A/N: Okay my dear readers, I owe everyone a HUGE apology. I've had a metric button of real life issues clubbing me in the head, varying from job-related stuff to ankle injuries, but I'm getting back to my old self again. But that's enough of me, let the dragons commence! :)
Chapter 4.
The sun slowly began to emerge above the horizon, casting brilliant light on the ice and snow covered landscape. The air was cold, fresh, and the offshore breeze gave the air a salty aftertaste. For a few more moments, the eerie silence was very peaceful...
Until sounds of retching shattered it into pieces.
"Here you go." Lenhardt smiled as he backed away from the pile of half-digested fish he just coughed up.
"Thanks pal, I was out fetching stuff for Elder Tamaana all night, I'm so dead." Wyren sighed tiredly, and then hungrily sunk his teeth into the first fish. After some tasting and munching, he spoke up:
"It tastes... unusual. Salty, maybe?"
"I know." Lenny confirmed "Elder Ragnar said it's normal for this area. This place is supposed to be an island, and the water around here is called 'sea', whatever that means."
"I don't get this." Wyren mumbled between two fish "Why is water salty at one place, and not at the other?"
"I have no clue." Lenny shook his head "And I'm afraid to ask Elder Ragnar, because if he knows, he's going to interpret it for days. But he did warn not to drink seawater, because it only makes us more thirsty."
"Yeah, right." Wyren grinned as he finished eating. "How long are we going to stay here?"
Lenny turned his head to the west, and just stared for a few seconds before answering:
"We'll head out tonight. We're close now, a few more days and this wandering is over."
"And then, we're at our new home... which will be safe, right?"
Lenhardt swallowed tensely at this. He had no idea; he only knew that the Menaedhral Mountains are supposed to be safe. But nobody, not even his father knew what exactly would await them, once they get there.
"Sure. It'll be safe." He replied hesitantly.
"Well, that would be a nice change." Wyren commented "After all this running around and seeing weird places, I'm longing for some mountains again. You sure you're okay?"
The sudden change of subject caught Lenny off guard.
"Y-yeah, why?" he blinked.
"Dunno, you seem particularly morose and serious all the time..." Wyren observed with narrowed eyes "I can't even remember the last time we went out to just have fun."
"I don't really have time to goof around anymore, Ren." Lenhardt stated.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Wyren cried out "You would have never even considered saying something like that two months ago! I've had enough of your 'leader' crap for a lifetime. You need to chill out!"
Lenny rolled his eyes while his friend bit down on the tail of another fish.
"Ren, with all the stuff going around, how can you expect me to not be serio-"
SLAP.
Wet and slimy fish collided with his face, and he jumped back in surprise. Wyren got on all fours with the fish still hanging out of his mouth, and with a playful glimmer in his eyes.
"Wyren, don't-"
SLAP.
"I'm gonna hit you until you start acting like you used to!" Wyren grinned, the fish between his teeth swinging back and forth."
"Quit annoying me-"
SLAP.
"Okay." Lenny sighed. "Let's just sit back, and think this over..."
The fish spanned through the air with negligent elegance, landing on the top of his head with a wet smack, and slowly slid downwards to cover his right eye.
"I'M GONNA SHOVE THIS INTO YOUR-"
The rest of Lenhardt's swearing was cut off by the mad laughter of his friend. Wyren quickly jumped into the air, tail-fin butting Lenny's head gently as he flew away. Lenny shook the fish off his head, and leapt into the air to follow him.
By the time Lenhardt and Wyren got back to the rest of the clan, the sun was probably at its highest point. It was hard to tell, because the sky was made dark and murky by the brewing blizzard. Despite the howling wind and falling snow, most of the Furies were trying to sleep, gathering strength for the next night-time flight towards their destination.
Lenny himself was about to curl up beside his mother, when he heard someone calling his name, outshouting the wind. As he turned towards the direction where the call came from, he saw Second Guard Arnavyr giving him an expecting look. He motioned with his head to come closer, and Lenny complied with rising curiosity.
"Excuse me Lenhardt" the older dragon began "But it seems like we have a rather... delicate situation you need to know about."
