well” said SunFire, looking around as Cynder followed him out of the hole. “ I kind of expected this impression.”

“Don’t worry” said Cynder encouragingly to the people in their cells as SunFire stuck his tail back down the hole. “ we’re not here to harm you.”

One man in the cells was ready to respond to that comment, when the King was suddenly raised out of the hole. One good glance at the royal robes immediately doused any hostility that had been aimed towards SunFire and Cynder, and everyone gathered bowed.

“Your Majesty,” they chorused.

“Yes my people” said the King to his subjects. “ I am alive, and you do not need to fear these two beasts beside me. They are our friends; SunFire and Cynder.”

“But their dragons!” said the man who was going to respond to Cynder. “They’re the ones who caused mess.”

“No” said the King “ only one caused this mess, and she has to be stopped. Don’t blame others for the sins of one. Everyone in this world has had flaws for which they wish to amend. My family…for example.”

“Once, we hunted dragons, until I sought to bring peace. However, the scars of pain can be difficult to heal in the sight of change. When you are freed, please show mercy to the vile force that burns this land, and strive for the paradise I know this land can become, for humans and dragons."

Silence and mumbles rattled around the cells as the prisoners dwelled over the King’s terms. Finally, an air of agreement was reached, and all the captives were set free, vowing to fight along the King’s side.

Those who were not old enough to do battle were directed through the tunnel, to the bunker where Princess Emory was forced to wait out. When the children were out of harm’s way, the King and his army suddenly moved out, with SunFire and Cynder by their side.

The time had come at last to finally stop Fire Lily’s reign, and bring the King’s dream gratefully to life.

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Meanwhile, in the infirmary, drifting out of the darkness with a groan, a woozy Sonic woke up to the dim light of the medical ward, confused over what could have caused his sudden black out spell. 

Destiny was not in the room when Sonic awakened. Her stomach had been grumbling loud from hunger, and she departed for the kitchen to fetch a snack. That left Sonic in the infirmary all alone, to piece together the rambling events in his mind, and figure out what went wrong.

Slowly, he recalled the battle went on inside the secret room, and glared down at the amulet on his neck, the source of his current pain. Rage boiling in his blood, Sonic angrily tore at the chain holding the amulet bond, and the gem flashed with blinding red light.

Seconds after the flash, Destiny re-entered the room, her belly full, and stopped in shock as she saw Sonic writhing around in pain. The dark aura around the blue dragon's body returned, as the beast from the secret room emerged into the light. Destiny's scales trembled in horror.

“Sonic?” questioned Destiny cautiously.

Hateful eyes glared towards her as Sonic growled and sprung. The kind, sweet dragon Destiny had come to know was gone, and now only a monster remained.

 

 

 



Ch.14: SunFire’s Roar

“Beautiful” said Fire Lily, looking at the deceased body of the knight she had hung up as her flag “ just beautiful.”

Out in the castle courtyard, every dragon was gathered staring intently at Fire Lily as she clawed her way up to the stand. Once onstage, Fire Lily peered out at her army before flashing out a fanged grin, and flaring her wings as she spoke.

“My kindred” she said “ the time of dragons is nigh. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors ruled this land until the human plague usurped us from our throne. Now, the time has come to take back what is rightfully ours.”

“This small island is only the beginning of a much larger world, and we shall conquer it all!”

“Hazaw!” the dragons cheered in excitement.

“I wouldn’t be to sure about that,” said the King, stepping out into the light. Every dragon gathered turned to stare at the man a few feet from them.

“Ha!” laughed Fire Lily, glaring at the King “ You truly think you can stop us, when others have failed?”

“Maybe not” said the King, as the human force that he and the dragons had freed from dungeons, suddenly emerged all around with swords in hands “ but we can give it a try.”

With that said, the two sides charged, fangs and claws clashing against wood and steel. Although weakened from their long stay in the dark, the former prisoners fought well against their dragon oppressors, showing great will in the face of death.

Fire Lily’s rage tempered beneath her scales, as she ordered at least a dozen of her dragon army to launch a fire assault. The chosen immediately flapped up in the air and opened their mouths, ready to burn the human force into ash.

“Not today fellas!” shouted a voice coming down from the sky, and SunFire and Cynder soared onto the battlefield.

Using teamwork, the two dragons immediately incapacitated the dozen on their own, throwing a large net over four of them, and taking down the others with melee of attacks.

