The Tribes of K'haren - Completed

Chapter 21.1

The sun stood high in the sky and its warmth dried the ground that had been wetted by a heavy rain before and the smell of petrichor still filled the air. Feyn made sure she was flying up high enough for no onlooker from the ground to be able to recognize her. At this altitude, she could easily be mistaken for a large bird. She flew fast, back to where she had been when she had spotted the army the day before.

Her eyes effortlessly searched the ground beneath her but she could not see any trace of the army. Getting a bit nervous, Feyn flew some large circles and allowed herself to fly a little lower. Once she did, she managed to make out a path that had obviously been trotted upon by careless feet glad in heavy boots. So I have not gone lost, she thought with pride. Feyn quickly turned and followed in the direction the army had been going and not much later, she spotted them in the distance.

Deep within, Feyn felt a desire to attack the army, regardless of being unarmed and outnumbered. But, in order to gain Raf'ney-krush's trust, she knew she had to please the Outcast. And even if their methods where too peaceful and slow to her, she did agree on their cause. It was just not in her nature to shy away from a fight. The closer she got to the army, the more intense grew her desire to tear them apart. Flying higher up, she managed to distract herself by thinking about Raf'ney-krush. He didn't exactly fit her type, but he did have a nice sword and some rather interesting daggers. Feyn had always had a thing for metal, it just caught her eye the way it reflected the light. And it was a symbol of power, something she had always found to be very desirable.

Now she was flying just above the army, circling them slowly. Nobody seemed to notice her, they were walking quite quickly in a straight line, facing west. Curious about where they were going, Feyn decided to fly ahead and have a look. It didn't take very long for her to spend another group of Phraio in the distance, this one was much smaller though. When she got closer, she realised it was indeed another army, heading in the opposite direction, right towards the former.

Then a shadow distracted her and Feyn looked up just to be blinded by the sun. Her instincts told her to land immediately, told her to flee, but she did not understand why. She was flying way too high up for there to be any birds around and other Harpyies would not be a threat to her. The only danger for a Harpyie were dragons, and they never left their mountains. Never ever. Still Feyn couldn't help searching the sky with her piercing eyes. And then the shadow passed her once again. Something was clearly circling in on her.

When she heard the wingbeats, she knew it could only be a dragon. Feyn was not at all happy about that, she had only met a few dragons in her life and had not intended to add another one to the list. They were not exactly known to care to differentiate between large birds, their favourite food, and Harpyies. Pulling her wings tight to her body, Feyn let herself drop. When she reached half the altitude she'd been at before, she spread her wings again, feeling the agonizing pain it caused her to catch herself at that speed. Moments later, she had regained control over her movements and managed to circle, knowing she had to land to escape the dragon's interest but yet stay high up in the air not to catch the armies'.

When the shadow passed her once again, she managed to finally get a glimpse of the dragon. To her surprise, there was indeed just one of them, despite them usually hunting in packs. Maybe he was a scout, she thought to herself. Feyn didn't fail to notice how beautifully the light shone through his cyan wings. But before she'd lose more time thinking about it, she decided to land. The armies would need some more time to get to where she was now, but the dragon could catch her any moment. It seemed to her it was just playing with her.

When Feyn felt ground under her clawed feet, she lay her wings flat on her back and knelt down, bending forward for the long feathers on her wings not to scratch the earth. She could still hear the dragon but it was quite far up from what she could tell. Yet it was still there, not deciding to hunt something else instead. Dragons couldn't see too well, they'd easily mistake something unmoving on the ground for a rock and they'd find another prey instead. But today wasn't a lucky day for Feyn as it seemed, for the dragon actually landed a short distance away from her.

For a brief moment, she considered taking off and attempting to fly away, but she knew a dragon could easily outpace her with its huge wings. And even if she did manage to escape, the risk of it following her scent to the others was too big.

'Calm down! I am not going to eat you, I've already had lunch.' The dragon's voice roared in her head, not exactly helping her calm down.

'Who are you?' Feyn asked, desperate to gain some time. She didn't believe the word of a dragon, he might just be saying that so he could catch her off-guard.

'I'm Zar'gno, servant of the dragon king. I was sent to clear the field, nobody is supposed to watch what happens here today.' He explained quickly, seeming to be in a hurry.

'Are you talking about the Phraio armies?' she asked, feeling like the dragon was not too loyal to his king, given that he was actually talking to her.

'You have to go now, I will not attack you if you promise to keep your mouth shut, nobody is to know about this.' The dragon replied.

'You didn't answer my question.' Feyn stated, standing back up and stretching her wings. Her muscles ached and she didn't exactly like the thought of flying away, she'd much rather find a nice lookout on one of the many hilltops and watch the armies from there. The dragon's low growl interrupted her thoughts.

'What the Phraio do is their own business and nothing a Harpyie should worry about.' Zar'gno said.

'Then why does a mighty dragon like yourself worry about it?' she asked, trying not to let him notice how his presence made her tremble.

'That, too, is non of your business.' He sharply replied.

'So you want me to leave but you don't even give me a reason? This is outside your territory, the dragon king does not rule here!' Feyn shouted at the dragon, feeling her confidence slowly return.

'Not yet. Go now, or...'

'Or what?'

'Or I will have to kill you.' The dragon said, but something in its voice told Feyn that he wasn't actually ready to do that. Though she had never seen a dragon that would hesitate to kill so she did not wish to chance her luck. Swallowing her pride, she spread her wings and took off, flying up as quickly as she could. The dragon followed moments later, staying right behind her for a long time.

Feyn had hoped for him to let go of her so she could perhaps find another way to watch the battle that was about to unfold but the dragon followed her until she was a good distance away from the first army, closer to the mountains than she had been in weeks. There, Zar'gno finally disappeared, he was just suddenly nowhere to be seen anymore. Feyn turned a few circles and considered going back, but her muscles hurt too much so she decided to join the Outcast instead, making sure to fly a circuitous way.

// What might the dragons be up to? I'd love to hear your guesses in the comments below! And while you're at it, don't forget to vote, thank you ;)