I looked around, as I knew that he was now the one that was starting to act a bit suspicious. He had told me to try my best to not be like that, but now he seemed to not even be holding his own on that. To be fair, I had kind of already gotten him started.
I blinked a few times, as I dipped my head a bit low to the ground, as I felt like, at this point, almost every dragon here had to understand what was going on right now. I could tell that Lunk was still just staring at me, with that same creepy little smile.
I did not want to look at him right now, as I had told him that I could handle what ever it was that he threw at me, but now I was not too sure. I was now having the same thoughts that my father had told me not to have, as I was not sure, if I was in fact the dragon of destiny, once again.
I blinked a few times, as I knew that I could not have that in my head, as other wise, I would not be the dragon of destiny, and, like my father had told me, "you would not reach your full potential, and if you start off like that, than you never will get what was destined..."
I knew, that no matter what, there would be a dragon of destiny, it was just if that would be me or not. If it was not me, than that meant that the red dragons would be in a lot of trouble, for a very long time. I gulped a little bit as well, as I knew just what it was that I had to do now.
My father was right, and I knew that I had showed true signs of potential more than once. My father had said that a lot of it was his fault as well, as he had not been a good father, nor a good leader for me. I did not have any sort of response to that at all, as I knew, that just like a lot of dragons still had instilled in their brains, how our father had been for a long time.
Was it really a long time though? Dragons could live nearly a thousand years if they had a good and healthy life, so what was 1 simple year all that much to us? I just wished that we had started our training, long before now, so that the dragons would have been ready for that initial attack.
Many dragons had lost their lives in that battle, and my brother was one of those dragons. I shook my head, as I then lifted my head up, to see that what I had initially thought to be the case, was in fact true, as I saw that Lunk was staring at me, with a little bit of a strange smile.
I turned my head away though, as I then looked at all of the dragons that were around me. No one seemed to get what it was that was going on at the moment, luckily enough for me, besides one dragon, that did not surprise me at all, as I knew that he was a very smart dragon.
Kota... He had his eyes squinted at the both of us, as he was not sure as to which dragon that he should be staring down at the current moment. He just switched his head, and his eyes between the both of us, for the time being, at least.
I shook my head, as I then looked away from him. I was just glad that the rest of the group did not quite understand, all that was going on at the moment. I doubt that Kota would tell them the secrets, as I was sure that he did not even know if it was true or not.
He could tell that something was going on at the moment. I was sure that he did not know the full understanding of what it was. I turned my head back over to Lunk, and I stared right back at him. I did not smile back at him, but I rather just stared at him for a fair amount of some time.
I could tell, that to my surprise as well, as he was trying to play mind games on me, he could tell that I was not going to let it work. He dipped his head a bit low to the ground, and this time I let out a bit of my own smile. I then began to speak back to him, with a bit of some laughter in my voice.
"I am ready for what ever it is that you throw at me..." I said to him. I waited for his reaction to it, which it did not seem like I was going to get one out of him for a short period of time. I was a bit confused, and I wondered if he had heard what it was that I had said to him just now.
We sat there for a bit of time, as I could tell that a lot of the dragons in the circle were starting to get a bit annoyed that we still had not started our training for the day, as I could hear a couple speaking to one another, a bit quietly though, so that I could not hear what it was that they were saying.
I did not have my mind focused on that though, as I knew that I needed to hold my ground on Lunk. He was the important dragon, and he was the one that mattered right now. I should not care less, as to what all of the other dragons that were here, thought on all that was going on right now.
I stared at Lunk for just a little while longer, as he finally lifted his head back up to me. This time he did not have a smile on his face, but instead, I saw a bit more of serious look on his face, as he did not look at me at all, but rather at all of the other dragons that were here with us, as he then began to speak up once again, for all of them to hear what it is, that he had to add on.
