Dragonet Drabbles

Chapter 1

"Flame, have you heard a single word I've said?"

At the sound of his mother's sharp demand Flame jolted upright, dropping the rope he had been trying to wrestle from his little brother's mouth. The little SkyWing-SeaWing hybrid let out a triumphant chirp and paraded around Flame in circles of smugness. His short, chubby legs made it more of a victory waddle.

"Flame!" Avalanche snapped again.

"What?!" Flame snapped back, trying to act like he hadn't lost focus again. His mother wrinkled her snout in frustration and set down the giant scroll she had been reading from on his desk, frowning at the clutter of paper and dirty dishes threatening to topple off the edge.

The crisp morning sun filled his small room with white light, highlighting all the dust that had gathered on his furniture. His new room, now located in the fancy employee housing section of Queen Ruby's palace, had much the same items as his last: a bed, some minor storage, a desk, and a little sitting area with pillows and a table. Now that he was the Chef's apprentice at the Healing Center it was only appropriate to move him to this room and offer up his old one to one of the thousands of dragons on the waiting list to get in.

Whichever poor dragon got his old room, he hoped they liked tuba music because his old neighbour certainly had. Especially at 3 am.

"Would you PLEASE stop zoning out!" Avalanche's stern scolding had become a smoking roar. Chromis dropped the rope in his mouth and ducked under Flame's wing, sending his older brother a now you've done it look. Flame shrugged. Avalanche's anger didn't scare him. "I'm trying to tell you something important," she continued and barred her teeth when Flame merely rolled his eyes. "I don't think you realize how difficult it's going to be babysitting Chromis." Avalanche unconsciously reached for the scroll again. The scroll she had brought with her wasn't just any ordinary scroll; she had written it herself. But this wasn't like Queen Coral's operas or Queen Ruby's treaties. No. Of all the things his mother could have written, she had decided to create a rule-scroll. A giant list of all the rules necessary to take care of Chromis while she went away for the evening. It appalled Flame, but even more importantly it insulted him. Did she really think him THAT incompetent?

"Oh puh-LEASE!" Flame shuffled his wing, pushing the little dragon out into the open where he leapt forward towards Flame's twitching tail. While Chro got to work chewing on the scaly appendage, Flame tried his best to reassure his mother. "I'm not stupid, everything you've told me to do is just common sense." He snatched the scroll from the desk and Chromis sneezed as the dust trickled down. He tapped the scroll against his temple, a lop-sided smile springing onto his face. "I'll do everything the scroll tells me and won't break a single rule. Trust me, everything will be fiiine."

"Yeah, mama. It be all fine. No worry!" Chromis had come to stand confidently at Flame's side. His pipsqueak of a voice was enough to soften even the stony glare of Avalanche, though she remained warry. It wasn't until Flame crouched down beside Chromis, their matching grins of confidence shining up at their mother, did her shoulders dropped in rare defeat. She even smiled.

"Well...if Chromis thinks you can do it than who am I to argue." She dipped her head down to lick Chro's snout.

Flame rested the tip of his tail over Chro's shoulders. "You got nothing to worry about, mom," he said with gusto. "Chro and I will have a great – hey what are you doing – NO STOP!" Flame was helpless as his mother grasped his face and pulled him in for a kiss on the forehead. He pulled away with a wrinkled snout, face flushed. "Mooom," he groaned, wiping at the smear she had left on his scales.

Avalanche rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, do you get this embarrassed when your little boyfriend kisses you?"

"MOM!" Flame's face burned beneath his scales. He hid his face in his talons to avoid looking at the smirk she was inevitably wearing. It wasn't fair that Avalanche knew his weakness so well. Then again it was pretty obvious to everyone that it was a certain gold-speckled MudWing with a sweet laugh and kind eyes.