Dragon Magic

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Maeve

My sheep had died. Well, actually, my sheep had been brutally murdered and the culprit was stalking towards me.

The mossy green dragon had its yellow eyes set on me from across the field. As I took a step back, it bound forward and easily cleared a third of the field. Thankfully, half of the sheep fled but those that were too slow got tossed aside by the beast's talons. Blood coated its claws and mouth and a grotesque amount of blood seeped across the grass. I felt like throwing up and my lips grew warm.

My heart beat so fast that I briefly wondered if it could cause a heart attack, but instead of pondering the unusual circumstances of my likely death- I opened my mouth and let out a hearty sigh. I pushed all of my thoughts into my breath and with my expulsion, fire roared up my throat and flew towards the beast in a ball of flames. Sparks licked my lips as they passed through my mouth and towards the dragon. It was a strange feeling difficult to describe, but the tickling of the fire almost managed to calm my nerves in the face of this monster.

I watched eagerly as the burning ball catapulted toward the creature. As I waited for the contact, I stepped back in a hasty retreat but not before letting out another breath of fire. Upon contact, the dragon snarled and stumbled backward in a motion similar to mine. Its horrific snout scrunched up and then snarled, its eyes lit with a new type of anger. The next ball of flames reached it and the beast, not having learned its lesson, struggled against another assault to its face.

"Ha!" I gasped in victory, letting out a short puff of smoke in relief and victory. The dragon, having recovered from the second assault, flared its nostrils at me and charged forward again. "Ha," I repeated again in a now nervous mutter.

I took another step backward and turned the pitchfork in my hand, lucky that I had just previously been shoveling hay. It would eventually reach me, but I hoped that my magic combined with my weapon would overpower the ancient creature.

It was a strategic idea that I didn't turn my back on the monster and run, instead, I let out another fiery exhale and sent a third ball its way. We continued the pattern until finally, I realized that the dragon was toying with me, playing with its food in a sickening manner. It had sorcery that couldn't compare to mine and it beat me on size and strength alone, it was swatting away my fire like flies.

It was most unfortunate that in my continuous retreat backward, I never considered my footing along the way. In a flash of confusion, I tumbled over a pile of hay, my head slamming against the hard soil. Hay around me stirred in the air and I watched as my hair flew above my head. I groaned as the pain vibrated around in my skull and I realized the consequences of my fall.

Finally done with the game of cat and mouse, the dragon reached me. Its snout wiggled as hay fluttered around but it moved so close to me I could hear its heartbeat. It shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did but I laid there for a moment, feeling like it was an hour, listening to its heartbeat in wonder. When it puffed out a breath I gagged on the overwhelming scent of blood and I remembered the terror that consumed me only moments ago. Fire licked across my lips but I was frozen still, and I knew that breathing out a ball of flames would only set my own clothes on fire.

It felt like an eternity before the dragon moved, my flames tickling him into motion. Its long claws swiped at me playfully, still the vicious hunter toying with its prey. The terror had me scrambling backward and luckily its second swipe only grazed my arm, but the searing pain of the cut had me gasping for air.

With no other tactical move and my arm now useless as it throbbed in pain, I let out a deep exhale straight at the beast's eyes. That got its attention. As ribbons of orange and red streaked into its pupils, the dragon roared and fell back. Sparks dusted on my clothes but thankfully my aim was good and I avoided a major blow to myself.