The battle-torn, old dragon stared down at me with cold, gray eyes. He snorted and looked back up at Chrysanthemum. "It's the middle of the season. The new recruits are already half-done with their training," he growled and snarled, revealing yellow, cracked teeth. Chrysanthemum flicked her tail back and forth in mild irritation. "Then push her training! Have one of the better recruits, or a guard, or someone train her while you're having your precious sun-time," she retorted. He rolled his eyes and snorted derisively. 

         "Sun-time my tail. I'm a hundred and twenty-four years old. I remember my mother telling me about how, before Queen Grandeur, sun-time didn't even exist! So don't give me any of that moons-begotten 'old dragon loving sun time' stuff." 

         "Just fit her in somewhere, Resplendent! I don't have time for this!" 

         She lowered her voice and moved closer to him, trying to keep me from hearing. It piqued my curiosity, so I leaned ever so slightly closer. "I have to meet Strongclaws today. I'm taking half the second battalion with me to make sure that I make it there in one piece. There are more than four dragons involved in this murder, let me assure you. He needs to know what's going on and where his apprentice... went," she hissed. He sighed and rubbed his head tiredly. "I know. And then you'd better leave half that group at the archives and haul tail to Queen Rosella. I want you to make sure to report directly to her," he said cautiously. I wondered what he meant by that. Was he worried that the message would become garbled with repetition? Or was he concerned there could be something less innocent going on?

         
Chrysanthemum nodded and brushed Resplendent's wing with hers affectionately. "It's nice to see you're not losing your mind along with your sight, you old coot," she chuckled with a grin. He brushed the affectionate gesture off. "Yeah, yeah. Just be careful. You can't make fun of me if you're in pieces somewhere in the jungle," he huffed. She chuckled and shrugged. "I'm sure my ghost would find a way." 

He rolled his eyes at her. She turned to leave, but he caught her shoulder. "And go after Bluegrass and Heron before Fennec. I know you weren't as close back in the day, but he's at least four days' flight away, and they're a single day's journey. You just don't have that kind of time," Resplendent said with a look of concern. Chrysanthemum's face fell. "You just like ruining my day, don't you?" she grimaced. "How else would I find joy?!" he laughed. "Now get out of here! I'll worry about the little nipper." 

She turned and unfurled her wings, taking off into the cool morning air. I turned to Resplendent, unamused. "Little nipper? I'm eight years old," I snorted. He laughed in my face, sides heaving with the effort. "Just because you're old enough to go into battle doesn't mean you're not still as green as a sapling. Just means you're old enough to finally start to figure out how to grow into a proper tree, 'stead of a wee spindly thing," he mused. I rolled my eyes. Was he going to train me or talk me into a grave? No offense, but I didn't really wake up that morning with a burning desire to listen to some crazy old dragon's ramblings and ruminations on life. 

"That's a lot of tree metaphors. You sure you're not a Leafwing?" I asked. "Only an eighth on my mother's side, but that's not important. Now, let’s get on with it before I change my mind," he groaned, turning around and flicking his tail in a gesture for me to follow. I obeyed, following him into a large, open area with targets set up along the front wall, weapon racks lined up to the left of the path, and armor racks stacked in neat rows to the right. I looked at the dragon who was soon to be my teacher. I'd been so caught up in his conversation with Chrysanthemum that I hadn't had the chance to take stock of him. He had mostly green scales of different shades, the monotone interrupted by purple and turquoise accents on his neck and ruff. The scales along his back and sides were dry and dull, cracked by their lack of moisture and stripped of their luster by years under the sun. He also seemed to walk with almost a tilt, his front and back legs on the right side seeming to bow inward. They were also both heavily scarred. In conclusion: he needed a bath and a trip to the healers' hut.

Resplendent took a sharp right on the dirt path, disregarding the one to the left. The path framed what looked like a huge, shallow pit. Below us by only a dragonlegnth or two, about two dozen dragons took turns training, drinking, and mingling. They shared laughs and traded careful blows, all covered from nose to tail in dust and grime. Even the Rainwings, of which the group mostly consisted. In addition, there were several hybrids and Nightwings, as well as a pair of smaller Mudwings, and a familiar face. 

