Persimmon's Tree

Chapter 2

Talons and tails. Persimmon cursed as she studied the black, charred look of the SkyWing's scales. What kind of monster could have done this? She hesitantly looked around at her surroundings. The trees were looming above her as if they were interested in the death scene as well.

"WHO'S OUT THERE? IF YOU'RE WAITING TO KILL US WITH YOUR BLACK SCALE-MELTING GOO, THEN DO IT ALREADY!" Sangria yelled loud enough for Persimmon to wince and cover her ears as she fell to the ground.

"Loudmouth!" Persimmon hissed, swatting her sister with her tail.

Sangria bared her teeth. "So what? I WANT TO KILL SOMEONE ALREADY," she groaned. "I'm going to find that creature and deal with it myself."

Persimmon barked a laugh. "And do what? Openly invite yourself to have it kill you?" She snickered.

Sangria huffed and marched into the forest. Her anger was way too easily visible through her actions. Sometimes Persimmon wondered if she ever knew how to hide what she was feeling. Probably not, considering her sister actually likes to let other dragons know not to mess with her.

"You don't have a single care about getting killed? Wow Sangria, that is SO unlike you." Persimmon mocked.

Sangria whipped her head around to glare. "AND IT IS SO UNLIKE YOU TO SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING LIKE THE USELESS LIZARD YOU ARE," she challenged with a frown on her face. "I don't even know why father tries so hard. We're both useless anyways."

Persimmon tensed up. She didn't feel like lashing out right now. Sangria always had a problem with dealing with her sister and father. She was the outcast, and Persimmon usually guessed she would be a lot nicer if their mother was still around.

Sangria stomped off without saying another word.

The wind was pushing leaves in a spiral that seemed to surround the corpse of the dragon in an eerie way. Persimmon shivered as the sun began to drift away from the sky. The horrible, sinking feeling that arose once night fell upon Pyrrhia seemed to stick with her as she waited for her sister to return. She slowly stepped away from the sickening body of the SkyWing and glanced up at the ledge where their home was. Her pink wings spread as she lifted herself off the ground and flew to the cave's entrance.

Her claws scraped against the stone, and she blinked at the unbelievable sight of her sister laying down on the ground in front of her. Sangria's jaw was split open with traces of the black liquid that had killed the SkyWing. Persimmon froze. Her eyes couldn't look away from the utter disbelief of her dead sister. Everything was swaying and she felt nauseous, only to be suddenly worse as Sangria's wings twitched and began to melt away, too.

Stop dying on me! Persimmon screamed as the sight only got worse. She watched as the walls around her became shrouded in a black emptiness. No one was coming to save her or her dying sister. Regret filled inside her stomach as she remembered watching her sister stomp off unhappily. How could the last words with her sister be horrible? Her ears hummed with a painful sound, only for it to be cut off abruptly as she felt something tap furiously on her back.

Persimmon jolted awake. She looked around and was still in the woods. Her head arched around to see Sangria staring straight in her face with a scowl. Persimmon screamed, then had relief flow through her.

"Why were you crying in your sleep?" Sangria said, genuinely concerned, surprisingly.

"I - you died and," Persimmon looked away with a frown.