Page 24 of Upon Buried Embers
“Calm!” I shout to the dragon, but it’s too far gone, thrashing and trying to bite, fire spewing from its mouth. Drogonah bites down harder to cut it off. “You need to calm down, now!”
It doesn’t, its anger too great, its tail bangs against the trees.
Fuck.
Drogonah looks to me, and I sigh before shaking my head, tension lining my body. He makes a lower sound, one that others would think is out of anger, but I know better.
He doesn’t want to do this, but for the safety of me and the clan, it has to happen.
I walk up to them as Drogonah pins him down on his belly, then he stretches the dragon’s neck high with his teeth, which gives me an opportunity to end it.
I run, holding my axe out to the side and when I’m close enough, I swing, hitting the dragon in the throat and slicing through its scales, thanks to the ones I’ve embedded within the metal of the axe.
The dragon cries out, its claws scraping the floor as I back up and watch it slowly bleed out.
“I’m here,” I say to it.
It isn’t long until its struggles cease, and Drogonah lets go of the dragon, who’s head crashes down next to me.
My chest heaves as Drogonah licks his lips.
“May Morana guide you.”
Drogonah growls, moving off to the side, stamping out flames.
“Fuck,” Kaldar says, as he comes up next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I grunt, my eyes still on the dragon. “Anyone injured?”
“Lost a horse and a few have scrapes from trying to get away. One dead.” Fuck. “I’ll ask them to get set up for the night before we start collecting wood.”
“Make sure those who need to be tended to are looked after first.”
“You know I will.” I do. “Why did it attack?”
I look over the dragon and notice its skinny frame. “Hunger.”
Kaldar sighs. “It’s getting worse every year.”
Our game is dwindling in the Wilds. Others are coming in and taking the animals while murdering their babies so there isn’t enough food to go around—for both our clan and the wild dragons.
“May this one be the last.”
“From what you picked up, it just may be.” I grunt in acknowledgement, and Kaldar leaves me to go back to the others.
“Come,” I say to Drogonah after a while, and a single purple eye whips to mine, teeth bared, still angry.
When I hold his gaze, never once shying away, he huffs, smoke coming from his mouth before he walks over to me.
I hold my hand out, palm waiting, and when his nose touches my hand, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“You did well.” He makes a deep purring sound. “Let me take a look at you.” I move between his front legs as he lifts his head, and I run my hand over his scales.
Blood seeps from three deep scratches on his upper belly, and I make a mental note to find a river so I can clean it.
I’m the only one who can.
No one touches my Dragon, and not because I demand it. Drogonah will simply set them alight.