"What's wrong?" Lenny asked.
Arnavyr took a deep breath before answering.
"Follow me. We've found something unnerving around the reserve fish-piles."
Lenny took a sharp breath. Piling up some fish at each stopping point was his mother's idea, in order to prevent populous flocks of Furies flying around the hiding place. The reserves are supposed to help feed those who can't go on hunting for their own, but as it turned out, the amount of food the hunters were able to collect during their short time was barely enough to keep them from starvation. Everyone had to constantly endure a varying measure of hunger all the time, so any kind of problems regarding the already scarce food was indeed a serious issue.
Lenny swallowed tensely, then said:
"Let's go."
They both flew to the place where the Hunters kept the food. Usually, nobody approached the fish pile alone as anyone who happened to be hungry asked a Hunter first. If the Hunter confirmed that there was available food, the hungry one was escorted here, fed, and escorted away. This was a complicated system, but it worked well and nobody had experienced any problems with it... until now.
On arrival, Lenny immediately noticed the myriad of footprints littering the area around the mound of fish. The weather made it impossible to make out what had made them. Only rough outlines of a paw-like shape remained.
"Half the stockpile is gone." Arnavyr said, his tone full of angst.
"And these prints?" Lenny motioned towards the tracks surrounding it, "tell me they're yours…"
"I'm afraid not, at least not the majority of them. I tried to follow but they stop around... here." He gestured toward the ending of the line of pawprints. "Which means whatever they are, they can fly. It must be other dragons."
"This could be really bad." Lenny said, shaking his head in disbelief "There's enough here to suggest they have a force of... I don't know, fifteen? Twenty?"
"One dragon could likely cause several sets of prints by himself, and if there were twenty dragons they would have taken everything, I'd guess perhaps six or seven." Arnavyr explained.
"What about their scent?"
"About that… take a close sniff of the tracks here." the Second Guard said, motioning towards a particular set of prints with his nose."
Lenny lowered his head to take a close look and sniff the strange pawprints. Something felt odd with them, but it took a few moments for young Night Fury to realize what's wrong. After a bit more sniffing around, he looked at Arnavyr.
"The scent of the owner..."
"...is nowhere to be found." Arnavyr nodded. "In fact, I can't find any scents at any pawprints. Which means whoever came here took a fire bath before it. The only reason to do that is to conceal identity."
"The clever bastards." Lenny huffed.
"Looks like they have experience in stealing from others..." The Guard said darkly "This is probably the most indistinguishable pile of tracks I've ever seen. The pawprints look somewhat similar to a Night Furies, but they are too long. There are also other tracks here which don't even look like paw-marks at all. The snowstorm doesn't help either, it's a damn mess."
"You're right." Lenhardt mumbled as he examined the tracks again "Did anyone else have an idea of what they might be?"
"Nobody else knows, I came straight to you. Wouldn't want to start rumours and get everyone to panic." Arnavyr shook his head.
"Smart. Then, what do you think?
The older dragon let out an angered huff, the more he looked at the mystery he couldn't solve, the more irritated he seemed.
"I'm not sure; I can't make out a lot from this." Arnavyr began "My first thought was Skrills, but that doesn't seem likely. I mean, they would've attacked us or taken the whole pile. Maybe there is another kind of dragon living here we've never seen before. Whatever it was they just wanted the food, they got in and out in total silence. "
"Right." Lenny thought out loud "I'll go and talk to Salko, if we are being trailed, we'll have to be on utmost alert. And we'll have to double the patrols." He took a deep breath before going on "I want to get to the bottom of this."
"We have to, and soon." Arnavyr said darkly "Because if these guys decide that they're interested in more than food, we're in deep trouble."
The easiest way for a clan of fifty Night Furies to stay undetected during travel, was to simply climb above cloud level. It was also nice to get out of the snowstorm, up here; they had no other company but the myriad of stars and the lone moon above them. Plus the cold wind, but it was manageable. Every once in a while, Lenny and a few Guards dived down to check on the landscape; but they were above the sea for hours, with the shores nowhere to be seen in the darkness of the cloudy winter night. This gave Lenny a strange feeling inside as they flew; there's nothing above them, nothing under them, and nothing around them...
