Ahoy, and another story to come! Not initially planned, but a surprise one at that. After befriending User PedroSantana762, I offered help in a recent story of his – "A Parallel View" – a side project to his main story set in the Spyro Realm. As his recent work and Beta-Reader to help flesh that story, we diverged a bit when it came to ideas.

Later on, it was an alternate idea of what he had, and he had his own to forge upon commenting on his second chapter. Considering the joke, A Parallel View, how two lines are parallel but not meet, he allowed an interpretation of my own in his original set of characters and area.

Like him, less of an idea how to go on, but I have a distinct concept in mind. Call it a side project, but nothing to span for months and months (like my lemon…). What might be more interesting is the idea of survival and dragons not necessarily under a roof and far from civilization.

THAT wraps that up, credits to PedroSantana762 for the cast and setting. If you like my version, check out his original: ( s/11028389/1/A-Parallel-View).

Disclaimer: violence and blood, suggestive themes, lemon (FAR away), language,

Now I'll shut up, you sit back and enjoy.

Chapter 1: Within the Wild

On one fateful day, things flowed calmly as usual…

A briskly frigid air flowed from the cloudy skies from the ocean. Torches blown off, and a hazy twilight with scattered, fuzzy stars Storms reigned with their clash of waves against the simple, wooden pier's lining, fit for anyone to fish an inch from the sea. One of the beams broke off, collapsing with a crash of both wood and fish to be swallowed by alluring currents.

One door flipped open from a wooden hut, revealing from a flash of lightning away a scaly dragon. The dragon appeared slender on all fours, and gasped in shock to investigate the damage at the edge of the ice. Immediately she dashed with haste to alert the others from their slumber. An indistinct growling came forth grabbing her attention – a large wolf at first. A smirk stretched from her muzzle, until a reddish pattern of paint was evident with line marks across its body. And more came forth, all leashed with a green, electric chain all leading to a stone creature on two legs. Bearing a crossbow for an arm and a curved blade atop a complete arm, it sounded a loud steaming and hissing at the lone dragon and shook the chains to rile the wolves up.

The strings of electricity faded at an instant with each wolf to howl, then pounce at the dragon. A plea of help cried out, followed by shrills of terror echoing to the entire village.

What I was told was not for any dragon to witness at all.

Barrels of fish, herbs, and plants were tossed along to the bloodshed; the younger dragged by their horns and tails with canine teeth latching them, and the older struggling against two or more wolves luring or killing them within their straw bed dens.

The horror, when me and a friend had to depart. And you who we found, left.

"et…up.."

A lone, young crimson dragon curled from his bed, mumbling indistinctly in his sleep. A larger dragon, a teal color with a magenta under scale pattern nudged him harder with her curved horns.

"ol... ime is short… frin, rise!"

His sleepy eyes met the frantic gaze of the older dragon, stirring that peace he once enjoyed. The dragon shook her head, and turned with her tail to him, "On my back! Hurry!"

The dragon tilted his head, but scampered up on her grown spiny back, and clutched to her neck with his forelegs. The dragon slid down the staircase with the child, and burst out the door. The struggle continued with the older dragons to the air blasting fire, ice, and electricity down the bloodbath of neighbors and acquaintances they once knew, sprawled dead and shot with cloudy, purple arrows.

Do not look, it's too… depressing, our child.

Dragons scrambled towards the tundra forest opposite from the carnage and waters to safety with the young on their backs between their wings.

The fire dragon whimpered at the sight with the explosions and crossfire exchanged, as well as the roars and slashes and bites on one another. Shaking her head, she followed suit with the fleeing escapers towards the blanket of tree tops, panting heavily.

Dragons tripped and rolled, swatting claws at flying creatures slashing their claws and latching their fangs on their scales within the darkness. Poison from the every bite caused many to cripple and perish for the wolves to finish. The guardian dragon of the young one spat a dart of frost against the shadow to stun, ducked her head from another swooping shadow, and hopped to the side from another. Her hind paw slipped from the edge of a platform, and tumbled another direction from the group leading lower. Loose branches and stones – as well as sharp bits of ice, pricked her scales as well as the young dragon. The hatchling choked within breaths, crying softly with tears escaping his azure eyes. The adult draped a wing over him.

