The rain poured down heavily from the sky, further obscuring her view and inhibiting her movements. The sky was thick with dark clouds. Over the roar of the rain, she crept along the edge of the forest, listening for a sign. The clash between the Huntsclan and dragons today should not have ended like this. She had underestimated the danger. They both had. Peering through the trees, she searched for a clue. The Huntsmaster had struck the American dragon near here. He'd tried to make an escape, flying desperately despite the wound, but to Rose's horror, she estimated that he would be unable to flee. She volunteered to pursue him, had lied and gotten the rest of the Huntsclan off of his trail. Now in this area alone, she had to locate him. She didn't believe he could have gotten away. She was the only one who could help him.

Rose doubted he could be anywhere deep in the forest, but she couldn't find him outside of it or along the rim. She headed into the trees, brushing past branches and taking careful steps through the mud. The fog wasn't helping with her search. With every minute that passed, her fear grew. Pausing, she watched her feet sink into the puddle of water and dirt. Then, aside from the brown water and muck, she observed something red swirling past her legs. Blood. She scanned the ground, making out a shaky path. She no longer cared to be cautious. "Jake!" she roared through the trees. It was hard to get a grip on where the blood was flowing from, given the vast amounts of water swirling about. She crawled up a muddy slope, becoming filthy in the process. "Jake!" she tried again.

Peering through some hedges, she made out a large, red mass. "Jake." Her voice was barely a whisper. She pulled herself up and threw herself through the bushes, finally coming face to face with the dragon she loved. Only his eyes were not open to see her. Breathing heavily, the red dragon was lying on his back on the ground, seemingly unconscious. She looked at the open wounds, the scratches along his belly, the blood pouring from his body. She wanted to cry or scream. Instead, she ran to embrace him, holding his head, patting his face. "Jake, wake up. Wake up." She gently brushed the water out of his face. He didn't move. Rose was beginning to panic. She didn't know how to treat injuries on dragons and she had no way to call someone for help. It took a moment for Rose to realize she was crying. She had to do something.

Looking at his body, she decided to apply pressure where the bleeding was the worst, and rummaged around in her pack for some bandages. It was an imperfect, sloppy job, but she was able to stop most of the bleeding and cover his fresh wounds. She returned to cradling his head.

What was wrong? Did he have a concussion? Rose didn't know what to do other than wait. Jake was in no condition to fly, and she couldn't drag him out of here herself. She'd help him, but she needed him to be awake.

Humming more for her own sake, she suddenly heard a groan. Jake was stirring, his eyes were clenched shut, his face scrunched up in pain. "Jake, I'm here. You're hurt."

All of a sudden, Jake released an enormous roar. It startled Rose, and she slipped from her crouching position beside him, landing in the mud. She no longer worried the Huntsclan would find them. Slowly, painstakingly, Jake turned and got on all fours. Then he remained still, eyes squeezed shut again, head hanging. Rose began to feel apprehensive. Was it her fault he had been struck? She should have been able to keep it from happening. Was Jake angry with her?

Slowly, she crawled towards him. "Jake... I'm sorry. I'll help you get out of here."

After a beat, he turned his face towards her, opening his eyes. He simply looked at her. Rose realized that instead of pain, sadness was now showing on his face.

"Don't sweat it," came his only reply.

The rain was no longer coming down as strongly and Jake peered through the forest.

Rose stood. "The Huntsclan was to the south. They will have left by now. I know a way out that's to the west. It's the safest route. Let me take you."

Jake simply nodded. Lending him her support, they carefully made their way west, picking their way through the dense forest.

Rose was concerned that Jake wasn't talking. Maybe he wasn't mad at her, but he wasn't being his usual self. His wounds no longer looked serious. She could only hope that was actually the case. Nevertheless, he'd been through a beating, and she resented that he'd been hurt.

By the time they reached the clearing, Jake was walking upright, Rose trying to support part of his weight as best she could. The rain was light now, and the sun no longer missing.

Rose wondered what to do from here. Could Jake transform? Was it a bad idea? And what of her outfit? She had removed her mask before leaving the forest, but she didn't exactly look inconspicuous.

Jake whistled loudly and looked ahead as if waiting for somebody. Rose followed his gaze. Sure enough, a small dog was running towards him in the distance.

Rose turned to face Jake, "Jake... I-"

"It's alright. I'll be fine." He offered her a smile.

Jake seemed to be doing better, but Rose's worries and regrets couldn't disappear.

Fu Dog approached them. "Boy, am I glad to see you! I thought for sure you'd fall right out of the sky. Rose went after you and we fought the rest of that hunts scum off. Are you bleeding?! That's not good. Let's get you home. You know what, don't transform. We'll take a magical detour. No problem."

Fu paused and took in Rose. After a moment, he looked at Jake again and asked, "Can you walk on your own?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry, Fu."

Fu gave him a skeptical look, but didn't protest. "Alright, just follow me then. Thanks, Huntsgirl. I mean, Rose. I'll take it from here."

Rose was hesitant to let go of Jake, but he smiled at her to reassure her, and she kissed him on the forehead.

She faced them. "I'll make sure they don't suspect anything. They won't find you. Take care. I'll check in later, Jake." Her expression and tone were serious, and Jake felt a little disappointed by it. He didn't want Rose to blame herself. He didn't want her to feel guilty about what had happened to him. Still, he couldn't deny it wasn't easy for them to always be carefree, and it must have hurt Rose to see him like this. It could be a lot for them to bear. The image of a bloodied dragon had been her greatest dream. Now, it was her worst nightmare.

"Thanks, Rose. See you later." Jake turned and set off with Fu. Rose looked at them for a moment before slipping her mask back on and darting back towards the forest. Her clothes caked in mud, she wondered how Jake's journey home would go. How bad were his injuries? How effective the treatment? She hated this. She didn't want any more dragons to be hurt, least of all Jake. She tried to placate herself by again reasoning that she was of greater help to them as an insider of the Huntsclan, as opposed to outside of it.

Her face tense, she began running through the field. It was a close call today. She was lucky that she'd been entrusted with going after the American dragon on her own. She had to find more ways to secretly intervene. Perhaps she could tinker with the Huntsmaster's weapons? It was risky, but at this point, it was worth a try.

The wind lashing her face, she made her way home.

Author's Note:

Hi! Thanks for reading. Comment, please? :)

The rainy season is in full swing, so thanks to the pouring rain these last few days, I thought of this.