"Ready or not, here I come!" The gold wyrmling recited and scampered through the leaf-strewn understory, looking in all the wrong places.

Nope, not there either.

Syra snickered from her hidden perch at her brother's fruitless search. This was her favorite game: hide-and-seek. A simple human game, but one she excelled at to the dismay of her less perceptive younger brother. But he deserved it this time. Just because his chin horns had budded didn't make him a capable adversary.

With a frustrated huff, Cassius scampered off deeper into the auburn forest and mischief twinkled in her jade eyes.

Perfect.

She slinked onto a lower limb, her bronze scales hidden among the autumn leaves. Her predatory gaze locked onto the oblivious wyrmling and her body stiffened. Claws gripped the bark. Her chest puffed with air and a glow washed over her. Her spine shortened. Her wings shrunk then disappeared, and her scales elongated. With an exhale the light dissipated, leaving a bronzed bird in her place.

Shapeshifting. An ability not uncommon to dragons, but rare among the Montari Clan. An ability that earned Syra both admiration and rolled eyes.

She dove, eyes on the prize that was Cassius' rump.

"Ow!" Cassius yowled, spinning and caressing his pecked posterior.

Syra banked and dive-bombed his head, landing a few good blows to those new horns of his. He roared and flailed his arms, tail thrashing. In a whir, Syra fluttered to an overlooking limb and trilled in triumph. That would teach him humility.

With a quick sniff, Cassius snapped an accusing glare at her, "That's cheating!"

"No, it's resourceful." Syra cackled and dove again, but this time he ducked. She banked through the trees and, in a flash, returned to dragon form, her clawed hands outstretched and aimed at Cassius' head. The tackle hit him with a hard thud that sent them tumbling. Cassius managed a foothold on her stomach and catapulted her over him.

She twisted in the air, barely landing on her feet. A toothy grin curled up her face.

"I'll admit, you have gotten a little stronger. But are you faster?" She pivoted on a hind leg and dashing into the air.

"Oh, no you don't." Cassius leapt off the ground with flittering wings, slipping on the leaf litter.

They weaved and dodged and looped until they burst through the tree line. Cassius pulled ahead of Syra, his chest heaving and the shadowed meadow a blur beneath them.

"Guess you're not as fast as you thought." He called through pants.

Syra chuckled; she was done playing games. She straightened her neck, aligning the ridge down her spine. Her chest and side muscles tensed and her wings pounded against the air, propelling her past Cassius and sending him spinning.

"Guess again!"

Cassius righted himself and took off after Syra who ducked into a stand of tall grass.

Thud!

"Ow..." Syra whined as a small, squealing ball vanished into the brush.

"Damn it, Syra. You let it get away!" A female voice barked from the grass.

"Sorry, Petra. Hey, wait! N-no!"

Syra bolted from the grass, nearly colliding with Cassius as a ball of flames jetted after her. Behind the charred grass, a copper wyrmling crouched with steaming jaws and a fowl attitude after losing her prey.

"Get back here!"

Petra, Cassius' eggmate, took up the rear of the chase. Her muscular bulk, while excellent for brawling, added troublesome weight in-flight. So, Syra banked a sharp left.

"Bashta!" Cassius cursed and swung himself around hard, his clawtips grazing tree bark. Petra's momentum, however, was not tolerant of such turns.

"Move!" Petra smacked Cassius right in the hindquarters.

"Watch the tail!" The two squabbled in the air like children too deep in a pond.

By now, Syra was far ahead and even their farsight only caught a glimpse of her shiny rump mocking them.

"Your tail is mine, Syra!" called Petra, pumping her wings harder and spitting a warning fireball, which Syra dodged with ease.

The three siblings left the shade of the forest and their pupils adjusted to the open sky over the Crystal Mines. Below them, a worn road trailed to the mountain's base where grown dragons mined glowing, purple crystals and a caravan of humans lined up to make their trades.

Mana crystals--in this case, Amec crystals--were the staple energy source for all five races and a prized commodity, one that only dragons and dwarves had apt skills to mine. With the dwarves gone, trade had turned to the generous Montari Clan for supplies. Not that they minded much. Dragons of all species had a particular love of all things shiny, sparkly, and good-tasting, and the craftsmen and bakers traded these eagerly.

