A bound dragonling has no say over their life. Everything belongs to their master, including their offspring. This is so they will learn resolve and may become free on their own merit.

This is our Law.

~ From the Dragonling Grimoire

Freedom? I was sorely mistaken.

Six weeks had passed since my Trial of Blood, and all I was ready to do was stab someone. Lord Edik had kept his promise to send me to the front lines after I got my weapon - I was assigned a broadsword, which I adored - but no one had warned me how boring it would be.

Granted, it sounded impressive, guarding my colony's territory against potentially dangerous enemies, but the daily boredom of scanning a horizon was so not worth getting up in the morning.

All of us stationed at the post simply patrolled the sizable border between Lord Edik's city - E'zastava - and the Watercress colony. To my dismay, the entire time I was there, absolutely no fighting happened. In fact, the only Watercress dragonlings we had seen were an unfortunate pair of lovers caught in their mating season. That was something I would never forget. Frankly, I wished I could have burned out my eyes.

Those were probably the only dragonlings that had so far made an impression on me besides the ones I was forced to live and work with. All the others were like fading bursts of light - colors that dim when they leave my sight and vanish altogether afterward. That had always been my problem. I didn't remember boring dragonlings.

Which was the majority of the dragonlings in my new life.

Before their Trial, all dragonlings train at the Skhola, the academy, of their colony. From ten to eighteen, we're taught everything we'd need to know about how to fulfill our duties. Unfortunately, my teachers neglected to tell me that working as a Ryn had extra rules that Lords and Ladies could simply make up at any time.

As I settled into the outpost, I began to learn these rules by trial and error. Be on time, don't hunt too far east, always clean your weapon. It wasn't too hard to remember, but the indentured servants, as Lord Edik called us, had extra expectations to meet.

I was given a small leather pouch to fill with five thousand iyres - large, golden crescents we use as currency - or fifty thousand lodes, the smaller, silver counterpart to iyres.

Five thousand iyres was the cost of my contract and once I had it all, I was free. As I was paid a measly one lode a day, you can understand how furious this ridiculous amount made me.

Not only this, but the smallest errors cost you dearly. Forgot to polish your weapon? Five lodes. Even two heartbeats late for your patrol? Ten lodes. As a self-proclaimed master of disorganization, this drove me insane. No matter how much I tried, I usually ended a week with a single lode.

As I thought about this, I glumly shook my nearly empty bag and scanned my room. Or rather, my rooms. Despite the fact that I had no mates, Lord Edik had given me a classic wyk's quarters; a living room with nine bedrooms branching off of it. One for me and one for each of my non-existent mates. I wanted to refuse, as I didn't need all the space, but my new commander Kulya informed me it's because this way our oh-so-generous Lord could pay me only half of what he paid the fyns or less valuable wyks, claiming the other half as my "room and board." It was bullshit.

I suppose the rooms could be luxurious if they weren't completely barren of any personality. And furniture, for that matter. My "bed" was a pile of blankets and pillows in the middle of the floor in my personal room. I was currently sitting on it - not particularly comfortable, but it was better than the floor. The other rooms were completely empty.

Hopefully they would stay that way.

"Anita!" A sing-songy voice came from outside my door and I closed my eyes, hoping it would go away. I recognized that voice the same way one might recognize the sound of breaking wood - something you really didn't want.

Even as I thought it, my sister Mara burst through the door. I had met her here at E'zastava. She was from one of my mother's older clutches, and there wasn't a way to tell which of Mother's mates were the father of either of us - dragonlings trace lineage through the mother, after all. One thing was clear: even if we did have the same father, it was clear who got the good genes.

Mara was rather short wyk and stocky, due to her place as a Mora (a weaver, to be specific), with thick brown hair she cut at her chin. She had the face of someone that you'd not be too terribly surprised to find out wasn't paying any attention to you.

