Luna awoke quickly, the piercing shrieks of some dying animal ringing out through the crisp air. No, not animal, animals.

Axel was already on his feet, fumbling with an old map as he shoved it into his bag. Blueberry, August, Jags and Minx looked at him and he waved them away.

"Follow the river North! GO NOW!" He yelled above the howling. Luna watched the three dragons and Jags vanish into the undergrowth. She didn't move. "Luna, I said move."

She ran over to him, throwing some two supply bags over her back and handing the final to him. "You can't carry all this stuff yourself."

He didn't argue, and withing seconds the two of them were sprinting through the long grass, parallel to the river. Luna could see the Jags up ahead, and the flash of Minx's scales as she leapt through the bushes.

That's when the thing came out right in front of them.

It was a head higher than Axel, made of stone. Wet clay dripped around its feet as it stepped forwards, the ink smile on its face running, like it was fresh.

Axel grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the left, dodging the monster as its face spilt open to reveal a mouth that ran from its forehead to its chin. They ran, leaving its screams terrifyingly close, but behind them nevertheless.

"What was that thing?" She shouted to him, jumping a fallen log. Axel didn't respond. She tried again. "Axel! What was that thing?"

Still he refused to answer. Luna gave up, instead pushing herself to run faster. Already her chest was becoming tight. But not from exhaustion; it was like something was squeezing her ribs together like a corset. She did her best to ignore it and continued to sprint, weaving between thick black tree trunks and the broken remains of vibrant green bushes, already crushed by the others up ahead.

Minx slammed into her chest, eyes wild. "Other way!"

"What?"

"Go!" Minx grabbed her arm, dragging her back the way they'd come. Luna glanced behind her just in time to see Jags strife left and the trees behind them explode.

~

Nyx sat his his head resting on the table, listening to Mendax whistle a melody, busying himself making dinner. Nyx had already offered, but had been declined since he'd done it the night before. Winston hadn't returned, but Nyx assumed that was because he was helping Charlie with whatever the hell she was up too, since he'd seen her raiding some of the local shops for supplies. Why they hadn't come back yet was beyond him, but Charlie's mind worked in mysterious ways.

"So what do we do now?" Quin asked, breaking the silence. Nyx had been wondering that as well. Mendax shrugged.

"Stay here and wait for the others..."

"Or?"

Mendax sighed, glancing back at them before going back to the stove. "Head North. There's an...we have allies there who can help us work out what the hell's going on. Their leader's named Vienna."

Quin sat up, and Nyx could see something sparking in his eyes. Recognition?

"Vienna?" Quin gulped. Mendax nodded.

"Yes. I know she had a rather...strained, relationship with you Pyrons."

Nyx raised an eyebrow. "You know her then?"

Quin shook his head. "No, but I heard the stories. That she was a monster and had no compassion or empathy."

Nyx shivered, but Mendax just chuckled. "Perhaps in the early days, but do not worry about it. I've known her for close to twenty years now and take my word for it, she's as compassionate as a mother towards members of the society. Can you pass me the paprika?"

Quin lean over to the counter and grabbed one of many pots before tossing it over to Mendax who caught it effortlessly before continuing.

"We can head North, there's a cave. I believe Hatchet called it the heart of the north."

Nyx frowned, dragging a finger through the dust that had collected on the table. Tomorrow he'd have to tidy up a bit, that way if his parents returned they wouldn't have to do it themselves. He sighed, not if, he reminded himself, when. They weren't gone forever. He had to believe that. "Why is it called that?"

"It's the most northern point before you hit the badlands where nothing grows. It's about three miles beneath the surface, I think it's on the map in my bag."

Nyx glanced under the table and saw the leather bag tucked under one of the chairs. He reached down, brushing against the cold, stiff fabric before retrieving it, flipping it open and pulling out the folder paper. It was old, rough and yellowed by time, the ink faded. Nyx studied the lines, drawn with care, a signature at the bottom almost completely obscured by a river following past. Hatchet. He pried eyes away from the name and let them wander to the top, where a spot at the base of the mountain was marked with what was once a red star. "That's where we're going?" He looked up.

"If you want to. Like I said, we could stay here and wait for the others if you thinks there's a chance they're still alive and are coming to meet us."

