'Til the Silver Moon Rises [Closed]

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And so it was, after arriving at her new abode, that Silver would find herself at a bit of a loss for words. Far from home, in new land that she hadn’t explored. Of course, it was she that had chosen such an unfamiliar location.

Life had been nothing but discomfort whilst living with her parents in the Etcan Mountains. Day in and day out, her time there was filled to the brim with uncomfortable little greetings and conversations with her mother. All the while her father simply remained quiet and stared at her from time to time.

This cave, purchased by their gold, was to be both a farewell gift, and her only means of getting them out of her life.

Silver knew her belongings were likely still being delivered to her new home, so there was no reason to retire indoors just yet whilst the sun was still beating between her pale white wings. Lifting her head in a regal manner, the jewel decorated dragon reached into a pouch on her front leg and withdrew a small hand mirror.

Luckily, the flight here hadn’t necessarily been the worst on her. Her eyelashes looked as well-kept as ever, her silver diamond earrings were shiny enough to blind a dragon three miles away, and the silver bracelet around the base of her tail still had all its glittering sapphires encrusted into it. Despite being a bit conservative with the jewelry (by her own standards), she felt she looked adequate enough to make good first-impressions with whomever she were to meet in the nearby village.

Tucking the mirror away once more, Silver turned and sauntered toward the village she’d seen on her way to her new home.

The Aeria Mountains were said to be more populated than what she was used to. It would be an interesting place to meet new faces.

Seeing Shula perched so happily on the cart made Silver grin. This hatchling certainly had the spirit for this kind of life, something that was even rare amongst adult dragons. Depending on how much jewels she stole, she could be invaluable for any future thefts they may commit.

That was, of course, if the young one wished to continue. A proposition that would be posed to her a bit later on.

“That was cool!” Shula exclaimed in a voice laced with excitement.

“Indeed it was,” Silver said in reply, “it is not over yet, however. Let us retire back to my cave and we will sort out your findings.”

The trek out of the village proved to be uneventful. Eyes looked in their direction, sure, but never out of suspicion. With any hope, the old coot at the jewelry store wouldn’t realize he’d been robbed until long after they were gone. With his stock taken, and no real evidence left behind, there would be nothing he could do.

A small bit of cruelty inside Silver hoped to see the old dragon as a beggar the next time she returned to the village. The thought of such a small action casting such a large wake on someone’s life was slightly pleasing. The same kind of pleasure she found in organizing gemstones by color.

Once the two had been clear of the village, Silver trudged along the path leading back towards her cave. She was already feeling exhausted from pulling, her breaths much more heavier and labored. “Perhaps the next time I partake in thievery…” she panted, “...it would do me well to bring along someone with a bit more muscle.”

The ice dragoness slowed to a stop. “Let us rest for a moment. Perhaps you can show me what you managed to grab now that we are alone.”

The sounds of the forest and the turning of the wheels was a soothing mantra to Shula, lulling her into idleness as they moved beneath the trees. While she waited, she would pick up the gold earrings. They were wonderfully crafted, with a few ridges here and there. As Shula examined them, she realised they were melded to form the shape of wings.

Eagerly, she pinned them to the top bone of her left fin, the fin twitching as the cool metal was pressed against the skin. Thankfully, she didn't have to stick it through, it was just a stick-on type. They flashed in the sunlight that crept between the leaves, and brought out the colour in Shula's eyes.

Hearing Silver's harsh breaths, she feared she was too heavy, and leaped over the side of the cart to walk beside her. She giggled at the white female's words and nodded. "You could ask Atlas, but I don't think he's very muscly," she laughed at the thought of a big, strong Atlas.

Silver came to a halt and at her words Shula would nod, leaping back up into the cart. She let Silver take the lead from here, wondering if she had done a good job. She'd tried to get the prettier stuff, and she had done alright in her opinion. Fancy necklaces and rings and earrings and all other things. Sitting down, Shula wrapped her tail around herself and awaited Silver's evaluation.

Silver released the latch that surrounded her midsection, then slipped out of the harness.

As she turned around, her eyes got caught for a moment on Shula, who was now adorned with a few accessories of her own. What drew the ice dragon’s attention in particular were the gold wings pinned to her fin. In combination with the hatchling’s yellow eyes, it looked very fitting.

“I see you wasted no time,” Silver said with amusement, “I must say, little fire bird, you remind me of me when I was your age. Albeit, I was not as rambunctious, but every bit as ambitious.”

Silver moved her talon over toward one of Shula's earrings and lifted it up a little to examine the design. After observing it for a few seconds, she turned away and circled around behind the cart.

