The Dragoso Series 1: Discovery in Hardship
Chapter 9

Trevor’s eyes scanned the forest under them. It was the first time they had ever actually flown outside of the academy grounds. Before they reached the outskirts of Drake, the dragons landed. The griffins followed them down and landed gracefully. Trevor noticed his siblings finally relaxed. First time flying on griffins, something they should’ve learned before actually going into it. Anna turned to them.

“You all have done well these past few days, I’m impressed. This is the final test before I’ll consider you four allies of mine on my team,” she started. Looking between the four siblings. “You are to follow every order I give you, either verbally or telepathically. You will be cautious and watch each other’s backs. Hellhounds are dangerous creatures, but cannot take on four dragons at once. You have managed to turn dragon and you understand how to move your bodies. Use that to your advantage if the griffins can’t protect you.” Trevor nodded, as did his siblings. “Good, now, first order of business is to head to the residential area of Drake. Stay on the ground and keep your eyes peeled for anyone who is hurt. Also keep an eye out for anything that looks like lime green goop or slime. It’s hellhound slobber and is a great way to track the beasts. Move out!” Anna and the boys took to the air. The siblings watched them fly over Drake before Trevor looked over at them.

“What do you think guys? Ready to do this?” Trevor asked.

“Yeah! We’re ready!” Aya exclaimed. Brenda nodded and Trevor smiled.

“Let’s go then. The residential area is in the southern part of Drake, I think.” Trevor led his siblings through Drake to where the residents lived. Treading carefully along the streets, Trevor looked around at his surroundings. Despite the simple setting, there was an uneasy feeling to the air. The griffins could feel it too, they snorted anxiously and looked around as well.

“This doesn’t feel right...” David mumbled.

“You said it, David. It’s like the air is...sour...” Aya remarked. Something barked nearby and Trevor held a hand up to stop his siblings. They stood silent for a moment before something metal clanged nearby. Trevor dismounted silently and stalked over to where the sound had come from in an alley. He put his back to the wall and peeked around the corner carefully.

There with its head in a trashcan was a sickly yellowish-brown creature. It was on four legs and a lion-like tail. The creature pulled its head from the can and gnawed on a bone. It had a gaping mouth and glowing green eyes. Trevor knew it was a hellhound by the color of its slobber as it chewed the bone. Glowing green like its eyes.

Found it! Trevor thought. He hid behind the wall and put a finger to his lips, telling his siblings to keep quiet. Anna, what do we do about it?

What’s it doing? Anna’s voice rang in his head.

Eating scraps from a trash can.

Keep it where it is, we’ll be there shortly, don’t let it bite you.

Trevor nodded and peeked around the corner again, only to find the hellhound was in a stance and growling at Trevor.

“Uh oh...” Trevor mumbled. The hound shot forward as Trevor ran for Stephanie. Trevor dove behind the blue griffiness as she reared up and flapped her wings at the hound, squawking at the beast. The hellhound snarled at Stephanie before it threw its head back and howled. “Crap! It’s got friends!”

“It’s a dog, they always have friends!” Brenda shouted. The hound’s howl was cut off by Stephanie’s talons smacking it right in the face. The hound lashed out at her, its jaws close around her leg.

“Stephanie!” Trevor exclaimed as the griffin screeched. Trevor’s body glowed and he turned to his dragon form. Jumping on the hound, his claws were shoved in the beast’s mouth as he attempted to pry its mouth open. “Let her go you asshole!” Stephanie pulled her leg from the hound’s mouth and Trevor pinned it to the ground, his weight on its head. The rest of his body rendered the hound unable to move much as it growled and snorted under him.

“Trevor! Are you ok?” Anna called from above. Trevor looked up as the Compass Dragons landed.

“Stephanie’s hurt,” Trevor grunted. Sylark and Zoymey came to Trevor’s aid in holding the hound.

“She’ll be ok. I’m more worried about you, look at your hands!” Anna pointed to Trevor’s hand. He sat back and looked at his fingers, a clear colored liquid oozed from where he had tried to pry the hound’s jaws open.

“My doing, I’m ok,” Trevor assured her.

“What did you do, pry its jaws open?” Zoymey asked. Trevor nodded.

“Trevor...hellhounds have the same bite pressure as an alligator, how you managed to pry its jaws open is beyond any of us. How do you have that much strength?” Anna asked.

“Football. I’ve been stronger than most people because of my workout routine. I guess it carried over,” Trevor replied and he looked back at Zoymey and Sylark. “So what do you plan on doing with the hound?”

“Lock it up at the Academy to study it. It’s a rare chance to see how they act when Deathbore isn’t in control of them. Under Deathbore’s rule, the hounds stay in the Underworld to avoid any conflict with the living world,” Zoymey explained. He and Sylark managed to restrain the hound and they took to the air. Trevor watched them for a moment before turning human and dropping to his knees beside Stephanie.

“I am so sorry, Stephanie. I was a coward and you got hurt for it...” Trevor whispered to the griffiness. Stephanie simply nudged his face.

“Trevor, it wasn’t your fault. If anything, I should be the blame. I said to let the griffins protect you and not to confront the hound. You should have no guilt for relying on Stephanie to protect you. It’s what any steed does for their rider. Sometimes they get hurt while protecting their riders, but they do it out of loyalty. Stephanie could’ve lost her leg if you didn’t jump to her aid,” Anna explained and Trevor stripped himself of his shirt and tied it around Stephanie’s leg. He pulled the reins from over Stephanie’s head and gripped them.

