VOTE ON NEXT STORY BELOW!

This story contains some graphic imagery. If you're uncomfortable with gory scenes, progress with caution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dad... do you have to go?" the concerned voice of a hatchling spoke shakily.

Banther sighed, lowering his head so he could look directly into his son's eyes, "Zoble, you know I do. Don't worry, my son, I'll make it back to you. I'll make sure those serpents never scare you ever again."

"Okay," Zoble spoke, though there was still worry in his yellow eyes.

His father gently nudged him with his snout, before lifting his head to look at the rest of his family. His mate, a water dragoness with perfect ocean blue scales illuminated by several blue crystals within their cave, smiled sadly at him. He smiled back, trying to show his confidence at his task, but as much as he tried to reassure them, they all knew the danger of what he was going to face. His two daughters were next to their mother, each barely reaching her midsection while sitting down.

"I love you Banth," she said softly, "Make sure to come back to us."

He nodded, "I will."

He gave them all one last smile, before turning around, and without hesitation jumping into the pool of water occupying the back of the cave. He flicked his eel-like tail, beating his wings as he pushed himself forward through the water. He breathed through his nostrils, the water trickling into his body, before being sourced back through his mouth as he breathed it out again. It always took a moment to get used to the cold running through his body as he switched from breathing air to water.

He descended down the dark passageway descending out of his home, and then out into the open, where he pulled himself to a stop, floating effortlessly as he looked over the coral reef in which his family lived. They were situated out over the edge of a massive drop, where the ocean descended into dreary nothingness. The cliff face curving downward was accompanied by a mass of corals of orange, green, yellow, pink, and purple. Fish swam in their thousands, accompanied by glowing beams of light from the sun high above the surface of the sea.

Amongst the fish swum dragons, their blue scales blending in with the ocean around them. They swam easily amongst the corals and schools of ocean life, going about their day to day tasks with a general wariness. The fish, for the most part, ignored them, though made sure to give them a wide berth when they were near. They had no fear of being hunted, but they were still wary of creatures bigger than most sharks. It would be a simple matter for a dragon to simply open their mouth and snap one up, not that they would. Coral fish were small and unappetizing a lot of the time and the ones that dragons did eat had long since fled from that specific coral reef.

Banther let out another sigh, several bubbles escaping his mouth as the last of his air was pushed out by the water. He propelled himself forward with a flap of his wings, flying through the water as he pulled on the ocean around him, creating his own personal current, gliding down toward a small gathering of dragons toward the end of the reef. He was given several growls of greeting as he floated over their heads, the growls echoing through the water in strange waves and patterns that to any other dragon would be difficult to interpret. The drake made his way to the front of the group, meeting with a dragoness, who gave him a quick nod in greeting.

"This all?" he asked her, relying on the simple growls and grunts of the dragon language to get across his message, as it was hard to speak with more sophisticated terms while underwater.

"All round up," she replied, seeming a little dissatisfied.

"Main city... not equilibrium?"

The dragoness shook her head.

Banther growled to himself. It was too late to wait now. He was sure the main city would have sent someone to help them, but as the months had passed it had become quite obvious that they wouldn't. They didn't care about a small community on the furthest outskirts of water dragon territory. The type of community that was struggling the most because of the attacks.

"Got message. Serpents attack main city," the dragoness said when she saw his look, "Say they need all equilibriums."

Banther grunted, "Yet we have nest below us."

He narrowed his eyes and looked over the soldiers that had chosen to follow him on what most had assumed to be a suicide mission. He couldn't let any more dragons die because of the unwillingness of his nation's leadership to do anything. Every night they were forced to hide away in their homes in fear of being slaughtered and eaten alive. The serpent attacks had only become more and more vicious as time went on. Now it was time to take the fight to them.

"Thank you all for coming!" he called out through the water to the other dragons, "Very brave. Nest is thousand dragon lengths below. Estimate... twenty adults. One elder. Unclear on young. Hundred of us. Main city, not helping. Up to us. Some may die... but can't let family or friends be in any more danger."

