Solving the Puzzle (Private with Nemesis)

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The sun beat down on all of Pyrrhia’s inhabitants. Though it was high in the sky, it felt closer to the ground than ever. Dragons escaped the sweltering heat by fleeing into their homes and finding shady spots to lay and sleep until the cool embrace of night would return. Meanwhile, other dragons had important tasks that were made that much more difficult by the high temperatures.

To most FireWings, though, this weather was perfect. Young ones rallied together outside the village and flew excitedly away to embark on their own little adventures or play games that required a lot of physical activity. Infernoclaw was no exception to the energy that her tribe was feeling this day.

There was a need. Something very basic in the back of her mind that simply needed to activate for herself to feel like a true FireWing. To feel like she could conquer anything. Yet, like a riddle, the answer was hidden from her in the most obvious of ways. So obvious that it made her head hurt and her teeth grind anxiously. Unfortunately, she was at a loss of resources to properly expend this energy.

It was no mystery that Infernoclaw didn’t make much friends. How could she? She never stopped training, and never regarded anybody that wasn’t a soldier with any sort of respect. No, most of the time she found herself dismissing other dragons her age in the pursuit of something greater. A vague ‘bright future’ that she didn’t know how to achieve aside from ‘fighting harder’.

“Hey! Inferno!” The voice of a dragon her age came bursting with enthusiasm as he bounded toward her. A very excitable FireWing dragonet named Scorchclaw (and yes, he found every reason to point out how similar his and Inferno’s names were). “It looks like some of the chickens got out of old Burns’ coop. We were gonna go chase ‘em down! Wanna come?”

Inferno narrowed her eyes at him as though he were speaking another language. She then slowly shook her head. “Uh...I think I’ll be way too busy training to go chase around some stupid chickens. If I’m gonna be a sentinel one of these days, then I can’t waste time with such remedial tasks.” She stuck out her chest proudly, as though she were already a high-ranking member of the FireWing armada. “I’m going to leave the chicken chasing to the chicken chasers. Meanwhile, you and everyone else can-hey!”

Scorch was walking away from her before she could finish her speech. Her sudden shout stopped him in his tracks and made him turn to face her again. “Yeah? What is it?”

“I wasn’t done talking!” Inferno said, like an outraged, petulant hatchling. “It’s customary to let one finish talking before just leaving!”

“Well...you already said you didn’t want to go. And you said we would be wasting your time. So I figured it’d probably save you even MORE time if I just left so you could get back to your training.”

“Yeah but...but I…” Inferno huffed. She hated when he was right. “Fine! Get out of here and go chase chickens.”

“That’s what I was going to do,” Scorch murmured just loud enough for Inferno to hear before spreading his wings and taking flight, hurrying to catch up with the other dragonets ahead of him.

Letting out a breath, Inferno looked down. So much of her wanted to take off with them. To have any reason to spread her wings and fly about like they were doing. Yet, she couldn’t. She couldn’t allow herself to indulge in fun. As she always told herself ‘fun is a luxury that can lead to laziness.’

Instead, Inferno aimed to retire to her usual training spot. A small clearing just outside of the village with a tree that had seen quite a bit of abuse. It’d been beaten, burned, and chopped until it was barely standing. It was also the only real training dummy that the dragonet had to practice her unofficial attacks.

Inferno began her trek through the village. Her head down and eyes stoic as she contemplated. Trying to solve how she felt about friends, how she felt about her current energy, and, as always, what other attacks she could possibly come up with. That was, until, her front talon caught on something solid and caused her to stumble forward.

The dragonet inadvertently kicked away one of the supports of a stand holding various knick-knacks that a local had proudly made himself. A couple of the items wobbled, fell, and shattered onto the ground in a matter of seconds, before anyone even had the idea of trying to catch them.

“Hey! What in the blazes is wrong with you, kid?!” shouted an older dragon as he circled around his now lopsided shop and broken souvenirs. “You blind or somethin’?! I oughtta claw you somethin’ fierce for that!”

