"It took them long enough."

  Aytin ignored the comment, instead peering through the canopy towards the distant keep. His talons dug deep into the rough bark of the wide branch. He even tapped into his magic to keep his balance as he leaned forward, trying to get a better view.

  "You said that they'd be here three days ago. Where were they?"

  "I never said that, Ness," he replied, absently. They had a spyglass back home in Luffin keep. It would have been nice to have it here.

  The young huntress glared from beside him. "Yes you did. You told us all exactly when they'd be here. So we went five whole days without fresh meat. I'm a huntress, you know. Hunting is what we do!"

  "I told you, they were supposed to take about five weeks for their journey. So what if it was a little longer than that?"

  "And no flying! No fires!"

  Aytin sighed and finally turned back to face Ness. "We had a cookfire." Carefully hidden, and fed with deadwood to reduce the smoke. "And you got to fly just yesterday."

  "That's messenger duty! That's no fun!"

  "This is supposed to be fun?"

  She stuck her tongue out at him. But he understood.

  The entire camp was getting stir crazy after days of laying low. In fact, Aytin had begun cutting back flights a week before, just after Cue departed. Nobody liked it, but if one of them was spotted when the brigands returned, that could ruin everything.

  If they returned.

  That worry had crossed his mind. There could have been a mutiny. Or they found a better spot to hole up for the winter. Or they could have had the bad luck to run into a patrol out of some regional fortress.

  But none of that had happened, and all the precautions turned out to be worth it. Because just as the sun passed its zenith, Ness had sounded the alarm. Minutes later, a blue dragon with a cloud of dragonettes had flown almost directly overhead on their way to the keep.

  "Keep an eye on them," Aytin ordered.

  "Awww, but-"

  "And try to keep quiet."

  She grumbled a little, but obeyed. Aytin didn't think even magically enhanced hearing could have heard them from so far off, but he wasn't willing to bet their lives on it.

  Every wildling in the camp waited as he glided down. Faelon was there, too. He watched intently from behind the crowd, still as a statue save for eyes that tracked the young dragonette's path down from the canopy.

  "They're here," was all he said as he landed.

  "We knew that already. What else can you tell us?"

  Rina sounded as frustrated as Ness, and a general rumble of agreement came from the gathered wildlings. None of them enjoyed being grounded and it was showing.

  "About what we expected. Ness counted maybe eighteen of them."

  That caused some excitement. "So we outnumber them!"

  "Eighteen of them... and a dragon with working wings."

  That quieted them a little, but not by much. There were a bunch of pointed looks at their trio of lancers and mutters about how Faelon was bigger.

  If there was one thing that the wildlings didn't lack, it was enthusiasm. That was pretty much the only thing that they had in abundance.

  Even with his limited training, Aytin was easily the most experienced among them at fighting other dragonettes. The huntresses were good enough at hunting for the table and the others at least knew which way to point a spear. Beyond that, they weren't much more experienced than Saza.

  It wasn't like the brigands were members of the royal guard or anything. But every one of them was a veteran of sorts. They had years of experience with their weapons. Many of them had their own armor, too.

  In a straight up fight, it would have been no contest. The wildlings would be destroyed. They were putting a lot of faith in surprise to carry the day.

  "Lessy, you have the best eyes here. Go and join Ness. See if there's anything we missed."

  The huntress in question nodded and immediately took flight. They might not have a spyglass, but Lessy's magically enhanced vision was even better.

  "Unless she sees anything, tonight is going to be the night. It has to be."

  There were nods all around. None of them relished fighting in the cold, and Matriarch Nej had been warning of the first true cold snap of the season coming soon. After that, no one would be able to last long outside of shelter, especially at night.

  It was warm enough at the moment. Unseasonably so, even. But that would only last a few more days at most.

  The nearly full moon would be both a blessing and a curse. All things considered, he was glad that they would be able to see who they were fighting, but it would certainly make sneaking up on them harder.

  Aytin realized that the entire camp was still watching him. They expected him to say more, and he struggled for something to tell them.

  "We've had a long flight to get here, with winds coming from every direction. But now we've made it, and... and..."

  He was starting to ramble. Despite all the planning, he had never considered coming up with something to say when this day finally came.

  Everyone knew the plan. Fires had been prepared on a distant hilltop. There were hides near the approach to the keep. The groups had been selected and details debated.

  There was nothing more to say. But he had to say something.

  Before the silence could become too uncomfortable, Faelon rose and extended his long neck over the crowd.

  "Aytin, will you speak for me?"

  At the dragonette's grateful nod, he spoke. "I have lived for centuries. In that time, I have had many... many followers. In war and peace. I have never had - I do not believe any dragon has ever had - a more dedicated group of followers than you.

