AoH Karma and Convexity 11

Certo stood outside his family's cave staring into the sun. The rays felt good against his sleek black scales and he took in a deep breath. The rich spring air filled his lungs and he felt the wind surrounding him spiral about his tiny body. He had seen Neros do this many times over with ease but he had much a harder time picking up on the technique. Certo sighed as he opened his eyes, the wind still kicking up leaves in a small whirlwind around his feet. Neros had a gift and a talent for feeling the world around him, so why had the hunting trip gone so wrong for him? It had been three days since the unlucky incident. Certo had done his best to cheer his twin up but had helped very little. Neros was too depressed to listen to him and had secluded himself to their chamber in the network of caverns.
"He just got unlucky." Certo mumbled to himself sadly.
"Hey squirt!" The black dragon snapped out of his trance and the wind disappeared. Certo turned his head to see his big brother, Ebony, walking out of the cave towards him. "It's my turn to take you out today. So let's get going."
"Where are we going?" Certo asked, knowing that his parents had put his big brother up to this.
"I'm going to teach you how to fight." Ebony looked down at his little brother who was one third his height. Ebony had always privately envied Certo. Certo was a much richer black dragon in terms of looks and talents. Ebony's dark scales resembled a dark brown rather than the black-indigo displayed by his younger sibling.  Ebony's eyes, on the other hand, matched perfectly with Certo's, but he secretly longed for the almost iridescent quality of his brother's scales.
"But I already know how to fight." Certo protested. "You and sis taught me that last year."
Ebony leaned his long neck down until his eyes were level with Certo. "You're going to learn about flight combat. You know how to fight your food. But when it comes to other dragons who won't run away at the first sight of you, you'll need to think and act differently. Now let's go!" The irritated tone in his voice almost frightened Certo, but he nodded none the less and followed him to the edge of the ledge just outside their cave.
"Um, Ebony. Can Neros..."
"No!" The black dragon snorted without turning to look at him. Certo's wings and tail drooped sadly. He wished his parents had put Star up to teaching him how to fight; at least then Neros could come along.
Ebony flew out over the valley, just past their family's hunting grounds. Certo followed closely, still saddened at having to leave his brother behind.
Certo was so lost in thought he didn't notice Ebony push farther ahead and stop to hover in place. He drew in a deep breath and roared at Certo. The little dragon squawked in surprise and fluttered his wings frantically trying to stop himself. The reverberating force of Ebony's roar hit Certo head on and sent him spinning out of control. Ebony watched as his little brother started to fall towards the trees below with a patient eye.
At the last moment, Certo blew out a gust of wind, righting himself and turning to glare angrily at his big brother.
"That wasn't fair Ebony!" Certo shouted. "I wasn't ready!"
"That won't matter in a real fight Certo!" Ebony shot back, silencing his little brother's whining. "You opponent doesn't care if you're ready or not! All they care about is winning! And they'll do anything to do that! Do I make myself clear?"
Certo curled his lip and hissed; Ebony smiled. "Good." He tucked his wings and dove for Certo. Certo beat his smaller wings fast and charged his big brother.
Ebony roared, sending out another blast of wind. Certo beat his wigs once, vaulting himself higher into the sky as his brother shot by beneath him. Ebony turned around to see Certo taking in a deep breath. The black dragon rolled away as Certo released a loud, less powerful blast of air. Ebony swiped at Certo with his unusually long claws. Certo weaved out of the way and fired a blast of air in his face before biting down on the same paw.
"Let go, you little cheater!" Ebony snapped and swung at Certo with his free arm. Certo released his grip and kicked his brother in the stomach, propelling himself away from him in time to evade the hit. Ebony glared at his little brother. Certo and Neros were both experts at getting on his nerves and this time was no exception. Certo stuck his tongue out and flew off, enticing Ebony to chase him.
Ebony growled and flew after him. Certo climbed higher and higher, his big brother quickly gaining on him. Certo tucked his wings in and dropped into a somersault, swinging his tail blade. Ebony snarled and fell backwards, swinging his own diamond tail blade to block Certo's strike. Sparks flew as the blades clashed with one another. As Ebony spun upright, Certo landed on his backside and sprang off, letting his claws dig in to his brother's scales. Ebony snarled irritatedly and banked after him. Certo tucked his wings slightly and spiraled towards the ground, an angry Ebony hot on his tail. Certo spiraled around four times before somersaulting off to the side. Ebony continued to fall, unable to stop completely. He turned around as Certo gave a quick flap, shooting straight back up into the air. Ebony roared, sending a gust of wind up to knock the little dragon off balance. Certo rolled away and shot back down towards his brother. Ebony roared again, hoping to catch Certo unable to evade the attack.
Certo heard the wind roar and felt his heart skip a beat. He was going too fast to change direction. The blast struck him head on and Certo cried out in pain. The rush of the wind stung his skin and sent him tumbling out of control. Certo squeezed his eyes shut, not realizing that he was plummeting towards the ground. When the initial sting of his brother's attack faded away he opened his eyes to see the ground rushing up to meet him. The little dragon screamed in surprise and flailed wildly, opening his wings to catch the wind and slow himself down.
The wind caught the grey membrane between his wings. The wind immediately slowed the black dragon but only for a split second. A loud snap suddenly caused a wave of pain to rip through Certo's body as his wings dislocated from their sockets. The black dragon wailed helplessly as he fell from the sky into the forest below.


"Daddy, we're home!" Terra called as she and Amp walked in through the front door of their home; Crona followed after them with Maya trotting playfully in front of Certo.
"Welcome home sweetie," Thundra came out from the back room with Nitrus following behind her. "How were your lessons today?" Terra and Amp both bobbed their heads together before Maya came running up in front of them.
"Mommy! Mommy!" She squealed, bouncing up and down on all fours. "I learned how to use lightning in class today!"
"You did?" Thundra glanced at her mate with an amused smile.
"Yeah, let me show you!" Maya took in a deep breath and Thundra's eyes widened.
"Maya, not in the house!" The dragoness scolded, halting her daughter's preparation. "Come on, you can show me outside." Maya squeaked with delight and ran to her room and waited patiently for her mother to follow.  When they were gone Nitrus looked down at Crona and Certo.
"And how have you two been liking your lessons? Everything going alright?"
"Fine," Crona shrugged. Certo only snorted causing Crona to glare at him. Certo ignored her and walked out to his balcony to be alone. Crona curled her lip slightly and walked off to Terra's room to do some private research. Nitrus watched both of them leave before turning to Amp and Terra.
