Ljubav

The Unhatched Fire Egg cracks and splits open! A newborn Guardian Male shakes off the shell and opens its eyes.

The fist thing he sees is a thin long Mother creature looming over him. They locked eyes and the big Mother-beast wept heavily, sobs wracking her light yellow body. She choked out "Ljubav" and he blinked once. "Ljubav" She said again.
-

Ljubav learned a lot of things. And they moved around a lot. His Mother whispered in his ear knowledge of all things she knew. He learned that the Fire Dragons of the Ashfall Waste are metalworkers. They prefer to be as passionate and intense as the flames they coax. Of all the dragons, Fire Dragons are the most temperamental and their red-hot fury knows no peer. Rare metal ore, weapons, statues, and tools are their favored treasures. The Ashfall Waste was covered in lava, filled with magma, and its air was full of noxious gas. They moved again.
He learned that his God was one of the first four- Flamecaller was his name, and how Flamecaller battled Earthshaker while the world was born. They moved again.
He learned about his breed, that he was one of the Guardians, and what that meant for him. She offered all of her teachings willingly but Ljubav wasn't very interested in the past. He didn't care too much for the subject, but the tone of her voice was full of life that he could sit through anything she said. He was cared for, and that's all that mattered. But then they moved again.

Ljubav asked why they couldn't have a den somewhere. Mother said they already had a den. It was together. But the way she said it made him want to ask more, the hesitation in her voice so obviously different then the cadence and tone of her stories. She seemed bothered. He noticed that Mother didn't like to stay out in the open and she didn't like little birds in the sky. She had a lot of odd quirks. Sometimes she would glare at snakes, as if she was insulted to see them in her presence. He didn't always understand her, but he loved her despite it.

He asked her why shadows scared her when she herself was a Shadow Dragon. She said it was because not all flying things were good. He asked her what he could do about the fears that were hurting her. She told him to love everything around him from the sun down to the rotten vines. "Why?" he asked. "Why?" he had a million "whys".
Two weeks had passed and the fast growing male had already outgrown Mother in every way. He knew they were different species, but it was strange to him that the one that held him and protected him was now small enough for him to carry easily.
He takes after his mother with collecting odd trinkets and he carries his favorite artifact strung across his magnificent wings. He can fly, yet his feet shake the ground. He felt empowered by his size and the freedom of living on the road. One day he set his mind that he would free Mother from her fears. He would fight whatever kept her in hiding. He would tear her fear to shreds so that she could feel wild like he does. After all, she was not much older then he was. Hardship had aged her mentally and he wanted to give her life again.
He thought that maybe if he and his mother fought side-by-side i the coliseum she might regain her confidence and face her past.

-

He didn't really understand why the Mirror male helped him in their fight or why he seemed to know Mother. There was a new name though- Candra Putra. He was the one behind Mother's torment. The ragtag scratch team flew away from the coliseum in haste. He suddenly felt bothered by his feather and bone collection and put it away, as if it was too childish for him anymore. As an aside, he also didn't want blood on it. He realized the gravity of the situation- the strain on Mother's face and the way she continually flicked her tail as they zipped through the sky. The Other One, the Mirror was steadfast. He seemed like a looser. He wasn't as nimble as Mother, not as big as himself. He certainly didn't boast wisdom of years. He was just... there. He existed. Ljubav stopped thinking about the strange yet unimpressive Other One. Before too long they had arrived at a place beyond the boneyard. It wasn't as impressive as some that he'd passed yet better then others. No-one was larger then he, and no-one as young either. There were two Tundras and a single Mirror.