Vendetta

The Ridgeback clearly remembered the day that she had hatched. In a blaze of fire, she had entered into the world of Sornieth. Surrounding her were other hatchlings, stolen from their homes just as she was, joining her in the damp, dark cavern.

The dim light of the bioluminescent moss growing there limited the sight of her surroundings. All she could see were the other hatchlings, and tall, cloaked dragons, making sure none of them tried to escape. When the whole cavern of eggs had hatched, they were shepherded out through a tunnel, and as they passed through, they were sorted by name. For the first time, she heard a dragon speak:

"You will be called Flamecaller."

And so it was.

For years, the young dragon was taught that her sole purpose in life was to serve her designated deity. She, along with the other hatchlings, believed every word that the cloaked dragons told them. She trained hard, fighting to be better than the rest, trying to prove herself to her deity. She knew that she was born to be exalted. But then... Why did the older dragons, her teachers and trainers, get to stay in this realm of life? If she and the other hatchlings were born to be exalted, wouldn't they, too, have the same purpose?

Whenever she expressed these concerns to the higher-ups, they would always tell her the same thing: "we exist to train you." But the words never sat right in the Ridgeback's mind. Something was tugging at her, telling her that everything was wrong. She needed to get away.

Until the fated day came.

She had beaten the strongest of her opponents. The young dragon had grown into a fierce warrior. It was her time to serve her deity, the Flamecaller, for whom she was named. But for some reason, she didn't feel divine or special. She wanted to stay on this world, live here. She was to be auctioned off to a faithful fire clan that evening. The whole day, her thoughts ran rampant in her mind.

As she was having her doubts, the attack came. A clan of dragons had discovered and infiltrated the dark caverns. The Ridgeback did not hesitate to fight. She went head-on with a large, blue Imperial covered in bright armor. She thought she could take this opponent down easily. But this Imperial was far more experienced than she, and the young dragon found herself on the floor, large claws holding her down by the throat. She closed her eyes and prepared for her demise...

But nothing came.

She took a chance at opening her eyes once more. The Imperial seemed to be inspecting her with sad, pitying eyes. When she spoke, her motherly voice seemed to block out the sounds of the battle.

"I know those eyes," she said. Then, softly, "My name is Yaen. Your parents were good people."

The ridgeback was confused. "I don't have parents," she choked out, and found that Yaen had loosened her grip.

"Ah," the Imperial gave a knowing smile. "That's what they taught you. But I can reveal the truth to you, if you wish. I would like for you to come to our clan, to join our family. If not, I'm afraid that you're too far gone for us to let you live."

The Ridgeback considered her answer. All her life, she knew something about her knowledge of the world was false. Now, she was being given a chance to know the truth. She felt as if this was her true purpose, as set by the deities.

"Alright," the Ridgeback said, and Yaen let her up with a smile.

"That's good to hear," the Imperial replied. "What is your name?" Then she waved a claw in the air. "My apologies, I forgot. They name you after the deities. Then I'll name you myself."

Yaen took a few moments to think, and then her eyes lit up.

"From now on, you will be known as Vendetta."

And so it was.