Scorpion sauntered down the uneven path of the Scorpion Den with an air of obvious arrogance. 

She flexed her claws haughtily. She was practically the ruler here. Dragons called her "the Scorpion Queen". Even though she wasn't the real Queen of the Sandwings. Homeless dragons, orphans, and scrawny street thieves alike looked upon her with fear.

Scorpion was truly as beautiful and deadly as a real scorpion. 
With a squeal of terror, a streak white tried to run past her. But Scorpion was too fast. She grabbed the Icewing by his tail. He nearly wet himself with fear.

"P-please..let me go! I didn't do anything!" he whimpered.

Scorpion glared at him with her dark green eyes, studying his twitching face. And then she drew herself up.
"Sir, I'm a trained assassin. Do you think you can lie to me and get away with it? Show me the body." she ordered.

"L-let go of my t-tail first!"

But Scorpion gripped his spiked tail so hard it started to turn a bruised purple. "I don't think so."
The scraggly Icewing let out a moan of displeasure. He seemed to have given in. 

Scorpion followed the Icewing to the near edge of the Scorpion Den. There was a small patch of cacti, and a small mound within. 
"That's it?" she questioned.

He nodded tentatively. 

"Who is he?"

"Uh.." the Icewing looked down and away, but Scorpion's claws dug into his tail and he finished the sentence. "No one special, he was just my partner at our stall and we kinda got into a fight so I killed him in anger and took him out and buried him and now I have the stall all to myself please please please don't hurt mis Scorpion!"

He said this all very quickly. Scorpion blinked. she let go of his tail. "Alright then, but you won't be murdering anyone else in the Scorpion den after this. Or the next murder will yours. By ME."

"Go."
And Scorpion left the Icewing, stammering apologies and tripping over his mangled tail as she strode back.

*****

The Scorpion den was unnaturally quiet that day. Scorpion didn't like that. She ambled from stall to stall, terrifying the owners and checking out the occasional gemstones that she was rater fond of. Finally, she got to a large cave-like tent. It was made of several large lion hides over some trees. 

Scorpion grinned to herself and ducked inside.

It was rather cool inside the trade tent. Hybrids and dragons meandered through and out the tent, checking out artifacts and items. Scorpion walked to the far end of the tent, ignoring the apprehensive looks on a few Seawingses faces. She casually tapped the side of a stack of crates with her claw, excitement dawning. 
However, her excitement vanished when she had to tap a second time. And a third time. And a fourth time. Until a handsome and familiar blue face popped up over the box with a grin and said, 

"Hello there, how may I help you?"

swock!

Scorpion punched the dragon in the face. "OW!" 

"You IDIOT!" she cried and swung again as he ducked.

Drizzle popped up again, still beaming. "Ahh, there's our Scorpion."

"I hate you."

Drizzle leaned handsomely(not handsomely, not handsomely) over the crates as if it were a counter. "Got anything for trade today?"
Scorpion sighed and shook her head. "Drizzle I'm not doing this! I'm not a trader! I'm not even a normal dragon.." she mumbled.

Drizzle leaned over and patted her head in the understanding way he always did. "Sure you are! It's just that other dragons have a problem telling normal from not normal. What even is 'normal' anyways?"

Drizzle always knew how to make the flowers in Scorpion burst open to bloom. As he patted her head again, Scorpion felt and uncomfortable flush of cerise rise up, from her tail to her snout. "Uh, whatever.." she giggled. Scorpion hated that. she sounded like the Jems, a dancing group of giggly dragons who fell to pieces looking at sketches male dragons. 

"So."

"So.."

"Why didn't you answer me the first few taps?" cried Scorpion angrily. She hated being ignored. It didn't make her feel special.

"Ahh."

Drizzle gestured to a dragon standing behind him. Scorpion hadn't noticed her, intently watching them, Scorpion's eyes were only for Drizzle. 
Scorpion brushed off the awkward-in-love Scorpion and turned back to her usual self and stood high and proud, the most feared dragon in the Scorpion Den. But the new Seawing did not cower, or bow, or tremblingly say, "hi."

She ignored Scorpion and turned to Drizzle, her long fins whapping Scorpion across the face. Scorpion was really steaming now, not to mention, her face got wet. Her back arched she snarled angrily at the Seawing.

The Seawing studied Scorpion with an expression of obvious distaste. 
her claws danced lightly across Drizzle's arm and Scorpion saw red.

The next thing she new, she was being restrained by sevem Seawing guards, a cage placed over her tails. "HOW DARE YOU!" roared Scorpion, in her most fearsome assasin voice, but the Seawing looked unaffected. that's when Scorpion noticed the pale pearl crown on her head and the emerald earring dripping from her ears.
A.. prin...cess?

The Seawing sighed in a bored manner. "Really, Drizzle, darling, this is the most feared assasin? BORING. She's... eugh, while i'm pure."

"PURE?!" roared Scorpion angrily. It was a new insult, started by the Icewings(whom Scorpion, ironically, also hated), and it was to be thrown at a hybrid. Everyone looked down their noses at hybrids now, and callled them impure. Scorpion was infuriated. "DRIZZLE!!!!" she hollered. "EXPLAIN!"

Drizzle hurried between the Seawing Princess and Scorpion. Even when his handsome Seawing face looked worried it softened Scorpion up. Drizzle laughed nervously. "Uh, this is not how I envisioned your meeting to be but , uh, Scorpion, this is my -friend- Princess Emerald. Em, this is Scorpion."

Em?!?