The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 6

Time to move.

Aiden snatched the rat carcass from the ground and launched himself into the sky.

He flew with purpose, beating his wings with powerful, driving strokes while his eyes scanned the ground below.

Finding more creatures was secondary now. His primary objective was water. In a furnace like this, water was the source of all life. It would draw creatures of every kind. If he could find a stable water source, their struggle for survival would be over.

For more than ten minutes he flew, the scenery below a monotonous blur of rock, gravel, and dead grass. Frustration began to build.

What possessed the original nest builder—a Bronze Dragon to build a lair here? Why not a forest? He couldn't comprehend the logic. Was it so weak it had to hide in this desolate wasteland?

Wait.

His rambling thoughts came to a halt. He stopped, hovering in mid-air. The air itself had changed. A subtle shift in humidity. He flared his large nostrils.

Sniff. Sniff.

A thrill of excitement shot through him. The air here was thicker, less parched. That could only mean one thing.

Water. There has to be water nearby.

The realization sent a jolt of exhilaration through his body. This was a major discovery. He fixed his gaze down the canyon and began to pump his wings with renewed vigor.

He didn't have to fly far. Soon, a large, sunken depression came into view. And with it, a sound—a low, constant murmur, like a thousand whispers. The sound of a river.

He beat his wings faster, landing on the edge of the depression. His red, slitted pupils widened. Before him was a steep slope leading down to a rushing, turbulent river. A powerful subterranean river surfacing in a place like this… it was a miracle.

Aiden assessed his discovery. The river surfaced here for only a short stretch, perhaps three hundred yards, before plunging back underground. Beyond the opposite slope lay nothing but an endless sea of dunes. Deep, dark water lines were stained into the rocks along the bank. This river wasn't about to dry up.

CRUNCH.

The sound of loose gravel drew his attention. On the opposite slope, a creature that looked remarkably like an alpaca stood at the top of the bank. Its fleece was a brilliant blue, its underbelly white, and a pair of long, sharp horns the color of sunset orange sprouted from its head.

A panel materialized in his vision, a product of his draconic heritage.

------------------------------

Name: Thunder-horn Ram

Type: Magical Beast

Behavior: A social creature that travels in herds.

Base Rank: ☆

Abilities:

Lightning Discharge:Its horns can generate and discharge bolts of lightning.Weakness: Fire

------------------------------

Aiden's eyes gleamed. A low-tier herd animal. A walking larder.

He remained still, watching as more rams cautiously approached the water until the herd numbered some fifty strong.

At the riverbank, they hesitated. A ram, noticeably larger than the others, let out a sharp, bleating cry. At its command, nine adults stepped forward, forming a protective line at the water's edge.

Bright arcs of electricity began to crackle between their orange horns. The sparks coalesced, swelling into volatile spheres of energy the size of a clenched fist. Then, as one, the nine rams unleashed their attacks into the river.

The lightning struck the surface, and the water erupted. The river churned violently for a few moments before settling. Only then did the rest of the herd approach to drink.

Aiden narrowed his eyes. He had caught a glimpse of it in that split second before the water erupted—a large, dark shape twisting beneath the surface. So that was it. The rams knew. That barrage wasn't for clearing a path; it was a preemptive strike, a warning to the predator lurking below.

Whatever it was, the rams feared it. But if it was scared off by a volley from low-tier beasts, it couldn't be a high-tier threat.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Still, he thought, if we want to claim this oasis, we have to deal with whatever lives in that water. He stared at the river, his mind racing. My powered-up form could probably handle it, but I'd have to lure it out of the water first.

An image of Bianca flashed unbidden through his mind, and a slow, predatory grin spread across his jaws. She would make excellent bait.

He shook himself from the dark thought. The rams were already leaving. Not now, he decided, suppressing his hunting instincts. They'll be back. There's no rush.

He pushed himself up, spread his great wings, and launched back into the sky.

…

Back at the rocky slope where the giant rats had met their end, Bianca and Azure were waiting. More than half an hour had passed since they had returned from their own scouting flights.

“Ugh, what is taking Aiden so long?” Bianca groaned, sprawled impatiently on the ground. She turned to look at Azure, who was busy with a large, green plant. “Azure, why don't we just go back to the cave and wait for him there?”

Azure, meticulously slicing the long, sharp spines off a cactus with her claws, paused her work.

Unlike Bianca, who had returned empty-handed, Azure had been productive. She had discovered an entire grove of cacti and, more importantly, signs that other creatures had been feeding on them.

“Be patient,” Azure replied, not looking up from her work. “He was probably delayed by a discovery.”

