《Friends to Foes, Foes to Friends》 Prologue Sprawling blue skies overlooked the green landscape. Small clouds covered small portions of the sky here and there. Silhouettes of flying creatures could be noticed in the distance. Geese? Hawks in search of prey? Or likely something larger. That''s either a blessing or a curse. To be able to spot dragons, or rather not see them... The Invincible Lord was overlooking the paltry territory he owned. A small area of green pastures with tents, carts, and campfires lay before his walls. All safeguarded under the mountain''s protective presence, their safe haven, their shield against dragons. Beyond that lies the vast open world, a world that would soon be his. How pitiful. This is all I have. It could be so much more. Knock knock. A guard poked his head inside. "Your Lordship, Lake is here to meet with you." "Send him in." The guard ducked back behind the door and came back with another man - he was taller than average. Short brown hair covered his head while bronze skin painted his limbs. He wore a black shirt and brown pants - a leather belt with tools and small bags hanging from it was wrapped around his waist. "Your Lordship, glad we could finally meet!" the man exclaimed. The Invincible Lord narrowed his eyes. "Oh, uh..." Lake took a dramatic bow, arms splayed out to his sides. He held the position for a solid few seconds. "Rise. And no pleasantries - I don''t waste my time on useless matters." "Oh, of course. I''m elated you accepted my request in the letter-" he began. "I did not accept it." the Invincible Lord interrupted. He turned around to look out the window once more. "I simply agreed to address the case you have brought to me. You are here to assure me whether this expedition would be fruitful or not - understand, Lake?" "Of course, Your Lordship." Lake agreed. "The purpose of this expedition is to-" "Short version." The Invincible Lord did not see the funny look shot towards him. "I have learned of a new material that could extensively improve our armament - a way to easily kill dragons," The Invincible Lord turned around, appearing to be bored. "This expedition is to head into the mountain range central to the continent to gather and study a key component, which determines whether or not this material can be applied in the considered method."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "I have invested in multiple propositions on new ''dragon-killing'' weapons before," The Invincible Lord began. "Swords with new metals, creative bows. Every single one has failed.Every. Single. One.Wasted energy and resources with nothing to show. The best one is the ballista defending these walls, and it is sorely lacking in accuracy. Not to mention, it is barely anything more than a larger and more awkward crossbow." He scowled. "What makes your idea any better?" Lake was not deterred. "My project makes use of a unique idea, inspired by an unexplored principle. If proved working, it could be adapted into a form of a projectile armament-" The Invincible Lord barked a laugh. "A range weapon? Bows are useless. Crossbows take too long to reload. Neither can penetrate a dragon''s scales or seriously injure them. All the ''principles'' for ranged weapons have been explored." He clapped his hands. A guard stepped inside the room. "Take him away. He has wasted too much of my time." "Wait, Your Lordship!" Lake desperately cried as the guard grabbed his arm. "This idea would have more range than any crossbow or ballista! I haven''t been able to create one to test as of yet, but if my calculations were correct, dragon scales would not be a problem anymore! The smallest impact would disable them for life! Or mortally wound them!" The Invincible Lord raised his hand. The guard stopped. The Lord turned around. He walked up to Lake and looked him directly in the eyes. Out of his mouth came one word. "How?" Lake swallowed. "There is a plant in the mountains - a cactus, I believe. I''ve seen some explode when burned by dragons, and travelers tell similar stories - the expedition would be to figure out how it can be applied as a handheld weapon without endangering the user." The Invincible Lord stared at him for a long moment with deep skepticism. "You want to give a weapon that explodes to my men?". He turned around and walked back to the window. Lake gulped with fear. "How would an explosion do this?" Lake repressed a sigh, he was now a little calmer. At least the lord was listening. "By using a controlled explosion as a means to propel the projectile, the power of said projectile would be much more than any arrow could hope to accomplish. A dragon couldn''t survive such power." The Invincible Lord tapped his finger on the windowsill. Pondered what Lake had said. He held his breath. "I''ll fund your expedition." Lake let out a sigh of relief. "Under these conditions:" The Lord added. Lake tensed. "First, you bring back proof of this being possible. Second, you bring back seeds so we can grow this cactus here. Third: the expedition remains small. I will not waste any more men and resources than I have to. And I want one of my subordinates to accompany you to make sure the expedition doesn''t drive away from its objectives. