Shadow (Paused and Undergoing MAJOR Editing)

Chapter Fourteen

Dracoponian

They think I'm stupid just because I can't talk. At least, that Echo does. The looks she gives me. The scowls. I stare at the stormy gray sky, which is my kind of weather. Ahead are the mountains. I hear something, and turn my head to look back. Fire dragons. I know that one of the mountains is actually a volcano, but I didn't expect to see other dragons. Especially fire dragons. Well, I guess I had just hoped not to see them. I speed up, flapping my wings harder and harder. I don't trust fire dragons. We dragons all have histories with one another, and ours isn't good. And it didn't help when one of them ripped my tongue out. I glance at the fire dragons again. They haven't noticed me. I slow down a bit, so that I'm not too tired, and look at the mountains. Home.

I don't know if they'll welcome me back. I don't care. I came because something was telling me to go there. Pulling me there. Suddenly, something bumps into me. I swivel around to see the fire dragons glaring at me, and I hover. The one that bumped into me narrows his eyes. "Ice dragon," he mutters. "What do you want?" I glare at him. A bigger fire dragon swoops up to me.

"Do you think you're too smart to answer us?" A tendril of smoke comes up from his snout. I feel sick from the heat, but don't move, as it would be a sign of weakness. I steady my wings to completely stop in the air, and look at them square in the eye. Another fire dragon, the biggest of the three, flies to me.

"Hmm. A lone ice dragon.. I wonder if anyone would notice if he suddenly disappeared?" she asks, twirling her talon in the air. I know a threat when I hear one. I snap my mouth open, summon a blast of freezing ice, and blast it at her. She widens her amber eyes and dodges, twirling gracefully in the air.

"Ha!" the smallest dragon shouts. "He can't talk! You can take him on your own, big sister!"

I snarl silently, and launch myself at the older one, who is laughing. I scrape her wing with my claw and she blasts fire in fury, aiming for my leg. It hits the target, and open my mouth in a screaming motion as it begins to burn my scales off. In a panic, I blast my leg with frigid air, extinguishing the flames. Then, I smack my spiky tail into her face. She roars, dives to my underbelly, and swipes. I kick her with my back leg, and she hisses. Then, she blasts fire into my face. It hits, and I plummet towards the earth. She dives after me, and bites my wing. I try to fly, but I can't focus with all the heat. She jeers at me. I try to do something, but she's not giving me a single second to defend myself. I limply kick her snout. She doesn't move, and then laughs when I struggle with the air. I suddenly find my strength, and right when I'm about to hit the ground, I grab her by the tail and smack her onto it, causing dust to go everywhere. She lays there, groaning.

I rapidly dart back towards the mountain peak. It might seem stupid, but the fire dragons are nothing compared to the dangers of the mountain woods. The other dragons realize that their comrade is lying there on the ground, and one of them goes down to help her. The others quickly surround me, and I mutely growl. I'm trapped.

The biggest one yet shoves his snout in mine. "We're not going easy on you, little dragon. Our sssissster did. That was a mistake." I whack him in the eyes with my tail, and he flies sideways. "Brothersss! Sssissstersss! Attack!" he yells. One of them grabs my wings so that I can't fly away, and another my tail. I summon an icy blast, but almost immediately, the first, small dragon snaps my mouth shut. I try to kick or scratch them, but it's no use. Instead, I just lift my head as much as possible, and I glare at them. If they're going to kill me, I'll go down like a warrior. The one that was first flying in the back howls with laughter at my defiant expression. Some others join her. The dragon who I thought had been defeated is slowly flying towards me with a deadly expression in her eyes. She jabs my underbelly several times. I'm starting to feel tired and dizzy. As she rears back for a killing blow, a flash of silver-white crashes into her.