The next few months was a good rule for Queen Ruby. After defeating her mother officially, finding out that she was truly Tourmaline, yet staying as Ruby, it has made her into a better queen and mother to her dragonet.
But due to all of this, even she started to become overwhelmed and stressed with both royal and motherly duties, Queen Ruby decided to cancel her daily duties for a relaxing flight around the kingdom’s open skies and mountain tops. There was nothing more freeing than being as free as the uncontrollable wind. Ruby soared past the mountain top where SkyWings would discard dragonets who would not meet the needs of the tribe. It made her stomach roil thinking about how many innocent dragonets have fallen to their death for just being born the wrong way. It could have been her. Scarlet could have thrown her happily off the mountain to keep her long reign, but probably kept her mostly for a positive public image to her subjects.
As Queen Ruby swept by to pass it to go somewhere else, something caught her eye. Hovering in the air, she regarded the object that caught her attention. To Ruby’s utter surprise, it was a SkyWing dragonet. The poor thing was hanging onto a cliff edge, looking no less than a year old and cannot fly from their doom. Maternal instinct kicked in an instant and Ruby dove down and scooped the dragonet into her claws. Their scales were pale of fire and was trembling from horns to tail, probably from the effort of keeping themselves in that hanging position for who knows how long.
Queen Ruby lands on a nearby cliff and examines the dragonet. They looked blankly back up at Ruby silently as she gently did a physical examination of their body. They seemed fine other than being weak from hunger and clinging for life.
“Who is your mother, little one?” Anger boiled inside Ruby for leaving this dragonet for dead for only being weaker than the rest. Natural selection to bring forward its best.
The SkyWing dragonet, still quiet, seemed to space out for a moment before breaking down into a fit of tears and sobs. The SkyWing queen comforted them until they took a moment to finally calm down.
“She neber told ee her-er name,” they said, carrying the undeveloped speech that Cliff used to have until he grew older. So Ruby was quite fluent in dragonet talk to understand. Then they began sobbing again. “She–she says I’s w–was a werbless-worbless thwing.”
Ruby cradled the fireless dragonet again to comfort them. It wasn’t their fault they were born this way.
“I do not think you are worthless,” she says. “I will take you back to the castle and you can play with my son and stay with us for the time being.”
They nodded. “Otay.”
As soon as they got to the back to the Sky Palace, Ruby assigned a caretaker to watch both Cliff and the dragonet as she delved into an investigation. Queen Ruby took statements from the guards that are posted at the hatchery and quickly found out who the neglectful mother was.
Four guards brought an average looking SkyWing forth to Queen Ruby in her throne room. Prince Cliff and the little one were in a different room, so that they did not have to see their abandoner.
The SkyWing, Dive, snorted angrily at the queen. “And why am I here, your majesty?” She sounded annoyed and bored after just being summoned by her queen.
“I want to know why I found a SkyWing dragonet – your dragonet – hanging from the cliff face of a mountain by themselves with no mother around to help them at all.” Ruby was blunt to getting to the point. “They have told me that you abandoned them there for dead on purpose.”
Dive casually shrugged her wings as though this kind of thing occurs regularly.
“I had a dragonet with too little fire,” she said. “It’s tradition to throw away those who can’t make it or are too dangerous to be even exist.”
“Well I am breaking tradition,” Ruby snaps. “There is a prime example that even those who are meant to be discarded can live a life of normalcy with fellow dragons, and that is Peril who is going to school even now and is living quite happily in fact.”
“So not giving your dragonet a week to prove themselves capable of making it or you not making an effort into going the extra mile to ensure their next day will come disgust me,” Ruby hissed, sparks flying from her fangs and smoke billowing from her snout made her a reflection of her deceased mother. “You will serve your time in the dungeon for neglecting your own dragonet. Guards, take her away.”
“This is not fair!” Dive screeched as she was hulled off to the SkyWing dungeons below by the stronger SkyWing guards.
“It was not fair for them either,” she muttered as they disappeared from view.
The two dragonets perked as Ruby came into the playroom, scurrying up to the queen.
“I’s hears mummy welling,” said the fireless dragonet.
“You don’t have to worry about her anymore, little one,” Queen Ruby told them.
“Soooooo.” Cliff glanced back and forth between his mother and the dragonet. “Is (Y/n) I’s new sibling?!”
The two looked up at Ruby with wide smiles.
“(Y/n)?” she asked. The red SkyWing queen chuckled fondly and drew them both into a hug. “That is a lovely name for my new heir.”
ོོོོོོོ𓂃 𓅪 ོོོོོོོ𓂃
The first flight of a dragonet is always so heart wrenching for both parent and hatchling.
The parent having to watch their baby plummet from a high place and the hatching having to throw themselves from that high place.
