It had been two weeks since the most recent attack, where three dragons and two riders had been kidnapped from the once safe-haven that was Starsky Academy.

"You have fun, okay?" I patted Avyn's nose and he huffed, As fun as hunting can be.

"Don't you like to hunt?" I asked, still out loud. Avyn didn't nod nor shake his head, instead answering, Well, I don't mind it. I understand the cycle of life and why I have to feed myself, but of course it's never easy to end a life.

I nodded in understanding. Of course my dragon would feel like that.

"So, you're going with Rainsong, right?" I wiggled my eyebrows at his exasperated face. He seemed embarrassed but nodded anyways.

"Well, once again, have fun buddy." Avyn quickly wrapped his wings around me and we embraced, dragon and rider, two halves to a whole.

I paused for a moment, thinking, as I watched Avyn's catlike green eyes. What was it like to not have a dragon? My mind couldn't comprehend it - though I'd only been at the Academy for what was it, two months now? - and I knew that being without Avyn at this point would be like cutting my very soul in half. Before I met him I had just been me. With him I was us. Did that even make any sense? I doubted it, but smiled anyways as I hugged his paler chest.

Avyn, with his stunning indigo scales, and Rainsong, with her sapphire ones, flapped their wings hard to lift off into the air. As strong, cold gusts of air whipped my face, I felt my eyes water, like I was cutting onions. It was like fanning your eyes while they were bulged out, but much, much more dramatized and colder.

"I'm worried," Amber admitted, and I gritted my teeth, knowing where she was going with this, "The Shadows. What if..." Her voice trailed off, and I could tell she was unable to finish her sentence.

"They're dragons. They have dragonfire. Besides, Avyn wouldn't listen to it. He's hungry and he needs to feed himself, and he's tired of the stale meat they're serving now." I heard the tremor in my voice as well, and I knew Amber could hear it too.

She looked at me, her blue eyes troubled. "I hope you're right. That they'll be fine."

"I hope so too," I murmured, sighing.

"We still have a good half hour before lunch. Whad'ya say we spar or something like that; keep our skills in shape?" I could tell Amber was trying to lighten the mood.

I shrugged, and then we jogged across the campus to the training area, where some other students were already practicing. Thalia was among them, and I noticed that her golden eyes were filled with a more pronounced version of the emotion I had seen last week. It bothered me - the emotion reminded me not just of anger, not just of sadness, but of hate and incredible loneliness. I was a bit surprised when I didn't see her dragon hovering nearby - I hadn't seen it with her before either, though. Maybe they were fighting? Weird.

I gripped a wooden staff from the pile and Amber followed suit. We circled each other like snarling dogs, except we were friends, before beginning the battle.

It passed quickly, and this time I won the fight, but barely. I had pinned her with my staff to her neck, and that meant victory.

We were both quietly chatting, catching our breaths for the next duel, when suddenly I yelled out in pain. Instantly Amber was talking to me, but I couldn't focus on her, my vision had blurred and there was a resolute ringing in my temple. I groaned, kneeling over, holding my head, trying to calm myself, trying to breathe, and eventually it worked.

"A-Are you ok?" Amber asked slowly once I felt that I had recovered enough to talk.

"I don't know." My voice was stony. My fists were clenched, and my palms felt clammy and cold. My heart still pounded, and a dull throbbing remained in my head, but it wasn't so bad anymore.

I shook my head, my long brown hair flowing, and looked at my pasty skin.

"Something's wrong." Amber said suddenly, standing up, looking not at me, nor anything else. Her vision clouded and she drifted off, and I could tell she was thinking deeply.

Avyn, come back.

Avyn?

If you're focusing on the hunt, then please, just listen to me.

Avyn! You're worrying me. Answer me, please!

What was going on? Avyn would never ignore me, never. The only time he couldn't answer me was when he was asleep, and even then I could still feel faint emotions from him if we was dreaming. But here, now, I couldn't feel anything. He wouldn't answer me.

"Amber! Talk to Rainsong for me," I turned to my friend. "Ask her if Avyn's okay, please? He won't respond to me, nor can I even detect him."

Suddenly Amber's normally serene blue eyes bulged and she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut. My friend started shaking, until finally she kneeled down.

