《The Hybrids - A Wings Of Fire Fanfiaction》


 Prologue, part I - abandonment

    It was a bright and sunny day. Starfish was out gathering oysters and clams for dinner that night, hoping to try a new recipe she found in her mother¡¯s cookbook. The sun shone high above, bright and cheerful. Starfish was hoping to be back before dark. She didn¡¯t want her children, Droplet, Bubble, and Drown to worry.


    An island loomed up ahead, towering over Starfish. She squinted in the light and saw that there were tide pools surrounding the island. Perfect. Just what she was looking for. Starfish flapped her wings as she lifted into the air, dragging out a flat and sharp rock and a small bag made out of seaweed. She landed on a flat rock that loomed over a group of clams. She carefully recited her mother¡¯s directions in the cookbook to herself, following each step cautiously as to not hurt herself.


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    Many minutes later and a whole lot of effort, Starfish had pried enough clams off the wet rocks for the recipe and lifted off the rock.


    For a split second, she noticed a pale pink rock buried in a tide pool nearby. Weird. Starfish didn¡¯t think there were any pink rocks in the Kingdom of the Sea. She deliberately flew over to the rock and found other colors. There was pale yellow and red-green and a tanish-blue as well.


    As Starfish inched closer to the weirdly-colored rocks, she found that they weren¡¯t rocks at all. They were eggs. But not any kind of bird or lizard egg.


    They were dragon eggs.

 Prologue, Part II - The First Hybrid

    Starfish returned home heartbroken. Why had someone abandoned their eggs? And in tide pools? The tide would¡¯ve gone up and frozen the poor dragonets to death. Well, she had no choice. She couldn¡¯t just leave them there, waiting for their horrible death. The eggs bounced on her chest as she flew home, safe and snug inside a pouch she had quickly weaved.


    Her island came up ahead. It wasn¡¯t a big one, like the richer SeaWings that live closer to the palace. But it was home, and it was perfect. The island was very tiny, but the hut she had built stood strong. The dried reeds on the roof swayed in the breeze, creating the perfect system that cooled down the house.


    Starfish¡¯s children were waiting outside, building a garden. Drown looked up and noticed the eggs. She was very observant and smart, and could solve her math homework problems twice as fast as her siblings.


    ¡°What¡¯s that, mom?¡± She asked. Droplet, her twin brother, looked up as well. Bubble¡¯s eyes were still fixed on planting seeds.


    ¡°Someone abandoned these eggs in the tide pools,¡± Starfish answered. She walked into the hut and her children followed in curiosity. Droplet had to elbow Bubble to get him to pay attention. His mind was always either in the clouds or hyper-focused on whatever he was doing. Droplet tended to follow his sister¡¯s lead.


    Starfish emptied the pouch on the kitchen counter, putting the oysters and clams separate from the eggs.


    ¡°Drown, listen to me,¡± Starfish commanded as her children walked through the door. Her daughter snapped to attention. ¡°I want you to get the driest grass you can find. And Droplet, gather some twigs.¡±


    The twins flew out of the door, each taking a separate route to find their items.


    ¡°What am I gonna do?¡± Bubble squeaked in his small voice.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to stay here and help me identify these eggs. I think they¡¯re hybrids, so I want you to practice your colors and figure out which tribes they are.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I gather things? I¡¯m real good at that, mom.¡±


    ¡°No, sweetheart,¡± Starfish said gently. ¡°You¡¯re much too young. I¡¯m sorry, but you remember our rules. No tasks on your own until you¡¯re three.¡±


    ¡°Ookaay,¡± Bubble sighed. He gingerly took the eggs as Starfish handed them to him, taking them to the kitchen table. He propped the eggs up and got a book from his hammock. It was his favorite. The book talked all about the tribes and what they were each capable of. Bubble then grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and started looking through the book.


    Starfish got her cookbook from the top of the kitchen shelf and opened it to the page labeled Oyster Recipes: Soup, Sauce, and Sushi.


    Not too long later, the twins returned. Drown and Droplet placed their items on the table and sat next to Bubble. Drown started constructing the nest while Droplet peered over Bubble¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°What¡¯cha doing?¡± Droplet asked.