“Now, as for the rest of our haul…” The white dragoness began to pick through the various accessories that Shula had chosen. There was a wide enough variety, so some items were worth a lot, while others very little. Altogether the jewelry that was stolen was well worth the effort. A pleasing response to Silver’s question of whether or not this hatchling would be worth knowing.

Despite the giddiness she felt inside after seeing the treasure, Silver kept her exterior as calm as could be. She never wanted to let excitement show, lest she end up making a fool of herself.

“You chose your jewelry well. A few of them aren't very valuable, but not many,” Silver turned her gaze to Shula once more. “You continue to surprise me, little one. We may not be able to buy a kingdom with this jewelry, but it is certainly a start. You and I should do this more often.”

Her expression hardened a little bit as she remembered something. “Oh...I almost forgot.”

The IceWing reached into her small bag and withdrew a pair of turquoise earrings. She lightly tossed them over to her partner. “Happy hatching day,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “I could not fathom why someone would charge two silver for those. I feel that if we had not robbed that jeweler, he surely would have robbed others with his ridiculous pricing.”

Leaning her side casually against the cart, Silver began examining her own talons. “By the way, you certainly seem to know a lot of people. Atlas, Scortia, Imperia...” She looked up and smiled warmly, “people that perhaps I would like to meet as well. Since I helped you get your claws on quite a bit of treasure, maybe you can help me make some new acquaintances. Maybe sometime you can take me to, say, the land of the Stormcallers?”

(I don't know why, but my heart is utterly melting XD)

Silver's piercing gaze fell on her, and for a moment Shula felt self conscious with the earrings. Would she like them? Not want her to wear them? She liked them. They were pretty, and gleamed like polished gemstones. She liked how they were the color of her eyes, only brighter. What was that color? Gold!

“I see you wasted no time,” Silver uttered, amusement lacing her words. “I must say, little fire bird, you remind me of me when I was your age. Albeit, I was not as rambunctious, but every bit as ambitious.” Shula blushed, casting her gaze downwards for a moment. "Th-thank you, Silver," she stammered, a shy smile finding it's way onto her face. Then, curiosity would light her gaze. "What does ra.. rambutis mean?" she asked, pronouncing it completely wrong. Was it a good thing? She hoped so.

The nickname 'little fire bird,' was a nice nickname. Shula found herself getting embarrassed again. Would Silver keep calling her that? She'd like to think so. As Silver's talon came close, she flinched, but then she realized she wanted a look at her earrings and raised her head to let her get a better view. After a moment or two, Silver moved away to examine the rest of the cargo.


Shula observed her 'ally' as she looked over the jewelry, playing with her left earring out of anxiety and excitement. Did I do a good job? she wondered. There was a brief silence as she observed their treasure. “You chose your jewelry well. A few of them aren't very valuable, but not many,” Silver met her eyes and Shula tilted her head. “You continue to surprise me, little one. We may not be able to buy a kingdom with this jewelry, but it is certainly a start. You and I should do this more often.” Shula would flush again, hot red embarrassment turning her face an even deeper shade of crimson then it already was. Joy was also present. Silver wanted to do this again!

“Oh...I almost forgot.” For a moment, Shula was nervous, but then her partner produced a pair of earrings. Not as elegant as the golden wings, but they were very pretty. Shula leaped up and caught them mid-air, eagerly pinning them just next to her earrings. "Thank you! They're pretty," she said. “I could not fathom why someone would charge two silver for those. I feel that if we had not robbed that jeweler, he surely would have robbed others with his ridiculous pricing,” Silver said, clearly not happy at having been robbed of good money. Shula smiled, giggling at her words regarding the merchant. "Don't worry," she assured her. "This stuff will cover it!" she sniffed at one of the necklaces.

Silver leaned against the side of the cart, scales flashing in the sunlight. For a moment, Shula was transfixed, but then she shook her head as she began to speak again, curling her tail around herself as she sat in the cart. On occasion, she glanced over her shoulder, just in case the merchant came running through the trees screaming profanities at them. “By the way, you certainly seem to know a lot of people. Atlas, Scortia, Imperia...” Shula returned her attention to her ally to find she was smiling. “people that perhaps I would like to meet as well. Since I helped you get your claws on quite a bit of treasure, maybe you can help me make some new acquaintances. Maybe sometime you can take me to, say, the land of the Stormcallers?”
At this, Shula's eyebrows would shoot up.