However, Mara was like a puppy. An annoying puppy with separation anxiety. She wanted to make everyone happy and would follow you around until you wanted to violently throw her out a window.Or maybe that was just me. "Oh, Anita! It's so great to see you! Wait, is this your room?! So drab! You should add some color, maybe a pretty yellow!""Mara..." I began slowly, my temples already beginning to throb at the sound of her jittery talk. Her verbal throw-up never failed to bring a migraine. "Oh, and maybe some pine furniture! And a few plants to liven up the place. We can get some cacti from the Kestreldive colony because I know you don't have a green thumb. They come to visit from time to time, you know. Those fyns are so cute, too. Maybe we can find you a mate!""Mara.""Oh, you would love to have a mate, Ani. Don't look at me like that. I know, you're all independent and everything, but it's fine! They'll love you and take care of you. You don't stay young long, after all. My first clutch was born when I was your age, you know-""Mara!" It took me shouting to finally shut her up. She looked hurt, as if she hadn't gone on the most maddening tangent in the world. "Mara, was there something you wanted to tell me? I have to go on patrols soon." I made sure to keep my voice carefully controlled, with minimum exasperation. I didn't need her sobbing and whining about how mean I am.Mara pouted and looked down. It would have been cute for a draggie, but it looked awkward on a grown wyk. "I just wanted to say good morning. I know I chat a lot, sorry dear. I'll come to see you at lunch." Before I could object - and I did want to object, preferably by tossing her off a cliff - Mara turned and practically skipped away. "Fuck me," I whispered under my breath. One dose of Mara a day was enough. Any more and my head might explode from the sheer amount of talking.Oh well. I would deal with her later. Or hide from her.Probably hide.I stood up and glanced at my bare window. The sun was slowly rising - I wasn't lying when I said I had to get to my patrol. Also known as the other bane of my new existence. Patrols were made up of six Ryns each and diversified so the talent could be spread evenly across the outpost. This meant I was stuck with a bunch of low-level and unskilled dragonlings who couldn't tell up from down. I decided to simply jump out the window, not wanting to walk through the entire complex and risk getting sucked into a mundane conversation about the weather or something equally dull. I mean, how interesting can the weather really be? Oh look, it's sunny. Wait, there's a cloud?! Oh no! I shifted as I fell, letting the joy rush over me. It almost washed the lingering irritation of Mara's visit away completely. The light caught on my beautiful scales, speckling the area around me in blue light. A few other dragonlings were flying, but none matched my beauty. They were all browns and some dull reds. A Ryn's coloring is determined by their eye color. Next to Liras, we are the most beautiful of the dragonling castes. Mostly because dragonlings can have such a broad range of eye colors, unlike other species. Gold, red, even violet. I felt a vague pride for my kind as I banked in the air, heading to my station. The buildings under me slowly turned to forest trees and I landed in a small clearing. The other Ryns were already there. Garik, Lyra, Anthony, Meg, and Nadia were their names. Every single one of them, save Garik, irritated me to no end. Garik, the most mature of them all and one of my few friends, was the first to notice me. He was lounging lazily in the lush grass, his green scales nearly blending in. "Hey, Ani." He called quietly, raising his head.Lyra noticed shortly afterward. "Oh, hiii Anita!" She called out. Meg and Nadia bounded over at the call, eagerly trying to talk over each other to get my attention about something. They eventually got too close for my liking, rubbing against my shoulders and neck. I growled and snapped at Meg, my teeth slicing one of her fire-colored scales off. "Off of me, all of you!" Shaking myself free of them, I sidestepped clear of the tangle of wings and limbs. Nadia landed on Anthony's tail, who snarled angrily and bit at her leg. Meg turned and swatted him with her wing and only escalated the fight. I caught Garik's gaze from over their heads, but he just shrugged an apology and closed his eyes. "Enough!" My voice shocked them into line. Sort of. Anthony pulled away first, giving me a sulking glare. The wyks followed, clumping together. Garik, of course, didn't bother moving from his place in the grass. "Okay, we're going on rounds. Meg, Nadia, you're with Anthony today. Check the sand pits near the rivers." I announced, using my muzzle to nudge Anthony closer to the cluster of wyks. "Okay, bossy-scales," Anthony muttered, swishing his tail in mild irritation. I pointedly ignored his comment."Lyra," I turned to the final dragonling, "I want you to come with Garik and I. We'll check out the cliffs. Meet back here at noon. Everyone understand?" My group nodded, though I'm pretty sure only Garik and Nadia heard me. Oh well. Their loss if they messed up. I took off, not bothering to see if Garik and Lyra followed. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I could see the pale yellow flash of Lyra and the bulkier form of Garik. They spread out behind me in a small fan formation as I angled our flight towards the cliffs.Landing on the hard gray stone, I surveyed the area. The cliffs overlooked the fertile lands of the Watercress colony, with massive trees and a deep, spectacularly clear river winding through the forest. I knew of the owner of this particular patch of land - King Senya, a young and violent Lira who had seized the crown from the last Queen, who happened to be his cousin. It wasn't uncommon that Liras challenged each other to rule, but it was odd that this fyn was so young. "Anita, all clear to the left," Garik said, climbing up the craggy sides of the cliff to sit beside me. He paused to admire the view, a dreamy look appearing in his eyes. "Whoa, it's so pretty up here. Watercress dragonlings are so lucky." "I don't know. King Senya sounds brutal. He's the reason we're out here anyway. Did you hear he was demanding land from Lord Edik?" I responded, curling my tail neatly around me so I could inspect the bladed tip. Garik nodded and stretched out like a cat, spreading his wings. I had to duck to avoid them. "Only whispers, Ani." He said. "No matter how many people talk, it won't be true.""This is coming from the fyn who thought Meg had a crush on him because Anthony wanted to play a prank on him?" I pushed Garik closer to the edge so I had room to stand. Garik collapsed against the cliff dramatically, putting his paws over his eyes. "Don't remind me! I wish to forget that shameful time of my life if you'd be so kind!"Laughing as I spread my wings, about to take flight, I noticed a trio of Watercress dragonlings riding the air currents a fair way off. I froze, my paws twitching, wishing I could join them. Wishing I could be free to join them, maybe even join the Watercress colony. But that life wasn't for me, not until I could gain my freedom back. I shook my head to clear the foolish thoughts from my mind. "Garik, let's go," I said suddenly, leaping off the cliff. Steely determination surged through my body. It didn't matter how long it took. I would be free someday. 