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, crystal clear. Thank you, Your Lordship!" Lake responded with excitement. "Begone. You''ll meet your members by sundown, and depart at sunrise." The Invincible Lord ordered. Lake escaped the guard''s grip, which hadn''t left his arm the whole time. He took a bow, and promptly walked out. The Invincible Lord returned to gazing out the window. Thoughts were swirling in his head. A new weapon. At least this one sounds like it has potential. An explosion - that is quite powerful. He smirked. I certainly hope this doesn''t disappoint. A weapon that can easily kill dragons is exactly what I need. If we can manufacture it in numbers, I can finally realize my dream. A world rid of dragons - and owned by me. Chapter 1 Winter dipped his claw in the ink pot and scribbled another note on his scroll. He looked back at the scavenger city down the hill. How fascinating. The sight was hypnotizing, scavengers were milling about the fields, some of them coming back and forth from their huts to their companions - it looked like they were tending to the plants. Winter could make out some fruits on the bushes. Growing food - of course! They''re omnivores, right? I wonder how good they are at preparing food. But to find that out he''d have to get close, and that would be the problem. He has never reached closer to the town than that first time with his friends, and no scavenger, except for a rare few, would willingly stay close with a dragon. He himself has only managed to get close to scavengers after the Scavenger Safety Decree twice. One was an outreach to a very small scavenger village in the mountains. It did not go smoothly - he landed outside the village in hopes of finding one to communicate with through signals and gestures, and then grow closer to the rest of the residents. It did not go to plan. One scavenger did spot him as he was landing, and immediately yelled out. The whole village started running as fast as they could to hide from him. He ended up chasing one down, which, alright, probably wasn''t the best idea if you''re trying to establish a relationship. The cornered scavenger curled up into a ball with Winter blocking its path of escape. Not knowing the best course of action, Winter just sat down and waited for the scavenger to calm down. It took a few hours for it to get out of its funk, where Winter finally started some semblance of communication. It took a further three days of gesturing and talon-waving with the villagers before he was able to "explain" that dragons are no longer eating humans. The only other time he got close to a scavenger was only a few days ago. He was sitting in his usual observation spot, when a scavenger unknowingly came up behind him. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Winter waved, hoping a gesture like that would put it at ease, but the small being dropped everything it was carrying and fled back right where it came from. By the time Winter stepped up to follow the scavenger, it had disappeared from his sight already, and no amount of searching gave any more trace of its passage. He shifted his attention back to the fascinating den, studying once again, like he always did when he came to study its inhabitants. To him, there was no question, this was the biggest scavenger town that must have existed on the continent, and, by extension, the most fascinating. There were so many details to linger on too; everytime he looked, he found a new one. A house here, another one there, a pathway between two rocks, and so on; he could continue forever. Of course, it could only be so good from afar, witnessing all this activity first hand would be much more enlightening for his studies. Everybody thought that after the decree, there would be some communication set up between scavenger dens and the dragon kingdoms, especially between the biggest dens. It wasn''t that easy however; while smaller dens could be swayed via patience, the larger ones were still very hostile to dragons. Some small groups tried to communicate with scavengers by the largest cities - they were shot at by the creative weaponry of scavengers; there were even a few injuries. After that was agreed upon to reach out to smaller ones first - the ones that couldn''t fight back, in hopes of scavengers from the smaller settlements notifying the larger, more dangerous ones of dragons being friendly. In the meantime, observation in order to learn was ordered regarding the larger dens. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Winter went back to watching the scavengers go about their lives. His sharp Icewing eyes could pick out gardeners, settlers, what he thought were soldiers, and... What was that? On one side of the mountain, a group of five scavengers had just left the main area where all the others were. They look to be heading North into the Claws of the Clouds Mountains. A hunting party? No, this was no hunting party. They had too much gear - he''d seen some hunting parties before, but they wouldn''t have large bags on the backs like this. They couldn''t carry any kills back with all of that stuff. What in the three moons... Scavenger behavior was always unpredictable, though that usually stemmed from dragons assuming they were prey and not intelligent. This however... Winter rolled up his scroll, stopped his ink pot, and put it all in his ankle pouch. He slunk down the hill, opting for a roundabout journey to follow the scavengers. He wouldn''t dare risk flying now - he''d be spotted and all the scavengers would hide away, including this small group. He would have to go far enough South before turning West then North - it''ll take some time, sure, but he''s much faster than any scavenger, even on the ground. Excitement shivered through his scales he began walking - a new adventure lay ahead of him.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ***** It was the afternoon when Winter caught up with the scavenger group. They were moving as other groups would typically - cautious but quick, always glancing up at the sky. Winter correctly chose to observe from the ground far away - his shiny white scales give him away up in the air. Kinkajou would either be more visible with excitement or invisible with stealth if she were here. Winter thought with a smirk. The little group was making their way into the actual mountains now. They entered a valley, and only then did they seem to slow down. Trees provided shade while the rocky faces shielded them from the sides. Winter lost sight of the group now, with the valley being over a mile away. Winter sped up, trying to catch up with the scavengers. Clever. They made haste for a place with cover. It keeps them hidden from prying eyes. But that can go both ways. Winter slowed down as he approached the valley entrance. Focusing on his sense of smell, he figured the scavenger group was not too far, judging from the lingering scent. He creeped further into the valley, following the path traced by his nose. He eventually heard the unmistakable squeaks of Scavenger up ahead. Winter stopped at that point. The squeaks didn''t get louder or quieter, so they''ve definitely stopped. The sky was just starting to fade from its telltale blue to the quiet oranges and pinks of sunset, just like how a Rainwing would change its scales. I shouldn''t scare them off. But shouldn''t I try to make contact? They''re no longer near the den, so they shouldn''t attack. They''ll run away. You won''t corner them like last time. How else will I learn about them? Winter shook his head with a small growl. He opted to wait until nightfall. Then he would sneak near them and learn what they''re doing. ***** It was a beautiful night. 2 moons were crescents, the other was close to full. Not much moonlight was shining down on the mountainous landscape. Perfect, but not optimal. Winter slunk over close to where he last thought the scavengers stopped. He took care to stay quiet and extra care to hide his shiny reflective scales out of the moonlight. He approached a small grove of trees, where branches formed a canopy above. He looked around a tree, and there they were, just a few steps before him. Five scavengers asleep around what looked like a small dying fire. They were enclosed within a small dent into the mountain coincidentally covered by a few trees. If it wasn''t for the dim orange light of the fire and his sharp eyes, Winter could have seeked them for the whole night. They can make fire? How? Winter thought with excitement. Scavengers must be much smarter than initially thought, if they can make fire without possessing it like some dragons do. Four of them were laying down, and another was sitting on a rock. It seemed like that one was supposed to stay awake, probably to keep watch. Winter started to chuckle, then caught himself. None of the scavengers stirred. Winter sighed with relief. He shouldn''t wake them now. He slowly crept closer, and reached over to one of the bags lying on the ground right next to a scavenger - they were large compared to the scavengers. One could pass for a large pouch if he used it. He untied the tiniest knot he''s ever seen by using only the tips of his claws, taking extra caution not to cut the leather cords. And after the most painstaking process imaginable, he lifted the flap to look inside. Everything in it puzzled him. He delicately took out each item to inspect it. Each one, although confusing, showed more about what scavengers were capable of. He took out a small glass circle that enlarged whatever was in front of it. Reaching it to his eyes, he saw the distorted image of a zoomed in scavenger sleeping on the ground. He had to hold a chuckle once again. Looking back into the bag, there were a bunch of objects inside - some familiar and some foreign. He saw spoons, metal bowls, and small (for scavengers - even tinier for him) leather bags. He saw multiple odd wooden and metal tools of some kind. There were two metal rods, no longer than his claw, joined at one end. It looked like they could be used to pinch something. There was also a tiny black stone rod with a metal piece tied to it. For what purpose these were for Winter had no idea. What is all of this for? Winter carefully laid each item on the ground and rummaged a little more through the