    ¡°Figuring out who these dragons are,¡± Bubble answered.


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    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this one¡¯s a SkyWing LeafWing one,¡± Droplet said, holding up the dark red egg and wiping the saltwater from it with his talons.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s SkyWing RainWing.¡± Bubble corrected.


    ¡°Bubs, it¡¯s definitely LeafWing. See how it¡¯s got a green tint?¡±


    ¡°RainWings are green, too. And don¡¯t call me ¡®Bubs¡¯.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s totally a LeafWing!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no real way to tell until it hatches,¡± Drown commanded, ¡°so stop arguing with Bubble and help me make the nest.¡±


    Droplet shut his mouth and helped Drown. Bubble went back to scratching notes on the paper.


    A few days later, the pale yellow egg¡¯s shell got thin. Drown noticed it first, as per usual, and pointed it out one day at breakfast.


    ¡°What does that mean? Is it sick?¡± Bubble worried.


    ¡°No, Bubs. It means it¡¯s going to hatch soon.¡± Droplet said.


    ¡°Stop calling me Bubs!!¡± Bubble demanded. Droplet made a sly face as if to say, In your dreams.


    After the kids came back from school, they were eager to watch the eggs hatch. It took a while, but the pale egg eventually decided to crack.


    Light drafted in from the windows, illuminating the egg in warm sunlight and outlining the dark shape within. It twitched, which made Bubble jump.


    ¡°Before it hatches,¡± Starfish said to her dragonets, ¡°We should think of names. Remember to think of a boy name and a girl name for each of them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll write it down!¡± Bubble said enthusiastically, grabbing a notepad and pencil.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking the pale egg should be something unique and weird,¡± Drown said. ¡°Like, for instance, if it¡¯s a girl it should be Opal.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, I like that,¡± Droplet cooed. ¡°Maybe Melt if it¡¯s a boy.¡±


    ¡°Or Pounce, or Flair¡± Bubble chimed in.


    ¡°These are all wonderful names. Let¡¯s agree on one boy and girl name. It might hatch any second now.¡±


    ¡°Raise your talon if you vote for Opal as the girl¡¯s name,¡± Drown declared. Drown and Droplet raised their claws.


    ¡°Now raise your talon if you vote for Flair as the girl''s name,¡± Droplet said. Bubble raised his talon. Bubble made a face.


    ¡°Howabout you, mom? Aren¡¯t you gonna vote?? Bubble asked.


    ¡°If I did, there could be ties on everything,¡± Starfish explained. Bubble¡¯s wings drooped.


    ¡°Now raise your talon if you want Pounce as the boy name,¡± Bubble said. He raised his talon. ¡°Why does nobody want my names?¡±


    ¡°Well, ¡®Pounce¡¯ isn¡¯t really a name. It¡¯s more like an action.¡± Drown tried. Bubbles humphed in annoyance.


    ¡°Raise your talon if you vote for Melt as the boy¡¯s name,¡± Drown said. Both she and Droplet raised their talons.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Starfish said. ¡°If it¡¯s a boy, he¡¯ll be named Melt. If it¡¯s a girl, she¡¯ll be named Opal.¡± Another crack appeared in the egg. The sunlight coming through the windows allowed them to see it moving its talons toward the thin shell, wanting out.


    ¡°It¡¯s hatching!¡± Bubble said excitedly, suddenly forgetting how mad he was. Another crack appeared, and bits of shell fell off. A small white claw appeared in the hole. Everyone went silent, watching.


    More cracks appeared, and a quiet tapping sound came into earshot. More bits of eggshell gave way as a pale blue snout pushed through. A tiny talon poked through and was followed by an arm clawing through. The arm went back in, revealing a larger hole. A wide blue eye covered by eyelids came into view and opened dramatically.


    There stood a pale blue eye. A color only seen on blind dragons, but it looked around and locked on Starfish¡¯s. Starfish let out a soft breath. Her first adopted child wasn¡¯t blind at all. The eye closed in the brief moment it was open. The dragonet forced its head through the hole. The shell gave way and collapsed around the dragonet.


