Tidepool wandered through the streets of the Possibility. He lived in Possibility in the summer with his moms but when Sunny went to Jade Mountain last year when he was a small dragonet, his mom Mirage took him to a hut by the west Sand Kingdom so she could be near the ocean. For most of the year, the Seawing part of her was satisfied with the river by Possibility but she still loved the ocean. He was wondering, as he walked, if he would go to JMA this year. He knew his Mom's friend Starflight's daughter, Asteroid, was going. And Tsunami's dragonet Neptune. Glory was thinking about sending Moonflower. Clay and Peril were sending their twins, Egret and Copper. Tidepool didn't know who these dragonets were, but he had tried to picture them. He didn't have many friends in the Sand Kingdom.
Well, none. He had no friends. But he was content. His daily routine went like this: Wake up, clean off in the river, walk around to find food, and try and help someone, sketch, meet his moms, have dinner, nighttime fly or swim, sleep. He wanted to go to Jade Mountain Acadamy, though. Meet new dragons. Learn about diversity and culture. The school year started in a week, and he was excited. It would help him know more about his dream, of a new city like Possibility.
Tidepool knew there were hungry dragons in Possibility. Few, but they still existed. Possibility was a great place, but he also knew there needed to be more places like it, in other kingdoms. That's what he wanted to do when he was his moms' age. Build more towns. Have more peace between the tribes. All he wanted to do was help dragons. No one knew except his moms, but they didn't even see much of his sketches.
He handed a small, thin, tired looking dragonet his chicken. "Here you go," he said kindly. He also handed her a basket of herbs and medicine.
"Th-thanks..." the dragonet scampered off. Tidepool sat down on a rock by the river, and dipped his barbed tail in. The cool, clear water rushed over it. He pulled out his sketchbook from his leather bag slung over his torso, and flipped past sketches of hungry dragons and the river and the ocean and cities to the one he had been working on recently. A joint city for Sandwings and Icewings. It sounded crazy, but it was his biggest dream. It would mean peace. It would be south of the great ice wall but a bit more north than possibility. There would be ice pools and traditional Icewing huts, and snow, but fireplaces and warm huts for Sandwings, with piles of Sand brought in from the south. Both cultures would go out and hunt and bring their own cuisine to share. The two tribes could learn from each other. And it would be called 'Union'.
Of course, all other tribes would be welcome, to come share and learn. He knew he would build Union one day. He started by helping his town, Possibility.
He sketched Union, of dragons of Ice and Sand mingling around a fire and laughing. He shut his sketchbook and stood up, shaking off his wet tail barb. He put his sketchbook back in his bag and walked back towards his hut. It was the north area of Possibility, where there were two trees. Just two, but still rare for the desert. They made good shade to sketch under.
He was thinking about how he was going to get both his moms (Mirage was the north possibility doctor, and Sunny was already planning for JMA) to stop working and come swim with him when he heard a scream coming from behind him. He whipped around and ran towards where he heard it. The area was deserted, a side street, which was weird, because Possibility was always very busy this time of day. But it was just him. "Hello?" He called. "What"s wrong?"
Silence. "Is anyone there? Do you need he-"
BOOM! A loud and powerful explosion knocked Tidepool back. He crashed into a several fruit carts. Right before he fell unconscious, he saw a face. He gasped.
"No! It can't be!" He groaned, then passed out.
1 hour earlier...
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" The nervous young Skywing asked.
"Do you want the Sandwings to take over Possibility?" Growled a figure in a black cloak. "You know they just started this whole "peace and love" thing so they could have the land, Alpine."
"I know..." Alpine sighed, trying to get a look at the dragons face. She couldn't see it throught the shadows of the hooded cloak."Okay. Let's do this. You... get the bomb ready. I'll go-um- scout for patrols."
"Huh- smart," the hooded dragon snarled.
Alpine scurried off. She had a plan. She wasn't scouting for patrols. She alerted every dragon in the block to move towards the river as there was an accident and more details would be found there. She triple-checked to make sure it was clear. There would be no casualties on her watch. Then, she approached the hooded figure again. "No patrols," Alpine said. She swallowed, then leapt at the figure in the cloak. she scratched at where she thought her eyes would be and threw back the hood. She screamed when she saw who it was, and dropped to the ground.
The last thing Alpine saw was Queen Scarlet's bloody face before she was killed.
