The Elementals

Chapter 9

It took only a minute or two for the rest of the smoke to clear out. The group moved cautiously through the undergrowth and strained their ears to listen to where the dragon was in comparison to them. Its heavy footsteps seemed to be coming from all directions, and the rustling of the vines moving through the grass had everyone on edge.

They were huddled close together, Brandon in the lead with Elizabeth in the back; they could both use their element the most effectively. Noah and Kyle were on either side of Alexis and Candice was right behind them. It seemed like they were going in circles and patience was running thin. They were finally moving forward when there was a sudden rush of wind above them. Everyone looked at Alexis but the small girl seemed just as surprised as them, putting up her hands defensively.

"It wasn't me," she whispered. Again, the same rush of wind blew over them and it clicked. It was a sound they were all too familiar with back home at Aria.

"That dragon didn't have wings, did it?" Kyle asked, looking up into the sky.

"No. No it did not," Noah mumbled. Brandon started to back up slowly and pressed his back into Kyle, gesturing with his hand for him to move back as well. There were light footsteps coming towards them, too small to be the dragon. A loud rustling came from behind them as more vines moved, making their way towards them. Elizabeth cursed under her breath as she raised a leg and balanced on an arm to let the plant pass. Alexis and Candice leaned on eachother to avoid it while Kyle, Noah, and Brandon pressed together to make their selves as small as possible. Suddenly, a twig snapped in front of them and their heads shot up. Before them stood a pegasus, its hazel eyes running over the group as it lowered its head to sniff at them. It fluttered its wings as it stepped closer to them, looking down at the vines that rubbed against its hooves. The heavy pounding of the dragon's footsteps became rapid as it ran in their direction. It crashed through the trees and let out a loud roar, vines falling from above and moving like snakes. The pegasus turned around and backed up, rearing up on its strong hind legs as it faced the dragon bravely.

The horse-like creature stayed balanced on its back legs as its skin darkened in color, turning its pelt grey. Right before their eyes, the pegasus' entire structure changed with a few sickening cracks as its bones dislocated and rearranged themselves, growing into something ten times its size. Its coat turned into hard scales and its hooves split, expanding into large, black claws. It stretched out its now silver wings and long neck, spreading its legs apart as it dug its claws into the ground. Letting out a viscous roar, it showed its dangerously sharp teeth; what had been a pegasus was now a silver dragon.

The teens stood frozen in their spots, right under the dragon's legs. They watched as the green dragon stalked forward and kept its head low, a loud growl rumbling in its throat. It flared its nostrils and started to back away after a moment, its narrowed yellow eyes locked with the other's hazel ones. The silver dragon shifted on its legs and gave one strong stroke of its wings, shooting out its long neck and snapping its jaws close enough to make the other jerk back immediately. It turned and blew air out of its nose, walking back the way it had come. The silver dragon didn't move for a while, the six underneath it not too sure if they should go on their way or not.

"What the fuck just happened," Kyle said, more of a statement than a question. The sound of his voice was enough to make the silver dragon turn around. It backed up and lowered itself to the ground, laying its neck and head down in front of the group. Like before, its bones moved on their own with the same cracks, but this time it started to shrink down into something much, much smaller.