“Cursebreaker! Come here!” Resplendent yelled. She turned, instantly attentive, and trotted over to where we stood. The armor from before was gone, replaced on her scales by a layer of dirt and sand. A cut stood out above her left eye, small but fresh. “Yes, sir?” she replied, standing tall and ready before him. Her eyes drifted down to me. “Oh, hi. You’re that new dragon. Aster, right?” she asked, blinking at me with cool curiosity. I tilted my head at her, confusion written across my face. “Um, yeah. Don’t remember telling you that, though,” I said, baffled. She flashed a charming grin and tapped her forehead with a claw. “I’ve been in your head, remember?” she licked her teeth and chuckled. I nodded. “Yeah, not thrilled about that,” I said, scooting the smallest bit away from her. “Relax. I see memories and emotions, not exact thoughts,” she chuckled again. I peered at her nervously. I decided I’d rather keep my distance than find out for sure.

Resplendent cleared his throat. Cursebreaker’s attention instantly shot back to him. He flicked his tail in thinly veiled irritation and turned to me. “So, since you’ve already met her, this will go easier,” he sighed and turned back to her. “Chrysanthemum seems to think we can take another trainee mid-season. Cursebreaker, I want you to put her through some intense individual training here to start; we don’t have the time and I don’t have the patience to teach her individually while I’m trying to wrangle the rest of the group.”

She gave him a side glance. "Um, but sir, my duties," she began worriedly. "Will be supplemented by someone else! It'll be fine," he snapped. She was clearly irritated but didn’t raise another word against him. “Yes, sir” she replied, gritting her teeth and flicking her tail. He gave her a satisfied look. “You’ll start with her today. I want her ready to join the group in a moon," he said. 

Cursebreaker once again clenched her jaw. "Yes, sir." The lashing of her tail betrayed her calm expression. Resplendent nodded. "Good," he snorted, walking off toward the group of dragons sparring. 

She looked down at me with fury in her ochre eyes. "If you're not ready to work until you drop and run until you throw up, leave. Now. Because what he's asking is impossible for ninety percent of the students that walk in here, and you're not getting any kind of special treatment just because of Chrysanthemum," she growled. I gulped. I would've quit, but I feared what Chrysanthemum might say if I did. "I'm not leaving," I said, digging my claws into the soft dirt below me and standing up straighter. "I can take whatever you've got. Bring it on," I growled back, meeting her gaze of steel. Emotion flickered behind her eyes, but I couldn’t tell what. She snorted. “Alright hotshot. Let’s see if you can keep up,” she grinned and flicked her tail in a gesture to follow. 

  *                     *                 * 

“No, no, no! Straighten your posture! Use your tail to balance yourself, and always angle it toward your opponent. That way, they always have to watch it and you can get shots off before they know what hit them,” Cursebreaker growled, pacing as she examined my form. Sweat ran down my face and dripped from the end of my snout. My legs shook in the difficult stance, and I gritted my teeth, bringing my tail forward in the way she instructed. The purple of my scales was dulled by dust, exactly as the other students’ had been when I’d first seen them a few days ago. Cursebreaker’s face softened a bit. “Take a break, go get a drink, and mess around. I’ll meet you back here at sun-time,” she said. 

She went to brush her wing against mine before pulling it away awkwardly. “I, um. Sorry,” she apologized. I shrugged, still out of breath. “It’s no big deal,” I paused, wiping my face with my talons. “It’s not something you think about every day, whether someone has wings. I get it,” I gave her a tired smile that was meant to look reassuring. I don’t think it did the trick, because she gave me an uncomfortable nod and hurried off. 

I sighed and tried to relax a bit. Why did everyone always have to get awkward about it? So what, I can’t fly? It’s not life-ending. They should be more sensitive about things like talking about their mothers. That’s what hurts. I sighed again and stretched out before heading off.

 I passed through the gates and back into the village, nodding at the guard. Cursebreaker had us practicing in the jungle nearby to avoid distraction, so I’d become familiar with most of the guards, and they with me.  He nodded back, and I continued on.

The market was bustling as always, with couriers buzzing back and forth. I eyed them, looking for Ebullience, but he was nowhere to be found. With a huff, I made my way through the busy market, headed for Periwinkle’s stall. Her baby pink scales glistened in the soft morning light, and her cheerful smile lit up customers’ faces. “Periwinkle!” I called, approaching her stall. She looked over and gave me a wide smile. “Hey, Aster!” she chirped, finishing up with her customer before leaning on the counter with a sly grin. “Looking for Ebullience again?”

