Thunk.

The shape in the darkness crumpled to the ground under a blow from the side of Treason's tail.  Cinder winced at the noise, looking back, but nobody on the near-empty streets appeared to have even noticed.  She nodded at Treason and crawled through the narrow window, into the bank.  Coins and treasure gleamed around her, and her jaw dropped.  Who knew a bank in such a small town would have so much to steal?

She immediately started filling the limp sack she'd brought in with her.  Soon, just dragging it around the room got hard with the weight, but she knew Treason would be able to fly with it. 

"Cinder," he hissed warningly, and she reared onto her hind legs, pushing the sack through the window and then crawling after it.  He heaved it over his shoulder and spread his wings, but an outraged voice called out behind them. 

"Thieves!" A SeaWing yelled, charging at them.  Treason growled, tossing the bag aside, and leapt onto the SeaWing, stopping him dead.  The SeaWing struggled, but Treason was a lot bigger. 

"Scared, little SeaWing?" Treason jeered, digging his claws into the SeaWing's neck.

"Th-that money belongs to the city," the SeaWing stammered bravely. 

"Did it?  Looks like it belongs to us now," Treason snarled, spreading his wing to include Cinder.  "If you promise to keep your slimy yap shut, I'll let you live.  If not..." he bared his teeth in a cruel smile, "well, I just might have to rip your eyes out and shove them down your throat."

Cinder winced with a quiet laugh.  Treason was great at making gruesome threats to help get what they wanted.  The SeaWing nodded quickly, and Treason stepped off, grabbing up the sack again and lifting off.  Cinder stuck out her tongue at the terrified, baffled SeaWing and followed Treason to their camp for the night.  He snorted a plume of fire into the stack of sticks in the centre of the clearing. The flickering light reflected in Cinder's three earrings; one red, to represent a SkyWing, one amber for a SandWing, and the middle one orange, for something a little bit of both—Cinder.

Cinder opened the pouch and spilled the contents on the ground for Treason to see.  His eyes gleamed as he picked up a heavy emerald pendant on a golden chain, and then his face softened.  "This would look beautiful on you," he said sincerely, passing it to her.  She smiled and dropped it over her head.

"Thanks, Treason," she said, and sniffed the treasure.  "What should we even do with all this?"

He barked a laugh.  "Bury it!  We clearly don't need all this."

"Neither did those pompous fish-brains in town," Cinder pointed out.  "Why don't we hold onto it until we get to the Scorpion Den tomorrow.  That way we can do some good and keep a few extra orphans fed."

"You know," he said, "you're awfully caring for a brutal criminal."

"As are you," she responded, tapping the emerald pendant. 

"Alright, fine.  But we should bury some of it here; I'm not carrying the full sack over the desert." 

Cinder shrugged.  "Fine by me."

Treason disappeared into the woods and returned a few minutes later, his talons stained up to the elbows with dirt.  He sat next to the fire and yawned, his dark, dark dust-brown scales catching the light.  Cinder smothered out the fire with her wings, wincing a bit at the heat, and curled up on the grass next to her boyfriend. 

"Goodnight, Treason," she sighed tiredly as his wing stretched over her back.

"Night, Cinder."

Treason was already up when Cinder awoke the next morning.  Three scorched dead sparrows laid on the ground near her head, and she ate them all eagerly, running her tongue over her teeth.  "We should get out of here," she told Treason, glancing back at the seaside town of Honour.  "They might come looking for their treasure now that the sun's up."

They glided over the desert, the SandWing half in both of them allowing them to not be worn down by the sun. Dunes of sand whisked by underneath. Cinder was faster than Treason was, being half SkyWing, so she let him set the pace. He was still faster than most SandWings and NightWings, but no dragon was faster than a SkyWing. Or, a half-SkyWing.

Treason's parents had been raising him in the Scorpion Den until they were killed by a SandWing named Prairie (who met a brutal end at Rulebreaker's claws a few years later). His mother had been a NightWing, and his father a SandWing. He had components of both tribes in him. His scales were dark, but not yet black... more of a dark brown-grey with occasional streaks of sand-yellow.

His eyes were dark blue, assumingely like his mother's, and he had a sail instead of NightWing spines. He had star speckles all through his jet black frill.  He had star scales on the undersides of his wings as well, and many small scars, none of them comparing to a giant slash across his chest.  He had a venomous tail barb, like Cinder and all other SandWings, and could breathe fire, while Cinder could not.  He was muscular and powerful and knew how to use his strength.

Cinder, on the other talon, was more lithe and wiry.  If he was the fighter of them, she was definitely the stealth expert.  Her big wings got in the way sometimes, but she was a pretty small dragon, so it was easy to slip in and out of windows and crevices unnoticed.  Her scales were a rich beige colour, with a brunt orange frill and bright orange lines on her scales.  Her wings were SkyWing sized, and her eyesight was on that level, too.

"I see out next city!" She announced, seeing buildings on the horizon. 

Treason squinted hard and then nodded.  "Looks like the Scorpion Den!"

The Scorpion Den, Cinder thought, her heart fluttering with joy.  The one place we fit in among all the other thieves and maniacs of the Sand Kingdom.

The Scorpion Den, where I was hatched and raised.  Where all my friends are.

The Scorpion Den, my home.