Dragon Academy. The summer school where students learn to ride and care for dragons. Their motto is 'semper ad bonum est draco', which means 'always be good to your dragon'.
But it may not stay that way. Humans are beginning to have their doubts abo...
"Alright, settle down, settle down." Warden Meyer gestured for silence and the excited children on the bus slowly ceased their chatter. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she saw a large boy raise his hand.
"Yes?" She pointed to him, allowing him to speak.
"Warden Meyer, ma'am," he said in a deep and polite voice, "Are we nearly there?"
"Indeed," the woman nodded. "Now, I want you all to remember that dragons, whilst 'really cool' and all," she made air quotes at this, "are creatures that must be treated with great respect. I don't want any students going to the infirmary due to carelessness." She raised an eyebrow, receiving a few stifled snickers from the children. "Remember the motto of Dragon Academy; semper ad bonum est draco."
"Always be good to your dragon!" The children chorused, and the warden's face broke into a satisfied smile. She sat down, and the chatter of children's conversation started once again. The bus driver continued down the road, adjusting his cap and pulling up towards the hill that held the campus of the academy on top of it.
The new students gasped and pointed in awe, whilst the older ones cheered, contemplating memories of previous years here. The roar of the enthusiastic children was quite loud, but not as much as was the roar of the dragons that awaited them. They stopped at the front gate, where the students were given permission to exit the bus. Almost each of them thanked the bus driver as they got off, and a line was formed with a clap of the warden's hands. Two children in their late teens had appeared at her side; a dark, cheerful boy, and a blonde, absent-minded girl.
"Here we are!" She exclaimed with pride, "I'm so glad to have you all at our wonderful summer school for dragon riders. My faithful assistants, Duman and Mallory," she gestured to the teens, "Will assign to you your cabins. Duman will assist the males, Mallory, the females. Please take your things there and get settled in; we will begin in the morning."
The children, of varying ages, were each marked present and given the cabin they were assigned to. The cabins were named after different clouds, in order of age group; 11-12 got cirrus, 13-14 got stratus, 15-16 had cumulus and 17-18 got nimbus.
Just as Duman was directing the youngest boys to their cabins, one of the girl campers on her way to her cabin asked loudly, with a pointing finger, "Who's that?" Duman turned and saw a tall man with spiky hair directing a dark, purple and grey dragon much larger than himself. It was in chains, with a metallic muzzle on its head. Its tail swept the ground back and forth aggressively, but otherwise it remained calm.
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"That?" He squinted, "Oh, that's Aaron. He mostly works with the wilder dragons; the ones that aren't trained as well as we'd like them to be. The one he's leading now is... Besnik, by the looks of it."
"He sounds mysterious," the girl's friend giggled, making Duman roll his eyes as they skipped off.
"Why are girls so weird?" A boy of eleven asked, watching them.
"I have no idea," replied Duman, shaking his head.
The man they had been speaking about continued to lead Besnik, towards a stable that was somewhat separated from the others. It was a bit larger, and had more restraining measures. He opened the large, heavy gate and brought the dragon in, ensuring he was secure before he released the chains and freed him.
Besnik shook the metals off, spreading his spiked wings and flying aggressively towards a ledge at the top of the stable, where he spat a sliver of green fire near to the human. He shook his dark grey, zigzagged horns and snorted, flicking his barbed tail like a cat that had just been prodded with a stick.
"Alright, Nik," The man laughed, "Quit your worrywarts. I'm gone." He shut the gate, and the dragon was left in the stable, clawing at the walls.
"Now remember the rules I told you on the bus!" The warden reminded her students as they hurried to their cabins, "Stay in your cabins as soon as night falls, no being around the dragons without adult supervision, - yes, that includes you too, seniors, - never hesitate to ask for help and remember you can back out any time if you feel uncomfortable about anything. If you have any questions or concerns, my door is open 24/7."
The students barely listened to her, however, with just a quick nod here and there, for they were all so excited to be at the camp at last. (Well, most of them at least. A few sulked at the thought that their parents had sent them here rather than a regular summer school, or a camp with more domestic activities.)
The dragons, too, could feel their presence, and stretched their claws and roared an inferno of flames at the thought of being ridden by students for another year. Some had been brought in the day before; they were owned by wealthier children who wished to train with their own dragons.
Soon night fell, and the camp peacefully drifted into slumber. For the most part, that is.