    ¡°Welcome to the world, Melt.¡±

 Prologue, part III - The Second Hybrid

    Melt was a very quiet dragonet. He was so silent, Starfish almost thought he was mute. But, of course, Drown got him to speak. She held a banana in front of him and told him that she¡¯d give it to him if he spoke.


    At first, Melt sat on the kitchen table staring at her. He reached for the banana, but his arms weren¡¯t quite long enough to get to the yellow fruit.


    ¡°Come on, Melt. Speak and you get it,¡± Drown said. Melt glared at her.


    ¡°Rrgh,¡± Melt muttered. Drown handed him the banana with a satisfied look on her face.


    Only a few days after Melt hatched, the green-red egg started to crack. All three dragonets agreed it was part SkyWing, so they made sure to let the egg hatch in the sun. Starfish let her dragonets skip school the day it was due to hatch.


    The sun shone high in the sky, shining through the thin eggshell. Starfish could see the young dragon''s shadowy figure in the egg, twitching as it realized it was time.


    ¡°When will it hatch??¡± Bubble complained. Waiting wasn¡¯t his forte.


    ¡°In a minute, Bubs.¡± Drown assured.


    ¡°Stop calling me ¡®Bubs¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± Drown whispered, looking down upon Bubble¡¯s distraught face. A small crack appeared on the egg.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Droplet whispered.


    ¡°See what? I didn¡¯t see anything. What happened? What did you see? I get to name it this time!¡± Bubble said.


    ¡°There- right there. There¡¯s a tiny crack in the egg.¡± Droplet explained. Bubble looked intensely to where Droplet was pointing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡± Bubble huffed.


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    ¡°Look closely, Bubs. It¡¯s right there.¡±


    ¡°STOP CALLING ME ¡®BUBS¡¯ YOU IGNORANT SEA TURTLE!!¡±


    ¡°Boys! Enough!¡± Starfish intervened. Just then a muffled noise interrupted and silenced the surrounding SeaWings. A soft scratching noise started erupting from the egg, sending indents on the shell.


    ¡°See? I told you so.¡± Droplet smirked.


    ¡°Nobody cares!¡± Bubble said, in the most high-pitched screech Starfish had ever heard.


    ¡°Everybody shush, it¡¯s hatching!¡± Drown scolded.


    The egg started to wobble, going side-to-side. It rolled over onto its side and cracked. The egg split open, leaving a tiny eggshell-and-egg goop covered dragonet. His eyes were sealed shut, and his wings flopped uselessly beside him. He opened his eyes a crack and Starfish realized his eyelids were a darker color than the rest of his face.


    ¡°EW!¡± Bubble shrieked.


    ¡°Bubble, that¡¯s so rude!¡± Drown scolded again.


    ¡°But it¡¯s so ugly!¡± Bubble protested.


    ¡°So ugly I can name him?¡± Droplet suggested.


    ¡°No! I want to name it!¡±


    The dragonet squeaked, crawling into the sunlight. His scales were dull shades of orange and green, obviously part SkyWing. He had tiny golden scales along his neck that sparkled in the bright sun overhead.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s part LeafWing,¡± Starfish observed.


    ¡°He looks like a weed,¡± Drown commented.


    ¡°Weed! Now that¡¯s a fitting name,¡± Droplet agreed. Bubble made a face.


    ¡°I thought I was going to name it!¡± Bubble cried.


    ¡°Quiet now, Bubble,¡± Starfish said. She pulled him into a hug. ¡°There are two other dragonets who have yet to be named.¡±


    Weed was very rambunctious. He searched every inch of the hut, examining every spoon and cloth in sight. He quite enjoyed squeaking furiously at anyone who was arguing. He also seemed to try to ¡°take control¡± of Melt while he was ¡°on patrol¡± (Melt liked to walk around the house every few hours. Drown compared it to a soldier on patrol duty, which cracked Starfish up). Weed would jump out of corners and ambush Melt, as if pretending to be an enemy. It was quite cute, if it weren¡¯t for the few times Melt attacked and.. Well, you can imagine what happened.


    Not too long after, the tanish-blue egg¡¯s shell got thin.