  "Your people saved the life of my companion before knowing more than he was in distress. By saving his life, you also saved mine."

  As Faelon waited for the translation to catch up, he swept his gaze across the assembly. When he found Rina he inclined his head to her, then did the same for Ness and Attalee. The latter was in the rear, leaning against a tree, but she gave a grudging nod in response.

  "You fed us. You healed us. And now you fight with us. I could not - would not - ask for more.

  "So I thank you all. For the sacrifices you have made. And," he looked towards the trio of lancers. "The ones you are about to make." With that, Faelon dipped his head low in a draconic bow.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Like a ripple, the wildlings bent in bows of their own. Heads lowered and knees bent until the entire circle had followed suit.

  After a handful of heartbeats, Faelon stood and rose to his full, towering height.

  "Now, go make your preparations. Eat, rest, tend to your weapons. When the time comes, fight well and remember the plan. I want to see every one of you atop that hill come the dawn."

  He turned and left the gathering just as Aytin finished translating the final words. What followed was a period of silence, then whispers, and finally...

  "You heard Dragon Faelon!" Rina called out over the growing mutters. "If you're not ready for tonight, you have the rest of the afternoon to get ready. I hear that the cooks are making everyone's favorite for dinner: Venison jerky."

  There were groans and someone threw a pinecone in her general direction. "I know. I want a cookfire, too. But it's almost done. And just think of the victory feast we'll have when this is all over!"

  There was a muted cheer at that, then the dragonettes began to disperse as the huntress waved them away. Once everyone was headed off to do last minute preparations, she headed straight for Aytin.

  "Thank you for that," he said, accepting a hug as she reached him.

  "Thank Faelon. He's the one who saved your tail. I just got everyone back to work."

  "You're still good at it. A natural leader."

  She smiled at the compliment, but her expression faded slightly. "It should be Attalee. Not me."

  The brief thaw in Aytin's relationship with the nominally senior huntress had ended abruptly. He tried reaching out to her a few times. Those attempts were ignored.

  Her fellow huntresses knew there had been a falling out but, thankfully, there was no sign that she had ever gone into details about their feud.

  Ness had even tried to bring it up with him at one point. She had invited him along to feed Stumpy in his temporary lair a short walk outside of camp.

  Like most animals, the nauliker had an instinctual fear of dragons. No amount of coaxing would get him within fifty paces of Faelon, and just being within sight of the dragon made him antsy.

  Since a nervous nauliker was something no one wanted, they had found him a nice little shelter underneath some fallen trees where Stumpy could stay well away from the true apex predator.

  It hadn't been hard to figure out that the young huntress had ulterior motives to get him alone, but Aytin had been just as tired of his restrictions as anyone else. When the opportunity to get out of camp presented itself, he seized it. And he wasn't even upset when the question came.

  "It's personal," he had told her as he tossed a chunk of jerky to the nauliker.

  Stumpy gave him a look that conveyed utter disdain for the dry, unflavored meat. When no other options materialized, he hissed a complaint before worrying at the poor offering.

  "Yeah, I know it's between the two of you. So what is it? I know she's not jealous of Rina."

  Aytin snorted a laugh. "You're right about that, at least."

  "Is it Khirk and Drav and Nali?"

  "A bit, yeah."

  "So why doesn't she just talk to them?"

  Aytin had frowned at the comment. He had assumed Attalee had done just that. But he just shook his head. "It's more than that. A lot more. And... I really can't talk about it. Not my place to say."

  She had tried probing further, but when it was clear Aytin wasn't going to budge, she had dropped the subject. Apparently, she also passed on word of the conversation to the rest of the huntresses, because after that they started looking more and more towards Rina as their leader.

  She might not have been the next most senior huntress, but she had experience and her position close to Aytin lent her some of his authority. With the battle soon upon them, there wasn't time to find anyone better.

  'Hells, if it wasn't for Faelon and the whole Companion shit, she'd be leading this. She's better at it than I am.'

  "And I wish I was going with you instead of her. Attalee is like an older sister to me, but..."

  Rina's comment brought Aytin back to the present. And he couldn't argue with the sentiment.

  "Me, too," he agreed. "But someone has to lead the group at the fires. You're the only one I trust to do it."

  She nodded, sadly. It wasn't anything they hadn't already debated a dozen times over. But neither of them could deny the facts.

  Faelon still couldn't speak the wildling tongue with any sort of fluency. Aytin would have to be with the dragon, ready to storm the keep at the first opportunity.

  Attalee was the obvious choice to lead the distraction group, even with the friction between them. Only, she absolutely refused to leave Aytin alone with her fellows.

