The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

-31-

POV: Fendrel

He sat on a fallen log on a hill, looking down at the lowered ground.

"Hey!" Fog's voice came from behind him.

Fendrel turned his head to see her gliding toward him. She landed, her paws kicking up loose dirt and pine needles.

Fog's cheery face greeted him. "What are you doing out here? The celebration is in the center of the woods. Everyone else is over there." She flicked her tail toward the Meeting Cliff. "Well, Thea and Oliver said they'll be in Sharpdagger to bring back the rest of Thea's stock for her shop, but they should be coming back today! But, anyways, why are here alone?"

With a shrug, Fendrel twisted on the log so he was facing her. "I didn't want to draw the attention away from Cloud and Mist. It might have been weird for most of the dragons if they saw me there with no explanation. Besides, Cloud already said he understood and let me come out here."

"Oh, yeah. They were looking at the other humans quite a bit, but everything went well!" Fog's wings lifted. "You can come back now. I don't think you'll be noticed much now that everyone isn't all in the same space."

Fendrel gripped the strap of his bag. "You're sure? I just...I'm not very good with talking in large crowds."

Fog nodded. "Definitely. If you stick with me, you'll be okay. Hardly anyone talks to me at gatherings."

"Oh..." Fendrel stood. "Why not?"

"Well, my mom had a...big personality, and a reputation for caring about humans more than dragons." Fog gave him an awkward smile. "That reputation is stuck on me now, too."

"Wouldn't that attract even more attention, then, if they know who you are?"

Fog shrugged. "It might, but you'll never know if you don't go."

Fendrel's mouth pressed to a thin line.

"Come o-o-on." Fog lowered one wing and showed him her shoulder. "I'll fly you there. I promise you'll have fun."

"...Fine." Fendrel climbed onto her back.

Fog spread her wings and crouched. "Keep your head ducked. You might hit a branch and fall if you don't."

Fendrel pressed himself as flat as he could and wrapped his arms around the base of her neck. "Good to know."

The vapor dragon jumped into the air. She leapt from tree to tree, kicking off of trunks and weaving between branches that were too small to put on weight on. When she used her wings, it was only to dive or glide.

"I'm sorry I haven't visited you in a few days." Fog stopped on a branch to catch her breath. "I've just been busy helping Mist."

"Oh no, it's okay." Fendrel almost yelped when Fog continued her flight.

"So what have you been up to?" Fog glanced over her shoulder.

"There was a smaller dragon hunter base on the edge of the Hazy Woods I wanted to look at. They used to use it for hatching eggs, but it's abandoned now, and it looks like they took everything when they left." Fendrel watched the ground get farther as Fog ventured through taller trees.

"That's so weird...You still don't know why they're doing this?"

Fendrel shook his head. "I don't have a clue. I'm hoping they're trying to conserve resources by leaving the farther bases behind, but that probably isn't what's happening."

"Well, we'll figure it out together." Fog stopped at the top of a tree.

Ahead they saw the pillared cliffs.