"How have things been going with them?"
Amp and Terra shot each other a quick glance then shrugged to the ice guardian.
"Things are okay I guess," Amp replied. "They both excel in studies and exercises beyond the rest of us."
"Really," Nitrus's brows jumped. "Both of them?"
"Well," Terra rolled her eyes and breathed through her clenched teeth. "Certo excels in exercises and drills. But he tends to fall pretty short in the studies department... for obvious reasons."
"Oh? Nitrus glanced over at Certo who was laying out on the balcony, staring off into the distance. "What has he been struggling with?"
"Well, he has no trouble memorizing, but he doesn't know how to write the way we do." Terra followed her father's gaze and sighed sadly. Over the past few weeks Certo had struggled relentlessly trying to learn the transitions between the wild dragon marking he was used to and the letters used by this dragon society he had been introduced to. Often times he would get so frustrated she thought he was going to break down or lose it. But each time he reached his breaking point he would take in a deep breath and suddenly be completely calm.
"Master Kia has been making him learn how to read and write in our language. He seems to be taking to it like a fish out of water."
"At least she's not making him learn all about dragon history like we had to when we were younger." Terra rolled her eyes, envisioning Certo having to be bogged down with scrolls and books pertaining to dragon history and the black dragon stressing over every page.
"That is true." Amp nodded. "Though at this point in time I don't think it would do him much good."
"I suggest that you all take care of your studying," Nitrus warned in a steady voice. "Your final exams will be here before you know it. I want you all to be ready for them because once your exams are done, you start instruction under Master Tectonica, and I can tell you now that she is not like any of your instructors before."
Amp's brows jumped. "Is she that tough?" Nitrus nodded and Amp swallowed hard.
Terra smiled lovingly at her father and batted her eyes playfully. "Would you be willing to help us Father Dearest?"
Nitrus only laughed and gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry sweetie. I would but you need to be able to put forth the effort on your own just as I did."
Terra only shrugged. "Well you never know unless you try."
"You'll do fine." Nitrus smiled proudly at the two young dragons. "I have complete faith in you."
Amp and Terra smiled proudly but then Terra's smile faded away. "What about Certo? Does he even have a chance at graduating with us?"
Nitrus's expression darkened. "I don't know," he sighed. "Only time will tell." He looked over at Certo outside on the balcony.
The black dragon had his gaze lifted to the afternoon sky, watching as Maya flew circles around her mother shooting off bolts of lightning. The little dragoness laughed as her mother followed after her in a half-hearted game of tag. When he saw Maya get snatched up in her mother's arms and squeezed close in a nurturing hug, Certo couldn't bear to watch any longer. He shut his eyes tight and clutched at his head as if trying to rid himself of a tormenting pain.
Suddenly a bolt of lightning from Maya struck the wall beside Certo's balcony, jolting him back to reality. The stray bolt only left a small burn on the side of the stone wall but the black dragon was still caught by surprise.
"Maya! Watch what you're doing!" Thundra scolded. "Go apologize to Certo this instant." The little dragon glided down to the railing in front of Certo and looked at him with a hurt expression on her face.
"Sorry, Certo," She murmured, ashamed at being scolded in front of him.
Certo was speechless for a second but then shook his head dismissively.
"It's okay." He muttered and jerked his head back towards her mother. "Keep practicing."
Maya smiled at him before turning back to Thundra overhead. Certo sighed again and looked at the burn in the wall. It was small and he was pretty sure no one would notice it unless they looked exceptionally hard. It was then he noticed Crona on the adjacent balcony looking at the wall as well. She broke her attention and looked at him. She had no initial intention of saying anything to the black dragon but Certo's constant quarrels with her stirred his snarl reflex.
"What are you staring at?" He growled, suddenly feeling more angry than he had ever before with the white dragoness.
Crona was thrown off by the sudden outburst but she hissed back at him none the less. "I can tell you this Darky, it sure as hell isn't you!"
"Good!" Certo snapped. "It's bad enough I have to live with you close to me, not to mention see you every day we go to that stupid academy!"
"Well if you hate it so much then just leave!" Crona shot back, her talons digging into the stone.
"And go where?" Certo demanded the wind suddenly picked up as his temper skyrocketed. "I have no place to go! Don't you think that if I did, that I would?"
"Well why not?" Crona scoffed. "I'm sure you have a family somewhere. A dragon like you, it's pretty clear you aren't very capable of taking care of yourself. So I wouldn't imagine you not having a mommy and daddy to look after you."
Certo's head snapped back as if he had been struck and his mouth fell open. The words he wanted to say raced furiously through his mind as he stared at Crona, petrified between blind rage and fear.
Crona leered at him, waiting for the next attempt of an insult to leave his mouth; but it never came.
Certo grit his teeth and shook his head as he glared at Crona. He was furious. He wanted to go over and tear her to shreds where she stood but an unknown force held him back. The black dragon's body trembled and Crona saw his bad eye spark with crimson energy. The sudden grip of fear took hold of her heart and she felt the wind rush out of her lungs. Certo had gone from looking like a torn up, broken down dragon to a fearsome beast right before her eyes.
"Wh-why can't I move?" She screamed in her mind as she stared into his glowing eye. "He's... going to kill me! Move!"
Just when she was certain Certo was about to lunge for her, the black dragon turned and dove over the railing. Crona suddenly gasped as though she had been holding her breath and looked over her railing after him as he shot down the mountainside towards the forest beyond the city.
The white dragoness clutched at her heart as she regained her breath. The memory of Certo's glowing eye had left a permanent imprint in her mind, leaving her frightened and confused. "What in the ancestor's name was that?" She gasped.


"Crona, it's time to wake up," Terra coaxed the white dragoness awake. Crona groaned but lifted herself up right away to stretch herself out.
"I'm up," Crona yawned and followed Terra out of her room into the main chamber where Thundra was waiting with the young dragon's breakfast. Maya was already finishing a smaller melon, disappointed to not be able to share one of the larger fruits as had become her custom with Certo. "Morning," Crona smiled to Thundra.
"Good morning dearie." Thundra smiled offering Crona her usual pickings of fruits and dried jerky. "Sleep well?"
"As well as could be expected." Crona nodded. The truth was she hadn't slept very comfortably. She had kept seeing the color red in her dreams no matter where she was. She looked out to Certo's balcony to see Amp hop down from the roof.
"We have a problem," he announced darkly. "Certo's not here."
