World of Dragon Riders: Book Two - REMADE

Chapter 8

Abyss had come crashing through the door moments later. The blue dragon looked frantic, skittish and confused... Something had happened.

"Have any of you seen Winter?! He ran off! I-I can't find him... I lost track of him..."

Yin sighed, seemingly sinking into her own fur. Aeranus got up and started trying to calm the frantic blue dragon. 

"W-We were supposed to meet up with the Headmaster b-by the Armoury... B-But he disappeared by the time I turned around t-to ask his Dad what were supposed to be doing. I-I don't think I was supposed to be involved with Winter's punishment..." Abyss stuttered, shaking. "Y-You don't think he's left do you?"

"If he scattered recently he CAN'T have gone far." Aeranus said level-headedly. "We need to find all the usual spots he'd hide in. Search the entire Base if we have to, ask around and all that. We'll find him Abyss. He's not STUPID enough to get himself hurt. And if he is I won't hesitate to beat the SNOT out of him!" And she addressed Adrien. "You want to come? You can visit Yin anytime you like, no one's going to stop you."

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"WINTER! WINTER!" 

Abyss kept roaring out his name, soaring over the Districts. Aeranus kept walking up to everyone, asking around, especially with the guards, and reassuring them that the situation was under control... despite the screaming Water Dragon right behind her. 

Adrien, meanwhile, had no idea where to start. He didn't know Winter even a little, no matter how poorly Aeranus seemed to know him in comparison to Abyss. Although if Winter ran off and wanted to hide where they wouldn't find him, quickly anyway, the tunnel system running throughout the underground seemed like a good place to start. But he didn't know his way to any of the tunnel entrances. 

Abyss' screaming wasn't helping. 

"If he doesn't want to be found, screaming will only alert him to how close you are." Adrien warned Abyss. "Don't Dragons and Riders have a special Bond? Can't you find him with that?" 

"Well YES but he knows how to BLOCK my connection to him!" Abyss whimpered. "He keeps hiding so much these days, even before Yin found him in... THE TUNNEL." And the dragon suddenly changed course, and fled to the Centre. 

Aeranus swooped in and picked up Adrien, quickly tailing the albeit slower dragon. 

"What tunnel is Abyss talking about exactly? There are PLENTY isn't there?" 

"Yes, but Winter favours hiding in certain systems. Not all of the tunnel systems lead to the same place, if anywhere at all. They're a labyrinth. The one Yin found him in before she got hurt was recently subject to a cave-in, and now flash flooding. That's why she broke her wing."

Abyss had charged through the guards that were posted at the tunnel entrance. They did stop Adrien and Aeranus however. And they seemed older than Lance and Ryan. 

"Halt! This tunnel system is unsafe, we've already sent a group in to catch a boy who ran in there." 

"Winter." Aeranus hissed. "I don't care WHAT Abyss does, that fox is gonna pay for putting himself in harms way like this again..." 

"Compose yourself Aeranus." One of the humans said, sighing. 

"Hell no." And she dragged Adrien with her, into the cave.

"AERANUS!"

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The tunnel system seemed pretty large, definitely a tight fit for a large dragon at many points though. That's where they found most of the search party.