Inferno glowered at him. “Maybe you shouldn’t have moved your cart out so far, that way people wouldn’t trip on it.”

“You break my cart and now start pointin’ talons at me?!” He stepped toward her aggressively. “That’s it! You’re really gonna get it now!”

Nemesis smiled gently at the father-daughter interaction between the two FireWings. She was still nervous about what she just witnessed (who wouldn't be?), but the small family of two enlightened Nemesis' big heart. They both reminded her of her and her brother, Psychi. As soon as Dirgeflame noticed her, she ducked her head a little; a submissive stance, a silent way of saying, 'I'm not a threat. I'm not dangerous'... Even though she was quite sure Dirgeflame was still speaking to Infernoclaw. She understood that the father was a little shocked upon finding a stranger in the cave with his daughter, and probably won't say anything until he was sure that Nemesis had no intention in hurting his child. She did find the older dragon funny though... In a good way.

Once Dirgeflame introduced himself, Nemesis smiled at him, lifting her head. Manners. I like that. She blushed when he admitted he found her attractive. "N- N- Nice to meet you... Too...." She waved kindly at him when Inferno shooed him out. She laughed nervously as her friend told her that Dirge usually acted like that around females. A flirt... That's good. Nemesis liked Dirgeflame right away, in a friend/acquaintance manner, but boy... Would it be awkward if he really liked Nemesis! Like... Like-like. Nem was relieved. There was another male in mind...

"Y- You're dad is funny," Nemesis said softly. "I like him. M- Maybe we can become friends.."

Inferno chuckled, “yeah, maybe. He’s all soft like you, so you two have that in common. Although, I like to think that he wasn’t always like that. Like he said, he used to be a soldier. He fought alongside my mother, who was by far one of the best fighters in Pyrrhia.”

The dragonet sat down and looked up at Nem with a grin, her voice containing hints of pride and childlike wonder. “My dad must’ve told me her story a million times, about how great she was. He was pretty fierce too, which is why they fought together, lived together, then had me together.

“Even though my mom was given permission to stay and care for my egg, I guess she and my dad had gone off to battle again. I can’t imagine how it felt to feel so unstoppable that you don’t even need to worry about making it back to your own dragonet.” Inferno sighed a little, not so much in dismay, but more in disappointment. “That was when some EarthWing killed her. I guess the stupid Vulcan who made my mom’s helmet didn’t do a very good job, because a spear was driven right through it.”

Suddenly, there was a small smile on the young dragon’s lips. “From what my dad tells me, he was absolutely furious at the sight. So much so that he got really stupid and just charged straight at the EarthWing.” Inferno scoffed, “can you imagine? How angry would you have to be to just fly straight towards an EarthWing...one that has a spear of all weapons! Safe to say, that’s how he ended up with that injury on his eye. Ever since then he stopped going into battles. Instead all he does all day is clean the cave, eat, nap and...well, as you saw, flirt with dragonesses.”

Inferno gasped a little. “Oh! That reminds me! I have something cool to show you!”

The feisty dragonet dashed over to the side of the cave, and picked up what appeared to be a soldier’s helmet. She carried it in one talon and eagerly brought it over to Nemesis. She lifted it up, showing a jagged (and somewhat unsettling) hole on the top corner. “This is the helmet my mom wore into battle! Cool, huh?”

At the moment, Inferno found this a good distraction from the current situation with Emberwood. Even though she knew that they would have to talk about it, there were a few seconds where she’d blissfully forgotten about the dragon she’d killed.

Nemesis followed the younger FireWing, smiling at the story she just heard of her mother. She was, of course, unsettled a bit, as she always was upon hearing tales of death. So most of the smile was faked, as Nem was a little freaked out, but she didn't want Infernoclaw to think she wasn't interested. Really, Nemesis was. It was a really intriguing tale. Poor Dirgeflame, she thought, somewhat melancholy yet respecting. If I had a mate, I'd be heartbroken if I lost him... She imagined Dirge would have been really... Different at first. At least more different than he was now, according to young Infernoclaw's assumptions. But, Nem guessed after 17 years (in dragon terms), Dirge kind of got past his grief. Still, though. Nemesis felt sympathy for him, although she may never say it aloud.