"Alright... As I said, you will be split in teams, according to the leaders of Kota, and Jangra... As per usual..." He said to all of them. I was still a bit confused as to how this was going to be hard for me. Lunk then turned his head back over to me, as he continued to stare at me, as he began to speak again. "Now... You might be wondering what the catch is..."
He began to say to all of the dragons that were with us. I blinked a few times, as I was beginning to realize that he was making all of this, quite a bit obvious, on purpose. It was as if this was some sort of game for him at the current moment.
I could still tell that a lot of the dragons in the circle, were still not buying in to what it was that was going on. I did not blame them either, as I was not sure what it was that Lunk was planning on doing. And me, much unlike all of the others, was interested in what it was that he was going to say.
I could tell that a lot of the dragons that were with us, were more interested in what it was that Socra was going to say to us in just a little while, a lot more than what Lunk had planned for our training today. I heard the voice of a dragon speak a bit quietly, but loud enough for me to hear.
"Just get on with it, I do not care what the catch is..." He said just loud enough for all of the dragons around him to hear, and laugh about. It was not loud enough for Lunk to hear though, as he was a fair bit ahead of me. I could tell he was a bit confused as to why there was smiles on a lot of the faces on dragons.
I kind of wanted to laugh as well, but I held it in, as I knew that I was not a child any more. It was fun to joke around every once in a while, but I knew, what a lot of the other dragons clearly did not know at the moment, that this was no sort of joking matter right now.
I kept my eyes locked on Lunk, though he did not seem to do the same, as he was still a bit confused as to what was going on at the current moment. He shook his head after a little while longer though, as he then turned his head back over to me, and he began to speak up, once again.
"I am going to be deciding on the teams, and I do not want to hear any sort of complaining." He said louder than before, almost loud enough for it to spread through out the forest, as to where all of the other dragons could hear what he had said, and almost loud enough it felt, as to where the black dragons could hear him.
I shook my head though, as I knew why I was feeling like that. I was afraid, as it was not normal for me to be like that either. I gulped a little bit, as I knew what it was that he was going to do, to make it a challenge for me now. He was going to make the teams, quite a bit unfair for me.
It made sense as to my theory as well, due to the fact that he had added on the part where he had told none of the dragons to complain on his decisions. It was now going to get real, and I knew that for sure now. I knew that I had to stay strong now, as all of the dragons that were hear, were watching.
If I failed, than it would look very bad for me, and it would take away a lot of faith from a lot dragons, that we had any sort of chance of winning this war. I knew that they would all tell it to all of the dragons, and it would get to Socra and Himla, as well.
That was the scary part for me, as I knew that it would make it seem as if I was not a good louder. Maybe I was not, as I did not even know the teams yet, and I had already lost hope in myself, and all of the others, that we even had a chance in all of this.
How could you blame me though? I had said from the beginning, even when I was younger, that I did not want to be a leader, or rather the leader of my group of friends. It was why Kota had stepped up, and now that I knew that my father and Socra had been watching me for a lot of time, it made sense as to why they had asked if he had wanted to be trained as a deputy.
I shook my head, as it felt like time was going by slower than ever before. I was the only dragon among us, that was freaking out right now, and I wished that I could learn from all of the others, that there was nothing to be worried about, and that I should not be freaking out right now.
They did not have to go through the stress that I was going through right now though, as it was a lot easier for dragons to have a plan, that seems like nothing could go wrong, and say that they could easily due it, then when they were in the heat of the moment, and they began to freak out too.
I closed my eyes, as I breathed in heavily at the current moment. I was not sure what it was that had taken over me, as it did feel like, indeed, that time had truly slowed down for me at the moment. As taking a few moments to breath in a bit of some fresh air, seemed to do the trick, as I heard every one speaking to one another, and things felt like they were back to normal.
Now that I felt a little bit better, I then opened my eyes, and I lifted my head up, and I looked at Lunk. I could see that he was enjoying the bit of chaos that was going around us at the moment, as I saw that he had that same creepy little smile that he had, not too long ago.
