Elemental Dragons (Book 1)

Chapter 9

Dylan's POV.

A loud crack of thunder echoed throughout the cave. I shot to an upright position, thinking some sort of gun had just gone off right beside me. Once my brain registered that I was fine, and that no one was trying to shoot me, I flopped back down on the surprisingly bouncy bed (I'm still not sure what the 'mattress' was made from).

Unable to ease my racing heart as well as resigning to the fact that I wasn't gonna much sleep tonight, I rolled over onto my side and stared at the cave wall.
It had been roughly painted to look like a rising sun, the now dull splashes of pink and orange as well as the fading deep blue portrayed the different variation of colours you would see in a typical sunrise. It would have looked fairly good if the paint wasn't peeling away, leaving dark, gaping gaps between the colours.

I could just here the rain between the thunder, as it echoed throughout the cave. For some reason, I had always hated storms. It was like a wrath unlike any other and almost felt like no matter where you went, it followed.

I wandered outside into the kitchen and dining room area and stop in the centre, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

It was dark, yet cozy with a strange warmth to it. Walking further, I found my way to the exit and pushed the vines apart and stepped out onto the ledge. It was sheltered by the -so called balcony- above it. I looked around the canyon, all caves looked exactly the same through the heavy haze created by the rain.

Although, I could just make out potted plants or old log seats on some of the other cliff edges. I sat lazily on the cold stone floor and crossed my legs, watching the rain. Unlike the storm, it was calming and made me think of curling up near a window with a good book and warm beverage in hand.

A sudden flash of lightning zipped across the sky, temporarily blinding me. See? Evil.

I rubbed my eyes to rid them of the white dots that swam around my vision. I pulled my legs up to my chest and bear hugged them. I wasn't scared, but I felt a sudden lurch of fear that something wasn't right. That something bad was going to happen. The thunder came soon after, slicing through the silence and echoing throughout the canyon. How could anyone sleep in this?

The cold from the ever howling wind seemed to have reached my core so I'm stood to leave, taking one last glance at the rain, when in the corner of my eye, something flew straight past the balcony.

I jogged quickly to the edge, careful not to step in any puddles from the rain. Falling off a cliff and having to be scraped off the rock was not a way I was willing to go. I looked up. Nothing. I was about to shrug it off and blame it in the lightning when I heard the faintest of whimpers. It sounded like... a dragon? Out in this weather? My mind raced with several conspiracies.

What if the person who killed Flicker? If I caught him, I could avenge Flicker. What? why am I saying this? I don't even Flicker! I decided that arguing with myself was pointless and that I should just go. If I was lucky, it was probably just a bat or something getting out of the weather. I changed into my dragon form; the warm sensation it filled me with every time I changed will never get old. It filled me with happiness and it was like I found what I was always, subconsciously looking for. Like my life was now, pretty much complete. I made a prayer as I jumped in to the darkness with my wings outstretched.

I had no idea how hard it was to fly straight in these strong winds and torrential rain. I was tossed around like a rag doll, trying to fight against it was like trying to win a battle when it 500 to 1. However, my snout was locked onto the scent of the unknown dragon I was stalking, so I knew I was heading in the right direction. Although in this rain, I had no idea where that was exactly. I inhaled enough air to fill my whole lungs. And slowly released, in an attempt to slow my racing heart. I realised a while ago that if you breathe out too hard, fire will shoot out instead, which would probably draw some unwanted attention. As if flailing in the air wants enough.