[Child of the 7th Age]

Elanor noted that the return trek had gone much faster than when they had left the house last night to try and find Eric. Her father knew exactly where he was going, and was not pulled off on side explorations as they had been on the outward trip. Torches were quickly doused in the well, and a small fire lit in the front grate, since papa had decided to take his rest in the family's common room.

Despite her worry over Eric, Elanor was not sorry to get a chance to lay down and rest. She took one of her extra blankets over to Aunt Esmerelda who had decided to stay in her parents' room where mother was now sleeping. Elanor leaned over to kiss her mother and Aunt goodnight; she could see clear lines of worry on both their faces. One or two hours of sleep was not much rest, but at least it was better than nothing. And how could they delay longer than that when Eric was outside, lost and cold and probably sleeping on the ground?

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Much to her surprise, Elanor slept soundly and awoke about an hour after sunrise. Tiptoeing noiselessly outside her room, she noted that everyone else was still asleep, even her father who was sitting in a chair with his head slumped down on the table.

Elanor began preparing breakfast and packing lunches for the trip. They should eat something before leaving the house, and who knew how long they would be out looking during the day? After cooking a pot of hot porridge and setting a pitcher of milk on the table alongside a loaf of bread, Elanor fixed seven little packets of cheese and meat that they could carry along for lunch. Then she went back to assemble two more parcels of food. These were even larger than the rest. If they found her brother or Uncle Rhysdan, both of them would surely be hungry.

Suddenly, without warning, Elanor felt the walls of the house shudder once, then again. Pushing back fear, she hurried outside to see what was happening. The great wyrm was flying overhead in circles, bellowing in triumph as if he had something to celebrate. The dragon's massive frame filled the entire air, turning the rosy morning to a dull grey as the sun ducked under the clouds for cover. The noise the creature made was so deep and thunderous that it reverberated through the air from one side of the valley to the other so that even the buildings and the earth shook.

Shaking in revulsion to see that the beast had indeed returned, Elanor sprinted back inside the house, yelling out a warning, "Mother, Father, Aunt Esmerelda, everone up. We have to leave. That horrible creature is back."