The Dragon Hunter

25

The river was further than they had anticipated. Luna forced her way through the bushes, fighting to keep her balance as Minx moved around on her back and adjusted her injured wing.

"It's a miracle you can even carry me," She snorted.

Luna shrugged, glancing back at Nyx who was leading Quin by the hand through the thickets. It brought a smile to her lips, the way he picked the easiest path for Quin to take. When they were children she always taken the hardest path; the one blanketed by thorns or nettles. She was even doing it now, pushing through brambles and snapped branches as they wove their way towards the river.

Axel, Alistar and Jags had remained back at their hastily made camp with instructions to come looking for them if they weren't back by daybreak. Luna look up at the sky and scowled. But the way the sky looked dawn would never come. It had stayed still, a permanent shade of black, since they'd departed. Minx pulled her from her thoughts with a low growl.

Nyx froze, grabbing Quin by the wrist and holding a finger to his lips. Quin nodded quickly and clasped his hands over his mouth in order to stifle his breathing. Luna listened closely. The sound of running water rose up from somewhere in the distance. But closer still was a insistent scratching, something lurching clumsily through the thickets nearby. Luna's hand snapped to her belt to where a knife rested in its sheath, one Axel had given her before they'd left "just in case."

Nyx lifted his head, his eyes glazed, and motioned towards the trees to their left. Luna followed his gaze and swallowed hard.

It was one of Pasirima's soldiers, ink face so smudged it was barely even a drawing, but its body was different; long and lean like a snake's. Arms with long sharp claws lazily snagged against a holly bush, the creature propelling itself forwards with spider-like legs protruding from its back.

Nyx met Luna's gaze and nodded slowly. She nodded back and started to move forwards, watching where she placed her feet, keeping noise a minimum. The creature sniffed a tree and its face ripped open, jaws snapping angrily at the air. She froze, waiting, as it settled down again before continuing.

Minx had her lips pulled back in a silent growl, her claws tapping anxiously against Luna's shoulder. They froze again as the creature swung its head to face them, sniffing the air.

It continued like that for a while, a dance between the group and the monster, freezing then walking then running and freezing again in a wide arc around it. By the time it had vanished from sight Luna's nerves were in tatters. Nyx, on the other hand, seemed to view it as no more than a minor annoyance. He just shrugged and continued to walk. Luna smiled and caught up to him.

"You've changed," she said carefully. Again, he just shrugged.

"I guess it's easier to feel confident when you can move things with your mind."

Minx chuckled. "Not without getting a nosebleed, you can't!"

Nyx glared at her and sighed. "I guess. I'm still working on that," he admitted with a lopsided smile. Luna paused before taking off her hat and slapping it on his head. He didn't speak. Nyx unwound the charred scarf from his neck and tossed it to her. It was like a promise they had now, to keep each others possessions. A promise they would come back.

Quin stiffened, looking between them in confusion. "So what? You guys are a couple now?"

Luna snarled at him. A warning. He fell silent. Nyx just laughed.

"No. Just friends," Nyx reassured him.

Minx bit her lip. "Yeah, if Luna wanted to go out with Nyx she could just do it how dragons show they're in love."