For a while, everything was quiet, and many people moved through the tunnel and fled into the woods. It did not last. An alarm sounded inside the compound. Suddenly, lights that had been illuminating the exterior of the fortress were turned inward. The compound lit up to the sight of people and animals running. Guards immediately began setting free their animal hybrids to run down the escapees: musticani, serojacutas, and theracapracani. The hybrids reached the forest well ahead of their guards. They were bearing down on people who were trying to disappear into the forest.

The scouts completed transforming once again into [a pack of] wolves for the trip back to H’Aleth. They had just left the outcropping when they heard a deep rumble and the sound of rocks loosening. It sounded like an earthquake; yet the ground was not heaving, and no cracks were opening up. Suddenly, a gale force wind blew across the area. A great gray dragon had arrived.
The scouts watched as the dragon spewed his searing fire across the entire section of the canal. It melted the mortar holding any stones in place. The heat of his fire fused together any stones that had collapsed. The entire structure was in ruins.
As the pack watched the dragon, they were mesmerized. His firepower was breathtaking. The dragon paused for a moment. He looked at directly at the wolves waiting just inside the forest. He sees us!

A band of hunters, seeking fossil remains, were traveling through a montane forest that spread out below the northern mountains. They had come upon a large granite outcrop that barred their way when they heard an animal crashing through the underbrush. A native white-tailed deer raced right past them, followed closely by a native brown bear. In seconds, the bear decided that easier prey was at hand and attacked the closest hunter. 

Suddenly an airborne mammal appeared. It streaked through the canopy, diving toward the scene. A juvenile great gray dragon shot past the hunters, snatched the bear in its jaws, and flew out through the canopy. After the young dragon flew away with his prize, the hunters were relieved. They thought to take a moment and catch their breath—until the juvenile’s sire reared up from behind the outcrop and looked directly at them.

Illustrations by Epic Made

It was a beautiful day to go for a walk. The tundra was in full bloom with bright yellow and red poppies, blue arctic lupine, white Labrador tea, violet parraya, and lavender pasque flowers. 

As Claren [an enemy spy] slipped outside, she gave a soft laugh and shook her head slightly. How lax their security is [referring to Gregor]. They must truly think their location makes them impregnable. Even their power source is unguarded, she thought mockingly. 

She did not see the snowy owl, in its summer plumage, perched in a nearby copse of Norway spruce; nor did she notice the arctic fox, in its summer coat, hidden among the burst of flowers. She did see a magnificent caribou stag grazing not too far away. Unbeknownst to Claren, all three—owl, fox, and deer—were scouts, watching her and marking where she went.

A group of young people were hiking through a patch of shrubs and bushes along the foothills when one of them stepped into a narrow hole. After retrieving his foot and lower leg, their comrade informed his fellow travelers that the hole had no bottom. Curious, the group moved closer to investigate it. Suddenly the ground shuddered beneath of them. They immediately scattered away from the hole.

From a distance, the group watched as the earth fell away, enlarging the hole to eight or ten feet in diameter. After a while, wherein there were no further tremors, two curious hikers gingerly inched their way toward the sink hole. As they moved closer, they saw the greyish-white tapered head of a dragon rising above the orifice.

Illustration: Subterranean Dragon