I thought I had already posted this chapter! Sorry it came a little late. But that explains why I got no emails or reviews...

Chapter 11

Not So Mythical

Later

It's nighttime. Exhausted, I land wearily on the rocky shore of an island. It's the one with the dark forest that Nixie warned me about. The shadowy woods are fairly close to the shore, and I already feel wary.

Narrowing my eyes, I stalk to the edge of the forest while the rest of my clan lands. Sniffing a straggling plant, I pick up a harsh, cold scent. Frowning, I peer into the shadowy woods. I can barely see even a Changewing length into the darkness before everything turns pitch black. I take a step back and turn to my clan.

They're all tired, but they're helping one another. Fernheart's hatchlings are mewling and nipping hungrily at her. The exhausted mother simply sweeps them away from the shore and creates a tent with her wings. She puffs hot vapor on them through her nose to warm them up, but the youngsters still complain about their hunger.

A growl from my own stomach makes me realize something important; how are we going to hunt here?

The forest is probably full of danger, and we might get lost in there. By now, everybody has landed and are staring up at the intimidating cluster of trees. Zylah glares at it and then asks loudly, "How are we going to hunt in there? It's a death wish!"

Many dragons rumble in agreement and I sit down. Thinking hard, I say, "We shouldn't stay here. It's too dangerous."

"But, Frostbite," Dracen says wearily, "we can't continue without sleep and food! We'll drop right out of the air!"

I nod, "I know, I know! Let me think!" Everyone watches me and I shut my eyes. Growling in frustration, I try to think of something. Suddenly, Skurge interrupts my thoughts, "Zylah, how 'bout we do our jobs and advise our leader?"

Yes! One of the beta and delta's jobs is to give advice to the leader! I nod and gesture them to come over. Huddling in a circle, I mutter, "Alright. What've you got, Skurge?"

The older dragon says softly, "I suggest a small group of Claws goes out into the forest, not too deep, with two of the best fighters. Meanwhile, the rest of us get ready to sleep on the shore. Then, after we each have at least a mouthful of something to eat, we sleep with two guards on watch."

"But we can't just send dragons into that-that- that's barely even a forest! That's a pathway to death!" Zylah hisses, "I'll go with them!"

"No!" I say, "I'll go. You guys stay here and keep an eye on the clan."

"What!?" Skurge and Zylah nearly shriek, "You're the leader! We need you and-"

I interrupt Zylah, "And what's a leader if she's not the best fighter? I'll be fine, and I can't stay behind knowing my clanmates could be in danger!"

"But-" Skurge begins but I cut him off, "No, Skurge. You're my deputy. You have to trust me with these things. If anything bad happens, which it won't, then you'll be more than capable of leading the clan."

They stay silent after that and I take a deep breath, "Alright. Thank you. And I agree with you plan, Skurge, but we'll be leaving at dawn."

"Fine." My deputy growls softly and I look at Zylah. She doesn't look happy at all, but simply turns around, "I'll organize the hunting group."

"Thank you." I say, following her.

The dragons look at us expectantly and Skurge slithers forward. I quietly sit at the edge of the forest and watch as he speaks loudly, "Frostbite will take a specific group of Claws and two Fangs into the forest to hunt. You are not to stray too far away from each other, and must be alert at all times. The Claws that will be going are Falcon, Fireflight, and Crag. The Fangs will be…" he gazes around for good Fangs, "Misty and…Skull."

"What!?" Whiplash suddenly yowls, his eyes wide, "What about me? I'm one of the best fighters, I should be going in there with Fro-"

I interrupt him and growl, "Whiplash, you will respect my deputy's decisions, or you will take your complaints to me."

The Grapple Grounder attempts to glare at me, but then ducks his head and backs away. Skurge, now looking smug, says, "Alright, then. The dragons that I have called please step forward and join Frostbite at the edge of the forest."

The said dragons cautiously walk towards me, shooting wary glances at the dark mass behind me. I notice that Skurge chose bigger dragons that are better at fighting as well as hunting. When they're close enough, I say, "Alright, I want this to be quick. Do you hear me? In and out."

The nod feverishly and I turn around. The shadowy forest looms threateningly over us. Before I step in, I mutter with a flick of my tail, "Misty, Crag, flank me. Skull, bring up the rear. Falcon and Fireflight…. stay close."

Immediately Misty and Crag are by my side. Taking a deep breath, I step into the shadows. Everything turns black almost instantly. I feel Misty and Crag press closer to me as I continue to walk. I try to use my nose to guide me, but all I can smell is the harsh, cold scent from earlier. However…the darkness seems strangely familiar…

Suddenly, a flicker of brown flashes past me and I hiss, "Falcon, rabbit to your left!"