Back at the complex during the same day, I was filling out the after-patrol form when I ran into the worst dragonling in our colony, maybe even the world.

Burian Raymore.

Burian had arrived a few days after me, boasting about his victories in both battle and bed. I would have been fine if he had stopped there, but it only got worse. Putting up with obnoxious flirting was one thing, but I draw the line at uninvited intrusions into bedrooms. Which he attempted to do to Mara. It was the only time I have ever been thankful for being dragged into her room for tea.

We'd fought on a few occasions, both verbally and physically, and Burian knew exactly how I felt about him. That, of course, made me a target for constant harassment.

As I wrote out my report, I felt Burian's hand on my shoulder. "Well, look who it is!" He laughed as if his grip wasn't currently trying to crush my bone. "Anita, darling, how have you been?"

"Let go of me." I snapped, not looking up from my report. Don't get drawn in. He just wants to fight.

"Is that any way to treat a friend?" Burian insisted, stepping closer. I could feel his body heat and immediately my short patience snapped. With a turn of my head, I bit into the hand that was holding onto my shoulder.

Burian screamed at the feel of my teeth, sharp even in human form, digging into his flesh. With pure fury in his eyes, he backed away, then backhanded me. The blow made me reel backward, but I kept to my feet and punched him in the nose. Blood spattered satisfyingly against my hand, accompanied with a wet crunch.

I silently congratulated myself as I stepped back, shaking my soon-to-be bruised hand. Burian had tears of pain in his eyes as he tried to staunch the bleeding and a few nearby Ryns whistled in appreciation.

"What is going on here?" A cold, gravelly voice sliced through the room like a knife, silencing even the mocking laughter. Several Ryns decided to leave the room at that moment, and I couldn't blame them.

Shit.

Dmitri Ralov stalked into the room, eyes burning with silent rage. He was a rather handsome fyn, with well kept coal-colored hair and eyes to match. A long scar marred his left cheek from some old fight. His gaze swept over us like a black scythe. It settled on me for a heartbeat, watching me expressionlessly, before moving on to Burian, who he regarded with distaste.

I had seen Dmitri before, walking the halls of the estate and organizing patrols. He was Lord Edik's second in command, the Ryn who organized and disciplined the rest of us. If anything went wrong, he was the first to get to the bottom of it and the last to offer any mercy.

When I was younger, the older trainees used to talk about Dmitri like he was a god among us. He'd been a war hero from far away or a half-bred dragon, depending on the story. It had actually excited me to learn that I was going to be working with him.

Basically, Dmitri the one guy you did not want to piss off. A feat that I had evidently managed in less than two moon cycles.

What a great start to my new life.I'm shameful to admit that I felt fear burning through my body like liquid fire was running through my veins.However, the indignity of fear was completely worth seeing Burian's face drain of all color. It made the blood stand out starkly on his skin. With the backbone of a jellyfish, Burian fell to his knees. "Mister Ralov. I-I apologize. This wyk attacked-""Don't you dare blame it on me, asshole." I broke in.Dmitri turned his scathing black glare back on me, this time his eyes flashing with irritation. I felt like wilting under his stare. "Do not interrupt, whelp." He turned his attention to the Ryns who had stayed. "Take her to her room and lock her in. She can hunt tomorrow. No food for tonight. As for that one," he waved dismissively towards Burian, "someone get a damn healer. And stop crying. Are you a soldier or a child?" With that, the scourge himself turned on his heel and stalked back out of the room. I felt the eyes of everyone on me. No doubt this little debacle would be on everyone's lips for the rest of the week, maybe a moon cycle. What a lovely way to meet my leader.I was so screwed.