Thump.

The bright yellow dragonet was down on the stone floor, brown leather satchel sprawled out in front of her, open with the two scrolls spilled out onto the cold stone ground.

"Oh! I'm so terribly sorry! My tail must have tripped you! Here, let me help you," a strong and sturdy voice called out above Sunbeam.

She gazed up into the black eyes of a SandWing who had a tan talon outstretched to assist her in getting up. Sunbeam stared at him, his eyes were black, but beautiful, like glittering obsidian. He wore golden teardrop earring in his left ear and had a zigzag scar on his snout. His tan scales reflected the sun like a piece of polished gold.

Sunbeam was too dazed to grab his outstretched talon, she blankly stared at him while he stood there, expecting her to grab ahold and say, "thank you" or something. So after a moment of them sitting there, frozen, the handsome SandWing started to pick up her things for her.

"Oh! No! Sorry..." Sunbeam apologized, beginning to pick up her things herself. She couldn't let him, or anyone see the animus-touched objects. Maybe she shouldn't have brought them. But really, when else would she have to use them? Why not be prepared in a school full of every type of dragonets, where any of them could possibly turn at anytime?

This school was a dangerous place, and before she disproved that theory she wasn't going to stop playing it safe.

Standing up and brushing herself off, she locked eyes with the astonished tan SandWing.

"Sorry, I do apolo-"

"No," the SandWing dragonet said in a quiet tone. "No need to apologize, I'm the one who tripped you."

"But if I'd only looked where I was going, I wouldn't have tripped over your tail in the first place," Sunbeam pointed out, Swinging her satchel around her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. You're too beau- I mean, I couldn't let the blame fall on a dragonet like you. If you don't mind me asking... What are you, exactly?" Qibli asked, obviously trying not to sound rude, although the thought of it didn't even cross Sunbeam's mind.

"Oh, I'm a crossbreed. A Rain-SandWing, as I like to call it."

"Ah, aren't you the one who won the free enrollment at the End of the SandWing Succession Ceremony?" he asked, then lowering his voice, he muttered to himself. "Three moons, they need to shorten that name."

"Yes! That's me! Sunbeam the Rain-SandWing!" Sunbeam exclaimed. She smiled at this SandWing, this dragonet. She felt like she'd seen him before... The Scorpion Den most likely.

"Sunbeam... That's a pretty name. I'm Qibli, the, uh, regular SandWing," Qibli chuckled, holding out his talon.

Grabbing his talon with a gentle but firm hold, the two shook talons, an official meeting.

"Nice to meet you Qibli, I'll see you around, right?"

"Oh yes, I'm sure we'll see each other somewhere," Qibli assured her. Sunbeam was beginning to like this SandWing a bit, maybe they'd become friends someday.

Or more than friends.

No, stop it Sunbeam. Don't think those things about a SandWing you just met!

An image flashed through her head.

It was of her and Qibli, laying out on the dunes next to an oasis. Their tails were wrapped together and they were chatting, smiling, and...

NO. Stop!

Sunbeam awoke from her much unwanted thoughts in a slight trance.

"I better go, see you around!" Qibli headed over to the cave entrances in the wall and Sunbeam sighed happily. Something about that SandWing... She couldn't explain it. Some weird feeling, a tingle in her tummy, when he had talked to her.

She couldn't let it happen again.

The yellow dragonet was about to go and find her sleeping cave when she heard someone call her name.

"SUNBEAM!" a MudWing dragonet roared behind her, charging towards her at an unbelievable speed for a member of that tribe.

Sunbeam was about to dodge the hug attack, but was too late as she crashed to the ground once more under a bulk of happy MudWing.

"SUNBEAM, YOU'RE HERE!"

"Terracotta! Get off!! What have you been eating?!" Sunbeam roared under the weight of Terracotta.

The amber brown MudWing sat up straight.

"Don't you go there."

"I just did."

"Big mistake."

Then the two best friends started to play/wrestle each other on the cold stone floor.

Sunbeam felt new; she needed this. She needed her friend.

It was too lonely at the Scorpion Den, sure, there were other dragonets, but none of them ever wanted to talk to a hybrid, let alone hang out with one.

That's why meeting Qibli was so nice, that's why talking to a SandWing who didn't hate her or push her away for once was a miracle to Sunbeam.

That's all, that's the only reason she felt that way.

That was the only explanation, right?

"Sunbeam, it's been so long! I've missed you so much! I mean, yes, my sibs are nice, but you're so much cooler," Terracotta explained, then raised her head to the ceiling and spoke. "No offence siblings! I love you!" She started climbing off of the quite squashed hybrid on the ground under her.

Sunbeam pulled herself up, brushing off her legs and cream underbelly; rubbing her neck. "Well, I'm flattered to be called cool by the 'cool master'."

The MudWing laughed, putting a muscular talon on the dainty Rain-SandWing's shoulder. "Like I said, I sure missed you."

Sunbeam grinned at her friend, life was good.

No, life was great.