Chapter ?? The Hunted
Orion stumbled through the dark woods, the thick brush
tearing at his broken wings, his precious life blood dripping from numerous
cuts and gashes along the length of his battered body. His breath was ragged,
his body cold from being chased through this terrible forest for… How long had
it been? He was not sure, his mind had long become befuddled by his numerous
injuries and his lack of food.
He skidded to a stop, his claws digging into the hard,
rocky soil, as he came upon another clearing. Surrounded by the impossibly tall
trees that filled this cursed forest, the clearing was covered by large,
shapeless mounds that appeared dark and foreboding. His nostrils flared as the
smell of something recently dead drifted across the clearing, his stomach rumbling
in anticipation of a potential meal. He hadn’t eaten in some time but his stomach
quickly turned when he realized that whatever lay in the clearing had died and gone
bad some time ago.
He glanced up through the small break in the otherwise
impenetrable canopy at the dark, overcast sky, as foreboding and unfamiliar as
it had been since his first night in this cursed land. The dark clouds drifted
clear of a dim moon, one of thirteen that orbited DragonWorld. Dubbed the
Sentinels for the way they surrounded the planet, the moon cast a pale blue
glow over the gloomy clearing. Cautiously he eased his way along the edge of
the clearing, his senses alert, staying in the deep shadows of the massive
trees. He backed into the dark shadows of the tall trees as reached the far
side, dropping wearily to the ground, allowing his tired body to rest, if only
for a few minutes.
As a young Dragon, he grew up hearing stories about the
West Lands, the continent on the far side of the Forbidden Sea. Stories about
great herds of deer and other animals that ranged freely over its wide plains
and massive forests. Stories told by an old Dragon who claimed to have hunted
the West Lands in his younger days. He claimed there were several islands along
the shoreline where a clever Dragon could hide during the day after a night of
hunting over the rich, abundant forest. Despite the prospects of a great
adventure and an exciting hunt, Orion and the young Dragons did not dare risk
crossing the Forbidden Seas. The West Lands and their bounty were forbidden to
the Dragons, as they were the home of the Dragon Hunters.
Something was happening to their planet, to DragonWorld.
There were almost daily earthquakes and many of the old, dormant volcanoes were
rumbling and shaking. Food was becoming scarce, what with all of the teutonic
activity. It seemed like such a good idea. A quick trip to the West Lands to
verify the stories that he had heard from the old Dragon…
Closing his eyes, Orion struggled to clear his mind,
desperately reaching for the Dragon Magic, a feat he had been unable to
accomplish since he found himself lost in this vast, massive forest. With a
sigh, he opened his eyes.
It had seemed like a good plan… If
only I could reach my Dragon Magic… He mused. I could heal my wings and
get out of this forsaken forest…
He suddenly froze. In the distance he could hear the howl
of the massive wolves that his pursuers rode, as they doggedly followed his
trail. Not a difficult task considering the amount of trampled brush and debris
he had left in his anguished wake.
Snarling angrily, he fought his way to his feet, moving to
the middle of the clearing. He was tired of running. Whatever happened, he
would make his stand here. Gathering his strength, Orion let out a mighty roar,
his battle cry echoing through the dark forest, answering the howl of the
approaching wolves of the Dragon Hunters.
His roar was answered almost immediately. Not by the
wolves, but by another Dragon. Not believing what he was hearing, Orion glanced
anxiously up at the sky, wondering what kind of trick his pursuers were playing
on him now.
Suddenly the night exploded in flames as the unknown Dragon
roared again, his fiery breath raining down on the forest. A new noise reached
his ears. The panicked sounds of the Dragon Hunters fleeing the attack of the
rampaging Dragon. The unseen Dragon roared again, the flames from his fiery
breath setting numerous fires in the thick woods. The Dragon’s roar was immediately
followed by the roar of two other Dragons. Orion looked up, surprised as
Proycon and Capella glided down out of the dark night sky landing in the
clearing on either side of him.
“What are you doing here?” Orion demanded.
“Rescuing you, of course!” Procyon growled.
“Can you fly?” Capella asked as she examined his broken
wings. Before he could reply, the unknown Dragon roared again, lighting up the
forest with his fiery breath. Orion turned to Procyon.
“That’s Tycho!” Procyon said with a smirk. “He’s taking
care of your pursuers.”
“What were you thinking about Orion?” Capella demanded, as
she began to work her magic on his damaged wings. “I can’t believe you came
over here by yourself!”
“Ahh!” Orion winced, as her powerful magic none to gently realigned
and mended his broken bones. “That hurts!”
“Serves you right!” She growled. “I can’t believe you’re
not dead!” Orion looked over at Procyon, who only shook his head in response.
“Don’t look at me!” Procyon said. “Tycho and I were going
to come by ourselves.”
“Good thing you didn’t!” Capella angrily retorted. “You’re
both good in battle, but neither one of you could heal this mess!”
Orion winced as the Dragon Magic crackled and popped,
determined to not cry out. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind, desperately
reaching for his own elusive Dragon Magic. With a start, he felt a surge as his
mind suddenly cleared and his own Dragon Magic surged into his battered body.
“What happened?” Capella asked, sensing the sudden surge of
Dragon Magic, as her magic flowed into his wings.
“I got my magic back!” Orion said, anxiously glancing
between the two Dragons. They stared at him, their faces filled with disbelief.
“Something happened when I was fighting the Dragon
Hunters.” He quickly tried to explain. “I… I lost my connection to my Dragon
Magic.”
“That’s… that’s impossible!” Capella declared. “You should
have…” She bit off the rest of her statement, angrily shaking her head. “Can
you fly now?”
“I don’t know…” Orion said, as he moved away from the two
Dragons, tentatively extending and testing his wings. “They feel pretty good…”
The three Dragons suddenly looked up as a massive dark
shadow glided over the clearing.
“Let’s go!” Tycho hollered down at his companions, his
massive claws filled with several large wolves. “This place is going to be
crawling with Dragon Hunters soon!”
With the Dragon Magic surging through his battered body, Orion
leapt into the air, beating his wings as he shakily climbed into the sky. Procyon
and Capella quickly joined him, climbing until they were clear of the treetops.
They turned and looked to the west. The horizon was ablaze in orange and red
flames where Tycho had battled the Dragon Hunters.
“Come on!” Tycho roared with a grin. “Let’s go home!”
Thanks for reading!
Dave
