//------------------------------// // We All Need Somebody... // Story: Legacy // by Devious Dazzle //------------------------------// Ember was ready to start anew for a second time. She crept out of her cave on all fours, the sunlight sparkled across her turquoise scales. With a mighty stretch, she stood poised and collected, inhaling the fresh air with a sly smirk across her muzzle. “This is a beautiful morning!” She spoke with a proud feminine voice, the local goat who had traveled down the peak into her domain bellowed towards her sarcastically. “It is, you old goat!” She hissed in reply before darting off towards the distance. First on her agenda was to learn how to fly. She figured with a few hours of training, that the skies above would be unlocked to her. Ember dug her claws into soft soil near her burned apple tree, crimson hues watched the sky as she worked to clear her mind. Letting her wings flap in place a few times, she felt confident in being able to control her newly formed muscles. Each wing showed impressive strength as she focused her attention on the task at hand, with a steady breath she daintily lifted her feet off the ground. “Yes, I'm doing it!” She screamed out in vain pride, allowing her wings to powerfully strike outward as if in battle. The Dragoness shot upward in a blur of bright blue, her head smashed the branch up high like a rocket. Ember quickly plummeted down to the soil with a loud thud. “Owww!” She groaned a large red apple bonking her upside the head from above. Perhaps she shouldn't keep opening with flight? Next on her list was to secure a decent meal for herself. Burnt apples had a twang she wasn't too fond of, she needed to focus her strength to work for her. Though for a few moments she did think the goat looked quite delicious, swiftly dashing such devious thoughts out of her mind. Head lifted under the cursed burnt tree, she knew exactly how to have a buffet of sweets. It wouldn't cost her much strength except for a single punch. “You dare challenge the power of a dragon!?” Ember erupted in a flood of laughter. Pulling her arm completely back, she curled her tiny slender claw into a tight fist. She could feel the strength of eons flow through her very body, the spiritual energy of the Dragon Lord's pooling into her fated strike. With a loud piercing scream, she struck the base of the tree with an explosive sonic boom following, the pathetic wooden surface snapped like a twig. The once towering behemoth flying off into the horizon, smashing onto the ground in a thunderous crash. Ember could only watch in awe, as her apple tree rolled off the edge of the mountain. Plummeting through the thick mist like a stone, never to be seen again. “My apples…” she whispered in absolute horror a few crystalline tears rolled down her cheeks. Punching a tree wasn't beneficial, to say the least. Worst yet her remaining tree only had lemons, she should've perhaps thought about practicing on that one instead.”Stay calm, everything is fine!” Ember spoke in a stressed-out tone of voice, calmly shuffling back towards her cave in silence. The scruffy old goat casually bellowed from above the mouth of her home. Ember narrowed both eyes in a fiery sense of anger. “Don't you dare push me!” The Dragoness snapped her jaws with a loud pop. The creature simply lifted a hoof, nudging a pebble off the edge of his peak as it tumbled down in a lackluster fashion, pelting Ember upside the head. “RAAAWR!!” She sprayed a gigantic wall of fire in front of the mocking old creature. He refused to even budge an inch, a snort stormed out of both nostrils as he calmly walked away. “I hate goats.” She couldn't help but hunch over. Inside her cave of solitude and seclusion Ember bit reluctantly into a ripe lemon. Muzzle scrunched up cutely from the bitter taste, mind racing with thoughts of her current predicament. Without flight her options of survival were dwindling fast, she needed a new source of food other than fruits. Her belly hungered for fresh meat. A nice large slab of bloody muscles and fat, her mouth salivated at the mere thought of a fresh kill. “No, I need not falter!” She huffed in despair shaking the thoughts of hunger from her mind, yet each passing moment made it harder to do so. She needed to find a path off this cursed mountain. If she didn't replenish herself to full energy soon, the children would be the ones to suffer. Ember was in no condition to even attempt a hatch session, her heart shifted lower in her chest out of deep sorrow. “I wish Jimmy was here, he'd know how to handle this.” She placed her claws upon her cheeks with defeat. Suddenly she felt a cool caress of fresh air, kiss her cheek. The Dragoness blushed as her attention fell to the wall left behind by the fallen Drake. Soft cold mist poured out from the bottom edges of the stone surface, Ember cautiously stepped forward to inspect the structure. Extending her claw outward, she was beyond surprised to feel her arm sink easily into the wall. “What in the world?” She spoke in awe before bravely walking forward, in a flash of bright mist she found herself a stone's throw away from her campsite. In fact, she completely recognized this entire stretch of woodlands. Ember turned around to see she stepped out of a faded stone marker, the only feature unique about it is that it radiated a gust of warm air. Was this how the spirit had found him? Or perhaps it was yet another gift from a fallen father? Whatever the truth, she was happy to be on solid ground. Surrounded by scenery she could actually identify, rushing back to her overgrown campsite, she prayed to find her tent. Heart skipping when she found it covered in vibrant green moss, ripping her way inside she found her old cellphone under a bundle of leaves. She needed someone to share this crazy story with, only one person coming to mind. Who would hopefully believe this truly outrageous tale. Jimmy Hook.