#veneasha

     "That's not my egg.." Gamehna whispered, eyes wide as she stared at the darkened egg. Veneasha slowly reached her front talons inside the hole and lifted the egg out. She gently set it on the ground, looking closely at it.

    "Jiernaq," She called behind her, not breaking her gaze on the egg. "Can you come in here?" A quiet yip was followed by light claws trotting against the dusty ground. Jiernaq slowed as he saw the egg, his nose flaring as he tried to identify it. He slowly pointed a claw at the egg, then at Gamehna.

    "Yous," He said slowly, pointing back to the egg. Gamehna shook her head, and Veneasha could see tears threaten to fall from her copper orange eyes.

    "My egg is purple, like lavender," The mother said with a shaky breath. "This is not my egg."

    "Gamehna," Veneasha whispered softly. "I don't know what happened, but Jiernaq can smell that it's your egg." The pink dragon slowly approached the egg and set a talon on the top. With sorrow, Veneasha watched as the mother broke down into sobs and hugged the egg, wails of sadness echoing throughout the den. The princess turned outside and looked at Vroih.

    "Go get Fergjin and The Guard." She told him. He nodded and turned away, flapping his rosy wings. Veneasha looked back at Gamehna and brushed a wing over the mother to try and comfort her. She didn’t seem to notice the princess as he held the egg tightly.

    How could this happen? Veneasha asked herself as she waited for the guard to come. How can an egg just change color like that? Does it have to do with Nokin and those weird crystals?

    Could I have stopped this happening if I didn’t go to the Palace of Pearls? That realization made her chest tighten. She could’ve prevented this from happening. Her thoughts were interrupted by the thuds of talons on the ground outside. Veneasha turned her attention and saw Fergjin and four other guards land outside, the father pushing past and heading inside.

    “Gamehna?” Fergjin asked as he saw her sobbing figure. Veneasha stepped aside and let the father pass. She saw his face contort at the sight of the darkened egg. He wordlessly sat by his mate and pressed his head against hers. Veneasha watched for a few moments before gesturing for Jiernaq to follow her. She walked outside to greet the other guardsdragons.

    “A dragon named Nokin stole Gamehna’s egg,” She started to explain sternly. “And she somehow made the egg colored black as night. Searching the den we found five purple crystals, and a scroll addressed to Kin of Diamond. I would appreciate it if-”

    “Princess,” A guard cut her off. “Let us take care of this.” He turned to look at the other guards. “What is this, the fifth egg stolen and changed?”

    “Fifth egg?!” Veneasha asked in astonishment. Her bewildered expression seemed to confuse a few of the guards. “You mean to tell me that this has happened BEFORE?”

    “We thought you knew, princess,” Another said quietly. “Her Majesty had deemed it unimportant.”

    “Well I deem this SUPER IMPORTANT!!” Veneasha roared, scaring some passing dragons. "For all we know, the dragonets in those eggs could be dead!" The outcry from Gamehna made her regret shouting, but she kept her angry expression to the guards.

    "Princess, we've checked the black eggs already," A guard explained. "As far as we know the dragonets are healthy and unharmed."

    "Okay, then what about the Disyun forsaken scroll that talks about a ritual?!" Veneasha asked, turning back inside and grabbing the rolled parchment, then walking back to the guards. "It CLEARLY says something about a ritual and a separate colony! How have you cave brained dragons not realized that this is-"

    "Wait," The captain of the group interrupted her. "You can read the scroll?"

    "Yes, I can!" She told them sharply. "It's plain dragon scratch! Of course I can read it!" Veneasha unfurled the scroll and pointed at the words that would raise red flags for anyone who had read it. The guards squinted at the writing, looking back at the princess with confused expressions.

    "Your highness, no one's been able to read the scrolls," The captain explained. "No one except you, apparently."

    "We can DEAL with the scrolls LATER!" Veneasha yelled, throwing it to the ground. "Right NOW, YOU are going to track down Nokin and find out WHAT IN THE BLACKMOON IS HAPPENING!!" The lick of flames that escaped her mouth made the guards scurry away, flying back to their barracks as the princess glared after them.

