Teth Redwing dived and soared with the morning hawks, spiraling over the redwood treetops in the beautiful blue and green sky. He had no worries to care about, and no one to look after but himself. He was free. He had seen many wonders of the vast dragon lands of Ketaul. The crystal deserts of the Orangeflame Dragons; the snow-capped peaks of Whitefrost territory; the lush rain forests of the Greeneye; and to the vast rocky mountain ranges of the mysterious Blackclaw clan. No other drake bothered him, and he had never seen the draka for him. It was a lonely existence, but he refused to let it ruin his freedom. He could soar with the eagles, and when he tired of flying, he could run with the elk, his wings tight against his back. Despite their fearsome looks and sharp claws and fangs, most dragons were dedicated herbivores. Only a few Unspeakables took to meat; they were quickly destroyed by their own clan lest they ‘infect’ anyone else. Teth grumbled aloud, frightening a few nearby birds to flight, as he recalled his expulsion from the Redwing clan nearly thirty years before. Many of the Elders had wanted him destroyed, not just exiled.

Really! Teth thought to himself with a loud sigh. One would think I had killed in cold blood! All I did was get into Shaman Arit’s cavern. Dak had never been back there and was eager to find out. I didn’t know the white powder was a gift from the Whitefrost clan! I didn’t know what it was, and that bringing it out in daylight would ignite it. Or that by breathing it, the smoke would either kill me or change me. If I had known it was deadly, I wouldn’t have goaded my shoulder friend, Dak, the shaman’s apprentice, to try it. It smelled good, we reasoned, so why shouldn’t it taste good? I had already tasted it, and hadn’t felt any different. I hadn’t known! Shaman Arit was one of the ‘respected’ elders, and so of course many of us would try to get into his cavern and see what we would find in his hoard. It was only a game; that’s all it was intended to be. No one ever thought he’d have something that could kill him as easily as anyone. But of course, after Dak was gone, I had no proof of what I had found, as the sunlight had incinerated what remained. Arit, Chief Ganton, and Elder Ritto had found me at the entrance to the shaman’s cave, drooling blood, my once-red wings tinged violet, my silver eyes turned blank white.

The shaman had swiftly disappeared into his cavern home, returning moments later with blood on his breath. Teth was the only one who had noticed, or even recognized the smell. It had permeated one room leading off the one Dak and Teth had been in. Neither drake went any further than the door once they saw the lump of flesh they realized was a dead wildebeest.

Ganton never noticed. Before I could get a word past my sore snout, Arit told the chief I had massacred my shoulder friend in his cave in an attempt to make it look like the shaman had done it in a fit of rage. Ganton instantly took off for the council cavern, by way of Arit’s cave. All the councilors had grottoes connected to the main cavern, for easy access in case of emergency council sessions. I was exiled three weeks later.

Teth had never had a chance to say anything on his own behalf. Dak’s sire and dam had already condemned him, firmly believing the elders were right. Even Teth’s own sire had refused to listen to the logic that Teth would never have killed his shoulder friend; his blood brother.

Teth faltered in the air, his usual optimism killed efficiently at the thought that he was responsible for Dak’s death. Try as he might to ignore it, deny it, or otherwise, Teth couldn’t forget Dak’s last moments, couldn’t forget the look on Dak’s face as he suffocated from the white smoke. Why Teth hadn’t died along with him would remain a mystery. Even Arit had been puzzled, though of course he never spoke a word. From the time Dak’s body lay irrevocably still, Teth had been able to feel the emotions of any living creature around him. In the beginning, he had been too frightened to recognize the gift he had. Soon, he noticed the anomaly, and it had helped him survive on his own.

No one in his clan had ever understood Teth. Redwing dragons were, on the whole, rather pessimistic when it comes to almost anything. Dak’s death and Teth’s resulting exile had been the only thing to dampen the young drake’s spirit. For a long time, he traveled in a daze. It wasn’t until he almost got himself killed by a rampaging sea snake that he woke up to his life and accepted it. Dak was dead. There was nothing Teth could do about what had happened, now. It was the past.

