Jet and Jade | Black and White 1

Chapter 9: Jet

I understood the young dragon.

She was the same as me. She only wanted to get to her sister, Lasuna. She blew fire at Jade and I thought I hated her for doing that, but it was only because she was trying to escape.

She told me most of her heartbreaking story in just a few words. Dragons had been hunted by the humans when the humans still existed. All dragons had a way of hiding-- water dragons would hide in the water, sky dragons would camouflage... But flame dragons had no way of hiding. They were caught and killed. Only a few survived and from then they didn't dare to show their faces anywhere. For a couple of centuries they lived in an isolated place where no one ever went, but they didn't go out to hunt so they could only eat the food in their hiding place. They soon ran out of food and more of them died out. Thankfully, the earth dragons showed them kindness and took the flame dragons to stay with them where they resided for millenia underground with the earth dragons. This was where they stayed for a long time while they tried to grow their small tribe. The earth dragons were afraid and thought the flame dragons were trying to conquer their tribe. They made the flame dragons leave but one human found them and helped them. That human's descendants followed her lead and continued helping the dragons. This was how they continued living to this day. But, Rarnorva's mother was exiled by the only flame dragon tribe along with Rarnorva and her younger sister Lasuna for accidentally hurting the king in a duel that the king ordered to be fought. It was unfair and ridiculous but the king's word was law. No one dared disagree. Their mother did her best to take care of them but she got sick one winter. She barely survived but was too weak to find food so Rarnorva took her job instead. Jade caught her.

Exiled from their world, living to take care of her family... Sounds like Jade and me, right.

The bracelet she gave me would give me the ability to call on her should the need arise. I didn't think I would need it but you never know what happens next so I kept it. I told her to go and she left. It was near heartbreaking though I masked my feelings from Jade, for she did not need to know my weaknesses.

I took a moment to recompose myself into the person that she knew and not the one hidden deep inside me. I breathed out.

"Let's go," I told my sister gruffly and walked back into our mansion. "Oh, and training starts tomorrow. Be at the dining table at five am, and don't be late."

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The next morning, I sat at the dining table impatiently after setting down the dishes on the table with a clatter.

One second late, two seconds late, three seconds late, four seconds late...

Unable to wait I started to eat my breakfast as I stared at the door, waiting for her to arrive.

This was already a bad start to her training.

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A flustered, pink-cheeked Jade rushed into the dining room to find me staring at the door with a deep frown.

"Seven minutes and four point three seconds late," I commented.

"Sorry," Jade said.

"Training starts now," I said shortly, standing up.

"What? But I haven't even eaten yet!" Jade cried.

I shrugged as I stood. "You didn't eat when you had the chance. Grab something. You won't get this pardoning tomorrow."

Jade snatched a piece of bread from the table and followed me outside.

"Tie your hair up," I demanded. "It won't do to have it like you're going to a ball."

I threw a piece of string at Jade. She caught it and pulled her hair back, tying it into a ponytail.

"Warm up then run as many laps as you can," I told her as I flicked my wrist and a circular track appeared on the ground.

I had to be merciless on this.

It was already proving hard.