POV Diamond-Scales (Also this takes place before Darkstalker's time, at the NightWing school where Diamond-Scales lives)
Beautywings smiled down at me. I kept my eyes on the scroll in my talons. I would not react. No matter how much it hurt. "So, Diamond-Scales, how did you sleep last night?" she asked, casually examining her black talons. I didn't answer. How can a mindreader be so cruel? I wondered. Can't she see she's tearing me apart, scale by scale?
Beautywings' snout curled into a nasty snarl for a moment- obviously she could hear me thinking that. She regained her dignity and tossed her head so her shiny teardrop scales glinted like tiny moonstones. She snickered as a slender ebony dragoness slunk to her side. Jewelclaws, Beautywings' best friend and cousin, was equally mean and twice as gifted- she was a seer, and a good one, at that. Nevermind the fact that she didn't take it seriously- she never seemed to use her powers unless the outcome benefited her in every possible way. She and Beautywings were a mindreading, foreseeing, bullying tag-team of abuse. Jewelclaws smiled slyly at her cousin. "I foresee that Diamond-Scales will get set on fire if she doesn't answer you right now."
Beautywings laughed unpleasantly. "Oh my, Jewel, you should hear how scared she is right now," She twisted her face up and put on a clueless expression. "Oh no, what if they set me on fire? I can't yell for help!" she said, in a whiny, high-pitched voice. Jewelclaws grinned. "Well, Diamond-Scales? Answer my cousin." Beautywings laughed. "Oh, dear, Jewelclaws, I think we should take her to the infirmary." Jewelclaws tilted her head. "Why?"
"Because, poor, poor Diamond-Scales has lost her voice!" I began to slink past them. Jewelclaws was too busy roaring with laughter to notice me leaving, but Beautywings saw me and blocked my path. "We're not through with you," she growled. I thought up the dirtiest name I could and thought it furiously at Beautywings. She gaped at me. "She called us Moon-Rot," she whispered, shock written on her face. Jewelclaws roared with fury and leaped towards me, claws extended. She grabbed hold of my shoulders and shook me so violently that I couldn't see straight. I slumped onto the floor, blood trickling from my shoulders. Jewelclaws' talons were stained red from digging them into me. Suddenly I regretted ever thinking that at them. Beautywings grabbed one of my wings. I tried to scream, but naturally, no sound came out. Her talons were sharp as they ground into my left wing, breaking through the membrane. I tried to wrench myself out of her grip, but she was stronger. Jewelclaws grabbed my shoulder, in the same spot as before, jabbing her claws into my flesh.
"Don't touch her!" a voice snarled overhead. My legs were weak with relief. Sharpfang. AKA my hero. The NightWing dragonet swooped down, his emerald green underscales making him appear bejeweled. He shoved Beautywings away and snapped at Jewelclaws, who yelled and tried to tackle him, but failed, as he was bigger than her and pushed her away with ease.
"Never touch her again," Sharpfang's voice was soft but furious, quivering with rage and disgust. Beautywings sneered at him. "What are you going to do? Tell your daddy we were having a little fun with your pet mute?"
Sharpfang's father was the history teacher at the NightWing school where I lived. I had never been permitted to take classes in school, (I think everyone thought I was stupid as well as mute), but I had seen the professor walking in the halls or talking to Snapjaw, the librarian. He looked a lot like Sharpfang, except his eyes were gray instead of brown. and he had underscales of dark purple, not emerald green like Sharpfang's. "Actually, I was thinking of telling your daddy," Sharpfang hissed, flexing his claws. Both Jewelclaws and Beautywings blanched. "You wouldn't tell Father," Beautywings cried. "Principal Daring won't believe you," sputtered Jewelclaws.
Sharpfang bared his teeth. One of his two largest fangs was longer than the other, as long as a RainWing fang, which is saying something. "I would, and will." He looked as if he was in a fighting mood (but then, Sharpfang almost always was) and Beautywings must have detected this because she grabbed Jewelclaws' arm and dragged her away with a hiss. Sharpfang examined my wings and shoulders as they disappeared. "Let's get you to the infirmary," he said. I shook my head fervently. The head nurse in there was astonishingly rough. I had no desire to waltz in and be jerked all about until the nurse declared that I was fine and made me leave worse off than I came. Sharpfang chuckled dryly. "I'll grab some bandages and stuff and meet you in the library."
