Sulphur and ozone choked the mountain air, cutting through the crisp morning breeze. Cactus sat on the edge of the stone pavilion, his pale yellow scales absorbing the weak sunlight. His long, barbed tail twitched rhythmically against the rock, his mind wandering back to memories of concrete streets, heavy bass, and cold rain. Sometimes, he still couldn't believe he was trapped in this giant lizard body. Physical reality of his sharp talons and the heavy heat in his chest kept him grounded, but his soul remained stubbornly human. Memories of his past life as Logan often hit him in waves—the smell of cheap gasoline, the roar of a V8 engine, the neon glow of a late-night diner. He had been a nobody back then, a street-smart drifter trying to find a place where he belonged, and now he was doing the exact same thing in a world of mythical beasts. Flicking his tail, he stared down at the sheer drop below. Jade Mountain was peaceful, but peace always felt like a lie to someone who had spent his life waiting for the other shoe to drop. "What are you looking at, SandWing?" Winter sneered, his scales clicking as he shifted his weight. Winter stood a few paces away, his silver-blue scales shimmering like freshly polished ice. Every line of the IceWing's body screamed royalty, but Cactus only saw a target who needed to loosen up. "Just admiring the view, ice-cube," Cactus drawled, his voice carrying that lazy, modern cadence the others found so baffling. "Bitch, you look like you need a drink or a good fight." Winter's jaw clenched, a low hiss escaping his snout as his eyes narrowed. "Your language is utterly barbaric, Cactus. I don't understand half the nonsense that comes out of your mouth, and I certainly do not appreciate your lack of respect." "Yeah, well, it gets the point across," Cactus muttered, flicking a piece of gravel off his front claw with a lazy grin. He liked pushing Winter's buttons; it was easier than dealing with the hollow ache in his chest that reminded him of how truly alone he was. Beside them, Tsunami paced the length of the pavilion, her deep blue wings half-unfurled and twitching with nervous energy. Her scales smelled of salt and river mud, a sharp contrast to Winter's crisp, sterile scent of frost and pine. "Quiet, both of you," Tsunami snapped, her webbed tail slapping the stone with a sharp crack. "Something is wrong. Wind is carrying a scent I don't like, and it's getting stronger by the second." Cactus rose to his feet, his muscles stretching beneath his golden-yellow scales. His tongue flicked out, tasting the air, his street-smart instincts instantly on high alert. He caught it then—the heavy, metallic tang of unwashed scales, dried blood, and rotting swamp vegetation. Scent profile didn't belong to any of the students of Jade Mountain. "Wild dragons," Cactus whispered, his voice losing its playful edge as he braced his talons against the stone. "And they smell like they haven't eaten in weeks." High above, a sharp, screeching roar tore through the canyon walls, shattering the morning peace. Shadows fell over the ledge as three massive, scarred dragons plummeted from the heavy cloud line. Crazed and foaming at the mouth with feral rage, they didn't look like any civilized tribe members Cactus had seen. One was a massive SkyWing with torn wing membranes, another a thick-necked MudWing hybrid, and the third a mottled, greyish SeaWing rogue. They hit the stone ledge with a bone-rattling thud that sent loose gravel pouring over the cliff side. Tsunami didn't hesitate for a single second. "Get behind me, students!" she roared, her massive blue wings snapping open as she launched herself forward, her talons unsheathed. Cactus bared his fangs, his modern street-fighter instincts taking over before his brain could even process the danger. Adrenaline spiked hot in his veins, a familiar, electric rush that smelled of iron and cheap survival. "Oh, you want some?" Cactus muttered, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto the massive SkyWing. "Let's see what you got, motherfucker." Winter moved like liquid ice, his tail sweeping low to catch the SkyWing's ankles as the beast lunged. "Back off, trash!" the IceWing snarled, his chest swelling as he prepared to unleash his frostbreath. Cactus didn't wait for the ice. He ran forward, low to the ground, his claws scraping the stone. In his old life, he had spent enough hours in dusty, sweat-stained boxing gyms to know how to read a punch before it was thrown. He remembered the smell of cheap leather gloves, the sound of the speed bag hitting the platform, and the burn of lactic acid in his shoulders. Snatching the heavy, polished gold earring dangling from his left ear, he flicked his head violently. Bright gold light flashed directly into the SkyWing’s eyes, blinding him for a split second. "What the fuck—!" the SkyWing hissed, flinching and shaking his head in sudden blindness. Cactus capitalized on the distraction instantly. He slammed his entire weight into the rogue's chest, knocking the breath out of the massive red dragon. Teeth met flesh with a sickening, wet crunch as Cactus clamped his jaws onto the joint of the rogue's wing. Hot, metallic blood exploded into his mouth, thick and warm. He chewed, grinding his teeth against the tough cartilage, feeling the joint pop and tear under his bite. Screaming in agony, the SkyWing thrashed wildly, trying to fling Cactus off. Cactus held on, his claws digging deep into the red hide, tearing flesh and spilling hot crimson down his own front scales. Another rogue—the heavy, mud-covered hybrid—sprang from the side, jaws wide to crush Cactus's skull. Heavy blue scales crashed into the hybrid before it could touch him. Tsunami had slammed her shoulder directly into the attacker's ribs, the sound of breaking bones echoing off the cliff walls. "I've got your back, SandWing!" she yelled, her claws digging into the hybrid's throat as she pinned it to the ground. "Finish him!" Winter's frostbreath hissed through the air, freezing the SeaWing's front legs completely to the stone. Screams of agony filled the air as the SeaWing tried to yank its limbs free, tearing its own skin to ribbons. Winter brought his heavy tail down, smashing the SeaWing's skull and knocking it cold. Cactus scrambled to his feet, his chest heaving as he wiped blood from his eyes. But then, the heavy oak doors of the academy burst open. Sunny ran out, her golden scales reflecting the pale sunlight, her eyes wide with terror. "What's happening? I heard screaming—" she started, stopping dead in her tracks as she saw the bloody carnage on the ledge. Cactus's heart stopped. High above, on the rocky ledge overlooking the pavilion, a fourth shadow moved. It was a massive NightWing hybrid, its scales a dull, charcoal black, its eyes burning with a cruel, cold intelligence. Black talons, jagged and dripping with some dark, foul-smelling venom, aimed straight for her exposed neck. Sunny didn't see him; she was looking at Cactus, her eyes wide with concern. "Sunny, get the fuck back!" Cactus screamed, his voice raw and cracking. There was no time for her to react. Cactus didn't think. He threw his body across the bloody stone, launching himself through the air to push Sunny out of the way. Sharp, venomous talons ripped deep into Cactus's side, tearing through his pale yellow scales. Pain exploded through his ribs, white-hot and absolute, making his vision turn black around the edges. Blood soaked his pale yellow scales, pooling warm on the cold mountain stone as he collapsed.

Chapter 10: The Skirmish