    Vroih was behind them as they flew, being the only dragon remaining outside besides the princess. Veneasha stood there for awhile, breathing heavily from the shouting. Wordlessly, she rolled up the scroll carelessly and started to march away from the den.

    “Princess,” Vroih asked, worry wavering his voice. “Where are ya goin?”

    “I’m going to speak with my mother,” Veneasha growled. “Because APPARENTLY this ISN’T A BIG DEAL, when it CLEARLY IS!” She pushed past her friend and spread her wings.

    “Take Jiernaq and go back to the Reformation Center,” She told him without looking. “I don’t want you two getting into trouble.” With the last word the princess leapt into the air and pounded her wings against the winds.

    The fly back to the mountain was longer than she would’ve liked, but she flew the entire way with bursts of angry energy. When she landed by the entrance, she marched passed the guards who quickly pulled away from the door to let her through. Veneasha pushed the doors open and walked right up into the room where her mother sat upon her golden throne.

    “Veneasha,” The queen started, but her daughter cut her off with a harsh snap of her tail.

    “Why am I just now hearing about the problem with the black eggs?” The princess asked loudly, making it known to everyone in the room. Ruby shifted in her seat, sitting up taller and more imposingly. 

    “The eggs are healthy and fine,” Her mother spoke with a silent edge in her voice. “So I suggest you drop this matter if there’s nothing wrong.”

    “Nothing wrong?!” Veneasha yowled, her wings flaring out from her sides. “These eggs are being stolen and going through rituals to change their color, and you say there’s nothing wrong?!” She watched her mother’s eyes narrow down onto her, and she glared right back. Veneasha’s tail thrashed behind her, anger writhing inside her.

    “What do you mean by ritual.” Ruby said flatly. It wasn’t a question; It was a demand.

    “The scroll,” Veneasha responded with the same flat and angry tone. “It mentioned a ritual, as well as taking the egg back to a colony. How did this not raise red flags for you?” She asked, her voice rising with her confused anger.

    “How can you read the scroll?” Ruby asked, her tone shifting to curiosity. She turned to a guard and whispered an order to him. He nodded and got up, marching to a room behind the throne. “No one’s been able to.” She added, looking back at her daughter.

    “Why does EVERYONE keep asking that?” Veneasha groaned. “It’s in dragon scratch, clear and crisp as morning air! Is everyone suddenly illiterate?”

    “The scrolls are written in an ancient language no dragon has spoken in a thousand years.” Ruby explained. The guard returned with a case filled with four other scrolls. He bowed and held them up to the queen, who plucked a scroll from the wooden box. She gestured for Veneasha to walk forward. The princess did so, marching over with a sour look. Her mother unfurled a scroll and held it out to her.

    “What does this scroll say.” Ruby asked in her flat tone again.

    “Same thing as the other scroll found in Nokin’s den,” Veneasha explained. “Except it’s a different name.”

    “Read it.” Ruby ordered. Veneasha sighed and read the scroll.

    “Seeker of Stars, your task is not that simple. You shall acquire an egg and start the ritual. Others will arrive in three nights to examine it and take it back to the colony. Flee your home with this scroll afterwards to ensure no one can trace you back to the colony. We're counting on you, Seeker of Stars." When Veneasha finished, she looked back up at her mother to see surprise in her eyes.

    “This scroll and the egg were found in Starrak’s den,” Ruby explained, rolling the scroll back up and setting it into the case it came in. “Right after we saw him flee with angry dragons on his tail. They were Novait and Kite, and they said that Starrak had stolen their egg.”

    “That’s similar to Gamehna and Fergjin,” Veneasha said, losing her rage and acquiring curiosity. “Except Nokin got her mother to get the egg for her and managed to do the ritual and leave within a few hours.” She watched as the queen rose from her throne, every guard around her tensing up and preparing for orders.

    "Find all the dragons that had stolen the eggs," Ruby announced loudly. "Bring them back here to be jailed and questioned for eggnapping and conspiring against the Queen. Make sure this doesn't reach the other tribes yet."

