After some hours, the sky was dark, and the stars had filled it, with the moon in full bloom.
We camped near the fire for some warmth.
The only sound was the crackle of burning wood.
The silence was quite peaceful until Zayn started singing.
"...It's a small world..."
"Are you allergic to silence?"
Cody suddenly snapped back.
"Oh, c'mon."
Then he continued singing.
We all rolled our eyes as he gestured for us to join in, swaying to the music.
Against our will, we all joined in.
We all clapped to the beat.
It was a popular children's rhyme back in Elton.
"It's a small world..."
"It's a pretty small world..."
"But I've got friends, my family and I..."
"It's a small love... filled... world."
"Wow, that was terrible."
"What?"
Everyone started defending their voices, feeling embarrassed.
I laughed at the scene in front of me.
Nothing could replace these little moments.
"Shhhhhh."
I suddenly drew everyone's attention, making them alert.
"Do you hear that?"
My ears had picked up a subtle growl in the distance.
Everyone carefully listened.
Again.
We all stood up in defense.
Then suddenly, behind us...
Eyes.
Not one pair.
Two.
Three.
Four...
We were surrounded.
Thanks to the light from the campfire as they neared, these beasts had three pairs of limbs and exaggerated mouths, with sharp canines peeking out.
"Wolves?"
Amanda asked.
No.
These weren't wolves.
They had the form of dogs.
"Go, go, go!"
I ordered.
We all sprinted in the opposite direction as fast as we could.
The dogs charged at us at full speed.
A pack of dogs.
They began closing in from the sides too.
"Cody!!!"
Jace yelled.
Cody began opening a portal nearby, but it wouldn't open.
"What?"
His shocked and confused expression made us panic even more.
"I can't open it!"
The tear he had made closed up almost immediately.
He tried again, but this time, nothing happened.
"My powers... are gone!!!"
"What?!!"
We all exclaimed, still running at full speed ahead.
The creatures began leaping at us in hopes of landing a bite.
"Jace, use your miasma to put them out!"
I didn't understand what was going on, but this was no time to stand and wait.
Jace spread his miasma, but only a thin layer of mist appeared.
"What? This won't even harm me!"
Zayn yelled at him.
"I don't understand what's going on!"
Jace and Cody's abilities were gone.
Suddenly, we were cornered from the front too, leaving us in a circular formation.
We pushed Amanda to the middle in hopes of protecting her, but that hope had no thread for us to hold onto.
They charged at us.
Katara immediately lit a circle of fire around us, making the dogs retreat.
"You still have your powers?"
Cody asked.
"Apparently, but my output is really low."
Annabeth raised her hand, then brought it down, causing the trees around us to fall.
We heard some of the beasts wincing and whimpering in pain.
"There's a cliff nearby. We can jump over, and Annabeth can use her abilities to break the edge, widening the distance so the dogs can't cross."
Tyra's idea was the only way out at this moment.
"We'll use what little power we have left to protect ourselves till we get there."
I stated before continuing.
"The rest of us will clear the way. Annabeth and Zayn, don't use your remaining aura before we get to the cliff. Amanda, stay in the middle at all times."
"Understood."
They all echoed.
Tyra faced the direction we were heading.
"Close your ears. Dragon Speech..."
The dragon tattoo on her neck began to glow.
She drew in a deep breath before letting out the loudest scream I had ever heard.
Behind her voice came the thunderous roar of a dragon.
"Go!"
I ordered.
The beasts remained motionless for the duration of the sound, which gave us a headstart.
When the sound faded, they began to move again, chasing us at full speed.
Katara and Iris stayed at either side of the group, defending us from any leaping dogs.
Over time, their output began declining again.
I stopped and turned around.
I stretched my hands out, creating a bow and arrow, locking it in place.
My output had always been large, but with whatever was going on with our powers, the damage should not affect us.
"Angel of Death!"
"What?"
Everyone suddenly picked up the pace.
After gathering force, I shot.
The angel flew directly at the incoming beasts with a trail of darkness behind it.
I turned around and tried to catch up to the group.
The explosion struck.
A tremble followed.
"You...!"
I heard Zayn curse before the force picked us up from the ground and flung us into the forest.
I rolled, digging my hands into the soil, bringing myself to a stop.
I slowly got up, with ringing ears.
I didn't expect the damage to still be that high.
I should've probably used my sword for more control.
I heard some whining far away.
At least the nearby dogs were dead, and some would've retreated.
"Guys?"
I looked around and did a quick headcount.
Complete.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Were you planning on killing us?!"
Katara snapped.
"I'm sorry. I thought..."
We heard approaching barks.
"Are you kidding me? How many are there?"
Iris' eyes widened.
"Let's go. The cliff should be close."
Tyra continued running, and we followed.
"What could've caused this?"
Amanda asked.
"I thought Aetherytes are the only things that can weaken your abilities."
"I thought the same thing. Judging from the fact that we didn't encounter any, it must've been from something we ate."
Jace stated.
"Something we ate?..."
Zayn mumbled.
"Oh no..."
"Something we ate. Amanda, remember that cave?"
"Yes?"
"There were crystals inside. Very beautiful crystals. I thought they looked familiar."
His eyes widened.
"They were Aetherytes!!!"
My heart skipped a beat, but that didn't explain how we lost our powers.
"I'm certain we didn't eat crystals, Zayn."
Cody argued back.
"No, but there were edible plants around it. They must have absorbed the essence."
Amanda explained.
"I picked them."
"I made her pick them."
"ZAYN!!!"
We all yelled.
"I'm sorry! I didn't recognize them at the moment!"
The dogs' barks drew closer.
"Cliff ahead!"
Tyra yelled.
"We're barely ten meters away!"
"It's... wide!"
Amanda's voice cracked with fear.
"Zayn, use your speed to cross with her. From this distance, you can make it across with enough momentum."
Zayn immediately complied, lifting Amanda.
He engaged his speed and ran, flying over the ditch and making it safely to the other side.
Now it was up to us.
The dogs were right at our heels.
With our formation, Annabeth jumped first.
Then Tyra.
Cody.
Iris.
Katara.
Jace.
Before I did.
I rolled onto the other side.
Five dogs leaped after me.
At a safe distance, Annabeth slammed her hands into the ground, causing the edge of the cliff to break.
The dogs who had jumped over or gained too much momentum fell into the ditch without realizing there was a cliff.
Panting heavily, we each sighed a deep breath of relief.
"I'm so sorry, guys."
Zayn apologized again, but we all gave him annoyed looks.
I looked up into the sky.
On this side of the cliff, the vegetation seemed rather sparse.
We'd abandoned all our materials, and now we sat exposed with weakened abilities.
"It's gonna be a long night."
I said before crashing onto the ground.