The Chosen One- Book One (Editing)

Chapter 8- Quest Members

Silverfang groaned, uncurling and yawning loudly before trudging to her own personal bathroom and taking a shower. She then brushed her fangs, splashed ice-cold water onto her face, and then headed downstairs to the dining room. A plate of frokel bacon and scrambled eggs were set out on the table, along with a fork and a glass of kuppa berry juice. "Who cooks around here?" Silverfang asked. "Usually Steamblade. Otherwise, I do it." Frozenclaw replied, sitting down. "Come on. We don't have much time. At 9, we have to head over to Dragon Central. They're announcing the quest members to the entire population. Obviously, you're leading it with the help of Icetail. But they still have to determine the other members." Silverfang nodded, wolfing down the meal while listening to Frozenclaw explain how quest members were chosen. "The members of the quest must be over the Advanced Training level, with the exception of you, of course. After all, you are the Chosen One. Anyways, Goldenscale and the First Class members decide who gets to go. There's actually two quests that they'll be choosing members from. One is obviously the Chosen One quest, but the other is just a group of Second Class dragons going to the nearby city just above the mountain. They have to sign the annual peace treaty and trade items." Silverfang nodded, scraping off the last of the meal. "Where's the rest of the crew?" Frozenclaw pointed a claw at the ceiling. "Except for Steamblade, who is awake before dawn, everyone sleeps in around here. You, being the newest member of the Aurae team, have the honor of trying to wake them up. Come on!" The ice dragon grabbed both of their plates, utensils, and cups and filed them neatly into the dishwasher before heading up the stairs. Silverfang followed shortly after.

Frozenclaw tip-clawed her way into Flashscar's room, pushing open the door. It creaked, which caused the ice dragon to whisper-scream, "Stupid frugging door, creaking at the worst moment." Flashscar moaned, and Frozenclaw put a claw over her mouth and slipped into the room. Silverfang followed after her, waiting in Flashscar's room while Frozenclaw dipped her head into Flashscar's personal bathroom to grab something. "Scale lotion," Frozenclaw whispered. "Muddy green stuff used to smooth scales. Very useful in scaring dragons who are sleeping." Silverfang watched closely as Frozenclaw swabbed a claw into the puke-green paste, smearing the stuff all over her face. "You try it," The ice dragon whispered as she handed Silverfang the can. She dipped a claw into the cold, sticky paste, and smearing it all over her snout. It was surprisingly cold and relaxing. Silverfang glanced at a wall mirror, pretending to dab some over her eyes. Then she and Frozenclaw floated over Flashscar, who was curled up in a ridiculous position on the bed. They sucked in a breath and then roared, "WAKE UP!" Flashscar jolted awake, saw their faces, and screeched. That woke up Venomwing, who groggily entered the room, beginning to complain. "Hey, can you keep the screeches down? I'm trying to sleep her-" Silverfang and Frozenclaw turned around, flashing her a grin. Venoming bolted out of the room. Flashscar raised an eye. "The old scale cream trick? I can't believe I fell for that. I'm warning you guys though, I'll be the one getting you guys next time." Frozenclaw scoffed. "If you can get up before us, lazyscales. Come on, your breakfast is getting cold."

Once Venomwing and Flashfang wolfed down their breakfasts, Silverfang grabbed Serpentis from her room and the group headed outside to find Steamblade. They found him by the lakeside, head on claws and watching silver fish gliding through the water. "Steamblade, we need to go." The dragon leaped to his claws, nodding. "Okay, let's head to Dragon Central. I wouldn't want to miss the Choosing."

The dragons flew into Dragon Central where a small crowd had already formed. Dragons shuffled on the ground, grunting and growling. Several dragons had taken into the air to watch the Choosing. Silverfang landed on the ground with a thud! before she was grabbed by the claw and taken behind a large stage. "Silverfang?" Venomwing called. "I'm okay!" she shouted back. "Just need to take care of something. Meet you guys back at the Central soon." She turned to the dragon that pulled her out, asking, "Well, what do you want?" The dragon grunted and led her to Goldenscale, who pulled her aside to talk. "Okay, we already picked the dragons who go on this trip. Remember, you are the leader, so you will be the one ordering them or making the choices. Don't do anything foolish on this trip, Silverfang. We all believe that you can save the Kingdom. Icetail has agreed to help you with the leadership of the quest, but you will have to handle the pressure of this alone." The elder looked as if he had aged several hundred years between the time that she had last seen him. "Move along now, Silverfang. I have to handle something." Silverfang nodded and left the backstage. While she looked for her friends, several dragons were moving a heavy table onto the stage. One smoothed out a red silk tablecloth, while another placed two envelopes on the table, sealed with a red wax G. Goldenscale walked onto the stage, sitting down in front of the table. He picked up one envelope, and with a swipe of his claw, the seal fell apart. The elder slipped the piece of paper inside onto the table, smoothed it out, and began reading. "For our Peace Treaty Quest, we have Vinetail, Steelfang, and Ripwing." Three dragons stepped foward from the crowd. Silverfang noticed that one had a broken wing and was limping slightly. Goldenscale continued. "You must journey beyond the mountain to the Village of Kuppa, where you three will sign the annual peace treaty. Supplies will be provided after the ceremony." The three dragons nodded solemly, dipped their heads, and retreated to their places. "As everyone may know, we have recently invited a dragon to the Academy. The dragon that we invited, is in fact, the Chosen One. She will be leading a quest to the Kingdom of Elementals. Our leader, Silverfang." Silverfang stepped foward, facing Goldenscale. "I accept the quest." she said, dipping her head. Goldenscale nodded before continuing. "First Class member Icetail will be helping her on the quest." Icetail emerged from the crowd and nodded, stepping foward and taking her place besides Silverfang. "The rest of the dragons are: Flashscar, Frozenclaw, Venomwing, Steamblade, and Scorchtail." The dragons stepped foward, all dipping their heads and taking their places. Scorchtail gave a smug look to Silverfang, who wondered how that brute had gotten himself selected for the quest. "That concludes our ceremony. Thank you for joining us. Regular schedules will continue." Goldenscale dipped his head before disappearing backstage. The crowd began to disperse, dragons heading off to training areas or large stone buildings. The questers were called backstage. Silverfang hurried to join her friends.

"How did that idiot get picked?" Flashscar growled. "I really don't know, but I probably couldn't care less. We were selected! And with that attitude, it's amazing how you even got picked." Steamblade replied. "Oh, shut up." Flashscar rolled her eyes. The rest of the Aurae team laughed and Icetail behind the stage. Goldenscale sat on a large chair behind the stage, wiping his forehead with a white cloth. "Hello, everyone. Here to pick up your supplies? Icetail will lead you there." Icetail nodded, slipping in between two workers and entering a small wooden room. The rest of the crew followed her, Scorchtail at the tail.

"Here," Icetail said as she gave Silverfang a backpack made of a thick material. "Fireproof, waterproof, even shock-absorbant. These are made of the best material out there." The ice dragon tried to cover her worry by forcing herself to work, but the rest of the questers could sense Icetail's mood. They slipped on the backpacks, which were lightweight but carried several hundred pounds of essentials. Silverfang asked, "When are we departing the Academy?" Icetail fidgeted with a strap while she replied, "Probably in about three to four days. We need to train you before we throw you in the wilderness. You'll all have private coaches for the next few days; I myself will be coaching Silverfang." The crew nodded before bidding farewell to Icetail and heading toward their cabins.