Sisters - By Athena

Ugh, it was warm. Too warm. What if the temperature affected her babies? Made them sick? All of these worries and what ifs circled Faera's head like vultures. She kept her wing carefully folded over her precious cargo. She could feel the life thrumming from the hard shells, the hatchlings' heartbeats pulsing against her hide. So strong, yet so fragile. So powerful, yet so weak. She wondered which parent they'd take after.


The sound of heavy wings made her head snap up, her lip curling back as something landed outside the door. It opened, and in strode a massive, snowy white dragon, with pale blue horns and frosty eyes. Turquoise spikes ran down his neck. He lumbered over to her, his shadow blocking out the lamps that caused blue light across the room. The chill from his scales was comforting, but also... frightening. Faera stiffened slightly as he gazed down at her with eyes like glaciers.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, in a voice like thunder. She shifted her wing so it curled more tightly around her eggs.
"Fine," she responded, not meeting his eyes and instead peeking under her wing for a moment to check on her eggs. They seemed fine. "It's a bit warm, can you get the Icebringers to turn it down?" she requested, keeping her tone formal, polite, as if he were a general and not her brother.

"I would, but we need recharging," he said, tilting his head slightly. His face was calm, warm, but she saw the bitterness in his eyes, sharp and shimmering like a dagger. Faera exhaled heavily and bit her lip, looking off to the side at a tapestry that hung off the pale blue walls. "Alright, just... give me a day or two." The larger male sat down, still towering over her and the bed, and blinked rapidly. "We need it now, Faera," there was a commanding edge to his voice, like the tip of an iceberg. She raised her head.

"Daydris-" she began, but a loud cracking noise made the both of them freeze. She lifted her wing, curling her body as to shield the eggs from his view. Her heart leaped into her mouth, but settled down when she saw the crack in the side of the largest egg. This one was a deep, cobalt blue, with swirling white patterns that resembled snowflakes in a snowstorm wrapping around it in spirals. Black cracks were spreading across the shell, breaking it apart.

"Get out." She looked at Daydris, who was staring with morbid curiosity. She knew he wasn't wondering about the wellbeing of her babies. He arched a brow. "Pardon, sister?" he said, as if she were beneath him and giving him cheek. Faera raised her head, bristling with new courage.

"I told you, get. OUT!" her tail curled over her head like a scorpion, the trident-like blades at the end going straight for his head. Daydris ducked as she shot a spike from her upper tail. It shot to the wall and stuck there. The larger male rose and backed away quickly, shutting the door behind him with a grimace.

Huffing, Faera returned her attention to her eggs. A nose was now poking through the shattered shell. "Come on now, little one," she encouraged it in excited whispers, nudging the egg gently. "Let Mama see your face." The egg wobbled, shook, then fell over onto the bed. Faera tucked her wing back and watched in amazement as a tiny creature pushed itself through the shell. Shaking itself out, the dragonet blinked the liquid out of its eyes and let out a mewl.

Smiling so big her face hurt, Faera licked off the rest of the debri, revealing the cerulean scales underneath. The dragonet was the image of herself, she realised. Feeling fit to burst with pride, she purred and called softly to the hatchling. It looked at her and blinked its big green eyes. Titan's eyes, she realised, feeling a mixture of nostalgia and heartbreak. She studied her baby for a moment. Judging from the figure and slim head, this one was a female. Faera glanced at her other egg, praying.

Turning on clumsy wings, the tiny dragonet approached her sibling egg and sniffed. "Who's that?" Faera chuckled as she inspected the other egg, brushing her snout against the shell and nudging it with her wings.


Then, the egg cracked.


Faera and her daughter jumped, the latter falling onto her back with an indignant meep. Scooping her up in her tail, the new mother held her gently and watched the smaller egg as it wobbled and shuddered, ebony black cracks breaking it apart. Only this time, the egg didn't wobble or topple over as a small snout pushed about halfway out of its former shelter. Then, the snout disappeared back into the confines of the shell.

Faera's brow furrowed as thirty seconds passed. "You a bit shy? hmm? Come on, love, let Mama see your little face, hm? Come on," she encouraged, nudging the egg gently, oh so gently, creating more cracks around the shell. Please be a male. Please be a male. This one was being rather stubborn, refusing to emerge from its shell, so Faera gently grabbed the top of the shell in her teeth and pulled it off. Her daughter watched, eyes wide in fascination.