"This always makes me hungry," Cassius said, eyeing the purple stones which were their dietary source of mana.

"Evening, wyrmlings!" A husky male called up to them as he finished loading a cart with crystals and precious gems and ores. There were, of course, more than just crystals below the Silver Moutains. "Come to make trades, again?" He tossed three crystals in the air, "Have at 'em!"

Swooping down, they caught their collateral in tiny claws and flittered off to the line of wagons.

"Wow," A scruffy, raven-haired boy clambered over his older brother's shoulders watching the trio dart cart-to-cart examining goodies. "There are even tiny dragons!"

Aidan, a strapping prince-in-training of eleven years, had never seen dragons up close before. His brother, Ethan, had thus thought it a fitting birthday present to show him the Trade Caravan. That, and he hoped that he would actually learn something about economics. But that might have been far-reaching.

"Of course there are tiny dragons, silly." Ethan grabbed Aidan just as he was climbing the canopy and sat him back down beside him. "They're probably wyrmlings--just like you." He tickled Aidan in the side and ruffled his hair even more. At seventeen, Ethan was courteous, gentle, and clever, but he wasn't opposed to the occasional poking at Aidan's lack of a growth spurt. "Here one comes--hold it up so she can see. And make sure to ask politely, just like Valen taught you."

Aidan shoved his offering--a sugary pastry puff--into the air. Syra glided over and looped around their wagon, landing atop the canopy. She sniffed the air and climbed down the side of the canopy cage, gaze focused on the sweet morsel. Her frill quivered as her snout sniffed closer.

"Keep it still." Ethan whispered to a mesmerized Aidan, his dark eyes wide and mouth gaping.

Syra leaned forward, clutching her crystal, her scaled snout just inches from Aidan's hand. He snapped his mouth shut to keep from shrieking. Syra lowered her head to Aidan, eyes locked and silent, examining. Aidan swallowed hard.

"Don't leave the lady waiting, Aidan." Ethan prodded Aidan in the side.

"Oh, um...trade?" Aidan fumbled out in practiced Draconic and gave the pastry a wave.

Syra's eyes brightened at the familiar tone and she offered him a confident huff.

"Trade."

Aidan handed over the pastry to Syra, who trilled and dropped the stone into Aidan's shaking hand.

A giggle escaped Aidan's lips as he watched Syra's delight at such a small offering. But his giggling was cut short by Syra shoving her snout inches from his nose. She studied his fair face and his penetrating black eyes, and sniffed deeply.

He's smells like dirt...and smoke. It's...kind of nice.

"Thank you...Aidan." Syra responded in Altairan, huffing a strand of hair from his face and leaping from the wagon in a rush of wind.

"Are you finished yet?" Petra whined from a stone ledge.

"Yes, Petra, we can go now." Syra said, flying back into the forest with her siblings, leaving an awestruck Aidan gawking after them.

***

The trio landed by a stream to inspect, and eat, their trophies. Syra, per her usual indulging, stuffed the entire cake into her mouth. She cooed and her neck frill quivered at the burst of sweetness not typical of a carnivorous diet.

"You're gonna get fat, you know," Petra said, pointing a mocking claw at her side.

"So? All the better for hibernation," Syra muffled through cake-filled cheeks. There was icing smeared all over. She was never a clean eater. "What did you get?" she asked, finally swallowing.

"This," Petra held up a small golden dragon sculpture, her snout pushed into the air. "It's even dragon-forged," she pointed to the serpent brand on the bottom. "Father's gonna love it!"

"If he even has room left on his ledge," Cassius said, organizing the tools tucked into a cloth pouch.

"And what treasure did you procure, may I ask?" Petra snapped.

"Just some tools for Tarys," he said, "He's apprenticing as a blacksmith and needs a new set." He paused and watched Petra through narrowed eyes. "Or would you prefer to give these to him?" He snickered with a sneer at Petra's flared frill and wagging mouth.

"W-why would I want to do that? H-he's your friend, not mine." Petra stuttered, turning her back.

"Yet you pad after him constantly."

"Shut up!" Petra spat, shooting a jet of flames at his smug face.