Suddenly the feelings caused by the empty, black scenery dawned on him. It felt hard to admit to himself, but he felt badly homesick. So far he had never actually realised how much he missed the mountains, rivers, lush forests, the Great Aspen in the middle of valley...
To dodge his incoming bad mood, he began to edge towards First Guard Salkonyr, who flew beside him.
"Please take my place for a bit, Salko." He asked quietly. The older Fury nodded, and with a few strong wingbeats, he occupied the leading point in the formation.
Lenny did a lazy circle and flew above the flock of dragons, just for the sake of checking up on everyone. Elder Tamaana wasn't too hard to spot, her silver-stained wings were visible even in such dark conditions. However, as Lenny observed, she looked like she was working harder than usual to stay in formation. Immersed in her own thoughts, as she didn't even notice that a young Night Fury slowly glided next to her.
"Elder Tamaana?" Lenny called her quietly.
"Oh. Good evening, Lenhardt, can I help you with something?"
"Nothing special. I just thought about asking how you are."
"I would prefer to leave the title of 'The Oh So Complaining One' to Elder Ragnar, but I am really not much of a fan of these long, all-night flights. I hope we are getting near to our destination."
"We are." Lenny confirmed "We should reach the great mountain range in the west in two or three nights. Then we just have to find a comfortable spot, and we can rest."
"Well, that would be nice." Tamaana smiled "I am getting tired of listening to the cracking of my joints for hours long."
"Oh come on!" Lenny chuckled "You don't even seem that old to me."
"That's very kind of you to say" the old dragoness smiled gratefully at him "but you would be surprised. Let me just say that I am way past my years of enjoying all-night flights."
"Why, how old are you exactly?" Lenny asked, ears perking up in curiosity.
Elder Tamaana giggled and shook her head before beginning to answer.
"I would like to let you know that this is not exactly a polite thing to ask from a dragoness."
"Oh." Lenny blushed "I-I'm sorry..."
"Nothing happened." she smiled leniently "The good Elder Ragnar always likes to boast about how old he is; let me tell you, just between the two of us, that I remember times when Ragnar was just a tiny hatchling, complaining about why he has to eat carp instead of trout."
Lenny felt his jaw drop.
"Really?"
"Oh yes." Elder Tamaana nodded "I have seen the hatching of every single Night Fury of this clan, and I intend to see a few more before reuniting with my loved ones on the Starpath."
Lenny cringed and stayed silent for a while, thinking over the Elder's words. What can it be like, living past everyone you grew up with, watching friends pass away due to old age? Seeing several hundred winters, watching other dragons hatch, grow up, and maybe even die?
"I know what you are thinking." Tamaana spoke up, interrupting the young Fury's thoughts. "No matter how hard it is to endure, letting go is just a part of life, just as much as hatching. I have had a long life, and I have had my fair share of both happiness, and grief. But in the end, all that matters is that you are content with the way you spent the time that was given; and I am. If you only take one piece of advice from me, young lad, let it be this: always try to arrange your life in a way which makes you content with it. So when your time comes, you can look back and be completely in peace."
By the end of the night, the clan left the vicinity of the sea, and much to everyone's delight, they arrived to a huge pine forest, which was dotted by many lakes. The place looked comfortable, and the vague lights to the north and south indicated that human dwellings are also quite far away. This place finally offered some shelter against the still ongoing snowstorm, and the dozens of lakes promised ample food, something which they really lacked since the beginning of their migration.
Once they found a clearing in the forest to touch down in, Lenhardt, with the help of his mother and First Guard Salkonyr, began the usual routine of sorting out Guard patrol duty, organising hunting trips, checking the well-being of everyone. He talked with Salkonyr about Arnavyr's findings, and decided to quietly put all Guards on higher alert, but otherwise wait and see, not wanting to spread panic among the rest of the Night Furies. Should someone try to steal food or just generally pay them a visit, they will be ready this time.
