-Dragon City. Evening. 3RD POV-
The Divine Chief of the Wind Clan and his newborn son watch the sun sink below the horizon from the darkening City where various Dragons fly about without paying any mind to the disturbances in the most western territory. The hatchling stopped paying attention to the flickering light in the distance and inspected the urban area enclosed in 10-meter tall walls expanding outwards with oversized paved paths and stone huts where large dragons resided between the tall trees.
Eleven kilometers west of Zhuryoh city, a 45 meter-long dragoness hovers a hundred meters in the air with gentle flaps as if her weight didn't match the large body while observing the aftermath of her explosive wind attack. The forest below was blown away for nearly 60 meters wide in circumference with a 15-meter wide crater in the middle where an 8-meter tall dragon twitches embedded at the bottom. *BAM! BAM! THONK! Tok! Tok! Puashhh!* The 30-meter tall pine trees finish toppling as debris and wood fragments fall down while leaving a dust cloud settling slowly. *WHOOSH!* The wind user controlled the air and forced all the dust to settle down on the forest floor to see her target clearly.
"G-gruruwuu wuuu..." The Rank 9 green dragon bleeding profoundly on several places with broken scales wailed meekly from the ground while glancing up fearfully.
"You don't even know how to beg for your life?" The divine dragoness questioned amplifying her voice. "Whatever, watch death come for you!" She declared and opened her mouth looking down..
*SwooOOSSHH!!* The airborne beast compressed a large volume of air into a meter-wide ball in her mouth which heat up until it became incandescent. *FWOOOHH!!* The fiery ball slowly rotating with a heat glow all around carried the force of a bomb capable of leveling an even larger area than before and the irritated dragoness was ready to throw it.
"Gwuuu..." The wounded beast on the ground yowled one more time observing the imposing attack and resigned to her fate closing the eyes.
"What are you doing, Neafiruna?!" The male divine chief questioned over his intent.
"Oh, Heinken? I caught a wild dragon near the city!" She replied enthusiastically.
"Leave the poor wild dragons alone, Neafiruna! If you kill a high rank, the others will fight over territories again... That's worse for little Alkalis!" He pleaded and reasoned with logic.
"...Fine!" The airborne dragoness conceded and stopped firing.
*ZuuUUOP!* The super heated wind ball became smaller and smaller until it vanished.
"I won't kill her, but she's too close to the city. You do something about it... I'll go eliminate the feral ones." Neafiruna accepted and declared extending her magic once more.
"Alright... But if you want to kill them, just blow up their heads! Stop playing around destroying the forest that's our livelihood... What did the poor trees do to you?" He admonished and sent his probe to the ground.
"Ack! You are right..." The Divine beast acknowledged and looked up.
*Fwo~WHOSH! BOOOM! Fweeeee!* The dragoness beat her wings rapidly and broke the sound barrier speeding up further west.
"Gwuu...?" The beast opened her eyes looking around without moving.
"Your life has been spared..." A thought that she could understand resounded in her head.
"Mguh!!?" The green beast dying red sounded surprised and tried to look around but the pain stopped her.
"I'm the Divine chief of wind territory." Heinken introduced himself proudly. "You are too close to the city without knowing our rules and language. Learn them and don't attack low ranking Dragons or you won't die an easy death! Understood?" He ordered with an intimidating pressure that made the weaker beast shiver in the hole.
"Y-yes! Yes! Yes!" The high-rank said in her head multiple times.
"All done... Huuuf..." The Divine in Zhuryoh city retracted his probe and sighed.
The little dragon tilted his head wondering what happened and relaxed once again.
"As you'll find out, all the dragon clans share their lands with other creatures, and some are even altered biologically to suit our needs. When hunting, you will encounter wild beasts that are stronger the further away from here and they have territories to defend too. Some allow intrusion while others like in the fire lands are very territorial. Figures, right? Bunch of cranky-hot-headed idiots. But don't say that to them. And we also have to defend our lands from invaders fiercely..." Heinken elaborated on the residents.
"Wuoh?? Defenno?" Alkalis questioned the term feeling anxious without seeing his parent.
