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CHAPTER 1: The Last Dragonbloods

    The warm summer air breezed through the open fields. The deer in the middle of the fields enjoyed its meal of flowers. Birds were singing their usual afternoon song. The buck was silently chewing on the vegetation, not noticing the pair of fiery orange eyes that tracked it from behind. 

    The figure lurking in the grass was humanoid, but crouched on all fours.His hair was a bright red and his eyes were amber. A muscular figure with tightly packed muscle were tightly clenched in anticipation. He wore the simple wool clothes of a commoner. But on his arms were crimson red scales. They slowly seemed to fade as they reached his hands, but his fingers were tipped with claws. A tail stuck out behind him, but the wings were tucked inside of the shirt. 

             He was crouched low to the ground, practically slithering along. It was at a painstakingly slow pace, but he didn't want to miss this attack. His claws sunk into the dirt as he approached, his eyes narrowing and muscles tensing anticipation. The deer wouldn't know what hit it. 

    The deer lifted it's head and froze. The field was quiet. Too quiet. It slowly started making its way to the forest. When it heard the footsteps quickly approaching from behind it broke into a sprint could. The crimson dragonblood was hot on its heels. 

    The buck crashed into the trees with the dragonblood behind it, and the forest suddenly erupted into a chorus of frightened chirps as birds took to the air. The deer gaining ground, the dragonblood beginning to fall behind. It looked like the deer would be able to escape. It certainly didn't help when the deer zig-zagged through thickets and other dense vegetation. 

    An arrow suddenly flew into the deer's side. The deer tripped over its own hooves and tumbled across the ground as the dragonblood slowed to a halt, confusion and fear written on his face. He quickly whipped around to the direction the arrow came from. For a moment he couldn't see anything and he began backing up, but a feminine voice soothed his nerves. "You really need to expand your skill set Vardich." 

The crimson dragonblood, Vardich, sighed in annoyance and embarrassment. "You stole my kill, Aelvin," he whined. The small, black scaled dragonblood revealed herself, stepping into the dappled light. She was slim and lithe, with green eyes and black hair, small freckles sparsely dotting her face. Her wings were spread open, tearing through the back of the shirt. Her scales sparkled like onyx wherever the beams of sunlight hit them. 

    Aelvin folded her arms as she slung the bow onto her back. She had to fold her wings to do so, but it managed it without much trouble. "No I didn't," she said as she smirked. "The deer is still alive." She pointed at the buck struggling to get back up. 

    Vardich pounced on the dying creature and put it out of its misery with a swift bite to the back of the neck. "I knew you would hold it over me if you didn't get to kill it. Aren't I nice?" Aelvin teased. 

    Vardich chuckled. "You, nice? Only when you want to be. You just want a favor from me don't you?" He acted like he was clever, but that quickly turned into fear when Aelvin grinned. 

    "Exactly," she confirmed. "And not only do you owe me, but I'll tell Starline that you were hunting on all fours again if you don't." 

    Vardich's breath caught in his throat. He could just imagine the ice dragonblood's searing gaze. It sent chills down his spine just thinking about it. But he quickly pulled himself together. "You act like I'm scared of her." He really was. 

    "I'll be sure to tell her that," Aelvin replied. She turned around and prepared to fly off. 

    Vardich stopped her by saying, "Then I'll tell her that you were flying." That made Aelvin freeze. "Then I'll tell her that you ruined one of the shirts she recently bought." Aelvin shivered and spun back around. 

    Vardich had a wicked grin on his face. "You wouldn't dare!" Aelvin gasped. They both knew how terrifying Starline could be. She was basically the leader of their little group of dragonbloods. She clasped her hands in front of her and pleaded with big, scared eyes. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" 

    Vardich stepped back in shock for a moment, as if were surprised at Aelvin's sudden change in attitude. But he soon recovered and smirked. "You know that doesn't work on me." Aelvin pouted in response. 

    Vardich picked up the dead deer and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll take this back home to Dravurn so he can butcher it. You go check with Starline and see if she has anything for you to do before Dravurn gets his little shop set up." 