A head, white as snow, rose from the shell. Big blue eyes scanned her surroundings. Female, Faera thought, biting her lip. Two daughters. Their future is uncertain. Yet she would love them both equally, as she did now. Her talons clenched at the thought of Daydris. She glanced over her shoulder at the door, certain he was somehow watching her through the walls.

She uncurled her tail and let the larger hatchling crawl out of her grasp. The blue wyvern approached the white, who retreated back into her shell at the sight of her. Her older sister leaned on her mother's scales for support and peered over the top, trying to see inside. She squeaked, calling to her younger sibling. Her tail wiggled in excitement.

The white head appeared again, peering fearfully at the strange dragon. The neck appeared, then the shoulders as she responded to her mother's purrs and her sister's calls with a high pitched 'meeeeeep?' and squeak. She leaned forward, and the egg toppled over. The two hatchlings collided and rolled, shrieking. Crying out herself, Faera reached for them, but they settled in a ball on the covers. Wiggling and squeaking indignantly, the two seperated, the older one hissing once or twice. The white one meeped at this, and retreated to her mother's side, trying to crawl back inside what was left of her egg.

"Darling, you can't go back inside there," Faera sighed, picking her up in her tail and placing her back next to her sister. "The world is your oyster, and it's time to explore it," she was lying, one of these dragonets would never leave this place, but she had to tell that young, fearful face that gazed up at her that there was more to life then giving it to your tribe.


"Now, for names," she said, bringing her head back slightly as her daughters eyed each other, one with wariness, the other with curiosity. She eyed the larger one, humming thoughtfully. She was absolutely beautiful, perfection in every scale. She was already learning how to be graceful, standing with prefect preportioned body parts in a pose that was somehow regal. Aphrodite," she decided, whispering the name with such adoration you would have thought she was talking about the love of her life. Aphrodite raised her head, ears tilting towards her mother with a hopeful meep.

Faera looked at the younger one, who was sniffing at the covers and crawling back to her mother's side. She settled down at her belly and curled her wings underneath herself. She was the spit of her father, but she had her mother's blue eyes. This one lacked the grace of her sister, with chubby cheeks. Her head and wings were too big for her body and she more resembled a mouse trying to hide from a fox than 'regal.' Yet there was a wisdom in her eyes, a wisdom her father had had. His advice had saved Faera's life on more than one occasion. Oh, Titan, if you could see them... she thought, closing her eyes and swallowing the lump in her throat. When they had been discussing names, he'd given many suggestions for both boys and girls; some silly, some ridiculous, some beautiful. One name had stood out to her, and its meaning fit the hatchling.


"Athena. The goddess of wisdom," she uttered, craning her neck to nuzzle her daughter, who meeped again and nuzzled into her touch. Aphrodite moved over and elbowed her sister out of the way, clearly saying 'I'm the boss here.' Faera wanted to scold her, but she knew it was just a natural way of forming the hierachy. She'd love them both equally, no matter if they were dominant or submissive.


"Aphrodite and Athena. My beautiful girls."

Chapter 1

High pitched shrieks and laughs drifted through the vast cavern as two shapes pursued the white feather fluttering through the air. The living feather it seemed, for it moved and darted through the air so quickly it just had to be alive.
“I got it!” Aphrodite cried, making a lunge for the creature. Her wings closed on thin air and she fell flat on her face with a yelp.
“No, I’ve got it!” Athena exclaimed, jumping over her sister and then rushing after the featherish creature. Her wings and talons pounded on the stone floor as the tiny wyvern chased her prey down. She was just inches away! Her jaws parted, ready to snatch it up-

“ATHENA!” Aphrodite’s panicked voice caused the white dragonet to slam her rump into the ground. She skidded to a stop, just shy of the drop into the abyss below. The feather fluttered back and forth across the open space in front of her. Now it was clear that it had pale, shimmering wings. Athena glanced down at the endless descent into darkness and gasped, scrambling back onto safe, solid ground. Panting, she sat up. “Thanks-“

Aphrodite zoomed past her and off the edge. She snatched up the feather in her talons, resembling an eagle attacking a hare and dropped. Athena screamed, but then the cerulean hatchling spread her wings and started flapping. She was unsteady, but her wings were strong and held her up. She gave her sister a toothy grin as she flew once in a small circle before beginning to circle Athena.
“That’s cheating!” Athena cried, stamping her foot. “I can’t fly yet!” she glanced down at her wings, which were still too large for her to control properly. She often lost her balance and wasn’t strong enough to keep them in one place in the air.