    "Yes Your Majesty!" All guards bellowed in unison. With the flick of her tail, a captain started barking orders to guardsdragons and scribes. Ruby sat down and looked back at Veneasha.

    "Thank you, Veneasha," She said to her. "I'll summon you if anymore scrolls are found. In the meantime, please read the others to see if they contain important or different information."

    "Okay, mother." Veneasha said, heaving out a held breath. She trotted over to the dragon that held the case of scrolls and took it off of his talons. The princess looked at them and then back up at her mother.

    "Is it alright if I read these in my room?" She asked her reluctantly. Ruby glanced down at her then nodded, turning her gaze back to the working dragons in front of her. Veneasha smiled and flew to the staircase leading up to her room.

    She didn’t waste her time reading the murals again and trotted up the stairs quickly, eventually making it to her excessively pink and gold room. Finding the scroll she had already read, Veneasha began to write down the message on another blank scroll. Dipping an eagle feather into a jar of black ink, she translated the apparently ancient language into modern dragon scratch.

    When the first scroll was translated and signed by the princess, the sun was edging near the horizon, though not quite setting. With a sigh, Veneasha picked up another scroll. Eyes drooping, she read the next scroll under her breath.

    “Harbinger of Shadows, our task is the hardest of all,” She started to read, eyes narrowed at the new words. “You shall acquire an egg and start the ritual like the others. However, you shall pierce the shell with a crystal and let a shard enter the egg. This will initiate the transformation.

    “Get this egg to the other blackened ones and flee with this scroll. The new Prince of Feathers will arise in seven days time. We're counting on you the most, Harbinger of Shadows.” When Veneasha finished, her stomach was knotted tightly. She rubbed her eyes and read it again, silently hoping she had misread the entire thing. But when she reread it, the words didn’t change and the message was the same. Veneasha looked out the window to see the sun dipping behind the distant trees.

Ruby will want to know this, She said to herself. But she’d be asleep by now. Veneasha looked at the scroll, then at the door to the stairs. She trotted over to the door and placed the scroll at the bottom. The princess then meandered over to her bed and crawled under her blankets, hoping to wake up from the nightmare she was stuck in.

    The quiet creak of the door woke Veneasha from her light sleep. The sky beyond her window was inky black, dotted only with the faint glow of stars. The princess, looked over at the door to see the wisp of a tail brush by. Looking closer, the scroll was missing.

What?! Veneasha quickly got out of bed and looked around further. All the scrolls were missing. She opened the door and followed the figure she saw. The dragon was wearing a full body hood, and was walking surprisingly fast. Veneasha kept her pace, following intently but finding it hard to bite her tongue and stay quiet.

    The unknown dragon spread their wings and flew once they made it to the ground floor. By this time, Veneasha had had enough.

    “Guards,” She shouted, spooking the flying dragon. “Intruder, they stole the scrolls!” Quickly, armoured dragons clamoured out from their positions, chasing the hooded dragon down. She flew with them, loving the thrill of a chase.

    Veneasha hung to the back, which was hard considering her powerful wings, but she knew it would only distract the guards. Then she saw there they were heading.

    “They’re heading for the Talons of The Heros,” She called to them, glancing at the claw shaped mountains up ahead. “I’ll cut them off.” The princess tucked her wings and dove down, unfurling them and flying farther ahead. Veneasha flew close to the ground below her, avoiding the sharp rocks and jagged points in her way. When she was marginally farther ahead, Veneasha started her accent upwards.

They’re too far for me to fly to them in time, The princess realized, seeing the ground ramp upwards sharply. They’re going to escape. Unless.. Veneasha conflicted with herself but decided to go forth. Taking a deep inhale, she blew a blast of fire at the escaping dragon.

    The dragon’s cloak caught on fire, burning away at the edges. They panicked and hovered for a bit, trying to bat out the flames. Though it was too late, and the guardsdragons had caught up with them. Two grabbed onto them while the other took the familiar wooden box from their talons. A fourth dragon ripped the cloak off of the dragon, making some of the guards gasp.

    “A Thorn Runner?”