He dodged, leaping onto a river rock.

"Aw, did I pull a heartstring?"

"I said, shut up!"

Back and forth the twins exchanged fiery blows, the flames causing steam to rise from the stream. Syra wiped her muzzle clean and watched from atop the small waterfall with downcast eyes.

"What's wrong, Syra dear?" Petra teased, "Don't you wanna join in?"

Syra's jaw tensed.

"Petra..." Cassius hushed.

"Oh wait, you can't can you, Flameless?" Petra spat.

"Just stop." Cassius said with lowered head.

"Oh, come on, Cas. It's her own fault she can't breathe fire." Petra took too much pleasure in drawing out those last three words as her gold eyes leered up at Syra.

"Of course, I can!" Syra said, puffing out her chest. "It just...comes and goes sometimes."

Cassius and Petra raised their scaly brows in disbelief.

"Then show us if you're so sure of yourself." Petra said, giving Syra her full attention.

"Fine, I will!" Syra took a solid stance astride her rock. "Just watch!"

She focused, inhaling deep and opening her throat. She clenched her stomach and exhaled. Nothing.

Cassius and Petra snickered.

"Alright, so I need to warm up. Watch this!"

Again she focused, inhaled, and tightened her core. This time a deep rumble came from her chest. Cassius and Petra went silent and watched wide-eyed. Then it came. A deep, long belch that echoed off the trees and smelled of burnt meat and eggs.

The twins fell into the stream laughing and Syra drooped in defeat and frustration.

"I guess big things do come in small packages!" cried Cassius, mirth gathering in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah?" Syra slammed a glowing hand into the water and a trickle of electricity skipped across the water, tackling them both and knocking them on their rumps. "Bet you can't do that!"

Petra snarled, thrashing her tail and Cassius wriggled his hindquarters in a crouch.

"Now you've done it!" Cassius said, lunging at Syra.

Syra dodged, causing Cassius to slip and tumble into the water. Petra leapt up the waterfall and joined Cassius in his attempts to tackle the bouncing runt as she bounded rock-to-rock, avoiding their attacks.

"How about this?" Syra said, throwing up a shimmering barrier as Cassius lunged. He slammed smack into it. "Or this?" She slammed her hand onto the water, freezing a strip in front of a charging Petra and sending her sliding. "Or maybe even..." Light encircled Cassius and Syra raised her forearms, lifting him into the air.

"Gained a little weight, have you Cas?" Syra groaned, straining to keep him airborne.

"Please don't drop me." Cassius said, flailing.

"Okay, we get it already!" Petra snarled, spitting fire at Syra and causing Cassius to plummet into the stream.

"And she dropped me." Cassius said, spitting up water.

"You're good at magic, big deal!" Petra said.

She stalked towards Syra, head low and teeth bared, pushing her to the edge of the falls. Her throat lit up and flames skipped across the water, making Syra jump back and nearly topple over the edge. Syra flailed her wings, steadying herself. Petra sneered and let the flames lick at her snout before dying.

"You'll never become Vayguard like that." Petra growled, a slight pleasure rumbling in her throat.

"A bit harsh, don't you th--" Cassius said.

"Look at you! You're small and weak and only good at running away. A magical barrier can only last for so long, Syra. What will you do then?"

Syra hesitated.

"I thought so--" Petra's gloating was cut off by a long and low roar from the mountain peaks. "Father's home!"

Petra turned her raised snout from Syra before taking off, "A dragon is nothing without fire."

With that, Petra and Cassius took off towards the mountains, leaving Syra fumbling on wet stones.

***

On an overlooking ledge just beyond the tree line, Rigel stood waiting. The last rays of autumn sparked against his golden scales but cast long shadows down the valley, and the clan Vayguard watched the two glints flutter up the mountainside.

"Father!" Petra cried in greeting, skidding to a halt from a not-so-soft landing, causing Cassius to trip over her.

"There you are! I was wondering if I would have to eat your dinner for you."

"Not a chance!" Petra padded to her father and rubbed her body against his tall legs, a coo vibrating her throat.

"Where's your sister?"

Petra's tail dropped, "Probably still spitting smoke."

Rigel sighed, looking to Cassius, "She's still having trouble?"

