As expected, no progress had been made on finding any kind of weakness in the blockade that Heather insisted existed. Every inch of forest was seemingly littered with a dragon sentry, ready to strike at a moments notice. Countless hours had passed and darkness had finally fallen making it impossible to continue the search any longer, prompting for them to return to Ryker and burden him with bad news. There was no doubt that the hunter leader would make his anger and disappointment known. Just another setback in their long uphill struggle against the dragon rider fort which even after days of siege held out. Even so, these fleeting thoughts were the last thing running through Farrans head. Right now he found himself more preoccupied with a much bigger issue, both personal and professional, and it had to do with the person he was sitting behind and her dragon.

Surely he was not the only one to have noticed her flaws whenever she was around to 'help'. But it seemed that he was. Heather was giving the hunters false information. One such example played out before him right now as the spy continued to claim that their enemies resided below, hiding from plain sight in the dense forests, yet she did not dare to exploit the chance to test their defences or burn away the shrubbery to clear their view. Nothing that could have at least shown proof of these sentries. Farran also couldn't help but think back to Glacier island when her dragon gave away their position and ruined the chance to take down the leader of the riders. Putting them all these setbacks together seemed like too big an issue to leave to coincidence.

Of course, this idea wasn't easy to swallow for Farran. He had known Heather better than all other hunters including Ryker since he had joined them. Though he wouldn't exactly call her a friend, she had been a helpful and effective ally, even listened to his woes when she had the time or persuaded him to share them, which ironically enough is exactly what a friend would do. No other hunter would do any of that for him or rather anyone. Doubt played in his mind even as the clues screamed at him to see the truth. However it only took a few more hours until yet another serious setback came through, and just like that the final straw had been broken and Farrans trust began to at last fracture.

Returning to the beaches, Heather and her dragon had gone to check on the prisoner while Farran had the delight of informing Ryker of what they had 'encountered'. In the short time that they were apart, the prisoner had miraculously undone her ropes, somehow outsmarted the spy and had even taken her dragon, which did nothing to try and remove the enemy from its back as it flew away. If he had been unsure before, now he was certain that Heather was working with the riders, or at least another group against the hunters. And now without her four legged bodyguard around, he planned to ask her face to face and deal with whatever concequences followed next. In the short amount of time he had, he quickly formulated a plan that would deal with the spy for good. As he did, he walked up to Heather and pulled her to her feet, curious as to what her excuse would be this time.

"What happened?" He asked calmly.

"She got the drop on me and took Windshear. What does it look like?" She snapped back.

"Unfortunate. But we can't deal with that now. There's another matter we need to look into."

"What kind of matter?"

"You mentioned before that the blockade was made up of wild dragons, yes?"

"Most likely. Why?"

"Because I spotted something large stalking the beach from the treeline. Could be a scout. We should check it out."

Interestingly enough, Heathers face appeared confused. Farran did his best to hide his amusement as his ruse worked in his favor.

"Are you sure? One dragon isn't much of a threat. And besides, the riders would probably have already figured out our location at this point, so what does it matter?"

"Perhaps, but we can't risk it giving away anything to the enemy, such as our prisoner escaping. Which was probably the only thing keeping every trained dragon on this island from burning the entire beach and everyone on it. So, will you come or..." Farran loaded a bolt into his crossbow. "Should I deal with the beast myself?

As expected, Heather almost right away agreed to help out, now realising that Farran had the intention of killing it. No doubt she planned to sway him into keeping it alive and have it imprisoned instead before making sure that the dragon riders free it later on. Still, she didn't back out, which Farran was thankful for. And at least deep in the woods no-one would ask questions. It was doubtful that anyone would believe a newly recruited hunter over a trusted spy, especially when accusing her of something as serious as treason. This was why he needed to be as careful as possible.

The two slipped away from the rest of the hunters and headed into the woods, where the moons light was blocked out by the thick shade of the trees. The chatter of the hunters on the beach faded the more distance they made. It was dark and quiet, with neither of the two saying a word. One too busy looking for an imaginary dragon while the other tried to steel himself for the inevitable. For Farran that was a good sign. He didn't know if he would have been capable of keeping the anger from his voice. Every now and then Farran claimed to have heard something ahead of them in the attempt to lure the spy deeper and deeper into the woods. Every time she seemed to take the bait. Was that merely because she trusted the hunter that easily? If so it only made the hunter feel somewhat guilty as he knew that trust, among everything else would soon be broken. Even so, why did such pathetic feelings matter to him? She had already stabbed them in the back! It was only right that he should return the favour.

"Are you sure that the dragon came this way?" Heather suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Farran paused before speaking. "From what I could tell."

"Strange how we haven't come across any tracks, don't you think?"

Farran shrugged. "Maybe it covered them? If there's anything I've learned from your dragon and my experience, it's that the beasts can be surprisingly smart."

"Hmm..."

Again they travelled into the darkness. There was no sound other than the crunching of leaves underneath their boots. It was quiet. Too quiet in fact. Something that Heather also managed to pick up on.

"How big was this dragon again?"

"Hard to say. Big enough."

"And yet we can't hear its steps despite it being deadly silent." Her head turned and looked at Farran. "Some would find that suspicious, would they not?"

Farrans mask held its composure. The fib he had told Heather had plenty of cracks and many were beginning to show. She was wary. Whatever Farran planned to do he would have needed to do it soon. The lie didn't need to be perfect, just simple enough to trick the spy for a little while. He didn't have long to go. Surely he could keep up the sharade for a little while longer.

