Through the rumor mill, every resident seemed to hear something or other about wings flying out and smaller pairs or threes heading to answer more summons or seek diplomatic aide elsewhere. The Aerie felt strangely quiet as a result. Oh, there were still quite a few dragons about, but when it was only half the number or so… it felt small.

            Taekwoon’s wing was still doing small patrol runs in the immediate vicinity as they continued to grow into their synergy. Gain could be seen regularly working with the three new dragons and riders, though she did set strict times for when she was a Paramour first as well.

            When Taekwoon had a chance to ask her why she was still maintaining her Paramour role, she answered. “When the world is going mad, you take and give what comfort you can. Else what are you fighting for?” Looking at Jinki, Taekwoon understood her point.

            But between training, patrolling, and picking up the slack of everyone that wasn’t there, it was incredibly difficult to even think about diving into the books Taekwoon was still very interested in. And though they asked Jolin to help them, every time they came back to see what she’d found, it was as if she’d forgotten about them or gotten distracted by something else.

            The more Taekwoon did look into it, the more certain he began to feel that something was not quite right about the books themselves or something he couldn’t identify yet. Even Jinki was prone to being distracted at times, leaving the dragonrider to do most of the searching, except for when he found something. Or thought he did.

            But even then, the information appeared to be wrong. One tome was very much a history of sorts. Another was apparently about magic though that one was particularly challenging and he kept putting it off. And the third seemed to be a journal or diary? Maybe. It looked more coded than the others. Like it was meant for a specific reader. That aside, the tome he was focusing on, the history one, showed a very different past. He knew that Bahamut and Tiamat had battled, but this book said their fight ended in a draw. That the dragons were not gods and that they had merely fallen into a second slumber instead of returning to the heavens after they fought. So what and when was the first slumber?

            What was more, the book suggested that Tiamat and Bahamut had created the dragons and man together. Even if that was true, why would the telling of it be altered? And why also would Tiamat seek to harm the humans? Even more disturbing was that it might have been man himself that caused the Dragon Wars.

            His discoveries begat more questions he couldn’t answer and he didn’t always have time to look for more information. What was worse, in the following moon, his wing was finally sent out to start patrolling, further limiting whatever time he had. For reading or for spending with Jinki… They were not sent to the north yet, or to the east, but there were plenty of other smaller summons to check in on: a possible rogue near Miremaw; wild dragons picking off sheep in a village near Marsh Rest; a small dispute between villagers near Kokoshir... There always seemed to be something happening.

            Two patrol runs and nearly as many sevendays later, Taekwoon was quite happy that almost nothing major had happened. While the King might have said there were more active dragons in the surrounding villages, they had yet to see them. Maybe near the coasts more but in the expanse between Miremaw and Kokoshir, the dragons they did see were wild but benign. Not to mention that most of the villages they stopped in had few dragon related concerns. They were more troubled by weaker than usual crops and the odd illness here and there, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

            Changing seasons were cause enough for sickness, though the failing crops were harder to explain. It was warm now and they hadn’t had as much rain this season. As a dragonrider, that made Taekwoon happy. As a farmer, he could imagine that being a bad thing. Especially since they would need the crops as they moved into the winter moons. The Aerie was always cold in the winter, being in the mountains and whatnot, but the southernmost parts of Kinshire also got pretty cold and harsh.

            Once their second patrol was finished, their wing headed back to the Aerie for a brief respite. It gave them time to rest and recharge before they’d be sent out again. For Taekwoon, it allowed him time with Jinki. A couple days and nights together were a balm to his spirit, though he could always tell in the other man’s eyes what he wasn’t saying. Certainly no good news for the Aerie Master.

            Rumors made their way around the Aerie like wildfire regardless. While they had sent a small group to infiltrate Bondsland and get a better idea of what they might be up against, word from them was scarce. Northern patrols kept catching sight of Dawnbringer wings and though there had been no casualties this time, there were minor skirmishes. “Satoru’s been trying to get High Priest Kevin to speak with the Tiamat High Priest. Maybe negotiate some kind of truce or something,” Jinki explained as they rested together in the shade of Taekwoon’s dragons.

            “I’ll believe that when I see it,” Taekwoon grumbled, holding onto Jinki’s hand all the same.

            “Me too, but I can only hope,” he sighed, reaching up to rub the backs of his fingers against Jongup’s smooth hide. The blue dragon purred quietly as Jonghyun looked on directly across from them, comfortably resting his head on his front claws.

            “Have you made any progress with the books while I’ve been gone?” he wondered gently, curious still. There were many secrets left to uncover but Jinki was proving to be a little unreliable in this one area. Yep… there was the guilty head duck.