SkyWing dragonets go through flight lesson while in the wingery for a year and must pass a flying test at the end of it. They are taken up to a small cliff with two adults at the bottom to catch the falling dragonets. The dragonets must flap their wings to be qualified fliers as they decend back down to the ground, if they don’t then they will have to retake the flying lesson. Thankfully dragons have the natural instinct to fly at the age of one and very few injuries happen during the test.
Though it did concern Queen Ruby to see the wariness or disgust from the SkyWing mothers when they saw her little (Y/n). It was probably due to their unnaturally pale (red/orange) scales and dull (e/c) eyes. But she stood proudly among them, an adorn queen among her subjects as she saw her two dragonets atop that cliff. Cliff and (Y/n) waved excitedly down at her.
The group of mothers watched in anticipation as each of their small dragonets flung themselves into the air for one heart stopping moment before fluttering their wings frantically and drifting to the safe talons of a fellow SkyWing. Of course they had the option of staying in terrified silence or roaring words of encouragement. There were equal parts of each.
When it came to Ruby’s dragonets, Cliff was a natural and confident as he easily fluttered down gracefully. He bounded to Ruby’s talons and hefted upon her shoulder.
“You’s can do it, (Y/n)!” he cried enthusiastically. Despite having his loud shouting right next to her ear, Ruby called along with her son.
“Yes you can, dear! We’ll be right down here for you!” she shouts.
(Y/n) gazed down to their family, but seemed zoned out with fear in their eyes. Trembling, tiny claws grasped the rocky edge as their breathing came in quick gasp. The instructor tried to gently encourage (Y/n) to move but they stood like a statue in frozen terror. Queen Ruby realized with apprehension that this was a re-enactment of their abandonment: on a cliff. The crowd of SkyWings began to mutter in concern and gossip.
“(Y/n)!” she roars up to them. “Focus on me, sweety! Look at me!” Their terrified eyes flickered on her face, looking more focused at least. “Yes! You just need to fly down to me.”
Queen Ruby swept up to the very front of the crowd, reaching her arms up with her deep red wings spread like a gigantic curtain. Cliff copied her reaching pose upon Ruby’s shoulders.
“Come on,” an agitated mother growled behind her. “My dragonet has been waiting for weeks to show much how better she can fly. And your rat is holding her up.”
The red queen quickly turned her head at her, a snarl wrinkling her snout and smoke puffing.
“My dragonet is having a hard time, now if you could patiently wait for them to compose themself I will assure you that they will fly,” she spat. The SkyWing stumbled back into the group, tail between her back legs.
“I promise I will catch you, (Y/n),” Queen Ruby called out. “We will always catch you.”
“Yeah!” Cliff adds loudly.
(Y/n) seemed to gather themself as they focused on the two. The trembling eased from their arms and wings.
“Breathe fire,” offers Cliff. “Breathe in air and exhale fire!”
Thankfully they seemed to take his advice, slowly forcing a breathe before letting out a shaky sigh. And then almost abruptly, threw themself off the high place. Ruby almost flew up to catch them but saw the flapping of their little wings and enough to keep their body up from plummeting down. With wide wings, (Y/n) glided within a spiral right into the awaiting ruby decorated talons of their mother, that immediately held them close to her chest. They cried with glee at the achievement held today.
“You’s did it! You’s did it!” crowed Cliff, beating his orange wings. “You flews (Y/n)!”
“Waz scery,” (Y/n) squeaked. “But cools too.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Ruby praised. “Both of you, my dragonets.”
“‘Cause you’s the best mom ever,” Cliff sang.
“Best mom! Bestest mom!” mimicked the dragonet in her arms in a banter.
She laughed at her little dragonets as they sung praises of their mother, the queen.
Oh how she ended up with two amazing dragonets to call her own. Queen Ruby may never know whatever mysterious forces led Ruby to have them but she most certainly does not regret the guiding force.
It didn’t matter if they were or not of blood, it only mattered if they loved each other. And Ruby knew (Y/n) loved her and her son as much as they both loved them. So of course they were a real, true family.
A/N: this almost was made into a book but my co-author at the time bailed and never came to be, but I had drew up a cover for it. Also this is old writing and ooc hehe
As Morrowseer slithered through the tunnel and past the guards back into the NightWing island, there came a giggle behind him.
Swiftly, he craned his neck to see who it was but saw no one at first until he noticed an odd lump on his tail that was never there.
The lump giggled again, big (e/c) eyes looked back at him as a wave of yellow washed over the black.
A small RainWing dragonet, smaller than his entire talon if he spead his claws, clung to his tail like some kind of game. It was so small Morrowseer didn't even feel it. Perhaps only one moon old even.