"What?" Terra turned in a mild flurry of ice and snow. "Where is he? Why isn't he here?"
"You're asking the wrong dragon," Amp replied shaking his head.
"I think we should go look for him." Terra swallowed the last of her breakfast and turned towards the front door but Thundra stopped her.
"No," she shook her head. "You all have lessons today. I can inform your father that he's missing and wait for him here should he return. But you four have to get to school."
Terra wanted to protest but Thundra lifted a talon and Terra knew she could no longer press the issue. She hung her head in defeat as Amp led them outside into the streets which were starting to buzz with activity. All around, other dragons were going about their own daily routines; some making repairs to homes, others rigging themselves out to carry food home from the daily hunting parties.
It wasn't until the school courtyard was in view that Terra broke the silence.
"Crona, did something happen between you and Certo?"
Crona's brows jumped, surprised at being addressed about the black dragon. "Nothing other than the usual. Why do you ask?"
Terra's lips scrunched into a frown. "Because I know you two aren't particularly fond of one another. So I thought that you two may have gotten into some sort of argument."
Crona's left brow rose even higher. "What makes you think that I don't like Certo?" She asked skeptically.
"Gee I wonder," Amp rolled his eyes sarcastically. "The dirty looks you give each other whenever you happen to look in the other one's direction. The snide remarks that constantly pass between the two of you over the littlest things. And the fact that you're always commenting on how much of a jerk he is. And that it's only seemed to increase since you two have been in school with us the past few weeks. Should I go on?"
"Okay, okay, okay," Crona finally gave in, groaning irritatedly. "So I don't like Certo. What's the big deal? You don't like Titanus."
"True," Terra nodded once in agreement. "But Titanus is an ass hole. Certo isn't."
Crona squinted at the grey dragoness. "Are we talking about the same Certo? Because if so I think at least one of us needs their eyes checked. Because as far as I see, he's a few pages short of a full book."
"He's a feral dragon. You can't expect him to know about civil life." Maya piped up from out of nowhere. The three older dragons looked down at her in shock at what she had just said.
"Maya, watch your mouth!" Terra snapped, ice jetting from her mouth. "Where did you ever hear such a thing?" She glanced at Amp, who looked just as surprised as she did.
"I've heard Daddy say it before. All the time!" Maya protested, looking like she was about to start crying at being scolded for something she had no idea about. Once again the older dragons found themselves dumbstruck. None of them had expected Nitrus to say such things about Certo; especially Terra and Amp.
"Maya, would you do me a favor?" Amp asked leaning down next to the young dragoness. "Don't talk about Certo like that anymore. We want him to be our friend, not our enemy. Alright?"
"Okay," Maya nodded and gave Amp a lick on the cheek.
"Hey!" Terra snapped angrily, seeing her little sister make a move on her mate. Maya laughed and scampered on ahead of them into the crowded courtyard of the academy. The grey dragoness sighed and gave an upset huff, sending more frost into the morning air.
"It's okay," Amp nuzzled her, trying to keep her from noticing his flushed cheeks. "You know she only does it to get on your nerves."
"Tell me about it," Terra growled, her tail spade twitching in irritation. The three of them started towards the main courtyard when a familiar face emerged from the crowd of dragons. Crona's heart skipped a beat when she saw Certo coming right for them at a hurried pace. He wore the usual stern look on his face and locked his eyes on Crona. The white dragoness stopped in her tracks and froze. She expected at any moment his bad eye would begin to glow again and he'd tear her apart for real this time.
"Certo, were have you been?" Terra gasped running towards him with Amp close behind her.
"Yeah, everyone's been worried about you," Amp added in.
Certo broke his stare from Crona to shoot the couple a quick glance. "Somehow I doubt that." He turned back to Crona. "If you're planning on going to class today I suggest you not go through the front entrance." Crona and Terra both raised a skeptical eye brow at this.
"What's wrong? Why not?" The ice dragoness inquired.
"Titanus," Crona growled and rolled her eyes. Certo nodded and Crona sighed, now that her concern had been realized. "Damn it." She had been trying her best to avoid the blue dragon over the passing weeks, but it had not been easy. Many times she had been forced to resort to her ability to stop time to evade the blue dragon and his gang entirely. However, simply avoiding the bully was proving to be tougher than she had hoped. Over the past week, Titanus had been sending his goons out ahead to inform him of where the white dragoness was and would then try and get the drop on her during her daily breaks or after classes were released for the afternoon. Each time Crona had barely managed to evade them but she was starting to grow tired of Titanus's attempts at getting close to her.
Certo turned to Amp and Terra. "You two had best go on ahead. We'll see you inside."
"Are you sure?" Amp asked. "Is it really a smart idea to leave yourselves exposed if you go alone?"
"Yes," Crona nodded, surprising the couple, seeing that she was agreeing with Certo's suggestion. "Titanus wants me obviously. I don't think he'll go after you two just to get to me." Then she had to pause to think about that last comment.
"You may want to rethink that last part," Certo disagreed. "I don't know him well but I know him enough to guess that he would use any means necessary to get to you." He turned back to Amp and Terra. "I would suggest you avoid a direct entrance yourselves and keep an eye on Maya," he looked Terra in the eye. "I don't want her getting hurt because of that loser."
"You have a point there." Amp nodded. "Titanus most likely would if he got desperate enough."
"That's very kind of you, Certo." Terra smiled gently at him. Certo only blinked once and remained silent.
Amp led Terra around the perimeter of the courtyard around the south side of the academy while Certo led Crona around the north end. As they made their way along the edge of the crowd of students, Terra found herself musing on a little fact.
"You know, I never thought I'd live to see the day when Certo did something remotely nice to Crona."
"Tell me again why you're doing this for me?" Crona demanded as she and Certo crept around in the shadow of the main tower. Certo remained silent and continued to dart from one pillar to the next, making sure none of Titanus's hoodlums were around before moving on. "Hello, Certo. Is anyone home inside that head of yours?" When Certo ignored her further, Crona began to grow irritated. She froze time and jumped in front of Certo before releasing her hold on it. The black dragon's eyes widened as he came to a sudden halt, seeing the white dragoness suddenly appear in front of him. "Listen buddy, you had better answer me! If not then I'll leave you and to hell with my chances with that jack-ass Titanus. If you're leading me on or planning to pull any sort of stunt I promise you that it will be the last thing you ever think about doing!"
