The Calm Before The Storm

6

"Tempest, the power of the storms at her claws. Ever since you hatched, we knew who and what you were." The Gem Queen plucked a navy blue sapphire from her shoulder and put it inside a necklace. A skeletal dragon placed the necklace around Tempest's neck.

"Whirlwind. An ability similar to a stormwing's, yet so different." This time she took a pinkish quartz stone.

"Nightmare. One of the few dragons who can scare me." Deepest black obsidian.

"Flame. You have the unfortunate curse of extreme heat. But you can use this to your advantage. Learn to control it and you will be the greatest of us all." This time the gem chosen was the brightest ruby.

"Oak. You are used to staying hidden, no?" An emerald.

"Solar flare...what more do I need to say? Use your powers wisely, and be sure not to get lost in the endless possibilities." Amethyst.

"Use your gifts as they were given as the time to act is now. The gems around your necks will help you become in tune with each other. I want every one of you to stay here when the others leave." Apparently as an afterthought, the Gem Quueen added, "Crystal I will expect by the door on the left."

As the other dragons reluctantly left the "dragonwings," Crystal gingerly walked to the door mentioned, careful not to scratch the floor. She wondered what the Queen could possibly want from her, after all, she wasn't a dragonwing. Or an...Icewing? Was that what she would've been called? While she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the Queen passing her. She shook her head quickly and followed the heavily adorned dragon.

Once inside the room beyond the door, the Gem Queen quickly closed it. Then she pounced upon Crystal.

"Why are you still alive?" she growled. Crystal didn't know what to do at first, then realized that she had to do something after the Queen said, "I'm going to kill you."

Crystal immediately pushed her off and opened her wings, rearing up in the small space. She leaned forward and slashed down, her long talons glancing off of the Queen's armored body. She looked up in surprise and opened her mouth, blasting the Queen with her ice breath.

After wheeling around a bit, the Queen wiped the ice off and smiled. "Oh, good. It does work." Her muzzle was half melted somehow. She took Crystal's front leg and pushed it up against her face. It was smushed back into position and the Queen looked radiant again.

"What works?" Crystal asked, very confused. "A second ago you were trying to kill me!"

"Ah, yes, let's forget about that, shall we? I needed to make sure you were actually an Icewing, not just some oddly colored freak. I need you to protect the other dragonwings. You're used to self-sacrifice and having to work together."

Silence. More silence. Finally, Crystal opened her snout to speak.

"Keep this safe and away from prying eyes, even from the other dragonwings. If they knew you were the Icewing, they'd kill you. For now, you are hanging about to observe other types of dragons, to benefit the growth of your shrinking clan. Other than that, act normal." The Gem Queen walked out and left Crystal in the room. Why would they want to kill me? She had given Crystal a round, smooth gemstone. It looked like a blue dragon egg. Crystal racked her brain for the name, coming up with labradorite. She looked at the jewelry given to her to hold it. It was a simple bracelet with a pouch. Crystal put it on and walked out of the room.

The other dragonwings looked up at her from where they were sitting or laying or standing. Crystal fretted for a moment that they knew she was the Icewing. Then she remembered to act normal. Crystal went and waited in a corner of the room. This was normal for her.

"Hey, why are you being so icy?" Flame called. Crystal snorted and turned around. "Turning the cold shoulder on me, huh? Do you have no feelings? That's pretty cold-hearted!" He laughed at what he thought was an original insult. Crystal turned back to him and smiled a little. She'd heard the stupid puns before, but they still hurt. The only cold heart I'll have is yours between my claws.

"I'm talking to you, are you deaf? Has life with the glaciers frozen your brain?"

Crystal growled and dug her claws into the marble floor. When she stepped forward, she had to pull each of her talons out of the ground. She stalked closer to Flame, whose grin grew bigger every step she took. Crystal was now so close to him, if she moved a step closer the ridges on her shoulders would be touching him.

"How about you go look in a mirror, there's plenty to laugh at there," Crystal said quietly. She knew the cold air from her words would've been enough to freeze a sea dragon. Unfortunately, all it did here was make it snow around the two tense dragons. Crystal backed up and went back to her corner, her unnaturally dark blue scales glinting off of the polished white surfaces around her.