Teth physically shook off his morbid thoughts and banked right and down towards earth. A verdant patch of sparkling green caught his eye and his stomach rumbled in response. His wings flared and he automatically tilted back and landed on his hind legs before coming to rest on all fours. He snapped his wings loosely against his back, the violet highlights along his wings and sides flashed brightly in the morning sun.

“Oh!”

The startled exclamation brought him around in surprise. A small greeneye female looked back at him from her hiding place in the tall patch of sweet grass. Her deep green scales glinted in the sun, seeming to ripple like the waves on the shore. Her eyes were the color of waves beneath the white caps, heralding a storm of daunting proportions. Teth remembered the night he had been caught in such a storm. He had spent many hours simply praying to whatever gods heard that he could get to ground without killing himself. In the end, he had gotten lucky, with only a sprained hind foot and strained wing muscles. Her sea-green eyes made him remember his mother, the only elder who had not believed he had killed his shoulder friend. He remembered the nights by the shore, alone, yet surrounded by a multitude of sounds and sights from the night creatures. He remembered the only gift his sire had given him: a small, silver, garnet-studded goblet, stolen from the lithi lands on an old raid.

Now would you mind if I bared my soul
And came right out and said you’re beautiful
Cuz there’s something here I can’t explain
I feel I’m diving into driving rain

Despite her startled and fearful expression, Teth couldn’t help but admire her graceful curves. No draka he had had the fortune to meet had ever been so slim, yet so well proportioned. Her rather bunchy greeneye shape, coupled with her long, beautiful neck, and expressive eyes, made Teth catch his breath and not want to release it, for fear it would never return.

“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t see you hiding there,” Teth apologized. She simply looked at him; no, not at him in general, but his white eyes. He took a step towards her, but she backed up hastily, frightened. “I won’t hurt you.”

“I d-don’t k-know t-t-that,” she stuttered, but raised her head in defiance. Teth recalled his mother in that very pose of defiance against the elder council. She looked so beautiful when she was mad. Her chin was up, and she stared straight into his blank white eyes. Her small wings mantled boldly as she tried to keep control of her fear.

“Why would I hurt you?” Tech exclaimed with a surprised laugh at the absurdity of it all.

“You’re a redwing,” she replied instantly, then hesitated. “At least, I think you are.”

Teth sighed. “Yes, that would be what I am.” The greeneye’s neck frill slowly lowered and she tilted her head sideways.

“You don’t sound too thrilled,” she ventured. Teth shifted uneasily, and the greeneye didn’t back away.

“My clan and I had…differences,” the redwing replied carefully. “So, I‘m on my own. As you can see, I’m not just a redwing. I’ve been Changed.”

The greeneye gasped. “Changed?” she whispered, taking a single step closer. Teth shrugged and resettled his wings. As widely known, and at the same time feared, Changing one’s appearance was anathema to the history of the dragon tradition. Not only was it very painful, many of those Changed became entirely different personalities. It was dark arts, the ability to Change oneself or others. She stepped closer until she was almost nose to nose with him.

“But I thought the eyes never changed,” she questioned.

Mentally, Teth cursed himself for that oversight. “I was, ah, born blind,” he answered quickly. “But through the blessings of the gods above, the shaman of our clan was able to give me sight when I was still a hatchling.”

“Oh!”

“I do believe you’ve said that already,” Teth grinned at her. She made a face at him and giggled. The tension evaporated like steam.

You get my senses running wild
I can’t resist your sweet, sweet smile

“So, you from around here? I don’t remember seeing such a pretty snout before, and trust me, I would have remembered eyes that color. My name is Teth, by the way.”

“Fitara,” the greeneye glanced away, her blush darkening her scales below her eyes and down her neck. “My clan just recently traveled from the borderland rain forests. We’re searching for a new home, as our previous forest burned.”

“Ah, newbie,” Teth nodded wisely. Fitara gasped in mock outrage, but spoiled the glare with an infectious laughter, which set Teth off. Finally, when they caught their respective breaths, Teth offered to show her around.

“Would you, really?” she asked surprised.

“Sure, why not?” he responded. “There are many places that aren’t widely known, as well as a lot of interesting things that can be found. And no doubt there are many creatures that aren’t in the borderlands that dwell here. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt by something you didn’t know about until it was too late.”