There were several nods and growls of approval. Banther could see the fear in some of their eyes, but also resilience. They knew that this needed to be done. They couldn't wait any longer. Not after one of the serpents had dug into one of their caves and slaughtered a family inside. They needed to go on the offensive and drive the serpents away from their home.

"Remember," Banther continued, "Aim eyes, gills, snouts. If on their head, they not attack. If on coil, close high-pressure water crack scales, but don't harm. Pressure in eyes. Break brain. Now, follow!"

The water drake flicked his tail and flapped his wings, drawing on the water around him to create a current that all the dragons could follow, before descending down into the depths of the ocean. It was always a surreal feeling, swimming into nothingness, one that no dragon liked. But they didn't have much choice. The serpents nest was a fair way down, found by scouts about a month prior. It was currently the middle of the day, and serpents weren't usually active around that time.

Banther could feel the anxiety flowing through him. He had fought sea serpents before, nearly a century ago, having been part of the main force which had driven the species from shallows surrounding the continent, allowing expansion of the water dragon species further into the ocean. At the time it had seemed like a good idea. More space meant more dragons, and more food to feed them, and water dragons didn't really need to worry about drinking water at all. It gave water dragons more control over the ocean as well, as they slowly spread around the corners of the continent, further than many of the dragon races expected them to. If ever another war broke out, they would be in a prime position to take control.

But being out so far... of course, lead to more dangers. And with the serpents once again becoming a problem for many of the settlements through the ocean, Banther was beginning to feel as though they had made a mistake. For serpents to even be attacking Okynus, the largest and most important underwater city of the water nation, meant that they didn't have as much control over the monsters as they thought they did have. Banther wasn't worried about the city, as that was where many of the water dragons of equilibrium lived, and a single one could deal with a hundred of them easily. Even an elder wouldn't be that much trouble. But the smaller settlements at the edge of the ocean, without any equilibriums to protect them, were in the most trouble.

Banther took a deep breath, going through his head at how he could now fight the beasts. He was far stronger than he had been a century ago, and despite not being a dragon of equilibrium himself, he had often been compared to one without a transformation. He just didn't know if that would be enough to destroy what he needed to.

The small army of water dragons slowly descended deeper and deeper into the haze of the ocean, until even the sun's rays didn't piece it, shrouding the dragons in darkness. It was here that they would be forced to use senses other than sight to find where they were going. Banther closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the ocean around him. The small shifts in the currents, the direction of the water flow, the several large presences he could detect even further out.

He let out a low rumble to the other dragons closer to him, signifying the need to get closer to the wall they were slowly descending down. They complied, quickly flattening themselves against the stone. Now, instead of swimming, they slowly climbed down into the abyss, each listening to and feeling the environment around them, just in case they detected something that would be less than friendly. There weren't only serpents that lived so deep. Banther had come across sharks bigger than most dragons at these depths, and while there likely wouldn't be any such creatures so near a serpent's nest, he knew they couldn't be too careful.

Several of the water dragons had carried the blue crystals that glowed in the darkness, allowing them some semblance of light the deeper they went. For what seemed like hours they moved, time difficult to measure with such darkness, until eventually, Banther put up his wing as a signal to stop, feeling every dragon within the group come to a grinding halt, still holding onto the stone wall. Up ahead, Banther couldn't see, but he could feel the large opening. A cave, beholden unto death.

"Second," Banther growled to the dragoness who was his second in command, using her title, which was much easier to say underwater than her actual name, "Keep... eighty dragons here. Dig hollows. Deep and narrow. Rest dragons come with me. We draw them out."

He quickly pointed out the twenty dragons he wanted to come with him, and they slowly dropped down to the opening. Part of him wondered if they could just close the cave mouth up by collapsing it, but he knew that the serpents would eventually just break through it. And he didn't want to battle the serpents within their home. Out in the open ocean, the dragons would have the space and maneuverability to use their element to the fullest, while being stuck in the cave, no matter how large, would limit how easily they could dodge the razor teeth of the serpents.

