Fireball

Khalid and Malvina could not decide on an appropriate name for their newborn son. Before he was born they had decided on Nuri, but they agreed the name did not fit him, so they decided to give it more thought. When Nuri was almost 7 months old, he had his first cold. Malvina kept him in the cave to rest, but he became bored quickly. Still energetic, he wanted to go out and play with his friends. As he zipped in and out of the trees chasing Kaida and the other female dragons, he kept coughing. With each cough he spit a rather intense ball of fire. Khalid watched and laughed until he realized the intensity of the little balls of fire. They didn't just singe the bushes or trees as many other young dragons did, with their developing flames. Nuri was setting anything that would burn on fire. Soon there were fires blazing uncontrollably around them. Khalid and Malvina quickly doused the fires, filling their mouths with gallons of water from the nearby stream and spewing it over the flames.

After that, Malvina yelled out, "Fireball! That's our son's name. Fireball."

Fireball had big green eyes, with a round face. His wide mouth exaggerated his smile. His little round belly might have appeared as a flaw to some, but it just added to his persona. He had a silver stripe down his back that was shiny and smooth, but what lay beneath could be lethal. When provoked, razor sharp spikes rose from the silver stripe. Fireball's colour was unique, with his rare multichromatic skin. His leathery hide took on the colour of his surroundings. When he played with his friends by the beach, he turned a sandy brown. In the forest his skin took on brown and green hues, much like camouflage. On a clear, sunny day as he soared through the sky, he turned a soft blue. The female dragons all found him adorable. When they teased him and made him blush, his leather skin turned a bright red.

Over the next few years Fireball grew stronger and even faster, but he didn't grow much bigger. He remained about the size of a football. His wings also did not grow much in length, but they got thicker and more muscular. The stronger muscles allowed his wings to beat much faster than the other dragons. Some of his friends said they couldn't see his wings at all when he was flying at top speeds.

Drake was his closest friend. He was only a week older than Fireball, but the two dragons could not have been more different. Drake was a rough looking dragon, with a muscular frame. He was 16 feet long and still growing, with a wingspan close to 20 feet. He created dust bowls when he took off, but he did not fly very fast. Drake blew a fierce flame, but only managed to do that sporadically. Fireball on the other hand looked friendly, in his cute 12" frame and small wingspan. You barely noticed him take off, but he flew at speeds the other dragons could only imagine. His strength was immeasurable and his flame was intense.

When they weren't busy helping out their families, the younger dragons loved to play. Their favorite game was 'Torch my hide'. Everybody wanted Fireball on their team. He did not spew a full flame at the other dragons, as the intensity of his fire could burn through leather. Drake knew this first hand as he still had a scar and a soft spot on the left of his backside where Fireball had burned him right through his tough leather skin, a few years back.