bag. Scavengers may be fascinating, but all of these items were so odd. There was no visible purpose to any of these items. Should I stay and try to communicate with them once they wake up? No, they''ll immediately run away. That''s their first instinct with a dragon - run and hide. So I should try to not be seen by them, otherwise they might stop whatever this is and I won''t find out. Winter started to put each item back one by one. He was careful not to make any noise so as not to wake the scavenger group. He heard the one he assumed should be on watch stir. He sped up his efforts. These items are so small! He tried to put a metal bowl inside the bag, but it caught on the edge of the canvas. Instead of falling inside the bag, it fell directly onto a rock with a loud clatter. Winter looked up at the scavengers. The one on watch was clearly reacting and waking up. Winter shoveled the rest of the items back into the bag and dashed away. After a minute of running, he finally stopped. He hoped he hadn''t been noticed - he didn''t want to see whatever this expedition was called off. He was definitely more interested now that he saw what they were carrying - all those items definitely had a purpose of some kind, even if he didn''t know which. This definitely isn''t a hunting party. Winter found himself a grove of trees to lay down in and rest. He''ll follow them in the morning. As he laid down, he noticed he still had the black stone with the metal piece in his talons. Chapter 2 "What do you mean someone was rummaging through our stuff!?" Lake yelled at Granite. Granite looked down at the ground in shame. "Hey, stop yelling, we don''t want to attract any dragons." Alpine interjected. "Just because we managed to make it to forested mountains doesn''t mean we''re safe." "Yeah! Especially if someone''s stealing our stuff while we sleep!" Lake pressed. "What if they tried to kill us instead? What would you have done?" "Well, we''re still alive, so I think we''re fine." Alpine retorted. "You would risk our lives on a baseless theory?" Lake challenged. "Of course not! But if whoever rummaged through our stuff wanted to harm us, wouldn''t they have done it? It was the perfect opportunity after all." Granite looked down as she spoke. "Check the bags - what did they take?" Lake demanded. A boy, barely a man, walked over to the bag and opened it. He took each item out until the back was empty. He tilted it upside down and shook it for good measure. "Well?" Lake asked impatiently. "Barely anything, looks like they only took one of our flint and steels. We still have two." The boy responded. "Dammit. Maple, repack the bag." Lake ordered. Maple started putting the items back in a particular order. "Granite, you''re lucky we packed extras." "Look, I''m sorry, alright? I thought I said that." Granite responded. "''Sorry'' doesn''t bring it back or change it." Lake crossed his arms. "Hey, we still have two more. Pack it up and let''s move. We do not want to disappoint the Invincible Lord." interdicted the fifth person. "Yes sir." came from Alpine and Granite. They moved to break down the rest of their meager camp. Who comes just to steal a flint and steel? Do they have nothing to make fire? Lake wondered. No point in worrying about it. Copperhead is right - we need to continue moving forward. Lake moved to help Maple with packing the research equipment. The group broke down camp within the next few minutes and began their journey deeper into the mountain range. They kept an eye on the sky at all times and both ears wide open. Stories of mountain dragons suddenly swooping down and plucking travellers from the ground were the most common amongst the Indestructible City residents - the second most common were swamp dragons emerging from the swamplands to the east and clamping down with their jaws. Lake shuddered. I hope that doesn''t happen to us. But if this expedition is successful - if we can figure out how to effectively kill dragons - we''ll never have to worry about dragons again. As they walked away to continue their route, Granite glanced back where their camp held a few moments ago. He swallowed, afraid to admit that he wasn''t sure if the one scavenging in their bags was actually ''someone''. ***** The group had been hiking for a few hours by now. Maple and Alpine were filling up everyone''s water skins while the other three watched the skies. "So how long have you been with Lake?" Alpine asked. "It depends how you see it. As an apprentice, it''s my second year, but he''s been my teacher for eight rotations." "Ah, so you must know him well." "Well enough to know that he cares more about his projects than people." Maple quickly looked back, hoping Lake didn''t overhear him say that. He was holding small talk of his own with the Lord''s subordinate as they kept watch on the sky. "Really?" Alpine inquired. "I would think he cares about others a lot by trying to build a dragon-killer." "Well, anyone would try to do that. He''s more likely to do it for the thrill of discovery than for humanity." Maple replied, switching to the next waterskin. "He''s alright though, once you get used to him." Alpine also glanced back at