Azul stopped at a large tent decorated with banners of all different colours. Fennyr recognized it as his father's tent. Fennyr stopped to polish his scales, he knew his father hated untidiness, and then walked inside.  The tent was dimly lit and barely furnished with just a dresser in the corner, a cot next to it, and a stool in the middle of the tent. Sitting on this stool was Fennyr's father Sulfur.

Sulfur looked a lot like his son with the same reddish brown scales. However, his scales turned to dark brown on his talons, snout and end of tail. They had the same brown eyes but while Fennyr's were warm and inviting like hot chocolate, Sulfur's were like iced coffee; cold and calculating. Fennyr locked his wings behind his back, folded his talons in front and bowed as was customary in Renzr.

"Rise, my son." said Sulfur in a monotone. Fennyr did as he was commanded. Sulfur stood and started to pace the tent.

"Today is your day, Fennyr. Today's the day you become one of the tribe. For decades, our family has won the Gladnar trials. My father won, my grandfather won, his father won, all the way back to the very first trials a hundred years ago. And do you know why we have won?"

"Yes sir." Fennyr said, just to stop this lecture.

His father took no notice and continued. "Because we are determined to be the best and we will let nothing stand in our way from being the best."

"Father."

Sulfur ignored him again. "Now that you are thirteen years old, after you win, you will be treated as one of the warriors. You will move to the outskirts of the camp and expected to guard the tribe and fight like all of the adults. You will no longer be treated like a child."

"Father!" Fennyr tried again. Sulfur paid no attention. He stopped speaking in monotone and started raising his voice in excitement. "You will destroy everyone who gets in the ring with you and even your so-called friends will be banished into the woods and die a painful death within the week and all of Renzr will cower at the name of-"

"FATHER!" Fennyr yelled. He had wanted to tell his father about his choice with his temper intact but insulting his friends was the last straw. Sulfur froze mid-lecture and turned towards Fennyr. He took a deep breath.

"Father, I don't want to participate in the Gladner trials."

It took a few seconds for it to sink in. Sulfur's jaw dropped and his face slowly turned into an expression of rage.

"What?" he managed to say before a chorus of horns signaling the beginning of the trials kept him from saying anymore. Sulfur scowled at Fennyr. "We'll talk later after you fight." He grabbed Fennyr's forearm with an iron grip then started marching him out of the tent and towards the arena. Fennyr tried to break free but his father's grasp was too tight. He tried to fly, fight back, do something, anything to make him let go but his yells of protest fell upon ears of steel and a heart of stone.

When they came to the arena many dragons were already there. The bleachers of the arena was a rainbow of different coloured scales; from red to blue, from dark as night to white as snow. The arena itself was a huge coliseum with enough seats for the whole tribe plus a few extra in case another tribe came to watch the "fun".

Verly the official Gladnar master was standing in the middle of the arena. He was a shade of too-bright orange and had amber eyes. Every time Fennyr looked at him, he was reminded of a rooster; puffed up with self-importance. He was holding a flag with the Renzr tribal crest on it; two dragons holding each other's tail in their mouths creating a circle on a backdrop of orange and blue.

Slowly, he held up a claw. The crowd instantly went silent. Verly looked at the mass of dragons and puffed out his chest before shouting "Let the Gladnar trials COMMENCE!!"

The tribe erupted into cheers and applause. Fennyr looked about to see who else wasn't clapping. The only one he could find was Azul who looked pale and frightened. Even Pyria was jumping and cheering.

Verly flew out of the arena and onto a balcony near the top of the coliseum. In the center of the balcony was a podium with a scroll on top of it. The scroll contained the names of all the thirteen-year olds in the tribe; half of which would be banished by nightfall. Verly unrolled the scroll and shouted out the first two names.

¨Aiden and Carely.¨ It went like that for about an hour. The rules of the games were that you had to win at least one battle to stay in the tribe. Azul was pitted against a tough adolescent twice her size. He lunged at her once and she submitted. Pyria lasted a bit longer, snapping and biting like a vryndrake or demon before her opponent pinned her down and nearly tore out her throat before she submitted.

Finally, his name was called. "Fennyr and... Dulkrn." Fennyr felt a chill run down his spine. Dulkrn was a brutish bully who tormented Fennyr constantly. He had blood red scales and sickly yellow eyes. Only yesterday, when no one was looking Dulkrn had cornered Fennyr in an alley.

"Hope you feeling lucky 'cause you'll need luck tomorrow. I'm going to tear you to pieces and your daddy won't be there to stop me." Dulkrn smiled a wicked grin before ripping one talon across Fennyr's snout. It was only a scratch but it burned like fire. Now it stung as he remembered and watched Dulkrn spread his wings and flap ungracefully to the arena floor. Fennyr felt numb as he glided down. This couldn't be happening. He was only thirteen. He couldn't die.

He landed and turned to face Dulkrn whose eyes were glinting with malice. He whispered something, and although Fennyr couldn't hear the words he could read his lips. You're dead. Dulkrn slowly drew a talon across his neck. Fennyr's heart was pounding in his ears so loudly, he almost missed Verly shouting from the sidelines. "Fighters ready? Begin!"

Without any warning, Dulkrn leaped at Fennyr jaws open, ready to tear out his throat.