The two dragons fly in silence as the sun is almost fully disappeared under the horizon. Rocky lays in the middle of Niether's back, as he finishes drawing Salvina.
Salvina lets out a rumble as she starts a slow descent. Niether lets out a rumble, and Rocky sits up and slides up to the saddle. Then Niether begins his slow descent.
The two dragons land on the edge of a small island. Salvina lets out a rumble as she shakes herself, and sits on her hunches. She then licks the back of her paw, and starts to rub her head.
Rocky slides off Niether's back, and stretches his arms out. He then yawns and rubs his eyes. His dragon starts walking towards Salvina, and Rocky starts to follow. But Niether glances back at him and lets out a huff.
Rocky rolls his eyes. "Fine, I'll set up camp."
Rocky walks off to the side as he starts digging in his satchel. Niether shakes himself as he walks over to Salvina, as she continues to clean herself. He sits down beside her, and she freezes.
She opens her sapphire blue eyes and glances at him. He then out a small rumble, and she huffs in return and turns away. She licks her paw again, and continues to rub her head.
She closes her eyes as she rubs her right eye. But then she hears a soft thump in front of her, and she opens her eyes to see Niether in front of her.
She huffs and stomps her front legs on the ground and opens her wings up. She then lets out a growl, before roaring loudly right in his face. She then takes off and flies up to the top of a hill.
She then breaths small blasts of plasma before laying down, and closing her eyes. Niether tilts his head as he stares up at her. Rocky suddenly walks up beside him.
"I don't think she likes you." Rocky crosses his arms.
Niether turns to him and shoots a puff of hair from his nose, right into his face. Rocky stares at him, before lightly hitting him in the side of his head.
"Come on, help me finish setting up."
Rocky then walks off to the side. Niether looks back up to Salvina as she sleeps. He then rumbles as he follows after Rocky.
A little while later, moon light shines down onto the island. Rocky is roasting some fish over a fire, while Niether is eating some fish from a basket. Rocky sighs as he leans back against his dragon.
"I guess I found my trouble."
Neither throws a fish up into the air, then swallows it whole as it lands in his mouth. "Well is wasn't bad trouble. We did manage to make a massive discovery."
"Another Briskwind, and a female at that." Rocky chuckles as he takes his fish away from the fire. "But she doesn't exactly like you."
Niether lets out a huff of air. Rocky then takes a bite of his roasted fish, and he lets out a disappointed sigh. He just continues to eat as he thinks about the encounter on the boat.
"What was that..." Rocky mutters.
Niether rumbles as he looks over to him. "What was what?"
"That dragon that destroyed the boat. We've seen lots a dragons, but that... was massive."
"Like the size of the Red Death."
"Exactly." Rocky takes another big bite of his fish. "Another plan of Sigewulf I presume."
"Everything that's happened in the past month has been his fault." Niether points out as he swallows another fish whole.
Rocky hums as he adjusts his eyepatch. He then looks up to the hill where Salvina is sleeping. He then glances at Niether.
"You should go see if she's hungry. Could win you some brownie points."
Niether looks at the few fish left inside the basket, then up to the hill. Then a few moments later, he quickly scoops up the fish in his mouth. Then takes off to the sky towards the other dragons.
Rocky smugly smiles. "I'm such a good wingman."
Niether flies up to Salvia, and lands with a loud thump. Then lets out a quiet rumble as she opens her eyes. She narrows them as she sees Niether in front of her. But he drops a few fish in front of her.
Salvina rumbles in question. "What's this?"
"Well, you haven't eaten dinner, you just went straight to sleep." Niether sits on his hunches.
Salvina huffs as she leans forward, and gives the fish a few sniffs. She then lets out a low rumble and quickly slurps up the fish. She then swallows them whole, before licking her lips.
Niether shifts slightly as he watches her lick her lips a few times. She then shifts and stands up.
"Fly with me, Fool." Salvina suddenly takes to the sky.
Niether looks back at Rocky and he gives a smile with a thumbs up. Niether smiles as he opens his massive wings and takes to the sky.
Niether flies high up into the sky, following Salvina high above the clouds. They climb and climb, until Niether finds it hard to keep fly. Then Salvina levels out, and Niether flies beside her.
The male dragon looks down, and sees a island far down below. But it looks likes tiny, minuscule. He then looks up and sees the darkness of space right above him, along with the shining stars.