"Well.." she hesitated, flicking her tail. "I guess I can. But you'll have to be careful, I'm not well liked." Then, a grin would find it's way onto her face. "You'll like Atlas! He can do magic! He's a sorcerer! He's really smart," her eyes lit up as she spoke of her friend.

(I know! I love their dynamic. Shula is adorable and awesome at the same time.)

“Th-thank you, Silver,” Shula responded to Silver’s compliments. “What does ra...rambutis mean?”

At this, Silver couldn’t help but chuckle. “It is pronounced ram-bunc-tious. Rambunctious means very wild, like an uncontrollable fire.” With reassuring eyes she continued, “it is a good thing in this case. It means that nothing will stop you from doing what you wish. You are very much a free spirit.”

Perhaps the last thing that Silver expected was for Shula to pin the turquoise earrings next to her golden ones. Silver didn’t find those gemstones particularly pretty, nor were they exactly worth a lot. Something inside her, though, said that Shula would treasure just about anything the ice dragoness had to give her.

“Thank you! They’re pretty!” Shula exclaimed. After Silver’s remarks about the merchant’s pricing, the hatchling then proceeded to respond with, “don’t worry, this stuff will cover it!”

It was true. In the long run they made a lot more than they lost. Being as possessive as Silver was, though, she likely wouldn’t stop thinking about the silver she’d spent for at least a few days.

When inquiring about the Stormcallers, Shula seemed a bit nervous. “Well...I guess I can. But you’ll have to be careful, I’m not well liked.” She suddenly brightened up a little bit, “you’ll like Atlas! He can do magic! He’s a sorcerer! He’s really smart.”

“A smart friend who does magic? That sounds awfully helpful. I certainly hope he and I will get along.” She grimaced, “I do not understand what would give anyone cause not to enjoy your company, however. Once we show up, looking as delightful as we look in our newly acquired jewelry, they will be begging to be a part of our selective circle of friends.”

With a small sigh, Silver stood straight once more. “Until then, let us continue back to my cave.” She walked forward a little bit to look off into the woods. “We do not want to be stuck out here in...the..”

In a single moment, Silver saw a powdery substance surrounding her. She didn’t truly know where it came from, but it made her mind feel like it was numbed. As though she were watching herself from a third-person perspective. As though her body were no longer under her own control.

The wintery dragoness turned to look towards Shula. She saw that behind the hatchling was a stranger. A dragon with a small bag full of the same powdery substance that had currently put Silver in a daze.

“Sleep,” came a rumbling voice that reverberated through her skull. In an instant, her legs gave out and she collapsed into a heap. Her vision went dark, and the last thought she had before falling into a slumber was the answer to what exactly was happening.

Bandits.

(Feel free to let me know if this is sort of a weird route to take things. I was debating between a scenario like this and just returning back to the cave. Ultimately, thought this might provide a bit of exciting conflict.)

(no, it's perfect! :D Honestly, I was hoping for a bit of conflict)
(Awww, thank you! Silver is amazing :D She's very original)
(Also, Atlas is one of my alts :) If you want me to toss him in just let me know)

Silver deciphered the word 'rambunctious' for her, the description enough to colour Shula's face again. She ducked her head, shrugging as a tiny smile appeared on her face. She looked up and met her eyes. Thanks.


She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust Silver.

The turquoise earrings, with a spot of polishing, would shine, all she needed was a bit of water and maybe a cloth. Funny, she chuckled. My hatching day's in a couple of weeks, actually. She grinned. Soon, she'd be twelve. Maybe not near enough to be considered an adult, but old enough to not be a baby. Or at least, she thought so.

She tilted her head slightly. Today was really fun, a little voice in her head uttered. I hope Silver and I can do it again really really soon. She liked Silver, genuinely, and not just for her goddess looks. She was clever, and witty, and gave an air of superiority. That, and she had this little feeling that beneath the sly exterior she portrayed, there was a kind friend in there. They were similar in a lot of ways. Both sought after shiny things, both were am.. ambitis, and both were smart!

“A smart friend who does magic? That sounds awfully helpful. I certainly hope he and I will get along.” Shula nodded eagerly. "I bet you will! He doesn't like stealing though, so maybe tell a little lie?" she gave her begging eyes. "I really don't want another.. what does he call it?" the hatchling put on her 'thinking face,' where her eyebrows would scrunch up and furrow to brush against each other, and she would go kind of cross-eyed. "Lecture! That's it," she grinned up at her.

