Emalynn POV
The forest shook. My legs knocked together as I heard Rory whine a ‘yes,’ confirming that I was seeing a huge ass dragon. Why can’t we catch a damn break? On instinct, I pulled an arrow from my quiver and drew my bow. The sky beast was in my sights. A swift exhale- “Ro!” I exclaimed as she knocked into me. “Shit.”
And, in an instant, the arrow flew from my bow. No control. No clear target. Just a loose arrow fired into the night sky. We watched as my arrow flew directly toward the right, front hand…paw… or is it a claw? Hell! It hit the foot of the damn thing. The sky was silent for a moment as the white dragon floated in the air. Ro growled next to me and tugged on my cloak with her teeth. My eyes stayed on the dragon. It looked sharp, clean like a new blade in a weapon’s shop. My admiration came to an end when Ro dragged me deep into the forest.
We heard the bellows of the dragon through the forest as it dove down toward the ground. Ro kept pulling me forward into the thick of the woods, trying to put as much distance between the dragon and us. At some point, she gave up on pulling me along and just threw me on her back, which was probably for the best. I was frozen. My thoughts just couldn’t connect. The image of the dragon wouldn’t get out of my head. I shot an arrow at a dragon. What the hell Emalynn! Why couldn’t I leave the damn thing alone? We just escaped danger, and now, I have brought us into something worse.
Ro whined at me. I think she wanted me to hold on tighter, but I couldn’t be sure. My arms tightened around my friend as she bounded through the dark like it was her home. Has she been here before? Had I? All I could see was Ro’s red fur. It made me miss her black fur. She was still fluffy and warm, though. Gripping tighter to Ro, I closed my eyes hoping this whole situation was a dream.
Rooooaaaarrr!
Shit. Shit. Shit. It’s not a dream. It’s a living nightmare with sharp teeth and a deafening roar. The dragon was closing on the forest. It was closing in on us. What could we do? My thoughts are a jumbled mess. Suddenly, I felt little shocks in my fingers. It was painful and hot, forcing me to release my grip on Ro’s fur. The heat was building up in her fur. I could feel my body sweat from the heat as I struggled to stay on her back. Ro didn’t slow in her speed, but she began to growl. Her growl was fierce and on-yielding as she cocked her head to the side to look at the dragon behind us. More growls, more roars, I was beginning to believe I might go deaf being between the two of them. They were sizing each other up, and I was in the way.
Ro barked at me as we began to zig-zag through the thick overgrown brush. She wanted me to be ready, I think. Was she going to drop me? Am I just dead weight right now? No. I won’t let myself be deadweight. I am an archer and a simian beast, and I can hold my own. Or, at least I was going to try. The brush began to clear ahead. My tail twitched with anticipation. Time to jump. I felt Ro’s body begin to turn beneath me, and I took that moment to jump into the tree while the dragon was focused on following Rory. The crackle and dryness of the air made my fur stand on end as Rory moved to confront the angered dragon. I took the moment to climb to the peak of the tree.
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The giant dragon lowered its head, long tendrils of frosty breath escaping from its nostrils as it gazed unblinkingly at the charging figure before it. Rory, with eyes that blazed like the rising sun and electricity crackling in her fur, rushed forward to dart beneath the white dragon. A frosty fog floated out of the giant’s nostrils. I think the giant, white dragon was a frost dragon, which could be problematic for Rory. Her powers were new and untested. Rory has no control over anything when it comes to her magic. Could her lightning beat a mighty dragon’s ice?
The forest was quiet, except for the sound of leaves crunching underfoot and the flash of claws and teeth as Rory rushed in, lightning magic sparking from her jaws. The ice dragon huffed a plume of icy breath as Rory leaped toward the dragon, preparing to strike. With a swift movement, the snow-white dragon lifted its mighty paw and swatted Ro away, sending her tumbling through the air. The size of the dragon had Ro’s little red wolf form at a disadvantage, but watching her crash into a giant tree trunk made me cringe. I could hear the cracks in her bones as I watched from the tree top. This dragon was going to kill my best friend.
Drawing my bow, I aimed my bow and arrow at the dragon, hoping to end the conflict before anyone was hurt. Before I could release my arrow, the dragon let loose a blast of frost that sent me tumbling into the tree branches. I became tangled in the branches and forced to watch my friend battle the dragon alone. Rory bounced back to her feet, electricity arcing from her fur as she reentered the fray. The ice dragon roared in fury, leaning back as it prepared to unleash a fiery breath attack. Rory was too quick for the dragon as she was already summoning a lightning bolt that slammed into the dragon's chest, causing it to stagger. The frost dragon flew toward the forest floor, crushing the forest beneath it and allowing it to gently place something on the ground.
My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I realized the dragon had put a person on the ground in the crushed forest. Why did the dragon have a person? Damn, the person looked hurt. Wait… Did I? Was it my arrow that hurt the person down there? My ears drooped to the side of my head and my tail waved around frantically. I had hit an innocent person out of fear. Shit. This was all my fault. I wiggled around trying to break free of the branches, but I didn’t budge. Why am I messing shit- My pity party ended dramatically when I saw the dragon continue its fight with Rory who had been trying to store up magic without the dragon noticing.
Claws clashed against scales, frost met electricity, and the night was illuminated by flashes of fire and lightning. As the moon began to sink below the horizon and the sky began to brighten with the first rays of dawn, the battle reached its climax. The ice dragon's powerful wings beat furiously, sending gusts of frost in all directions. Rory's fur stood on end as she summoned a final burst of lightning magic, and with a mighty roar, the two beasts charged forward to meet each other head-on. With a blinding flash of light, the two collided, each equally matched in power and skill. But in a surprising twist, the ice dragon spread her wings at the last moment, enveloping both herself and the red wolf in a powerful burst of icy breath that encased them in a cocoon of frost.
Above me, the dragon and Rory were frozen in ice. Below me, a person was in pain, laying on the demolished forest floor. In front of me, dawn was splashing colors of warmth and light over the icy battleground. What could I do besides keep trying to escape the twisted branches that held me captive? Things seemed lost. I wasn’t sure how Rory would survive this, but the droplets of sunlight on my face made me feel warm. The sun would eventually melt the ice, but I wasn’t sure Rory could stay alive that long. Beams of sunlight poured over the enormous rock of ice as the ice began to melt.
It was a race against time for their lives.
At least, that’s what I thought until the party of wizards appeared out of the shadows of the forest. They were probably here to slay the dragon. Finding the ice cocoon must be shocking for them. A familiar scent wafted through the air. Sweaty, alcoholic… the big brute! Great. Now, they will probably find me, a tiny, adorable monkey, trying to free myself from the tree branches. That would be embarrassing… Forget this. Forcing a shift, my larger simian form broke the branches holding me. How was I going to deal with the ice block, the frost dragon, my best friend slowly dying in the ice, a party of wizards, and the stalkers that were in the party of wizards? All of this happened because I shot a freaking arrow. Damn.