S A L M O N
***

Salmon circled overhead the dragonets. He relished the sharp air filling his lungs, and the stunned looks of awe on their faces. He grinned smugly, his large wings beating the air. 

He flipped his tail with satisfaction. The sky was clear of clouds, the sun shaking around, the atmosphere slowly fading purple.

Wait a moment-

Then it was all black. Black, black, black, as far as the universe. He lost his grip in reality and felt his wings fail. He felt air rushing around him, scooping him up but fumbling, slipping through the wind's whispery fingers.

From somewhere below him was a scream but he paid no mind. His wings beat at the air-or did they? It was cold and hot and wet and dry all at the same time.  Then he was wrapped up in the ever-pressing wings of water.

He opened his eyes and found himself underwater. Fish darted back and forth in front of his face, tendrils of seaweed waved back in forth in soothing sways. 

Salmon felt himself breathe. Salty, sharp water flowed through his gills, purple scales pulsing. 

He swam in the current, flowing with waves and being directed to a little cove. The entrance was draped with a curtain of ivy and golden seaweed. 

Salmon pulled himself out of the water and hooked the plants on his claws. Pushing them aside, he found himself in a roomy yet small cave. In the middle was a fire pit, roaring with flames. It was encircled by stone bricks. 

Against the walls were intricately carved shelves with all sorts of knickknacks on them. Statuettes, finely carved gemstones, scrolls and contraptions all set in a messy, unorganized setup. 

Two dragons were curled up inside the cave. One was plump and deep blue SeaWing, splayed up on wine-red cushions, plucking dates and plums from a wooden bowl.

The other was huge and towering. He had gray-pink scales, and his back fin ran the length of his body and started at his forehead. He had his claws curled on a glassy orb, eyes fixated on whatever was in it. 

The SeaWing clenched a date between her talons and dropped it in her mouth. "I still don't understand why you need to find someone for her so soon! She's only five."

The other dragon snorted. "Not for long. She has my blood and power, and soon enough my heirs. I don't think you understand, Tarpon, your daughter is the greatest dragonet you've ever produced for me."

"But fa-ther," the other one whined. Salmon concluded with his excellent context clues that she was Tarpon. "Her father doesn't like the idea of it, no matter how much the earring works."

Salmon narrowed his eyes and stared at her lined ears, glimmering with sparkly things. Tarpon kept moving her jaw, eating what seemed like an endless supply of fruit. He noticed a gray stony hoop stuck through, which was suspiciously not glittery.

The other dragon flapped his enormous wings, fluttering the scrolls at the sides of the cave. He tapped his claws on the glass surface of the orb. Salmon spied an inky mark underside one wing. It was a circle with tendrils spiraling out, almost like tentacles.

"He's sleeping." He dragon growled. "Sleeping, the little brat. I send him a vision and he's sleeping!"

Tarpon re-adjusted herself. "I have an idea, but you first have to tell me why you want this one."

The other one hissed. "Uch. Fine, I was going to tell you anyway. Well, one, he's from the same descent as me. Two, he's the same hybrid type as I am, and three, he's Shoreline's age. Oh, and four, he's conveniently easy to reach."

Tarpon stretched out luxuriously. "Mmm, I'm sure. But after two hundred years, why-"

"Shut up!"

The dragon beat his wings furiously. Tarpon pouted. "You could do a little spell-casting and see if, you know, he's seeing you."

The other one frowned, then murmured something. Tarpon rolled her eyes and reached for another date.

The older dragon closed his eyes, then opened them. Salmon shivered as he felt some kind of aura sweep through the area.

The dragon chuckled and focused on his crystal ball intently. Salmon shrunk into himself, fearing the worst. He then heard a snort of laughter as he felt the ancient, powerful eyes lock onto him.

The dragon clicked his talons and Tarpon vanished. "Hello, little one," he said creepily, "my name is Kra-"

And then Salmon woke up.