            “No,” he admitted, voice quiet and apologetic.

            “No time?” Taekwoon prompted gently, offering an out.

            “Unless you ask, I just don’t… remember,” he admitted hesitantly, frustrated.

            “That’s strange,” the dragonrider hummed, a frown on his face.

            “You’re telling me.”

            “It’s alright, my heart,” he promised, leaning over to press a kiss to the side of Jinki’s head. “I’m here for the next two days so we can try again tonight.” Jinki chirped in agreement and then turned his head up, asking for a better kiss. Taekwoon happily complied.

            A couple more oddities became obvious when Taekwoon delved into the history tome once more. Far from being an angry, vengeful dragon, Tiamat was characterized as a watchful mother and source of change and innovation that was sometimes a bit more chaotic than preferred. Similarly, Bahamut was described as the somewhat cold father of justice and order. And the Dragon Priests were interesting too. They were the first riders, speaking with the dragons to gain insight into Bahamut and Tiamat’s thoughts. As civilization grew, they became more of the Priests they looked like today. And unless Taekwoon was greatly mistaken, it looked like some of the first dragons had been corrupted somehow.

            But that was about as much as he could stomach to learn before his head revolted and he had to retreat for a break. A tiny part of him was beginning to entertain the idea that maybe… just maybe there was some kind of magic afoot. The one book was certainly about magic but it had so many strange words that it was immediately daunting. Maybe he should ask Jolin about it? Or possibly Satoru? The Aerie Master always seemed to have some insight into obscure or unusual things.

            However, since the Aerie Master was quite busy of late, it would have to wait until the next time Taekwoon returned. His wing was scheduled for one more lengthy patrol before they returned for the winter moons. Flying in the cold was difficult and dangerous and even Tiamat’s Aerie would likely follow that pattern, earning them all a respite. Despite Jinki’s misgivings, and to be honest Taekwoon’s as well, they would be flying towards the east, taking their turn at drawing out the mysterious ‘other’ riders. The previous two wings had no luck, but considering Taekwoon had a feeling the High Priest’s comments in Satoru’s office previously had to have some kind of meaning, he didn’t want to go.

            “Just be careful,” Jinki murmured, gripping Taekwoon’s hands hard as they made their farewells in the open air of the Aerie.

            “I will,” he promised in return, stealing a quick, reassuring kiss in the process. “It’s just for two sevendays. I’ll be back before you know it,” he added with a forced smile. This longer patrol was due to the changing weather. They wouldn’t be sending any others out after this unless absolutely necessary.

            “I assure you, I will be counting down the days,” the slightly shorter man countered with a half-smile.

            “As will I.”

            “Alright you. Get out of here,” Jinki urged, pressing for one last kiss before pushing the rider away and stepping back, firming his shoulders.

            “Yes, sir,” Taekwoon bowed, though his eyes were tender when he looked at his other half once more. It was easier to go if they separated quickly. Lingering too long was torture and often earned him a fair bit of ribbing from his wingmates.

            This time was no exception, but they were easier on him than usual. Their first day in, they set an easy flight in the direction of Fantor. They’d need to clear the mountains their Aerie was settled in and then they’d have plains and after that, forests to contend with. If they were going to run into trouble, they knew it would be in that vicinity. Three days of winding patrols later found them clearing the plains and moving into the Fantor Forests. The city itself was nestled on the edge of the great woods, closer to the coast on the southern side, but in the northern part of the woods near the ocean, there were smaller rising mountains that offered some protection from the northerly winds.

            Like their previous patrols, they didn’t really run into trouble, which made Taekwoon feel more on edge, strangely enough. Especially with what they’d heard about the other wings. Even those who hadn’t gone north had run into some kind of skirmishes with wild dragons or rogues. They did see more dragons in the distance, but they seemed to belong to the city itself if their general location and clustering was any indication.

            Near the end of the day, Insoo motioned for them to land in a relative clearing they’d spotted from the air. “We’ll call it for today,” he asserted as they took care to settle in the limited space. It was large enough for the dragons but the trees gave them some difficulty in folding their wings as each landed.

            “Who’s on forage duty?” Wooyoung asked as he slid off Junho, giving the red a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he did so.

            “You and Jinyoung today,” Insoo called out, taking the harness off Gunwoo so the dragon could stretch and get comfortable for the evening. “You’ll have last watch as a result,” he added when both groaned quietly.

            “Well that’s some consolation,” Jinyoung shrugged, rubbing JB’s face in a familiar gesture. The copper twitched his tail though and sighed heavily. Apparently he didn’t much fancy forage duty either.

