"Finally here."
Aemond ignored the scratches on his body, his heart filled only with excitement. But once he reached the valley, he was in trouble again. The smoking cave the wild dragon Sheep Thief had entered was surrounded by several others of similar size. As the sky darkened, his vision blurred.
Aemond gazed at the smoking caves, puzzled. "Which one is the wild dragon Sheep Thief's lair?" He hesitated for a moment, unable to distinguish one from the other. "Never mind, I'll choose this one." Aemond gritted his teeth and entered the nearest smoking cave, which was draped with withered vines and spiderwebs. "Give it a try, maybe it's the right one?"
Even with this thought, his mindset shifted once he was inside. Aemond's eyes widened, his legs feeling weak and uncontrollable as he slowly inched deeper into the cave. He was nervous, terrified. Not only was he about to tame a dragon, but he was also terrified of facing a cunning wild dragon whose reputation was so widespread. It was well known that wild dragons were the most dangerous. Untamed and brimming with primal savagery, they would incinerate any human who dared covet them.
Gray Shadow tilted his head. "Hiss?"
"Gulp..."
Aemond's mind was swirling with thoughts, briefly comparing the wild dragon Sheep Thief with the wild dragon Cannibal. Both were wild dragons; they had to be equally terrifying.
"Ah!" Aemond suddenly cried out, slapping his hands against his thighs, forcing himself to charge forward. No more thinking! He had already overcome ninety-nine steps; how could he give up at the last hurdle? He'd scared himself for nothing.
With a roar of utter terror, Aemond threw himself into a frenzy, sprinting to the deepest depths of the cave. It was dark, cramped, and stiflingly hot. Finally, a glimmer of light appeared, and his view opened to a new, underground world, glowing red.
Aemond braked just in time, nearly falling off the platform he'd climbed to and plunging into the lava that cracked the rock below. From this point, the cavernous landscape was in full view, yet there was no sign of the wild dragon Sheep Thief.
"How could this be?" Aemond gaped, unable to believe he had found the wrong spot.
Before he could wallow in disappointment, a strange sound erupted from the dry lava surface below. Crack, crack...
Aemond's ears twitched, and he knelt down, looking at the platform directly below. The gray lava surface cracked at an accelerating rate, revealing streaks of crimson. Startled, Aemond instinctively held his breath. He thought it was the sign of an eruption. The intense heat and strange pressure washed over him, leaving his mind blank.
Buzz—
Just then, a huge bulge rose from the lava surface, revealing a cold, crimson pupil.
"Ah!" Aemond jumped with fear, tumbling backward. He was bold, but not foolish. If he didn't run now, it would be too late.
"Hiss... Gah..."
Just as he entered the dim corridor, a sharp dragon's roar echoed from behind, carrying a wave of heat that stung his skin. Aemond's vision went dark, and he fell to the ground.
Boom—
In the last second of his vision, a massive dragon with a body covered in scarlet scales and a slender, snake-like form glided through the passageway, heading for the cave entrance at incredible speed.
Outside, in the Dragon Valley.
"Hiss... Gah..."
The sun had not yet set when a giant, snake-like scarlet dragon flew out of the valley, obscuring the setting sun and turning it into a single, fading ember. The next moment, the valley filled with roars.
"Hiss—"
"Hiss—"
Within the Dragon Valley, dragons of all sizes roared as if provoked and issuing warnings.
The scarlet dragon soared over the mountaintop, its broad, fleshy red wings twitching as it circled in the air, seemingly determining its direction. Soon, it flew eastward toward the Long Lake, disappearing into the crimson clouds.
At the Dragon Valley entrance, Aemond stood up unconsciously, watching the fleeting scarlet dragon. Its form briefly revealed itself before it vanished, but he was certain it was the mortally wounded Caraxes.
A quick glance revealed Caraxes's injuries. One wing's shoulder blade was slightly swollen, and the red membranes of both wings still had unhealed holes. A single, jagged scar marked its abdomen, contrasting with its thick neck and tail. Newly grown scales were thick and hard, covering the surrounding crimson scales, making them look abrupt and sinister.
Surprisingly, it was alive.
Aemond smiled, ignoring the roars of the restless dragons in the valley. After the Battle of the Long Lake, Caraxes had mysteriously disappeared, reportedly entering the Lonely Mountain.
Dragons are intelligent beings, navigating opportunities and avoiding danger. For example, Sunfyre, gravely injured after the Battle of Raven's Roost during the Dance of the Dragons, recovered from some of his wounds and sought a rider. Another, sensing danger, simply escaped the vortex. Perhaps Caraxes had entered the Lonely Mountain, newly opened as a volcano, hoping to find a glimmer of hope.
"Caraxes is alive, and the family's dragons number exactly twenty," Aemond calculated with his fingers, a bright smile on his face.
