Robin and The Case of The Kidnappers

Chapter 4

Robin's POV

When Robin woke up the next morning, she blinked at the golden flame-lit globe above her head for a few moments before she remembered where she was. My first real day at Jade Mountain Academy! she thought enthusiastically. Robin sat up on her ledge, and observed those sleeping around her. There was Queen Glory's daughter, the intelligently sarcastic Princess Firefly, an energetic silkwing-mudwing hybrid named Swallowtail, who had almost immediately befriended Robin, and a thoughtfully shy hivewing-silkwing hybrid that went by the name of Dreamcatcher.

Robin, at first, had found it surprising that all the dragonets in the cave were hybrids. Sure, Possibility homed a lot of hybrid dragons, but it was unanticipated that there were so many from all over the continents. Anyways, it was pleasing to know she wouldn't be an outsider here. Robin leaped out of bed, and first went to disturb Swallowtail.

She stopped next to the sleeping figure of her clawmate, and hesitated for a moment before starting to poke her. Swallowtail stirred, then folded her dark brown wings over her snout.

"Swallowtaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllll," Robin whispered in her ear, impatient for her friend to wake up. "It's morning."

Swallowtail mumbled something inaudible into the curve of her wing, still deeply engulfed by unconsciousness. Robin huffed a sigh, then placed her talons on her shoulders and shook her. Softly at first, growing harder and harder.

At last, Swallowtail opened her eyes a slit. "Ughhh," she complained in Robin's face, turning towards the cave wall.

Robin grinned and nudged her again. "Come on, sleepyhead. Don't you want to see the school? There's so much to do and learn and explore. And maybe we'll meet some cute dragons along the way." She winked at her friend, who groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine. I'm up, I'm up. But don't expect me to be cheerful or enthusiastic or anything. I'm not a morning dragon." Swallowtail stretched her wings and yawned, then got up from her ledge. She looked around the cave, and saw that Firefly and Dreamcatcher were still asleep. "Should we wake them up too?"

Robin shook her head. "Nah, let them sleep. They'll catch up with us later. Besides, I want to have some fun with you first. Come on, let's go." She grabbed Swallowtail's talon and dragged her out of the cave, ignoring her protests.

The two dragonets made their way to the main hall, where they saw other dragons of different tribes and ages milling around. Not a lot of dragons were up yet, but there were still some early birds. Some dragons were chatting to their friends, while others

"Look at all these dragons. They're so cool and diverse and amazing. Don't you think so, Swallowtail?" Robin asked, turning to her friend.

Swallowtail nodded, but looked a bit nervous. "Yeah, they are. But they're also kind of intimidating. I mean, look at that IceWing over there. He's so big and scary and frosty. And that NightWing over there. She's so dark and mysterious and spooky. And that RainWing over there. He's so colorful and flashy and snooty. And that SeaWing over there. She's so sleek and graceful and snappy. And that MudWing over there. He's so strong and tough and grumpy. And that SilkWing over there. She's so pretty and delicate and fancy. And that HiveWing over there. He's so smart and cunning and sneaky. And that SandWing over there. She's so fierce and proud and prickly. And that SkyWing over there. He's so fast and brave and fiery. And that LeafWing over there. She's so calm and wise and leafy. And that..."

Robin cut her off with a laugh. "Okay, okay, I get it. They're all different and awesome and scary. But they're also all dragons, just like us. And we're all here to learn and grow and have fun. So don't be afraid of them. Be friendly, open and nice. Anyways, I'm kind of hungry. Wanna go to the prey centre first?"