A small Night Fury raced through the forest, bobbing and weaving through the trees and brush like it was being chased. She changed directions constantly, trying to evade her pursuers. Every now and then, she would jump into the air to fly, but since she was just a hatchling, the best she could do was a low glide. The little black dragon glided again.
"There she is!" a male voice squawked.
"I see her!" a female voice this time.
She turned left and leaped through a narrow gap between two trees. She saw a few wisps of steam. The hot springs! They should lose me there. She ran faster and jumped into the warm water. The heat was soothing, and her eyes closed in comfort.
Then she heard, or rather felt, the footsteps. "Okay, where are you?" the male voice from earlier said out loud. He sniffed the air a few times. "Come on out, Trena," he teased in a singsong tone.
Trena didn't know what to do. She was losing air, and her lungs were starting to burn. She wasn't old enough to last as long as her dad or mom. If she went back up now, she'd get caught.
The hatchling was so far in her thoughts that she didn't notice the hunter in front of her. "Boo."
Trena screamed in fright and jumped out of the water and onto the rocks. She didn't need to look around to know this was the end.
In front of her were two Nadders. One was a light purple color, the other aqua. The third one behind her had surfaced and made his way to the Night Fury hatchling. He was the same color as her aqua sister, although his head and wings had more of a blue tint.
With no way to escape, Trena hung her head low in shame. Well, that's that. I lost...
The purple Nadder walked up to her, a grin on her face. She reared back in preparation and to intimidate before the plunge. She pushed her head forward...
… and tapped Trena's head lightly. "You're out."
Again.
"We found her guys!" the male Nadder hatchling yelled out. Within a minute, a Zippleback and a Gronckle came out of the trees and landed next to the group. Everyone smiled, even Trena, who managed to raise the edge of her lips slightly.
"Nice work, Trena," the gas head complimented.
"Yeah!" the other agreed. The Zippleback was primarily green, but a dark red stripe ran down both necks to end at the tail tips. Stream and River were their father's daughter, already being known as a joker.
"I told you she'd last half an hour. Pay up," the light-green-and-tan Gronckle, Rocky, said to the Nadders.
"I know," Dawn groaned. She coughed up a fish which Rocky took.
Trena shook her head clear of her thoughts. Just a game. It's not that important. She turned back to the spring and jumped in. She surfaced and floated on her back, taking in the relaxing warmth.
"You were really good, Trena." Skyflier said. He sat at the edge of the pool, talons in the water.
"Thanks."
"What do you say about a five minute break, then we search for Greln and Scarlet?" Jewel asked. Everyone nodded. "Well, at least try," she added under her breath.
"We are definitely going to win this time," Greln whispered.
Scarlet smiled as best she could. "We always win now."
The Night Fury and Monstrous Nightmare were hiding in a pile of dirt that Greln had made. They were practically buried in it, only their eyes and nostrils sticking out so they could see and breathe.
Both of them heard the faint call. Scarlet grinned. "Ten minutes?"
"Sure."
Already hunkered down, the two dragon hatchlings waited.
Skyflier sniffed the air again, hoping to find more of Greln's scent. While he had the best nose out of him and his sisters, he knew when he needed help. Now, everyone was looking for a sign of not only him, but also Scarlet.
Nothing. No tracks, no residual scent. The trail went cold in a section of the forest that was mostly dirt and hillside. "Greln, it's been five minutes! You can come out now!"
"Scarlet!"
"Greln, Scarlet! This isn't funny, guys!"
Everyone was getting worried. Greln was the best hider out of the group, and Scarlet often went with him. He had always left enough of a trail so that they would find them within the time limit, but this time was the first he went past that.
The game the hatchlings played frequently, Hunt-and-Touch, had rules made by both them and their parents. If someone wasn't found within five minutes, he or she had to make themselves known. After that, it was a matter of when the hatchling got tagged. The time limit was so that the hatchlings would stay safe. As they would get older, the limit would be extended, of course.
"Greln, don't make me get Mom out here!"
Some dirt shifted, and everyone turned to see Greln and Scarlet digging themselves out of the dirt. They shook off the loose soil and smiled. "We win," the Night Fury boasted.
Then he was tackled by his sister. "No, Scarlet wins."
The eight hatchlings laughed as they made their way back to the village and their parents. The Crimson Fury gliding above the trees watched over them, making sure they were safe.
AN - Hoped you liked this, guys. I may do more every now and then, but I'm mostly going to be writing Dragons' Destiny.
If you enjoyed this, leave a review or comment. I'm always interested in what you have to say.