"Look." Salvina calls out, and motions ahead.
Niether looks forward and his one eye lightens up in awe. In front of them a aurora borealis spans the night sky. He lets out an awed chuckle as they suddenly fly right below the light show.
Lights dance above them, twisting and changing colors. The colors flash across Niether's teal eye, as his pupil expands.
"Woaaah..." Niether mutters in awe, Salvina glances at him, before looking back up to the lights.
"I like it up here." Salvina softly speaks. "No other dragon can fly this high, so I never have to worry about being bothered. And I love the bright glow that appears on most nights."
Niether glances at her, then back up to the lightshow.
"You are strange." Salvina glances at Niether. "You're not like other males."
Niether grows excited. "There are more of us?!"
Salvina is silent for a few moments. "Not that I know of, I assumed I was the last of my kind. Until today at least."
"What happened?"
Salvina stays silent for a moment. "I was very young back then, no more then six years old. Our next was attacked, by another rival. And in the chaos of everything, I feel into a crack, and as I feel I hit my head on the way down. The last thing I remember was falling into a cold pit of water. Then when I open my eyes next, I'm in the middle of the ocean, stuck halfway inside a block of ice... everyone was gone. My whole world... change in the blink of an eye."
"That sounds-"
"Made up I know..." Salvina stares up to the light with a sad look. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this, we just met. But I guess it a sense of solidarity."
The two fly in silence for a moment, the colors changing above them.
"I don't remember anything before a month ago." Niether speaks up, and Salvina glances at him. "All I know is that I hit my head pretty hard, and poof. Everything just disappeared... Rocky, the human, is in the same situation as me. I guess that's why our bond is so strong."
"Putting faith and trust in a human is very dangerous."
"Not if it's Rocky." Niether looks to Salvina. "He trusts dragons more then he does humans. And he's putting his life on the line for us. He hates Hunters just as much as you and I."
Salvina growls at him. "Don't compare me to a human. They do nothing but take!"
Niether lets out a chuckle. "You are pretty narrow minded."
"Narrow minded is how I've survived all these years!"
"But you can't live like that forever. Not all humans are back, there are quiet a few like Rocky out there."
Salvina rumbles as she glares at him. "I don't need lecturing from a pup, Fool."
Niether rolls his eye as the two fly in silence. The colors continue to shift above them. Salvina then starts a slow descent and Niether follows her. The two fly down right above the clouds, as Salvina dips one wing in. Then she dives down inside, before shooting back up into the sky, pushing the clouds up into the air.
Niether chuckles as he watches her dive down, then back up right beside him. Neither then dips a wing into the clouds and pushes some up into Salvina's face. She lets out a chortled rumble, before flipping over him, and lightly hitting the back of his head with her tail.
Salvina chuckles as he shakes his head, Niether rolls his eye. He then looks back up to the sky, as he sees streaks form int he sky, a meteoroid shower
"Hey, look at that." Niether motions upwards.
Salvina looks up and she gasps in awe. Her eyes sparkle like the stars in the night sky. Niether glances at her, as she stares up in awe. A ethereal glow appears around her, making Niether's pupil expand again.
But then the dragon just looks back up to the sky. Suddenly Salvina speaks up.
"I remember watching nights like these with my parents. They we're... peaceful. One some nights my Mother would catch dozens of pink salmon, and me, my father and her would sit on on a hill, watching this while eating."
Niether glances at her. "Sounds lovely."
Salvina then looks at him. "Do you really not remember anything?"
Niether closes his eye and pretends to think for a moment, but a some memories suddenly surface. But only the feeling of cold, along with the sound of an eggshell cracking.
Niether then opens his eye in confusion, before shaking his head and clearing his throat. "Just the feeling of coldness. But that's it."
"Hmmm, shame then."
The two continue to fly in silence, watching the meteor shower. Niether then glances down as he sees a massive jagged ice formation on an island. He lets out a questioning rumble, and Salvina glances at him.
Niether then turns to the side and flies off towards it. The female dragon turns and follows after him. She then notices the large jagged ice formation. She lets out a low rumble.
"Be careful." Salvina catches up and flies beside him.
"What happened here?" Niether questions as the two start flying around the island.
