The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 46

The cave plunged into darkness.

For Aiden, this made little difference. He pushed with his claws, trying to crawl forward. He didn't get far.

Thump.

His legs gave out, and his entire body collapsed onto the stone floor. He had fallen.

Might as well sleep here.

His thoughts dissolved into nothingness. His heavy eyelids slid shut. He was asleep in an instant.

…

He was asleep.

Azure's blue, slitted pupils regarded the two halves of the corpse lying near the entrance. Once this meat is dealt with, I too will sleep.

Swish… swish…

Azure turned her head toward the sound of footsteps. The white whelp was crawling deeper into the cave.

Sleep. Sleep. I must sleep.

Suddenly, the advancing dragon froze. Bianca lifted her head and looked back. Blue pupils met white. Azure's gaze narrowed.

“Where are you going?”

“To sleep, of course.”

“And you intend to leave me to store all this meat by myself?”

Bianca blinked her large, white eyes. She tilted her head. “Is that not allowed?”

“I cannot produce a cold breath,” Azure stated flatly, beginning to walk toward her. “Therefore, you must help.”

“No! I want to sleep!” Bianca turned to flee, but a blue claw shot out and seized her tail. “Let me go!” The white dragon grabbed her own tail with her claws and tried to pull it free. Azure found herself being dragged across the stone floor. She sighed. The fool was stronger than her.

“Are you certain you will not help?” Azure asked, changing tactics. “I cannot preserve this meat alone. When Aiden awakens, if he finds it has rotted…”

The pulling force vanished. Bianca's white eyes began to dart about nervously. Seeing her advantage, Azure pressed on.

“You do not wish to be beaten for it, do you? Aiden is undergoing an advancement. When he awakens, he will be much stronger. And when he beats you, it will hurt much more.” Azure stared directly into her white eyes. “You do not want that, do you?”

A sealed memory surfaced in Bianca's mind. Aiden's beatings were already painful. If he got stronger… it would be even worse.

Bianca's eyes flew wide. “Alright, alright! I know! I'll do it! Just let me go.”

Azure released her grip. Bianca's tail, freed, was immediately tucked away, drooping to the floor behind her.

“Good. Let us work together.”

“Yes…” came the listless reply.

Azure began to walk, and Bianca followed. They stopped before a solid stone wall. The larder they had used before was too small for all this meat. They would need a new one. Azure surveyed the wall. This spot would do.

“Bianca, dig with me.”

“Mmm…” Bianca's voice was still devoid of any energy.

Azure placed her claws on the rock face and began to scrape. Beside her, Bianca did the same.

“Widen it to the side,” Azure directed. “Be careful not to make the entrance too large. Yes, just like that. Dig straight in.”

Focused on her excavation, Bianca didn't notice that Azure had stopped digging and was now simply standing behind her, watching. With Bianca's dedicated effort, a U-shaped cavern over twenty yards deep was quickly carved out. The entrance was relatively narrow, but it opened into a much larger space inside.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Alright, now drag the meat inside, and after you have filled the chamber with a sufficient amount of cold breath, you can go to sleep.”

Bianca didn't move. Her white pupils were fixed on Azure. Her gaze conveyed a single, unmistakable message.

Together.

Reading her meaning, Azure nodded. “Of course. Together.” With that, she began to walk toward the meat. Only then did Bianca follow.

They stopped before the carcass. Each dragon grabbed one side of the front half and began to drag it toward the new larder. They stopped at the entrance. They dug their claws into the meat and pulled. It was too heavy. It wouldn't budge.

Azure glanced at Bianca. The fool was just standing there, doing nothing.

“Help me push. It is too heavy.”

“Oh,” Bianca replied, her tone thick with impatience.

Bianca moved to the back of the carcass, lowered her body, and planted her powerful hind legs. With a great shove, the meat began to move.

Azure stared. The fool can actually move it. She is surprisingly strong. Shaking herself from her thoughts, Azure dug her own claws in and pulled. With their combined effort, the first piece was slowly moved into the new cave. They repeated the process with the hindquarters.

The new larder was almost completely full. The cave she'd had Bianca dig was the perfect size.

