Quick colored sketch of Coy. I am running out of new dragons to draw so... yeah lol.

How am I going to get inspired to write anything if all I'm seeing are rocks, more rocks and OH what did you know? MORE ROCKS! Peregrine mentally groused as he paced along his post. Stupid guard duty! What am I watching out for anyways? Trespassing scavengers? WE ARE IN A TIME OF PEACE FOR MOON'S SAKE!

He stopped mid pace and sighed. So much for giving Shadowscale a free copy of my story for his Hatching Day...

He heard the smallest sound of rocks tumbling down a cliff. Peregrine immediately froze in spot, his senses alert. The noise was ever so silent, so quiet that if he wasn't aware, or if there was some sort of noise in the background, he would have missed it. But there was definitely the sound of a dragon prowling about. Click, scraaaaaape, click, scraaaaaaaape! The SkyWing whipped his head towards the source of the noise and squinted his eyes to see better.

"Sparrow? Wren? Plateau? Simmer? Kindle? Come on, this is not funny! Come out NOW!"

The noise immediately stopped, silence filled the space between him and the unknown dragon, of whom he also still couldn't see. After a while, Peregrine began to doubt that he really heard what he thought he did. I might just be spooking myself-

Scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaape!

"I SAID COME OUT!" He roared as he grabbed his spear and pointed it towards the source.

A shadow began to dart towards him, he was prepared to attack when it came into the light. It was coming closer, and closer, he tightened his talons around his spear... It was a scavenger, with a smaller spear, obviously made by scavengers for scavengers. 

Click, scraaaape! Was the noise it made as it used it as a walking stick and scrapped it on the ground as if it where exhausted. Peregrine sighed, a little deflated and feeling like he was cheated out of an exciting night.

Just a scavenger... *sigh* when will something exciting happen? He thought, throwing his spear to the ground and flopping to the floor. The scavenger stopped and stared at him like he had just spoken to it in it's scavengery language. "Yeah, what do you want? Scram before I eat you."

Not like I really want to... He thought as he eyed it. It just continued to stare at him, and he it. I wonder... is it a he or a she? I think I heard from someone that if it has longer fur on it's head and no facial fur, it's female...

He studied it for a long while. It had long fur indeed, long red fur and none on it's face. She had pale skin that reminded him of a macadamia nut, and bright emerald eyes that even he could see despite her being so small. She wore a metal armor over her chest, arms, hands, legs, and feet. She held a helmet looking thing under her arm, a round shield on her back and a spear in her right paw. She stared at him in awe, either like she's never seen a dragon before, or like she's never seen a dragon who didn't just out right attack her before. As if deciding he was no threat, she plopped down and began to slightly shiver.

"Are you cold?" He asked her. She jolted and glanced up, as if afraid he'd bite her head off. He sighed and slowly rose. He pointed at her then grabbed his shoulders and mimicked her shivers. He didn't expect her to understand him, so it surprised him when she nodded her head after a while. He then glanced around him, picking up some dried twigs and stacking them in a small pile, then placing the rest aside, then gently blew a small flame on it and ignited the twigs. She eagerly moved closer to the fire with her hands held out before her. He moved away slowly as to not frighten her, but she noticed him anyways. She squeaked at him and waved her hands, as if trying to get his attention. He turned back to her and frowned. "What? I'm busy guarding nothing."

She beckoned him to come closer, but he hesitated. He heard about one of these creatures killing Queen Oasis which started a war that Shadowscale's mother and the other four Dragonets of Destiny stopped. However, curiosity got the better of him and he moved closer to her, but not too close to put him in harm's way. She pulled a large sack off of her back and began to rummage through it. She then pulled out a ring and handed it to him.

"Oh, thank you, little, furry creature." He said, bowing his head as he gently took it from her grasps. She smiled to him and made her way back to the fire he made for her. 

It was nice to have something slightly interesting happen, but he is pretty sure "The Chronicles of Peregrine, Saving a Scavenger From Freezing To Death" or whatever it would be called wouldn't make a great, mighty tale-worthy story.

He decided to inspect the ring she had given him. And quite frankly, it wasn't that elaborate or anything. It was simple and golden, shaped like grape leaves that wrapped around a dragon's talon. It was pretty, that was a given, but it wasn't like some, over the top, bejeweled type of jewelry he's heard about in some of the royal treasuries. But despite it all, he liked the modesty. He placed it on his talon and smiled at it, he's never really owned a piece of treasure before, until now.