    “What were you doing in the Sunpeak Castle?!”

    “Be careful of his venom!”

    “Her Majesty is not going to like this..”

    A clasp was quickly placed on the thorn dragon’s muzzle and another checked his tail. The venomous needle was exposed, making the guard wary. Veneasha watched as they secured the tail and cuffed the dragon up. The guard with the box flew over to the princess.

    “The scrolls, your highness.” He said, handing them out to her. She graciously took them and nodded to him.

    “Thank you,” Veneasha said tiredly. “Now please lock this dragon up and alert the queen when she wakes up.”

    “Yes, your highness.” The guard bowed, flying back up to the other dragons. The princess didn’t waste any more time and flew back to her room, entering through the window. Stuffing the scrolls under her bed, she crawled back into her bed.

   Veneasha had left the siblings and flew outside to better see what was happening. Rain Flier guardsdragons were pointing sharp spears at Fergjin and the other Dawn Feather guardsdragons as Oyster writhed in his restraints.

   "What is the meaning of this?!" A large battle worn rain dragon demanded as he ran over.

   "It's fine Cyclone," Fogbank tried to tell him. "It's not the dawn tribe's fault!"

   "Then what in Brine's name happened to Oyster?" Cyclone asked.

  "I do not know," Veneasha said loudly to get their attention. "But he suddenly started yelling at the queen, threatening her, and trying to get our tribe to break the Honor Law by killing the Thorn Runner Tribe." She trotted over to Fergjin and stood strongly by him. "And Fogbank can attest to this." She added.

  "It's true," The she-dragon told Cyclone. "He just went.. mad! He must be sick or something!" Cyclone looked at Fogbank with a defensive kind of care, muttering words under his breath.

  "Uncle Oyster!" A shrill giggle cut through the air. Veneasha looked up to see Zarshaul flying Angelfin down to the ground. The dragonet hopped off of her brother and raced towards the mad dragon, but was swiftly swept away by Cyclone's ragged webbed tail.

  “Oyster’s sick right now little shrimp.” Cyclone grumbled.

  “Dad, my name is Angelfin.” The dragonet said with a sour face, crossing her arms. While the family spoke, Veneasha kept facing forwards and tapped Fergjin on his foot. He looked over at her then back forwards.

  “What is it princess?” He asked softly.

  “It’s your mate,” She replied in a quiet voice. “She needs you right now. It’s why I went to the barracks in the first place.”

  “What’s so wrong with Gamehna that she needs me and not you?”

  “Your egg disappeared.” She could feel the guardsdragon tense up and freeze. “Gamehna needs you.” After a minute he raced off, beating his wings faster and faster until he was a speck on the horizon. The other guards glanced at Veneasha then turned their attention back to the rain dragons.

  Cyclone was the biggest and most intimidating dragon, bearing deep sapphire scales with lighter blue markings and dark cyan-green wings. He wore simple metal cuffs on his arms, and a wing blade clamped to the talons on his wings. He ordered the other Rain Flier guardsdragons to haul Oyster away.

  "If that is all, my dragons and I will be on our way." Veneasha said curtly to the large dragon.

  "Not so fast lil princess," Cyclone said lowly, narrowing his eyes on her. "The queen will want to talk to you."

  "She gets to talk to AURORA?" Angelfin asked loudly while flapping her wings, her cough kicking back up. Fogbank rubbed her back, trying to soothe the dragonet.

  "With all due respect sir," Veneasha started, her snappiness edging into her voice. "I think it would be better if my mother talked to your queen. I'm not even next in line for the throne."

  “Not with that attitude." The guardsdragon said quietly, thinking the princess wouldn't hear. "Come with me your majesty." Cyclone grumbled, trotting back into the castle. Veneasha glanced at the two Dawn Feather guards, who shrugged and walked with her.

  Instead of turning to the long corridors where Angelfin and Zarshaul's room was, the rain dragon lead Veneasha straight forward to a grand double doorway. The dark wood had pearls, gold and silver embedded into the intricate carvings and crevices, creating a large mosaic of the Rain Flier Tribe symbol: A royal rain tail with pearls on the ends.