They left all the light crystals with the dragons digging into the side of the cliff face. They used high pressured streams of water to cut into the soft and eroded limestone, sending our scores of dust particles into the ocean. It wouldn't take them long to hollow out several clefts within the walls, allowing them a place to hide and rest if they were injured or couldn't shake off a serpent. With enough effort, a serpent would be able to gouge out the clefts, but it would take time, and they would be under the constant attacks of high-pressured water from the dragon on the inside.

Banther and his advance group slowly moved into the cave, crawling along the roof as they made their way forward. He could feel the presence of the creatures inside nearly the moment he entered. Long, swindling creatures that looked like the union of an eel and a dragon, with razor spikes running down their backs and frills that resembled a flower on the backs of their heads. An adult alone was ten times the length of any dragon. They had razor teeth designed for biting and chomping. Banther had seen one bight a dragon in half before. But that was nothing compared to the large dreadful presence toward the back of the large cave.

He came to a stop above one of the smaller serpents, who was coiled up and sleeping near the entrance. Banther was only grateful these creatures, while intelligent compared to the average animal, didn't have the intellect of a dragon. He slowly floated down toward the serpent, signaling for his dragon team to do the same. If they could kill one before the rest woke up, that would be good for their chances.

Banther landed quietly near the serpent's head, barely able to make out its silhouette in the darkness. It was a young adult, its head not even half the size of the dragon. Many of the other serpents were coiled in with each other. It would make it difficult to kill them before they woke up. Which was why Banther planned on not even trying. Their first kill would be the one that caused enough noise to wake the others up.

He nodded at the other dragons, wading over to the sleeping serpent, and placing a paw on its head. Its scales were hard and rugged, much different from the smooth surface of a dragons'. He dug his claws into the scales, and sure enough, the serpent's eyes shot open. Glowing orbs of yellow and green with a black slitted pupil, very similar to that of dragons. Before the serpent could react Banther shoved his other paw into the serpent's eye with as much force as he could muster, hoping to stab through the far softer area of the serpent's face and cause enough damage to at least mortally wound it.

The serpent screamed. It sounded much like a whale's call, but much more high pitch, so much so that Banther felt the vibrations near rupture his hearing glands. He growled, staggering backward and shaking his head, the scent of fresh blood rising in the water, as the serpent was wakened rather quickly by the pain, writhing away from the dragon, who found himself lashed backward through the water by the flailing creature. He quickly rightened himself, letting out a roar to his fellow dragons. All at once, they opened their mouths, firing several beams of high-pressured water toward the serpents within the room, especially aiming for the injured one. The young serpent was slammed against the ground, and lay still, the injury caused by Banther seeming to be enough to kill it.

The scream had done its job, however, and throughout the large underwater cavern, several glowing eyes opened, looking through the water as the serpents raised up from their slumber. Banther could feel their movements, and he was sure the other dragons could as well. He fired another blast of water from his mouth, before roaring out his retreat call from his mouth before the serpents had a chance to catch them within the cave.

The dragons didn't hesitate, calling upon the currents of the ocean as they propelled themselves out of the cave, followed by several of the serpents. Darkness met Banther as he dispersed into the depths of the ocean, the large presence of an adult serpent behind him. He could feel the blood of the dead serpent on his claws, and he understood that the serpent behind him could probably scent it through the water. Banther knew a serpent was faster than a dragon through the ocean, but they could not keep up with a water dragon's agility. Banther pulled at the currents around him, allowing him to turn and twist through the sea as easily as if he was flying, the serpent right on his tail.

He felt the presence of several other dragons near him, their smaller forms desperately trying to catch up in order to help. Hoping they would be ready, Banther made a sharp turn, narrowly avoid the serpent's jaws as they snapped shut behind him. Now he was heading across from where the dragons steadily approached. As the serpent slowed its momentum in order to follow, it suddenly found itself assaulted by several more dragons as they used their breath, claws, and teeth to try and injure the serpent.

