Rulers of the Sky

Chapter Three

     I looked around the arena I was standing in. I could see an numerous amount of dragainions in the stands above. There were dragainions from each of the regions; Icy Tundra, Wildwood Forests, Grotto Caves, Veldt Plains, Tributary Rivers, Rocky Mesas, Ocean Estuaries, Erimic Deserts, and Cloud Tip Mountains. I noticed movement in the corner of my eye. I turned to face it and saw a faceless dragon charging towards me. I spread my wings and flew up just in time, for below me the attacker slid through empty space where I had just been. He grabbed my tail and pulled me down and tried to pin me down. I shot a column of fire at his face but it didn't seem to do anything, so I clawed his wing, tearing a hole in it. He howled in pain, but this caught me off guard, for he didn't have a mouth, and he succeeded to pin me to the ground. His claw raised to strike me and I screamed.

                                                                                          ********

       I sat up, fear nearly paralyzingly me. It's all a dream, I tell myself. But it was all so real! The other half of me protests. I stand up and splash myself with water to make me wake all the way up. I got dressed in a new outfit, light blue capris and a yellow and white striped V-neck shirt, then headed down stairs to make breakfast for the family. Since you probably don't want to hear about me making French toast, then I'll tell you about what I look like. I have light dirty blonde hair, fair skin, and sky blue eyes. I tend to wear bright colored clothes and light brown moccasins. I also wear a leather satchel, given to me when I was young.

        Once I had finished making breakfast, I left a note saying that I would be out for most of the day. What I didn't say was that I was going to the racing finals, where I had a chance to win first place out of eleven other dragainions, and I didn't want what happened last time to repeat itself.

         I then ran and hurtled myself off our cliff and was falling vertically towards the ground. I watched as the clouds slowly came closer and at the last moment, changed form and flew even with the clouds. I swooped playfully between them, then spotted the racing area. I circled once the landed and changed form, looking for someone I recognized. Almost immediately I spotted a familiar face among the crowd. Her black hair was curly as ever, green eyes sparkling with excitement, a splash of freckles covered her nose and cheeks, and a pair of aviator googles perched atop her head. Even though it was perfect weather outside, she was wearing a long sleeve aviator's shirt, with a blue spot on each shoulder and green cuffs, dark blue denim pants, and a scarf with thick grey stripes and thin black ones wound around her neck. "Nivea!" I call out to her over the murmurers of the crowd. Nivea looked around, hearing her name called, then spotting me waving my arm, walks over.

        "Oh, hi Avian!" she said," I was just looking for someone familiar!"

        "Me too! Have you seen Avalon?" I asked.

        "Nope, but she should show up before-" A horn sounded, cutting Nivea off and signaling two minutes before the start of the race. " That." she finished. "Well see ya after the race! Good luck!" and with that she changed into a black and white dragon and flew to the starting line. I flew off to join her and once I had landed, studied the dragainions to the sides of me. There was a Frosted Basin dragon and a Thornbrush Plateau dragon as the other first placers. I laughed inwardly at the sight; Their regions are not known for speed. I also spotted Avalon nearby.

         A double burst from a horn indicated to prepare, the a loud bellow indicated start! I leaped in to the sky, and flew quickly forward taking the lead. Once we had reached one fourth of the way the cheering faded into the distance. All of a sudden I heard a scream behind me and turned to see Nivea tangled in a net, falling to the ground, then splash into the river below. Then a black ball came whizzing towards the Frosted Basin dragon. It exploded on impact and caught him and sent him hurtling towards the river also. One went surging towards Avalon and I screamed for her to get out of the way. She dodged in time but another hit her and dragged her downward. I herd a hissing sound and a ball came flying towards me. I tried to dodge, but it hit my long tail and I was once again falling towards the ground. I blew fire at the netting, but it was fire prof, so next I tried to claw my way out. But just the I hit the water and I held my breath, knowing I was going to drown.

       Out if the murky water swam a Tributary Rivers dragon, who pulled me up the river. The black was closing in when we burst out if the water into a small cave. The only exit was the water I had just come through. All the other racers were huddled in the small space too, and some dragainions were walking freely cutting the bonds away. I assumed they were out captors. I snarled at one as she tried to cut me free, but she just hissed in return. Once we were all loose one of the dragainions, I guessed was their leader stood on a rock and said, "I am sorry this has happened, but it was necessary. But I have a few questions to ask.  Has anyone seen a phenexen lately?"

       A few hands went up, including my own.

      "Ok, has any of them talked to you?"

      I decided not to answer. That question was a little to suspicious. Luckily no one else answered and no more questions were asked.

       " Well," the leader said staring at us with narrowed eyes," give everyone you know this warning: If the dragainions of prophecy do not come to the old palace on the sunset of the longest day, we will destroy Draccious and every last dragainion that lives or does not live there." She stared at me as she said the last part, and ice cold claws seemed to rake down my spine. I swallowed the lump welling in my throat and tore my gaze from her and happened to glance at Nivea. She looked as if she was petrified with fear, eyes wide with terror.

         "So, Cora!" she barked. A young Ocean Estuaries dragainion stepped forward as he called her name." Please escort these young people back to the race."

         "Yes I." she said nodding briskly. She turned and tipped her head towards some of us and two Tributary Rivers dragons lead three of the racers toward the pool of water and then pushed them in and dove in after them. Next a Ocean Estuaries dragon led Avalon and I to the pool and I jumped in waiting for the ocean dragon to pull me up the river.

        Once on the bank of the river I shook off and flew forward, just as Nivea broke the surface. I raced ahead of the three other racers and sped toward the last leg of the race. I dove towards the finish but go tangled with two other dragons. Through the blur of color I spotted the checkered finish line. Once we had stopped, I disentangled my self from the two other dragainons, who happened to be Nivea and Avalon.

         "Oops, sorry!" Nivea a I said together."And we have a tie!!!!! We will have a rematch for our three winners on. . . One moment please. . ." the announcer shuffled his papers and said," In one month to the day!" The crowd cheered, Nivea stooped to pick up two pieces of paper that had fluttered to the floor, and two more dragons flew past the finish line.

        "Oh, you two dropped these!" she placed the scraps of paper in our hands, and we pocketed them for later.

         "Well folks! We have our next race coming up soon, so come see us then. But for now, have a nice day!" the announcers said. "See ya later guys! I have to go!" Nivea said, and she flew off.

          Avalon nodded farewell and also flew off, as I did the same. I flew towards home and looped lazily around a mountain peak. I walk up to the door and let myself in. Just as I arrived, my mother walked out of her room with her bathrobe on yawning.

           "Good morning Aviahhhww. . ." she said breaking off mid yawn. I stood there and stared at her open mouthed.

           "It is nearly noon, and you just got up!! I made breakfast four hours ago!!" I stood there shocked. Suddenly my father walked in the door.

           "Um. . . Bad timing?" he said as he looked at my mother and I.

           "Yup." I replied as my mother said, "Not at all!"

           " Well I'll just scoot out." he said as he inched out the door.

            " I'll be going to." I said as I stalked out the door. I bounded up the stair and walked into my room. I pulled my satchel and dumped the contents on to my bed. I found the scrap of paper  Nivea had assumed was mine and opened it. It had small print, but I managed to read it. It read:

                             " Meet me at the Deep Caves at 9 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning."