Title: Growing Up
Co-authors and/or betas: Cain
Genre/s: Horror, Mystery, Adventure
Summary: Leia from puphood to adulthood, and how she ended up living in the Penn Stable. Why she remains the only riderless dragon in the stable.
Main character/s: Leia.
Pairings:
Rating: PG
Warnings: Read at your own risk.
Word Count: Sorry, I do not count.
No. of Chapters: 15
Complete/WiP: WIP
Concrit: Neutral
Mary-Sue: No.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Booster. I do own Leia.
A/N: In my other story (Lost Friendship), Lukershun was kidnapped by Armeddadon, uniting the different dragon crews to work together against the former leader of Dragon Eyes Crew. I wrote much on Lukershun, but not much on Leia. In this story, it is going to be about Leia. Some questions will be answered. Human speech will be in italics.

Prologue

A male dragon was walking causally, when a loud cry resounded. The dragon paused to listen, and the cry came again, louder this time. He decided to find the source of the cry, and began to search for a way to get closer. The cry was, as the dragon discovered, coming from inside a large structure, and it was making her dragon nervous and anxious.
"Hmm, I must not leave the poor soul behind. It could be hungry or it may need attention from its parents." The dragon was thinking to himself. He found a ledge, and leaped onto it. Looking down, he could see the layout, and he checked the distance. He jumped down, and landed a not-so smooth landing. The cry became louder and desperately. He got up from the ground, and looked around. He could see a large statue face in the distance, and he listened again. Suddenly, the cry stopped coming, and he panic. "Am I too late?" He asked himself, as he ran towards the source of the cry. He was inside the Dragon Eyes Compound, but he does not know this. Concerned for the 'poor soul', he searched the place. Then he found the source. It was an infant dragon, lying on its chest. When he got nearer, the infant crawled to him, and he stroked the pup’s back. He told the pup gently, "Are you hungry? Where are your parents?" The infant was hoarse from crying, and hugged him fiercely. He responded to the infant's hug by hugging it back. "Come on, I must get you some food." He magged the pup gently onto his back.

Far, far from the Dragon Eyes Compound, a pup was sleeping soundly. It was a nest, and the pup was closely watched by its mother. The mother was lying next to the pup, and upon seeing the mate enter, she asked, "Is that a pup? Bring the pup to me at once." The male dragon obeyed the dragoness, who handed the pup a meat fillet.
While the hungry pup was nibbling the fillet, the dragon asked, "Have you though of a name yet? We cannot call the pup Hunger, because other dragons will only laugh and hurt her feelings. Take a good look at the pup. Do you think she reminds you of another dragon? She looks like that Psi-class dragon who joined another dragon with this pup's colour. I managed to get the other dragon's name, before I was chased away by the Prophets. Coershun."
The sleeping pup woke up, and was shocked to find another pup next to it. Its mother said, quietly, "Hush. Do not be afraid. This is your new friend. I have decided to name it Leia. Leia is going to be part of our family. Say hello to Leia, Carrie." As Carrie looked at her mother, Leia had just finished nibbling a corner, and the two pups looked at each other. Leia crawled to the other pup, and squealed a tiny roar, as she reached out for Carrie's claws. Carrie ignored Leia, and said, "Mommy, are you sure it is okay? Am I supposed to be her friend?" Her mother sighed, "Yes, Carrie. She may be able to save you in the future. Now I ask you to protect Leia. Please allow her to be your sister, your friend. There will come a time when daddy and I cannot protect you. If you treat Leia kindly, she will remain at your side." Leia squealed, as she tries to nibble with the other pup's claws. Carrie hesitated for a moment, but she nodded, "Yes, Mommy, Daddy. I will allow her to be my companion."

Thanks for making me co-author.

wow very nice! your story is very intresting and and seem's liek it could turn out very well keep it up !
~Shearkin

I like it!

You are welcome, Cain. To the others, I am glad you are enjoying the story.

Chapter 1

“Seven….eight…..nine…….Ten! Ready or not, here I come!” spoke Leia. She was counting, and after saying ten, she opened her eyes. She scanned the area from left to right, then to left. It was a beautiful day in Mid City, and she was playing a game with her adopted sister, Carrie. The two young pups were playing in a restaurant, with their parents. A dragoness warned, “Leia! Be sure not to trip anyone, like the last time.” Leia nodded, only to hear a squeal of dismay from above her head. She thought, “Whoops! Mommy will scold me again. I had better find Fishy Carrie before Mommy stops me from playing.”
Fleeing from a fallen waiter, Leia ran away from her parents’ table, and squealed, “Fishy, I am going to find you.” This attracted a nearby table of dragons, and one of the dragons laughed at her. “Hey, Pup! You messed up our orders. That human was carrying our food! We have to wait for another fifteen minutes. We are on a tight schedule with our riders. Now that our food is wasted, we have to bear our riders’ angry protest.”
The angry dinner was a hybrid Sky Class/Psi dragon quadruped, with a primary body coloration of royal purple, its underbody, lower jaw, and the insides of the hind legs pale silver, with a smooth, broken line of salmon pink separating the two. The insides of the front legs were white. Its head was smooth, with the upper and lower horn seen in Chute’s dragon. Its muzzle had the rounded, pointy chin seen in Marianis’s dragon, and the regions around its eyes were colored in that robust shocking pink color. The tail was like Coershun’s, with eggplant coloration.
The angry diner’s companions were three Sky-Class dragons, five Psi dragons, and six Pack-Class dragons. Two-year-old Leia stared at the now fuming dragons, before she found herself being magging. She did not know this was magging, and the magging came from a Pack-Class dragon. It was Hyve! The Pack-Class dragoness told the pup, “Pay no attention to my friend here. He is always rough with pups, mainly because he was severely abused at your age. But my friends and I are taking a break from a race. Our riders are dining in another restaurant, allowing us to dine here. If you want to continue playing, do not come inside again. Due to your age, your parents chose a picnic-like-table. That human was carrying my order: dracdogs with lots of dracillie and dracarble cheese. My angry friend loves eating dracizza with spicy dipping sauce. Fishy is hiding behind that tree. I have not seen her kind before. I am rambling again. Run along, and have fun.” She magged Leia down, and the pup fled outside, knocking down a young Magma-Class dragon in the process. Hyve shook her head, and turned to her aggravated companion.
Leia apologized, “Sorry!” before heading to a tree. A voice behind the tree said, “Oh Leia! When will you control your speed? You are still too young, but hey you cheated! You are supposed to look for me without asking anyone. Since this is your first time counting, I will forgive you.” Leia squealed delightfully, as she pounced on Carrie. Carrie responded by flipping her over, until the younger pup was on her back.
Leia replied, “Let me up!” pushing Carrie with her legs. Carrie released Leia, only to be pushed down again. She had a smirk on her face. They rolled around the tree, until she told the younger pup, “Pinned again!” Leia giggled, and the pups heard their mother’s voice, “Leia! Carrie! Come and finish up your fries. It is getting cold. Leia, finish your dracburger!”
Carrie nuzzled Leia, before releasing her. The two pups ran back to their table. Leia’s dracburger was half-finished, with three quarters of fries untouched. Carrie has not finished eating her beef dracizza, with three slices remaining. Their father said, “Leia, you must finish your dracburger. You wanted it medium. Finish your drink too!” Leia obediently ate her food, with her sister eating the dracizza slowly. Peace reigned for ten minutes. As Leia struggled to finish drinking her medium-sized Drac-Cola, she asked the mother, “The purple dragon said it had never seen Carrie’s kind before. What does it mean?” The mother replied, “We are a rare breed of dragons, and there are not many of us left. It seems the humans want to make clothes out of us. But here in Dragon City, the humans ae kinder than outside. You are lucky to be living in Dragon City, Leia. But then again, there are dangers here. You will be kept safe from danger for as long as Daddy and I can. Daddy will scold you, if you do not finish up. He will not bring you here again, if you cannot finish your food. Carrie, that goes for you too.” Carrie nodded, “Yes, Mommy.”
The dragoness watched the pups sternly, and the pups finished eating their food within ten minutes. Her mate nodded, "That will teach you, Leia, not to order medium-sized burger. See, you are very full. Remember, you are only two years old. You should not eat too much. I will not bring you here again, if you cannot control your speed. Do you hear me, Leia?" Leia replied, "Yes, Daddy." The dragones grinned, "Bail, I am sure Leia will remember your advice. Come, let's go home."

A few elements from the Lion King. Where is the restaurant? There are so many different dragons, so it seems right to describe one dragon.

Yes, it is from the Lion King. The restaurant is located in Mid-City, and it is formal. It is a favourite among dragon families.

Chapter 2

A Psi dragon told Leia and Carrie, “Do you mind telling me why you two are here again? I do not like any pup to trip humans, especially those who worked here. My rider scolded me for being late, and she has a temper. I ate half of my Draceak, before she furiously came in here and dragged me away. She scolded me in front of all the other dragons.”
Hearing this, Breha replied, “I am sorry about my younger daughter. She is still too young, but I am training her to be careful. My daughters loved to eat in this restaurant.” Bail shook his head, and said, “Leia, do not run inside the restaurant again. Do you hear me? Leia, apologize to the dragon. I know you cannot keep your promise, but you must not play inside again.”
Leia squealed her apology, and looked up at her father. Bail nodded, and mentally asked a waiter to take his family to the usual spot. The waiter obeyed, with Carrie trailing her mother. Leia looked at the Psi dragon, and she quivered fearfully. The Psi dragon had companions again, but this time, there was no scar-eyed Pack dragoness. Instead, there were five Prophets, three Packs, seven Psi, seven Sky dragons, three Magma dragons, five Nautilus dragons, and two Energy dragons. All the dragons were eating, Leia noticed happily. She was curious, and asked her father, “Father, has it always been this way? Are all the dragons friendly like these dragons?”
One of the Magma dragons stopped eating, and looked down at the pup. He replied, “No, Leia. It has not always been this way. The dragons usually keep to their own kind, because they have their own human crew. As my Psi companion has told you, she has a rider. Her rider is part of the Dragon Eyes Crew, and the Dragon Eyes Crew usually rides Psi dragons, such as my friend here. I am not part of the Dragon Flares Crew. Not all dragons are friendly like us. There are some who are mean. Example, the Sky-Class hybrid who was dining in your last visit. The Orange Prophets belong to the Prophets Crew. The purple Pack belong to Army of the Dragon Crew. Remember that friendly dragon, who scolded the hybrid dragon? She is part of the Army of the Dragon Crew. Sky-Class dragons belong to the Dragon Winds Crew. Magma-Class dragons such as myself belong to the Dragon Flares Crew. Nautilus dragons belong to the Dragon Fish Crew. Lastly, the Energy-Class dragons belong to the Inner Order Crew. You must be hungry now. If you wish to know more, ask your parents. Do not trip any humans now!”

