Dorelle's Journey

06 Reaching Hery Bay

 When Dorelle woke in the late afternoon, she felt ravenously hungry. Some of that hunger was her own, and she dug out a piece of bread from her pack to soothe that. Most of it, however, came from Mashira. That wasn't a surprise, the dragon had worked hard in the last two days, and not eaten for five.

 "Can you hunt here?"

 Not really. But I must eat soon.

 Dorelle picked up her bow and frowned at it. "With a bit of luck, I might be able to get you some deer. Can you sense any nearby?"

 No. They are afraid of a dragon's scent. Rightly so.

 "Is there a water hole or a brook around here?"

 Mashira snorted. Yes, lots of water down in the valley. I can't reach it.

 Dorelle shook her head. "This is not good. We need to find water and food for you."

 She quickly put the saddle and harness on her dragon and settled her pack before mounting up. "We'll fly low and see what we can catch."

 Mashira headed slightly southeast towards more rugged terrain. The tree cover was less dense there, and the chances of spotting a running animal were greater.

 Soon, the dragon flushed a group of wild boar. Dorelle shot a young one before her dragon simply grabbed a large boar and carried it aloft. The squeals and struggle didn't last long.

 Mashira settled on a rocky outcrop nearby, her eyes on the young boar that Dorelle had shot. It had dropped dead not far away and would provide the rider with dinner for several days.

 We'll pick it up in a moment, the dragon promised before tearing into her prey.

 Dragons eat messily. Mashira first tore off the legs and crunched them in her mighty jaws. Then she tore hunks from the body and slurped up the intestines. Dorelle was used to it, but she still didn't like it. To take her mind off the grisly feeding habits, she scanned the sky. Suddenly, she stiffened.

 "Mashira, look. Are those dragons?"

 Her dragon immediately assumed the colors of the rock and grass around her. Yes. I think a formation of three.

 "Are they looking for us?"

 I'm not sure. It's not a search pattern.

 Dorelle took a deep breath. She wanted to visit her home, needed to visit. When her parents heard about her desertion, they needed to know the truth. But it was possible her home had already become a trap. She bit her teeth.

 We'll go there in the dark, Mashira said, quite unconcerned. No dragon will see me.

 Dorelle pondered that statement, but Mashira said no more on the topic. Instead, the dragon finished her meal and then took her rider to the carcass of the young boar.

 A little later, with the dressed boar tied firmly behind her, Dorelle and Mashira lifted into the sky again. The sun was setting in the sea to the west.

 The dragon flew low, shifting her color all the time. Dorelle kept staring at the neck and head of her friend and marveled at the quickness of the changes. It would be very hard to spot them from above.

 They had visited her home once before, and Dorelle hoped that Mashira would remember the layout of the land around the fishing village where she had grown up.

 Of course, the dragon said in her mind and snorted slightly. We'll get there around midnight.

 "What if Ferren is waiting for us?"

 You'll find a way.

 Dorelle wasn't sure. The village was small, only a dozen houses were grouped in Hery Bay. There were few spaces for a dragon to land. They had the long pier where the fishing boats were tied, but the masts made landing on it very dangerous for a dragon. Beyond the houses, a mountain cliff rose sharply, sheltering the village from storms and making access difficult. If any dragons were waiting for her, they would sit there, on the top of the cliff.

 Maybe Mashira could come in over the sea and settle on the tiny strip of beach at one edge of the bay but she'd be vulnerable to an attack from above.

 Sooner than she expected, Dorelle could see the sea sparkling in the distance. Moonlight reflected on the waves in a most beautiful way. It failed to warm her heart today.