The riders hovered above the sea stacks close to Twin Peaks Island. They rode the sea winds as it gave them and their dragons some time to rest and plan their next move.
"What's the next move? We can't just stay here for the rest of the day can we?" Sten asked.
He had his back resting on Eruptor, his palms interlocked and placed behind his head to act like a pillow. He had his right leg crossed above his leg and swayed it from side to side.
"It's basically mid-day, we can't afford to start the journey back home at this time" Thyra answered.
"We can still explore parts of the island. Or maybe fly around and scout or another?" Rune suggested.
"I still want to observe the Buffalords a little more. There still might be a few dragons that we missed in our initial flight" said Forde.
"I reckon that there is an island not far from here. I can feel it" Sten said adamantly.
"Two motions. Shall we put it up for a vote?" asked Rune.
"I'll go with Forde" Thyra said sharply.
"Anyone else?" said Rune.
"No one else? Then I guess it's settled. You guys should take care of yourselves"
"Yeah, it's just two of you. Alone, a boy and a girl" Sten said, inferring evil.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Forde said, having no clue of his hidden message.
"Nothing like that is going to happen. Get your mind out of the trenches Sten" Thyra reprimanded him.
Sten giggled devilishly having passed his message across.
"Stay safe you two" Virgil said as they prepared to take off.
"We'll be back soon" Rune said.
Sandstorm, Stormbreaker, Eruptor and Hothead all closed their wings as they descended smoothly and began to flap their winds. Thyra and Forde watched them fly off for a bit before heading back to the island. They flew back to where they saw the Buffalords and gave them more distance like last time. Both fliers landed their dragons in the tall straight grass that surrounded the plain.
"We have to be very cautious. We don't want to provoke them like Sten did"
She responded with a nod. She was just happy to be with him.
"We observe them, take notes and then we can leave. Maybe search the mountains or something. Until the others get back of course" he added.
"Got you" she answered.
"Spikethorn, Rampage, we will need you guys to keep a low profile"
"That means no fights" Thyra added.
Both dragons looked at one another and nodded. The four of them weaved through the grass, approaching the grazing Buffalords. They paid no attention to the riders and their dragons, being very peaceful and accommodating.
"Let's just not piss them off"
Flying high above the waters, the remaining four riders of the group pushed further and further away from the island. Essentially, there was no real destination, just flying for miles.
"It's just miles and miles of emptiness Sten. You better hope that there is something out there" Vyra said, with an aggressive tone.
"I'm sure we will find something" Rune said, trying to keep things calm. "Where is your gut telling us to head Sten?"
Sten placed his hand on his chin and closed his eyes. He thought deep within himself, listening to his inner voice-
"My gut says that we fly straight on" he answered assertively, his tone full of confidence.
"Straight on?" Virgil asked.
"Straight on"
"You heard the man, we fly straight" said Rune.
Vyra scoffed, rolling her eyes as the boys flew off.
"Boys…"
They flew for what felt like an eternity as the dragons began to protest how tired they were of the flight.
"Easy Sandstorm, just a little bit further"
Sandstorm grunted, he wasn't a fan of his patronage.
"Wait, over there in the horizon. I see something!" yelled Virgil as he called their attention to something up in the distance.
Rune got out his spyglass and looked at it, his eyes lit up and a smile stretched its way on his face.
"Land! I see land!" he exclaimed.
"I told you there's something out here" Sten said, arrogantly.
The sight of land reignited their vigor spurring them to fly faster towards land where they could finally get a break, or so they thought. As they came closer and closer to the growing land mass, they began to note some its details. The first thing they spotted was that the island was split into two parts by a large gorge found more to the western side of the island. It was huge, cutting through the island from North to South. The gorge had sand at the bottom but with steep rocky sides that ran all the way up. Some parts of the sides looked molten, as if they had been exposed to intense heat.
A tall steep mountain was found on the east side of the island basically at the very end. It was covered with vegetation; lush green grass covered the whole place with trees concentrated around the mountain. Demolished sea stacks and jagged rocks guarded the coastline of the island.
"This place is an interesting find. The geography is unlike any other place I've seen so far" said Rune.
"I told you my gut feeling always delivers the good stuff"
"I don't know but I'm getting a weird vibe from this place. I can feel it in my gut" said Virgil.
"What is it with everyone and gut feelings today?" Vyra said angrily.
"My gut tells me there is something bothering Vyra right now" Sten said cheekily.
"Sten!!"
"Guys, guys, guys… we don't need to fight. We'll check out the island briefly and then head home" Rune jumped in before a fight broke out between the two.
Vyra huffed.
"Okay"
"Great"
The four dragons flew their riders closer and closer to the island. There was no sign if dragon activity, only flocks of birds flying about. They decided to land close to the gorge first, to investigate it and then the rest of the island. Getting closer and closer to the gorge revealed the molten parts on the side telling the group that something unleashed one hell of a flame there. There was uneasiness with the dragons as they drew near as well. Something was definitely off.
"I don't know about you guys but ought to have encountered at least one dragon here" Said Sten as they drew closer to ground.
"Encountered is too far. We haven't seen one. Be it flying or just moving around. I really don't have a good feeling about this place" said Virgil as they touched down.
"First sign of danger, we are getting out of here" Rune added.