            “I’ve got first watch with Taeyeon,” Insoo added, looking over to nod at the rider who gestured her understanding before focusing on Seohyun again. “Taekwoon and Jungkook will have second watch.”

            “Why are you punishing me, Soo?” Jungkook groaned as he leaned against V. The blue dragon huffed as if to laugh while Insoo grinned.

            Taekwoon would have been offended except he generally agreed. It wasn’t the company that was punishment, but the time. “At least it’ll be quiet,” he shrugged, removing Jongup’s harness as he did so.

            “There is that,” the other rider shrugged before kneeling to dig in his pack. They all had small rations to nibble on, basic supplies, and a sleeping roll for nights like this.

            With the ease of practice, they settled in for the evening. Wooyoung and Jinyoung managed to find them some edible nuts and berries and Junho even hunted down a small bear for them. Well, for them and the dragons, though they wouldn’t need to feed for the next day or so. One good meal would last them three or four days, unless they were training or flying hard. So far, they’d been going pretty easy with their speed.

            Insoo and Taeyeon prepared the bear meat and passed around the lightly seasoned cooked food before giving the dragons the leftovers. While they stayed up with the foragers, Taekwoon and Jungkook napped for a bit, curled close to their dragons as they waited for their turns. When Taeyeon and Insoo woke them for their shift, Wooyoung and Jinyoung had already gone to sleep and the forest was just as quiet as Taekwoon expected.

            The first few moments were well and truly silent between him and Jungkook as they woke and settled in for a relatively long watch. Taekwoon perched atop Jonghyun who was always amused by his place of choice. Jungkook stayed on the ground and watched over the fire, making sure it didn’t go out but that it was still small so as to not draw undue attention their way.

            After a little while, Jungkook finally called out softly, “Do you think we’ll actually find anything out here?”

            “I don’t know,” Taekwoon murmured back, keeping an eye on the forest as he got accustomed to the sounds. Insects chirping mostly and the odd evening bird, but nothing larger that he could tell. And Jonghyun hadn’t noticing anything either, so he wasn’t worried.

            “I kind of hope we do. It would be nice to do something, you know,” he shrugged, tossing a small twig on the fire.

            “It’s foolish to ask for trouble,” Taekwoon chuckled with a bemused look.

            “I know, but we’ve done all that training and we don’t have much to show for it yet,” the other rider murmured. It was easy to forget that he was only barely older than Taekwoon. He’d become a rider a bit sooner, but it had taken him longer to recover from his first Trial, missing out on the sevenday limit. It hadn’t stopped him from continuing though and earning his right to be a rider.

            “That’s not a bad thing. And if things continue in the direction they seem to be heading, we might all get more action than we want,” he added uncertainly, catching the inside of his lip between his teeth.

            “Fair enough,” Jungkook agreed heavily. At least they felt similarly about that topic. They fell silent for a bit before the other rider offered a new question. “Taekwoon?”

            “Yeah?”

            “What’s it like having two dragons?” he wondered, snorting and tossing a stick at V a breath later. “Don’t be jealous you. I’m just curious.”

            Taekwoon laughed softly and rested his hand against Jonghyun’s warm hide. It was a question he got every now and then. Jinyoung had been quite quick to ask when they’d been paired one of those first nights. “Not unlike having one. I just have a weaker bond, I guess you could say, with Jongup. We can still feel and communicate like I do with Jonghyun, but the connection’s not as strong. I suppose the biggest difference is just combat,” he laughed. “Dragon jumping and all,” he added with a shake of his head.

            “If I didn’t know you, I’d say you were crazy,” he snorted, shrugging in easy acceptance of what he’d seen the other rider do thus far.” You make that weird harness work but it sure does look funny,” Jungkook grinned, the expression almost childlike.

            “I told Minsoo it looked like a net the first time I saw it,” Taekwoon admitted with a chuckle.

            “I can imagine. How strong is it?” he asked after a brief pause.

            “Quite. This one hasn’t managed to break it yet, despite trying very hard a time or two,” he laughed in earnest this time, feeling Jonghyun’s snort beneath him. Jungkook laughed softly at the response and then returned to contented silence.

            It worked fine for Taekwoon as well. He didn’t need to speak but for some, they had to fill empty space with noise. Jungkook was one such person sometimes. But the silence remained right up until Taekwoon felt a chill. Glancing around, he had the strangest feeling someone was watching him. Or them to be accurate. Then he felt Jonghyun sniff and the copper head rose up slowly, breathing deeper as he looked around the space with narrowed eyes. What? he asked mutely, one hand moving to gesture for Jungkook to remain quiet.

