DragonTribes #2: ForestTribe

Chapter 1: The Strange Dragonling

The dragonling scratched at the strange surface that made her curl tightly into a ball. She pecked at it and scratched more vigorously. Eventually, a small piece fell out into the outside world. She put a finger through the hole and tried to open it. She pecked again. The hole became larger. Light shown through the hole. She heard soft squawks of encouragement from her Mother Dragon. She quietly chirped in reply as she effortlessly scratched at the wall around her. Finally, a larger crack spread around the wall from the hole.

The wall suddenly lifted from above her. She closed her eyes then blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the sudden light. Her Mother Dragon had lifted the wall off her. She looked at the dragonling with wide eyes. The dragonling looked back up at her Mother Dragon. She was a beautiful deep green with vibrant purple tipped feathers. Her ears flicked back and forth as she looked at her daughter in confusion.

The dragonling looked around at the world exposed to her. Above her were piles of green attached to tall brown objects. Far below, the green was still there, but other colors decorated the ground. The dragonling looked back up at the piles of green.

"This is your nest. You're in a tree." Her Mother Dragon told her.

The dragonling smiled. Trees. She looked at the large brown trees reaching for the sky with their green talons.

A male, the dragonling guessed her Father Dragon, landed next to her Mother Dragon. He was a bright red also with purple coloration.

"Who is this?" Father Dragon asked, his ears also flicking.

"This was the smallest egg." Her Mother said softly.

The dragonling held her talon up to exam. It was a bright white. She fell back in surprise causing herself to slide around in the bottom of her egg. I'm white!

"What should we call her?" Her Mother asked, head tilted.

The dragonling stretched and looked at her wings. They too had the purple coloration.

"Petunia." Her Father Dragon said.

Petunia! I like it! Petunia chirped her agreement. Her tail wagged as she repeated her name in her head.

"Petunia it is." Her Mother Dragon rubbed her beak against Petunia's forehead.

***

Petunia snuggled against her siblings. She was the only white one. I'm the odd one. Her brothers were both green and red. Her sister was purple and green.

Her Mother Dragon suddenly flew over the nest. She laid on them and spread her wings around the nest. The dragonlings squawked both nervously and curiously. Petunia, being the smallest, was able to squeeze to the front. She moved so her eye could see through the small hole between her Mother and the nest.

Father Dragon had his feathers ruffled. Another male stood in front of him. The dragon hissed at Father. Father lunged at the dragon with a loud squawk-like roar. Mother moved her wings, bright purple blocked Petunia's view. The squawks continued. Petunia looked back at her siblings, worried. They huddled close to each other, whispering small chirps in each others ears.

Mother rose with a hiss. The dragonlings crowded around the rim of the nest. The male stood a short distance away, spreading his blue wings. Mother jumped to the back of the nest, causing it to tip. The dragonlings flew back into their Mother's front arms. Petunia looked up at her Mother. Suddenly, the male landed on the other side of the nest. He swung his tail through the nest, knocking the dragonlings out of it.

Petunia fell. She squawked nervously and tried to flap her wings. She spun around in a dizzying color of green. Somehow, she managed to turn around and spread her wings. She landed on the ground with a thud. She looked up at the nest and chirped softly. Mother was flapping her wings and squawking loudly. The male squawked back.

Petunia shuddered, feeling the ground. She had fallen far from her nest, her home. Small green needles surrounded her. She sniffed them and swooshed her tail around in them. They were pokey, but also soft. Petunia squawked calling for her siblings. No one answered. She sat and wrapped her tail tightly around her legs and folded her wings tightly against her back. Petunia squawked once more. Anyone? The white dragonling looked back up at the nest. It looked extremely distant. No one was occupying it. She looked around. No one?

***

Petunia had been ambling through the green blades for a while now. She saw lots of strange shaped bright objects shooting from the ground. One matched her color. She sniffed it. It gave off a sweet scent. Petunia looked up to the large trees. She noticed how, not only did they spread into the sky, but parts of them roamed through the green blades as well.

A sweet smell filled her beak. She followed the scent. A brownish yellow object laid on the ground. Petunia took a deep sniff of it. It was very sweet, sweeter than the thing that was the same color as her. Petunia scratched it. It's skin ripped open. Petunia jumped backwards, startled. She sniffed it again. Did I hurt it? She pushed it with her beak. Strange yellow ooze poored onto her beak as she pushed it. She rubbed it off with her claw. Petunia sniffed the ooze on her grey claw. It smelled just as sweet as the brownish yellow object. She licked it. It's delicious! Petunia wagged her tail as she peeled more of the skin off. She ate it graciously.

A dragon landed in front of her with a obnoxious squawk, "Where's your nest, parasite?"

Petunia looked up at the dragon, "Gone," She said softly.

The dragon grunted, "Probably because your scales are the oddest I've ever seen. And your eyes..." The dragon moved his beak closer to hers, "they're red."

"You're mean." Petunia stated softly.

The dragon squawked loudly again and flapped his wings, "You shouldn't have come to my territory, rat! In fact, you shouldn't even be alive. Now, get away from my tree!" The dragon hissed.

Petunia backed away slowly, head ducked. The dragon suddenly coughed and a sticky liquid flew into Petunia's eyes. She ran backwards as fast as she could with a worried chirp. She bumped into a tree. She pushed her face into the ground and rubbed it around. Petunia rubbed her eyes and opened them. It's foggy. She rubbed her eyes again then slowly opened them. It's still foggy! I can't see!