Polar's POV

Polar watched as Diamond Breaker causally pinned Peril down with his tail tip while drinking something called 'tea' using his hooked wingtip. Peril had spent the Art class in her cave and had painted a poor imitation of the night sky using a non-flammable canvas and paint-brushes.

Peril struggled under the serpent-like dragon's weight and caused everyone watching to stare with fear in their eyes as they watched on. Peril's claws did nothing to his hide p, but surprisingly Diamond-Breaker didn't combust into flames as if Peril wasn't a firescale.

"How are you able to take that much heat. My scales are very hot," Peril shrieked in pain as a crack ran out and Diamond-Breaker slithered off the poor dragoness.

"Hot? That was a mild hot spring to me, little flame scale," Diamond-Breaker laughed a loud, evil laugh before hauling Peril up by her torso, when she hissed in pain, it was obvious that one of her ribs were cracked, "Sorry for the shattered rib, sometimes I don't even know my strength."

"Are you hurt, Peril," Clay asked with concern on his face, Diamond-Breaker asked him to come along incase any of the dragonets got hurt, "Does your rib fill with it has shattered by a hammer?"

"Yes," Peril hissed in exasperation and she pointed to her first left rib.

"Sorry," Diamond-Breaker apologised.

Polar quickly recalled the fight as he, Kinkajou, Turtle and Inkheart came up with a plan to reveal the hidden dragon.

———————————————————————————————

"So, Peril why don't we have a fight to start the lesson off," Diamond-Breaker said with a wicked smile.

"But, it will be unfair," Peril objected, "I have firescales!"

Diamond-Breaker laughed and patted her with his wing and didn't yelp in pain or anything. He then raised it to show the class that nothing was wrong with it.

"My tribe loves to feed on the lava of erupting volcanoes, so we need to take the heat," he explained while he dragged Peril into the fighting ring with his massive tail, "So, no. This isn't going to be an 'unfair' fight."

The tunnel carver posed in his battle position, a snake ready to strike down on an unaware mouse, and stared wickedly, which was quite the opposite of how he had acted before and his teeth were suddenly much blacker. Polar noted it all down.

Peril looked readied to pounce on the dragon snake's head and stared at him.

Diamond-Breaker roared and the two attacked. Peril clawed Diamond-Breaker in between the eyes and the great dragon used his momentum to flung her into the ground before tunnelling into the rock. Peril slowly got up and looked around. Clay was pointing to the ground to tell her to look down.

Then, cracking and bubbling pierced the rocks and Peril took off and tried to enter the hole, Diamond-Breaker made. Only for a large ball of lava to be flung out and near hit Peril as it splattered on the rocks. Then, the sound of digging was heard and the great serpent erupted from the earth and snatched Peril's tail with his. He threw her back to the ground and pinned her down with his tail.

—————

"I hope you all got what I was showing you all," Diamond-Breaker stated, "no matter how powerful an opponent is. He or she will have weakness that can be exploited if you used that information properly. For instance, while Peril's scales can kill by contact. Ranged projectiles made out of heat-proof metals can kill her when aimed properly. It also doesn't help that she doesn't have real fighting experience since fire-proof dragons can take advantage of."

The class began to chatting among itself over the fight as Diamond-Breaker shaded his eyes from the sun. Polar noticed how Diamond-Breaker wasn't looking directly at the class and was trying to avoid direct sun light.

"Tunnel Carver are sensitive to changes in brightness and can be blinded by bright lights," Inkheart explained to Polar, Qibli, Moon, Kinkajou, Turtle and Anemone, "Their scales are also weak to ice when they are not fire-pledged. Remember they only enter this state with spikes in fear and aggression."

"Got it," Polar said with confidence of their plan, "So, I flash my scales and blind him then, freeze parts of him in place while Turtle, Anemone and Kinkajou get the necklace and Moon and Qibli provide cover in fire."

Everyone nod as Diamond-Breaker began to talk again.

"Now, I will show you all a few methods for defending yourself against a group of dragons. So, who wants to come brawl," Diamond-Breaker announced.

Polar and his friends then moved forwards and he said, "We would like to."