He felt a sudden Whoosh of air, and was about to turn around when he was suddenly engulfed by a black mass.

Peregrine snarled and prepared to strike at his attacker when a familiar voice whispered. "Calm down, Peregrine! It's me, Prince Shadowscale!"

The SkyWing threw him off and pounced on top of him, talon raised in case it was a fluke to catch him off-guard. But there was no mistaking those teardrop scales and color shifting scales. It was indeed, his best friend Prince Shadowscale. He jumped off him and glared as the prince rose to his feet.

"I swear to the Moons Shadowscale! I would have KILLED YOU! Why did you sneak up on me like that!?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I tried to find a way to show myself without being attacked out front, and this was the only way I saw where you wouldn't have jabbed me with your spear..."

"Well... that was incredibly stupid of you!" Peregrine growled, but then he began to slowly smile till he opened his arms and wings and come forward. "But I can't say that I'm not glad to see you again."

"Likewise." Shadowscale agreed and embraced his friend. When they pulled apart, Peregrine began to ramble. "It's been, like, what? Three years now? Two? The last time we saw each other... yeah, it was your fifth Birthday, and it was three days before I got my first position in Queen Ruby's army and, ugh! I HATE it! EVERY! SECOND! Hey, by the way, how come I didn't hear you? Moons you're silent!"

"I've... been doing my own training. With my father. I... I am an assassin."

It took Peregrine a few minutes to understand what Shadowscale had just said. 

"An... oh, OH! You're not... you're not here to murder anyone... are you?"

"If I was." Shadowscale began. "You would have never known I was here, nor that it was me. And if you had seen me... my father taught me to leave no witnesses..."

Peregrine started to get nervous as Shadowscale stared at him with a gleam in his eyes. Then he slowly began to grin then burst out laughing. "OH MY MOONS!!! YOUR FACE!!! THAT WAS PRICELESS!!!"

"Shadow, that was NOT NICE! This is the SECOND TIME you scared the living daylights out of me!" Peregrine whined. The prince chuckled as he placed a wing around his friend. "Come on. I'll never harm you."

"How can I be sure?" Peregrine asked cautiously. Shadowscale rolled his eyes. "Just remember, I would sooner tear my own throat out then lay a talon on you Peregrine. You're my best friend... really, my only friend actually... no one pays me much attention in the Rainforest..."

"Wow... in a morbidly graphic way, that is one of the nicest things anyone, besides my parents, has ever said to me." Peregrine said with a smile.

"Speaking of morbidly graphicness, I have a little shadow. Peregrine, I'd like you to meet Nightshade, the other assassin my father trained." Shadowscale said, turning to their left with a smirk on his face. At first, nothing happened, then suddenly, the air began to shimmer and a RainWing stood before them.

"How did you know?" She asked in a soothing, quiet voice.

"We where both trained by the same dragon, Night, I know all the tricks. Like how I knew you where following me around when I was following my sister around. It's quite funny, the protector of the protector."

She only nodded in response.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Nightshade." Peregrine said with a smile. She only nodded again in response.

"She's a dragon of many words I see." He muttered, Shadowscale chuckled. 

"She was trained to be an assassin since the day she hatched. I know nothing about her, other than that she was to be an orphan and is fiercely loyal to my mother and father." Shadowscale said to Peregrine. She then nodded again in confirmation.

"Which is why I came. You disobeyed the Queen." She said directly. 

"Night, aren't you concerned about the missing dragons?" Shadowscale asked. Nightshade remained silent, making no moves. 

"Please." He continued. "We must find them. I won't return till I do. You can either drag me back and expect me to keep escaping, or you can come with me-"

"With us." Peregrine corrected as he stood beside his friend. "I want to help. Fill me in as we go... wherever you need to?"

Shadowscale smiled at his friend and nodded. "Definitely, you won't get in trouble?"

"Nah, I just need to clock in and tell my parents I'll be gone. It'll be quick." He replied, he then jumped into the air, the turned around and hovered. "I'll meet you two near the Diamond Spray Delta! You can see it from here..." he said, pointing behind them. Shadowscale nodded and spread his wings to fly, but Nightshade grabbed his tail.

"What?" He asked. She only glared. "I already said no. So... you coming or what?"

She glared into his eyes for the longest time, then let go. "Then I shall go."

She then expanded her own wings and flew towards the delta. Shadowscale turned to Peregrine and shrugged before following her. The SkyWing turned towards the Sky Kingdom in the distance and began to grin as he darted forward. Finally! An adventure worthy of a story!