I nodded- that was a much better idea. He set out towards the infirmary and I tread my familiar trail back to the library. One thickset dragonet slammed into me and I nearly bit him, but I remembered that I had already gotten the starbright beaten out of me once today- there was no sense in letting it happen again. I walked past him and through the library doors, greeting Snapjaw with a nod of my head. The bitter old NightWing scowled at me but did not speak. We had learned to tolerate the presence of each other. Students were hurrying around, fussing over exams and chattering nervously about grades. The large windows allowed dusk to shine its light into the big room, and a few dragonets glanced at the sky as if trying to guess how soon they had to go home.
After a few moments of sky-glancing and scroll-staring, the dragonets filed out of the library, heading to their homes. Snapjaw curled up in the corner with a scroll that had her giggling. Sharpfang slithered in, talons stuffed full of jars and rags and rolls of white bandages. "Spread your wings," he ordered. I spread my wings. Gently, he took my left wing in his claws and peered at it. I winced at the touch- no dragon ever touched me- at least, not in kindness. Dried blood was rubbed all over Sharpfang's talons, but he didn't seem to mind. He picked up a damp rag and began to run it over my wing, taking off the blood so he could see my wounds better. He set my wing down and popped open a wide little jar filled with a pasty white substance. Yuck, I thought, wrinkling my snout- it smelled like a combination of mint and dead fish.
Sharpfang coughed and began to smear it over my wounds. I shivered. It was freezing cold, but it felt quite nice, if you didn't breathe through your nose. I felt it soak into the gashes, relieving the sting that Beautywings' claws had left. He wrapped my wing up in one of the bandage rolls, until hardly any of my dark gray scales were visible. "Turn," he said. I turned. Sharpfang repeated the procedure on my shoulder, cloth, paste, bandage. "There, done," he said, looking satisfied. I smiled my gratitude. Taking a bottle of purple ink and a blank scroll off of one of the library tables, I scribbled onto it with one ink-dipped claw. Thank you. Sharpfang smiled at my note, his snaggletooth glinting in the dusk light. "Any time, Diamond-Scales." He frowned suddenly. "I am going to tell Principal Daring. They can't treat you like that."
I raised one brow at him. Obviously they can, I thought. Sharpfang curled his lip and gave a low, furious growl. "I swear- they'll be kicked outta this school- no way Daring will let 'em stay-"
Beautywings is his daughter, and Jewelclaws is his niece, I wrote. He's not going to kick them out of school. Not if we're the ones who tell on them. I thought for a moment before I resumed writing. You get into fights and I'm just the mute freak who lives in the library- Daring doesn't care about us. And Beautywings and Jewelclaws will tell him we're lying. What are the chances he'll trust us over them? I held the scroll out to Sharpfang, who stared at it for a while before saying, "We'll show him your cuts."
I shook my head and grasped the scroll. He'll think I did it to myself to get them in trouble. Sharpfang sighed. "You're right, Diamond-Scales... he'd probably throw us out just for suggesting it." He can't throw me out, I wrote, alarmed. I have nowhere else to go! Sharpfang was quiet for a minute. He gave me a quick, curt nod. "I'd better get home. See you tomorrow?"
I shrugged, but I knew the truth. he would be seeing me, because I had nowhere else to go.
