New Flames

Chapter 15

"I don't want to go!"

Flame felt those words singe in his mouth as he growled them.

Why did his mother want to send him away to a random school? Why did she think this would be remotely a good idea?

Did she just not want him around anymore?

Avalanche lashed her tail, clearly about to lose her patience. "This isn't a conversation. You've been lashing out against everyone here, and you know that's beyond acceptable at this point. Riptide wants me to tell him what's going on with you, but I don't know Flame," she paused, before looking straight at him with angry red eyes, "because you won't tell me."

They had set camp up next to Jade Mountain Academy a few moons ago, but Flame know they'd be moving norther soon. His mother had first proposed for him to stay at the new Jade Mountain academy, or whatever it was called, a few days ago, but she'd become more insistent as time went on. And now, as the Talons of Peace were finishing their leaving preparations, she'd given him that order.

The sunset light shone off of their red scales, giving the confrontation a feeling of danger, almost as if they were engulfed by flames. By the time Flame managed to stop thinking about the lava of the NightWing island, Avalanche's snout was already leaking smoke, as her impatience was showing.

"I," Flame started, stopping and starting a few times before settling on a sentence. "I can't go. That place isn't good for me."

This had been his least aggressive retort so far, but Avalanche was still not satisfied.

"Nonsense. Tsunami said that the academy will have dragons from all corners of Pyrrhia. You're bound to find some like-minded dragons," she replied, waving her talon.

"I don't want to see other dragons. I want to kill every SandWing I come across. And NightWings... I want to see them burn under their own molten island," his thoughts halted as an image of Fatespeaker flashed in his mind, "all of them."

"I'm not a dragonet. You can't boss me around anymore," Flame said, decisively. He was correct, and Avalanche knew it. His hatching day had been a few days after his reunion with his mother.

He saw Avalanche clench the soil under her talons, her anger evident. But instead of lashing out, she relaxed her shoulders, while her voice didn't budge. "You're right. But- I. I'm just..." she paused, and Flame caught her looking around before adding, "I'm just worried about you."

Flame was taken aback. What? Why was his mother worried about him? His weaknesses were well hidden. He made sure of it. None of his darkest thoughts leaked into his words. Where did this come from?

"You don't talk to me anymore, Flame. Before... before that NightWing took you from me, we spoke. Now you just seethe and burn with something, and not in the SkyWing way... I can see that it's consuming you from the inside out." She said this slowly, thinking about her words in a way that made Flame feel like she was treating him like you'd treat a dragonflame cactus that was set to explode.

She sighed, moving towards him and holding his wings within her own. Flame instinctively winced at the touch but didn't move away.

"I just think this could distract you, Flame. And I think you really need something new in your mind right now," she concluded, looking at her son with something fierce that could only be described as a SkyWing mother's love for her dragonet.

Flame felt himself melt at his mother's affection. He knew it was something he could count on. Something that would never change. His mother would always fight for him, she'd always fly to him when he needed help. He'd heard the stories of how Nautilus and Cirrus had had to hold her down for hours when she'd found out that Morrowseer had taken him away.