The Last of the Dragons-Set 1

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     "Don't stop running! We've got to lose her!" Wade shouted as what remained of us scattered through the forest.

We could still hear the female dragon roaring over the fallen body of her adversary, before the sound of flesh ripping and bones crunching replaced the former sounds of battle and victory. Bailey clung to my side as we jumped over fallen trees, roots and large bushes to avoid toppling over. Amy and Tahli constantly looked over the shoulder with fear deep in their eyes, mixed with confusion as to what the next move was. After having ran for several minutes, we slowly came to a stop, all of us panting heavily in an effort to catch our breath. I counted the number of us still alive after the whole ordeal. I counted only the four of us, along with Wade and three other men. All the rest, had died.

"What the hell was that about?" Tahli uttered as she started to catch her breath.

"They're desperate for food, like I said before. That male must have ventured into this area searching for more food, or perhaps to overtake the territory from the female who holds it now. Obviously for him, that didn't work out in his favour." Wade replied.

"That's besides the point. We've got to keep moving before she decides she wants another try at us." I said.

"I agree. She won't be occupied with her kill for long. Let's get going." One of the other men added.

With that, the eight of us started in the direction opposite the fight in a quick fashion with our weapons in hand. Silence filled the air for several minutes as we walked through the thick underbrush of the forest, with only the sound of a few birds and a light breeze slipping through the tree leaves accompanying the otherwise unsettling atmosphere surrounding us. Then, something came to me.

"What where you even doing out here to begin with if you knew there were dragons out here?" I asked Wade and his three men.

The four of them stopped, and glanced back and forth at one another for a moment, none of them uttering a word for several seconds, before Wade turned to me.

"Several months back, a man and his young sun where out hunting for there mother and sisters. Searching for a kill that would feed them for a long while, preventing the need for further risky hunts that could result in death for the man and his son. The boy was only fourteen years old, but he insisted on hunting with his father after the sudden appearance of dragons within the mountains once again. The boy and his father went out one day, but, only the father came back. The boy and his father were attacked by the female dragon that seemed to be bonded with the night devil, the purple one. The one who resides off in that direction. Now, after many, many months of torture and fear, dragons are finally on the brink of extinction. untold amounts of our people have died at their hands, and now we nearly have the power to overpower them, and kill of the majority of those still alive. While the largest may be out of the question, the rest can be killed if we use superior numbers, and which dragon better to start with than the one who killed that boy?"

I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, as Bailey's hand gently brushed mine before slowly grasping it in her soft fingers. I slowly looked over at her, and I could see the fear in her eyes at the realization that we had all just come to. Unsure of what to do, I said the only thing I could think of in the moment.

"You can't kill a dragon. It's impossible." I said confidently.

The four men chuckled, shaking their heads slightly at my response, which puzzled me.

"What do you find so amusing?" I asked.

"The larger dragons, perhaps that is true, but the same cannot be said for the smaller ones. Not long ago a group of us brought down a dragon twice the size of the female we encountered earlier. A young buck who we managed to catch off guard. Shot dozens of arrows and boulders at his wings with bows and small catapults, rendering them useless. At that point, we could pick our target spots on his body until finally, the beast fell. Juno here has single handedly killed seven, with no assistance. It can be done. And it will be done." Wade said.

I contemplated for a moment, unsure of what to say. I could feel the tension building between Wade and I as he started to sense my displeasure in what he had said.

"R-Right. Well, do what you must for your people. Right?" I replied.

He cocked his head back slightly, his eyes locked on mine.

"Come. We must return to our camp to collect more men to hunt down the dragon. We will kill the female that resides in this area should we encounter her again, along with any others we come across before we find the dragon that slaughtered my grandson." Wade said.

He and the other men turned and started away from us, while the four of us started after them. I felt Bailey rest her hand on my shoulder as I began to walk.

"They're going to kill Magar." She said.

Hey Everyone!

If you're enjoying this story, be sure to check out my new story "The Dragon's Bond"! It can be found on my profile page and is still in progress, updates are daily or bi-daily on average.

Enjoy!