We've been waiting for hours.

I thought I had finally gotten used to the Alaskan cold but now it seemed to sting my very bones.

Probably because I was on top of a mountain.

You heard that right. A mountain. Caed, who was made for the cool, yet not entirely frigid weather of North American caves, was shivering even though we had given him a dirty brown pony blanket with holes cut for his wings. I sighed and pulled out another bottle of vodka. "Need a bit of heat?" I murmured before pouring some into the dragon's mouth. The dragon coughed and I ducked out of experience as a blast of fire shot out from his nose. He shook his head as a puff of flame raced out from his spine and I ran my fingers over it like a hobo trying to get some warmth.

"Not too much vodka, Justin," Jesse warned, his Mohawk speckled with frost and snow. "A drunk dragon is the last thing you want right now." His thick, Nike symbol eyebrows were lowered over his eyes as he watched the empty plains like an eagle.

There was nothing down there. Nothing except possibly the largest dragon Rider facility in North America. Hidden craftily by Mardu's magic, the inhabitants were safe. For now. We were watching the roads from the mountains, Jesse's dragon Tahn-Ra clinging to the side of the mountain like a bat. His chameleon scales had shifted until they were the color of the craggy rocks, concealing us perfectly.

I was hoping this would be over with soon. The sun was climbing in the sky and reflecting off the snow blindingly. I was wearing several layers, a big black puffy jacket, a ski mask, gloves, puffy pants and boots. I looked like an Alaskan thug. But still, the few areas that were revealed to the sun, such as my lips, eyes, and buttcrack absolutely roasted in the sun. I closed my eyes, trying to ease the pain when Jesse elbowed me. "Keep looking." He hissed.

Right. I was supposed to keep an eye out for Mardu since only I could see him. I squinted against the sunlight, heaving a sigh before taking another bite of my half frozen sausage. I fed the other half to Caed, who was curled around the saddle, his warm head on my lap. Jesse picked up the binoculars and peered through them.

I yawned and leaned back onto Caed's warm back, tempted to close my eyes and head back to sleep. Suddenly my lips burned as if a hot chili pepper had been rubbed on them. I shivered and looked around. That feeling was only too familiar.

And there he was. Mardu. I saw him exit the magical barrier and soar between the two mountains, close to the ground, his wings twice they were usually as if he were shielding something... or someone.

"What?" Jesse barked, making me blink back to reality. "Do you see something?"

"Yeah, Mardu," I breathed. "He went through there." I pointed at where his tail had just disappeared.

Tahn-Ra jumped off the cliff immediately and I felt my stomach churn. His wings spread and he dive-bombed right after Mardu, his scales swirling to new colors and shapes seamlessly, hiding him in plain sight. I held onto the saddle horn, crouching low as Caedmon gripped onto the saddle with his talons, keeping his wings tight to his body.

I panted, the warm saliva surrounding the masks' lip opening instantly chilling as cold air nearly took my breath away.

"Where is he?" Jesse roared as we swooped into the same cavern, Tahn Ra adjusting his huge self so he could fit through. His tail flicked from side to side, keeping his balance. I looked up ahead and could see the light dragon swerving just out of sight, racing to the left of the mountain to the north. "There," I hissed, pointing. "He's right there."

Jesse grunted. "I think I know where he's going," he growled as he spurred Tahn Ra faster, the dragon shooting straight ahead. I fought to breathe normally, the cold, thin air seeming to burn and suffocate my lungs at the same time. I popped a pill into my mouth and managed to swallow it down, wincing as the medication scraped down my esophagus. Taking a shuttering breath, I peeked up over Jesse's shoulder once more to find Mardu flash out in front of us in a blast of light. I winced and pointed over Jesse's shoulder.

"Sharp turn," Jesse grunted and gripped onto the saddle tightly as Tahn Ra suddenly swerved to his side, almost 180 degrees. I bit back a scream and gripped onto the saddle horn, my legs clinging to the saddle for dear life. Caed was hanging by his halter, squirming frantically on his side. As soon as we were righted I found us in a large crevice between two mountains. The sheer cliffs raced up on either side of us. Mardu was dead ahead.

"Where is he?!" Jesse roared. He grabbed me and yanked me in front of him. I gasped and my hands snatched out at anything before grabbing the saddle horn tightly, my hands shaking I shakily reached a hand up, pointing a finger at Mardu as waves of light flickered from his wings and tail. He was so very beautiful.

