"Down! Patrol incoming!" I quickly hissed at her as we took cover in some large shrubs on the side of a mountain.

Scarlet let out a snarl as she looked up to see the group of dragons currently flying overhead.

"What type of dragons are those?" I asked as I noted that they were a mix of green and blue colors.

"Seawing's, probably scouting out my kingdom for Gill."

"Who's Gill?"

"A poor dragon that I may or may not have dehydrated for months till he died in a recent arena battle, poor dragon, he may have lost his mind." She said somberly while looking down before a maniacal grin spread across her face. "But it was fun seeing him not remember who he was and seeing him so confused and angry all the time, always trying to regain some semblance of sanity, just out of reach, before I took it away, over and over and over again!" She cackled.

If she was like that before the injury, maybe this is the rare case where it's a good thing, maybe it'll be like giving a psycho some empathy for once. "And you sure you aren't a psychopath or a narcissist?"

She growled before petting my head with one of her talons. "You're lucky I like you, otherwise I would eat you in a heartbeat."

"I thought you hated me?" I asked in confusion.

"Keep talking and that'll be a fact!" She snapped her jaws at me, barely missing my arm.

"Scarlet..."

She sighed angrily and let another puff of steam out of her nostrils. "I know... wait." She said as she lifted her head out of the bushes. "It's clear." She announces as she lifts me on her neck as we start our trail back up the mountain. It wasn't long before we saw the first signs of draconic civilization. It was weird, seeing all the buildings, now scaled up for dragons. I wish I could have asked more about how society worked, but the less I conversed with Scarlet, the better, otherwise she might try eating my legs again, but maybe I could talk to her daughter, she may have been more sound of mind.

"Remember the plan, get in, get out." I whispered to myself so she couldn't hear. I took a nervous and shaky breath as we walked through the gates.

"Stop clinging to me, you aren't a child!" Scarlet snapped and I quickly let go, noticing the small indents on her scales from where I was grabbing. I gulped as I saw several red dragons, their wings massive, standing on local pillars and buildings while they observed us.

They growled things to us, but I had no idea what they were saying, but whatever they were saying, they only seemed to anger Scarlet as she then proceeded to yell at them profanities I had never heard before, before ultimately yelling, "Bring me my daughter or I'll tear you apart with my claws!"

There was silence among the dragons before there was a sudden softer growl coming from behind me and I was knocked to the ground as the dragon landed. A giant red Skywing, near the same size as Scarlet although more... clean looking, she had all her scales, all her engraved jewels still on her face.

I noticed that my jewel fell out and quickly dove on top of it before feeling myself picked up. "I see you've gotten yourself a pet?" Who I assumed was Ruby spoke up as she then rubbed one of her claws on my head. "What did she do to you, poor thing?" She asked while one of her other claws gently tapped my chest where the slash marks and bruises were still present.

"He deserved it!" Scarlet growled as she tried taking me back only for the smaller royal to shield me with her wings.

"What did you do-"

"Nothing, really, I'm fine." I quickly say to try and deescalate the situation, but instantly regret it the moment the words come out of my mouth.

"Shut your mouth, Teardrop, this between me and my daughter!"

"Scarlet, I'm literally defending you!"

"You little-"

"Both of you, stop!" Ruby suddenly snapped at both of us.

"She suffered brain damage, she needs to see the healers right now." I quickly announce, if my plan can work, I'll need her.

"Teardrop's right! Heal me this instant, and if you want to challenge me then fine! Otherwise I'll rule-"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'll challenge you!" Ruby suddenly roared at her mother, forcing me to cover my ears as her voice was right next to my ear. "I am so done with you, your stupid palace, your stupid lifestyle, and your insane mentality! I'll challenge you! I have to save the Skywings from your claws! I have to save my son!"

Silence, before Scarlet finally spoke up again. "Once I kill you, I'll mold Cliff into my own weapon, I'll make him hate you!" Scarlet screeched before two guards took her away. "Get your talons off me you lizards! I am Queen Scarlet and..." Her voice trailed off as she was flown further and further away, and just like that, the psycho-maniac dragon was gone, and I was now at the mercy of another, although I had no idea what to expect, not this time.

"Are you going to kill her?"

"Three Moons, I want to, I really do want to, you have no idea what that dragon's done. But tradition is tradition." She sighed before looking down on my small form. "And you are something... entirely new."

"She's taken brain damage, and I believe she was attacked by Sandwing's apparent by the puncture wounds in her-"

"What does that matter?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why would you care for her? What is she to you?"

