Yova slowly padded down a rocky corridor, the world around him absent and blurry. Discombobulated words and growls from hatchlings rushing past echoed indistinguishably. Hazes of red and yellow scales were blurred in his vision. His talons clicked against the rusty stone beneath his feet. His head was hanging low, curled wings hugged close to his body as if trying to make himself as small as possible. Memories and words bouncing around his head.

'Human-raised dogs. At least I haven't been cast aside by my parents.'

'Element stone monsters.'

'The only power you have is unearned luck.'

A nudge against his side forced him to look up, facing the concerned snout of a hatchling dragoness.

"Hey," she said, "Are you alright?"

He looked away from her for a moment, sitting on his haunches, "I'm alright."

"Is it what they said?"

"I said I'm fine Ember," he growled at her, rubbing the beginnings of a tear away from his snout with the elbow of his wing.

She tilted her head, not put off by his growl. He hated that. He hated that she wasn't affected by their words. At least Zymre had reacted, threatening them with fire and burning, challenging them with claws and teeth. Ember had been angry, sure, but she had only sat there with an air of aloofness, as though she didn't care at all as the other clutch of hatchlings preyed upon the honour of the three siblings.

"You know they are stupid. Stupid lizards. With... with dull scales and weird tails," she hmphed with a snort, "Like... like dirt worms."

"Dirt worms?" even in his current mood he couldn't help but crack a smile at her attempted insults, "What are dirt worms?"

"They are!" she exclaimed, "Because when they sleep... they put their heads in the dirt, and sleep in it."

"They don't do that."

"Yes, they do," Ember nodded her head as if thoroughly convinced what she said was true.

Yova shrugged his wings, before getting up and walking past her, "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter!" Ember paced beside him, thinking for a moment, "We could talk to Mum. She might talk to..."

"Mum won't care," growled Yova, "She never cares."

The young dragoness opened her mouth to respond, before closing it again, walking silently beside her brother as the two exited the tunnel they had been walking through. Yova felt slightly guilty for snapping at his sister. Out of the three of them, she was the one that seemed to try the most to gain their mother's attention, despite being ignored almost constantly by their one and only parent. Instead, they were stuck with a human of all things to look after them.

"Look, Auntie Ana and Vitto are already waiting for us," Ember said.

Yova raised his head. An adult fire drake with scars across his snout sat waiting for them, and next to his foreleg waited a human woman. Her long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her body was adorned with a long fiery dress that blended her in with the other fire dragons collecting their hatchlings. A small smile was on her face as she listened to another fire hatchling, Zymre, as he spoke eagerly to the two about their day.

The two siblings walked up to greet their brother as well as their human carer. Zymre was boasting about how he had scared off the three hatchlings that had been 'terrorizing' them. Fire danced over his scales as he retold the story, the abnormal connection to fire he had easily making itself known as the flames reacted to his every word. A connection all three siblings had, and one that Yova both loved and hated.

"Hello, you two. Took your time," Vitto greeted them with a small smirk.

Ember smiled, "I was just helping Yova sort something out. We're fine now."

There was a slight edge to her tone, and Yova knew he had upset her somewhat with his comment about their mother. He couldn't bring himself to feel guilty. It was the truth. Instead, he mustered up the strength to give both Vitto and Ana a smile, hiding the turmoil inside for the moment.

"Yep. It's all sorted," he told them.

He could see Ana frown slightly, but she nodded her head, "Alright, you ready to head back home?"

The hatchlings nodded their heads, looking up to her. Vitto lowered himself to the ground, allowing Ana to climb onto his neck. The three hatchlings were still far too small to carry her into the air, so instead, they launched into the air behind the older drake, flying over the fire dragon's city toward their home.

