Kingdoms Falling

Prologue

Art by Descendants4eVeRLoVe
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Dark waves crashed against black rocks on the deserted shore. White frothy foam slid across the dampened sand, pausing only to gurgle and flood the twin sets of talon prints lining the beach shore. In the far distance, a rumble of thunder could be heard, but it was a long ways off still, and he hadn't drug his nerdy webless friend all the way to Crypt Cove just to avoid a tiny meaningless squall.

"I-I'm not s-sure this i-is s-such a g-good idea."

Gale glanced over as Meadow scuffed across the shore beside him, looking all downcast and miserable. He didn't understand. Wasn't he excited to be spending time with his totally amazing best friend? Perhaps the beach wasn't nearly exciting enough for the hyperactive little dragonet.

"Hey," he exclaimed, prodding him with a wing. "Wanna look for pinchers with me?"

Meadow gave him a withering look, though the full effect was lost when his eyes couldn't focus. "They're c-called c-crabs. Kingdom C-crustacea."

"Yes, yes, sure. Them." Gale was already bounding away, beating his wings excitedly. How fresh the air felt here, with the cool breeze coming off of the water, and the sun beating down, warming his spine. It was the kind of day where he could fly and fly forever, disappear into the clouds, travel across vast continents, see the world. He could do anything, be anything, go anywhere. And there was no dragon who could convince him otherwise.

"W-we shouldn't b-be here, Gale!" Meadow called again, his voice hitching with worry. "W-what if s-someone realizes w-we're h-here? T-they m-might think w-we're in-intruders."

"Like who?" Gale asked, flapping open his wings and preparing to run along the shore. "There's no-one out here. Shut off your sciencey, rule-abiding brain for just one minute and look around you! There is no one within flying distance of us, and besides," he added proudly, "if we do get caught, I can handle a couple of sea-dwellers, don't you think?"

"T-that's n-not the p-point." Meadow sighed, rubbing his snout as though knowing he wasn't getting through. "T-they can't hurt y-you. But I'm n-not like y-you. T-they can definitely h-hurt me."

"But you're with me," Gale reminded him, sprinting across the sand, and launching himself into the air. "Remember? Super awesome dragon? Great warrior? Besides, there are no sea-castles out this far. There is no reason for anyone to be here. Listen, your folks won't even notice you're gone."

"L-like they c-care," Meadow snorted, stabbing a talon into the sand and twisting it glumly. He tried to watch a crab scuttle across the beach, but lost it the moment it passed his claws.

Gale noticed the grim scowl twisted on the hatchling's face, and he desperately wished he knew how to get rid of it. It was no good for a hatchling barely a year old to be so serious all the time. No ordinary newborn was like this. Gale was sure he hadn't been. But then again, Meadow was far from ordinary. "Of course they do!" he argued, swooping back around and landing hard next to the green hatchling. "Now, come on, we're out here so I can teach you to swim, right?"

Meadow's head shot around. "You're a-actually going t-to teach m-me?"

"I promised, didn't I?" Gale couldn't help, but wince at the look of shock on his face. It was evident that he had learned early not to trust anyone's word. How could anyone be so cruel to a hatchling? What kind of family was he subject to? What kind of water-dweller wouldn't teach one of their own how to survive in their environment?

The kind that don't want him to live

"I...I get s-scared," Meadow admitted, as though knowing what he was thinking. He blinked up at Gale with large worried eyes. "Every time. I-I c-can't breathe, a-and I p-panic. L-lionfish s-says I'm a s-spineless ur-urchin. B-but, I'm not. I j-just..." He looked down at his talons shamefully, "d-don't like the w-water."