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       The sun was rising in the early morning one day, my body weak and limp from lack of food. Dozens of people had gone out hunting, but with the constant threat of being discovered, hunting grounds were limited. Some people had failed to return, mostly men who went off hunting for their families, though it is unknown even now as to whether they fell to their opponent, or were slaughtered needlessly after having been discovered by our enemy. I didn't know how, but somehow, they hadn't found us yet. We hadn't seen any sign of the dragons in months, and needless to say, we all felt exposed and unprotected from the threat that we were convinced had surrounded us. Some of the villagers Brought along horses with them, which certainly aided in the hunting. We had developed a system of lookouts surrounding our perimeter in the mountains. Should anything.... Undesired come into view, it was either to be taken out quietly, or reported back to us, in order to allow us to deal with it. There had been several occasions where scouts from the enemy were spotted, having wandered far off course, and every time, myself, along with Amy and Tahli with a few men had gone out to end the lives of those who came to close. We had briefly traveled outside the mountains in an attempt to figure out how close the enemy had come. After many trips outside the safety of the mountains, it was concluded that very few groups of enemies had made their way out to us, likely with the majority residing in the inland, staying away from the rocky, seemingly uninhabitable coast line in favour of the flat, tree covered centre. As the sun rose, I felt the warmth on my face, along with the harsh light pounding against my eyes. I had grown so used to being covered by the massive wing of a dragon, that just sleeping out amongst hundreds of thousands of other people stretching out as far as the eye can see, through the once quiet and peaceful mountains had its affects on my ability to sleep.

Suddenly, I flinched as I felt a hand come to rest on my shoulder.

"Hey. Are you alright...?"

I turned to see Bailey sitting down beside me in the thick soft grass. She hadn't been the same since Magar had flown off with the others, much more so than anyone else. She tried to hide it, but I was no stranger.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for something else to go wrong. So many dead, so many more broken. Without a dragon to watch over us intently, we're easy prey for any who choose to prey on us." I said.

Bailey rested her head against my shoulder, and wrapped her arms around mine.

"Will we ever see them again?" She asked.

I sighed before giving my answer.

"I have no idea. I honestly don't know Bailey." I replied.

"Are we going to die here?" She asked suddenly.

I paused for a moment, somewhat shocked by the nature of her question, though it certainly suited the situation.

"No matter what happens, we won't die here. That, I can promise you." I said.

She looked up at me, much like Micha had when she was a little girl. This struck me in a way that I hadn't experienced before, sending a strange emotion that I can't quite explain through my body, sending shivers up my spine. I looked to the mountains way off in the distance, between the ones that were much closer. I gazed in awe at a single peak that shot up towards the sky, but then, as my eyes started to flutter slightly, I heard shouting coming from between the mountains ahead. I sat up quickly and focused on the man on horse back who had just come into view. He was accompanied by two more men close behind him, the three of them waving their bows above the heads, shouting frantically. I tuned my ears to try to figure out what the men were shouting, and when I finally picked it up, my heart sank to a depth I had previously thought impossible.

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