Fire city expanded as far as the eye could see North, East, and West. Many of the buildings were made from either black charred stone or red clay. Most buildings were blocky things, or if they were larger they turned into domes that were dug into the ground. The horizon line along the south revealed a dark green ocean covered in smog and cloud from the many volcanoes in the distance. Millions of dragons were flying through the air, going about their daily lives in diligence. Closer to the ocean were a lot of smaller homes, with humans milling along the ground.

In the distance, along a large rising cliff at the ocean's edge, was the biggest building. A massive black fortress that occupied a large part of the horizon. A foreboding place created to inspire both awe and fear, power and strength. A place that housed the most powerful dragons in the fire nation, and possibly the world. Yova had always felt out of place in that building, but he would rather live there than in the busy city below.

They flew through the enormous entrance of the castle, above the waiting lines of hundreds of dragons moving in and out. Dragons weren't usually allowed to fly within the palace, but as members of the royal family, and the council, it was a privilege they were given. Vitto turned down one of the many corridors, coming to a landing on the black stone, with the hatchlings doing the same.

"I'm going to my nest," Yova said, turning his landing into a quick trot, not really wanting to deal with whatever Vitto and Ana had planned for them in his current mood.

"Wait, Yova!" Ana called out to him, but he pretended to not hear her as he rushed around another corridor with a flap of his wings.

His room was on a higher level of the castle, with a balcony that allowed a breath of fresh air to rush through it. Three nests lay at different corners of the room, each with a collection of red velvet pillows and blankets. Some of the pillows had been shredded through with claws, spilling the white and red feathers within. A rectangular nest sat at the last corner, with a single pillow and blankets neatly folded at the end.

Yova stared at that nest for a moment, before muttering and leaping into the one that was his, curling up and covering his wing with his head, trying to ignore the words of the hatchlings that continued to bounce around his head. He was angry, hurt, and was unable to entirely squash the guilty pain in his chest. The sense of worthlessness, unworthiness. Because no matter what Ember said, or how confident Zymre acted, it was like they were ignoring the very real aspect of their situation. They had hatched under element stones, with unnatural and undeserved power. They had been raised primarily under the whims of a human. And most of all, their mother didn't care for them at all. Sure, she checked in on them every once and a while. But she was far too busy to take care of even her own hatchlings.

Yova clutched against the pillow in anger, trying to keep the tears from rushing from his eyes. He didn't understand. He was a prince. The son of the most powerful dragon in the nation. Yet he felt so weak. He shouldn't have to take this discrimination. He shouldn't have to face the scrutiny of even a single dragon. In other nations, royalty was respected, worshipped, but in the fire nation, it was nothing of the sort. Only the strongest deserved to be in the upper classes of the kingdom, and that certainly wasn't him. Not him or his borrowed supposed power.

"Yova?" a voice once again broke him out of his thoughts, causing him to growl in annoyance.

A sigh followed, and the corner of his nest tilted somewhat, "Do you want to tell me what is wrong?"

Silence.

"It's those hatchlings isn't it? Zymre told me what they said. It's really gotten to you."

Yova shuffled his wings, but remained quiet, internally screaming at the human to leave him alone.

"They aren't right you know. You are not what they said you are."

"So I'm not some human-raised, element stone hatched freak, whose own mother can barely stand to look at him?" Yova sobbed, unable to help himself, "I might be only 4, but don't lie to me."

"You're not a freak Yova. I think you are an exceptional young dragon. Far better than most."

The young drake snorted at that, "And what do you know? You're only a human."

"Yova!" exclaimed Ana, he could hear the hurt in her voice, "Look at me."

"Leave me alone."

"Yova, look at me," she repeated, reached out to rest her hand on his wing.

"Leave me alone!" all the frustration the young dragon had been hiding for the better part of the day came out in a single action, as he slashed out with his claws.

Ana let out a cry of pain, falling back from his nest clutching her arm with a grimace of pain. The young drake froze in shock, eyes wide as he stared at the dripping red liquid sliding down the human's arm. Her eyes were closed, her hand clutching the wounded forearm as her face quickly became pale.