Throughout the rest of the morning, Teth showed her many of his favorite spots. By midday, he had taken her across almost the entire forest and nearby savanna. Upon realizing she had never had fish, he taught her how to catch the blackfin trout from the river rushing through the trees. After watching her hopelessly, he took pity on her and slapped a trout towards her. Instantly, she pounced on the stunned fish, and triumphantly carried it to shore.

After gorging themselves on the blackfin trout, Teth led her to his secluded lake complete with leaping waterfall. Comfortably dozing on the sun-warmed ledge above the waters, Teth wondered if maybe, just maybe, this was his place in life.

You give me something that I can believe in
I can’t explain the things that I’m feeling

It wasn’t until well into evening that he awoke. Some out-of-place sound had startled him awake and he slowly lifted his head and looked around. Nothing moved out of the ordinary. An inchworm made it a good two feet before Teth moved again. Gently, he woke Fitara from her own nap.

“We should really be going,“ he told her. She gave a deep sigh of regret.

“If we must.” Slowly she sat up and stretched gracefully, while Teth admired her green form. Once standing, she glanced at the setting sun and looked at him. “I was sort of hoping you’d, um, ‘escort’ me home.,” she grinned sheepishly and winked.

“But of course,” Teth replied with a return grin. He walked past her and she reached up and gave him a quick lick on the snout. Startled, he paused and looked at her, but she only winked again. He snorted and continued, leading her through the forest, back to the temporary home she had described. Teth couldn’t help but sneak glances down to her on his right, as they walked through the enveloping canopy of green. The setting sun peeking through the cover above flash against her dark green skin, highlighting her body in a soft halo of greenish gold light. Idly, Teth wondered what she would look like in the full light of the moon.

“Light to thy path,” a tenor voice called out suddenly from the treetops. Teth halted uneasily. The voice was definitely suspicious.

“Wind at thy back,” Fitara called in return. “And you know too well who I am, Ket!”

“Hey! I have to make sure, Tara!” the voice replied and materialized into a large greeneye as the bright emerald drake dropped down in front of Teth. “And who are you, redwing?”

“He’s my friend, Ketarn!” Fitara pushed past Teth and confronted her larger compatriot. “I met him north of here and he showed me around the area for most of the day. His name is Teth Redwing, and he knows where the Greeneyes can stay. He can help us.”

“You shouldn’t have told him, Fitara!” Ket all but shouted at her. “What the elders will say now.”

“He’s my friend, Ketarn! And don’t you say a word against him!” the draka snarled at him defensively, her wings rippling open slightly in anger.

“He doesn’t look like any redwing I’ve seen,” Ket snarled in Teth’s direction. He stamped his front feet agitatedly, making Teth almost expect a challenge.

“Oh! Judge a plant by it’s color, do you?” she replied heatedly. Ket only snarled at the larger redwing and launched himself back into the trees. Leaves and branches rained down on the two for a few seconds, before Fitara turned to Teth. But before she could say a word, a large burkynut dropped down and hit Teth’s head with enough force to knock him to his knees. “Ketarn! That was uncalled for, you big ninny!” An echoing roar was her only answer. Fitara growled at the retreating greeneye, and apologized to Teth for her clanmate’s rudeness. He only smiled sadly at her.

“I’ve gotten used to it.”

Fitara led him onward through the trees. Near the encampment itself, she recognized the claw markings on several of the trees, indicating the edge of camp. Gradually, he began to hear the high-pitched voices of the young draklings, and the softer, deeper resonant tones of the adults. They rounded the large base of a tree and Teth saw the sprawling camp. Gradually, the voices stopped when they caught sight of Teth as the draka led him towards the center elder’s fire. The entire crowd of greeneyes were completely silent by the time Fitara and Teth reached the elder’s meeting fire. A tense silence surrounded Teth and he almost began to fidget. Finally, a graying elder stepped out from the sea of green.

“Why have you brought this stranger into our midst, Fitara Greeneye?” his deep voice reverberated through the silent trees.

“He knows where we can stay,” Fitara replied boldly, head held high as she faced the elder. A collective gasp ran through the watching dragons.

“You are not an elder, Tara,” the greeneye spoke sharply. “You cannot go looking for ‘help.’”