"Head!" roared Banther as he turned around, charging back toward the serpent.

He was too late to prevent the strike, however, as the serpent spun around on itself, and like a snake, struck at one of the dragons closest to its head. The crunch of scales and bone could be heard audibly through the ocean. With a roar Banther crashed into the top of the serpent's head, digging into it with his claws. It let out a scream similar to the previous one, but before it could make too much noise the water drake summoned his breath and blasted the creature's eye with the highest-pressure water he could muster. The creature's eye exploded in blood as the deadly stream cut through its flesh and ruptured its brain. It fell limp in the ocean, its jaw relaxing as the dragon trapped by it was let go. It seemed the dragon was still alive, though barely, as she had several puncture wounds along her flank and a badly torn, likely broken wing.

"You!" Banther pointed to one of the dragons he could feel near him, "Take back to safety. Rest, follow me."

There were about twelve dragons in total, much too many for a single serpent. The battle was still going as the rest of the small army descended upon the serpents. It seemed to be going well. Five of the beasts had already been killed, and many more had blood trailing from their snouts as they flailed around, trying desperately to catch the dragons dodging them like insects. But despite their success, a number of dragons had also been caught by the creature's jaws. In the flashing blue lights of the crystals, which were being carried around as both a distraction and to help the army see, Banther spotted a floating head detached from a body, and a dragon floating lifelessly with his stomach and intestines spilling outward from a mortal wound.

Banther took a deep breath, reaching out to the ocean around him, feeling its power surrounding him. This part of a water dragon's abilities came to him much harder than if he had been a dragon equilibrium, but it was still possible for him. With a roar he thrust his wings forward, sending a cascading current toward one of the serpents chasing several dragons, slamming it into the wall, and stunning it. A dragon quickly took the advantage, descending upon its head and ripping at its gills and eyes.

The water drake forced another serpent into the sandy ocean bed that was not far below them, allowing several dragons to gain the advantage once again as they descend upon the hapless serpent's head, ripping and tearing with vigorous ferocity. Three of the creatures seemed to realise that it was him causing all the trouble, and abandoned their chase in order to descend upon him. Banther felt the coming, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, summoning as much water as he could inside his throat. With a roar, he launched it out toward the creatures, the invisible stream stunning one of them as it was forced backward by the stream. Unfortunately, Banther was too far away to do any damage, and he couldn't fight three serpents by himself. Instead, he turned tale, quickly fleeing from his attackers as he dodged and weaved back to the cliff, where he hoped to get some help from the rest of his comrades.

As planned, the moment they were able, several water dragons descended upon the three serpents. A drake latched onto the beast's head, and dug his talons into both of the serpent's eyes, effectively blinding the creature as it roared out in pain, writhing back and forward. Banther helped by blasting streams of water at the beasts, stunning and annoying them as they were outnumbered by the smaller dragons.

Banther grinned, seeing everything come together. That was until he felt a far larger presence at the front of the cave. One that sent shudders through his bones. The elder serpent had decided to join in the fray. He couldn't see the massive beast, but he could feel it as it rose from the cave. It struck forward with anger and severity, swallowing an entire dragon with a single bight. It propelled itself forward with a roar, its massive body swinging back and forth as it easily knocked off several dragons who tried to grasp onto its scales.

Banther's eyes narrowed. Elder serpents were rare, massive creatures that were incredibly difficult to kill without an equilibrium. He had seen it done before of course, he had been part of it. The dragons clawing at its scales and hide undoubtedly felt like pinpricks to the massive being as it swung its head around, biting down on anything living it could get its teeth into. Banther narrowed his eyes, propelling himself forward as he quickly rose above the massive creature.