The Typhoomerang leaps blindly to his left and squashes the large rodent. He quickly snaps it's neck and staggers back to us. Misty swings her head around, "Frostbite, how did you see that? Everything is so dark and black…"

Realization dawns on me and I say, "I was born in the Dark Cave on Outcast Island. I guess my eyes are used to this."

"Wow." Fireflight breathes in awe. I laugh softly, "So I guess I'm going to be your eyes for now."

We continue to walk in silence, trekking deeper and deeper into the forest. As we do, prey becomes more frequent. But the harsh scent becomes stronger. My eyes dart around cautiously, searching for the source.

Suddenly, a warm scent reaches my nose. I'm about to hiss, "Deer!" but Fireflight beats me to it. All the dragons perk up at this and takeoff after the game. My heart fills with dread as I chase after them. Above us, Skull reaches down with his large head and snaps up the deer.

The Boneknapper kills it and the dragons let out soft cheers. "Good job, Skull!" Misty congratulates, "At least a few of us will have enough to eat!"

"No, you idiots!" I snap and they all fall silent, "We've gone off the trail! Now we can't follow out scents back to the clan!"

Their eyes widen in horror and Fireflight cries out, "Now what will we do!?"

"Calm down." Misty says, "You don't want to lead every predator out here to us!"

He snaps his jaws shut and looks around warily. Skull lifts his head high, trying to peek over the trees. "Can you see anything?"

"Not really." He rumbles, "I can't tell where the ocean is. But I think there's a plain over there."

He jerks his head behind us and we turn around. "Alright." I say, picking up a gopher I caught earlier, "Let's go there. Then we can fly out of here."

I turn around and stalk towards the direction Skull pointed to. I hear the rest of the group gather their catches and follow me. Misty and Crag once again flank my sides. "Why can't we just fly out now?" Crag asks and Misty snorts, "Well, obviously the trees are too close together. Our wings will be scraped by the branches and we probably wouldn't even make it out."

I make a rumbling noise to show that I agree. Crag grunts and we continue to walk. Eventually, the trees start to thin out, but the harsh scent is stronger than ever. The trees grow smaller and smaller and I can see a flat landscape in front of us. Nosing my way through the last few trees, I find myself on the edge of the forest.

I stop and take a deep sniff. The scent is still there, and now I can tell that it s bit musky and sharp.

The plain has many tall rocks and outcroppings, and the grass is dull but living. There's also a grey fog lying low to the ground. The moon and stars are shining high above us, making my eyes hurt because I was used to the darkness.

"Ahh." Fireflight sighs, walking ahead of me, "Light, sweet, light."

"Wow." Misty says, hopping next to him, "The moon looks so bright! We must've been in there for a while."

Skull yawns and lifts his head up; "I just want to get out of here as quick as possible." He stretches his neck, trying to see over the tall trees of the forest. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to locate the source of the scent. "Do you guys smell that?" I ask the hunting party.

"Smell what?" Falcon asks just as Misty says, "Yeah, I've been wondering what that was."

They look at each other, and then Misty shakes her head, "What do you think it is?"

"Not sure." I reply, looking around. The large stones seem strange, and it's eerily quiet. Growling softly, I mutter, "I'm gonna go check it out."

"Be careful." Skull, who is currently sniffing at a plant, says. The rest of the dragons say similar, and I nod before turning around. With my nose to the ground, I plunge into the fog. Almost immediately the scent grows even stronger than before. It's as if the thing is right here. For a moment I consider that it could just be the fog that I was smelling, but then-

Suddenly, something rams into me and knocks me off my feet. I yelp in surprise and look around for my attacker, only to see fog. Turning around, ready to run back to the group, I stumble to a halt when I see fog blocking my path.

I take a step backwards. How far did I go? I can't see anything!

A deep, gruff voice reaches my ears, "Are you in trouble?"

Immediately, I whip around towards the voice and have just enough time to see a huge black figure pounce on me and pin me down. I struggle under the weight of the gigantic beast. I can't look at it because the thing is on my back, pushing my head into the ground. Hot breath appears next to my ear and I hear the voice again, "Mmm, a lost dragon. Just my luck."

My eyes widen and I squirm even more. Getting an idea, I look at the outcropping near me and shoot a plasma blast at it. The rocks tumble down towards us and I feel my attacker jump off of me. Quickly, I get up and jump onto one of the fallen rocks. Turning around, I look at the predator.

The thing is about half the size of Skull, but black and purple and…wingless. I also notice that the thing has no eyes.

It leaps at me, but I takeoff into the air. My attacker lands on the rock and turns around with surprising speed. "Oh no you don't!" he snarls, lashing out. His crazily long middle claw hooks my tail and I hiss in pain. Through all this, I faintly hear voices calling me.