I nodded. "Yeah, have you seen him?" I asked. She giggled. "Yeah, but have you seen yourself? Girl, you need a bath!" She giggled again and flipped her 'open' sign to 'closed', hopping over the counter. "Are you finally gonna ask him on a date? Or are you playing it cool, trying to get him to ask you?" she chirped. My scales went pink with embarrassment. "Periwinkle! I don't like him like that. I've only even known him a week!" I defended. She gave me a look. "Uh-huh. I'm not blind. And I didn't say you should be mates for the rest of your lives! But, there's some chemistry there, Aster. Have some fun!" 

"I have plenty of fun! Fun that doesn't involve chasing males."

"Doesn't have to be males."

Periwinkle smirked at me. I huffed, my scales pink all over. "Will you just tell me where he is?!" I sighed, rubbing my head with my talons. She shook her head. "Not with you looking like that," she scoffed. "Go take a bath and come back, and I'll tell you then."

"We've been over this!" I growled, lashing my tail in frustration. "I. Do. Not. Like. Him. We're friends, that's it," I repeated. She gave a long sigh. "Fine," she ceded. "He's been running errands for Loris today. If he's not at his hut right now, he'll be there in a minute or so. Loris is a busy dragon." 

Having been up to Loris's hut before, it didn't take me long to find the well-furnished hut high up among the ropes and vines. I sat outside in front of his hut. He looked through his window suspiciously at me once or twice, but soon went back to his duties, allowing me to wait for my friend. Ebullience showed up a bit later, shooting me a curious look before rushing inside with his bundle of scrolls. I could hear Loris giving him instructions as soon as he passed the threshold. "Here. I need you to take these to Glimmer in Treerest. Be careful with them, they're from Chrysanthemum. If these documents get lost or stolen, we'll have problems," he said seriously. He gave a few more instructions, and I heard bustling and several large clunks from inside. 

A moment later, Ebullience reappeared in the doorway with a satchel bursting at the seams with scrolls. Loris’s tall frame appeared behind him. “Now, remember what I said, and by the moons, be careful!” he admonished once again before disappearing back into the confines of his hut. Ebullience saw me and his face relaxed. “It’s nice to see a friendly face. Loris has been working me like a slave today,” he whispered, greeting me with a friendly nudge. I grinned, nudging him back. We walked away down the rope bridges. “Yeah, how fast does he expect you to get to Treerest? Demanding old tail-biter. That’s like a day’s journey, isn’t it?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. He nodded. “And I’ve got to walk it, too. He doesn’t want me flying because he’s afraid the scrolls will fall out,” he sighed. My eyes sparked with mischief. “What if I went with you?” I asked, grinning slyly. He gave me a sideways look. “Don’t you have training?” he asked wearily, suspicious of my scheming. I shrugged. “I always have training. Resplendent’s gonna blow his grumpy old top, but I think Cursebreaker’s gonna be glad to get rid of me. She got stuck with me. I’m just a thorn in her perfect scales,” I snorted. 

Ebullience gave me a long look. I met his eyes. “What?” I asked, suddenly conscious of my dirt-caked scales. He blinked and looked away. “Nothing. You’re just always shirking your duties. Don’t you think that’s gonna catch up with you eventually?” he asked, giving me a withering look. I mimicked the face he was making mockingly. “Not really, no,” I said pointedly. “You need to lighten up. Blowing stuff off feels great.”

The blue-green dragon sighed at me. “Fine, I assume you’re gonna run off and spend two days in the jungle with me?” he huffed. I flicked my tail at a fly, whacking it away from my head. “Right on the mark. You’re not completely hopeless, after all,” I smirked. He rolled his eyes, shifting the weight of the scrolls on his body. “You’re the one who’s hopeless, not me.”

“Well, whatever. When are you leaving?” 

“Late tonight, probably.”

“Wuss. Are you scared of the big bad dragons seeing you?”

“Moons, you’re an idiot.”

I chuckled and let the insult roll off my shoulders. “Doesn’t your name mean excitement and happiness? Shouldn’t you be a more positive dragon and not such a worry wart?” I pointed out. He huffed, tail flicking back and forth. “Aren’t you named after a flower that's supposed to be helpful?" he retorted.

"Better comeback than last time, but it's still weak," I laughed, nudging him playfully. "Get off," he complained, groaning.