Hi there! If you are reading this Hooray! this is my first OC writing piece, its a love story between a icewing named Snowcloud and a Sky-mudwing named Mudpot. I really enjoy writing this and it is not yet done. any feedback is greatly appreciated and I don't have a solid plan for the story so suggestions are much appreciated. The story alternates perspectives between Mudpot and Snowcloud and for the most part it should be semi-easy to figure out whose chapter it is. This whole story is original and any attempts to steal or plagiarize it will be treated as such and are greatly unwanted.. Though I should hope one wouldn't steal it. Other than that, please enjoy the story! ~SundewRAGE46 (Aka; Rage)
Reference bases by TheCraftyDragonC
Snowcloud, Icewing, She/her
Mudpot, Sky-mudwing, She/her
Part 1[]
I cling desperately to her shoulder, my claws digging into her cold, smooth, soft, scales. I wish my scales were cold, or even cool. But instead they're too warm, not enough to be dangerous, just enough to make others dragons give me unsettled, disturbed, disgusted, dirty looks. Disturbed, disguested, and dirty. Three 'D's ha, thats funny. I chuckle internally then shake away the irrational humor, I just have to get across this endless, dusty, baking wasteland of a desert and then I can rest, and then I'll be free. We'll be free. Me and Snowcloud, forever friends, forever partners? I love her so much, but if we don’t make it through this desert I may never be able to admit that to her. FOCUS, desert, walk, now, grammer, work, also now. I stumble, grabbing Snowclouds wing and accidentally tripping her and myself. "Ack!" She lifts her head and spits out sand.
"Are you okay?" I ask, helping her back up, "sorry," I add. She looks at me with that smile that makes me feel like nothing could ever be wrong.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But neither of us will be if we don't get across this desert before the sandstorm hits," She points up at the darkening sky and my stomach drops, if we get caught in that storm it will be all my fault. My wing was broken in a fight we'd had with a couple of skywings who hated hybrids in the Sky kingdom, and Snowcloud had saved me and was now helping me to Sanctuary, because she can’t enter the mud or sky kingdoms without being attacked by bounty hunters. But in Sanctuary I can live in peace, hopefully with Snowcloud if she decides to stay with me.
However none of that matters until we cross this stupid desert. I trip over my tail and pick myself up, snorting sand particles out of my nose, and laughing like a lunatic. My head is beginning to spin, which is probably not a good thing. "Mudpot, are you doing okay after that fight?" I look over at Snowcloud, her eyes are so full of worry and care, her dark wings are twitched toward me, ready to catch me if I fall again. Why is she so kind to a dragon like me?
"You're really nice, d'you know that?" I ask, my words blurring together. The frown on her face deepens, shaking her ice-spikey things she looks into my eyes, doing a soul check HEhehehe soul check, soil check, soil heck, heck, wish this was soil, or mud. She must see that I'm a mess right now because she starts to look around for something. "Whatcha looking for icy cloudy snow? Nothing out here but us sandy dragons, the sanddragon wings aren't even out here, just me you and the saaaaaaannnndddd" my voice is wobbling, my words slurring together and making me sound like a psycho.
"We need to get you to a hospital, you're having a heat stroke and the pain from your wing is making you mentally unstable," She finally says, and I can’t help thinking that for an icewing she is doing remarkably fine. I should probably feel ashamed for thinking that, but I don't, I just feel light, like nothing really matters. Oof, she's right, we need to find shelter. I process the last part.
"Mentally unstable?" I mutter, "You're calling me a freak! Like everyone else! Why'd I think you'd be any different, so stupid," my words trip each other up, tumbling over each other in a race to leave my jaws. What am I doing? She's different! I know she is! She would never call me a freak! Wait, I need to shut up, I can't mess this up! I stumble catching the look of mingled worry and frustrated shock on her face.
