The Great Dragon that had charged out to attack Cannibal was the other adult wild dragon, Sheepstealer. At this point, he was only a little over forty meters long, and he was not only ugly but terribly scrawny.
But a Great Dragon was still a Great Dragon. Perhaps Cannibal's arrogance had enraged him? Or perhaps Cannibal had bullied him plenty of times before?
So with Dreamfyre bearing the brunt of the fight and keeping the savage old dragon occupied, he naturally would not let this perfect chance to attack Cannibal slip away.
His fighting prowess was rather disappointing, however. Even his surprise attack had inflicted almost no real damage on Cannibal.
Still, he had given Dreamfyre an excellent opening to attack Cannibal, allowing her to gain a slight advantage in the ongoing Great Dragon battle.
Although Cannibal had bitten Sheepstealer's Dragon Wings earlier, he had not done much damage, nor had he impaired Sheepstealer's mobility.
Thus, Sheepstealer immediately joined the assault on Cannibal.
Seizing his chance, he swiftly took flight and breathed a blast of scorching dragonfire onto Cannibal's back, where the flesh had already been torn open.
Cannibal roared in pain and furiously turned his head toward Sheepstealer, immediately retaliating with a searing spray of sickly green dragonfire.
But Sheepstealer nimbly dodged it.
Dreamfyre took the opportunity to swing her enormous tail, sweeping it viciously toward Cannibal with a howl of wind. Unable to dodge in time, Cannibal's massive body was knocked sideways.
Seeing this, Sheepstealer opened his tooth-filled jaws and bit savagely into Cannibal's exposed flank, quickly tearing away a chunk of dragon flesh. Then he warily darted out of Cannibal's reach again.
Dreamfyre pressed her advantage, breathing scorching sky-blue dragonfire that surged toward Cannibal like a raging tide. Cannibal reacted swiftly and refused to be outdone, breathing sickly green flames to meet hers. The two streams of fire intertwined, and the surrounding air seemed ready to ignite.
Sheepstealer circled behind Cannibal, tore off a great mass of flesh with both claws, and quickly swallowed it, making Cannibal writhe wildly in pain.
Utterly enraged, Cannibal's eyes turned blood-red. He abandoned his clash with Dreamfyre and spun around to lunge at Sheepstealer.
Danyla was not about to waste this chance. She immediately urged Dreamfyre to accelerate sharply and charge at Cannibal, striking his lower back hard with her hind feet. Not only would this throw a Great Dragon completely off balance, it could also inflict a grievous injury and cripple his hind legs.
Attacked from both front and rear, Cannibal was thrown into disarray for a moment. But he was experienced, after all. Though he was covered in wounds and the heavy blow to his lower back had left him barely able to muster strength in his claws, he soon steadied himself.
Savage and cunning, Cannibal knew he would get nowhere today. Having gone so long without food, he had little strength left, while the robust Dreamfyre clearly still had plenty of stamina.
If this continued, he might well die at the hands of these two Great Dragons he normally held in such contempt. He hastily beat his Dragon Wings with all his might and fled toward the Narrow Sea.
Looking at Sheepstealer's scrawny body, Danyla called out,
"Thank you, Sheepstealer!"
"I'll roast more plump, delicious goats for you from now on."
Danyla did not know whether Sheepstealer could understand her words, but she truly owed a great deal to this ugly dragon's help today.
She really would have to pay him more attention and treat him better from now on. After all, though this Great Dragon was hardly formidable, he was still an adult Great Dragon. Building a friendship with him would be worthwhile.
Watching Cannibal flee in desperation, Danyla had no desire to finish him off. Instead, she guided Dreamfyre slowly after him to make sure he really intended to abandon today's fight.
But unexpectedly, another surprise occurred. Just as Cannibal fled past a cliff by the sea, the Great Dragon Vhagar suddenly lunged out, clamped her jaws around his body, and slammed him hard onto the beach.
Already exhausted, Cannibal suffered such a devastating blow that he promptly passed out cold.
Shocked, Danyla hurriedly shouted to stop Vhagar from following up with a killing blow.
"No, Vhagar, don't kill him!"
Perhaps because Vhagar had eaten so many of the delicious roast goats Danyla provided, she actually stopped. She looked at Danyla in confusion, then, once she was certain of Danyla's wishes, truly ceased her attack on Cannibal.
She landed on the nearby beach and lazily settled down, but her savage gaze remained fixed on the unconscious Cannibal.
Danyla guided Dreamfyre down beside Cannibal as well. Once she confirmed that he really had fallen unconscious from his severe injuries, she finally felt completely at ease.
Next came the work of dealing with the aftermath.
To thank Vhagar and Sheepstealer for their contributions to the battle, Danyla had more than a hundred plump goats carefully roasted and delivered to their respective locations.
Since Sheepstealer lived in the Dragonmont, Danyla had the Dragonkeepers personally deliver his roast goats to the vicinity of his lair.
She was certain that once Sheepstealer caught their scent, he would not pass up those delicious treats.
As for Vhagar's roast goats, Danyla had Viserys personally lead the Dragon Guards to deliver them.
After this Great Dragon battle, Danyla felt that if Viserys still could not commit himself to taming a Great Dragon and protecting his family, she truly would have to give up on the weak-willed man.
In the coming struggle for the throne, she would rather let her relatives shed blood than allow her weak-willed Viserys to ascend the throne and bring about the Dance of the Dragons once again.
Cannibal's body was simply too enormous to move. So the Dragonkeepers brought out specially made heavy chains designed to restrain Great Dragons. Using the large rocks nearby as anchors, they chained Cannibal securely to the beach.
This savage, ancient Great Dragon had finally been forced to go from a wild dragon to one kept in captivity.
This time, however, her father Viserys did not disappoint Danyla. Taking the opportunity afforded by delivering Vhagar's roast goats, he resolutely approached her and attempted to tame House Targaryen's last surviving Great Dragon from its founding.
Though Viserys was usually mild-mannered and refined, seemingly an easy man to push around, he was a dragonrider who had tamed the Black God, Balerion. The presence he displayed when facing a Great Dragon was unexpectedly captivating.
It was unlike Daemon's wild, unrestrained arrogance and hormone-fueled masculine charm.
His was the bearing of a man who was calm and composed, yet utterly resolute and tenacious.
It seemed Viserys harbored a side of himself that others rarely noticed!
Danyla stood a short distance from Vhagar and Viserys, nervously watching their interaction.
Having feasted on dozens of fat goats, Vhagar was in quite a good mood. Studying the stout, resolute man before her, she tilted her head to glance at Danyla, then sniffed Viserys.
Before long, the Great Dragon Vhagar made her decision and slowly lowered her body.
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