Chapter Two[]
As I lay on my bed that night, I wondered. I did that a lot, wondering. I wondered why my mother abandoned me at this moons-blasted school; I wondered why I could not speak; I wondered why Jewelclaws and Beautywings hated me, when I had never once hated them. At least, not until tonight. I had never liked them, I had not been fond of them, I had found fault with them- now I hated, despised, and loathed them. Or perhaps I had hated them all along. I sat up and sneezed. My "bed" was made up of mildewy cushions that had been soiled in the last year's hurricane. They smelled foul, but it was better than sleeping on the cold, hard floor, which I had done for the first five years of life. I suddenly wished I could breathe a flame into the air so I could read a scroll (I had never been able to breathe fire, for whatever reason) I crept up to Snapjaw's desk and carefully lifted a flickering candle off of it. I slipped through the scroll shelves until a shiny red scroll caught my eye. I held the candle up curiously and read the title. Mysterious Magical Cures, it read, in sparkly gold letters. I settled back down on my cushion bed and unrolled it, my eyes scanning the parchment and I settled on a paragraph titled "The Potion Master"
A sketch of a sour-faced RainWing glared at me from the page. I glared back. The Potion Master is a mysterious RainWing hermit who resides in a cramped and isolated cave at the edge of the Mud Kingdom. Wow, I thought. Practically on the other side of the continent. He boasts that he can cure any dragon of ailment, for the right price. He claims to have healed many dragons, but as he is a shifty sort of RainWing, it is unverified that any of the things he claims are true.
I stared at the scroll, grinning stupidly. Any ailment? Even mine? I tried to imagine myself speaking. It was such a lovely thought that my grin spread even wider. He can help me, I thought dreamily. I shook my head vigorously, trying to squash my smile, but it would not leave my face. I mean probably not, I chided myself reasonably. It says right here that he's not the most honorable character... but then, where's the harm in trying? I can escape this miserable place... I'd rather live my life knowing that I tried, and it didn't work, rather than living wonder whether he could have helped me.
In that moment, it was settled. I darted away from my bed, and the cushions flew wildly. I snatched an old burlap bag off one of the reading tables- whoever had carelessly tossed it there didn't have to worry about it anymore. I stuffed the shiny scroll into it, along with a couple of old blankets and maps I had found in the reading nook. I pulled Snapjaw's beautiful red cloak out of her desk. I thought it was gorgeous, studded with glimmering rubies, but it had been a gift that Snapjaw disliked. I heard her debating once whether to throw it into the ocean or set it on fire. I was glad she had instead jammed it into her desk drawer. I fastened the golden pendant around my neck. It was a bit too large; it hung awkwardly off my narrow shoulders, but other then that it fit quite well, since Snapjaw was such a frail old dragon. I hurried over to the reading desk I had set the blank scroll and inkpot on from earlier. I dunked my claw into the inkpot and scribbled a quick note.
Dear Sharpfang,
I have left to find the Potion Master. Thank you for being kind to me. I wish you luck here, even though it really sucks in this school. I expect you'll keep Jewelclaws and Beautywings in check.
Very Sincerely,
Diamond-Scales
I snatched a slate and pencil off a desk before waltzing excitedly over to the library doors. I looked up at them, thinking nervous, eager thoughts. Finally, I pushed on it with all my weigh, but it didn't budge. Moonfire and star vomit, I silently cursed, scowling. I had never attempted leaving the library at night, and it now dawned on me that Snapjaw locked me in every night. Besides, I thought angrily, It wouldn't have worked anyway. The main doors to the school are so loud I would have woken the professors for sure.
I glanced around the library. I'll have to use the windows, I realized, still frowning at the stupid locked doors. I let out a long-suffering breath of air. I already knew the huge library windows were locked, I had tried to open one the night before. The key had to be somewhere, right? I searched hopefully through scroll racks and crawled under tables, wondering where Snapjaw could have hidden it. Growing more frustrated by the second, I took out my anger on a painting of some dragonets playing scales-and-squares with huge, dopey smiles. I snarled furiously at them, and they smiled placidly back at me. I resisted the urge to slash the painting. Stop smiling! Can't you see how upset I am? Do you want me to be stuck here forever? Fine. At least I'm not a painting. You're stuck playing scales-and-squares forever!
I turned away from the stupid perfect dragonets and their stupid perfect friends and their stupid, stupid perfect lives. I began tossing scrolls off of Snapjaw's personal shelf, the ones kept away from the students. I had leafed through them on a night that I was particularly bored. They had silly titles like Twine Your Tail With Mine, or Never Let Go of My Claws. I could see why Snapjaw kept them hidden- they were extremely embarrassing (I tried reading one called Stars in Your Eyes and I blushed furiously every time I picked it up).
