The Forest

Keith sprinted through the forest, the sound of his footsteps barely a whisper as he moved with practiced precision. His body had changed over the years, growing leaner, stronger. He was no longer the scared boy who had fled the wreckage of his home. His face had matured, now showing the sharpness of his jawline, his once-smooth skin becoming hardened by the forest life with scars all over.

He was about five feet tall now, his frame muscled from years of running, hunting, and surviving. The short sword, once too large for his small hands, now fit perfectly in his grip, resting comfortably in its sheath at his side as he chased his prey. He weaved through the trees, jumping over roots and ducking under branches with the ease of a seasoned hunter.

Nyxara soared above him, her sleek form cutting through the air like an arrow. Her wings, though clipped to the lower skies, shimmered in the light, an ethereal glow playing across her scales. She had grown in the last three years since she’s hatched to about four and a half feet in length, a sleek and powerful predator in her own right. Even as young as she was, there was something majestic about her presence. Keith couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride each time he watched her glide between the trees. She was the only companion he had, and over the years, they had become a unit—silent and in tune with each other’s movements.

The deer they were hunting was quick. Too quick. It darted through the forest with an almost mocking agility, slipping away just as they thought they had it cornered, even when they had attacked it from both front and back. He could hear Nyxara’s wings beating behind him, but alas she couldn’t make full use of her wings in the cramped forest. A forest was no place for a dragon, because it would more often than not only hinder their movement.

They had spent the entire afternoon on this hunt, and the hunger gnawing at Keith’s stomach was beginning to weigh on him. And though she had been gliding from tree to tree for a while now, she never showed signs of exhaustion, but Keith knew her appetite had been growing along with her size. A single rabbit no longer sufficed, and larger game was becoming harder to catch.So hence the hunt for the surprisingly deft deer. This wasn’t his first time hunting one but this one was especially nifty—well by his standards anyways.

The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, casting long shadows across the forest floor. Keith’s breathing was heavy, his body aching from the exertion and that’s how he was late in seeing a root in his path, and he fell face first unto the ground, he just sighed and sat up, resting his hands on his knees, while Nyxara landed gracefully beside him, her head swiveling as she scanned the surrounding trees for any sign of their escaped prey, but the deer had escaped deeper into the woods at this point.

“That damn deer…” Keith muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow. He looked up at Nyxara, who seemed far less tired than he was. She blinked at him, her golden eyes sharp and alert, waiting for his next move. But Keith was tired, he’d been running all afternoon, with nothing in his stomach except the berries he eat this morning, but they weren’t enough to satisfy the energy he was wasting in catching the deer.

It would seem today wasn’t their day as he sighed and said to Nyxara. “We’re going to have to settle for rabbit again tonight and try our luck again tomorrow.” She just stared at him with a strange look in her eyes, and he could almost hear her saying, ‘You can’t even catch a common deer and you call yourself an hunter?’

He hastily tried to defend himself from her reproachful stare.

“I know, I kno—”

But he shut up mid sentence as he noticed she wasn’t looking at him anymore but staring to his left, deeply into the forest. Keith was confused at first wondering why she was gazing so intently there.

Then it hit him. He just realized their surroundings wasquiet—too quiet, he couldn’t hear the chirping of birds or the usual sounds of the wildlife he had grown accustomed to, it was replaced by a strange stillness that made the hairs on the back of Keith’s neck stand on end. His eyes darted around looking for something, then he found it on a tree not far from where they were. Deep claw marks marred the bark, fresh and jagged, a warning sign he had learned to heed after years in the wild.

His heart began to race as realization dawned on him. They had wandered into the territory of one of the forest’s apex predators.

Keith quickly hurried to his feet and reached for the short sword at his side, unsheathing it with a smooth motion as he scanned the area. Suddenly, a sharp sound shattered the stillness of their surroundings—a distant growl that sent a jolt of fear through Keith.

His head snapped to where the sound came from and hiseyes landed on the beast, lurking in the shadows of the trees—a panther, its dark fur blending seamlessly with the forest around it. The beast was massive, bigger than he or Nyxara, its muscles rippling beneath its sleek coat, its eyes gleaming with hunger as it crouched low, ready to pounce.

“Nyxara, Stay close,” Keith whispered, his voice barely audible as his mind raced, feeling the weight of the moment press down on him. He wasn’t sure if they could outrun the panther. Nyxara wasn’t big nor strong enough to beat it and her fire-breathing abilities were still underdeveloped, so they couldn’t rely on that to fend it off. His grip tightened on the sword, his heart pounding in his chest as the panther made its move.

It lunged, claws extended, and Keith barely had time to sidestep the attack. He swung his sword, but the panther was fast—too fast. Its claws raked across his chest, and a sharp pain shot through him as he stumbled back, blood pouring from the deep gash. Nyxara let out a furious roar, leaping into the air before diving in to intercept the beast from following up with another attack, but the panther easily evaded her claws and then swiped at her with both front claws with a powerful blow, sending her crashing into a tree. Her chest bleeding profusely from deep claw marks on it.

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“Nyxara!” Keith screamed, his vision blurring from the pain as he watched her crumple to the ground, her chest barely rising. His heart seized in his chest. Memories of not only his mother but her’s also bleeding and dying flashed through his mind. He couldn’t lose her. Not her. Not again. He staggered to his feet, ignoring the burning in his chest as he charged at the panther, his sword aimed for its throat.