"Yes. No place is owned by right. Every creature must fight for a home, hunting grounds, resources, and mating rights. Otherwise, you are just prey allowed to live somewhere until you are eaten."The father answered the hatchling's inquiry and caused him to tremble.
"E-eeaten!!?" Alkalis repeated frightened.
"Yes. All living creatures must eat or use other living creatures to survive. You can live by simply eating anything alive from Moss, Grass, Trees, or Insects, BUT the size is very important for many reasons. Therefore, it's a priority to acquire ample biomass with haste until the ideal growth is attained. Fortunately, prey is abundant in our lands and you can also hunt in the desert. Although the creatures there are very dangerous because of their defense and extremely toxic substances that can dissolve flesh... They may taste terrible though. Apparently, you need to specialize in poisons to appreciate such cuisine. It may be painful, but you can increase resistance with exposures--" The Divine dragon elaborated when he felt light taps on the scales of his head.
"Gwuawa!" The hatchling called out and tapping with the right forepaw. "Gyuororo wumu..." He protested unable to understand most of what was said.
"Ah! You can't follow? Sorry, sorry... I have to keep it simple then. But no worries, I plan to repeat this until it's ingrained in your head since information that is prone to changes isn't imprinted in the egg..." Heinken said apologetically and continued. "Anyway you must grow as BIG as possible before learning magic, so I'll have you become a glutton!" He reaffirmed and willed his magic into the hatchling once more.
"Wutum?" The small beastie wondered about the term.
"YOU EAT A LOT TO GROW!" The older beast said loudly causing the little one to tilt his head as he felt no hunger. "Looks like I'm gonna have to make you hungry. Don't worry, it's difficult for our species to get fat and you are a pureblood... But you are not gonna like it since you'll need to eat rocks like crazy too, or your body won't get enough minerals to strengthen the bones, scales, and claws." He elaborated and willed small rocks from the ground towards the top of his head.
"Ruoks? Dert?" The hatchling questioned the floating objects in front of him.
"That's right. Without the right substances, your growth will slow down and you'll end up as sluggish as a normal beast until learning Magic, so prepare yourself! Your survival's at stake!" The father reaffirmed and encouraged.
"Zuvival~ Wauk!" Alkalis cheered and swallowed the floating pebbles. "Blerg! Pehek! Pehek! " He immediately puked the rocks out which didn't fall and stayed floating.
"HA HA HA HA HA!" Heinken laughed out loud producing strong vibrations in the air that rustled leaves and caused echo within the walls while making his son bounce in front of the wet dirt.
"Gwuuwuu..." The little beastie grimaced getting his bearing after the shaking stopped.
"Nice try, but you don't have a choice. Unfortunately, we are not Earth Dragons that can make the toughest bodies in the world. Maybe befriend one as soon as possible?" The divine advised and brought more stones to his head.
*Whap! Wruak! Wruak! Crunch!* The hatchling obediently followed the instructions and chewed the gravel presented to him in silence.
"Better get used to it. Our care is limited, and no beast is obligated to help you. On the contrary, expect obstruction and competitivity since you even have to conquer territories closer to the city center where mana is abundant from your brothers and sisters. Not many things will be rewarded for progress as your Mother does, so you have to fight to earn things or take them by force!" The father instructed looking into the distance.
"Gulp!" The hatchling swallowed a mouthful of rocks and spoke. "Wuu... Fite?" He asked concerned.
"That's right. Starting today, you won't receive any food from us. Just rocks." Heinken replied coldly.
"No food!??" Alkalis perked his ears alarmed and protested.
"...Suddenly you speak better. How about calling me father already?" The parent retorted and requested.
"Fauder! No food? Wuu..." The hatchling complied and pleaded with whines.
"Close enough." Heinken approved and replied. "Anyway, why do you think I've been explaining about territories? You will hunt your own prey, and fight certain creatures that I'll tell you to fight." He asked and announced the plans.
"Fite...food...? Wuu..." The hatchling lamented lowering his head and ears.
"You don't seem very thrilled now. We'll see after you taste blood..." The father mused and foretold.