It struck me like a bolt of lightning. Her favorite scroll! I tossed aside a purple one I had been holding and scrambled over to her desk and yanked one of the drawers open. I grinned as I pulled off the cloth that hid the well loved scroll. It was titled, Love in the Sky, and I had never dared to open it, mostly because it sounded so absolutely trashy. I excitedly unrolled it and a small tarnished key fell with a plink onto the scuffed library floor. I snatched it up and hurried over to the grandest of the library windows. My breath felt shaky as I jammed the key into the lock.
Click.
With a mighty heave, I opened the window enough for me to wriggle through, and found myself standing on the school's roof. I breathed in the sweet night air. Thousands of tiny silver stars glittered in the black sky, twinkling like diamonds. The moons smiled down at me, and I smiled back. I stretched my wings and winced. The gashes from Beautywings' claws burned with indignation. I tried to shake off the pain, but but my wings were screaming with agony, begging me to sneak back inside, curl up on my moldy cushions and continue living my dull, unnoticed life. Do I really want that? Back to invisible, unheard? Do I go back in, fix up the mess I made and try to go back to sleep when I know I could be living a grand adventure?
I glanced down at the ruby red cloak pinned around my shoulders. It was beautiful, but not practical for night flying. I turned it inside out so only the lining of black velvet showed.
I knew I would be invisible in the night.
Chapter Three[]
I was curled beneath a weeping willow tree. After many days and nights of flying, with hardly any sleep in between, the security of the tree was welcomed. Sunlight beamed through the translucent green leaves as I blinked wearily and stretched my injured wings. I gave a mental shriek of pain as I stood, falling into the soft grassy area. I laid my left wing out so I could examine it better. The bandages Sharpfang had wrapped around it were dirty and gray, blood oozing out of the edges. I untangled myself from them, staring wide-eyed at my wing. Dried blood covered it almost completely, and yellow-green pus leaked out of every cut. My shoulder wounds looked exactly the same.
Turtle guts, I swore in my head. I forgot to clean them and put on new bandages. I pulled the jar of stinky white paste out of my burlap bag, desperate for relief, but it was watery and slid right off of my wing. It had melted in the sun. I snarled my frustration, smacking the wide little jar into the dirt. I'm near the Mud Kingdom, I reminded myself, already beginning to calm down. There must be a stream nearby.
I heaved my bag over my back, the agony of my wing and shoulder becoming more and more prominent. I was hopeful, though, because with every step I knew I was closer to finding my voice. My stomach roared with sudden hunger. I frowned.The last meal I had were some minnows I caught in a stream the night before, and now I needed real food. I had never been able to hunt for myself before, and I was quickly discovering that I wasn't too great at it. I prowled through the tall, itchy grass, A hare darted through my path and I reached out hopefully, but I was too slow. I shook my head glumly as the skinny creature squirmed into its burrow. It was too small to be anything. anyway, I thought. I sighed and trudged forward.
Hours passed, my wing and shoulder shrieking more with every step. I was ready to give up by the time the clear, cold smell of water smacked into my snout. I broke into a full-fledged grin and padded through a thick grove of trees, and lying, as if waiting for me, a crystal clear lake glittered beneath the sun.I shot toward it, any remembrance of my pain shrouded by delight. I had never seen anything so beautiful.
I splashed around a bit, carefully staying only where I could touch the bottom. I had never had to swim before, and the idea of being eaten by the peaceful pond made me shiver. I liked the way the water cleaned my gashes, but the unknown depths made me nervous. I'd read that swimming is instinctive for all dragons, but speaking was supposed to be, too, and I'd already failed that. I trembled. No thank you, I'd stay in the shallows. My ugly dark gray scales were already shinier and cleaner then they'd ever been, and I slid onto the shore, lying in the sun with my tail draped in the water.
