Rescue Riders: The Dark Age

Chapter 3

Winger's P.O.V

Carrying all the materials shouldn't be too hard... or so I thought. How foolish of me to think that I could carry it all at once. I might have to make multiple trips.... no. I needed to minimize the amount of time I spent outside of the bunker. Because I knew that if I was out here long enough, he would surely find me. As I flew along, trying my best to grip all three large logs in my paws, six bags of pimpaberries in my teeth, and balance a bag of rocks on my back, I passed above the Roost. Or, rather, where the Roost used to be. I glanced down at it, remembering the times we had there. It seemed like a lifetime ago. A small shape seemed to be scurrying around down there.

"A guard?" I wondered, but the shape was not wearing armor. I flew a bit lower, trying to see while still maintaining my grasp on the items I had collected.

"No... it can't be.... how did he escape?" I looked down upon Axel Finke, who seemed to be searching for something.

Or maybe he was searching for someone. Maybe he was searching for us. The Rescue Riders. I thought for a moment. Axel wasn't allowed out of the palace, so he had to have been tired of Magnus otherwise he wouldn't have left. Or was this a trick? A trap to lure one of us into Magnus's possession? Something else, bigger, wearing shiny new armor, moved out of the corner of my eye.

"Guard!" I said through a mouthful of luggage.

The guard had a sense of anger. He was looking for Axel. If this was a trap, they were acting really well. Even though Axel was a Finke, I couldn't just leave him to whatever fate the guard could have been planning. I willed my tail to somehow wrap around all three logs, freeing up the use of my paws. Swooping down to ground level, I grabbed the Finke boy before the guard spotted him. If I hadn't kept one of my paws over Axel's mouth, his desperate attempt to shout would have gotten us noticed. As I shot back into the sky, Axel started to realize who I was.

"You... you're Dak's dragon. Winger, right?"

Axel's P.O.V

The blue dragon growled in affirmation. I had found a Rescue Rider! But.... now what? He was only one dragon, and even though he understood my words, I couldn't understand his. How would I communicate to him my plans? After a while of flying, unseen in the smoggy grey sky, I looked back up at the dragon.

"So... any idea where we're going?"

Winger grunted. Of course he knew where we were going... right?

Cutter's P.O.V

"Really Leyla, I'm fine! I can train perfectly well! See?!" I spun around, shooting a spike at the nearest training dummy. Pain shot through my leg, and I tried my best not to crumple to the floor. A small yelp managed to escape my lips, causing an "oh really" look from Leyla.

"Ok... so maybe I need a tiny bit of rest." I limped back over to my hay bed and plopped down, defeated. How was I going to help the team when I had an injured leg? There was a sudden scratching sound coming from around the entrance. Someone was outside.

"Everyone! Quiet!" Aggro whispered. There was complete silence in the Bunker as a voice and more shuffling came from right outside the door. Then a growl... a dragon?

"Sorry." I heard the voice mumble. To our horror, the makeshift door started to creak open. Nobody moved.

"Don't worry guys, it's just me." Winger said, shoving the materials that Leyla had asked for down into our underground base.

"Winger! Oh gosh, you scared me! I thought you were a bad guy!" Sizzle was running up to greet Winger, but the excited smile on his face was replaced with a look of fear.

"Who... who's that?" He whimpered, taking steps backwards. That was weird. I didn't see anyone behind Winger.... until I did. And do you want to know who that someone was?

"I know, I know. I was just as surprised as you. But he was just trying to get away from his uncle! Plus, he talked to me on the way here, and I really do think he's changed his ways!" Winger stated, motioning for the boy to come forward into the Bunker.

"I don't believe it... you actually escaped?" Leyla gasped. The boy looked down at the floor, obviously ashamed to be in our presence. I knew he couldn't understand me, but I growled under my breath anyway.

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Axel Finke?"