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The rose scaled hatchling flew around the HollyBerry Palace happily, fragile wings flapping excitedly as they flew. They landed hard and skidded along the ground, small claws making sharp indents in the marbled floors. The infant babbled as it clambered up a large statue, snuggling close to the hard foot of the sculpture. A visage of their parent’s wife, and the owner of the palace. HollyBerry Cookie! The thought of her made fond chitters emerge from the hatchling, their floral tail swishing happily. They looked up out of the window behind the statue, gazing up at the lavender tinted moon. Long, warbling shadows cast an eerie light over the hall, almost like…
“Sssnapdragon!” A rumbly voice echoed through the hall, annoyed and yet excited at the same time. Snapdragon shot up, scrambling up and jumping into the air. They, unfortunately, didn’t get to fly. They were caught by their soft scaled midsection, crimson claws gentle as they were pulled up towards their parent. Pitaya Dragon hissed lowly, clad in crimson and gold robes, sweeping over the ground with every slight motion of their tail and wings.
“Kyahhahahah!!” Snapdragon laughed, their high pitched chitters eliciting a small smile from the elder dragon.
“Why do you do thissss to me?” Pitaya grinned, all sharp teeth and ivory pupils.
“It’s fun, appa! I like fun! You’re fun!” Snapdragon clawed their way up onto the scarlet dragon’s head, pulling at their thick white hair with tiny claws.
“Yessss, fun,” Pitaya rolled their eyes. “But, it’ssss alssso 2:00 A.M.”
“No sleep! I no wanna sleep!” The hatchling growled, settling on Pitaya’s shoulder.
“Too bad.” The elder dragon weaved through the labyrinth of halls easily, having experienced far more confusing mazes in their time. Eventually, they pushed heavy doors open slowly, nodding to the two men standing guard at either side. Snapdragon was cooing, staring at the pale moonlight filtering through the large windows. It felt… heavy. Careful in its observation, wary and yet unworried of the consequences of its presence. Pitaya stopped suddenly, their wings flaring out suddenly. They leaned over and said something quietly to the guard standing on the left. Something like ‘block off thisss wing.’ Snapdragon didn’t know what that meant, but they were more concerned about the woman who shifted underneath thick magenta colored sheets.
“So, the flower and fire return.” She sat up slowly, smiling at her spouse easily. HollyBerry Cookie moved to the side as Pitaya sat beside her, cradling Snapdragon in their lap.
“The little pesssst ran off, wassss cuddling up to a ssstatue of yoursss.” Pitaya flopped down, letting Snapdragon cuddle up on their chest. Holly rolled her eyes, laying down next to them. Eventually, the two elder beings fell into slumber, but not the hatchling. Something whispered in their ear, a deep, rumbling voice. Urging them to come to it, low whispers that they couldn’t figure out at all. They cuddled closer to Pitaya on instinct, Holly suddenly feeling very cold on their still weak scales.
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Pale pink eyes opened slowly, frantic once they realized where they were. White smoke drifted around them lazily, but not careless. It was calculated, slow and calm. Unwavering even as the frightened hatchling swatted at it. They babbled, fear stirring through them like dust between their scales. The space seemed endless, but also empty. Quiet, and solitary. Snapdragon was a stark contrast to the ivory surrounding them, their pastel colors almost neon against the stark snow color of the space.
“Fear not, child.” A deep voice spoke, making the infant jump. They wanted their appa, they wanted to see the ruby scales of their parent. The drakeling growled despite their fear, trying to stay brave like their appa had said to! They heard soft footsteps, measured and draped in sturdy confidence.
“Appa…” Snapdragon babbled softly, crouching down slowly.
“You’re still with them,” a figure kneeled before them, a blackened claw placing itself slightly closer to them. “They’re still with you, I am a friend of theirs.” Snapdragon looked up just barely, seeing a being that looked.. like a dragon! They lifted their head to get a better look at the dragon. They had straight white hair, long and pulled back into a low bun at their neck. Their golden helmet was like horns curving out of their chin, sharpened and carved with small wave patterns. A long brown horn emerged from a patch of blackened scales on their forehead, curving back into a large spine like structure on their back. Bright golden pupils stared down at them, stark against the black of the rest of their eyes. Their expression was soft, not smiling, but stoic in a way that made Snapdragon feel safe. Their eyes were narrow, curious and subtly eager. They wore gold pauldrons carved with the same patterns as their helmet, which curled up into a small chest plate that covered their shoulders and most of their neck as well. A dark gemstone was inlaid into the chest plate, glimmering and stark against the pale white of the rest of their appearance. Large floating gold plated eyes moved slowly around them, slitted pupils tracing the infant, four of them in total. Their white robes were flowing, disguising their body except for their scaled forearms, the fabric almost translucent at that point. Golden gauntlets carved with those familiar patterns sat upon their wrists, stopping and revealing dark hands tipped with claws that looked lethal.
