Inferno had ever been one for solitude, preferring to keep his few friends as close to him as possible. He was a dragon known for his strange and rare magical abilities, which - in the place he was raised - were practically unheard of. And he was renowned as a bit of a scientist among his peers; he was often found practising his magic in many different ways to find out the true extent of his powers.

But above all, Inferno was a dragon who, despite his strangeness, wanted a family to spend the rest of his long life with. He buried this desire deep within his heart, keeping it a secret even from those closest to him, for he did not know what might happen if everyone knew the truth.

....

The North Lands were a place occupied by many dragons of multiple different species. The landscape itself was a vast contorted map of frozen mountains and dangerous icefields, in which plants were a rarity and fresh prey was hard to find. Inferno's magic kept him alive even when other, weaker dragons passed away from cold and starvation, and only his friends were spared, for Inferno protected them the same way he protected himself.

One particularly harsh season, a new dragon appeared out of the blue and made herself at home in the North Lands. Her name, as everybody soon found out, was Igniter. She was savage and wild, fiercely independant, a dragon who simply couldn't be messed with - but most importantly of all, she was exceedingly beautiful. And from the moment she arrived, it was everyone's desire to have her as their mate, their partner.

....

Perhaps the only reason Igniter was not constantly beset by eager dragons wanting her company was because of her horrific bad temper. She was larger than most of them, with glittering crimson scales and startlingly white claws. Her amber eyes gleamed with a well-hidden greed and lust for power. Soon after she arrived in the North Lands, she became very interested in Inferno. His magical abilities fascinated her; she knew immediately that he could provide her with the fame and power she'd always wished for.

Inferno was certainly no expert in the arts of romance, and his initial attempts to speak with Igniter ended in clumsiness and failure. But she merely laughed, and she never gave up on him. Though Inferno wasn't aware of it, there was a deep and unwavering attraction between the two mighty dragons that drew them ever closer to eah other in spite of their differences.

....

I'm too early.

It was during the early awakening of spring that Inferno formally asked Igniter to become his mate. She agreed at once - much to the surprise and disgust of the other dragons. How could a weakling like Inferno attract the attention of a creature as powerful as //her?// But nobody was brave enough to question the unlikely relationship when confronted by Igniter's fierce gaze - especially when they knew Inferno's magic could hurt them far more than anything else.

For a whole year, the two dragons lived together in relative peace and harmony. They never entirely understood each other, thanks to their many differences - but Inferno always worked hard to be a dragon worthy of Igniter's respect.

.....

Then, the following spring after they first met, Igniter laid three eggs. She cared for them viciously, keeping every other dragon - including Inferno - away from them. She was a perfect mother, loving her eggs very much. But at the same time, she found herself faced with a problem... one that was only going to get worse and worse.

The season was extremely cold, more so than it had been in decades. Everything in the North Lands froze over and a constant driving snowfall hammered down upon the mountains. The dragons, fearing that they would die, began to gather together to discuss the subject of emigration.

Inferno wasn't stupid. He was a highly intelligent dragon who knew what he needed to do to survive. The harsh weather would destroy his entire family if they stayed in the North Lands. So, one night, he bravely approached his mate as she lay curled around her nest and explained the situation to her...

....

"The others are talking about emigrating to another land far to the south," he said. "They are going to fly over the sea. I... I think we should join them."

At these words Igniter uncurled herself from around her eggs and looked Inferno in the eye, making him nervous. "...Why?" she asked softly. "The North Lands are my home, and I wiil not run away like a coward, frightened because of a bit of snow!"

"But our eggs," Inferno cried, indicating the great yellowish orbs lying hidden in the nest. "They will die if we keep them here."

Igniter, however, was stubborn and refused to listen to her mate's pleas. She did love her eggs, but she was confident in her ability to protect them no matter the circumstances. "I am not leaving!" she hissed, smoke coiling from her nostrils.

Inferno knew there was only one thing left that he could do... he ran forwards and knocked Igniter aside, grabbing the eggs and flying out of the cave with them clutched tight to his chest...

....

He could hear her furious roars right behind him as he flew desperately through the howling wind and snow. He felt like his entire life would be meaningless if his children could not grow up to live a safe and happy life, and he was willing to do anything to protect them.

"Filthy traitor!" Igniter bellowed as she winged over the mountaintops at full speed, chasing him. "Halt, you coward!"

But Inferno never stopped. He began to focus only on what lay ahead of him, blocking out everything else. Before long he was flying across a dark expanse of rippling water... the sea. Igniter's shouted threats were growing fainter behind him. He was losing her.

His own exhaustion slowly started to overwhelm him, sapping the strength from his powerful body... he considered using his magic to energise himself, but it was hard to concentrate on the spell he needed while in full flight. The minutes became hours, and the hours drifted away into seemingly endless days as he lost track of time.

....

Inferno did not stop to rest or eat until he spotted land beneath his wings. The precious eggs were still hugged firmly against his chest, safe and sound. A great shuddering gasp escaped the dragon's jaws as his weariness finally washed over him like a tidal wave, sending him diving towards the ground in search of shelter.

He did not remember how long he spent wandering the new land, but eventually he stumbled across a jagged black mountain with a massive cave torn into one side... a cave large enough for himself and all his children, when they hatched. He settled down with his eggs and slept peacefully for a long time...

....

It took another week for Inferno's eggs to hatch. They were all red dragons, exactly like himself and his mate Igniter, who he had almost forgotten about by then. He loved them, and when they hatched he began to feel truly alive again, as though he had regained his purpose in life.

He named the two male dragons Flamewing and Redflame. He named the female dragon Fireclaw.

And to this day, Inferno and his three children still live... but something is subtly different from before. Inferno had become obsessed with his magical experiments again, just like when he was younger. He is now over 150 years old, and his fixation with magic has caused him to go a little insane.

His children are now fully-grown adults and live apart from each other, as none of them ever got along particularly well. Perhaps they also had adventures of their own... but if they did, it's a story for another time.

--- END ---

*clap clap clap* Very nice! c :

*claps as well* Why thank you.

This story was amazing! I love it!

THAT WAS FREAKING OUTSTANDING!!!!!! Awesome job, radiant!!! :D

This story was awesome!! I was really hoping no one would die in his story, so I'm almost relieved that everyone lived... well, I think, I'm not sure what's come of Ignito 'XD