TAW Tales: How to Train Your Shifters (#1)

~ Chapter 40 ~

"What are you doing?" I shouted, startled.

Mildew's Whispering Death had twined it's spiked tail around Wavebreaker's body, pinning his wings to his sides. It was falling with us, it's ruby-red eyes glinting with malice, as Wavebreaker tried to reach around and snap at it.

"You don't think I know what I'm doing?" Mildew rasped in my ear as we free-fell towards the sea. "I'm gettin' rid of you. You and those others shouldn't have come here at all. You're unatural and a threat to this world."

"Hey, who said we wanted to come here?" I shouted over the wind. "We were pretty happy where we were!"

"That's not my problem," Mildew growled.

I pushed at him, desperately trying to either push him off his dragon so that the beast would have to let go and save him, or somehow push it off balance.

He seized my wrist and I found myself gazing into his cold, grey eyes.

"You tipped them off," I gasped, clawing at his fingers as the ocean rushed nearer. "You told them we were coming!"

Mildew sneered. "Of course I did. Stoick forfeited my loyalty when he welcomed those beasts in with open arms. But why do you care? When we hit the water, you'll drown and thank heavens."

I glanced over my shoulder at the water as it rushed up to meet us. Something clicked in my mind and I turned back to stare at Mildew defiantly.

"You don't drown by being in the water," I said boldly. "You drown by staying there."

And there was no way I was going to win this tussle, anymore than a swimmer was against a rough sea. So why was I staying here?

In a flash, I was an amber and white dog, crouched low over Wavebreaker's back. Mildew cried out in shock, but I ignored him. I lunged at the thick tentacle that was the Whispering Death's tail and lashed out with my claws.

The Whispering Death roared - more in surprise than in pain - and instantly released Wavebreaker.

Wavebreaker immediately flared his wings and righted himself so that we were in a full on nose dive towards the sea, tearing away from the flailing Whispering Death.

I morphed back and gripped his saddle so hard that my knuckles turned white. The wind whipped my hair around my face and my eyes watered.

Then Wavebreaker twisted levelly and we skimmed across the water, sending out fans of water on either side. Then, with one beat of his wings, we shot upwards, spinning.

As he stopped and we glided swiftly back towards the ships, I whispered in his ear, "We need to free the others."

He rumbled with agreement and we spun off towards the ships, dipping and weaving in and out of the Whispering Deaths that still dotted the sky.

As Wavebreaker whipped his head around to blast a Viking-ridden Whispering Death that was getting to close, I scanned the scene looking for my friends.

There!

Night and Greytooth were still pinned to the rocky ledge below, and Vikings were starting to close in on them.

"Night!" I shouted, urging Wavebreaker into a dive.

Night and Greytooth looked up as a ball of purple energy blasted into the ground beside them. The Vikings around them shouted and stumbled backwards as Wavebreaker let loose another bolt of crackling electricity.

It hit the edge of the net and as Wavebreaker and I swooped overhead, I saw Greytooth flare his wings and throw the now-burning net off of them with a mighty roar.