Lake. He was now arguing with Copperhead over something. About what, neither at the stream had any idea. Alpine looked back at Maple. "What about you?" she asked. Maple looked up. "What do you mean?" "Why are you doing this?" Alpine clarified. "Are you doing it for humanity or for discovery?"Stolen novel; please report. Maple paused and thought about that. "Well..." he began, but he was sharply cut off by Granite. "Dragon!" he hissed in a loud whisper everyone could hear. Every human in the party looked up and locked their eyes on the shiny white scales of the winged beast in the air. "Get to the tree line!" Maple glanced back. Lake and Copperhead made it to the trees - Granite dashed in close behind them. He and Alpine were too far - they couldn''t make the hundred-fifty or so feet before they were spotted and the dragon came to eat them. Alpine suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him along. "This way!" she urged. They ran to two large boulders by the stream with a crevice between them - just large enough for two people to hide in. The duo squeezed in and held their breaths. If the dragon flew over and looked down, there was no way they''d survive. They held their breath and kept silent. They could hear the wingbeats getting quieter. They didn''t move, didn''t speak, they didn''t even breathe. They stayed still until the wingbeats were no longer heard. They kept still for some time after, and didn''t move longer. Every human knew - caution above all when it came to dealing with dragons. Finally, Maple took a chance and peaked from behind the boulder. The white dragon wasn''t in sight. "I think we''re in the clear." he whispered to Alpine. She also took a peek from behind the boulder, glanced around, and nodded. They stepped out from their hiding place and worriedly searched the sky. Maple looked towards where the other three had run to. He saw Lake gesturing to join them behind the cover of the trees. After checking the sky once more, he and Alpine quickly got on their feet and rushed to the group. They flattened on the ground next to the others, their green and brown clothing better camouflaging them into the environment. His sight followed his mentor''s, seemingly watching the direction in which the dragon had flown. After a while, Lake extended an arm forward. "There." He said. "It''s hunting." All of them looked at the direction he was pointing to. A few miles away, lower in the mountain range, the dragon rose above the canopy with something stuck within its talons. The creature and its helpless prey quickly disappeared behind one mountain. The apprentice couldn''t help but to shudder, afraid to even think of what would have happened if it was one of them in the dragon''s talons. "We need to move now. Finish filling up the water, and move quickly. We can distance ourselves while it''s eating." Lake order. The group went back to the stream, filled up the main and reserve waterskins, and were on the move before. They stuck much closer to the tree line now as they hoofed it at a brisk pace. They left no trace of their existence at the stream - aside from their scent. A scent that would be picked up by a white dragon a little while later. ***** The small, smokeless fire was providing some very-welcome warmth to the group. They had stopped in another grove of trees, this time with thicker brush around them. Fear had spiked after the close call with the dragon, though no one visibly showed it. Granite was tending to the fire while Lake, Maple, and the lord''s subordinate were enjoying the result. Maple was deep in thought about the event''s today. That was the closest he''s even seen a dragon - it was scary, sure, but also interesting. And something was nagging at him. "I know that look." Lake said, startling Maple out of his thoughts. "That''s a thinker''s look. What''s on your mind, Maple?" "It''s just...the dragon today. White scales mean it was an ice dragon, right?" Lake nodded. "What''s an ice dragon doing down here? Their habitat is somewhere much further in the North." Lake pondered that for a moment. Then he smiled. "That''s why you''re my apprentice." He said to Maple. "But that is a good question. What do you think, Copperhead?" The lord''s subordinate, Copperhead, glanced up with narrowed eyes. "Why should we care? It''s a dragon. It doesn''t have any motivations or reason." he stated matter-of-factly. "What about the one by the city?" Granite added. "What?" Lake said sharply. "Our wall guards noticed an ice dragon frequenting the outskirts of the Indestructible City relatively recently." Copperhead clarified. "This could be the same one." "Has it eaten anyone?" Lake asked. "Not that we know of," Granite responded. "At least, not yet." "So this is the first time you''ve seen it leave the Indestructible City?" Maple asked. Alpine nodded. "Hmmm..." Maple pondered. Then his eyes widened. "That''s a terrifying thought." "What?" "What if it''s following us?" "Don''t be ridiculous." Copperhead countered. "The beast would''ve killed us by now." There was a near imperceptible tremble in his voice as he finished. "That''s true." Lake affirmed. "If we were being hunted, we wouldn''t have