S A L M O N
***

"Dearest, wake up!"

Salmon groaned. He groped around in the darkness of the freshwater for his amulet. Finding nothing, he angrily splashed his tail in the water.

"Salmon! Get up!"

Something seized his tail-a something with webbed talon.

Salmon splashed his tail again. He heard something drop in the water in front of him. His amulet. 

He grabbed around in the water, closing his talons over a glass ball. Salmon pulled the chain towards him and over his neck.

He surged out of the water. He was small for his genetics but oddly thick and muscular. 

"Alright, up and at 'em." Salmon's father, Seafoam, said. He was a sea-green SeaWing with blue light-up markings. He tossed a charred fish near the stream. 

"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...." Salmon moaned. He ducked back into the stream, spraying water everywhere. 

He felt the vibrations of talons on stone approaching him. A soft voice flowed through the water, words muffled. 

Salmon burbled underwater. He rose out, head dripping. 

"Salmon, eat your fish. You need to get ready to go." Starmind, his mother, said gently but firmly. Salmon floundered around,complaining.

"I don't want to! And where are we going anyway?"

Starmind sighed.

"You just turned five, darling. You know what that means."

Salmon's parents waited for his reaction. He slowly realized, then flailed around the stream. 

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I DON'T I WON'T I SHON'T!"

"Now calm down, Salmon." Seafoam said, approaching his son. 

"NO!" Salmon screamed.

"Salmon! Listen to your father!" Starmind said strictly. Salmon shut his snout and sulkily lowered into the water."

"Salmon, you are five years old. That means it's time for Jade Mountain Academy. Now, you be very grateful you get to go. Most dragons have to pay incredible amounts, but your lucky self just so happened to get a free entrance. And you're going to go!" Seafoam said lowly.

A keen whining sound escaped Salmon.

"Salmon, your father and I met there when we were your age. In fact, I was younger than your age. We've put it off for long enough." Starmind scolded.

"Can we at least see Auntie Sahara before we go?" Salmon whined. Starmind exchanged a look with Seafoam.

"Ah, three moons, kid. Why do that when today Auntie Sahara will be at Jade Mountain today!"

Salmon leaped up.

"She will?" he asked. Starmind nodded.

Salmon jumped up at flounced around. He gulped down the fish and went for his normal morning fly.

"Are you ready for JMA?" Seafoam said, flapping into the air. Salmon launched into the sky and set off for Jade Mountain.

---------------------------

Salmon was nearly one year old. The leucistic SeaWing stirred under the current of the freshwater, as had been for all of his life.

He felt a claw rouse him from sleep. Gulping in the air from the stream, he rose above the current. 

Someone's voice rang out.

"SaamondissisannieSarrrashezgoingtohellyoubreeth"

Salmon ducked back under the water and resurfaced, holding his breath.

A pale, sandy dragon with a brown ruff running down her spine and black scales sparkling at the corners of her bright green eyes approached the stream.

Salmon panicked at the sight of the strange, unfamiliar dragon and fell back into the water, belly up. He flailed around until he twisted his neck into the water. 

He breathed. He settled and let the water flow over him. Breathing for a moment, he rose above the surface again.

The sand dragon smiled warmly and placed something around his neck. Salmon didn't understand, so he slid back under the surface of the water.

The nice dragon suddenly frowned. She reached out with her talons and held him above the surface. 

Salmon thrashed and wiggled, but the dragon's grip was firm. Why weren't his parents intervening?

The dragon forced open Salmon's jaws and pressed on his chest. 

And the intake of air rushed through his lungs.

It was sharp and cool. Something akin to underwater, yet without the flow of the water rushing in and out. It stung his teeth, his tongue, his mouth. 

The sandy dragon let go of him, smiling once more. Salmon sunk to the ground, utterly dazed.

Then there was a rasping in his throat. A vibration escaped, making a noise unknown to him. 

Then his parents rushed towards him, enveloping in unfelt wings and noises never before heard. 

"Ahsammoisogladyoocabeeeth!!!"

Words rushed past his ears, incomprehensible. Then the black dragon, Mother, pointed at the sandy dragon and smiled.

"Loo! Anntee Sarra!" She told Salmon. Salmon reached down for the thing around his neck but his mother knocked his talons off of it. 

The sandy dragon waved. Salmon now knew something he was sure of. 

This dragon just saved his life.