"Excellent," Diamond-Breaker hissed and slithered onto the ring as he motioned for the gang to surround him. Polar got in front of the serpentine dragon and before Diamond-Breaker could say or more importantly do anything, Polar flashed his bioluminescent scales which were amplified by the bolt of lightning that Inkheart shot out.

In the blink of an eye, Diamond-Breaker was on the ground and was screeching in pain and fury as he smashed his head into the mountain face. Inkheart jumped and used his momentum to pin the serpent's jaws while Turtle, Kinkajou and Anemone weighted down his back and began to unlock the necklace. Polar then shot a blast of ice breath into the serpent's mouth and watched as the jaws froze before Diamond-Breaker's scales began to glow a warm red glow emitted from his body and the necklace went off with a click.

Diamond-Breaker threw Anemone, Kinkajou and Turtle off of him while Inkheart was sent sliding into the mountain wall. Diamond-Breaker then began to shrink and morph until he was a teal green triple-slasher with purple eyes.

"I am going to rip you apart, Seawing," the triple-slasher roared in fury, "I come here because I was told to play imposter for a bit by the king. Instead, I got my eyes ruined!"

"Uncle Dread," Inkheart chocked out in surprise as Dread smashed his right claw into the ground and his cheeks glowed in the shape of a brown solar eclipse as rocks burst out of the ground and nearly killed the hybrid but he jumped to the left.

Snap!

Pain flared in his right wing as it was pinned to the wall by a sharp spike, the bone that connected his wing to his shoulder was crushed and a tear formed on his wing. Dread then charged into the right side of pile of rubble as if in a vain attempt to crush the dragonet into the rocks but his blindness prevented him from seeing all to well. Peril then pounced onto Dread's back.

The sizzling of scales and a loud pained scream followed before Peril was ripped off the dragon's back by his jaws which were black and had rocks coating his lips and snout. He was about to kill Peril when a crimson red scale whizzed past and sliced Dread over the neck, causing him to drop Peril in surprise.

Polar turned to the entrance of the arena as a tunnel carver that he realised was the real Diamond-Breaker slithered out and threw one of his scales from his tail at the triple-slasher. It imbedded itself into his side and the Dread formed a pair of large forward facing horns on his head and charged at Diamond-Breaker.

"Fly, get to high ground, now," he bellowed as he seemed to raise a wall from the very earth to block the attack. Only to be sent into wall by Dread's head butt. Diamond-Breaker collapsed and Dread changed his sights to Polar.

Polar thought he would die but the next minute changed his fate entirely. Inkheart jumped onto his uncle's back and attempted to sting him but was throw off and then Dread charged.

Polar felt his life flash before his eyes, his time with his Uncle Insanity, the strange carving that held value to his family and was the only thing he had of his mother besides the countless paintings she had made and the times where he would curve up in his father's wings. He recalled how his father's eyes glinted an icy blue and bioluminescent scales, a cool turquoise.

Suddenly, Dread stopped moving. The murderous dragon became airborne for a second before clashing down into the ground. He was then hurled up into the air by another triple-slasher, then was slammed into the ground twice by his tails, which the new dragon held in his mouth, Dread was thrashing around, trying to get free and was flung like a disc.

Crash!

Dread fell down flat next to wall and the new dragon causally trotted over to the down triple-slasher.

Just then, Anemone and Turtle ripped the spike from his wing. He hadn't noticed them at all during the chaos.

"That would be King Victory Strike," Turtle revealed the identity of the dragon that just treated Dread like a rag doll, "Guess that we solve the case."

"Dread was pretending to be Diamond-Breaker for this lesson while the real Diamond-Breaker left a few clues," Qibli finished.

Polar turned his attention to the king. His snout had a gold sheen that resembled a beak but the rest of his colours were a mix of amber reds and yellows. His eyes glowed a light turquoise colour, his fangs were pale white and his stingers had black tips to them.

"So, Dread," Victory Strike began, "I told you not to get all murder happy on these dragnets and yet, you failed to follow even that simple order."

"S-sor-sorry, brother," Dread stuttered, his slightly burnt wings quiver, "How do I make it up then."

Victory Strike rolled his turquoise eyes and gave the dragon another order, "Alvin, Savage and as it turns out Grandeur are in danger. You know where to go. Also, get Queen Glory to come along."

