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RadientAngel
Five weeks had gone by in a flash. In that time, Jun had caught only glimpses of his sons. Occasionally Krya had come to check up on Amaranth, but she always left with a disappointed scowl. Jun and his daughter were left to themselves, mostly. The nursery tender had hinted that she would need combat training, and so Jun did his best, but he had never been a fighter.
Now he and Amaranth were being marched off in two directions. He with Krya, and Amaranth with her brothers. Jun questioned Krya as he flew.
“What's going on? Where are we going? Where are they taking Am- the hatchlings?”
Krya seemed to relish his confusion.
“The Trial. The hatchlings must prove themselves worthy of the clan. One winner. It's likely you'll have the honor of naming it.”
“N-name it? [/I]One[/I] winner?”
Krya glanced at him scornfully.
“Yes. The survivor will most likely be one of the males, in which case it is customary for the father to name it. If, the Eleven forbid, that female survives, I name her. It is customary for names to start with the same letter as the parent.”
Jun didn't have time for questions, although he desperately wanted more information. Krya turned down a hallway and suddenly they were in the stands of a massive arena. She led him to an elevated box, sectioned off from the rest. Other dragons filed in slowly and found seats.
Jun felt dread slowly seep in, weighing him down. Krya seemed emotionless. She watched the empty arena, apparently waiting.
She didn't have to wait long.
At the opposite side, two lanky Spirals launched into the air. They began dancing over a massive drum, dashing their bodies against it to create a quick, pounding rythym. Jun watched them, mesmerized.
Then a shout rose and he glanced down. There, emerging from separate doors, were his three offspring. The two males had grown. They were well-muscled for their age and size, and fierce cunning shine in their eyes. The dark one whirled and scraped his claws against the stone, causing a loud, grating noise. His brother reared up and flared his wings, snarling. Amaranth was frozen. She knew what to expect- she had been told just before being shoved into the arena.
The brothers eyed each other. They knew what the other was capable of, after training together so much. Then suddenly they whirled and charged Amaranth.
She shrieked and fired off a bolt of magic, stumbling back. It hit the purple male, knocking him to the ground. The dark one kept coming.
He slammed into her, tearing at her throat. She screamed once and then was still. He rose, panting, and looked for his brother.
He was still on the ground, a sticky substance clogging his motion. The result of his sister's attack.
The dark one saw his opportunity and struck. Frills vibrating, tail lashing, his claws sliced air. The purple male dodged nimbly and lashed out with his hind feet, hitting his belly. His claws were cushioned by the sticky stuff though, and did little damage. The dark male hissed and tackled him. For a moment they wrestled in the dust. With a roar, the dark male dug his claws deep into his brother's bowels, then lept back. He circled slowly, until the feeble struggling stopped.
Next to Jun, Krya let out a cheer. She reared up and flapped her wings. After a moment, the rest of the audience joined her. Only Jun was silent, staring, stricken, at the limp body of his daughter.
The dark-colored male fluttered up to them. He dipped his head to Krya, then looked at Jun expectantly. Jun suddenly remembered he had to name him. He fumbled for a moment, unable to think.
“Ah… m-my son. You are… you will be called Jotun.”
Besides him, Krya nodded approvingly. She picked up her son and wiped the blood from his claws.
“You are strong Jotun.”
She looked at the audience. She raised her voice, and they spoke with her.
“You are worthy!”
Krya and the other two babies are available for adoption
