"I'm exhausted," Tia stressed, her head drooping. "Can't we stop now?"

Sierra glanced around at the others. They all looked tired as well, their motions slower than normal. Am I pushing them too hard? We've only been here for five hours or so...

"Should we stop right now?" she asked, slowing her horse. "I can't really tell how far we've gone."

"I don't mind riding another couple hours tomorrow to get to Corona, and honestly, I'm pretty tired," Esther agreed.

Diana didn't slow. "We should get to Corona. It's only a few more hours."

"Reed?" Sierra asked. Diana shot her a questioning look, wondering why she wanted his input.

"The more time we waste, the more people get attacked. We should continue on with our plan," he suggested firmly.

She was torn. One the one hand, if they slept, they would have more energy for tomorrow. However, if they continued on, they would get to Corona sooner.

Does a couple hours of sleep really matter, comparing to how many people we could save if we continued on?

"Let's keep going," Sierra decided. Diana gave her narrowed eyes, as if she had taken Reed's advice over everyone else's. Sierra ignored her and chirruped her horse on, not regretting her decision.

They entered a more shady region of land, darkened by tall conifers on either side. The moonlight was split as it filtered between branches, offering little light. She could barely see four feet in front of her.

But they carried on, trusting their horses' vision and using the stars to track their progress.

By the time they exited the forest, the sky was a milky orange, and a dark smudge of the city was in view.

"There's Corona!" Esther said jubilantly. "Can we sleep now?"

Sierra nodded, offering a small smile. She dismounted, rubbing her aching thighs, and led her horse over to a creek that ran through the meadow.

The trees were less close together now, but they still provided shade. Sierra walked over to a large one with pale bark and plopped down, propping herself up against the tree with a yawn. Her friends joined her, draping their cloaks over themselves. It wasn't long before she gave in to the overwhelming temptation of sleep.

A scream startled Sierra awake. She glanced around at her friends, who were all still asleep. Then she noticed that the spot where Tia had been sleeping was a mess- her cloak ripped and left on the ground, and the grass torn at by something sharp. Worst of all, Tia was nowhere to be found.

That scream must have been her. But what happened? she thought, shaking Esther awake.

"WhatisitIdon'tcareI'mgoingbacktosleep," she mumbled.

"Esther, you have to wake up! Tia is gone!" Sierra shouted.

Esther shot up. "WHAT?" she glanced around, her eyes landing on Tia's torn sleeping area. "What happened?" she cried, picking up her sister's shredded cloak.

"Tysago," Diana murmured in her sleep.

"Diana, WAKE UP!" Esther shouted.

"HUH?" she jolted up, her face groggy. Reed, who was lying a few feet away, woke up as well and yawned wearily.

"It's not noon yet," he complained.

"Guys! Tia's GONE!" Sierra exclaimed. "We need to find her!"

Diana scrambled up beside them, Reed close behind. "Where did she go?"

"Just look!" Esther pointed towards the mess.

"There was clearly a struggle," Reed pointed towards the scars in the ground. "And some blood," he pointed to where a few bright red droplets stained the moss.

"NOT HELPING!" Esther cried, her eyes watery. "What if she died?"

"No. She's still alive. We just have to find what took her," Sierra stated firmly. At this point, she was trying more to convince herself that Tia was still alive then Esther.

Diana placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It will be ok."

"There's our first clue," Reed pointed across the road, to a trail where the bracken and bushes looked as if they had been trampled on.

"Let's go," Sierra broke into a run, dashing into the forest. It was light out, but the trees blocked out most of the sun's rays, making it hard for her to see. But she kept on following the trail of destruction.

"Whatever made this was huge," Reed remarked as they ran. "The scores in the ground must have been teeth or claws. Maybe a bear took her."

Or... Sierra thought, shivering, A dragon.

I'm being a good girl and actually updating! Be proud of me!