            Something. Human, he responded just as silently, shoulders rolling as he contemplated standing. His head tilted to the side though and he smelled again. Rider?

            Where? he queried, searching the space as well. The sounds of the forest were as still as they had been so whoever or whatever it was, they weren’t making a lot of noise or making themselves very known.

            Difficult, came the answer as the copper head continued to swivel. Nearby, Taekwoon could see V doing the same thing, nostrils flaring as he tried to find a direction. Likewise for Jongup as well.

            Here? came Jongup’s hesitant call, turning his head to look back at Taekwoon.

            When Taekwoon carefully slid off Jonghyun, trying to make as little noise as possible, Jongup looked back in the direction he thought and pointed with his nose. Drawing abreast, he peered into the forest and searched for himself. Nothing moved that he could see, but he trusted his dragons. Moving back to his pack, he retrieved his long sword and returned, placing a hand on Jongup’s head. Wait.

            Careful, Jonghyun urged, blowing out his nose once.

            Taekwoon looked back and nodded at his dragon before looking around to find Jungkook. Mutely, he pointed in the direction he was heading and saw the affirmative nod in response. Taking care with his footing and keeping his hand on the sword hilt, ready to draw at a moment’s notice, Taekwoon crept into the forest. His eyesight was pitiful in the dark but lacking that, his hearing wasn’t half bad. The insects still chirped nearby, dimming in his immediate vicinity but continuing further out.

            Several paces in, nothing had changed and he still didn’t see or hear anything to cause him to worry. Nothing, he called out to Jonghyun and Jongup.

            Smell something, came the quick response.

            Can’t see. Can’t smell. Feel something, but nothing, he relayed, feeling equal frustration from his dragons. And he did feel something. Like there was someone there, watching him, but they didn’t feel dangerous. For now, that was going to have to be good enough. Moving back to camp with just as much care, Taekwoon moved close enough to Jungkook to relay what he’d sensed. “Couldn’t see or find anything but it feels like someone’s there,” he whispered.

            “V thinks so too,” Jungkook nodded with a glance at his dragon.

            “We might just be jumping at shadows but keep your weapon close,” Taekwoon encouraged with a glance at V and then his own dragons.

            “I know,” the other rider agreed, reaching for his long sword too.

            Needless to say, they didn’t speak much for the rest of their watch. When it came time to switch, they woke Wooyoung and Jinyoung as expected and relayed what they thought they’d felt, but seeing as there was nothing definite to call an alarm about, they hadn’t. Still, even when they were given leave to sleep, it was very difficult for Taekwoon. And when he finally did manage to fall asleep, it felt like morning showed up as soon as he closed his eyes.

            They were all tense the next morning. Wooyoung and Jinyoung hadn’t seen anything either, but their dragons did admit to smelling something early on. It went away later but no one knew who or what it was. Their unease only got stronger when they made a brief patrol into the woods and Insoo found a footprint.

            “Might be mine,” Taekwoon called as they converged. But even as he said it, the location felt wrong.

            “No. This is smaller than your foot,” he murmured, kneeling next to a partial print in the soft dirt.

            “A woman?” Taeyeon offered, moving close to compare her own. They were of a similar size.

            “Interesting,” Wooyoung hummed, his chin as they all looked down.

            “I don’t know whether I’m more alarmed or impressed,” Insoo admitted, glancing back towards the camp to see just how much cover there would be.

            Taekwoon felt the same way, though it was definitely a mixture of both. From Insoo’s vantage, it was clear that if the person stayed low, they would have been very easy to miss. There were enough shrubs and debris around the trees to provide adequate cover.

            “We’ll break camp shortly and keep an eye from the sky,” Insoo explained, fingers tracing the footprint carefully.

            “Sounds good to me,” Jinyoung exhaled as he ran a hand over his short dark brown hair.

            It didn’t take them long to grab a quick bite and then pack up. Everyone kept glancing around nervously, wary about how close someone had been without them realizing it for sure. They didn’t really relax in the air either. While there had been no dragon prints, if one of their dragons had thought she or whoever the person was might be a rider, that meant there was a good chance one could be nearby too.

            They hadn’t been flying for very long when they all noticed what seemed to be a thin stream of smoke coming from the forest. Insoo pointed and they all nodded in understanding, banking gently to ease in that direction. The clearing wasn’t very large this time and from their vantage, the camp looked like it only had one woman. She was watching them, one hand raised to shield the sun from her eyes. Honey colored hair spilled around her shoulders and partially covered the riding leathers she wore.