made it through last night." "Are you sure?" Alpine asked. "Absolutely. A dragon wouldn''t extend the hunt this long. It''s only bad luck that we crossed paths with it." Lake explained. "And how do you know? They are monsters, they take pleasure in playing with their prey." Granite countered, crossing his arms. "They made sure to write those words in our minds by countlessly repeating it. And we''ve had many testimonies in favor of that point for the past decades." "What do you mean?" Alpine ducked her head on the side. "Don''t you ever listen to the captain? He said that twenty years ago, there were much fewer dragon attacks on towns and caravans." Granite sighed. "He thinks it''s related to the Dragonslayer, that the dragons are searching for him to get revenge." "This again?" Alpine rolled her eyes to the sky. "This old rag can do nothing but yell at us and tell nonsensical stories." "Hey! He''s not that old!" "Ah! Go on and tell me forty-seven isn''t old! I can even see gray hairs on his head, honestly it''s a miracle he isn''t retired yet." "The captain is forty-seven?" Lake wondered. "That''s not what he told me." "He lies half of the time, always tries to embellish his life," Alpine explained. "Oh." Lake lowered his shoulders, a subtle wave of disappointment shadowed his face. "I take that I should be more careful when questioning him for my information then." "You know him?" Maple wondered. "Well, he''s the one who informed me about the plant. The one we''re supposed to study in this expedition." Maple heard a slap behind him, he turned only to see Alpine facepalm with her hand over her face. She sighed. "I hope for us all that this wasn''t one of his made up tales then." "We''ll worry about it when we get there. Just get some sleep for now. The mountains only get harder to traverse from here. And Granite, try not to fall asleep this time on watch." Each member of the group found their own spot to tuck in for the night. One by one, they drifted off to sleep except for Granite, who was on first watch. He was more vigilant this night after the dragon sighting. However, none of them noticed the piercing blue eyes observing them from a distance. Chapter 3 Lake and Alpine were climbing up a steep slope, careful not to slip and roll the long way down. Granite, Maple, and Copperhead were down in the wooded valley below setting up camouflage and a small experimenting area. The duo on the mountain was after the whole point of the expedition. Maple had spotted the cactus growing on the slopes an hour ago - Lake ordered the group to begin setting up camp whilst he and Alpine collected samples of the presumably explosive plant. Lake was having a few regrets though as they traversed the rocky landscape - it was a lot more difficult than Lake thought it''d be. Unfortunately, he needs to be present when the samples are collected. What''s worse is that they were well above the treeline, and therefore completely exposed. Any dragon could spot them, swoop down and pluck them up from the ground. He was especially anxious after seeing the ice dragon earlier. Keep going. You need to do this. So upward they went, coming ever closer to the plant, unaware of the Icewing watching them closely. ***** Winter had been following the scavengers for a few days now in the Claws of the Clouds Mountains. They finally stopped at the base of a mountain, where two of them had split off from the group to climb the mountain. The others stayed behind and hid themselves in the trees like they had the past few nights. He was lucky - the trees were thinner in density at the higher elevation, so it was much easier to observe the scavengers. He had to always find the right angle to peek through the canopy, unless he got close, which he couldn''t risk now. The three scavengers left behind were seemingly setting stuff up. He noticed some of the weird objects from when he''d looked at what the scavengers bags held. He could finally figure out what it was all meant for. He had been racking his brain for a few days trying to come up with something, yet he still blanked. He looked down at his talons. He still had the black rock and piece of metal that he accidentally stole. He couldn''t get close enough to return it. The ones who kept watch were more vigilant now. Winter looked back up the mountain. The two who went up were coming back down, this time with bags filled with something. He could only assume it was more of the cactus that each one held in the crook of their arm. Some of the plants on the mountain were diced up and cut down - presumably so they could reach what they wanted. What is that? What do they need it for? ***** Lake and Alpine returned to the camp triumphantly brandishing the cacti in their possession. Each one was as large as a person''s torso - they could only carry two in the backpacks they brought and one in their arms, giving the group a grand total of six. They had to put on leather gauntlets so as not to be harmed by the plant''s spikes. "We were lucky - no dragons are in the vicinity." Alpine said. "Now what do we do with these?" "Maple, grab a knife, tweezers, and a bowl. We need to examine the inside of one of these