Chapter 24: Fire and Fang

The morning fog clung to our wings like silk as we soared above the trees. The jungle stretched out beneath us, endless and wild, each shadow a secret, each movement a potential meal—or a threat.

She flew just ahead of me, her tail trailing fire-glow from the rising sun. We hadn't spoken—not with words, anyway—but we didn't need to. The way we moved in sync now, the way we turned together, scanned the ground together… it was clear.

We were hunting.

Together.

But fate doesn't always hand out deer and fish.

Not on Skull Island.

We dipped low over a ridge, trees breaking into rocky hilltops below, when I smelled it.

Burnt meat. Death. And… sulfur.

Then I saw it.

Slithering below through crushed foliage and half-eaten bones.

A Skullcrawler.

I froze in the air for half a breath.

They were dangerous. No doubt. Fast. Brutal. Smart.

But they were also delicious.

I remembered the last one. The flavor. The power I felt afterward. The strength in my muscles, the longer flight, the stronger fire.

I looked at her.

She had already stopped. Hovering. Watching me.

Waiting.

I growled low in my chest and tilted my wings.

We dove.

The Skullcrawler didn't see us until I was already upon it, roaring with a blast of smoke and flame. My fire struck its back, scales blackening and cracking under the heat. It screeched, tail lashing, claws raking at the air as it reared up.

But then she hit it from the side—her fire catching it across the face, searing its eye shut.

It swung toward her—fast, vicious. I tackled it before it could reach her, biting down hard into its neck, claws digging into its side. It writhed, slammed me into the ground, but I didn't let go.

She lunged in again, biting the back of its leg, dragging it down.

We tore into it together. Wings flapping. Fire flaring.

And when it finally stopped moving, we stood over the body, sides heaving, smoke curling around us.

We didn't wait.

We feasted.

Warm meat. Tough hide. Rich with strength. Every bite made my chest burn hotter, my wings feel lighter.

I could see the fire in her eyes, too.

This wasn't just survival anymore.

It was dominance.

Claiming power from this island, one meal at a time.

When we finished, blood dripping from our jaws, I looked at her—and for the first time, I saw not just a partner.

I saw a rival in strength. An equal.

And for the first time in a long time… I felt ready.

Ready for the island. Ready for anything.

We roared together, fire shooting into the sky—two dragons.

Hunters.

Killers.

Becoming legends.