Hello all and welcome back to another chapter.

Not much to say on this one so without further delay, let's dive right into things…

Chapter 15 – A Lone Raven

Dear Diary…

Being able to stand on your own is good, it shows that you are strong and capable; but it's also good to need help from other's when you are unable to stand on your own…

Crystie exhaled as she stared up at the night sky; the stars shone brightly as they hung highly in the sky. It was an early march night and the young viking was trying to make the most of the beautiful view before she went to bed. She'd lit a small fire that she was sitting next to keep warm (she did it all by herself and no, she did not need help lighting it. Okay, maybe she did).

Everyone was either lounging around the area, which she had named Stoneshard Peak or inside sleeping. Crystie was sitting in the grass near the lake, which she'd named lake Talia with a sleeping SwiftSpeed curled up in her lap; the young Speedstinger had grown a bit since they'd met, being roughly around the young viking's knees.

Amber, Blue, Red and Snowflake were all sitting down, talking together on the sand near the lake; Crystie guessed that the twins were near full grown, being a few inches taller than Crystie; Meanwhile, Amber seemed to be a foot taller than the young viking and seemed to still have a lot of growing to do, given how big her parent had been.

It was a surprisingly peaceful night; no bad weather, no interfering creatures or dragons trying to attack them and no natural disasters as well; it a nice, quiet, beautiful night. Crystie continued to stare at the glistening sky through the sky hole, wishing she could get a bigger view but she didn't want to leave the safety of Stoneshard Peak at this time of night; Maybe another night.

Part of the sky blacked out for a few seconds before returning to the beautiful view it was before. Crystie was confused and curious; Had something just flown over the skyhole? There must've; It wasn't as general of a shape to be a cloud or a bird and it was too fast to be one as well. The sad part was it was too dark to make out any defined details or colours.

SwiftSpeed's sleep chirping brought the young viking out of her thoughts. She looked down and gently stroked the speedy dragon's head, being careful not to wake him. Glancing back up towards the sky, Crystie's mind drifted back to her previous thoughts; Had it been some sort of dragon? Was it dangerous? Would she possibly meet it?

The young viking shook her head. It was likely just a flock of birds and she was overthinking the entire thing, like she did sometimes. She was overeating. There was nothing to be concerned about.

The next day, around mid-morning, Crystie was at the big lake which she'd named lake Malik; The group were there to fish since lake Malik was bigger, which meant more food and they didn't want to overfish lake Talia.

Everyone was down here to help out, even Cypress, although he was more so just laying on the rocks watching everyone else work; SwiftSpeed was also there but he was just running laps around the lake, likely seeing how many he could do before they were done fishing. The young viking herself was sitting on the sand, near an open net where fish would be deposited, holding a fishing rod that had been cast out into the lake. She was attempting to get some fish herself but she didn't think it was going so well, as she was yet to catch anything. The net and the fishing rod were some of the things she'd asked for from the Winterstone tribe and she was determined to put them to good use.

The young viking let out a sigh and put down her rod next to her and rested her head in her palm instead. She opted to watch the others fish instead, some attempts going better than others.

Storm came flying over to the next and deposited the fish she had in her claws into the net; some of the fish did not make it into the net, falling onto the sand besides it. The blue dragon gave Crystie a passing squawk before she flew back out towards the lake, Crystie giving a small wave in return. She then went back to looking over the lake, watching the calm water and the swaying trees in the distance.

It was a very peaceful day; barely a cloud in the sky and the temperature wasn't too bad either. Crystie let herself inhale deeply before exhaling. It had been quite a while since everything was calm and she'd almost forgot what it was like.

A shuffling noise from behind caught Crystie's attention, it sounded like someone was walking over sand and not very quietly. She turned her body around to see what was making that sound; but when she turned, there was nothing there. The fish that had fallen next to the net were gone and the sand was all stirred up, like something had been swept across the sand and ran away very quickly.

Crystie glanced around to see if she could spot the culprit but her search came up blank; she didn't even know what she was supposed to be looking for.

A high-pitched roar made Crystie look to her right; SwiftSpeed was running towards her. The speedy dragon stopped infront of her, panting slightly but an enthusiastic look on her face.

"Hey buddy. You doing good?" the young viking asked, patting the blue dragon's head. SwiftSpeed nodded and ran around in a small circle.

