Through Smoke and Ashes

Twenty Five||That's My Dragon

"Watch out!" Someone shouted. I looked at what the riders were watching and saw a dragon falling from the sky. I jumped to the side, rolling out of the way as the dragon's body connected with the soil, crushing Kellso beasts underneath it. The white scales, which most likely shone with life long ago, were molted and unattractive. Its body was mangled with old and twisted scars.

The battle around us was unfazed as it proceeded. Kellso bodies continued to fall to the ground all around me. Black tar-like blood covered the ripped up ground. Thankfully, I didn't see any fallen riders.

As I brought down another Kellso, I took a moment to catch my breath. The numbers were beginning to dwindle in size, but there was still plenty around. My break was over as another Kellso came towards me. It screamed in agony as Baylen brought down his sword into its flesh. It withered on the ground, slashing back and forth on the ground. "Salic," Its words gurgled in its mouth.

Baylen gave the creature an odd look before finishing it off. He turned his gaze to me. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. They've been saying that to me this entire time. It might be some kind of  curse word in their weird language."

Baylen shook his head. "It's a last name."

"Oh?"

"Slow twoleg! Look!" Naxan's voice rang violently in my head. The world above me became dark as an object blotted out the sunlight. The next thing I knew, long talons wrapped around my body and grabbed me from the ground. I screamed as they tightened around me, piercing into my flesh.

A thunderous shriek vibrated the air, drowning out my own screams of pain. I felt his call through the bond. Anger was the first thing that rushed swiftly through my body, but not of my own. The power behind his roar nearly deafened my senses. I was fading away, but that could be from the exhaustion of battle. 

"Valairex!" Someone shouted from below me. Something collided with the dragon, and my body swung roughly around in the air. Talons dug deeper into my flesh, and I cried out in pain. Involuntary tears dripped down my face at the burning sensation pulsing through my shoulder. Another mighty roar rang out into the air. I tried focusing on a pinpoint to keep myself grounded, but the jarring intensity of the dragon's talons clutching my arm and the world spinning around me was almost enough to make me heave up my stomach's contents. 

The dragon's grip loosened, and I managed to break free from its grip. My fall to the ground was short, but I landed hard on my back, and the air was knocked from my lungs. My ears rang, muffling the sounds of the battle around me. I couldn't focus, my vision blurring, which swirled with dizzying colours.

Above me, I could see Naxan fighting viciously with the dragon. Or so I thought I could. My dragon was a blob, blurred at the edges and morphed into something unrecognizable. Red and black swirled together against the blue sky above. Slowly collecting myself, I was able to focus my eyesight momentarily. The fighting was all tooth and claw.

Groaning with nausea, I propped myself on my elbows, clutching the grass tightly between my fingers. I crawled onto my hands and knees, heaving a deep breath as pain lanced my shoulder. Silently crying out, my mouth was left open in a silent scream as tears slid down my lashes and onto the stained grass underneath me. My eyes detected green, red, and black, but my vision was rushing in and out between hazy and clear that nothing made sense to my brain.

I collapsed back and willed the wounds on my body to heal. My powers were becoming dimmer as my conscious state of mind was threatening to succumb to darkness. I grappled with this feeling and pushed myself to get up. My wounds were healing themselves as I stood from where I lay. Before me, I could see the group of riders watching in awe as the two dragons fought above us.