By now, Eclipse already knew that the boy had lied to him thanks to the tracking spell on Celestina, and was thinking about how he should punish him when he got back. Drake would certainly pay for it... there had to be a way to get the prince to stop trying to lie to him. Anyone else was fine, but Eclipse knew the legends, knew how strong Dragon was supposed to become, and was not going to let there be even the slightest chance that Drake would ever think he could overpower him—it would ruin his plans and he’d worked far too hard on them! It should have been easy, he’d gotten Drake when he was still very, very young… but the boy’s soul still fought for control. Eclipse knew he’d have to crush it, somehow…

 

 

Meanwhile, up in the cold north, a wolf man was just coming into sight. He looked about the same as he had years ago when he first met Drake, but had a new cut in his ear, and the color of his long, leather, fur-lined coat had changed slightly. He had a new bow, but his arrows looked the same.

 

Drake watched the airship fly away; knowing they would be back and probably wouldn’t even remember he’d ever been on board till they did return for him… However, he’d always been forbidden from going where it was cold without Eclipse or Ellipsis being there, and for good reason… it was dangerous. It hurt if he wasn’t careful. He’d always been taught to be cautious in the cold. Ellipsis told him if he ever met an ice element to run rather than even considering a fight, but when he asked Eclipse the man told him he’d need to attack first. He said not to fear anything, yet let it be known that ice was bad… other than that, he avoided the issue, declared it would simply not happen and told him not to go out into the snow alone.

 

Drake knew Severo was around somewhere, which would count as not being alone… He decided to let his presence be known by starting up a miniature fire storm. He had improved greatly; he could now have a fire pit that burnt without kindling. It also served multiple purposes! It allowed him to create a warming fire and make sure Severo would find him.

 

Severo had good eyes; he hadn't needed the fire to spot Drake, the boy was a black spot on the white surrounding, but after the long walk that he had taken to get there, and considering how cold it was, the fire was not unwelcome. Most importantly, it was rather impressive.

From his few brief encounters with Drake, the most recent being about a year ago, Severo had found that the boy’s power and skill had both increased immensely from their first meeting. Signs would indicate that they had continued to do so. Severo was starting to see why his father seemed so distant from him... Was it fear of his own son? Or was it something else? Or someone… Drake had mentioned some things, and Severo always got weird feelings.

 

“Hello, Severo.” Drake greeted, smiling. “Sorry to drop by on such short notice, but I kind of had to sneak out.”

 

“Oh?” Severo asked; his thoughts interrupted.

 

What had he been thinking? Who would be trying to get between Drake and his father? Certainly not Eclipse; that guy seemed clueless when he had met him and Severo was sure if it had been a truly evil being he would have sensed it.

“Won't your father be worried?” Severo continued, giving Drake only a half hearted disapproving look, like he always did.

 

Drake laughed and shook his head. “Chaucer? He doesn't know I left and he won't notice when I get back,” he breezed his response.

 

Severo was a little shocked. He had known Chaucer for a long time and he had not figured him for the kind of person to neglect his own child… the king had been so excited by the news that he was going to be a father; spoke of so many plans and activities... Severo would have asked the boy about his mother, but it seemed like Drake doubted she would worry either. Severo had only met her once, though, at Chaucer's wedding. She had seemed nice, but it was a long time ago… still, he hadn’t sensed anything menacing about her.

“So how has the hunting been going, still practicing falconry?” Severo asked, changing the subject to something a little more cheery as he took out a pipe and lit it up.

 

Drake nodded, uncovering Celestina's cage. “You search... I find,” he grinned.
He'd never shown Severo his raptors before. Severo had laughed when Drake had first explained the process.
Drake said it was smarter hunting; why waste hours trying to find a monster when you could use a bird to find it for you?

 

The problem really was that Severo had never had any talent for training birds. When it came down to it, Severo was a hunter by nature, as well as profession. He preferred his style.

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't impressed by the bird in the cage; a beautiful Gyrfalcon. Oh, he knew about birds enough to recognize the species, and he knew that this was a fine specimen too.
Though something about the bird unsettled him at a very subconscious level… it was like there was an intelligence looking back at him from those tiny eyes, but he shrugged it off. He enjoyed having Drake around, but he knew the boy needed attention and wondering about things wasn’t being attentive.

“Where did you get her?” Severo asked Drake, already knowing he must be very proud of this one.

“Eclipse got her for me from some falconer friends of his.” Drake said as he opened the cage and Celestina climbed onto his gauntlet, “It surprised me. None of my other raptors like Eclipse... at all. But Celestina here, she stays calm.”

 

Severo thought that was strange, that the birds would hate the man… but Severo had sensed nothing bad about the man when he had met him. Perhaps he just didn't get on with birds. Who could know?

There were unanswered questions, but nothing that really deserved suspicion. Still, something bugged him, something was… odd about this bird.

“She's a fine bird,” Severo said and smiled at Drake while taking a puff on his pipe.

 

Drake nodded, petting Celestina gently before jerking his arm forward a bit and releasing her to go off and find some prey.