“He knows the surrounding lands!” she replied vehemently. “And I wasn’t ‘looking for help.’”

“Then there is a redwing clan nearby and we cannot stay,” a second elder spoke up behind the first.

“I am alone, good sirs,” Teth rumbled quietly. “My clan is far, far to the north. They will not bother you. The only nearby clans of the Blackclaw clan, and a couple of Blueshadows living in a large lake.”

Fitara glanced back at him in surprise, one eye ridge raised. Teth nodded minutely and the corner of his mouth twitched at her dumbfounded expression. It was the same lake he had shown her at midday.

Again, the sea of dragons gasped, this time in wonder at the possibility of seeing the elusive Blackclaw dragons. Teth’s deep voice sparked a few quickly-hushed giggles from the younger drakas. Not too many second-decade dragons have deep voices. The more experience and knowledge a dragon had, the deeper his/her voice would be. Teth’s voice had been deep enough with the experience and wisdom of drakes twice his age almost since the accident with his clan.

“You’re not a redwing,” the elder behind the first answered. The whispered silenced themselves instantly. “Your very spirit denies your supposed heritage, drake.”

“I was born redwing, and that I shall remain,” Teth replied stoically. “My spirit only reflects an accident which happened a long time ago.”

“Which was..?” the elder asked. Teth then realized that this elder was the shaman of the greeneye clan. Teth sighed, and looked away sadly. The chief looked up at him triumphantly.

“I was…Changed, as a youngling, by an exiled shaman of my clan,” Teth explained, staring intently at his large front feet.

“You didn’t Change yourself?” the chief started to accuse, but Teth saw Fitara step up in front of him out of the corner of his eye.

“He’s a good drake! I’ve talked to him all day. He’s shown me around the nearby lands, and not once have I seen anything to indicate he is other than what he has told me. I believe him when he says it wasn’t his fault!” she turned to the shaman. “Papa! You know better than to judge that harshly!”

Teth’s head snapped up at her identifying of her sire. The shaman caught the movement and glared outright at the young redwing.

“So that’s it, hmm?” the shaman growled slightly. “You enjoyed her company today, did you?”

“Papa!” Fitara tried to interject, but he silenced her with a glance.

“Just remember this, redwing, you have to prove yourself before you can just waltz off with my daughter.”

Teth looked the shaman straight in the eyes and nodded. “I have never felt this way about any other draka, sir,” he spoke with all the conviction he could muster. “Rest assured that I will do anything within my abilities to make myself worthy of her.”

“I’ll help you in that pledge, redwing!” the familiar voice of the greeneye scout rang out from the back of the crowd. Obligingly, the dragons parted to let the greeneye through. Ketarn stalked up to the larger male and threw down a small short staff. The staff was simple in design, with a few deep, yet faded colors inset into the curved grooves and an emerald eye resting deep in the top. “I challenge you to a test of strength, strength of honor, and honor to withstand time.”

Every dragon in the clearing gasped in shock at Ketarn’s announcement. No greeneye could possibly survive a challenge against a redwing. A challenge of time, strength and honor was a fight to the death. Teth was easily a good 150 lbs. heavier than even the largest greeneye, and Ketarn was by no means the largest of his people. Ketarn couldn’t hope to survive an honor duel against Teth.

“You can’t possibly be serious, Ketarn Greeneye,” the shaman looked at the younger drake in surprise.

“I am and I will,” Ketarn responded, his sea-green eyes almost black as he glared hatefully at Teth.

“What do you hope to accomplish, Ketarn?” the chief asked him. Ket only grimaced and stared his challenge at Teth.

“Ket! No! Please consider what you’re doing!” Fitara cried out, jumping between the two drakes. “I don’t want you to die!”

“Have you so little faith in me, Tara?” he spoke to her quietly.

“Ketarn Greeneye, be realistic,” a third greeneye drake, older this time, but not yet an elder, spoke up and pushed his way through the tense crowd. “Don’t delude yourself that you could defeat this redwing. He’s almost twice your size, son. Don’t do this.”

“I am completely serious, and you know I won’t back down, Father,” Ket said scornfully. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Ket, please! Don’t!” Fitara cried. The shaman hushed her gently and she backed away from between the two drakes.

