The last thing I saw before falling through the ice was Kayne's fearful expression. Now, as I float in the water, I saw nothing. The thin rays of sunlight barely shone through the ice above my head. At least I could tell which way was up.
"Twoleg!" Naxan's voice pierced through my mind sharply. From above, shadows obstructed the sunlight. A large figure was on the ice, turning my world into further darkness.
"Naxan don't!" Air bubbles surrounded me as Baylen fought against the ice above his head. He was using the fire within himself to try to melt through the ice, but he wasn't strong enough. The fire merely bubbled the water around him, and the temperature of the water rose.
The noises coming from above were muffled, but I could feel the vibrations running through my body. I heard the ice groan and crack with a sickening sound that nearly made me go deaf. The pressure was building in my lungs and my head, and I felt as though I would explode. A toothy maw lunged into the water and swallowed Baylen's entire body. Screaming, all of the air escaped from my lungs. I felt the need to inhale, but I couldn't bring myself to gulp down the water. As my body fell downwards, fading in the icy abyss, I was swallowed by teeth.
Coldness ran through my body, prickling me with an icy fire. My mind felt blank, but around me, I could hear muffled voices. As I slowly came to, the white world around me faded into the deep blue color of the sky. I blinked slowly, watching the clouds intercepted the sun.
I didn't realize I wasn't breathing until my lungs nearly caved in on themselves. I gasped for air and sat up. Everything came seeping into my senses at once.
Something behind me moved slightly. I turned around to see a dragon whose scales were as white as snow. When the sun hit the dragon, they glimmered with an underlying blue that shone like midnight frost. I remembered this dragon. Naxan and I had saved it from a hunter's trap. Something he and I did for a handful of dragons on this island. I looked around, seeing the familiar faces of the people I was traveling with, but I didn't see my dragon.
"I am here, twoleg. Friend came to help." Naxan sounded displeased. In a way, I was thankful he didn't reveal himself to save me. "Could have saved you." Naxan's growl vibrated within my head.
"I know, Nax. I'm not ready to let these people know who I am just yet."
I stood from where I was sitting on the ground and turned to the dragon behind me. "Thank you." The dragon dipped her head in response.
"What's going on here?" I heard Hames accusing voice from behind me.
I turned around to survey the waiting people. "I made some friends from my time being here." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Friends? With a dragon?" Hames' eyes squinted as he glared in confusion.
I slowly nodded my head. "When you free a dragon from a hunter's trap, they kind of like you afterward."
The dragon behind me grumbled. A voice that felt like a winter storm raged in my head. "I am indebted to you for life, little one." Her claws scraped the ground as she rose to her feet. She spread her wings before saying, "until next time," and flew into the air, surrounding us with powerful bursts of air.
I felt their stares on me, but I chose to ignore them. "We have a dragon to find, correct?" Hames hesitated before moving forward. Kayne moved past the others to come towards me. Instead of looking mad, his warm eyes regard me with concern.
"You okay?" His hands had grabbed my face, steadying me in place as his eyes wandered over me.
"I'll be fine." Heat rushed through me from looking into his eyes. "Really, I'm fine." A slight trickle of embarrassment seeps into my body as I noticed some of the others were watching our exchange. "Let's get going." I smiled at Kayne. He stepped closer so only I could hear his next words.
"Quit getting yourself into trouble. I need to focus on this mission, but I can't do that if I'm worrying about you." He walks away with the rest of the group and leaves me standing still. I gather myself together and continue walking behind them.
As we settled camp and let Hames and Aelric move further on to find the dragon, the other five were in a trance of silent awkwardness. It almost seemed like they were tiptoeing around me. Their attitude was putting me on edge and I was beginning to feel annoyed.
I sat on my bedroll in front of the fire that Baylen was working to start. He glanced over at me occasionally until the fire from his fingers was able to burn the damp wood. The smoke billowed in large clouds for a few minutes until it settled down and flames were licking the air. "I've never seen a wild dragon act so..." His voice trailed off as he looked at me.
"Friendly?"
"I guess you can say that." He rocked back onto his heels.
I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's not going to eat me from saving it from a hunter's trap. They seem to be honorable creatures."
Baylen pursed his mouth before standing up to gather his bow and quiver full of arrows. He and Kayne let without a glance in my direction.
It was just me and the three young dragon riders left by the fire. Ton, the Airis rider, turned to me. "Can I ask you something?"
I nodded my head.
"How many other dragons did you save from the traps? I heard that there were dozens of them on this island." His silver dragon was too large to be held, but it was still small enough that it would not be able to support its rider's weight.
"A handful," I say as I poke at the fire with a stick.
"You just keep getting cooler and cooler." Sige, the Dreo Rider, spoke softly into the dusk air.
That night, Alec and I trained harder than ever. I fought viciously with my sword, and he countered my attacks with a professional's grace. As we fought, I healed the injuries he was able to land on me with a practiced quickness. He wanted to teach me how to heal myself as I was in the heat of battle, and it was working well. I didn't stop or slow my movements as I healed the small cuts that were along my arms. It was becoming natural for my body to heal on its own without my mind being distracted by it.