 

“She as good as she looks?” Severo asked as he watched her go till she was out of sight.

 

Drake grinned, “Oh yeah. She can take down a full grown Mu on her own, too.”

 

Severo gave Drake a slightly doubtful look. A fully-grown Mu was considerably larger than the bird. He had his doubts about Drake's words. He was a young boy; he was probably exaggerating.

“That’s pretty impressive.” Severo said with a smile, “You must be very gifted trainer.”

 

Drake shrugged. “I like the idea of hunting from the sky...”
He saw Celestina start circling and took off at a run, toward the area she flew over.

 

Severo barely had time to contemplate the boy's strange words before he ran off, and had to take off after him. He dumped out his pipe in the snow as he ran, and returned it to his pocket. He was able to keep up and follow Drake easily, but it still threw off his thoughts.

 

Why would Drake like to hunt from the sky? He had wondered. Probably something to do with living on a mountain…

 

Drake stopped once he saw what Celestina was circling over. A heard of snow Mus.
“Hm...” Drake pulled a small, silver, tube-like whistle from his pocket and blew on it in a certain sound.

Celestina swooped down and caught a Mu in the eyes with her talons, tearing them away, she then circled back and hit the same Mu, snapping its neck as Drake pulled his Wings of Fate bow and aimed for one of the ones running from the falcon.

 

Severo considered joining in the attack for a moment. His hand itched to be used to fire his bow at the prey right in front of him, but the boy and his bird's attack was so well practiced, so well coordinated, that it would feel like interrupting. Like he was clumsily trying to join in.

Severo knew this was a chance for the boy to prove himself to the elder hunter; to show him how far he had progressed, and Severo was impressed as he watched.

He had not expected the bird to be so well trained. He had friends that were experts in falconry and they would only just be able to manage this with a few birds and great efforts in training.

 

Drake fired the bow as Celestina swooped by the Mu trying to escape, causing it to turn right into Drake's arrow. Drake pulled another arrow from the quiver swiftly and hit another Mu who was turning to escape in the opposite direction as the rest of the herd.

Three straight kills... good enough for the first hour.

 

“Very good,” Severo said cheerfully once the action was over and slapped Drake on the shoulder. Much harder now he wasn't such a young a boy, “That was quite an impressive display. Your skill with the bow is also much improved.”

 

Drake grinned, proud, and held his arm up for Celestina to land on. “I've been practicing,” he gave Celestina a cube of meat as a reward. “As much as possible— Eclipse prefers I use magick... but he lets me go hunting most of the time.”

 

“And he doesn't go with you?” Severo asked with a laugh.

It was more a joke than a question. When Eclipse had come with them, he had been nothing but grumpy and out of place. Severo seriously doubted he accompanied Drake. Severo was sure Drake could take care of himself anyway, something told him that. Even though he was still young and even though he was rare as an elemental, Severo could hardly ever picture a scenario where the prince would be in danger while out hunting. Unless he was jumped, or attacked out of his element, which Severo was going to make sure did not happen while he was around. Drake was the son of a good friend; he couldn’t see it fit to stand by if real danger was around. At the same time, Drake was a hunter as well and quickly approaching Severo’s level. He saw much of himself in the child.

 

Drake laughed at that one. “No, never. He's not really outdoorsy or... good at it. However, his absence means I can go anywhere I want, even if he doesn't approve, so it all works out.”

 

Severo gave Drake one of his almost frightening grins. He didn't really think Eclipse had much authority over Drake, so he didn't care if Drake disobeyed him or not! Advisors were there to advise, let Chaucer worry about the parenting. Besides, Severo himself was never really one to follow the rules of where he should go or be when he was a boy either. So in one way, it pleased him.

“So, do you want to move on? Or do you want to make a Snow Mu fur coat?” Severo asked while still grinning, referring to the three beautifully white, but rather common monsters.

 

Drake shrugged. “I have no use for a new coat, and it might become questionable as to how I got it. Let's move on.”

 

Severo nodded. It was a fair choice, but it was obvious Drake wasn't as easily amused as he once was. The younger Drake probably would have jumped at the opportunity. Severo wondered if on top of everything else, Drake had been learning of things he could take from monsters that were useful, or sellable. Or things he could make.

“Shall we see if she can find something a little bigger?” Severo asked, in the mood for a bit of a challenge

Drake looked at Celestina and then grinned, motioning once again for her to take off.

“Admit it, my way is faster.”

 

“Okay, I admit it.” Severo said and then winked, “But you'd be a bit stuck if you were hunting something that lives in caves.”

It is a fact that every hunting technique has advantages, and disadvantages. Using a bird to find prey was faster, but limited some other things. Like what monsters you can find, and you don’t know what you will find until you get there. If you rely too heavily on them, then you’re skills at finding prey by yourself will never grow. For Severo, it was a part of the hunt that was as fun as the kill. He was a wolf; it was natural to him.

 

“Hm,” Drake thought about that. “That's true; they don't do as well in caves. But I see in the dark and you taught me to hunt without the birds,” Drake smiled and started walking. “I like the idea of tracking, of stalking prey. But I'd prefer to at least know what I'm after is in the same area. You can't find pythons here, nor Vepals in Daguerreo.”

