Lieutenant Commander Blackthorn addressed the guardians with a loud, booming voice, outlining their mission to search the forest along the paths leading up to the ridge, where the trees become too dense for reliable navigation.

If they haven’t located Vexx by that point, they should regroup and devise a new plan. By that point, he may be too deep within the vast forest, which would make finding him take far too long, or he could already be on the other side of Ardenfell.

Blackthorn ordered only a few surveillance teams into the air while he sent the rest with guardians on the ground. Ivis was assigned to a group with Sören.

“Hey, Sören, how was it when you showed up yesterday?” asked Ivis, worried for his friends.

“Vailstrym did not look good. Even with Ari’s speed, I think I only got there in the nick of time. Azier looked distraught but also had a new level of hatred for Vexx,” Sören recalled.

One of the other guardians butted in, “Yeah, I don’t blame her.”

Sören continued as they walked into the forest, everyone’s eyes scanning along the trees, looking for anything out of place, “I stabilized her bleeding, but with her labored breathing, it sounded like a collapsed lung maybe.”

A few of the others in the group let out grieving sighs and a few quiet ohs.

“They left just as you came, Ivis. Don’t know if you saw them or not.”

“Yeah, I did,” Ivis quickly responded. 

Sören stepped over an exposed tree route in the path, “Vailstrym wanted to lie on one side, so I think it was a collapsed lung from the quill. Hopefully, she’ll recover well and be back out soon.”

“Azier may be back; they’ll probably give her another dragon to work with for the time being,” mentioned another guardian.

“Maybe. They don’t usually have extra flying dragonkin to give, so she might get a drake,” responded Ivis.

They walked to the base of the ridge and stopped. Azier came running up on the back of a drake and joined the squadron. The guardians greeted her as she approached.

Azier expertly dismounted the drake, gave a firm handshake to Sören, and said, “Thank you so much for your help,” She then nuzzled Ari’s head, “If it wasn’t for you two, I don’t think Vailstrym would have made it.”

Ari let out a soft, low, grumbling sound that could only be described as a dragon’s version of a contented sound, like a cat’s purr.

“Vailstrym’s stable now; she’ll have to rest for a while, so in the meantime, I’m stuck with [TEMP DRAKE’S NAME],” Azier said, patting the drake's side.

The guardians then heard low rumbling sounds in the distance from the right side, well off the path. The squadron then cautiously and slowly snuck closer to the source of the sound, hoping it was Vexx and to get a surprise drop on him.

As they slunk their way over, the group paused for a second as a large shadow of a dragon passed over them. A few guardians looked up, but the dragon had already passed by the small gap in the trees that let the sky through. After holding their positions for a few moments, they continued.

Eventually, the guardians came upon a small glade, a clearing within the forest, where several abnormally large dragonkin were seemingly conversing with one another.

Everyone froze in disbelief, questioning whether their eyes were deceiving them. What stood before the group looked to be not one but two Ancient Dragonkin, mere feet from their faces.

The drake had a powerful stance, [DESCRIBE DRAKE].

The dragon was an impressive sight, its sleek body covered in small, matte black scales that somehow had a speckling shimmering in the light. It bore a striking resemblance to a shadescale dragon, yet it was undeniably larder larger, its remarkable wingspan casting a wide shadow on the ground below. Golden accents adorned its horns, spikes, and razor-sharp claws. The gilded scales shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, creating a dazzling spectacle, particularly at the tips, giving the creature a regal aura as if it were a guardian of the skies.

The Ancient Drake peered his head over slightly from beside the dragon and gave a quick nod to tell him something was behind him. The dragon then turned around and stood like a statue, almost as shocked as the guardians, to see humans standing before him.

Eventually, Azier slowly stepped forward and spoke in a shaky voice, “Y— you’re an Ancient, aren’t you?”

The dragon made the tiniest movement of his head, seemingly surprised anyone would recognize an Ancient.

Azier took a few small steps forward, “It’s… it’s you. Holy shit, it’s Golden Claw!”

The ancient’s eyes darted around, unsure what to do next. He relaxed his pose and let out a sigh, in somewhat of defeat.

His voice boomed through the forest, so low and gravely it shook the very bones in your body, “Yes. I’m Airigold, or “Golden Claw” as you know it.”

A few of the guardians gasped. Azier leaned to the left to see behind the dragon, “And you, you’re the Drake of the West, aren’t you? You’re the drake that lives in this forest!”

The drake gave a subtle nod and said in a voice equally as deep and resonant as Airigold’s, “Just call me Zolt.”

Azier hopped around excitedly, “By the gods, no way! Ancients still do exist!”

The group relaxed their tense stance after seeing that these two Ancients posed no threat. Sören stepped forward and put his hand on Azier to signal her to calm down.

He addressed the two Ancients, “Hey, you guys’ve been in this forest; you don’t happen to know Vexx do you? About ye tall, [DESCRIBES VEXX], rides on an Ire wyvern, like mine, is a massive piece of shit who attacked innocent people yesterday?”

The Ancients shook their head. The gilded-scaled dragon then spoke, “No, I’m here because of Anaq, or the “Wyrm of Chaos” as you know him. Zolt here isn’t with the rest of us, so I’m informing him and asking if he can assist.”

“The Wyrm of Chaos? I remember that name while studying about him in history class. I thought he would be dead by now, along with the rest of you Ancients. Is—is he still alive?” Azier’s voice trembled as he spoke, her brow furrowed with concern.

“Yes, he’s been living in Frostcrest, but it seems he’s been more active lately, as reported by Nyrak. I’ve got a bad feeling about him and whatever he has planned.” Explained Airigold.

“Maybe the Dragonguard could help? Just like old time's sake, huh?” Beamed Sören with identical energy Azier had moments before. Airigold let out a puff through his nose and cracked a small smile, recollecting their past history.

After a few moments, he spoke, “Perhaps. Though, I would not want to put you humans in such a situation. I’d like to find out what he’s up to first.”

“Fair enough,” agreed Azier, “Well, I guess we should rendezvous with Commander Blackthorn and—”

“No, please do not tell him about this,” Airigold interrupted sharply, “not before I find out what Anaq is up to. I do not want to cause panic within your society. If need be, I’ll be the one to bring the news.” He turned to Zolt and said, “That is all I know, but would you assist us if needed?”

The drake nodded solemnly and said, “If I could somehow get across the channel and off this piece of land, sure.”

Airigold lowered his head in thought, then responded, “Maybe the humans could help with that.”

The two Ancients then lightly thwacked the tips of their long, powerful tails in a gesture reminiscent of a high-five. In a rush of excitement, Zolt took off with incredible speed, almost soaring over the ridge. Airigold spread his impeccable wings and prepared to take flight but paused. He looked at the guardians and, in a firm, quiet voice, said, “Oh, and don’t tell your commander about us Ancients either. Even mentioning us would most likely cause some alarm amongst your ranks.”

The guardians exchanged silent nods of understanding. Then, with a few impressive beats of Airigold’s wings, the air stirred around him. In an instant he soared into the sky, quickly darting away as to avoid being seen by the few surveillance teams.

The squadron paused for a moment as they tried to process the whirlwind of events that had just unfolded. The air was thick with unspoken thoughts and lingering emotions. Finally, after allowing the weight of their experiences to settle, they returned to the path and made their way back into the familiar surroundings of Rayhaven.