SSS Rank Dragon Tamer: Unleashed
Chapter 53: Shadows at Midnight

Chapter 53: Shadows at Midnight

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The creature crept toward the quiet tent, then it paused and sniffed. Then it entered the tent where Fenna was sleeping. Inside Fenna’s tent, the mystery visitor launched into silent chaos.

With a kick of its claws, It overturned her water jug first then its fat clawed feet tangled in the strap, tipping the whole contents across the mat. Cold water splashed the canvas and soaked half the clothes bundled nearby.

The beast then sniffed a wrapped parcel of dried fruit and shredded it open with a delighted trill. Juice and crumbs smeared across the tent’s interior as it gorged.

Next, it discovered the garment bag.

With a series of curious chirps, it flapped one stubby wing and pounced. Claws flashed, and in seconds, silken shirts, woolen leggings, and a brand-new forest cloak were reduced to ribbons. The little beast rolled in the remains, clearly delighted with its nesting work, then hopped over to a corner, sniffed Fenna for a few seconds... and vanished back into the night.

No alarm was raised. Zephyr and Star slept soundly. Even dragon senses, it seemed, could be fooled by whatever magic cloaked the intruder.

The next morning began with a scream.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Zephyr jolted upright, instinct flaring. Star launched from the bedding pile, wings flapping wildly.

They burst from their shelter together, Zephyr barely managing to pull his shirt over his chest. "Fenna?! What happened?"

She stood at the entrance of her tent, barefoot, soaked from the knees down, holding up what used to be a tunic. Now it was a stringy mess of cloth and feathers.

"What happened to my clothes?!"

Zephyr blinked. "What..."

Fenna looked like a war survivor. "All of them! They’re shredded! Everything’s wet! My shoes are floating in a puddle! And someone... or something ate all my fruit bars!"

Star sniffed the ground near the tent flap, his nose crinkling. Tiny claw prints trailed away from the mess, leading into the bushes.

Zephyr knelt and examined one of the prints. They were almost like Star’s but different in a way. Rounder. "Star," he said slowly, "did you sneak into her tent last night?"

Purr!

The drake let out a sharp chirp and headbutted Zephyr’s knee in protest.

"Didn’t think so." He straightened and turned back to Fenna. "Okay. I owe you an apology."

She glared at him, dripping tunic in hand. "You think?"

Zephyr scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "Yesterday morning... when you said you thought something was sniffing around and spilled the water jug, I assumed it was just Star. I should’ve checked. If I hadn’t brushed it off, we could’ve caught whatever did this."

Fenna’s shoulders slumped. "That was my new cloak..."

"I promise," Zephyr said, walking up and placing both hands gently on her shoulders, "when we get back to Emberfall city, I’ll buy you as many cloaks as you want. We’ll find that vendor with the mirror-thread sleeves you liked. The whole set."

She blinked, expression wavering.

"Also," Zephyr added, drawing her into a light embrace, "we’re going to catch this little bastard. Tonight. Together. For the sake of fashion."

Fenna buried her face in his chest, trying not to smile.

"I want justice," she mumbled. "Real, spark throwing justice. I had a favorite shirt there. I was going to wear it when I tamed my beast... and face you in a tame-off."

Zephyr raised a brow. "Tame-off?"

She looked up at him, fire back in her eyes. "You’ve got a dragon. I’m going to catch something better or something of equal lineage."

Star chirped from behind them, tail flicking in protest.

Zephyr turned toward the prints again, studying them. "Small. Smart. And sneaky enough to fool a drake’s nose and our dragon sense. That’s a rare combination."

Fenna stepped beside him. "Think it’s one of the Emberwood shadow beasts?"

"Maybe. But it ate all your food, ruined your clothes, and walked out untouched. That’s not a shadow beast. That’s personality."

Zephyr looked toward the forest. The air shimmered faintly in the rising sun.

"I don’t think it came to attack," he said slowly. "It was... curious. Mischievous, maybe. We set up in its territory, and it threw a tantrum."

Fenna cracked her knuckles. "Then let’s have a chat. You and me. And maybe Star." Star growled low in agreement.

"Tonight," Zephyr said, "we lay a trap."

Fenna’s eyes narrowed, a smirk curling. "Bait?"

He grinned. "One very fragrant cloak."

A few minutes later...

The Ember Nest camp remained hushed beneath a pale blue sky, smudged with the fading embers of dawn. Mist coiled around the sulfur pools, and the faint crackling of morning dew steaming off basalt rock filled the clearing like whispered static.

Zephyr sat beside the fire pit with Star curled lazily at his side, both of them still recovering from the whirlwind chaos that had unfolded inside Fenna’s tent. Every now and then, Star glanced sideways at the now-ruined waterskin, as if it had personally wronged him.

Fenna, arms folded tightly, had already re-rolled her blanket, her lips twitching with frustration. The remains of her travel bag lay gutted behind her, a few half shredded tunics fluttering in the morning breeze.

"I only brought six shirts," she grumbled for the fifth time. "And now only one of them remains."

Zephyr tried not to laugh. "Technically, it’s art. Look at the way it flaps."

She glared. "You’re enjoying this."

"No!!! I’m appreciating the absurdity," he corrected. "Not your suffering. I promise."

Star let out a yawn. It was deliberate, slow, and then snorted smoke toward the sky.

Zephyr gave him a light pat. "Don’t act smug. Your paws match the prints, and I wanted to ask... Do you sleepwalk? If so, you are in trouble."

The drake purred a soft denial and buried his head beneath one wing. He was a bit annoyed and angry.

"No more jokes," Fenna declared, hands on hips. "We’re finding the little beast tonight. If it sneaks into my tent again, I’m tying it to a rock."

"Or taming it," Zephyr said, raising a brow.

She hesitated. "Maybe. After it apologizes. If it’s a flying type beast."