Certo shook off his initial surprise and thrust his face towards Crona's until their noses were almost touching. "Do not associate me with trash like Titanus!" He snarled. "It just so happens that I hate him a little more than I hate you. So count yourself lucky for that."
Crona was surprised by the black dragon's response but lifted a brow and cracked a smart-alecky smirk. "So you're saying that you're willing to be remotely civil, just to make sure that jerk is denied any chance to be around me? That's sweet of you, Darky."
Certo narrowed his eyes at her and the growl in his throat grew louder. "Shut it!" He snapped and shoved past Crona. The dragoness ignored the contact and continued to smile to herself, relishing in Certo's embarrassment. She followed after him as he neared the back entrance of the main tower of the academy. As the two dragons slipped down the halls to their classroom, neither noticed a pair of blue eyes from around the corner behind them. The dark grey dragon narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly to himself as he watched them sneak into their classroom.

The day's lunch break rolled around, finally giving the young dragons the breath of fresh air they needed. Amp, Terra and Crona had spent most of their morning lesson glancing around nervously about the fields, half expecting Titanus to show up or spot one of his goons spying on them.
"What should we do now?" Terra asked as the four dragons broke off from the rest of their classmates. Several of the other students had warmed up to Crona and in some cases even tried getting acquainted with Certo; but the black dragon refused the company and avoided the other dragons whenever possible.
"We could always go to our secret spot like we used to," Amp suggested with a shrug
"Amp!" Terra scolded sharply.
"What?" Amp whimpered defensively. Crona and Certo glanced between the two of them with confused expressions. Amp finally realized what his dragoness was saying and he snickered. "No! Not like that Terra! Not that secret place. I meant the other one where we used to sit together when we were younger."
"Oh," Terra suddenly blushed sheepishly and had to hide her face under her wing until she could settle the rapid beating of her heart. Amp snickered and gave her a peck on the side of her neck with his lips causing Terra to jerk and squeal loudly. She swatted him once before he stopped tickling her. "So are we in favor of the secret spot?" Amp asked, rubbing the bump on his head.
"Sounds fine to me," Crona nodded. "As long as I don't have to see that pompous prick Titanus."
"Certo, will you be joining us today?" Terra asked sincerely, turning to the black dragon. He had not joined them once in all the time he had been at the academy.
Certo only gave his usual response as he looked at Crona. "I'd rather eat alone."
Crona glared at him. "I guess you can only be civil once every year huh?"
"Bite me." Certo gave a quick snap and turned to walk away.
"In your dreams you schmuck." Crona curled her lip and made a disgusted look like she'd eaten something foul. "Besides, I don't eat junk food."
As Certo was walking away he gave his tail a hard swing, sending a gust of wind directly at Crona. The white dragoness shut her eyes and shielded herself with her wing as grass, leaves and dirt peppered her skin. She poked her head out and halted time just long enough to run over and slap Certo upside his head again before getting back into place.
The black dragon felt the blow to the back of his head and staggered forward. He whirled around to see Crona pretending to hide behind her wing. Certo growled to himself and turned away in an irritated huff.
"I have to find out how she's doing that," He grumbled to himself. He had suspected Crona had a special ability for a long time but often tried to dismiss the thoughts of her as they only seemed to irritate him further.
Amp and Terra watched Certo take to the air and fly off over the trees and out of sight.
"Have you noticed that he stumbles like that a lot?" Amp asked.
"Yeah," Terra nodded. "Any idea why Crona?" She turned to the white dragoness, who only shrugged.
"Not a clue," She replied nonchalantly.

Certo stood over his fresh kill for the day. He had only managed to hunt down a small deer for his lunch. Normally he would have settled for smaller prey but today he was exceptionally hungry for some reason. As he gorged himself upon the warm flesh his thoughts drifted back to Amp, Terra and Crona. Amp and Terra had both been edgy around him for reasons he did not know but had soon gotten over their initial anxiety rather quickly. For the past month the couple had been nothing but cordial towards him. Yet here he was alone without anyone to have for company.
"Why do I care?" Certo grumbled through a mouthful of meat; the wind rustled through the trees. "I'd rather be alone anyways. I don't need to concern myself with anyone else." His thought process flashed to Crona and he dug his claws into the earth. "And I especially don't need to be thinking about her!" He snarled. He shook his head trying to rid himself of the white dragoness's face but it stuck with him. "Why is it she's always on my tail about every little thing? Doesn't she have better things to do?"
Certo could feel his temper rising and the wind quickly grew from a low whistle to an angry howl. Certo's body temperature began to skyrocket as his memory flashed back to every time Crona had insulted him for no reason.
"But, I did start it some of the time." He suddenly relaxed as he remembered the previous afternoon when he had yelled at her first. "Maybe she hates me because...I..." Certo felt a lump swelling up inside his chest and he hung his head in shame. "Damn it!" He cursed, shaking his head sadly. "Why?"
The silence was then interrupted by a thunderous roar. Certo immediately recognized the deep rumbling tone. He calmly looked up to see Titanus gliding through the air with his gang trailing along behind him.
"Oh, great," Certo grumbled irritatedly. "These idiots."
Titanus opened his jaws wide and spewed a wave of fire across the ground a few yards in front of Certo. The wall of blue fire burned the grass away leaving a black, charred line of ash. The blue dragon banked up and turned towards Certo before landing hard in front of him, shaking the ground. His gang landed in a circle surrounding him and Certo; the black dragon only glanced at them lazily but made no motion to retreat.
"Hey there," Titanus snickered almost evilly. "You're the other new dragon around here aren't you?" Certo only looked at him with a look of disinterest on his face. Titanus continued to grin at him. "What's your name, pal?" Certo continued to remain silent. Titanus's grin faded slightly. "Hello? Anyone home in that head of yours? I asked you a question!"
"You had best cooperate," One of the earth dragons spoke up. "It's not smart not to comply with Titanus."
Slowly Certo turned his head and looked at the earth dragon. The young male earth dragon smirked at him. He was clearly older than Certo and heavier in build but the black dragon's length made him level with the thug. Certo stared at him just long enough for the earth dragon to begin to feel more and more uncomfortable trying to keep up his tough appearance. Certo turned back to his kill and took another mouthful, blatantly ignoring the academy bully towering before him.
Titanus chuckled. "Oh, you're a stubborn one huh? That's what the word around the academy has been." Certo only snorted; he didn't care what anyone thought of him. In his eyes, these dragons were all weaklings; especially in character. "Well if you won't tell me your name then let me get down to business. I know you hang around with that hot little piece of tail, Crona." Certo continued to eat as if he wasn't interested but his gut began to churn sickeningly. "I want you to get her to go out with me as my mate. She's got some fine tail that needs to be broken in and I think I'm the best fitting male to do it. You understand what I'm saying?"
