It’s not that he enjoyed killing, it was just the only way his family would survive. The trails of breath swirled around his head before fading into the sky. It was the one sign Kaden was among the brush. The musky smell of dirt and leaves invaded his senses as he patiently hid. He had tracked it to this path; the creature had been through there many times. This time, he would be there to meet it. It was the third day Kaden had been attempting the hunt. The biting cold that was causing him to pull his coat tighter around his body was becoming increasingly more regular. They needed the meat sooner rather than later.

His hands weren’t that of a farmer, unlike his many siblings. Of course, he knew how to do all the chores and how to tend to all the crops and creatures. It was more of a matter of if he wanted to. Kaden never really wanted to. Outsiders would sneer and refer to him as the lazy child, and yet, they always bought his skins.

It bored him to tears tending to livestock. He much preferred hunting creatures down. The challenge of the hunt set his soul afire. The mystery and skills it required of him were nothing like what the farm offered. His family accepted his venturing out into the wilderness; mostly because he always brought something back for them to eat. They had become reliant on the rewards. Hunting allowed him to be in the wilds with just his thoughts, in the quiet and the calm.

The past few seasons had been changing. Their farm was producing less wool and grain, which meant they were eating and selling less. All the grain they kept was being used as fodder for the sheep, leaving little to spare for themselves. Seeing his family struggle broke his heart. What had once been his mental escape from his busy farm life was now the only reason any of them could survive. It wasn’t a pressure Kaden cared for, but he knew his family needed him, so he accepted the duty.

Letting a deep breath fill his lungs, expanding his chest and giving him the mental fortitude he needed, he let out a long sigh as he scanned his surroundings. The twitching ears of a deer caught his eye. His prey had arrived. She was younger and without a fawn following her about. He always felt bad if he came upon a mother with her offspring. Out of principle, he never took the life of a mother. He couldn’t bear to think of the small fawn having to survive on their own. He was willing to take a life, but only when necessary and never out of cruelty. Unfortunately for him, he was good at it.

He watched as she made her way onto the path, giving him a cleaner shot. Kaden raised his bow, letting his muscles flex in wait as he held it steady. Pulling back on the string, he aimed his arrow straight at her chest.

Taking another deep breath to calm his nerves, a piercing roar rang out, bouncing off the trees just as he let the arrow fly.

His aim had shifted, the arrow went the opposite direction, and everything in the forest, including his prey, was startled. It bolted, leaving him standing alone once again. He let out a frustrated groan as he kicked the bush, the loud noise subsiding.

Grabbing his pack, he marched over to where the arrow had embedded itself in a tree. Wiggling it back and forth in the wood, he pried it as it out as he mumbled his frustrations out loud. Kaden shoved the arrow back into his quiver and let out an annoyed sigh.

The roar rang out again, bouncing off the trees, making leaves fall from the vibrations. He cautiously turned his head toward the noise. It wasn’t one Kaden was used to, and he was used to a lot of noises in the forest. Curiosity had caught him. Swallowing hard, he tried to analyze what he was hearing. It didn’t sound like an enraged noise, but distressed. A nervous knot formed in his chest as he slowly made his way toward it, lightly taking steps through the brush. He didn’t want whatever was screaming to think he was coming after it.

Why he was moving toward the noise, he couldn’t understand himself. Something pulled on him, on his mind. Every roar that rang out across the forest intensified the feeling. He had the urge to follow the noise, to see what was calling to him. The only thing Kaden knew was that he had to follow that noise, follow the mystery.

A wave of cool, wet air pressed against him as he neared. Blinking the damp air away that hit him like a heavy wall of mist, he pushed through the dense brush. It was well off the worn path he had been stalking. The roar reverberated again as he heard thrashing against the trees and ground.

Peeling back the last bush, his eyes widened as he saw what was making all the noise. Light shimmered off the scales of the deep azure dragon. Its teeth were sharp; its claws were razors. It had scales that looked both smooth and sharp at the same time. He had never seen one before, not this close. He had only ever seen them as small dots in the sky when they flew over the farm on their way to wherever it was that dragons and their riders went.

Only those deemed worthy could get that close to a dragon. The Guardians, as they were called, were their caretakers. Guardians of something or other, he couldn’t even remember. They only ever stayed at their temples and cities. He had never even met one and didn’t even know what they did. No one in his family had ever been so lucky to be granted access to a dragon temple. They also hadn’t even been to any of the Games. Those were always held in the coliseums and those were way too far away for them to travel to and be expected to keep the farm in working order.

Before him was one of those fabled, legendary dragons. He couldn’t believe it. Only it wasn’t just sitting there, it looked distraught. His first good look at a dragon and it wasn’t in a regal sense, but in anguish. His foot cracked a branch and the dragon’s head whipped toward him. He ducked for cover as scalding hot water flew above him.

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“I’m a friend!” He said with his hands stretched out. “A friend! Stop!”

The dragon wasn’t a matriarch. He could tell that. Matriarchs were supposed to be huge, some the size of castles even, or that’s what his older brother had told him. This one was much smaller and younger. That didn’t mean he wanted to piss it off. At least, not any more than it already was. Kaden took a slow step forward to see if the creature would allow him to help. His eyes widened as he neared the illustrious beast.