  'It's like she's convinced that I'll send them on a suicidal charge into the ocean or something.'

  So Rina would lead the other group. It was smaller than Aytin's, but four of their five huntresses had composite bows, and three of the others were armed with crossbows. If the brigands sent scouts without their dragon, then they would have to kill them all, and quickly. A single escapee, or even just a signal flare, would be enough to warn the keep and that would be the end of everything.

  Under the cover of dusk, Aytin's group would sneak into the creekbed near the keep, and get as close as they could while staying out of sight. Including the five huntresses and trio of lancers, they would have fifteen fighters. Seventeen if they counted Faelon and Stumpy.

  The broad strokes of the plan hadn't changed much. If Xantha sent a small scouting party to the fires, Rina's group would ambush them and take their place on the return. They had enough pots of "Dragon Magic" to set half the keep aflame. Then the rest of the wildlings would swarm over their remains.

  If Kalthor went out with the scouting party, Aytin and Faelon would assault the keep, and be waiting for the other dragon when he returned. Hopefully with Rina coming in from behind to clean up what was left.

  There were contingencies. Most of them revolved around the trio of lancers. If everything went well, Khrik, Drav, and Nali wouldn't spill so much as a drop of blood.

  If not, they would be the only chance at success.

  And if Kalthor managed to get airborne and the lancers failed... Well, in that case, the plan was clear.

  Retreat.

  Could he abandon Faelon? Hide with the wildlings in the forest? Bide his time until the brigands lost interest in revenge or winter forced them to abandon their hunt? All the while knowing he had left his friend to die?

  Aytin didn't know the answer to any of those questions. But he did know for certain that if he stayed behind, he wouldn't be alone.

  Looking into Rina's eyes, Aytin was sure that she would refuse to abandon him, no matter what. And neither would Ness or the lancers or most of the other wildlings who he had come to know over the past weeks.

  "I still wish I could be with you," Rina said after a few moments of thought. "You need someone to protect you, after all."

  And then she delivered a brutal poke to his side.

  "Hey!" He tried to retaliate, but his girlfriend was already dancing away, laughing. Lunging, he almost had her, but she sidestepped and prodded him in the back as he stumbled past.

  Rina met his glare with a grin before turning tail and sprinting away. Aytin didn't even pause for a moment.

  He chased after her.

  She led him into the forest, dodging around trees and brush. Always just a few steps ahead.

  Up a mound of rocks. Over a fallen trunk. Through a dense stand of saplings. Branches she pushed out of the way recoiled to smack her pursuer in the face.

  Spitting leaves, Aytin dug in his taloned feet and dove forward in a tackle. Rina gave a surprised "Oof!" as he hit and they both tumbled to the ground, a carpet of autumn leaves cushioning their fall.

  "Got you!" Aytin declared, proudly. He sat on her back with a grin plastered across his face.

  With an explosive grunt, Rina heaved herself up. Surprised by the sudden movement, Aytin went sprawling. As he came to a rest, a weight landed on his chest, driving the air from his lungs.

  Opening his eyes revealed another face above his.

  "Did you really?" Rina purred. "Maybe I let you catch me?"

  She leaned in for a quick nuzzle, before rising enough to let him slip free.

  Aytin didn't go far. He rolled over, remaining at Rina's side and panting from the chase. "Still got you," he muttered.

  "Sure you did." His girlfriend slid an arm around him and pulled him close. Her steady breathing told the whole story.

  Deep down, he didn't mind. In fact, there were advantages to snuggling against someone bigger than he was. Shifting, Aytin let his head rest against Rina's shoulder like a pillow.

  Her heartbeat sounded in one ear. A gentle thumping.

  It made him feel safe.

  He closed his eyes, forgetting all of his worries about the upcoming battle. If only for a little while.

  When he opened them again, the shadows were noticeably longer. Nowhere near sunset, but shading well into late afternoon.

  A hand stroked down his side and he craned his neck. Rina was watching him, a small smile on her face.

  "Sleep well?"

  "Yeah. Yeah, I did." He stretched, feeling pleasure as joints popped. "Thank you."

  "Well, you caught me. You deserved a reward." A grin lit up her face, only to be overshadowed by a loud rumbling from below.

  Aytin looked down at her stomach and barked a laugh. "Hungry?"

  Rina's ears drooped slightly in embarrassment as she nodded. "In all the excitement, I think I missed breakfast."

  "We can't have you going into battle on an empty stomach." Aytin rose, and offered her a hand. "Come on, I know how much you want jerky, but if you can handle the disappointment there's some dried fruit I've been saving for a special occasion."

  The two shared one last brief nuzzle before heading back to camp, and the preparations for the battle to come.