Wyvern of the Wind

Redless

Aether began to scribble on a blank scroll, filling the empty page with colors and blots of ink. Lines and shapes began to form a clear subject, and the colors blended to create new shades. 

Aether stepped back to admire his latest work. "This owl looks perfect!" He looked towards a book turned to the page where the owl picture lay on his side for reference.

"Let's see..blotted pattern, mostly warm browns with hints of white and gold, lives near grasslands. Seems about right."

"Aether, you literally used pink and maroon for the owl." Tempest commented.

"Really?" Aether asked, examining his drawing again. "Looks like brown and gold to me."

Tempest chuckled. "Well, I suppose that can't be helped. Looks good either way, though a bit unrealistic, it looks like your owl has gone through a bloody mess of a battle."

"I've grown from the 'realistic-is-the-only-way-my-art-can-be-good' type of mindset three years ago, Tempest." Aether replied. "Besides, I'm almost sixteen years old now. It's about time that I've grown up."

"Technically you're still a dragonet, so don't get too high off your head kid." Tempest got up and stretched her claws. "I'm warning you, pride comes before a fall."

"I know." Aether said, placing his new drawing up of the cave wall. His gray eyes glazed over cool browns, grays, blues and greens blotted on endless rolls of pages that each show a different bird. Whether it be a ruthless vulture, or a humble canary, any and every bird is attached to the wall preserved it for eternity.

The scroll Aether held up slid off the wall and rolled away to Tempest's side. The old, sandy wyvern sighed as she concentrated on the scroll.  The piece of papyrus suddenly floated upwards and unraveled by itself. Aether became startled at the act, stepping back as the scroll slowly approached the wall, and by some miracle, the scrolls fused with the wall. The drawing in ink was the only thing that remained carved onto the wall, visible for the wyverns to see.

"I..I still don't know how you manage to do that." Aether said in amazement. He then turned towards Tempest. "Can you teach me how to hone magic?"

"I would if you had that ability with you." Tempest said. "Magic is what you're born with. You can't attain magic from an outside source, unless you want to be cursed."

"But mom can do magic. And you said that magic is passed down genetically, so that means that I should be able to do it too, right?"

"Yeah," Tempest said. "But it depends whether a dragon's parents are both born with that."

"So.." Aether wondered. "Magic comes with a recessive gene."

"Smart kid figured it out again." Tempest scoffed. "Guess all of those books are worth the investment."

Aether sat down and looked to the entrance. Noon was soon leaving, and the feathered wyvern saw that the sky was soon coated in a cool, olive green.

"Why is it that the sky turns green when the sun sets?" Aether asked.

"Well," Tempest sighed. This kid and his questions. Thought he'd grow out of them by his seventh year. "the sun's light is actually all the colors of light combined. Different things on this earth reflect differently and absorb different colors of light, which is why they look the way they do."

"Oh.." Aether pondered. "Mother told me that the sunset is orange and red due to red light having a longer wavelength and that the sunlight is farther from the earth during a sunset. But," Aether squinted his eyes. "all I see is gold and green. Is it because the green light managed to reach the earth?"

"That's because of your condition, Aether." Tempest sighed. "You're blind to red."

"Really? So the sunset is red all this time and I didn't know?" Aether asked, tilting his head. Tempest nodded.

"I knew that it was inevitable. Wyverns with pluma-pellis usually have one of their senses hindered or limited." Tempest said solemnly. "It's been with you since birth."

Aether looked back at the sunset. So the sunset being red this whole time is true...

"You know," Aether said. Tempest tilted her head towards him. 

"Yeah, what?" she asked, her voice raspy with age.

"I thought that the sun has always been green and that you guys are colorblind." Aether chuckled. "Guess I'm the colorblind one, huh.."

Tempest chuckled. "Oh, poor kid. Don't worry too much about you being blind to red or being magicless. You'll find your way around both, as many dragons have done before you."

"But," Aether said. "since I can't see red, what happens if there's something that requires me to see red to be successful and accomplish something?"

"You told me that you no longer see realisticness as the only way for your art to be good," Tempest said. "It's the same way as you and your greatness."

Aether wondered. "I can be great, even if I'm blind to red?" Tempest nodded approvingly.

"You just have to try. Try your hardest and fly further than the steadfast eagle in the sky."

Aether looked at his drawings. He remembered the joy that he felt when he painted them. Sure they look weird to other dragons, but he can tell that some parts of his art had improved.

He went back and picked up another scroll, and set ink bottles to his side once more. As he drew, Tempest shook her head and sighed.

You're going to go places if you keep that up, kid.

Just then, a dragon flew to the front of the entrance. As she stated the code phrase, Tempest let Dawn enter. 

"Is my son drawing again?" she asked as she let down ginormous pieces of horses and deer.

"He has been since morning," Tempest commented. "He's getting good at composition, don't you think."

"He has improved a lot," Dawn said, nudging her friend. "Guess all those picture books are worth investing in, right?"

"Yes, Dawn," Tempest said tiredly. She then got up. "Aether, we're going out now, just right outside. If you're hungry, your mother had just provided dinner, alright?"

"Okay," Aether responded curtly as he continued drawing. The two dragons then went outside right in front of the entrance.

"Do you think it's time already?" Tempest whispered. Dawn sighed.

"I've been thinking about it, Tempest," Dawn said. "I think so. He's ready."

Tempest sighed. "We've spent his sixteen years for the innocence and curiosity of childhood. Understand that he has to grow up, Dawn."

"I know that, Tempest," Dawn said. "I'll make sure he learns all the new ropes quickly."

"Good. You know that we need him to fulfill the prophecy." Tempest said. "He could save the whole of the kingdoms, but how can he do that without proper training?"

"I originally planned to enroll him for training the year prior, but the Imperio was politically unstable so I had to wait," Dawn explained. 

"That cursed king and his subordinates." Tempest scowled. "That wouldn't have happened if I were still his advisor."

"All we can do now is pray that everything goes smoothly from here on out," Dawn said. "I fear the fateful day draws closer and faster than we think."

Little did they know, Aether was eavesdropping on their conversation from inside.

Time for what? What king? What do they want to do with me?