“We’ll meet you back at the Academy, Anna,” Trevor stated and she nodded. Trevor watched her fly off with Malice before looking at Stephanie who cooed at him. After a look at his siblings, Trevor started for the Academy, leading Stephanie and his siblings home.

“Trevor, you can’t blame yourself for something Anna told you to do. Sure she didn’t say rely on the griffins to protect us exactly, but she implied that was what we were supposed to do,” Brenda lectured.

“I don’t care what Anna said or implied or whatever! It’s my damn fault she’s hurt. I never should’ve dismounted in the first place,” Trevor snapped.

“You really wanted to be on her back when she reared up and was being scary?” Aya questioned.

“No, but it’s better to be thrown when she’s trying to protect me than me attracting the damn thing and getting attacked,” Trevor mumbled.

“Be glad you’re ok, Trevor!” Brenda exclaimed. “You and Stephanie! And the Drake people are all unharmed too!” Trevor stayed silent.

“He’s not gonna drop it, girls,” David stated and Brenda and Aya sighed.

“Yeah...you’re right,” Aya mumbled. They continued through the field and forest in silence. Going through the gates and heading to the stables. Malice greeted them as they entered the barn and he got down to treating Stephanie’s wound.

Trevor stood nearby, watching Malice treat her before he took care of his usual griffin care duties. He pulled Stephanie’s tack off and got to work rubbing her down and grooming her. After a rough time, she deserved it. After her grooming was done, Trevor made her a well known griffin favorite, warm rice and vegetable mix. He stood inside her stall as she ate, staring at her wrapped leg.

“Trevor?” Malice’s voice caught his attention and he looked at the Thunder Dragon leaning over Stephanie’s stall door. “I know Kathey dismissed you guys from class and all for today, but you really don’t have to worry over Stephanie. I’m in here all the time and she knows to alert me if she’s in pain. She’ll be ok.” Trevor looked back at Stephanie, not responding. “Jesus, you seriously remind me of Kathey when she was younger.”

“What?” Trevor looked up.

“Yeah. We’ve known Kathey for like eight years now. Boy was she a worry wart when she was younger. One of us gets hurt, she’d fuss over us for days. Stephanie gets hurt she hardly slept in her own bed for weeks. You need to understand that you can’t do anything to speed up healing. It has to happen on its own.” Trevor shook his head.

“Was she the reason you guys or Stephanie got hurt?”

Malice was silent.

“Didn’t think so.”

Malice looked at his watch.“Don’t be a fool, Trevor. You still have classes to go to. Trust me, I know how it feels to blame yourself for something out of your control.” Malice walked off, probably to nap like usual on the bales of straw nearby. Trevor shook his head at the lazy dragon and sat down. Stephanie looked up from her meal and back at Trevor. Trevor stared at her for a moment before tears welled up in his eyes. He hid his face in his arms and shook. Stephanie sniffed him before nudging his head and cooing. She looked up and over at Madix in his stall. She chirped at him and he looked up.

“What?” Madix asked. Stephanie chirped a few times. “You want me to translate for you to the human? Why exactly?” Stephanie snorted. “Guilty cause you got hurt? Tch, how stupid can they get?” Stephanie growled. “I know he’s considered a dragon, but he doesn’t know the first thing about being a real dragon, Steph. I’m not translating.” Stephanie threw her head back and whined with annoyance before looking back at Trevor. She snorted before laying down and chirping at him. Trevor looked up and Stephanie opened her wing. Trevor sighed and moved to lean against Stephanie’s side. Stephanie folded her wing back and nuzzled Trevor before laying her head on her talons.

~oOo~

Kathey stared at the hellhound as it paced in the holding cell like a tiger in a cage. Whatever secrets it held, they would soon know.

“You captured a Hellhound?” Deathbore’s voice echoed through the basement. Kathey looked over at him as he approached.

“I thought you were supposed to be resting?” Kathey asked.

“I’m not doing anything extreme am I?” Kathey shrugged. “Certainly seems more wild than the hounds I controlled. Think Brokenstar has something to do with that?”

“Brokenstar is a narcissistic, sociopathic Nega Dragon. What do you think?” Kathey countered and Deathbore crossed his arms.

“You may have a good point, my niece. But you forget, he hasn’t gained any strength or allies since we last saw him. How he managed to overthrow me as he did is questionable to say the least.”

“He probably has some sort of extra power that is hidden in him that you underestimated. I don’t need the same mistake happening with my team. If he gained power that can actually harm Life Dragons, we may have a problem.”

“No argument there, Anna.” Deathbore watched the hound for a moment. “Have you had an uneasy feeling about the world lately?” Kathey looked up at him.

“Uneasy how?”

“Like something big is going to happen. Something that isn’t good.” Kathey looked back at the hound.

“A few days after I sent Mykau away. Something just didn’t feel right. It’s been that way ever since.”

“What do you make of this?” Kathey was silent as she thought for a moment. What would they make of the situation? Could Brokenstar just be the start of a big event that was going to occur?

“I think we need to start finding ourselves more allies. This could be even bigger than when you tried to take over.”

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