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Peace. Order. These are the things we stood for in the army. We kept the forces of the Blizzard Beast from harming the innocent lives of the many in the Empire. Nobody knows why he started a war with the rest of the world, but word around the barracks is that the Frost Wyverns didn't like living in the deep south where the sun never shined. I couldn't understand what that's like, living in the far north where the sun scorches the very sediments around the many volcanoes that made up the home of the Magma Scale race.

I guess I should introduce myself, though. I'm Felnir, a member of the Dragon Emperor's army. I'm new to the army, a simple Recruit. I'm just starting training. I'm a simple Magma Scale with crimson scales like the rest of my race. The shades of red varied between each dragon, but I'm just average crimson. The curved spikes along my back are colored a deep gold, shimmering in the dull light of the barracks. The crest along the tip of my tail isn't anything special, either. Nothing like the Dragon Emperor's. Mine looks like an arrowhead, colored gold like my spikes. My claws are gold as well, but are a bit dirty from walking.

The Magma Scale army is known as the strongest part of the United Forces of Vaastol, or UFV for short. They told us we should be proud to be a part of the most powerful race in the fight against the Blizzard Beast, and to join up. All claws were needed to win the fight. I needed money to support myself after finishing classes, and didn't really have a skill set besides being real aggressive. One of my teachers saw that aggressiveness, and the amount of times I got in trouble due to that, and pointed me in the direction of the army. It wasn't like I got in trouble for no reason. Dragons were being rude to others, so I decided to teach them a lesson.

I guess the first thing I expected when walking on base was someone shouting at me. Walking towards the barracks, I saw something that weighed heavy on my mind. Some of the other soldiers there that have been there awhile were scarred and had frostbite in some spots from prolonged exposure to the Frost Wyverns abilities. One in particular had a shriveled up wing that was pale blue, and I never got the chance to ask why.

When I got to the barracks, I saw many other recruits there already ready for training. It didn't start until tomorrow, but they were prepared for a hard day's work. I wasn't the strongest or slimmest dragon in the group it seemed, but the army took what it could get. Somehow the forces of the Blizzard Beast were able to withstand the onslaught of the many races of the UFV, so they wanted as many claws on deck as they could.

Looking around, there were dragons doing workouts, while others just socialized. They seemed happy to be here, ready to fight. Are they really ready to go to a war where they could potentially die? Or are they just really eager for a fight? Only them and their friends could tell. I was here for the money to support myself and to protect the peace and order that the Empire brought about. Perhaps others were here for the same reason and were just carefree about the fact that they're here to protect the Empire.

They say that Magma Scales are the core warriors of the army. Being fire, we were perfect to counter the ice of the Frost Wyverns. We were also more aggressive and our bodies were more built for combat than the other races. I haven't met many of the other races in my time outside the army, but apparently they all had specialties in other fields. Us Magma Scales were the fighters, however. I guess all that talk is true with how brutally I fought in school, and how often. Perhaps I'm a perfect fit for the army.

Finally I found what seemed to be a free bunk and took a quick look around. It was near the middle of the barracks, around most of the others. A smile formed on my scaly muzzle, and I took a few steps forward beside the bunk. Tossing my bags onto the bed, I decided to meet some of the fellow recruits. Walking over to a small group of three dragons two bunks down, I gave a greeting.

"Hey there. Are you all ready for the training? It's going to be a rough time, don't you think?"

They all turned to each other and chuckled, then turned back to me. The largest of the three who was tinted a deep mahogany spoke up. His voice was deep, powerful, almost dominating. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought he was ten times larger than what he was. His body was thick with muscles. I could tell this was a powerful male that could probably take out hordes of enemies on his own. This dragon was a whopping 5 foot tall and 8 foot muzzle to crest. I was unsure how such a beast was born.

"Don't know about you, buddy, but I was born ready. I'm sure out of all of us four I'll do the best here. Hope you can keep up. I plan to make it to Colonel rather quickly, and then shoot straight up from there. Doesn't matter how many Frost Wyverns I gotta take down. What about you, Shaavin? Are you ready to kick some tail?"

He had turned to the dragon to his left. This one was honestly a bit pinkish. Perhaps a rosewood would be more exact? Females tended to be the ones who were pink, but by the body I could tell it was a male. Built with thick legs and powerful wings, unlike females that tended to be much more slim than muscled. His crest and spikes were colored bronze, compared to the gold of mine and the large dragon. He was also the smallest of the three. Probably around only 3 foot tall and 6 foot muzzle to crest.

When he spoke, his voice was higher pitched. I almost really thought it was a female, or at least a femdrake. He seemed nervous, scared, perhaps worried about what would happen. What was he doing here if he wasn't ready to fight? I couldn't speak for the intentions of others, but the protective side of me wanted to tell him to leave.

"I-I don't know, Lynel... You know I can't fight like you. I'm far from being as strong as you. Me and Chavuil are just going to slow you down. Right, Chavuil?"

