Tales From The Lost World

Hydra

The will to survive: Hydra's story

The Icewing dragonet's life wasn't perfect. It could be worse, but he was in a comfortable home, was fed well, never got abused, and even got to make friends. That wasn't common among the Icewings.
Hydra had never been a very angry dragon. All that he knew was his ability to shrug off wounds and his unnatural strength. He was very durable and strong, which is, understandably, why his parents made him do... everything. He always did his chores without question, and often didn't even think twice.
However, as Hydra got older, he started to doubt his parents were always right. They had always told him that they were much better than the world outside, that other dragons were merciless and that you need to be strong to survive. He believed every word.
When it came the time of Hydra first refusing to do a task, his parents were furious. He had shrugged them off so that he could do his own thing.
"Just go do whatever it is yourself. Can't be too difficult."
You see, Hydra still was young enough to fear his parents. They were, basically, his overlords. Whatever they said, goes. The first time he denied them, it wasn't pretty. After that, he feared them more. The overwhelming fear of his parents, however, was completely drowned by the fear of the world outside the Great Ice Cliff. If his parents were right, about how other dragons were worse than them, then what would he do? Well, if he could help it, never go out. Stay in the Ice Kingdom, forever.
But, as he started to get more and more rebellious, things got worse. He was beaten, abused, starved, locked up, and eventually scarred. A well-aimed chair throw at his face left a permanent scar under his right eye. After a while, he built up the courage to run away from home and escape to the Sand Kingdom. Or further.
The first few days away from home went well. He flew, flew some more, ate, slept, then kept flying. After he arrived in the Sand Kingdom, things got worse.
It was hot. Way too hot. Hydra felt like ice cream on a hot day. And dry, too. He had no water to refresh himself. It was horrible. He almost purposefully dived into a cactus, hoping that the spines would impale his head and kill him. But he kept pressing on, ignoring the heat and surviving as well as he could.
After making it to the Sky Kingdom, he landed into a small town at the base of a mountain. He was welcomed by some kind Skywings, who showed him around and told him directions to a place he could stay. The owner of the building refused him service, since he was an Icewing. It was clear why they hated Icewings from the frostbreath burn on their tail. Something inside of Hydra's mind snapped, and before he knew it, he had the dragon pinned to the ground. He didn't know why he immediately resorted to aggressive behavior, but he didn't care anymore. He had been refused because of his tribe?
Hydra left the town later that day, never to come back. Of course, he was pissed beyond believability. He had only broken two of their talons! You can still reasonably walk on two talons. Plus, they were absolutely discriminating. He may or may not have been for fully kicked from the town because of his violation of their code or some bullshit. All that he knew from that experience was that breaking bones was "violent and unnecessary" and that he had "refused their hospitality". Some dragons, huh. They can be confusing.
And so he traveled, from village to town, from town to city, from city to village. It seemed almost endless, always getting kicked out for his unnecessary aggression. For years, he was given this treatment. He even ended up killing a Sandwing once. Ripped his throat out. The details aren't needed.
And throughout all of this, his parent's words made sense. They had indeed been more merciful than the dragons of the outside world. Now, he was truly in a dilemma. Does he go back home, and face the consequences for running away and hiding for years? Or does he keep trying, and inevitably failing, to find a new home?
Eventually, he decided that he would go home. It was better than nothing, after all. His parents wouldn't be able to hurt him anymore, not after everything he had been through. He would fight them if he had to. He was stronger now.
On his way towards the Ice Kingdom, he came across Jade Mountain. And on the borders of the school's land, there was some sort of... Sandwing? Watching him.
Those blood-red eyes would be something he would never forget. Especially after they almost killed him.
And much later, after Hydra got himself into a situation that he would never get out of, he would learn to hate another familiar face. Or rather, a masked one.