His Highness was magnanimous, not worried that Caraxes would find Daemon and cause further trouble. He saw only a formidable dragon, gifted with immense strength and talent. Daemon was already in his forties. How much longer could "Old Daemon" live? When he died, the "Blood Wyrm" Caraxes would become an ownerless dragon, a legacy passed down to future generations. As the saying goes, a dragon lives on through three generations; even if a person dies, the dragon remains. A dragon is far more important than a Targaryen.
Inside the smoking cave, Aemond gasped, clutching his head as he climbed to his feet. That seemed to be Uncle Daemon's dragon, the long-lost "Blood Wyrm" Caraxes.
Aemond was a bit dazed, stumbling deeper into the cave. Unable to discern the direction, he followed his instincts. Soon, he returned to the platform.
"Is this... that?" Aemond shook his head, finally regaining consciousness. His gaze was drawn to a pile of uneven, dull, gray stones. Surrounding the stones was a layer of cracked, flaking lava ash where Caraxes had crept. The pile wasn't large, only a dozen or so scattered around. Each was no bigger than a fist, its irregular shells intermingled with black stone. They looked like crystalline minerals.
"What is that?" Aemond was no fool; he realized it was a rare and valuable item. However, it was probably useless. "Let's go first. Finding the Sheep Thief is more important."
Aemond didn't care about the valuables, nor did he care that he had accidentally awakened the dormant Caraxes. All he had in mind was his determination to tame the wild dragon, the Sheep Thief. He gritted his teeth and walked out of the smoking cave.
"Hurry!"
A golden young dragon flew overhead, its majestic form dazzling, circling over the valley. It was Aegon's Sunfyre, and he seemed disturbed by something.
Aemond crouched at the cave entrance, making no rash moves. A faint rustling sound... Suddenly, a faint, crackling noise emanated from a nearby smoking cave. After a few breaths, a pungent white cloud of light emerged from the cave, and a massive, twin-horned dragon head emerged from the shroud of smoke.
Aemond's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth, not daring to speak. It was it! The wild dragon—the Sheep Thief.
"Huh?"
The Sheep Thief blinked his pea-sized eyes, stretched out his dragon head, and looked around, observing the outside world. For some reason, these expressions and movements on a dragon had an indescribable aura of vulgarity.
Aemond didn't care; he just thought the dragon was stunningly handsome.
"Huh~~"
The Sheep Thief looked up and spotted Sunfyre, then retreated stealthily into the cave, busying himself with something unknown. When he peeked out again, the dragon's snout was holding a piece of tattered sheepskin wrapped in a bag, shaking it with a rustling sound. A corner of the sheepskin gave way, and a lump of bright-yellow gold fell out.
"Huh!?" Aemond cried, as if he had seen a ghost.
With a crack!
The sheepskin shattered completely, and equipment clattered to the ground. Orange-red copper ore, multicolored gems, pearls the size of a longan... even two dragon eggs of different colors.
"Ah, this..." Aemond was stunned. This wild dragon, what a thief! Pah! Not a thief, but a robber.
"Hiss!"
The Sheep Thief was horrified. The front tips of his brown wings scrabbled haphazardly, gathering a force and using his nose to push the treasure back into the worn sheepskin bundle. His frantic movements made him look like a foolish thief. He no longer cared to hide, revealing his massive body completely.
It was a feast for Aemond's eyes, fascinated by it. Its entire body was covered in muddy brown scales, coated in a layer of muddy keratin. From a distance, it looked like the pits and dents left by rain. It was enormous, measuring over sixty meters from head to tail. Strangely, its jaw, neck, and abdomen were covered in large, patchy white spots, as if it had some skin disease. Its head, however, bore only a pair of small, sharp horns and a mouthful of pitch-black fangs. At first glance, it bore a resemblance to Caraxes.
However, this dragon's most striking features were its wings, resembling demonic claws, and the dense web of sharp thorns that ran from its neck to its back. In appearance alone, it was unlike any other known dragon. It was hideous and ferocious, exuding an aura of ancient barbarity. It seemed alien to this age of magnificent dragons, completely out of place.
"What an ugly dragon!" Aemond observed, fascinated, yet not at all disgusted. Beyond the appalling ugliness, he discerned a lonely soul. He was determined to conquer it.
"Hiss!"
Sunfyre, having also spotted the unsightly wild dragon that had stolen his treasure, instantly aroused his ferocity and attacked fearlessly.
Boom!
A wave of golden dragon flames surged out, striking the ugly wild dragon's treasure-hunting head and exploding in a cloud of smoke. With that single blow, most of the metal treasure melted into a heap.
"Hiss!"
Suddenly, the entire Dragon Valley erupted in a roar of fury. As the smoke cleared, the Sheep Thief burst out, viciously lunging at Sunfyre in mid-air. "I stole your treasure. You can hit me and insult me, but you can't destroy it!"
