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It was a surprisingly sunny day in the archipelago. There was not even a hint of clouds in the vast blue sky. The sun was shining as if Thor the thunder had decided to pack his bags and take a vacation for the day. It was the perfect day for a Bashyball competition. The Hooligans had invited over the Bogburglers as a sign of the new goodwill between the tribes. As the humans yelled and cheered for their respective teams, piping their fists in the air with wild enthusiasm, and gorged on their melting jellyfish ice cream and lobster-dogs, the dragons had a little bit of time to themselves.
“You see,” sniffed Fireworm, her beautifully proportioned nose lifting up in the air as she spoke with a gronckle, under a mossy tree, far from the loud, stupid Vikings. “I am not just ANY Monstrous Nightmare.” She pointed a proud, polished claw to her chest. “ I am of noble blood.” The gronckle didn’t look too impressed. If anything, he looked rather bored with the conversation; Fireworm was too caught up in her own perfection to notice this tiny detail. Before Fireworm could start boating further, someone interrupted them.
“So conformist,” sang a mocking voice swooping down from the trees, like a diving hawk. Her beautiful scales glistening a multitude of different radiant colors, it was the Stormfly, eager to outshine the boastful Monstrous Nightmare. She fluttered circles around Fireworm, grinning teasingly. “Relying on familial ties to elevate your name, I see? Us artists blaze our own trails. WE don’t rely on others to make us worth something….but I suppose not everyone can be so gifted.” Stormfly stopped circling and got in real close to Fireworm, so that the red dragon could see her infuriatingly beautiful, crystal blue eyes. “And unlike your pig-of-an-owner Snotlout, my Camicazi is actually next in line to the throne…which makes me actually royal if you think about it…not that it even matters to me.”
Fireworm’s golden snake-like eyes narrowed. This pompous little mood dragon was such a nuisance. “If you're so much of an artist, what art do you make?” she probed, slowly moving her great, muscular legs forward, prowling closer to the serpent-like dragon, who was still fluttering in the air as if without a single care in the world.
As she flew around Fireworm, her wing accidentally brushed against her scales, making them tingle in a very odd way. “Well, I might not have any actual art per se, but I have the artistic spirit.”
“I smell Bullshit. You’re no artist, you're just a pretentious flying snake.” Fireworm tried to knock Stormfly out of the air with her tail, but the mooddragon easily dodged.
“I am an artist,” Stormfly sniffed, raising her head indignantly. She had never before actually been forced to uphold her title as an artist. She searched her brain quickly for something, anything artistic she could say, something that would not make her turn a deep purple. As much as she was a brutish dragon, even Stormfly had to admit Fireworm was clever, more clever than Toothless. If her scales started to change, Fireworm would be able to tell she was lying, “I can sing.” Stormfly thanked the great sea dragons of the depths that her scallions retained their bright, sunset color. She supposed that she could sing technically, for all creatures that can make sound CAN sing, so it wasn’t really a lie at all. She just had no idea if she could sing well. She had never actually been challenged to try before.
“Oh can you?” purred Fireworm condescendingly, as she stalked towards Stormfly, who had stopped flying in circles. Her gold eyes glittered like amber jewels, so fiery and passionate. Dragon eyes had a hypnotic property to them, but it only affected humans, not other dragons…or at least it should have…but Stormfly was starting to feel a bit dreamy; how peculiar. “Then why don't you sing me something little songbird?” Fireworm smirked, showing off her sharp, predatory teeth, and her long, wet tongue... Stormfly did her best to ignore the way her stomach turned a little, as if she had done a loop-de-loop, from Fireworm’s teasing.
She regained her usual attitude within a few seconds, shaking off the odd sensation. She grinned, her eyes narrowed. "I know one song; it goes something like this: I know a Monstrous Nightmare whose nose is too big from the front and no one likes her because she’s a massive cun-”
Stormfly dodged out of the way before Fireworm could bite her clean in half, the red dragon’s jaw missing by half an inch. Stormfly laughed as the dragon's mouth clamped on the air. Did she actually think Fireworm’s nose was too big? Of course not, it was…perfect…the most beautiful dragon snout Stormfly had ever seen, but she loved getting under the insecure dragon’s scales, and she happened to know from Toothless that that was a sore spot.
“Missed me!” sang Stormfly, who, like her owner, always enjoyed taunting opponents much bigger and scarier than herself.
“I didn’t miss…” growled Fireworm, her lean, muscular body stiffening, and her eyes darting to the side. “I simply wasn’t aiming for you, I just wanted to give you a scare.” Stormfly had a hunch that if Firework was a mood dragon, her scarlet scales would be turning violet.
“Come now,” teased Stormfly, as she flew in another lazy loop and landed on Fireworm’s tensed back. For some strange reason, Fireworm didn't try to shake her off. In fact, she found herself enjoying the feeling of the little paws pattering across her back, the light scratching of her claws, and the weight of the mood dragon on top of her body. Stormfly hadn’t finished taunting. “A good liar can always sniff out a bad one.”
“I’ll have you for lunch, you multicolored noodle,” threatened Fireworm, though her words lacked their usual bite behind them.
“I’d love to see you try, you insensitive, brutish beast.” Huh, that’s odd, thought the mood dragon. My coat is still pink. Why hasn't it turned purple? It must be because I was being saractstic….definetly…it couldn't be TRUE what I said, that would be RIDICULOUS… Just as Stormfly had THOSE denying thoughts, she could see the violet creeping up her tail. Thankfully, Fireworm finally shook herself to knock Stormfly down, preventing any further revelations or poorly timed personal discoveries.
Just before Fireworm could lunge at Stormfly and kis-kill her, (yes, kill, that was the word that she was looking for, not the other word that flew into her mind like an annoying buzzing noandragon) Camicazi came over. She had gotten bored with the games and had already pickpockeded so many items they barely all fit into her arms. “Hey, Stormfly, we’re leaving soon, quit playing with your friend.”
“She is NOT my friend!” Stormfly sniffed indignantly as she flew over to Camicazi and perched on her shoulder.
At that moment, Fireworm heard the sneering voice of her own owner calling her. She buried her sharp teeth at Stormfly and gave a final growl before flying away.
“That Monstrous Nightmare is the rudest, most temperamental dragon I have ever met!” huffed Stormfly. Camicazi looked over at her dragon as they headed to the Big Mama. She had never seen Stormfly's coat be a mix of two colors before, a deep navy and a sunset pink, swirling together but like water and oil, refusing to mix.
Fireworm grumbled to herself as she flew to find her owner. “That Stormfly is the most self-absorbed, pretentious dragon I have ever met!”
Both dragons grew quiet for a moment. “I think I’m in love.”