Chapter 11 - Multiple POVs

Allani - 

I took off, Athana carrying us steadily into the endless blue sky. Below us, I could see different dragons in the trees, greens, browns, reds, and oranges. But none of them were the color that I was looking for. 

"Where the fuck is she?" I asked, more of a thought to myself than an actual question, I expected my dragon to answer. 

Athana didn't answer, her head swiveling back and forth to scan the forest for any glint of the golden scale of Andarna. 

"Where are you?" I asked her, sending the message to wherever she was. 

I had no idea how this mental communication thing worked since I'd only had two years to explore the boundaries of my new rank in the Empyrean when Athana bonded me, but it caused the message to only reach the feathertail, bypassing any dragon that wasn't my intended recipient. 

"In a clearing," Andarna said, as though that helped us narrow it down at all in the giant ass Threshing field. 

I tracked down her bond, following it before it could fade, and I spotted her golden scales shining under the sun as she looked around with the darting movement of a feathertail. 

"Land a short distance away, I don't want to crush her," I told Athana. 

My dragon scoffed, or whatever a dragon considered a scoff. 

"As if she's stupid enough not to move, or I stupid enough to land on top of her," Athana said, but must've sensed my true reason because she did as I asked. 

If the other cadets, mainly Tynan, spotted us, they would know the feathertails' location, which I didn't want them to know, since he seemed dead set on eliminating the 'weak link' at Presentation. As if he could get away with killing a dragon and have leave with no consequences. 

I dismounted, walking in Andarna's direction. Athana didn't move, waiting for me to see if I needed her instead of going with me, which was probably smart. 

I heard footsteps approaching as I got closer to the golden feathertail, and I sent out my magic in a short flare to figure out who the fuck was stupid enough to be traveling in a group after Kaori specifically warned them of the dangers of being in a group. The one that was closest to me was none other than Violet Sorrengail. Of course it was. Her pace was slow, an injury on her ankle, probably sprained. The other group was Tynan, Jack, and Oren. 

Fuck. 

Violet - 

The meadow is big enough for ten dragons, ringed by several large trees, but the golden one stands alone in the center, like it's trying to get a suntan. Allani was there too, her hand on the shining scales of the small dragon. It was as beautiful as I remember, but unless it can breathe fire, it's a sitting duck. 

"You have to get out of here!" I hiss from the cover of the trees, knowing it should be able to hear me. 

"They're going to kill you if you don't leave!" 

 Its head pivots toward me, then tilts at an angle that makes my own neck hurt, and Allani sighs, shooting a sharp glare at the dragon, but it only blinks it's golden eyes and swishes it's tail, slightly cocking it's head. 

 You have to be fucking kidding me. 

"Go! Run! Fly!" I shoo at it, then remember it's a godsdamned dragon, capable of shredding me with its claws alone, and drop my hands.

This is not going well. It's going the opposite of well. Allani stepped back abruptly, slipping into the tree cover, the foliage hiding her as though she had never been there in the first place. 

What the hell. But I had no time to puzzle over the strange behaviors of the wingleader, because the trees rustled, and Jack stepped out. He's flanked by Oren and Tynan a step later, and all of their weapons are drawn.

"Shit," I mutter, my chest tightening. This is now officially going horribly.

Athana - 

"Come here," Allani said. "Try not to alert the entire forest if you can, but I know that you might not be able to avoid it, since you're bigger than Codagh." 

Her tone turned what would've normally been a tease into a serious statement. 

"What do you have planned, Ruthless One?" I questioned as I rose slightly, creeping to my rider's location.

My tail sliced through a few trees, but not enough to make the humans alert that a dragon was close to them, other than the one that they were targeting. 

"The Shadowed One and I are approaching your location," Sgeayl told me, and I swiveled my head upwards, scanning the skies for the navy blue daggertail. 

Sure enough, she was rapidly descending, her silhouette becoming more and more clear. 

"Tell your rider to stay away. We have this handled, and your rider will only serve to irritate the Ruthless One." I told her, but she gave me no sign that she heard other than a short burst of annoyance and grudging agreement down the link. 

"I'd reconsider that decision," Allani said, drawing their attention to where she was standing half in and half out of the shadows of my body, her arms crossed as she leaned against my foreleg. 

The blond boy's gaze cast fearfully over her before he forced it to sharpen. "And if we don't want to reconsider, wingleader? There isn't anything that you can do. You or him." 

Allani shifted slightly, keeping an eye on the Silver One and looking to see who he meant, though I could tell that she already had an idea who he meant. 

"Fucking Riorson." Allani snarled. 

"I thought that you agreed to make him stay away?" I asked Sgeayl. 

"I told him not to go, and landed, but he jumped off and started running. I'm not about to go after him. Your rider can deal with him." Sgeayl snapped back. "And I never agreed to anything." 

A growl rumbled from my throat, making the currently fighting cadets shoot brief, terrified glances in my direction. Allani shot him a glare before turning back to the fight. I could feel her mind considering entering the fight, consequences be damned. 

And honestly, I could see the appeal to that path. It's not like the Silver One would tell if we were the ones to save her, and the others wouldn't be able to tell anyone if they no longer had a body to operate. 

I needed a snack anyways. 

Hi guys. Sorry for the long wait. I was sick for a day, had a bunch of tests, and my coach has been giving me a lot of work since we're working on new spins, jumps, and practicing choreo for an upcoming show. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next one up, but I'll try to get it up as soon as possible.