The two beasts watched the last vestiges of light disappear in the horizon beyond the thick stone walls of the Wind Clan's territory and a moonless night fell with a bright starlight providing sufficient illumination for the lizardly creatures. The number of dragons of different sizes flying in the skies increased as they left the city to hunt as the Divine wind chief finished repeating the lessons and imparting basic knowledge waiting for the hatchling to starve.
*Shuvaahhhh~!* A soft and hot breeze rustled the tree leaves while hundreds of lights flew over the walls towards the lakes. *Parash!* The father lowered the hatchling to the grass near the southern lake where the glowing insects perched.
The little dragon looked around on the same spot not knowing how to react, and his father smiled watching from above.
"It's okay. There is little danger now." Heinken encourages and looked at the lake. "Your first prey is there..." He presented moving his snout slightly and his son obeyed.
*Whap! Ta-rash! Wak! Thump! Whap! Whap!* The little dragon was entranced by the spectacle and started swallowing the shiny bugs flying over the grass or jumping to catch those too high.
"NOT THOSE!" The large dragon reproved with widened eyes.
"Uwuoh?" The little one stopped and looked up tilting his head.
"Haahh... This is a first..." The large dragon muttered. "Your mother likes those glowing bugs, so don't make a habit of eating them. Hunt the fish that eat them instead." He affirmed and pointed a claw at the lake.
*Shoup! Shlomp! Shoup!* The fish ranging from a foot up to a meter long started feeding noisily on the insects approaching the water and spooking the dragon who laid down while looking around.
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"What are you afraid of? You can see in the dark as long as there's a light source, so just assess the threat..." The parent lectured.
*Shruch! Bashaah! Bashaah!* The hatchling obeyed and crouched before sneaking to the pond shores. *Fwuash!* He popped his head out of the grass and was fascinated by the activity in the meter-deep pond. *Suu! Suu!* The beastie wagged his tail, licked the lips and slowly raised his body stalking a large fish just under the water surface with night vision. *Whoop! Shuap!* He jumped and extended his neck biting into the water until his 2-centimeter long fangs pierced the fish scales and sank a little before the aquatic animal reacted. *Shra--Pa pa pa!* The meter-long fish struggled in the water and twisted his body before slapping the scaly beast. *Sha-plunk! Shra! Shra! Shrah!* The small dragon fell in the lake scaring the fish away and started paddling with his lower body submerge and tail dragging on the bottom.
"Gyuu! Gyu!" The pale green beastie called out alarmed.
"Swimm out... You aren't a water dragon." The father warned about drowning.
The hatchling did as instructed and left the pond in a hurry before turning around and staring at the water lamenting his failure.
"What did you expect? Start with a smaller prey!" The Divine admonished.
"Gwuruuru..." The little dragon grumbled and continued stalking prey under the illumination of the starry sky.
*THU-RUMP!* The father laid down in the paved road before closing his eyes concentrating on magic training as the hours passed.
*ShraaAP! Papapap~!* The hatchling managed to pull out a small fish from the pond and started running around happily.
"Gwuhuhu~" The tiny beastie rejoiced savoring his first kill and stopped by the road to inspect it. "Wuoh?!" He tilting his head staring at the familiar creature struggling to breathe on the land, then proceeded to devour it alive.
...
After killing all the fish, drinking and defecating around the paved road for 8 days, the light-green hatchling had grown a little and got used to hunting for his own food. Now, on a calm morning with a soft breeze swaying the tall trees, the dragons in Zhuryo city relax and laze around.
*Kruruash! Druash!* Alkalis chewed on the bones of a large fish near his father's head when the half-a-meter green eye sprung open and focused into a slit before looking down.
"Ohh! You got the last fish..." The large dragon commented and got up to look around. "And made a mess in the garden. You could've at least buried your poop to benefit the plants..." He muttered looking down with an admonishing gaze. "Well, time to prepare your next stage." He announced and walked away leaving the hatchling to his own devices within the enclosure.
...
By the middle of the morning, the hatchling was basking in the sun at the edge of the right pond while watching the tranquil water when a noise woke him up.
*Thump!* A pale green dragon reaching 3 meters tall jumped over the division keeping the hatchling trapped in the garden and walked with small footsteps closer to him.