No more crying, please… Remain strong, no matter what pain and grief ails you.

The dragoness took a few steps with some difficulty, finding a dark cave off the distance with a tiny fire. "We must hide, before it's all over." A friendly dragon was off at the cave, brown with a green under scale pattern, hastily stacking stones to a cave, and molding them in place with a blasts of green breath; judging by her exhaustion, she had worked before the whole killing, and still to now. Noticing the two hurrying towards her, she motioned with her wings inside. "Hurry, before they come!"

Unlike the others, I prepared for what may come, but I have not fathomed Death's robe to eclipse our bright lives like this.

Under their wings and before I knew what I did, our survival was miracle at last, they told me.

A slit of the moonlight exposed a pack of feral wolves from the unfinished cave to block. The two dragonesses, cradling the child, attempted to fire any last of elemental energy, but out came nothing, and they were weak. An uneasy rumbling filled Yolfrin's stomach. One hiccup spewed an odd, smoky scent catching both dragonesses' nostrils. "What in the?..." the earth one asked. The ice dragoness looked down to him, and back out the wolves, and smiled. "Thank the ancestors, it's a miracle…" she muttered, and nudged the red dragon with the back of her forepaw. The young one continued to hiccup, and puffed his cheeks.

A burst of reddish, yellow light illuminated the cave, and bestowed hope.

Looking back, they said it was years ago. Everything pieces back together after rough times. Or at least, a living was pieced together in my life now. Complete and sustainable, but… lacking something I just don't have anymore, nor can exactly reach once again.

An inch or two from the tips of the trees farther away, the sun graced the snow-topped taiga with light. A volcanic red dragon prowled aimlessly through the dusty snow reaching the heel claw of his forepaws. His gaze sunk down to meet the snow, eyeing it carefully once again. His paw flipped to expose his charcoal black paw pads, matching his under scale pattern, and sifted through each claw to return to the ground. It wasn't the first time he had acquainted with the snow, but it felt so… much a part of him, despite his color and spirit.

Shaking the frosty fluff, he extended his foreleg for another step…

"Yeeehh!" he yelped, feeling the other foreleg give way ahead and his chest meeting the edge of the ground. At his sight below he saw ledges of rock which were small, but could be stepped on; had he lost his balance, it might have been . Clawing at the permafrost dirt under his hindpaws to pull back, he gasped and successfully tossed himself back on his side to regain his breath. "Phew… That was far too close, Yolfrin." he told himself, and managed to recover his breath in a mere quarter of a minute and back on all fours.

Shaking his tail, his tail blade to the air resembling a furnace with a pattern of black lines parallel with warm red lines in between each one, he hopped on one of the many tiny protrusions of stone, and a few more down with all his paws close to balance. No more needles of rock were present to hop on below, but dotted to the side of the steep rock for him to follow. The risk to bask at was all invigorating to him, despite the previous brush of death – which surely was not his first. There was no hurry with all the daylight to burn in his mind.

"Oof, ahh." Yolfrin grunted, and hopped on another rock to support him. A faintly moving object came to view, having a funny set of large horns. "Wait, are one of them hunting so soon?" he thought aloud. Flapping his wings, he hopped from the ledge and to flatter ground once again. Running at first to catch up to it, and slowing to prowl at the target of interest. It could very well be snow-blindness. My caretakers and I exist out here with these animals, he thought. The thing hopped about to his direction. Upon closer inspection from afar, it revealed to be a mere deer with horns hardly forking like a normal deer.

"As if there'd be more of my kind far out here. I guess not," he spoke to himself a bit disappointed, "but… an extra lunch doesn't sound too bad." the fire dragon grinned thinking about the fodder. His claws dug against the dry bark of the tree, and scaled it up to the branches. Cracking little by little under his weight, he slipped a better distance to the young deer, lost and scanning for its parents in the bitter wilderness. The prey licked his tongue against his razor fangs and slim muzzle, and awaited the deer wandering unsuspectingly towards him.

