Flightless

Helios was practically bouncing with excitement. Alaira just stood as if in a daze, leaning her into her mate's shoulder. "I can't believe I'm finally expecting eggs," she breathed. Helios smiled at her. "I've always wanted a son. I'm glad I'll finally have someone to follow in my footsteps." Then his gaze hardened. "Especially now that I know he'll be a Light dragon." Alaira flinched. She was originally in the water flight, but after falling in love with Helios, she ran away with him to the Light flight. Although all this had happened years ago, it still stung every time her mate brought it up. She looked out into the sunset, starting to wish for all the world that Helios could've joined her in the Water flight instead.
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"Look, the egg is hatching," Helios said excitedly. Alaira poked him playfully. "Just promise you aren't going to train him to fight the moment he takes his first breath of air," she teased. The egg shook uncontrollably, cracking as the hatchling inside pushed with all of it's strength. Helios was practically jumping up and down now. "I'll make him best hunter," he said, pacing the room with anticipation. "Just wait till-" He glanced at Alaira, who was staring at the nest, her eyes wide. Helios was about to ask her what it was when he looked at the nest, too. Where there was once an egg, there was now a hatchling. Helios's snout scrunched up with fury, disgust, and disbelief when he peered closer. The baby dragon was clearly, definitely, obviously a girl.

"It's a girl," Helios stuttered. "Who cares?" Alaira had a huge smile on her face. "She's perfect!" "It's a girl," Helios repeated. He gave the hatchling, now staring up at him innocently, a look of pure hatred. He glared at Alaira with cold rage. "Never let me see that thing again," he growled. Then he turned around and stalked away, leaving his mate staring after him, speechless.
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Helios opened his eyes and looked cautiously around the cave. Good, he thought, nodding. Alaira was still asleep. Quickly, he picked up the hatchling that was sleeping beside her and walked out of the cave.
The sky was a clear, midnight blue, dotted by stars. But Helios didn't stop to admire it. He was in a hurry. He tucked the hatchling under his arm and flew to the farthest and deepest cliff that he could find. The Light territory was a completely different place in the darkness, but it was so familiar to Flame that he could fly through it with his eyes closed.

When Helios reached the Beacon of the Radiant Eye, he stopped, satisfied. Spiraling down to the ground, he took care not to hit the ancient tower. Then he walked over to the edge of the cliff, holding the hatchling out in front of him like a rotten pear. The hatchling yawned and woke up, blinking sleepily at Helios, who curled his lip upon seeing her. The last words she remembered before plunging into darkness were, 'I wanted a son.'
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Helios returned to the cave. His wingbeats awoke Alaira. She sat up and felt beside her in the darkness for the hatchling. Her face pale, she turned to Helios. "Where is she?" Her mate smiled wickedly at her. "She's dead. I killed her." Overwhelming pain and heartbreak washed over Alaira with those words. "No," she whispered.
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Most hatchlings learn to fly at about 6 months. That's when they start feeling little sparks of energy spread across their wings. At first, they may be frightened, and they try to ignore their excitement. But after a while they will realize that this odd feeling is their wings trying to tell the hatchling of their wanting to fly. And eventually, when the baby dragon has gotten over it's fear of heights, it will jump off it's first hill, with it's parents gliding below to catch it if it falls, and flap it's wings furiously.

The hatchling, of course, was only a few days old. Any flying creature her age would be panicking. But instead of fear, the hatchling felt a strange sense of calmness come over her. And then, although she wasn't sure how it happened, she spread her wings and flew. Freedom and joy burst into her body as she swooped through the darkness. But when she was finally about to land, she panicked. Her wings flailed through the air as she clawed at absolutely nothing, silently screaming. When the hatchling landed, she felt a pain in her wings so intense that she couldn't do anything but cry for her mother the rest of the night.
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On that night, the hatchling had been taken in by some kind Arcane dragons who had found her sleeping in the woods while late-night hunting. When she told the dragons her story, they immediately took the hatchling home and named her 'Flightless'; She had permanently damaged her wings, preventing her from flying ever again. Flightless had now been living with these dragons for years. She knew, in her heart, that this would always be home.

As for Flightless's parents, nobody knows. But some say that if you listen closely, you can still hear the heart-broken wails of Alaira in the wind, all the way from the Starfall Isles to the Sunbeam Ruins.

Lore by swaggerp34