Certo felt his temper coming back. He swallowed another bite before licking his chops clean. Titanus waited patiently as Certo brought his eyes up to meet his bright orange irises. "Well, what do you say?" The fire breather smirked. "I can..."
"Save it!" Certo spat a bone out which bounced off Titanus's thick chest scales. "I'm not interested." Titanus's gang turned to one another, muttering in disbelief. Certo turned to walk away but a heavy bound from Titanus blocked his path. Certo stopped in his tracks as the blue dragon curled his body around him, making a ring of spikes with the horns that lined his massive body.
Titanus glared at Certo but still chuckled in amusement. "I have to say, it's been a while since anyone has had the idea that it was a good idea to ignore me. But maybe I wasn't being clear enough. I want you to get Crona to meet me for..."
Certo turned away from him and quickly ducked under his tail. Titanus snarled and threw himself in front of Certo again, baring his teeth menacingly this time.
"I don't think you seem to get it pal. I am the ultimate here and..."
"And you don't seem to get the fact that Crona has no interest in you whatsoever."
"She'll be interested if I say so!" Titanus growled.
Certo smirked at him. "I doubt she'd ever consider a loser like you for anything beyond a punching bag."
Titanus sighed and settled himself down before looking away at the ring of dragons that surrounded them. Without warning he swung a massive paw intent on catching Certo upside the head. The black dragon had been expecting the swipe and ducked under it, grabbing the remains of the deer carcass in his mouth. As Titanus's swing passed overhead, Certo shoved the carcass to the side where Titanus's paw hit the ground. The blue dragon yelled in surprise as he slipped on the bloody body, stumbling forward and falling hard on the ground. The other dragons gasped in shock. This was the second time they had seen their leader get taken down by a so-called lower level dragon. They moved in to spring onto Certo but the black dragon whirled on them in a heart beat. He hissed and spread his wings wide, his digits trembling with rage. Certo's tail blade slashed the wind and his hiss carried through the trees, amplifying the terrifying sound. The other dragons paused when they saw Titanus open his eyes. Certo turned on him but kept his senses sharp should any of the other dragons make a move.
"You're going to regret that." Titanus moved to rise but stopped when he found Certo's tail blade leveled with his left eye. Certo glared at the hulking dragon and hissed louder.  Titanus snickered. "You wouldn't dare." Certo twitched his tail and inched his blade closer to the dragon's eye. Titanus flinched and shrank back away from it. "Y-you can't do this to me! I can get you banished and that's if you're lucky."
Certo leaned close to the dragon's giant head. "Prove it."
Titanus chuckled almost nervously as Certo withdrew his blade. "I would be more than happy to. I'll make sure you never set foot in another dragon city as long as you live."
"Don't do me any favors," Certo thought to himself but sneered at the dragon regardless. "I'm certain that you'll enjoy making me suffer." He scoffed aloud. "I can only imagine what everyone else will say when they learn that you got out classed by a 'feral dragon'." Certo narrowed his eyes again and his grin spread wider. "That will be absolutely rich to see. No one will ever fear you again."
Titanus gave a startled grunt. "You're bluffing." His heart was beginning to pound in his chest. Certo only gave an amused huff and turned back towards the academy. Seeing him turn his back on him like he was inferior infuriated Titanus. As Certo pushed past a couple of his posse members, the blue dragon roared and breathed a wave of blue fire at him. The other dragons dove out of the way, barely avoiding getting scorched alive. The flames billowed high into the air. Titanus smiled, thinking that he had gotten the final hit on the black dragon.
A sudden gust blew in his face, blowing the embers and ash back at him. The blue dragon cursed and growled as he rubbed his stinging eyes. Certo laughed to himself as he flew away from the group of bruisers.
By now the midday break was nearly over. Certo could see other dragons starting to head back towards the academy as well. He was half tempted to go on a rant about how Titanus had just been shown up again but decided against it. He would let the blue fire breather wallow in his own humiliation.

Crona slipped down the halls of the academy's main tower. She had left early to try and get back into the classroom before anyone else could return for the afternoon's lecture. Crona enjoyed the lectures in the afternoon far more than the morning flight drills. The dragoness was lost in thought about what this day's lecture subject would be and failed to notice a male dragon coming up behind her. It wasn't until he was nearly beside her that Crona turned her head.
"Hey there, beautiful." he smiled, causing Crona to jump in surprise.
"Who are you?" Crona demanded, curling her lip on reflex.
The dragon only continued to smile at her, a longing look in his grey-blue eyes. His scales were dark but were not the rich black that Certo's were, but rather a dark grey. The right side of the dragon was decorated in strange markings that seemed to shine with a sort of bioluminescence. "My name is Nightshade." He bobbed his head slightly. "You're Crona right? The new girl who Titanus seemed to have a spastic break down in front of."
Crona raised a brow. "Oh, is that what everyone says?"
Nightshade shrugged. "Well in a way. That's just how I see it. That guy thinks he can own anyone and anything just because he's the biggest."
"Tell me about it," Crona grumbled.
"I don't think I'd need to." Nightshade pointed out. "From what I understand he's been stalking you around the campus ever since you got here. Is that right?"
Crona narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you know about that?"
The young male smiled. "Well, word travels fast around here. Titanus has his own way of spreading his words but those of us who don't like him have our own little network of voices. I just happened to overhear it from some of my sources."
"Your sources?"
"It's not important." Nightshade shook his head as he continued to stare into Crona's baby blue eyes. "I've wanted to speak to you for a while but I didn't know how to approach you at first. I couldn't even seem to find you half the time."
"That's because I didn't want to be found," Crona thought to herself.
Off to the side, Certo rounded the corner and spotted both dragons talking to each other. He ducked back into hiding only peeking slightly around the corner. Neither had noticed his presence.
"But I wanted to propose to you an idea." Nightshade continued.
"An idea?"
"About how to deal with Titanus."
Crona's brow rose skeptically. "Deal with him? Deal with him as in how?"
"Well he just wants to have you for himself to display his dominance around the academy. He sees you as an example that he can have anyone he wants."
"Do you have a point you're trying to make?" Crona asked impatiently.
"Well," Nightshade's cheeks flushed slightly. "I was wondering if you'd pose as my girlfriend."
