Even though the Dragonets of Destiny had been to literally every Kingdom in Pyrrhia, Sunny didn't think she'd explored enough. And since her mother was now Queen of the Sandwings and, by default, that would one day make Sunny Queen herself, she figured she should get to know the rest of the Sand Kingdom better.
Except for the Scorpion Den, of course. Thorn made it very clear that she never wanted Sunny going back there, and Sunny was fine with that. She'd seen enough on her first trip there.
Six-Claws had given her a map of all the little oasises and towns he knew about, and other dragons in the Stronghold had added to it before Sunny decided she had enough places to visit. She'd waved goodbye to Thorn and headed out for her first stop- Possibility.
Sunny wasn't really sure what to expect from the city, but she found herself taking a liking to it, especially the fact that there were dragons from all different tribes there. It made her feel like she stuck out less, even though most of the dragons she stopped to talk to knew who she was immediately. There were only so many famous Sandwings with weird coloring and missing tail barbs, after all.
She found herself wandering into the marketplace area of the town, where dozens of dragons crowded around stalls, selling and bargaining and shoving their way past, wings and tails tucked in tight. Sunny fought her way into the crowd, and she stopped at one point when she realized that the marketplace had a sort of roof to it- there were strands of flowers and small lanterns hung carefully from building to building. It was a type of canopy that she imagined looked even more beautiful at night, when the tiny lanterns were lit.
But she was so entranced by the light that she failed to remember that she was in a crowded marketplace, and other dragons liked to shove when someone was in their way.
"Out of the way girlie!" A large Skywing said as he shoved past. Sunny stumbled back and crashed into someone with a bucket. She and the other dragon fell to the ground with various yelps and 'oofs' and the other dragon's bucket went flying, sending, of all things, a bunch of green frogs launching into the busy marketplace. The dragons around them scattered, and a couple screamed as the frogs jumped on them or into their stalls. Sunny watched the chaos with wide eyes and then looked to the dragon she had accidentally ran over.
"I am SO SORRY," She said. The other dragon, a Sandwing, she noted stared hopelessly after the frogs with equally wide eyes.
"Oh. My. Moons," He started, his voice soft, but growing louder. "Mayfly is going to KILL ME." Sunny frowned, feeling even worse.
"I'm really really sorry- is there a place where I could get more frogs for you?" Mystery Sandwing shook his head, looking like he just realized his breaths were numbered.
"No," He admitted. "Those were imported, and I got the last ones. Well. HAD the last ones." She cringed and he finally looked at her, and his expression changed. "Oh...."
"I'm really so sorry," Sunny insisted, mentally screaming at herself, both for knocking him over in the first place, but also for continuing to apologize. "Here, let me help you up."
"It's fine," The Sandwing sighed. He tilted his head. "Maybe if I change my name and move to a remote island in the Bay of a Thousand Scales and swear loyalty to Queen Coral in exchange for protection, Mayfly won't find me." He frowned. "Nope. I'm still definitely dead." Sunny giggled, unable to help herself. "Oh, I see. My impending death is totally amusing to you."
"Just a little bit," She grinned. "I'm Sunny, by the way."
"Oh, I know." He nodded. I saw you and the other Dragonets of Destiny single handedly piss off the three most powerful Sandwings I've ever heard of in like, less than three sentences, and somehow all walk away alive. It was very impressive."
"Yeah, well, escaping from dragons who want us dead is kind of a Dragonet of Destiny specialty." He laughed.
"I'm Meerkat."
"Well it's nice to meet you, Meerkat."
Nearby, one of the dragons from a stall shrieked.
"GET THIS FROG OFF MY FACE!!!!" They yelled, and Sunny and Meerkat exchanged a glance.
"Wanna see how many frogs we can catch?" Meerkat asked, holding up the empty bucket. "Maybe if I get a couple, I won't die."
"Then we better get to work," Sunny agreed. "Frogs run fast, and I really don't want to be responsible for your death."
"Oh, you won't be. But if I turn up expertly gutted in some alley, tell the guards it was Mayfly."
"Expertly, huh?"
"She's a doctor. She's got a lot of experience cutting dragons open."
"Then definitely expertly. We better move fast."
So Sunny found herself running around Possibility for the next five hours, trying to get her talons on a bunch of runaway frogs.
And, as it turned out, frogs were EXTREMELY difficult to catch.
Six so far (although she suspected it was all the same frog) had slipped from her talons already, but she had caught one by jumping over a stall and smashing a bucket over the frog in a move that Meerkat called "A magnificent demonstration of the flexibility of the dragon body."
Meerkat had caught two more frogs, and by the time Sunny caught her second (albeit lightly singed from the pissed off Mudwing that had attempted to set it on fire), she had lost track of him.
She headed for the oasis, figuring that more frogs would end up there. But apparently Meerkat had had the same idea, because she found him hovering dangerously above the water, trying to reach the two frogs that were sitting on a piece of driftwood in the middle of the oasis, staring him down.
"Come...ON YOU STUPID FROGS," Meerkat stretched a bit further, and promptly fell into the oasis, letting out a loud, high pitched shriek as he was covered in water. Sunny rushed over, trying REALLY REALLY hard not to laugh.
Which she failed at.
Meerkat scowled at her as one of the frogs jumped onto his head and caused Sunny to laugh harder.
"Graceful," She declared. Meerkat pointed a talon at her, looking like he was ready to give her a very stern talking to.
"Did you know I HATE getting covered in water?" He asked. She stopped laughing and grinned.
"So do I," She agreed. "But it's still funny."
"It's funny, huh?"
"Hilarious, actually."
"Oh really?"
"Yep." Meerkat launched out of the water, grabbed her by the talons and flipped her into the water, causing Sunny to let out a shriek.
"What about now?" Meerkat grinned. They scowled at each other, and then burst out laughing. "We're never getting those frogs back," He shook his head, but he was still smiling.
"Where are they imported from anyways?"
"The rainforest. Apparently there's hundreds of them living next to their streams and stuff." Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously what?"
"I'm best friends with the Queen of the Rainforest. I can get you as many tree frogs as you want from there." Meerkat stared.
"Really?"
"Really. Heck, I can talk to a couple dragons and make sure you have a direct delivery of them whenever you want, just tell me when you need them by and how many you need." He continued to stare. "....What?"
"Are you single?"
******
Two days later, Sunny slammed into Glory's office in the Rainforest, trampling no less than three Rainwings on her way in, and startling Deathbringer as she burst in.
"Hi Sunny," Glory said, unfazed at the dramatic entrance. She glanced up at her friend and read something on facial expression that had her turning to Deathbringer, pointing to the door and going "Out."
"But-" Deathbringer immediately began to protest.
"Sunny's not going to kill me now OUT." Reluctantly, the ex-assassin left, and Glory looked back at Sunny with a smirk. "So,"
"SO," Sunny repeated, excited.
"What's his name?" Sunny struggled to form words.
"What?" She asked, overly casual.
"You've got that smitten look on your face, I'd know. So what's his name?"
".....His name is Meerkat and HE'S SUPER CUTE AND FUNNY AND HE ASKED ME OUT ON A DATE."
"Then what are you doing here?" Sunny paused.
"Well it's kind of hard to explain."
"I deal with Rainwings on a daily basis. Try me."
"I need 27 tree frogs or he's going to be killed by a Mudwing doctor."
".......WHAT THE HELL, SUNNY."