"Keep pointing at him," Jesse grunted.

Okay... why? I turned my head to get a glimpse of Jesse's face and all I could see was a large green metal rod. What?

"Duck!" Jesse grunted.

I did, no questions asked. There was a FSHHHHHH sound that built up into a shriek. My jaw dropped and my head popped back up again like a gopher.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

I saw the rocket race through the sky. I saw Mardu turn his head, his golden eyes widening in shock. I heard him unleash a roar... his wings bunching up for one final flap. He unleashed a powerful stroke of his wings.

Sending him hurtling straight towards the rocket.

Well that was stupid, I mean, Mardu was invisible right? So the rocket would go straight through him.

His great wings flared and the rocket hit him full on.

Jesse's eyes widened and he lowered his bazooka. "I.. I can see him," he whispered.

The explosion was immense. Mardu was hit like a solid object, his gorgeous golden body engulfed in flame and smoke. I watched the sky below him begin to fizzle and fuzz like a hot summer's day before the flaming form was tipped backwards... and fell.

A shiver wracked my body as Jesse released the red flare gun. I didn't even look up, watching as the dragon fell, strips of his golden wings flickering through the air like ashes, his spaded tail swishing before coming to rest after his great body was smashed to the ground like a rock, positioned awkwardly on a stone outcropping. His noble head was twisted at an odd angle, his body mangled. I couldn't bear to look. My hand went to my mouth.

"Sorry kid. Had to be done," Jesse grunted, setting the bazooka down back into the baggy saddle bags.

My jaw dropped. I looked down, seeing what had been there all along. Just beyond Mardu's body was Piffer's dragon- the big moss bull. What looked like twenty children were strapped to his back, screaming, crying, or watching solemnly at the fallen General's demise. Around them, a small group of third year dragons orbited, flying in close formation with the big moss dragon.

"He was protecting them..." I whispered, feeling like my heart took a nosedive off one of these very mountains.

Tahn Ra swooped towards them. "Wh-what are you doing!?" I squeaked, breathing shakily.

"Saving them," Jesse whispered just as a dragon branched off from the group and came flashing towards us. It was gold, about as big as a horse, and a sixth the size of Tahn Ra. Was it stupid? It opened its mouth as its spines clattered before the friction built up to a full electric charge. The two metal spikes on its nose and chin started to ripple with condensed energy.

"Electric!" Jesse barked and Tahn Ra twisted to the side just in time to miss a bolt of lightning arrowing towards us, knifing through the sky, a BOOM following shortly after.

Jesse grunted and picked up his bazooka as the two dragons hovered to face off.

"We have no time for this," Jesse growled and aimed the bazooka at her.

I pushed at his arm. "We're here to save the kids, right?"

Jesse elbowed me. "You touch me one more time and I'm pushing you off the dragon." He growled.

My hands started to shake and I turned to look at Caed who was biting at his harness frantically. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do. But one thing's for sure, I needed Caed. I unstrapped him as quietly as I could, holding my breath as I heard the familiar FSHHHHHH sound.

"Oh no," I whipped around to see the rocket racing towards the gold dragon, who paused before diving straight down. The rocket blasted open a chunk of the mountain and rocks came raining down upon the small gold, making it struggle to remain in the sky.

"Missed," Jesse cursed under his breath before reloading, trying to take aim.

The quick little lightning dragon swooped towards us before a young woman stood up on its back like a circus performer, one leg forwards and the other perpendicular to her saddle. She raised something. It looked like a.... spear?

"Fly!" Jesse barked but Tahn Ra was too heavy to pick himself up that fast. He twisted to the side, trying to evade the spear. But he was too slow. With a meaty thunk the spear was injected into his belly. Tahn Ra let out an immense roar, his front paws scrabbling at the tiny spear.

The woman picked up another, and threw it, this one landing on his neck. Tahn Ra was pissed now. He roared and dove straight towards the lightning dragon, his jaws wide open. The lightning dragon was smaller and faster and just managed to give a thrust of her wings and miss the thrusted claws and teeth, coasting just over the big dragon.

As the woman passed by just a yard from me, our eyes met.

My eyes widened as hers narrowed. "Avery," I whispered.

No. No. No. This could not be happening. I panted, given new purpose. As Jesse raised the bazooka with a feral expression on his features, I straight out kicked the bazooka out of his hand. He gasped and his eyes widened as he watched, stunned. The bazooka bounced off the dragon's scales before plummeting towards the earth, spinning and shrinking. "Justin..." He inhaled slowly, his fists clenching and shaking slightly. "TRAITOR!" He roared, getting up, his bulging muscles looking fit to rip through his skin. I stepped back.

