Chapter 1

This is just the start of the story. I'm a newbie so forgive me, I have no clue how to do this stuff. This is NOT a fanfic, just a story I made about dragons, sorry people. Thanks for reading :) Warning: violence.

The entourage came to a halt. The forest they were passing through on the way to Baroke was rumored to be a nest of robbers. For the wary soldiers it seemed that an unfriendly face peeked out from behind every massive tree which heavily populated the area like wooden guardians. To make matters worse, a heavy fog settled into the region due to the early spring rains. It spread like a blanket and was almost opaque. The soldiers could not even see their own muck-covered boots as they trudged along. Many stumbled over the large roots and found themselves face-first in a muddy puddle.

It had been a week and they were exhausted, very dirty, and wetter than drowned rats. This had been the third time they had stopped in an hour and the ambassador they were guarding was getting restless. The men envied him, for while they were out slogging along in their heavy mail and getting soaked to the bone the ambassador was relaxing inside a padded carriage (which was admittedly rather bouncy due to all the ruts in the road) nice and clean.

Two beautiful white Palfreys were pulling it. They were from the finest breeders in the country, but they weren't made for this kind of work. The ambassador had foolishly thought that this journey would take a couple days, if that. Now the gorgeous creatures were exhausted, their shockingly white glossy coats now brown and caked over with grime. They stumbled occasionally with exhaustion. The soldiers agreed that they were wasted. The ambassador's pride had cost many days on this trip, for a sturdier war horse such as a destrier would have fared much better.

When they stopped this time though, the ambassador thrust open the door of the carriage so loudly the horses jumped to the side, making the carriage jolt and the plump ambassador fly out very ungracefully and hit a rather large puddle with a wet SLARP. He rapidly recovered, stumbled to his feet, and turned to his guardians. One of them snickered.

"SILENCE!" the red-faced ambassador spat, trying to get the mud off his face and failing, "Why in the name of Pete are you stopping again!? I'm sick of this!" So are we thought the soldiers but they didn't dare say it out loud.

The chief guard, a robust man named Ralem stepped forward "Sir, we believe there may be something in the area. It's just a security check, sir. And if you would just get back in the carriage…"

"NO!" yelled the ambassador, mad as a wet cat, "I WILL NOT go in! This has gone far enough! I was supposed to be at Baroke four days ago!

"Sir," Ralem said hastily.

"Don't sir me!" Ambassador Kelly yelled, then eyed the soldiers suspiciously, "I wouldn't be surprised if you were leading me to the enemy all this time. Just wait until the Queen hears about this!" Then Kelly's face fell as he thought about the possibility of telling the Queen about it while he was way out in the wilderness.

"Sir," Ralem said gently" I have sworn my life and my sword to the Queen, as we all have. In doing so, we have sworn fealty to you. We have been held back by the frequent storms, the ruts, and the treacherous forest. Don't worry; we should be there by tomorrow afternoon. Our tracker, Quimby, has noted that the rock over there is by our destination" he said, pointing to a huge rock in the distance that was half shrouded by fog. "Now would you please step back into the carriage?"

The ambassador huffed and tromped back to the ornate steps. He lifted his now-muddy expensive shoes to climb up the steps, but the fancy shoes found no purchase on the slippery steps. With a holler he fell forward and hit his head against the rails.

The guards, fearing the worst, gathered around him. Kelly sat there, stunned, then slowly his hand came up to his bloody face and he took out his two front teeth from between his blood red lips. He took one look at the small white incisors resting in his hand and screamed. As the scream resounded through the forest the soldiers heard a rustling sound to their left. It was faint, but definitely there. The brawny men quickly tried to shush Kelly. One patted his back nervously, like a dog. Another whispered "It's going to be ok," over and over again. But he was not to be consoled. Finally Ralem whispered "Sorry sir," as he pounced on Kelly, covering his bloody mouth with a large hand. Kelly tried to squirm, but Ralem was much stronger and held him firmly in place. He tried to bite, but he didn't have the front teeth to do so.

Suddenly a large branch cracked a hundred yards away from the carriage. Kelly's blue eyes widened in fright. The soldiers held their breath.

Whatever it was, it was not small. The men watched in amazement and fear as the huge trees started to shake as the thing made its way toward the group.

