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

Chapter XVII: Dream 9

Mark's Age: Thirteen-and-a-half years

Thirak's Age: Four years

I glided languidly on a warm current, circling above the massive forest that thrived within the boundaries of the Dragon Rider Academy. There weren't too many dragons out and hunting at this time of night, only three individual hunters, and a group of three hunting.

I went into a shallow dive before landing in one of the massive trees that called the forest home. The large branch I landed on was shrouded in the shadows and I crouched, my eyes focussed on the pathway between the trees that was in front of me. It wasn't a pathway that a dragon would really use nor was it a manmade pathway. It was one of the regular tracks that animals took to get to the nearby bubbling brook.

I tilted my head, trying to enhance my hearing. I could hear the soft rustle of leaves at the very tops of the tall trees as the wind brushed them. I could hear the brook bubbling and gurgling over rocks as it weaved through the forest. I could hear the quiet chirping of birds and calls of other animals in the forest.

A snorting snuffle got my attention as it sounded nearby. The sound came again and, as it got closer, I could pick out the softer sound of paws padding against the ground. From that alone, I could tell that the animal wasn't hooved.

The creature finally came around the trees, lines on its back glowing softly with a golden light. I instantly felt at peace as I looked at the lines and found no need to attack such a gentle creature. My eyes felt rather dry all of a sudden and I blinked. My trance disappeared like it had never existed. I dropped my eyes from the lines, realising they were the cause.

The animal had brownish-red fur but with hard skin on its head, neck, and leading up from its paws to cover its belly. It had a curved horn on each side of its mouth, curling upwards to a sharp point. The horns caused the animal to have its mouth open, revealing fangs and multiple sharp teeth. This animal was a carnivore, I figured.

A worthy hunt, I thought to myself, and my heart seemed to jolt and pick up speed as the animal lumbered past my hidden position.

I leapt, silently, from the tree without the animal knowing. My wings held me in the air for a moment and my momentum pushed me forward. I landed with my forelegs on the creature and instantly knocked it off of its paws. It bellowed loudly, but I refused to be moved and struck quickly, cutting its throat and killing it.

It died almost instantly and I grabbed it before taking off and returning to my branch. On the wide branch, I laid down and started eating, keeping an eye out for any unwanted predators or scavengers. There seemed to be none even as I pulled the meat off of the carcass.

As I was almost done, there was a thunderous call from nearby – not a dragon, but some kind of big cat-like creature, I reckoned. I stood, wings held tightly to my side to avoid anything landing on them and injuring them. There was a yowl and I spotted a pack of animals charging around the corner of the pathway and heading directly towards me.

It would be harder for me to fight from the tree branch and I didn't want to give up my catch or be chased from my position, so I leapt off the branch and landed on the forest floor.

I snarled and slammed one animal away with one paw. The tiger-like creature hit one tree and quickly got up, racing towards me again. I head-butted another away, and grabbed the third one in my mouth, locking my jaws around it and shaking it, before letting it go. It went flying between two trees and didn't come back.

The other two animals snarled at me but backed away, realising that I had greater strength and would win any fight. I flicked my tail happily and went back to eating my catch.