Morrowseer glared at the hatchling, picking them off like a blood sucking insect, bringing them close to his face.
"Now where did you come from, pest?" he glowered.
They squeaked, grasping his snout with their tiny talons.
Something struck the prophet then, this tiny creature genuinely made him feel protective of something other than the tribe. He has no kin of his own and when the NightWing tribe takes over the Rainforest kingdom it would technically returning the dragonet to their home, wouldn't it?
—* — ★彡
When Morrowseer returned to his cave that day, a little RainWing mimicking his pitch black scales, waited eagerly for him, teardrops of (f/c) running down their neck to tail.
They leaped to their feet as Morrowseer lands, hugging his arm in welcome. He's too big after all!
"M! Did you bring me's something not-yucky?" you asked before coughing. Since you couldn't say "Morrowseer", so you just shortened it to just "M".
He frowned. The coughing seemed to get worse every time he came back.
"Today I brought you something special," he said, reaching into the bag around his wing. In his talons were three fruits; a bundle of bananas, a pineapple, and your favorite, a couple of mangoes.
"Oh me gosh!" you practically scream, bursting into golden yellow and bright pink. "Frooooot!" You dug in, offering Morrowseer one of your mangoes.
He took it gratefully. How did you even end up like this? For a RainWing, you were the most sweetest, thoughtful, and optimistic dragon he has ever encountered. Even beings partly raised in the dreadful conditions of the Night Kingdom, you never seemed to wafer. And that made his day, everyday, to see your smile no matter how much the dragonets screwed up.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to get better for you.
You continued to get worse each day. Your coughs became more stronger and frequent. Even when Morrowseer would hunt and gather a little more, you soon become underweight and skinny. Even your once bright colors seem to dull.
Now when he came home, you were often found curled in your small bed, breathes coming out short and wheezing.
He knew you would most likely not make it like many other NightWing dragonets born on the island. And it made his heart crack and sink into the molten lava pools.
When the island erupted, Morrowseer knew you couldn't die here, it was not the place where you would die. He immediately snatched you and took to the smoggy air.
NightWings and RainWing prisoners filled the air to escape the exploding island. You whined, eyes nervously trained on the strangers around you, but was safe within the enormous talons of Morrowseer.
The air was clogged with smoke, ash, and embers. The blackened earth beneath shook so violently, that the tremors could be felt in-air.
Everyone fled to the animus tunnel, which was guarded by those stupid dragonets of destiny of course.
Morrowseer lands, you carefully tucked in his talons, as he told the dragonets that they weren't never suppose to be real, neither was the prophecy. This angered them and they didn't allow Morrowseer through. If he couldn't get through, neither could you and you would surely die then. The giant NightWing didn't want that.
"Before I try to kill you all," he snarled. He extends his arm out, making the dragonets flinch and opening his talons to reveal a tiny RainWing, green and orange-purple dappled their wings. They looked up at Morrowseer with confusion and fear.
"Take them. It would be the only thing you worthless dragonets," he said, placing them on the ground.
"What in the world are you doing with a dragonet?!" Tsunami demands in anger and confusion.
"Just take them!" he roared. The dragonet continued to stare at Morrowseer, tears now welling up in their eyes.
Clay leaps forward and grab them back into the tunnel. They squirmed in hi grip and cried out, reaching to Morrowseer desperately.
"M!" they shrieked, coughing. "M!" They bit Clay, making him quickly let go and ran back to Morrowseer, huddled under his giant form as a protective shield.
Morrowseer actually looked pained as he frowned down at the dragonet.
"If you stay here, you'll die," he told them in his deep, teaching voice as to try and let you know the great importance of living. "You must go."
"But-but M needs to come with I!" they sobbed. The ground underneath shook violently, making even Morrowseer stumble.
The earth turned inside out with bright yellow and orange, the mountain shooting a giant cloud of smoke and flames, towering over the dragons.
Morrowseer grabbed your tiny form from underneath him and threw the RainWing dragonet to the older ones, Fatespeaker remarkably catching them.
"Their-," Morrowseer tried to shout, looking at the racing flaming smoke coming towards them fast. "Their name is (Y/n)!"
Before he was swallowed by the death hungry flames, his last thought being thankful that his little RainWing will live.
⊹ ₊ ݁. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. . ݁₊ ⊹ .
They say you come into and out of the world kicking and screaming when your born and die.
That was exactly what you did when you were taken from the world you once knew and was ripped from your beloved guardian.
The female NightWing had a good grip around you as the dragonets fled through the animus tunnel. The shock was too overwhelming to process in your small mind at that intense moment.
