It was a foggy, yet warm summer's night. In the thick forest, torches flickered brightly against the shadows of the trees. A small, grassy clearing was bathed in silver light from the three moons that hung lowly in the sky. A large, silvery-gold dragon lay in a vine hammock, that had been strung between two trees. Her barb-tipped tail flicked to and fro as she stared at something in her talons. Gripped tightly in her claws was a large, round emerald. 

    "Oh, my precious gem," she murmured, "you will become a magnificent Queen one day. I can see it now. You already have your father's strength and bravery." She paused to sigh, a painfully wretched sound. "And you have my kindness and beauty," she quietly added. Sadness seemed to leak from every scale on her body as she frowned.

    Her sapphire blue eyes were too focused on the emerald to have heard the soft rustle as a dragon slipped into the clearing. Their sharp eyes watched the female closely.

    "Hello, Quartz," they rasped after several minutes, their tail slowly swaying side to side. Startled, she dropped the gem, the emerald landing in the grass below the hammock. Her tail immediately flicked up into the air as she leapt from the hammock. Her face twisted into a snarl as she spread her wings. One glance at the dragon and her blue eyes suddenly narrowed. She lowered her tail, her heart beating with surprise and anxiety. 

    Quartz kept her eyes trained on the dragon, face contorted into shock and confusion.

    "It's you," she rumbled, her voice full of surprise. Her head tilted, eyes full of curiosity.

    "You act like you don't want to see me," they grunted as they moved further into the clearing. She shook her head, unable to speak. Silence settled between the two, until Quartz found her voice.

    "I haven't seen you since Obsidian's funeral," she rasped, tears making her eyes glow. The dragon lifted their head towards the moons, studying them closely.

    "I know," they muttered, their scorpion-like tail brushing the ground. "But there wasn't much need for me to come back. You had Emerald. I had my own life to live." 

    "So why come back now?" 

    "To see you, one last time." 

    "What do you mean? I'm not dead nor am I dying… What do you plan on doing?" Her eyes narrowed, her heart racing faster. They turned to face Quartz, stepping towards her in a snake-like way.

    "It'll all be over soon, my friend," they growled slowly. She squared herself, hissing a warning, as her tail flicked up. The dragon snarled and lunged, talons outstretched, for the female dragon. A loud roar erupted from Quartz, fire shooting from her throat. Their eyes widened and they flung themself to the ground, scrambling backwards to escape the flames. The dragon let out a howl of pain as the edge of their right wing was caught by the blaze. 

    Quartz dashed past them and into the trees, taking her chance to escape, and veered onto a trail that was lit by torches. Another loud roar left her throat, a warning roar, that was full of fear and anguish. The distant sound of wingbeats reached both Quartz and her attacker's ears. In a last ditch effort, she built up her flames then twisted her head and spat them at the chasing dragon. They slammed to a stop, hissing with fury. She continued to sprint, the fear keeping her legs moving. 

    However, the footsteps of her attacker weren't too far behind Quartz. After several, fearful, heartbeats, she exploded into a clearing. Multiple dragons were already shooting down to meet her. Relief flooded her body as she leapt towards them. She cried out as talons wrapped around her tail, yanking her backwards. Quartz howled as she was dragged backwards, her talons sinking into the ground in an attempt to stop her from moving. 

    Thrashing and beating her wings, she desperately tried to get away from the dragon. A stabbing pain shot up her right thigh, making her pause. It was a fiery red pain, hot like flames, and full of venom. A shriek erupted from her throat moments later as her attacker let go of her tail and bolted away. Finally, the dragons swooped in, three of them landing beside her. The others chased her attacker into the forest, their battle cries echoing in the dark trees. 

    A broad, red and purple male landed beside Quartz, who was thrashing in agony. He began to wiggle under her, his tail lashing.

    "Get her on my back!" He snarled to the other guards, panic evident in his voice. They rushed over to him and helped maneuver the silvery-gold female onto his back. When she was secure, they took off into the dark, night sky. The fastest guard flew ahead, her large wings and broad form soon disappearing from sight. Minutes later, the remaining two guards landed on a large, marble platform and hurried inside a vine and leaf structure.