Outside, Carrie was trying to catch a butterfly. She was going to have beef dracizza. Her mother was going to have dracdogs with lots of dracarble cheese. The same waiter who had taken them to the usual spot turned around, to see Leia and her father coming out. Leia requested for pup-sized dracrimp with BBQ dipping sauce, and her father agreed with her selection. Her father ordered dracaguna with extra cheese.
“Thank you, Sir Dragon. Let me repeat your order. Pup-sized beef dracizza, dracdogs with lots of dracarble cheese, pup-sized dracrimp with BBQ dipping sauce, and dracaguna with extra cheese. Am I right?” Bail nodded, and the waiter left the family. Carrie paused in her catch, and asked, “What was that about, Daddy? I remembered seeing Leia tripping the waiter.” Her daddy told her to come closer, and she obeyed. Her told her, “Leia spilled some food, the last time we were here. The food was being served to some dragons, but Leia had angered them. So Mommy had to say she was sorry. I warned Leia to play outside with you. Leia, you must play among the butterflies. Do not play hide and seek, when you are here.” Leia nodded, and before she knew it, she was pounced on. Carrie giggled, “Pinned you!” Leia laughed, “Yes, you have pinned me again, Fishy Carrie. You are as slippery as the Nautilus dragons. Do you know how long it has been since our last visit?” Carrie got off, and replied, “It has been two months since our last visit. It appears that dragon remembers seeing you. Last time, you were told about my hiding place.” Leia pounced on her, and they rolled away from the table. Fortunately, the table was located near a tree. As a result, they bumped hard against the tree until the leaves fell on them. Leia was hit harder than Carrie, even though they bumped at the same speed. Leia squealed, and Carrie nuzzled her. Their mother magged them away from the tree, and towards her.
Leia asked, “Why is Carrie ok? Why am I not ok?” Her mother gently stroked her back, and head. Leia yelped, when her mother touched her back.
“I hope the pups are not too hurt, in their rough play. Are they all right? But it seems the light-coloured pup is not.” A dragoness asked Breha. It was a Sky-Class dragon, with a dark finned tail. She was feeding a Sky-Class dragon with a yellow-finned tail. Her mate came over to Leia’s family, and said, “Listen, Pup. You are a dragon. You will be all right, once you get some rest. Isn’t that right, Athena?” The dragoness nodded, “Yes, Triton. That is correct. Raising two pups is a small problem. But raising seven pups is a huge problem! Especially our youngest daughter! You know how headstrong she can be! She takes after you.”
Breha noticed a pink-finned tail dragon running to Carrie, who hid behind her father. This dragon said, “Hi, my name is Alana. What is yours?” Bail urged Carrie to greet the other pup, and Carrie giggled, “I am Carrie, although my sister sometimes calls me Fishy Carrie or Carrie the Fisher. I am sometimes called Fishy or the Fisher because I used to find fish bones for her to play with. That is my sister, Leia.” The Sky-Class dragon pups came over to see Carrie and Leia, except for the pup who was eating. Leia struggled to free herself, but Breha held her tightly, “No, Leia. Not today. You are hurt, and I must treat you.”

“Hi. I am Aquata. These are my sisters. Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, Alana, and Ariel. Alana is with our mother.” At the other table, Alana was struggling to free herself. But like Breha, the dragoness had a tight grip on her.
Breha told the other dragoness, “Yes, my daughters will be all right. Thank you. Yes, my younger daughter has scales like most of the dragons. She will be fine, when we take her home. Ahh, the food has arrived. Please excuse me.”
Soon the food Leia’s family had ordered has arrived. The Sky-Class dragon called his daughters back, and Carrie called out, “I would like to see you again. Do you come here often?” The orange finned tail pup replied, “No. This is our second visit.”

Cameo appearances from nine of my other dragons. The Sky-Class dragon pups are five years old. However, this is Leia's story. Leia is still two years old.

Cameo appearances from the Penn Stable. Interesting. At the restaurant again? Formal restaurant? Interesting.

It is going to be a long chapter.

Chapter 3
Leia giggled, “Carrie, you always pinned me. Why can’t we play other games? Do you feel playing ball?” She was lying on her back, with Carrie pushing her down. They were playing around their home. It had rained heavily during the night, and it continued for half the morning. The pups had woken up to a clammy morning, feeling a bit chilly.

Bail had hunted five Drag Crows for breakfast, but before he could bring it back to his family, he was attacked by three Wraith Dragons. He fought back, and bit one of the Wraith Dragons.

In the citadel, Word was watching the monitors with his son. The white-haired teenager was sitting next to Decepshun, who was still drowsy. He petted her neck, and she peeked at him with her left eye. Moordryd said, “What is it, Father? I would do anything to please you. But today is not a good day. Decepshun complained bitterly, when I woke her up. We may have trained in the Academy together, but she is still tired. Last night, why did you send me to Old City to steal more dragons for you?” The dark purple dragoness put her head into his hands, and he petted her head, in the area where the Vysox bonemark was located. He waited patiently for his father to respond, as he knew his father can be harsh at times. The previous night he had stolen nine Magma-Class dragons, eleven Pack-Class dragons, seven Sky-Class dragons, and six Energy-Class dragons. It was hammering hard on the Dragon Eyes Crew.
“This dragon had always escaped my Wraith Dragons, and he often disabled the Wraith Gear. I have been trying to find out where he lives, so that I can kill his family. I want to find and capture his daughter, so that I will have no need for Connor’s dragon. But they had always escaped from me. They always free my dragons, and that’s why I needed more dragons. I must find a way to ambush them once and for all. I must send out the full force, except the recruits. I have upgraded my gear, so that they can receive their orders directly, and I will be using the gear very soon. I wanted to tell you about my new and improved Wraith Gears. It has taken me three years to add more dragons into my Wraith Dragon Team. Now they should be no escape from my team. Get some rest, Moordryd. I am in a good mood today. However, you must obey the summons. Do you hear me?” The teenager nodded, and gently woke his drowsy dragon. Decepshun unsteadily got up, and he led her out of the citadel. Once outside, he mounted her, and she padded away. She was as drained as in the past (The Choosing Part 2).