The dragonets barreled out of the tunnel and into the rainforest where it was bustling with black dragons that looked like M. It was night, making it impossible to see them. Rain poured down even through the canopy above. An blast of intense heat and smoke whooshed out from behind you. The dragons around the tunnel shout in surprise and backed away from it. "Starflight!" the NightWing that once had you shouts, dropping you on the ground and darts off somewhere. Panic overwhelmed you, little chest heaving in ragged breathes, the corners of your vision began to darken. Where was M? Was he alright? Did the heat kill him? What happened to your home?
The world then went pitch black like NightWing scales.
––— .｡.:*☆
It's been about half a month since the NightWing island had been destroyed.
Still no sign of M since.
It has been difficult for you adjusting to life in the rainforest. The air was clean and your breathing returned to normal, your small, still developing lungs now given time to properly heal from smoke. The food was much more plentiful, so much that your average weight came back. Your health improved, with the diagnosis that was similar to all of the NightWing’s that have now moved into the rainforest.
Though that didn't quite mean your state of mind was too healthy. For the first week you nearly tore your throat as you screamed and cried out for the presence of your guardian. A lovely couple has since adopted you, a NightWing and RainWing, how amusing. It still didn't help though.
Every day, you wore the same pitch black of Morrowseer's scales and your touch of (f/c) spots. And every day you would scour the tunnel for any signs of life. It was black and even still hot. But you would curl up at the entrance and wait until your new parents would retrieve you, only to find you gone and in the same spot the next day.
One day, your parents didn't get you. Night quickly came and you soon became tired, your watching (e/c) eyes drooping close and soon went into a peaceful sleep.
Tonight it did not rain, but the heat from the tunnel was more comforting than the humidity. The forest beyond sang its nightly tune of various chirps, whistles, and roars of the many creatures lurking about.
A shadow moved amongst the trees above, the sturdy branches rustling and creaking under a weight upon them. It slithered down the bark, claws catching against the it as grips to not fall. It crept closer, feet being placed carefully to not make a sound. The shape then crouched, tail twitching to and fro, eyes trained on your small form.
With a roar, the black jaguar sprang from its spot, claws outstretched. The roar of the giant cat jarred awoke you (as you have been a light sleeper lately), seeing the sleek black form in almost slow motion, glowing green eyes blazing in the dark. But there was another roar that pierced the night, this one being much more thunderous, shaking the air itself, as giant talons appeared from the shadows and slammed the jaguar down against the bark.
You screamed.
The big cat yowled and writhed in the grip of the talons as they curled around it and dragged it into the shadows from whence they came. There seemed to be a scuffle in the dark before it ended with crunching. You stayed low to the tunnel, unable to control the rolling tide of pale green with fear.
A new shadow emerged, but this one you recognized as a NightWing. A NightWing you immediately recognized. "M!" you cry out in glee, throwing yourself around Morrowseer's giant neck, bursting into fluorescent yellow and neon pink. You buried yourself into him, crying and sobbing into his scales. Though they felt kinda funny, not smooth and jewel hard like once before.
Under your touch, they felt more leathery instead, most of the scales were chipped and had strange dips in them. A burn scar twisted in a jagged line along his back and under to his belly.
It didn't matter. As long as M was really here, that's what really mattered.
Morrowseer cooed, holding you against him. He inhaled through his damaged nostrils and sighed in relief, feeling the tension and pain in his body melt away. It was good to know the dragonets did something right. And for the first time in a very long while, Morrowseer felt happy. Genuinely happy to see his dragonet be alive after what happened, now completely healthy like the first day he met them.
The RainWing dragonet suddenly smacked his neck, but it didn't hurt. "Don't ever leaves me again, M," they said firmly, black and red swirling back onto their scales. "I don't plan to," Morrowseer chuckled, though his deep voice sounded a little more raspy. He sat back on his haunches and cradled the dragonet close to his chest, his giant wings tilting forward. They snuggled into it, eyes closing with a happy smile. "Can we's leave?" they ask unexpectedly. "Too many dragons in the trees." Morrowseer then glanced around. That was also true. Everyone thought he was dead and if he stayed in the rainforest too long, he would most definitely be spotted by other dragons and know he is alive. Maybe he should retreat to a quiet life, one where he had no more royal worries or pains, where he could grow strong again and properly raise his dragonet.
‘Yes. My dragonet.’
"I agree, (Y/n)."
They smiled up at him, grabbing his snout and nuzzling it with their more narrow one. "Yes! Yes!" they cheered, bouncing giddily. "Let's go's!" But to where? Morrowseer made up a plan quickly. First, stay low in the other tribe territories and make their way to to the Kingdom of the Sea where they could hide on one of the various islands in the Bay of a Thousand Scales. No one would find them.
Morrowseer spread his grand wings to the sky, blending perfectly with the night sky above. "Would you like to sea the ocean, my little (Y/n)?"