Silver suddenly pulled a face. “I do not understand what would give anyone cause not to enjoy your company, however. Once we show up, looking as delightful as we look in our newly acquired jewelry, they will be begging to be a part of our selective circle of friends.” Shula grinned at the suggestion of dragons begging to be their friends. Usually it was the other way around. At her complement, she would blush again, dipping her head in embarrassment. "We'll be like princesses," she said, raising it again to meet her eyes.

"Until then, let us continue back to my cave,” Silver said, adverting her ocean blue eyes for a moment. Shula nodded and stood up in the cart. “We do not want to be stuck out here in...the..” Immediately, she knew something was wrong. Silver never faltered.

Suddenly, a strange substance, resembling crushed chalk, would surround Silver. It was then Shula felt the breath on her neck, red hot and scary. Acting on instinct, she leaped out of the cart, stretching her wings to give her more distance. "Sleep," came a deep voice as she scampered into the bushes.

Wait, what am I doing?! she shrieked inside her own head, and slammed her rump into the earth, skidding to a quiet stop in the hedges. Twisting around, she darted back to where she had been, slowing to a crawl as she lowered herself onto her belly. Flattening her head against the ground, Shula took a deep breath and entered the bushes, lifting her head to peer through the leaves.

A dragon stood there, with a mean look on his face. More harrowing however, was the collapsed form of Silver. Her eyes were shut. Shula held her breath, eyes wide as she waited for what the dragons would do next.

((Thanks! And yes, I'll let you know about Atlas. Of course, if you see a golden opportunity to introduce him then go right ahead.))

“What bloody good are you if you can’t even grab a hatchling!” scraped a sinister voice directed at the dragon who’d tried to sneak up to Shula.

“Sorry, sir,” responded a deep voice that practically broadcasted ignorance. “Did you want me to go after her?”

“Just leave her be, you bumbling clutz. Not like she’s going to cause much trouble.”

“But, Lock, what if she tells someone?”

“Tells them what, Bigs? They were robbed? You heard them, this treasure was stolen to begin with. Ain’t nobody gonna help a couple of crooks. You know that as well as I do.”

The lanky, light green dragon looked toward the collapsed body of Silver. His forked tongue flicked in and out like that of a snake as he observed her. “Looks like we got the richest one anyway. Bet her family would pay good money to see her safe return.”  

“Lock! Look at how much treasure they have!” exclaimed Bigs as he stuck his head into the cart.

“What about it?” Lock hissed in response.

“It’s a lot!”

Slapping his forehead, Lock marched over to Bigs and grabbed him by the neck. “Why do you think we targeted them in the first place?”

Bigs opened his mouth to respond, but realized just in time that the question was rhetorical.

The sickly green dragon pushed his lumbering counterpart towards Silver’s body. “If you’re done dithering about and asking dumb questions, hurry and put her in the cart and bring it all back to our camp. The others are gonna make us kings for this.”

Bigs, with his rather large brown-scaled self, hesitantly made his way over to Silver. He stared at her unconscious body for a minute or two before lifting her up and placing her gently into the cart with all of the treasure. Afterwards, the giant attached himself to the harness and began to wheel the cart off of the beaten path and into the surrounding snow-covered trees.

(Alrighty! ^_^)

As the two dragons argued, Shula began to shiver. No, no! She scolded herself. Silver is in danger! You can't give up now! Don't be afraid! she took a deep breath, and prepared to charge right in there-

Wait, warned a tiny voice. If you charge in there now, you'll be.. what's that Atlas always says? Overpowered. Wait for the prey to come to you. So, she waited, listening to the two males, who she found out were named Bigs and Lock, as they hissed over Silver and the amount of treasure they had. They were right, if she ran for the village they'd know she was a thief, and wouldn't help her.

I have to do this on my own, she thought, as they loaded Silver into the cart. Seeing their tainted talons on her beautiful, pristine scales made her blood boil. As the mud-coloured dragon began to drag her off, Shula stood up. When Lock wasn't looking, she stole across the earth. Swift and silent as a shadow, she began to trail after them.

She crept through the foliage, quiet and unseen. She knew that she wouldn't have enough time to go get Atlas before they did something horrible to her. Shula had to do this on her own.

But what can you do? taunted another voice. You're just a hatchling. You can't fly, you can't breathe fire, you can't do anything. What can you possibly do to help Silver? For a moment, Shula hesitated. Then, she remembered something Atlas had taught her. The greatest strength one can have is their smarts. Use that, and you're invincible.

Taking a deep breath, Shula lashed her tail, and stole after the bandits.

Lock and Bigs must have traveled for at least twenty minutes before the faint echos of singing dragons could be heard. The smell of smoke and cooked venison filled the air, and jovial laughter seemed almost as obnoxious as the large fire in center of their camp.

