"Can you knock it off?! Focus! You're here to stand up for yourself, not to squander around looking at pretty butterflies!"
"OW! Let go!"
"Not until you ACTUALLY GROW A FEW DOWN THERE-!"
"Im trying-"
Slam
He yelped to the open air when he collided back-first onto the hardened mud, aches and pains shooting through every nerve in his body without ever giving mercy. Of course... He got beaten by them. Again.
His friend threw their head back with a laugh for their easy triumph and looked down at him with piercing amber eyes. He sighed to the sky. Defeat... It wasnt an unusual occurence.
Jaadigo Dragons, like his friend, were always much stronger than the submissive Kalcul Dragons; hence why he was on the ground and they barely broke a sweat.
"Can you stop doing that, Raahn? My quills can snap off from the impact..."
Raahn wrinkled their smooth nose as if bewildered by the thought, black scales shimmering against the autumn sun with shades of rusty-red; it was as if their scales were never black to begin with. Their pair of three-phalanged, thin-boned wings shuffled, the obsidion-textured membranes having reached down to the near tip of their wide tail, droplets of gold freckling every surface of those membranes as if the night itself shed golden tears. The light never seemed to capture Raahn's true beauty... Especially the diamond-smooth spikes along their neck and near the end of their back.
Lucky them...
Jaadigo Dragons were looked up to for their slim yet incredibly strong, tall builds and reflecting dark scales. They are wellknown as being one of the stealthiest species in Onthan.
Kalcul Dragons, on the other hand, are small, non-muscular, and have a mixture of opalescent scales that only shine when lightning strikes. Other than that, theyre shades of a dull quartz with barely a hint of color. Stealth is a fever dream for any Kalcul.
They are, and always will be, the exact opposite to Jaadigoes.
Though there are still specialties that make the Kalculs unique.
They are the only species to have hyper-sensitive quills along their backs and head - to aid in detecting storms - as well as two pairs of seven-phalanged wings. The second pair are merely for help with balancing in the vicious airs of their home.
Jaadigoes have no breath, quills, or four wings.
But...
That didn't stop the Kalcul from being one of the most paranoid dragon species in Onthan. Seriously... We should get a medal or something...
Raahn always made fun of how nervous his Kalcul friend appeared, but it wasn't entirely his fault; its how he was raised, after all. He wished he was even half as brave as Raahn and the Jaadigoes are, however...
"Look, Hilno, you need to be more... Assertive. Growly. Deadly! Like- Grrrargh!" Raahn exclaimed with an enticing snarl and flaring wings to further make a point. They moved to a patch of red flowers and settled their tail over their talons. Their eyes shined mischievously.
Hilno snorted, pretending that the snarl didn't scare him one bit, and turned to glare at his friend. "How do you suppose I do that? Youre better at it than me...!"
"I can always teach you!" Raahn declared matter-of-factly, a smug grin tracing their sharpened features.

"It's no use, Raahn!" Hilno yelled, standing up with a wince and beginning to walk away towards his village. "I'll never be this strong, dependent Dragon. You're more likely to than me, so what's the point?"
Five years he has tried to master combat the same way Raahn had.
Five years he has rarely managed to even squawk a retort to his bullies, or be able to pin down one of Raahn's legs.

"Hey, Hilno-" Raahn cooed, already at Hilno's side and was brushing a velvety wing along his own. "You need to stop trying to be like me; be you, otherwise I can't imagine how I'll stay standing. You hear me?"

Hilno sniffed, fighting back the urge to hide away from the physical contact. "I hear you, Raahn, but..-"
"Shhhh!" Raahn soon interrupted with a hiss, covering Hilno's mouth and beckoning him to the side quicker than Hilno had time to breath.

"What are you doing?!" Hilno growled once they were hidden away in a Colossal Beetle's yawning burrow.
"Quiet! Do you remember what day it is?! Its Daakxul Du Ghoe today!"
"Daakxul- Du....- What?"
"HOW DID YOU FORGE- You know what? Leave it. Daakxul Du Ghoe is the Day of War, okay? They go to each home, grab their strongest dragon there, and fight to seal their tribe's pride! Remember?!"
Hilno was squinting at Raahn by now, loosing sight of his darkened friend, but as soon as the memories came flooding in, he gasped. "Thats today?!"
"YES! We need to hide you; My brother was already chosen, so I'm safe. But YOURE a first-born, so youre the strongest in your household, am I right?"
"Y-Yeah-"
"ExACTLY. So you need to stay HEre..." Raahn's voice began to crack, and Hilno wished he didnt know why. This year the two of them are now old enough to participate in the Day of War... Or, more or less forced to pariticpate. If Hilno is chosen... He might not survive long enough to come back home to Raahn.

"Raahn, I...-"
"Dont leave me yet, Hilno. Dont you dare," Raahn murmured, so quiet Hilno could barely hear, but it had every ounce of emotion laced within it. "Raahn. Im not going anywhere, okay? You're my one and only."
Wait... did I just say that out loud?
Raahn's amber eyes widened, and they looked up to meet Hilno's own teal ones. In that very moment, nothing else mattered. They always knew they had something special between them, something more than just friends. More than just being combat partners. But neither of them had been brave enough to say it.
Now that they have, their world just became ten times harder.

Time... Seemed to have slowed in that moment. Hilno could hear the distant screams, hear the clashing of armour as guards rushed in the burrow to take Hilno away. Raahn's panicked gaze as they realised their love was being dragged to his death. But Hilno could barely understand what was going on. All he could focus on were the tears streaming down Raahn's snout. They were beautiful even when they cried. They were tied up, though... Why were they tied up...? Did they hurt a guard to get to him..? Hilno might never find out. A guard clashed her arm into Hilno's face, and the world started to dissapear...

Their final act of passion between them was their coiled tails, forbidding the other from letting go.
But even then, that was taken away, too... Ill come back to you, Raahn. I promise.