Chapter 1: Maura (pronounced Mara)
Maura put her tail over her muzzle. The sun was setting. It would soon be time for her to get up. Because she was a Night Dragon, she slept during the day. There were two dragon clans. The Night Clan and the Day Clan. The two clans were enemies, and fought often. Maura, being a young dragoness, had just been awarded the rank of clan scout and protector. She was given two ranks because the old protector told the Night Dragon king, Odell, that he wanted Maura to be a scout and a protector. As a scout she would scout her territory and occasionally the Day Dragon's to make sure there were no Day Dragon's in her territory or awake. If their was a Day Dragon in her territory, usually, she would go back to her clan and tell the protector. But because she is a protector also she would have to chase the intruder out. She had never come face to face with one, but her first, meeting with one would be a lot different than what she expected.
~
"Maura! Maura wake up!"
The dragoness felt something prodding her side. It was her sister, Ayala. Maura hated Ayala. She had the sweetest voice, was very polite, favored by their mother, and to Maura, was stupid.
"What do you want?"
"You slept late. King Odell won't be pleased."
Maura looked around. She was the only one in the den.
"OK. I'm getting up. Now leave."
Ayala bowed her head gracefully and left the den. Maura scraped her claws on the rocky ground and growled. Then she remembered. She was getting her jewelry today! The Griffin Bone Carver would carve a golden griffin bone into a ring and would put it on her horns and wings. Getting the rings meant that she would be considered important in the Clan. She trotted out of the den.
"Its alive!" a dragon said.
Maura glared at him. His name was Aroin. He thought he could make every dragoness fall in love with him. He even got Ayala to love him. But not Maura. Maura was considered the prettiest dragoness in the clan to some dragons. She was also the hardest to get. She was mean spirited and cold hearted. Aroin was determined to make her love him. He even wanted her to bear his sons and daughters. But Maura knew that would never happen. She would never lay eggs. She didn't need anyone.
~
"Do you like this one?" the Griffin Bone Carver asked.
Maura nodded. "I do."
"Give me your wing please."
Maura extended her wing to him. She felt a sharp pain in her wing bone.
"I'm done with your wing."
She looked at it. There were two gold rings in one wing and one in the other.
"Let me see your horns please."
Maura lowered her head. She felt something tighten onto her horn.
"You're done."
Maura frowned and tried to look at her horns. The ring was tight and annoying. She wanted it off. She pointed her horns at the ground and tried to get the ring off.
"Stop doing that." he said.
Maura looked at his black scales. Every dragon in the Night Clan had black scales. The Day dragons had white scales.
"Why does it feel so..." she looked for a word. "Annoying."
"You'll get used to it. Now, you probably have a job to do."
She could take a hint. "Whatever." she said and left the den.
"Hey, Maura!"
She looked over. "Oh no not you again."
It was Aroin. She sighed.
"Hi!" he said.
"I have to go scout the mountains." she lied.
"I know your lying!"
"What do you want?"
"Its uh, almost mating season and I wanted to ask you if you'd be my-"
"Are you stupid? You know the answer!" she smacked him with her tail and trotted away.
"Wait, Maura!" he caught up to her.
"Can't you take no for an answer?"
"But Maura!"
"But nothing! I said no!" she spread her wings and took off into the air.
Aroin dug his claws into her sides and clung on to her.
"Let go of me!" she shrieked.
"Maura!"
She was glad she had a long neck. She turned her head and clamped down onto his neck and ripped him from her sides. She threw him as far as she could. He caught himself in midair and flew to her. She flew as fast as she could to the mountains. She could barely steer herself because she was going so fast. Everything was a blur. Then she saw it. A fallen tree. She tried to stop herself, but crashed into it, head first. She just happened to be over a deep gorge. She fell into the darkness, vaguely awake. She felt something gently grab her sides. She was flown out of the gorge and was set on soft grass. She looked up and her rescuer. He had white scales.