Niether notices massive bits of wood sticking out of the ice. He even notices a few massive boats sticking out of the sides of the massive ice formation. Neither rumbles as he sniffs the air, catching the sent of dozens of dragons.
"A King..." Salvina mutters in shock.
"A what?"
Niether and Salvina land at the very top of the ice formation. They grip onto the sides of it, as Salvina slithers around it, hanging above Niether.
"A King of Dragons did this." Salvina informs with a rumble, as she looks around.
"I have no idea what that is?" Niether slips around the jagged piece of ice, before hanging upside down by his tail as he looks around.
"A massive Dragon, they are the Alpha of all dragons." Salvina flaps her wings and lands on a ice piece below her. "A dragon must obey their will, willful or not. And they can breath ice."
Niether slips off his ice piece and lands a few feet below. "And you've meet one before?"
"I used to live with one, I've seen them attack human fortressed just like this." Salvina hops up another piece and slides over to Niether. "They are normally peaceful dragons, that live in massive colonies, providing protection and guidance. But they are territorial against others of their kind."
"They must be rare then, if I've never heard of them." Niether then flaps his wings and starts hovering.
"From what I know, only a few remain in the world." Salvina flies up and hovers beside him. "Finding one may be hard, given their scarcity."
"Hmm... I would like to meet one, one day."
"Travel the world enough, you might."
Niether and Salvina fly off, leaving behind the destroyed fortress. But from the shadows a woody brown Stormcutter appears. it lets out a few quiet chirps, as someone wearing a weird scale armor. The chest armor has an attached fur shawl, round shoulder guards, and large armbands with faux talons above their hands. They also wear a red, torn cape and strips of fabric around the waist. Their masked helmet has long horns. The armor has red and blue paint of it.
The armored figure holds up a hand and pats the Stormcutter, as they stare at the two Briskwind Boltrens flying off.
A while later the two land back at the island where they came to rest. They land on the hill, and Niether looks out to the campsite Rocky built. He sees his human laying on the ground in front of the fire, sleeping.
Niether lets out a soft rumble as he turns to Salvina, jumping slightly as she's right in his face.
"Fly away with me." Salvina suddenly says. "Fly with me to the north, and we can live together."
"I just can't leave Rocky." Niether points out.
"Forget the human, you don't need him."
"It's not just that, Salvina." Niether looks up to the stars. "This place is in danger from a deranged human. I have to keep this place safe."
Salvina huffs in anger. "Fine, Fool. Stay with your human." She opens her wings and starts hovering above him. "We are the last of our kind, remember that."
Neither sighs as he looks up to her. "Will we at least see each other again."
"Perhaps one day, Fool." Salvina flickers her tail as him, before she takes off into the night sky.
Niether watches her fly off, until she disappears from sight. He lets out a dreamy sigh as his tail flickers. Then he turns around and struts down towards the camp.
He near silently walks down to the camp, and looks around. Then he walks over to Rocky and lays down beside him. Rocky grumbles as he wakes up groggily.
Rocky sits up as he looks around. "...Where's the other one?"
"She flew back home." Niether informs as he shifts.
"Surprised you didn't go with her." Rocky lays back down.
Niether grabs Rocky with a paw, and drags him to his chest. Then the dragon covers the human with his wing.
"I just can't leave half my soul behind." Niether points out. "Who knows what'll happen."
Niether rumbles as he closes his eye and nuzzles into the ground. Rocky lets out a sigh as he leans into his dragon, and closes his eye.
Later the next morning, Rocky is yawning as he stands on the beach. He stretches his arm out as Niether walks onto to the beach behind him. Niether shakes himself and flutters his wings, as he walks up to Rocky.
"Ready?"
Niether rumbles as he lowers himself to the ground, and Rocky climbs on. Niether then takes off into the sky.
"Yesterday was certainly something."
"Can't wait to tell the others about it." Niether lets out a chortle.
"Snips is gonna bother you about it for days." Rocky points out as they swiftly fly over the ocean.
"Yeah... maybe I should keep it a secret."
"Too bad, I'm gonna tell her now." Rocky laughs smugly, only yo be hit by one of Niether's ear nubs. "OW!"
"I'll throw you into the ocean!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"I would dare!"
Niether looks back at Rocky and the two stare at each, other before laughing.
