The Chosen One- Book One (Editing)

Chapter 9- Prepping the Questers

Silverfang gripped the rope in her claws, tugging as hard as she could. Her forehead was sticky with sweat, and the dragon sucked in a large breath. She unfolded her wings, moving them as if she was flying. That helped cool her down, but not by much. It was hot and sticky outside, and Icetail insisted on training in the mud. She finally lugged the heavy boulder past the finish line, and headed inside to cool off and take a break. "Nice job, Silverfang. You're getting better at this." Icetail commented, checking something off on her clipboard. "Yeah. I guess so." Silverfang replied nonchalantly. Icetail nodded. "After you cool off, we're going to go back to the stream for some fishing. The fish there are faster and thinner, which provide good practice. Plus, there are more of them, so the fishing dragons won't order us to leave." Silverfang nodded, gulping down another bottle of water. "Okay."

Steamblade's trainer, a Second Class member by the name of Heatscale, also decided that the steam was a good place to train. "Let's go together," Heatscale suggested to Icetail. She nodded, unfolding her wings and flapping off. Silverfang sighed, twisting her wings before darting into the air after her. Steamblade caught up with her, and the two of them chatted while the Class members discussed training tactics. "How are you doing? Heatscale is working me to the bone." Steamblade said. "Icetail too. She won't let me take a sip of water unless I finish, and breaks are only so long." Steamblade laughed. "I wonder if the rest of the Aurae team are having problems," he said thoughtfully. "Probably," Silverfang replied. "I bet Flashscar is complaining her head off." He grinned, and Silverfang pulled up a mental picture of Flashscar roaring at the instructor about how she was tired and didn't want to work anymore. Icetail suddenly began diving, so the two followed the older dragons.

Steamblade happened to be a fishing expert, and his claws were fast and movements smooth. Silverfang, however, probably made a poor fisher, as her shadow kept scaring the fish away. Even so, she managed to scrape up enough fish to satisfy Icetail's training limit. The older dragons dismissed them before discussing something that was Class member confidential. The two dragons trudged off, eventually lifting their sore wings to fly themselves near the cabins. Silverfang collapsed onto the bed, eventually moving onto the porch to sit in a plush chair and watch the sunset. The rosy pink sky blended into the fading orange. It's beautiful, Silverfang thought. But the sunset also signaled that dinnertime was coming soon, and Silverfang couldn't wait for the cabin barbecue that was going on at night. Each cabin was assigned a grill, depending on size, and we were provided with klundger steak, a large table, utensils, plates, and five chairs, along with several other materials that Steamblade took and disappeared into the kitchen with. Venomwing, Silverfang, Flashscar, and Frozenclaw helped with setting up the table, placing the banners, utensils, and cups, and arranging the chairs. Silverfang sat next to Steamblade and Flashscar, while Frozenclaw and Venomwing sat on the other side. Steamblade wore his chef hat, and he came outside balancing three plates on his claws and two in between his wings. "Here, help me place these on the table. I've got more in the kitchen. This is just the appetizer." A delicious scent filled the air, and Silverfang could see dragons from other cabins sniffing the air. "We definitely got the best chef." Silverfang remarked while placing a plate on the table. It was seared klundger meat chopped into neat cubes with chopped florit stem and some pepper. Silverfang's tongue darted out of her mouth, and she tried her best not to devour the meal before everything was ready. Steamblade adjusted his hat before scurrying back into the kitchen. The rest of the Aurae team sat in the grass, chatting and waiting in anticipation for Steamblade to return with more food. Kuppa berry juice was served, along with several orangeades and other drinks. Finally, Steamblade trudged out of the kitchen, tired but successful. He placed some kind of roast bird covered in orange sauce and sesame seeds and announced, "This is the main course. We still have desert and fruit, along with several other foods in case anyone wants more. Let the feasting begin!"

Silverfang stuck a her fork into a cube of klundger, sticking it into her mouth and grinning. It had a savory taste, was nicely cooked, and had a certain crunch to it that made Silverfang want for more. "Mmmmm..." Silverfang said. "Delicious!" Steamblade nodded his thanks, staring at a cube of meat. "Hey, what's wrong?" Venomwing asked. Steamblade seemed to jolt back from his thoughts, and he shook his head. "Nothing. Sorry, I was kinda distracted." Silverfang shrugged, continuing to wolf down the appetizer before starting on the main course. Steamblade seemed to have lost his appetite and only nibbled on the main course before declaring that he was full and heading back into the kitchen. The rest of the dragons shrugged and continued with the meal. "Arghh..." Silverfang moaned after finishing a delicious dessert. The dragons sat back in their chairs, full to the brim. Flashscar pointed at the sky.

"Hey, look! Fireworks!" The dragon was right. Bursts of bright light dotted the sky, fading into the black sky. "Someone get Steamblade. He wouldn't want to miss this." Frozenclaw said. "I'll go," Silverfang volunteered. She wanted to see what was wrong. "Steamblade!" Silverfang called, entering the cabin. The dragon had abandoned a meal in the dining room, and Silverfang didn't find him in the kitchen. She headed upstairs, hoping to find him in his room. "Steamblade?" Silverfang peeked in his room, but except for a neatly folded bed and a gaping window, there was nothing in the room. "Maybe he's in the attic," Silverfang muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs.

Steamblade was, in fact, in the attic, sitting near the window and watching the fireworks from an extension behind a window. The light from the show flashed on his face, brilliant bursts of neon green and bright purple. "Hey, Steamblade." Silverfang called. The dragon turned around, a weary look on his face. He relaxed, his expression softening. "Hey, Silverfang." Silverfang tilted her head slightly to the right, asking, "Are you feeling alright? You left so suddenly before." Steamblade sighed. "Yeah, I suppose." He returned to watching the fireworks, smiling when the sky flashed with a soft blue one. Silverfang sat down quietly next to him. "Thanks. For coming up here." Silverfang replied, "Hey, what are friends for? Anything bothering you?" Steamblade frowned. "I wouldn't say bothering, exactly, but it would be wrong to say that I didn't have anything on my mind." Silverfang just nodded, asking after a long silence, "If you want to tell me, I'm all ears." Steamblade didn't say anything after, and the two dragons sat there in silence for a while before Steamblade noted, "We should probably head downstairs. The rest of them will be waiting for us." The dragon began to turn toward the stairs, but Silverfang stopped him. "Flying down there will be faster." They spread their winds, floating on the gentle breeze before touching down.

"Sorry," Silverfang muttered to her friends. "I couldn't find him." They laughed, and all of the dragons sat and watched the sky burst with colors.