 Prologue, part IV - The Third Hybrid

    Over the next few days, Starfish watched the tanish-blue egg. She was sure it was next to hatch, so she kept a close eye on it. Drown and Droplet agreed it had to be part SeaWing, but there was some debate on whether the other part was MudWing or SandWing. Starfish had concluded it was MudWing, since SandWing eggs were pale yellow. Not that she¡¯s but in with her observations, since she didn¡¯t want to interfere and end up having to take sides.


    She was starting to get concerned about the pink egg, though. Not only had it not hatched, but its eggshell hadn¡¯t thinned at all. It just sat there, in its nest, unmoving.


    Starfish woke up to someone poking her snout with a sharp wing. She opened her eyes to find Bubble¡¯s concerned face.


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    ¡°The egg hatched,¡± He said. He lifted his arms to reveal a very wiggly brown-and-blue dragonet. She squeaked and reached towards Starfish. She picked the dragonet up, letting her crawl onto her neck.


    ¡°Do you have a name ready?¡± Starfish asked.


    ¡°Um.. I was thinking maybe Ripple.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, sweetheart.¡±


    The next morning, Droplet and Drown woke up in a panic. It was only then when they discovered that the third egg had hatched, instead of minutes afterwards like Bubble had. Starfish made sure to remind them that Bubble was a light sleeper and woke up in the middle of the night all the time.


    ¡°That¡¯s like a superpower that nobody wants,¡± Drown commented.

 Prologue - Part V - The Fourth Hybrid

    One more egg and Starfish could stop worrying about it. She could hardly imagine a dragonet popping out of it, but she had to stay strong. Maybe it would hatch and she wouldn¡¯t have to explain death to her dragonets. Maybe it would hatch and she wouldn¡¯t have to explain that the world isn¡¯t full of happy dragons and sunshine and rainbows. Maybe it would hatch and she wouldn¡¯t have to tell them that not everything works out for the better.


    Days went by, but they felt like weeks. The sun slowly inched across the sky, letting the summer heat blast throughout the surface of the Kingdom of the Sea. Starfish and her children were supposed to pack their things and move to the summer home, the one under the sea, to escape the midyear heat.


    But she couldn¡¯t, of course. She had to keep three non-SeaWings alive, ones who didn¡¯t know Aquatic, couldn¡¯t speak it, didn¡¯t have gills, and couldn¡¯t swim. Nothing was more tortuous than having to keep herself in the summer heat, hot and miserable, until she could find homes for the hybrids.


    Less than a week later, Starfish was cleaning the hut while the kids played outside when she heard something squish. She spun her head towards the last egg, but it was as still as ever. Then she heard it again, and thought she saw the egg twitch the slightest movement ever moved.


    She paced towards the egg, eyeing it suspiciously. Her heart pounded as she poked it with her claw, and was surprised to find that the eggshell wasn¡¯t hard like it should be. It was soft, and made a wet dent where she had touched it.


    Panicking, Starfish rushed to her room to grab the parenting scroll she had gotten when she was pregnant with the twins. She skimmed the scroll, looking for anything that explained soft shells. When she couldn¡¯t find what she was looking for, she rushed for Bubble¡¯s Book O¡¯ Tribes and flipped through the pages. At this point, she was sure that the egg was half Pantalan. After reading the first section on Pantalan eggs, she let out a soft breath.


    SilkWing eggs get soft when they¡¯re getting ready to hatch (They do this so the egg doesn¡¯t roll out of the webs their parents weave for them to keep them safe. They get soft and sticky to attach to the web so there aren¡¯t any casualties.) Starfish continued reading the page. SilkWings need help hatching, plus food right away, and sun immediately after.


    Not wanting to have the dragonets miss it, Starfish carefully picked up the last egg and a mandarin on her way outside.


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    ¡°You¡¯ll never guess what¡¯s about to happen,¡± Starfish called to her dragonets. They were trying to build a sandcastle while Melt, Weed and Ripple tried to splash water onto everything nearby. The SeaWings turned their heads in immediate excitement while Starfish brought the egg to lay in the sand.


