In The Dragon's Lair

The First Star

DARK RIDER'S POV.
Okay, here we go.
We fly onto TADRE's grounds. No barrier protects it. Nothing protects it. No riders fill the air. Only dispair and death. Yes, death. Max, what did you do?
I sigh, and we circle above the school. I spot where Max's powers are.
I have a "no duh idiot" moment, and make us invisible. I tap Apollo, amd gesture to Max prowling the courtyard alone. The pack is invisble... but they're useless if we have their alpha at our mercy.
We dive down. Then a though crosses my mind. Let's not be cowards. If this is to be our last stand, so be it.
I make us visible when we land.
Max's white, dead, eyes shatter my heart. Who did this to you?
He walks towards me, an obvious limp on his right forepaw, his head tilted severely to the left.
I draw a sword. Max growls.
Then, Apollo begins to call light energy around him to heal the pack and Max.
I leap onto Max, causing a moment of confusion.
Grasping the moment, I take Max's energy.... most of it. He wimpers at the sudden energy loss, but is still fighting strong.
I find his Achilles Heal, and bare down on it. He collapses, and a black smoke emits from his body.
I scream, "NOW APOLLO!"
Swoosh.
I release Max's energy back to him, but he never stands back up. He looks like a normal were-wolf in a purple silk cloak. A small mark is on his chin. The light symbol, or a star.
I lift him onto Luna, and we rush to my old classroom.
Crumbling brick and mortar fall on us as we approach. Taking Max, Luna warps to my face.
I command, "Stay out."
Apollo seems stunned, but stays back.
He flops down in the grass as I turn to leave.

As I push the door open, shock hits me. The once proud halls are now desolate and sad.

The floor is grass and moss. Walls are in ruins. The windows are mashed. The roof sags. It's completely distroyed, but I'm going in.
I fly along, Max in my paws. He's lighter than I remember.
I look down, and notice his tinning state. That makes more sense.
A tingle on my waist reminds me of something Shinely told me.
It will guide you.
I pull the map out. I rub at the black star, and a light shines down the hall.
Boom!
I fly faster, my skin prickling. A lump forms in my throat and my paws sweat. My head fills with worst casinarios.
I follow the light to a big door. I push it open. A big white chest sits in a round room in perfect condition.
The black and cream checker pattern tile shines on the floor. The black brick walls are so glossy the paint looks wet. The ceiling is higher than I can see, so I don't know what it looks like.

Then, there's the white chest in it's center. The chest is covered in shiney silver chains, an opal in the front. It emits a white glow, casting the room in an erie white glow.

I aproach it with caution, and touch the opal embedded in the chest.
The chest jolts to life, shaking and quivering. The chains shift and creak in protest.
I call Luna out, and ask her to x-ray the room. She strolls up to the wall, and pulls out a glossy brick. The inside was hollowed out from the top, forming a trench. A set of keys lay in the brick's hollowed out center.
Luna grabs the keys and replaces the brick.
She hands me the keys and takes Max from me.
She whispers, "What comes next will be painful for you both. Your collar will help you, but not him. We will need to go outside before opening the chest."

I start to undo the silver chains.
Click. Thump. Click. Thump. Click. Thump. Click. Click. Click click. Thud.
The remaining chains fall to the tiled floor.
I pick up the chest, and we leave the room. I lock the door, to help keep what magic is left in that room.

Luna disappears, and I take Max and the chest. I have the chest in my paws and Max over my back.
The walls begin to groan, and the ceiling sinks lower and lower. I groan back, and flap as fast as I can.
I see the light through the dark, dusty hall. I fly out as the building collapses. All the rooms cave in but one. The one coated in magic. Max's magic.