Nemesis tilted her head at the helmet Infernoclaw held before her. She looked, didn't touch. Her smile faded, but she didn't have a frown: instead, it was a look of interest, surprise. After hearing a such tale of Inferno's mother, it was kind of cool to see actual proof of what happened. Nemesis wondered... She was 25 back then... If you subtract 32 from 17, that is. What if Nemesis was the one who made the helmet? Oh, god. Nemesis' paws shook. What if I was the one who killed her..? She blinked back tears, and looked at Inferno. She smiled. "Very cool... I like it."

((Sorry I know I have short posts... I really try with this roleplay though, since it's one of my faves!)

For whatever reason, Inferno had always anticipated the day that she could show someone else her mother’s helmet. It was a day that she could pridefully display proof of Passionfire’s battling prowess. That she was a great warrior who gave her life for the honor of the FireWing tribe.

In this scenario, she imagined herself showing off the helmet, and whoever her audience was gawking and gasping at its magnificence. Yet it would seem that this reaction was a bit of a delusion.

Nemesis hadn’t truly reacted the way Inferno wanted her to react. She simply replied with a smile and a ‘very cool...I like it.’

Grimacing, the dragonet shrugged and brought the helmet back to its usual place, setting it neatly on top of the rest of her mother’s armor.

Returning to Nemesis, Inferno sat down in front of her and looked on wistfully.

“Alright, I guess story time’s over,” she said, her voice laden with disappointment.

The young dragoness dove abruptly back into the task at hand. “I’ve never actually killed another dragon before. Let alone a FireWing citizen. I can’t stop thinking about it, Nem…” she looked up at the dragoness, “do you think we’ll be branded as traitors? If Queen Kenina finds us…” Inferno tripped on her own words. She hadn’t realized it until now, but a hot feeling of shame washed over her at the thought of disappointing her beloved queen. It was the last thing she wanted to do, and the prospect of losing her chances of becoming a soldier before she could even try out would be a fate worse than death.

“...maybe we should go back. We should hide the body, o-or make sure our tracks are totally covered.”

Suddenly, the panic in her voice dropped off into quiet resolve. She hung her head and exhaled slowly. . “Or...maybe I could just ask to see the queen myself, and confess to her. Tell her how it was all my fault since it kinda was. That way you don’t punished for someone I killed.”

Nemesis frowned as Infernoclaw put up the helmet. Even though it unsettled her, the disappointment audible in the Trainee's voice made Nem feel guilty. Maybe I didn't seem interested enough. But she put that aside. She could worry about that later, although it didn't seem like something to be worth worrying for... But still, you know how Nemesis was. She just oh-so-has to make up for any disappointment caused. But she forced her attention on Inferno, and Inferno only. This was a serious matter that could result in exile or royal punishment. Nemesis couldn't waste the precious time they had.

Nemesis nodded at her every sentence slowly to let her know she was listening. She still frowned. Who wouldn't in this situation anyway? "I- Inferno... Th- Th- This i- isn't your f- f- fault... It's Emberwood's. T- To have the n- nerve to...!!!" Nemesis' last statement ended in a tone of anger, nothing she had ever expressed in her days. She was a little surprised herself, but she was angry at Emberwood. If anyone could bring a dragonet with such a high ego down... If anyone had the nerve to try... That's someone worth hating. Yes, Nemesis was capable of anger and such loathing. But despite her fury, tears were clearly visible in her gold eyes. She never truly despised a dragon before. She was never truly furious. It was uncharted territory for her, something that confused the ex-vulcan. "Inferno... It's getting kind of late... C- Can we bring this to m- my den? Psychi will be worrying." Nemesis blinked. She hadn't mentioned Psychi, had she?

Inferno was silent as Nemesis talked, sounding rather wound up. The dragonet hadn’t expected such exclamations to come out of her bashful friend, so when they did, it had surprised her beyond words. Who would have thought that such anger laid behind teary eyes and a stuttering voice?