Once the two dragons were close enough, Lock trotted into the camp like a cat that was proud of its catch. “Good afternoon boys!” he shouted, drawing him some attention from a few of his dozen cohorts who welcomed the duo back. “Glad to see the festivities are going well. We got everything from food to drink, warmth, and the comfort of a good home. But if you ask me, there’s something missin’.”

Lock pointed to his right as Bigs towed the cart up next to him. “Bigs! Show them what we’ve got!”

With haste, the large dragon undid his harness and hurried beside the cart. With an audible grunt, he lifted the side and spilled the contents onto the ground. Silver’s limp body hit the snow with a thud that sounded like a headache in the making.

The camp burst into roaring cheer at the spectacle. “Treasure, and a fine dragoness!” Lock shouted. “With what we got here, we’ll be picking our teeth with gold toothpicks before long!”

“I call first pick of the treasure!” one of the bandits exclaimed.

His lacky next to him looked petulant for a second before standing up. “Well...I call the dragoness then! Always wanted me a wife!”

“I call her jewelry!” shouted another from the back of the group before the whole camp broke out into bickering.

Lock waved his talons to try and get their attention. “Settle down! Settle down! There’s enough treasure here for all of us. And this pretty little one is going to fetch us some nice coin for her safe return.” He pointed a stern claw at his comrades, “which means, nobody’s to even touch her unless she try to escape.”

A few dragons let out a few disappointed noises. Lock maintained his smile, however, as he proclaimed, “but with what we’ll make off of her, I’m sure them ladies will be clawin’ to be with us!”

With that, the snakish green dragon turned to Bigs and motioned toward a set of cages. “Tuck her away for me. That Devil’s Breath ain’t going to last forever.” He pointed to two of his kin. “You two, keep watch of our new guest. When she wakes up, be so kind as to come fetch me. I want to be the one to explain everything to her pretty face.”

Bigs and the other bandits acknowledged Lock’s orders. The large murky dragon lifted Silver up once again and moved her over to a dirty metal cage. It was hard to tell if the floor of this prison was covered in mud, blood, or both...either way, Silver was going to be in for a rude awakening.

The two other dragons positioned themselves at the front of the cage, facing inward toward the center fire.

Almost as quickly as they were interrupted, everyone else had returned to their festivities. Eating, drinking and singing more joyfully than ever with the thought of how rich they would be.

At that very moment, Silver began to hear the dull sounds of dragons singing. She didn’t try to think of what happened, nor where she was. In fact, the ice dragoness didn’t even attempt to open her eyes just yet. The only thing that her willpower had the strength to do was try to recognize the song.  

It took a few verses, but she recognized it as ‘Til the Silver Moon Rises. One that she'd heard dragons sing at taverns back when she lived in the Etcan Mountains.

By the time the two thieves had arrived at camp, Shula was tired. She thought about getting in the cart, but decided against it. If they lifted Silver off her, she'd be revealed.

The sounds of shouting and ignorant laughter made Shula's fins extend slightly. She increased her pace, stopping at the edge of the clearing that held the rest of the dragons. There's so many.. she gulped, new fear gripping her as they towed Silver into the place. They began to call dibs on the jewelry, and even on her, which made the hatchling's blood boil.

She watched as her ally was dragged into a metal cage and then locked inside, the entrance guarded by two dragons. I need to get them away from there.. Shula decided. She glanced around. I need a better view! Leaping up, she latched onto the bark of a tree next to her and quickly scrambled up the trunk. Once she was high enough, she crawled out onto the branch and peered over the camp.

The cage was metal, and her fire might have been hot enough to melt it if she'd known how to breathe it. Use your smarts, Shula, be creative, whispered a tiny voice as she gazed around camp.

She looked at the cage. It was locked. Trying to get the key without being spotted would be futile, and there was no point, Silver wasn't in any state to move. Shula dreaded to think of what damage the chalk-like substance had done.

Fire.. she thought, gazing at the flickering flames. I need something to draw their attention away from Silver.. She searched the camp for something very specific. Anything that could burn..

And explode.

(the stakes are rising now O.O)

Silver's head was beating like a drum. It took a moment for her to realize just how off-key and grating the singing dragons were.

The dull pain behind her eyes made her feel nauseated, but even so she managed to force herself to stand up. Her legs shook and faltered as she tried to get a bearing on where she was.