"I would never call you a freak," She says, she sounds so calm, I know, wind begins to pelt my face, pushing me into the sand, I need rest but the storm is almost upon us. Crap, I'm not going to make it. I feel my sanity leaving me as my head spins faster and the world becomes blurry. "I see a oasis! We can camp there! Come on!" Snowcloud yells over the wind, I collapse, Snowcloud gasps and rushes to my side, trying to pull me up and to the oasis. I can't move though, it feels like my limbs have been turned into the sand that surrounds us.
"Snowcloud," I look at her as best as I can, "I'm not going to make it," I say, squeezing her cold shoulder, I'm going to miss it. "You need to go, fly away, come and get me once the storm dies," I won't be there when it does but I need to get her out, and the storm is becoming fierce. I can no longer see and my brain is full of piercing lightning and mirrors. I can barely tell which way is up.
"I love you Snowcloud, now run." We'll crap, that wasn't scripted. The darkness closes in around me and suddenly the world goes quiet and my sight goes dark.
Part 2[]
“I love you Snowcloud, now run-” Her eyes fluttered closed, and she crumpled to the ground. She loves me? My brain echoed, losing sight of priorities. No, of course she doesn’t love me. It’s just the heat stroke, she’s delirious. I need to get her to that oasis. I won’t leave her. I look up, the oasis wasn’t that far away, but I’m forgetting that I need to carry — or drag— a dragon twice my size there as well. Growling in frustration, I lean down and sling Mudpot’s arm over my neck and begin to carry/drag her to the oasis, pushing what she said out of my mind.
The sandstorm made it hard, and the added floppiness from Mudpot being unconscious made the journey unsteady and tripped me up more than I would have liked. Straining, I pull Mudpot over the top of a dune and I start to maneuver down, only to have the sand shift under my talons, making me fall and start rolling down the dune. I tuck my wings in and as soon as I slow a heavy object bashes into my back, forcing me further down the dune. I quickly stand up, shaking off a couple pounds of sand that are quickly replaced. I glance at Mudpot, who is looking a lot worse than before. I’m not going to be able to get her all the way there
Dread settles into my bones, I’m going to have to leave her behind. I hurriedly glance around, for something that might be our salvation, and I find it. A little ways back up the sand dune is a small rocky cave, slowly being covered by sand. If we stay there and I bail the sand out, maybe, just maybe, we’ll both survive. Grabbing Mudpot’s forearm I drag her up and up, trying to find my footing in the wind blown sand.
After what feels like an eternity we make it up to the cave, quickly, I clear the sand out of the entrance and drag Mudpot through the sand waterfall at the entrance. The cave is small, but cool with a small ledge at the back. I exhale some tiny frost breath particles onto the ledge to cool it down further, and push Mudpot on top. Using my claws I begin to carve a small dip into the ground, alternating between that and bailing sand out of the cave. Eventually the dip is big enough and I fill it with frost breath, once it melts Mudpot will be able to drink it and get over the heatstroke.
Over the next few hours I rotate through three things, bailing out sand, making more ice-holes, and checking on Mudpot. My muscles ache and I feel like I’ve aged a hundred years by the time the storm dies. I bail out the sand for the last time and curl up on the cool floor. The ice has melted and pools of water lay scattered on the floor. It’s probably not the best water to drink, but it will keep Mudpot alive until we reach the oasis. The sky outside is blue with the sun shining cheerfully down at the newly formed sand dunes.
A groan sounds from behind me, and I turn sharply to see Mudpot rolling over and opening her eyes shakily. “Here, drink these,” I said, gesturing to the pools of water scattered around the floor. It’s probably best if I don’t tell Mudpot that the water is my melted frost breath. She groans agreeably and leans over, slowly drinking a couple pools of water before her eyes slam shut and she falls into the 4th one. I growl, that will have to be enough.
I pick up her arm and drag her back through the cave entrance and into the blindingly cheerful sun, resuming the trek to the oasis.
***
Falling into the shade of a palm tree I let out a relieved laugh, my white scales are starting to burn and my blood feels like it’s sizzling under the hot sun. And I imagine Mudpot is only doing worse. The oasis is not huge, but a small tent that collapsed in the storm stands next to the cool pool of water. Above me huge palm trees spread their leafy fronds, catching the sun before it reaches the ground. Quickly I reassemble the tent and find some sandy fruit in a basket along with some smoked meat and medicine. Thank you, Queen Thorn! I am so grateful for the new law that was passed.