"Frostbite! Are you okay?"

"We've gotta go in there!"

"Get out of there, Frostbite!"

"I can't see her!"

"Where are you?"

I growl and shoot a plasma blast at the thing's face. It stuns him and I quickly seize my advantage and fly away. From up above, I see Crag flying in the sky. He catches my eye and I dive down towards the others.

"Frostbite!" Skull exclaims when I land, "What happened!?"

"Be ready!" I hiss, ignoring his question, "He's coming." The sound of heavy footsteps reaches my ears just as Falcon asks, "Who?"

The black beast bursts through the fog with his claws outstretched. My patrol gasps in horror and Fireflight exclaims, "Skullion!"

"What?" I snarl, looking wildly at him, "I thought Skurge said they were myths!"

"They're supposed to be, but- ahh!"

Three grey claws slice across his face and sends him staggering backwards. He falls on his side, but before the black thing can harm him further, Misty jumps in front of the fallen Nadder and shoots fiery sparks at the beast.

It stumbles backwards and I leap onto him. Digging my claws into his shoulder, I bite his neck. He bucks and jerks, trying to throw me off. Knowing that I can't hold on for long, I drag my claws through his flesh as I drop off of him. He shrieks in pain, but is silenced by Skull sending a heavy blow to the side of his head.

The brute jumps backwards, dodging all our other attacks. He turns around and flees a few dragon-lengths before facing us again. I growl and crouch down, ready to spring, when, to my surprise, he sits down calmly.

Tilting his head, he asks, "What are you?"

"I could ask the same about you," I hiss, "As far as I've heard, Skullions don't exist-"

"No," he interrupts me, "I mean, what are you, as in all of you. You fight together, and I can smell that you're different types of dragons. Very different, so you couldn't possibly be littermates."

"We're a clan!" Misty snarls, jumping a bit closer to him, "That means we have someone to rely on in battle, we're protected, not starving, and we have a family. And most of all, we have honor and respect in our clan, no matter what ranking! And you've just angered some of the best hunters and fighters in our clan, including the leader. So get ready for a-"

"Excellent!" the beast says, standing up, "I'd like to join."

"What!?" we all exclaim at the same time.

"You hear me." he says, "I want to join."

Everybody looks at me. I lift my chin, taken aback. Stepping forward, I say, "A few moments ago, you were trying to rip our guts out. What makes you think that we'll welcome you into our clan?"

The black brute puffs out his chest, "I'd be a powerful ally. I'm good at fighting, even though I can't see, but I can smell and hear really well. Now I know what you're thinking," he says to the others, whose mouths are open as to say something, "Skullions are supposed to be deaf, but we're evolving. Not many are born with my ability. Heck, not many are born at all. So, I think I'd be useful to you and-"

"Hold it!" I interrupt him, "Why do you even want to be in a clan? You're probably used to living alone."

"Well, it does get lonely sometimes," he replies, "And we all remember Red Death's clan. It was powerful, and even though she was evil, she made a powerful clan. You guys fight together, so your leader must be kinder to you than Death was. I want to be part of that power, and everything you just said," he nods towards Misty, "makes it sound even better. And," he dips his head in a sort of embarrassed way, "I'd really do anything to get off of this wretched island."

I tilt my head and gaze at him, thinking deeply. With a flick of my tail, I gesture for my patrol to huddle around me.

"I don't know," Fireflight says uncertainly, "This might be a trick."

"Yeah," Misty agrees, "I mean, we will be leading him to the hatchlings. For all we know he could eat them while we sleep."

I lower my voice, "But he would make a fantastic Fang or Claw. I mean, look at him! He's large, strong, and snuck up on me easily. Although, I do agree that this could be a trick."

"Well," Falcon says, "Skurge did mention that there would be two guards at while we sleep. And," he pauses to snort, "do you really think he'll be able to get past an angry Fernheart?"

We all laugh softly.

"No," Misty giggles, "Not without waking up at least half of the clan. Or the island."

We laugh again, but then sober up. "Alright," I say, "So, how will we even get him off the island?"

"Yeah," Crag says, "Skullions can't swim. Or fly."

"I can carry him." Skull says, "We're already close to the island that- what was it, Nixie? -told us about." I purr and ask, "You sure? He might be heavier than he looks."

"I can do it," he assures, "But the hatchlings will have to ride someone else."

"I can carry them," Falcon says, flapping his wings, "I'm big enough."

"Okay then!" I say and look at them all, "So do we agree?"

Misty and Fireflight look at each other, and then Misty nods, "Alright. As long as someone keeps an eye on him for the first few days."

I look at the other Nadder, and he mutters, "Fine."

Crag paws at the ground thoughtfully, "Hmm, I agree with Misty. As long as there's someone watching."

