Splashes of scarlet flew across the gray skies, decorating the sprawling sand with tales of war. The crash of waves and bodies were near silent compared to the roars of battle. Wings beat in the smoky sky above, keeping any dragon on the beach struggling to fight against the sheer winds. Amongst the battle of dragons of tan and blue stood a trembling seawing. The heir of the seawing throne stood and watched as her tyrant mother led their dwindling numbers into a senseless battle for barren land. 

The endless drought that had captured their lands hundreds of years ago had driven the eleven tribes of Pyrrhia into desperation. Every resource counted; every tree, every waterhole, every animal, every life. The lands, once covered in both green, white, and yellow, were now nothing but brown and yellow wastelands. The rare spots that were still habitable were just as bad as living in the sun scorched wastelands. Those who had their talons over the few remaining towns were just as desperate as the people they ruled over. That desperation led to hundreds of dragons throwing their lives away for senseless slaughter.

Aegean had heard Queen Urchin’s stories of her grandeur in battle, but she had never seen one, let alone be involved in it. The way Queen Urchin had described the rush of battle, the pride, the freedom, and the glory of it all always painted such a vivid image in her mind-- but not even the gorey details her mother exaggerated would compare to the real thing.

Aegean stood amongst the fight, her whale bone spear clutched close to her finned chest. She hadn’t moved an inch since rushing out from the ocean waves. Salt water dripped down her powder blue scales, landing on the blood-stained sand below her talons. Ahead of her was her mother, the water already evaporated from her lapis scales under the heat of the blistering sun. Despite heading straight into combat with razor-sharp talons, teeth, and stringers awaiting her, she always wore her crown. It put a target onto her finned back, but it only allowed her troops to advance as she dealt with the more competent sandwings.

Queen Urchin charged forward, running past her soldiers already engaged in a losing battle. Aegean’s webbed talons flexed, her muscles tensing at the sight of their tribe being outnumbered. Sandwings seemed to pour out from the smoky sky, the soot, and ash from the burning dead trees surrounding the edge of the beach giving cover to them. Even with how their tan scales blended in the colors of the beach, Aegean could see that there were at least three sandwings for every one seawing. 

“Aegean!” A voice cut across the symphony of roars and clashes of weapons. Aegean whipped her head to the side, her ears strained as she tried to pick out whoever had called her from the mess of blue and tan. Her ears twitched at a new sound, the sand next to her being displaced. 

Before she could look over, Aegean was knocked off her talons. Her wings spread and beat to attempt to gain her balance, but it only made her fall the more painful. She hissed as her face met the sand. Her spear was firmly below her, buried under her heavy body and sand. 

She looked up, meeting the eyes of a sandwing of a similar age. He couldn't have been much older despite the scars and missing scales that littered his body. He stared down at her, his black sclera reflecting her terrified expression. She was frozen, the only movement being the unsteady and rapid movement of her chest. She’d heard stories growing up as a hatchling- how once you were pinned, you were dead. Every healthy purebred sandwing had a stringer at the end of their tail that could easily kill a full-grown dragon in a matter of hours depending on the stinging site. 

Aegean couldn’t help but look down at his raised stringer, the blub of the stinger catching the smallest bit of sunlight that bled through the smoky sky. The sandwing kept his weight on her, her sudden thrashing and flapping rendered useless under him. She slammed her eyes shut once the stringer raced towards her chest. 

The weight was gone, her wings and arms freely kicking up sand. Aegean opened her eyes as she scrambled onto her talons. She swiftly grabbed onto her spear and clutched it close to her chest, ready to fight for her life. Once her vision steadied, she saw the sandwing soldier who had attacked her. He lay sprawled across the sand, his body accompanied by Queen Urchin. 

“Aegean,” She hissed. “Keep your head on your shoulders. I don't have time for this.” Urchin stomped her talons against the sand before turning. She rushed back into battle, leaving a shaken Aegean looking at the body of her attacker. She’d seen the thin and sickly bodies be taken away from the underwater palace, but the sight of a dead dragon never failed to have the same impact. At least it was better him than her. 

Aegean faced the battle, her spear gripped between her talons for dear life. She couldn't fight, it would be impossible. She never had any real battle experience, only the occasional dreadful training experience with Queen Urchin could qualify-- but it was more of a beating than a fair match. 