"SO! You are Dad's new favorite, ah?" The rank 2 dragon called out spitefully and affirmed while approaching with his ears lowered.
"Gyu?! The hatchling questioned looking up alarmed and retreated bordering the waters.
"It's a shame that you...drowned!" He announced and moved the paw over the little dragon before pushing down.
"Gyu??" The hatchling uttered trying to discern the intentions.
*BAM! Sha-plunk!* The larger dragon drove the smaller one into the water and held him while looking around casually.
"GYU--Glub-Glub-Blub!" Alkalis screamed swallowing a few mouthfuls of water and closed his mouth to save the little air left in his lungs.
"Grrr! Why are you taking so long to drown?!" He asked looking down annoyed for a moment and pressed harder. "Grrsh... I can't use magic inside your head... snapping the neck will look unnatural..." The low ranked lamented the lack of options.
*Brrassh--Kruk! Kree!* The little lizard head entered the mud and met the rocky part of the pond as his scales and bones creaked from the presure.
In a 200 meter wide plaza five kilometers away from the Divines nesting area, a green and black dragons converse while looking to the east.
"Excellent endurance for a newborn. I wonder how long he can hold..." The green dragon reviewed on the left.
"Certainly, he's not dead yet." The black dragon acknowledged. "But Hadar IS trying to kill him..." The twelve-horned dragon pointed out.
"He'll be fine... That whelp is too weak to kill Alkalis with magic." The other beast shook his head and assured.
"Don't get cocky! Accidents can happen. Imagine the shame if you let him die..." The poisonous beast admonished.
"GUH! I-I guess you are right. I'm just so excited that I feel like roaring again--Haaahhh!" He said and opened his mouth wide while mobilizing magic.
The black dragon on the side used his willpower and clammed down the overexcited beast.
*Kluap! Fweeee...* The large scaly green jaws closed shut as the air shoot out the nostrils deflating him.
"Enough already! The Demi-gods should forbid Wind dragons from roaring... Noisy neighbors..." The black-scaled dragon admonished and grumbled releasing the other beast.
"Hmhph--puah! Killjoy!" The green dragon released his mouth and reproved. "Anyway, there's no need to intervene more than stopping him from dying...just watch." He reassured and looked into the distance along with his probe.
"At least he learned of dangers, and not to trust others so easily. But you should be careful not to traumatize him of water." The beast on the right reviewed and warned.
"Actually, that might not be a bad idea. He liked water too much, and environment influence which affinity one get, so I better dry it out the ponds..." The green dragon approved nodding.
"You shouldn't force him to chose Wind affinity though. Even if Alkalis is talented enough to sense the types of Elementals, he should pick what feels natural... Otherwise, you could ruin his life and push him out of the Clan." The black dragon warned sternly looking into the other's eye.
"He'll be fiiiine~ We'll give him the right care for emotional attachment, duty, and sense of belonging..." The male green dragon affirmed nodding. "Though we don't want him to be a pacifist water dragon. We'll bond crushing our enemies together!" He declared lifting his right forepaw and closing it strongly like a fist.
"If you say so..." The beast on the right rolled his eyes muttering.
A group of 5 different sized-dragons walk on the paved road and entered the garden where the Divine's youngest offspring is currently drowning.
"Oh, it seems my little brothers are getting acquainted." An 8-meter tall Rank 10 dragon commented stopping near the ponds.
"...! Tukamaro...! T-this isn't what it looks like! I-I just found him like this..." The smaller dragon by the pond faltered and pulled the hatchling out of the water.
"KUA-! Koho! Goho!" Alkalis took a deep breath and spew muddy water before coughing with his head lowered while staggering.
"Maybe the fish did it." A 9-meter tall rank 8 dragoness commented.
"Y-yeah... That's right, Nimuna!" Hadar agreed nodding forcefully.
""Grufufu!!!"" The 5 dragons leered moving their heads in different directions.
"That's low, Hadar. Maybe a hatchling would believe that story... I didn't try to kill you when mom and dad threw me out..." A 5-meter tall rank 6 dragon reproved.
"Hakaro is right. Beating him is acceptable but wasting our parent's years of efforts is taboo." Nimuna lectured where to cross the line.