"Good work, Navidean." Alec was breathing heavily from the exertion. I was in a state much worse than he was, but I still felt pride bubble from within. My stamina was increasing and the sessions became longer with each passing night.
He patted my back and took the sword from my limp hands. My muscles screamed and shook as I stood where I was, but my mind was still racing. I wanted to keep going.
"We'll take a break." Alec read my thoughts.
"I can keep going." Whisps of hair floated around my face, some sticking to my sweaty skin.
Alec shook his head. "We've been going all night. It will be morning soon." The scenery around me faded and I was standing beside my sleeping body. Baylen was sitting by the fire, passed out. He was supposed to be on watch.
I shook my head slightly while chuckling.
"Tomorrow you'll be leaving this island." Alec leaned up against a tree.
I nodded my head wordlessly.
"And these people still don't know you're a rider."
I bit the inside of my bottom lip. "I know." Was all I could muster.
Alec said nothing. Instead, he watched the people sleeping on the ground.
"I will tell them." My words were more to reassure myself.
He nodded his head, and with a final farewell, I awoke. The chilled air clung to my body. I rose to my feet silently, keeping an eye on Baylen as I wandered away from the campsite. I met up with Naxan, who had been waiting for me. Smoke tendrils escaped his nostrils as he saw my form approach through the trees.
"Twoleg." He acknowledged me.
"Come on, Nax. Are you still mad about what happened?" I went over to pat his rough scales.
"Naxan... I am the one who saves you. Not other dragons." He spoke roughly, his tail slashing the air behind him.
"It's okay." I rub his muzzle with my hand. "You won't have to hide for much longer."
I heard a commotion from behind me, indicating that the others have returned. "We're leaving today, but I'm traveling with the others by boat. You fly in the clouds so they can't see you."
He wordlessly nodded his head. I returned to camp, where Aelric had a small navy blue dragon beside him. The four young riders were bustling with excitement as the camp was packed. I fell to the back of the group, following those ahead of me. Kayne had slowed his pace so he was walking beside me.
"Hey," He said.
"Hey back." I watched the others trudge through the snow. We continued in silence for a few moments longer before I spoke up. "About the other night..."
"Yes?" He was quick to respond.
The thoughts in my head were hard to put into words. "Well, you know."
"You might need to elaborate on that one." I cursed him for his humorous voice. I was having a difficult time trying to say what I wanted to say. I didn't need him taking this as a joke.
"We almost-"
"Kissed?" Kayne cut me off and spoke louder than I would have liked him too. "And you pulled away. That hurt." His voice portrayed that he was anything but hurt. Instead, his voice was full of sarcasm.
I furrowed my eyebrows, keeping my focus ahead.
"Next time, don't pull away." His lips whispered close to my ear. Heat coursed through my body as I felt his breath on my skin.
"Bond is open," Naxan growled, closing the bond between us. I felt emptier without him there, but I could understand why he didn't want to be in my head. Dirty thoughts were racing around in my mind, and I could not control them with Kayne being so close to me.
"What makes you think there will be a next time?" I asked, feeling bold.
Kayne chuckled lowly and his face was displayed in a half-grin. "There will be."
"You're sure cocky, aren't you?"
"I just know things." He shrugged his shoulders. Kayne tilts his head closer to mine. "And what I do know is you want it to happen too."
I scoffed. "I don't think so."
"I know so."
"You know nothing." I glared at Kayne, whose face was alight with humor.
"Okay, lovebirds. Knock it off back there!" Baylen turned around to face the two of us. I hid my face by looking down as Kayne laughed beside me. The others had looked back as Baylen spoke. I could feel heat trickling into my face, turning my skin red.
Eventually, our group made it to the beach where they had started off their journey. The boat they sailed on was sitting further out in deeper waters. The sun was high in the sky, shinning off of the deep, blue waves. I dug my feet into the snow-covered sand, watching the boat slightly dip and rise with the movements of the waves. The reality of me leaving this island now became evident. The sky had been the roof over my head and the ground I laid on was the foundation I walked upon. I was leaving this place I learned to call home and I wasn't ready to face it.
Kayne noticed my expression as I watched the boat in the distance. "Ready?" He asked.
"Not really." And I was telling the truth.
His gaze softened, the warmth in his eyes seeping into me. He lightly took my arm in his and led me to the dinghy resting on the sand up from the shoreline. "You'll be fine." He spoke softly. I stepped into the small boat, the wood slightly creaking as I stepped on the boards. I sat down and waited until the others pushed the boat into the water and jumped in with me. They rowed the boat out into the water and with every stroke the oars made in the water, the closer we came to the ship and the further away we went from the island. I looked back to watch as the island became smaller.
"Why is twoleg sad?" Naxan asked, filling in the spaces in my mind. Warmth seeped through me as his presence filled every nook and cranny that had been left bare.
"I'll miss this place."
"Home is wherever twoleg and Naxan are together." I couldn't contain the smile that spread across my face.
"What are you smiling at?" Baylen asked, giving me a curious look.
"I'm beginning to think that going home may not be so bad after all."