Oceanic opportunities

Scorch stared across the smooth stone floor of the cell that currently contained him, only distantly aware of the cool feeling of the stone against his blistered scales. He hadn’t moved in hours, or maybe days, it didn’t seem to matter here. The only sounds that filled that chamber were the clanking of chains and claws scraping against stone whenever the Mudwing returned. Presumably to check if he was still alive. Sometimes he could hear the distant rumble of cheers and fighting from the arena above but he tried to block it out.

It had been like this for about two weeks now. Since he’d been captured near the boarder he’d had to fight four other dragons, two terrifying Hivewings, another Icewing with some nasty scars across his face and back, and one frightened looking sandwing. He refused to kill any of them once they stopped fighting back but this choice seemed unacceptable to the large emerald encrusted Mudwing who presided over the arena. Each time he refused and each time he fought back against the dragons who came to cage him again, and so each time his snout and neck were wrapped with scorching hot chains to stave off his icy breath. He was getting tired of it and had started to regret not letting Blizzard end his life. At least it would have been at the claws of a familiar face from his home village. He let out a deep breath that coated the chains and floor beside his face in minuscule icy fractals that reflected the torchlight across his scales in pretty displays of color. Moving seemed to hurt and he knew trying to escape would only stave his wounds from healing which could prove fatal next time he was thrust into the blinding light of the bloodstained arena. So he didn’t bother and closed his eyes once again hoping for sleep.

Instead he was met with a new sound, footsteps crawling down the staircase toward him, two sets of footsteps. Someone new was coming and he silently hoped it would not be the curly horned Mudwing who seemed to despise him so much. Once the sound of claws against rock came to a stop next to his head he blearily opened his eyes and looked up to meet the magenta eyes of a very brightly colored Rainwing. No, a hybrid, she was part seawing with deep blue scales covered in swirling light blue patterns and strikingly hot pink accents, her horns curved in on themselves meeting in the middle to form a loop and her frills pointed at a strange upward angle.

“This is the nice one?” she asked in a singsong voice still staring directly at him.

“Yep” replied the muted brown Mudwing with olive green accents and several emerald encrusted accessories. Flurry guessed he was related to the big Mudwing, siblings probably.

“He’s one of the most skilled fighters here right now, Rockefeller’s gettin real upset that he won’t finish his fights. The audience wants violence but I doubt he’ll give em any.” he continued as he absentmindedly toyed with his necklace.

“I see.” she replied in a tone that suggested she could care less.

“Excellent! Hello big nice dragon, you don’t look very happy here how about you come with me?” she asked, speaking to him this time. The Mudwing accompanying her looked up in slight surprise and then back towards the door nervously. Flurry didn’t reply.

“Well wait a moment now I don’t know if that’s safe.” he said in a worried tone.

“Everytime the guards have to move him at least one of em ends up hurt, I know Lumis said you could have whatever you want but I honestly wasn’t expecting you to ask for a dragon I’d have to ask-“

“I’m sorry what did you say?” she snapped back, cutting him off mid sentence.

“I-“

“He said I could have whatever I want, that means anything. If you want my fathers help with your whatever-your-doing I get him.” she finished, pointing sharply towards Flurry. The sweet singsong tone of her voice was now replaced with a stern demanding one, the bratty sounding voice of someone who knows they hold enough power to get whatever they ask for. The Mudwing ducked his head lower and started to fiddle with his jewelry more feverishly. He looked between her stern expression and the door several times before he gave in.

“A-alright” he whispered fearfully.

“Wonderful!” she exclaimed, her face immediately melting back into the joyful innocent expression she had on before.

“Now I’ll ask you again ice dragon do you want to come with me?” she turned back to face him. He paused a moment. Flurry did not know who she was, or what kind of father she must have in order to boss around dragons like these but presumably nothing could be worse than it was here. And at least she seemed to accept his unwillingness to kill. He shifted to be in a more upright position, flinching at the sharp pain of the chains rubbing against his burn scars.

“If I went with you, where would I go” he asked.

“Back home with me silly! I think I’m perfectly fine on my own but father doesn’t seem to like me traveling all alone, so you can come with me and keep me safe! Your big and scary no one would bother me if you made mean faces at them!” she explained excitedly, she gestured with her claws a lot as she talked. He took a moment to consider this before internally scolding himself, obviously this is a far better option that his current position. He stood up, the clanking of metal chains filling the room temporarily as he rose to his full height, several feet above the other two.

“I accept” he told her. The Mudwing breathed a small sigh of relief behind the blue dragoness, evidently he seemed to assume that Flurry would resist another attempt to be moved.