“Alright, seal this up and you can go to sleep.”

“Aoww!” Bianca's voice was suddenly full of vigor. The white dragon rushed forward and began piling stones before the entrance.

Azure did not help. She had other work to do. Her gaze shifted to a nearby rock wall. This section here. It is flat. Having found her target, she walked over to it, stood up on her hind legs, and dug her claws into the stone, beginning to carve.

Screeeech!

Sparks flew. This time, they would all be sleeping, likely for a long time. So, in addition to sealing the larder with rubble, Azure intended to carve out a massive stone slab to cover the entrance. It would lock in the cold far more effectively, preserving the meat for much longer.

The grating sound continued until a huge, U-shaped stone slab was pried loose, perfectly shaped to fit the cave entrance. Azure steadied the slab with her claws and began to push it forward. The screeching sound returned as she scraped it across the floor toward the larder. She stopped and leaned it against the wall.

At the larder entrance, the white dragon was perched atop the pile of rubble, her maw wide open as she poured a torrent of cold breath into the opening. Seeing Azure approach, she blinked her white eyes several times. No words were needed. Azure understood her meaning. Is it enough?

Azure reached a claw into the opening. When she withdrew it, a layer of white frost had formed on the scales, but it was not yet ice.

“Not yet. Continue,” Azure said.

Bianca's round, white eyes looked away from Azure and back into the hole. She resumed her breath attack. After another full minute, Bianca's white tail lifted and gently poked the blue dragon beside her.

Azure glanced at her, then reached her claw back into the cave. When she pulled it out this time, a thin layer of solid ice coated her talons. Normally, this would be sufficient. But this sleep would be a long one. To be safe, she would have to ask a little more of Bianca.

“You may rest for a moment.”

Hearing Azure's words, Bianca's jaw snapped shut. “Is it done?” her voice was hoarse. “Can I go to sleep now?” She started to turn away. Her first step was her last. That familiar, yanking sensation. She looked back to see Azure holding her tail again.

“You cannot sleep yet. A little longer. The temperature is still not low enough.”

“Aoww! You are so annoying!”

“If you do not do it properly, when Aiden wakes up…” Azure let the threat hang in the air.

Bianca, who had been on the verge of a tantrum, immediately deflated at the mention of his name. She slumped back to the ground. After a moment's rest, she reluctantly climbed back onto the rubble pile, opened her maw, and began her work again.

After nearly two more minutes, Bianca's jaw snapped shut.

“Aoww! No more! I'm not doing any more!” The white dragon flopped onto the ground and began to roll back and forth. “My throat hurts! Just kill me now!”

Azure sighed. Alright, the fool has broken down. She walked to the opening and reached her claw inside. Seeing this, Bianca stopped rolling. She lifted her head, secretly observing.

Azure withdrew her claw after a few seconds and looked at it. A thick layer of solid ice now coated her scales. At this temperature, it should be enough. Her eyes flickered to the dragon on the floor, who had stopped her theatrics. Their eyes met.

“Alright. You may go to sleep now.”

“Hooray!” Bianca yelped with joy. She scrambled to her feet and scurried deeper into the cave without a backward glance.

That fool.

Azure turned her attention from the retreating white form and back to the rubble-filled entrance. Now for her own work. She methodically finished sealing the opening with stones, then pushed the great slab she had prepared over it, creating a perfect seal.

There. Finished. Finally, it was time to sleep.

Azure walked deeper into the cave. The white dragon was already nestled tightly against the red dragon's side. Azure stopped, then settled down in the empty space on Aiden's other side.

Mmm. The warmth radiated from him. It was as comforting as ever.

Azure's jaw clenched.

CRACK!

The magic crystal she had been holding in her mouth shattered.

Mmm. Crunch, crunch.

She chewed it a few times, then her throat pulsed as she swallowed the crushed fragments. An overwhelming wave of drowsiness washed over her instantly.

So sleepy.

Azure's heavy eyelids and inner membranes slid shut in unison. As she settled down, a deathly silence fell over the cave. The three hatchlings were all asleep.

Hooo…

Hooo…

Hooo…

One after another, a rhythm of deep, rumbling snores filled the darkness.