Crack!
Another cracking sound rang out as a clawed foot broke through the large eggshell, making the boys take a step back. Elena took a step forward instead, sticking her face right into the crack.
Another clawed foot broke through before the egg suddenly fell apart, crumbling into smaller pieces that fell around a scaled figure.
Kya!
A cute squeal had Elena’s eyes widening in surprise and awe as she beheld the birth of a powerful predator. A cute, gold scaled dragon stared up at Elena with wide, yellow eyes that seemed to look into her soul. A warm feeling rushed through the red haired girl as a bond was formed between her and the dragon hatchling.
“It’s a dragon!” Balak suddenly exclaimed, throwing his arms up with his eyes wide open.
“Of course it is, you block head. What else did you think was going to come out of it?” Barak glared at his brother and smacked the back of his head.
“Ow… Who knows… It might have been a giant lizard.” Balak rubbed the back of his head and replied with a scowl, but he did not expect the sudden plume of golden fire that was blown over his head.
“Argh!” He screamed and ran out of the tent, patting his head and putting out the fire. He long, spiky hair had been burnt to a crisp, with only a portion closer to his scalp left untouched. The tips of his horns were even blackened. “My hair!” He cried out loud, with a look on anguish on his face.
“Ha!” Barak cackled from the tent, sauntering out with his hands on his hips. He eyed his brother’s head of burnt hair while holding back another fit of laughter. “Who told you to call a dragon a lizard? Haven’t you heard that it is a sensitive topic?”
Behind him, Lance and Elena stepped out of the tent. Elena held the small figure of the dragon in her arms as it made strangely cute sounds, snuggling up to her. She made faces at it and it gurgled, breathing out plumes of smoke in excitement.
“He’s so cute!” The girl gushed over the winged reptile.
“A dragon is a very strong being at this level. With this little fella, no one can stand in our way!” Lance exclaimed loudly, clenching his fist and Elena paused, making a face at Lance.
“What are you talking about? You sound like you are on a conquest of world domination, and I want no part in it.” She said, turning away to shield the hatchling from Lance’s sight.
“Oh, come on, Elena. With this little dragon, we can do a lot more before the two months are up!” Lance complained, crossing his arms with a frown.
“Bleh.” Elena stuck her tongue out and put the dragon down. She then walked over to her tent and entered it to finish packing up. She also made sure to tie up the fragments of the eggshell in a bag. Even though she did not know much about Alchemy, she knew that dragon eggshell was a valuable material, and that Baba Yaga would appreciate getting them.
Ten minutes passed before the group were finally ready to set off. Elena’s dragon companion hovered around her, his small wings barely able to keep his body up in the air. With a huff that sent a plume of smoke billowing through his nostrils, he settled atop Balak’s heavy backpack and blew at his still burnt hair. The Demon had yet to get around to cleaning it up.
“Hey hey! Get off me!” The horned boy complained, waving his arms, but he was too bulky, and his arms were not able to bend to that degree. The hatchling gurgled a laugh and was about to blow the rest of Balak’s hair to ashes before he was stopped by Elena’s sweet voice.
“Mica, take it easy on him, okay?” She called sweetly to the little dragon.
“Kyah!” The hatchling made the only sound it knew how to, before settling snugly behind Balak’s head. The boy scowled in annoyance, but knew that he could not complain. He rubbed at his head, and his hand came back black, making his face collapse into a scowl.
“Don’t worry, if we come across a stream, I will help you trim your hair.” Elena laughed heartily.
The group set off through the forest that they had been travelling through. Their next goal would be something big where they could put the capabilities of their new companion to the test. They also came across a running stream where Elena helped Balak wash the ash off his head and give it a proper trim. He was then left with a low cut that made him look ‘cute’, according to Elena.
“Stupid idiot!” Balak cursed his brother that had been laughing ever since the statement had been made. He threw a ball of fire right at his brother’s head, wanting him to have a taste of his predicament, but Barak had expected the move, and easily dodged.
“You boys are such brutes.” Elena sighed, shaking her head.
“Says the Beastkin.” Balak scoffed, and Lance gave him a slap at the back of his head. After that, the burly Demon just stayed silent, as it seemed his mouth was the reason for his pain and despair. Nothing good had happened today thanks to him running his mouth.
Before long, the group came across a gorge that ran into the ground, stretching out far beyond them. The strange thing about this gorge was that they could hear rumbling sounds echoing within it.
“I think a battle is going on down there.” Barak said, tilting his head to get a better grasp of the intensity of the fight. He wanted to know if it was something that they were qualified to interfere with.
“It’s definitely a fight. And from what I can tell, it is over something good.” Lance suddenly stepped forward with a grin, his right hand holding onto an item.
When the others looked over, they saw a black and red compass in his grasp that was vibrating madly. A sly smile crawled onto the faces of the twins, while Elena simply looked curious.
But they had all decided within their minds. They were definitely swooping in to take the spoils.