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Stories

Rescuing the Damsel from the Knight - written by Ahndeleck


We have been moving from fertile countrysides to rocky mountain cliffs for as long as I can remember. I have been told that all the moving is due to the humans because they continue to inhabit the lands closer to our lairs. We didn't want to upset the balance of the world, so we upset our balance instead by allowing the humans to push us farther from our homes. Several weeks ago a hunting party found my sister and her two hatchling friends playing in the foggy hollows. They weren't paying attention and they were captured; the youngest son of the Red's family was killed, as well as the Green's, but my sister somehow survived. I left the second I heard of the murders in the council, since no one was going to do anything and leave her for dead. Every time I hear of news like this my mind screams, why?

This is the last reason I decided to upset the humans' way of life. I could not allow this to happen to any more of us, and my sister was not going to get hurt anymore. On the way to the castle I thought of what I was going to do; I wasn't going to fly because I knew they would look for me, so I followed the mists. I figured if I followed the examples of the mists, then I could get away with my adventure to save my sister. Mists, during the night move and live, creeps into all the holes in the stumps and embraces the clusters of fungus. I hugged the shadows like life itself, so sneaking into the human village was not difficult. I saw red as I watched the robed father tucked his children in, telling them that it's okay because the monsters have been captured. Questions dodged through my mind as I considered these monsters; has this man worked his entire life to just get these fancy clothes and glass beads hanging off them? How many of us has he seen die? The spines on my back rose with frustration and anger as I continued on my way.

I climbed the crumbling walls of their so-called wondrous castle and faced a different world on the other side; the human world. I tried to blend in with the surroundings as I heard some of the humans coming in my direction. I quickly slid into the stables and stood as one of their horses, since I am not yet full grown and our race is not as large as the other great dragons. I watched them out of the corner of my eye as they checked on one of the sick animals in the back. The horses began to become nervous of my presence and I walked silently out of the stable while the humans tended the sick beast. After many such meetings I finally made my way into their dungeon, and I knew that all the stories about the humans I've heard were true.

Their underworld smelled of death and all around I had the feeling of it pressing into my body, the walls and ceiling were too close. The rats were just like me, slinking away from the light and warmth to get revenge on the humans in their own way. The floor had puddles of stale water and I could tell how it stuck to my claws. I couldn't understand how humans could live in such places, every yellow scale on my body rose from the motionless feel of this world and I knew my sister would never last long in this place of death. I was sure those monsters would make her suffer in worse places than here. Inching forward was harder than it seemed for all the tunnels and corridors were just as wet and murky as the next. Once I turned a corner I could sense my sister nearby, yet I knew that was someone with her preparing tools down the same hall. I ran after the scents fearing the worst, but the worst was yet to happen.

As I ripped into the room I saw the humans surrounding my sister, they stared at me for a moment and dropped their weapons. I flapped my wings and roared at them loudly, slashing my tail into their midst and they ran yelling down the hall. I let them be for now and began to work on the chains that bound my sister to the wall, I chewed on them and clawed at them, but nothing seemed to work. As I struggled with these iron binds I thought about the humans; what odd-looking creatures that could build things of beauty, I also knew they could destroy things of beauty as well and I couldn't understand it. The thoughts slowed my work on the chains, why would they want us dead?

Soon, I could hear footsteps coming down the hall and this next man was not going to run, I knew it in my heart. Dread fell over me and I turned to meet my doom just as my sister began to wake up. It turned the corner, pulled out its sword and stared at me. My mind froze; I couldn't smell anything or feel anything, as this man was the only thing running through my thoughts. He was the worst thing in my heart, I knew he had killed the other two of my sister's friends but I didn't care why he had killed…I wanted to kill. My spines stood straight up and I felt afraid, but I knew what I was doing.

Everything about the man looked like he was born to be a murderer. He lifted his sword into the air; making an arc of light above his head as I gripped the mud covered tiles and lowered my head. We stood that way for what seemed like an eternity, then he finally rushed at me, his scream invading my ears and I no longer knew what I was doing. My sister began to roar as he approached, I leapt into the air with my claws ready to destroy anything they touched. As I leapt so did he, ready to kill me, our meeting didn't register at first until I realized I wasn't gripping the air, but another life. His charge ceased just as he did and the feeling of his senselessness spread across my brain like a disease. I felt a searing pain within my side and I looked at the knight, his sword now gone. I felt detached from my body, watching as it carried me back to my sister and I pulled the chains from the wall, hurling them across the room. She seemed alarmed at something on my side, but I wasn't worried and felt nothing as she pulled something from my side and the sound of steel clattered to the floor.

I awoke back in the den, I didn't remember how I got here and I tried to get up to ask someone. My bones seemed to shatter with each movement I made, my very flesh seemed to fall off me. I glanced at a throbbing pain in my side and saw where the knight's sword had left its mark, then I remembered saving my sister's life. I knew everyone was glad of the rescue, but I stayed where I was and didn't feel like joining the rest that cheered for my heroic deed. Why had I killed that knight? Hadn't I been told that killing solved nothing? Why had they killed us? I was so confused and my throat felt dry as I sat there thinking about the knight, and I cried.


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