"What?" Crona stiffened and her eyes widened.
Nightshade continued to blush. "I was thinking that if you go as my girlfriend you could tell him off and Titanus won't bother you anymore. He doesn't usually force himself upon girls who already have a mate."
"Doesn't usually?" Crona raised a brow, trying to hide the shade of red her cheeks had suddenly become. "Wait, what do you mean mate?"
"Well," Nightshade shrugged again. "We've have to keep up appearances of course. Make it seem like we're going out with each other and then some."
"And then some?" Crona curled her lips slightly.
"It's okay," Nightshade assured her with a waved paw. "I'm experienced so I promise to be gentle when we really do get down to business." He took a couple steps closer to Crona pressing himself up against her breast plate. The white dragoness hissed furiously and jumped backwards.
"Oh, that does it! I am tired of you men acting like horny little scum bags!"
"Hey!" Certo snarled, bursting out of hiding and charging down the hall towards Nightshade. The dark grey dragon jumped in surprise, unaware that he had been under surveillance. Certo sprang into the air ready to slam into Nightshade.
Crona didn't hear Certo's outburst or even notice his charge down the hallway. She froze time and spun around once, swinging her tail as hard as she could. She released her hold just as Certo struck Nightshade in the side. The white dragoness's tail caught the black dragon square in the face and spun him around twice in the air before she kicked one of her hind legs, slamming him hard into the wall. The wind rushed out of Certo and the stone cracked before his body slumped to the floor. Crona stared with wide eyes at him, astonished that her intended target had been missed for perhaps the first time in her life.
"Certo? Where the hell did you come from?" She snapped angrily.
Off to the side, Nightshade stared in stupefied shock at the black dragon then to the enormous impact mark in the stone wall. Crona seemed to remember him and turned a hateful glare on him. Nightshade squeaked in fright and scrambled down the hall to get away from her.
"Good riddance," Crona spat.
"What the hell!" Certo shouted furiously. Crona looked back at him and looked mortified. He was struggling to his feet. Blood dripped from his nostrils and lip and hatred burned in his eyes. "I was going to deal with that bastard myself! Why did you have to hit me instead?"
"I was aiming for him in the first place!" Crona snapped. "But your dark, scaly butt decided to get in the way! So it serves you right!"
"Serves me right?" Certo tried to stand upright but his hind leg gave out on him. "I wouldn't have stepped in if you were just able to take care of yourself with all these jack-asses around here!"
"Oh I see what you're saying," Crona scoffed. "You think that just because I'm a girl I can't handle myself. Well I have news for you Darkness! I can handle myself far better than you ever could! I just don't immediately resort to fighting like you do!"
"Well, excuse me for trying to help!" Certo snarled and his red eye seemed to glow again. Crona noticed the glimmer of light but was too infuriated to care.
"Do me a favor! The next time you decide to help, don't!"
"What is all this noise out here?" Both dragons turned to see Kia duck under the curtain to her lecture room.
"Shit!" Crona cursed to herself. She froze time yet again and walked over to Certo, who remained frozen as well. Crona inspected the damage that had been done to the wall and quickly realized that there was no way the guardian would overlook a hole the size of her own body. Crona tapped her chin, thinking frantically about what she could do and came up with an idea. She closed her eyes and lifted a paw to place it on the damaged stone. All around the academy, magical energy flowed in abundance and began to gather around the white dragoness. Crona focused her attention on the stone as green orbs of energy separated from the blue mist. The orbs were absorbed into the wall and quickly repaired the damage. When she was done, Crona dispersed the remaining energy and released her hold on time.
Kia turned her head to see Certo collapsed upon the floor. "Crona and Certo! What do you two think you're doing causing such a raucous in the halls?" The air guardian stomped over to them and fixed them with an angry stare.
"I was in the middle of being harassed by one of the other students," Crona explained defiantly. "He overstepped his bounds and I was going to teach him a lesson when Certo here stepped in right when I was about to hit the original perp."
Kia narrowed her eyes at Crona then glanced to Certo. "Is that true Certo?"
"Pretty much," the black dragon groaned as he struggled to get to his feet but collapsed again.
"Goodness Crona! You've practically crippled him!" Kia scolded, extending a paw to help support Certo. Once on his feet, Certo glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he saw the wall to be completely fixed. He shot a quick glance back at Crona who curled her lip at him and shook her head slightly so Kia would not notice. "Come! We'll wait for Amp and Terra so you can take him home to rest. You're going to have to watch what you do around here, young dragoness. You can't just go and beat up some boy just because he's being ungentlemanly."
"Quite frankly I'm sick of it!" Crona shot back, surprising the guardian as she followed her into the room. "First Titanus and then this new jerk off Nightshade!" Crona stamped the floor shaking the tower slightly.
Kia stopped and stared down at her. She could see the anger and frustration in Crona's eyes, almost to the point of a break down. The guardian sighed. "I will have a word with Nightshade and his family." She spoke gently. "But I don't know if there's anything that can be done about Titanus."
Crona curled her lip again. "No wonder he runs amuck in this academy. No one cares what he does because he's the headmaster's grandson."
Kia paused to take in the dragoness's words. Crona was a sharp mind; she had learned that very early on. But so many times she seemed far more mature than her appearance suggested. "I will speak with Volcanus on your behalf, Crona. But I can't promise anything will prosper from it."
"I'm not expecting it," Crona shot back. "But be warned, I won't tolerate it anymore."
Kia's lips scrunched into a frown but she nodded anyways. "I understand. Just be careful. I don't want you being expelled for carelessness." Kia helped Certo hobble over to the launch platform and set him down. The black dragon groaned in pain as he fell upon the warm stone. "Wait here, both of you." Kia ordered. She ducked back inside the classroom and drew a curtain across the entrance to the platform. Crona sighed as she sat down beside Certo, who was busy sulking beside her. Crona looked down at him and watched as he wiped the blood off his snout and lip but this did little to stop the bleeding. His black scales were covered in dust and several stone fragments had punctured his skin along his side.
It was then that Crona noticed the scales on Certo's left hind leg. They looked like they had a greyish tint to them and upon closer inspection she realized what it was.
"Certo, is that a burn?" She pointed to his hind leg as he lifted his head to look.
"Huh, guess I got nicked after all," He muttered halfheartedly and turned to lay his head back down on his front paws.
"Nicked? How?"
Certo only snorted. "You wouldn't care."