A couple months ago Queen Thorn declared that every oasis must be equipped with food, water, and medicine in case someone got stranded and really needed any of those things. I could not be more happy that she did. Dragging Mudpot onto the sandy rug inside I rip off a piece of cloth from the tent and dip it into the water, resting it on Mudpot’s head. By some miracle we’ve both survived. Now, the only thing I need to do is Wait for her to wake up. Then we can keep going to Sanctuary. Then I can ask if she meant what she said. Leaning back against a rock, I wait.
Part 3[]
I am vaguely aware that I cannot open my eyes. Even less aware that the red and orange swirls I see is the light shining through my closed eyelids. I don’t know where I am or what happened though, for all I know this is death and I am dead. But as I gently slide into a more conscious state and begin to feel a throb of dull pain in my wing and cool droplets of water dripping down the crown of my skull and realize I am still alive. Urg, unless pain is a thing after death.
Groggily, I feel my talons around the area where I am lying, like a queen looking for lost treasure. Finding that a rough fabric is settled on a shifty surface beneath me and small grains of something— probably sand— are scattered on the fabric in addition to on me. I make an attempt to open my eyes and wince as my eyelids rip apart from whatever glued them together, but I immediately shut them again as the light from around me blinds me, making me see greenish-yellowish-pink spots. Rubbing my eyes, I peel my eyes back open, slowly this time, and look up at the sky through the eyes of a newborn dragonet.
The sun is so blindingly bright that the sky is a distorted white. Groaning, I turn over to face the ground and color begins to blur into my sight and I turn over to see where I am. A small pool of water lies in the middle of a swathe of palm trees and frond bushes. I’m in a desert oasis I realize. Looking closer to where I lie, I notice that I’m inside a dark reddish brown tent, my talons tangled in the rough, sandy rug. Next to me a damp rag rests on the rug and is slowly creating a dark dark splotch that sticks out against the orange. Aside from the rug, rag, and me, the tent contains a basket along with a small table that carries a scroll with something on it and a bowl filled with water. I go for the water.
Its cool and begins to un-dry my throat which feels like it shriveled up and died in the sun. The bowl empties too quickly and I stumble, rushing for the oasis. My mind can think of nothing except the water until my throat feels sufficiently rehydrated. My mind begins to clear and I let out a dry laugh of relief, walking back to the tent to look for some food. I find some meat and begin munching, sitting at the table. My eyes wander to the scroll which I now see has some drawings on it, a couple of the oasis, some of a dragon lying on the rug with a rag on their head, one of a cave flooding with sand with two dragons, one bailing the sand out, the other —who seemed to be the same as the rug one— lying surrounded by holes.
Wait a second…. I squint at the dragons again, they both looked very familiar. I let out a gasp, Tha- that’s me and Snowcloud! Realization rose its head once again. “But- hold on-” I swing around in a circle, accidentally knocking the table over and stepping on the rag. There was no one else at the oasis. My voice sounds small when I speak next, even though I don’t want it to.
“Where’s Snowcloud?”
Part 4[]
The flight back to the oasis was a relatively short one, but since I am an icewing, the sun boring into my scales feels like molten lava being coated over my back and wings. Not to mention that the steam from the cooked meat and now boiling fruit was unbearably uncomfortable as it wrapped around my stomach and sent delicious wafts that promised food to my snout. I groan as I look over the vast desert. It seems so big. Like it could swallow you and your loved ones up the moment you touched down. A shiver ran down my spine that reminded me brutally of Mudpot.
Had she meant what she had said in the desert? Or had it just been the heat stroke taking over her brain, turning her thoughts into something they weren’t? Either way, I definitely wasn’t gonna just leave her in that desert alone, and I was definitely going to ask her if she’d meant it, because— well, I don’t know why exactly I would ask her, maybe to ease my conscience? But how would that ease my conscience? I shouldn’t ask her immediately, that’s for sure. But eventually I will, and in some far off part of my mind whispered;
When I've had the time to figure out if I feel the same way.