Over on the fer edge of the Dragon isles, the Vanquish Fleet sits at the edge of its island. In the middle of the fleet, the Vanquisher sits, while the other ships circled a little aways around in. As in the front of the ship the water bubbles.
Inside the Vanquishers captain quarters, Sigewulf stands at the back of the room, staring at the Monstrous Nightmare skull. He grinds his teeth as he's lost in thought.
He taps his foot on the ground as his hands are behind his back. He stares at the skull as his hands curl into fists, as he grinds his teeth harder. The most recent lose of a certain female dragon plaguing his mind.
Suddenly the door behind him opens, as a pair of footsteps enter. Then the door shuts.
"I said I didn't want to be disturbed, Julvig." Sigewulf calls out.
"Good thing I'm not Julvig then." A different voice calls out.
Sigewulf's eyes widen as he tenses up. He looks back at the new figure.
"Viggo..."
Viggo wears a black leather tunic with red scales on his shoulders and around his waist. He also has spiked shoulder pads and a silver belt buckle with Dragon Hunters' tribal crest on it, and black wrist guards. He also wears a single holster strapped across his back. The holster is metal and looks like a dragon's head, with a jewel as an eye.
Viggo has short black hair, large brown eyes, thick, full lips, and a French cut beard. He has three scars on the left side of his neck supposedly from a dragon.
"Hello, brother." Viggo smirks as he walks up to the large table in the room. He looks down at it, studying Rocky's old map that has several Maces and Talons pieces on it.
"W-What are you doing here." Sigewulf turns to Viggo, gritting his teeth with a forced smile.
"I so happened to be in the Southern Market, so I figured I'd stop by." Viggo picks up the Viking Chief piece. "You know, I heard some interesting things at the market today."
"Do tell me what you heard, Young Brother." Sigewulf walks up to the table.
"I've been hearing tales of your recent exploits over the past month." Viggo keeps looking over the game piece with a calm look. "Did you know people are starting to give you names. Sigewulf the Obsessed. Sigewulf the Incompetent. I've heard a few people call you Sigewulf the Deranged."
"Brother I can-" Sigewulf holds a hand out, but Viggo interupts.
"You need to be careful, you're making even Dagur look sane." Viggo glances at Sigewulf. "But the real reason I'm here isn't to tell you rumors. But see what's going on down here."
"I'm handling it." Sigewulf says in a low tone.
"Is this what you call handling it, Sigewulf? You're making our family look like fools. Constantly getting outwitted by a boy."
"He isn't just a boy!" Sigewulf slams a hand on the table. "He has a strange... bond with dozens of dragons!"
Viggo ignores Sigewulf as he looks back at the Chief piece. "Well, I must give credit where credit is due. You managed to wrangle a dragon of legend. While you have lost hundreds of my men in doing so, I' very impressed."
Sigewulf smirks, but stops as Viggo looks at him with a blank look. Viggo continues as he points the Chief piece at him.
"But you must produce results soon, Sigewulf. You've costed us gold by the chest full over the past couple months, with very little return. If you don't start recuperating out lost profit. Well, I don't think Ryker will be as understanding as I am."
Sigewulf huffs in anger as he stares at Viggo. "I'm very close, Viggo. I just need to get rid of that kid and his dragon." He slams his hands on the table, causing the pieces to move. "I will have these Islands under my control soon!"
"Kill the kid for all I care, but that dragon if valuable. It can easily be worth more then this entire fleet is worth."
"Then I'll get it for you, I promise."
Viggo smirks as he holds his hand over the map. "Good. We wouldn't want a bright mind to go to waste."
Viggo opens his hand, and the Chief piece falls onto the map. As the piece lands, it breaks in half.
"I'll be in the area for two weeks, I want to see results Sigewulf." Viggo walks over to the door. "Have a good day, brother."
Sigewulf glares at his brothers back as he exits. "You as well..."
Sigewulf looks down at the map, spotting the broken Chief piece laying on the island where the fleet it. But the Accomplice and Dragon piece are sitting in front of the island, both still standing.
Sigewulf stares down at the Dragon and Accomplice piece, before moving them back to Wyre Island. Then he picks up his broken piece.
"Two weeks... that's enough time..." Sigewulf mutters as he stares at the Chief piece. "Plenty of time...." He clenches his hand tightly.
7-9-2026
3400 words