“You… know my appa?” Snapdragon asked, approaching slowly, sniffing the being carefully. The scent was sweet, almost floral.. It was tropical, like something they’d smell while at the Summer Soda Rock Festival.
“I’ve known your appa for a long, long time, child,” the being looked off into the distance, almost mournfully. “When the world was still ethereal..” they whispered.
“What’s your name?” The infant crawled forward as the dragon leaned back, placing a sage colored claw on their knee.
“You may call me Longan, Longan Dragon. If you wish to be formal.” Longan replied, placing a large claw on their black.
“You’re.. Cool! And big! Spider.” Snapdragon pulled themselves onto Longan’s lap, swatting at the gem on their chest. Longan caught their tiny hand easily, running their thumb over the scales there. They huffed, almost smiling.
“I would say I’m far scarier than a mere spider. Your name is Snapdragon, yes?” A long black tail unfurled from behind them, swaying lazily.
“Yeah! Oh! Oh! Do you do fire? Like appa?” Snapdragon jumped off of the elder dragon’s lap, running around in circles, small petals falling off of their body as they did. Their question elicited a small, amused huff from Longan.
“Not fire, youngling,” They stood up, carefully corralling Snapdragon close to them with their tail. “I have similar mastery of the flames, but your appa’s dragonfire is specific to them.” They raised a blackened claw, a small azure and violet colored flame sparking easily.
“Ooohhh! Appa’s is red and green!” Snapdragon flew up, shaking with the weight of their body.
“Careful,” The flame was extinguished swiftly as Longan caught them. “Do not attempt to push yourself higher than you can safely fly.” They held Snapdragon close to their chest, allowing them to climb up onto the pauldron on their left shoulder.
“What else? What else?” Snapdragon babbled excitedly. “You fight Cookies too?” They stopped, suddenly nervous as Longan’s gaze sharpened. Their tail snapped forward angrily, before swishing in quiet fury. They breathed out, flicking the gemstone on Snapdragon’s head.
“We are better than that.” They spoke finally, words sharp despite their quiet tone.
“What? But appa-!” They whimpered, pulling their wings close.
“Pitaya has been played.” The ivory dragon said, looking off into the distance. Silent disgust filled their gaze as the very mist seemed to rot under their glare. “Fighting Cookies is a waste of time for a dragon. And trusting vermin has never done a dragon good.” They hissed, the floating orbs seeming to move just a touch sharper. Longan pulled them off of their shoulder slowly, looking down at the hatchling in their grasp.
“I’ve met nice Cookies! Lots of them!” Snapdragon wiggled around, pawing at Longan’s chestplate.
“And do you believe that they really like you?” Those words cut through the infant’s mind like the arc of a scythe, bright magenta eyes looking up at cold golden ones. “Tell me, do they ever look upon you in fear?” The elder dragon tilted their head, narrow eyes staring at them, almost disappointed.
“Ah..” They whimpered, leaning their head against the warmth of the dragonjem. They remembered when weapons had been pointed at them, they hadn’t ever understood why but they recognized their fear. Their large pupils, the way their bodies had quivered and quaked as they babbled. But, they knew nice Cookies, like Holly and Royal Margarine! And Fire and Agar! And-
“If my sight serves me well, then you were once almost fired upon,” Longan interrupted their thoughts, extending a blackened hand, almost leisurely. “Tarte Tatin Cookie was her name, yes?” Snapdragon nodded slowly, upset as they nuzzled the ancient beast. They hadn’t thought about that in a long time. When Tarte Tatin had hoisted her cannon upon her shoulder and placed a finger on the trigger. They didn’t understand why, but they had seen how Pitaya’s eyes had gone wide. Nearly fearful.
“Appa..” They whispered, their shrill voice quiet and scared. Pitaya had calmed the situation with words of what Snapdragon was actually saying. They wanted to cuddle into their papa’s neck, relish in the warmth that radiated off of them.
