Chapter 5

"You've been at it for hours, when are you going to stop?"

"You told me to use my time wisely."

"Yeah, but you've been at it for hours."

This was always the basis of our conversation, Gell lecturing me about how seeing me train for hours without end makes him feel tired, and myself ignoring him.

While I do enjoy talking, his complaints have become grating. This even more so after three days.

It has been a total of five days since we left the forest, and we have making good distance towards the mountain. We had alternated between makeshift roads and forgotten paths, avoiding other creatures( humanoids) and mostly stuck to ourselves. Although Gell did called fellow critters of the forests for help on one occasion.

"I thought you said that dragons only got stronger with age ?" Gell said with no small amount of exasperation.

"Physically, but we do have to learn flying maneuvers ourselves." I explained for the third time to him.

"But your imprints-"

"Only work so far." I would have thought a druid would understand this quickly. I even said as much.

He looked at me, a little incrediculously, and said: "How would I even KNOW how a DRAGON works?! Your kind isn't remotely similar to any reptile except for your shiny scales!"

Fair point.

"But do you have to keep causing ruckus over this ? It isn't causing any disturbance for you." I tried to reason with him. But apparently, no.

"It is when you fall, spectacularly mind you, onto the ground. I swear every living thing in the forest can hear your miserable attempt at whatever you're trying to do.

My pride as a dragon is wounded.

Trying to salvage my dignity broken by my companion, I try to remind him of the time we chased away foul brigands drooling to get my hide.

"As I recall, they laughed quite merrily when you tried to roar at them. A wyrmling that's barely a month old isn't very intimidating." He would have none of that it seems.

"I did not 'tried' to roar, I did roar."

"Explain the laughing then."

"My roar broke their minds!"

"Sure....."

"Besides, I terrorized them anyway. They definitely feared me then!"

"Uh huh...."

"They must have trembled in their ridiculous clothing!"

"Okay...."

"All brigands shall fear me! I shall be the one to punish them for their past deeds!"

"....."

"They will never harm the innocents under my gaze, I will make sure of it!"

"What have I just started ?"

"They think they can hunt ME! HA! I will hunt THEM!"

....

"Just what in the world are we hunting!?" A gruff voice rudely shouted.

Boots were pounding against the ground angrily. Critters scamper away as they continue to thunder the earth, not wanting to incur the wrath of whatever caused it.

The movement of the animals irritated another figure, more lean and less rough than the one who spoke.

"Quiet !" He shouted, annoyed at first, then seemingly realized how loud he was being. He glanced around sheepishly, then settled down.

"You want to scare away our target, is that it ?" He said venomously.

"We don't even know what our target IS, I swear if this is another pointless trip then you better pay up for wasting my time." The man replied with equal poison.

"We DO know what our target is, and believe me, the time you 'wasted' will be your greatest use of it. You ungrateful sod."

"Why you-"

An odd sensation welled up in their heads and they stopped. Both heads turned towards the source, a woman wearing a weathered robe that was once elegant.

She was holding a mirror, the rims laced with silver with traces of gold. It was crafted meticulously, with great detail at the handle, and was visibly very expensive.

And the mirror, now glowing faintly, was showing something. A figure, four legs, with wings at the back. It was murky, you were only able to see the image if you squinted.

"Found it." A cool voice informed the two men.

"Doesn't seem to be much farther either, so stop your squabbling and hurry up."

Soon after she said that, a person, dressed practically, his clothes a splash of green and brown. He approached the group, and spoke: "I found several tracks, matching the possibilities you listed. They're only a few days old, comparing their movement to ours, we can catch up easily."

"Excellent!" The scrawniest of the group said excitedly.

"Finally! I'm tired of this forest!" The grufff man shouted.

Them they both rushed off.

"...."

"I haven't told them the directions." The man said.

The woman pocketed her mirror gingerly, it was one of her few prized possessions. She sighed.

"Why couldn't we get the other two?"