There were only ten serpents left alive, and they all began to gather around their leader as they picked off the dragons that attached to its hide. Banther winced at their screams as their lives were cut short by the jaws of the serpents. He narrowed his eyes, pulling at the water around him once again, and with a roar propelled it down toward the grouping serpents. He watched in satisfaction as many were thrown off their course, crashing into the ground or cliff. The elder serpent however was not harmed. If anything it was infuriated, its frightening gaze turned toward the dragon that had attacked it.

With a roar, it shot itself forward and frighteningly high speeds toward the drake. Banther narrowed his eyes, curling the currents around him as he also pushed himself forward, charging head-on toward the creature. It was rather strange, charging through the darkness at something who's only physical apparition he could see was its glowing eyes. But he wasn't going to kill the thing head-on, and at the last moment twisted out of the way, using the water around him to help control his momentum as he reached out and snagged the elder serpent's snout with his claws. He was yanked along, his body stretched over the creature's face as he dug his hind claws into it as well in an effort to stay put. It roared outwards, its roar echoing into the darkness as it swung its head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the dragon, but Banther wouldn't let it.

His claws were stuck in its scales, and he couldn't let go in fear of being thrown off, and couldn't keep his head still enough to use his element properly, so instead he used his teeth, and with a roar bit down on the eyeball of the elder serpent. He nearly gagged as his mouth was filled with acidic saltiness, the gooey flesh of the eyeball much softer than anything he really had the pleasure to eat before. The serpent roared again, thrashing even more violently as it tried to dislodge him, making it difficult for Banther to do anything other than hold on.

He nearly missed a quickly approaching presence coming from his left. The moment he did it was too late. With a yelp of surprise, he dislodged himself from the elder serpent in an attempt to dodge the incoming attack from one of the small serpents but was unable to move out of the way quick enough. A roar escaped his mouth as the hard teeth of one of the creatures clamped down on his left wing, and he was quickly dragged along by the momentum.

Banther weakly struck at the serpent's side with his claws, managing to break through the scales. He felt the bone of his wing pop out of the joint, making the entire limb numb as he thrashed against the side of the serpent to try and get free. The sea serpent came to a sudden stop, its teeth still firmly gripped around his wing, and yanked its head back and forth. A whimper escaped the water dragon as he was thrown side to side violently. His wing could only take so much. An audible rip in his wing was followed by him being thrown free, where he spun for several dragon lengths before coming to a stop in the water. He was too dazed to move, and the left side of his body suddenly felt far more unbalanced.

The sea serpent seemed to have noticed that the wing in its mouth was no longer attached to a dragon, and quickly let it go, growling as it approached the floating, barely conscious dragon. Banther could feel it coming and clawed at the water in a desperate attempt to get out of the way. But he wasn't strong enough. The pain fogged his head too much to focus on controlling the ocean around him, and he was too lopsided to swim normally.

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, when the serpent was suddenly stopped by another force. Several dragons descended upon it, roaring and yelling. It tried to fight back and succeeded in locking one of the dragons down with a bite, but it was killed before it could make the finishing blow.

"Leader! Leader!" a dragon called as she swam up alongside him, "You alright?"

Banther growled in response, feeling rather lightheaded, "Alive."

"We got rest. We won," she grinned.

The drake let out a sigh of relief, flapping his right wing and rotating his tail in an attempt to right himself, "Even elder?"

"Yeah. Damage you did helped rest of us kill her," the dragoness replied.

He let out a sigh, "Good."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys! New chronicle for you all! I had quite a lot of fun writing this one. We get to see the underwater life of the water dragons XD. What did you think of Banther? And what did you think of the serpents? I'll probably do some more stories based on this part of the world as well, as I think it's a fun place to be XD Also, the average length of these Chronicles is becoming longer and longer.  Make sure to vote on the stories below.

Blood on Stones: Talon, Telekinetic drake -26Yrs BTA

Unwanted Love: Abelan, Fire drake - 35Yrs BTA

Let There be Light: Ego, Human Male - 17Yrs BTA

Until next week, See Ya!

Pennator^^