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A day. A night. Another day.

S're stayed near the tree line to remain hidden but close enough to the road in case Jasper returned. A small range of Tunk'ta had walked down the trail. People riding various types of burden beasts went by, oblivious to her and her curious hatchling. At least there had been no predators– or visions.

She was already out of the rations she had brought with her. At least she wasn't thirsty with the river so near, even bathing once, much to the youthful joy of her hatchling. He was a good hunter, stealthy and clever. He attempted to offer his kills, but she dared not build a fire, not when at least one War dragon flew by overhead every day and night, randomly circling the area on lazy patrol.

Another night. Another day.

She'd had enough of waiting. She would go in the morning.

Dreary and dull, perhaps it was the hunger clouding her judgment, but she thought she could use the thickening fog to hide her while she attempted to at least catch a glimpse of Randel. That seemed like it would work in her favor. Surely she’d notice such a massive animal, even in this.

Her hatchling still slept. Figuring he would be a problem, she slipped away and walked for some time within sight of the road. Thankfully, no one else was on the road at this damp hour.

At last, out of the mist around the trees, she could see the buildings. There were only 3, several stories each, and a great field behind them that vanished into the vapor. Dragons snorted and chatted with each other where she could not see them.

Sneaking closer, she was hoping to see more of the field, perhaps the tell tale signs of a Tunk'ta buried in the ground. The fog was simply too dense and wandering blindly through a field with War dragons didn’t sound like a smart idea, even as a Tamer. If nothing else, they would give her away with their curiosity.

Glancing about, she saw no guards. Other than the dragons chittering and trilling to each other, there were no other sounds. Perhaps, she thought, she could spy Jasper instead? Creeping close to a building, she peeked through a window. Just a storage room. Trying another window, still she saw no one.

She gasped at a presence behind her but before she could turn, a large hand gripped her loose ponytail, wrapping it around before jerking her up and slamming her against the wall as hard as her hearts slammed into her ribs. She heard the cock of a gun. Not knowing her bounty required her alive, her breath caught with another gasp when she felt the cold of the metal next to her temple.

“Just my lucky day,” the soldier started eagerly before taking a deep sniff and chuckling. “They were right. Elves do have a smell.” Letting go of her hair, he twisted her arms back to bind them, his solid body holding her still. “You're under arrest, traitor. Don't try anything. My dragon hasn't eaten today, and I'm not that attached to the bounty.”

Marched to another building and shoved through the door into a communal eating area, all eyes turned to her before there was a flurry of activity. Taken to a metal cage in the last building, the lieutenant was atwitter about the money they would all receive.

Two guards were left with her as the rest went back to their common house. They leered at her, making comments that made her skin crawl and press her knees together. She kept her eyes down, staying quiet even when they attempted to goad her. Thinking she was a thief was probably better than knowing she was a Tamer.

Not a full half hour ticked by when there was a commotion outside. Startled voices cried out, causing one guard to open the door to see what was going on. The man screamed, knocked down as a large black mass lunged at him, copper eyes wide and wild. The hatchling leapt off the man, giving a squealing roar.

The standing guard reached for his sword when the air shimmered with intense heat, making him cough and cover his mouth and nose. A ribbon of thick liquid fire spewed across the walls, chemically ballooning into a roiling inferno that crawled along the ceiling. The wood caught flame immediately, causing the humans to cry out in panic.

The hatchling rushed to the cage. His serrated teeth were no match for the metal, and he growled in frustration. When he heard one of the guards approach, he whipped around, snarling at them, the air growing hot enough to shimmer again. Glancing at each other, they decided back up was in order, fleeing out the door while the smoke grew thicker.

Coughing, S're crouched low to stay out of the smoke. Again the hatchling attempted to chew at the bars, soon pacing before her. She was getting light headed and faint when a shadow appeared in the doorway. The hatchling growled but did not attack. Keys jingled and she felt hands on her, releasing her binds.

“S're, come on!” Jasper helped her up and they rushed out the door. She took a deep breath in relief, only to have it catch in her throat. All three buildings were on fire. The blazes were large enough to jump to nearby trees and it had been a dry summer.

She didn't get much time to gawk at the destruction. Jasper pulled her along through the smoke, heading out into the field. The War dragons snorted and peered at the people running past them when a few of them became agitated, feeling their Bonded fear the loss of their lives. Growling, they lunged into the air, their wingbeats fanning the fog, the smoke, and the flames.

