Partana

3

The sun was setting. Day was ending. Pebbles sat on his rock. He was sad and afraid. It felt like the whole Black Mountain Range had collapsed on him.

The only dragon left with him was Slate. She was not going to be able to care for him anymore. She seemed to get more upset every day. Pebbles didn't know how to cheer her up. He wasn't very happy, either.

Suddenly, Pebbles saw a shape coming his way. It was coming in fast. It was a Firedragon. It flew through the darkening sky. Pebbles watched it come closer. He had no idea what to do. The sky was dark now, so he couldn't see. He heard wingbeats coming closer, and then a loud crash sound.

Pebbles jumped back. He breathed a bit of fire and saw a crack in his rock. It looked like the dragon could not see and flew into it. He looked further down and saw a red dragon on a ledge about twenty feet down.

Pebbles quickly went to get help. He ran into the village. He was going to tell Slate but decided not to bother her. Instead, he went to a friend's hut.

The friend's name was Boulder. He was young and strong and the opposite of Pebbles. The only reason they knew each other was because Volcano had been friends with him years ago. Boulder didn't fight. This was because of a wing injury that kept him out of the air.

Pebbles knocked on the door. Boulder opened it. "Pebbles? What are you doing?"

Boulder was filled in. He got his mother, Granite, to come too. They quickly went to the ledge. Granite helped Boulder fly down. They used a badly set process to get the dragon off the ledge. First, Boulder got balanced on Granite. To do this, he put his bad wing over her back. Second, he scooped up the dragon. Third, Pebbles went underneath for extra support, although it did nothing. And finally, they fly up. It barely worked. Then they heaved the dragon onto Boulder's back and he carried it to the village.

Once they got to Boulder and Granite's hut, they dropped the dragon. "We are going to keep it here until it comes to," declared Granite.

They sent Pebbles to his hut. He decided not to worry Slate.

He tried going to sleep, but he couldn't. He was afraid for Cliffside, sad about Slate and Volcano, and he was curious about the Firedragon. He was pretty certain that the dragon was about his age.

Eventually, Pebbles got to sleep.

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Pebbles decided to visit the Firedragon the next day. He went to Boulder's hut and rapped on the door. Granite opened it. "You here to see that fire breather?" She questioned.

"That's right. If you don't mind, that is."

"Oh come in," she said. "He's right over here."

"It's a SHE Mom! How many times do I have to say it?! S...H...E... SHE!"

"Oh Boulder, please." Boulder was most likely right. The face gave it away. "What do you think?" Granite asked.

"Uh. I'm going to have to agree with Boulder on this one," he replied kindly because it was so obvious that this was a she.

"Yes!" Boulder yelled, delighted. He gave his mother an 'I'm better than you' look and Granite responded by snorting. 

"I don't have much time. Our break from school is over, so I have to be there today," Pebbles told them.

"What do you want to know?" Granite inquired. 

"Anything you know about this dragon," responded Pebbles.

"I know it's female," Boulder shot out. His mother gave him an annoyed face. 

"Well. She seems to be your age," started Granite. "And other than the fact that she's a Firedragon, I know nothing."

"I guess I'll see after school," concluded Pebbles. He left the red dragon lying on some moss blankets and went out the doorway.

"Goodbye," called Granite and Boulder. Pebbles headed for school. His curiosity was overpowering his fear and sadness. He was still worried about Cliffside, though.

Pebbles's school was on the outskirts of Stone Palace. He always wondered why they named the palace after each king who ruled over them. Why not leave it at one name? It had been Hangingwall Palace a few years ago when King Hangingwall had ruled. Now it was named after King Stone.

The palace was surrounded by huts, markets, and schools. There were also defense stations around the palace and at the edges of the Mountain Kingdom. Pebbles's school was by a defense station. The school was about the size of five huts combined.

During class, the teacher had to yell at him constantly. He kept getting off focus thinking about Cliffside, Slate, and the Firedragon. When school was over, Pebbles rushed to his hut. He said hello to his mother and told her that he was going to Boulder's hut. She let him go.

Pebbles trotted to Boulder's hut. He knocked on the wooden door. The door opened and Granite was there. "I think it is about to wake up," she told him. They walked to the moss bed. The dragon turned. Then her eyes fluttered open. The light blue eyes looked worried.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"You're in the Mountain Kingdom," Pebbles informed her.

"Oh no! How long have I been here?!" The dragon asked.

"About a day," replied Boulder.

"We need to evacuate! The Scorpias tricked us! They are still coming this way! They drove us out of our dens and we fled to the Forest Kingdom! I came to warn you!"

Pebbles was more afraid than ever before. His mother and he were going to die! Then he remembered Cliffside. Her path had most likely crossed the Scorpias' path.

"We need to warn the kingdom!" Granite yelled. They ran out of the hut. Then the screaming started. The Scorpias were already there! They carried torches and they burned huts. Mountaindragons were running everywhere. The Scorpias slaughtered little dragonets and old dragons.

Pebbles saw his hut. There were two Scorpias by it. They had torches. "We need to go!" Boulder shouted. Pebbles wasn't listening. The Scorpias lit the hut on fire. Screams emitted from it. Pebbles was afraid. Then he felt something he had never felt before. It made him want to fight all the Scorpias. He was not going to let his mother die.

"Mom!" He screamed. "I'm coming!" He ran through the fleeing dragons.

"Pebbles!" Boulder yelled. Pebbles shot into the air. He flew over the hut. He was going to have to break through the ceiling. The fire was spreading. Pebbles took one more second to look at the horizon, then flew through the rock ceiling.

All of the leaves and branches around the hut were on fire. Pebbles sat up and looked for Slate. She was in the kitchen. "Mom!" He ran into the kitchen. Then the ceiling between them collapsed. Fire was everywhere. 

"Pebbles! I'm trapped! Both ways are on fire!"

"Wait! Mom!" Pebbles took a deep breath. Then he jumped into the fire between them.