    Aelvin nodded and took her shirt off so she could tuck her wings back inside without damaging it any further. Meanwhile Vardich was already beginning the march back home. Unfortunately Aelvin didn't tell him about the blood around his mouth. 

A small cabin in the middle of the woods. Undisclosed location.

In a small cabin deep in the woods, lived four dragonbloods. The cabin was a beautiful peace of work, two stories tall and with a pointed roof. Four windows on the bottom floor, four on the top, with four bedrooms on the top floor. Smooth brown wood made up the building and it was surrounded by a tall fence. In the back was a farm growing an assortment of crops, while various trees and bushes with fruit grew around the edges. Perfect for a small family. But only one of the occupants was home, and she was furious. A young woman with a sleek build, platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

Starline was concerned. As a leader of a small band of dragonblood fugitives she had every reason to be concerned. "Dammit, she's late!" She thought as she paced around the living room of the cabin angrily. "I sent Aelvin to get Vardich almost three hours ago. Why the hell aren't they back yet?" 

Her sapphire colored tail swayed around with irritation. The wings on her back flexed with frustration. She grit her pointed teeth angrily. "What if they were found out? What if they're caught by the local militia? I'll have to rescue them, but if they're found out, Dravurn and I will probably be found out soon as well. I'll have to hide him before making any rescue attempt."

As she was planning a possible prison break she heard the sound of the front door opening. She quickly gathered a mixture of volatile fluids in her mouth and took a deep breath, preparing for a possible attack on her home. 

But these fears weren't realized. When she heard, "Alright sis, your big brother has returned!" she let the chemicals safely scatter through the air. When Vardich entered the living room with a bag slung over his shoulder Aelvin in tow they saw a cloud of frost breath flowing from Starline's mouth. 

At first they were shocked and a little on edge, but quickly realized that everything was a false alarm. Vardich took the time to tease the ice dragonblood. "Aw, is the ice princess troubled?" he taunted. 

Starline pulled back her lips in a growl, giving Vardich a warning. "Don't test me Vardich. You better have a damn good reason to be late," she growled. 

Vardich smirked. He confidently walked up to Starline and put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax little sis, I came back fine and nobody saw me. You don't have to get your tail in a twist." 

Starline slapped his hand off her shoulder. "I have every reason to worry! You try to defy me whenever it's convenient for you!" She snapped. "Besides, I'm only a few hours younger than you."

"She is right," Aelvin suddenly chimed in. "She's the only one you intentionally antagonize on a regular basis." 

Vardich shot a sideways glare. "Who's side are you on here?" he whined. 

Aelvin placed her hands on the back of her head and looked away. "Whatever side is convenient for me," she answered. 

"Vardich…" The tone that Starline suddenly took made both of the other dragonbloods freeze. "Why is there blood on your mouth?" 

Vardich stuttered while searching for an answer. "U-um… It's not mine! I told you, I'm fine!"

Starline knew he was hiding something. "Then who's is it?"

Vardich panicked. "I got some on me while gutting the deer." He said, but the piercing blue eyes in front of him chilled him to the core. 

But Starline wasn't buying it. The rumbling in her throat and twitching tail made that obvious. Aelvin tried to slip off, but Starline caught sight of the new shirt she was wearing. "Where's the shirt I just bought?" Aelvin pointed a trembling hand at Vardich, and the red scaled dragonblood pulled a ruined shirt out of his bag. 

Aelvin shook under the furious eyes of her big sister. She couldn't answer. She didn't need to. Starline had seen these kinds of tears in their clothes before. She already knew the answer. 

Just before she could go off on the both of them, frost puffing from her mouth with each breath, a young but calm voice soothed her. "Calm down sister. I just got back from dealing with angry customers. Please don't make things harder for me when I just got back home." 

A teenage boy with black hair, green eyes and green scaled wings and a tail entered the living room. He had emerald eyes and a steady and calm look on his face. When Starline saw him she calmed somewhat. "You're back early Dravurn."

"The shop had to be shut down when a rainstorm hit town," Dravurn responded irritably. "Now would you kindly discipline them quietly so I can go to sleep?" 