"To hell I wouldn't!" Crona snapped then lowered her voice to keep from attracting any attention. She could hear the sounds of their classmates returning and taking their seats inside the room. "That's not an injury that would have made just by hitting you. Now where did you get it?"
Certo remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. "Titanus."
"Titanus?" Crona's brows jumped in surprise but then furrowed into a scowl. "You were fighting with him weren't you?"
Certo would have laughed in her face if he had felt better. "I wouldn't call it much of a fight if you ask me."
"That is so typical of you!" Crona rolled her eyes. "You go off and pick a fight with the biggest jack-ass in all of dragon history next to Malefor and then make it sound like it's no big deal!"
"First off," Certo lifted his head to look down at her. "Who is Malefor? And second, Titanus started it."
"Well I'm sure you did little to try and end it," Crona sneered.
"I didn't have to even land one strike on him." Certo leered at her and brought his snout down to hers. "He pretty much made himself look like a clumsy idiot without my help."
"That's beside the point, Certo," Crona shook her head. "What would make you pick a fight with him in the first place? I know you! You're too stupid to turn away from a guy like Titanus, even if it is for your own good!"
"I didn't pick the fight with him!" Certo snarled, actually pressing his nose to Crona's. The white dragoness hissed but Certo didn't care. He was going to get his point across whether she liked it or not. "He wanted me to trick you into meeting him so he could have his 'intimate encounter'. He may have been willing to offer me something in return too."
"Like what?" Crona gasped, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. She was shocked that the brute Titanus was willing to go through such lengths just to get to her.
Certo only rolled his eyes. "How the hell should I know? I don't read minds! I left before he could even finish proposing his idea."
Crona's brows jumped. "What?"
Certo smirked at her, seeing that he had finally gotten through her thick skull.  "You heard me. I said that I wasn't interested in anything he had to say and that there was no way you would ever view him as anything more than a pile of dirt."
"I see," Crona lowered her voice as she looked at the burn again. It was a minor burn but it was clear that it was causing the black dragon some discomfort now; especially after she had hit him for stepping in again to defend her against another school pervert. Her thoughts were interrupted by Amp and Terra emerging from behind the curtain. The two dragons blinked and squinted as they stepped into the sunlight.
Terra looked at Certo and gasped in horror. "Oh, my gosh! Certo! Are you alright?"
"Peachy," Certo grumbled, shooting a glare at Crona. The white dragoness ignored him.
"Wow Crona, remind me not to make you mad." Amp chuckled only to receive a heated look from both Certo and Crona.
"Just help me get this big lug back to your place," Crona grumbled and gave Certo a shove in an attempt to help support him on his feet. The black dragon growled at her but did his best to stand on his own. Amp helped support him on his other side as they made their way to the edge of the platform.
"Can you still fly?" Terra asked worriedly. "Or glide at least?"
Certo stretched and flapped his wings a couple times. They weren't sore yet but he suspected that would change later on. "Well enough. Can we go?"
"Sure," Terra nodded and looked at Amp and Crona, who bobbed their heads. The ice dragoness dove off the platform and spread her wings to catch the breathing of the wind beneath her membranes. Certo dove off before Amp and Crona could get a chance to steady themselves.
"Certo!" Crona shouted after him as he spread his wings and glided after Terra. "That idiot!" The white dragon dove after him with Amp close behind her. Certo caught up to Terra and shot past her. The wind carried him farther and father ahead until he was almost fifty yards ahead of them. The black dragon rode the wind current all the way down the side of the mountain, to Terra's home pavilion before coming to a gentle landing on his balcony. As soon as he set his feet down, his legs buckled and he slammed into the hard stone. Crona, Amp and Terra glided down as he struggled to pick himself up with a greater amount of effort this time.
"What's the matter Certo? Having trouble doing things your own way?" Crona sneered.
"Crona, not now," Terra snapped suddenly, catching the white dragoness off guard. "Amp, help me get him back to the guest room." Crona watched as the couple helped Certo hobble to the back room before following after them. The pavilion was silent. Nitrus was obviously out at the guardian's temple but Thundra was nowhere to be heard. Crona assumed she was out gathering food or hunting for the family.
Once the younger dragons had Certo resting comfortable on the guest bed, Amp turned towards the door. "I'd better go back and get Maya. Can you girls handle things until I get back?"
"We'll be fine." Terra nodded giving him a lick on the cheek. "Hurry home. If you can look for Mom while you're out that would be a great help."
"Can do." Amp winked with a confident nod. He ducked under the curtain and left the girls alone with Certo.
"So what are we going to do?" Crona asked lethargically.
"Clean him up for one," Terra replied, walking over to the water dish in the corner of the room. She pulled it over in front of Certo and pulled his head towards it. "Crona, grab me a cloth there please?" She pointed to a shelf that had been dug into the wall, lined with several sizes of cloth sheets.
"What size?" Crona asked looking around the stockpile.
"A small one will do," Terra replied without looking up. "Now, Certo, I need to submerge your nose, so take in a deep breath." The black dragon glanced up at the grey dragoness before sucking in a deep breath and sticking his snout into the water. Immediately the liquid turned to a rusty red color. Certo felt himself relax as he held his breath, slowly releasing small pumps of air bubbled every ten seconds. Crona brought the cloth over to Terra who wiped Certo's snout with it once he was allowed to lift his face out of the water dish. "There we go. All clean." Terra smiled as she wiped the last of the blood from Certo's muzzle.
Terra went about gathering her mother's medicinal supplies from around the house and setting them up in a pile around Certo's bed. Meanwhile, both Certo and Crona watched her with curious and perplexed stares. It took Terra almost an hour to gather everything she needed. Once she was done she stood before Crona with a sly smile on her face.
"What..." Crona squinted at her, knowing that her friend was up to something.
"Now you get to fix Certo," Terra replied with a mischievous giggle.
"What?" Certo and Crona exclaimed together.
"Why me?" Crona protested.
"Because you're the one who hit him, from what I hear." Terra smirked. "Therefore, he's your mess to clean up."
"But he's the one who butted in when he shouldn't have!"
"Well if you would have just taken care of yourself the first time then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!" Certo shouted.
"I told you that it wasn't your business buddy. So back off!"
"Both of you shut up!" Terra shouted, instantly silencing the quarrelsome couple. "Crona, you have to fix Certo because you put him in this condition. Certo, you have to deal with it because even though you may have had noble intentions you still didn't need to butt into Crona's business. Now both of you pipe down and get to work." With that, Terra turned and waltzed out of the room, leaving Crona and Certo dumbstruck.