Back to the present, Tidepools hut
Sunny was sitting at her desk when she heard a loud BOOM! She jumped up and ran outside. She saw smoke to the south and her eyes widened. She sprinted towards it. On her way, she stopped and banged on Mirage's offices door, only to hear her wife's voice behind her.
"We need to find Tidepool," the hybrid said.
Sunny nodded, and they ran towards the smoke. When they got there, the street was charred and there was fire all over. Some dragons were crowded around a body lying on the ground.
"Move aside! I'm a doctor!" Mirage yelled and pushed through. She gasped when she saw who was lying there. "SUNNY!" She shrieked, then dropped down and picked up the dragonet. Sunny ran forward and gasped.
"TIDEPOOL!" She screamed. "You, put out the fire! We have to get him back to the office!!!" The two ran off, Mirage carrying their son.
When they arrived, they set him down on the table. "He's unconscious," Mirage muttered. She felt for a pulse. "He has a pulse, but it's very weak. Perhaps a concussion. 3rd degree burns everywhere and..." she examined his torso and legs. "Both his legs are broken, and 2 broken ribs."
Sunny gasped. She couldn't breath. She froze up and started to hyperventilate. "I.. I..."
Mirage put a talon on her wife's shoulder. "It's okay, Sunny. He's going to live. I promise. I won't let him..." She couldn't say it, so she got to work. bandaging his wounds and putting splints on his legs. One leg was way worse, so she wrapped it in more bandages. She bandaged his head and washed his face with cold water. Sunny watched nervously, wishing she could help but she knew she couldn't.
Almost an hour later, Mirage finished. She wiped the sweat from her snout and set down the half empty pail she was holding. She went over to Sunny and took her talons. "I've done all I can. Now we just have to wait for him to wake up."
Sunny nodded, her eyes red from crying. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry.. I was useless, I-I froze up, and I should have helped, you did everyth-"
"Sunny," Mirage said, looking into her wife's eyes. "Its okay. You stay here, I'm going to grab us some food." She left the doctor's hut and Sunny sat, shaking, on a bench. Approximately 15 minutes later, Mirage returned with a woven basket and smoking lizards and fish inside, lying on a bed of herbs. She also had a small packet of something.
"What's that?" Sunny asked, pointing to the something.
"Painkiller medicine," Mirage replied, and set it down on her doctors table. "Here," she handed Sunny the food basket. Sunny took a piece of chicken and ate it quickly, nervously. Mirage ate a fish as well. A few minutes later, the basket was almost empty, except for the food they saved for Tidepool.
They were talking about who could've set off the explosion when they heard a noise from Tidepool. "...m-mom?" he rasped.
They gasped and jumped up. Sunny grabbed her son's talon and Mirage grabbed the painkiller. "How do you feel?" The hybrid asked.
"What- what happened?" he asked quietly, wincing. "There was a scream, is she-is she okay?"
"Who? What scream?" Sunny asked.
"I heard someone scream, and I," he paused, coughing and then grabbing his ribs.
"You have some broken ribs, Tidepool. Be careful," Mirage said quietly.
"I went to go," their son continued. "Check- check who it was, but then I just saw- a- a figure in a cloak."
"Did you see who it was?" Sunny asked.
Tidepool shook his head lightly. "I.. I forgot.." He tried to sit up but let out a low growl. "Ouch.. my- my legs," he panted, in pain. "Everything hurts," he groaned, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Take this," Mirage gave him the painkiller herbs.
Tidepool took them gratefully and sighed. "How... how bad is it?"
His moms looked at each other, worried.
"Please.. tell me," Tidepool rasped.
"Um.." Mirage sighed. "Two broken ribs, third degree burns and, um, well, both your legs are broken... really, really badly."
"Mirage!" Sunny said.
"He wanted to know, Sunny."
"It's fine..." Tidepool grunted. "I just want to get some-some rest..." he closed his eyes.
"Good idea," Mirage said.
Sunny and Mirage lay down on the floor next to the medical table. Sunny curled up in the wing of Mirage, both of their heat scales keeping them warm. They both tried not to fall asleep, in case Tidepool needed them, but Sunny ended up dozing off, curled up to her wife. Mirage was wide awake, thinking. About something she hadn't told Sunny, or Tidepool.
There was a fair chance her son would never walk again.
DUN dun duNNNN!!!