Dracopical Isles: Rise of the Underground

Chapter 14

"Boss?" Slim calls from behind the door. "Boss, ya there?"
It seems that Emeraldus had been gone for a long time this morning - perhaps even a bit more than usual. What's even stranger is that Slim still hasn't received his breakfast yet. Had Emeraldus forgotten?
Daring to peer out, Slim opens the door himself. He had been calling for a while now, but to no reply. Although it's probably obvious that Emeraldus would not be home to answer anyway, it seems rather odd to not hear from the Sorcerant for this long. 
"Boss..?" Slim pokes his head out to see nothing stirring. Emeraldus is still not at home and it doesn't appear that anything else has changed since. His eggs are set in their cauldron over the fireplace and his gathering bag is gone - possibly taken with for more ingredient collecting.
A slight pit of anxiety wells up in Slim's stomach upon taking a few steps out of his room. He hopes Emeraldus wouldn't mind if he excused himself, as long as he doesn't touch anything. Peeking outside, the air is bright and sunny. Birds are chirping their daytime chorus and the trees are as green as ever. Though what concerns Slim even more is that the sun is so high. It's probably noon. Emeraldus had been gone all day; did something happen? Perhaps he had to travel a little further for gathering? Perhaps he found something intriguing? The unknown makes Slim that much more uneasy. Where could Emeraldus be?

A few more moments pass and Slim is now pacing around the room, his stomach tying itself in knots in demand for food. He sits down to rub his empty, complaining belly. Will it be soon now? Just a few more minutes and Emeraldus shall return? 
The minutes continue to pass on by quickly and still no sign of the Sorcerant. Surely Emeraldus wouldn't have planned to be gone this long without letting Slim know, right? Did Slim happen to forget that he did? What else did he miss if so?
With his stomach gnawing on itself with growling teeth, Slim soon reaches his limit. He must have something to eat.
Looking around the room, he hopes to find something that Emeraldus might have stored. Perhaps leftovers from previous meals? His instincts drive him forward on his search, now temporarily without care about if Emeraldus would approve of him doing this.
Unfortunately, he finds nothing edible enough and ends up following his nose out towards the window entrance. On the outside wind, a number of appetizing smells greet him - song birds, squirrels, rabbits, perhaps even a wild grouse. It is probably obvious now that if Slim wishes to eat anything, he's gonna have to hunt for it himself. Looking down, the ground is rather far below, but it might not be that risky of a jump. Slim could probably catch a decent enough waft with his torn wings to glide down, though it still might not be a graceful landing. He ends up kicking off from the window to take his chances. His wings catch a small waft, but as expected, the ride isn't too smooth, causing him to crash into the branches of a nearby tree. Twigs whip and scrape at his scales causing Slim to grimace and yelp as he struggles to catch himself from falling straight through to the ground. His forelegs then finally rest on a dip between two branches, catching his upper body and having the rest of him hang down in open air. As leaves gently twirl their way down from above, Slim has a moment to catch his breath. Rough landing, but at least it didn't tear him up too badly. Looking down, the ground is now only a couple of feet from the tip of his tail. He should be able to drop the rest of the way without harm. 
Landing on his feet, Slim shakes himself out, before checking himself for any serious injury. A few scabs were reopened, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. 
After grooming away some of the fresh bleeding, Slim wanders off in search of something to hunt.

The crack of a whip, the clattering of chains, the loud chattering of voices… bright blue eyes snap open. The wheels of a horse drawn carriage bring into view a cage with a bound up beast inside. All around, there are more cages - some empty, others containing living beasts. Flocks of humans wander around to see the captive creatures. What is this place?
Groaning, Emeraldus attempts to lift his head, but is stopped by metal chains. A collar and muzzle hold firmly to Emeraldus' head, while braces hold his wings, limbs, and tail. Further chains link themselves to each, keeping Emeraldus immobilized in his cage. A shocked yelp escapes the dragon as all realization finally comes to him - he had been caught! Instinctively, he pulls at the chains that hold him down, rattling them furiously and tugging at the steel floorboards below to get himself loose - but to no avail. His strength is not quite enough to make anything snap.
Emeraldus' fit catches the attention of a couple of nearby men who pause from their bottles of beer around a barrel. 
"Oi, look a' that!" One says pointing. "Ain't tha' the green Sorceran' from the other day?"
The guy next to him wipes his wetted lips with a sleeve. "Well I'll be damned, that it may be."
Hearing their voices, Emeraldus turns slitted eyes to the men with an icy cold glare. 
"Wanna be' who caught it?" The first guy says, giving his beard a scratch. Soon following, a familiar face steps into view. From around the corner, Sir Allister arrives with proud knuckles resting on his hip. The instant Emeraldus makes eye contact, his scales bristle with rage - that must be the guy.
"Hey!" The second man exclaims upon noticing Allister for himself. "That you, Sir Allister? Long time no see!"
The hunter pauses to turn to the two hanging at the barrel. "Ah, if it isn't the ol' shipping duo! How is business?"
"Still kickin', I'd say," The bearded one replies before pointing to Emeraldus. "Tha' your dragon?"
Emeraldus' scales bristle that much more when Allister's eyes return to him. The pride in the hunter's eyes is surely unmistakable, making the fire in Emeraldus' throat rise until streams of smoke waft from his nostrils.
All the Sorcerant can remember is being outside to gather more ingredients for stocking his shelves when a dart pinned itself into his flank. Tripping a hidden strand of rope in the shrubs, the trap had sprung, knocking Emeraldus out. Although he had been unconscious, his instincts are wailing at him about Allister. Emeraldus' suspicions are soon confirmed upon hearing the hunter's reply.
"He's a beauty," Allister nods. "Would make a fine trophy, if I do say. One of my best yet."
Snorting an exasperated sense of fury, Emeraldus resumes to pulling at his chains. If it weren't for the muzzle holding his jaws shut, he'd torch the three men instantly with a blast of fire. Fear further feeds Emeraldus' anger and soon, it is all he can ever think about. Fighting so madly, the entire cage rattles on its wheels, drawing more and more attention to the green Sorcerant.
"Migh' wanna knock 'im out again," The bearded guy chuckles after another sip of his beer.