A fleet of dragons cut through the pale blue of the sky. Their broad wings sliced though clouds as they rode currents of warm air high above the bottomless depths of ocean beneath. Their scales glittered and shone in the golden sunlight, like multicolored gems swooping around clouds and over crashing waves. Powerful wings carried them easily for miles with only a few carefree flaps as they glided, riding on the twisting, invisible currents of air.
They had been traveling for many days, migrating to a new home. The mountain cliffs they had roamed had been overtaken by humans who were set on exterminating every one of their kind, thinking them evil and ruthless. After fighting for many years, they dragons had eventually decided to migrate to a new home where they could live in peace.
For one young drake, it was an adventure of a lifetime, the longest journey he had ever taken, the first time he’d seen the ocean. The strength of the crashing waves astonished him, and he loved to dip away from the fleet to duck and spin over and between waves. He loved feeling the cool spray drench his ruby scales and wondered what it was like to swim under the waves like the fish and monsters below.
But sky dragons couldn’t swim. The broad wings that made them weightless in the air were cumbersome and heavy in the water, and the lightweight scales that were almost completely impenetrable to any weapon would catch the water and drag them down. So he played just above the surface, flicking his tail as he teased the waves, though wary of the creatures lurking beneath.
The drake was reluctant to leave his old home. Already he missed the high cliffs and deep valleys of his mountain home. Even with the constant threat of humans threatening them constantly, it was still a beautiful land and it was hard to leave. His wings ached after the long days of travel. But now the journey was almost over, shadowy outlines of land far in the distance getting close enough for the sharp eyes of the dragons to pick up tiny details of their new home. Rocky cliffs protruded high above the crashing waves below, sticking right out over the water. Further on, they sloped down into a peaceful lagoon with a sandy shore. Distant mountains lurked, ominous and foreboding in a haze of clouds.
Zyrro put on a burst of speed at the sight, excited by the thought of living so close to this newfound element. The endless depths of the ocean were completely foreign and new to him.
An amethyst dragoness with ebony horns spiraling from her noble head gave a small hiss of reprimand at his childish excitement and he balked in embarrassment.
Dragons followed the rules. They didn’t behave recklessly or rebelliously. They respected the elder dragons and did as they commanded.
The island grew closer and closer: They would arrive at the end of the day.
Suddenly, Zyrro felt tension jump from wingtip to wingtip and he gradually became aware of long, serpentine shapes following them in the depths of the ocean below, barely visible in the evening light. They were long and snakey, with draconian features and sturdy fins that slightly resembled wings, but shorter and built for carving through waves instead of clouds.
Sea dragons. Enemy of the sky dragons. Battles between the two species were terrible and bloody. The rulers of the skies verses the kings of the seas. Zyrro had heard many tales about the ruthlessness of the sea serpents. Long, hooked fangs and talons, perfect for snagging a passing fish, were also the perfect tools to shred a dragon’s wings in seconds. Boiling sprays of water could shoot from their snaky throats, scalding and even blinding.
But seeing them in real life, they looked beautiful. They moved with otherworldly grace through the water, periodically breaking the surface in a spiraling leap, spraying water from their iridescent scales and arching fins. Their shimmering scales were all shades from deep indigo-black to emerald green and bright, sky blue.
