Red

Warning: might be gore-y. Mention of blood (no character death or mutilation. Just some battle or hunt related stuff).

1: Heart

The Iron Bull set down his battleaxe with a thud and leaned the handle against the rock before unbuckling his belt to take a piss in the sand. The Chargers had started to set up camp near the treeline of the shore side on an elevated spot. They had perfect view over the Storm Coast's beach and a wall of solid stone shielding their backs.

The wind roared in the Qunari's ears like a feral beast and the heavy rain was streaming down his bare torso, soaking his pants and filling his boots. Just when he had pulled up his pants with a huff he picked up a sound that mixed with the howling of the storm. It was a distant roar, like the rumbling of falling rocks from deep within a mountain, mighty and full of burning rage.

Dragon!

Bull's hand shoot out to grab his weapon and he turned on his heel, shooting a glance up to the camp where he could see Krem ordering the Chargers around.

„Oi, Krem!"

He could see the Tevinter shout directions, but his men were too far away to hear the Qunari. The wind carried every word away like autumn leaves.

It didn't take Bull long to consider his options. He could either run up the hill and grab a few men, risking to let the beast go away without even laying his single eye on it, or he could follow the roar and take it on on his own. Bull knew it was a somewhat careless decision, but he took off in the opposite direction of their camp, following the line of the shore to the left. He passed beneath a naturally formed bridge of dark stone that linked a massive wall of rock to a towering cliff and saw a flash of bright flames illuminate a wall of fog in the distance for a few seconds. He felt a rush of adrenaline and speed up with a grin on his face, changing his direction slightly to the right, heading towards a high cliff. He wouldn't risk to be spotted by the dragon and be greeted by shooting flames before he had had the chance to get close enough to hit it.

Reaching the massive formation of salt-dusted rock after running quite some time, Bull leaned his shoulder against the cool, wet surface, catching his breath. He could smell smoke in the air, mixed with salt and seaweed... and the coppery hint of fresh blood.

The dragon must be hurt. Or tearing something apart. Bull gripped his axe with both hands and straightened when he noticed that something seemed to be off.

It was quiet. Too quiet-

In fact, after the single roar that had gotten his attention he hadn't heard the beast's voice again... Suspiciously, he took one step after another, slowly circling the rock. The fog was thick and seemed to brush against his skin as he walked, careful not to make a sound.

There, right in front of him, was the outline of a massive shape that slowly became the outline of a dragon's body. The huge beast was lying on its side, one wing buried beneath its big body, the other was angled awkwardly and pointing in his direction. The reptile was surrounded by bits and pieces of burning driftwood and the ground of the whole area was trampled and burned. There were claw marks on stone, deep as furrows on a field. There had been a fight.

Bull slowed and stood. Fighting against a fierce predator was something he enjoyed. Killing a wounded animal was nothing to be proud of. There would be no real fight for him today. The Qunari felt a pang of bitter disappointment in his gut. He stepped closer and saw deep cuts on the dragon's throat. Dark blood was seeping out and into the wet sand. The rain was washing it towards the sea.

The next thing he noticed was the dull eye that was starring into the cloudy sky, half hidden by a semi-transparent lid. Bull lowered his weapon and stepped in front of the lifeless body. He reached out and laid a hand on the scales right on the dragon's muzzle. It was still warm. The mouth was standing a bit open and revealed two rows of dagger like teeth. Bull patted the animal and shouldered his axe. There wasn't anything left to do for him. He should get two or three of his man and see what they could cut out of the cadaver.

Bull started to walk away, carrying his heavy axe on his right shoulder, when he picked up the soft rustling of moving scales and turned back around.

The dragon's chest was heaving with what seemed a shallow intake of breath.

Bull quickly took two steps to his right, pressed his back up against the rock, gripping the handle of his battleaxe and watched the creature. The movement continued. There wasn't any rhythm to it. It was a jerking, stopping, twitching that became more frantic.

Just when Bull decided that it was time to put that poor thing out of it's misery, the movement suddenly became unnatural. It was the moment he realized that this was no breathing or heartbeat. The abdominal wall bulged like there was something moving inside, pushing against it. Finally The Iron Bull spotted a long incision running in a horizontal line in between the dragon's scales near his stomach. The movement beneath the skin increased.

Blood gushed out as the cut began to stretch. A big lump of raw flesh, muscles and veins was slowly pushed out of the beast's belly. As soon as the over sized organ hit the sandy ground with a revolting wet sound, a pair of slender arms appeared in the opening and a body slid out of the gory hole, like a butterfly from the cocoon.

The Qunari held perfectly still, mesmerized by what he saw. The slender body was covered in crimson from tip to toe.

A naked elf had clawed his way out of the beast.