The 'Dragon Defender'

Hunter To Hunted

"What, you think you can beat me in a race?" I tease my friend Adriana as we fly around Morphwing Island. We've been racing and, as usual, I've been kicking her scaly behind despite the fact that I'm younger and less experienced.

"I'm letting you win," she insists for the millionth time. "Quit letting me and give me everything you've got, then!" I order, zipping off again.

I dart between trees and boulders, then blast my way through some falling rocks using my magenta-coloured sylvite fire. A barrel roll sets me up perfectly for a nose dive towards the ocean below me. I stop just before I get wet and barrel roll again to complete the graceful movement.

My wing tips brush against the waves as I spin, tossing a light drizzle into the air as I go. I close my eyes to fully appreciate the feeling. I love flying. It's so exhilarating. The wind thrashing at your scales, the bitter sting of the cold air barely noticeable but lovely all the same... just wonderful.

Adriana dives after me, grinning toothily as she splashes me with seawater. I splash her back, then move above her so she can't reach me. She tried to splash me again but only ended up getting herself soaked. I laugh at that while she growls at me in annoyance.

"Hey, I'm not the idiot who thought they could defy gravity!" I roar, earning another growl for my efforts. I roll my eyes, thankful that she can't see me do so.

"We should get back to the others," I suggest after a little while longer. "Yeah," she agreed, looping around. I copy her and we fly back to the island. "So how are Melanite and Selene?" Adriana asks, making small talk.

"They're fine," I reply. "Same as ever, I guess. How's Asher?"

"He's the same goofball as he always was," she laughs. I laugh along, too. "I wouldn't expect anything less from him," I state.

We fly inside and land. "I'll see you later!" Adriana smiles as she heads into her cave that she shares with my older brother Asher, her mate. "Bye!" I smile back, scuttling off to the cave of Selene and Melanite, my mother and my little sister.

Before I can get there another dragon, with sharp purple eyes and black tints on his deep blue scales, lands in front of me. "Hey, Indigo," he greets. "Hi," I reply. "What's up?"

Over my stay in the Morphwing territory, I've gotten to know Plasma a lot better. He's able to let his guard down, but he's also quite professional most of the time. He'll make a pretty good Alpha someday, I'm sure. Adriana was right; his mate is a lucky female.

"Nothing much," Plasma replies. "Just wondering if you wanted to go on a flight." "I actually just got back from a flight, but I guess I still have some energy left," I agree. He smirks and we head straight back out again.

We're barely off the island when I spot two dragon hunter ships heading our way. "Hunters," I growl to Plasma, who growls as well when he sees them. "I'll take out the one on the left, you get the right one," I say. "Sounds like a plan," he agrees. "Stay safe."

"You too," I tell him before I fly off towards one of the ships. Plasma flies towards the other and starts using his brute strength against the hunters by barrelling into the ship. I take a different approach and land silently on board the ship while the hunters are distracted, then morph into human form and use my sword to take them out.

I head down below deck once the hunters upstairs are taken out. It doesn't take long to discover where the captured dragons are. I quickly free them and help them out of here. Thankfully they allow me to take the lead on this.

When we get back onto the deck I look across to the other ship so I can see how Plasma is doing. The idiot managed to get himself surrounded and he isn't looking too good.

I'm about to move over there and help him but I'm grabbed from behind. "Having fun with your games, kid?" A cold male voice sneers. I respond by kicking his family jewels, which causes him to release me.

I turn and flick my wrist, my sword going right through his neck. "Game over," I growl to him before I kick his head at another hunter, who trips over it and falls off the ship.

I hear a yelp and a whimper that causes me to turn towards Plasma's ship. He's just been captured in a net. Great, just great.

Once again I prepare to jump over to the ship but before I can a barb strikes the net, slicing it open. Seven dragons land around Plasma in a defensive formation and knock the last of the hunters off the ship, save for one that Plasma runs after himself.

I sigh in relief when I recognise most of the dragons and those riding them. As for the other one, I don't recognise the dragon but I definitely recognise the rider and not for the best reasons.

Plasma turns to them all and growls, then drops low to the ground. He's going to fire at them. He wants to kill them. He can't do that!

Without thinking I morph into dragon form and fly over, using my wings to defend them all from the blast. I whimper in pain as the attack makes contact, but I'll live.

I turn to face Plasma, who looks shocked that I protected humans. "What were you thinking?!" I growl at him. "They're humans and they're too close to the territory!" He roars back as though that means anything in this situation. "They're innocent! You can't kill innocents!"

"They're your responsibility to get rid of, then!" Plasma huffs, flying off to burn down the other ship.

"Nightling?" Hiccup asks, him and his friends looking at me in shock. "What kind of dragon is that?!" The new guy asks Heather. "She's a Stealthwing, Dagur," Heather answers. "Don't anger her. She won't hurt you unless you do."

"You're all in the wrong territory, leave now," I growl to their dragons. "The other guy won't wait forever for you to get away from here. You're lucky I was here or he would've killed your riders. Get away from here if you want them to live."

But then an axe is moved to my throat and I glare at 'Dagur', who stole Heather's axe just for this. "I'm going to make sure you don't hurt Heather like last time, Stealthwing!" He says, his tone boarder lining insanity. "You won't hurt my sister again!"