“You are not to blame,” Longan interjected carefully, cradling Snapdragon a little closer to their chest. Their temperature seemed to increase just a bit, comforting them with effortless expertise.
“But what about the Cookies who are friends with me?” Snapdragon looked up, digging their claws into the grooves of Longan’s chest plate.
“Cookies, squirming vermin who run rampant across the sacred roots. We are superior to them in every sense, dragonling.” Longan’s voice was comforting, even with the poison laced inside their words. “Our kind has been brought to its knees by them, you cannot misplace your trust, Snapdragon.”
“They.. can’t hurt me.. R-Right?” The infant looked up, nervousness betrayed in the frantic lashing of their floral tail.
“Your scales are still soft, child,” Longan mused softly, running a claw along the branch of their wing. “Mortal weapons will only result in perhaps a bruise, but as your body hardens, even the vermin’s sharpest spears will seem dull to you.”
“Like they do for appa’s?” Snapdragon tapped their claws on Longan’s dragongem absentmindedly.
“Yes, tell me, who is the Cookie they slumber with? The one who calls herself the paragon of Passion?” Longan lifted Snapdragon easily, letting go when Snapdragon started flying clumsily.
“That’s Hollyberry! She beat appa! She’s cool.” Snapdragon shrunk in on themself as those slitted pupils snapped up to them.
“This Cookie.. Defeated the great red dragon?” They hissed, claws twitching.
“Um.. Mhm! With her shield and stuff..” The infant dropped onto one of the orbs, exhaustion penetrating their body.
“...Apologies. It seems your arrival has made me more wrathful than I prefer to be.” They ran a claw across their gauntlet, digging into the carvings. “Hollyberry Cookie, hm?” They glanced up.
“They’re something called..” The flower dragon tapped the plating of the eye as they struggled to pronounce the word.
“Married! Yeah, married.” Longan’s eyes narrowed, before they straightened. They growled lowly as the faint scent of sugar permeated the pale void.
“..It seems our time must be cut short, dear one,” They removed Snapdragon from the eye, cradling them thoughtfully. “You mustn’t speak of our encounter, I will return to you one day.”
“Where are you going?” Snapdragon shook their head worriedly.
“An old ally of mine insists upon visiting me in this sorry state. She cannot know of your life, unfortunately.” The ivory dragon spoke angrily, some of the orbs beginning to fly erratically.
“Dear dragon? Can you hear me?” A voice echoed through the space, ethereal and all too close. Longan tensed, hissing in fury. Snapdragon flinched in their arms.
“Goodbye, young drake.” Longan said, before Snapdragon blinked.
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“Ssssnapdragon?” A rumbly voice spoke. The infant snapped up, babbling as they jumped off of Pitaya’s chest. They whimpered and whined in fear as they looked around. Pitaya shot out of bed, crimson eyes wide.
“Appa! Appa!” They screeched, headbutting their appa in the chest.
“What?! What’sss wrong?” Pitaya hissed, grabbing the hatchling roughly. Hollyberry startled awake, shaking thick magenta hair out of her eyes as she looked at her spouse.
“It was scary and big and you were gone! And- and-!” Pitaya flicked the gemstone on Snapdragon’s head, interrupting their frantic chatter.
“A nightmare.” The red dragon said, blinking in relief. “Jussst a nightmare.”
“A.. A nightmare?”
“When your mind makes up a scary situation.” Hollyberry explained, leaning back against the barrier of pillows on the bed. Snapdragon eyed her warily, remembering what Longan had warned about.. They thought about it. Holly was nice.. And she let them and their appa into the palace all the time! But.. Longan had said that Cookies were bad..
“Sssnapdragon, lisssten to me.” Pitaya interrupted again, pulling the shaking hatchling flush against their chest. “I’m sssstill here, and I’m not leaving.” Snapdragon chittered, trying to get closer. They didn’t see the wary glance traded between the dragon and the queen as they laid back down. Eventually, the hatchling and the hero fell asleep. But Pitaya was still awake. Still active. Their wings were halfway spread, one curled around HollyBerry as she laid her head on top of their shoulder. Snapdragon laid on their chest, small wings folded close and their body still shaking in worry. They knew that worry. How. How on Earthbread did death themselves find them again? They were still sleeping, they had to be. They couldn’t be awake. The Longan Dragon had to still be slumbering. Pitaya didn’t think they could handle it if they weren’t.