When Dragonets Love

Prologue

A fern rustles in the dark undergrowth. A toucan caws nearby as a tall, dark dragon shoves his way through thick stalks of bamboo. His head bowed, strong legs moving swiftly, and eyes flicking back and forth, he didn't dare risk calling out, that would be fatal he thought. Nor did he look directly behind him, also fatal he reminded himself, they would be alerted — and they're everywhere — hiding. He didn't even try to expand his wings or move his tail, three moons it is all fatal! he thought, letting out an exasperated sigh. A whistle of a dragon's wings in the distance made Starreaper want to smack himself. If Queen Astonishing thinks I am threatening her subjects again that would be fatal too, he began quickening his pace. He moaned under his breath, frustrated.

After all, he didn't have much time in the beginning anyway, just one quick kiss goodbye.

Starreaper choked back a sob, he had barely even met little Cocoa and he had already gotten himself exiled. He remembered her adorable whines squeaking at Hibiscus when she wanted to know what was going on. The thought of that joyful gleam in her silver eyes peaking out ever so slightly from under her droopy eyelids made him even more anxious to get to Hibiscus. Cocoa would never look exactly like him but even the glimmering sky of stars under her wings and blue beak on her snout made him proud. It didn't really matter to him, though, the way she took after Hibiscus with her curved horns, nimble shape, color shifting, and venom was even better.

Sometimes he was glad that she wasn't much like him.

All he wanted was to see her one more time, but of course that was fatal too. He would never see Cocoa or Hibiscus ever again after this. The thought clawed at his insides but he knew that it was for everyone's own good. It would be better if I could just disappear, he thought bitterly. Nobody wants me here...But no, I promised her I would come,  just this last time.

He so desperately wanted to spread his wings and fly to Hibiscus's side instead of stay here where the stuffy undergrowth hid him. Starreaper's plan was to leave the forest immediately after he met them at the place. Just to say goodbye, and then he'd meet a dragon at the border of the SkyWing's kingdom. Some dragons said that his boss knew how to get clients in and out of places, so when he suddenly bumped into one of the dragon's underlings, he struck a deal with him. The employee's name was something like Plant...Vine....Leaf? He was an extremely young RainWing, hardly even a dragonet, but he had a cunning to his emerald green eyes...Not the sort of thing you would get from an everyday, sun-loving RainWing. The deal had really been just for insurance, in case someone found out about Hibiscus and him, but Starreaper hated that he had needed it, even if it came in handy now.

But at least he could see them again, at least he wasn't executed, no not by RainWings. Not that he would call it embarrassing, because he knew the NightWings were already taking the fall and it made them no better to continue to pretend that they are still better than everyone. But at least he could maybe see Hibiscus's smile again, the one that made him fall in love with her in the first place. Maybe Cocoa could know what it's like to have a family one more time, not a messed up family or a broken family. At least he could see them again before he left the rainforest and entered the lands enveloped in treachery, in which there was no exact future only uncertainty. But at least it was better than this, being unwanted even among the dragons he was fascinated by and the dragons that were his kin. And at least he could see Cocoa again.

Starreaper was almost there now, only a few turns away and he would be on the rainwing's side of the forest. His head told him it was all fatal, but his heart yearned for the things he honestly couldn't, shouldn't have and it was his love and Cocoa's face that drove his claws into the earth. His legs ached and he panted ever so slightly but the prize was worth it. Then the world went spinning.

Oh no! They caught me! What do I do? His thoughts raced. He saw the two moons in the sky one a crescent and the other almost full. But the sky was gridded, it was like a puzzle made of square pieces. The edges of each piece were made of a rope like material. It was — a net.

"Sorry, change of plans my dear friend, and I'm sure you know NightWings aren't welcome in this area. We can't have a precious client dying here, of all places, now could we?"

The voice was coming from behind him but he could hardly move to face the source, the ones who ambushed him must've shot a paralysing dart to keep him still. The voice sounded familiar, though, but he couldn't understand why.

Unfortunately, he didn't have to, the dragon casually sauntered into his line of vision, his clawsteps were so soft that Starreaper didn't know he was coming until it was too late. The NightWing caught a glimpse of a pair of cunning emerald orbs before there was a sharp pain at the back of his neck and the world went dark.