Flaming Eclipse

Chapter 1 - A new start

I lay still as a rock. The hot desert son felt like it was cooking my scales, but I knew well enough not to move. It might scare away possible prey. 

My brother, Rattle's  tail was twitching, he was getting unpatient. So was my sister, Creek.

You might be wondering what in the name of Kals' we are doing. Well, we are dune dragons. We live in the Kals' desert and we're hunting for food. We lay flat on the ground and cover our backs with sand, so it's not too obvioust hat three dragons are hiding under the ground. We're like sicarius spiders. We wait until an unsespecting animal (such as an elephant, camel or a horse) passes by and then we attack it with all our might. We need every piece of food we can get, since there doesn't really grow any plants in the desert, except maybe cacti, but it's too prickly. We get water from digging underground and finding underground water sources. Our life is pretty simple. 

I got distracted by Rattle rising up on his feet, letting the sand fall everywhere.

"We've been sitting here for hours! It's clear there's no animals passing by any time soon", he shook his head and stretched his in-wings. 

"At least the ground it steady. It'd make a good tunnel-digging place someday", Creek rose up. She was the optimistic sibling.

"Right. I think the tunnels we already have are good enough. But if some duners come in the search of good burrowing-land, we gotta recommend this place", 'duners' mean other dune dragons.

"The tunnels we already have are collapsing. That's why we aren't allowed to hunt there anymore", I reminded them. The tunnels we live in are collapsing due to the high amount of camel packs that pass by it. We aren't allowed to hunt them, because it would cause too much commotion and the ground would fall on the tunnels.

"I don't get why we can't just build new ones here and use those ones as a hunting a ground!" Creek exclaimed. I agreed.

"Our parents poured their blood and sweat into making the tunnels we already have! Don't forget that!" Rattle snorted. He always acted as if he was our leader, as if he was the oldest one. That's not true, though. Yes, he was born first, but there's a funny thing, actually. I and him are identical twins and we used to even be in the same egg. He was born first, because he broke the egg shell open and crawled out and I did that after him. More on the identical twins thing; We look exactly the same. From scale-shade and eye-color to the disportions. The only thing not identical are our scars, obviously. I haver a huge burnt mark on my tail and he has a long scar across his wing that came from a battle with an elephant a few years back. 

"They built it alone. We can help them this time. Five dragons is more than two", Creek was talking sense. Rattle was actually very stupid. 

"And it holds so many good memories!" It really doesn't. "It'd be disregarding all of that if we just abandon it!" it'll be disregarding our health if we keep living in it.

"Keep telling yourself that, Rattle. I will head back to the tunnels and Rustle will probably come with me", Creek glanced at me. I nodded. My name is Rustle, by the way.

"I guess I have to come too. Last time I didn't come with you guys I missed dinner!" Rattle whined.

"Thats just because you didn't help us catch anything!" I pointed out. Creek was already heading towards our home and I hurried after her.

We walked in silence until we could see the entrance of our home tunnel. I rushed to be there first, mostly because I didn't want Rattle to be the bringer of bad news again.

"Hi, mom, dad", I nodded at my father. I didn't respect him like my siblings did. I actually didn't like him that much.

"Hello, Rustle. Did you peas catch anything?" my mother smiles. Her name is Hollier. She calls me and Rattle peas but she doesn't have a nickname for Creek.

"No. Not today. We'll go try again later", I promised.

At the same moment, Rattle appeared at the exit of the tunnel. He glanced around, as if trying to find something. 

"Rattle? What are you looking for?" I asked him. It wasn't usual for him to hide stuff.

"I left a piece of that camel we ate yesterday behind my beddings, but it's gone now!" he cried out. I sighed and shook my head.

"Oh yeah, I ate that one", our father exclaimed. His name is Fever and you might understant why I dislike him.

"You moron!" Rattle yelled and stormed out. I have no idea where he would go, but probably not very far, since he couldn't really navigate the desert. 

Creek peeked her head through the entrance, "What was that about?"

"Fever ate Rattle's camel piece", I explained. 

"Right", Creek glanced at our father. She also wasn't a fan of him. 

"Well, since you sensible ones are here I might aswell tell you about something we've been planning on", Hollier turned her head towards me. Creek slithered into the tunnel.

"Are you finally going to move out this raked dump?" I asked, hopefully.

"Oh no, never! Though, it is about leaving.." Hm? "You've probably heard of the whole Backstabber shenanigan? Yeah, the giant octopus thing?" I had heard that some hatchlings have succesfully killed the king of the Backstabber island, but not about an octopus thing.

"Octopus thing?" Creek asked, like she was reading my thoughts.

"Under Lizard's Tail lives a giant octopus that has awakened. They are giving a hefty price for those who can kill or get the octopus somewhere else", 

"Isn't Lizard's Tail that island where the thorn-buds-for-brains tsunami dragons live?" I asked. That's what I had heard.

"Yes, and since they have a smooth brain upstairs, they've hired someone else to deal with their octopi problem"

"Riiiiiiiiiight. What are you going for?"

"Well, we were thinking if you three could go there, get rid of that squid, get the amber and come back? We need the money to move to Sunny town", 

"You want to sent us to most certain death just because you're too lazy to build us a new tunnel?" I felt rage build up inside me.

"You won't die! You just need to lure the octopus somewhere else and kill it. We have a fool-proof plan already", sure you do, ma.

"Could we hear it, then?" Creek asked. She sounded awfully suspicious.

"You're going to pass through Kals' Farm town to find a few dawn dragons to recruit. Then you can go through the Backstabber island to Lizard's Tail, get rid of the octopus, claim your price and head back", 

"You do realise that we'd have to share the pay with the dawn dragons, right?" I pointed out.

"We won't. We need all the money. Think of something to fool them into thinking they're getting  their part", Hollier turned her head. She was ashamed, I could see it.

"Wouldn't that make us hardly better than those nuisance thorn dragons?" Creek asked.

"It doesn't matter. We just need the money. Go find your brother and head on your way so you can leave as soon as possible. Shoo!" she pushed us out of the tunnel.

We walked a few meters away from the entrance.

"Did- did she just disown us?" I could see confusion in Creek's eyes.

"I'm not sure.. It sure felt like it. Let's go find Rattle. He couldn't have gone that far", I was afraid to admit it, but it sounded exactly like a plan to get rid of us. Was it really that or were we just paranoid?