"How did you lose the scent?!" Clayton yelled. Hey! not so loud! Bonnita told him. Me and Aaron aren't the only things in this forest who are dangerous. Aaron chimed in too The scent was already getting hard to follow thanks to all the mist and fog and clouds in the Spine's sky but when that sudden fog came up and covered everything in moisture we completely lost it and landing didn't help either. "So how do we track them now?" Naomi asked. We don't know. "What?!? but your dragons! Your supposed to be smart!" Clayton yelled. "Quiet!" Naomi said covering his mouth. "Sorry" Clayton said after taking her hand off his mouth. We need to get going before anything else goes wrong Aaron said. "Agreed" Clayton and Naomi said.
Aaron and Bonnita were soon saddled and ready to go. Aaron tensed. "What is it?" Clayton asked. I heard something Aaron answered. Bonnita tensed too. I heard it too she said. "Let me try and find out what it is" Clayton said. "I'll try too" Naomi said. They opened their minds outward as far as they could and sensed several hundred minds. "Uh-oh" Clayton said. "Run?" Naomi asked sarcastically. "Run!" Clayton yelled. They jumped into the saddles and the dragons began running through the forest. Clayton looked back and saw a bunch of small animals shrouded in shadows that were following right behind them and were swiping at Aaron and Bonnita's tails with claws that Clayton could barely see. "What are they?!?" Clayton yelled. "How should I know?!?" Naomi screamed. We don't know either! Bonnita yelled. Clayton looked back again and watched as two of the creatures jumped up and latched onto Aaron's tail. Aaron roared in agony. Suddenly Bonnita's tail swiped across Aaron's and knocked the creatures off of his tail. The trees are starting to get closer together and there are more of them up ahead Aaron said. We can't fly or start trying to dodge them all if we want to stay ahead of those things! Bonnita yelled. Stay close to me Aaron said We're gonna have to smash our way through. Clayton saw the trees getting more dense up ahead and braced himself as Aaron began to plow through them uprooting them on impact. I have an idea! Bonnita said Aaron I need you to hold me up so that I can face backwards. Can you do that?!? Aaron growled I can but not for long. Especially not if you want me to keep up this pace. Naomi jumped off Bonnita and landed in Aaron's saddle. Bonnita the jumped up onto Aaron's back and turned until she was facing behind them. Luckily, Aaron was bigger and could hold the weight of a smaller dragon. Aaron's pace slowed a little and he began to breath harder. Hurry...Up he said weakly. Bonnita reared her head back like a snake and then shot a pillar of blue flames at the creatures engulfing the entire area behind them in flames. but the creatures just jumped over the fire without any apparent harm. Bonnita jumped off and began running beside Aaron again. I can't keep...running...much longer Aaron said. Clayton began pouring his energy into Aaron but it wasn't helping much. The ground began to rise and Clayton realized they had just started running up a hill and the creatures weren't slowing down at all and were showing no signs of letting up. Bonnita...I can't...keep...clearing...a path Aaron said. Got it! Bonnita said and she ran up ahead of Aaron and began smashing the trees before they got to him. "What do we do?!?!" Clayton yelled. Naomi and him looked around for anything that might help but they couldn't find anything. Clayton finally had to sever the flow of energy he was giving to Aaron just to keep from passing out. The trees are getting thinner Bonnita said I think there's a clearing up ahead where we can take off. "Okay great" Naomi said. Clayton looked down at Aaron's neck "hey Aaron do you think you can still fly?" Maybe. Aaron said. Bonnita slowed down until she was very close in front of them. Clayton and Naomi leaped onto Bonnita's back and into the saddle. Fog began to build up again. Clayton strained his eyes but couldn't see very far ahead. He merged his mind with Aaron's and tried looking through Aaron's eyes but his vision went fuzzy. He separated his mind "what was that?" he asked. It's not you it's me...if we merge minds...then you can only see as good as I can Aaron said. Clayton looked ahead with his own eyes and saw a light up ahead through the fog. "Get ready!" Naomi said. Oh...kay Aaron said. Clayton held on as tight as he could as Bonnita entered the clearing and leaped up into the sky. Clayton's grip slipped and he fell. With a painful thud, he landed in Aaron's saddle just as Aaron leaped into the air and began laborously flapping. Clayton patted Aaron's neck reassuringly "Okay okay just a little farther come on you can make it". Aaron kept flapping but his wings were straining to keep from letting him fall. I heard there's a cave around here in the Spine Bonnita said. "There" Naomi yelled pointing. Clayton looked and saw a rather large hole in the side of one of the nearby mountains.
Only about a minute later Clayton watched as Bonnita flew into the cave and landed deep inside it. Hang...on Aaron said as his wings finally gave out and he tumbled forward into the mouth of the cave with a thundering crash that threw Clayton out of the saddle. He slid across the smooth cave floor and hit the cave wall. He looked up just as Aaron's enormous form slid straight into him with an enormous amount of force. Then everything went black.
(Just for the record he's not dead and the book isn't over)