“Yeah, ‘cuz you’re a big ClumsyWings!” Aphrodite giggled, hovering above her and flicking her tail into her face. Growling, Athena nipped at her and she spun away with a yelp.
“Mama says I’ll grow into them,” she muttered, as her blue sibling touched down next to her.
“Yeah, and then we can have races!” Aphrodite said, offering her a smile. “I bet you’ll win against the boys, too!” she added. That was enough to make Athena smile, and to feel warm and fuzzy again inside. Nudging her sister’s cheek, she stepped back and watched as she brought her leg forward and let the feather drop to the ground.

“It’s a butterfly,” Aphrodite realised.
“A whaaa?” Athena asked, giving her a sceptical glance.
“A butterfly. B-U-T-T-E-R-F-L-Y. I read about them in Mama’s biology scrolls,” her sister responded in her high pitched ‘teacher I’m the best!’ voice which annoyed Athena to no end, but her fascination with the ‘butterfly’ enabled her to hold back from making snide comments. The stunned creature lay on its side, and now she could see the black and red patterns decorating its wings. Beautiful. Her wings are too big for her body. Like me! She realised, a delighted grin appearing on her face.
“Where did she come from?” she asked, giving it a gentle poke with a claw.
“Probably from the Outside,” Aphrodite said, gesturing to the distant opposite wall of the cavern. When someone said ‘outside,’ Athena always assumed they’d meant here, in the outer caves of home, but the way her sister uttered ‘outside’ with such fear yet such awe, she knew she meant outside. In the big, wide world of the place beyond the caves called Phyrria. Or was it Pyrriha? Pyrihas?
“How did it get in?” Aphrodite was mumbling, looking worried. “What if there’s a breach and some evil tribe finds us?” she wondered out loud, tapping her talons in a rhythm in a way similar to Mama.
“We should go find the breach! And see what’s Outside!” Athena cried, looking around to see if any shafts of light were streaming through the walls. A wing knocked her firmly in the shoulder and she yelped, giving her sister an indignant hiss.

“What was that for?!” she exclaimed.
“Stop whining, and no, we can’t. We have to tell Uncle Daydris, he’s in charge of keeping us safe,” Aphrodite responded, turning away and walking back towards the entrance to the cavern. Athena grumbled and stuck her tongue out at her back, before she looked down at the butterfly. Oh. It was gone. She glanced around, but she couldn’t see it. Maybe she went home, she thought, before she bounded after her sister.
“I don’t like Daydris, he creeps me out,” Athena complained as they headed into the tunnel.
“That’s because to you he’s big and intimidating, but he’s actually really cool,” Aphrodite said as they turned a corner. Brilliant blue crystals, shining with magic, illuminated the entire tunnel so they could see.
“Is not,” Athena muttered, hoping to probe a reaction, but her sister ignored her, raising her head a little as if to say; look at me, I’m more mature. A light was at the end of the tunnel and despite knowing where it led to, Athena felt excitement building inside. Home.

Home was big. It had big stone and crystal buildings and a big palace and a big old Temple that sat square in the middle of the whole thing. Dragons of pale blue and white and sometimes silver flew between the buildings. Biggest of all was the gigantic crystal that hung down from the dome roof that blocked out the Outside. It was brilliant blue in colour and shone during ‘daytime,’ and turned off during ‘sleepy hours.’ Right now, it wasn’t shining as bright, as it was approaching sleepy hours, but it was still the second most beautiful thing Athena had ever seen.
“Who needs a sun when they have this?” Aphrodite said softly. Athena hummed, both agreeing and not agreeing. Sunlight. She wondered what it felt like on her scales. Moonlight, too. Mama told her a lot that her scales were as white as the moon, but she had never seen it, so she never made the comparison herself.
“Hey, look,” her sister said, nudging her and pointing to the far away wall of the city. “The Hunters are back.” Athena squeaked in excitement, standing up on her hind legs and flapping her wings as the group of dragons soared into Home. She could see the baskets in their claws and knew there was going to be meat and vegetables for dinner. The Hunters were the only ones who were allowed out of Home. They were the lowest ranking dragons and were told to keep as far away from Saracous, their God, as they could. That meant going Outside a lot, but they were never allowed to talk with higher ranking members, especially not the Deeogon’s children.
“I’d like to be a Hunter,” Athena smiled wistfully. Aphrodite gasped and thumped her hard with her tail. “ATHENA! You can’t say that! Eugh! Who’d want to be a HUNTER!” she ranted, glaring down at her sister. Not with anger though. With fear. Fear that someone would hear them and get actually angry at Athena. She knew she was just teaching her to keep her mouth shut, but the feathers on her back still bristled as she turned to face her sister.
“DON’T HIT ME!” she shrieked, thumping her back.
“YOU DON’T HIT ME!” Aphrodite cried, lunging for her.
“STOP!” Athy shrieked as they fell back, hitting her with a wing.
“No, YOU STOP!”
“NO YOU!”
“OWCH!”
“OWWWW! STOP!”
“NO YOU! OW!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Enough!” A tail slipped in between the fighting girls and separated them. Two strong hands grabbed them by their scruffs and lifted them with strength. A pair of beady yellow eyes stared in disapproval at them. Aphrodite glared at Athena and the latter stuck her tongue out.
“That’s quite enuf’ from ye’ both! Here I am, luggin’ a full basket for you two brats up this moun’in, breakin’ me poor back for you both, and ‘ere you are, brawlin’ like rats in a bin! Disgraceful, so it is,” the aged dragoness that held them had lines etched into her face, and the scales on her body were dull and some cracked. Yet her eyes, though firm and sometimes scary, were kind, and her hold on the girls was gentle.

