Flames and scales

Chapter 1 - Jade mountain

Copper

Copper looks down on the forest, and thinks about why he had to go to school.

His wings extended high, as a sudden up draft pulls him through the forest canopy.

Peril was next to him now, looking worriedly at him.

"Remind me why I have to go to school?" Copper asks her.

"Your dad basically runs this school, and it's the only place you can get... educated?"

Peril makes a weird face at that word.

Copper sighs, and goes back to looking at the forest.

Peril looks to the nearby mountains, and exclaims, "There's the school! There's jade mountain academy!" Copper looks up to see a beautiful mountain valley, a cave entrance connected to a cliff face and a few trees on it too.

Copper had been there a few times, heck, he'd even hatched there.

He'd just hadn't been there in a few years.

He'd been living in the SkyWing palace with Peril.

Queen Ruby had looked after him.

Cliff was like an older brother.

But sometimes he missed his dad.

Clay was fun, as he teaches Copper a lot every time he comes to see him.

Sometimes he would even bring Copper to jade mountain.

There were always a lot of dragonets for little Copper to play with,

All his half-aunties and uncles liked him.

He missed this place.

Copper shook his head and kept flying.

He saw a nightwing at the door, handing out scrolls to the new dragonets.

"Fatespeaker!" Copper yelled out to her.

Fatespeaker looked confused for a second, turned around and saw Copper.

Her face lit up with joy as she looked up at Copper.

He landed on the ground, and went over to say hi.

Peril landed slowly behind him, clearly not wanting to run into Fatespeaker.

Copper ran over to Fatespeaker and gave her a hug.

Copper liked Fatespeaker. She wasn't technically his half auntie, but he liked to think of her as one.

She cuddled him back and exclaims, "Copper, is that you? You've grown so much!"

Copper looks around, and realises that last time he saw fatespeaker was 3 years ago.

"Where's nebula and stargazer?" Copper asks abruptly.

"They're probably in the library with their father." Fatespeaker answers.

"Oh, and if your coming for real this time, we have a few spare rooms."

"I guess I am." Copper guessed.

"Go on, go see your cousins." She says.

He remembers to grab the school map and scroll before going inside from the rack to the right of him.

Copper races past her, following his mental map to the library.

He runs into the great hall, turns right down a hallway, turns right again,

Then turn left into the library.

Copper looks around. Copper is confused for a moment, then sees Stargazer holding a pile of scrolls out from one of the shelfs, and sees Nebula talking with a rainwing.

As soon as he walks in, nebula and stargazer see him and exclaim, "Copper!"
Copper says, "Hey, Nebula! Stargazer! Been a few years!"
Nebula leaps toward him, and gives him a cuddle.
Stargazer scooted over and shook his hand.
Nebula turns to Stargazer and yells, "we have to find the others!"
Stargazer nods absently.
Stargazer scampers to the entrance of the library, looks back and gestures to follow. Copper and nebula run behind him.
Copper thinks about his two cousins.

Nebula was an up and go quickly sort of dragon,

While Stargazer was a kind soul. Although, He had also never spoken a word in his life.
Copper threw that thought away, and turned left. Then right, straight down to the class's tunnel. There, he looked through doorways (doorways? Caveways?) to the other classrooms.
Chemistry, herbs and healing, defe- There was clam and seaweed!

Seaweed was trying to learn how to use a spear, with Clam guiding her.

After he sat there watching them for a few minutes, he asks, "Here for defence against next time I totally beat you with a spear?" Remembering the time they fought each other in combat class, clanging spears together like skywing soldiers, having a good time and totally coming on top.

Clam looks up and sees Copper. His eyes gleam and he yells, "Copper!" Just as seaweed looks up.

They both rush over and hug him tight. After he told them about most of the cousins meeting up, they up to the moons and surged down the hallway to find Firefly and crocodile.
Copper walks to the underground lake, admiring the decorations on the cave wall each class had made. Finally, he reaches it.
Copper looks around and sniffs the wet, soggy air.
All his cousins were there, all sitting together.
Firefly annoying clam, stargazer looking at the exit, and all the rest with all their personality's.
He remembers the last time he and all of them had met up like this.
Two years ago... his mind whispered to him.
They're all so tall now... his mind ranted on.

"Hi guys," he said, like he saw them every Tuesday.
They all quietened down, looking at him expectingly.
"And yes I am staying." He started with.
"YEAH!" Firefly yelled.
"WOO!" Hollered Clam.
Stargazer smiled him As Nebula and crocodile come over and lift him up.
"Wait, what are you do-" Copper asked as they threw him into the lake.
As his head bursts out of the water smiling, as he sees everyone laughing.
Welp, if I'm staying here they might want to know, his minded raced.

He walked out of the lake, and powered up his scales.

Every one of his scales turns up to the heat of his mothers, peril.
Nebula looks at him and sniffs.
"What the-" she says seeing his scales turn hotter and hotter.
They start to flame orange as his cousins yelp and creep back to the wall.
Clam shouts, "Copper! What are you doing?!"
Copper looks down at his scales.
Dry enough now... he thinks.
And turns down the heat.
He looks up again and sees everyone looking stunned at him.
"Ok, so basically, I can control my scales, like a rainwing. Not in colour, like heat." Copper explains.
"But... how?!" Firefly yelps. "Like you can just be as hot as your mum whenever you want? Or-"
Copper takes a moment to think, puts a claw on his chin as says, "maybe the mix of flaming skywing genes and scales of a fireproof mudwing have a battle, and I came out of my egg with this power."
"Anyways, I'm off to see where my cave is. Toodles!" Copper waves goodbye to his stunned friends, walking out of the cave in the process.