"Gruworu..." Hadar grumbled lowering his head and walked away before opening his wings.
*Zuku! Fwooh-whosh!* The 3-meter tall dragon took flight when the largest beast twitched his snout sending magic to the skies. *Bwoosh! BAM!* A gust of wind pushed the airborne beast down.
"GWUA--!" The startled Hadar sounded as his body turned upside down.
*THOOM!* The low-talented dragon slammed onto the paved stone road below expulsing the air in his lungs.
"...Grrrr!" The light-green beast recovered and glared snarling to his left.
"You dare growl at me?" Tukamaro questioned showing his teeth aggressively. "Those who bully can't complain of being bullied. Blame only yourself!" He declared and used magic again.
*WhooOOosh! ZzuuOOK!* A sphere of air quickly formed around the rank 2 dragon trapping him and created a vacuum sucking all the air in his body and evaporating all the fluids. *SWOOooo...* The wind ball disperses and air rushed into the dragon's respiratory system once more.
"HAAAAAP! HA-HUFF! Ha-huff!" Hadar took deep breaths while trembling with an immense pain in his insides caused by the air pressure.
Meanwhile in the paved plaza 5 Km away in Wind territory, the black dragon with countless spikes on his body and a long tail with a pointy tip oozing a green-ish gas continued the conversation.
"That one is not very bright, is he?" The black dragon asserted glancing to his side.
"No, he is not." The green dragon affirmed. "How dumb... Hadar thinks no one is probing because he can't feel it... Bah! Alkalis will quickly outgrow and bully him in turn. Life lessons must be learned somehow, I suppose." He shook his head saying and shrugged.
"GRUFF! The narrow perspective of low talented. There are senses everywhere for murder to go unnoticed... There's one invisible lizard right above us." The black dragon announced and looked up.
"...You have a fine specimen there, Heinken." A white dragon became visible after appraising and turned to the black dragon. "Scorpion, you look as poisonous as ever. Yuck!" He insulted the black dragon and turned invisible.
"Thank you..." The green dragon returned the gesture looking up.
"Wh--!? You Sarunshine! Get down here so that can sting your ass!" The darkness user threatened pointing his tail up.
*Fwo-whosh! Fweee...* The white dragon flew into the distance without responding.
"That...that doesn't help your case, Braquion... You give nightmares to the races and Dragons stay away from that poison of yours which can corrupt scales and affect Spirit." The wind dragon pointed out.
"But not you~" The black dragon mused and tried to lick the green beast to his left teasingly.
"W-well...Wind users also produce toxic substances, so we are kind of the best neighbors." Heinken asserted moving his neck away.
*Pksss! Pksss! Pssshh!* The toxic slubber dropped on the ground burning holes into the rocky floor while releasing fumes.
"Haah... A dragon can only dream to get a Wind and Darkness dual magician. We should trade all our mates of our two Clans and see what happens!" He proposed and licked his lips with his dark and long tongue.
"You want to have even more toxic offsprings??" Heinken retorted looking to his right while using magic to neutralize the substance corroding the ground.
"What? Having seconds thoughts about pairing up my daughter with your soon-to-be perverted son?" Braquion questioned with insinuations while glaring.
"Erm... I... I fear that your daughter will be a hazard to my son..." The green beast stuttered saying.
"Nah! He'll be alright...unless she doesn't like your son and bites him..." The black dragon assured and pretended to bite only to be dodged again. "Drumakaria's tail is too weak to pierce his scales and her venom isn't strong yet, so he won't die..." He reaffirmed the worst-case.
"HUUuu... How reassuring..." Heinken sighed relieved. "But the agony he'll go through might make him fear your daughter." He spoke his worries.
"As it should be! Fear is respect..." Braquion asserted proudly making the spikes of his body puff up.
"We'll see..." The beast on the left muttered.
"Hmm... You should give him to me if he awakens High-Darkness. I'll make a true dragon out of him!" The darkness beast declared nodding twice while blinking.
"Yeah, right... Why don't you take Hadar?" Heinken retorted and pointed ahead.