“I’m very sorry, Nanny,” Aphrodite said, in her ‘best girl’ voice as she gave her the puppy eyes. Athena made a retching noise. Nanny wasn’t fooled and still gave her the eagle eye, but then she looked at Athena, and the latter had to swallow her pride.

“Sorry,” she muttered, looking down at the ground. “For making you break your old back.” To her surprise, instead of scolding her, Nanny laughed, throwing her head back and howling.
“Agh! You’re the spit of yer’ father, body n’ mind. You don’t bow tae nae one!” the elderly dragoness cackled, placing them both down on the ground. “That’s what yar Maw liked aboot ‘im. She liked ‘is fire,” she continued, unclipping the girth from her belly and letting the basket fall onto the ground. The contents spilled, revealing fish, rabbit meat and other delicacies.

Athena rushed in, snapping up a fish and beginning to devour it like a wolf. “Good Saracous, ye’d think we’d never fed ye’ in yar life,” Nanny chuckled, patting her head with a claw. She offered Aphrodite a chunk of rabbit meat. Aphrodite took small, polite bites and watched her sister with a disgusted expression.
“So, girls,” Nanny said, settling onto her haunches. “Tell this old lady. What adventures did ye’ both get up tae today?” she asked.
“We found butter!” Athena exclaimed through a mouthful of fish.
“A butterfly,” Aphrodite corrected, scoffing at her. “It came in through a hole or something. We should tell Daydris so he can patch it up!” she suggested, sitting up straight like an adult. Nanny chuckled and rolled her eyes.
“He fillin’ yar heed with dangers, is he? Don’t worry aboot it, a few butterflies fly in ‘ere every once in a while. It’s good luck,” she winked at them. “You might get lucky and meet a boy soon!” she cackled. Aphrodite giggled, clearly enjoying the idea of marriage and boys, but Athena retched as if she’d swallowed ten slugs.
“YUCK! I will NEVER get married,” she declared.
“If ye say so, darlin’,” Nanny chuckled, grabbing three or four fish and downing them in one gulp. Aphrodite gave her a shocked look and the old lady burst out laughing again. Her lungs must have been straining all the time to keep her standing from the amount of cackling she did.

“Yar’ Maw wants ye haeme within the hour, so eat up,” she said as the three of them continued to eat.
“What’s going on?” Aphrodite asked. Nanny shrugged.
“I have nae idea. She just told me ‘find the girls and inform them that I wish to speak tae ‘em afore the hour is up,’” She quoted, grabbing the haunch of a deer and devouring it, bones and hoof and all. It was one of the many things Athena loved about Nanny. She wasn’t afraid to get her talons dirty despite being a girl. Well, an old girl, but a girl nonetheless.
“So fill yar bellies, so you can grow big n’ strong!” Nanny smiled at them. Athena eagerly tore into her next rabbit, but Aprodite remembered her table manners and only took small bites.