    The smaller dragonets realized their older friends were gone and trampled each other to join the circle. Weed squeaked at the mushy egg, as if asking what it was.


    ¡°Oh, I was right!¡± Bubble exclaimed. ¡°It is part SilkWing!¡±


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± Drown said, nudging her smaller brother. Droplet made a face at the egg, then turned away in disgust when it moved, making a sloshy sound.


    ¡°Ohhh, that¡¯s so gross!¡± He said, covering his snout.


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural,¡± Drown explained. ¡°The SilkWing eggs get like that so they stick to the webs and don¡¯t fall to their deaths.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still gross.¡± Almost immediately after Droplet¡¯s comment, the egg rolled over, revealing a small tear in the eggshell. Droplet almost lost his lunch, gagging at the egg. Starfish opened the tear wider, trying to help the youngest dragonet. A small prehensile tail poked out, as pink as the sunrise that morning.


    ¡°Part RainWing?¡± Bubble questioned.


    ¡°Likely so,¡± Drown responded. Starfish opened the hole and pried the dragonet out. The eggshell was sticking to her like glue, so she carefully washed the dragonet in the water. Slightly, her eyes opened, revealing the light green in her irises.


    Starfish gasped. She was beautiful. Her wings glistened with brilliant pinks and aquamarine and forest green. All along her body was blue faded into green faded back into blue freckles, covering her from snout to tail. Even the younger dragonets silenced at the newest presence, hushed into awe.


    ¡°Mommy..¡± Bubble squeaked.


    ¡°Yes, sweetheart?¡±


    ¡°Um.. I was thinking, maybe you should name her, since we all already named one.¡±


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± Drown agreed again. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    Starfish took a minute to think. She was beautiful, the new one, and her eyes reminded Starfish about a land plant that grew on trees.


    ¡°Lichen.¡±

 Chapter One - Drown

    One of the many joys of having six siblings, and half of them years younger than you, was the amount of influence you have over them. Drown especially enjoyed Ripple¡¯s company, since she was a fierce swimmer and loved racing her SeaWing siblings. She even almost beats her several times over, even though she¡¯s four years younger and only half SeaWing.


    Melt, the oldest of the hybrids, liked wrestling his siblings, and almost always won. Almost. He had never been able to beat Drown, and was infinitely bitter about it. Weed, the second oldest, liked claiming that he could beat everyone in a flying race since he was part SkyWing. But whenever someone challenged him, he would make something up about how he was sore and at a weak point in the day.


    Lichen was.. something else. Special, as her optimistic mother would say. Lichen acted like something that Drown didn¡¯t like to say, but she could think it when nobody was around. If anything, Lichen was a happy-go-lucky, boy-crazy, autistic little dragonet. Maybe not in those exact words, but that was what she was like to Drown.


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    Bubble, the youngest SeaWing, was a clingy and annoying dragonet, not that Drown would say that out loud. He was her blood brother, and an absolute sweetheart when he wasn¡¯t bored. Droplet was anything but adorable. He was smart, and prefers to shadow Drown. It was a weird habit of his, even though he was technically the oldest. Their mother said that he was the one who first broke out of his shell, but once he saw that being the first wasn¡¯t all that he wanted it to be, he let Drown take the spotlight. And because of that, everyone acts like Drown is the oldest.


    Drown is completely content with the ¡°oldest sibling¡± title. But, if she had it her way, Droplet would have that position and Drown would be the assistant. Droplet refuses to be ¡°assistant to the oldest¡±, and completely ignores the fact that he would be a great leader. One day, Drown hopes, he will mature enough to accept who he rightfully is. It¡¯s like being given all the power in the world and refusing it because he isn¡¯t used to it.

 Chapter Two - Droplet

    A nice spring evening was everything to Droplet. Feeling the cold breeze and the warming-up ocean, with the grainy sand below his talons. It was calming, and helped clear Droplet¡¯s mind. His mother usually joined him, and they would sit together in peaceful silence. Not tonight, though. She was out finishing a late-night shift at Seashell¡¯s Trinkets. She¡¯d be home soon.