Seeing no response, Azure assumed her words had pacified Bianca. Managing her is simple, she thought, returning her focus to the cactus. Just a few more spines to go.

A few moments of silence passed.

“Aaargh, I want to go back and sleep!” Bianca wailed, her patience gone. “Azure, don't you want to sleep?”

“No,” Azure answered without hesitation. Sleep was a luxury. Survival was a necessity.

“But he's been gone so long! What if he was eaten by another magical beast?”

“He wasn't. He's different from us.” With a final, deft flick of her claw, Azure removed the last spine. She lifted the large, green pad and took a bite. The flesh was mild and watery, with a clean, green fragrance. It was a thousand times better than dirt.

Bianca gasped, her white pupils wide with disbelief. “You're eating a plant!”

Unfazed, Azure calmly sliced off a smaller piece and offered it to Bianca. “Want some? It's better than dirt.”

Bianca hesitated, looking at the green morsel. The thought had barely formed before she shook her head violently. No! True dragons eat meat! Plant-eaters are prey!

“Never!” she declared. “True dragons are carnivores!”

Azure simply popped the piece back into her own mouth. Mmm, not bad at all, she thought, her eyes narrowing in quiet contentment.

Just then, a dark shape appeared in the sky, rapidly approaching. From high above, Aiden had spotted them. Bianca must have been complaining nonstop, he guessed, angling his wings for a steep descent.

A moment later, he landed with a solid thud.

“There you are! You're so slow!” Bianca's complaint was the first thing to greet him.

He had set the time, and he was late. She had a point.

“My apologies,” Aiden said, his tone sincere. “I was delayed.”

Hearing the apology, Bianca immediately puffed out her chest, a smug look on her face. Azure, ignoring the dramatics, simply cut another slice of cactus and offered it to Aiden.

“Want some?”

He looked at the piece of green flesh. So she had some success, too. He took the offering and popped it into his mouth. The taste was mild, but the moisture was incredibly refreshing.

“Ugh, the shame!” Bianca cried. “You two are a disgrace to all true dragons! How can you eat plants?”

Aiden ignored her, settling onto the ground. The long flight had tired him. He unceremoniously extended a claw toward Azure. “Can I have some more?”

Azure glanced at the small piece left in her claw, a flicker of reluctance in her eyes. But he was the leader. Silently, she passed him the rest.

He ate it in a few quick bites. “Thank you,” he said, then got down to business. “Alright, let's report our findings. Bianca, you first.”

Aiden and Azure both turned to look at her. Bianca sat up with an air of supreme confidence.

“I found nothing!” she announced, puffing out her chest as if this were a grand achievement. “My direction was nothing but sand!”

Aiden and Azure stared at her, speechless. How can she be so proud of complete failure? Aiden wondered. He dismissed her and turned to Azure. “And you?”

“I found a cactus forest,” Azure reported calmly. “There were clear signs of herbivore activity.”

Aiden's eyes lit up. A forest of cacti meant a significant underground water source. If I hadn't found the river, this would have been an excellent place to establish a lair.

“And you?” Azure asked, her blue eyes fixed on him.

“I found an underground river that surfaces at the end of the canyon,” he said. “The water supply is abundant. I think it would be a good place for our nest. What do you think?”

Azure's eyes widened slightly, both at the discovery and at the fact that he was asking for their opinion. A river was, without a doubt, a far superior location. “Then we should make our lair by the river.”

“That's my thinking as well,” Aiden said, a grin spreading across his face.

“Then I agree,” Azure replied, mirroring his expression.

“That's not fair!” a dissatisfied voice cut in.

Aiden and Azure closed their mouths and turned in unison to look at Bianca. Pinned by their combined stares, she felt a wave of pressure.

“I haven't given my opinion yet,” she said weakly.

“Then give it,” Aiden said, his tone calm.

“I think… I think we should go to the cactus forest! You said there were animals there! We can eat meat!” she argued. “We can't just drink water from a river, can we? Water doesn't fill your stomach!”

Aiden and Azure exchanged a look. The silent agreement between them was clear: Bianca was an idiot.

“In that case,” Aiden said, “let's put it to a vote. There are three of us. Two votes win. Is that fair?”

He looked directly at Bianca. She puffed out her chest again. “Fine!”

“All in favor of the cactus forest, raise your right claw.”

Bianca's claw shot up. She then turned a hopeful, expectant gaze upon Azure.

Facing Bianca's pleading stare, Azure deliberately turned her head away, pointedly studying a particularly interesting rock on the ground.

Bianca's jaw dropped. She was dumbfounded. Why? she thought, utterly bewildered. Isn't Azure my ally? Why isn't she supporting me?