The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

-17-

With a nod, Fendrel put the stone in his bag. He began to walk away. "We can walk faster once we're out of earshot."

"Got it." Fog crept after him.

<~><~><~>

The sky was a bit brighter now. Faint hints of orange and pink were making an appearance with the sun.

Fog flew with Fendrel in the saddle. Stone Edge came into sight, as did the cliff near Stone Edge that overlooked the ocean.

"The others should be waking up by now." Fendrel smiled. They were making good time. They might even be able to meet up with the others on the road rather than arriving at the Black-Brick Ruins at separate times.

The vapor dragon sniffed the air, made a strange face, then sniffed again.

"Is something wrong?" Fendrel looked up at her, confusion etched on his face.

Fog's feathers stood on end. She stretched her neck higher and squinted. With her feathers now bristling, she stuck her nose to the ground and kept walking. Her tail flicked, not in an excited way like when the group was getting on the road again, but in a way that made her look like she could spring forward at any given time.

Just as Fendrel was about to ask again, Fog stopped in her tracks and her whole body froze.

"You don't see that?" Fog raised her head. Her voice was shaky.

"What is it?" Fendrel looked where her eyes were targeted and swallowed.

There was a clump of bloodied gray fur.

Tears welled up in Fog's eyes. She whimpered, stepping away from the fur. "She's gone."

Mist.

Fog collapsed, her wings and front paws thrown over her face.

Fendrel pulled one of her wings out of the way and lifted one paw off her face. "Fog, we haven't seen her yet. We don't know if she's dead." He pointed toward Stone Edge. There was a trail of dried blood and fur. "Look, she went this way."

Her tears ran down her water-repellent feathers, catching on the grass and mingling with the morning dew. She stifled her sobs and traced the trail with her gaze.

"We can still save her. Come on." Fendrel squeezed the paw he held, then stood and moved forward a few paces.

Fog sniffled and nodded, dragging her feet as if they were burdened with steel. The further along they went, the less blood and fur they found.

"See? Maybe she found something to staunch her bleeding." Fendrel gestured at the diminishing trail.

The vapor dragon trotted ahead, and Fendrel chased after her.

It was eerily quiet, more than it usually was when Fendrel came here.

Maybe Mist scared away the animals?

Fog's ears pressed flat against her head. She stepped over rubble and between half-collapsed buildings. "Mist?"

Fendrel joined her side, scanning the debris.

"Mist?" Fog raised her voice.

Fendrel stepped in front of her and put his finger to his lips.

Fog shut her mouth. She kept her steps light and lowered her head. "What is it?"

"You're sure that fur belonged to Mist?"

"Yes, it was her scent, and it was the right color."

"Okay." Fendrel looked around, then back at her. "She had been injured, which means her attackers could have followed her. They might still be here. Stay as quiet as you can, and don't leave my side. There's a good chance her wounds came from dragon hunters."