 

Cynder twisted and twirled in the air, confusing her foes, before lashing out stunningly with the fury of her claws. SunFire just charged straight in, using brute force and flame, to end the battle quickly, and prevent the enemies from being able to recover.

Even during the chaos happening on the ground below, Fire Lily’s gaze was not lost to the skirmish taking place in the sky. Her cold heart ground together with fiery rage.

“Traitors!” she thought, glaring at Cynder and SunFire.

Spreading her wings wide, Fire Lily was about to jump in the air, and punch the sky, when suddenly, an unexpected hitch caught every soldier on the battlefield completely off guard.

“Raahh!” let out an unearthly scream, as a dark Sonic came crashing through the castle walls, raining stone down upon the battlers below.

Struggling out of his claws tight grip was the terrified figure of Destiny, who had tried to flee when Sonic transformed minutes ago, only to end up joining the dragon as they went through the wall.

The battle seemed to pause as Destiny finally broke free from Sonic and escaped into the air, but the stillness didn’t last as Sonic let out a giant roar and plunged down towards both sides of the fight.

SunFire didn’t know what to make of this horror at what his best friend became, but quickly shook his head of disbelief so that he could refocus back on his task. Fire Lily had escaped from his sight during the brief confusion. He had to find her, and stop this war.

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Meanwhile, in the thick of battle, Cynder found herself facing a different problem. As soon as Sonic burst through the castle walls, one of the dragons she and SunFire had battled against pounced on her and torpedoed them towards the ground.

Cynder’s eyes glared at the red brute grabbing her, and twisted her tail around one of the dragon’s legs. Surprise lit up in glowing green eyes, as the red male found himself plunging head first into the dirt.

Growling with frustration, the red dragon turned to face Cynder who was also just recovering from the fall. A nasty rasp wailed through the male’s teeth.

“Hmph, you’re good girl” he stated “ but you can barely hold a candle to me. Balisk cannot be beat.”

And with that said he charged.

Claw for claw the blows came, and Cynder had to push hard just to keep up with Balisk’s speed. It became clear through combat that the red dragon was used to war. His will was strong, and the eyes reflected no mercy. If Cynder didn’t figure out a way to beat him fast, she would be doomed.

Suddenly, as if in answer to an unspoken prayer, Sonic flew down from overhead and rained his flame down onto the ground. Dozens of dragons and humans immediately spread in flight to avoid the searing heat, and the glow of the embers became very clear to Cynder’s eyes.

Balisk saw them too, his back was right to the flames, inches away from getting burned. There was no way he could dodge in time.

Frozen in fear of the coming harm, Balisk hardly felt the push as Cynder finally pulled herself from under his claws and shoved him away from the heat. Cynder’s voice cried out in pain as her right wing was singed, and Balisk stared in awe.

“Mam!” Balisk screamed as he ran over, green eyes taking a softer glow “ Are you alright?”

But Cynder only breathed out two words before drifting into sleep.

“Sonic…why?” 

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Meanwhile, elsewhere in the fight, a frantic white dragon knew of the reason why, and was desperately seeking for help, weaving her way through claws and fire to get to the only source that could possibly understand, the King. 

Amidst all the chaos it was hard to tell one human from another, but when Destiny finally spotted those flowing robes, and the golden crown on his head, she knew instinctively that this was the right man.

Desperate to reach him, Destiny ran towards the King, only to be stopped in her tracks by a man wielding a spear. He was darkly tanned, and covered with filth, his dark eyes declared no mercy. Destiny could tell from his stance alone, that this man was set to kill.

“Please” begged Destiny “ I need to see the King,”

“You shall not steal him from us dragon!” the man growled.

“No!” said Destiny, backing away in fear. “ You don’t understand! I’m not here to fight. We need to destroy that amulet and save Sonic! Please!”

The man didn’t believe a word and hefted his spear to kill, only to be stopped by the edge of blade, wielded by the King’s hand.

“Your Majesty…what?!” asked the man confused.

“Do not slay her!” demanded the King “ She has something to say. Tell me my dear, what do you know of the amulet?”

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Destiny calmed down and explained her story to the King, hoping that he would believe her words. The King nodded in response, and stayed silent during the entire, waiting for the tale to end.

When Destiny finished, the King’s eyes set into a determined glare, and he stared out into the chaos, focusing on the dark dragon flying through the air, burning everything in sight. Dread quelled up in his soul.

