Ska'i Malamalama
A loud, rattling clang brought Ska'i back to consciousness. Wait, those noises wouldn't come from her village, and she sat up too fast a wince followed. Finding herself sitting in the sand, feet bound, with hands tied behind her back. Ironically, it's exactly what was done to the Vikings. But these thugs were more rough-looking than them - and they were putting their dragons in cages! One of them had lit itself on fire somehow, but the cage wasn't showing any damage from the flames.
Wait, what . . .? That's fireproof! How -?
"Alright, you lousy worms. Load 'em up! Including the girl. We want that ransom."
"Aye! It'll be light soon, and we gotta get outta here!"
"Awww, are you scared of a few whittle Dwahgon Widers?!" A nearby pair of thugs were loading up another dragon into what she could have sworn was a fire-proof cage. Dragonfire!
"No, you idiot." He glanced around, then whispered, "the islanders."
His fellow thug whispered back, with the same intensity, "We are also islanders."
"No, no, these guys are different! Scary."
" '. . .scary,' " Doubtious Thug repeated, not buying it.
"Yeah, I've heard they can shoot fire through their fingertips! And they live in trees, and eat animals from the inside out to wear their skins!"
Ska'i knew she should feel alarmed that others knew her people existed, but it was also humorous. Her falcon hearing managed to pick up a faint hissing, then a crackling noise as flames lit up an entire cage! Scaredy Cat and Mr. Doubious hurried away from a two-headed dragon. Whatever these cages were made out of, Ska'i somehow had to get her hands on them. Something that does not affect the heat of Dragonfire, would be essential for her people's very way of life! The whole island shook as if to agree with her, and a deep sense of dread sunk in, contrasting with an urgent sense of paranoia.
It was starting.
The thugs paused, looked around, then shrugged, carrying on with their thieving.
"Uh, everyone needs to get off this island," Ska'i tried saying, but Ula cries drowned her out. They were attacking? Wait, no. She made the connection as her head turned to the ships.
There were stories that Mount Olawai might not ever erupt. Guess that's the end of that story. When the Ulas were the first to burst out of the trees, she used the diversion to wriggle out of the loosely tied ropes. They must have found the knife she always hid by her ankle, so she made do with rocks, knocking thugs out like a club.
Choosing a random, unguarded cage, she let out a lean dragon, dark as the night itself. With kind, soft eyes, it nodded thanks, then took off quicker than a blink. And she kept freeing them. While surrounded by her people, fighting for the ships that would save them from the spewing lava that was no doubt leaking over the island.
Wait, weren't there five dragons? Recounting, she spun around and saw a loaded cage on a ship, already pretty far out to sea. Making a split decision, she hop-ran over the baby waves out to the next closest one and swung herself aboard without a second thought. Probably not the smartest thing she's ever done. But the gods were on her side, as this was full of her people, who startled a bit when she plopped herself on the deck.
"Princess!" One of the children pointed. Her mother was quick to push down her finger, hushing her as she did so.
Ska'i smiled as best she could despite the circumstances, and commanded with a jerk of her head, "I need to get to that ship."