 

“You can see in the dark?” Severo asked, as they continued to wait for the bird to find a new target.

He thought that was a bit odd. The boy's eyes did in fact look redder than they had when he was younger. The color was strange; Severo had to admit, but he was still human...

Perhaps he was referring to some new invention that allowed him to do that. Severo heard that scientists around the world had been working on such a thing for a few years now.

 

Drake nodded. “Yes, I prefer the dark. The light bothers me, always makes me feel... less than perfect.”

 

“I see.” Severo said, for lack of anything better coming to mind.

What the boy had said was definitely strange. It really was, but it also made no sense, either... he wasn’t sure how to reply.

“Perhaps we should check out the caves a little to the west, later.” He suggested, wanting to see if the boy really could see in the dark.

 

Drake nodded. “Alright,” he agreed.

Celestina flew past, getting Drake's attention. “Ah... found something,” he said before taking off after the bird as she soared back to the target.

 

Severo again took off after Drake. He felt very strange charging toward his prey carelessly like this, and Drake seemed to have forgotten that this whole area was filled with enemies like Yans. Speeding along carelessly like this meant that something the bird didn't spot could ambush them. Severo would not like to get surprised by a Yan.

 

Drake noticed Severo's slight hesitance and laughed. “Don't fret! I haven’t been ambushed once, yet.”

Drake had been taught that stealth was just another form of attack. If Celestina was willing to return and get him rather than just circle and wait, whatever she'd found must be worth the run. They risked scaring off some prey, but that's about as far as Drake was concerned.
Eclipse had always told him there was nothing to hide from, just things that would hide from him.
His own parents feared him, why should it be odd that everything else would, too?

 

Severo said nothing and continued on. He hoped that the boy's confidence was well grounded, but he let it go. This was kinda fun, after all, and there was a certain part of the uncertainty of what you would find when you got there that drove you onwards.

 

Drake stopped when he saw what Celestina was circling. “... Dracozombie.”

 

Well, this time Severo was sure that it was too much for the bird to take on. Dragons always made for nasty enemies. However, as far as dragons went, this one was pretty weak, but only if you had a strong stomach.

Dragons were well known for being as beautiful as they were terrifying. This was not the case for the zombie dragon. It smelled bad, even to Severo. It was debated if these really were zombie dragons, or if they were just a very, very ugly type of natural dragon.

“There shouldn't be any Dracozombies around this time of year...” Severo muttered, confused. These creatures were very predictable, usually.

 

“Shouldn't be any dragons here in the winter.” Drake agreed, confused. “I thought the breeds that lived in the cold died off a long time ago... though, that might explain this one... would be the only species that could withstand the cold.” He shook his head, not understanding why the dragon would be there. “Maybe we should leave it?”

 

Severo didn't answer right away. He was regarding the dragon with scrutiny. It didn't look wounded, nor all that bothered by the cold. Something felt odd about this.

“Your call, lad.” Severo said with a nod, “I'd leave it.”

 

“We leave it, then.” Drake decided, backing up.

He wasn't going to argue with Severo; the wolf man knew more about hunting than he did.

 

Severo wasn't sure that it was unsafe, he just didn't like it. The dragon should be easy for him and Drake to take down, but what would they do with it? The dead ones smelt worse than the ‘live’ ones...

Severo started backing off too; making sure their departure was stealthier than their entrance.

 

Drake turned and started walking and as soon as it was safe he called Celestina back to him.
They walked back to his makeshift camp and Drake returned his falcon to her cage.

“It gets dark here rather fast,' Drake noticed. “Now do we go to the caves?”

 

“Just what I was about to suggest, lad.” Severo said with a grin, and rearranged his bow on his shoulder. “They are a bit of a way to the west, we best get started.”

Severo took a few steps west, which he seemed to instinctively know; not even pausing to check. He then turned to see if Drake was going to follow.

 

Drake swiftly set up his tent and put Celestina inside, unlocking the cage, before running after Severo. If there was danger, Celestina could get away, if not... the cage would encourage her to stay put and the tent would keep her warm.

 

Severo waited patiently for the boy to make sure his bird was safe and wouldn't freeze. It was a problem sometimes that camps were raided by bandits, but any this far north was highly improbable, so it wasn't really worth worrying about, though when he and Chaucer went hunting in other places, he often left a guard or two with the camp… Drake never had any guards with him.

Once Drake had caught up, Severo sped up his pace a little, “I heard a story that said someone even saw a red dragon in these caves.”

 

“Oh yes? I don't think I've ever seen one.” Drake said, curiously.
He increased his speed to keep up with Severo.

 

“Oh, they are a real sight!” Severo assured him, “But I doubt we will really find one there. Unfortunately.”

He sounded disappointed, and perhaps he was. Red dragons were rare, but that was exactly why the story was probably nothing more than a rumor.

Severo led them through a small patch of trees, past a frozen lake, over several snowdrifts, and then the terrain started to get rockier. They were near the base of a mountain, though a much smaller one than Mount Gulug.