“This legacy of hatred has gone to far” said the King “ It ends, tonight!”

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Complete carnage ravaged below, as Fire Lily dove in to help her soldiers during the fight. Her claws tasted blood as they sliced through flesh, and the gasps of the dying were like welcome breathes of air. She was a warrior proud and strong. Tonight they would beat the human race, and her father would be proud.

“Fire Lily!” called out SunFire, just as the she-dragoness finished slicing the throat of another human.

The purple-orange dragon barely had any time to react as SunFire slammed hard into her body, gripping her in his claws, lifting them further into the sky. The sight of the battle became dim, as Fire Lily struggled to get free, but SunFire’s grip was strong, keeping her in place.

Desperate to escape, Fire Lily twisted her head around and opened her mouth to breath flame. SunFire noticed the move instantly and dodged in a flash, releasing the hold he had on his prey. The fire blast missed its mark by inches, and the two dragons faced each other in the air.

“Who are you?!” demanded Fire Lily “ Why must you interfere?”

“You don’t recognize me Fire Lily” said SunFire “ but I recognize you. Much has changed since you have left the hatchery, but I would not imagine this.”

“The hatchery?” said Fire Lily confused, then suddenly recognition dawned among her. “ You were one of the orphans kept by Zatal? Then, that means…SunFire?”

“I knew you would remember” said SunFire, his gaze taking on a serious glint “Fire Lily, can’t you see what horror this war has done? These humans meant peace, and now you are bringing blood to their lands.”

“Humans never mean peace!” snapped Fire Lily “ my adoptive dad taught me that. The place that I was brought to was horrible. Nary had a day passed without someone being dead. The only way to survive was to kill. Humans have no claim to this earth, we have existed long before they did. I am simply reclaiming our birthright. This world belongs to the dragons.”

“I’m sorry” said SunFire, shaking his head “ but I have to disagree with that.”

“Then do your best to stop me” hissed Fire Lily “ My former love.”



Ch.15: The Repercussions of Hate 

“Raarrgh!” Sonic cried as the amulet around his neck glowed in red bright fury.

Down below, the King and a dragon stood still, watching the pain as Sonic trashed back and forth, trying to regain his will over the instinct to destroy everything in his path. Destiny looked up at the King, hoping that the plan they made up would work on the spot.

“It’s now or never” said the King to Destiny “ Go!”

And with that said, the white dragon raced off back into the horrors of the fight. Humans and dragons fiercely clashed, talons and spears tearing against flesh and scales. This wasn’t the peace Fire Lily said she wanted to achieve, this was a war, an extinction of one species for another’s survival.

“We have to stop this!” thought Destiny to herself, but right now, stopping Sonic was the key point of her mind.

Running and dodging any blows that came her way, Destiny had just about cliff wall so that she could climb up and glide, when she spotted a familiar red dragon already there, laying the unconscious Cynder upon one ledge.

“Balisk!” cried Destiny in recognition.

“Destiny!” responded Balisk, running up to the she-dragon’s side.

After crossing necks in greeting, Destiny quickly informed Balisk about the situation concerning Sonic, and the red dragon agreed to help quickly joining in her climb up the cliff wall. Once they reached the appropriate height, both dragons immediately flapped their wings and took off, heading towards Sonic as the dragon unleashed another sheet of flame against the ground.

“Grab the amulet!” Destiny cried, as Sonic lifted his head up, noticing the two dragons come his way.

“Easy said than done,” said Balisk, looping around as Sonic started to attack.

Getting the amulet away from Sonic was no walk in the park. Despite having one dragon coming up to confuse his aim, while the other went for a grab, Sonic was able to carefully monitor Destiny and Balisk’s exact location in the air, leaving them little chance for their mission to succeed. 

“We could really use some backup now!” thought Destiny in her mind.

As if in answer to her silent plea, one the prisoners the King helped set free, climbed up to ramps of the castle walls, close to where Sonic was flying and aimed her bow. A bolo rope hung at the tip, usually meant to snag wild deer so that they could be brought to a standstill without worries of harm until a hunter would kill it.

“If can hold a wild buck” thought the woman, as her finger pressed against the trigger “ a wild dragon would be the ultimate test.”

