In my story, Jade mountain is more developed, with more teachers and classes than the original. Please do not edit.
Story by:SirDragonsALot
Prologue[]
Two dragons were sitting in the rain, their scales shimmering with droplets as they waited in the bleak, misty atmosphere. The thunder rumbled softly in the distance, and the lightning flickered intermittently, casting brief, eerie shadows across the rocky terrain. Their breaths formed small clouds of steam that mingled with the rain.
"Your majesty, if I may," said one of the dragons, his voice tinged with a nervous edge, "I'm not sure we should be out here. Who did you say we were meeting again?" He shifted uneasily, his wings folded tightly against his sides to shield them from the downpour. Queen Ruby, her scales a darker red that blended in well with the dreary landscape, gazed thoughtfully into the distance. The mountainous expanse before them was cloaked in fog, making it hard to discern much beyond a few dozen feet. “Someone important,” she replied, her tone measured but betraying a hint of frustration.
Ruby’s eyes scanned the horizon, searching for any sign of the dragon they were expecting. The minutes stretched into hours, and each passing moment heightened her unease. The rain continued to fall relentlessly, and the chill in the air seemed to seep into her very bones. Where is she? Ruby thought anxiously. The dragon they were waiting for should have arrived by now, but some unknown delay had kept them waiting far longer than anticipated.
As she pondered the situation, the sound of approaching wings broke through her thoughts. Ruby’s attention snapped to the east as a dark shape emerged through the haze. The silhouette of another dragon grew clearer, moving steadily towards them through the rain.
“Queen Ruby!” came a voice, slightly out of breath but laced with a note of apology. The newcomer, a dragon with shimmering orange scales, landed gracefully on the far edge of the cliffside, her wings folding neatly behind her. “Sorry for the holdup. I… got distracted. But, here’s the thing you wanted.” She extended a talon, holding out a small, weathered sack.
Ruby stepped forward, her curiosity piqued despite the rain still pouring down. She accepted the sack with a nod of gratitude and carefully untied it. Inside, nestled among a few layers of cloth, were several objects of significant importance—each one meticulously crafted and imbued with magic. Ruby’s eyes narrowed as she inspected the contents, her mind already racing with the implications of their presence.
After a moment of scrutinizing the items, Ruby closed the bag with a satisfied nod. “Thank you, Canary,” she said, her voice carrying a note of genuine appreciation. Canary, still dripping from the rain, offered a relieved smile and a slight bow before stepping back, giving Ruby space. The queen's gaze returned to the misty mountains, a sense of determination settling over her. The storm outside mirrored the tumult within, but with the delivery complete, the next steps in their mission were now clear.
Chapter 1[]
Cardinal sat at the foot of the hill, taking in the morning air and smiling. Jade Mountain Academy, He thought, glancing up the hill, then up the mountain behind it. He had been surveying the school location, but today there were dragons from all tribes flowing into the rock surface, time to go. Cardinal’s bright orange-red scales flashed and seemed to glow as he took off and swooped gracefully onto the stony ledge. Dragons were everywhere, at least 40 were standing on the ledge finding their clawmates and introducing themselves. A female IceWing, white with feathery patterns of gray along her wings, was sitting down, clearly having trouble with something. Cardinal shook his head, that wasn’t his problem, she could struggle out here all day and he didn’t have to care.
Although…a friend wouldn’t be too bad, well, technically according to mom I’ll make friends with the other dragonets. Cardinal walked over to the IceWing. “Need some help?” He asked, she glanced up as he spoke, her shining in the sunlight. “No?” she said, and he saw that she was holding an ice sculpture in her talons, a really well-made replica of a bird in flight, that was starting to melt. The IceWing was trying to refreeze the ice sculpture with her frostbreath, but also not injure herself in the process. Cardinal studied how he might be able to help. “No, thanks, really.” The IceWing smiled a bit, "You’re really sweet to ask, but…I don’t know if you could help me with this."
“Oh,” Cardinal answered, “Ok, then.” The IceWing’s tail was twitching, like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. Cardinal picked up his map and located his cave. Clawmate(s):Mink. Cave:2L. He turned down the tunnel and looked for 2L. After a while, he finds his cave and walks in. Seeing a rocky ledge on the wall, he flew up to it and settled down, closing his eyes for just… a… moment…
Cardinal woke with a start, he hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but the sun was starting to sink below the horizon, the light from it melting into the distance until the sky was black and speckled with stars. Cardinal glanced over under his ledge, and he saw the IceWing from earlier. “Oh, hello, you must be Mink?” The IceWing glanced up from her carving and looked a little awkward. “Oh, um, yes, I’m Mink.” Cardinal yawned and jumped down from his rock ledge. “Well, see you later then.” Cardinal walked out of his cave and strode down the tunnel until he could smell the fresh air from the entrance. He walked a bit faster to the entrance, and when he got there, he stretched his wings and dove off the cliff ledge, flinging his wings open to skim the ground with his claws and soar through the air. Cardinal did a little twist-flip in the air, spiraling through the sky. The moonlight shone and illuminated the rocky outcroppings and places for prey to hide. Cardinal saw a few NightWings sitting outside, gazing up at the two full moons. One of the NightWings flew up to where Cardinal was. The NightWing looked at the moons, their milky white surfaces glowing in the darkness. “Beautiful, aren’t they?” The NightWing said, glancing at Cardinal for a second, her deep purple eyes matching the dark tones of her scales. “Yeah…” Cardinal said, yawning. Cardinal exchanged names with the NightWing and said bye, soaring back down to his cave. When he got back, Mink was curled up on her ice slab bed, clutching her little ice sculpture, he could tell she was asleep. Cardinal lay on his rock ledge, shifting constantly, he could hear dragons talking outside, he could see a thousand tiny bugs on the windowsill. In the distance, the desert was stretched across the horizon. After a while, Cardinal curled up and went to sleep.