"What happened?" Yova looked up to see Ember and Zymre waiting at the doorway.

When they saw the down human his brother and sister quickly rushed into the room toward her, panic and worry written clearly on their faces.

"What did you do?" growled Zymre.

"I... I didn't... I didn't..." stammered Yova, backing away, his tail pressing against the back of his nest.

"Auntie Ana, are you okay?" Ember whimpered.

The human's eyes cracked open slightly, a grimace on her face. Her eyes looked at the young hatchling, and a glint of something passed through her eyes that Yova had never seen before. It caused the guilt inside him to confound in a tight aching ball in his chest. It was a glint of fear. Of terror.

He couldn't handle it anymore. Before anyone had a chance to stop him he opened his wings and flapped, speeding through the doorway of the room and back into the corridors of the castle. His siblings called out after him, but he ignored them, his only thought was getting away from the stinging metallic smell of blood and the horrified look in the face of the human he cared for the most. He didn't even care where he went, racing through corridor after corridor, shooting past other dragons milling through the hallways. Tears dripped from his snout in constant rain. The same thought passed through his mind, again and again. I didn't mean to...

He didn't know where he was until suddenly he finally stumbled into a completely different room that he had never been in before. His paws were met with warm, wet soil. His eyes were met with lush green plant life. Glowing white light filled the room, condensed through the glass ceiling above him, which was open to the sky. Yova froze for a moment as he looked around the room.

He had only ever seen the garden from the outside. It was a new addition to the castle, apparently, that his mother had implemented several months before his hatching. It was an experiment, to see if it was possible to grow anything green within the ashes of Fire city. He hadn't really thought much of it and had never tried to find it. But here he was. He went to back out, as according to the rules, he wasn't supposed to be here, but something stopped him. He had never properly looked at the green mossy exterior of what was supposed to be a replication of a rainforest. It wasn't a place he was allowed to go, so he ignored it as best he could.

But now that he was here, he couldn't help but look around in wonder. Green vines grew up along the black stone walls. Clear water trickled in a stream from one side to the other, using a number of different instruments to keep itself full. Plants, many his size or bigger, occupied a large portion of the room. A path, large enough for an adult dragon, lead the way into the garden, where a large tree with thick branches grew with thick leafy branches sprouting from its trunk. Yova had seen trees before, when his school group had taken a trip out to the forests several hours flight out of the city, but never this lush or green.

Looking out over his shoulder to make sure no one saw him, he then took several tentative steps into the garden. If no one was allowed to go in here, then it was the perfect place to hide. He carefully walked through the garden, marveling at the earthy scent that graced his snout, listening to the relaxing trickle of the stream. He washed the blood off his claws, before giving a wing-assisted jump onto the nearby tree, quickly scampering up into the branches. The tree branches were more than strong enough to hold him, and there was a small nest of branches where he could easily curl up into. No one would find him here.

* * *

The young dragon woke up to the sound of rustling leaves as bushes were pushed out of the way. The glowing light was nearly gone, like a sunset, with more dull oranges and lighting up the last of the garden. He carefully moved as quietly as he could, looking down through the leaves to what had disturbed his sleep. His heart leaped to his chest as he saw the familiar red dress of Ana as she bent down, studying the marks left in the garden soil.

She moved carefully to the edge of the pond, then looking up at the tree thoughtfully. It seemed she was alright now. The scratches on her arm were gone, probably with some help of one of the two bright green life dragons that lived in the castle. She jumped over the stream, landing with practiced ease on the other side, before walking over to the tree. She placed her hand against the bark, looking upwards into the branches. The two made eye contact. The fear he had seen before was gone.

"Yova, I can see you up there," she said softly, "Why don't you come down."

He was confused at how she had found him. He had never been here before, and as far as he knew neither had she. Panic and guilt began to rush through him again as he remembered the slashing of claws. The violent reaction proved him nothing better than a monster. He shook his head.

