Inferno Legacy: Valor of the Dragon (Book One)

Chapter 38

            Inferno flew for a few hours with the three people on his back. Twice Cody took some deer meat from the saddlebags and passed it around for all to share, and even he had a ravenous appetite. He had thought that he needed less energy to function, but after a brief discussion with Inferno he decided that he could just last longer without it. According to the dragon, every few weeks he would have a massive hunger almost constantly. The strange power was annoying, especially after he had eaten almost every piece of the deer meat, but it would prove useful the rest of the time.

            After Cody reached in to grab the last of the meat, all he had was enough for a full meal for one person. Moodily, he passed a little more than half of it to his companions and wolfed down his own chunk of venison. Behind him he could hear the others finishing their evening snack happily, not noticing his displeasure. After a few minutes they were done, and hungry for more.

            “Is there any meat left? I’m still pretty hungry,” Larson said, making Cody turn around just in time to see Mora nod in agreement. Pippi, being an elf, had the same appetite as Cody only she was apparently in the stage where she wasn’t hungry much at all, so she slowly nibbled on her last piece of meat contentedly.

            Cody sighed as he looked at the nearly empty saddlebags hungrily before saying, “I’m afraid we’re out.”

            “No worries; I am growing very tired. We can land shortly and you can go hunting. Perhaps when I have rested for a while I can join you,” Inferno said.

            Cody relayed the information to the others, making them grin. “I think me and Larson should do the hunting while Mora and Pippi start a fire. Does that sound good to you?”

            “Why will it take two people to start a fire?” Mora asked curiously.

            Cody quickly answered, “Just in case you can’t get it going or there are dangerous animals around. Plus, it wouldn’t be helpful to have too many people hunting.”

            They all nodded in silent agreement. Only minutes later Cody noticed Inferno beginning to struggle against gravity. His wings, once smooth and rhythmic as they flapped, were now unsteady and fighting to keep them all aloft. Just when the dragon seemed to be pushing his limits and Cody thought he was going to plummet out of the sky, they both spotted a large clearing. Inferno carefully angled himself downward towards the ground and landed awkwardly in the long grass on top of a small hill. He hopped a few times to make sure he didn’t fall onto his back and crush his passengers.

            “Come on,” Cody said to Larson as he slid out of the saddle.

            “Actually,” Lars began carefully, “I was thinking we could separate, so as to catch more.”

            Cody thought for a few moments before replying, “I guess it couldn’t hurt. If, for some weird reason we have too much, Inferno can always eat the leftovers.”

            Larson nodded, “It’s settled. I will return in an hour or two, hopefully with a large string of game.”

            “I will do the same. Take care, Pippi, Mora. Inferno, just rest up and go hunting when you feel fit,” Cody said as he walked into the forest a few hundred feet away. As he began following some fresh rabbit tracks, he thought he felt something prying at the back of his mind, but he ignored it.

~

            About an hour later, Cody returned to the camp with two rabbits tucked in a small bag tied to his waist and he half carried half dragged a young doe through the forest. He was incredibly lucky to have come across the herd she had come from, as well as the two rabbits, but he was thankful. By now the sun was just dangling over the horizon, slowly being lowered so that the night could take place. He finished dragging the deer as he came within a few yards of a large fire Mora and Pippi had made. As he expected, Inferno was gone, and so was Lars.