She stood before him, beautiful and powerful.

She’d always been like that, his light in the dark. His moon, illuminating the dark currents of his mind. But now she was cold.

And she was slipping away.

The void trembled and the wind screamed as Orion drew on more power than ever before. He cast aside mortal concerns and became the eternal wind, striving to close the seemingly minuscule gap.

Yet no matter how he struggled, she only drifted further away.

He screamed her name, begging her to at least acknowledge his presence. But her moon was cold and impartial.

He screamed himself hoarse, but she refused to slow.

At last, lacking any other options, he drew his bow.

The black void shook, angry he had dared bring violence to this place. Beasts appeared in the dozens and dove for Artemis.

Orion roared as his arms blurred, a shower of arrows taking to the skies with inexorable force. They struck with tremendous force, reaping lives and limbs both.

Artemis changed, no longer the impartial moon, but instead, the woman he had grown to love, desperately struggling against her many bonds.

Her eyes met his and he saw acceptance in them.

It almost broke him. Only her eyes kept him together, even as they ripped him apart.

He could not fight like this.

The void may contain this space, but it could not contain the wind. It could not contain him. Tears streaming down his face, he gave his emotion to the sky, letting it forge a conduit between him and the boundless might of the heavens.

Immediately, time seemed to fade, urgency becoming just one of the many whims of the wind. He was free and powerful like never before. He wanted nothing more than to become the wind fully, sacrificing himself to its fancies.

But those gray eyes were still on him, and he could not say no to them. The eternal sky filled him with power, and his bowstring crept back to his cheek.

He only shot one arrow, limbs breaking and blood spraying from its power.

But it was enough.

The beasts vanished as if they had never been, their very existence giving way before the hunter's wind. Artemis’ bounds shattered revealing her in her full glory.

Cold fear flooded him as he realized how close he had been to losing himself to the winds. How close he had been to simply letting Artemis die.

But seeing her bounding towards him, he relaxed.

He had done it.

Then, a mighty red claw appeared, and in a single motion bisected Artemis.

The void shattered.

—---------------------------------

Orion woke with a gasp, nearly falling out of the tree branch he had been sleeping on. The thunder roared around him and thick raindrops fell from the sky.

The wind yelled battle cries as it surged in.

Orion forcibly calmed himself and looked around in wonder. Had he done this?

The answer, as always, is complicated. Visions are strange things, typically the result of the soul trying to tell the mind something. And when the soul comes so close to the physical… strange things happen.

But all Orion knew was this was the perfect chance to grab Artemis. He grabbed his bow and vaulted to the ground, landing in a crouch. The roaring wind confirmed that she was still in the same place. He crept toward her and climbed into a tree beside the one she was tied up on, using the winds to hide his presence the whole way.

At the top, he took a moment to consider his options. Twilight was fast approaching, only an hour or two till the moon came out. And it was under that moon they would make their escape. He reached out and confirmed the storm would last at least that long, if only barely.

He spent the next half an hour mapping their escape routes and letting the wind trace the contours of the beastly kingdom he had found himself in. With the storm, concealing his actions was easy.

Finally, he was ready. He drew back his bow, gathering a portion of the storm into him. He was careful to limit the amount so not as to lose himself. He vividly remembered the consequences of drawing too much, and even though it was a dream something in him whispered its truth.

The storm came to him easily, resonating with the emotion within him that had helped summon it. Just as he was about to fire, the wind whispered a warning.

Then it screamed.

Orion immediately abandoned his attack, calling all the nearby winds to him to shield his presence. The mountaintop exploded, spewing lava into the air. All nearby beasts cringed back, and a second later Orion followed.

A massive beast emerged from the lava, nearly twice as long as the multi-headed lizard they had fought earlier. It walked on four legs, with a pair of golden-red wings tucked behind its shoulder blades. The rain sizzled and evaporated against its red and golden scales, the steam ringing it like a halo. It had a long scaly snout with a set of glistening man-sized teeth that ended in impossible sharp points. A pair of pearl-white antlers curved back from its orange eyes.

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But even more shocking than its physical appearance was the aura it emitted. It was one of a composite path, nameless in its uniqueness. Tyranny, fire, dominance, power, and a million other qualities came together to form a spirituality that pressed down heavily on every being in its range.

Even the common beasts, barely souled as they were felt it, and one by one, they dropped to their knees in submission.

The monstrosity, Dargonth as he would soon be known, raised his head to the skies and roared. Power poured out of him, its unyielding nature refusing to bow even to the majesty of the endless sky.

For some reason, something stirred in me while watching that. The endless sky…

Regardless, weakened as the storm already was by existing in this unnatural context, it scattered, turning into smaller clouds that dissipated in the last rays of the sun.

Seemingly satisfied, Dargonth turned its gaze toward Orion.

Orion’s heart hammered as he tried to figure out how he’d been spotted before fear gave way to a more terrifying realization. He was not the one that had been spotted.

Dargonth flexed and launched himself off the top of the volcano, straight towards Artemis. Orion tensed but did nothing. He sensed no malice from the dragon, just annoyance and curiosity.

It took even the mighty dragon a minute to reach the grove where Artemis was kept and Orion hid. It landed with a mighty boom, crushing the plants under it.

It was so tall that its head came up to the platform where Artemis was kept. It made a few strange hissing sounds at the avian keepers and they rushed to bring Artemis forward. Orion barely held back his gasp at finally seeing Artemis in person. She was exactly as the wind had described her, a bit beaten up, but otherwise healthy.