Chapter 2

Mama was the firstest beautiful thing to Athena. She wished she looked like her, but only Aphrodite was so lucky.
Right now, Mama was talking with Uncle Daydris. Daydris towered over Mama, who was pretty big herself. He had eyes like evil snow. Pale, unyielding. Unkind. Mama’s eyes were blue, like her own, and filled with exhaustion. She had to take naps a lot, but they never seemed to help. She always wondered why.

“-I told you, I will handle it,” she was saying in a firm, yet… almost nervous voice. Mama was never nervous unless she was around Uncle Daydris. Nanny made them wait in the doorway for the conversation to finish. Nanny’s eyes had hardened at the sight of Daydris, her pupils narrowing slightly.

“How are you so sure this will work?” Daydris demanded.
“If it’s a genetic ability-“
“You mean, a gift from Saracous-“
“If it’s a genetic ability, one of them might not have it. Problem solved.”
“But what happens if both of them do? This has never happened before.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
“What happens to the other if one of them has the gift?”

Mama opened her mouth, then she noticed the three in the doorway and smiled, turning towards them. “Lucina. Perfect timing as always,” she said with a small bow. Mama never bowed to anyone except Lucina, for whom she had a great respect for. Lucina returned the gesture with a far deeper bow, then she rose and stepped into the room.

“You are excused,” Mama said, not looking at Daydris. He opened his mouth, then shut it and walked out the door. As his shadow passed over them, Athena met his eyes. She quickly looked away, snapping her head back around and clearing her face of fear. She wanted to be brave and strong in front of Mama.

“My beautiful girls!” she was saying, scooping Aphrodite into one wing and sitting down. “Come say hello to these old bones,” she chuckled, opening the other wing to Athena. Stepping out from between Nanny’s legs, the white hatchling darted over to her mother and leaped into her wing.

“Ooft! That was an even bigger jump than last time!” Mama encouraged, nuzzling the feathers on her spine and then nudging Aphrodite, who cleared her envious expression and gave her the sweetest smile. Athena beamed with delight.

“Will I leave ye both, yar grace?” Nanny asked, not bothering to drop her accent. Mama shook her head. “No, Lucina, I’ll need to borrow you for an hour or two,” she said. Nanny nodded and bowed again, even though Athena knew it hurt her back.
“I am at your service,” she uttered.
Mama nodded and then placed her daughters on the ground. “Now girls. We’re having an important ceremony tonight so I want you both dressed and looking like future Deeogons,” she said, beaming with pride. Athena sighed while Aphrodite squealed with delight. She liked dresses, she loved them, but her wings never fit. They were never the right length or height for her body and wings combined.

“Lucina, this is where you come in,” the Deeogon continued, meeting Nanny’s eyes. The old female nodded, smiling softly.
“I’ll have ‘em ready, leave it tae me,” she assured her.
Mama dipped her head in a grateful bow. “Do me proud."

"This is stupid," Athena muttered as she stumbled along behind Hera.

"This is FUN," her sister corrected her, turning the corner and heading into the street that led to the Temple. "We get to wear dresses and have fun! Maybe I'll meet my true love!" she cried, pulling a starry eyed expression that made Athena want to vomit.

"Yuck, boys stink," she muttered. It was true! Opin and Vixtrix always stole her food and bit her tail! It was awful! She tripped over her dress again and nearly fell over.

Finally, oh finally, there was the temple. It was a huge structure with intricate stone carvings of a four headed dragon with great, curling horns. Dragons were filtering into the building, heads bowed low in prayer and respect. Weaving in between the legs of the adults, the girls padded into the Temple and into the main room.

It was a massive place. The 'Ragash,' or priest, was standing at the top of the alter. He was adorned with crystal necklaces, and crystal shards hung around his horns. Taken from the great Saracous Crystal itself, he often liked to boast. The tribe members were sitting down in a semi circle in front of him, resembling schoolchildren eager to start their next lesson. Athena and Aphrodite sat at the front with Nanny, who had gone ahead to organise their seating places.

"Ye two alright?" she asked as they scooted in beside her. The cold from her scales was a comfort, it was like smelling Mama, only the scent was older, somehow... it was like smelling smoke coming from snow, if that was possible.

"Yes, we are fine. We're excited!" Aphrodite responded, sitting up straight, like a lady. Athena picked at the stone floor, gathering her dress underneath her. her feathers had been pinned to her back with small pins. One stuck up on the back of her neck. Nanny reached over and pinned it back down in place. Muttering, Athena unclipped it when she wasn't looking.

The Ragash raised his wings, and all fell silent. There was a minute or so where the only thing she could hear was her own breath and heartbeat.