            It was her. Taekwoon didn’t know why he felt so sure about it, but he was positive that she was the person that had been watching them last night. As they got closer, he felt a sense of general agreement from Jonghyun too. Smell. The question was, what did she want and why was she showing herself now?

            As a wing, they circled closer, debating the landing space. Really, it was only large enough for one large dragon or maybe two smaller ones to land in. Given that, Insoo signaled for them to wait while he urged Gunwoo down so that he could meet with the stranger.

            Nervously, the rest of the wing maintained their position, circling above like vultures. Taekwoon watched them speaking, Insoo on his dragon and she on the ground. She gestured towards the low mountains to the north and Insoo shook his head. The woman tried again but when she was met with the same response, she shrugged. A hand rose to and they all heard a sharp whistle emerge. It made the hairs on Taekwoon’s neck stand on end, especially when multiple roars emerged from the forest. Several dragons followed suit.

            They broke through the canopy of leaves and flapped upward, quickly surrounding their wing. Taekwoon tensed up immediately, glancing down at Insoo to see how their wing leader was doing. But he was stunned when a large gold dragon flew into the space above him, keeping him grounded easily. Worse, they were outnumbered in the air. It looked like close to two wings worth of dragonriders. With a mental curse, he couldn’t help but glance at Jungkook who may well have brought such ill luck down upon them with his combat hungry thoughts. Oh, he knew that was not the case, but his thoughts were hardly charitable given their predicament.

            For all their fanfare though, the new dragons did not attack. They simply maintained their position circling around the now hovering dragons in their midst. Taekwoon catalogued them quickly. One gold, one silver, two bronzes, one copper, three reds, two blues, and one black and white each. Not quite two wings but they were still outnumbered and possibly outmatched. He was ready to fight if he had to; Jonghyun and Jongup felt the same way, but he wasn’t sure about their odds.

            Before he had much chance to worry though, the gold dragon let out another roar and the other riders fell back, drifting towards the mountains nearby. Puzzled, Taekwoon watched them go and then looked down to see the gold was moving out of the way so that Insoo, with the woman as a passenger now, could fly out on Gunwoo. In the air, the gold followed closely as their wing leader drew abreast with the strange woman in front of him.

            “She says she wants to talk,” he explained, voice raised to reach his wing mates.

            “Why?” Jinyoung asked warily, eyeing her with suspicion aplenty.

            “She won’t say, but I have a feeling she might be among the… unusual riders we’ve been hearing about,” he added, glancing at the back of her head with narrowed eyes.

            “My companions won’t harm you,” the woman spoke calmly, her hand gesturing back towards the mountains. “We’ve merely heard you might have been looking for us and we want to know what sort of riders you are before deciding anything,” she explained with a shrug.

            “I don’t like it, Soo,” Wooyoung called, standoffish now. Taekwoon didn’t either. There was something about her that unsettled him. He didn’t like their meeting circumstances either, but his qualm was more with her as a person at the moment.

            Insoo was mutely pensive for a few breaths before he eventually shook his head. “It’s not ideal but given our situation, it might be a good idea to hear them out.” He didn’t miss the collective wince around him and he nodded in understanding. Then he leaned close to say something to the woman, his expression hard. She held her hands up in surrender and nodded in understanding. It was a pretty good bet he’d threatened her.

            With plenty of misgivings, Taekwoon followed along with the rest as they headed towards the mountains. He was torn between watching her, watching for her companions, and watching the mountain itself. As they got closer, it started to take on a different shape and to his eyes, it vaguely resembled some kind of old and worn out stronghold. If he didn’t know better, he thought it could possibly have been an aerie…

            The other nine dragons and riders were already settled and waiting when Insoo’s wing made to land. The gold dragon continued to circle warily, her gaze trained on the woman. Warily, the riders clambered off their dragons and Insoo let the stranger down but kept her close as a precaution. Only when they were all on the ground did the gold dragon land, purposefully placing herself behind the woman, glaring at the newcomers angrily.

            “Shh,” the woman soothed, gesturing back towards the gold, apparently her dragon.

            Insoo glanced between them and placed his hand meaningfully on his short sword. “You wanted to talk. Here we are.”

            “So you are,” she agreed with a nod. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. In answer to your query earlier, yes. We are riders beholden to neither Bahamut nor Tiamat. We’d prefer to keep it that way, but we are curious about your story,” she explained, glancing at their wing and landing on Taekwoon with his two dragons for a longer moment. He didn’t like that look, but she didn’t seem to notice. “My name is Chaerin Lee. This is my dragon Fei. And you are?” she asked, looking at the riders expectantly.