5 years later...

Delta woke up in an alleyway feeling as if a Mudwing had beat him up in his sleep. He was sore from his snout to his tail. With a jolt, he remembered the day before a bit fuzzily, but he could manage...

He was walking through the crowed streets of the Scorpion Den in the blazing heat, listing to stalls yell something, than have its competition yell something back, and next thing he knew, there's a fight the middle of the street and just avoided being stabbed by a Sandwing tail barb. He scooted around the gathering crowd of betting dragons, only to collide snout-first with a Sandwing dragonet about his age. Just as he was about to yell at him to watch where he's going, something struck him that there was something familiar with this one. Then he remembered! The intelligent eyes and the snout freckles only confirmed it. He leaped to his feet, "Qibli!" Delta roared happily.

At first Qibli looked confused, then recognition dawned in his eyes, and then he too jumped up and hugged him. "Delta! I missed you! Where you've been?" "Had to lay low for a bit, you know what happens once you steal from those "Outclaws". Delta replied. "Couldn't let them see me, otherwise, bleh!" "I understand," Qibli sympathized, "I have to do that often, since I ALWAYS end up being with Sirocco or Rattlesnake when they end up getting caught." Qibli's wings dropped a bit, as if reliving an unpleasant memory, but then he perked up again with an excited and rushed tone."Anyway, I was going over to the alleyway by the east entrance. Apparently, there's some rumors that there is a animal fight going on, and the winning bet gets FIVE WHOLE COCONUTS!!! Can you believe it?!" Delta was startled at this, but then frowned. "Surely you're not betting? None of us have anything to bet!" Upon hearing this, Qibli grinned evilly, though his eyes were sparkling with laughter, and said "I know. But, I have a plan to get some of them, and I do need your help. I promise to split them with you! So you in? Delta sighed, knowing that whatever it was, it couldn't possibly end well. But Qibli was his best and only friend, so he couldn't say no. "Fiiine! So, what do I do?"

Delta had a bad feeling about this. Qibli told him the plan, and assured him that it would work. However Delta was still skeptical, so Qibli went over the plan again. First, he would arrive there with Sirocco and Rattlesnake to look inconspicuous. Next, Delta would then show up right next to him after his siblings leave. Then, Delta would bump into them so Qibli could get on the rooftop and pour down sand onto the animals. Once everyone is distracted, he would give Delta the signal to distract them so he could snatch some of the coconuts. Then, they both would make their getaway and eat them. When he said the last part, Qibli dropped his wings and looked thoughtful and sad. Noticing this, Delta asked the obvious question. "Qibli, what's wrong?" Qibli sighed and slowly spoke."I was wondering, what if we snatched one for my mom. You know, I could give it to her and prove for once and for all that she loved me." "Qibli," Delta slowly shook his head. Everyone knew that Qibli's mom was one the most dangerous dragons in Phyrria. Cobra was feared for her work with poisons and chakrams, making her deadly at any distance. And of course, the real mystery was why she had 3 dragonets. Delta was about to go off topic and think about how he met Qibli, but realized that there was stuff happening in the present. That, is a memory for another day. "You should realize that your mother doesn't secretly love you dude. I mean, she threatened to throw you into a dragonbite viper pit because you coughed when one of her clients showed up! This clearly shows how much she hates and despises you!" At this, Qibli looked outraged, and yelled without thinking, "Just because your mom abandoned you without even saying anything, which clearly means that she doesn't love you, does NOT mean that my mom is a heartless child-abandoning creature! And I can see why she would, considering how STUPID and ANNOYING you can be!"

Surprised, Qibli stopped and looked guilty. "Delta, man, I'm so-" But it was too late. Delta stared in shock and hurt at Qibli. He was surprised. Qibli was his only friend! How could he! An icy barrier seemed to fall over his eyes and heart as he coldly stared back at Qibli. "No, stop, I understand" Delta spoke in a harsh/hurt monotone. "Sense you CLEARLY don't need my stupidity and my annoying self, I'll leave so you can do your STUPID plan BY YOURSELF!" Delta yelled this last part, and put all of his self-pity, hurt, sadness, and bitterness into it. Before Qibli could apologize, Delta slowly treaded away from his "friend". He blocked out Qibli's yelling for him to come back, feeling as if his heart was in his head. Later, when he finally calmed down, his eyes blurry from the tears, he saw what looked like a crowd of dragonets sprinting at him yelling something, were they saying "Slasher?"

Next thing he knew, he was on the ground getting bit and clawed. He only could curl in a ball and hope that his Mudwing scales could take it. After what seemed like an eternity, with him sobbing and them laughing, they stopped and the dragon that looked like the leader bent down to him and quietly said "You better stop messing our bets up, and also, if Slasher dies, so will you." Delta was confused, and still in shock from the attack, he asked the obvious question instead of staying silent like any sensible dragon would."What IN THE ACTUAL CAMEL SPIT are you talking about?!" The leader just laughed, and said the worst one-liner ever, in Deltas opinion. "This." And Delta could only wince as the balled up talons came crashing into the side of his head.

Back in the present...

Delta shook his head, clearing the memory. His body screamed to lay down and sleep forever, which Delta did NOT listen to. He checked his surroundings, and with a jolt, realized that it was nighttime maybe midnight. With a laugh, he thought with some irony, I literally got PUNCHED so hard, I'm in the next day! "Whoopedy FUCKN' doo! Speaking of that, Delta reached up and gently touched the spot. The pain almost made him black out again, but he just gritted his teeth and took it. Once the throbbing stopped, he got up and dragged himself to the oasis pool and slid into it, his Seawing half overwhelmed with relief.

With a big splash of his paddle-like tail, he dove to the bottom of the pool, and sat there peacefully, breathing slowly through his gills. He liked the water. In it, nothing could touch him, and the coolness of the water rubbing on and under his scales was probably the best he ever felt since his mom ran away. He missed her. Her enthusiasm, her kindness, her compassion, and most of all, her hopefulness of the future, that everything will be better tomorrow. It still hurt that she ran away for the Talons of Peace, the group of outcasts and peace loving dragons devoted to stopping the war. The war. He never really thought about it. He lashed his tail. The sand swirled and seemingly flew in the water, hitting a fish that darted once it saw him. He thought about the dragons with war wounds that he and Qibli used to pester about what it was like. They would always brag about how many dragons they've killed, or how high-ranked they'd been before they were injured. After that, they would launch into how fighting isn't what they think and that dragon lives are not to be wasted. Qibli would just say yes and then ask something else, but Delta would think on it. After all, if it wasn't for the war, Delta probably would never have been born. Sitting here, Delta wondered where his mom was now, if she was even alive, and wondered if she thought about him. He also wondered if his dad could see him now. He would probably been disappointed with him. Delta! are you going to sit on your ass like a snail, or are you going to do something?! Judging from what his mom told him about his father, he could picture Stingray saying that. You know what? I will! Delta thought fiercely. He suddenly shot up from the bottom and quickly zoomed toward the night sky, where the three moons shown brightly in the desert night sky like beacons, as if beckoning him toward a bright future. Instead of moping, I'll go out in Phyrria do what ever I please! I'll go at it alone, so I won't be betrayed by so called friends! After all, what could possibly happen?