"Friends! Worshippers of Saracous! I welcome you to our temple! Today is a special day, for it marks the coming of a new year!" he cried. Nobody cheered, you weren't allowed to, but everyone was smiling like giggly schoolchildren.

"Today, our Deeogon, a gift from the god himself, will relight our crystals and restore light to our world!" he continued. He raised his wings even higher, fluffed out the spikes that surrounded his head like a lion's mane. "DEEOGON FAERA!"

The doors behind the alter opened and Mama stepped out. Her scales and horns shimmered as if she were made of light. Now everyone was silent. Holding their breath. Some gazed at her almost fearfully as she stepped up to the alter and took her place on the raised platform above the Ragash. To Athena, she was the most beautiful creature in the world.

Mama took a deep breath. Then she lowered her head. A heartbeat passed. Then, her eyes began to glow with such an intensity it was like staring into twin suns. Athena gasped as shards began to protrude from her scales. She grew larger, tendrils of blue and green air forming out of nowhere and starting to circle her. Glowing blue markings began to spread across the floor, coming from Mama. They climbed up the walls, hissing. Athena knew they were travelling to the other parts of Home. Recharging the light.

Mama grew brighter, brighter, brighter, until Athena had to close her eyes as a loud roar filled the air. She covered her ears with a shriek.



Boom.



When the light cleared, the crystals on the walls were glowing so bright she had to squint to look directly at them. Athena glanced around. Everyone looked... younger. Stronger. Healthier. She felt it too, new energy, new life in her body. Mama did that, she thought, swelling with pride. She recharged our city! She had seen it three times so far in her life, but it was still just as impressive as before.

She looked at Mama, and her grin disappeared. Mama was back to her normal self, but she was shaking. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. Her jaws were parted, and loud gasps were emitting from them. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth and her eyes had rolled to the back of her head.

"Mama?" Athena whispered. She stood up. "Mama!" she called to her, but she didn't seem to hear her. She watched horrified, as her mother trembled violently. For an awful moment, she thought she was going to fall over, but the dragoness' eyes returned to normal, and she stood up straight, wiping any exhaustion from her face. Turning, she strode unsteadily back through the open doors, slamming them shut behind her. Nobody seemed to notice, they were all celebrating the return of the light's full strength.



Athena felt sick. What had happened to Mama?

It was all a blur of 'hello's' and sweet smiles and laughter and dancing dragons. Couples spun in intricate shapes in the centre of the Temple 'party room' as Athena had taken to calling it. Often used for celebrations and birthdays for Mama and anniversaries and stuff. She stood in the corner, watching the events play out. Dragons were laughing and talking and casting respectful glances up at the Ragash. Mama was nowhere to be found. She was always at events like this. Where was she?

"Where are you?" Athena whispered, glancing at the doors, praying Mama would burst in and scoop her up in her wings and tell her everything was fine. She didn't. The doors remained closed.

"Hey! You okay?" Aphrodite asked, gliding over to her.
"Didn't you see Mama? She looked really hurt," Athena whispered in her ear, trembling with worry. Her sister's face fell for a moment and she knew that she knew what Athena was talking about. Glancing around, Aphrodite ushered her towards the doors, weaving between the crowd of dancing dragons.

They waited until someone entered the room and then darted through the doors, tearing down the hall and hiding behind a statue of their God. Breathing heavily, the girls spoke in quick whispers.

"You seen her too, right? Weird eyes, spikes coming out of her face?" Aphrodite murmured.
"Yah. Dice, what's wrong with her?" Athena asked, wanting to cry.
"I don't know, but we're gonna find out, okay?" Aphrodite embraced her with her wings and Athena whimpered, curling up against her chest.
"Because I'm the eldest, they'll want me standing with the Ragash, but you're sneakier than I am. You go find Mama, I'll keep everyone from noticing your absence," she told her.
"What's abince?" Athena questioned, pulling away and tilting her head. Aphrodite sighed.
"It means no one will notice you're gone," she explained. "Mama should be up at in the house. Go!" she nudged her away from the statue and towards the hall.

Casting a glance at her sister, Athena padded halfway down the corridor, then stopped. She looked over her shoulder and opened her mouth, but Aphrodite shook her head. Go. No turning back. Mama could be in trouble.

Taking a deep breath, the white wyvern mustered all her courage and went to find Mama.