"Ugh! I wouldn't take a dragon that can only bully newborns even if you pay me Top-quality Mana Essences." The beast on the right cringed and compared.
"Haa... I even let Hadar stay in the city to help him, but after what he just did...I think I will gift him away to some dragoness in our Clan." Heinken lamented looking down.
"That's wise... Considering Neafiruna will kill him, and then, punish you..." Braquion appraised and loomed his tail menacingly.
"Ugh..." The green dragon uttered and sent his probe out.
*Zooom!* The Divine string of magic zipped across the land several kilometers until it entered a villa with dozens of stone huts of different sizes.
"Zabriama!" He transmitted into the head of the sleeping dragon.
"...!? Divine!" The 5-meter tall dragoness jumped. "W-what c-can I-I do for you, Lord?" She did her best to convey her intent.
"Did you find a partner yet?" He asked recalling her previous search.
"D-divine...we can't mate..." The dragoness opposed imagining the act.
"Oh, no no no! I don't mean to mate with you...too small. I'm just looking for a dragoness to take my second youngest son as a breeding partner." He corrected his intentions with an offering.
"Ohh! It'll be an honor, Lord Divine!" The lone dragoness cheered and transmitted back wagging her tail.
"Good girl... You can come to pick him up any time. But he's a bit spoiled, so don't be afraid to beat him close to death." The wind chief warned and gave free reigns.
"Leave it to me!" Zabriama puffed her chest accepting.
"All done. Now, he can be useful." Heinken reported and retracted his probe.
"I would feel sorry for him but--..." Braquion reviewed and stopped abruptly.
"We have it worse..." The green dragon finished for him.
""Yeah..."" The two dragons agreed and looked down with gloomy expressions.
Back in the garden of the Clan chiefs the elder brothers and sisters finished lecturing the disruptive young dragon.
"Why don't you accept he's going to be your better? Or will you try to kill every offspring...?" Hakaro admonished looking down at his younger brother.
"Gruworurou..." Hadar grumbled laying down on the grass.
"...In more ways than one... Look at his rear." A 7-meter tall Rank 9 dragon announced and flipped the hatchling using wind magic.
"Gyu! Gwuawa!" Alkalis called out struggling on the ground.
"W-what's with the huge genitals?!" A 7-meter tall rank 8 dragoness questioned surprised.
"Why do you think, Herune? There's only one Dragon in our city more proud of his genitals than actual Magic Rank..." Tukamaro affirmed looking at the dragoness to his left.
"Father..." Nimuna lowered her head mumbling.
"Dad..." Hakaro affirmed shaking his head.
"That good-for-nothing Divine!" Kelso asserted and released the little dragon.
"Gyu~uu!" The beastie squealed and ran away towards the nesting cave.
"Look at him run with the testicles swaying! Ka Ka Ka!" Kelso ridiculed receiving glares.
"I'm glad my father had internal genitals. That looks like a weakness in combat..." Tukamaro reviewed watching the retreating beastie.
"Mom said he has a thick hide and tough scales though," Nimuna recalled and asserted.
"Yeah, and he won't be confused for a female..." Herune insinuated looking under the eldest male dragon.
"Nice try, Herune. But I'm not showing..." Tukamaro admonished narrowing his eyes and stepped away.
"Guh! J-just once? We don't have the same father..." The little sister reasoned blinked her clear green eyes.
"NO!" The large dragon firmly opposed.
"GWuuu... I want those two penises in me..." She lamented looking down while drool seeps to the grass.
"She's my Father's daughter alright..." Hakaro retorted watching the interaction.
"Alright, visit's over." The eldest sibling declared and turned around.
""Awww~"" The other 4 siblings sounded opposing.
"We have disrupted the little one's training enough. And our presence will spook the creatures that the chief is bringing..." The eldest dragon present explained and walked away towards the clan plaza.
""Alright..."" The other siblings accepted and followed behind.
"Let's go, troublemaker," Nimuna ordered before biting down on a tail.
"GWUOH??" Hadar sounded clawing at the ground.
*Krrsshh! Bam! Bam! Krrsshh!* The dragoness dragged the beast by the tail like a corpse while leaving claw marks on the ground.