underground treasures.

As the daughter of the most prized blacksmith to ever come out of Silverkeep, five-year old Fumes had the whole weight of the tiny town on her shoulders. Which was a lot of weight, considering most of the village was composed of older dragons that were fatter than some of the mountains they neighbored with and nearly impossible to accommodate to every single one of their eccentric needs.

Which was why she was going to bite her own talons off if her dad told her how to work the furnace correctly for this specific piece one more time even though she had already mastered this before her father wanted her to.

She couldn’t help it as her claws dug and retracted from the sodden ground below her or how her tail flicked excitedly along with her wings twitching, as if she were going to launch off at any minute. Which she was going to if her father droned on and on until her ears fell off or until she went deaf and then later died of boredom. She can make a hole in the warehouse again with her fire if she reached her limit. Not to say she did it on purpose when she turned four and wanted to test out her fire skills. But she definitely could right now if he keeps talking. 

At last, Asher signed and turned around to eye his squeamish daughter with amused green-gray eyes. “You have something you need to attend to, don’t you?”

“Yes!” Fumes exploded, jolted onto her talons by her father’s bemused voice. She grinned, feeling the dried mud floor under her talons as she bounced on her feet. “I found this AMAZING mine system that I have to show Isohel and Zucker! They’re going to be OVER THE MOONS with this!”

Her father sighed, but she could see in his gentle smile that she had won this without any further argument. He let out a low chuff, reaching out and rubbing her head affectionately with a talon that felt rough from his early-aged burn scars and smelled like burnt iron. “I didn’t realize turning five years old would make you even more reckless and adventurous.”

“I’m not reckless!” Fumes protested, her ears flattening under his talon. She batted him away, shaking herself and puffing her chest out to give him her most determined expression she could muster. “I’m an adventurer! I’m a leader! I am the best leader ever! I’ll keep them safe!”

“I’m sure you will,” her father hummed, smiling and rubbing her head again before turning back to his work station. “I need to finish this project, anyways. It’s almost done and it’s in the most hazardous state, so it’ll be better if you left.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Fumes agreed despite only half listening now as she raced towards the door. Before she went out, she grinned back at her father and waved a wing to his smiling face before leaving the warehouse.

The air outside of his warehouse met her with a faint smell of sulfur and fire, which was much better than the dust and stuffiness of being inside. She closed his door and turned to the lamp-lit streets, seeing hanging lamps off of the wood-carved houses partnered with the street lamps dotted along the cobblestone floors. Pennyhill had a mixture of stone and wooden homes underground, but all of the lights had a dark reddish-brown hue that gave the town a copper tone, which helped give the town its fitting name. 

She felt her mane puff out with excitement as she raced under the copper lights, flashing with brief flares of warmth under their glow. A few PeakWings were still out in the late evening, either walking under the lights towards their home or cradling lanterns while having casual conversations alongside the smaller houses up higher in their town. As she raced by, she could see a few dragons wave their tails at her or chuckle as they watched her go, making her grin and flap her wings in response. Even though her town was full of old goobers, she really appreciated what her father and other workers did to build this comforting and welcoming town.

She raced towards the outer edges of the town higher up in the mountain, racing through one of the empty squares before moving up to the smaller houses along the cliffside overlooking the lower section of town. She recognized her friend’s dark house, made with a wood that was so black it looked like a charred piece of goat. She skidded to a stop and knocked on the door, huffing as she shook her talon out after doing so. Harder than the normal wood too. Guess that’s what the super rich out-of-town dragons get instead of the normal older oak wood. He doesn’t act as spoiled as his parents do, though, which is great.

Chains inside clanged around and thumped inside before the door opened, a familiar purple face peering out at her. She felt her heart leap happily at the sight of him. Zucker!

 His purple eyes glowed happily in response when they met hers, and he opened his door more to smirk at her. His purple body glowing like a bright star in contrast to the dark house, giving him a whimsical and handsome aura. “Oh, boy. I can tell today is going to be good.”

“It always is with me!” Fumes grinned back, her tail fluffing up at his smirk. In order to smooth it down, she smacked her tail on his head lightly. “Come on! We still gotta go get Isohel, then I’ll tell you where we’re going!”

He ducked away from her with a laugh before nodding, turning and calling back to his parents, “I’m heading out with Fumes! Be back soon!”

Fumes ducked, looking under his legs to see his parents in the main room towards the back. They were leaning close together away from the lights, making it hard to see them, but Fumes could see from the shadows bending around them that they were there. His father Starfall didn’t look up, but his mother Eden waved a wing through the shadows to show he had been heard. Fumes didn’t want to question them much; they were already as distasteful and distant already, so it wasn’t out of the normal for them to quietly disprove their wonderful son hanging out with the dirty blacksmith’s daughter.