    A sleek and striped, dark blue, female dragon was waiting beside the third guard. She was rushing around a hammock, preparing it for the visitor. The male guard stepped farther inside, catching the attention of the dark blue dragon.

    "Quick, bring her here!" She hissed at him, her thick tail lashing. Nodding, he rushed to the hammock and together, the guards and healer moved Quartz into it.

    "We're not sure what happened," the male explained as the dark female looked over the injured dragon. "We didn't have time to look her over." The healer flinched as her talons found the puncture in her thigh.

    "Well, it's a good thing you didn't. Quake! We need Brightsting Cactus juice!" The female practically shouted. A solid-looking dragon shot up from his bed on the floor and hurried farther into the hut. Moments later, he returned, carrying a bowl in one set of talons. Once beside his companion, he handed it over to the female. 

    She took the bowl and began to pour it carefully into the wound. Quartz twitched, a groan of pain echoing from her throat. The red dragon looked like he wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, but he visibly restrained himself. His jaw was set in anger and his tail flicked wildly. The other two guards looked at each other uneasily, finally realizing what kind of injury she had. After several minutes, he let out a huff then turned and made to leave.

    "Ignite..." The soft voice made the large dragon turn his head. Quartz had managed to lift her head from the hammock. "Please.. protect Emerald..." she whispered hoarsely. Ignite nodded slowly, watching her intently, as she lay her head back down into the hammock. Silently, he turned to address the other two guards.

    "Flora, I need you to go get Crashnova and take him to Cragflight's hut. Rudder, you'll stay here with Quartz. You will not leave this hut, understand?" Ignite stared hard at the red-brown female. Rudder nodded solemnly, stretching her wings, while Flora slipped out of the hut. Once he felt Rudder was prepared for her night's endeavor, Ignite turned and bounded out of the hut to be greeted by the other guards.

    Flicking his tail, he leapt into the air and flew to the North. The remaining guards flew after him, bunching up together. Out of the corner of Ignite's eye, he could see Flora flying to the East. He watched her disappearing form before looking ahead again. As they flew, the dragons began to form a diamond in the sky. 

    In less than half an hour, they swooped down towards a massive kapok tree. It was wrapped in wooden planks and a large hut was built in the middle of the tree, where the trunk split into several sections. Smaller huts had been built in the higher branches, all of which were connected by wooden bridges. Ignite landed on the wooden platform and walked towards the doorway, which was draped with two gold and purple tapestries. The remaining guards landed along the edges of the platform and faced outwards, watching the sky and the forest below. His ears flicked up as he called out, "Emerald? 

    "Your Highness? Please, you must come with us immediately." For a moment, they could only hear the shuffling of talons on wood and the small growls as dragons awoke. A blue, striped face poked past the tapestries, his lips pulled into a snarl. He eyed the dragons for a few moments before letting the snarl fall from his face.

    "Ignite?" He grunted as his head perked up. The older dragon snorted.

    "Where's Emerald?" He growled in response, annoyed with the time it was taking to talk to Emerald.

    "Right here." Suddenly, a black shape pushed past the blue male. "What's going on?" Her eyes flashed along the line of dragons, startled. For her age, she was a large dragon, with black and emerald scales. The green made her stand out in the darkness that, otherwise, would have swallowed her.

    "There has been an emergency. You need to come with us immediately," Ignite informed her, his bright red eyes searching her emerald green ones.

    "An emergency? What kind of emergency?" The blue dragon slipped out beside the black one. He was burly, with blue scales of all shades. A third, brown-gray dragon joined them. All three of them watched Ignite intently, their eyes flickering with concern and curiosity. He glanced at the dragons behind him and sighed.

    "Just.. please come with us," he pleaded, turning to them with a serious look. Emerald glanced at the two dragons beside her before looking over the line of dragons. She could feel it in her scales. Something was clearly wrong. Something dangerous was upon them. Shaking herself off, Emerald nodded at the broad male.