With that thought, the bolo fired, entwining itself around Sonic’s neck, as the dark blue beast lashed out at Balisk. Balisk breathed out a sigh of relief at barely avoiding Sonic’s claw, and looked gratefully at the woman who fired the rope, flicking a wink as he flew by.

Destiny knew immediately that time was running out. The bolo rope was strong, but it was no match for a dragon’s power, and with only one human hanging onto the end of the line, Sonic could fly and break free in seconds. 

“Balisk, now!” called Destiny, flying straight towards Sonic’s chest.

Catching the signal, Balisk dived towards Sonic’s head, teasing one of the dragon’s eyes with the tip of his tail. Offended, Sonic swung all his attention to Balisk, snapping at the red dragon with his sharp fangs.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Destiny twirled through the blind swings of Sonic’s claws and snagged the tether of the amulet tight in her hand. The reaction was instant as soon as the jewel was removed, and Sonic let out an earth-shattering roar into the night.

The battle stilled, as Destiny gripped the amulet hard in her palm, and shattered it with her talons, letting a flash light up the night.

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Meanwhile, during the air outside the palace, SunFire found himself in the middle of a battle for his life against Fire Lily as they sliced their claws and tails towards each other seeking to kill.

Volleys of fireballs erupted from Fire Lily’s mouth as SunFire movedhis wings to dodge. His wings still hurt from the damage they had taken the previous night, so it was painful to turn.

Dodging the last fireball, SunFire turned to do his own assault when Fire Lily suddenly rammed into him, and sent them plunging towards the ground below.

The scenery whooshed by fast as both dragons fell, and SunFire caught brief glimpses of flowery trees and waterfalls as he and Fire Lily landed in a pool, deep within the island’s tropical greens. 

Water shook the tension off of SunFire’s scales as he pushed himself away from Fire Lily to pump out his wings and regain the air. Fire Lily soon followed after him, shooting like a comet out of the water.

The two dragons clashed again, Fire Lily biting fiercely with her fangs. It was at that moment SunFire realized that the Fire Lily he knew was gone. Here, all that faced him was a monster, a monster lost to rage, and he let own emotions fly through.

Dodging under Fire Lily’s next bite, SunFire dove under her belly and let out a burst of flame to her chest. Fire Lily screeched as the flame hit, escaping up as the heat scorched her scales. 

SunFire didn’t give her anytime to recover, and grabbed Fire Lily’s tail tight in his claws. Mustering all his strength, SunFire dragged Fire Lily up, and swung her hard on the ground. 

The impact was rough, but Fire Lily was still awake and mad. Flame lighting in her mouth, the she-dragon pointed it to aim at SunFire, but missed as the golden dragon plunged to the ground, circling one of his claws to pin Fire Lily’s throat, and using the other to knock her out.

Soon the she-dragon was sleeping soundly on the cliffs of the waterfalls, while SunFire breathed out with relief, that the battle was finally at its end.

“I’m sorry” SunFire whispered sadly to Fire Lily’s unconscious form “ I wish there had been another way.”

A faraway flash suddenly caught SunFire’s eyes, directing his attention back towards the palace where he had left his friends in the middle of a war. He looked at that flash for a moment, before turning his gaze back on Fire Lily.

“Huh” he sighed “ time to go.”

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Back on the battlefield, the world was awakening again to Sonic’s eyes. Both warring parties were still, as human and dragon stood to watch as Destiny bent down by Sonic’s side, the shattered shard of the dragon hunter amulet, lying right next to her claws.

Sonic gazed at those shards for a moment before looking up at Destiny with grateful wonder.

“Thank you,” he whispered, before collapsing back to sleep.

“Well now that he’s taken care of” said one dragon from the crowd “ we should get back to the fight.”

“Yeah!” cried some of the humans.

“No!” Luna yelled to her comrades “ No more fighting!”

“Stop!” commanded the King, then spoke out to all “ What will more fighting accomplish this night? Look what human and dragon have done together, putting an end to a century long curse. If we can find peace among ourselves, we can truly live as one.”

“They desire no peace with us” cried one human soldier “ They attacked us and enslaved us in our home, while we wasted our time giving them a chance.”

“You humans deserve no praise either” shouted another dragon from the crowd “ not for the way you hunted us in the past. As long as Fire Lily lives, our anger will continue to burn.”

“Heh, look up there!” cried Balisk from above as he flew back to the crowd with Cynder in his claws. The black and red she-dragon had woken up, and thanked Balisk sweetly for his rescue.