Behind me, another spear imbedded into the dragon's scaly back. Out of the corner of my mind, I was wondering if it was meant for me. "Hey, hey easy there," I said. "It's just- we're meant to save these people, right? And so we don't need that weapon anymore, right?" I gave a cheesy smile.

Caedmon hissed and shook himself like a dog, the unlocked harnesses all falling off him. He grinned toothily before jumping at Jesse, claws extended. His lean, muscular body looked as graceful and deadly as that of a pouncing panther, his narrowed feline eyes unforgiving.

Jesse grit his teeth and grabbed Caedmon by his stubby horns, wincing as the dragon scratched up his beefy arms. Then he chucked the dragon off the dragon, sending him tumbling to the ground below.

"Caedmon!" I screamed and leaned forwards just as I felt a strange buzzing feeling in my butt and feet. It started to get stronger and stronger and I gasped and stumbled forwards right onto Jesse.

Tahn Ra unleashed a roar as Talia, the lightning dragon, circled around him, Avery chucking another spear and hitting him straight in the nose. She held several metal wires which were sparkling with electricity. Tahn Ra waved a massive paw at it, trying to smack the annoying fly out of the air.

Jesse growled and went over to one of the spears, but as soon as he put his hands on it to yank it out, he was shocked so hard he was sent flying into the dragon's thick neck, where he slumped and passed out.

Tahn Ra roared, looking to try to see his Rider, but when he had no instruction he was forced to retreat to see if Jesse was alright. He swooped away, heading the opposite direction.

I grabbed onto the buzzing scales and crawled up to the dragon's shoulders, my teeth gritting. "Avery!" I yelled, calling out to her.

Avery watched me from the dragon's back. She just stared at me as she slowly released the wires. Then she sat back down and turned away as her dragon headed back with her group.

I panted before whipping off my ski mask. "Avery! Avery!" I yelled. She didn't turn.

Suddenly there was a flash of black and my faithful friend swooped up beside me. "Come on!" He said.

He could barely fly with me on it, but this was my only choice. I couldn't have my friends die... because of me. I jumped onto the dragon's back and lowered my head, trying to be as aerodynamic as possible as Caedmon swooped around before racing after Avery. The cool mountain air ruffled my hair, my stomach churned. If my heart wasn't beating a million miles an hour, I would be thinking this moment was the moment I had been waiting for. To finally be flying with Caed. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs going around his waist. I got to admit, we looked a bit ridiculous. 

Caed's muscles shook and strained under me. His neck pumped, his breathing hoarse.

Suddenly he dipped under the shadow of a mountain range.

"What are you doing?! She's over there!" I hissed, pointing at her.

Caedmon didn't answer as he landed on a Cliff side shakily, making me fall to the rocks. "Caed- we need to catch her!" I panted as I propped myself up onto my hands. "They're in trouble!" Caedmon continued to pant, his wings shaking and dragging to the ground. I gulped and looked down, we were hundreds of feet in the air. A single pebble slid loose and tumbled all the way to the frozen earth. I gulped. "Caed... we're not stuck here are we? Caed, you can do this, right?"

In answer, Caedmon flopped on his side, breathing labored, his jaws open and tongue lolling onto the snow.

"Caedmon!" I crawled to his side. "Caedmon! Come on you can do this buddy!" Tears raced down my cheeks and froze on my chin. "Come on buddy, you can't give up."

Caedmon looked up at me with his great big violet eye as I stroked his neck. "Come on buddy come on..." I bit my lip to stop it from shaking, my voice croaking. "Let's go!"

Caedmon faded to shadows in front of me, melting into the mountain side.

"Caedmon! You can't do this! Think of our friends!" I screamed into the mountains, my voice echoing in the frosty air. I slammed my fists to the spot he had just been, my teeth gritting. "Caedmon- we run! That's all we do! Run! For once, it's time for us to stand and fight! No running, no hiding! But I can't do it without you! Please, Caed, my partner, my friend. Don't... don't leave me!" I slowly put my head to the rock between my hands, my breath shuttering in my throat as I gave a few hacking sobs. A glob of snot hung from my nose but I didn't care. All I could think of was the impending doom coming for my friends. And now, with Mardu gone, no one could hide any longer from it.

What have I done?