  Two guards with large spears stood by the door, looking straight ahead with an unmoving posture. If the princess hadn't looked directly at them and saw one blink, she probably would've thought they were statues. Their scales were pristine and their armour was polished. Sapphires and pearls were embedded in the silver metals, swirling along their bodies like extra scales.

  Cyclone opened one of the doors and gestured for her to enter. Veneasha gave a curt bow and slowly trotted inside with her wings held tightly to her body. The two dawn guards followed her curiously, gazing at the decorated interior of the antechamber. Cyclone walked briskly ahead after closing the door behind them, heading towards the equally large doors to the throne room.

  Two other guards opened the doors for them, sitting in the same stiff position the other guards were in. Finally, the group made it to the queen.

  Queen Aurora was sitting lazily on her throne, but her attention peaked when she saw the Dawn Feather princess walk inside. The other grande chair next to her was empty, just like Ruby's. Though, instead of three seats for heirs, there was only one where a young male dragon sat.

  Prince Storm. Veneasha realized. He wasn't Aurora's son, but was actually her nephew. Veneasha remembered him and the queen visiting Sunpeak Castle when she was younger. The sky blue and grey prince kept to himself, but not in a shy way. Now he was bigger and looked more like his aunt with his unamused expression.

  "Good evening your majesty," Veneasha bowed to her, spreading her wings and dipping her head. “I am sorry for intruding like this, but one of your dragons had alarmed us this morning.”

  “How so?” The old dragon asked. Her voice was much more raspy than Veneasha had thought. The seafoam eyes of the queen were focussed completely onto the princess. She’d never felt this much pressure before.

  “Well, to start, his name is Oyster.” The princess started to explain. “According to eyewitnesses, such as his partner Fogbank, Oyster began to shout. They were talking about the issue with your tribe’s border with the Thorn Runners, and he argued that we should kill them all, which is clearly against the Honor Law.”

  “Yes yes,” Aurora grumbled. “I know what the Honor Law is. No need to preach to a dragon nearly four times your age.”

  “Anyways,” Veneasha continued. “Fogbank tried to calm him down but it didn’t work. The guardsdragons had to pin him down and restrain him in the end. We think he might have gotten some kind of illness that makes him go.. Mad.”

  The queen sat there, a calculating glint over her eyes. Veneasha stood there while her gaze pierced her scales and flesh, looking right into her soul.

  "Well I guess I appreciate Ruby sending him to me instead of locking him up in your dingy prisons." Aurora finally spoke, blinking away her sharp stare and sitting again lazily in the gold and sapphire throne. "I'll have him checked out by the doctors. You may leave, princess."

  "Thank you, your majesty." Veneasha bowed again and turned around, trotting quickly back to the outside of the castle. She passed by the guards and doors, and when she finally made it to the palace entrance she heaved a sigh of relief. The Dawn Feather guards hurried after her, probably because they didn't want to stay with the queen either.

  "Hooooo-wee," One of the guards exclaimed. "I never wanna see her again!"

  "You can say that again!" Remarked the other. "It felt like she could see right through us!"

  "Let us not talk rudely about our allies," Veneasha said sarcastically in her "royal" voice. "They could cut off our pearl supply like that!" All three of them started to laugh, throwing their heads back and unfurling their wings for lift off. They started to beat their wings, rising off the ground and over to their home.

  After another less fun half hour later, Veneasha and the guards made it back to their tribelands lands. The guards said their goodbyes and landed back at the barracks while the princess kept flying inland. The familiar and comforting rocky landscape of her tribe soothed her after the intense meeting with the Rain Flier queen.

  I should probably check up on Gamehna. The princess remembered. She swerved slightly and landed back to where the frantic mother had found her. Other guardsdragons were hovering about, but including Fergjin only two were present.

  "How's the situation?" She asked the father.

  "Not that well," Fergjin sighed. "Whoever stole the egg left no trace. Or at least, no trace we could find." He looked down, his wings loosely hanging from his sides.

