A month had passed on no news on Sten. The riders had become worried that he had truly disappeared forever. Rune sent a terror-mail to Berk, the Defenders of the wing and Dagur asking if they had seen him. None of them had seen him but they promised to look for him. Sandstorm brought Rune down to the clubhouse as his powerful wings lowered them down to the wooden boards. Rune took off his helmet and held it in his hand as he approached the rest of the riders.
"Nothing. Nothing but the ocean" he said with frustration.
"Don't give up Rune, we will find him" Forde encouraged.
"We are doing all we can and we will find him" Virgil added.
"I hope so. I don't know what I would do if I find out he's-"
Rune couldn't complete his sentence. Just the thought of thinking that Sten had died because of him was too much for him. That type of guilt would kill him faster than an arrow to the chest.
"No. He's not" Forde cut him off. "He is a fighter. He will be found Rune"
Forde walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, assuring him. He knew how Rune felt, he needed all their support.
"Sten is as tough as they come" Virgil said.
Rune nodded, acknowledging their kind words. Sandstorm nuzzled him from behind and purred, showing his own support for his rider. Rune rubbed his head as he felt calmer now. Then something hit him.
"Wait a minute. Where are Vyra and Thyra?" he asked.
"Oh, they went out on patrol. Thyra managed to drag Vyra out" Virgil answered.
"Alright. I guess it's just us then" said Rune.
"Anyone up for a dragon quiz game or maces and talons?" Forde suggested.
"Sure" Virgil said with some excitement.
Forde looked to Rune, waiting for his answer.
"I'm in"
Out in the open sea, Vyra and Thyra cruised in the sky right above the clouds. They were out scouting for hunter ships and anything that might lead them to where Sten is.
"I still don't get why you brought me out for patrol. I did one yesterday. Why did you have to bring out again?" Vyra questioned.
Her expression showed her displeasure.
"I-I needed a wingman for my shift today. Y-Yes" She stuttered.
"Thyra? That isn't you. You're stuttering"
"W-What?"
"When you speak, you don't stutter" Vyra pointed out.
She let out a deep breath.
"It's that obvious isn't it?"
"Pretty much"
"Well the main reason I asked you to come out with me is because I needed advise"
Vyra was shocked at her request. Her left eyebrow lifted itself as she gazed at her teammate.
"I've been trying to get closer to Forde but nothing seems to be working. He is always engrossed in reading about dragons, spending time with Spikethorn and the Thunderdrum or hanging out with Rune. There's no way I can get his attention" she voiced out.
She was frustrated. Her efforts were always going to waste or he wasn't picking up on the cues. Vyra let out a little chuckle and sighed.
"Hey, it's not funny" Thyra said warned in a friendly manner.
"I know, I know. Trust me, I know" she said as her amusement wore off. "I think you just have to show more interest in what he does and want to know more. You could ask to borrow some of his notes, train together, ask for dragon advice or whatever device he and Rune have conjured up" she said.
"I have tried"
"Well try harder. If you really do like him, you will put in the effort"
Thyra nodded her head softly. "Right. Thanks Vy"
"Anytime. Well take it with a pinch of salt. I am no relationship expert" she said, her voice trailing off at the end.
Thyra understood. Lately, things between Vyra and Rune had become strained. It wasn't like it was in the beginning or during their first days on the Edge. After the whole thing with Sten, they had become distant. Rune always buried himself with something to do and when they did have time to spend together, there was more silence than usual. Yes they liked each other but Rune never went ahead to declare things.
"Well whatever it is, I hope you guys figure it out"
Vyra gave a soft smile.
The ride continued, the two dragons flying for miles until something got their attention. They spotted two ships with a large metal cage on the deck sailing a new route. They also had large barrels on their decks.
"Hunter ships? Thyra questioned. "I have never seen them sail here before?" said Thyra.
"What do you think they could be up to?" Vyra asked.
"Probably something evil. You should fly back and get the guys. I'll stay on their tail and keep an eye on them"
Vyra nodded. "Stay safe out there Thyra"
"Always"
Vyra patted the neck of Stormbreaker and she understood her assignment. With one powerful flap, she took them into a loop. They twisted in the air as they changed their course back to the Edge.
Back on the Edge, the boys had finished a quiz game and Forde came out on top to no one's surprise. As for now, Forde and Virgil were locked in a tough game of maces and talons. Rune didn't know the rules; he hasn't played the game since he was reincarnated here. He thought it would be like chess, but with some extra steps. He left it to Virgil and Forde to dig it out while he and Sandstorm watched.
"Come on Forde, it's your turn to make a move" Virgil said, trying to get into his head. "One move and it will all be settled"
"Shhhh. Let me think" Forde said sharply.
Forde thought long and hard for what felt like an eternity before he moved a piece.
"Hah!" Virgil exclaimed. He made one move and had beaten Forde. "Boom, I win"
"How?! How?!! How?!!!" Forde said.
Virgil laughed up the whole thing as Forde tried to understand how he had been defeated.
"And that's 3 – 1 to Virgil. He takes the game" Rune said.