Fumes didn’t see much else before Zucker slipped out, closing the door and continuing to smirk at her. As all of the thoughts of his parents fell away with his smirk, she swatted him with a wing to hide her cheeks warming up. When he laughed again, she laughed with him and started racing away. “Stop smirking, you cottonball! Let’s go get Isohel!”

Zucker laughed, his paws pounding after her as she ran back down the streets, small fireflies flickering near the roofs of the houses they raced by to give a golden glow beside the reddish-brown tints of the buildings. There was a brief pulse of glowworms high above as well, burning bright orange light down on the town as if jealous by the little insects of light shining brighter. She got back onto the main road and raced up towards the golden light from the outside, a few older dragons moving like creaking branches down the road back into the mountain from soaking up the last few rays of sunlight outside. Before the tunnel of light was reached, Fumes veered sharply to the right next to the town hall down the road beside it, running along the barren dirt path towards the chief’s house behind the town hall and tucked on a ledge overlooking the main plaza and other houses down below in the mountain. It was large, decorated with beautiful pink and red flowers that made it stand out amongst the other earth-toned buildings. It was made of a graceful soft brown wood that looked more elegant than the normal oak everyone else used, the evenly carved door slightly cracked open.

She was about to charge in when talons snatched her tail, tugging her back gently. When she turned around, Zucker was gasping slightly for breath before he puffed out, “Isohel might be meeting with her father. Best to wait.”

Of course the chief’s daughter would be meeting with her father. Even though as far as I know, she’s not taking over after him. Fumes wrinkled her snout at him, pulling her tail back before crouching down and gently nudging the door open with her nose. Zucker was right; Isohel and her father, Chief Icarus, were having a quiet conversation near the back of the room, Isohel listening with a polite expression. They were too engrossed in their conversation to hear their door creak open, even as Fumes set a talon down in their main hallway.

Zucker tugged her back again, making her wrinkle her nose at him one more time before flicking her wings and finally stepping back. Zucker relaxed seeing her pull away, but jumped as she started banging her talon against the door. The knocking echoed into the room, making the two larger PeakWings look up with startled frowns. Fumes paused for a moment, looking at Isohel expectantly before continuing to knock while making earnest eye contact with both of them. Zucker snorted with laughter, but he muffled it quickly seeing the chief’s brief unamused expression.

Chief Icarus sighed, but he shook his head and smiled as he nodded at his daughter, speaking in a quiet voice towards her. She smiled warmly, rubbing her cheek along his face before racing towards them, coming full speed and slamming into Fumes hard enough to knock her back onto the cobblestone walkway. Fumes laughed, hearing Isohel’s laughter echo back at her as her wings wrapped around Fumes like large willow fronds drooping comfortably around her. Zucker shut the door behind them, looking amused at the larger dragon crushing Fumes with her weight. 

As they all laughed, Isohel scolded, “Are you really that rebellious? My father could totally punish you for interrupting!”

“Let him try,” Fumes huffed, grinning coyly up at her pretty pink friend. Isohel folded her ears back, but her face was still glowing happily as she unwrapped herself from Fumes, holding a talon out to help pull her back up. When Fumes was back on her talons, she shook herself off and grinned. “There’s a new abandoned cave system in Silverkeep that we HAVE to check out before it’s potentially back into business! It’s my late birthday gift that you guys are giving me by coming along!”

“Because that’s how gifting works,” Zucker mused as Isohel giggled, but their laughter echoed with their racing steps behind Fumes as she shot back up the streets without hearing a response.

They raced through the last remaining stretch of the town towards the light, erupting into the golden glow of the fading sunset behind the mountains. The mountain fields captured the light in the soft green blades of grass, swaying in the breeze and waving wildly as the three PeakWings raced through the miniature fields. The mountains gave way to the very distant town of Bloom, which was bursting with color from the evening rays and making it easy to see them in the distance. Fumes could still hear Zucker and Isohel laughing behind her, but she kept her talons moving along the familiar cliffside, her wings flapping and gliding her down smaller cutoffs and cliff edges.