It was eerie, being alone out in the city. Nobody was here, the entire population was packed into the temple. Well, everyone except the Hunters, who were forbidden. She couldn't see them though. Her dress constantly caught on her little claws and made her trip.


The ground turned into a gentle, upward slope, leading her towards the building carved into the side of Home. This was where she slept. It was bigger than any of the houses here. It loomed over everything, rivalled only by the Temple. It reminded her of a bird, the way it perched on its high ledge, watching everything.

Walking up the spiralling path that led to the front of the house, Athena climbed the stone steps and stood in front of the huge front doors which were framed by carvings of dragons. Their eyes watched her with contempt as she pushed at the door, then tried jumping for the handle. Locked.

Her eyes scanned the face of the building. There! Mama's bedroom window was open, the curtains drooping down and shielding the inside from view. It was high up, on the third floor. Athena glanced down at her wings, then raised them off the ground. Be brave.

She started flapping as hard as she could. She rose a metre off the ground, then another. Determination kept her going. Yet her wings started flapping out of sync and she smacked into one of the pillars. With a shriek, Athena fell to the ground and gasped as the air was sucked out of her lungs.

"Nice try, but you gotta keep your wings beatin' at the same time," A voice caused her to turn her head. A young male, he was around sixteen, was watching her, a curious look on his face.

"I was doing my best," she muttered, turning onto her stomach and standing up.
"I can see that," he said, stepping towards her. He glanced up at the window. "You tryin' to get up there?" he asked.

"None of your business," Athena tried a growl, but to her dismay and surprise, the young male barked a laugh.
"Well there's a first. You're not all regal and high and mighty like your mother n' sister. You must be Athena," he said. It was at this moment in time that she realised he hadn't bowed to her, or made any respectful gestures at all.

Because he's not supposed to, she realised. He's a Hunter. We should never have met in the first place. He was the first one apart from her sister to treat her like she was a normal dragon. Seeing the look on her face, the friendly glint in the boy's face faded away.

"Uh, I'll go now," he said, turning away. Athena stepped forward.
"No, wait!" she cried. He stopped and looked over his shoulder, arching a brow.
"C-can you uh, fly me up to that window? I won't tell on you, promise!" she said, wings trembling. She gave him a pleading look as he formed a sceptical expression. "My Mama is really sick," she whispered.


The male's face softened. Sighing, he turned around. "A'ight," he said, before he cupped his talons and lowered them to her height. Jumping into his hands, Athena clung to him as he brought her to his chest and launched himself into the air. With one flap of his wings he was at the window and placing her gently at the sill.

"Be careful, kid, alright?" he said. There was something in his face... sympathy? Why would he feel sorry for her?

"Yeah, I will," she responded with a smile. She bowed her head in a gesture of thanks, before she turned and leaped through the curtains.

It was dark and really cold. Really cold, actually uncomfortably cold, even for her. Athena could hear soft panting coming from nearby. She stretched her ears and realised it was coming from the bed. Approaching it, she clambered up the shelves that housed her Mama's scrolls and peered down at the bed. Her heart shrivelled up into a block of ice.


Mama was lying down, one of her wings hanging off the edge of the bed. Her eyes were closed and her tongue lolled out of her mouth. Every few seconds, she gave the most awful groans and curled up slightly. Her other wing was pressed to her chest.

The door opened and Nanny burst into the room. "Faera, it's too cold in 'ere," she was saying, not noticing Athena in her distress. She had several cubes of ice in her talons, varying in size. She dumped them on top of Mama before placing them neatly on her head, chest and stomach.

"You look awful love," Nanny whispered, placing a wing on her shoulder. Mama only whimpered softly.

"It's too warm," she rasped. "Oh gods, my head..." she slowly reached up with a wing to press it to her head, teeth bared.

"Daydris is at fault for this," Nanny grumbled, her face suddenly becoming iron. "I swear when I get my talons into him, he won't be able to sit down for a bloomin' week," she growled, placing more cubes on Mama's head.


"D-don't-" Mama started.
"Oh shush. He's the one using all of your powers like this. You're a vessel of the God, Faera, but he never intended for you to be used like this," Nanny interrupted.

"I'm going to die," Mama whispered. The aged female sat up straight now.
"You're not," she stated, but her firm voice wobbled slightly.
"This is what happened to my Mama," Mama rasped, before she gave another groan as a wave of pain washed over her body. She kept her eyes shut. "She wasn't able to get up in her final days of life."