Ana sighed, pulling her dress aside as she sat down on one of the roots of the tree, leaning her back against the tree trunk, and closing her eyes, "We've been looking for you everywhere you know. Vitto seems convinced you've run away and is searching the city with Zymre. Ember is looking elsewhere in the castle."

Yova was silent for a moment, before speaking hesitantly, "You... you didn't tell mum did you?"

"No. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

There was some relief at that. The two of them sat in silence for several minutes, and the longer they sat, the greater the feeling of guilt and remorse built through Yova's chest. He clutched at the branch, tears once again coming to his eyes.

"I... I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay Yova," Ana looked up at him with a soft smile on her lips, "That was more my fault. I didn't realise how much you were in pain.

A sob escaped the hatchling, "But I hurt you. I didn't... want to do that."

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm better now. Ingarule healed me."

"But I still... but I still..."

"Come on little one, why don't you come down here and see for yourself. I'm fine."

After a short hesitation, the hatchling dropped from his hiding place, opening his wings to glide down to the ground. He landed near her. She smiled, patting her lap and beckoning him over. He approached her slowly, looking at the arm he had claws. No evidence of the wound remained, her soft pinkish skin as smooth as it usually was. When he was in range she gently reached out and scratched under his muzzle. He kept his eyes down as he lay his head on her lap, tears still in his eyes as she gently stroke the scales along the top of his muzzle.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay. I forgive you," she gently brushed away a tear from his eye.

"I was just... so... angry," he said.

"What about?"

"You know..."

"I only know what Zymre was talking about. What did they say to you?"

Yova sobbed again, "They... they were talking about... how we didn't deserve our position. They said we were weak... and cowardly... hiding behind powers we didn't earn. They were saying we were so useless... that our own mother didn't want us, so she gave us over to a human to be looked after. That was how little she cared. And they are right. Mum doesn't want us, we don't know who our dad is. She probably didn't want him either. And our power... it was only an experiment our mum performed."

Ana sighed softly, "Your mother... is a complicated dragon. I know she cares for you, more than you all think. But she hasn't really been the mother you three deserve."

Yova looked at her, a little surprised at her statement. Sure, many spoke against his siblings and him, but it took a brave individual to speak against the queen.

"You deserve someone who is there for you, and who is willing to look after you and spend time with you. I have tried to be there for you, but I am not a dragon," She continued to stroke the young dragon's head as she spoke, "I know you wish for your mother to be there. She should be the one giving you this talk, not me. But Yova, sometimes the things that should happen, don't."

"I know," Yova muttered.

"I can promise you one thing though, little one. I will continue to look after you three until you're old enough to look after yourselves. I hope you don't think I've done a bad job so far. Even if I'm just a silly little human."

The hatchling laughed slightly, shaking his head, "I like you."

"Well that's a relief," smiled Ana, "And I like you, scratchy claws and all. You are an exceptional little dragon young one. There is nothing wrong with that. I think the others are just jealous of your powers."

"You think so?"

"Of course! How could they not be! You have a natural talent, and most would covert the abilities you will grow to have."

Yova smiled.

"But that doesn't mean you should get big-headed about it. Having your power is a privilege and a responsibility. The power you have has been given for a reason, okay, and you get to choose whether that reason is good or bad. Understand," she tapped him on the snout.

He nodded, "I understand."

"Good. Now, what do you say we get out of here? I know you are not allowed in the garden."

"Okay."

He got up from her lap and she stood up, brushing the dirt from her dress. Together the two of them walked back into the corridors of the castle. Yova felt far lighter than he had all afternoon.

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New Chronicle for you all! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. What do you think of Yova? This was an interesting one to write, and I'm not sure I managed to capture all the emotion I wanted to in this. Tell me what you think. The next Chronicle is going to be Racing Dragons, and should be out next week.

See Ya!

Pennator^^