He slid of his saddle as his feet bore his weight once more.
"Let's check the gorge and get out. Stormbreaker has been uneasy for a while" said Vyra.
"All our dragons have been. My gut, our dragons… we really shouldn't be here" Virgil emphasized.
"Just a quick look" Rune pushed.
He rushed over to the side of the gorge so he could start inspecting things. The dragons decided not to follow them, choosing to sit and rest for the journey back home. The first thing he noticed with his spy glass was how both ends of the gorge had been run down. He guessed it was because of water because the rest of the place had no water keeping the main part of it dry. Then he began looking at the side, the molten and scorched parts already drew his attention but he wasn't ready for what he saw next. Huge claw marks that dug into solid stone.
"Odin's beard" he said. Even he didn't know when the words escaped his lips.
"What is it?" Virgil asked.
Rune simply handed him his spyglass and pointed where he should look at.
"By the gods. What creature is big enough or strong enough to make claw marks that massive?"
"I have no clue"
"Guys…" Vyra called, her voice full of worry.
All heads turned towards her but she didn't look at them. Her eyes were fixed on something in the gorge. The three boys turned their and looked down into the gorge and they saw what she was staring at. They were bones, bones belonging to different kinds of dragons.
"Mighty Thor is a thunderstorm.." Sten said with genuine shock.
"What could've done this? I mean do you see those Scauldron heads over there?" Vyra said.
"I think I've found the monster responsible for this. Look, wedge between those two rocks over there" Virgil said as he pointed towards his discovery.
And then it dawned on all of them. A large purple scale wedged in between two rocks gave the creature away.
"We didn't just land on any island. We landed in the Purple death's lair" Rune said.
The air became thick, urgency quickened inside all of them. They needed to get out of there now. Not a second to lose.
"No wonder there wasn't a dragon around. That thing must have killed them all" Sten said.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm not waiting around to test that theory" Vyra said as she began to run towards her dragon.
"Good call" Rune agreed as the boys started running.
They hadn't taken five steps when they heard the waves crash violently against the island. They could feel a low rumble pass through the ground and into their bodies; vibrating their very being.
"It's here" Virgil whispered.
He was so scared, his voice shrank on its and became high pitched.
The dragons sprung to their feet as they felt the presence of Purple Death approaching.
"To the bushes! We have to hide" Rune yelled as both dragons and riders ran straight for cover.
Flying out at that moment would only spell doom for them. They had to hide and pray that it doesn't find them. They hid behind thick bushes with a few trees standing around to conceal both the riders and dragons. Then they felt it, the ground trembled as one of Purple's Death's paws touched the ground. Vyra covered her mouth so that she wouldn't scream. The second paw hit and she let out a little scream. The boys all told her to be silent or she could get them all killed.
The head of the dragon finally emerged from the depths and in its jaws, a dead Scauldron laid. It walked deeper into the gorge, stopping close to its pile of bones as it dropped its victim. This was good, the dragon was here to eat, and while it indulged itself, they could slip away undetected. The dragon dug into its prey, immersing itself in its meal as the riders could breathe now. They would let the dragon get sucked into its meal and then they moved. Nothing could go wrong right? Well, it did.
The mighty beast raised its head up, blood dripping from the sides of its mouth as it chewed on flesh. It moved his head from side to side, as if it was searching from something; its soulless eyes scanning the area. Then it began to sniff the air, scanning through the many scents available.
"That's not good" Sten whispered.
Its head turned to the left sharply as it lowered its snout to the ground and sniffed herder. That was it, that's where the riders had just stood a few moments ago.
"Awww shit" Rune commented. He knew all too well what was about to happen.
After sniffing two more times, Purple Death's head raised itself slowly until it was pointed in the direction of the hidden riders and dragons. The dragons were equally as worried as their riders, eager to leave with groans and heavy breaths. The eyes of the behemoth were locked on their position, calculating its next move.
"Do you think it can see us?" Virgil whispered.
Slowly, the mouth of Purple death began to open as a red glow illuminated the back of its mouth.
"That thing is about to fire! Everyone run!!" Rune yelled.
Each one hopped on their saddles and took to the skies just as the Purple Death opened fire. It's flames were hot and destructive, immediately turning the shrubs and trees that they hid behind to nothing but ash and cinders. A split second later and they would've perished just like the vegetation.
As they flew up, Purple Death lunged forward with its jaws parted open. It moved its head at frightening speed as its jaws clapped together creating a sound like thunder. Sandstorm turned right at the last moment avoiding the swords that thing called teeth.
The dragon roared loudly as the four climbed higher and higher in altitude before disappearing among the clouds. Purple Death watched them escape, its eyes fixed on their movements with a steady gaze as they flew off. The beast rumbled, planning, plotting, waiting.
The riders could finally breathe; they had escaped that encounter by the skin of their nose and lived to tell the tale. They could now share some nervous laughs after staring at death right in the face and telling it, not today satan.
"Oooh boy. I'm never trusting your guts again Sten" Rune said with some shakiness. He had not fully recovered from the adrenaline rush his body had.
"Never again. He almost sent us to Valhalla" Virgil added.
"It's not that bad. We survived didn't we?" he said with a little shrug.
The remaining three flyers and dragons shot intense looks his way, their point was clear. No more directions should be taken from him anymore.