"We were stranded together, I healed her and helped get her here, and in return she kept me safe."

"Safe, no, nowhere where my mother is safe, the fact you can even fathom that is insane." She chuckled darkly before glaring at me. "So what do you want, did you come here to steal some gold, start another war on top of the one your kind caused when you killed Queen Oasis."

"Hey, I have no understanding of any of the words you just said, please, I just-" I started backing away and trembling slightly as I tried getting away from the gigantic red dragon.

"What did you think would happen by coming here?"

"Well I thought that Scarlet and I-"

"You're seriously loyal to her, to that monster?" She growled before snatching me in one of her talons, I let out a yelp as I felt her large claws slightly dig into my back. "You can go back to your master, for a second I thought your race may have been intelligent, but no, you're just like what a pet would be if it was enchanted to talk. That probably is what you are, isn't it?" She fumed as she held me in front of her face.

"I'm not a pet! This is just a misunderstanding!" I quickly cry out.

"Seems to me like you are, you're weak, submissive, unable to fight back, I'm not surprised."

"What did I ever do to you?"

She let a puff of smoke blow from her nostrils at that. "Your kind are the reason why Skywings are dying left and right, if it weren't for this war, so many Skywings would still be alive, not even just Skywings, Pyrrhia would have been so much better if the scorching had done its damn job!"

My eyes went wide before I was thrown into the talons of another dragon, letting out a grunt as I cut myself against the jewel I was holding.

"Take him to the dungeon, same as her, I'll deal with them later, I have to attend to the dragons that actually matter to me, like you, Glide." The new queen said before flying off.

Glide just looked bewildered for a moment since he just saw his queen lose it at a scavenger, but then just shrugged and turned away, carrying me as he let out a growl of acknowledgement, but with no jewels, no dice at understanding him.

***

It was lonely on the platform, it was a large circular pillar that must have been hundreds of feet tall, so there was no chance of getting back on the ground, not to mention the chain around our necks tying us to the center of the platform.

"So, what do you think is going to happen to us?" I asked Scarlet, who was covered in stitches and bandages head to talons, though all she did was let out a whimper. I almost felt bad, she looked nothing like that giant predator back when we first met, now she seemed small as she was curled up in her wing and trembling. "Did they fix your brain?" I asked softer.

"I don't like this." Was all she whimpered as she looked down with one talon on her face where the bandages covered her face. "I want to cry, but I can't, I have no tears, I have no tears, I have no tears, what have I done? My daughters, what have I done? Someone answer me... someone answer me." I flinched as she then turned her face to me.

"Scarlet, I'm sorry but-"

I was cut off as she pinned me to the floor with her talons. "ANSWER ME!" She roared but just as quickly, got off and curled up into a ball on the other side of the pillar. "Why am I like this?" She sobbed before snarling. "You're useless."

Oh shit.

"What use do you have anymore, Teardrop... what can you do now?"

I quickly grabbed a part of the chain and hung on desperately as I jumped off the platform, right as she lunged and tried biting me in half.

"Just go into my jaws! Make it stop!" She screamed at me as she tried going after me as I hung to the side with the chain, but her own chain didn't let her follow after me, so she just put her talons on the edge while looking down at me, her eyes just glued to me, salivating from her torn jaw as she looked down at me, like a dog waiting to be fed a treat. I waited for six hours, till I finally heard the sound of wings flapping.

"... And you'll leave us alone after this?"

All I could hear was growing from the other dragon but I remembered the first voice all too well.

"The scavenger came with her, would you like it too?"

"You bitch! Who are you selling me to-" my voice went dry in a heartbeat as I looked up. I had thought the other dragons were massive but this beast... this monster, covered in armor and scars, this was gargantuan, and she didn't look friendly, but the thing that unnerved me was the fact she was smiling, and her barbed tail quickly moved in close, I held my breath as I felt the cold stinger on my neck, before lifting my chin up so I was forced to look at her. I gulped.

"Is she gonna kill us?" I asked Ruby as the brute inspected me.

"No, just a purchase... oh... you can't understand him?" Ruby asked to reply to the monster's growls.

"Only the ones with Teardrop jewels can, so what does she want?"

"You and Scarlet..."

"Why?"

"Your skin is... unique to her... and she needs things for her collection."

"O-oh n-no..." Scarlet whimpered.

The brute then held up Scarlet's chin while never leaving her eyes from mine, her hand brushing against one of Scarlet's jewels as she whimpered a weak, "Please..."

"I can't wait to bring you two back home." The brute said in a sinister tone, before wrapping her talons around me.