"Sure thing, Boss," Dread tried to sound sarcastic but was too rattled up.

"Take this box and give it to Deathbringer," Victory Strike instructed as he plodded a black box in the dragon's talons.

Victory Strike snapped his talons and a large light blue circle appeared out of thin air and he tossed Dread into it, but not before the dragon began rolling and went through. The circle disappeared and Victory Strike turned his attention to Polar and signed.

"I am genuinely sorry for my brother's antics. Afterall, the poor thing is a bit wrong in the head," Victory Strike apologised to the students who were beginning to touch down, "However, I hope you all at least some of you learned something."

"Like what," Clay asked puzzled and scared by the way his eyes moved.

Victory Strike cocked his head for a moment, then shrugged, "How am I supposed to know?"

He then took out feather of what seemed to be an albatross from his pouch and rubbed it against Polar's wing wound. The bones began to knit back together right before his eyes. In a few seconds, nothing remained of the tear and wound on his wing.

"Healing feather, I keep it on my person most of the time," He said nervously as he looked at Inkheart, "So, son. How was it at Jade Academy."

Th king produced a toothy grin that made Polar want to fly away from him, but his eyes twinkled with fatherly love, something that Polar was all to familiar with.

"I made some friends," Inkheart began, "and did some art."

"That is great, but next time. Please, don't throw yourself on a charging bull again," Victory Strike pleaded with his son.

Inkheart rolled his eyes, "Sure, Father."

"Excellent," Victory Strike cooed before turning over to Peril and Diamond-Breaker, "are you two injured?"

Diamond-Breaker slowly got up and said, "I am fine, but Peril has a broken rib."

"I am fine," Peril insistent causing the king to frown a bit.

He raise his left wing which was much bigger to his body compared to even skywings and flexed the claws on its tip. Electricity sparked along his wing and little tuffs of what seemed to be fur revealed themselves.

"Clay, hold Peril down will you. I am sure you don't want your girlfriend to have her rib impale her heart," Victory Strike causally said as he took the feather and walked towards the firescale. Polar noticed a glowing ocean blue mark that resembled waves on his back.

Clay hesitated but nodded and looked at Peril, a bright red blush on both their faces, "How did you k-k-know."

"I have 98 years of experience, though I look 78," Victory Strike rolled his eyes with a look of boredom, "I had seen the rest of my family go on and have kids like their were mice."

"You honestly look like your are 39," Kinkajou complemented the king.

"Why thank, dearie. Afterall, most Grim dragons have a low growth rate, so smaller dragons per age till our first century," Victory Strike continued to smile his toothy grin as he slammed his right arm into his face without flinching and when he removed it, his eyes glinted a deep red.

He slowly moved the feather over Peril's chest as the dragoness hissed in pain. In a few second, he smirk and said, "That should do it!"

He was about to bring up his right arm where is stopped suddenly, the king's face fell and he straightened is arm with his left arm and his stingers caused the arm to open into something that Polar thought resembled the inner working of one of his father's clocks. The king took a plier from his pouch and what looked like a cartilage. With a few snaps of his pliers, another busted looking cartilage fell out from his arm and he placed the new one in. He then closed the arm and it transformed into a spear.

"That usually happens much later on in the month, but at least it will function for the next 5," Victory Strike noted as he flecked his wrist and turned the spear back into a talon. It's colour matched's the king's scales exactly.

"Your arm isss," Qibli stuttered in awe and general fear, "not-"

"Yeah, I lost it like what 77-78 years ago from frostbite," Victory Strike cut the sandwing off, "So, I had to construct this robotic arm with the bare materials."

With in blink of an eye, the arm became a hook and the Grim King spoke in a heavy seawing accent, "I be thee Grimclaw!"

A shiver ran down Polar's spine as he recalled the last time he heard of that name.

— — Three years ago ——

Polar stared wistfully at his father's latest invention, a clockwork contraction that used water and quartz crystals to run. The myriad of little bronze critters were racing through the lattice of chasm and caves. One of them was an odd looking dragoness that Polar only knew as his mother, someone whom was displayed on many of his father's works, though Polar never saw her in person.