“You have been challenged, redwing,” the chief responded, turning reluctantly towards Teth. “Do you accept his challenge or withdraw?”

Teth didn’t know what to do. His only options were to accept, and only then hear his challenger’s only condition that could end this farce, or withdraw and be disgraced in the eyes of most of this clan. If he didn’t accept, he would never have permission to court Fitara. For a moment, he entertained the possibility of denying the challenge, but as he opened his jaws to do so, he caught sight of Ket’s triumphant look, and snapped his snout shut. Slowly turning to look at a distraught Fitara, he knew his only choice was acceptance. With a heavy sigh, he spoke,

“I accept his challenge and commit myself to whatever outcome may surface.” Fitara gave a small hiccoughing sob and buried her head into her father’s wing shoulder.

“The challenged has accepted,” the chief intoned. With an inaudible sigh, he turned back to Ketarn. “And what is your requirement to deny acceptance?”

“My one demand is that you give up all rights to Fitara Greeneye,” Ket told Teth with barely-concealed glee. Fitara’s head snapped up at her name and gasped in outrage at her friend’s condition. She shot to her feet once more, dived forward and came to a complete stop in front of Ket.

“You little, thieving, backstabbing, son-of-a-lithi! This is because I turned you down a year ago, isn’t it? It’s always something with you, you little toad! Lithspawn! I denied you a year ago because I was hoping you’d grow up. I was waiting for you, you ninny! Now, that will never happen. I’m through waiting for you, Ketarn. I will never become your lifemate because of your jealous obsession. For your information, I happen to like Teth. In a couple of years, that could change. I don’t presume to know the future, like my father. I certainly hope this isn’t because he’s a redwing with violet highlights. Since we first began the teachings, a greeneye learns to not judge one another by looks alone. The things the eyes can see can easily be distorted or even changed completely. They aren’t…”

“Fitara.” Teth spoke quietly, so quiet the shaman standing next to him almost didn’t hear him. Fitara stopped mid-tirade and turned to face him.

“You…Teth, are you going to let him do this to you?” she cried aghast.

“Fitara, are you going to let him win? ” Teth returned. “Either choice, I come out the loser. If I back down now, I’ll lose the possibility of your company. If I don’t, I’ll shame myself by winning an unfair fight. I’m not a killer.”

“No one would blame you, young drake,” the shaman told him with a frown towards Ket. “This wasn’t meant to span the boundaries of the clans.”

“Ah, but I would never forgive myself,” Teth replied with an acknowledged nod to the shaman. “And it’s me I have to live with.”

“Teth, please…” Fitara’s voice was very small and she looked quite fragile, almost defeated.

“I must back down. I cannot—“

“You freak! You don’t deserve her! You’re nothing but a coward!” Ket exploded, shoving past Fitara and stomping up to Teth. He raised up on his haunches and tail, reared back and slashed his left hand talons across Teth’s upper throat before anyone could stop him.

The crowd gasped but Teth managed to jerk backwards with barely enough time to a avoid a decapitating blow. As it was, Teth staggered backward, blood dripping down the ripped flesh of his neck. Instantly, the chief interposed himself between the two drakes with a hissing roar.

“He has denied your challenge! Will you disgrace yourself by continuing this?” he roared at the greeneye. Ket cringed and backed up, lowering his head to the ground in submission. The chief turned towards Teth. “I must apologize for the actions of this immature drake. Perhaps we can start over?”

Teth smiled with a nod and Fitara rushed over to him. Ketarn was escorted out of the clearing. Teth straightened and jumped when Fitara gently licked his bloody wound. She gasped and looked up at him.

“It…it’s healed!” she gasped. The shaman looked up at him in sudden suspicion.

“How’s that possible, young drake?” the shaman spoke quietly. “One cannot be Changed to have the gift of healing.”

Teth started to say something but sighed. Distantly, a screamer bird yowled up in the trees. The silence held for a long time before anyone moved. The greeneye chief stepped forward with narrowed eyes.

“What aren’t you telling us, drake?” he growled.

Teth sighed again as the greeneye clan shifted uneasily. “I have been Changed, but not as you know it.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” a voice called out irritably from the crowd.

