//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Home // by PaisleyPerson //------------------------------// “We could tail wrestle.” “We just did that,” protested the white-scaled dragon called Fizzle. “Regular wrestling?” suggested Clump, the heavyset brown dragon. “Nah,” Fizzle waved it off. “Belching contest?” Clump scratched his head. “You always win,” Fizzle shot that idea down, too. “Well, what do you suggest we do?” Clump flared his nostrils, a hazy stream of smoke spilling forth. “We can’t travel far, because the flock is about to leave for the migration back south,” Soot, a gray and green teen ever-so-helpfully put in. “And the lava pits have almost cooled down for the season,” Fizzle reminded. “Guys, just pick something. I’m bored out of my mind,” fiery colored Garble moaned, flopping to his back on the boulder where he had been reclining. “Shouldn’t we wait for Vex and Pierce anyhow?” Soot brought out. “Their loss,” Fizzle shrugged. Soot scowled while Clump tapped his chin. “What about-” “GUYS!” at that moment, their periwinkle friend Vex dropped in (quite literally, as he was not the most elegant flyer). “Watch it!” Fizzle snapped, using his wings to fan away the dust he had stirred up. “Vex?” Garble coughed through the dirt. “What in the world...?” “We... We...” Vex wheezed, completely winded from the exertion. “We found a phoenix nest,” Pierce finished, landing far more gracefully than their pudgy friend. “Really?” the royal purple teen now had everyone’s full attention. “You didn’t raid it already, did you?” Fizzle narrowed his eyes, convinced that their luck was too good to be true. “’Course not,” Pierce furrowed his brow, shocked that his friend would think so poorly of their sportsmanship. “Where is it?” Garble inquired, his own brow furrowed not in confusion so much as concentration, already planning the raid. “Far side of the Everfree. If we leave right after supper, we can make it there and back before the flock leaves in the morning.” “We gotta wait ‘till after dinner?” Clump groaned. Fizzle snorted. “Who needs dinner? Let’s go now!” “Blockhead!” Soot cuffed him. “Ow!” “They won’t save us gems if we miss dinner, and we can't eat after 'cause they’ll all be stored away for the next migration. I don’t know about you, but I’d actually like to eat something, especially right before a long trip.” “Soot’s right,” Garble agreed. “We’ll eat and then head out.” “What’re we supposed to do in the meantime?” Fizzle folded his arms. Clump again rapped his chin. “King of the Hoard?” “Nah.” “How much farther?” Clump groaned. He usually wasn’t one to complain, but Clump didn’t handle long trips well due to the big bulk of his body straining his small wings. “It’s not much farther,” Vex promised, panting as he was in a similar situation to Clump. “You said that two hours ago,” Fizzle muttered. Pierce eyed him and considered responding, but thought better of it and turned his attention back to the airspace ahead. The moon had completed about a third of its journey through the sky, and the gang had been flying for several hours. Garble was surprised. His friends didn’t usually scout out this far, especially knowing that the flock would be migrating in the morning. He supposed boredom must’ve gotten the best of them, too. “There,” Pierce pointed to a particularly large, gnarly tree down below. It wasn’t extremely tall, but the bulbous network of roots had earned the tree a small clearing. “I remember that oak. We can walk from there.” “Finally!” Clump immediately folded his wings into a dive, leading the charge down into the Everfree. “It wasn’t much farther from here,” Vex offered, leaning on the warped bark as he caught his breath. “So? Which way?” Impatient Fizzle demanded. “Give everyone a chance to catch their breath, Fizz,” Garble ordered. “We’re runnin’ outta moonlight! So which way?” the albino insisted. “East,” Pierce responded. Fizzle’s expression remained blank, and flailed his claws about in gesture that he wanted more clarification. Pierce sighed. “This way.” He marched off, ducking under a few low branches as they entered the thick underbrush. “I knew that,” Fizzle snorted, skulking after them. Garble rolled his eyes and followed after Soot, beckoning Clump and Vex after him. “Not far, not far,” Pierce continuously muttered, scouring the landscape for the promised phoenix nest. “I’m beginning to think you made the whole thing up,” Fizzle jibed. “I did NOT!” Pierce hissed, a growl rising up in his throat. “Knock it off, guys,” Garble pushed past and knocked their heads together. “OW!” they both yelped. “Be quiet or they’ll hear us coming.” Garble tossed them aside as he now took the lead, slinking through the underbrush with incredible stealth. Soot snorted amusement at the knuckheads, and likewise crept on. After Clump and Vex passed, Fizzle huffed one last time and followed. Pierce took up the rear. The soft