"I'm fine with it." Skull says.

"Same here." Falcon agrees and I nod, "Okay. Let's go tell him."

We turn back to the Skullion. He sits up and…well, doesn't look at us. I open my mouth to speak, but he raises his tail before I can say anything, "I heard all of it. Losing one of your senses really makes the others sharper. And don't worry, I won't eat any baby dragons."

I blink, a little surprised, and then ask, "Alllrriiight, so what's your name?"

"Solheart."

Nate's POV

"Come on, Zahra!" I call playfully over my shoulder, "You're being as slow as a Gronckle!"

The beautiful Deadly Nadder, Zahra, is a few Terrible Terror lengths behind me. Like her mother, Stormfly, Zahra's scales are aqua blue, but instead of a brownish red color near her wing claws that fade into her main color, it's a bright golden. Also, her belly and underwings are a light shade of green. If you ask me, she's the pure definition of beautiful.

"I'll show you who's slow!" she jeers. She strokes her wings harder and soon catches up with me. I grin mischievously and she laughs. Suddenly-

"INCOMING!"

Something rams into my back and knocks the air out of me. Yowling, I turn in mid fall and see Griffin, a Monstrous Nightmare. He's the son of my mom's friend, Hookfang. Unlike his father, he is much like Snotlout.

Growling playfully, I surge upwards towards him and butt him in the stomach with my head. He 'oofs' and whacks me with his tail. I land a soft blow on his chest with sheathed claws but suddenly he grabs me in the middle with his hind legs.

While he bats at me with his wing claws, the Nightmare roars to Zahra, "Don't worry! I'll protect you from this Night Fury! Then after that maybe we can-"

He's interrupted when I jab him in the stomach with my paw. Backing away from me a bit, he bares his teeth. Then, "Race you to the mountain. May the best dragon win!"

Then, he whirls around and zips towards the main mountain. I pause for a moment, before realizing and flying after him. Griffin is fast, but I know that I'm faster.

Flapping my wings in the angle that my mother taught me, I quickly catch up to him. Then, after a few moments, I zoom past him. I aim for the top of the mountain and then land perfectly.

"Hey!" Griffin snarls, "Not fair! You got a head start!"

"Did not!" I growl, affronted, "You did!"

"Liar! If you hadn't cheated I would've won!"

"I didn't cheat! You did, but I beat you because I'm faster!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!

"Did too!"

"DID NOT!"

"Pff, males."

We both turn to see Zahra and her Gronckle friend, Izzy. They're both watching us, amused. "Why are they so competitive?" Zahra laughs.

I'm about to jump down to them and say something when my mother calls me, "Nate! Come over here!"

Griffin smirks at me and says, "You better fly back to your momma, Eggy."

I scowl and takeoff towards the village. When I arrive, my parents walk over to me. Behind them is a black and purple Irria.

I roll my eyes and sigh, "What happened?"

"Irria and her friends decided to play with berries. They wrapped up a bunch of berries in a sticky leaf and tossed it around. When one of her friends flipped it with their tail towards her, the whole thing just burst open and exploded on her."

Toothless nudges Raven as she finishes and then says, "We need you to take your sister to a river to wash off."

"Why can't she just lick it?" I ask, already not wanting to do what my parents said.

"Because," Toothless looks at Irria, "they were Nightshade berries."

My eyes widen and I snort, "Brilliant, Irria, good job."

She sticks her tongue and I laugh, "Okay, fine. I'll take her."

"Good." Raven says and then she and Toothless walk away. Irria and I look at each other and I can't help but crack a joke, "You look like a Skullion."

She wrinkles her nose and then rears up on her hind legs, "Rawr! I'm gonna eat you!"

"Yeah, here's my worried look." I put on a bored face, "Oh no. help."

My sister snickers and then starts chasing me. I laugh and run into the forest, "Oh no! The mythical Skullion is going to eat me! What do I do?"

When we reach a stream, I turn around and say, "Well, I could-"

I lurch forward and grab her shoulders, "-drown it!" Then, I push her towards the water. She laughs and falls into the stream. The juice washes off of her as I splash and attack her.

"Okay, okay!" Irria yowls, now soaked. I continue to splash, but then, I get an idea and start tickling her.

"Ahh! Ple-he-hes staph! I'm gonna pe-he-he!"

I grin, and then start tickling her neck.

A shrill shriek rings through the forest.

Do dragons pee? Do reptiles pee?

Okay, for all those httyd super geeks out there, I realize that Skullions can only smell. I just really wanted a Skullion in the clan, but I needed some way for Frostbite to communicate with him.

Also, super big thanks to mr abomination for giving me awesome ideas for this story! I'll tell you guys about it when the time comes, but until then...

Ciao! (I don't think I spelled that right)