Clifflight's Challenge and Contest entries

Every Day in May - Challenge II

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

"According to the guard," I cast a glance at Eryl. "They said each time someone tries to cross the pass the beast swoops down from these hills, chasing them away."

We're hiking through the Donnageo Hills, hand on our weapon and keeping an eye on the surroundings. Large pine trees cover the hills, and the Donnageo murmurs at a distance.

"Why do you think it keeps attacking travellers? Lack of prey in the area?" I ask. Eryl, while shying away from communication with strangers, is an expert on magical creatures.

However, she shrugs her shoulders, "I can't be certain yet. It stays a guessing game until we find some tracks in the area."

Lord Merwyn had sent us to a little village, hidden away in the Donnageo Hills, after a loss of communication and trade. Upon arrival, Eryl and I learned that a large bird-like creature had taken residence in the hills by the pass, attacking anyone that gets close. This also explained why we hadn't seen anything amiss as we had approached the village from the west.

"Here," Eryl leads us to a clearing, littered with broken branches, "Something big took its claws to those trees. I would have guessed it a bird kaiju, maybe an eagle. But these marks are similar to when bears sharpen their claws..." She shoots me a concerned look. "We might be dealing with a dragon."

"Damn it! That's not good..." I ease my sword out of its sheath. "Any clues where we're going to find it?"

"It's clearly defending its territory, so the dragon is more likely to find us than the other way around. The only thing we can really do is stay alert while exploring the area, hoping it can't get the drop on us."

"Not really encouraging, is it?" I look towards the sky when something catches my attention. "Maybe we should go that way," I offer, pointing towards several trees with their crown broken, "Ten silver pieces that it flew in that direction."

"Sorry, but I'm not really in the business of losing money. But you might be right." She doesn't waste any more time, or words, and leads the way.

***

The path we followed led us to one of the hills overlooking the pass. We've been walking for half an hour, when I pick up the clapping of wings. While first a faint sound, it becomes louder and louder as the cadence increases.

Eryl and I share a look. She looks grim, but determined. If we were indeed facing a dragon, the fight would get ugly quickly. Created during the War of the Ancients, dragons possess the strength of elementals, along with their own brand of magic channelled through their breath or cry. They mostly keep to themselves, only bothering with other dragons. But when in a foul mood, a dragon can destroy an entire village if the residents are caught unaware. Luckily, Eryl and I are anything but unaware. Trained warriors, we know how to handle ourselves in dangerous situations with our weapons and astral magic.

We're scanning the sky, bracing ourselves for an attack from above. It's when we hear its cry that we realise our mistake. Dragons are intelligent creatures; this makes "expect the unexpected" the number one rule when fighting one.

The beast roars again, this time from right behind us. We whirl around and see it rising above the edge of the cliff. The dragon has a lithe figure, with a long tail and neck, and obviously female. Wings, each as wide as her tail is long, create a gust of wind, knocking Eryl and I back. A pair of silver eyes stare at us, the intellect visible as well as burning fury. She bares her teeth and five razor-sharp claws glister at her paws. And while the sight of them would have been enough to send anyone packing, it is the colour of her scales that makes my blood run cold.

They're white. Damn it! Thunder dragons, capable of spewing lightning bolts at its victims, are known for their short fuse and ferocity in combat. This is going to be difficult.

But not impossible. My magic flares as I levitate above the ground, sword in one hand and a ball of energy in the other. Eryl appears beside me, branding her spear. We lock gazes for a second and then we soar into the sky, ready to fend off the dragon.