{HIATUS} Éternel: Between Two Worlds (#3)

x. Strike Out

²⁹ Cold air rushed around my body as Toothless winged closer to the small island ahead, most likely relieved to finally be able to rest his wings for a bit after we finished our business.

Phaedra roared as she flew forward, catching up to me and Toothless, Fawn riding atop. The woman, whose hair was now dyed a deep red, pulled her cape further around her body to prevent any further cold from seeping into her clothes.

"The Dragon Hunter camp is just up ahead," Fawn informed, shifting her eyes to the island up ahead.

Fawn had informed me earlier that while she was on a flight with Phaedra, she came across a small island to the West of The Embrace, packed with Dragon Hunters. She immediately came back to tell me, and we set out together not a moment later, wanting to take out the hunters as soon as possible.

"Remember, approach with caution. They might be expecting us," I warned, glancing over at Fawn, who laughed and shook off my words with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Maya, Maya, this is the easiest mission ever!" Fawn assured. "We fly in, blast the hunters, and be home in time for lunch!"

"While I appreciate the enthusiasm-"

"Don't worry! It's not good for your skin."

I groaned and rolled my eyes, knowing Fawn would be brushing off this mission as the last one was successful. Knowing I had no other choice, I followed Fawn down to the Dragon Hunter base she discovered. We approached the island and the dragons landed on the rocky surface, proceeding to sneakily make their way to the shoreline where cages were spread across the ground.

I hopped off of Toothless and walked up to one of the cages, keeping one hand on my holster as I touched the metal of a cage with my other. The metal was a dull teal, small spots of bronze splattered across the bars. I ran my fingers over the cage, shivering as I immediately recognized the material.

"Dragonproof," I said to Fawn, who looked at me worriedly, but she was quick to shift her anxiety to the fact that nobody was around, not even a sign that anyone had been here. "It's completely abandoned."

"This place was crawling with Dragon Hunters this morning," Fawn frowned, scanning her surroundings. "Something's wrong."

"Did you see anything else? Any dragons?"

Fawn opened her mouth, but paused as she thought, then looked down in embarrassment. "Well, no."

Toothless and Phaedra both began to growl, eyes locked on the East side of the island. I placed my hand on Toothless' neck, trying to calm him down, and his growling dissolved into purring as he looked back at me with rounded pupils.

"Maybe there is something wrong."

In the near distance came the sound of a wailing dragon, seeming to have emanated from a nearby cave due to the echoes. Toothless and Phaedra snarled at the cave, sensing something deep within it.

"Come on," I said to Fawn as I jumped on Toothless, the Night Fury leaping over to the cave, Fawn and Phaedra following closely behind.

When we came to the mouth of the cave, we were met with a carved set of stone stairs, leading to the bottom of the cave. I flashed a concerned look at Fawn, to which she returned before I moved forward and down the stairs with Toothless.

Once we reached the bottom, the first thing we were greeted with was large cells, the bars built into the walls. Fawn hopped off of Phaedra and approached one of the cells, only to scream and leap back as a Wildclaw jumped out of the shadows, roaring at her.

"Oh, good lord," Fawn breathed, trying to recover from the sudden scare. "How are we gonna get these dragons out of here without being eaten alive?"

"I'll just do what I normally do," I said, approaching another cell. A Slovenian Foxal dropped down from the ceiling, slowly walking towards me as I held out my hand. Without warning, the dragon screeched and lunged forward, trying to bite my hand off, but thankfully, I was able to react in time and backed away, yelling in surprise.