After they had gotten over the initial shock of being chewed out by a younger dragoness they looked at one another in disgust. Crona looked around the piles of supplies Terra had gathered.
"This sucks," the white dragoness grumbled. "I have no idea where to start with you. I'm not a healer."
Certo sighed in disgust as well. "Let's just get this over with." He looked towards a large melon Terra has set aside and thrust his head towards it. "There, that one first." Crona looked over at the melon.
"Please don't tell me you're hungry right now."
"No, dipstick! It's for this burn! We need to cut it into slices and set them on my skin. The juice will soak the burned skin and make it peel off easier."
"Ew!" Crona stuck her tongue out in revulsion.
"Just do it!" Certo snapped.
"Fine," Crona grabbed the melon and pulled it over.
"Watch your paws," Certo warned. Crona looked up as the black dragon raised his tail blade and sent it clean through the rind several times, leaving the melon in neat, perfectly fitting slices. Crona found herself slightly impressed by the black dragon's accuracy as she placed the slices on Certo's burned leg. The black dragon hissed in pain.
"How long do I have to hold these here?" Crona asked, feeling just as nauseous as he was.
"As long as it takes to soften the dead skin," Certo replied.
"Great," Crona muttered. She spent the next hour and a half pressing her paws against Certo's leg, praying for the juices to work faster. During that time, Terra would poke her head in to see how her guests were doing. Both Certo and Crona seemed to be deeply tormented by having to endure the other one's company.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Crona, Certo deemed the dead skin soft enough to be removed.
"How do we get it off?" Crona asked as she set the slices of melon in a wooden dish. Certo only raised his tail blade to his hind leg and gently dug in one of the barbs to get underneath the dead skin. Crona's eyes grew wide, "What are you doing?"
"Peeling the dead scales off, genius!"
Crona could only watch as Certo proceeded to slowly scrape away the burned scales on his leg. He had gotten about halfway done when Crona couldn't take the sight any longer. "That does it! This has to end now!" She reached out and took the loose skin in a tight grip between her talons and yanked hard and fast. The remaining dead scales ripped off in one clean motion and Certo's eyes grew wide. The black dragon let loose a roar that shook the pavilion and hurt Crona's ears.
"Crona! Certo! Are you okay!" Terra exclaimed, rushing into the room.
"Yes," Crona sighed, thankful to throw the dead skin out the window.
"No!" Certo snapped. "That hurt! You couldn't just let me do it myself?"
"Not when you're making such a vulgar show of it!" Crona shot back.
"I wasn't making a show! I was taking it slow so I didn't tear off any fresh skin that might be trying to grow!" Off to the side, Terra rolled her eyes and disappeared under the curtain; neither dragon seemed to notice she had left.
"Whatever, let's just finish patching you up." Crona shook her head.
"Fine. The sooner I can get you away from me, the better."
"I think that's the only thing the two of us will ever agree on," Crona pointed out with a slight smirk. Even Certo had to agree as a grin tugged at his cheek.
Crona grabbed a bushel of leaves that she had seen Thundra use to treat Certo's wounds when he had first been found at the Silver River. She used her talons to strips away the thin layer of skin on the leaves before placing them on Certo's leg. She started at his knee and wet the sap slightly to ensure it was not going to lose its tack. Certo watched her with mild disinterest. The dragoness had claimed to not be a healer but here she was acting like she really knew what she was doing.
Certo was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice Crona place the next leaf on his thigh until the pads of her paw hit a sensitive area and he jerked his leg. The jolt caused his foot to hit a pan, splashing water all over the white dragoness.
"What the hell, Certo!" She snapped angrily but was more shocked that she was covered in water.
"You tickled me!" Certo snapped back.
"I did not!" Crona protested. "I was just putting on another leaf, that's it!"
"Well you tickled me still!" Certo pointed out. "Look, we're almost done; let's just get this over with."
"Fine." Crona sighed and wiped her face of the remaining droplets. She reached out with her paws to place the wet leaf on Certo's leg again. Once her paws touched his skin the black dragon jerked his leg again. "Damn it!"
"That was all your fault that time!" Certo snapped defensively.
"Are you really that sensitive?" Crona demanded.
"No!" Certo's bad eye twitched irritatedly. "You tickled me again!"
"I wasn't trying to!" Crona growled. She reached for his leg again and once again Certo's leg kicked as soon as she made contact. "Stop moving!"
"Stop tickling!"
"Damn it Certo! You're going to sit still and let me put these bandages on you if it's the last thing you do! Now hold still!" Crona moved herself closer and pressed firmly on Certo's leg. The black dragon's nerve centers overloaded and he squalled before kicking the white dragoness while trying to scoot away from her. Crona snarled and grabbed another leaf before stepping on Certo's tail to hold him in place. Crona misjudged the black dragon's strength because Certo kicked her paw away making her practically fall on her face.
As the two dragons continued to wrestle against one another, Terra watched from behind the curtain. When she heard the sounds of wings beating against the wind she slunk back out into the main chamber in time to see Amp returned with Maya flying in behind him.
"Hey, how are..." Amp started but Terra silenced him with a hiss and a finger to her lips. "What is it? What's going on?" Amp whispered, lowering his head towards his dragoness's lips. Maya toddled up beside him and stretched her neck as far as she could to listen in.
"I think I understand why Crona treats Certo as harshly as she does." Terra whispered.
"You do?" Amp raised a skeptical brow. His attention was suddenly diverted towards the back room when he heard a loud crash followed by the sound of two dragons snarling at one another. Terra tip-toed down the hall, motioning for Maya and Amp to stay quiet. The three dragons peered into the room from behind the curtain to see Crona straddling Certo, trying to hold his powerful hind legs still while she struggled to apply the last bandage. Both dragons were growling angrily at one another and rolling over one another, trying to gain an upper hand. Amp cringed when the two of them crashed into Terra's remaining stash of supplies she had set aside for them.
Terra backed away from the curtain and led Amp and Maya back to her room where they gathered close together.
"You see what I mean?" She whispered.
"Yeah, if you're trying to convince me that Crona really does dislike Certo."
"No but that's just it." Terra shook her head trying to keep her voice low but get her point across. "It's all a facade."
"You mean she's faking that she hates Certo?" Amp raised surprised brow. "But why would she do that?"
Terra looked back down the hall and cringed at the sound of another loud crash, followed by Certo's cursing.
"I think Crona likes Certo."