  "I'm so sorry Fergjin," Veneasha said softly, placing a talon on his shoulder. "I'm sure we'll find it soon." She perked her head up and smiled. "And I think I know who can help!" The princess took off without explanation, flying to some of the buildings on the lower mountain side. Soon the ragged sign came into view, barely hanging on by the rusty metal chains.

  The Juvenile Dawn Feather Detention Center.

  Broken glass and sharp rocks dotted the outside, making some unsuspecting dragons think it might be a dump. That and the horrible reeking smell from inside. The center didn’t have a waste deposit, and so they kept it in a cave in the far back; but clearly it didn’t work.

  Veneasha flew into the entrance, startling some of the guards. They relaxed once they realized who she was.

  "Hello boys," She smiled. "I've come to pick up the usual two dragons."

  "Right this way Veneasha." One guard opened a door and lead the princess through the detention center. It was more of a prison to be honest, but none of the nobles funding the place liked the way that sounded. She walked by young dragons in cells, who were either pacing, shouting, or slumped in a corner. Luckily she knew where she was heading.

  "Is that tha princess I hear?" An accented voice called from the end of the hall. Veneasha chuckled and flew over the guard and to the cell. A young male dragon, around Veneasha's age, was pressing his light pink muzzle through the bars of the cell. Although his face was riddled with scars, he always managed to have a kind expression.

  "Hello Vroih," She smiled, poking the dragon's snout back inside. "I've got another job for you and Jiernaq."

  "Sounds lovely!" Vroih hopped around. The delinquent was one of Veneasha’s close friends. But considering the way they had met, anyone would’ve guessed they’d hate one another.

  Veneasha had woken up from a dream. Well, a nightmare to be more precise, but she didn’t like to tell that to anyone. She looked around her room to see Vroih, wearing black cloth, looking through her treasure box. She watched for a while until he had noticed her.

  “Hi there.” She said calmly to him. Vroih froze. Quite literally too. He had stopped what he was doing and held the position for as long as he could before falling onto his snout and into the jewelry. Veneasha stared at him and then laughed like she had never laughed before. Vroih scrambled to his feet and looked at the princess with confusion.

  “Yer.. Not angry with me..?” He asked her. “I’m trying to take yer treasure! Aren’t ya gonna stop me..?” His face had a lot less scars back then, but had the same soft expressions..

  “PFFT,” The princess laughed. “You can have it! I hate that stuff, take as much as you want!” Vroih narrowed his eyes on her and back on the treasure. He slowly started to put it back into the chest.

  “What, do you think that I, a normal princess, could’ve cursed the jewels somehow?” Veneasha asked with an unamused look. “You managed to get in here without alerting the guards. You deserve that stuff! Plus Ruby can just make more insufferable jewelry for me.”

  Talonsteps thundered up from the tower, nearing the princess's room. Veneasha looked worryingly at Vroih.

  "The guards are coming," She told him, getting out of bed and pushing him towards the tower window. "Take what you have and fly!"

  "But I don't know how ta fly!" The dragon argued in a panic. "I climbed!"

  "WHAT KIND OF DRAGON DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FLY?!" Veneasha asked in a roar. The guards were right outside her door. She could hear the clinking of metal and annoyed shouts as they fumbled with the keys.

  "What's your name?" She asked him, staring at the door to her room.

  "Vroih." He answered.

  "Well Vroih," Veneasha said, turning her head to him. "Time to learn how to fly!" She pushed him all the way out of the window and dove after him. Vroih was screaming, flailing his wings with no idea how to actually use them. The princess wrapped her arms and legs around his body and unfurled her wings, catching the mountain wind and soaring away from the tower.

  "YOU ARE CRAZY!" Vroih had screamed at her.

  "Thanks!" She simply responded, flying the criminal away from the palace. While she flew she could feel her talons digging into Vroih's underbelly and winced. Veneasha set him down by a clump of dens on the flats, and when the dragon made contact with the ground, he fell onto his belly.

  "I never want ta do that again." Vroih said softly, his talons clutching the earth below him. "Nope. Nuh-uh. That's scary."

  "Hey, would you rather have some cuts on your stomach and a new mild fear of flying, or be dead?" The princess asked. "I know I'd prefer the former."

