Season 1: The Breakneck Game; A Dragon Book

Episode 1: Preservers (Part 1)

Whoosh!

Assassin dove past Gaile, making Gaile rear her head back, nearly throwing Essence off. "Careful, 'Sin," I yelled in Assassin's ear. "We still need Essence and Gaile on the team!" Assassin made a throaty noise that sounded close to laughing. She curled her tail around the ball and yanked it from Gaile's paws.

Assassin whipped her tail around to as close as she could get it to her neck, tossing it to me. Fergie soared up beside me, with Junior on my other side. Junior lurched toward me and I tossed the ball to Fergie. 

Fergie tossed it up to Royale, who was riding at the bottom of Fergie's neck. Suddenly, Ash slammed into Fergie, making Essence lose her grip on the ball.

"Assassin!" I yelled. Assassin tucked into a dive. The ball was hurtling towards the ground at an amazing speed. I looked to the side and saw Kisha on Ash, almost to the ball. My hair whipped around my face.

Ash reached out, but Assassin suddenly tucked her wings in all the way, plummeting even faster. The ground was getting dangerously close. I heard Ash's wings shoot open, lifting him away from the ground. I grabbed the ball as it soared past Assassin's head.

Assassin veered upward, away from the ground. I tossed the ball into the air and Assassin smacked it with her tail, right into our goal.

Assassin roared triumphantly. 

Whipping around, Assassin soared over to the gigantic tree where Fergie and Gaile were already waiting. Aaron and Reaper were sitting on the platform with Essence and Royale.

The grassy, rectangular field with circular goals at each end stretched on and on. Smack in the middle of the field was a humongous tree where the ref and announcer stayed the entire game. Built around the branches and leaves was a platform of gleaming wood. Carvings of dragons and other Post-Dragon animals littered the tree trunk, polished and shiny. There were also carvings of the ball game, which was designed after Pre-Dragon soccer, just with dragons and a lot more violence. It was awesome.

Gaile chirped excitedly as her cousin swooped down to the wooden platform. Assassin mrrbled back at Gaile.

I slid down Assassin's neck and then jumped off her shoulder. Royale high-fived me as I flumped down next to her, cross-legged. Essence glared at me dangerously.

"Oh, calm yourself, honey," I said, smirking at Essence. Her glare deepened. "We're all on the same team, here."

"Essence is too competitive for her own good," Archana commented as she swooped down on Junior's neck. Junior was a rather silent flier (just like his rider), so nobody was disturbed at his sudden presence.

"Remember the first game we played?" Royale reminisced. I stifled a laugh, coughing into my elbow. I could see where this was going.

Aaron grinned at Essence. "Yeah, there were twelve injuries." 

Essence turned her death glare onto her brother. "I'm aware of that, but I only caused  seven of 'em!" She paused. "And it was fucking worth it. Aaron slowly scooted away from his sister. "Plus, we won the game."

Kisha and Ash had flown over to the tree by now. "Is it just me, or does Essence's Southern accent make her all the more terrifying?"

"Oh, yeah, totally," I agreed.

"Absolutely," Royale added.

"Checks out," Archana finished, examining her black nails, leaning against Junior. The three thick silver braids that trailed down her back matched her ashy gray skin. Her calculating black eyes fit in with her black leggings and T-shirt. The belt around her waist held knives and bombs of my creation. Archana was very smart but in that scary smart way. Withdrawn and the meanest of the group, no one knew where Archana was from.