Tales From the Void

Dougal

Dougal ran through the hills near his village, desperate to get home. He had heard the alarms go off just moments ago, signaling that the raiders were here. They were in his village! He tried to keep himself from completely panicking, but that was proving extremely difficult. He kept getting panic stricken with all the imagery he had heard from survivors of previous raids or (much more prominent in his mind) what had happened to his mother. She had been in one of the prairie villages down over the mountain when a raid occurred. He heard from the only survivor that her soul had been viciously ripped from her body and consumed by one of those monsters.

He cut his line of thinking there. He had to stop thinking like that. He had to remember his mantra, that would help calm him down. He began repeating it under his breath as he ran.

"They're dragons. They're dragons. They're dragons" perpetually between pants.

No matter what they had become, Dougal had to remember that they were dragons inside, even though his father strongly urged him to think otherwise. Dougal had always strived to see the good in everyone. Even the most rotten of dragon still had a sense of draganity to them, even if they themselves didn't know it. It was his virtue in life, his truth, and he'd be damned if he let go of it now. Even so, he had to get back to the homestead before they found him, otherwise, his mantra would be all for not.

He had the unlucky dilemma of having a home at the far end of the village, a far distance to run from where he was now and flying was not an option at this point. His family was a regal band of Lightning Rift Dragons revered as great harvesters Voidwide. As such, they were given big homesteads on the edges of the towns they lived in. Dougal's was the biggest, but also the furthest out. So, he wasn't exactly feeling lucky about his status right now. He suddenly stopped in place and slid behind a nearby hill when heard what sounded like lightning strike followed by an insidious scream.

He peaked out cautiously to see a towering Voltaic Dragon wrapped in violet electricity looming over a terrified Cold Rift Dragon. He was a grotesque beast to be sure. His scales were blacker than raging storm clouds and his body pulsed with an unnatural light. Dougal quivered in utmost fear. That was one of the raiders, one of the dragons responsible for destroying the Void and annihilating most of its population now. Dougal felt cold all over watching him and praying he didn't notice him.

Then, he suddenly realized something about the dragon, a certain familiarity about him. Dougal stared intently at him, trying to piece in his mind why he recognized this dragon and where from. He then came to the crushing realization that it was his cousin, Tesla. He wasn't sure how, but he could just feel it. This dragon, the monster his father and everyone else in the village was so terrified of, was his sweet, good-natured cousin he had met several times in the past. He began to step out from his hiding spot and speak but was halted immediately when Tesla reared back and bit deep into the Cold Rift Dragon's neck.

Dougal watched in silent horror as his cousin drained the life from his victim, an innocent soul Dougal knew from lessons. Even watching it, he couldn't believe it was happening, like his mind was physically rejecting it. Before he could witness the end of it, Dougal ran away. He just couldn't bare to watch anymore, nor could he afford to be spotted in that moment. He just had to get back home. He had to see his father.
[C]•••

Dougal practically burst through the door of his father's large, wallow willow cabin. The older Lightning Rift Dragon turned to him, both startled and relieved. Dougal instantly noticed the large amount of weapons his father had strapped to himself: stone hammers, hatchets, knives, and he was currently wielding a chisel.