Leon's eyebrows shot towards his hairline, and I heard Simon inhale sharply. Amelia leaned forward in her chair, one foot tapping on the floor, and Sophia's eyes focused on the mayor.

I folded my arms across my chest, trying not to let my skepticism show.

Leon regained his composure after a second and asked, "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

"Right," the mayor nodded, "Right, of course. A half-year ago, a hunter disappeared out in the forest. Not unusual out here, but we kept an eye out just in case. A month later, a traveler was attacked on the roads to the west. Several weeks after that, a farmer reported that something had killed some of his livestock."

"That could just be a regular animal. Even multiple animals," I said, and the mayor's eyes darted towards me before he nodded.

"I thought the same. Still, whatever it was had to be dealt with. I...asked some of the more experienced hunters and town guards to investigate and report back to me. Seven of them went out there. I never imagined that-"

The mayor swallowed, redness coming to his eyes, and his voice was tight as he continued, "Four of them made it back alive, though one lost a leg. They said-they said they followed a trail of blood and came upon a thing lounging not far from here. It had dug a hollow in the grasslands. They thought they could kill it while it was asleep. They attacked, and-"

His voice broke again, and I could see the guilt in his eyes. In his mind, he had caused the deaths of three people, and the weight of that pulled him down.

Leon seemed unsure of what to say. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked, "Did they mention what it looked like?"

"Big," the mayor said, "Big enough to tear off limbs with its teeth. Dark, though they couldn't decide if it was blue, brown, green, or black. And its scales were hard enough to block their spears and arrows."

"Was there anything else?" I asked, seeing my chance to interject, "Additional limbs? Strange lights? Anything?"

"No, sir," he shook his head, "Four limbs and a tail, but they mentioned nothing else."

Leon glanced in my direction, and I saw him putting together the pieces. Then, he turned back to the mayor and replied, "I believe we might be able to help. May I return tomorrow to discuss this further?"

"Of course, my lords. Please return whenever is best for you. And thank you," the mayor bowed his head.

It struck me as strange that a middle-aged man spoke with such deference to teenagers. We said our polite goodbyes, earning another round of thank yous before we stepped back into the street.

When we were alone, Leon turned to me, "You don't think it's a dragon."

It was not a question, and I knew Leon had come to a similar conclusion, but I still replied, "No. Nothing about this adds up, not the least of which is how many people died."

"Do you think a dragon would kill fewer people?" Amelia asked, frowning.

"No, a dragon would have killed more."

Amelia paled, and I continued, "Dragons do not share land. They are equal parts too smart and too prideful. It should have razed this town rather than let it stand close to its lair."

"And the wings," Leon added, "He didn't mention them. Maybe the beast didn't fly, but..."

I nodded, "But you would expect them to at least notice."

"Then what is it?" Amelia pressed.

"The size, appearance, and characteristics point to a few possibilities," I replied, "I would need to have a closer look to say for sure."

"What do you think we should do?" Leon asked after a brief pause.

I had thought it was an open question to everyone but realized he had directed it at me. Leon stared, waiting for a response, and I recognized it as a peace offering, an attempt to smooth over our past disagreement.

"The wisest move," I said, "Is to send a message to your father explaining the situation. We have no authority, but he would. His word might push another, more equipped mage to come here faster."

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"And how long would that take?" Leon pressed.

I had hoped he would not ask. And unfortunately, I could guess the answer.

"At least a month," I replied after a second.

"A month?" Simon echoed, his eyes widening.

I nodded, "Yes, at least. Probably longer. Plenty of mages can neutralize a person with a spell, but few have the skills to hunt and kill a magical creature. And fewer will care enough to do it for little to no reward."

"That's too long to wait," Leon said, "What if this creature decides to attack the town? Or the farms on the outskirts? How many people might die in the meantime?"

"What would you have us do?" I asked, already suspecting the answer.

"We track it down ourselves," Leon replied with a steely look in his eyes, "And we kill it."

Simon answered for me, stepping forward and holding out his hands, "Not to sound rude, but that's a terrible idea. We're just apprentices! This thing might not be a dragon, but it still killed people."

Amelia cleared her throat, "He's got a point. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely in favor of helping, but we can't just run off without a plan, can we?"

"You're right, we can't," Leon nodded once, "Alright, new plan then. You four head back to the inn and get some rest."

"What're you going to do?" Amelia asked.

"I'm going to follow the hunter's trail and see if I can't get a closer look at our not-a-dragon," Leon said, sounding entirely too casual.

"No, you aren't," Sophia said, and it was less a response than a statement of absolute truth.

Leon turned to his sister, "Yes, I-"

"No," Sophia repeated, and the first wisps of mana rose about her body, "You're not. It's too dangerous to go by yourself."

"Sophia, we need to know what it is. Who is better suited to tracking and identifying this thing?"

"I am," I said, almost not realizing I had spoken.

The Esttons turned to me, as did Amelia and Simon, and I glanced between my friends before shrugging, "I am not as good a tracker as you, but the mayor gave us a rough direction to follow. I know almost as much about magical beasts as you do. Both my shrouds and senses are better than yours, Leon. I am the best choice of the five of us."