Maybe she didn’t have to fight, there was no point if she would just end up like the sandwing. She would be better alive than a body left to rot under the sun. She scanned the beach, looking for any injured seawings. Most of the blue bodies lay motionless, but the shallow breaths of a seawing soldier caught her eye.

Aegean rushed over, the only thing in her path being bodies and discarded weapons. She crouched next to the soldier, one she knew by name. The truth was, every non-royal who was of age was considered a soldier, even if they had not a single moment of training. This dragon was only a bit older than Aegean, maybe 8 years old. 

“Kelpie,” Aegean whispered. She looked over her jade scales, a horrible knick at the end of her large tail. It was tiny, but the way the scales around the small cut were a horrible black that sprawled out like branches were a sign it wasn’t a tiny issue. She’d been scratched by a sandwing stinger. 

Every seawing school taught about these stings. While if they were too close to the head or chest it meant near instant death, a sting far away enough could be treated. Aegean and Queen Urchin had joined the battle about an hour late, Aegean had no way of telling how long Kelpie had been here. There was a way to help stop the progression of the poison, cactus juice. 

The wide sprawling deserts and wasteland used to be filled with cacti, but ever since the sandwings took control of most of the land, they were near impossible to get. Aegean had seen what they looked like in illustrations, but never in person due to the scarcity. 

“It’ll be alright, I promise,” Aegean soothed. She wasn’t sure if she could hold that promise. How long would it take to find a cactus? Would there be time for her to find one by some miracle and come back? She wasn’t a good flier, and being under the sun in the desert was a sure way to end up with heatstroke-- not to mention the lack of visibility she’d have due to the smoke. 

Aegean bowed her head, pressing the tip of her snout against Kelpie’s forehead. It was an apology, and some form of comfort. She could feel how Kelpie’s body trembled even with the brief contact. It was a horrible sensation, to feel someone so weak shake from weakness and fear under your touch. Aegean opened her mouth, prepared to speak more soothing words--

“What in the world are you doing?” Queen Urchin’s voice hissed, her booming voice carrying across the sand with ease. Aegean turned to face her mother, her gaze still low. Urchin held her head up high, her wings slightly spread in a display of her grandeur. “We have no time for the weak,” Queen Urchin spoke harshly. “You can play doctor another time, child. You have more important things to attend to.”

“Of course, your highness,” Aegean kept her eyes off her mother, unable to meet her harsh gaze. She looked out to the battle field instead, the bloody sight better than seeing her mother’s scathing eyes. The seawings were being pushed further and further back, some even having half the brain to retreat into the ocean. Aegean could practically feel the frustration radiating off of Urchin at their shared sight.

As terrifying as Queen Urchin was, there was no way to control a group of terrified dragons. Urchin had done this song and dance before, to try and coerce the few remaining injured soldiers further into battle, but it never worked. Despite her stubbornness, Urchin knew not to waste her breath on commanding an attack. 

With a scoff, Urchin spread her wings fully to gain the attention of her fellow seawings. She flashed the bioluminescent scales that ran around her body, the specific patterns and speed indicating a retreat. In an instant, those able to run did for their lives. A few seawings still engaged in battle tried to escape to no avail, the sandwings unrelenting even in retreat. 

Aegean turned back to Kelpie as Urchin began to return to the crashing waves. Kelpie’s eyes were wide, life still in them despite the horrid injury. Aegean kneeled down beside her and started to lift her up, but the lack of her presence next to her mother’s side didn't go unnoticed.

“Aegean. Leave it,” Urchin commanded. Aegean could feel the way Kelpie’s chest rapidly rose and fell, the once shallow breaths brought to life through fear. Aegean stood still for only a moment before slowly closing her eyes. She set Kelpie down, the terrified inhale from the seawing making her recoil. She stepped back and turned her head before opening her eyes once more. With her head hung low, she joined Queen Urchin.

As the two came upon the waves, Aegean couldn’t help but look back. Her mother had led so many into an early grave, a senseless one at that. She glanced back at the water, the color of an off-putting gray. One day, she would be the next in line to become queen, and when that day came, all Aegean could hope was that they still had a tribe.

Aegean walked back into the ocean with her mother, her spear clutched in her talons as she returned to the ever-shrinking seawing tribe.