She made her way inwards into the mountains, the light getting blocked off behind the towering cliffs. A few rocks tumbled around her talons, but she made her way towards the gaping hole that was up ahead, seeing a few lights tucked into the mountains and along a dirt path leading out of the mountains to guide travelers into the safehaven of the underground city. Fumes grinned as they reached the dark maw, shooting down into the darkness for a moment before a few more lamps guided them through the tunnels. The tunnels stretched on with molded stone walls and floors that blurred by quickly until it opened up into the large cavern, the ceiling stretched up high above them and the lights of Silverkeep shining down below and making the rocks and cliffs that watched over them glow. Dragons flew around or carried carts full of supplies to trade that were mostly metals, a constant noise that sounded like metal bars clinging together mingling with the voices of PeakWings coming and going from the hidden jewel city. Even during the nighttime, Silverkeep was still bustling and working.

She didn’t go towards the town and instead snapped her wings open to catch the stagnant air of the cave. She raced over to the nearest cliff and leaped off the edge, her heart dropping for a moment until her wings snapped to work, carrying her towards the faint railroad tracks higher up in the canyon away from civilization. The tracks studded the rocks like chainmail, running above the town or to the side of it as they went into dark caves leading further into the mountain. They wound around each other to form different paths that crisscrossed and intersected, but there was a specific track higher up with rocks tumbled over the tracks, the metal rods crushed under some larger boulders and blocking access for any carts to roll through.

“The rockslide,” Isohel confirmed as they landed on the tracks next to the destruction. She studied the rocks, her head tilted. “My father told me about this rockslide; how it was caused by a sudden explosion. No one was hurt, luckily, but they have to shut this path down for a bit until they can get a few dragons to clear it up.”

“I’m pretty sure Fumes doesn’t care about the rocks,” Zucker told her, turning towards where Fumes was already moving down the tunnel, her blood pumping with excitement as an idea shone brightly in her head.

She looked up when she heard her name, a guilty smile on her snout. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that learning about the explosion is super important, but I thought of something WAY cooler.”

“As always,” Zucker charmed, smirking again. Fumes smacked him with her tail before starting down the dark caverns, stretching her wings out to let her wingtips feel the edges of the tunnel widen out until she could no longer feel the walls beside the very tips of her wings. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the tall cave, hollow from the wooden boards of the tracks they walked on. They were still fairly intact, but a few seemed to be jarred and snapped from the explosion outside, making it a fun excursion of leaping over sharp boards and trying not to trip on the upturned metal tracks. 

She continued until she found what she wanted; a few abandoned and toppled minecarts in an open cave with a small skyhole, shining down on a perfect stationary cart on the tracks. The cave was a mess of ripped bags and overturned carts, tossed over and set aside by workers so they could grab stuff from them and haul it the rest of the way due to the damaged tracks.

Fumes turned to grin back at them, and Isohel shook her head immediately. “No. That’s not safe. We don’t know if the rest of the track is damaged. Didn’t you see the aftershocks through the cave?”

“I’m doing it,” Zucker spoke immediately after her, as if reading Fumes’ mind as well. He grinned, racing over and feeling around the cart before sniffing inside of it. There was a small cloud of dust that plumed up as he sneezed, but he pulled away and shook his head as he sniffed, “Dusty, but it still works. I mean, it has to be here for a reason; if the rest of the tracks weren’t accessible, this one would be tipped over as well.”

“Exactly!” Fumes grinned at him, watching Zucker clamber and topple headfirst into the cart. She stifled a laugh as she turned to Isohel, seeing her wary expression. “They would’ve closed this cave off completely if it had been dangerous to travel through. Come on, Isohel. I promise we’ll be okay.”

Fumes reached her talon out, the natural dark light casting over her talon as she smiled hopefully at her. Isohel hesitated for another moment but finally reached towards her, their talons joining as Fumes tugged her towards the cart. Isohel clambered in before her, making sure there was enough room before Fumes hopped in beside her, grinning. “Alright, guys! Lean!”

They all moved to the front of the cart, pressing into it before they felt a lurch and heard the soft creak of the wheels starting along the slight downhill trail. It rolled on squeaking wheels for a moment before thumping steadily along towards the drop at the end of the cave illuminated by a few torches in the wall. Fumes grinned, bouncing excitedly and shoving it forward again until it lurched once more, starting forward sharply and giving them a quick blast of air before plunging them off the edge.

Fumes felt her heart drop as they plunged downwards, but screeched in excitement as the air was forced out of her lungs. Their screams filled the cave, accompanying the quickly rolling cart. Isohel’s shriek sounded terrified, but Fumes looked over and saw Zucker’s wide grin as he cheered the whole way down with an excitement that matched hers. The wind whipped by her fiercely and made her eyes water as lights from cave lanterns whisked by, barely blinking before they were gone. She felt like she was plummeting from a great height, feeling the adrenaline kick in and her wings snap a few times instinctively despite the force of air pushing against them. She could feel Isohel pressing tightly into her side, but Fumes heard a breathless laugh from her after the large plummet. 