  The two had parted soon after, Veneasha flying back to the castle to get scolded and grounded by her mother for helping a criminal escape. Vroih had told her that when he got home, his dad had swiped him over the snout for getting caught, but congratulated him on getting the treasure. He had mentioned they were able to finally trade the jewelry for better meals for a week.

  That incident was ten years ago, and they had many more run ins with each other. Like the one time he had crashed into her while running from guards for stealing a piece of fruit. Or the other time Veneasha was punished and tasked to clean up the detention center, meeting Vroih while he was serving his time. At least he finally learned how to fly.

  The guard finally caught up to the princess and the delinquent in the tunnel. He unlocked the cell, letting the blue dragon out. Chirping was already coming from the cell next to it, the entire green and pink face of Jiernaq poking out from the cell. When the princess neared, the thin and bony dragon squeezed his way through the bars and over to Veneasha, smiling happily at her.

  “Ven!" He chirped. "Ven! Ven Ven Ven!"

  "Hi Jiernaq," She giggled. "Happy to see you too."

  The thin dragon was ten years younger than the princess and Vroih, and was very malnourished. The way Veneasha had met him was very different than Vroih.

  Veneasha was walking through the tribe, saying hi to dragons and glancing at the little shops they so desperately tried to sell her stuff from. A flash of green had caught her eye. It darted between two stalls, an angry dragon trying to follow it and failing. She watched as he stomped away, then slowly approached where she had seen the green had gone.

  Turning the corner she saw Jiernaq, much smaller and thinner, munching hastily on a pineapple, a very rare and expensive fruit.

  "Hi..!" She said softly to him. The dragonet looked up at her, his purple eyes wide with panic while fruit juice dripped off his snout. "What's your name?" She asked. He slowly reached a talon out and scrawled out the letters spelling "Jiernaq".

  "Hello Jiernaq," Veneasha started. "My name is Veneasha. Do you know where your parents are?" Jiernaq shook his head slowly.

  "Are you lost?" He shook his head again.

  "Are you.. alone?" He nodded, looking down at the loose dirt beneath his talons. Veneasha felt her throat close up, fighting back the urge to cry. This was her first experience with a motherless dragonet. Sadly, her first of many.

  What kind of parent would leave their dragonet? She asked herself. Unless… They died..

  Veneasha told Jiernaq to finish the fruit then to follow her. He, instead of following, curled onto her back in between her shoulder and wing blades. His breathing was fast and shallow, a sign of sickness. She walked slowly, then started a trot towards the doctor's den.

  "Toxixo?" Veneasha called out. "I have a sick and underfed dragonet here, he needs help." A male purple and black dragon briskly emerged from a room within the den.

  Toxixo was an anomaly to most dawn dragons in the tribe. He had a dark teal underbelly and bright lime wings. The thing that made him different were the triangular patterns on his limbs. Some think they're tattoos, others think they're actually his scales and that he has distant Thorn Runner blood.

  "Where?" Toxixo asked in his gravelly voice. "I don't see any dragon." Veneasha turned around to show Jiernaq to the doctor. 

  "Oh my Disyun," He muttered. "This poor dragonet!" With nimble and gentle talons, Toxixo slowly picked Jiernaq up. "Where did you find him?"

  "He was hiding in the market," Veneasha explained. "Because he stole a fruit. Can you please help him? I can pay you if you want, I have-"

  "No need princess," The doctor said in a hushed tone. "This one's without charge."

  Toxixo had then taken care of Jiernaq, but still the little dragonet wouldn't regain fat onto his bones. Eventually Jiernaq got into trouble for stealing food and was sent here, the detention center.

  "So, what're we doin today lass?" Vroih asked, stretching his legs in the stone tunnel.

  "It's Gamehna," Veneasha said, turning to him. "She lost her egg, and I need your eyesight and Jiernaq's sense of smell to help find it."

  "Will do!" The delinquent smiled, fluttering his wings slightly. Veneasha turned to the guard, who was wearing a small smile.

  "I'll bring them back by sundown." She promised.