Carrie replied, “I am older than you, Leia. I am stronger and faster than you. That’s why you are always pinned down. If you are faster, you can win. But I always win. Breakfast was messy, wasn’t it? Daddy did not say why we had to share the food. No, I do not feel like playing ball today. Can you tell that pinning you is my favourite game?” Leia replied, “Mommy said that Daddy was attacked, and could only bring back three Drag Crows. What are these Wraith Dragons? Why is he always attacked? I am hungry, Carrie. Let’s go for an early lunch. Breakfast was not enough for us. Mommy, I would like to go to the restaurant again. It has been three years since we saw that Sky-Class dragon, even though we have been going there regularly for the past three years.”
Breha was busy nursing her injured mate, and she replied, “You want your pork Dracburger again, Leia? Bail, are you sure you are okay? They did not harm you too deeply, I hope.” Bail groaned, as he got up, and she supported him. Carrie and Leia ran to them. Carrie said, “Daddy!”

"Carrie, what are those things? They are scary! What should we do?" Leia asked. She has gotten older. She was with her adopted family, and they were taking her to her favourite restaurant. City. Her adopted father hissed, "Wraith Dragons! They are not to be trusted! They are controlled by humans. Run, Leia, Carrie! We will fight off these Wraith Dragons." Her adopted mother pushed the two pups to the back. Carrie resisted, but Leia stopped her, "You heard your father. Let's run! It is not safe."
"B....b..but....I want to be with Mommy and Daddy!" stammered Carrie. She tried to push past Leia, but the younger pup pushed harder against her. The older pup nearly tripped, but she managed to regain her footing. Leia's persistance paid off, and the two pups started running away. But a few Wraith Dragons managed to get past the two adult dragons, who were putting up a good fight, yet losing the battle.
The two pups stopped running, when they noticed a can and a bunch of rubbish. They turned around to face the few Wraith Dragons, and Leia roared, "You want this dragon? You will have to pass through me!"
In the Citidel, Word was watching the monitors. He was beaming, "What is this? Why is that black dragon protecting that dragon? Why does the black dragon look like a Dragon Eyes Crew dragon? Why does the black dragon look like Coershun? Does this mean Coershun has another offspring. I have to capture her too, if I am going to use the DNA. No matter! I can dispose of the young black dragon. Wraith Dragons! Attack the two pups! I am on my way." He took a trapping gear, and left his citidel.

The Wraith Dragon roared, as they received their latest instructions. Leia roared back. Carrie crouched behind her, watching the Wraith Dragons. Suddenly, one of the Wraith Dragons lunged at them, and Leia leaped onto its throat. It roared, as the pup's small fangs punctured the throat. Another Wraith Dragon picked Leia, but the younger pup fought to pierce the other Wraith Dragon's throat. Despite its injury, the second Wraith managed to toss her away. Carrie cried, "No! Leia! No!" She watched in horror, as Leia was flung high. The dragon who had tossed Leia leaped, and kicked her away.

Leia landed hard on her side, dazed. She focused her sight, and she saw another dragon pup, a black dragon pup. She squealed, "Save her! She means everything to me. I will be all right. I tried to protect her, but I failed. Please look after her for me. She is very pleasant."
The other pup asked, “Are you all right? You looked so badly injured.” He helped her to her paws, and supported her until she was able to stand up on her own. She replied, “Yes, I will be all right. I have been bruised many times, but this is worse than playing. Thank you for helping me up. What is your name? I would like to remember the one who helped me.”
The other pup merely stared at her, and said, “You look like me, except you have different colorings. Why do you look like Dad? As for my name, you can call me Blackie.”
Leia looked blank. After a moment, she replied, “My daddy does not look like you. Where is your dad? Who is your dad?” Blackie turned around, and asked, “Did you say you want me to save her? Who is she? No matter, I will go and rescue her. As for my dad, I cannot tell you. He and Mom abandoned me. But I have Daddy, and he has been good to me. Bye!” Leia watched Blackie leave her, and she too left.

That is sad.

Read on to learn more about Leia's past. Yes, it is sad.

Chapter 4

“Run, Leia, Carrie! We will fight off these Wraith Dragons." Bail commanded the two hatchlings. He roared in defiance at the Wraith Dragons in front of him and his mate. He and his mate brought down three Wraith Dragons before the pack overwhelmed them. Leia shoved Carrie away, and even pinned her. “I am going! I am going!” Carrie whined. They glanced at their parents, but they could not see them. Leia screamed, “Mommy! Daddy!”

“Mommy Daddy! Nooooooo!” roared Leia. She woke with a start, and called out, “Carrie, are you there?” Time passed at a snail's pace, and as the seconds turned to minutes, Leia realized with a start that she was alone. She started to whimper, and within a few moments, there was a thundering sound. Rain followed closely, and Leia whimpered louder. She was lying on her chest in an alley, somewhere in Mid City. The rain was light, at first, but it soon hammered into the pup. The pup had barely escaped from a stray Wraith Dragon, and the Wraith Dragon had tossed her.
“What do you want, human?”

“What do you want, human?” A monitor revealed in the Citadel. Word was just leaving, when he looked again at the monitor. It was showing the Psi pup again, but this time the pup was alone. Word sneered, “What do I want, pup? You are to be made into a Wraith Dragon, of course! I want a small army of Wraith Dragon pups, so that I can strike fear into the dragons. Dragons will come to realize that no dragon is safe from me, Word Paynn.” He forced himself to leave.

Leia leaped onto her attacker, and clawed brutally, with her little claws. She managed to find the Wraith Gear, and grasped it off. Her attacker roared loudly, and she leaped away from it, watching it. What happens next, she would never be able to understand? The Wraith Dragon slowly changed into a Magma-Class dragon. Leia yelped, as she fled.
The Magma-Class Dragon’s head shape is same as Wyldfyr, without the frills, and its head coloration is Coral-Red, with a tinge of Sky-Blue mixed with Sea-Green. Its neck was wine-red. Its back is Royal-Blue, and its chest’s coloration was same as Wyldfyr’s back. It had amber claws, and its eyes were light red. The coloration in its hind legs was crimson. Its tail is same as Pyrrah’s dragon.
Far away, Leia watched the dragon, as it roared. Leia fled from the scene, as she was frightened. Running as far away as she can, Leia suddenly remembered what her sister taught her. She remembered Carrie telling her that she is too fast for a pup. Remembering this, Leia ran faster.