***
The oasis was growing in size and now I could see the tent and bushes and even the rug where Mudpot had been lying. I blinked in surprise and blinked a couple times, bringing my wings in so I plummeted quickly, landing on the sand and scattering grains across the disheveled rug. The rug that had an absence of dragons. Setting down the bag of food I begin to call out for Mudpot, walking around the oasis and looking for where she might have gone.
I search for what seems like forever, but everything seems to be abandoned. I cry out in frustration, why couldn’t she just stay put when she woke up! Now I won’t be able to ask– NOPE! Incorrect, thoughts, Now I won’t be able to find or make sure she’s okay! AUGH! I hate intrusive thoughts, I also hate it when supposedly unconscious dragons wake up and LEAVE
I stomp down to the water angrily, lashing my tail at the waters edge before leaning over to drink. The water feels good and cool as it sloshes down my throat, cooling the parts of me that were burning. Fallen leaves encircle the edges of the pool and scraggly rocks mixed with grayish mud coat the bottom of the pool. The sky is becoming a darker shade of red, its probably been about an hour since I got back. I’ll have to wait now, just hoping she comes back, and hoping she hasn’t been killed or kidnapped.
I peer a little further into the water and in its murky depths, against the reddening reflections, I see a darker shade of red, coming from between the rocks and mud. I hiss and jump back, the red begins to move and it stirs up a cloud of mud, slowly rising to the surface. I get into attack position, it’s the red of a skywing so I assume two things, #1 Mudpot was kidnapped, and #2 don’t let this dragon fly. I step closer and crouch down, as soon as their head breaks the water, bringing bubbles to the surface, I leap for them, using my wings to glide to the middle of the pool, the Skywing ducks underwater and I quickly turn around, raising my talons and lashing at the Skywing as they reemerge. They cry in pain and raise their arms in defense.
“Snowcloud stop!” she says, and I realize i’ve made a grave error with assumption 1. She gently puts a talon on my shoulder and my instincts kick in. She must realize this because she kicks off of me just before I reach to grab her talon for an arm breaking twist. “Snowcloud! It’s okay, it’s just me! It’s Mudpot,” The words hit me all at once and I sink down from my attack in realization.
“Moons above Mudpot!” I say, anger replacing the jolt from realization. She laughs, it sounds good to hear it, and I want to smile with her, but I’m still mad. “Do you realize how long I’ve been looking for you? And how worried I’ve been since I got back? I called for you so many times I thought everyone in the next oasis could hear me!” She frowns and looks down guiltily.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize— I was asleep, the mud muffled all sound. I just woke up and saw you there, I’m sorry I scared you,” She said, her voice soft as she turned her face away sheepishly.
I frown and paddle towards shore, climbing out of the water and shaking off droplets under the now purpling sky. I hear Mudpot emerge behind me but keep walking to the tent, resettling the rug and digging a small pit, setting some smaller pieces of wood inside it and laying out another mat that I got in the neighboring town.
“Mind lighting the fire?” I ask, sitting on the mat under the tent and pulling the bag of meat and fruit towards me, taking out a few pieces as Mudpot lights the wood on fire. I pass her some of the meat and take a bite out of my own, it’s still warm. I look across to find that she's sitting on the rug, attempting to hide the scratches I gave her that are now bleeding. I’m ashamed, I don’t want her to see me like that, a dragon who strikes first and triggers easily. I never wanted to be that dragon either. but when the summons came, it was me or him, and no one minded if I was the one they lost. Not even my Uncle and Aunt.
I get up and wet the rag I used on Mudpot’s forehead, walking back over her, I begin to fix the damage I’ve done. Stemming the blood and sewing the cuts. I made a grave error with assumption 2 as well, she can’t fly, and even if she could she wouldn’t, because she’s curious about what she said too.