Looking to the ground, the pristine dragoness realized that she wasn’t exactly pristine anymore. The ground was covered with unidentifiable muck and grime, leaving dark marks on Silver’s scales. She recoiled in disgust, suddenly regaining her strength to stand straight as she wanted her body to be as far away from the floor as possible.

This was most definitely a bandit camp. She'd seen and read about them before. A place where the most deprived of dragons would go to find some semblance of a purpose. It was because of pathetic people like them that some of the more wealthy towns had such high security.

Their camp spoke volumes of how little they actually owned. Makeshift tents littered the area, some of them made out to be shelter, others storage for some of their supplies. One of the supply tents that was worth noting was one that contained barrels of black powder. From what Silver could tell, it was flash powder, something that bandits used to temporarily blind their victims.

A whole tent full of that catching fire would certainly cause enough of a stir for her to escape. To her misfortune, however, she didn’t have any sort of fire breath to ignite it, nor did she have a key to get out of her cage.

Letting out a soft moan of dismay, Silver slowly made her way toward the front of the cage to get a look at the two guards. One sat a few inches taller than her and had black scales, while the other was about the same height as her and had deep blue scales. Each of them held a spear, and both of them seemed to be leaning on it a little bit.

Based on their longing glances at the dragons towards the center of the camp, it was clear that they wanted to join their brethren rather than be stuck on guard duty. Silver contemplated using their lack of attention to her advantage. The only problem was that neither of them possessed a key for her to try and steal...

A sudden thought occurred to her. Shula...did she get captured to? No, I would know if she was. We would likely be in the same cage. She must have run away. With a frown she thought, that is too bad. I could surely use her right now.

Silver had to remind herself that wishful thinking wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She had to come up with some way of getting out of here. If only thinking weren’t such a hard thing to do at the moment.  

The frustrated dragoness eyed the larger guard. He still looked rather upset, and what she was going to do next wouldn’t exactly put him in a better mood. The bars of the cage were wide enough for her to slip her talon through, so she reached as far out as she could go, until her talon was just above his back.

In a sudden swift movement, she swiped downward, her claw barely piercing his scales and drawing a bit of blood.

“Ow!” the guard exclaimed before turning around and aiming his spear toward her. “You little worm! I’ll make you pay for that!”

Just as he was readying to jab his spear through the bars of the cage, his companion stopped him.

“Wait!” he said, “Lock said we can’t touch her.”

“I’m not going to touch her,” the scratched dragon grumbled, “I’m going to let my spear do that for me.”

“Knock it off,” said his friend, “just go get Lock. Tell ‘im to get someone else to watch over his new trophy. Or at least let us eat at our posts.”

After staring intensely at Silver for a moment, the dark dragon turned and made his way to the campfire.

Silver watched him walk over and tap a skinny green dragon, whom she assumed was Lock, on the shoulder and point to her cage. The sickly bandit and Silver locked eyes for a moment. He flashed a sinister smile before proceeding to stand up.

The black scaled guard who’d gone to fetch him walked back to the cage ahead of Lock, his breaths sounding unusually heavy as though he’d run a marathon.

The blue dragon looked puzzled at his companion. “Truly? That short walk tucker you out already?”  

“No it’s just-” the black dragon started before being interrupted by his superior.

“Well, well, well, look who’s finally awake,” Lock said as he approached the cage, holding a flagon of ale in one talon. “Perhaps the most important jewel in our collection of treasure.”

“And you must be Lock,” Silver said matter-of-factly, “the coward who thinks preying on a dragoness and a hatchling is fair.”

“Don’t you act so innocent,” Lock retorted before drinking from his flagon. Disgustingly enough, quite a bit of the ale seemed to dribble out of the corners of his maw while he drank. “I knows you twos are thieves. Ain’t foolin’ nobody, I’m afraid, so best save your lies for some bleedin’ heart who’s willing to listen.”

Silver opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. Instead she replied with, “fair enough...so what do you want with me?”

“You know,” Lock said, “a nice fat payment from your parents for you to return home in one piece.”

Silver winced a little. Such a scenario was highly unlikely, even if he managed to contact her mother and father. They’d likely decide that freeing her would be a bit too expensive, and more trouble than it was worth since it required them to deal with bandits.

Fearing the answer, the ice dragoness inquired, “and...if they do not pay?”

Raising an eye, Lock smiled even broader than before. “Aaah, you’d like to know wouldn’t you? Let’s just say, you’d better hope your parents are willin’ to cooperate.”

Desperation began to take hold of her. Shula knew she didn't have much time before something horrible happened to her friend. She knew that. These dragons, no, these newts that called themselves dragons, were nothing more then scum like the dirt beneath her feet. They wouldn't hesitate to put a claw on Silver if she tried anything.

