Soooo ... here is the first thing ever published by me.
English isn't my first language and I don't have a beta, yet (someone interested?) but I tried my best to avoid mistakes.
Read, enjoy, review, don't be too harsh with criticism.
Disclaimer:
You all know how it is.
The characters aren't mine.
The story is inspired by everything I ever read or watched about dragons and the likes, so possibly occurring similarities aren't attemps at stealing anything.
If someone feels imitated or thinks I stole an idea or something, please tell me and I'll correct it.
A Dragon's Heart
Chapter 1 - Despair
Pale moonlight bathed the lake, which started just behind the edge of the dark forest and spread for endless miles to the east, into a serene atmosphere.
The only disturbance of the otherwise calm waters was the young woman attentively washing her hair at the shore. Blond tresses curled slightly by their wetness. Closed eyes gave no indication of her inner turmoil, but her face showed signs of hopelessness and an impending surrender.
They would do it again that night.
"Hunting", they called it.
More like murdering …
She couldn't understand their reasoning for killing innocent beings.
They didn't purposely kill – like the humans did! They were just trying to survive!
But it wasn't her decision to make - and according to her father's wishes, it never would be.
"Combining the scattered tribes", he said.
More like forcing her to finally shut up and comply.
"Holy union".
More like forced submission.
She didn't even want to think about all that anymore …
She just wanted to be anywhere but here …
Just … flying away … like they could…
A wistful smile touched her pale rose lips.
If she could just leave everything behind and take to the skies like they so easily did…
It must be awesome to see the world from up there…to be that free and worriless, if only for a moment …
Sudden explosions in the distance disturbed the otherwise quiet and peaceful scene and forced the young woman back to reality again.
Brown eyes looked sadly to the south, where flickering lights accompanied the loud signs of destruction.
It started already.
They found their prey.
She hoped nobody would be hurt that night.
It ended as soon as it begun.
The last explosion detonated and the last light dissolved, leaving behind only the calm peace of the night and the moon's gentle glow.
Letting out a half relieved – half resigned sigh, the young tribe member raised herself, turned back to the east and looked over the wide waters to the mountainside far away on the other end of the lake.
There would be so much more out there …
A muffled crash to her right side made her start and turn in that direction.
Drawing the knife secured to her right thigh and getting into a defensive posture, she looked into the murky forest. Concentrating all her senses onto detecting possibly threatening sounds or movements, she readied herself for maybe necessary self-protection – or worst case: running as fast as possible. She completely focused and waited for whatever was out there to show itself.
But nothing happened.
Just the quiet of the night met her waiting form.
Deciding, that perhaps, it was just her imagination she started to stand up more properly, when she finally heard something.
It sounded like … something hard scratching on stone …? Uncoordinated flapping? A hard landing … of something really big …
… almost like …
Setting her mind – and in the process burying all the good reasons to just get the hell away from whatever was making these strange noises – the young woman crept slowly forward. Being careful to not make any sounds she neared the part of the forest, where a strong force once molded a giant crater into the otherwise even landscape. Stopping with her back behind a tree just at the edge of said crater she took a deep breath before cautiously looking past her shelter.
Her brown eyes widening at what she saw...
...yeah, what can I say? Hope you liked it?