Athena's body had turned to stone. Mouth hanging open, she stared down at her mother's limp body, each noise of agony making her squirm. Mama is gonna die? no. No. NO!

"I won't let you!" the little wyvern shrieked, dropping down from the shelf to land next to Mama's head. Nanny squealed and leaped back, causing Mama to wail softly and clutch her head, curling up into a ball. The cubes dropped off her body and tumbled off the sides of the bed.

Athena reached out and touched her with a wing. "M-Mama?" she whispered.

"What are you doing here?!" Nanny hissed, striding forward and reaching for her. "You should be at the Temple, you disobedient little swine! Go on, git!" but as her talons closed around Athena's body, Mama spoke.

"N... no. It feels better when she's near," she mumbled. "Retrieve... Aphrodite. I wish to speak to her. And tell her the truth," she said, voice muffled by the wings covering her face. Nanny stiffened, before she sighed and bowed low. She shot Athena a look that said; I'm gonna get you for this later. She then departed from the room.


Mama uncovered her face, slowly, and halfway opened her eyes. A pained smile appeared on her face. "My little girl," she whispered. Athena stepped forward and threw her wings around her neck.

"Mama," she whispered, before she started to cry. Not Mama... not Mama! She can't die! she thought, but she knew the truth.

"Shhhh, it's alright," Mama said softly, inclining her head slightly to nuzzle her body. "Just don't talk too loud, yeah? Mama's got a booboo in her head."

They stayed like that in companionable silence for a minute. Athena felt her throat constricting every few seconds as her Mama fought back noises of agony for her daughter's sake.

"Now, Athy... I'm not well," Mama finally spoke. Pulling away, the little wyvern met her eyes.

"I won't be able to lead the group soon, yeah? Cuz this booboo is a big booboo. So, you or Aphrodite-" she paused and gritted her teeth for a few seconds, closing her eyes. "You or Aphrodite are gonna become the Deeogon."

Athena felt numb. Like the world was sitting on her shoulders and crushing her. "B-but you're our Deeogon, you're MY Deeogon," she whispered. Mama closed her eyes, tears starting to slip down her cheeks.

"And I always will be. But you have to be strong now, you and your sister," as she spoke, the door opened and Aphrodite ran into the room. Leaping onto the bed, she did what Athy did and hugged Mama. Nanny stood in the doorway. It was the saddest the hatchling had ever seen the old lady look.


"Now, my girls," Mama said, and repeated what she had said to Athena in hoarse whispers. Soft groans occasionally interrupted her and she had to clutch her head for a moment. Poor Mama was in agony.

"B-but how will we know...?" Aphrodite asked.
"I... I think our powers, the ones the Deeogons have... It's a genetic ability," Mama panted.
"Faera," Nanny hissed. "Stop spouting blasphemy! You're not in your right mind," she scolded.
"Hush, Lucina," Mama said. Nanny fell silent, but she was seething.

"It's a... genetic ability," she repeated. Athena and Aphrodite shot each other confused looks.
"What's that?" Athena asked.
"Genetic means it's passed down from parent to child. Like... Like see you've got your father's eyes, love? That's genetic. You got them from him. I think our powers... they're just passed down. So I think only one of you will have the Deeogon abilities," Mama explained, utter patience in her voice despite the pain in her face.

Only one of us? Athena thought, and she looked at Aphrodite. Her older sister met her eyes, looking worried.

"Now, you must promise me... you will learn how to lead this tribe. You will follow our ways. Build a personal relationship with Saracous and become his vessel. Okay? can you do that for me, girls?" Mama whispered.

Aphrodite nodded, but Athena was so overwhelmed. Emotions; anger, indignation, fear, denial, grief, washed over her like the tidal waves she'd heard about.

Her sister nudged her with her tail and she forced herself to nod.

"Good," Mama smiled at them. "You make my booboo much better," she assured them, but neither were convinced. Mama flicked her tail and Nanny came forward, ushering them towards the door.

"Come now, let your mother have a nap," she said, in an overly cheerful voice. Aphrodite hugged Mama once more before she obeyed, trotting to the door and then stopping. She looked over her shoulder at Athena. Athena was watching Mama, whose eyes had closed. For a moment, she feared the worst had happened, but then she heard her raspy breathing and relaxed a tiny bit.

Taking a deep breath, she jumped off the bed and approached Aphrodite, who curled her tail around hers and gently guided her out of the room.



The door shut behind them with a mournful groan that reminded them all too much of Mama's agony.