Leia found herself near some tents, and she sniffed the air. The scent carried a mixture of humans and dragons. She sniffed harder, and her small ears picked up voices. She noticed five dragons, and two of the dragons coming her way. One was Pack-Class, and the other was Sky-Class. The second dragon was white, with a human on the saddle. With the memory of the attack still fresh in her mind, she was shocked to see a human.

A voice was saying, “Chute is here. I wonder if she is coming to give me tips. What do you think, Parm?” It was a slightly deeper voice. Another voice said, “Lance, I am not so sure about that. Perhaps Moordryd is up to no good, and has sent Cain to plant something on the race track.” A third voice, a female voice, said, “Do not forget, Parm. Moordryd had recruited a few new members, and while we do not see Decepshun as often as before, it does not mean Dragon Eyes Crew members are not racing. Moordryd’s crew is still racing, but it is not Decepshun and Coershun. It is Lukershun, who is racing. Before you jump to conclusions, Professor, let’s hear what Chute has got to say.”

Leia heard growling behind her, and she leaped onto the intruder, with her claws extended. She started clawing, and suddenly found herself ascending. She roared loudly, as she glanced at the intruder.

A red and blue dragon stood below her. This dragon said, “Hello, young one. What are you doing here? I though Psi dragons should be with the Dragon Eyes Dragon Crew. Why are you attacking me? Wyldfyr, you can put the pup down now.” She glanced at the second dragon, and she snarled. A pup appeared, and rubbed against the red and blue dragon’s leg. It received a cuddle in return. The dark red dragon slowly put Leia down, and stopped the mag flow. Instead of running away, Leia watched the pup whose body coloration was lavender. The pup asked, “Why did you attack my father?” Leia replied, “I do not like anybody to sneak up on me. I was attacked by Wraith Dragons, which were controlled by humans.”
Another pup appeared, and asked, “Father, if we are naughty, will the Wraith Dragons catch us? Goliath, who is this pup? Where are the parents?” The first pup faced Leia, and asked, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Leia whimpered, “My.......my……name……is……Leia. My parents are dead, murdered by Wraith Dragons. I have lost my parents and my sister. I will not see them again. I ran away from the Wraith Dragon, and I found myself here. Who is Lance, Parm, and Chute?”

The adult dragon replied, “Do not be afraid, Leia. We will not harm you. I am sorry to hear about your parents and sister. Lance is my rider’s younger brother, and Parm is my rider’s good friend. Chute is a student from the Academy. This is my friend, Wyldfyr, and my children, Goliath, and Othello. We lived in the Penn Stable, which is managed by humans. Your Wraith Dragons must have been biped, to have you roaring loudly at my friend. Anyway, you look hungry. Would you like some food?” Leia nodded, and the lavender pup asked the adult dragon, “Father, I want to eat dracsushi with a plate of dracanch salad. Othello, are you hungry? Do you want to eat dracaguna with extra cheese?”

“Beau, are you behind the tent again? Come on, you should be helping Fracshun. Cyrano is doing all he can. Desdemona and Lago are helping him to be comfortable.” A voice called out.
Beau sighed, “That was my rider, and he is nervous today, despite studyin at the Academy for two years. Today, his younger brother is going for his first race. This was the race which I lost, after being drained of my energy. My rider is worried for his brother. Come inside, Goliath, Othello. Leia, it has been nice knowing you. Maybe we can meet each other again, someday. See you.” Goliath and Othello asked Leia, “Do you feel like playing with us? Uncle Fracshun cannot play with us today. We cannot go and have our lunch. Scales! We cannot go to our favourite restaurant.”
Leia warmed up to the two pups, and with Wyldfyr watching, the three pups started to wrestle one another. Leia pinned Goliath, and the lavender pup was surprised to find himself on his back. Othello squealed, “Goliath, push her. “ His brother obeyed him, and Leia found herself being shoved away. She yelped as Othello bit her tail, and she pinned him down. Goliath bit her tail, and she got up. She told the pups, “Ouch! That hurts!” Othello apologized, “I am sorry, Leia. That is how my brothers and sister play with one another. We have a ball at home, but we left it at home. Father did not want us to get hurt on the race track. He says other dragons might squash us, if we get into their way. That’s why Goliath and I are wrestling each other. Desdemona is our sister, and Lago is our younger brother. What is the game you were playing at?”

Leia explained to her new friends that she had been pinned since she could crawl. Her sister had played this game with her for the past five years. She pinned Othello again, and told him, “Push me off, and do exactly as I had shown you.” Othello pushed her off, and leaped towards her, making her land on her back. She nodded, “Yes, Othello. That is my favourite game. Goliath, try it.” The adult dragon shook his head, “How nice to have pups around. It will be nice if I can be a pup again. But I have been running for as long as I can remember, running back towards Squire’s End after racing.”


Beau came out to check on his children, and Wyldfyr cautioned him, “The three pups are enjoying themselves. Leia has been described exactly as the missing pup. Surely by now, Lance is ready for his first race. Bring Desdemona and Lago out. I am sure they want to join in the fun. Leia has introduced a new game, and they are having a lot of fun.” He nodded, and returned to the tent, to hear the humans talking. Chute was advising Lance, who had grown taller. The dragon found his children lying next to Fracshun, and the blue dragon screeched. Beau said, “Desdemona, Lago, I am sorry I made you stay inside. You can come out. Goliath and Othello are playing a new game. We have a new friend.”
Fracshun nudged Lago up. Desdemona ran to her father, and Beau led the two pups to Wyldfyr. Leia giggled, “You two! Pinning me down again, this time with the two of you on my chest! But I am enjoying it.”
“Othello, why are you leaving me out of this game? I want to play too!” Desdemona told Othello. The red and yellow Psi dragon pup charged at her brothers, and pushed them away from Leia. Leia got up, and introduced herself, “I am Leia.” “I am Desdemona, and this is my younger brother, Lago. Will you stay with us? Please say you are. It will be fun to have you live with us.” Leia nodded, “I like your brothers, Desdemona. You are nice too. Yes, I will live with you.”
The dragoness pup replied, “Great. Now let’s play this game my brothers were playing. How do you play?” Leia smiled, “It is played like this!” She pinned Desdemona down, and Goliath instructed his sister to push her off. Within a few minutes, the five pups were playing viciously, with one another.