    "Alright, let's go then," she muttered as she ducked her head. Ignite nodded curtly before he turned and flew off into the sky. Emerald and the others followed, a tight diamond formed around the black female. Fifteen minutes went by when they spiraled down to a stone platform. A large hut was built on top of it, with flower pots hanging all around the outside. On the platform stood Flora and two other dragons.

    The first one, a light purple and dark blue male, looked incredibly annoyed as he watched the arrivals touch down. The second, a pale purple and dull yellow female, tilted her head to the side, as if listening to them land. Ignite landed beside them, his claws thudding heavily on the stone. Emerald and the other guards landed around the trio. The large female narrowed her eyes, her forked tongue flicking out of her mouth. "Will someone please tell me what is going on here?"

    She demanded, the small barb at the end of her tail flicking side to side. Ignite grunted, turning his attention to Flora.

    "Have you informed Cragflight and Crashnova of the situation?" He asked his fellow guard. Flora opened her jaws to speak, but the light purple male interjected.

    "No, she hasn't, and quite frankly, I am not pleased with this intrusion of my sleep." His eyes narrowed up at Ignite, completely ignoring the other dragons. Ignite sighed, rolling his eyes at the smaller dragon. With a huff, he glanced at Emerald before addressing them all.

    "Queen Quartz was attacked tonight. We believe that it was from either a SandWing hybrid or a full-blooded sand dragon." He paused, allowing the dragons time to process what he said, before continuing. "Until further notice, Princess Emerald will stay with Cragflight. Ash and Tornado will remain with her at all times. Two guards will stand outside of the hut and will switch out every few hours." 

    Emerald's gills pulsed and her nostrils flared angrily.

    "My mother was attacked? Where is she?" Emerald demanded, her eyes blazing with unreadable emotions, as she stepped towards Ignite. The guard watched her with unreadable eyes, his tail twitching. Before she could step any farther, Ash wrapped a wing over her body, keeping her from moving. She glared at him and tried to shuffle out of his reach.

    "Emerald," he said sternly, "I know you're worried about her, but for right now it's best we do as Ignite says." She opened her jaws to protest, but he held a talon in the air and waved it at her. "Listen to me. What exactly can you do to help her?" He asked. She closed her mouth, thinking it over, before glaring at him again.

    "She could die with each passing moment! And if I'm not there, then she'll die alone!" She hissed, her eyes wild. Ash sighed, gently taking her talons in his, as he looked her in the eyes.

    "And she could be resting with each passing moment," he shot back gently. "And for all you know, the attacker could be after you too. If both of you are in the same hut, then the attacker would be able to finish both of you off." Ash added. Emerald glared at him, her talons clicking on the stone platform. After a few moments of thinking, her shoulders hunched in.

    "Fine," she growled as she stalked inside the hut. Ash looked at the gray male that had come with them.

    "Come on, Tornado," Ash muttered as he followed behind Emerald. The gray dragon walked after them, his tail flicking as they disappeared inside. Ignite let out a heavy sigh as he turned to the older female.

    "Cragflight, if you need any help, feel free to ask the guards. Flora and Mane have the first watch. The rest of us will get as much sleep as we can." With a nod to the other guards, Ignite flew off into the night. Cragflight quietly walked inside the hut as Flora and Mane, a burly black and brown male, stood in front of the doorway.

~*~

    It was early dawn, the sky a pale gray, when Emerald slipped past the hut door. Two new guards had replaced Flora and Mane, both nodding to her as she stepped onto the stone platform. The coolness of the stone made her feel somewhat better, but the anxiety from the night before continued to flutter in her belly. She stepped closer to the edge of the stone, her talons carefully hanging off. Behind her, Ash and Tornado walked up to her, sharing glances with each other. They brushed up beside the black dragoness and stood on either side of her.