Moments later, SunFire descended down among the crowd, holding Fire Lily tight in his arms. Breathes died at the unbelievable sight as the golden dragon lit down, and his head lifted up to survey the crowd, eyes landing first on the King.

“Your Majesty” said SunFire “ I bring forth Fire Lily to be judged for her crimes. Do not blame the actions of all dragons based on just a few.”

“ I shall not” said the King “ One day, I may be able to bring true peace between our kinds, but for now, our species shall stay divided. All dragon troops are allowed to leave, I promise no human hand will come against you.”

With that said, most of the dragon troops departed, fleeing to parts unknown, and Fire Lily was chained up and dragged away into a cage, where she would spend the rest of her days rotting in jail. Balisk stayed near Cynder, cuddling against her scales while Destiny cared for Sonic. SunFire looked upon their happiness and sighed.

Through hate’s repercussions was born love, and with that spark, hopefully a new world could be formed. 

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The next day, the island received a surprise visit as the book-keeper dragon, Z-Nar, landed and heard the awesome tale of what had occurred. SunFire was pleased to see the giant, brown dragon when he came on the beach, and the King greeted him with open arms.

The last few hours after the war, Princess Emory and her father were living peacefully in the castle again, and all the humans captured by Fire Lily were returned to their homes.

Both Sonic and Cynder had found love with Destiny and Balisk, and had left the island early that morning in search for new homes so that they could recover from all the chaos. SunFire stayed behind a little longer, to make sure the kingdom was okay before he went.

The King greeted Z-Nar and SunFire as the two dragons entered the palace, and while the King explained a little more of tale of what happened to Z-Nar, SunFire asked permission from the castle’s new guards if he could explore the palace.

With a nod, the guard let SunFire past, remembering how the gold dragon had rescued him back when he was a prisoner of Fire Lily. SunFire stepped in, and headed instantly upstairs, turning towards the secret room where all the dragon hunting gear was stored.

Every trace of that horrid past had been torn up and destroyed. The King desired no more memory on what used to be his family legacy. Best that it lay buried and burned to prevent any more of this terror taking place in the future.

Moments later, as SunFire descended downstairs, the King approached him, having finished his talk with Z-Nar. Brown eyes stared into blue as the King and SunFire shared each other’s gaze.

“Well my friend” said the King to SunFire “ I guess we shall soon be saying goodbye.”

“I guess so,” said SunFire, looking out to the sun.

It was such a disappointment too. Here was a place, where SunFire and his friends thought they could find paradise, and instead it lead to a further tear between humans and dragons. As soon as SunFire left, no dragon would ever be allowed to land on this island again.

“You will always be remembered as hero to this island” swore the King “ I shall make sure that no one ever forgets you SunFire. If you need anything from me, all you must do is ask.”

“I do have one request” said SunFire reluctantly “ but I don’t know if you’ll grant it, considering all the trouble she’s caused.”

“Fire Lily?” guessed the King.

As punishment for the she-dragon’s crimes, Fire Lily was locked up inside the palace dungeons where she had been sentenced to stay for the rest of her days. The King was stunned when SunFire asked for her release.

“Yes” said SunFire, and then quickly explained to calm down the King’s shocked face “ I wish to take her home, and bid adieu to our mother’s grave. Please grant this request. I promise that I shall return her to dungeon after this flight.”

“Very well” said the King, after a few seconds had passed “ Take care and return my friend, after which I’ll say adieu for the final time.”

“May you find peace my friend,” said SunFire, as he descended down into the dungeon.

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Hours later, as the sun began to set over the horizon, two dragons carrying each other chain by chain, flew out to the island of their birth, to bid a final farewell to noblest soul in all of dragon kind. The soul of their mother, Zatal.

                                                    The End



 

  (Epilogue)

Deep in the darkness of the Fang Mountains, a soul that been sleeping for centuries suddenly awoke, sensing a shift that sent horrid shivers through his spine. Red eyes gleamed fiercely, flickering to orange as they adjusted to the light. Steam rose up from his lips, as he felt his black scales begin to rise and warm.

A source of great power had been shattered. A totem he had gifted to the humans long ago. 

“My amulet has been shattered” thought the large creature to himself “This new blood pesters me. My powers will die if chaos does not continue to increase. Hmm, perhaps it’s time for new plans to form.”

And with that said, the Dark Dragon, settled down to think.