Then to his surprise, they cut her bounds, revealing Artemis' bare body. Orion's face heated, but he didn't look away.

The dragon breathed a mouthful of steam in Artemis’ face, condensing droplets of water along her pale body and silver hair. The last rays of the sun refracted off them, casting Artemis in red light.

Then, to Orion's absolute shock, it spoke.

“Who are you?”

Its voice was deep and rumbling, vibrating through everything in earshot.

Artemis flinched before drawing himself up with pride that made Orion’s heart swell.

“I am Artemis.” She proclaimed, “Lady of the Moon, Daughter of Adam and Eve”

“Oh? Adam and Eve are your sires?”

“You knew them?”

The dragon snorted. “I was there at their creation, a cast-off of the heavenly one exerting his will. I accompanied them through the ages in paradise. Do they still live?”

Artemis hesitated. “No.”

The dragon huffed again. “Very well. Now, wha-”

“Wait. Who are you? What are you? Who is the heavenly one? Wh-”

The growled the sound striking like a physical force. “Do not interrupt. I am Dargonth, dragon of might, king of beasts. Now, as I was saying, are you the one that caused this storm?”

Seeing Artemis’ silence he made more of those strange hissing sounds at the avian guards. They nervously hissed back.

“Ah. You killed one of the hydras. Shame, that one had potential.” he motioned to the birds. “Deal with her.”

They seemed to get the gist.

Dargonth turned to leave, nearly leveling the entire forest as his tail swept out.

“Wait!” Artemis yelled. “I’m Adam and Eve’s child. You knew them. Won't you let me go?”

He snorted, not turning back. “I never liked Adam and Eve much. The heavenly one’s favorites. I served them faithfully in paradise, and they cast me aside as soon as we descended to this hell. Besides,” he stated, spreading his wings, “I am a dragon, and dragons show no mercy.” A mighty flap of his winds toppled all the nearby trees and launched him into the air.

Nobody dared move while he flew back to his mountain.

—--------------------------------------

The second ticked by with agonizing slowness as Orion held his full draw bow. He would strike as soon as the avian beasts made their move, but as late as possible to avoid the one creature he could not win against

The avian beast held still as well, gazing at the departing dragon’s back with reverence. Artemis had fallen to her knees, shivering from the weight of the dragon's presence.

When the dragon disappeared into the mouth of the mountain, Orion struck

Three arrows flew out, silently felling three beasts. Lacking the regeneration of the hydra, one arrow was enough.

Then he shot three more.

Then three more.

A dozen beasts fell before one noticed what was happening.

I squealed in alarm, pointing at its fallen comrades. Orion responded by curving arrows to strike from the east, luring away a significant portion of the flock.

A few of the rest went to rebind Artemis but found themselves outmatched as Artemis exploded with argent light. Orion kept shooting down Artemis' guard, all while occasionally curving an arrow to further confuse the beast looking for him.

The battle was quick and quiet, as all hunts should be.

Orion leaped to the platform and seized Artemis in a fierce embrace. That familiar spark swelled within him. It was strangely reminiscent of their father in nature. To his shock, Artemis twisted out of his hug, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled his lips to hers.

The world ceased to exist, replaced by only Artemis, towering over all of existence. Her cold lips against his. Her body molded to his. Her pain, her fear, her love.

All became her.

A warm breeze rushed in, caressing her and bringing warmth to her bare limbs. She sighed against his lips, finally pulling back.

“I’ve… I’ve come to… save you” Orion mumbled, dazed.

She smiled. “Well, we’re not out yet. Do you have a plan?”

Orion shot a reproachful glance at Artemis, struggling to pull his thoughts together. This was not a time to be distracting him. First, he pulled off his shirt and gave it to Artemis to cover up. He couldn't help but watch as she pulled it on, feeling strangely happy at seeing her in his clothes. She smirked at him as she finished. “Like what you saw?”

He snapped his head away, face crimson, and forced himself to think. They could talk of whatever had just happened later, but now they needed to escape.

The wind brought him news of the avian beats rousing the other beasts around the volcano to search. The entire place was swarming with them, and he could already feel a few rushing towards them, likely smelling blood.

Orion reached out, calling the bundle of stuff he had brought to hand. The wind deposited it before him, opening it to reveal Artemis’ weapons and clothes. She quickly pulled them on, though he was gratified to see she kept that shirt.

Finally, they were fully armed and ready. Orion was about to lead them on one of his pre-planned escape routes when Artemis' arms circled him from behind.

“Artemis?” he questions, feeling the desperation in her embrace.

She started shaking softly and when he started to turn, she just clung to him tighter, refusing to let him see. But the wind still showed him the truth.

She was crying.

“Artemis, are you ok?”

“I…” she hiccupped, “I thought I was alone. I thought this was the end. I put on a brave face… but you have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

This time when he turned, he refused to let her stop him. He seized her in a tighter embrace, tucking her under his chin and to his chest as she sobbed.

“I’m here,” he whispered. “Now and always.”

The last rays of the sun slipped past the horizon, plunging the world into darkness. Orion noted grimly that there was no moon tonight.

When she finally calmed, he pulled back, lifting her to his face.

“It's ok. I won't let them take you again.” He planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

“But now we need to go.”

She nodded, taking a deep breath and pushing it all down for later.

It was time to leave.