<tabber>|-| Prologue=
~Hoarfrost
"Look at him! Doesn't know a single thing about the Circles! And such an odd name!" Another clipped, high pitched voice trilled. Hoarfrost flattened his ears, cold tears streaming down his face as the owner of that voice whacked him on the snout using his tail. Searing pain shot through him but he didn't want to look weak in front of his bullies so he didn't cower.
"I bet a whole seal that he doesn't know what's The Diamond Trial!" One taunted.
"Nah, he can't be so seal-brained! Right?" The owner of the voice that had whacked him on the tail came again.
"Um, what is it?" Hoarfrost asked, rather timidly, in a rather small voice.
Hoarfrost squinted through his vision, which was marred by tears, to see four-no, five dragonets erupting into barking laughter, one even clutching his stomach for added comedic effect. This taunting and bullying had being going on for months now, ever since the nobles' dragonets had learnt that a dragonet living on the outskirts of the Ice Kingdom passed his seventh hatching day without getting into any of the Seven Circles, lacked the aristocrat personality of an IceWing, and did not know a single thing about the royals. To them, Hoarfrost was a disaster; a failure.
"Well, I keep my seal while you lose yours!" The one who taunted Hoarfrost barked, still laughing. Hoarfrost was extremely tempted to call upon his frostbreath; maybe to just freeze and seal shut that mouth of hers...
"Enough." A stern voice from behind the dragonets made them stop laughing abruptly and whimper. Hoarfrost looked up to see Queen Snowfall. Is she going to save me? Or taunt me like everybody else? Hoarfrost seized the dragonets' distraction opportunity to slink back into the shadows of his hut where his blue eyes watched quietly the commotion. His tail lashed back and forth behind him, stirring up and misplacing the polar bear rugs lain all over his family's hut's floor. He kept his wings folded. His serrated claws were driving deep gouges in the ice floor as he dug them in.
The Queen regally swept into the living room and the warning hiss of frostbreath could be heard from her. Hoarfrost didn't know a single thing about what Queens do. Snowfall advanced menacingly on the dragonets, her serrated claws flexing threateningly, while her whip tail lashed dangerously behind her. Her cold eyes scanned the five of them, and then locked onto Hoarfrost. Hoarfrost, feeling terribly afraid, let out a small whimper and made himself as small as possible, hoping to disappear from the queen's sight. One of the bullies, the only female, was brave enough to snicker.
"For your poor form and demeanor, all of you will shift from Second Circle to Fifth Circle." Snowfall growled low in her throat as she pointed a serrated claw at the female.
"What?!" The female cried in protest. "No fair! W-we were only teasing!"
Sure, Hoarfrost thought savagely. Pretty, little, liar. Apparently whacking dragons on the snout is 'teasing' to you? He saw Snowfall raise an eyebrow, like she was actually buying the story. She closed her eyes to contemplate. The female turned to Hoarfrost and a cruel smirk spread across her snout. Suddenly, something went click in his brain. I've got a plan.. but I just need to be brave.
Hoarfrost mustered up all the remaining courage in his battered soal left in him and crept out slowly, warily from his hiding spot. He rose to his full height, which was not very impressive as he only reached up to the female bully's shoulder even though she was a year younger than him, Hoarfrost judged by her horns. He cleared his throat to get Snowfall's attention, and then he pointed to the whip thin, yet searingly painful wound on his snout. "Queen Snowfall," He said sharply. "I believe she caused it."
"Impossible! Lies!" The female shrieked as Snowfall dragged her tail over and draped it over his snout.
"You're right. For that, you," Snowfall snarled coldly as she pointed at the female who was now keeping her snout shut. "To the Seventh Circle with you. Although I might not like non-royals much, abusing them is certainly unforgivable. Considering your seventh hatching day is only a week away, I'd like to see how you claw your way back up to Second Circle and fulfill your parents expectations." She said in a voice laced with venom.
Although I might not like non-royals much. That cut deeper in Hoarfrost's heart that Snowfall probably realized. So the queen didn't particularly like him after all.
We'll see, Hoarfrost thought in not so many words, but just as sinister.
The female sulked and beckoned the others to leave. As they left, the female turned to Hoarfrost and snarled. "You'll pay one day," She threatened.
In that moment, Hoarfrost had a single goal in mind.
I'll be aggressive. I'll use that smart brain of mine to be malicious, to be cunning.
I'll build a reputation to fear.
<tabber>|-|Part 1: On The Ice, Chapter 1=
~Hoarfrost
Hoarfrost was out hunting again.
"Don't overwork yourself, Hoarfrost." His mother had said before he went out, like how she always did.
"I'll be fine.." Hoarfrost had always replied.
As Hoarfrost's sharp, cold blue eyes scanned the endless, icy white landscape littered with snow, he saw the slightest bit of movement in a seal hole at the far right. He banked, diving towards the hole as silently as he could and landed right next to the hole, his serrated claws gripping the ice. Something had definitely been there- ripples on the water were still there.
Suddenly cold claws closed around his snout and Hoarfrost was dragged under the water. His screams were cut off as his body plunged under the ice, and he was face to face with an IceWing.
Cold realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. He recognized this female IceWing. What was her name? He didn't bother to remember her name but he'd always called her Tail-whip. Tail-whip was the one who gave the thin, barely visible scar on his snout. She was the one who said he would pay.
As Hoarfrost always did, Hoarfrost carried a wolfskin pouch tied under his wing full of throwing knives for hunting, to practice his skills. He had a plan to exact revenge for that fateful day he received his scar, but hadn't fully formed it in his brain yet. He only knew hunting was a practice. As he promised himself that day, he growled, making himself look aggressive and Tail-whip looked momentarily surprised. His brain was making rapid calculations. He needed to train it so he could execute his plan perfectly in the future.
Tail-whip suddenly attacked him and flew out of the water with him, her claws gripping his shoulders as she threw him against the ice. He winced but gritted his teeth, not wanting his weak side to come through. He blasted frostbreath at her eyes but she ducked. Using that moment of distraction, Hoarfrost roared and slipped out of her grasp, whacking her eyes using his tail and then pinning her, holding her head in a headlock.
"Do it then," She spat, tiny ice particles flying out of her mouth. "Kill me."
So he did. She definitely did not expect that as she widened her eyes before he drew the claw.
He slit her throat, and left her bleeding there for a while before pushing her into the hole, leaving her to drown.
He watched the hole for a while. Never had he felt more alive. A thirst of power was slowly unfolding inside him. He stared at the once pristine white figure just sinking deeper, and deeper, until he couldn't see her anymore. Then Hoarfrost washed his claws and continued hunting.