A Dragon's Redemption [Book 2 in Rising Dragons]

Chapter XII: Triumphant We Don't Fall

WARNING: Unprovoked attack and abuse, I guess.

Often, when I was human, I would wake slowly, my mind seeming slow, before everything came back in bursts and I fully awoke, thoughts – intelligent ones – taking hold of my mind and my actions becoming sharper and more controlled.

Waking as a dragon was different. As a dragon I awoke feeling lazy – or at least, that's how it used to be – and despite my thoughts being sharp, they were languid and placid, until I felt there was a need to be otherwise. As I grew, as I gained scars and battle victories, I learnt to wake rapid-quick with a mind sharp and body tense. Human or not, I started to wake the same way. That day, I simply awoke.

When one grows used to constantly waking up in one condition, waking up in another causes confusion – and a lot of it. I woke up with missing shackles and soft ground beneath me. I woke up in confusion, in fear, in worry. I woke up the same as I always woke up – Iwokeupacoward.

Even as I grew aware of my strange surroundings, I was scrambling to my paws, eyes snapping open and searching, searching, searching for anything that could harm me, because despite everything – because of everything – I still wanted to live.

It wasn't quite instincts or reflexes that had me freezing suddenly, my ungraceful scramble paused as I crouched – it was a flicker of thoughtemotionthinkcarefulsurvive. I straightened from where I was standing, and looked down, expecting to see the harsh clash of silvergreymetal and dirtybrokengolden where chains met scales. Instead, there was nothing there except scales that didn't look golden anymore.

Something was certainly up – I was neither chained nor in my cellprisoncage. I surveyed my surroundings, realising that it was likely that I was being watched, and knowing I probably had a few seconds until something happened. In front of me was a cluster of buildings, with one – probably centred in the middle – rising high into the sky. A silent snarl fixed itself to my lips without my decision, and I glared angrily in its direction, before dismissing it. It wasn't something I should be worrying about, not when it didn't impact me – currently, at least. Still, the bubble of anger stayed in the back of my mind.

I turned around, eyes searching – scanning – the rest of my surroundings. The grass seemed to stretch towards the horizon, before rolling up the gradual slopes of hills on one side and blending into a forest on the other. Dark green patches stood out amongst the lighter green grass – clumps of trees, I guessed. There didn't seem to be any other structure – no obvious ones at least – around, aside from the place where I had once been; the place where death aboded. Death and something much crueler and less gentle; something that wasn't a force of nature but still a strong river, a current that never stopped, a current that never lost.

An opportunity was taking hold of my mind, stretching out before me like a road that I could travel on. It was there, ahead of me, and I could grasp it – if I dared to try.

My wings twitched and I extended them. I could get free, be free – I could leave this place behind me, but I would not leave the others alone. I could get help for them, though, something I could not do while captured. I could save them all. I leapt up to the sky, wings outstretched and wind whistling, raising me higher and higher, taking me away from the ground and further from the terrible structure that reeked of paindeathinfectiongriefsorrowangerhatred.

An updraft boosted me further into the air and a gust from behind increased my speed. I carefully controlled my wings to ride it out, to move away.

I roared as something slammed into me from above, my flight instantly going out of control and being thrown into another wind current, this one a strong downdraft. I thrashed in its hold, almost regaining my balance and control over my flight when I crashed into the ground. My left wing buckled beneath me and it felt like the earth shook as my head bounced off the ground. I rolled over and attempt to get to my legs so I could stand. Everything seemed to double and triple, and suddenly I was seeing in twos and threes, and it all moved and buzzed and spun.