Now, go get him, tiger! He thought to himself, and dove from the branch to the baby with foreclaws outstretched, teeth bared, and a frightening hiss to freeze it in fear. The deer complied perfectly, hooves planted with terror. Yolfrin's silver-grey claws swiped; one breathing tenth of a second too late, and more than a deep cut would run on the side of its face, and skipped away. The dragon growled, "Get back here, you wimpy venison!"

Taking flight, the fire dragon flew to the air low to keep a good speed without the frost to slip on by foot. Coming ever so closer, he could taste victory, and finally opened his maw to sink into the young deer's neck. Whipping his head to the side, the target was tossed to the side, and bled profusely. The metallic taste and sight of it was a bit messy for his tastes, and simply made a killing bite to its neck properly. "Technique, Yolfrin. Technique. It should be easy after some more personal meals behind their backs." he thought optimistically of the kill, and was ready to tear away the skin with his claws to roast lightly, and eat – all sounding more delicious with his own kill once in a while. Dragging it to a nearby river, he sunk a claw underneath its pelt, and rested on his belly. There is no way I am feasting on a messy meal, he thought, and began to scrub the blood off its fur between his forepaws.

However, an indistinct noise came from the distance which perked Yolfrin's head to the air. It echoed as quick as it suddenly came, only eliciting a mere glance at his surroundings and a shrug. "Just another animal. Maybe a bear, or something." he surmised, focusing more on his wild catch to prepare his meal. It was his, and no one else to usurp it from him.

However, the growl sounded once again. Followed by the crunching of snow, it drew out ominously ever so closer. The fire dragon blew a gentle fire against the meat of the carcass, thinking to sample just a small portion of it before heading back from where he came from to give back home. A creature came close to view, casting a shadow from behind Yolfrin for him to notice. The instant the eclipse registered in his mind, it was already too late: the creature hissed and lurched its head right at the young dragon.

Yolfrin reacted quickly rolling to the right. The thing managed to latch his teeth on the deer carcass, seeping a sizzling, lime liquid. The image of the attacker made Yolfrin apprehensive, "The heck is that!? And…" he paused, studying its features. "Slender, a little thin, and… forelegs for wings?" he noted from the green attacker slightly larger than him. It turned its head to hiss viciously with the venom from its fangs and on his meat. He gulped, stepping back from it.

"A dragon, out here?!" he attempted to pinpoint, and glanced his surroundings in thought. And not a friendly one at that. All feral, but a vicious, wild wyvern. No pawprints were present to help him track where to go back home, nor could he think straight. Now he was the prey, and his hesitation did cost him: the wyvern pinned him to the ground with its winged forelegs. The green wyvern flapped its wings frantically, and bobbed its head down and up in attempts to bite at Yolfrin. The flame dragon dodged his head multiple times, and managed to swipe his claws at its head several times to draw out some blood. One successful swipe went to its slit pupil eyes, and managed to make it falter back and rub them. The flame dragon huffed with the sudden adrenaline coursing his body, as well as small flares of fire fluttering around him. Manipulating his element to envelop him with small flames, he hurried and bashed the little wyvern with his curved horns ready and pointed. The creature squealed from the impact on its back, and laid motionless a few meters away from the defender.

Yolfrin shook the snow off his back and body, and eyed the creature. He walked closer and closer to it and stood tall. "What is it? It looks like my caretakers, or me. But just more… twisted and bone-chilling…" he thought, seeing it come closer to his view. The curious dragon watched its size and body from head to toe. His head lowered to examine its stone-cold eyes, waving a paw over its face. Neither of the slit pupils followed, but a mere twitch. Nothing?

"Skaaarggh!" the wyvern shrieked, and lurched its head towards Yolfrin. The dragon's heart skipped a beat as it pierced his eardrums, and winced loudly as the snow meet his back. "Dammit! Errgh…" A sizzling came from his foreleg on the fang marks before he knew it. Both eyelids jolted open, followed by hyperventilation as an excruciating burn churned on where the bite latched. The wyvern struggled to get up on its two hind legs, and lowered on all fours hunched to prey on the dragon once more. He was finally vulnerable.