But the panther was quicker. It knocked him over with a powerful swipe of its tail, sending him sprawling onto his back. Keith gasped for breath, the wind knocked out of him as the beast loomed over him, its fangs bared and ready to tear into his flesh.

As Keith lay on the forest floor, staring at the towering trees, time seemed to freeze. Cold and numb, a familiar helplessness crept over him—the same feeling he’d had years ago. I’m still that boy, he thought. The one who couldn’t save anyone. He saw his life flash before his eyes. He saw the memories of he and his mother laughing and eating on the dinner table, then the destruction and horror that ensued. He remembered how the same dragon that had caused him so much pain and torment had made him feel so warm that night. Then finally he remembered the past three years he had spent with Nyxara and how she didn’t make him feel so alone anymore. And in that moment, something snapped inside of him. Then his mind hammered in on a singular thought ‘I don’t want to lose anyone else—no, I won’t lose anyone else.’ Something stirred within him, a surge of raw heat pulsing through his veins. His thoughts scattered as pain and power collided, the intensity so fierce it took his breath away. He felt his heartbeat echo in his head. And with a desperate cry, he moved his head to the side and drove the sword upward, plunging it into the panther’s neck just as it was about to bite his face off. The beast gurgled, its body jerking violently, blood pouring over Keith as it collapsed onto him, lifeless.

Panting heavily, and with the last strength in his body, Keith shoved the panther’s corpse off of him and crawled toward Nyxara, his hands trembling as he cradled her small, wounded body. “Please…” he whispered, tears welling in his eyes as he pressed his forehead against hers. “Please don’t leave me.”

His mind sprawling in fear and pain. He couldn’t bare to loose her. That would be the final straw. There would be no coming back from it. In that he was sure.

As Keith held her close, his tears falling onto her scales, he begged her to open her eyes. But as their bodies touched, their blood began to mix, slowly at first. Exhaustion and pain clouded his mind, and he fought the creeping drowsiness. Then, a subtle warmth spread through him, growing hotter by the second. At first, he dismissed it as shock, but soon the intensity became unbearable. A searing heat coursed through his veins, scorching his body like wildfire. Keith's muscles convulsed, his vision blurred, and his world went dark.

‘Hot…. Its so hot…’

His mind couldn’t comprehend the heat, he couldn’t understand it. His whole body was hurting, his bones stretching, reshaping. His eyes felt like they were being gouged out, but the worse pain of all was his back, it felt like it was literally on fire, and with how hot it felt maybe it was, his pain addled mind thought perhaps Nyxara had scorched his back due to him not catching the deer. If he was cogent he would have remembered, Nyxara couldn’t breath fire, yet. As his hazy mind became more and more clouded and cut off once more.

Keith awoke to the sound of rustling leaves, the cool breeze brushing against his skin. He blinked, disoriented, and sat up slowly. The world around him felt different—sharper, more vibrant. He could hear every sound in the forest with startling clarity, the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, the distant trickle of a stream. The sun was too bright, the colors too vivid. His sight and hearing had changed, he wasn’t sure how or why but it had changed.

His body ached, but it was not the pain of injury. No, it was a strange sensation, as if his muscles had been remade, his bones elongated. He stood slowly, feeling the weight of his new form. His chest, where the panther had clawed him, was no longer bleeding, but now adorned with a jagged scar, and his limbs felt longer, stronger. He glanced down at his hands, noticing the sharpness of his nails, the slight curve of his canines as he ran his tongue over them.

He felt good almost too good to be true. Too good to almost—

ROAR!

Yes roar, too good to almost roar—

His thoughts suddenly stopped as he turned his head to Nyxara, who lay not far from him, her chest rising and falling steadily. Her wounds had healed, the scales over her chest now thicker and more resilient. She had grown as well, her body slightly larger than before, and as he reached out to stroke her scales, he felt the bond between them strengthen.

Nyxara was looking at him, her golden eyes glowing faintly in the darkness of the night with a hint of mischiefin them. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. Something had changed between them—something deeper than before.

Keith smiled, as he walked over to her, he reached out toward her neck then started running his fingers gently along her it, feeling the warmth of her scales under his touch. He was glad she was okay. So, so glad.

She opened her wings for him, and he nestled beside her. She nuzzled against his neck, and in that simple gesture, Keith felt… whole. The bond they had forged between them, ‘a bond of fire and flesh,’ was unbreakable, and no matter what the future held, Keith knew they could handle it because they would face it together.

As the night deepened, Keith and Nyxara settled beside each other, their bond solidifying in the quiet of the forest. The moon casting a soft glow over the forest as they gazed up at the sky, and watched the stars twinkle above. Reminiscent of the night Nyxara had hatched. They’d come a long way since then.

As Keith rested his forehead against Nyxara’s, listening to her soft breaths, a soft smile played on his lips. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had found a new family. He had her. It wasn’t just about survival anymore; it was about living, about the promise of a future. And with her by his side, he would find the strength to keep going. Together, they would carve out a new path, one filled with adventure, danger, and perhaps even a chance to reclaim what had been lost.

In this unforgiving wilderness, two souls who normally wouldn’t have met if not for the machination of fate or perhaps it was chance. They are now intertwined through blood, soul, magic and love.

But unbeknownst to them, a hooded figure quite a distance from where they were, high up in the trees, was watching them and all that had transpired silently. Their face covered in the darkness of the cloak. They just continued to stare at them. Quietly and unmoving.

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“One isn’t born with the knowledge of fire but will learn of its importance as they use it to warm their cold flesh.”