"Ugh..."

Mid-morning sun burned Aytin's eyes as he stirred.

"Oh... damn..." The plan had been to get up at dawn. The nights were getting long enough that there should have been no risk of oversleeping.

'It's not like we can't afford the delay. But even so... we didn't exactly make great time yesterday.'

He kicked himself for not accepting the offer of a ride right away. His stubbornness had probably cost them a league of progress before he had given into the inevitable.

Although, even then it was slow going. Faelon seemed to struggle at times, even stopping entirely to rest at points. He blamed it on a lack of sleep, which seemed fair enough. It had been a long day and a short night.

"Wake up, Faelon!" Aytin half shouted, half grunted. He had to pull himself to his feet by grabbing onto the dragon's scaly hide.

The worst part of it all was even with the extra sleep, he didn't feel all that rested. Although the reason was obvious. It seemed that visions weren't all that restful.

Faelon wasn't moving, so Aytin shuffled over to the front of the dragon. He had his remaining wing spread over his head like a blanket. Poking his head underneath it, Aytin saw the dragon was still asleep.

With the eruption of the previous day still fresh in his mind, the dragonette took a few steps back and to the side before repeating his morning greeting a little louder.

"Good morning!"

Faelon's wing shifted slowly and his eyes fluttered open. He looked like he didn't quite know where he was or what was going on. "Good... morning?"

"Yeah. Barely."

With a deep groan, Faelon pushed himself to his feet. He seemed almost wobbly as he took a few steps towards their pile of supplies.

"Is there food?"

Aytin shook his head. "I just woke up. But I'll get you something."

There was still plenty of meat left and the thick, dry outer layer was keeping the rest safe to eat. Aytin's best cutting implement for the massive carcass was still the short sword. He used it to saw several long strips from the tirox's flank.

Faelon snapped them up, one at a time.

"I had another vision last night."

Faelon stopped mid-bite and focused on the dragonette. "Was it any clearer than before?"

"No."

"Were you able to recognize any more details?"

"I couldn't. This was a completely new one."

Visions sometimes repeated. New ones, one night after another, were unheard of.

"I was flying. There was a herd of tirox and I knew we could use more food. So I flew down and wrestled one."

"Wrestled?"

Aytin nodded in response.

"Were you perhaps wearing enchanted armor?" Faelon sounded doubtful.

"I, uh... I wasn't wearing anything..." He trailed off, embarrassed. "I don't think I was wearing anything in my first vision, either."

"That is... difficult to believe."

Aytin's ears were cocked back and his tail was straight as a board as he muttered, "I wasn't thinking about it at the time."

"I understand. It is unimportant. What happened afterwards? Did you survive?"

"Yeah, I... I think I broke its neck."

Faelon just stared, incredulous.

"Look, that's not even the craziest part!"

Somehow, the dragon's eyes got wider.

"I had to run back to the keep to get a knife to skin it. Actually run, because it never occurred to me that I was flying before. But before I got halfway there, a bunch of crows came down and started carrying the entire tirox away."

"Impossible."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Aytin snapped.

Faelon pulled back slightly. "I apologize. But I cannot see how such a thing could ever happen."

"Well, it seemed possible enough at the time. I tried to fly after them - I remembered I could right about then - but it was like I was in a storm even though the sky was clear. It tossed me left and right until I slammed into the ground. That was when I woke up." He looked up, a wry grin on his face. "I hope that I can change the future because that was a really dumb way to die."

The big dragon blinked before slowly shaking his head back and forth. "These cannot be visions."

"What else can they be?"

"I do not know. But I believe I should..."

"You said something about that yesterday. Any luck remembering?"

For a moment, the dragon looked confused, That as much as anything sent a chill running down Aytin's spine. But the moment passed, and Faelon nodded. "I suppose I did. Sadly, no, my memory is no better today than it was before."

The dragonette didn't comment on his companion's brief lapse. Instead, Aytin said, "Maybe it's something we ate? Some sicknesses can cause hallucinations. But I ate the meat, same as you. It smelled fine, and I even warmed it over the fire first." He shrugged, his furled wings fluttering in frustration. "And I washed out the waterskin before I filled it at that last stream. The water was moving, too, not stagnant. I'm not that dumb."

"And how is your wing?"

Aytin spread his right wing, suppressing a shudder at the flash of pain. "About the same as yesterday." The purple inflamed area had spread a little, but not much. "I don't feel sick."

When Faelon just stared at him, he sighed. "There isn't anything we could do about it, even if it was my wing. Tomorrow, we'll get to the cache. There's medicine there. I'll use it and hopefully there will be some preserved food there I can eat. If I'm still seeing weird visions after that, we'll figure something out."

The dragon didn't exactly look happy, but he nodded. "You will ride today."

"You bet," Aytin agreed. "I don't think those visions make for good sleep. I'm going to catch a nap."

"If only I were so lucky as to have someone to carry me while I slept," Faelon complained, although there was an edge of humor in his tone.

