Whispers of the Underground

Chapter 1

Tapinoma dunked another bunch of scrolls onto Ember's head as if she was just another one of Tapinoma's regular scroll containers. "Stop it!" growled Ember, baring her teeth at Tapinoma, "Just stop dunking these useless scrolls onto my head!" Tapinoma just stared at her blankly, and continued. I really would like rip that look of her face, and I really would love to use my stinging bite on you, but lucky for you I'm not allowed to due to Queen Argentine's rules, Ember thought, yearning to try her ability on Tapinoma, to exterminate her habit of using Ember as her own personal scroll carrier, instead of a friend.

"Come on Ember! It's not that bad!" Tapinoma insisted, "Anyways, you're leaving soon, so stop complaining and make the best of it!" Tapinoma smiled, and continued dunking books onto Ember's head. "OOOOOH! It's a book about Fire Antwings, just like you Ember!!!" Tapinoma squealed excitedly, grabbing the scroll and giving it to Ember, "Look at it! The guide to the dangerous Antwings of our tri-" but Ember interrupted her.

"Dangerous? " Ember asked, "I'm not that dangerous, right?"  But then Ember suddenly remembered how eager she was to use her bite on  Tapinoma.

"Well..." Tapinoma began, "You do have a bite that stings really badly that makes everyone in Ikkomar feel like it's a magical fire bite... Annnddd, it can kill some dragons, you know right?" she explained, looking at the pile of scrolls where Ember was meant to be. 

"I gu-" but then she heard a yell. From the voice of the only other dragon she hated in the entire of the Undergrounds. Astonishing. Argentine's nephew. 

"HURRY UP AND COME HERE EMBER, I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE ALL DAY AND MY TALONS HURT, AND MY TAIL HURTS, MY EYES HURT AND EVERY PART OF MY BODY HURTS, and it's all your fault, I'm going to have to go to my personal spa that Auntie Argentine built me, then I'll go to my personal buffet, then I-" but Astonishing was cut off when Ember launched at him and bared her teeth right in his face.

"I'm here" she spat, glaring at him, but he ignored her and continued blabbering on about how he was so spoiled by his aunt every since his real mother died due to an attack led by the Mothwings. I really wish that Honeydew hadn't died... Then I wouldn't be stuck with this nuisance talking about his palace life while we're were meant to train, Ember thought gingerly, now wishing that she could bite Astonishing. "Let's go..." she snarled, smacking Astonishing hard on the head with her tail. The spoiled prince looked offended, and grunted but he spread his wings and took off after her. 

After a short flight, they arrived in the deep arena, where Nectar and Blazing were waiting for them with Charcoal. 

"Oh look, the fighting newborns are finally here" snorted Blazing, in a mocking voice and tone, his copper brown scales having annoyed swirling red patterns.

"You can actually blame Astonishing though..." whispered Nectar, hiding behind her furious training partner.

"QUIET" snarled Astonishing, trying to look terrifying by spreading his dark copper wings with the moving orange and red swirls and patterns glowing, but in reality, Ember thought it just made him look stupid, "If you weren't Fire Antwings, Queen Argentine, my aunt - he smirked then continued - would have ripped you to pieces and let me throw you to the Mothwings personally" he declared, crossing his arms.

"I wish I could throw you to the Mothwings" growled Blazing gloomily, as Charcoal took a breath and was about to teach the Fire Antwings more tactics.

"Ahem children" he coughed, with smoke coming out along with it, "Listen up, today I will teach the cure of your stings" The argueing dragonets, stopped and turned around to look at Charcoal, gaping. Charcoal made a weird face as if wondering if he had smoke blowing out of his ears again, but that wasn't what his students were thinking of. Everyone was gaping except Nectar who was just blinking from behind Blazing. "What... is. wrong?" Charcoal asked, gazing at them all with curiosity and desperation, and Ember could guess he was hoping sloth shaped smoke wasn't growing out of his ears really badly.

Everyone was silent then a soft voice spoke. "We're all very shocked we can cure the bite" Nectar answered, answering for everyone. 

"We're all very shocked we can cure the bite" Astonishing mimicked, rolling his eyes, "You're not shocked at anything, in fact, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE EMOTIONS AT ALL" he yelled into Nectar's ears.

"I do" she said plainly, "I have many emotions like a normal living dragon unless you are too dumb to realise that I'm one" she retorted.

"NO FIGHTING, ASTONISHING" Charcoal yelled at the top of his lungs and he smacked Astonishing in the face with his tail. Astonishing looked insulted to Ember, and he snarled something like First Ember, now Charcoal? Next It's going to be raining fruits... and she laughed, the she shushed herself before Astonishing could pinpoint the location of the laughter but Ember was pretty sure he knew it was from her anyways. You deserve the smacks, she thought, imagining a bunch of other dragons using their tails on him.

"Now, attention children" Charcoal commanded, "I want you to use your stings on each other" he stared at them waiting for them to hurry up and attack like usual. "HURRY UP!!!" then that got them moving. 

Ember launched to the highest platform on the arena then shot herself back down to Astonishing  and landed right on his back, turned around to bite his tail, then she realised at the same time as she was using her sting, Astonishing was using it as well on the exact same spot. Ugh, she thought, Ouch. The pain was literally unbearable, it felt like the flames scorching her tail but much more worse, even facing a Mothwing wouldn't be this bad. She moaned loudly. Astonishing made a smug face but it looked like he had bothered to put up all of his energy just to make that face, then he shrieked. It was the most horrific sound Ember had ever heard. Now that she thought about it, maybe one thousand stings would be better than Astonishing's shrieking. "Come here children and stop screaming Amazing or whatever Cousin Argentine calls you" Charcoal ordered the dragonets, Ember flew over and so did Astonishing but Nectar stayed back with Blazing and Ember realised why. Nectar had bitten Blazing on the wing, so she had the responsibility to bring him with her back to the gathering area. 

After they arrived, Charcoal explained to them that cold stuff helps and that sometime the bite might itch but if they couldn't accept it then life sucked, but Ember didn't think the second part was important but she kept it to mind. "Look, and here they are..." Charcoal turned around to the tunnel, with the sun beaming through dimly, as the AntWings had blocked most of it off with all the fallen trees that they could find. Umbratus and Seed came in carrying such big containers and when they dropped it off the ice inside came out as the container cracked. 

"Thank you!!!!" yelled Ember, as they flew off to see what their next delivery order was. Nice, Ember thought, the ice was cold but it numbed the pain she was feeling. 

"CLASS OVER" Charcoal yelled, and then Ember realised she was going to have to go back to Tapinoma's library. She sighed, and sulked but she spread her wings and set off only to remember she had to bring Astonishing with her.