Shula flattened herself onto the branch, tucking her wings into her sides as one male stumbled a little too close to her tree. He didn't look up, not noticing she was there. She returned her attention to the camp. Several crudely crafted tents were scattered in no particular order. Nothing explosive.

"Ow!" A Yelp made her head snap around and her eyes widened to see Silver. She glimpsed blood on one of her talons. She saw one of them raise his spear and was about to scream 'no' when the other one ordered him to lay down his weapon. She relaxed, but then she stiffened again as the one who got 'poked' went to grab Lock, the male that was responsible for their capture. Looking as smug as ever, he twisted around and approached her caged friend.

As they talked, Shula leaped from one tree to the other, slowly approaching the left side of the camp. Now diagonally facing Silver, she could see one of the tents held.. What was that? Gunpowder! Shula grinned and glanced at the prison. I'm coming for you, Silver! Her little heart was beating, the adrenaline already pumping, her body telling her to run, but her heart told her to stay.

So she did.

She turned and snapped off a tiny branch from the trunk, creating a small 'cracking' sound that may or may not go unnoticed. Then again, she thought as she twisted back around. You're going to be noticed anyway. As she crawled towards the end of the brand, she realised: I'm too high.

The branch cracked, snapped, and she fell with a Yelp, crashing through the leaves, which softened her fall, to the ground, where she landed with a thud and an 'oof.' Groaning, she rolled onto her stomach, panting, and froze. Uh oh. She knew all eyes were on her, and the stick was gone.

Run! She leaped to her feet and broke into a run. She wasn't very fast, but fear, terror, lended her speed. Her little legs moved like a blur as she shot towards the fire, dodging snapping jaws and feet. Run, run, run, run! Run like you've never run before! Spreading her wings, Shula shut her eyes as she leaped through the fire. Her scales were unharmed, but the end of her tail caught fire.

Taking a deep breath, Shula leaped over a muzzle that was heading straight for her, kicking off it and receiving a curse as she sailed through the air. She landed next to the gunpowder tent and swiped her tail towards one of them, hoping it would catch slight.

Silver clasped her talons around the metal bars of her cage. “This is absurd. I demand to be released this instant, otherwise you will suffer painful consequences.”

“Don’t think that’s gonna happen, sweetheart,” Lock said with a chuckle, “maybe your looks and your sneaking about got you a nice sum of treasure, but unfortunately it’s not gettin’ you out of here.”

The weasley green dragon took another swig from his flagon and wiped his maw before continuing. “You might be good, but I’m better. That’s all there is to it.”

Silver gritted her teeth as she listened to him ramble. She wanted him so desperately to start moving closer to the cage so that she could scratch him. Unfortunately, he always seemed to keep his distance.

“I’m thinkin’ of havin’ the boys move your cage into my tent.” Silver swore she could feel his disgusting eyes looking her over, making it hard not to jump away from the front of the cage. “That way I can keep an eye on you myself.”

Lock started to move closer, and Silver could feel her heart racing. It was possible that her moment was fast at hand. If he got just a little bit closer…

Suddenly, the dark dragon that was guarding her started to gag. He looked as though he were choking on something. As if his soul were being torn from his very body, his spear fell to the ground, and so did he.

Lock took a step back and looked at the guard who was now struggling on the ground. “What’s your problem? Did you bite into some spoiled meat?”

The blue dragon that was also guarding Silver stared at his collapsed friend, before his expression turned to shock and horror. A cold realization struck him, and his eyes turned toward Silver. “W-Wait a minute. P-Poison! I’ve seen it before. He got poisoned when she scratched him! Her talons are dipped in--”

“Get her!” shouted a dragon near the central fire. When Lock and Silver looked towards the inner camp, they saw that it had erupted into a flurry of bandits who were all trying to catch something. It was hard to see exactly what it was beyond the flurry of large bodies and wings. “She went left! No, she’s going that way!”

Lock looked on fearfully for a moment and took a few steps backwards. “What the hell is going on here?!”

“Wait! Don’t!” shouted the blue guard as he reached out to stop his superior from getting any closer to Silver’s cage. It was too late for him, however.

Silver reached out and dug both of her talons into his back, much harder and deeper than she did with the black scaled guard. Some of his blood had even managed to get on her face, but the adrenaline in her veins was far too strong for her to care. She wanted him dead, immediately.