"Part of the perks of being a noble's kid." Aytin plucked a handful of moss from a nearby rock and used it to polish a talon while adopting a haughty bearing. "Now, does my mount require more sustenance? I only provide the finest for my servants!"

"This mount believes the 'sustenance' leaves something to be desired."

Aytin gasped in mock outrage. "What impertinence! I will have you know that I prepared your meal with my own hands! You dare insult my mastery of the culinary arts?"

"It tastes like you boiled it in a tanner's vat and has a texture like the bottom of my foot."

"If that is all you can say for yourself, then I'm afraid I will have to part with your services. After a suitable replacement can be located, of course."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Of course," Faelon agreed. The corners of his mouth twitched in a grin. He still managed to keep his voice completely serious as he added, "But for now, as I am soon to be jobless and destitute, I will take you up on your offer of more boiled leather. I mean 'sustenance'."

"I suppose it is only propper." With an exaggerated sigh, Aytin went back to cutting more strips of meat.

They ate quickly, and then went about the task of breaking camp. Soon enough, they were back on the move.

"We should reach a large stream late this evening," Faelon said after they had been on the trail for a time. "A half a day's walk upstream will be the cache."

"Are you sure?"

The dragon's pace had been far from the steady stride he had maintained on their first day out of the keep. At times, he even seemed to struggle to put one foot in front of the other, although those spells had become few and far between as the morning turned to afternoon.

Faelon didn't hesitate in his answer, though. "Yes. I am sure. We will be there before the sun sets tomorrow evening." He did pick up the pace slightly.

Sitting there, doing nothing but watching, Aytin felt guilty. He could feel the muscles straining beneath him, and hear the ragged edge to the dragon's breathing.

"You hid the cargo well," he said, trying to distract his companion from the exertion. "You know they searched most of a week for that gear, right?"

"It is... quite invisible from the air. In a box canyon... the cache is hidden in an overhang... formed by a small cliff." Faelon had to pause during his response, a testament to just how worn out he was. And they hadn't even been traveling for more than a couple of hours.

A thought occurred, and Aytin laughed softly. "You know, it might actually have been better if they had found the stuff and brought it back to the keep for us. That would have saved us all of this time and effort."

Faelon took a few strides to catch his breath. "While... While I enjoy my enemies doing my work for me... I fear that finding my gear without me would have warned them that I still lived. Had they been on their guard, I never could have gotten them all."

"I suppose not."

The conversation dropped off at that point. It was obvious that replying was hard for the dragon.

'He probably hasn't recovered from his amputation. Or the fight.' The outlines of ribs were still visible on Faelon's flanks. He still had some time to go before he had regained his strength completely.

Aytin turned his attention outward. Once again, he kept watch for any prey. Once again, the forest was empty.

There were signs, of course. Some obvious animal paths, chunks of bark rubbed off of trees, droppings, things like that. There were even a few squirrels and squawking birds. But evidently a dragon was a poor hunting partner.

They went on for hours, sometimes talking but mostly not. Neither had much to say and both of them were tired.

"You should take a break," Aytin said after the fifth or sixth time the dragon drifted into a tree. "I'm tired of dodging falling branches."

He got a grunt in response. But a few steps later, Faelon slowed to a stop. "I had hoped to push on until the stream. There is bound to be a good camping site on its banks."

"We can still make it. There's a few hours of daylight left," Aytin pointed out. "You'll be faster after a rest."

After a moment, he nodded. "Keep watch. Do not let me sleep for too long."

Curling up with cargo still tied to his back couldn't have been the most comfortable position, but Faelon didn't let it stop him from doing just that. Within a minute, his steady breathing made it clear that he was asleep.

Aytin didn't feel any particular need to dismount. His position afforded him an excellent view of the surrounding forest. He did make note of the sun's position: midway between its zenith and the western horizon. When it moved a little over a hand's breadth, he would wake Faelon.

And, so, he settled back to watch and wait.

Not that there was much to keep watch over. Even the birds were silent. So Aytin amused himself with his rock balancing trick. He was up to five, now, and working on a sixth. But it had been a rough night. Concentrating was difficult, and becoming more so by the heartbeat. Soon he was only getting three or four stones balanced before the whole pile came crashing down.

He sighed and laid back. The dragon's scaly hide was surprisingly comfortable. During the flight out, Aytin had never been able to get used to all the movement and noise. When they flew through the night, he had never managed to get a wink of sleep. But on the ground, it was relaxing knowing Faelon was right there. Nothing would dare to bother them, and if something was stupid enough to do so, then it would end up as dinner.

Some of the rolled up bedding would make a perfect pillow. A quick nap would be nice. He did his best to ignore the desire.

'I would rather not go through more hallucinations. That, and I really should be keeping watch.'

Aytin stretched his neck out to gaze over the forest. Nothing had changed. It looked about the same as any stretch they had passed the day before. And the day before that. Lots of trees and bushes and some grass and not much else.

There was no great darkling army beneath the canopies. At least none that he had seen. After spending weeks on the island, the idea seemed almost funny now.

'Anyway, it's way too bright for darklings.' Plenty of sun was passing through the sparse canopy. Their black skin would burn in the light.

