The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and old ash. Shax crouched low on a cliff edge, his purple eyes cutting through the darkness. Below stretched the wilderness—dense forest, jagged hills, and streams glinting silver beneath the moonlight.
Somewhere out there, Levi and her witch were hiding.
"Tracks," Phenex growled, shifting down onto four legs. His wolf snout pressed to the dirt, nostrils flaring. "Several sets. Fresh. Heading north."
Shax's wings flexed, scales catching faint light as he glanced in the direction the shifter pointed. "North…" His voice was a low rumble. "Toward the mountains."
Stolas crouched nearby, raven-black feathers still clinging to his arms from his last transformation. "The terrain will favor them. Harder to fly without being spotted. Harder to corner."
"Not impossible," Shax said sharply.
Forneus flicked her wrist, conjuring a shimmer of dark magic that danced across her fingertips. The symbols she read in the air glowed faintly before vanishing. "Their trail is laced with power. Levi has been using what little strength she has left… perhaps to shield them. It won't last forever."
"Good," Shax snarled. His tail lashed once against the stone, leaving a deep crack. "Let her burn her power. When I strike, I want her desperate."
Pazusax leaned against the cliff wall, smirking as her long nails scraped grooves into the stone. "And the witch? What do we do when we find her?"
Shax turned his gaze on her, sharp and unwavering. "She lives. Until I say otherwise."
The others exchanged glances, understanding the weight of the command.
Phenex growled low, unsatisfied. "She should die now. End the risk."
Shax's wings spread slowly, their span blotting out the stars for a moment. His voice cut through the night like steel.
"No. She is the leash around the queen's neck. Levi will crawl to me for her. Beg for her. That is how I will break them both."
The forest below rustled with wind, branches whispering like conspirators. Shax inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the mingled scents of smoke, soil, and faint traces of black blood carried on the air.
He smiled, cold and cruel.
"Begin the hunt."
The group moved as shadows, slipping into the forest below. And in the darkness, the dragon's hunger grew sharper.
Thank you for reading my novel(≧▽≦)