Fia had gorged herself to a lesser extent than Viliant on the bear meat, so she stirred awake first. Crickets chirped nearby, lulling her droopy eyes back to sleep. No! she told herself. Naptime's over. We can't afford to dawdle any longer. Aloud, she called, "Viliant!"

In the hazy dusk of the forest, Fia could not see the black dragon, so she started searching for him by patting her wings against the ground. The soft leather hit a bunch of pointed horns which marked his head. "Viliant," she repeated while she gave his head a few more pats.

What? he shouted as he suddenly forced a telepathic connection with her mind. Did I fall asleep?

Um, yes?

Now that he was newly refreshed from the food and nap, Viliant had the energy to panic over it. He got up and paced their makeshift camp, reorienting himself with the carnage around them.

Bugs had swarmed to feast on the remains which the two dragons could not finish off. Rather than the flies which had come for Fia's shoulder when its condition had been worse during the daytime, these insects were all manners of creepy crawlies. Gross! At least they didn't try to eat me this time….

A shudder ran down her spine and ended in her twitching tail as she observed the insect's behavior—especially when her eyes set on the human corpse. The bugs seemed to have liked the woman's eyes the best, teeming over her face and burrowing into the eye sockets.

A wave of guilt overtook the dragoness. Smoke curled from her nostrils as she was tempted to set the bugs alight.

How long? Viliant asked out of nowhere. The thought sounded like a murmur to himself, frazzled by their impromptu nap.

Huh?

We slept too long. At least we can travel under the cover of darkness. Let's get moving. Viliant walked past her with his tail coiling through the cloak of shadows which he had cast around himself.

The murky cloud was large enough for Fia to walk beside him, but she let it drift away with Viliant. Her talons dug into the ground, rooted firmly in place. Fia twisted her long neck to look back at the woman who had lost her life because of Viliant's callousness. The human mother deserved so much better than this fate. It would only take a moment to torch those bugs, she figured to herself.

Move, Viliant snapped at her.

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Coming! Fia knew that they did not have even a second to spare. A fire would risk giving away their location. To herself, she mused. It's not like she's even alive anymore. I need to be a little more practical, like Viliant.

The dragoness bounded to catch up with Viliant who did not stop. Between the nature mage's humble cure spell and the long rest, Fia's shoulder felt its best since her injury. The dragons adopted a quick march and covered the most ground in a single night on their entire journey thus far.

The perception of their distance traveled was amplified by the changing scenery. The trees cleared, bringing them back to a field of tall grass blades. Fia and Viliant slithered their way through the foliage, grateful for the coverage. However, even the grass began to thin out until they found themselves trodding over short, dry grass.

A stifling quietude held between them. The air around Viliant was tense; the dragon was likely still inflamed from their previous discord.

Look at how the land's changed! Fia remarked in an effort to make small talk. Do you think we're getting close to the Bad Land?

I hope so. Viliant did not say anything more than that. After their fight, he was even more terse than usual. Worst of all, he did not merely cut off their telepathic link entirely. Instead, Fia had to feel connected to his mind, feeling more and more guilty throughout the course of the night.

I'm sorry, she tried to offer.

Good. You should be.

Her anxiety mounted, filling her with worries that the bad humans would catch up with them. If that happens, then it'll be my fault, she thought to herself. Finally, she started to relate to Viliant's previous anger. Fia gave a dry gulp and tried to think optimistically about how far they had traveled tonight.

In silence, the dragons continued. The ground beneath them changed from coarse grasses to tightly packed dirt. When Fia's claws dragged across the dusty ground, a little excitement lifted in her. This was another chance to try making idle chatter with Viliant; he would have to forgive her eventually. The ground's different here, like it's a path!

That's not a good thing, Fia. Viliant crossed the road and jumped into a shallow ditch. Get over here! We need to stay off the human roads.

Fia hurried to catch up and hopped down with him. They kept heading due east, but before they could get far from the road, a slight tremor could be felt from the ground. The sound of clopping horse hooves drew nearer.

Stay down! Viliant jumped close to Fia, draping one of his black wings over her and weaving the shadows as thick as they would go.

Though Fia could not see through the darkness, she could hear the thunder of the galloping horses as they rode by on armored knights. The humans could not see the dragons, hidden by magic. The animals were more keen to the predatory presence which lurked in the shadows nearby. A horse stopped a few paces away from them, rearing and whining before it tried to dart the other way.

This behavior immediately alarmed the riders since trained warhorses did not spook easily. "Something's there. Search for the dragons!"

Fia and Viliant looked at each other with wide eyes. They jumped together and bolted the other way, beginning the chase.