"That's good. How many laps have you done so far?" she asked curiously.

SwiftSpeed clawed five tally marks into the sand before looking up proudly.

"Woah. You've done five? That's a great job" Crystie praised the little dragon who looked puffed his chest out with pride. Crystie chuckled and patted the dragon's head.

"How about you go do a few more, I want to see how many you can do before we have to go back" Crystie suggested.

SwiftSpeed enthusiastically nodded and sped off again, leaving a small dust cloud in his wake. After coughing and brushing away the sand cloud, Crystie smiled to herself and turned back around to face the lake. She wanted to relax again but her body kept her guard up; who knows if the fish culprit would come back and try again and she was weary because she didn't know if they were friend, or foe.

It was around midday when the group had finished fishing and were heading back towards the peak. Most of the group had flown ahead, taking the fish they'd caught with them; That left Crystie, Storm, Cypress, Snowflake and SwiftSpeed on the ground. It was strange walking through the forest, as half of the trees still had their leaves while the other half were just starting to get theirs back; However, It was nice to walk through.

The young viking was walking beside Storm as they traversed through the tall dark trunks. Snowflake was sitting upon the blue dragon's head while Cypress lounged on the dragon's back and SwiftSpeed was walking at Crystie's heels.

While she was enjoying the feeling of walking through the forest, Crystie made a mental note to come back here during late spring, summer time to see it in its full beauty.

Something felt off, however. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, like something, or someone, was watching them from somewhere in the wooden wonderland. It was probably paranoia, or just her brain overthinking things as usual; but the feeling just wouldn't go away.

Storm also seemed tense, her stance not as relaxed as it usually was, her tail raised as if waiting for something to attack; And due to Storm being a tracker class dragon, she had heightened senses which meant there was a very likely chance something was actually out there.

Crystie's paranoia peaked when she heard rustling come from some nearby bushes and brambles, making her slightly jump. Storm raised her tail as Snowflake and Cypress leapt off of her, arching their backs; SwiftSpeed just stood there looking confused. Not really having a good weapon on her, the young viking raised her fishing rod; that was previously attached to her hip, in what she hoped was a threatening pose.

"WHO'S THERE?" Crystie called out.

There was a pregnant pause before more shuffling came from the bushes. Cypress, deciding to go on the attack, ran head first into the bush.

"Wait-" the young viking tried calling out but the brown and white feline had already disappeared into the undergrowth. Storm and Snowflake were about to go in as well put Crystie put her hand up to stop them when the shuffling when silent. SwiftSpeed went up to the bushes and sniffed at them curiously.

The silence only lasted for a few moments however as a loud yowl and an unknown roar then echoed around the area. Not a second later, Cypress was sent flying out of the bushes, tumbling until he landed flat on his back; his fur was messed up and matted with twigs and leaves sticking out all over.

The shuffling lead to the sound of something running away until it was out of earshot. Crystie let out a sigh of relief and put her fishing rod back on her belt; The creature was gone, for now. She crouched down infront of Cypress and looked at him curiously.

"Are you doing alright buddy?" she asked, as Cypress looked a bit rough.

The feline in question ignored the question, rolling onto his front, spitting something out before standing up, shaking himself off and climbing back onto Storm's back.

Crystie gently shook her head, letting out an exhausted breath before she stood up, but not before she noticed something in the corner of her eye; It was the thing Cypress had spit out.

Ignoring the saliva, which was gross, Crystie picked up the object and studied it. The object was small, not being much bigger than the young viking's thumb; it had an almond shape to it, was flat and smooth and was a plain black colour. It looked like a dragon's scale but she couldn't tell what kind.

Throwing away the scale; opting to not keep something that was covered in a cat's saliva; she turned around and continuing walking on route to the peak, the rest of the group quickly following. It was basically confirmed; Something was stalking them and wouldn't be long until they found out what.

Sunset was drawing near by the time the group had reached the peak. The nets of fish were put in a shallow hole in the sand, that was slightly filled with water to help keep the fish fresh. The group were lounging around the area, enjoying the warm of the sun while it was still out. Crystie was sitting cross-legged in the grass, holding dragon toy in her hands.

