Leo grasped the handle on his front door, bracing himself for the inevitable berating from his grandma, when the door suddenly flew open with Leo still clutching it. He stumbled over the threshold and landed on the floor, where he was instantly assaulted by two huge dogs, who showered him with wet kisses all over his face. Leo’s worries about the blast that had shaken the city moments ago vanished as he laughed and pushed away the furry beasts, scanning the room for the source of the surprise. Before he could spot anything, a towering figure blocked his view and scooped him up in a bone-crushing hug. Leo recognized his father’s familiar scent of pine trees, sweat, leather, and a hint of flowers. Squeezing back as hard as he could, he shouted, "When did you guys get back? We didn't hear anything at the Grounds today about the party returning! What did you guys catch? Where's mom at?"
Leo looked up at his father’s rugged face, framed by dark brown hair and a thick beard. His father’s brown eyes twinkled as he smiled warmly and simply said, “I missed you too, son.”
He set Leo down and turned to the door again, sticking his head out and gazing at the enormous plume of smoke spreading over the city. “Bad omens, all around. Troubled times are coming…” he muttered, his eyes darkening. Before Leo could say anything, he felt another pair of arms wrap around him and squeeze him tight; it was his mother. He breathed in her soothing smell of lilac and lavender and hugged her back. He admired her delicate features, her fair skin and rosy cheeks, her long blonde hair that matched his own, and her green eyes that sparkled like emeralds.
“I missed you guys so much, I was hoping you’d be back before my sixteenth.” Leo said to his mom, but loud enough for his father to hear too.
"We missed you too, sweetheart," Leo's mom responded softly. A short moment later she let him go and joined his dad at the door, looking up at the sky with a worried expression. Leo felt a surge of excitement wash over him as he turned to greet his parents’ bonded partners, Piper and Jax. The dogs were enormous, almost like wolves. Jax could stand on his hind legs and reach his father’s eye level, and his father was a giant among men. Leo knew his parents could communicate with their partners through the bond, but he couldn’t. So the dogs showed their affection by nuzzling him, nearly knocking him over and smashing one of the few ornaments his mom and grandma had collected over the years.
“Ok ok ok,” Leo chuckled at the furry duo, pushing them gently away and looking for his parents again, but they were gone. Instead, he saw his grandmother standing in the hall, beaming at him. He walked over to her and hugged her warmly. Leo’s grandma was one of the best people in the world, always taking care of him when his parents were away and supporting him on the worst days he had at the Grounds. But she was also strict with him, as Leo quickly remembered when they broke the hug. “And where have you been? Do you have any idea how late it is? And with the city under lockdown no less!” His grandma scolded him, giving him the look that only she could when she was displeased.
“I’m sorry grandma, Charlie and I went to Master and Madam Keller’s new buffet style restaurant, and we got carried away by the food,” Leo said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and giving his grandmother a guilty smile. “It was all you can eat, so…” He trailed off as he saw her stern expression didn’t soften. “Wait, what do you mean the city’s under lockdown? I didn’t see any guards or anything,” Leo added curiously as he walked back to the front door to look outside. He saw his parents still standing there and staring at the explosion in the sky, whispering to each other. “What’s going on with you two being home early? And why was there no announcement about your return to the city?” He felt his curiosity rising. His parents glanced at the sky one more time and turned around, motioning Leo to come back into the small house. They shut the rickety door behind them and led the family to the cozy living room, which also served as their dining room.
They all sat down on the old furniture and his parents began their story. “We headed for the southern shore this time. The head party were looking for chimeras or basilisks, anything that could provide a powerful venom for the clerics. So they gave us the tracking source and we set off. You know how Piper is when she gets a scent,” his dad said, smiling fondly at his bonded partner and sharing a silent communication. He was about to continue when Leo’s mom interrupted him.
“Jax is just as capable, Leonardo,” she said sharply, making both Leo and his dad wince for different reasons. Leo hated hearing his full name, while his dad feared his mom’s annoyance. Leo wondered what his dad did to earn such a reaction from his normally calm and caring mother.
