Young Writers Society

Zoltar was shaking despite the steady stream of sunlight now bursting through the hut door. His insides felt cold and his stomach rolled with nausea.

Eclipse recognized him. How? Had he been one of the Wisp Talons that had chased him that night or had another Wisp Talon told him about him? He doubted the later of those theories. He didn’t really have any clear identifying features. Not enough that one would be able to recognize him based on someone else’s description.

He’d been there. He had to have been. He’d probably led the hunt, commanding the Wisp Talons under him. He’d been the one to capture and sentence Scorpus to his death. He’d been the one to instruct a Wisp Talon to bite Nira. Blue moons, it might have even been him who committed the act.

He was shaking even harder now, but not from fear. A burning anger filled his chest, momentarily dulling any trace of fear radiating through him.

He couldn’t just wait to die here. He had to do something. Eclipse couldn’t get away with this. He wouldn’t let him.

He scrabbled at the floor again, desperate to gain purchase despite the bindings on his paws. He had to find a way out of this. Scorpus had. It was possible. If only he knew how he’d done it, then he could replicate it.

Nova wasn’t back yet and the other two reptiles had flown off a while ago. If only he could get these stupid vines off.

He swiped at his snout, trying to hook the vines biting into it with one of his claws. It was useless though. They were wrapped tightly, with only the smallest of tips peeking through the covering. Using his claws wasn’t going to work. Scorpus must have done something else.

He hissed as he stilled, trying to think through the thinning fog in his mind. Whatever had knocked him out before was finally starting to clear. Good, he needed his head sharper than ever if he was going to think of a way out of this.

If he couldn’t use his claws or teeth, then what did that leave him with? He still had his fire and acid barb, though both were pretty much useless. He couldn’t open his mouth and his tail was roped to a tree. He couldn’t really use them … unless...

The loud flap of wings filled the early afternoon air and Zoltar was yanked from his thoughts as Nova landed on the branch outside. He growled, tensing up on the sight of the Wisp Talon.

Nova paid him little mind, too busy muttering something unintelligible as he passed back and forth in front of the door. Grasped in his talons was a bowl of some kind of greenish brown liquid and a dart blower.

Zoltar’s blood froze, fear rushing back in. He’d forgotten about what Eclipse had sent Nova off to get. They were going to knock him out again.

He struggled, yanking at his tail in a desperate bid to pull it free. He couldn’t black out again. He’d only just begun to shake off the last dose.

“Hey, hey!”

The yell broke through his frantic attempts at escape and he stiffened. Nova was staring at him, his silvery eyes holding Zoltar’s panicked gaze.

He put down the items in his grasp and raised his paws, “Just relax. You’ll only hurt yourself by doing that.”

Zoltar wrinkled his snout. If he could bare his teeth, he would have. He decided to growl, eyeing the Wisp Talon in disgust. Nova was talking to him like he was some kind of animal. How dare he?

Nova ignored the threat, slowly lowering his paws, “There you go. Good. Don’t want the others to hear you doing that.”

Zoltar remained rigid, glaring at this slug of a dragon. He wasn’t some animal.

Somehow this was worse than the way Eclipse treated him. Oh how he wished he could talk, just say a few words.

Nova hummed after a few moments, seemingly satisfied that Zoltar had calmed down enough to untie the vines roping the door shut. He quietly stepped in and closed the door again. He’d picked up the bowl and blowpipe before entering and now set them down near the entrance.

He eyed Zoltar nervously, as if unsure of what to do next. His eyes darted to his muzzle and back to the bowl on the floor. His talons twitched as he reached for the ropes around Zoltar’s snout.

Zoltar snarled, unable to do much else to show his displease and disdain towards this dragon and whatever was in that bowl.

Nova flinched back, pulling his right arm up to his chest, before slowly relaxing.

“Look,” he began, speaking in a soft voice, “I have to do this. Eclipse will have my head if he finds out I didn’t give the herbs to you.”

He paused, watching the small trail of smoke snaking from Zoltar’s snout, “If you’re not going to take it willingly, I’ll have to knock you out again.”

Zoltar narrowed his eyes. Like it mattered. The stuff would leave him just barely aware of his surroundings anyway. Taking a dart wouldn’t make much of a difference.

Still, if he behaved enough for Nova to take the vines off of his snout, he’d have a better chance at escape than if he resisted from the start. It was worth a shot. What was the worst that could happen?

Hissing a sigh of frustration, he lowered his snout, lying flat against the floor. He looked up at Nova, giving him the silent signal to go ahead.

Nova flashed him a thankful smile and reached forward, but suddenly hesitated, “You’re not going to bite me are you?”

Zoltar shook his head slowly, blinking lazily. It was taking every ounce of will power in him to not growl at the Wisp Talon.

“Okay,” Nova said nervously as he began cutting through the vines with his talons, “Just know that if you do, I’ll have to use the dart.”

He clutched it close to his chest as he worked away with the other paw.

Zoltar watched silently, every muscle ridged as he waited for the moment the pressure around his jaws loosened.

His eyes trailed over the Wisp Talons arm holding the blowpipe. There was a spattering of discoloured scales along his wrist in the shape of a crescent. They were pale white and seemed to refuse to shift colour like the scales surrounding them.

Zoltar cocked his head ever so slightly at the strange mark. What could have made that? Nova flinched again, but didn’t stop cutting the vines.

Flattening his ears, Zoltar mentally shook himself. Focus. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter right now.

Nova had made short work of the vines and his jaws were held closed by all but a strand. He had to make his move now.

He launched himself at the Wisp Talon, snapping the last of the binds around his snout as he drove his fangs into Nova’s arm.

The dragon yelped, dropping the blowpipe as he fell backwards. Zoltar quickly released him as he summoned the heat inside him. He had to chase Nova off. He couldn’t free himself as long as he was there.

He reared back, a fire ball at the ready.

Nova recoiled, quickly bringing his injured arm up to shield his face. A steady stream of bright red trickled from the wound.

“Please don’t,” he whimpered, making no move to escape, much to Zoltar’s annoyance. He didn’t want to injure the Wisp Talon further, not if he could help it.

He growled in frustration. This wasn’t what he had in mind. He eyed the dart blower laying discarded on the floor. Grabbing it between his teeth, he threw it to the far side of the room. Nova wouldn’t be able to reach it without going past him.

Keeping an eye on the Wisp Talon and another on his mission at paw, he began to gnaw through the vines holding his talons captive. Nova didn’t move, instead choosing to huddle in the corner, still clutching his arm.

Zoltar felt the urge to snap at the dragon, but didn’t. Poor thing was already bleeding and probably was in for an earful from Eclipse after this.

Flattening his ears, Zoltar tried to focus on his current task. The vines were thick and very bitter, but he was nearly halfway through.

Suddenly a sharp sting shot through his neck and he hissed, lurching back around to face Nova. He froze, darkness already pulling at the edges of his vision.

Solar was balanced halfway down the hut door, a blowpipe lowering from his jaws. He flashed a grin at Zoltar and waved a paw.

Panic raced through Zoltar’s veins, but it was too late as he collapsed to the floor. The darkness raced in, faster than last time, pulling him beneath its depths as all hopes of escape faded with him.