The last dragon in the group, presumably Chavuil, rubbed the back of his head with a claw. He seemed unsure of how to answer that, almost like he was torn with who to side with. This dragon was a lighter shade of red as well, close to a rose red. He was about as big as me, around 4 foot tall and 7 foot muzzle to crest.

When he spoke, it was deep as well, but not bellowing like Lynel's. It seemed like an average male voice, close to mine but deeper. He was almost as nervous as Shaavin.

"Come on, Lynel. We aren't as strong as you. Shaavin is right. We'll only slow you down. Shaavin hasn't even learned to breathe a proper flame yet. His strategic and manatech skills are above everyone else's and my breath power seems to be exceeding even some of the higher ranked officials. However that doesn't compare to how ferocious you are in the battlefield. All the Frost Wyverns should be afraid to go against you. We're no good up close and personal like you are, and we can't take a hit like you can. You'll go up quickly in the ranks, and we'll probably be seperated. You'll be a commanding officer, Shaavin will probably move on to being technical support, and I'll probably be moved to the artillery unit raining fire from behind the Stone Tails."

Lynel looked down at his companions and rose up, extending his forelegs and wrapping his claws around his friends. They were pulled into a group hug, a laughing Lynel looking down at them.

"No matter what happens, I'll always have your backs. No matter where you go, I'll be there protecting you. Just like I always have been. None will stop us as long as we stick together. Now let's do our best and get through this training."

His words seemed to have motivated the other two judging by the smiles growing on their once sullen faces. This was a group of friends who probably grew up together and decided to take the strength of their friendship to the army. I had friends like that back home, but it would probably be a while before I saw them again.

Finally they all turned back to me. It seems that they'd mostly forgotten I was there. It was a heartwarming moment, but perhaps we could all be friends as well. Lynel released the embrace of his friends and approached me. With a smile on his face, he held out a claw.

"So then, what's your name? Ready for training? I guess you already know by now my name is Lynel."

I took his claw in my own and could tell that my claw was dwarfed by his own rather large claw. When we grasped claws together, I could feel the sheer power in this larger dragon. What had he done to attain this level of strength? I certainly needed to ask him some time.

To make myself seem larger I adjusted my posture. My back straightened, my claws flexed, and my tail swung to the side. I straightened my shoulders and raised my head to try to at least have a glimpse of being a large dragon like Lynel.

"I'm Firnel, and I'm as ready as I can be. I hope we can get along and breeze through this training."

It was probably better to leave out the fact that I was just an average dragon compared to the rest of them. From what I heard, they have their own specialties. I have no experience with manatech, my flame isn't anything special, and I'm not even close to being as tough as Lynel, but I could hold my own in a fight. In school that was at least true, but those were other Magma Scales, not Frost Wyverns. Fighting them would be a lot different.

I hadn't paid too much attention, but next thing I knew there was a foreleg wrapped around my side, and I could feel scales brushing against my own. Looking up, it seems that Lynel I pulled me into a friendly hug. He seemed to sure like those. For a big dragon, he was a really nice guy. His voice bellowed out and echoed out around the room, getting the attention of a few other dragons.

"We're going to get along just fine. Let's crack some Frost Wyvern skulls and show them who the real threat here is! Magma Scales forever!"

He let loose a powerful roar into the room, which was soon joined in by other roars from other dragons around the room. He truly was a good example of a leader. He was going to go far in the army, I was sure of it. His friends could see it too, if what I heard was true. I could tell this wasn't going to be so bad.

As if on cue, the entrance to the barracks busted open and a Magma Scale stepped inside, looking like someone had stolen his breakfast and he was ready to kill whoever did it. A fierce grimace was on his face, and he let out the most vicious of growls that I've ever heard someone make. He wasn't as big as Lynel, but was around as big as me and Chavuil. Was this a new recruit as well? All kinds seemed to come to the army.

The new dragon strode through the barracks, eyeing every dragon up and down, as if sizing them up. He stopped a bit when he saw Lynel, and looked him up and down for a few seconds before continuing. When he reached the end of the barracks, he began to yell at every dragon.

"What sorry sacks of scales have I been given this time? One good whelp out of the lot of you? And even then he's probably all brawn and no brains. We'll work up some smarts for you yet! You're all hatchlings and I'm going to make sure you turn into the shiniest turds the great Emperor has crapped out. What are you all standing around gawking for? Get running! Out to the track!"

This clearly wasn't a recruit. Every dragon in the barracks dropped what they were doing and began scrambling to get out of the barracks. Lynel, Chavuil, and Shaavin all began running out as well, so I followed. The commanding voice that the drill instructor had was even more overpowering than Lynel's. With one command he had everyone running like their lives depended on it.

Once everyone had made it to the track, lined up and standing stoic, the instructor followed out. He went to a smaller dragon and looked him up and down. That dragon was the last one out, having been the smallest and slowest of everyone. There was a stern look on the instructor's face, and everyone knew what was coming. Before the initial lashing, however, he saw all of us looking at the oncoming show.