Boom! The two dragons collided, engaging in a fierce and bloody close combat.
Crack!
Sunfyre, driven by his belligerence, bit the ugly wild dragon's neck, his sharp jaws tightly shut. The Sheep Thief, seemingly insensible to pain, allowed the golden dragon to bite him, aiming down at the other dragon's head and unleashing dragon flames.
Boom!
The dragon flames, a deep brown color, scattered like specks of mud, pelting Sunfyre head-on.
"Hiss!"
Sunfyre cried out in pain, his pupils instinctively clenched shut, and he was forced to release his bite. Dark brown dragon flames struck Sunfyre's face, seemingly clinging to his golden scales, emitting thick smoke. Sunfyre swung his neck vigorously, sending flecks of dragon flames flying all over the sky.
With a thud, the Sheep Thief counterattacked, his bloody mouth clenching around the golden dragon's slender neck. "Strike the dragon first, strike the face. I'll make you look pretty, make you overconfident, and disfigure you, won't you?"
Sunfyre struggled fiercely, his claws tearing at the ugly dragon's chest and abdomen, sending a layer of muddy keratin splattering off. Beneath the keratin, the brown, muddy scales shone with an oily sheen, showing no sign of truly breaking through. On the contrary, the Sheep Thief, three times Sunfyre's size, locked onto Sunfyre's neck and swung vigorously, establishing a crushing advantage. "I'll teach you a lesson! I'll teach you to stop me from stealing! Hit or miss! Hit or miss! Hahaha, so impressive!"
Aemond ran to the bottom of the battle and actually laughed. A sinister thought stole his mind. If Sunfyre were killed and he tamed the Sheep Thief, Aegon would weep.
"Gah!"
Sunfyre began to suffocate, his resistance weakening, and he was on the verge of death.
"Dragon flame, Gray Shadow!"
At the critical moment, a sharp voice suddenly rang out.
"Hiss!"
A pale gray-white dragon shadow flew out of the blazing clouds and plunged from the sky, releasing an enormous dragon flame fireball over three meters in diameter.
Boom!
Before the Sheep Thief could dodge, the dragon flame fireball hit his head, and a huge eruption of black smoke erupted. The impact was so powerful that even a full-grown dragon could not withstand it. The Sheep Thief was dizzy, and the scales on his forehead shattered and bled.
"Hiss!"
Sunfyre's vertical pupils ignited, and he took the opportunity to escape. He swung his body 180 degrees, spread his wings, and glided just above the ground, finally taking to the air again, chirping as he flew. He sounded like a wronged, whimpering monster.
"Fly, Gray Shadow!"
Aemond, sheltered by the greenery, emerged from the side of the mountain. Gray Shadow flapped his wings and soared lightly back into the fiery clouds, neighing joyfully. He favored bullying.
Seeing the excitement in the grown-up Little Wild Dragon's sapphire eyes, Aemond felt helpless. Vormithor was in the Dragon's Lair on Lonely Mountain, and so was his companion, Silver Wing. Only Gray Shadow, known as the Vale's sly thief, had nothing to do, so he had improvised with him. Judging by his appearance, he should be enough.
"Shhh!"
The Sheep Thief burst out of the black smoke, looking up to find the attacking dragon. Drawing his sword, he looked around, bewildered. Gray Shadow was a relatively small dragon, yet he possessed the most advanced concealment techniques and the most powerful dragonfire. Unfortunately, his timid nature forced him to appear weak and helpless.
"Shhh—"
A roar like a bell suddenly erupted from the summit of the Lonely Mountain, revealing unparalleled majesty.
"Almost there," Aemond patted his chest, as if a little frightened.
"Gah!?"
The Sheep Thief, unwilling to give up, was haunted by memories, and fled from the Vale, dusty and grimy.
Slipping away.
"Don't leave!" Aemond exclaimed, darting out. Aemond saw it. No matter! No one could stop a Targaryen's pursuit of a dragon. Just like when he was a child, no one could catch up with the little old man who sneaked across Dragonstone and headed straight for Dragon Mountain.
Aemond looked back at the sky, put two fingers into a circle to his mouth and whistled. The clouds rolled in, and a light grayish-white color disappeared in a flash. The gray shadow left quietly.
Aemond cheered up, glanced at the smoking caves on the mountain, and soon set his sights on one of them. The farce was over, and the mess was cleaned up. He stepped on the path blocked by dead branches and leaves, climbed to a higher place easily, and walked in with a swagger.
People! Sometimes you still have to pay attention to details. There is a way, but you have to find another way.
Deep in the smoking cave, a pool of magma was surging normally, and not far away was a stone platform. This was the greenhouse for hatching dragon eggs.
Click, click...
A black dragon egg suddenly shook, making a slight crisp sound, and cracks appeared.
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