It was a morning just like any other. The sun had risen above the Candara mountain range and cast its fiery morning light on the valleys and rolling hills below. The creatures of the valley rose with the rays of the sun. The birds began to sing their songs to one another, and the deer nudged wobbly fawns to their feet.
Along the rivers and streams, bears began to wade belly deep into the gurgling waters to find their morning meal. Wolf pups stumbled out of their caves yapping and nipping at each others’ ears, while some of the adults set out to hunt. A lone eagle rose into the sleepy sky. It kept its keen eye on the valley a
A few days passed. Life went on as normal as it could. Grood continued to pick on Berry, I continued to scold him. Sometimes my brother began to worry me. I sensed something about him that I couldn’t quite put my claw on. It was a darkness growing in his heart. With each passing day he became more unruly and the more nervous I became about leaving Berry alone with him while I hunted. I wished that my parents would return quickly.
It was a cloudy day. The air was thick with the scent of a brewing thunderstorm, so I decided to head out hunting early. Before I could leave, Berry trotted up to my side.
“Do you really ha
When my eyes blinked open the first thing I felt was pain. My whole body ached. I reeked of dried blood. Then the memories came flooding back. Grood’s betrayal, Berry was either enslaved or dead, and being attacked by those mysterious dragons. I glanced over my shoulder. To my surprise there was some sort of material I had never seen before placed on it. I sniffed at it and snorted in surprise. It smelled of human!
I looked around and saw a small cloth structure a few tail lengths away. Was the human in there? I heard some rustling and a human head popped out of the entryway. It was a male human. The small tuft of fur on his he
The air danced and sang around me; welcoming me back to its domain. It had only been a few days since I left the human, and after a few moons grounded, it felt liberating to be able to fly once more. Though I only had one problem now. I had no idea where to go.
One vague memory I had from the day Grood betrayed me was that he was flying towards the sea. That was the direction I had been travelling in, and I hoped I was right.
The Candara mountain range was vaster that I had thought. Its jagged, icy peaks clawed at the sky and seem to go on forever. Flying was difficult due to the many changes in the wind. Sometimes the strain c
Even in the beginnings of the warm season mountains were capped in snow and ice. Hues of pinks and purples of morning sunlight reflected off of the ancient peaks as I flew. I had left Danek and set out on my own again.
My path was much more clear to me as I headed toward the castle by the sea. Knowing where these dragons were was much more helpful, but Danek’s words echoed in my head. I needed to find someone to help me, but I had no time to stop and make friends.
Midday came and I was flying over a heavily forested valley. I could smell and hear all of the prey that inhabited the area. My mouth began to water. I decided