Nemesis had a point, though. Emberwood had antagonized them. For some reason Inferno doubted that such a claim would prove them innocent, however. If someone else had witnessed the scene, all they would be able to tell was a dragon used fire breath on another dragon, causing them to die.

A dark scenario crept into Inferno’s mind where her throat was removed so that she may never use her fire breath again. That’d never happened in the past, to Inferno’s knowledge, but there was always a first time for everything. Only knowing of Queen Kenina through her own presumptions, she couldn’t do anything but imagine her methods of punishment.

Nemesis pointed out how late it was getting, and Inferno nodded her head in agreement. When the dragoness asked that they return to her place, the dragonet also agreed. The only thing that made her tilt her head was when Nemesis mentioned someone named Psychi. Had she mentioned that name before? It didn’t sound familiar, so Inferno guessed not. Perhaps that was the name of her mate, or maybe there was a dragonet of her own that needed attention.

Either way, the gruff dragon nodded her head again firmly, letting out a huff. “Alright. That sounds like a plan. Lead the way, Nem.”

Nemesis limped out of Infernoclaw's home. She inhaled deeply, trying to find the way back to her and her brother's den. Unlike most FireWing's, Psychi and Nemesis didn't live next or inside a volcano. Rather, they lived in a small cave. It was lodged inside a mountain, introduced by an overhang of stone over the mouth. It was created with flecks of silver and gold. Back when Nemesis was a Vulcan she had chosen this place due to the many silver and gold deposits that could be mined. A fleck of gemstone may appear as well, but it would soon disappear as Psychi would grab it and hoard it who knows where.

"Here we are..," Nemesis said as they arrived, and was a tad surprised as she realized she didn't stutter at all. Maybe Inferno's presence had gotten so comfortable that Nem wasn't nervous of her anymore. That was a good thing!!

The ex-vulcan lead the Trainee inside. She was instantly encountered by Psychi. "Nemesis, darling!!" he exclaimed. "I've been searching everywhere for you! I found the PERFECT choker for--" He was a silver dragon with bright blue eyes. He seemed nothing like a FireWing, but that must be due to his NightWing heritage. He was Nemesis' younger brother, but at first glance they seemed to be mates. Psychi looked at Inferno. "Ick! What are you wearing on your wrist?! Someone call the fashion police!!"

The trip away from home to Nemesis’ cave made Inferno all the more antsy. Not only was she nervous about Emberwood, and the fate of she and Nemesis, but the trek had been so much slower due to the ex-vulcan’s refusal to fly. Inferno found herself pacing more, actively looking for items to find or something to chase. Flying helped, but one could only fly in circles so many times before boredom set in.

Inferno resorted to imagining her own war scenarios, and started contemplating what weapon would compliment her. Even after they’d arrived at Nemesis’ cave, she still couldn’t decide. Every weapon had benefits and drawbacks...but the young dragoness wanted a weapon with no drawbacks! Something that was absolutely perfect.

The dragonet observed the cave, looking in particular at the specks of glimmering silver. Beauty, in all honesty, was something that was hard for Inferno to comprehend. She liked the way the silver sparkled, but it didn’t go any deeper than that.

Squinting at the cave’s exterior, she followed Nemesis inside.

That was when he arrived.

A silver-scaled dragon approached. For a moment, Inferno dug her claws into the cave floor and prepared to blast him with her fire breath. Then he revealed himself to be an ally of Nemesis, which made her muscles grow lax and the smoke emanating from her nostrils dissipate.

He was...silver? What kind of FireWing had silver scales? Surely this couldn’t be a dragon from a different tribe in the FireWing territory.

"Ick! What are you wearing on your wrist?! Someone call the fashion police!!"

Inferno’s snout contorted into a snarl.

She looked at the ruby armlet then back at the stranger. “At least I look like a FireWing. Unlike those sissy silver scales you have.”

The dragonet turned her attention to her friend. “Nemesis, please introduce me to your mate before I turn him into a pile of ash.”

((Hey hey! Just wanted to check in and ensure everything's alright on your end :3))