You wake up, sitting up from the furs that you sleep on. You see a dead vulture in the corner, mom must’ve gone hunting. You can’t even tell what time it is in the volcano, where nightwings live.

You stumble onto your talons, walking over to where your mom is sleeping. Dad is gone, so he’s probably at work. Your mom usually tries to keep you inside the cave. You’re a bit of an odd dragonet; you’re a runt, and you act odd too.

Your mom, Silverstar, grunts as she wakes up, her eyes softening and her tail wrapping around your body. She’s been sick for as long as you can remember, probably because of living in the volcano and eating nearly rotted food.

You scrunch your nose due to the overwhelming sulfur smell, curling up against your mom. This is a fact of life, the nightwing tribe has lived in the volcano for almost a century.