    In the meanwhile, Droplet watched the sky. He saw the sun yawn and stretch its rays over the ocean¡¯s surface. He saw the first stars awaken and the moon rise into the sky. He recited each of the sky¡¯s constellations, from Scallop¡¯s Belt to The Big Dripper. Droplet could find the brightest star in the sky and know what time it was.


    But¡­ it was unreasonably high in the sky. Almost as if¡­ no. She¡¯s not late. Maybe¡­ But she¡¯s never late. And if she¡¯s never late then why is she now? Droplet turned around to see Drown in the doorway of the hut. With his night vision he could tell she was worried. Did she figure the same thing? Bubbles stood behind her, with Ripple right next to him.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to go look for her,¡± Drown whispered. Weed and Lichen were asleep, as they usually are. ¡°Melt would come but he can¡¯t see in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Can I come too?¡± Bubbles asked.


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    ¡°Sorry, Bubs, you¡¯d slow us down,¡± Ripple said with sympathy in her voice. She followed Drown as they dove into the calm ocean. The SeaWings sat there for a quiet moment, listening to the waves rushing against the beach. Bubbles sat next to Droplet and started making a mound out of wet sand and knocking it down, over and over again.. It was his way of clearing his mind.


    ¡°Do you know if she¡¯s okay?¡± Bubbles asked again.


    ¡°Likely. She¡¯s probably just stuck with an annoying customer.¡± Droplet said. He looked off into the distance, watching as fog started to come in. It concealed the islands around them, as if it wanted to protect them from something. Well that¡¯s ominous, Droplet thought.


    Droplet awoke to a silent poking on his wing. He opened his eyes, blurrily watching as Drown signaled him to follow her. He carefully hopped out of his hammock and onto a ladder to avoid waking Bubbles below him. He climbed down after Drown and followed her outside. It was foggier than it was the night before. Drown looked at her twin with a worried expression.


    ¡°Ripple and I couldn¡¯t find her,¡± she said softly. ¡°Her manager said she hadn¡¯t shown up yesterday. We asked the neighbors and they wouldn¡¯t tell us anything.¡±


    Droplet didn¡¯t know what to say. He stood there, still and quiet. He couldn¡¯t decide whether to go look for her himself or to stay here and wait. Waiting was possibly the best option since he didn¡¯t even know where to begin looking. But for now, he would make sure that nobody left the island.

 Chapter Three - Bubble

    It must have been hours. Bubble couldn¡¯t sleep. He had to know if she was alright, or at least if she was coming back. He was possibly the closest to Starfish, since he was the youngest (before the hybrids, of course). When Bubble was two, he would cry when Starfish left him at school. Drown and Droplet were there, of course, but it always hurt when she swam away.


    Bubble had gone to overnight camps when he was four, and even that was a bit tough on him. Bubble lay awake, tossing and turning. He wanted to know she was okay. Droplet had made shrimp noodles for dinner that night, and although it was delicious, he still couldn¡¯t feel any better.


    He knew it was a bit hard on everyone. Even Melt was picking at his food, and he was always the toughest within the group. Drown assured everyone she was okay and that she would be back. It wasn¡¯t like Bubble didn¡¯t believe her, he knew she was okay. It was just so sudden and he didn¡¯t have any time to prepare.


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    Bubble stared at the hammock above him, wondering what Droplet was thinking about. He must be worried, too, but he never showed it. His eyes were always blank with obedience, and always looked towards Drown, secondly, their mother.


    But maybe he didn¡¯t have to wait for her to come back. What if he went looking for her? Everyone was asleep, so nobody could catch him. Besides, he¡¯d be back before the sun rose. Bubble carefully climbed down the ladder and sneaked into the kitchen. He walked past his mother¡¯s cookbook, open to the noodle recipe. Bubble peeked out the door and almost crashed into a burly SeaWing he didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Halt!¡± He shouted. ¡°Freeze in the name of the Queen!¡±

 Chapter Four - Melt

    The guards barged in suddenly, as if they were excited for an interesting case. It took more than all of Melt¡¯s willpower to not force them back out.


    "We demand that Starfish come straight to the palace immediately." A bulky guard commanded, looming over Bubble as he cowered. The nerve of some dragons. Drown stepped to Bubble''s side, pushing him behind her.


