Scourge

Scourge was playful and energetic as soon as he hatched. He'd spent so long cooped up, all alone, inside an egg. He hatched as prideful as any Snapper before him, marched right of the nest with his head held high. All heads turned; wherever his feet planted, a thick puddle of blood landed. He was without any skin at all and exposed muscle lay pulsing beneath the thick cover of blood. It gooshed out, oozing onto the ground, but the boy seemed to be in no pain at all.

He was playful, happy, and unaware that anything at all was wrong with him. He liked shiny things and wouldn't hesitate to steal jewels from lady dragons. He wasn't afraid of anyone, either. Decanus made other hatchlings tremble, but the little Snapper seemed quite fond of him. He forged bonds with Hinanga, and made friends with Rot. Such a darling little Plagueling, he was. But soon, he'd be all grown up, and what terribleness that foretold was hard to imagine.