Cassius nodded, "Seems like it. But she's still trying."

"Trying isn't good enough!" The tip of Petra's tail twitched. "You either do, or you don't. Trying will just get you killed."

"Petra, enough, please." Cassius said, following her into the lair entrance.

"What, am I wrong?"

"No, just--"

"You make fun of her, too. So, don't act like your dung don't stink!"

The twins continued to argue all the way into the lair, their banter echoing off the carving-covered walls of the entrance tunnel.

"Draco, help me." Rigel sighed, and turned his gaze back to the meadow and the lone spark weaving upwards through shadows.

He pried up a chest scale with large but nimble claws, and dislodged a small stone that appeared to be broken in half. The glimmer in his icy eyes dulled as they stared down.

"Show me." Rigel hushed, his timbre weak and thick with longing. The stone glimmered and an image flickered in his palm, feint like a memory faded with time. Yet his eyes clung on, desperate and forlorn, to the ghostly image of a sleeping dragoness with a ring encircling her left horn.

"Oh, Nova...she really needs you right now. I don't know if she'll ever be ready." A delicate claw stroked at the visage but met only mist.

"Papa!"

Rigel shoved the stone under a scale and regained his composure as Syra soared over the ledge in a huff and landed with a short hop.

"Sorry I'm late! Petra and Cas left without me."

"So they did. They just arrived."

"Oh," Syra picked at the ground with a claw, "Well, then I'd better get in there before they eat everything!" She feigned a smile and trotted to the entrance.

"Syra," Rigel said, stopping her in her tracks. "I hear you're still struggling."

"Ugh!" Her body drooped and she threw her head back with a huff, "Those loud mouths told you, didn't they?"

"It doesn't matter who told me. We need to talk about--"

"Not again, please."

"Syra, you know this is an essential skill to have, especially as clan heir. As Firstborn, you should--"

"'Should have already mastered it.' I know." Syra paced the worn stone ledge.

Rigel softened at his daughter's dilemma, "I'm just trying to help." Grief passed over his eyes. "If only you took after your mother."

Pain flickered across Syra's face and she stared up at the deep scar that encircled his left horn. But she turned a soft grin to her father.

"I have her magic."

Rigel nodded and gave her a quick pat in the head, "That you do." He stared down into the bright green eyes looking up at him, the gold flecks sparkling at their center, "And her eyes."

Rigel was confident in magical abilities. She was outpacing her mage apprenticeship, and he fell victim to her shapeshifting pranks to the point of annoyance. But Petra had a point.

"Look, the Clan Summit is a few moons away and I would like you to join me. Not as a wyrmling this time, but as my heir."

Excitement and doubt battled on Syra's face.

"Meaning I'll have to show off in the games, right?"

"Yes, you will be expected to participate. In all events."

"Lovely."

"However," his eyes twinkled down at her, "Alder will be there and I had hoped to convince him to tutor you--given your shifting skills."

Hope surged back into her eyes, "Are you serious?"

"Very. But, I cannot comfortably send you off without you able to defend yourself."

"But I can defend myself!" she groaned. "Just ask Petra and Cas--"

"Petra and Cassius are still wyrmlings, Syra. Their flames are but embers by comparison. Yes, your magic is commendable--exceptional, even. But when you are snout-to-snout with an Ignis, even your mother's fire did little damage. What will your magic do? Barriers and healing are excellent support, but in the throes of battle they're just not en--"

"So, you're saying my best is just not good enough?" Syra snarled, her frill rising in anger.

"That's not what I meant."

"Yes it was." Her jaw tensed, "You're just like Petra."

"Syra--"

"No!" She stood her ground, but her voice cracked. "I've tried countless times, but guess what? I can't breathe fire! End of story. The precious Firstborn is Flameless!" She spun and darted off towards the forest. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Rigel went to chase after her but stopped, "You can't keep running away from this!"

"I'm not running away!"

"You're doing it right now."

She stopped, grimacing, "No, I'm no--"

The bright call of a war horn cut through the trees and Rigel stiffened to attention. Lifting his head above the boulders, his gaze locked onto the city glimmering at the base of the mountains and the smoke rising from it.

"Altaira..."