“Of course, Maia, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. Anyway, we were halfway to the shores when Jax picked up a strange and unfamiliar scent. We had no idea what it was but both Jax and Piper felt a surge of adrenaline as they sensed its strength. So we stopped and reported it to Commander Aldric. He was intrigued by our discovery and ordered us to pursue this mysterious creature, something that rarely happened with the cautious commanders. Aldric and his three captains had their wyverns so they were confident they could handle any danger, or maybe they were just bored and looking for some action.” Maia gave him a gentle nudge, reminding him to stick to the point. “Right, sorry. Anyway, we began our hunt, following this creature’s trail from the Cerulis lands to the south all the way to the Mora lands to the east. The beast must have realized we were on its tail because it tried to shake us off by leaving no traces on the ground.”
Leo grinned as he knew this wouldn’t stop the tracking abilities of the laelaps at all. As long as the dogs had a whiff of its scent, they could chase the beast to the ends of the earth if they had to. His dad went on, “So, we chased it relentlessly, day and night, until we wore the beast down with our persistence. It took us three weeks of non-stop hunting! Luckily for us, by the time we caught up with the creature, we were already halfway back home because of the twisted route it had taken us.” It was a well-known, but often overlooked, fact that laelaps and their bonded partners could go without sleep for as long as they needed to track their prey. They might fall into a magic-induced coma if it was a prolonged period of time, but for the most part their bond magic adapted their body for that.
“What was it dad?” Leo asked eagerly, curiosity and excitement bubbling up in his chest.
His dad gestured for them all to lean closer and whispered, “An Ancient dragon, young and alone. It was magnificent, Leo. You would have been awestruck.” Leo’s jaw dropped, stunned by what he had heard.
“An Ancient dragon?!” Leo exclaimed in disbelief. Ancient dragons were the most elusive breeds of dragon. There was little known information about them, other than they could emerge from any of the five dragon species and were often more powerful than the other breeds. Even from what Leo knew, the last Ancient dragon to be born to the Sinu nation was over five hundred years ago, and was currently bonded to the Grand Master of the Riders, the Sinu nation's most powerful guild. They were in charge of protecting the nation from external threats, among other things. The curriculum he had learned during his school years, before he was sent to the Grounds to work as a hand, didn’t cover such topics, only teaching what the Council deemed suitable for the lower ranks of society. Most of the time when Leo wanted to know more about something, he had to ask Charlie. “How did you manage to capture an Ancient dragon?” Leo asked his parents as they both motioned for him to calm down, his dad glancing out the small window behind him before turning back to continue.
“Aldric and his captains managed to subdue it. I think the only reason they succeeded was because they outnumbered it, and because we had tired it out. Once it landed for the last time, it had to rest, so Aldric and the other three waited until we were all a bit recovered, then they went in to finish the job. It put up a fierce fight though, one of the wyverns nearly lost an arm. I doubt they could have handled it if it had been bonded and a bit older. The beast was wielding elemental fire and stone magic like nothing we had ever seen, right Maia?” Leo’s mother nodded and took over the story from where his father left off.
“So, we cut the expedition short to bring back the dragon for the Council. With all the attacks going on right now, the Council decided it was best to keep it quiet so as not to alert anyone of the dragon’s whereabouts. So we smuggled the dragon into the Grounds last night. The Council will try to bond with it and should announce it during the next ceremony. And because this was such a high-profile capture, we’ve been rewarded with triple wages, plus a bonus for discretion!” Maia said with a proud smile. “We won’t have to take on another expedition for a while!”
Leo leaned back, utterly amazed by the news and the incredible tale his father had told them. He couldn’t believe that his parents had received such a generous reward. He had never heard of anyone getting a bonus or triple wages before. This sounded like a fantastic story made up by his parents to tease him. “So, what’s the story behind the explosion from earlier? Is it related to the attacks?”
“We don’t know for sure, but right before the explosion, the guard announced a lockdown of the city through the vox,” Maia said, pointing to the old, battered speaker that sat on the mantel. It was a cheap, magic device designed to pick up any urgent messages being broadcast over the area, most families had one in their home. Leo hadn’t noticed it before, but it was flashing red from the crystal embedded into the top of it. Leo spent the rest of the night chatting with his parents, filling them in on the last few months of his life and listening to their stories. They all frowned slightly when he told them about the cut wages, but luckily that didn’t matter as much now that his parents had come back with such good news. Feeling tired and drained by all the excitement of the day, Leo stood up and stretched, bidding goodnight to his family and heading to bed. He had to get up early to check on Madam Lashur.
