Monochrome Lives

Chapter One

"Hide down here, Castella. Get out of sight." Cirro Altocumulous ushers, forcing her young dragon into the hollowed-out area of the foundation in the house. The worry in Cirro's voice is evident, and Castella needs no further encouragement to do as she's asked.

She worms her way past the rocks that hold up the cave above, and does a tight turn, going back to see her mother's face. She gazes up at the white heads, two to be exact, the best female Hydra dragon in her eyes. Her mother's heads look down at her, the warm silver eyes locked on her child. Her soot black tongue slips out from pearl white lips, the same color as her huge talons.

"Mother, is it the black hydras?" Castella Altocumulous's rich female voice is soft, but her silver eyes are hard. She's had to do this for way too long, ever since she was a small dragonet, till now.

Their family has never had an easy way of life; they're the last white hydra dragons alive. The rest were either killed for their beautiful white scales, or forced to breed and forget their pasts. This is all during the Great War, the battle between the meager human beings that is slowly wiping out their race. The dragons have always been in hiding, not in fear, but in extreme consideration for their young and out of respect. Many people think dragons are hideous beasts with gaping jaws ready to snatch humans, but this family, the Altocumulous's, they understand diversity. This is because Castella is the only hydra dragon to have one head, and to also be white in a monochrome world.

"Yes." Cirro's voice is strained as she looks to Castella, watching as her silver eyes stay locked on Cirro's main head. Castella shakes her great white head, then snorts, black steam rising from her flared nostrils. The steam spurts from her mouth, her black tongue flicking in irritation.

"My two beautifuls, it's time to say goodbye." Cirrus's three white heads poke over top of Cirro, his gold eyes looking down at Castella. He smiles with his multiple fangs and says as his black tongue wags in his mouth, "They're only meters from the house, Cirro. We need to go so we can protect Castella."

"I know, I know." Cirro says as her eyes squint, before running one of her four wings over Castella's smooth back. Castella shuts her iridescent eyes for a quick, silent moment before Cirrus does the same. It's like a dragon hug, representing good fortune over the other.

The bigger and older dragons pull back before moving to their hind legs. They roll a massive boulder over the top of the hole to the foundation of the cave, sealing it off. Castella lets out a huff which is much like a human sigh, and then twists her pure white head over her shoulder. Her silver eyes take in the exit, a way out to the world from the inside of one of the Rocky Mountain peaks. The chilled breeze that sneaks in through the secret entrance doesn't make Castella shiver, because her thick keratin scales keep out heat and cold.

She does flinch when she hears her mother roar, a gut wrenching noise that makes Castella want to spew molten, incinerating every black hydra dragon that would dare to touch her mother. But she keeps her jaws shut, not wanting to see the disappointment on her mother's face if she came out just to be caught.

"Leave her be, you blasted morons!" Cirrus's loud voice thunders before one of the five black hydra dragons grabs one of his horns, then holds him in place before running a sharp talon through his midsection. A garbled howl comes tearing out of Cirrus's mouth before the black hydra dragon drops him beside Cirro, who is being bound. She struggles as much as possible, but the five to one ratio isn't in her favor.

The five black dragons suddenly sit on their haunches, and a massive black Western dragon steps through the hole in the Rocky Mountain. The muscle under his scales ripple as he steps into the area, the surface of his scales looking oily. The black shines even in the dim cave, but looks dull compared to the blazing green eyes that look in pure hatred to the dying Cirrus and lovely Cirro.