“I was Changed, but not by any magi’s intentions. It was…an accident,” Teth replied and looked down at the ground. A horde of ants were using his hand as a small hill to crawl over on the way to their destination. “My full name is Shulteth Redwing, and I…”

“Shulteth! Shulteth is the name of that redwing murderer!” a random voice screamed in terror. “It’s him! It’s him! He’ll kill us all!”

“Shulteth? Your full name is Shulteth?” Fitara whispered as the adults got the frightened greeneye under control. “It’s not true, Teth! Tell me it's not true!”

“I…did not…kill anyone,” the redwing grated out and swallowed heavily.

“Yet someone died,” the chief answered. “Your shoulder-friend, even.”

“It was an accident!” Teth cried, his head snapping up finally. “Neither of us expected to get hurt. We never imagined we’d find something illegal or that dangerous in – his – cave.”

“Who’s cave?” the shaman spoke quietly.

Teth looked away.

“I’ve been trying to put the past behind me,” Teth said sadly. “Yes, he...died. It should have been me. Yes, he was my best friend. If I had been able to do something, I would have. Yes, it’s my fault. It was an accident. I don’t know why he died and I was only Changed. I was framed by the very drake who had the white powder in his cave. He didn’t want me talking, so now I’m dead to my family, to what few friends I had. I couldn’t fight back because of the aftereffects of the drug. I’m dead already! Don’t you understand? Shulteth was an immature, free-fighting drakling. I have known and understand so much more than Shulteth ever could. He’s dead. My friend’s dead, too...He’s…he's...gone …”

By the end, Teth was almost whispering. His shoulders slumped, defeated. He knew they’d never accept him now. But then, no one did but the Blackclaw clan. They, at least, judged someone not on what they’ve done in the past, but what their actions are now. The philosophical dragons of the hidden mountains were the only friends he had made since his exile.

The chief and shaman started stalking towards Teth. The chief hissed, “You are not welcome anymore, murderer.”

Teth backed up, eyes wide. Against one greeneye, it was no contest, but a whole clan? He wouldn’t stand a chance. He sensed those behind him move out of his way, and slowly, agonizingly, he was driven back. Fitara never looked at him once before he was driven out of her sight. The two elders drove him out of the forest completely.

The shaman growled and lunged at Teth. Teth jerked backwards and sideways, making the greeneye dive past, missing him completely. The chief attacked Teth’s wings, and the redwing snapped them back and reared to his haunches and blocked the deadly talons of the other. The shaman scored his side before Teth could dodge again, and aimed for the drake’s neck. Teth blocked that and lashed out with a closed fist at the chief’s chestplate, connecting and knocking the air out of the drake’s lungs. Coughing, he backed up, while the shaman leaped almost straight up, wings flaring and landed squarely on top of Teth, fouling the redwing’s pinions. Frantically, Teth rolled, pinning him underneath him with his weight. The chief snarled and dived into his side, knocking Teth off his back and off the shaman, who hadn’t let go of Teth’s wings. His claws scored the drake’s wings badly, and the redwing staggered back, frantic to leave.

“Coward!” the chief cried. “Kit was right!”

“I. Am. Not,” Teth roared. “A. Coward!” The shaman and chief leaped after him as one. Teth tried and failed to block both, and they scored across his snout, sides and back. Teth twisted and slammed his fist into the chief’s side, knocking him rolling. At the same time, he bodily pulled the shaman off him, grabbed his neck, and pinned him down. The shaman’s tail whipped around and smashed into Teth’s hind leg, which almost collapsed. Teth yowled in pain, and clamped down on the greeneye’s neck. The shaman gasped, and Teth loosened his grip instantly. Teth crouched over the trapped shaman and snarled at the advancing older drake. The chief stopped in surprised when he saw a single, tiny wisp of smoke filter out of Teth’s nostrils and a small glow of heat from the redwing’s mouth.

“F-fire?” he gaped. “But…dragons can’t…”

“I can,” Teth snarled. The shaman managed to twist enough to see what they were talking about and his eyes widened in fear, real fear. Then Teth saw the magi’s expression.

Instantly, Teth backed up, freeing the magi completely. Without a word, the redwing drake turned and limped away.