Starline didn't take this order too lightly. "You know my rules Dravurn. This is the third time this week they've used their dragon forms away from home. They could put all of us in danger if they're caught." 

Dravurn nodded his head in agreement. "And they've stepped out of line too much. They should be punished, I agree." The guilty dragonbloods cringed. If the calmest and most kindhearted of the four of them thought they should be punished then they were definitely screwed. "But you could at least control the frost breath." 

Starline found herself relaxing far more than she should. She quickly noticed the other two weren't shaking as much. "Ever since you learned poison magic you've been far too lenient with it." She said while looking Dravurn in the eye. 

Dravurn rolled his eyes and avoided her gaze. "I don't need poison to keep you calm," he suggested. 

"I can smell it in the air," she pointed out. Dravurn shrugged and walked upstairs. Starline sighed and walked past the other two remaining dragonbloods. "You two go to your rooms. I'll deal with you later." 

Vardich and Aelvin sighed in relief. They shared a look before walking upstairs as well. 

           When the dragonbloods reached their rooms they all were quiet. Each room contained a small bed, a single window and a drawer. 

           Starline plopped down on her bed unceremoniously and lowered her face into her hands. "Where did I go wrong? I just want to keep everyone safe. But Vardich hates me, Aelvin is rebellious and Dravurn doesn't want to lead. Mom, dad, what do I do?" Finally alone, she dropped her dominant mask and let a few tears of despair and confusion roll down her cheeks. 

          Vardich slammed his door shut, snarling in anger. He paced back and forth, finally being able to stretch out his wings a bit and unfurl his tail from his waste. "Dammit, I shouldn't be so scared of her! I know she wants to keep us safe, but we're part dragon. We have instincts, we have our pride. We shouldn't be hiding from the world pretending to be something we're not." 

           Dravurn slowly closed his door, concentrating on his breathing. He rolled backwards onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. "I hate fighting, but dragons are warriors by nature. No matter what, we're going to fight. But I have to keep this family together. We're all we have left." 

 Aelvin quickly shut her door and sighed in relief. She turned and strode over to her window, gazing out at the twilight sky. From her angle she could clearly see the sunset. "The world is a cruel place. The monsters that inhabit it are merciless and ruthless. I don't care about anyone or anything except my siblings. If the monsters of this world don't care about me… I don't care about them." 

            This family of dragonbloods were alone, no adults in sight. The only rules of the house were enforced by Starline. Each of them had a job around the house, and they all worked together to keep each other safe. 

            But just as siblings work together, they also oppose each other. One way or another they all clash, and they will have to learn, much sooner than they think, how important they are to each other. 

    It was at sunset that Dravurn left his room and went downstairs to prepare dinner. He went to the kitchen and headed towards a stone chest in a dark corner and unlocked it, lifting the heavy lid and squinting as ice cold air blasted him in the face. The inside was coated with a thick layer of thick. He waved the air away from his face with a hand and peered inside. "Three rabbits, one goose and five squirrels. The medium to big game have been disappearing lately," he thought to himself. 

    He picked up the three rabbits and went to a second chest that was next to this one. It was covered in a thick layer of frost just like the first one. The difference was, this one contained an assortment of vegetables and fruits. He picked out some potatoes and carrots before carrying everything over to the counter next to the stove. He then went outside to gather water from a nearby well, one that was near the edge of their farm. Once he brought the water inside he went to work. 

    Starline came downstairs next. She knew what time it was and immediately checked up on Dravurn. "Already getting started I see," she commented with a small smile. 

Dravurn didn't even turn around when he answered, focused on completing the task at hand. "I can't have Vardich getting grumpy and eating all of my ingredients before I get finished."

Starline snorted with suppressed laughter, but kept her expression. "Well, if you want some help I can go wake him up," she offered. 

Dravurn shook his head. "That reckless fool is only ever good for hunting and fighting. He'd probably either burn the food or eat it before it's done," Dravurn said with a neutral expression. 

