Flaming Eclipse

Chapter 6 - One horn less

I peeked from behind a large rock to see the grotto where the heavy, muscular stone dragons resided. Hanging from one of the pointy dripstones was a metal cage where three sand colored dragonets were seemingly speaking to eachother.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" my companion, a tsunami dragon named Beryl asked.

"It has worked many times before", I stated.

"Child labor isn't good, Eclipse Moon. Why would it be this time?" 

"It's not child labor if the dragons I'm using are basically adults", I rolled my eyes. This hatchling was like six months old! How would she know?

"If you say so. But I still doubt this would work", Beryl shook her head.

"Would a half-a-year old hatchling know better than generations old, adult dragon?" I shot a sharp glance at her. Surely she would give up.

"Yes. In this case, yes. This is stupid and I'm only coming along because you forced me to!"

"I didn't force you to come along. I just threatened to get the Backstabber army to hunt down your pack of thorny buds",

"That's almost the same thing!"

"Keep telling yourself that, kid. And maybe someday you'll understand my genius", I huffed.

"Uh huh. Well, if this plan works, what's your next move?" 

"To make them assasinate Queen Pardon, of course!"

"You think the prince would marry you after his mother died?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't he?"

"Because I'm sure that any dragon with a brain would know better than to marry a two-faced witch who is also a serial killer!"

"I was a serial killer. Like three hundred years ago", 

"It doesn't change anything. I still don't trust you!" 

"Whatever. You'll thank me when I'm queen and-" I heard a small drip from over us. We were standing behind the stone on some very unstable rock.

I glanced up and saw a stone dragon staring at us.

"Should I-? Like, alarm someone? Are you here to.. Like..?" he murmured.

I glanced back at Beryl, "Go!" I yowled and when I saw Beryl rush away I reached out to the stone dragon and lashed my claws across his snout.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" he complained and lunged towards me. Remind, I was on some very unsteady rock. I dodged aside and as the stone dragon landed, the rocks started rolling down and before he would even see what happened, he fell like 20 kilometers with rocks on the way down.

"Sorry", I squealed before taking off. The rocks must have drawn some attention, because when I hovered upwards, a few other stone dragons were glaring at me, rather bewildered.

"I've never seen a dragon like that!" one of them exclaimed.

"Yeah. Maybe.. t.. they? She is a mix of something?"

"Dragons can't mix-breed"

"Some can. Like shield dragons. Though, I'm pretty sure she isn't a shield dragon"

I drew my lips back in a snarl. If these idiots wouldn't attack first then I would. I lunged towards the nearest stone dragon. My attack came out of the blue for them, it seemed, since didn't even react before I had dug my claws deep into their scales. 

Another dragon just appeared out of nowhere and slapped me off their friend. I stumbled in the air, lashing my claws into nothing trying to gain back my balance. I shook my head and rushed at them, but they were too fast and dodged. I did manage to scathe my claws across their flank, so it wasn't a total loss.

"Watch it, danger noodle!" I heard from behind me. I swooped aside and turned to see a stone dragon charging at me. I snarled and charged back at him. He dodged just fast enough for us not to be brawling horn-to-horn.

"Did you just call me a snake?" I snarled.

"No. Calling someone a snake is impolite. Danger noodle isn't", they stated.

"Uh huh", I narrowed my eyes. I noticed how they had a slightly paler spot on their wing. "I hope your mother taught you how to dodge" I lunged towards them and sink my claws on their chest.

"Hey!" someone yowled, but I didn't hear. I clawed the stone dragon's belly and sank my teeth into their shoulder. They shuddered rapidly and threw me off. 

I scrambled in the air, glancing at the cage where the three dragonest were stading, staring at me bewildered. One of them spread their wings as far as they could go and I nodded slightly. The dragonet turned around to say something to their cagemates.

I spun around to take on the stone dragons once again. They were hovering in a semicircle, their lips drawn back and their tails curled.

What in the name of Kals..? I flapped backwards when I realised what they were doing. They were charging their lightning-spit. I had to get away as fast as possible as to not get hit.

One of them opened their mouth slightly. Thorns! I fluttered my wings as hard as I could to scramble away. I did all sorts of twists and turns to make sure that no lightning strike could hit me. I saw from the corner of my eye a bright flash, then another, and a third. Thus far I was dodging them smoothly, but at some point one was surely going to hit me.

I flung my head around to glance at the cage. It was empty and just then I saw a sandy dash scurry behind a massive boulder. They got away. Satisfaction gave me strenght. Now I only needed to get away from these Kals-cursed thorn-twigs.

I whipped my head around to suddenly be facing against a well-muscled male stone dragon. He was glaring at me.

"Yer wanna dance? Then let's dance!" he snarled and charged at me with full speed. I ducked down and hovered down. There was water at the bottom of the grotto, so I couldn't get too low.

"I can dance. I have sick moves", I snarled back at him and lunged upwards. I scathe my claws across his belly before he could dodge.

"Witch!" he yowled and spun in a somersault around and sank his teeth into my back leg. I screeched something incoherent and twisted around to swipe my claws across his muzzle.

"Kals' greatest mistake!" I growled and twisted in such a way my back made weird noises. I locked my jaws around his other horn and yanked rapidly. I could hear a crack and I spun my neck around.

The other stone dragons were watching us with pure fear in their eyes. I realized I was still holding something between my jaws. I glanced at the stone dragon. He was hovering shakily, eyeing up. Blood was oozing from a hole in his head where the horn should have been. I glanced down at what I was holding, only to realize that it was the missing horn. A part of the skull seemed to have come off with it. 

I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. It was the only thing I could hear, besides the occasional water drip from the twisted drip stoned. I opened my jaws and dropped the horn. The water below us splashed and echoed through the cave. I glanced one more time at the stone dragon, who was now looking at his blood-covered claws.