The rest of the night went by without much activity apart from the occasional howl of a wolf. The Slayers had retreated to the Inn at a nearby village to reequip for another attack. Gerbold was particularly impatient, but he could only rush his small army of men so much before it affected the quality of their preparedness. It would take them quite a while before they were ready to embark on another hunt.

Gerbold smiled fiendishly. But they would catch up. Oh, they would.

---

SoNem blinked against the bright morning light, his jaws unhinging in a wide yawn. Sleepiness still dragged at his limbs, but the muscle-sore pains from the previous night had faded to a dull, barely noticeable ache. He stood up slowly and roused Istaria with a sweep of his tail over her bright emerald and gold scales.

He lifted his nose and inhaled deeply, sorting the forest scents to pick out the smells of animals. SoNem suspected they had a long journey ahead of them to escape the grasping fists of the poachers. As such, they would need a hearty breakfast.

“Feeling up for a hunt?” he asked Istaria.

“Sounds good,” she replied in mid-yawn. “I’m craving a nice elk heart.”

SoNem [i]pruumed[/i] his agreement and spread his wings. Istaria did the same and they took off, gliding over the forest. In a small clearing, a herd of elk was already beginning to scatter as their dragon-scent washed over them. Istaria dropped down on an older elk with a limping gait. SoNem eyed a younger target, diving quickly to seize the beast in his outstretched [i]saa[/i] claws. The two rose back up into the open sky and flew back to their camp on the hillside.

They landed near the other two and dropped their catches. SoNem coated both elk in a blanket of burning [i]foua[/i] to cook the fresh meat. The acrid odor of roasting fur and flesh wafted into the air.

“Wake up,” Istaria prodded the others with her [i]sii[/i].