Starline frowned. "He's still your brother, you know. You don't have to talk bad about him behind his back." 

"Don't you yell at him in his face all the time?" Dravurn's words made Starline freeze and ponder how to respond for a second. 

"I mean, yeah," She finally answered. "But I only do that when he does something stupid. I want him to improve so I don't have to look after him anymore." She got a solemn look on her face. 

Dravurn stopped what he was doing for a second. "You know, he would actually listen to you if you weren't such a bitch." 

Starline narrowed her eyes and bared her dagger-like teeth. "What did you just say," she snarled. 

Dravurn gave her an annoyed look. "See, that right there is what I'm talking about. You immediately want to murder anyone who even looks at you wrong." 

Starline closed her eyes and calmed down with a sigh. "I don't want to be too easy on him. You know he acts on instinct too much. I don't know how to get him to listen to me otherwise." By this time she had reopened her eyes and had a far away look in them. "He causes almost as much problems as Aelvin." 

Dravurn chuckled. "Aelvin… that girl is going to get herself in more trouble than her charm can get her out of one day." 

Starline rolled her eyes. "She's way too reckless for her own good. I don't know if I can keep her flirtatious attitude in check." 

Dravurn gave her a smirk. "Drop the angry mask you carry all the time and they might appreciate your efforts." 

Starline glared. "You know why I can't do that," she replied. 

Dravurn sighed and looked away, a disappointed look on his face. "You and vardich need to move on. That was years ago." 

Starline looked down, tears almost materialising in eyes. "You know I want to… but I You know that he wouldn't just forget something like that. And I wish Aelvin would stop acting terrified of us." 

Dravurn was ready to respond, but before he could they both heard a door open. Starline quickly wiped her eyes and straightened out her face. "You should probably reapply some frost to the food storage chests," Dravurn suggested. Starline nodded her head and looked at the stairs as Vardich stormed downstairs, leaping over the railing and landing on the floor. 

He had an excited look on his face as his eyes immediately honed in on the food that Dravurn was currently cooking. "You started without me man! You should have woken me up!" 

Dravurn wasn't feeling it. "Remember what happened last time you tried to cook with me?" 

Vardich paused. "We don't talk about that," he retorted. 

Dravurn just huffed and smiled at his passionate brother. "Alright, if you want to help you can set up the table. Aelvin is probably tired after all the sales she helped me with." Vardich shrugged and went about setting up the table. In the meantime Starline was taking items out of the storage chests. She took a deep breath, and with a mixture of chemicals from her throat, breathed a soft stream of freezing breath into the chests before placing everything back inside. 

Once everything was done Vardich went to wake up Aelvin. The young girl slowly walked towards the stairs while rubbing her eyes. "Come on sleepy head, I'm starving over here," vardich rushed her. 

Aelvin gave him an irritated look. "Don't rush me asshole, I'm tired. The food's not going anywhere," she snapped. Vardich wasn't having any of it. He scooped up Aelvin in his arms and slung her over his shoulder. Aelvin yelped and immediately started pounding on his back. "Put me down, out me down, put me down!"

Vardich gave a psychotic laugh, clearly enjoying himself, before jumping down the stairs. Aelvin gave a short scream and clenched tightly onto ardich's shirt. Once they hit the bottom floor she let go and shoved herself off of Vardich. "Asshole!" Vardich simply laughed. 

Starline and Dravurn chuckled as well, causing Aelvin to blush as she sat down at her seat. But even she couldn't keep a small smile off of her face. Vardich didn't pass up this opportunity. "Didn't know you could laugh, ice queen." Starline glared at him. 

"Please vardich, not at the table," Dravurn interjected. 

"But I'm not at the table yet," Vardich retorted with a smirk. 

"You aren't, but she is," vardich countered, pointing at Starline. Vardich couldn't respond, causing Dravurn and Starline to smirk in return. Vardich shrugged his shoulders as Aelvin chuckled from her seat. 

Starline shook her head with a smile. "Come and sit down, Vardich." Vardich happily obliged, his eyes hungrily eyeing the plates of roasted rabbit and steamed vegetables.