Now that the clan took security precautions, Lenny still wanted to figure out a way to catch the thieves. As hard as he could, he could not figure out how so many potential threats had slipped past unnoticed. Then he decided to ask the only person whom he could trust with this matter.
He quickly took off, getting above the trees with quick wing beats. As he flew back towards the clearing, he spotted Lyara lying under a tree. He did a sharp turn, and gently landed a few steps away from her, then stopped. His mother was hunting overtime during the last couple days to help feed the clan, so Lenny wasn't surprise to see her try to get some rest. Not wanting to wake her up, he began to backtrack, but as soon as he moved, Lyara stirred and opened her eyes, taking a drowsy look at her son.
"Hi..." Lenny smiled at her sheepishly "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up."
"Oh, never mind." Lyara said with a yawn "It's not like I can actually sleep well anyway. So I might as well do something useful with my time." she continued, stretching her legs and wings out wide before sitting up.
"I suppose you didn't come to just say hi." She smiled.
"Ehm, no." Lenny admitted. Then, he quickly described this apparent thief-situation and the things he had learned about it from Arnavyr. While he was talking, all traces of sleepiness vanished from Lyara's features, replaced by curiosity and a hint of fear.
"So I don't really know how should I figure this out..."
"This is unnerving, to say the least." Lyara said in a concerned tone "Even if there are only five of them, if they can sneak past the guards while the others are sleeping..." She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. Panic would only make the situation worse. "But still, I agree with waiting and seeing. There is also a chance that what happened at our previous stop was a local thing. No need to assume the worst-"
She was interrupted by Arnavyr, who hastily landed beside Lenhardt.
"There it is again!" he gabbled nervously "Half of the fish are missing, and there's a haywire of tracks around the pile again. Salkonyr is already there, investigating with half a dozen Guards."
Lenny and Lyara exchanged a scared look, then quickly took off, following Arnavyr to the scene.
They arrived to see a very angry Salkonyr, in the company of six other Guards, who were in the process of carefully sniffing and examining the strange trails, disclosing theories and suspicions between each other.
"This has to stop!" Salkonyr fumed. He felt personally offended by the fact that someone managed to slip past his patrols. Let alone what appeared to be an entire party of offenders, "Lenhardt, let me organize a sweeping party, I want to check the area to the south. Not much can be made out of the tracks, but we suspect that someone headed south from here. We might find some obvious hiding places."
"What if you find any?" Lenny asked.
"Then we'll storm it." Salkonyr said darkly. "And drag out the culprits."
"I don't like this at all." Lenny said worriedly "We don't know who, what, or how many we're up against..."
"If these are Skrills, we have to act before they do."
Lenhardt gritted his teeth as he stared at his forepaws. Now, he was officially scared. The last time his clan clashed with Skrills was a long time ago, yet he still heard the stories about it. Stories about fierce battles, serious injuries, torn families... Life-long scars which many had to bear, including his father.
"Okay." he finally blurted out, still looking at his paws "Go out with six Guards and search the area, but if you find anything, give us a signal and wait for reinforcements. In the meantime, Arnavyr and I will rally the others and be on standby. As soon as you give the signal, we'll go in." he stopped to raise his head and look Salkonyr in the eye before continuing:
"And give our new neighbours a fiery welcome."
Cold night fell on the winter forest, which became almost silent. The only sound audible in the forest was the hooting of owls, and of course, the puffs of wind.
The whole clan sat in a circle, listening quietly as Lenhardt explained the situation to them. But as he did so, Lenny could not miss the traces of disappointment in the fearful glares of the others. Suddenly, he felt like a filthy liar; he was supposed to lead them to safety, not into... this.
But he had one more announcement to make.
"Because of the seriousness of the situation" he began "I decided to personally lead our Guards against the threat. There is a good chance the situation can be resolved in a peaceful way; but if not, we will strike first, and strike hard! I will not stand for any threats against the well-being of our clan!"
The agreeing and appreciating roars managed to lighten up the mood a bit, but Lenny just had to look on his mother's face to see that she was not happy with his decision. Not in the slightest.
"Lenhardt, you better get this out of your head!" She said strictly after they managed to find a place where they could talk privately.
