Thursday, March 19, 2015

A Little Dragon Magic...

Something from Dragon Heart!

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…
But the Dragon Magic remained as elusive as the deer on this hunting trip gone terribly wrong.
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


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