I shook my head though, as I knew that I should not let him get the best of me. I was supposed to be the strongest dragon to have ever lived. It still did not feel like it though, as I had not lasted long with my father, when we had been in that fight with one another.
To be fair I suppose, I went in to that, not wanting to hurt my father, while my father went in to that, without a care in the world of what happened to me. I still felt like I had lost though, and it scared me to think, that, in the end, I would have to go up, and fight with Plyma.
I had heard from many dragons, that he was a hundred times stronger than my father. I was sure that they were over exaggerating a bit, but I at least knew that they were right, as many dragons highly regarded my father, to be one of the best dragons, not just as a leader, but also as a fighter.
I shook my head though, as I knew that I was about to be tested on both aspects, as we typically had time to talk through our plans. We always did a game of capture the branch, as we had a big branch, that we had gotten from a tree, and we let it sit in a tight little circle near our base.
We had the runners, and the guards... The runners simply guarded the circle, to make sure that no one got through, if some one was to get through, and get the branch, they could stand in the safe circle, not being allowed to be taken to the ground.
Once you left the circle with the branch though, you could freely be taken down by any dragon. The runners were the ones that got the branch, which they had to dodge all of the dragons, and get to the other side, to score a point. The team to score 3 points first, was the team to win.
There were 10 dragons per team, and I was ready to take on what ever it was that he threw at me, now that I began to think all of it through, just for a little while longer. I then nodded to myself, as I nodded over to Lunk as well, as I spoke back to him.
"I am ready for what ever it is that you come at me with..." I said to him. He looked at me for a few moments, with a bit of a smile on his face once again. His smile freaked me out, every time that he looked at me with it, as it put shivers down my spine.
I thought about looking away from him, but I knew that now, more than ever, it was a time for me to look strong, and to prove that I was in fact the dragon of destiny. I still was not sure of it myself, no matter how many times it had been 'proven' and someone had told me that I was.
I stared at him for a little while, as his smile went away, as he saw that I was holding my ground. I felt like this had to be a test, that my father had told Lunk to do, as I knew that he was not ever normally like this. I shook my head though, as I knew, that even if it was, I had to do my best, to prove a point, not just to him, but to the entire tribe.
Lunk blinked a few times, as he finally took that strangle little smile off of his face, and he looked at each dragon that was in the tight little circle around all of us right now. He nodded to all of them, as he then finally decided that he was going to speak.
"Very well... I will choose each side 1 by 1." He began to say to all of them. They all were a bit confused still, as I could tell when I looked back at them. I shook my head though, as I turned my head back to Lunk, erasing those thoughts as he continued to speak. "Starting with Kota, and as per usual, he will get me as his first team mate."
I blinked a few times, as I was a bit confused as to what it was that had to be so special about this. Maybe he was about to pair me up with a bunch of meat heads, which I was not sure if I could compete with Kota and Lunk, if we did not bond well together as a team.
Kota typically just chose his team, as to which dragon was the fastest, or the strongest out there. I did it as who was the most humble, and who would all bond well together. This time, I was not sure if that was all going to be the case, as I saw Lunk begin to smile at me once again.
I rolled my eyes, as I wondered as to what it was that he was going to do next, as I continued to stare at him, for just a little while longer. He just continued to keep that same smile for a bit longer, as he did not seem to continue to want to draft my team mates for me any longer.
I was starting to get a little bit annoyed as well, as I coughed at him, quite a bit loud, so that I knew that he could hear me do so too. It managed to get Lunks attention, as he was a bit confused as to what it was that he was doing at the moment. I shook my head, as I began to speak to him, to remind him what it was that he had been doing.
"So... Who is going to be my 1st team mate then?" I said, loud enough to prove a point to all of the others, that I was not afraid to speak out to the leader of our little group. Lunk blinked a few times, as he looked to be quite a bit surprised.
