Dancing Flames, Cooling Ember

by Tamara Bloodhoof


Chapter Three, Wingless

Chapter 3
Wingless

“BUT HOW? I’m a dragon with no WINGS!?! Isn’t that vital? Oh god, not only am I completely and utterly bucked over, I’m even bucked UP!” I shouted deliriously, my brain shutting down for the third time in less than two hours. I had been thrown into a world I didn’t believe in, found myself inside a new body, been scared to death by a dragon, and he then told me that I was supposed to have wings, but they were bucking GONE!

‘Hi there Misery Ville, missed your only occupant?’

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” I screamed in pure and utter frustration, running my hands across the scales on my head. SCALES for crying out loud!

‘Great,’ I thought, ‘just perfect. I’m mocking myself, inside my own bucking head for Pete’s sake!’ But as I took a deep breath, preparing to launch myself into yet another tirade, I felt a weight alight itself upon my shoulder.

“Hush little hatchling, it will be alright.” The dragon said his voice low like a whisper, one of his fingers upon my shoulder. Oddly enough, his voice’s natural deep bass made the end result of his whisper a deep, soothing rumble of words that seemed to flow out of his mouth, more musical than any song I had heard before.

‘Okay then, deep breath, deep breath, it’s all okay, everything is all right.’ After repeating this mantra a few time I felt myself calming down. It took a long time, but, after I had finally cooled off, I decided to look at my surroundings, learn exactly where I was. I was in a huge cave as I already said, but it was smooth, with few to no irregularities, almost as if it had been made by an animator or something, someone who was so lazy they couldn't be bothered with details. Every color was a uniform gray, almost poetic in its perfection. I also had just noticed that it was night time by the moon that hovered past the opening of the cave, and, now that I had both stopped screaming my head off and assessed where I was, I decided it was time to find out what my host looked like.

He held himself strongly, his face seeming almost regal with the shadows falling upon it, and his chest was a deep purple, turning into a light black, his scales shining in the moonlight. Each of his four legs were as thick as a tree trunk and about twice as tall as me. His wings would have spanned the length of a football field when unfolded, and his claws were each the size of my torso. He looked frightening, powerful, commanding, and even, well, beautiful.

‘Whoa, slow down there sister. Don’t you think that a dragon who’s at least over a century getting a young girl of fifteen just a bit of cradle robbing?’ said a mocking voice.

‘Oh come on, it’s not like that. It’s more like when your brother can look impressive when he saves you from a pack of ravenous dogs.’

‘So you want your brother on top of this older man? Incest and age difference, how terribly riske.’

Just as I was about to retort in yet another mental argument between me and my other self (is it my other self?), the person in question spoke up, shaking me out of my stupor.

“What is your name little hatchling?” he asked, his voice still in that low, comforting rumble, and a smile adorning his lips, obviously getting a chuckle from my antics.

“Um, it’s Ember sir.” I said as courteously as I could, my voice no longer choked and squeaky.

“I am no sir, but rather, I am your father.” he chuckled, shaking his head at my politeness. “But your name, it suits you well. For, like an ember, you are covered by the ash of the brilliant fire that preceded you, but your true potential is the flame that lays within you, forever hot, forever strong."

He put a claw to my heart, and I could feel heat emanating from his touch, warming me throughout my whole body. It felt as if he had put a blessing upon me, his words weaving themselves into a force, almost tangible in their strength. I didn’t know if it the sensation felt scary or comfortable.

‘Mreow, calm down little kitty. Letting him touch the goods on the first date? Ooh, how naughty.’

‘Shut it.’ I said, my face suddenly morphing into a scowl.

“Is something wrong?” father asked, his smile turning into a frown of worry, taking his claw away from my chest. He was looking at me questioningly. "Why are you blushing?"

'Oh god, I must look like a plum now.'

“I’m sorry s….father, but it’s nothing. I do have a question though. What is your real name?” I asked hurriedly, trying to change the conversations course.

He looked at me, his frown still there, and a look of puzzlement crossing his brow. It was rather comical to see a cartoon dragon with a look of confusion that severe, especially when the dragon in question was over seven times my height alone.

“You want to know my name?” he asked, hesitance in every syllable.

“Yes, is that strange?” My face was starting to mirror his. Are elder dragons’ names sacred? Did I just insult him? Please don't be angry!

'We're completely bucked now, eh?'

'I'm going to kill you!'

'No you aren't.'

His face broke into a smile upon my reply however, true happiness radiating from his whole body. “I have never been asked a question like that before, and it makes me happy that you of all people are the first to ask it.”

‘Oooooh, this romance is getting hotter with every word, ain’t it?’

‘I said, SHUT THE BUCK UP, YOU SKANK!!!’

“My name is Coalheart. I was named such because my parent’s believed that I couldn’t love. They said that my heart was made of coal and that I would never feel love.” he said, his smile changing to a sad little chuckle.

I just smiled back, feeling as if I had finally found the father that I had been searching for. Maybe me being sent here wasn’t a curse after all. Perhaps this was actually a blessing in disguise.

‘Oh god, this is so soppy I could just puke.’

‘You’re never going to shut up, are you Gemina?’

‘Just realized that? You’re slow on the uptake aren’t you Ember?’

‘Maybe so, but I can still pray can’t I?’

‘No, you can’t.’

‘I was afraid of that.’

Shout-out to Wayward Writer, hope your fanfic On Black Wings I Rise, On Black Wings I Fall goes well.
Second Shoutout to Fordregha, may your fanficThrough Feline Eyes go perfect.