And, if helping Leon with this earned me the tiniest bit of goodwill back, all the better.

"I'll come with you," Leon and Amelia said simultaneously.

I shook my head at the same moment Sophia turned and glared at her brother.

"I have a few tricks to escape if it comes to it," I said, "I will keep my distance and retreat the moment I sense danger. Respectfully, bringing either of you along might slow me down more than anything."

Neither accepted that answer on its face, and it took me several minutes more of arguing before they relented. Leon spent several more giving me as quick a lesson on tracking as possible, which I did my best to commit to memory. Finally, he, Simon, and Sophia left for the inn, leaving me alone with Amelia.

I tried not to flush as she threw her arms around me, leaning in close and whispering, "I swear, if you do something stupid, I'll never let you go anywhere without me. Got it?"

"I think I might have to do more stupid things if that is the threat," I joked, receiving a faint blush and a glare for my comment.

"Yeah, don't do that," Amelia remarked, releasing the embrace and stepping back, "And seriously, be careful. Okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, then turned and set off for the western edge of town.

It did not take me long to track down the beast's trail. The grasslands and sparse patches of trees to the west of the town looked like a storm had taken out its frustrations on a chunk of land.

A thick stretch of grass and dirt looked torn up by massive, clawed feet. Stones had strange scratch marks, like something had slid across the top, and I found several trees half-knocked down with deep cracks splitting their bark. It was as unconcerned with stealth as possible,

Even though I knew it was likely not a dragon, my mind conjured images of a beast descending from the sky, snatching me up for a meal before flying off. Then again, there was one possible culprit that could fly.

I moved slowly, keeping my senses outstretched as far as possible and my mana half-molded, ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.

My trip to Aresford and my expeditions into the forests there had led me to assume the worst. I expected to fail, following the wrong trails and returning to town in defeat.

The reality was almost disappointing.

It took me two hours to follow the largest and most recent trail back to its source. As the mayor had described, I found the beast within a hollow dug into the soft grass and dirt, half-asleep without a care in the world.

The beast was massive, a twenty-foot lump of dense muscle covered in dark green scales. It had a barrel-shaped body, a wedged, flat head, and a tail packed with enough muscle to shatter every bone in my body with a single hit. Clawed toes tipped four short, squat legs, and I could see fangs jutting out from its mouth. While it had no wings, there was a line of spikes along its back.

Its aura felt like walking through a glade on a warm spring morning, a comforting sensation at odds with its bestial appearance. While I had not sensed wood mana too often, it was easy to identify based on past experiences.

Judging its strength was trickier. I still did not have the knack of estimating a beast's power relative to a mage, and it was not always a simple matter of mana density. However, I could take a guess by comparing it to something else, such as another magical creature.

This beast was stronger than the monster from Aresford. Not far stronger and not outside the realms of the gaseous ranks but without question beyond any of us individually. I would guess even a Fog would have trouble killing it without considerable preparation and planning.

The trickier question was whether or not it was beyond all five of us. And truthfully, I could not say.

***

I returned to the town and found my friends eating a quiet dinner in the inn's common room. Kara noticed my entrance from where she stood by the bar, and I tried not to roll my eyes as she diverted her gaze to the floor.

The others waved to me, Amelia in particular brightening at my approach.

"How did it go?" Leon asked.

"The good news," I said as I sat down, "Is that we are not dealing with a dragon."

"Are you sure?" Leon pressed.

"Completely. No wings, short legs, and a flat head," I responded, and I saw Leon catch on within seconds.

"A drake," Leon replied, and I nodded, "How old?"

I tried to recall my lessons on dragonkin and their lifecycles, then shook my head, "Not sure. It was about twenty feet long, but I did not see a mate, so I would guess adult but not old."

"Wait, a drake?" Amelia echoed, "What's the difference?"

I was about to answer when Simon spoke up.

"A drake is a lesser dragonkin," Simon explained, "They're smaller, less intelligent, and have fewer magical abilities. Some say they are to dragons what cats are to a lion."

"Oh, that's good, right?"

"Very," Leon agreed, "A drake is weaker than a dragon. Much weaker."

I turned to him, "But not weak. That is a crucial difference."

"Sure, but how strong could it be? You said it didn't have a mate, right?"

"I did not see a mate," I corrected, "And it still felt beyond any of us."

"We can kill it!" Leon insisted, then winced and looked around before continuing in a hushed voice, "We have to try, at least. We're mages, Vayne. This is why our ancestors gained magic in the first place."

I stood, realizing that lingering frustrations with Leon were beginning to bubble up again.

"I think I will get some rest," I said. Leon did not protest, and I continued, "Is Cat already in my room?"

Amelia nodded, "Yeah, I brought him up there. You really need to get him a better name, though."

"I will keep that in mind."

The truth was I had not thought of anything that fit him. So, Cat would have to do.

I got to my room and had about ten seconds to relax before there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, Leon stood outside with a hard expression on his face.

"We need to talk."