"Fear." She murmured to me, and I knew what she was implying. It was from Rainsong.

"Fear, so much fear," Amber whimpered.

"Something's happened to them! We have to find them!" I growled and stood. "Let's go to where we last saw them."

Amber nodded and stood as well, still looking hollow and scared. "We'll cut through the cafeteria as a shortcut, and then we can go to the clearing where they departed," Her voice was barely a whisper.

We ran, feet pounding on the hallway floors, through the school. As we passed through the cafeteria doors, into the room, I noticed it was completely empty. There was nobody inside.

A booming voice rang through the school. It was some kind of magic that allowed the Dean to speak, and for her voice to resonate throughout all of Starsky.

"Everyone, return to your dorms now. There has been another attack."

Oh no, please, please no.

AVYN! AVYN, TELL ME IT'S NOT YOU. TELL ME IT'S NOT, PLEASE! YOU'RE OKAY, RIGHT? P-please, Avyn...

No response.

Amber and I were still in shock. "We can't go back, we must find them." I snarled, and Amber nodded. Both of us were teary eyed by now as we bolted towards the direction where we had last seen our beloved dragons.

"Stop!" It was Aiden, and I whirled around, panting, to see him running towards us with his silver dragoness Navi at his side.

"I must find Avyn!" I argued and was about to continue running when snakes of black shadows wrapped around my waist. I screamed and tugged at them, and saw Amber was in the same predicament.

"Please, calm down. The attack is over. There is no Avyn or Rainsong, not here at least. You cannot retrieve them, not now." Aiden's voice was sympathetic, quiet, and I turned to see his hands outwards, the shadows holding Amber and I snaking out from his palms.

"Your shadow magic, of course," Amber breathed, and stopped resisting. Aiden let us go, and I watched him warily.

I wanted to cry. To sob, to scream, because my mind was empty and my beloved dragon, the other half to my soul, was missing. He had been taken.

"Don't fear," Aiden spoke, eyes downcast. When he looked back up, they were determined. "We will go. We will find your dragons. For now we must obey the school."

Shock filled me. "What?"

Aiden nodded. "I will take you to my Uncle's headquarters, where Rainsong and Avyn are going to right now. Because I know the sickening pain of your dragon being unable to communicate with you, being in pain." He sounded tired.

"Only for now." Amber's voice was hoarse.

"We shall leave tonight. The sooner, the better." Aiden spoke calmly.

I didn't like it, but it was the only option to receive my precious Avyn back. I nodded in agreement and we began the ascent to the dorm rooms, all the while my heart throbbed, trying desperately to reach out for the dragon I promised never to leave.

We were just about to enter our dorm room when I heard the panting of breath, and saw Shana and Alya running up the stairs. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the sight of her dragon.

"Shana! Where have you been?" Amber called out. Our redhaired friend gasped, meeting our eyes, and trembled.

"N-N-Nowhere," She stuttered.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt in the attack. Really, where were you?" I asked, repeating Amber's question.

Shana paused. "I-I was in the cafeteria, eating an early lunch, and I heard the voice and I ran up here."

There was a long silence and I could tell she was begging us to believe her.

"Well, that's funny, isn't it," My mouth quirked into a deadly smile.

"W-what?"

"Y'know Shana, I trusted you." My voice was venomous.

"W-w-what?"

"Stop with your useless stuttering, you traitor." She gasped at my choice of words.

Suddenly Navi leaped out at Alya, instantly pinning the small green dragon, and I myself tackled Shana, who put up basically no fight. Soon enough we had them both captured.

"I can't believe you'd do this to your best friends," Amber hissed, seething. I could see the open rage in her sky-blue eyes.

"It was to protect Alya! I never thought they'd ask for your dragons! Never!" She screamed.

"Instead of coming to us or the school for protection, you work with Aiden's uncle when he stops responding?" I yelled at my ex-friend.

Aiden stepped forward. "Guys. The plan is still on. She is useless to us now. We can leave her with the principal and go get them back."

"What? G-Get who?" Shana stuttered.

I turned to her, my glare deadly.

"I'm going to get my soul back, Shana."