Chapter Four
The cavern was quiet while the water dribbled down the walls and the dragon opened its eyes, stretching. The red scales shimmered in the light as the orange eyes blinked and the dragon stood up. It was seventeen feet tall with two heads, a split tail and sharp spikes trialed down its back to its tail. The dragon left the cavern as it headed outside and cool breeze blew the leaves on the trees. Both heads turned as it looked around then entered the forest, trampling the leaves as it walked.
"Droooooooooooooo! Droooooooooooooooooooo!" the little dragon cooed while they walked along the path and the Doctor rolled his eyes. The little dragon hadn't stopped "singing" since they left the forest and had slapped the Doctor's head several times with its tail. The glade spread out before them as they walked by the small boulders and the Doctor had taken out a small note pad and pen so Zoe could write down descriptions of the various plants she had seen.
"This place is amazing!" Zoe said, writing on the pad and the Doctor nodded.
"Some of it reminds me of the Highlands in summer," Jamie said.
"Well, I think we should find a place to spend the night. The sun is setting," the Doctor said, pointing to the sun dipping lower in the sky.
"Mebbe Droo can find us a cave for the night," Jamie said, placing the little dragon on the ground.
"Droo? Oh, goodness, you name it?"
"Of course I named it."
"If you think we're taking that thing with us…" Zoe said, wide eyed.
"An' why cannae I?"
"Now, before you two start arguing, I think we should find out where Droo has run off to," the Doctor said. They looked around when Jamie saw Droo near the edge of the forest and it was wiggling back and forth. Jamie ran to it when Droo scampered up his leg to his shoulder and pointed into the forest.
"Hey, Doctor, Droo's found something," Jamie said. Jamie placed Droo on the ground when it ran into the bushes and Jamie ran after it. Sighing, the Doctor went to catch up with Jamie and Zoe followed close behind them.
The dragon moved along the trees when it noticed a large heard of deer drinking near a stream and the dragon softly growled. The deer drank as the dragon moved closer and the window blew ripples along the red scales, making them shimmer. The dragon moved closer when the deer looked around but didn't see anything and the dragon purred. With a roar, the dragon leapt into the air and landed on four large deer, making the other deer run away. The dragon tore into the deer while the heads ate then the dragon looked around, feeling like it was being watched.
Kane placed the binoculars down when he smiled and the men looked at him. They had been hiding downwind from the dragon when he reached for his rifle and smiled.
"Let's go!" Kane said, heading for the dragon.
"Droo! Droo! Droo!" Droo called, waving for them to follow, when they came out into another clearing and Zoe gasped, seeing the dragon carcass. The Doctor held her as Droo scampered up Jamie's leg to his shoulder and Jamie slowly walked toward the carcass. He looked at the burned edges of the flesh while Droo shook and buried its head in Jamie's hair.
"Doctor, take a look at this," Jamie said, waving for them to come closer. Walking closer, the Doctor examined the carcass while Zoe sniffed and tears trickled down her cheeks. Jamie looked at her when Droo scampered down his back and Jamie walked closer, hugging her.
"Why would someone do that?" Zoe sobbed while Jamie rocked her.
"Oh my word, this poor creature has been mutilated," the Doctor whispered, scanning the carcass with his sonic screwdriver.
Droo scampered to Jamie, who had let go of Zoe, and scampered up Jamie's leg to his shoulder. Suddenly the bushes started moving as Jamie moved Zoe to the Doctor and drew his dirk. Droo scampered up to the top of Jamie's head when several men, wearing leather body armor, fur boots and metal helmets, walked out from behind the bushes and were armed with long poles and spears.
"Oh dear," the Doctor said, peeking out from behind Jamie.
"Do not move!" the leader, Xaroo said.
The men moved closer when Xaroo walked to Jamie and looked at the dirk. Jamie growled when Xaroo took the dirk and smiled. Placing the dirk into his belt, Xaroo poked Jamie with the pole in his hands and Droo growled at him.
"Remove the dragite," Xaroo said when one of the men took aim and a blue light came from the pole, hitting Droo.
"Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Droo screamed, falling to the ground.
"If you hurt it, I'll…" Jamie growled then stopped as Xaroo pointed the pole at Jamie's face.
"Move!" Xaroo said, poking Jamie in the chest, and they headed for the bushes. Jamie saw that one of the men had placed Droo in a cage as they walked into the bushes and headed into the forest.
The dragon ate when the wind shifted and the heads looked up. Sniffing the air, the dragon looked around when Kane and his men appeared and the dragon growled.
"Now!" Kane shouted as the dragon roared, slashing the ground with its tail, and Kane smiled. The men cheered and hooted as the dragon tried to grab them then opened its mouths and a red glow appeared.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" one of the men shouted as they got out of the way and the fireballs hit the trees. The trees caught fire as they tried to get out of the way and the dragon roared. One of the men took aim with a rocket launcher when the dragon roared and stamped its feet on the ground. Before the man could fire, the dragon ran into the trees, the man hit the ground as the ground shook, and Kane swore, hitting his thigh with his fist.
"Let's go," Kane growled, heading for the trees, and the roar of the dragon echoed around them.