    "Are you ready?" Ash turned to look up at her, his head tilted. She took a deep breath, held it for a few moments, then released it. Emerald nodded and launched herself into the sky, her wings outstretched. Tornado looked back at the other two guards and nodded before flying after her. The two other guards followed them and all four guards formed a protective box around the Princess.

    About half an hour later, the healer's hut came into view. The Princess beat her wings faster until they were close to the platform. Down they spiraled and, upon landing, she rushed inside. The female from the night before was using a broom to sweep the floor. Emerald's green eyes flicked around the hut, but Quartz was nowhere to be seen.

    "Aster, where is my mother?" She rushed towards the female, her eyes wide. Aster looked up, a bit surprised. After gathering herself, she looked over her shoulder, nodding towards a door on the left side of the hut.

    "Quake is helping her put mud on her wound. We're hoping it'll help remove the poison," Aster explained. Emerald's heart lurched in her chest as the healer spoke. 

    "T-thank you," she whispered as she brushed past Aster. Ash and Tornado, who had followed Emerald inside, nodded to the dark blue female in greeting as they trotted past. Emerald flung open the door and bounded inside the room. Quartz lay on a rug, her face twisted in pain, as Quake carefully rubbed mud on the wound in her thigh. "Mother!" At the sound of her daughter's voice, the silvery-gold Queen lifted her head. Emerald was by her side in less than seconds, her talons clamping onto her Mother's. 

    "How are you feeling? Do you need me to get you something? Three moons, I'm so sorry I wasn't here! I would have been here as soon as I found out, but-." She was cut off by her Mother's gentle 'shhh.' 

    "I'm fine, Emerald," Quartz rasped, a wiry smile spreading across her face. "Just.. some pain is all." As if on cue, the Queen winced as Quake spread more mud on the wound. She squeezed Emerald's talons, her eyes alight with a mix of emotions. "I'm glad you're here.. but you can't stay... Go to the palace.

    "You'll be safer there. When.. I have the strength.. I will join you," her Mother murmured. Emerald hesitated. She knew her Mother was in no condition to move, but she couldn't bear to leave her in case she got worse. But what else could Emerald do? She wasn't a healer, and like Ash told her the night before, the two royal dragons could both be in danger. Talons gently gasped her by the chin, dragging her out of her thoughts.

    Green eyes met blue. "I will be fine, Emerald... You go.. I should be better soon... You don't need to worry." Quartz tried to reassure her. Emerald hesitated for a few more moments before finally nodding. 

    "Okay, but I'm visiting you every dawn, afternoon, and sunset until you return." She told her Mother sternly, "That's a promise." Quartz's laugh was weak, but her smile reached up to her sapphire blue eyes.

    "I wouldn't expect anything.. different.. from you... Now go on.. I love you..." The Queen laid her head down, as if she had just flown from one end of Prryhia to the other without rest.

    "I love you too," Emerald whispered back, squeezing her Mother's talons one last time. She turned to Ash and Tornado to find sympathy in their eyes. She could feel the resentment build up in her chest, but she shoved it down. Without a word, Emerald led the way out of the room. They dipped their heads to Aster as they left the hut. Outside, the two guards were waiting patiently for them.

    When Emerald stepped past the door, they stood to attention. Having forgotten about them, she shook out her wings as she addressed the guards. "You two should leave and get some rest. But I want two guards with my mother at all times. And I want to know of any changes in her health." The guards muttered their agreement before bowing to her and flying off. 

    Once they were out of sight, Emerald directed her attention to the East. She jumped off the marble flooring and flew off, Ash and Tornado following her. The Princess looked back over her shoulder, anxiety fluttering in her belly like butterflies. She didn't want to leave her mother, but what choice did she have. With a heavy sigh, she faced forward again, hoping to get rid of the anxious feeling in her gut. However, the fear never left, instead it worsened.

    The trio drifted down to the treetops and flew above the highest branches of the trees. A marble palace grew closer and closer to them the further they flew. The forest suddenly came to a stop, stretching out into a swathe of grass, then a massive palace. Spires reached up towards the sky. Dragons of all colors, shades, sizes, and tribes flitted to and fro from the landing strips that were housed in the spires. The front of the palace had massive windows that let in lots of sunlight. 