Running up a familiar hill, Jasper let out a shrill whistle. “Time to go, Randel! Now, buddy!”

The ground shuddered as the dragon rose. He sniffed the air curiously but obeyed when Jasper indicated for him to walk away from the smoke. As he went, Randel rumbled to the lush mountain that had been beside him. The other male lifted his head to reply and watch them leave.

Together, they watched the fire spreading by the surreal ribbon of deep crimson dancing in the thick smoke that mingled with the fog. Thankfully, the blaze seemed to be headed towards the river and far behind them.

“You know,” Jasper said grimly, “the Serpents' Law told us not to mess with dragon genetics. I fear we’ve had a hand to play in something very terrible for this world, S're.”

He turned and took her hand. Unable to hold it in any longer, she threw herself upon him, relief washing through her when his arms encircled her. “Jasper, I was so worried, I....”

He didn't let her finish the thought, his fingers buried in her hair to pull her down and hold her to his lips.

“I'm sorry I worried you,” he said softly when they parted. She bent down to lay her head on his shoulder. “I wanted to leave right away but I got quite the tongue lashing for how I've handled Randel, and he was absolutely right. I needed to give him the time to heal. I was getting ready to leave when I heard them talking about the bounty money. I was trying to figure out what I would do when your dragon bounced right up and just started setting everything on fire!”

Her head snapped up in surprise and met his eyes by accident. She shuddered, her breath short. The longer she looked into his warm gaze, the more she saw of him, of the lessons he had learned from experiences she could not fully make out, the way he thought about his life, and the magic that bound him to his dragon, like a great eye open wide, allowing them to peer within each other. The sensations became so intense that she needed to break contact.

He let out his breath. “That was… slightly unpleasant.”

This time, she did not lose consciousness, but she did feel light headed. She had not eaten well in many days. Jasper was quick to have her seated and food warming for her over their small burner.

She peered at her dragon. He seemed groggy, swaying a little as he sat otherwise elegantly, paws together, tail wrapped around him, chest out and head held high. She smiled. “My fiery little hero.”

The dragon perked to her voice. Instead of turning his head, he let his head fall back so that he was looking at her upside down. “He-ooo!”

Jasper chuckled. “That's cute. And there is no doubt he will do anything to save you. You know, including burn down a forest….”

As she ate, she could see through a hole in the vegetation of Randel’s ecosystem through the small window over their bed. The sky behind them was still brilliantly red, smoke building in the glittering sky as the fog lifted. The fire was spreading further and faster than they had thought.

“S're.” Her name drew her back to the moment. “I heard a lot of talk while I was hanging around with Jerred, the Tender who helped Randel. You're bounty number one in all of Zaparow. It’s not even about you being a Tamer, they’re pissed about him,” he nodded to her hatchling. “It's why I couldn't even risk slipping away to try to find you. I didn't dare chance anyone noticing or questioning.”

Hanging her head, Jasper continued so she couldn’t speak.

“I also heard them talking about the state of our treaties. There hasn't been any official declaration of war between the nations, but Mardarow, Zaparow and Sadgos'Lak all recently announced abandoning their peace treaties. Things aren't looking so good between them.”

Sucking in a breath, he sat beside her, taking her hand. “We can't stay here. Your face is everywhere. We wouldn't be able to go anywhere near civilization and that's no way to live. ”

“Where would we even go?”

He sighed deeply. “I think we should go back into Mardarow. Your face won't be plastered everywhere. We’re pretty close to the border, I think, we can hop over. If we hope to get in without much trouble, now’s the time. They’re still allowing Tenders through without too much hassle, and I did just have to dig out all my paperwork. I am still a citizen.”

“I-I don't have any identification. How would I get through if we get caught? I don't think it's going to be as easy as last time.”

Contemplating, he suddenly had a lecherous smirk, pulling her close and waggling his brows. “You know, the Tender's life is a lonely one. I could pass you off as my slave and with some extra coin, and maybe a little ride, I'm sure they'd look away.”

Her rapid myriad of expressions- ranging from shocked and outraged to aroused and considering- made him explode into a hysterical fit of laughter. “Grun,” she retorted, pushing him out of his chair and threatening every manner of violence, including feeding him to her dragon- who stared at them with a cocked head- the longer he laughed. Sitting back to finish her meal, she had to sneer to keep from giggling, but it wasn’t very successful.