things." Lake ordered. The master and apprentice got to work, starting to cut open one of the cacti. "What do we do?" Granite asked. Neither of the two responded. "What do we do?" Granite repeated, a little louder this time. Lake looked up from his work. "Hunt for dinner, and get a fire going. Have some torches in there so they''ll be burning - we''ll need the light when it gets dark, as well as the flame for some later tests. He returned to cutting open one of the cacti, taking samples of specific parts, peeling its shell and scribbling notes. He and Maple were talking excitedly with one another over each new detail and arguing over theories on what it was for. "I don''t understand any of that." Granite grumbled. "Alpine, will you get a fire going for his majesty?" he snarked. Lake didn''t even notice the jab. "Yeah, I''ll take care of it. You go catch us something good." Alpine responded. Granite nodded and grabbed his bow, heading off into the woods. "Copperhead, help me collect some firewood." ***** Winter had been watching the scavengers for hours now. Hidden behind some bushes, he could see the entirety of the valley down below. The scavengers had a few rabbits roasting over a fire. Now he finally knew what the thing he accidentally stole was - he saw one of them striking the two pieces to create sparks and start a fire. So it''s a lighter. That''s really cool - that they''re able to start fires without having any of their own like most of the tribes. Two of them were still working on a cactus - they had skinned it, cut it into slices, wrote down notes (So cool!), and studied it still. Winter didn''t understand what was so interesting about the cacti. Were trying to figure out if it was edible? They were clearly studying it - it was almost sundown, and they hadn''t stopped what they were doing, even as the others invited them to eat the rabbits. Winter saw one of them walk over to the fire and grab a stick from it - the end was still alight as they walked back to the cacti. Do they plan to burn the cactus? The cactus grew all over these mountains - he''d seen it multiple times as he traveled. Why would they... Winter''s eyes widened. The cactus could only grow at high altitudes. The fire. The scavengers were clearly interested in studying it.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Dragonflame cactus! It all made sense now. Cutting it open, the metal bowls filled with different pieces, the intent to light it. They wanted to study its properties, why or how it explodes. Did they want to weaponize it? They have no idea what it can do! Winter thought back to the history cave explosion back at Jade Mountain Academy. How the whole cave was destroyed. How Carnelian and Bigtail were burned beyond recognition. How Moon tried to save all of them from going in. How I exposed her powers, he thought guiltily. He couldn''t let that same fate befall the scavengers. They were literally playing with fire - a much more volatile version of it. I have to stop this before it becomes a tragedy. But I''ll scare the scavengers away! They''ll drop whatever this is and bolt. But isn''t that good? They won''t hurt themselves if that happens. They came here to study it - they want to use it for something. Will you get in the way of them learning? Will I let them kill themselves? Stop dithering and make a decision! Winter shook his head with a growl. He leapt from his hiding spot, unfurled his wings, and soared down to the scavengers. ***** "Alright Maple, are you ready?" Lake asked. Maple nodded. They were about to begin the explosive tests now. They would first figure out what actually explodes. They had managed to separate the plant into three distinct parts - the shell and two kinds of insides. Both humans agreed it was likely one of the two inner parts of the plant that detonated, but they were going to start with the shell anyways - They had metal bowls with a tiny sample of each part - just in case it was more volatile than what they thought. Maple held the torch at arms length as he lowered the head towards a bowl with a piece of the shell, ready to ignite it. Fate had other plans. "DRAGON!" Alpine shouted. Maple''s and Lake''s eyes shot to the sky. When someone shouts a warning, it means it''s too late - the dragon was coming their way, and you had to run. Oh no. There it was - a white dragon with spikes stretching down its back, soaring down to their location from a mountain slope. It landed in front of the group. Maple fell back as a gust of wind from its wings slammed into him. He backed up as quickly as he could, fear overtaking every nerve in his body. Lake was completely paralyzed - he didn''t move at all. Both stared at the towering creature in front of them. We''re going to die. That is a dragon right in front of me and I can''t escape and it''s probably hungry and WE''RE DEFINITELY GOING TO DIE! How could they fight those things? They were too powerful - none of their weapons are capable of hurting them. All they had was knives, bows, and a small campfire with some torches. The dragon''s eyes were locked on his mentor - it was about to eat him, he knew it. There was no way for Maple to stop him - this whole expedition to come up with a new weapon would fail and they''d die and... Weapon? Maple looked towards the cacti that were on the ground. There was one between him and Lake - the torches were right behind him. If these plants are truly capable of what we''ve been told... maybe... Maple twisted behind him and grabbed a torch. He scrambled to his feet and bolted towards Lake, scooping up the cactus as he ran in front. He let out a yelp as his hand was stung by the few needle-like spikes still on the cacti sample. His heart was pounding wildly as he ran towards the dragon. "HEY!" he shouted at the dragon pointing the torch to him. It looked at him - and its eyes visibly widened as Maple brought the torch''s flame close to the cacti. It took a step back as Maple got closer. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. The dragon stepped back. If I can threaten it with this - if it even knows what it is - I might be able to get it to back of. Or else I blow us all to kingdom come. A small piece that they would''ve tested wouldn''t do much damage - the whole cactus would blow the dragon to smithereens, or he hoped, at least. Unfortunately, it would take him and Lake as well. The dragon was clearly aware of what the cactus could do - there was visible fear on its face as it roared at Maple. Please let this work. Please let this work. Please let this work. ***** Winter landed near the scavengers right as they brought the flame closer to the pieces of the minced dragonflame cactus. The reaction was immediate. Two of them had already run away. One was behind the fire, paralyzed with fear. So was the one right in front of him. The one behind was backing up with his eyes locked on Winter. Winter was watching the one in front of him - didn''t think about what to do at this point. Should he try gesturing that the cactus is dangerous? No, they were too frightened to listen to anything. I should''ve stayed at Sanctuary and learned some Scavenger from Wren and Sky like Qibli did. He was too excited when he heard how scavengers were actually with dragon-like intelligence. He started searching for the nearest scavenger den to try and communicate with them - rudimentarily, sure, but he still wanted to try. At least he stopped the scavengers right here from hurting themselves. A shout shook him from his thoughts. He tore his gaze away from the scavenger in front of him to see the younger one holding a full dragonflame seed pod and a torch dangerously close to it. Winter involuntarily took a step back as the scavenger ran to stand between the other scavenger and Winter. "What are you thinking?" Winter shouted. "That thing is dangerous! Don''t do that!" It wouldn''t... would it? Kill itself to kill a dragon? The scavenger just shouted back, bringing the fire closer to the cactus. if Winter didn''t leave, now, The scavenger may very well actually kill all of them. Winter lowered his head to be eye level with the scavenger. "Don''t." he whispered. Another series of shouts from the scavenger. The shell of the explosive plant was starting to blacken and melt. It''s serious. It''ll actually kill itself just to take my life. Winter backed up one step. Then another. And a third. He unfurled his wings - not to quickly, so as not to startle the scavenger into prematurely setting the cactus on fire. It had brought the torch away from the organic bomb now that Winter was backing away. He was about to take off when he remembered something. He reached his talon into the pouch around his ankle and pulled something out. He put it in front of him. Then he took off and flew back to the mountain he came from, leaving the scavengers behind, hoping they wouldn''t just kill themselves during their experiments. ***** "STAY BACK!" Maple shouted at the dragon. There was nothing stopping the dragon from using its fabled ice breath, from lunging and chomping down on Maple, from using its large claws to rip him apart - this was the closest Maple had ever been to death. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. He held the torch closer to the cactus in his arm. He didn''t want to die - either by a dragon killing him or by sacrificing himself. He hoped the dragon wouldn''t call his bluff. The creature lowered its head and looked Maple in the eyes. It released a quiet growl. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. "I said STAY BACK!" The dragon raised its head. Thump-thump. It took a step back. Thump-thump. Another step. Thump-thump. And another step. Thump-thump. Maple could almost swear he saw some kind of complex emotion in its expression - worry? Sadness? Longing? - as the dragon spread its wings. It paused for a second. Crap. It changed its mind. It''s going to kill us. I''m actually going die here. The dragon reached into a pouch around its ankle. What? It pulled a small object out and set it down in front of it. It then took off and flew back to the direction it came from. Maple was astonished. He just scared away a dragon. He just scared away a dragon. "Maple!" a voice sounded from behind. Thump-thump. Maple''s vision darkened. Unconsciousness gripped his mind as he fainted and collapsed on the ground.