Imperial

Chapter 1

Imperial sat in her beloved Library, her long ruby snout in a long book on the ancient animus dragons, her round golden glasses slipping off her snout every once in a while.

"Princess Imperial." Crimson, her bodygaurd's voice sounded from outside the door, making her drop the scroll in surprize. At the same time, her glasses slipped off, resulting in Imperial knocking her head hard into the firm wooden table she was just using.

"Yes?" She called.

"Princess Tsunami has come to see you." He replied, his golden-red snout appearing at the doorway.

"Yes, please come in!" She called as a tall, dark blue SeaWing sauntered in with her head held high.

"So hello, you must be Imperial, the crazy strong animus who's mother had to recieve approximenty 355 letters before she allowed you to attend Jade Mountain Academy?" She asked in a rather loud voice. There was an awkward silence before Imperial replied, "Um, yes?"

"Great! Now show me what you can do." Tsunami commanded, scooting a safe distance away from the animus. Imperial shook. Her teachers had always warned her the dangers of using too much animus magic.

"Um, I can only enchant small things." She croaked. "Just in case I end up like Albatross and Darkstalker." Tsunami's expression was unreadable as she replied, "Then enchant the necklace on your neck to dance." Imperial nodded and tapped her ruby necklace gently with one long foreclaw.

"I enchant this necklace to dance until I say 'Stop.'" She commanded. The necklace immediately became animated and started wiggling around on the table.

"Stop!" Tsunami yelled at it. "Stop!" The necklace continued as if the SeaWing didn't exist.

"Stop." Imperial commanded, and the necklace immediately flopped down in her talons.

"What?" Tsunami fumed. "Why won't it listen to me? I'm the eldest SeaWing princess and headmaster, you know!" Imperial struggled not to snort.

"I've enchanted it to listen to me only." She replied. "That's why. Sorry." Tsunami seemed visibly calmer after her explanation, still keeping a safe distance away.

"Great." Tsunami barked flatly, looking uneasy. "You'll train with Anemone, my younger sister, once school starts. Oh, and there you can meet another crazy SkyWing who's super murdery and scary named Peril. I'm sure you guys will make great friends." Imperial nodded tersely.

The door creaked open just then, causing both dragons jump out of thier seats, startled. In came Crimson, his emerald green eyes filled with anxiety.

Crimson was a tall, golden-orange dragon with dark tatoos of pheonixes running along his forearms. A long, dark scar was visible along his neck, a reminder of a brutal fight he had earlier in his life.

"Yes?" Imperial asked.

"Queen Prideful would like to see you both." He replied. "There is an intruder in the castle." Imperial shot up and rushed out the door before Crimson could tell her more, Tsunami at her tail.

"Mother!" She cried, darting down the halls to the throne room, where two dragons were arguing. "Mother, I'm here!"

She turned the corner to see a SeaWing with a scarred snout she had never seen before, pinned under the SkyWing queen's merciless grasp.

"What do want, SeaWing, thinking you can saunter into my castle anytime you want!" She demanded, smoke rising from her nostrils, her gigantic red-orange wings flared open in a threatening display.

"Wait, let me explain!" He cried, panicked. Queen Prideful took no notice. She opened her mouth, reaching for the forest fire rising in throat, only to find a large rock wedged between her jaws. Soon she found herself battling with Tsunami, the throne room exploding with the blaring voices of both dragons.

"So you didn't come here to visit my student after all, you were here to destroy my kingdom!" The queen roared.

"No, you idiot!" Tsunami retorted. "You don't know anything! We're here to deliver important messages!"

"Important messages to scare the wits out of my kingdom! I'm not allowing that!" She snarled back. Gentle claws tapped the quarreling dragons' shoulders and they immediately froze, still as the statues of the queen towering over all visitors at the entrance of the palace. "Stop!" Imperial commanded, shouldering the stranger forward. "Tell us why you're here." The SeaWing trembled, looking greener than seaweed.

"I'm here to deliver a warning." He announced. "A warning of a tsunami."

"I'm right here, you know!" Tsunami roared. Riptide facetaloned.

"No, I'm here to deliver a warning of a-" Everyone gasped as a giant wave loomed over the palace, swallowing everything in it's path.

"Tsunami!" The SeaWing princess roared as the wave came crashing down on the North side of the castle. "Unfreeze us now!"

The second the two were freed, they darted out the castle like their tails were on fire. Imperial watched in horror as her home was destroyed, sucked up by the tsunami. She spotted dragons struggling in the waves, and bits and pieces of her beloved scrolls getting torn apart by the ruthless water.

"Don't just stand there!" Queen Prideful fumed. "Why didn't you use your powers to protect our kingdom?"

"Why didn't you let us deliver the message earlier!" Tsunami retorted, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. Both dragons snout's snapped closed, as easy as if a rubber band was wrapped around them as Imperial inched away towards an injured SeaWing, whimpering by the castle ruins.

"Help me, please." The SeaWing whined. She was no larger than Imperial with emerald scales and dark green eyes. Deep scars were grazed into her limbs and wings, preventing her from moving.

"Hold still." She assured her. "This won't hurt."

She pulled out a ruby ring and whispered an enchantment to it. The SeaWing gasped in awe as the ring went to work.

"You're an animus!" She breathed. "Like my older brother and sister!" Imperial smiled and nodded.

"I'll pay you back someday!" She promised. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Auklet."

"Nice to meet you, Auklet." Imperial called after the SeaWing as she disappeared into the waves.