Kyoisan

Kyoi opened his eyes to his mother prodding him in the side. He groaned, turning over and blinking in the dark.
“It’s time,” she whispered.
Mixed dread and excitement fluttered in his chest, but obediently he arose and replied, “I am ready.”
“Very well,” his mother murmured. “Let us go.”
The midnight fly woke Kyoi up fully, but he still had a tough time keeping aloft. His wings beat frantically, trying to keep up with the larger dragon. Despite the elders telling him that he was at the right age, his wings were still unpleasantly small. Each wingbeat of his mother’s huge leathery wings took three of his small feathered ones. Finally, though, they reached the ridge. The elders were there with several other hatchlings his same age. As Kyoi and his mother approached, an elder dipped his head.
“You have arrived,” he croaked.
“So we have,” said Kyoi’s nother. “My son is ready.”
The crinkled face of the elder turned towards Kyoi. “Your mother says you are ready. Are you?”
Kyoi yawned, then quickly added a sharp nod. His mother turned toward him disgustedly.
“Show more respect,” she hissed. “This is the most important-”
“It’ll hardly matter,” interrupted the elder. “The Stormcatcher will deal with him as he sees fit. He’s out of your hands, Azshara.”
Azshara dipped her head, retreating back a few steps. Kyoi longed to stay with her, but the elder scooted him forward. The other hatchlings spread their wings, and were each given whispered instructions for their journey. One by one, they received the information and pushed off the ground, wings stroking the sky. At last, it was Kyoi’s turn. His wings quivered, and his heart raced. The wrinkled muzzle approached his ear, and whispered barely audible instuctions. The wind snatched them away before he could comprehend them. The dots are the bits he couldn’t hear.
“Fly in the clouds. Watch out for l...ht...g. Fly.....th, leaning a bit to the…...when you see……..fly….go! Go quickly now! Go!”
He launched himself off the ridge, in the rough direction the other hatchlings were flying. Fly in the clouds… he had understood that part. Hopefully the rest would come clear as he trudged on.
His small wings struggled in the wind that was so much stronger up here in the clouds. He squinted, trying to sight a glimpse of his companions… but to no avail. He spun around in the air, unsure of where to go… Finally he chose a direction, and tore away at top speed.
After a while, there seemed to be a light ahead… it must be the right way! He rushed up to meet it, but before he got there, he heard a huge, deafening BOOM! The pain rushed to meet him a second later as his wings stiffened and his body refused to obey him. It was worse than anything he had ever felt! Thousands of claws pierced his scales and muscles alike! He would have screamed, had he control of his voice. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but blue sparks, and realized that he had been stuck by his own element; lightning.
It took a moment to realize he was falling. All he could feel was pain, and all he could see was pain, too. He rushed to open his wings, but his muscles screamed, and the wings felt out of control and slower than usual. It hit him almost as painfully as that lightningbolt that had stuck him moments before that these terrifying seconds may be his final moments! His heart clenched in despair and fear before he hit the water and lost conciousness.

The first thing he remembered afterwards was the feeling of cool, lapping waves, halfway up his body. The prickling sensation of pine needles. Rough, weathered hands scooping him up, laying him down on something soft.
He opened his eyes.
There above him was a kindly looking nocturne. They gazed down at him. He gazed back.
Finally they spoke. "You must have had quite the accident, young one."
He nodded, wincing a bit as he dragged his wing over on top of him. With a jolt, he realized the edges were burnt and ragged, and most of his feathers were gone. His throat seized up as it all came flooding back to him.
The older dragon seemed to sense this, and cradled him in their wing. "Shh, shh, come here. You're safe now." The soft scent of pine candles swept past his nostrils, urging him to take a deep breath. He slowly calmed down.
"We-" when he managed to speak, it came out as a croak. "We're in the shadowy forest, aren't we?"
"He felt his rescuer nod. "It's not as scary as they say it is, is it?"
They sat in silence for a minute, watching the candles' fire lick the air.
"I can't go back," Kyoi whispered.
"Oh, glowworm, why not?"
Kyoi sniffled a bit. "I'm not supposed to even be seen in... Sor-sornieth anymore. I'm supposed to be... you know..."
The dragon wrapped around him even more. "Ssh. If you were to be exalted and somehow stopped from it, it was the will of the gods. You did nothing wrong, little light."
Kyoi wanted to believe it. He really did. The best he could manage was to stare at the flickering flames and push the shame to the tip of his tail.

The next couple months were equal parts wonderful and unbearable. His rescuer, a nice dragon named Andromeda, was wonderful and could often sense exactly what he needed. Ky wasn't used to this, and got a little embarrassed when he thought of a nice, warm meal, and saw Drom flap to the shelf and begin preparing something without him saying a word. Kyoi tried to hide his needs more than once, not wanting to be an inconvenience, but Drom always held him tight and whispered soothing words to him.

His wing feathers were still bald, seared, and patchy. Every day he stared earnestly at them, hoping beyond hope that they would spring back to life, granting him flight again. The best he could do in the meantime was to climb to the top of the den and launch himself off, limping unsteadily to the ground, where he would often crash softly in the pine litter. A few of these times he stayed there in the dirt, moaning softly, because even though the scratches and burns had been soothed long ago, the regret and shame remained.

His legs itched for action. What remained of his wings quivered for something to do, something he could achieve. Something to repay the kindness of this dragon. Something to make up for his failure.

One day while he was staring out at the ocean, wishing he could just be blown away and forgotten, he felt a gentle talon on his shoulder.
Drom looked into his eyes. "You wish for a purpose, don't you, child?"
Kyoi nodded slightly. "Are you going to tell me my purpose is to get better? Sit here and heal for who knows how long, who knows how much? I don't think my wings will ever work again. There's nothing I can do, Drom."
Drom blinked softly, then stared at the horizon. "I don't know if that's true." They paused. "I'm not going to trap you here if you don't want to stay, but I have heard a legend you may be interested in."
His ears perked up.
"There are dragons in the wilds of the nature territory who have journeyed there from far and wide, trying to find a purpose. Many of them discover their calling in these woods."
"And are the legends true?"
The Nocturne only smiled.
"How would I get across the water to the Labyrinth? And no, please don't carry me."
"There's a harbor on the edge of the Drag. Many dragons have come and gone from there. If you work a small job, such as sorting fish, they'll give you enough coin to buy a ride across."
Kyoi sat in silence for a minute, then smiled the tiniest bit.
"Thank you."
"No problem, young one. Go find what you're looking for."