    "She''s not here," Drown responded. She opened her wings slightly, shielding Bubble from the guard''s reach.


    Melt stood in the shadows of the room, but the smaller guard in the back spotted him. Her eyes stared at him in fear. Ripple made a noise. Melt looked over at her and realized he wasn''t in their mother''s room. Ripple beckoned him to hurry, so he quietly crept towards the bedroom door. The door shut quietly behind him.


    "Did anyone see you?" Ripple whispered.


    "Never mind that," Lichen piped in, "I''m still tired." She climbed on top of Melt and laid down, wrapping her arms around his neck and her tail around his.


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    "I should''ve told you earlier, I know." Ripple whispered, picking at her claws. "Before¡­ Starfish left, she¡­ uh¡­ She told me-" Ripple trailed off, unsure of how to say anything.


    "She told you," Melt encouraged.


    "She¡­ wanted us to hide?" Ripple tried.


    "Bullshit, Ripple. Spit it out," Weed said harshly, a bit too loud.


    "Who was that?" An unfamiliar voice said from the other side of the door. Must be one of the guards.


    "Nothing, I assure you," Drown''s voice said. "Where are you- Hey! You can''t just barge in here! I want to see a warrant!"


    The bulky guard burst through the bedroom door, gills flaring. He stared in startled confusement for a second before circling the hybrids, the other guards following suit. Their spears were pointed towards them as they sidled closer to each other.


    "Why are you here?!" Drown demanded, battle ready.


    "Who are these dragons?" The bulky guard demanded back.


    "They''re my siblings," Drown tried. The guards were silent for a second, then burst out laughing. The guards finished and got serious in a split second. Melt heard Drown hiss, so he looked towards the door and saw yet another SeaWing. This one was bigger, older, and more scarred. Must be a head guard, or maybe a general.


    "By the order of the Queen, you are hereby under arrest for fraud, kidnapping, and harboring a fugitive."

 Chapter Five - Weed

    The big guy by the door (no, small. Tiny. He was the least intimidating child ever) said they were under arrest?? What, no. Not possible. A little bug got pokey in my neck. No, my neck. That''s what I said, No it was my neck. I''ve got the body, no I do, it''s my turn. You had it yesterday, so did you. Hey the lights went out, why did you do that? That wasn''t me, you''re the one with the body. Are you accusing me? Yes I am, how dare you, oh I dare all right.


    Get on your side, I''m not crossing you are, I''ve never gone onto your side ever, said the guy who made our face look weird, that wasn''t me, it was so totally you. Oh look the lights are back up, took you long enough, I still didn''t do anything, yeah I know that was me I did that, then why did you say it took me long enough? Do you have a problem with me? Yes I do I do, you''re an idiot I actually have zero problems, well we''re the same always and forever and you said I''m an idiot so that makes you an idiot as well.


    You''re the one who arrived second, so what, so that means I''m superior and should get full control, shut up Lichen is talking, why are you obsessed with her? I''m not obsessed I''m just a good big SkyWing who will marry her one day, that''s your SISTER you''re talking about, no she''s not she''s not a SkyWing, well neither are you. Excuse me we are so too a SkyWing, no we''re not we''re a LeafWing.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Stop saying that, is it bothering you? Yes it is, so then I won''t stop, why are you so mean, I''m not you''re just sensitive, no I''m not, yes you are stop being a baby, I think we were just asked a question, well what was it, I don''t know you were talking so I couldn''t hear. Someone is yelling, well why are they yelling, I don''t know, who is yelling? Melt is, why, I think he''s mad, I asked WHY, well I don''t know I can''t hear what he''s saying.


    Can''t I get control? No it''s not your turn, but it''s always your turn, which is why I need to keep the control, that isn''t fair just let me have a turn. You know what you''re being a great big asshole right now so you''ll never get control ever again, but why? I was here first and you came in a few years ago I''m older so I have the rightful control. Why can''t I try, because I said so and now you''re banished. You can''t do that, yes I can, why are you so mean, I''m not this is my brain and I get to choose what I do with it.