I had to assume that he was not used to a dragon acting up, and stepping in over him like that. I could tell it got him a bit upset, but he knew who it was that had spoken to him like that, so he managed to control his anger, as he dipped his head low to the ground, and then he nodded to me as well.
He stared low to the ground for just a slight bit of time, as if he was not sure what it was that had been going on once again. After a couple of seconds though, he lifted his head up, and he nodded to himself, shortly after blinking his eyes a few times.
I continued to stare him down for quite a while longer, though he did not seem to be paying me very much attention, which I was not sure if he was ignoring me, or if he just did not notice me doing so. I shook my head though, as Lunk began to speak to all of the dragons once again, and I listened to what it was that he had to say to all of us.
"He wanted a test... So we are going to test him..." He said loud to all of them, though, the way that he phrased it, it seemed as if he was speaking to himself. I was a bit confused as to what it was that he was talking about, as I had not asked that of him. I shook my head though, as I knew that he was trying to not make it look suspicious to all of the others. I then listened as he began to speak, once again. "Therefor, your last pick, will now be your 1st pick... Welcome to Jangras team, Nink!"
Lunk turned his head, and his eyes right over to Nink, as I did the exact same thing as he had. I was a bit surprised with that as the 1st pick, as I was sure that he had done that to spread a message to all of the others that were in the circle.
To be honest, I was happy with Nink as a team mate, and he was not the worst dragon to choose from. I had made it clear to him though, so that he did not feel bad for it, that I was going to pick him last, as I knew that Kota did not have all that high of regards for my old friend.
Even if Nink was a good team mate, just based off of the way things were looking so far, it did not look all that good for us. Even if Nink was a good team mate, I knew that if you were consider me as the #1, Lunk and Kota would be right behind me as the #2 and #3.
No matter how good Nink was as a team mate, I knew that he was not a fighter, and he most certainly was not a fast dragon. A lot of the reason that no dragon had offered to train him, and he ended up being a cave dragon in the end of all of that.
I felt a bit bad for him too, as I had not even gone to the meeting, to see if any dragon would have trained him. I felt like, though he would not admit to it, it got him a bit down. I knew that he was a dragon that really did look up to me, to be the greatest of them all.
I knew that I needed to feed off that energy at the same time too, as it did not seem like there for all that many dragons that believed in my, any more, Lunk being one of those dragons as well, clearly. I knew that it was not just me that many of the dragons did not have faith in.
A lot of the dragons had just given up, and they had lost faith in the fact that we would have any sort of a chance in this war. Even after the fact that we had started to train all the dragons, on how to fight through all of this. I let out a bit of a soft sigh, as I then turned my attention to all that was going on around me at the moment.
I blinked a few times, as I looked around at the circle, seeing heads going in all different directions at the moment. I was a bit confused, and I wondered if I perhaps might have missed something crucial. Not a single dragon spoke up, for quite a bit of some time.
Luckily none of the eyes were on me at the moment, so that was good enough at least, to know that I had not missed any thing. I shook my head though, as I then looked over at one specific dragon, as I heard him begin to speak up to all of the other dragons.
"Thank you... I am honored to be the first pick!" I heard the voice of Nink say to Lunk, and all of the other dragons in the circle. I heard a bit of laughter from a lot of the dragons, as it was clear that Nink had no clue as to what was going on at the moment.
It was clear to me that Lunk did not have that high of a respect for Nink either, and I felt quite a bit bad for the poor guy. I shook my head though, as I then looked over at Lunk, trying not to worry about all of the faces looking over at me, and poor little Nink.
Lunk was clearly trying to keep a straight look on his face at the same time too, as I squinted my eyes at him, a bit upset at him. My father had told him to treat all of us, as if we were equals, and he did not seem to be going with what my father had asked of him.
I shook my head though, as I did not want to snitch to my father about it at the same tine either. I just continued to stare at him, as I waited for him to continue to speak up, to choose who it was that was going to be the next team mate of Kotas.