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The next morning, Leo woke up to the cheerful melody of birds chirping outside his window instead of the harsh glare of the sun flashing in his eyes. He sprang from bed with a surge of energy and threw on some clothes. He rushed out the door, skipping breakfast once more. He hopped on the bus that took him into the northern mid-city, where his friend’s lavish home stood out among the other buildings like a jewel in a crown. Leo walked up to the imposing double doors that gleamed with polished brass and smelled of fresh paint, knocking three times with a confident rap. Almost instantly, the doors swung open by a young man who looked like a raven in his black attire. The man motioned Leo into the home and into the foyer with a graceful gesture. “Young Leo Cassemir,” he said in a smooth voice. “Isn’t it a bit early for you to be up and about?”
“Hey Stew,” Leo greeted, beaming at the older man. He knew him to be well into his seventies, but he looked as young as ever. Stew was bonded to a common cat, which gave him sharper senses and more agility than most people. It also made him a fantastic house servant who kept everything running smoothly, as bonded partners to cats hardly needed sleep, ever. He had a lifespan of about three hundred years, the minimum of any bonded witch or wizard. This also meant Stew had stopped aging in his late twenties. “I’m just here to check on Madam Lashur. I heard and saw the explosion last night and it looked like it came from the enchanter’s guild.”
“You’re a caring and thoughtful young man, Leo,” Stew said with a warm smile. “Luckily for us, Madam Lashur was home early last night so no need to fret. I will go and stir Charlie and the two of you can be on your way together.” And with that, Stew walked away with light steps.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Charlie was still sleeping soundly in his bed. He had stayed up late reading a book on advanced enchantments and had forgotten to set his alarm clock. He was startled awake by Stew’s gentle knock on his door.
“Young Master Charlie,” Stew said softly. “Your friend Leo is here.”
Charlie rubbed his eyes and groaned. “Oh no,” he muttered. “I’m late.” He jumped out of bed and scrambled to get dressed. Running downstairs he found Leo waiting for him in the foyer.
“Hey Leo,” he said breathlessly. “Sorry I kept you waiting,” then smiled sheepishly at his friend.
Leo smiled back, responding, “No problem.”
“Come on, let’s go!” Charlie grabbed Leo’s arm and pulled him out the door. “You’ll never guess what I heard last night!” He lowered his voice as they walked down the street. “Did your parents come home last night? The hunting party returned and had a huge haul!” He glanced around before continuing. “An ancient dragon. Young and unbonded! Can you believe it? My dad told me Lyle Solas and Linnetia Mora are coming to the capital to hold council with the rest of the Five! My mom and dad have been commissioned to build a strong enough chain to keep it locked up, it's so wild. I wonder how they managed to catch it.”
Leo nodded and filled Charlie in on the story his parents told him last night. Charlie’s eyes widened at the mention of extra wages. “Wow, the Five aren’t messing around at all,” he said. “To think they’re willing to pay extra to keep this quiet…” His voice trailed off as a large patrol of city guards cut off their path, marching down the street in orderly lines. Leo looked at Charlie with a questioning look. Charlie shrugged. “The attack on the enchanters guild last night…well, you see all these guards around. I’ve never seen anything like this before, have you? To think that whoever is behind these attacks is growing so bold as to attack Aneham itself.”
“Dark times ahead of us,” Leo echoed his father’s words from the night before. He shook his head and tried to sound cheerful. “But hey, at least we have the Hunter’s Homecoming to look forward to.” Charlie nodded his head and quickened his pace. They walked into the Grounds a short while later and parted ways after collecting their respective tasks. Later that day, the Council officially announced the return of the hunting party, which marked the start of the next Hunters Homecoming.
The city was buzzing with activity as vendors set up their stalls, musicians tuned their instruments, and children ran around with balloons. The Hunter’s Homecoming was a city-wide festival that celebrated the return of the hunting party with free food, entertainment, and enchanted fireworks that told short stories in the sky. The happy festival was only slightly marred by the swarms of guards that patrolled the streets like bees guarding their hive.
Leo didn’t feel too concerned about the guards or the attacks on the enchanters guild. He fully expected the Riders would figure out whoever was behind them soon enough. And it wasn’t like it would affect him anyway. In a week’s time he would be turning sixteen and he’d get his chance at bonding a partner. Then he would be on the fast track to becoming one of the greatest trackers of all time.
“Not that there’s much glory in being a tracker,” he muttered to himself as he worked on his task. He wouldn’t concern himself with the city politics or the ancient dragon that the hunting party had brought back. He had his own dreams and goals to pursue.
He had no idea that something unexpected was about to happen that would change everything.