The track mellowed out, carrying them up smaller ledges and taking them through the tunnel and cave system. Lights were still flickering through the caves, burning with captured golden orbs that flashed briefly above when they moved under them. Fumes could hear the startled screeches and fluttering of bats as they awoke from slumber, as well as the frantic pattering noise of other rats or smaller creatures in the holes of the caves. They quickly passed by a patch of phosphorescent moss, giving the entire cave and their scales a green glow before they continued on into the darkness.

Eventually, the cart finally creaked to a stop on a slightly sloped incline, a silver light shining in the cave above. Fumes folded her wings in tightly, commanding, “Get out of the cart, Isohel! Zucker and I will follow you!”

Isohel scrambled, the cart lurching with her weight and almost toppling forward as she jumped out. Fumes felt her heart jolt in alarm when she felt the cart start to quickly roll back down, but her and Zucker took the sudden forward lurch to quickly jump out after her, landing on opposite sides of the track as the cart shot back the way they came. 

Both Zucker and Fumes laid on the ground for a moment, catching their breath and wheezing quietly from the impact. Fumes dug her claws into the ground, slowly standing as she straightened out and shook herself out. She glanced back, hearing the wheels roll away as she chuckled, “Guess we’ll find that cart later if we go back that way.”

“It’ll be a long walk if we don’t,” Zucker groaned, pushing himself up as well. Fumes smirked at him now, and he wrinkled his nose at her before starting to climb up the small hill, moving past Isohel waiting for them. 

Isohel looked down at Fumes as she clambered up beside her, worry in her eyes, but Fumes smiled and nudged her shoulder. “I’m fine. Let’s head up and see what that light is!”

Isohel nodded, but she stayed close to Fumes as the two females climbed up together, heading towards the silvery light. They jumped past the small cliff poking out that was similar to the cave they started in, dipping down into the tracks before arriving on a much more even ground. It was an empty cave with no torches or any sign of activity, but surprisingly a few shoots of grass and weeds were sticking through the dirt and climbing up smaller rocks, blossoming into pale colors beside the earthy tones.

Fumes frowned in confusion, but Isohel gasped and pointed up. Above them was a large skyhole, gaping open to the sky above them and wide enough for at least five dragons to fly in with wings outstretched. It was dark now outside, and faint light from a sliver of one of the moons was lighting up the entrance to the cave. The rest of the cave was in a quiet dome of darkness, any wind currents echoing briefly and stirring the small plant life before leaving the cave in silence. 

The only noise in the cave now was their hushed breathing and their talons walking over the tracks and onto the small field of grass inside the cave. Isohel bent her head down and sniffed around, confusion and awe in her eyes. “I have no idea how this grass grew, but it’s… Incredible. I didn’t know this was down here.”

There was a quiet thump, and Fumes looked up to see Zucker on his back in the miniature field, stretching his wings and legs out before folding them back into himself. He looked up at the sky, his purple eyes glowing like the colorful galaxies in stories Fumes heard about from her father. “It’s so peaceful here. I’m surprised no one is here right now besides us.”

“Maybe it’s tucked behind a mountain or harder to access from above,” Fumes theorized, going over and plopping down beside him. There were still a few hard dirt patches that poked into her, but grass welcomed her as it tickled her tail and the back of her head. She looked up, seeing the empty sky above them, and breathed out slowly. “Regardless, it’s ours for the night.”

Heavy steps vibrated the ground around them before Isohel settled in next to Fumes, her body and Zucker’s encasing Fumes in warmth. The three PeakWings looked up at the sky above them, their breaths mingling together until they were one and echoed simultaneously.

It was quiet for a while, all of them enjoying the moment before Zucker chuckled. “Alright, Fumes. I’ll admit it. This is pretty awesome.”

She turned to look over at him, seeing his soft smile, and her heart skipped happily as she grinned at them both. “See? My adventures are the best!”

“They really are,” Isohel agreed softly, her tail twining gently with Fumes’. The larger dragoness smiled warmly at both of them before looking back up at the sky.

Fumes felt her heart blaze with warmth, brighter than any of the lanterns that lit their underground home. She nestled into Zucker’s mane, the three of them pressed close together as they watched the stars appear.

This, Fumes thought to herself, smiling. This is what paradise is. Not the beautiful views, or the fun adventures.

It’s being with them. Zucker and Isohel. Nothing will change that. No matter how far apart, we’ll always be connected.

We’ll always be together.