"What is this? A public show? Straighten up, whelps! Eyes forward, wings down, tails straight. If I see one claw out of place, you'll run ten laps. Now for you."

He looks down at the smaller dragon. This dragon had to be young, too young for the military. How did he make it into the school? He had to be at least two and a half foot tall.

"Why are you here? Didn't your mommy tell you the world is a dangerous place? Or does she just not care about what happens to you and sent you here and make me deal with you? We have plenty of schools for whelps like you. Yet here you are with the most proud army in the hemisphere. What makes you think you can stand up to the Frost Wyverns?"

The small dragon was shaking, obviously scared. He had his eyes closed, completely out of step with the others who seemed more regimented. This had to be a hatchling no more than 10 cycles old. Or just a really small dragon. Either way, he didn't belong in the army, and the instructor knew that. However, the little dragon stood up straight, seeming to have found his resolve. He looked the instructor dead in the eye, and spoke in a high-pitched voice, really showing his age.

"My parents died for this army at the hands of the Frost Wyverns. I want to fight back and make my parents proud. I'm only eight cycles old, but I'm stronger than I look! I can lift a whole watermelon! All by myself! I can fight, too, sir!"

I was rather impressed with this kid. Only eight cycles? And both his parents were soldiers. That must have been hard on him. He probably didn't get to see them very often. Yet here he is, wanting to fight to make them proud. The world was sure full of interesting individuals. These were just magma scales, too. I could only imagine what the other races would be like.

The instructor looked hard down at the hatchling, and raised a claw. He delivered a rough strike across the face of the kid, much to the shock of the rest of the group. The kid went flying across the track from the sheer power the instructor had. He wasn't getting up either, and the sound of sniffling was coming from the shivering body. He was crying. It had hurt and he was crying at the pain.

The drill instructor didn't stop there and approached the kid, pressing a claw down on his head, and putting pressure. He leaned down and snarled at the kid, showing his teeth, flames licking at the sides of his mouth. When he spoke, he spoke in a harsh tone.

"Crying after one small tap like that? What happened to all that courage you had when you spoke back to me? Would your parents have raised such a little coward? Do you think the Frost Wyverns are going to hold back like I did? Show me your determination. Fight back! Or you can leave right now and go back to your peaceful life. Let the real soldiers fight and bring honor to your parents, kid. Leave while you still have your life. Would your parents want their son to throw his life away in blind anger?"

The kid struggled under the claw, screaming out in pain from the pressure of his head being squeezed. He tried to get out from underneath the claw, trying to breathe small embers to singe the toughened scales. All the while he cried. All the while we watched. Nobody dared move to stop it. We all shared the same thought, though. What the hell had we gotten ourselves into? To survive this war, we'd have to survive this instructor first.

However, after a while, the instructor took his claw off the hatchling and held out a claw. The small child took the claw with a shiver, and was hoisted to his claws. Looking up at the drill instructor, he spread his wings, straightened his tail, and gave something akin to a roar. Tears streaked his eyes and the ground beneath him, but he stood his ground.

"I-I will fight! I won't lose! I'll make my parents proud! I trained every day to be ready for this, and I am ready. I'll take anything you can throw at me, and throw it right back! I'll... I'll..."

He struggled to find words, looking up at the instructor and cowering once more. He was scared, and must be realizing what kind of situation he was throwing himself into. His wings and tail drooped in sadness, and he turned tail. The instructor put a claw on the kid's shoulder and gave a smile. A genuine smile from that monster of a dragon? This must be a rare sight indeed.

"I can see you have what it takes to be a fine soldier. One day in the future. You're determined, strong, and have heart. Come back in another ten cycles and stand up to me again. Let's see if you cry, then."

Everyone was shocked and looked upon the show in awe. One minute the instructor had struck an eight cycle old hatchling across the track, and now he was giving the kid a pep talk? He took notice of this however, and gave a snarl to everyone. That was all it took to make us straighten up.

The kid smiled softly at the instructor and nodded, before running off. He must be going home to whoever takes care of him, or to wherever he stays. Everyone saw that the instructor had a soft side, but we knew he'd be as fierce as the Blizzard Beast himself to every one of us. We would get no respect from him, no kindness, no generosity or caring. That's just how things were.

"Was that an enjoyable show, whelps? Did I rustle your scales? For every minute of time that dead weight wasted on us, you will run one additional lap on top of the ten I was going to give you initially. Is that understood?"

"SIR YES SIR!"

"Then what the hell are you waiting for, an invitation? Run you whelps, run! The longer you take, the quicker the Blizzard Beast wins! By the time you all are done, he'll probably be right at our doorstep!"

Immediately, everyone took off onto the track, running like our lives depended on it. I'm not the fastest, but I could keep up with about ten of the other recruits. Lynel was far off ahead, taking the easy lead. He was the best of all of us, and the instructor saw that in him right off the bat. I don't think any of us could compare to the hulking force he was.