Dragon-Bound

Chapter 3 - Contact

Chapter 3 – Contact –

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Saphira first knew that she was being watched when she felt something brush along the parameters of her mind.

Since she had entered this new land, she had made sure to reinforce the walls around her mind but stretching out her sensors so that she could know whenever something drew close. She had been travelling south west, going through the mountains that she had previously spied, and now she was on the southern point of the mountain range, and she could see that perhaps a hundred miles or so south, was a single solitary peak, to the south-west of that was a huge forest, but Saphira saw that if she carried on straight west from where she was that the mountains continued on. Knowing that it would be her best chance to stay hidden and to perhaps find what she sought, Saphira decided that she would stick to these northern mountains.

Her wings had healed well, the muscles had regained their strength with two days' worth of rest and Saphira had been flying lazily along her route through the mountains. She was steadily regaining her weight, eating whenever she had the opportunity and always sleeping afterwards in order to absorb the calories and not burn them off with excess movement. She had eventually come across a ravine, and stopped for a long drink, allowing her exhaustion to fully take hold of her as she closed her eyes momentarily. Perhaps it would be wise to seek a place to nest for now, resettle myself and then continue in a few days when I am rested. She thought to herself. Looking at the mountains around her she knew that there must be a cave big enough to hold her somewhere within those peaks. Perhaps she could find a cave and stay there for a few days to get back to full strength. It would only take her three perhaps four days; she was an excellent hunter and she had seen no predators so far that could match her.

But whilst she drank the waters of the stream, dipping her muzzle into the cold water for another long mouthful, she felt the edges of her mind detect a presence. Instantly on alert, Saphira gently probed at the mind in question, so tentatively that the consciousness would not even feel her. The mind was protected, but naturally, not through any self-made fortification, and Saphira knew that she might be able to easily break into it if need be. But she felt it come closer and closer, meaning that it knew where Saphira was and it was coming onto her position. She couldn't scent it because it was downwind, but she wanted the element of surprise yet had no time with which to hide for an ambush. So Saphira staid exactly where she was and acted as if nothing were amiss. Her back was to her adversary, so she relied on her hearing and the feel of the earth vibrations and the wind that the creature disturbed. From what she could tell, it was up high, perhaps on the rocks on the incline above her, but it also carried a lot of weight.

However, she was unprepared when the shadow was cast over her back, and she glanced to see a long serpentine neck with a crocodile-like head in the shadow. Heart suddenly hammering in her chest with surprise, Saphira spun around, a surprised growl erupting from her jaws as she bared her teeth at her attacker. She looked up to where she knew the creature to be, but could only see the silhouette where the sun was directly behind it. It was only when it moved down the incline and out of the light that Saphira saw what it was, and she hissed under her breath with shock.

Slinking down with the fluid motion of a snake, came a dragon! Saphira was left utterly speechless as she stared at him, for now that she could scent him as he stood only a hundred feet away, she could scent the deep musk of masculinity that radiated out of his every pore. He was perhaps half the size that Shruikan had been, but was still almost twice as large as her. He appeared to be so odd compared to what she had expected of a dragon. Unlike her and every dragon she had encountered, this male had only two legs instead of four, his wings were not folded against his back, instead he had two long fingers and a thumb coming from his wing hinge, allowing him to use his wings like front legs, the membranes of the wings folding behind him. He was covered in red scales, similar to Thorn, though his underbelly was a gold that sparkled oddly in a certain light, as if he had shrapnel pieces of metal stuck between his scales. He did not have horns, instead he had large spikes protruding from the back of his head that flexed and moved, Saphira gathered that they helped to express his mood. His eyes were a brilliant flame-yellow that glowed as he stared at her. Saphira did not give much thought to his differences other than to assess for weaknesses. Perhaps this was how dragons here had evolved, and she knew him to be a dragon for the familiar scent of their kind clung to him as it did to her.