Hunting | 1

Snow had a funny way of making everything seem quieter than it really was. The forest was full of sounds, of course. Tucker’s great feet crunching through the drifts, Cyborg’s metal joints creaking behind him, Dingo’s paws thumping and scattering powder as she bounded back and forth like the snow had personally invited her to play. Even Speedy was making noise, though hers came in short growls and sharp little huffs as she sniffed every trail she could find.

Still, the snow swallowed most of it up. It made the whole woods feel private, like the group had stumbled into a secret place where the trees were listening.

Levi was not enjoying that part.

He sat high on Tucker’s back, both hands gripping the saddle as though Tucker might vanish out from under him at any moment. Which was silly, really. Tucker was the biggest creature there by far, a gentle green giant who could carry two riders comfortably and still have room to spare. He moved carefully through the snow, patient as always, lowering his head now and then to sniff at the white ground.

Elias, who was seated behind Levi, was taking the whole thing far less seriously.

That was not surprising. Elias didn’t take much seriously unless it involved someone complimenting him, feeding him, or giving him a reason to look dramatic. He had one arm draped lazily over Tucker’s side and looked more like he was being carried to a winter picnic than a hunt.

“You know,” Elias said, his voice smooth and amused, “there are worse ways to spend the morning.”

Levi glanced back at him, not a glare but a look that said so much and yet he said nothing at all. Around Levi’s neck, Nox tightened nervously. The little dark green dragon was wrapped around him like a scarf, which was exactly where he preferred to be. Nox was small enough that the world had many more teeth than he liked to think about, and being tucked close to Levi was much safer than being anywhere near the ground. He peeked out from beneath Levi’s chin, gave the snow a suspicious look, and made a tiny worried sound.

Levi softened at once and touched the top of his head. “I know, Nox. You’re fine.”

Levi owned all four dragons with them, and he trusted them, mostly. Speedy was quick, clever, and occasionally a criminal. Tucker was steady and kind. Cyborg was quiet, loyal, and only a little concerning when his jetpack decided to have opinions. Nox was a good boy, even if he was currently trying to become part of Levi’s coat.

The rest of the group was somewhat less comforting. Birdy walked several yards away from everyone else, which was how he liked it. The yellow cat did not trust the forest, the snow, the hunt, or anyone to be honest. He especially did not trust Elias, but to be fair, Birdy did not trust most things that breathed. Dingo, meanwhile, had shoved her entire head into a snowbank.

Only her back half and tail were visible, wiggling with excitement.

Birdy froze. “That’s how they get you.”

Levi blinked. “Who?”

“Anything,” Birdy said. “Something could be under there.”

Dingo burst out of the drift with snow all over her ears and muzzle. She shook herself hard enough to send powder flying in every direction, then sneezed.

Birdy leapt back with a startled sound. Elias laughed quietly at the cat’s silly reaction. “She’s just having fun.”

Ahead of them, Speedy suddenly stopped. The orange raptor-like dragon had been weaving through the trees, her body low and her tail balanced behind her. She was bright against the snow, all warm color and sharp movement. Speedy was a thief by habit and a hunter by talent, and both skills seemed to use the same part of her brain. The part that noticed things she shouldn’t, slipped into places she wasn’t meant to be, and ran before anyone could stop her.

She lowered her snout to the snow and sniffed. Then she growled. Levi straightened. “She found something.”

Tucker came to a gentle stop. His wings shifted at his sides, the big green dragon lowering his head as though trying to be smaller. It did not work, but the effort was sweet. Speedy glanced back at them with bright eyes. She gave three quick huffs and pointed her nose toward a patch of shrubs half-buried under snow.

“Rabbit?” Elias asked.

Speedy clicked her teeth and made a different sound, sharper and lower.

Levi frowned and his voice was quiet. “Maybe a fox?”

Nox immediately tucked his head under Levi’s chin.

“No, not you,” Levi whispered. “Fox, not Nox, you silly thing.”

Nox cracked a small smile but did not untuck himself. Dingo had caught the scent too. Her whole body changed. One moment she was a wild child playing in the snow, and the next she was focused, ears high, paws light, eyes fixed on the shrubs. In her dingo form she did not speak, but she did not need to. Every line of her said chase.

Cyborg crept closer from behind, his black body low to the ground. His white metal parts gleamed dully under the winter sky, and each step came with a creak, click, or little mechanical whine. He did not speak at all. He never did. But somehow he always managed to make himself understood. Right now, he sounded ready. Unfortunately, he also sounded loud. The shrubs rustled. A small fox burst out from beneath them like a spark thrown from a fire.

Levi made a startled noise. Speedy launched after it at once, growling in quick bursts. Dingo sprang after Speedy, bounding through the snow with absolute joy. Tucker moved too, not fast exactly, but with a careful power that made the ground shake under the powder.

Levi clutched the saddle. “Tucker, gently! Please be gentle!”

Elias leaned back as though enjoying a ride. “You worry too much.”

“I worry exactly enough!”

The fox darted between two trees, its little body almost disappearing whenever the snow thickened around it. Speedy chased it like an orange streak, her feet barely seeming to touch the ground. She cut around rocks, sprang over roots, and snapped at the air just close enough to make the fox turn.

It turned straight toward Cyborg.

For half a second, it looked like Cyborg had the perfect chance to block it. He crouched. His claws dug into the snow. His tail lifted.

Then his jetpack coughed.

Levi’s face fell. “Oh no.”

The jetpack fired and Cyborg shot forward, missed the fox entirely, clipped a pine branch, spun sideways, and disappeared into a drift with a tremendous soft whump. Snow rained down from the tree above him. Dingo vanished under it. Elias, still on Tucker’s back, was dusted white from head to toe.

There was a long pause.

Cyborg’s tail slowly lifted out of the snow and Levi sighed in relief.

Elias wiped snow from his face. “Well. That was interesting.”

Birdy stared at the smoking hole Cyborg had left in the drift. He didn’t say anything but Elias and Levi knew what he was thinking. Levi sighed. “I know. I need to take him to someone to get that checked.”

Birdy narrowed his eyes, a comment on his tongue but he held it back. The fox, unsurprisingly, had used the confusion to escape farther into the trees. Speedy gave an offended screech and took off after it again. She did not like losing and the chase did not last much longer. The fox slipped beneath a fallen log, squeezing into a hollow between roots where none of them could easily reach. Speedy shoved her snout toward the gap and growled. Dingo pawed at the other side. Tucker stood back, too large to do anything useful without accidentally destroying the entire shelter. Cyborg, once he had managed to get himself upright, creaked over, a little messy but otherwise intact. Levi looked down at the hollow.

Inside, barely visible in the dark, the fox huddled and stared back at them. Speedy reached one of her short forearms in and grumbled when she couldn’t reach the poor creature. Then she clamped her teeth around part of a root and tore it free. The fox let out a horrible noise but that did not deter Speedy, who did it again. And again and again until she was close enough to reach into the hollow and grab the fox. She dragged it out with one of her forearms and when it was free she clamped her jaws around its neck. There was a rather loud crack and the fox moved no more. Birdy turned away right before it happened but the sound still made him nearly gag.

Levi nodded, “We should head back now, we don’t need more than this at the moment.” The vernid did not attempt to take the fox from Speedy and neither did the other riders. And so they made their way home through the snow: Tucker carrying Levi and Elias with patient steps, Nox tucked warm around Levi’s neck, Cyborg creaking along behind them, Dingo bouncing from drift to drift, Birdy muttering about traps, and Speedy leading the way, full of pride.