Still chuckling to himself, he climbed back in his chair, wiped his eyes, and peered over at the hole in the vegetation. The smile faded immediately. S're followed his gaze. The sky had grown redder still. The wind had shifted and now blew towards them.

Jasper audibly gulped. “I think we need to go a different direction.”

It made S’re gasp. “If we go that way, maybe a kilometer or two, there's a river. It’s the Grand Gar, I think. It’s huge! The border’s on the other side, right? I doubt the fire could jump it.”

The river reached the edges of Randel’s shell at its deepest, water flooding up through the soil of his shell. Many Snappers and Snappitts hissed and slithered away through the water, vanishing under the surface. The water rushed away just as quickly when he gained ground on the other shore. Down the bank, the flames were still consuming the forest, reflecting on the water along one side.

Only a short walk along the extensive shore discovered another trail for them. As Randel walked up onto the well packed ground, they could hear the deep rumbles of more Tunk'ta marching down the path.

“Grelt must be smiling on us,” Jasper said as he perked up. “They won't bother to stop a whole range. All we need to do is get in step. Say hi, Randel. Make some friends. Maybe a girlfriend, even? Bunch of pretty ladies in this range.”

The dragons clacked their tusks together in polite greeting. Randel bowed his head in deference to the immense matriarch who eyed him suspiciously but accepted his presence by continuing without pausing. As he fell in step, a small, young female reached out to sniff at his neck. She startled with a visible wobble in her step upon noticing the tiny humans move about on his back. Immediately curious, she peered at S're specifically, making her blush under the odd scrutiny.

The matriarch grunted and lifted her head to sniff the air, clearly catching whiff of the smoke. Much to Jasper's audible dismay, the matriarch turned back towards the river, her family diligently following.

“Wait!”

The Matriarch slowed and stopped, her long neck swinging wide to curve around her body to glare at S’re with a cold yellow eye. S’re could not explain how she knew without a doubt that the powerful dragon was deeply insulted by the audacity of a person commanding her, but she could not refuse and that infuriated her further. The rest of the range stopped around her, all curiously peering back.

“I…” she started diffidently, too softly for their ears, but they did not need to hear her to know her will. With a deep breath, she raised her voice. “Oh, Grand One, I… humbly ask for your help. I know you want to go feed on the ash. Please, help us go the way you were going. By then, the fire will die down and you'll have plenty to eat when you return.”

Frozen, like time had stopped, the great dragon stared back at her. The thunderous blast of air from her snort blew up a cloud of dust from the packed earth well beneath her and rustled the leaves on Randel’s back, blowing through S’re’s hair. Slowly, the matriarch turned her bulk around again, continuing their original direction, and Randel fell in step.

Sighing with relief, S’re turned and found Jasper staring at her with eyes almost as big as his dragon’s. Before she could ask, he blinked and smiled with adulation. “Definitely the luckiest guy on the planet.”

***

By the time the buildings had been doused and the fire had moved a safe distance up the river bank, the lieutenant was exhausted, returning to his burnt office and dreading the report he would now have to write. Even he wasn't entirely sure as to what had happened. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he believed any of it.

Opening the door, his breath caught upon noticing the imposing form sitting in his chair, legs long enough to relax colossal shoulders against the wall with impressive boots propped on his desk. Ghostly opalescent orbs stared at him from glossy sockets. His near flawless face was more predator than human. Pierced ears protruded from his straight black hair like a pair of horns, and his black dragonscale armor completed the look.

The lieutenant gulped, straightening his spine as a cold shiver ran through him under that dark gaze. He saluted stiffly with a shaking hand. “C-C-Commander Ros-Roscrow, sir. I-I did not know you had already arrived, sir!”

“What happened, lieutenant?”

The man stuttered briefly, describing a small black dragon the likes of which he had not heard of. His men had claimed that the dragon had spewed fire from its mouth, but he wasn't so sure of their accounts. Everything had happened so fast and only 2 guards had seen it well enough to describe it.

“Where is she?”

The blood drained from his face until he was paler than the Q'Hu. It took a moment for the man to find the words to inform the commander that they had lost their prize. He very nearly thought he might faint when the giant briefly made a sound akin to an angry dragon but the commander’s impossibly deep voice remained clear and composed.