End of Chapter 4.

Good story. Is she going to stay with Beau and his family?

Thank you.

Chapter 5

Hearing the noise from outside, Fracshun looked at his rider. Lance was busy listening to Chute, and was not paying any attention to the surroundings. The young dragon exited the tent, and strolled to the source of the noise. Upon reaching the source, he was surprised to see three Star-Class pups, and two Psi-Class pups. He walked closer, and one of the pups called, “Hi, Uncle Fracshun. Are you nervous? It is your first race, the same race Father had lost.”

Fracshun replied, “Yes, I am. Who is your new friend, Lago? Where did she come from?” Lago rubbed against the Energy-Class dragon’s leg, and Fracshun stroked his back. Lago replied, “My new friend is called Leia. She was attacked by Wraith Dragons. Father says all naughty pups will be severely punished by Wraith Dragons. I believe Leia was very naughty.”
Fracshun nodded, “Yes. Wraith Dragons will severely punish naughty pups.” He heard a protest, “We have not been naughty, Uncle! Lago has been naughty, and should be punished.”

Leia stopped playing and started staring at the Energy-Class dragon. She growled lowly, and the red Psi-Class dragoness cautioned her, “Easy, Leia. That is Uncle Fracshun. Please forgive my brothers. We have been told that we must be good pups. We were told all naughty pups will be attacked by Wraith Dragons.” The lavender pup nodded, “That is what Father had told us. We do try to be good, like Father. But Lago takes after Mother. Desdemona will not be able to replace Mother, but her brothers are regularly reminded of what Mother looks like. Leia, please do not be angry with Uncle Fracshun. Most of the adult dragons in the stable told us the same story. It is a wonder that Lago had not been taken away from us.” Othello came to Leia’s side.

“Take it easy, pups! I did not mean to make your new friend angry. Leia, it is Leia, is it not? Leia, I am sorry.” Fracshun apologized. He suddenly became distracted, and turned his head back towards the tent. He listened hard.

“Hey, Fracshun, where are you? Turbulence is looking for you! She needs you to listen to her advice. I got my advice.” Lance called.

Turbulence, standing outside the tent, was searching for the young Energy-Class dragon. She had been petted, after listening to her rider’s advice. She walked around the tent, and spotted Fracshun. She saw Wyldfyr, Beau, and the pups.

Fracshun walked to the Sky-Class dragon, which was waiting patiently. She did not scold him, but she beckoned him to follow her. He paused, and turning to the pups, he told them, “Come inside the tent. It is safe. Do not worry, Leia.” Beau and Wyldfyr herded the pups towards the tent.


Race Marshall said, "Good day to you, my brave All-City street competitors!" When Race Marshall Budge said this, Beau smiled. He remembered his first street racing with his rider, Artha Penn. He remembered being bugged by tiny orange and maroon dragons, and Decepshun with her rider, Moordryd. He shook himself, as the crowd surged with excitement. Race Marshall waited for the cheers to peak and slowly faded, before continuing his speech.
"The prize in today's racing is ten thousand dracles plus a new set of level-five green ramming gear. Breathtaking!" he said. The crowd roared its admiration as the prizes were announced.
"This is a speed and agility race, but in Dragon City, there is always a little contact, eh?"
He winked and laughed knowingly with the energetic crowd. He laughed himself into a coughing fit, and maneuvered his platform out of the spectators' view while he recovered.
When he got his breath, he moved next to Lance who was lined up in the last slot in the starting gate. The younger Penn looked a bit nervous, despite being advised.
"Excellent gear choice for a speed race, Young Penn." he whispered. Lance smiled timidly. He received a message from his comm-link, “Good luck, Father. Do not forget to close your Aero Gears when you have landed. Otherwise, the other racers will destroy it. Use the Red Thruster Gears wisely too. Aunt Kitt says you must not drain your dragon’s draconium too much.”
Lance replied, tensely, “Thanks, Galad. I will try to remember.” He cringed visibly, when he heard a voice from his right, “Oh look here, Luke! If it isn’t the stable brat on his first race! I bet you cannot win this race. You will be like the other stable brat. Moordryd has told me much.”

At the Dragon Crew section, Galad was seated on his toy dragon. Parmon was on the floor with him. The dragons were surrounding the humans, with the pups in the centre. Leia had not seen a race before, and was curious about it. Goliath was seated next to Galad, and the young boy cuddled him. Parmon groaned, “Oh no! Here is Mark and his dragon, Lukershun. Just what we need! Dragon Eyes Crew! Not much goodness can come out from that crew.”
Connor frowned, “Mark has been following in Moordryd’s footsteps, all right. He has been stealing dragons too, along with Ham, his brother. You are right about Dragon Eyes Crew, Parm. If Mark tackles Lance, like Moordryd did with Artha, I am going to talk to Moordryd. Moordryd is still the leader.”


The grey track beneath the dragons began to flash red, before turning from red to yellow to green. The starting gate flew open, and the dragons bolted. Fracshun shot ahead, only to hit on the head with a green gear. The young dragon recovered, and Lance decided to use his red gear instead.