As he got closer, he noticed the shimmering lights off the creature’s scales were a result from runes that were painted on the ground, not the setting sun. A magical barrier stood between the two of them.

He had seen runes like this before. They were never used for a dragon. At least, they were never supposed to be used for dragons, yet here they were. The creature tried to stand, but the magical barrier forced it into a laying position. The glowing of the barrier shimmered and shot out bolts of electricity when the creature pressed against it. It let out a horrifying screech of pain as the lightning and sparks spread across the creature. Kaden had to grab his ears in protection from the pained bellows. Heavy breaths caused the dragon’s chest to heave up and down in labored effort as the electricity calmed. It was stressed and depressed. He could relate.

He didn't know how to break a rune. He didn't even know what the rune said. The runes could be amplified if you were a magic user, but average people could use rune magic if they knew how. Of course, he had no idea how. They tapped into the magical energies of the world and, if used correctly, they could be beneficial in every way. If used poorly, what was in front of him is what people saw.

Rune traps were outlawed many moons ago. For there to be one out there, and for a dragon to have gotten caught in it, was highly suspicious. Not only would it have been somebody of high-class to even know the rune magic in the first place to have set it, but they would also have known dragons frequented the area. Kaden had seen none himself and he was regularly in the woods, but that didn't mean they weren't out there. He didn't know the behaviors of dragons, where they went, or why they went anywhere. He had been told that if someone told you that they knew exactly why dragons behaved the way they did; they were liars and you shouldn't trust them.

He raised his hand to touch one of the runes, trying to erase it. A shock reverberated through his hand, up his body, and into his spine. It threw him backward onto his ass. A heat lingered as he held his shocked palm. He sat there staring at the predicament. If somebody were to come across them now, they would accuse him of trapping the dragon.

Kaden contemplated his choices. Before him was a creature that needed his help. There was a nagging feeling in him that if he chose to help the creature, it could end up disastrous for himself. Regardless, this was supposed to be a revered creature. These creatures helped the flow of magic exist in the world. They embodied magic itself. This creature was important and needed his help.

If he helped it, it could decide to kill him outright. They were dangerous and powerful. If he waited too long, he’d have to deal with whoever set the trap. All he knew was that the creature needed his help now and whoever set this would not provide that.

He chose to help.

Throwing himself at the runes, a shock reverberated through his bones each time. Shaking his arms out, he tried to think of what else to do. Stalking the surrounding area, Kaden picked up anything he could find. He tried tossing rocks at the barrier for them, only to shatter and pop away into dust. Branches and limbs caught fire, sizzling to a crisp while not doing an ounce of damage to the barrier. Anything he could find to break the runes, he tried chucking it.

The dragon had settled down and was watching him as he tried to break the spell with increased desperation. Its piercing eyes followed him as he made his way around the barrier, inspecting the runes. Runes were a mystery to him. They obviously held more power than he ever could have assumed. Part of him was curious about them, more so now than he had ever been before. Rune magic was for people far more educated than him.

Darkness had fallen, and for hours he worked on the barrier. Sitting back down while panting, he was physically exhausted from his attempts. The dragon was going to be stuck there, left for however long, until the trapper came back. It was big enough of a trap that it was in his mind that a dragon was exactly what was intended to be caught. Everyone knew to revere the dragons. So if somebody was out there capturing them, then there was something extremely nefarious happening.

It had only been a few hours of struggling with the runes, but Kaden already couldn’t let that happen to his new friend. His friend who didn’t even acknowledge his efforts.

“Maybe,” he thought out loud, “it was more of a one-sided friendship.”

He stared at the ground, stared at the runes, stared at the dragon. Thoughts mulled across his mind. He had tried everything he could to get through the barrier. It was looking to be an impossible task.

A spark ignited in his mind as he stared at the ground. If he couldn't get through the runes, could he get under them?

He started digging and digging. Before Kaden knew it, he had quite a hole. He took a deep, thoughtful breath in. It was a bold move, but he stuck his hand down the hole and wiggled it around, trying to inch his way under the magical wall. His eyes widened as he noticed his fingers peeking through on the other side. He let out a squeal of glee that caused the dragon to let out a concerned huff in response, the first reaction it had given him in all the attempts.

Sure, a few hours had passed but, now he had found a way to help the creature get out. Who knew if the rune makers ever factored in someone going underneath?

He got too close to the edge of the barrier and it came billowing down into the hole, closing off what he had worked through. He glared at the now extended barrier that rudely closed off his beautifully dug hole.

Letting out his own huff of frustration, he groaned. The task was going to be harder than he thought. He couldn’t let the barrier touch the open hole without it extending into it. Looking around, he started examining the layout of the area. Further down from where he was, he noticed the ground looked harder, filled with more clay.

Picking a new spot, he started using both hands to pull the dirt away with a ferocity he hadn’t yet known in himself. Dirt was flying behind him as he dug into the earth, letting him start the path to the dragon’s salvation. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he worked. The moon was shining brightly overhead, illuminating his task.

He was going to get the dragon out of there.