War in the Valstock Mountains II

They burst through the trees into a clearing, a shallow depression forced into the soil as though long ago some giant foot or hammer had smashed down into the woodland levelling the trees. The sight before them was both spectacular and terrifying. A huge lizard-like creature thrashed and roared in the centre of the glade, ringed by snarling wolves that snapped and growled around it. Its majestic horns dripped fresh ruby blood down onto its long scaly snout, the same blood that poured from a torn wolf carcass at the creature's feet. With a loud roar, it burst up from the grassy floor to hover out of reach of the angry pack. They turned, snarling, seeking any enemy upon which to vent their frustrations.

Arathon's hands were already moving even as the massive creature took flight. In one smooth blur, his bow spun over his shoulder into his hand acquiring an arrow from his quiver along its journey. He drew a bead on the creature and hovered for a moment, arms twanging with tension before sighting down at one of the wolves and letting the arrow fly. He did not wait for it to cross the glade, knocking another arrow even as the first slammed into the nearest wolf. It crashed down with a pained yelp as the others surged forward to meet his oncoming arrows.

Telaria stepped forward, meeting the first leaping wolf with a mighty swing of her axe, cleaving its head clean in two and continuing the swing laterally in a full 360 degree rotation her head snapping around early to sight the next target, the whipped axe head destroying a wolf's neck. Beside her, Arathon fizzed perfectly weighted hunting knives from a stepped holster under his coat; the first burying itself up to the hilt in wolf skull, the second slicing wide and the third hefted point downward in his hand and driven brutally through a desperate snarling beast even as it bowled him to the floor. The final axe blow reverberated around the clearing and Telaria released her fingers from the handle and stood gasping, checking herself and her brother over for damage.

"Now sister, dearest sister, please tell me that the Huntress of Vallendale has a plan for that!"
"Hmm..."
"Oh dear."

The dragon drifted lazily to the ground folding its wings back and stretching its neck to stare at them down its long snout. They froze undecided in their course of action but the dragon solved their dilemma. Its eyes seemed to shine and glimmer, the air growing thin around them and echoing in their minds despite the stillness of the air came the voice:

"Telaria, Huntress, warrior and teacher, I am not your enemy. For hundreds of years now dragons have lived apart from the human world in places you cannot reach or seldom go. We have lived apart until we have become but memories, legends and stories told to frighten naughty children. But we have watched and walked among you, seeing through human eyes by way of the same gift that I now use to speak with you. Humans live such short lives and as a society they forget much. Dragons however, do not. We made a promise, once, to your collective race and today comes the day we must fulfil it."

Here the dragon paused and cocked its head to one side. "Unfortunately I see you know nothing of this." The wind seemed to rise as the dragon's thoughts pervaded their minds, a bitter chill creeping through their bones. The great creature shifted uneasily seemingly feeling it too. He looked up into the direction of the rolling wind and Telaria imagined him seeing with a sight beyond mortal vision. His head snapped back to stare at them and he seem to reach a conclusion. The deep ponderous voice continued but now it was shot through with conviction.

"The locket around your neck. I can give you the knowledge necessary to decipher the strange language inscribed on it although I warn you the process is apparently... uncomfortable for humans."

At last Telaria felt she could speak. "I fear no pain, dragon, and your story intrigues me. Does my locket tell of this promise then?"

"It is... a key of sorts. Dragons have learned that humans refuse to believe mere stories and must see and ascertain things for themselves. Understanding the locket will help you and guide you in your research. You will understand, child."

Telaria wrinkled her nose "I see. Please do whatever is necessary for me to understand the writing then, dragon."

"Ah yes, the elders explained how impatient you humans are. Very well then my Huntress."

All the green and blue seemed to drain from her world; the trees swam into dull shades of red now bloodshot against the angry burning sky. Whirlpools of vermilion whipped and tore at the edges of her vision and hot thundering pulses of white-hot blood pounded through her brain. Distantly she was aware of herself screaming, falling and landing in Arathon's arms as the maelstrom of light burst in a dazzling cascade inside her head.

"'Uncomfortable.' Dragons, it seems, have a gift for understatement."
"You will have to inform him of that when next we meet him, sister. He did not linger to apologise although I fear you may have a difficult time extracting one from him."
"Let's just go."