"You down played your skill sin that first match. You let me show you my playbook and used that to beat me. Damn. I feel like a new player"
"You live, you learn Forde" Virgil said.
As the three spoke, a dragon cry hit their ears from the Edge. They turned towards the entrance as Vyra and her dragon landed.
"Back from patrol already?" Forde asked.
"No. Thyra and I found hunters sailing a different route. We don't know where they're headed but they had a big cage on their ship" she explained to them.
"We'll get our dragons" Virgil said as he and Forde cupped their hands around their mouths and made their dragon calls.
Sandstorm stood to his feet from his curled position on the floor. He stretched forward and back and then smacked his lips together as he got ready to fly. Hothead and Spikethorn landed on the deck ready to aid their riders.
"Vyra, lead the way" Rune said as he mounted Sandstorm.
"Follow me"
Vyra led the dragons to where she and Thyra spotted the ship and flew straight on. Spikethorn led them by following her scent and they approached a new island with dense vegetation. Rune used his spyglass to spot where the hunter ships had docked. The cage was still on them but the barrels had been opened. They found a safe spot and landed, away from the sight of the hunters.
"No sign of Thyra yet. She is not on the ship" Rune said as he got off his dragon.
"They could be holding her below deck" Virgil said.
"Then there would be more guards around. For now, our best bet is that she is somewhere on the island" Rune replied.
"What's the plan?" Forde asked.
"Well from where they docked we can guess the general direction they went in and try to see what they're up to" Rune said.
"And Thyra?" asked Vyra.
"We'll find her or she will find us"
"No need" a voice said from the bushes.
They all turned to their right as Thyra and Rampage emerged.
"Told you she wasn't captured" Rune told Virgil.
"I saw you guys come and had to meet you"
"Any news on what the hunters came for?" Forde enquired.
"Nothing exactly. Well I do know what was in those barrels. It's some type of oil fragrance that they rubbed on themselves before pushing into the island" she answered.
"Do you know why they did that?"
"No, they didn't say much. They gave themselves a rub down and pushed ahead"
"That's interesting" Forde said.
"No time to waste. Thyra, lead us to them" said Rune.
"I thought you'd never ask. This way"
Thyra led them into deeper into the island and through the dense vegetation, the bushes were thick and the trees casted large shadows on the ground. There was an eerie feeling like they were being watched with every step. The riders left their dragons at the landing site to reduce the risk of being caught as the sneaked around.
It didn't take long for them to find the hunters moving around in a large group. The riders took cover behind trees and bushes and watched what they were up to. They were armed with swords, axes, spears, bows and plenty of dragon root arrows.
"Well they definitely came prepared, that's for sure" Forde whispered.
The hunters were led by two masked men. One was of medium build, a bit skinny though. He wore a dark green tunic that was covered by a metal chest plate from protection. Brown fur braces covered his wrists while his lower torso was clothed by brown pants and black boots. A strap ran across his chest, it held the sheath to his sword on his chest. His helmet was brown and had spikes running from the top of his head and all the way to the back. It covered his nose and mouth, only leaving his dark brown eyes to be visible.
As for the second man, he stood tall above the others. He was 6'3 with beefy arms, a brown thick beard and black eyes. He wore spiky metal braces on his wrists, rusty metal shoulder pads and chest plates. Underneath all that armor was a faded red short sleeved tunic, chain mail ran from underneath it and was held around his waist with a brown belt. Brown pants and brown fur boots completed his look. He wore a brown helmet that had two horns pointed to the sky from each side.
"Keep searching. We're getting closer" the big guy said.
Rune couldn't help but take notice of the scent they wore. It smelled nice, like a field of fresh flowers. But he couldn't help but wonder why they had covered themselves like that.
There was movement in a thicket. The smaller man held up a fist causing them all to hold their positions and wait. They all dropped to one knee as they waited. There was more rustling of leaves and then it revealed itself. It was a big dragon with a tail that split into two near the end. It was green in colour, leaf like spines running down their necks and tails. Brownish spots covered parts of their back neck and tail, but that wasn't the strangest thing about this dragon, no. The weirdest thing was that it had four heads and each head had triple-split jaws.
"Snaptrapper" Forde said as the words escaped his lips.
The heads slithers around and sniffed in the air, but when it saw the hunters, it hissed and growled.
"Steady" the big man said as the dragon spread its wings to show it's size and intimidate them.
The dragon roared and charged at them.
"Fire!" The big man said as the hunters unleashed a flurry of root arrows at the dragon.
It shielded itself with its huge wings and snarled at the hunters.
"Rune, what do we do?" Thyra asked sharply.
"We help the dragon, we take out the hunters. Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire, and please let's all communicate. Things will get rowdy" Rune said.
"We got it boss" Virgil answered.
The dragon roared again as it fired acid blasts at the hunters. The two leading the group rolled to the sides, avoiding the blast. The four heads made this dragon a tricky opponent to deal with. There were basically no blind spots on it, but they were prepared.
"Let's save that dragon" said Rune.