The sound of claws scraping against cold stone echoed from behind Polar, alerting him to his Father and Uncle.

Polar turned his head to see his father, a tall, sleek and muscular dragon with glacier white scales, his claws were that of serrated fishhooks, a trait he got from his seawing and icewing parents and Polar's long deceased grandparents. The other dragon was the one that he called Uncle Insanity, even though they shared no relation other than being his disowned uncle. The dragon had a weird pattern of colours that formed bands of gold, sliver, emerald green, turquoise, purple and sapphire blue. He had a blacken mouth that looked liked a beak, his vast wings were speckled with blues and greens and had a talon on their ends. His three barded tails were glistening with blood as he hauled the caresses of three deers.

Polar's father placed several sacks of building materials and coinage aside while Uncle Insanity hauled the deers into the kitchen.

"Polar, how are you? Sorry, it took so long," Bittersea, Polar's Father, sat next to the young dragonet and signed at the contraction, "I miss that dragoness, sometimes."

Polar knew that his father was talking about his mother, Rattler's Bane, and no Polar didn't know why she was named that way, neither did his father, Uncle Insanity said that it was because her tail created a rattling sound when it moves, but Polar still couldn't understand the 'Bane' part.

"I am fine, Dad. But I got a question to ask," Polar asked his father as the sound of butchering was emitted from the kitchen, "Why did Mom, leave us?"

Polar's father stared at the contraction and signed, "I honestly don't know myself. Before your egg was laid, she challenged someone. When she returned, she was seriously scarred and injured, her right horn was snapped in half, her left eye was milky white with a vertical slash over it. One of her tails was bitten off and her sides were covered in deep scars. She then painted her last portrait, The Bane, and burn it as you know. She then left the letter and left."

Polar then to face the entrance where the portrait hung lonely, the top right side had a horrible burn that hid half of the dragon's face. He looked down at Polar with his blue-green eyes that showered malice and contempt. His fangs were bare and red with blood. His scales glistened amber red to orange, with dots of crimson red. His three tails glowed thunderstorm yellow, his wings were massive with sliver swirls around them, his chest shimmered snow white and his neck glowed gloomy black, the resemblance to Insanity was uncanny.

Uncle Insanity glided into the living room, carrying three bowls of deer meat. He passed a bowl to Polar and his father while he sat began to dig into the spiced meat.

"Uncle, do you know what happened to my mother," Polar asked pleadingly to his uncle who usually kept quiet on the topic.

Polar's uncle nearly choked on the meat and signed, "Well, you better have a good song for me then!"

"Of course," Polar chirped, he had been working on a short balled.

Uncle glanced at the ceiling, 'The Bane' Portrait and Polar's father, "Well, it all started when your mother challenged a very vicious, victory-hungry dragon for a very dangerous weapon and his title, the weapon was the Obsidian Blade!"

Polar had heard of the soul-stealing blade that can kill even gods from what myths had told about it. In mortal beings, it destroys their very essence and it can kills immortals.

"The dragon broke the sword into three piece then told your mother to give up, but enrage she charged and managed to break off his horn," Uncle Insanity said while pointing to the portrait, "He then proceed to just beat her up."

"What was he called," Polar implored before the chance disappeared.

"He went by many alias, but one of them is Grimclaw," Uncle Insanity said while making his talons into the shape of claw.

——————

Polar was frozen by fright, this was 'The Bane', 'The Grimclaw', the one whom his mother had challenged and lost to.

Victory Strike seemed to sense this transformed his robotic arm back into a talon and soothly said, "I know you probably hate me for what I did to my own sister. Afterall, it is not everyday that you and your sister, whom don't see eye to eye who fight a name for you and the right for a mega weapon now, isn't it?"

Polar was speechless, how had he never thought about that before. The Bane was so similar to his Uncle Insanity that they were probably brothers, which made Rattler's Bane, Victory Strike's sister. The looks on his friends faces were that of either surprise or confusion.

Inkheart was the first to ask, "Who was your mother, Polar?"

Polar was knocked out of his stunned silence and hissed out the name, "Rattler's Bane!"

"Told ya," Polar's uncle said while tossing him the necklace that allowed Dread to change forms, "Welcome to your very dysfunctional family on your mother's side!"