Chapter 4 – The Enemy Ambush
Late at night, everyone was getting ready to go to bed. The wind swept silently along with the symphony of crickets chirping. The dragons were checking out their huts and found that the beds provided were surprisingly comfortable and warm. It felt different and much better from sleeping inside contained camping tents.
Before Cynder went to bed herself, she decided to check on her teammates to make sure they will have a good sleep. The first hut she visited was Draco's, and she could see he was feeling rather anxious.
"You seem to be having trouble trying to sleep," she said.
"It's my first time sleeping all by myself," said Draco. "If only we could be able to sleep together like how we've been doing whenever we set up camp, then it wouldn't be a problem."
"Too bad those beds cater for one person only," sympathised Cynder. "My guess is that you're so used to sleeping with me or Bowser until now."
Draco slowly nodded. He never really liked sleeping alone.
"If you ever need me, you can always drop by at my hut," said Cynder. "It's just right next door."
Just then, Darky came into Draco's hut.
"Darky!" exclaimed Cynder. "What are you doing up so late?"
"I was feeling a bit lonely when you went out," explained Darky. "I didn't want to wait until you get back to the hut, big sis."
Cynder thought for a moment, and then she had an idea. "Wait, Darky, you don't mind sleeping in Draco's hut for the time being?" she asked. "I don't mind sleeping by myself, since you know I'm more of the kind that likes my solitude and privacy."
"You're absolutely sure about that?" asked Darky.
"Yes, little brother," said Cynder. "Draco just needs some company since he's not used to sleeping alone."
"I understand that," said Darky. "Of course, I will be happy to stay with him for the night."
Cynder smiled and she looked at Draco who was feeling relieved to have someone with him.
"Thank you for that, Cynder," said Draco. "I might sleep a lot better now."
"That is good to hear," replied Cynder. "But, please, if you two need anything, don't hesitate to drop by at my hut and give me a shout."
"We will, Cynder," said Draco and Darky. "Good night!"
"Good night," said Cynder, and with that she left Draco's hut to check on the other dragons. Already, they were sound asleep, so she returned to room and snuggled on the bed. She was feeling a little bit of a chill, though it wasn't because of the fact that she was all alone in her hut, but because she was still concerned about the possibility that the Pyre Squad and Bowser could strike at any moment. She is also well aware of a greater evil that is out there and possibly watching on her and her team. Cynder lay very still, thinking about what will be next move for her and her team when they wake up in the morning. Soon, she drifted off soundly to sleep.
It was past 3 o'clock, and Percival awoke all of a sudden. He was having trouble trying to sleep and realised that he was feeling very thirty, so he quietly made his way out of the village and made his way towards the lake to have a drink. The water felt very refreshing, which made it all the better for Percival. Soon afterwards, the gold dragon's thirst was quenched and he was ready to return to his hut. As Percival came back to the village, he decided to check how everyone else was doing. He peered into the windows of each hut, and noticed that they were still asleep. Suddenly, a noise startled Percival, and looked around to see what caused it, when he found a fallen tree branch. He felt very uneasy, sensing that the village is probably being watched. Realising it was nothing, he plodded back into his hut, though in the back of his mind, he could feel that something wrong is about to happen.
Looming over the village was Queen Vildouleur, anticipating for the moment to begin her assault on the dragons. As Percival finally entered into his hut and went to sleep, this was exactly the opportunity she had been waiting for. Grinning evilly, she stood up tall and spread her wings, giving the signal to the Pyre Squad and Bowser to raid the village.
Inside Draco's hut, Darky was sleeping peacefully along with his Charizard friend, but then, something made him wake up. He heard a strange noise, so he tried to wake Draco up.
"Draco, get up!" he urged quietly. "I think I hear something outside."
Slowly, Draco woke up. "Huh, Darky?" he asked groggily. "What is it?"
"I heard some noises outside," answered Darky nervously. "We need to alert the other in case it's someone that could attack us."
Draco got off his bed and went out with Darky. He looked all around the village, and when he scanned out to the entrance, he noticed the shape of three figures approaching, and they all looked very familiar.
"Uh-oh," said Draco. "It looks like we got company. We need to warn the others quickly!"
Draco and Darky hurried to Cynder's hut. Draco nudged on the sleeping Twilight Storm's shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. Cynder slowly opened her eyes.
"Draco?" she asked irritably. "It's nearly 4am, what's going on?"
"The Pyre Squad is coming!" exclaimed Draco. "We need to get ourselves ready!"
Without wasting any time, Cynder rushed out with Draco and Darky to alert the other dragons. Already, the Pyre Squad arrived, and they've been eagerly waiting to take down the dragons. Even though the dragons were up, they were still feeling very sleepy.
"You may have been up nice and early, but seeing you in your state, there's no way you can be able to beat us that easily," sneered Ciara.
"Don't get cocky, Pyre Squad!" snarled Cynder. "It's three of you against the six of us! We may not be in fighting shape, but you're still not as tough as you think you are!"
The Pyre Squad stood silent for a moment. "Have you forgotten that we have backup?" scoffed Scorcher. "We have our Koopa to even the score, and he's more than happy to see you!"
Sure enough, Bowser arrived, still possessed, and he has an eerily twisted smile on his face.
"I must obey," he growled. "The dragons must be destroyed!"
"Bowser, snap out of it!" pleaded Draco. "You are much better than that! You have to listen to me and fight it, please! Why won't you listen to me?"
"Because he only listens to me, you fool!" boomed a voice.
The dragons turned around to see a tall, black, demonic looking dragoness looking down on them. She smirked as she watched Bowser the Pyre Squad advance on them. Cynder gritted her teeth, realising that this dark dragoness must be the leader and the driving force of all the events that has transpired up to this point.
Author's Note: Looks like our heroes are in a real pickle as they're surrounded by their enemies including the possessed Bowser. Anyone who is curious, this story is inspired by the Digimon episode "Evil Shows His Face," and more inspirations like that will be popping up!