Leia asked Goliath, “How often do you come out with your family? Or is today a special treat for you? Is your Uncle Fracshun going to be okay?” Galad cuddled him relaxingly, and the pup responded by curling its tail around the boy’s body.
The pup replied, “We sometimes go out, for city tours and for dining. Most of the time, we are in the stable. Father says it is too dangerous to go outside to play, so we regularly played in the stable. He has been busy lately. Uncle Fracshun has followed my father, Uncle Cyrano, and Uncle Wyldfyr, for many adventures. He will be fine.”
Beau smiled, and Leia suddenly felt relaxed, as if she has finally found peace. All the dragons and the humans were sitting down. Artha noticed the Psi pup, and whispered to Kitt, “Hey, Kitt, this pup looks like Coershun. Do you think this is Coershun’s missing pup? Its coloration is same as Coershun, yet its chest coloration is light pink. The eyes are the same.” Somewhat distracted, Kitt whispered, “What?” She was holding a telescope on her right eye, and Artha repeated his question. Lowering the telescope, Kitt listened carefully, and then she whispered, “What is the pup doing here with us? While we are on friendly terms with the Dragon Eyes Crew, our friendship is still a bit estranged. They have not stolen any dragons or given any trouble to the crews.”

Goliath heard Kitt’s conversation, as he could partly understand human speech. He understood the words: Dragon Eyes Crew, stolen dragons, trouble, and crew. He called his father softly, and Beau responded to him, by listening to his quiet roar.

Connor’s elite-class training had enabled him to understand dragons. He was busy watching the race track, but his enhanced senses told him to pay attention to the dragons. He heard what Beau and Goliath were saying to each other, and he looked at his Penn Crew Dragons. What he saw, he blinked.

Parmon was seated next to Connor, and the young man felt his piercing eyes on him. The young man dropped the com, shattering the tensing silence.

“What is it, dad?” Artha asked Connor. Artha winced; after Parmon dropped the com. Kitt stared at his father.

Connor moved towards Artha and Kitt. He whispered, “Goliath is finding it hard to believe that the Psi pup is Coershun’s missing pup. He is telling Beau he cannot believe what he is hearing from the two of you. He is saying the Psi-Class pup is his new friend. From what I could understand from him and Beau, the Psi-Class pup fought desperately, to protect a ‘sister’ from Wraith Dragons. But it did not go well, and believed the ‘sister’ is lost forever. It seems to be a sad case. Goliath says the pup had growled at Wyldfyr. Apparently, the Wraith Dragons were biped. I am not sure if you can see it, but I can see the pup is getting a bit restless.” His first son glanced at Leia, who was snuggling close to Beau.

Beau stroked Leia’s back affectionately, “It is okay, Leia. The human with the black hair is my rider, Artha. He cannot believe what he is seeing, that’s all. Five years ago, Coershun was happy to get a son. But he was sent on an errand, and when he came back, his son was nowhere to be found. His mate scolded him for not being there for them. There was a war, and I joined in the fight against the enemy leader. While I was fighting, I learnt from Coershun that his mate had laid another egg. Not long after this, all his companions went to fight leaving the egg unattended. When the battle was temporarily halted, both the humans and dragons returned home. Coershun came home, only to find the egg missing. He told me the egg is partly dark grey, light grey, dark blue/purple, and light pink. According to what I see in you, Leia, you fit the description perfectly.”
Leia looked at Beau, and asked, “Are you going to send me to this Coershun? I want a family around me again, but I do not seem to be welcome here. Carrie, Mommy, and Daddy, are not here. I am alone.”
Beau replied, “No, I will not send you away. I will not allow the humans to send you away again. You are not alone. You have Goliath, Desdemona, Othello, and Lago, to play with. Oh, and Galad to play with. Do not worry about Galad.”

Sorry for the review delay. I was so busy preparing for Thanksgiving that I only had time for a few games on this forum.

It is good you spaced out with different events. You are learning well from the author of Mother's Rage. Keep it up.

Question: Is Leia going to live at the Penn Stable from now on? Will she find Carrie?

Read on to find the answers.


Chapter 5

In another part of the Dragon Crews pit, a dragoness was distracted, and was clawing the ground. Her instincts told her that her baby was near, but she did not know exactly where. Her companions stared at her. A dragon asked, “What is it, Luutt? Why are you restless? Lukershun will make it to the finishing line, you know that.”
Another dragoness growled loudly at the second dragon, causing her rider and his Crew to stare at her. The second dragon was as cowardly as his rider, and he cringed visibly, as he tried to comfort Luutt. But Luutt clouted him with her tail, and the hard impact caused him to fall towards an olive dragon. The Bull-Class dragon growled, “Watch it, Coershun! It is bad enough at home, and don’t make it worse out here! You are forever moaning. Stop moaning about your problem.”

“Hey, Moordryd, what is happening in the Crews Pit? I cannot fully focus on the race without the noise from your section! The Stable Brat is fast catching up with me.” The racing Dragon Eyes Crew member was saying into the commlink. He glanced to his right, and saw the determined expression on the Energy-Class dragon. He steered to his right, and his dragon swung its tail at the younger dragon.

Fracshun did not see the Hammer, until he got hit. But his training session with Cyrano had paid off, and he recovered quickly from the blow. Lance swung his Jakk stick, making contact with the Tail Hammer, and at the same time, he pushed his controls down. The Red Thruster Gears opened up, sending the Energy-Class dragon running ahead of the Psi-Class dragon.
As soon as he noticed he was ahead by two dragons, he pulled his controls up. The gear closed up, and he glanced behind him. He noticed his competitor was fuming, and he chuckled, waving, “Bye, Mark. Let’s see if you can catch up with me. Go, Fracshun, I can see the finishing line.”


