The Growing Ember (Private with Ignatius Sikum)

“Hah! I got you!” Infernoclaw exclaimed as she swooped downward and tried to pluck a fleeing bird from the sky with her back talons. The bird chirped in dismay and narrowly avoided the claws that tried to clamp down around it.

The young dragon growled in frustration before reaching her front talons out to grab the bird, but unfortunately it slipped away from her grasp. Inferno stared at it as it hurried into the distance. Smoke rose from her nostrils as she contemplated unleashing her fire breath in order to just roast the stubborn animal, but decided against it.

I have more important things to do right now than chase a bundle of stupid feathers, she thought. With a huff of frustration, the dragonet turned her attention to the ground beneath her, black earth that indicated just how active the nearby volcano was.

The girl had been assigned to train with a dragon that was older than her, and had been instructed to wait in this area until his arrival. She’d traveled to this location as soon as she could, and was now biding her time until this supposed trainer showed up to hone her skills. Although, it would be interesting to see what he would have her do in an area such as this. There weren’t many animals around, aside from birds, so hunting didn’t seem like it would be on the agenda.

How would he show her fighting techniques? Would he himself fight her?

The thought of fighting a dragon that was older than her was slightly thrilling. She honestly thought that she’d be able to take him down if they were fighting one-on-one. Regardless of size or weight.

That was, of course, if the boredom that came with waiting for her trainer didn’t kill the dragonet first. The only thing this location really had that was nice was the heat.

While other dragon species might shy away from high temperatures, FireWings embraced it. The hot wind that brushed down the side of the rock formation felt good against her scales, while simultaneously exciting her about her training.

Finally, after spending so many years dreaming about it, she was embarking on the path to become a true soldier!

She lowered herself until her claws touched the soil, then dropped to a sitting position facing the volcano. Inferno dug her claws into the dirt and sighed. “I really hope this trainer isn’t some kind of pushover,” she said to herself, “I hate pushovers. If he turns out to be a pushover, I’m totally gonna push him over just to prove that he’s a pushover.”

The feisty dragon swished her tail left and right, wiping soot and dirt into two piles. Her amber eyes stared intensely at the top of the volcano. As her head tilted upward, sunbeams ricocheted off of the golden rings around her left horn, glistening as if they were made for this exact lighting. The bejeweled band around her foreleg, however, looked a little worse for wear. It was as though Inferno never cleaned it or removed it when fighting with the other dragonet’s her age, and thus devaluing the rubies with countless scuff marks.

Closing her eyes, the girl smiled. “I’m so gonna be a Sentinel one day. Even if I have to kill hundreds of dragons to do so.”