    There were many windows that practically lit the palace up all by themselves. At the base of the palace, was a stretch of staircases with a wide path that separated one set from another. These stairs led to a large set of double oak doors. On this path, Emerald could see Crashnova and Ignite. However, they weren't alone. A crowd of dragons was growing, but it was starting to look more like a mob than anything.

    Emerald dove towards the crowd, her eyes searching the dragons.

    "Queen Quartz will be taken care of, but the palace still needs to be watched over!" Crashnova was explaining to the crowd when she got within hearing range. A dainty, pale blue and purple female lifted her head from the crowd.

    "What is the point in watching over it if Queen Quartz isn't here?" She called, her frill rattling. More outraged voices filled the air.

    "Yeah! Maybe if she actually stayed in the palace, this wouldn't be happening!" A dark brown male shouted. Emerald's shadow fell over them, the dragons fell silent as they looked up. The Princess landed next to Ignite and quietly observed the dragons. Ash and Tornado touched down beside them, their faces stoic. Glancing at the adviser and head guard, Emerald stepped forward and addressed the crowd.

    "Mother is currently in recovery with Aster and Quake. Whether or not she used the palace herself, it is still widely used by her servants, guards, those in need of help, and many others." She paused as some started muttering amongst themselves. A sharp 'shhh' silenced them. "She had a meeting set with new builders from the Rain Kingdom," the Princess continued. "With this in mind, the palace is still in great need of being taken care of. 

    "While I may not know the reasons Mother never used the palace other than her meetings, I do know that she wouldn't appreciate being scorned for her choice." Her green eyes fell on the dark brown dragon, and he ducked his head. Whether it was from shame or embarrassment, she couldn't tell. She surveyed the crowd as she ordered, "Now, please, get back to your jobs." After some grumblings, the dragons dispersed and shuffled back into the palace. Turning, Emerald spotted Crashnova and Ignite nodding approvingly.

    "You will make a fine Queen," Crashnova remarked. She dipped her head in appreciation, but she could feel her anxiety still raising.

    "Since my Mother can't be here, I have decided I will take on her tasks for as long as is needed." She briskly informed Crashnova. "What did she have planned for today?" The male's ears perked up in surprise.

    "Princess Emerald, are you sure about that? Even your Mother struggled to do her work, even with help," he reminded her cautiously. Emerald let out a small snort, a plume of smoke leaving her nostrils.

    "I have been training every day, since I was a year old, to become the next Queen of the Hybrid Kingdom. This would put it to great use, and practice, for when I do become Queen," she acknowledged. Crashnova studied her, eyes semi-narrowed. She stared back, her face unreadable. 'Come on, just let me do it. Who else is qualified enough to take over?'

    She asked herself. After several moments, he gave her a curt nod.

    "Fine, you can take over. But only for as long as your Mother is healing." Crashnova glared at Emerald sternly and she nodded in agreement. "The first thing your Mother wished to do today was to add new flowers to the Obsidian Memorial Garden." He reached into a pouch that was strapped onto his side and pulled out a piece of parchment paper. On the paper was a list of flowers.

    "Ah, yes, she already picked them out. Good, good," he hummed. Ignite grunted, distracting the chattering dragons. When he had their attention, he spoke,

    "Since you have this all figured out, I'll be taking some guards to check Quartz's grove. We didn't find anything last night, but now that it's daylight, we should be able to find more clues." Emerald nodded in agreement and watched as the guard flew off.

    "Good luck!" She called after him, watching as his back disappeared, before turning back to Crashnova. "Let's begin, then," she told him cheerfully, leading the way to the Obsidian Memorial Garden.

~●《☆》●~

Author's Note

Do you think they're after Emerald next? Or just Quartz?

Why do you think they killed Quartz?

What are your opinions on the characters so far?

For a word count, I got 4,020 words.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please feel free to vote ^-^
~Dragon