Moordryd petted Decepshun’s neck, and said, “I understand your anger with Coershun. He made you furious by mating Luutt. But you have some wonderful children with him. There is Banshun, Betty, and Michelle. I know what my father did with your son. There is Lukershun.” Decepshun nodded, and roared to Coershun, “You do not know the heart of the dragoness, Coershun. My friendship bond with Luutt allows me to believe Lukershun’s sibling is here. Is that right, Buddy?”
Luutt stopped clawing, and nodded at Decepshun. Moordryd sighed, as he responded to his racing comrade, “I am sorry, Mark, about the noise. I believed the missing dragon pup is here, and the pup’s mother can sense it. My dragon was furious with my father a few months ago, and Luutt is furious with Coershun now. I am ordering you to finish second place.”

On the track, Mark was surprised to hear the latest order from his leader. He replied, “Yes, Moordryd.” He accepted Lance’s challenge, but the younger teenager was far ahead of him. He activated his Red Thruster Gears, and he sped ahead, but as he was catching up, he felt an intense pain on his left. His dragon groaned too, and he quickly deactivated his remaining gear. He looked around for the source, which was a partly emerald-green, sapphire-blue, and amethyst-purple Magma-Class dragon.

The hybrid Magma-Class was emerald-green on the head and upper body, just above the arms. The green coloration runs to the tip of its tail, and its chest. It has Phorrj’s ears, with the same cut lobe as Kitt’s dragon. Below the arms and belly, it was amethyst-purple. On the side of the body, it has the same pattern as Phorrj, with two ‘vein’ patterns. Phorrj’s body pattern is sapphire-blue, with the two veins as amethyst-purple. The arms are sapphire-blue, with amethyst-purple claws. The inner arms coloration is emerald-green. The outer legs coloration is sapphire-blue, while the inner legs coloration is amethyst-purple. The claws are ruby-red, and the underside of its tail is wine-colored. Its tail has the same pattern as Phorrj, with the end pattern like Kitt’s dragon.
The leg claws are similar to a Sky-Class dragon, and the dragon has a rounded chin.

Mark demanded, painfully, “What did you do that for?” His dragon glanced at the other dragon, and the other dragon snapped furiously at him.

In the Pits, Moordryd was frowning. He told Cain, “This is very odd. Why is this racer picking a fight with the Dragon Eyes? We have not been stealing dragons lately.”
Cain agreed, “The Crews of Dragon City have made a truce with us. Maybe this is someone from outside Dragon City?”

The mysterious racer chuckled, and Mark frowned, unable to believe his ears. It sounded like a woman’s chuckle. The racer replied, “Jem don’t like Psi-Class dragons, Ma Cherie. Jenna is going to obey Jem! Jem fights you.” Mark urged his dragon to run faster, and Lukershun ran faster, but was suddenly pulled back. He snarled, and whipped out his whip, which was successfully latched onto the other dragon’s body. The other dragon began to groan, and Lukershun fired a small mag stream at a Red Thruster Gear. The strange racer activated the Ball Gear again, but it was too late, and the green gear fell off the chest. “NO!” cried the stranger racer.
Lukershun gave a satisfying roar, and Mark understood the message: One Red Thruster Gear successfully magged. He activated the Red Thruster Gears again, and he took his whip away, as he sped away.

Lance glanced behind him, and saw the hybrid Magma-Class Dragon as a dot. He could see the finishing line ahead of him and as Fracshun was going faster, two dragons whizzed by him. A familiar-looking black dragon was in the lead, but it slowed down, and Lance discovered why. The dragon’s red gear spluttered and died.
“We have a winner!” exclaimed Race Marshal Budge. “Lance Penn!”

The crowd burst into cheers as Lance crossed the finish line. He waved to the adoring crowd and ran a couple of quick laps back and forth in front of the stands.
Lukershun made it to the finish line. Then he and Mark headed directly into his stall. Mark turned to see Fracshun lope into the winner’s circle so that Lance could claim his prize from Race Marshall Budge. Moordryd, Cain, and Luutt ran over to Mark.
“That was quite a move you made back there.” Moordryd said.
“I had no other choice, Moordryd. If I hadn’t used the whip, I would have remained behind with that dragon and rider. If you haven’t heard it, the names are Jenna and Jem.” Mark replied. “How did I do in the race?”
Moordryd scanned the scoreboard and saw Mark’s name flashing near the top of the list.
“Second to first…..” Moordryd reported.
Moordryd and Cain began to gather together the racing gears from Lukershun’s body. Luutt cringed visibly, as her son trudged after Moordryd and Cain.
In the distance, Mark watched Lance Penn accept the 10,000 dracles and level-five green grappling gear from Race Marshall Budge and then left the winner’s circle.


Leia watched as the Penn Dragons went to greet Fracshun. She stayed with Desdemona and her brothers. But she suddenly yelped in pain, and the celebrations died down. She found herself in mid-air, and in a blink of an eye, she landed hard on Desdemona. As the two pups yelped, Connor stood guard in front of them. He was fuming, “Who are you? Why are you hurting Psi-Class dragons? What have they done to you? Did Lukershun or these two pups do anything wrong to hurt you? No, they have done nothing wrong.”
“Jem don’t like, Ma Cherie! Jenna does what Jem wants, and Jem wants to hurt Psi dragons, so Jenna wants to obey. What say you, Jem? What do you want Jenna to do now, Jem?”
Jem magged the two pups again, and with one mag stream, she flung one of the pups far away. She handed the remaining pup to her rider, and her rider laughed loudly, as this pup was thrown by its tail.


“Ouch! What hit me?” A dark blue/purple dragon exclaimed. The dragon heard a yelp, and turned to look at the source. It was a red and yellow Psi-Class pup. The pup yelped again, “What is their problem? Wraith Dragons should be punishing them! Father says so!”
A dragoness glanced around quickly, but only saw the dark blue dragon. The dark blue dragon asked, “What is it, Decepshun?” Decepshun stroked the pup gently, and the pup looked up. “Mother!” cried the pup. Decepshun replied, “Yes, Desdemona, it is me. Are you hurt?”
Desdemona gingerly touched her head, but she winced, and Decepshun magged her onto her back, as she trotted towards the Penn Crew.