"Then it must be getting too far ahead. We should hurry."

It was at least twenty minutes before they came to an opening where the moonlight entered the forest once more. The area was perhaps ten metres in diameter. More than enough space to make a clean hit with the crossbow. Farran supposed that now was a good time as any. He mentally prepared himself in the few seconds he had and did what he had to do. He stopped walking and seconds later, so did Heather. He said nothing and oddly enough neither did she. Farran at least imagined that she would ask why he had stopped. But no, nothing. The odd behaviour was enough for him not to notice Heathers hands curl up into fists.

"Are you really going to go through with this...?" She asked out of the blue once more. Only this time she sounded angry. Even with her back to Farran he could see and feel her glare. There was no need to play the fool anymore. She had pieced it all together. A shame that she didn't do so sooner, for her sake.

"Do I have a choice?" Came her reply in the form of a snarl.

Heather very slowly turned round until she was facing the hunter. He had his crossbow pointed at her.

"You seem to be taking this rather well." Farran noted. "Which must mean you know the reason behind... well, this."

"I do." She agreed with a slow yet sad nod. "I guess my attempts at concealing the truth weren't as... subtle as I had hoped."

"If it's any consolation, no-one seemed to notice."

"No-one except you."

"Indeed. And yet I still don't have all the pieces to the puzzle. One of which being the reason simply, why?"

"Why I choose to be a friend of dragons compared to someone who hunts them?" The choice of words from Heather mouth made Farrans grip tighten. His composure cracking, barely holding back fury.

"Why you stabbed your own kind in the back!" He all but snapped. The anger as well as the reply took Heather back a bit, yet she retorted with some of her own fire.

"If you knew about the possibilities! The reality that we don't need to hunt dragons, then maybe you would understand like I do!"

"Understand?! Those demons have killed hundreds of us!"

"And we have killed thousands of them! Is that what you hope for the future? Nothing but never ending bloodshed?!"

"It wouldn't be that way if it wasn't for people like you!"

The two stared at each other. Neither side backing down as they bombarded themselves with their own thoughts and beliefs. Farran soon found himself both thankful and foolish that he had taken them so far from the beach. So deep into the woods, no-one could hear the pair yelling which prevented a crowd from gathering which Farran was glad about. However it was also not as smart an idea as he had anticipated since Heather was clearly confessing her true alliegence and he was the only one able to hear it. All he could do now was deal with what followed and hope for the best possible outcome. Eliminating the threat.

"If it wasn't for people like me, as you put it, this world would be a much darker place."

"It already is. Villages under constant siege from dragon attacks... competing for food... Using vital resources over and over again on ruined buildings... losing loved ones... … Need I go on?"

Heather didn't reply on the matter. It was hard to argue against the truth. Instead she decided to make a point on a more personal matter.

"No. I suppose when you put it that way, you don't." She paused for a second. "But answer me this. You're capable of killing a dragon, that I know. But can you really kill another human?"

"If I have to. You should know that after dealing with the prisoner."

"I know you talk and act tough, yes. But to actually do it? It's not as easy as you would think."

"You speak of it as if from experience." Farran noted.

"There has been one time when I came close to doing so. My own brother. But that's a story for another time."

"For you, there is no other time." The hunter took aim. Heather did not look impressed.

"Go ahead. Do it. Show me the kind of person you are."

Farran had her in his sights. She did not move or resist in any way. She just stood there, waiting. His finger was on the trigger, ready to pull and release the bolt. But he hesitated. He had his chance to do the right thing yet he did nothing. Here she stood, welcoming death and he could not even deliver it. It seemed that Heather had a point. It wasn't as easy as he thought. But it certainly didn't mean that she had won. Merely bought herself time.

"Well played. Still I suppose I'm not the one who has to do the dirty work. I'll let Ryker do that . Then I tell him everything you've told me. He'll succeed where I can't."

"Or not." Heather bluntly spoke.

"You plan to stop me? I may not be able to end you, but I can put a bolt in your leg and drag you back. THAT, I can do."

"Actually what I meant was instead of going with you, you could come with me."

"I don't follow. What are you talking about?"

"As I said. If you understood what I understood, then maybe... maybe you wouldn't need to fight on the wrong side."

Farran grimaced but Heather continued.

"Maybe I can't convince you, but I know who can. Hiccup."

"The leader of the dragon riders?"

"Yes. We can talk to him, let him explain everything."

The hunter said nothing. Without noticing, his weapon lowered slightly.

"Farran… please. Trust me."

...

"Trust you?" He asked in a low voice. "You stab me, and every hunter in the back and you ask me to trust you?" His weapon raised once more. "It's because of trust that we're in this predicament now. And rest assured, I will not make that same mistake."

Cutting their conversation short, Farran gestured for her to make her way back to the beach. She barely took the first step before a multitude of explosions could be heard coming from the hunter settlement. Though barely heard, they must have been large and powerful for them to have heard them all the way out here. Farran turned his head in the direction of the beach.

"What in Thors name?"

The hunter turned back to demand an explanation as to what was going on, but as he did he barely caught her fleeing into the darker part of the woods. In an attempt to stop her, he fired his weapon. The bolt missed by a short distance and imbedded itself into the nearby tree. Farran was about to give chase until the sounds of battle gradually grew. It did not sound like his side was faring well. Given the short time he had to decide, whether to track down Heather or to go back and help, he quickly made his decision.

"Damn you Heather."

Loading another bolt into his crossbow, he turned tail and fled, hoping that his feet were fast enough.