“Aaagh!” Lock pulled himself away from Silver’s cage and turned around to face her. “You’re dead, you hear me?! You just signed your death warrant! When my men are done with you we will mount your head onto our wall as a trophy!”

Just as the now injured, and for that matter poisoned, green dragon turned around to call for his men, he saw perhaps the last thing he would ever see. A small hatchling with her tail ablaze, waving it towards a barrel full of black powder.  

It started with a pop, but soon, the ground shook from the power and force behind the explosion. Silver could feel it in her chest and stomach. To her dismay, she’d not seen Shula attempting to light the flash powder until a few seconds before she succeeded. It illuminated the whole area with a light that burned into almost every bandit’s retinas...the ice dragoness included.

Silver fell backwards, holding her talons over her eyes and hissing angrily. She blinked rapidly in an attempt to regain her vision. She needed to see, she needed to get a key from Lock and get out of her cage now. There was no time to wait for her vision to return.

Such an effort would prove futile, as she aimlessly tried to find the front of her cage.

From what she could hear, though, it sounded like Lock and her one other guard where suffering the same way at the moment. Their groans and curses were indicative of that. Following the sounds of their voice, she was able to find the entrance to her cave before desperately reaching her talon through the bars and trying to grab for Lock and his key.

(Shula is officially a certified badass.)

(Aw, thanks ^_^ I'm glad you think so! I'm trying not to make her OP lol)

The shouts and shrieks and curses were very frightening, yet.. Exciting? No, what was that big, big word Atlas always used?

Exhilarating.

Shula turned away from the tent and leaped away as it detonated behind her. Shut her eyes as white flashed in front of her eyelids, loud hisses and groans filling her ears as she moved in the general direction of Silver's cage.

When the light faded, she opened them to see she was drifting to the left and skidded around, redirecting her course. Her eyes widened when she saw Silver, teeth gritted as she let out a snake-like hiss, talons clamped over her eyes. For a moment, she slowed, guilt weighing her down, but then she sped up again. She'll be okay.. She'll be okay!

She slammed her behind into the earth and gazed at her friend through the bars. "Silver, it's me! I'm gonna get you out of here! Just don't panic!" she glanced around at the nearby dragons for the key. Where is it?! She herself was starting to panic, knowing she only had a few more seconds before the effects faded.

There! Twisting around, she ran up to Lock and leaped. Her talons slipped on the end of the key and she growled. He took a step back and almost trampled her, but she tried again, pushing off the earth and snatching the key with her teeth. She hung for a moment, before she fell again.

Turning, she sprinted back to Silver and shoved the key into the lock, eagerly turning it. Click! The metal squealed as she pulled it open, breathing heavily. She knew the effects would be beginning to wear off as she tugged on Silver. ""Silver, fly! I'll direct you! Hurry!" she was afraid, now, very afraid, hearing angry growls behind her as the bandits began to register what had happened, and who the culprit was.

If they were caught, would they kill her? Probably. Stick her head on a wall? Cut off her tail and use it as a necklace? Shula didn't want to wait around to find out.

(Not at all! I think she's a very well-balanced character.)

It had been some time since Silver had held onto hope so strongly. She was never a gambler, but right now she needed as much luck as possible if she were to reach Lock and grab his key. If the ice dragoness had been religious, she would have prayed to however many gods she needed to to guide her talon towards her escape.

As though answering her desperation, Silver heard a voice shouting at her. It was such a stark contrast to the bandit voices, that she knew right away it wasn’t one of them.

“Silver! It’s me! I’m gonna get you out of here! Just don’t panic!”

The words, along with the pitch of her voice, narrowed down her list of possible saviors to one dragon. A hatchling that she didn’t expect would come back for her. Shula.

Silver was speechless. She retracted her talon and focused on trying to see her beautiful saving grace.

The IceWing was just starting to see movement beyond the white of her vision, but she still couldn’t quite make out what was happening around her.

After what sounded like a moment of struggle, Silver heard the clicking of her cage door unlocking. Such a sound was perhaps better than the most renowned music she’d ever heard.

“Silver, fly! I’ll direct you! Hurry!”

Silver felt a pair of small warm talons tugging on her, trying to get her to move. Having no desire to stay in this place any longer than necessary, Silver abided by the hatchling’s demands and proceeded to spread her icy blue wings and take to the sky swiftly.  

“Oh my sweet little fire bird,” Silver remarked as she flew upward, holding onto Shula’s talon for guidance, “I owe you my life.”

The bandit shouts were already starting to sound distant, but Silver was sure they would attempt to pursue. With any luck, the two dragonesses would be out of their line-of-sight by that time.