Author's note: The minor plot that begins to unfold really isn't that interesting. There was a lot of thought to in initially, but I just kinda pulled it out of my ass as I went. XD

Chapter III: Midnight Horror

Far away in the distance, but still loud enough to be carried to my own ears, was the chilling scream of a dying animal.

My eyes snapped open. My heart thumped away rapidly.

Silence.

I wondered whether it was all a dream or not, and if I should just go back to sleep. But after several moments I began to hear things. The sounds of flesh tearing, bones crunching, and -- whatever was still alive out there -- growling and grunting.

Where was Nefarious during all of this? I wondered. Surely he would have been the first to discover the strange noises. Or maybe ...

Maybe he's in trouble!

Quietly but swiftly, I got out of bed and went to the doorway. I peered outside, down the hallway. All was dark and quiet -- empty as far as the eye could see. Making sure to stay in the shadows, I crept down the hall, following the disturbing sounds.

A dim light shone through what I could only assume was the end of the tunnel -- the exit/entrance. The closer I got to it, the colder I became. When I was finally able to get a good glimpse of the outside scenery, I realized that the light was coming from the moon, and I had felt chilly because there was snow falling.

Then I bent down to take a better look. The ground was quite a ways down. I discovered that this was a mountain cave. And that's when I saw it.

It took all of the courage I had not to scream.

Down own a rocky, snow-covered bluff, crouched over the corpse of a mountain goat, was the massive blue dragon I had only just seen (and been in the palm of) a few hours ago. There he sat with bloody innards hanging from his jaws, sitting in the pure snow that was tainted by dark blood.

Wha ... what's going on!?

I stood there in horror, awe and disbelief as I watched him feed for several minutes. I just couldn't believe that this was the same Nefarious. He was so ... human!

But he's not. He's a predator. A voice inside me spoke.

All things must eat. He partakes of meat, the same as you do. Said another.

Then I remembered. He had said something about hunting earlier, when he had found me. What was it? Oh, yeah: "I had just returned from hunting, and I saw something fall from the roof of my cave."

I took a deep breath. I was obviously worried about nothing. It was the sounds that scared me -- that was all.

I turned around and walked back down the hallway. The gruesome feeding sounds of Nefarious became more and more distant until the only sound that could be heard was the soft pattering of my bare feet against the earthen floor.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not fall back to sleep. I tossed and turned for what seemed like nearly an hour, but to no avail. Finally, tossing the blankets aside, I decided to go visit the library.

On my way to the study, I thought about the book Nefarious showed me earlier. I wondered if the author had really known a human being personally -- and why no other dragon had any knowledge of him. If this human really did exist, then why was he such a well-kept secret?

The book was still sitting where Nefarious had left it -- perched on one of the shorter growing mushrooms. I opened it and browsed through it for a while. I hadn't notice before until now, but some of the pages toward the end of the book had been torn out.

Curious. I remarked.

On the last existing page, however, was an interesting pattern. I recognized it to be a pentagram. At each point of the star was a symbol: A flame, a snowflake, a leaf, a wing, and an eye.

Fire ... ice ... earth ... air ... spirit?

I was certain that they represented the five elements.

Curious indeed. But what does it mean?

That was when I noticed a strange parallel between the page in the book and the room I was in. There were five symbols, and five mushrooms. Both formed a five-point star pattern, if the circle in the middle was included (both on the page and on the floor of the room). I also realized that each mushroom corresponded to an element, as well. I had never noticed, but the mushrooms in this room where of different hues than in the rest of the cave.

Red. Blue. Green. White. Purple.

Studying the page even closer, I found another interesting detail: The point that represented ice had some writing next to it. I began to feel frustrated over not being able to read the ancient runes that seemed so terribly important.

It made me feel sleepy.

Stifling a yawn, I close the book and set it back on the mushroom.

The blue mushroom.

However, I was too tired, so I disregarded any significance I thought there may have been..

That's enough mystery for one night. I'm going to bed.

I placed a hand on the umbrella of the fungus, using it to help lift myself up off of the floor. As soon as I did, I heard the sound of papers fluttering to the floor. I knelt down to pick them up, and in doing so, discovered that the sheets had been tucked up inside, between the gills of the mushroom.

I was amazed that I had found the missing pages of the book (what else could they have been?). But not as amazed as I was to learn that the text in which they were written was clear, legible English.

But after I had finished reading them, I found myself wishing that I had never decided to venture into the study in the first place.

Dearest Ginger,

I'm afraid I fear the worst for you, my friend. By the time you read this, I will no longer be living. Nefarious knows, and he is pursuing you as you read this. There is little time.

You know what you must do. Do not let Nefarious get a hold of this book, even if it costs you your life. The truth must not be hidden from the world.

Your loving master,

Aotoa

I needed only glimpse briefly at the other two pages to figure out what had become of "Ginger". I became so horrified, however, that I couldn't bear to read it word for word. Basically, it was some morbid human recipe that "Nefarious" had put together. It was told in graphic, step-by-step detail about how he had prepared a special meal out of the unfortunate young man that was said to bless him with immortality.

Feeling lightheaded, I stuffed the yellowed pages into my breast pocket and fled down the hallway, toward the cave mouth. I didn't care where I would go, but I was getting the hell out of here, away from Nefarious and his human recipes.

I ran as fast as I could, feeling the icy draft against my sweaty skin.

Almost there! my mind whispered.

But when I saw the form of the giant blue dragon perched at the mouth of the cave, his back facing me, my heart sank.

Slowly, the beast's long neck craned around, and his glowing eyes froze me in place.

+End of Chapter III+