She didn't quite know why she'd gotten it out and was now looking at it, but she honestly didn't care. The toy felt soft as Crystie brushed her fingers over the smooth fabric. It looked worn, some of the stitching on the seams was slightly loosened, the colour looked duller than it was supposed to be and there seemed to be less stuffing inside of the toy than there was likely supposed to be.

The dragon toy looked well loved and cared for, despite it's condition; Crystie guessed she must've had it for a while. It was one of the few thing she had that connected to her previous unknown life. She still craved answers to what her life was like, how different it was to her life now, did her family miss her and how she could get back to that life. It was hard to get answers and the ones she did have weren't getting her anywhere.

None of it made sense.

Exhaling loudly, Crystie put her toy in her hoodie pocket and fell backwards onto the ground, staring up at the fading sky. Maybe there was something she was missing; Like, perhaps she was missing a big glaring detail that was right infront of her that she was too oblivious to see.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, the young viking covered her face with her hands. Why did she feel like she was being stupid? Could she not have a smart idea for once?

A loud rustling sound brought Crystie out of her thoughts; she could wallow in self pity later. She sat up, removing her hands and looked around for the source of the noise. Her eyes landed on a creature standing over the fish nets, digging their head into it.

The creature seemed to be some sort of dragon and Crystie recognised them as a Night Fury. They had four legs that were somewhat stocky, with four claws on the end of each leg; They had a large pair of bat-like wings and two sets of tail-like fins, one at the base of their tail and one at the tip of their tail; They had a round flat shaped head with four ear-like appendages on the back of their head, with the addition of small tendril-like appendages on the back of their jaw; They had vibrant, round, emerald green eyes and their overall colour was a plain black; And from their appearance, they seemed to be a female.

From where Crystie was, it looked like the dragon was eating away at their freshly caught fish.

The young viking leapt up from her spot and began rushing towards the dragon.

"HEY, GET AWAY FROM THOSE" she yelled as she ran forward.

The dragon lifted their head and glared over at the young viking, baring it's teeth on a snarl. It then grabbed one of the nets full of fish with it's front claws and took off into the air, taking the fish with it.

"HEY, THOSE AREN'T YOURS, GIVE THEM BACK" Crystie yelled, stopping to catch her breath.

She saw the other dragons fly towards the escaping dragon but the Night Fury was too fast for them, nearing the sky hole. The dragon seemed to start to waver and drift in the air, like it was running out of energy. It then dropped the fish it was holding before falling onto the ground itself, landing with a loud crash. Crystie rushed over and knelt next to the dragon, checking them over; There was luckily no wounds or signs of broken bones, only a few starches and a couple of bruises.

"Quick, help me get them inside" she yelled to the other dragons who had landed nearby.

The others quickly and gently grabbed the unconscious dragon and began carrying them inside, Crystie standing worryingly nearby. This dragon was hurt and needed care and Crystie was determined to give that.

Come the next morning, Crystie went to check on the Night Fury. They had been moved to the room next to Crystie's and kept them there all night, the young viking and Storm staying by their side. When the sun had risen, Storm had headed out to go get food while Crystie stayed behind and checked up on the dragon again.

She hoped Storm brought food back quickly cause not only was she feeling a bit peckish herself, but the Night Fury also looked desperately in need of some food. As she put a bucket of water infront of the dragon, she noticed the visible outline of ribs slightly sticking out from the dragon's chest. Winter had been harsh for all of them, it had been hard for even herself and her group to get by; But a lone dragon? Starving and barely able to find food by themself? It had to have been one of the hardest and worst things to go through.

This dragon had been suffering for long enough and Crystie was determined to help them in anyway she could.

A chirping sound brought the young viking out of her thoughts. She turned her head to see Storm walking towards them before depositing a pile of fish on the floor.

"Thank you Storm" Crystie said as the blue dragon sat down next to her; gaining a happy squawk in response.

A gurgling sound brought Crystie's attention back over to the black dragon next to her. The Night Fury opened their eyes and lifting their head wearily. After blinking a few times and glancing around, the Night Fury's eyes landed on Crystie and Storm.

"Hi there" Crystie greeted in a soft voice, not wanting to startle the dragon.

That didn't seem to work that well however as the dragon immediately went hostile, their teeth popping out and their mouth curling into a smile. So they had retractable teeth; that's cool. She shook her head; Focus Crystie.

"Hey hey, please calm down. We're not going to hurt you" she tried reassuring the night dragon but they just kept growling angrily.