Caves might be a problem. There were some mountains further inland. And they were common on the sides of an island. The forces of corruption loved to hide in caves.

But forests were safe from corruption.

It was starting to cloud up, though. That could be a problem. Darklings could escape their caves and come after them if there wasn't any sun. Aytin kept a close eye on the sky, watching for the telltale black shapes descending from above.

There were figures in the clouds. Big white dragons swirled around smaller formations of dragonettes while eight-legged lizards watched from the back of a wagon. Together, they kept the swarms of darklings at bay.

Aytin watched the airborne giants construct an enormous wall. It spanned from horizon to horizon, pure and white and untouchable. The forces of corruption couldn't hope to break through. Nothing could.

But the darklings were cunning. If they couldn't break the wall, they would move it. Nothing that enormous should be able to move, but there were so many of them. There was no holding them back.

"F-F-aeee-ee-lon?"

The name seemed to catch in his throat. It didn't want to come out. Of course, Faelon was tired. He needed a nap. Aytin would have to handle this alone.

More darklings had joined their brethren and the wall was fast approaching. Darkness seethed, and it slowly began to corrupt the barrier. The edges turned dark. Evil.

Aytin picked up the bow. He had to protect Faelon until the dragon finished his nap. He could, too. He knew it. Aytin was the son of the Bloodhorn and that meant he could kill darklings if he could only figure out their names. It would be easy. And then he would have a story to tell when he got back home.

Slipping down to the forest floor, Aytin ran towards the oncoming army. The battle above was fierce and the wailing screams of the fighting and dying only drove him on. A blue dragon used its breath weapon to burn a thousand darklings out of the sky. Their blood dripped down on him, cold and uncomfortable. He did his best to ignore it.

"Just like dad," he panted as he skidded to a stop and nocked an arrow.

There were darklings everywhere, but some of them were brown. Brown darklings only corrupted water demons. Those weren't a threat.

Something moved and Aytin drew and loosed an arrow. After a few days to recover and some practice with the bow's heavy draw, his aim was much improved. Even if he couldn't manage to pull the string all the way back, it was enough to send the arrow right through the darkling. It instantly shattered into a thousand glittering pieces.

More of them emerged from the forest. "Where were you born!?" Aytin shouted. They would have to tell the truth. He could use that to figure out their names.

These darklings were sneaky, though. They just hissed and spat in their own language. Dragonettes couldn't speak darkling. That took two tongues.

'I'll steal one of their belts. If I do that, I'll be just darkling enough to understand them.'

One of them had a very fancy belt, but Aytin's next arrow passed had no effect. And it was obvious why. He had blinked!

Taking advantage of his mistake, the darkling charged him, sword raised.

He blinked again as the corrupted dragonette slashed at his neck. The steel couldn't hurt him when his eyes were closed. But the darkling didn't know that. It thought the sword was broken, and threw the blade into the air. Only without a weapon, it crumbled into ash.

Aytin had to dodge to keep from getting the black gunk on him. It might turn him into a darkling and then he would have to fight himself. He could probably win, but it would take all week and he wanted to sleep tonight.

The darklings grumbled. They wanted to see him fight himself. It wasn't fair.

One of them was trying to sneak away behind a tree. Aytin pulled out another arrow, and remembered not to blink this time. Sadly, all of the screaming above distracted the shaft, so it only grazed the darkling's blackened hide as it slipped into cover.

An animalistic screech exploded from behind the tree. The shear force of it sent Aytin stumbling backwards.

He blinked. Then blinked again. There... were darklings? Weren't there? But he didn't see any.

The forest was full of shadows. Rain was pouring down. Cold rain, in great big sheets. It was already sapping his strength.

Something squat and dark flashed at the corner of his vision. He only caught a glimpse of an animal about the size of a boar disappearing into the woods. Not a boar, though. It was too fast, and covered in dark fur that glistened wetly in the flash of lightning.

Something was very, very wrong.

"Faelon!"

There was no answer to the shout.

He tried retracing his steps, but the rain was quickly turning the forest floor into a swamp. It was hard to see anything in the mess. And it was getting darker.

"Faelon! Faelon, where are you?!"

The wind tore his voice away and drowned it in the rain. But he thought he heard something, faintly off to his left.

Aytin turned that way. A dozen steps later he cupped his hands to his snout shouted again. "FAELOOOON!"

In answer, a column of brilliant flame erupted. It lit the entire forest, even from over fifty paces away, shining like a beacon through the pouring rain. Aytin ran for it.

"Faelon!"

The dragon's head whipped around at the call, just in time to see the soaking dragonette emerge from the downpour.

Aytin threw himself against the comforting bulk of the dragon. He was crying, choking down air, and he had a death grip on Faelon's scaly hide.

Faelon raised his right wing, angling it to cover both of them as best he could. "Aytin, what happened? You were not here, and I saw... I..." He trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Oh, gods, Faelon!" Aytin trembled from cold and fatigue and terror. "Faelon, what is going on?!"