Fluffball's POV

Fluffball opened her eyelids only to be met with the smile of non other than Crimson.

"Took you long enough to wake up, sleepy head," Crimson joked, "Cliff finds you to be an excellent pillow."

Fluffball quickly turned her head face, a glimmeringly happy Cliff whom was rolling on Fluffball's back.

"So sofft," Cliff chirped, "Nest bed ever."

"Please get off me, Cliff," Fluffball asked embarrassed.

Cliff obliged with a sad expression and jumped down. Crimson then shoved a plate filled with some cooked meat and mountain fruits.

"It has been three hours since dawn," Crimson replied to Fluffball question before she could say it.

"What," Fluffball shrieked.

"But, it is so early," Cliff complained

"How is this early," Fluffball retorted, "When is Uncle coming."

"Everwyvrn said in half an hour," Crimson replied as Fluffball catapulted her breakfast into her mouth.

"Wow, slow down cheetah," Crimson joked with concern in her voice," I had to wake up the head chef for that meal, so don't vomit it out."

Fluffball began to chew and felt the spices and tenderness of the meat as well as the sweet and sour flavours of the ripe fruit.

"Anyway, mother is getting ready for her day and father is checking the palace," Crimson informed Fluffball as she swallowed the meal and jumped off of bed.

"Oh, and you slept on Cliff's bed," Crimson caught Fluffball with that and she froze, blushing deeply in embarrassment.

"Please, don't tell Uncle," Fluffball begged her best friend. Crimson rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Who is this, Uncle," Cliff asked, "Is he nice?"

"Well, he will scold and tease me for the most insignificant slight and is quite protective, but other then that, he is kind, funny and wise," Fluffball gave Cliff that description as she thought that revealing him will be a thrill, "He is also supportive paternal figure, who loves his family

"He is also, alot older than mother and was the one whom, kept me and dad in his palace until yesterday," Crimson added, "Since, I am Fluffball's best friend, he considers me family."

"So, he is a king," Cliff asked, "Who is the Queen?"

"He is the one in charge" Fluffball and Crimson said in unison, "He does have a royal consort though; my aunt Deception."

"Wait, so there is no Queen of the Grim," Cliff thought out loud with amazement.

"Yes and no, she is like yours and your sister's father when it comes to rank, and if you don't mind, Cliff," Fluffball said, "I need to prepare."

——————

Fluffball, Crimson and Cliff entered the throne room to find it a little crowded. Everwyvrn the Quick-Strike worn the reinforced black diamond armor that Fluffball always saw him in. He was pointing out points where Grim dragons has hunted Skywings in hopes of giving the bodies, a proper cremation. Vicious le Grim, Everwyvrn scavenger partner connecting to his contact for the shipments of metal they needed.

Queen Ruby looked perplexed by the scale of the problem at hand. She lifted her and smiled, "Come here you three!"

Everwyvrn and Vicious turned their head and bowed at the three.

"Good morning, Princess Fluffball, Princess Crimson and Prince Cliff," Everwyvrn greeted the three as Vicious checked his pocket watch.

"Victory Strike will be here soon," was all he said as a portal opened up infront of the six dragons and a drenched Victory Strike walked through.

Fluffball noticed that no water was being spilled onto the floor, which meant that her uncle was controlling it with his water magic.

That also reminded Fluffball that she still needs to practice her Life and Earth magic. Especially since only Grim Dragons with control over two or more elements can be kings or queens in the tribe. Her father knew Fear and Shadow magic, her uncle Dread has control over Earth, Fire and Fear magic, Insanity is a master of Water, Death, Shadow and Life magic while Victory Strike is a master of Water, Lighting , Ice and  Shadow and a bit of Fear magic. Grime is a master of Ice and Fire.  And Crimson is a master of Shadow and still working on her Fire and Water Magic.

"Good Morning your majesty, Queen Ruby," Victory Strike greeted the Queen in a courtly manner.

"Good to see you too, Victory Strike. Fluffball was a delight to have around. However, she did accidentally she on Cliff's bed," Queen Ruby started the conversation and made Victory Strike laugh and Fluffball blush in embarrassment.

"How adorable," Victory Strike joked as he turned toward Cliff, " So, are you the Cliff I heard about? The adorable little one, dragonet who stood against his evil grandmother and helped overthrow her again."

"That is me," Cliff boosted while he puffed his chest out.

Victory Strike then bended down till he was eye-level with the young queen and said, "You are a brave one, aren't you?"

Before Cliff could answer, Queen Ruby intervened, "Was there something you came here to do, Victory Strike."

Victory Strike got and handed Queen Ruby a scroll and said, "You need to read that, Ruby. It may be of great importance to you and your family, especially a certain dragoness."

"Thanks," Queen Ruby thanked the king as she opened the scroll.

"Oh, Fluffball how was your stay," Victory Strike asked Fluffball.

"I was wonderful, Uncle," Fluffball replied as Cliff yelped. Fluffball turned her head to see her uncle's snake, Hood-Lock.

Hood-Lock was found by Fluffball's uncle 10 years ago, she was being hunted by a bunch of dragon-bite viper hunters. So, uncle took her in and cared for the serpent and the two got off.