“Was no one dispatched to track her?”

“N-Not with all the chaos, sir. We-We, uh, we thought she was still restrained, sir, but someone helped her. We, uh, think it was a Tender who stayed with us for a few days, a-a man named, uh, a Jasper something, uh Dukensen, I-I believe. His Tunker was injured by a Feathered Drawg. He, uh, was also gone by the time we had secured the post, sir.”

Those eerie eyes narrowed thoughtfully, making the lieutenant sweat. Then the giant placed his feet to the ground and stood to his full height. The lieutenant was a tall man but even he hardly made it past the commander's shoulders. He had to force himself to stay straight as Roscrow glared down at him.

“I will only say this once, lieutenant,” he stated with a tone as deep, dark and commanding as his gaze. “No one saw a dragon. These buildings are old. Seems the wiring is faulty. Would not take much to spark a fire. No one has to take blame. The military apologizes for the inconvenience and will compensate for any personal damages. You did not find the traitor, just mistaken identity. Someone with cosmetic surgery. It happens. No harm done. There will be no further discussion of this incident. Do I make myself clear?”

The lieutenant shuddered, saluting stiffly once again to try to hide his quivering. “Y-Yes, sir! P-Perfectly clear, s-sir!”

Nodding sharply, Roscrow strode towards the exit, which the lieutenant made clear for him. At the door, he paused, glancing over his shoulder casually. “Seems like it would be a good time to have this place updated. You don't even have a Blue Core reactor. No wonder it burned down. I'll have an engineering team sent here upon my return to Academy.”

The lieutenant was stunned for a moment, long enough for the giant to duck out the doorway and stride down the hall before he could mutter his gratitude. Every soldier backed away and saluted, attempting to keep utmost distance from the Q'Hu.

Striding out of the building, he turned the corner to look out across the burnt field where Granger was supposed to be waiting with the other dragons. Stopping in his tracks, his shoulders slumped, and he growled under his breath at the sight of his dragon mounted on a silver and red striped female.

“Damn it, Granger. Now is not the time for this!”

Despite himself, he could not help but smirk. This was a regular occurrence and he didn't know why he had expected any different. The boar's grand black horns and immense size made him desirable by many of the ivory horned dams.

Forced to wait and listen, Roscrow decided to check the area. The fire had cleared all trace, save for an oddly lush landscape among the char that stared back at him curiously and the divot where another had lain.

“Very helpful, Du’un,” he grumbled as he grit his teeth, realizing that he most likely had sight of her when he had awoken from his vision. “Couldn’t even give me that small hint to avoid all this. Are you trying to start a war?”

It thankfully did not take long for the dragons to finish. The dam wandered away to roll around in the ash and dirt, making a satisfied chittering sound. As Roscrow checked the saddle belts, he chuckled when she snapped at the other boar who gathered around her.

Now, Roscrow knew what he was looking for. Flying low through the hazy air, he attached a filter to his helm as he followed the trail of a lone Tunk'ta up the river where the fire had found a narrowing of the channel, jumping across to the other side.

The vast forest was being consumed at a rapid pace. The river was highly reflective, blazes dancing on either side as it rippled, creating the illusion of lava at first glance. Gritting his teeth, Roscrow growled as familiarity pricked at him, the great lone mountain of Academy in the hazy distance. “Very funny, snake.”

The tracks were soon joined by several more. The trail they took vanished off into the endless emerald forest between hills, and he knew he could go no further. He wore the banner of his nation, and it would take very little to start an incident right now.

“Woman, why must you make this so difficult for me?” he muttered to himself. “I had shit to do.”

Something caught his eye. Looking west, that part of the forest untouched by the fire, he realized two War dragons were flapping up towards him. They were smaller than his dragon, but they flew the banners of Mardarow, and he was trespassing.

Indicating for Granger to turn, he figured he would return to the outpost to send a communication to his father. He could not let his superiors know most of the details just yet.

He perked to wing beats behind him and turned to look. One of the dragons had drawn close enough to snap at Granger's haunch. With a snarl, his dragon placed a well aimed kick to the enemy dragon's long snout, causing it to bank sharply. Glaring down the length of his body at the retreating enemy, he thundered clearly, “Fuck you!” Roscrow’s hysterical guffaw filled the air, joining the roar of the flames below.