Thinking fast, the men quickly grabbed Kelly and threw him in the carriage. The horses were whinnying in fright, their eyes rolling and nostrils flaring as they tried to make a run for it. The only thing that was keeping them from bolting was the driver, who had the reigns tied around a rail (and he was still grunting with exertion). The moment Kelly slammed into the carriage floor they made a dash for freedom and the carriage rocketed over the dirt road.

The soldiers unsheathed their swords. A couple grabbed bows and arrows from around their shoulders. They strung the arrows taut on the strings and waited with bated breath.

The thing came to a stop. Ralem felt as if his heart might pound its way out of his chest.

It was quiet. Dreadfully quiet. The only sound was the blood rushing through the men's ears, like a frenzied drum. The soldier's muscles screamed from staying still for so long.

Without warning the billowy bush at the edge of the clearing erupted as the creature burst out from behind it. Nothing could have prepared Ralem for this, not all his years of military combat, all his sword fighting training or duels . For the thing that assaulted them was a creature born of nightmares. It jumped, sailing over their heads with an effortless leap. The soldiers whirled around to face their opponent, swords shaking in their unsteady hands.

The creature was at least twelve feet tall. But when it raised its neck it was about 18 feet. It looked like a huge bird, its cold, predatory eyes flashing from soldier to soldier, as if it were choosing who to eat first. It had a splotched brown and white feathery coat that poorly concealed the rippling muscle in its long neck, legs, and wings. Another strange thing about the bird was that it was flightless, but the wings were still large and menacing. Protruding outward from each of the primaries was three huge claws, each one over three feet long. They looked like menacing weapons along with the sharp, jagged beak that looked as if it could snap a man in half. Its bird feet ended in huge talons and Ralem had a feeling they weren't just for walking.

The men huddled up like a wall, praying for this creature from hell to go away.

But it didn't go away. In fact it drew closer, its terrible wings slowly spreading, claws ready to strike. Then it made the attack.

It was like a whirlwind. The thing mowed through the men, impaling them, jabbing with its cruel beak, and kicking with its huge clawed feet. Ralem didn't know what he was doing in the fray. It was so terrifying and confusing.

Then as quickly as it started it stopped. Ralem looked around. Ten men down, everyone had been totally taken by surprise. The creature was making weird jerks with its head, charging at them then stopping like it was trying to intimidate them.

Its playing cat and mouse with us, Ralem thought, Well I'll give it cat and mouse I WON'T be caught by surprise again. He gathered his men. There were only seventeen men left and they were shaken. Six of them had wounds, half of them mortal. Putting on his bravest face Ralem said "Ok men, this is the plan. Let the wounded lay here. We'll make a protective half-circle around them. Men with bow and arrows in the back. Try to get a good shot at the thing. Aim for the neck or head. I'll be in the front with the rest of the men. Let's give this bird a taste of real steel and after this victory we will be renowned across the land for this great prize!" The men perked up, if only a little.

Out of the corner of Ralem's eye he saw the bird had stopped pacing. "Get into position," he commanded. The men hastily took their places and drew their weapons. Once again the bird raised his wings in an aggressive stance. But this time they were ready. The archers shot their arrows at the bird, speeding through the air like angry bees. The beast charged, oblivious to the weapons. He's dead now, thought Ralem. But it was not dead; it just kept on charging, the arrows making a sharp ping as they glanced of the creature's feathers. Ralem dropped his sword a little. It cannot be.

It charged toward Ralem, its huge legs pounding the earth. Ralem just barely missed the huge claws and before the bird could react he slashed at its neck. The only result was that it jarred his arm and broke his sword. He stared dumbly at his shredded weapon. Meanwhile the thing was wreaking havoc. It started battering down the men, opening its beak to reveal shark-like teeth, swinging those saber-like claws. They stood no chance.

Ralem realized what was going on and jumped back up, his arms still stinging from the impact. He had to do something, anything to help his comrades. He leapt after the creature, but was knocked off his feet by a vicious blow from a scaly foot.

As the throbbing in his head began to deaden everything else he tried to get back up again, but a searing pain in his shoulder caused him to sit sharply back down. Just before his eyes closed he caught sight of the thing running faster than anything he'd ever seen, the same direction the ambassador had fled.

And then everything went black.