"This is Hood-Lock, my pet," Victory Strike simply responded as Queen Ruby and Cliff stared in fear and shock at the snake. Lock-Hood flared her hood and wrapped herself around Victory Strike's talon.

Victory Strike proceed to take a live white mice from her bag and crushed its skull before feeding it to Hood-Lock.

"It has a hood," Queen Ruby quivered as she stared at the snake in disbelief.

"All female Dragon-bites have hood," Victory Strike said matter of factly, "they are also harder to find due to the fact that they are excellent hiders, there are fewer females compared to males and they are more likely to flee than fight."

Uncle then showed Hood-Lock to Cliff, "Do you want pet her brave one?"

Cliff gulped and slowly extended his talon out to grab Hood-Lock, before Uncle gently took his talon and placed it on her underbelly, where anyone who wants to handle snake much hold. Hood-Lock's slit eyes stared at Cliff and gave him permission to pet her with a flick of her tongue.

"She is so smooth and calm," Cliff pointed out.

"She is tamed, but she will bite if she needs to," Uncle explained before saying, "I got to go, time is becoming fickle ."

Uncle opened a portal and jumped in and disappeared.

Queen Ruby then grabbed the scroll from the ground and continued to read it with eyes growing wider and wider.

"Fluffball, Crimson, Cliff, Everwyvrn and Vicious. Come and look at this," Queen Ruby said with urgency in her voice. Once they had all gathered around the scroll, Fluffball read the writing.

It said, "To Queen Ruby of the Skywings,

This scroll contains a prophecy that I believe will have great to you and your family. I hope you find it useful.

Here it is;

The King of Mountain Demons will bring hell unless beheaded by the serpent slayer,

The Plant King will conquer all if bloodshed isn't made,

The dragons of Leaf will cause war, if not stopped during their flight,

The weapons of darkness will kill all who oppose the king,

May the dragoness of the future seek her paths,

The dragons of ice will fight for fallen homes,

The assassins will crawl into the picture,

After a trickster is revealed,

Brother will kill brother.

Heaven and Hell will feud after the orange dragon named for blood rises,

Jealousy boils and kills love.

Mortal kings live forever,

As sons fight death.

Sky and Grim will meet in holy matrimony,

As feuds arise.

Stopped by a common enemy,

And death of a gentle dragon

Your role in the future occurs during your time fallen and when you rise again,

Outplay Death and save all of the future from doom,

with the help of three other in each time of doom,

Beware fair king, for there are four dooms to face,

all caused by yours and those close to you.

That is all,

From Victory Strike"

"King of Mountain Demons," Vicious muttered.

"You know about the legend," Queen Ruby asked Vicious.

"We have another form of the story, but it is no legend," Everwyvrn explained, "It is history."

"What are these legends, anyway," Crimson asked curiously, eagering a gasp from Queen Ruby and Cliff.

"You never heard," Queen Ruby said with shock in her voice, "I thought Peregrine told you."

"Father thought about it, but since Uncle Victory Strike taught me the Grim version, he decided not to," Crimson explained.

"Besides, they are practically the same," Everwyvrn tried to wave the doubt that was on Queen Ruby away and reassured her.

"This all occurred over 15 thousand years, after the Scorching, the King of the Doomfang, Le Ghaster, the oldest, largest and most powerful of the world-ender," the name sent a chill up Fluffball's spine as Vicious explained the history of Claw mountain range, " he went to a hilly area of Pyrrhia that would later become The Claw Mountains. He was there to confront his brother; Skull Crusher, a skywing animus prince named Breeze and the queen of the grim at the time; Crimson Slasher."

" The four clashed, their blows wiped out sections of the very earth, sparks flew in such great amounts that fires bursted to life around the fighting. Skull Crusher was the first to die, his brother bite him in two and used his corpse as a mace and with those strikes, he created valleys and then, he impaled the prince with a great explosion of rocks and boulders that formed the very mountains that we stand on now. He was finally defeated by Crimson, using the mountains to crush the demon only for him to causally get up and stomp Crimson to death and in the joy of victory, he rose the mountains into the shape of claws to represent his victory over his enemies," Everwyvrn finished the story.

"The King of the Doomfang, then left the remaining skywings to settle the mountains while he returned back to his lair. He had later on forged a peace treaty with Crimson Slasher's daughter; Fright and the two tribes were at peace until a dispute a twenty years before The Dragoness Death ruled the Grim," Fluffball added, wanting to participate this explanation.

"So, it is basically our legend with a few extra dragons and some important information that doesn't matter to the Skywing at the time," Queen Ruby stated, "Can you describe this dragon's personality ?"

"Think of Scarlet, but more ruthless, arrogant, an animus and has the patience of a bounded scavenger," Everwyvrn said.

"So, like my mother, but more dangerous," Queen Ruby asked for reassurance and got several nods from Fluffball, a Everwyvrn and Vicious, "So, we are going to war with a dragon that creates mountains and is worse than my mother."

"And eats them," Crimson finished.

"Just lovely," Queen Ruby replied to her daughter sarcastically.