Skies Of Steel: Troubled Upbringing.

Chapter 2: The Decision

A year and a half had passed since the little hatchling was brought home, she had grown miraculously, already bigger than her mother, and almost shoulder height to her father. She was named Sky Steel, for her silvery-blue scale color.

"Sky!" Sky's mother called from another room in their small cottage she was getting just a little too big for.

"Yes, mother?" Sky slightly grumbled as she tried to slip through their cramped house without knocking something over, "It's getting a bit cramped in here, don't you think mother?"

"Cramped? It's perfectly roomy in here." Her mother sounded slightly annoyed at Sky's remark, and huffed loudly as Sky's thick tail knocked down a stack of books in the corner.

Sky sighed as she turned the corner, expecting a scolding for not being careful, and her mother's usual disapproving look, "What is it, mother?" She looked up and took a step back in surprise at the large smile on her mother's face, and managed to choke out, "Are you alright, mother?"

Her mother's smile became strained for a brief moment, "All will be well Sky Steel." Suddenly her warm smile became malicious, as she lunged at Sky's leg and bit down on her strangely hard scales. She didn't bite with enough fore to pierce, but the act of her own mother attacking her, alone, surprised and angered Sky enough to spit out a stream of ice at the bacm of her mother's neck.

"What are you doing?" Sky exclaimed as she lept back, only to collide with the wall behind her, "Why in the world would you attack me!"

She watched as her mother slowly stood up and shook flakes of ice off of her neck, revealing a blackened area where her ice had struck. Sky, instantly mortified at her action, reached out apologetically, which was quickly turned down by a snarl from her mother, "Get away from me, Sky! How dare you attack your mother!?" Although smaller, her mother stood in Sky's face, intimidating her until she let out a small squeak and shrank down, crawling out of the room, knocking things down im her hurry out.

For what seemed like hours, Sky sat outside of the cottage door, listening to the yelling within, all the while blaming herself for their fight, and crying softly into her paws, her tears turning into ice on her cheeks.

The door creaked open slowly to reveal Sky's father on the other side, a sorrowful expresion strewn across his face, "Sky... Come in. We need to talk." He didn't even look at her, his eyes fixated on the ground at her feet.

"What are you going to do to me? Mother attacked me first, I swear I didn't mean to cause that burn on her neck!" She pleaded and cried at her father's feet, who was normally very lenient on her.

"This isn't about that my Snow Angel. We have come to a decision." He paused for a second, and finally looked at Sky, "Come in."

Reluctantly, Sky followed her father through the narrow doorway and stood in between her mother and father, staring at the floor. "Am I in trouble..?"

"Sky, dear." Her mother started, "Upon the discovery of your unique prowess and physical stature." She paused and made Sky look at her in the eyes, "We have decided to bargain you to King Reak'la."