"Of course they're alive!" Quin suddenly snapped. "You think Minx and Luna would just give in? They're stronger than our little group put together!"

Nyx held up his hands, shocked at his sudden outburst, but tried to keep his voice reassuring and expression neutral. "We're just talking about the chance, Quin. Ok? Of course they're fine," he cooed, the charred scarf around his head suddenly feeling heavy. "Of course they're fine."

Mendax refused to look at them. "Still, it's a group decision. We'll have to wait for Winston to come back if we're to make a decision. The society is a democracy after all, not a dictatorship."

Quin was on his feet now, glaring daggers at the old man. "What about Charlie?"

"She's not really one of us, Quin. You know that. Besides, I saw her this morning by the river. She's was feeding a beast in the water. She told me she's staying here incase somebody, anybody, comes back."

Quin fell silent for a heartbeat before grabbing his cloak from the back of his chair. "I'm going out."

Nyx watched him go before he started to get up.

"Nyx, let him be," Mendax warned. "He's just having a hard time dealing with it."

Nyx watched Mendax, allowing the leader's thoughts to fly through his head. Fear, worry, pain, loss. Nyx sat back down. His fingers touched the scarf, some parts rough wool, others dried and crumbly. He closed his eyes and placed his forehead against the smooth wooden tabletop. "Yeah, him and me both."

~

Minx had Luna by the shoulders, forcing her to move faster. Her wings frantically beat the air, left working harder that the right, right torn and bleeding. She pulled left, almost yanking Luna's arm out of the socket as they crashed through the thickets, the screaming and roaring getting louder and closer.

"Minx!" Luna choked, her voice hoarse. She was looking back at the things pursuing them. Minx didn't need to check. She knew what they were.

One moment her, August and Blueberry had been flying through the trees, weaving between the branches and dodging the clay men that appeared randomly, as if by magic. Then the two other dragons were on the floor screaming, thrashing back and forth as a huge shape lumbered forwards and their bodies were consumed by dirt. In her panic the monster that had once been Blueberry had somehow latched onto her wing, tearing with spines that came out of his back at random angles, like spider legs.

Now Axel was running along side them, Jags on his shoulder shouting something, his voice drowned out by their pounding footsteps. Then suddenly they were falling, tumbling down a steep incline, scrambling frantically to gain a purchase as they slipped further down the bank. Minx's heart stopped when they hit the water, cold squeezing her chest as the sunlight danced far above them. The current was dragging them south, downstream as her and Luna sank towards the riverbed. Somewhere along the way they'd lost the bags, but that was the least of their problems. Luna was desperately kicking up, but something was holding her down. With a start Minx realised it was Axel. Somehow he'd managed to get below them, and was holding Jags under one arm and Luna's ankle with his other hand. Slowly, he raised his chin to the surface, bubbles rising up like smoke into the sky, and Minx followed his gaze.

Three black figures were staring down into the water, slowly fading away the the water swirled around, pulling them back the way they'd come. One was small, one was the size of a donkey and the final was impossibly huge. All watched them with dead black eyes, a curved line acting as a permanent smile. More were appearing, humanoid, surrounding the three creatures. After what seemed like an eternity, just as Minx's lungs threatened to give in, the largest turned, vanishing back into the shadows if the forest.

Axel let go of Luna's ankle and immediately both of them shot to the surface. Minx spluttered, gasping, letting the air fill her lungs. Axel was beside her, Jags clinging to his head. Luna scowled, treading the water as they floated along. She turned to face Axel.

"Never do that again!" She howled, slapping him across the back of the head. "Never ever ever, hear me?"

"Noted," he coughed, his mouth bobbing up and down as he fought to stay above the water. He had a single bag over his bag, and Minx already knew whatever it's contents they were as good as ruined.

"What were those things?" Jags spluttered, pulling his tail up so it didn't drag through the water. The dying sunlight caught the droplets in his fur, making them glow. Axel remained silent.

"Axel, I swear to Meden I will ruddy push you back under until you drown if you don't spill it!" Luna growled. From the look in her eyes Minx could tell she was serious.