Lunk finally seemed to gather him self after a little while longer. He turned his head towards me, and he then nodded to me. I was grateful at least, that he did not have that creepy little grin on his face, like he had earlier. I nodded back to him though, as he then began to speak, and I listened to what it was that he had to say as well.
"Anyways... Back to choosing, Kota, next you get Kip..." He said to me, as I saw that his smile that I had just been thinking of, a few seconds ago, then popped right back on to his face. I could tell that he was enjoying this a lot, and it really was starting to get on my nerves.
He knew that Kip was my favorite person to choose first, if Kota did not get to choose his dragon first, like he most often did, as when I got Lunk, I never lost a single match. Lunk was a very powerful dragon, as there was no doubt in that at all.
He was about 10 to 15 years older than me as well, and I was not sure if I would get the upper hand, or if I there would be a good out come, if we were to get into an actual fight. To be fair, I was still just a few years from being fully grown, as I knew that dragons typically tended to stop growing around the age of 25.
I shook my head though, as I was not sure why my thoughts were in all of that mess at the moment. I was quite a bit sure, just based off of the way things were looking at the current moment, I was not liking the hopes of me winning this battle.
I gulped a bit, as I could hear a lot of dragons speaking to one another a bit quietly... It seemed like, now, a lot of dragons were beginning to realize all that was going on. I just ignored all of the voices, and I paid attention to what it was that was going to happen up next.
Things were not looking good for me at all, as I had about 0 doubt on the fact of me having any sort of chance in this small little skirmish. I was not sure if we were even going to get close, or even get in to their circle, in the game off first to 3.
Lunk had done his best, as I had forgot just how smart of a dragon he was, as he had chosen just about the weakest dragon possible for me, but also at the same time, he also chose dragons that I knew would not work well together at all.
I saw the look on all of my team mates, as I could tell that they had no faith that we were going to have any sort of chance in this. I did not blame them for it either, as I was still trying to think through all of this, and try to think of any sort of ideas that we could have to win this.
Or at least score 1 point, none the less, which I was not sure if that would even prove any sort of a point to Lunk at all at the current moment. It seemed as though, his way of me proving to him that I was the dragon of destiny, was only if I was able to win this.
I was not sure, no matter how much power that I had, that I would have any sort of a chance. Not to mention that I was one of the youngest dragons out of all of us as well. It began to stress me out, even more than before, as to how much of a hand full this was for me.
So many people expected me to be the greatest thing to walk the face of this planet, yet, I was still such a young dragon, and my mind, and my body had not had enough time to fully develop in to what it was that it should be. I shook my head though, as I looked back up at Lunk.
I saw that smile on his face, as he knew what he was doing. In his eyes, he had, 'saved the best for last', it was clear that it was still fresh on his mind as to what it was that had happened between us over a year ago at this point. Lunk began to speak up to all of us, making it clear, that he had to say to final dragon that he had to choose.
"Penta... You... Are the last, and the final dragon to be chose on Jangra's team..." He said to me. I had never chosen Penta before, for good reason as well, as it was still in my mind. She was a very good dragon, no doubts about it, but I was not sure if she was a good team mate. Luckily I did not ever have to worry about that, as Kota usually picked her around his 5th or 6th pick.
I gulped a, as I was not sure what to do, or how to handle all of this. When I had been told that I was going to be tested, I did not know that he was going to get this deep in to all of it. He was going through with what he had said I suppose, as there was no denying that at all.
I blinked a few times, as the entire circle went dead silent. All of them had their thoughts on the fight that we had in front of the whole tribe a while ago. I did not dare look at Penta, no matter what, as I did not even want to see the look on her face.
I continued to stare at Lunk for a little while longer, as I was not sure now, if my father had really put him up to this, as this almost felt as if it were a bit personal. I shook my head though, as I just nodded to him, trying to be the better dragon, as I began to speak back to him.
"Well... Now that we are done... We should split into our groups, so that we can discuss our plans..."