A sugary smell drifted into my nose and I sat up. Food! I scrambled to my feet and noticed a pile of fruit that I hadn't noticed before, baking in the sun. I practically skipped over and picked up a mango. It was smooth and sweet and sticky as the juice trickled pleasantly down my hoarse throat. I cut the spiny exterior off of a pineapple with my dull gray claws. It was tart, but just as tasty. I finished every last bite of the fruit, not stopping long enough to wonder where this mysterious bounty came from anyway.
"HEY!" Suddenly shoved into the sand, the breath had been knocked from my body. I gaped at the dragon standing over me. His scales were ruby red, his eyes bloodshot, ruff flared menacingly, and though small for such an old dragon, he was bigger than me. "You'll be sorry for eating my fruit, you lazy moonlicker!" he snarled, flashing teeth even bigger and sharper than Sharpfang's. I wanted to explain my mistake, but I could only lay there, lake water rolling over my snout, wet sand painful against my wounds, wondering if he was going to melt my face off with venom.
The more the RainWing glared at me, the more familiar he looked. I had never met a RainWing, so the reason I knew his face was beyond me. I stared at his long face, bony and creased with age. I stared at his scales. dull and singed with burns, but colorful. And lastly I stared at his talons, chipped and sharp and shaking. He bared his teeth, opened his mouth, and shot two twin jets of black liquid right at my eyes. I rolled quickly, avoiding the venom, and, summoning all my strength, squirmed out of his grip and darted down the beach.
"Oi! You get back here," he rasped. "I'm not through with you, NightWing! I ought to darg you back to my cave and boil you alive in my potion pot!" I turned and gaped at him. Potion pot! You idiot, Diamond-Scales! I screamed at myself. He's the Potion Master! HIM! Don't be a coward! Go! You came all this way, are you going to turn and run away now? Go! Go!
It was hard, though, to be courageous and walk back to the RainWing, who was screaming that he was going to drench me in venom and drown me in poison. Which I thought was a bit dramatic, but whatever. I dug through my bag, trying to ignore the Potion Master- "I'll rip those oversize horns outta your head and stab you with them!" and pulled out my slate.
I need a potion, I wrote. The Potion Master stopped yelling long enough to glare at my slate. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded. "Besides them looks, I mean."
Mute, or at least, that's what they tell me. He nodded, a strange expression crossing his face. "Follow me, kid,"
I hurried after him. He walked briskly, at a surprising speed for his age, and we talked as we walked. Well, he talked and I wrote, but it's the same thing, really. "I've got just the recipe," he said. "Never got the chance to try it on a dragon, though. Tried it on a cow once, made it so talkative I had to drop a boulder on hr head just to shut her up."
A cow and a dragon aren't exactly the same thing, I remarked on my slate. The Potion Master surprised me by laughing. "Close enough," he said. What kind of pay do you take? Treasure? Food? Souls? I asked. It had not occurred to me before, and the Potion Master didn't seem like the kind of dragon who did anything for anybody without some kind of reward. He smiled, a twisted, rigid smile. "I'm not near that cheap."
My heart sank. Had I come all his way just to be sent back? I'll do anything. I meant it. "All you have to do is get me the items I need. I'll give you the list, you bring 'em back here and I'll mix up our potion. Simple as that, really." I nodded. It can't be that hard, right? It'll probably be like 'hey, go get me some leaves,' or 'I really need this certain kind of root, can you do that, kid?' Not hard at all. Really. I assured myself. A cave came into view, dug out of a steep, grassy hill. "Wait here, kid," the Potion Master said.
My name is Diamond-Scales, I corrected him. He barely glanced at my slate. "Fine, Diamond-Scales, whatever, JUST WAIT HERE."
His skinny coiled tail disappeared into the dugout cave. I tapped my talons impatiently, listening to the old RainWing swearing under his breath. Finally, FINALLY, after what felt like hours, he slipped out of his cave and thrust a scroll, a few small glass bottles, and several black velvet sacks into my talons. I took a deep breath and opened the scroll. Scrawled at the top, in less than perfect penmanship, green letters spelled out, WHAT I NEED.
I swallowed and read on.