Off the corner behind a tree, a silhouette peeked out, and raised a paw. "Okay… Now!" a young, higher voice called out. A breath of cold, but humid air swept across the floor, hardening the snow-dusted floor to freeze between the dragon and wyvern. The creature slipped off to its side, and suddenly another silhouette hopped from above likely a tree branch. A wispy, green aura filled both its forepaws, drawing strings of vines twining each of its claws. "Eat this, lizard!" Both paws clapped and separated, stretching the vines to slam at the neck of the creature to the ground. The wyvern struggled to escaped with the figure atop it, holding down the vines to cut its oxygen completely. Both the wyvern's eyelids closed, and it lay motionless on the ground. The thing previously behind the wyvern was a figure resembling a dragon, and the silhouette – a bit hesitant to come close as bold as the other – was as fuzzy to Yolfrin's sight.

The larger one, possibly green before him, tsked. "Darn, you've got to be kidding me. It poisoned the food – and I doubt we can eat this thing out of everything." she spoke sternly to the other who made an apologetic growl.

"I-I thought that red one was something to help nourish us a lot, as bulky as he is to the little fodder we were going to take." she tried to reason with the other, and poked her head closer to the flame dragon's face, showing an icy white scale color on her snout and face. The white dragoness reached a paw over to the male, but the older dragon slapped hers lightly with her own.

"It's no use. He – or she's – in shock; look down its foreleg."

The younger dragon stepped close with uncertainty, and gawked in awe. "It's another dragon?! But how, Ivy?"

The other sighed, "I am aware of that, but we have pressing matters, Hailey. It's the wyvern poison, which won't help it nor us one bit."

"I really hope there's something to eat being this famished; the dragon wouldn't mind would it?" The white dragoness pressed her head against his chest, feeling a warmth from his body which did feel enticing. Not to mention the scent from an unfamiliar dragon. "It doesn't seem to be a girl; your scent is far different. And his is, well, more alluring, actually…" Yolfrin slurred from his vision alternating to a blur or double vision of each of them. "Four dragons?"

The larger one shook the smaller dragoness, "Oh, sorry. But something is so enticing of this dragon – and not because we found one here of all places. It just makes me have such questions and, well thoughts, to put it simply. Are there more of him?"

Ivy waved a paw in front of him, and hummed in thought. "Well… I think we've experimented a bit with each other, which is what his scent reminds me of. But save it for later; he needs immediate help." she insisted, and charged her forepaw again with the same aura. A few vines stringed vertical on his body, and she grazed her paw against the red hide and black under scales of Yolfrin's chest. Her muzzle curved a bit; descending lower to his soft and warm underbelly. It was tenderer to touch, especially even lower down his body…

"I-Ivy?"

"Hmmm?"

The frost dragoness nudged her side with her own. "Your knot is… off," she told her. The binding vine wrapped around him, but at one side tied underneath his tail. The bulbous knot ended crudely at his hip. Ivy placed a claw under her chin, and shrugged to pull a vine between her fangs. "Completely intentional, so he doesn't wiggle off where he's going. And to, er, secure him from shifting the poison in his blood?" she tried to explain.

"Riiight… I insist to have more fun with him later. I did find him first, you know." the white dragon spoke with a roll of her eyes.

The earth one shook her head. "Never mind, just load him on me. Hurry; I have not a clue how vulnerable this guy is with venom." the earth dragoness commanded, feeling Yolfrin's weight on her back as Hailey's head pushed him on. She hopped atop the fiery male, and locked her forelegs around him. The earth dragoness galloped at first, and beat her wings to the air, following the river.

Errrggh… Where are they even taking me? My food's down there… he thought with exhaustion, trying to wiggle out a bit. The ice dragoness felt his movement; without much thought, clasped his forepaw tightly. "It's okay, you're in safe paws now." she reassured him.

He mumbled indistinctly, but it wasn't as cold as usual with the two close. Laying his head calmly, he sleepily smiled, "So warm, ahhh…"

Not too bad, eh? In comparison to Pedro, it's fairly similar at the beginning. You'll know when it forks differently. Read and Review, two good things beginning with R. Or flame me – which would be nice in this cold. :P

Next update in who-knows-when, but stay tuned. See ya in the flipside!