rustle of crunching leaves under their claws was impossible to avoid, but Garble didn’t think it alone would alert the phoenix parents. The troop was just about to pass into the next clearing when Garble halted them. “There,” he whispered. The six dragons all peered through the thick foliage. There, nestled comfortably in the branches of a tall, narrow tree lay their prize. Just seconds later, they all fell into a group huddle. “Okay,” Garble directed, “Fizzle, you draw the parents away from the nest.” “Why me?” he complained. “Because I’m tired of dealing with you today,” Garble massaged his temple. “Lead them to me for an ambush attack. Clump, Soot, Vex and Pierce will nab the eggs and scram. We’ll all meet up in the clearing by the oak tree to smash the eggs. Vex and Pierce get first dibs since they found the nest. Got it?” “Sir, yes sir!” four of them saluted. “Yeah, whatevs,” the fifth groaned. “Good. Fizzle, you’re up.” Garble practically hurled the albino out of the bush. “Whoa- Oof!” The sound of Fizzle landing on his face attracted the attention of the parents, at least. “Hey, night-light! Anyone ever tell you you’re uglier n’ a minotaur’s butt?” Fizzle instantly jumped back up. The father phoenix whipped around, flared his wings and threateningly screeched at the edge of the nest. “Aw, did I huwrt your feewings, crybaby? Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?” By this time, the mother had joined her mate on the branch, likewise screeching. “I’ll make this simple,” Fizzle took up a sprinting stance. “I run, and you try to catch me.” The male released a fierce battle cry, ignited his feathers and dove. The mother wasn’t far behind. “Go, go, go!” Garble egged on his companions. Soot shot out of the bushes, took to the air and snatched one of the eggs without stopping. The rest of his troop expertly followed his example. Garble, meanwhile, had already made his way through the top canopy and was tracking the glow of the phoenixes’ fire. He could dive down from above and help Fizzle finish them off... if they would just stay still! The light was zig zagging all over the place. What was going on down there? The trees were too thick for Garble to see, and even landing down there would be a challenge. But their flight path temporarily straightened out, and Garble eyed a slight gap in the trees where he could enter. His wings furled shut, and suddenly Garble was hurtling towards the trees. The membranes occasionally flicked back out to make the tiniest of adjustments, veering him straight for a gap in the branches. The glowing light was still approaching just underneath him. “That’s right, come to papa,” he sneered, priming his claws. The gap was approaching, and it was too late to pull up. This was very unfortunate, because suddenly a large shape appeared, heading straight for him. “FLY!” was all Fizzle screamed, brushing Garble’s scales as he barely squeaked past. The flaming birds also zoomed out from the trees, their bright glow temporarily blinding Garble. “What in the-?” the red dragon was completely confused, not to mention disoriented. He was barely able to keep on course, let alone avoid the oncoming timberwolf. “AAAAAAAAHH!” the dragon howled as sharp, thorny claws raked through his wing membrane, shredding it to ribbons. The next moment, pain shot through his spine as he collided with the cold, hard ground. The world spun as he tumbled several feet and ultimately crashed into a tree trunk. He was dizzy and in unbelievable pain, but the timberwolf was circling back for him. He had to get up. “GRAH!” Garble clutched his shoulder, which had taken the worst of the impact from his fall. He ground his teeth to keep from crying out again, which was exactly the opposite of what he should have done. Since he had hesitated to spit flame, the timberwolf was given another opportunity to lash out, carving a deep gash in Garble’s hide. The dragon didn’t even cry out, this time. He felt numb. He still vaguely recognized that he was in danger as the timberwolf lunged once more. From his low vantage point, he seized the opportunity to coat the wolf’s underbelly in sizzling orange fire midair. “HOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW!” the timberwolf yelped, running off as it desperately tried to put out the flame. He succeeded only in spreading the fire to several other shrubs in his blind rampage. The scent of smoke tickled Garble’s nose. ‘Fire. Have to get out of the fire.’ Even a dragon would suffocate in the smoke that would soon coat the forest floor. He weakly attempted to stand, but didn’t get very far. He was losing a lot of blood from his wound, and felt lightheaded. ‘Danger! Danger!’ a part of him warned. The sound reasoning of this voice prompted him to try again. ‘Not enough... strength,’ another part of him protested. ‘Good point.’ Garble shut his eyes, and waited for the flames to consume him.