"No." he assessed.
"What is it with your father's blood…?" She sighed, "You always want to risk yourselves without a care in the world for the ones who love you. Please, Lenny you're still young. Nobody is expecting you to-"
"I'm not just a Leader by title!" Lenhardt spoke up "Dad would lead them personally; I have to do so as well! What kind of leader would I be if I would cower under your wing after I ordered the Guards to risk their lives?"
"See? That's exactly what your father would have said, except he is the best trained fighter this clan! It's commendable that you want to replace him, but there is no comparison between the two of you!"
For a few moments, Lenhardt just blinked, and Lyara immediately regretted what she just said.
"Lenny-"
"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. I've always loved living in his shadow" Lenhardt said coldly "Now if you excuse me, I have an attack to set up."
Ignoring his mother's tearful glare, he turned and walked away silently.
A blue and red fireball appeared high on the sky. Twelve Guards were in full alert, ready to meet the unknown threat. Lenny turned his head towards Second Guard Arnavyr, and nodded.
"Let's head out."
"Formation!" Arnavyr yelled, and all of them took off, forming a wide 'V' as they began their flight southwards, in order to meet up with Salkonyr and his vanguard force.
Lyara watched silently as they disappeared into the clouds, and let out a shaky sigh. Everywhere she looked, she could only see tense Furies trying to act calmly. Only six Guards could remain here to keep the others safe, and they had to be supplemented by able-bodied Hunters, due to their losses at Toemnir valley. The air itself seemed to vibrate of tension.
"Lyara?"
She turned around, to see Ohrana approaching her. The former huntress walked with careful steps, and Lyara's heart was immediately filled with pity as she saw the one-eyed dragoness.
"Hi." Lyara greeted her.
"I'd like to ask what you know about this mess..." the older dragoness began "This whole 'be ready for anything and we may have a fight at paw'thing came practically out of nowhere."
"It pretty much did." Lyara replied in a shaky tone "A few days ago, the Guards spotted strange pawprints around the food reserves. They were so messy, they couldn't figure out what left them there. Whatever they were, they've followed us and stolen fish again. Salko's suspecting Skrills."
Ohrana swallowed, and stayed silent for a moment.
"Can I see those tracks?"
"Err... sure, why not." Lyara stuttered.
The two Night Furies flew to the spot in the forest, where the food reserves were piled up. They were both silent on the way, but Lyara figured out why Ohrana wanted to take a look at the scene. She heard from Elder Tamaana, that after a permanent eye injury, the other senses are trying to compensate... which means Ohrana should have better hearing and sense of smell than any other Night Furies!
"Why haven't I thought about this sooner?!" she cried out loud.
"What?" Ohrana asked, veering closer to her.
"Nothin'." Lyara mumbled awkwardly. "We're here, go on and take a look at it as you wish."
They arrived to the scene, and Ohrana immediately began to curiously examine the pawprints and other marks in the snow.
"I've never seen anything like this before..." she commented, and began to carefully sniff one of the pawprints. But she almost immediately recoiled, shook her head, and began to sniff again, as if she didn't want to believe what she had found.
Lyara narrowed her eyes and took a few steps closer to her.
"Ohrana, what's-"
"Where are the Guards going?!" Ohrana cried out, with an unnerving amount of urgency in her voice.
"They must've found something like a cave, or hideout to the south, and-"
As she heard this, Ohrana rapidly leapt into the air.
"We have to tell them to stop!"
"What?!" Lyara cried out desperately "Ohrana, wait, what's going on?!"
Oh, what a cheeky bastard am I for ending a two-months-late chapter with a cliffhanger? :D
Don't worry ladies and gents, you all have my word that the next chapter WILL NOT take two months to get done. Also, a HUGE thank you goes to my trusty Aussie minion, this chapter would not be possible without him. So girls, send kisses, boys, send beers to TheWopolusa for his astounding contribution!
I have so many contributors now, I'm going to have to write a "Credits" chapter at the end of the story...
Which I think it's great, by the way. :D
As always, comment, review, share your opinions with me. It's worth more than you think. Until next time! o/
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