"Fine," Axel sighed as he started to swim back towards the bank. Minx clung onto Luna's back as her Tamer followed, her damaged wing dangling uselessly in the water behind her, leaving an unbroken trail of purple in its wake. When they were all on the bank axel dumped the remaining back up into the mud and sat down. Luna and Minx stared at him expectantly.

"Those things, they're the clay army," he placed his head in his hands and what he said next made Minx's blood run cold. "They're the missing members of the society."

~

Quin trudged through the field of corn, his feet crunching through the stalls was he made his way towards the forest. Gradually, crops gave way to grass, and the grass have way to mud. His mind raced, a million thoughts running through his head. He wanted to scream, to explode. He could feel the pressure building up inside, crawling around beneath his skin. He tucked his hands into his sleeves as he felt them heat up, wispy grey mist leaking out as he spotted the old cabin materialising out of the sea of trees. He went inside. It was exactly how they'd left it six months ago, the mattress on the floor damp and covered in old, dead leaves from the previous autumn. Spiders twitched in the corners, webs Weber then destroyed and remade a thousand times since he'd last been here. When he'd been here with the others it had seemed warm and cozy, like a home. Now he saw it for what it really way; an old rotten cabin that really just needed to be destroyed. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, feeling the slick wood slowly start to seep liquid into his cloak. By his foot a gentle breeze found its way through, through a crack where once he'd watched Luna fight the man who'd kill his parents. It was strange, the way she'd just accepted him. Her and Minx. He missed them. He wondered what they were doing right now. Perhaps they were on the way here, back to Penen. What would they say, that he'd abandoned them? That he'd done the smart thing?

Luna's lying somewhere cold, already the flies will have laid eggs in her cold flesh as grey, charred skin starts to rot. Minx should have gone back, the clay men will get her. They're both gone, just like mum and dad and everyone one you've ever cared about.

He opened his eyes, choking back a sob. He couldn't think like that. Ever. No matter what everyone else said, even if Mendax and Nyx and everyone else had just given up hope. His felt something warm and looked down to see his fingers burning, fire dancing across his skin. He'd never asked for this, to be this way. He sank to the floor, hugging his knees and willing the embers to die. They didn't. They stayed there, flickering and spluttering. His eyes wandered over to a spot on the wall, focusing on words scratched there years ago. Names, so many names. He frowned, he hadn't noticed before. Intrigued, he got up, moving over to the mattress. Etchings poked out from behind the fabric and as he heaved the bed away he could see them more clearly.

Charlie claims this as her kingdom, no matter what Luna says.
Luna overrides Charlie's rule.
Gemma thinks they should both just stop.
Minx was here.
Jags.
Nyx Williams
Gang of '08
Michel.
Josh
John <3 Leah

The list went on.

He stared, layers upon layers of names and messages scratched into the wall. No doubt there were move around the cabin, but time had taken its toll and they'd faded away into nothingness. He cleaned his fists, the fire threatening to consume him now. He turned and marched out, looking up at the sky before screaming. The emotions were too much, too much for him to handle.

He howled at the darkening sky as he let the heat out, the fire exploding outwards like a supernova as he cried and crumpled to the floor. He shivered, fire casting shadows on the trees that refused to burn.

"Some light show."

He turned, vision blurry, to see Nyx standing there. "You don't understand..."

Nyx stepped forwards, Quin stepped back. Nyx continued to move, barely flinching as he pulled Quin into his embrace. "Quin, it's going to be ok."

Quin watched the orange glow slowly die, hugging Nyx back. "I'm just so so scared," he sobbed, finally breaking down. "What if they're gone for good?"

Nyx slowly pulled away. Quin saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his face was red, like he'd been crying. "You and both know they're not. Now come on, let's head back before it gets dark." He extended his hand and after a moment's hesitation, Quin took it. With one last look back at the crumbling cabin, the two of them started to long walk back towards Nyx's family farm.

~

Hey-o
Another author's note just to thank you guys for 400 views! :D

Sorry for the late update, depending on school, chapters may come a bit randomly, but once the summer holidays roll around I should be able to update a lot more regularly.

So what do you guys think so far? Let me know by commenting your opinions, and if you're enjoying remember to vote to let me know!

Thanks once again for 400 views, and I'll see you in the next part! XD