An idea then popped into her head. Keeping eye contact with the Night Fury, Crystie grabbed one of the fish from the pile and handed it out to the dragon. They stopped growling and looked down at the fish, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Go on, it's for you" Crystie urged, putting the fish on the floor and nudging it towards the dragon.

The Night Fury looked between Crystie, Storm and the fish several times before bringing the fish closer to itself and beginning to eat it. They teared into the fish like there was no tomorrow so they must've been quite hungry.

After annihilating the fish, the dragon lifted their head and glanced around, as if looking for more to eat. Crystie chuckled as Storm moved aside to reveal the fish pile she'd caught.

"Here" Crystie said "This is for you".

The black dragon's sight landed on the pile and their eyes lit up. Dragging themself over to the pile, they dived into it and began eating the fish like they were going extinct. Crystie chuckled at the dragon's enthusiasm and excitement.

After finishing the pile, the Night Fury sat back down, letting out a satisfied burp.

"Did you enjoy that?" Crystie chuckled.

The dragon nodded, letting out a happy sigh.

"Just try and not let yourself starve again, okay?" Crystie said.

They looked down guiltily and Crystie internally cringed; That was definitely not the right thing to say. Quick; Think of something to made the situation better. Something then popped into her mind.

"Hey. I have a question to ask you" Crystie said, gaining the dragon's attention.

"How would you feel about staying here with us?" Crystie asked. The Night Fury tilted their head in confusion.

"We'll keep you company, help you stay fed and make sure you have a good time" Crystie explained "So what do you say?".

The dragon looked down at the floor, as if thinking over the offer. Crystie hoped she'd given a convincing argument though she didn't know how good her presentation skills were; She hadn't exactly gotten any feedback.

After a few long moments of silence, the black dragon looked up and nodded.

"That's great. Welcome to the club" Crystie cheered. Storm let out a chuckle while the Night Fury just smiled, showing a toothless grin.

"Right, so what we need now for you is a name" Crystie explained.

The dragon started making gurgling sounds, probably explaining what her name was but it fell deaf on Crystie's ears as she could sadly not understand the dragon language. Storm then started squawking towards the other dragon, likely explaining that Crystie couldn't understand her. After a brief look of embarrassment, they shook their head and nodded in understanding.

"How about I give you a name, does that sound good?" Crystie suggested.

The Night Fury nodded in response. Crystie put a hand on her chin, looked down towards the ground and began thinking. A name, a name, what kind of name would fit them? An answer then clicked in her mind.

"How about Raven, does that sound good?" Crystie asked, looking back up at the dragon.

They nodded, a smile creeping onto their face. Crystie and Storm chuckled.

"Nice to meet you Raven" Crystie greeted. Raven let out a happy purr in response.

Several hours later, the group was outside, enjoying the weather. The sun was out and shining through the sky hole, bathing the area in a warm light.

Crystie was sitting on one of the tall rocks that overlooked the lake. Every now and then, she'd turn her head to watch the small group of dragons that were sitting on the sandy shore. Raven was drawing in the sand with a large branch she'd found while Blue, Red, Amber and Burst and Spark watched; The Night Fury's drawings were somewhat sloppy and she was making quite a mess of sand, but she was having fun and that's what mattered.

Smiling, Crystie turned her attention back out across the lake. She debated whether or not to go back to thinking about where she came from and all that but she decided against it; That was future Crystie's problem. For now, she was going to focus on her friends and enjoying herself.

So that's what happened.

This day wasn't as intense as some others but that doesn't mean it wasn't somewhat interesting. Raven is turning out to be an interesting character and I'll be fun to learn more about her the more time we spend together.

I'm really glad we're able to help her as no-one should have to struggle on their own and have no-one to rely on. I'm sure we'll be able to give her what she needs.

That's all from me this time.

I hope we talk again soon.

This is Crystie, singing out.

So, that was the chapter.

Did you guys like it, I enjoyed writing it when I was able to actually work on it.

This chapter was shorter than I originally expected but I don't think that matters, I wrote what I needed to and I think it turned out good.

Anyway, that's all from me this time

As always, you can check my twitter for updates by searching ChaoticViking and you can check my DeviantArt for art I do of the series.

I hope you all have a nice day

This is CrystieSong, signing out.