TWO FLASKS OF RAINWING VENOM (NOTE: VENOM MUST BE FROM TWO RELATED DRAGONS)
A DRAGONWING FLOWER
A MAYFLY
A FIREPROOF SCALE
A BLACK PEARL
A CORAL BRANCH
A SKYWING GENERAL'S MEDALLION (BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN COLLECTING/STEALING)
A GOLDEN EAGLE FEATHER
A FLASK OF SANDWING TAILBARB VENOM (OR THE WHOLE TAILBARB, PREFERABLY)
A BIT OF BRIGHTSTING CACTUS (MUST BE THE SCORPION DEN VARIETY)
A STRAND OF CAMEL HAIR
A SILVER TEARDROP SCALE
A ROYAL NIGHTWING MOONSTONE
AN ICEWING FANG
A TUFT OF POLAR BEAR FUR
A HYBRID SCALE
This stuff is insane! I am literally going to die. Seriously- I mean, one of Queen Valiant's moonstones? An IceWing fang? I wonder who will kill me first... an angry IceWing cause I knocked out his tooth or a polar bear since I ripped out his fur... Maybe it'll be Queen Valiant. No, no, definitely a furious SkyWing general. Or maybe Beautywings, after I slice off that silver scale she's so proud of. Heck, maybe I'll drown getting the pearl.
I shook my head. No. No. NO. I could NOT DO THIS. It was the most idiotic idea. I MOST CERTAINLY COULD NOT. Could I? I mean, wasn't it worth it, to get the voice I so longed for? If perhaps, once my journey was done, I might be able to speak to Sharpfang, the one dragon who'd ever been kind to me? Or yell at Beautywings and Jewelclaws? Or laugh, or sing, or scream my happiness to the sky? Wouldn't it be worth it then?
I looked at the Potion Master, stared steadily into his black eyes. Thanks, I wrote on my slate. I'll leave right now.
Chapter Four[]
It had seemed natural to head to the Mud Kingdom first, since it was the closest. But now, as I slunk into the small MudWing village, I wasn't so sure. The MudWings were unbelievably loud- those that weren't asleep, that is. All the plain, brown dragons I could see were either snarling and fighting with each other, or snoring in thick, marshy mud. They had huts made of dusty, hard dirt- or at least, it looked like dirt. It very well could have been anything else.
I threw my (or rather, Snapjaw's) red cloak over my head, so only my gray snout was visible. A gang of roly-poly MudWing dragonets saw me coming and squeaked in surprise. "Look!" I heard the biggest one shout. "Creepy dragon coming this way!"
The others, her siblings, I presume, yelped and scrambled to get out of the way. One little MudWing whimpered that he thought I was some kind of scary hooded gray ghost. The others squealed with horrified delight at this assumption, and end from then on, every time I turned, I could see four pudgy brown tails disappearing behind a hut or a vendor's cart.
I jumped in surprise a I realized the adult MudWings were beginning to follow me too- they looked more suspicious than the dragonets (though I wouldn't exactly call being referred to as a scary hooded gray ghost flattering). "Who are you?" snarled one heavily muscled dragon, who was about three times my size. Of course, I didn't answer. He growled, a sound coming from deep inside his large chest.
"I said, who are you?" he snarled, his expression twisting furiously as he stepped closer to me. "You talk now you little freak-"
Sorry, can't, I thought, I froze in shock as he reached out and grabbed the collar of my cloak. I let out a silent snarl and sunk my teeth into his armored forearm. He roared with pain, but I only bit down harder. My teeth ached from his jewel-hard scales, but I was not giving up now. He tried to throw me off, but I hung by my teeth and refused to let go. One tall female MudWing jumped from the crowd, and with one smack of her powerful tail, she knocked me off of him and I flew into one of the dirt huts.
Pain seared through me, from the tips of my claws to the end of my tail.
Crack.
At first I thought the sand was one of my bones, or all of them, but my stomach dropped as I realized it was the building itself. The hut crumbled and cracked, and I watched in stupor as it fell to the ground, swallowing the dragons in it. A few muffled screams came from the dirt, and many broad, flat faces burst from the avalanche.
Wings wrapped around me, and I only remember looking up into a pair of orange eyes before everything went as black as an endless night.