Chapter 18: "It hurts like hell, that's how!"

I tilted my wings and hovered in the same spot for a moment. I felt dragon instincts rise while I sat in indecision. I picked the choice to keep moving just to keep my dragon half calm.

It started trying to control me. I struggled to keep control and suddenly it was just like my demon side and new dragon instincts found a truce.

……Then I noticed the shadow that covered me.

I looked above me and saw a dragon that was two times bigger then me. Normally size is nothing but I learned it matters when you're a dragon after what happened next.

I tried not to look threatening but just as I started to tell the dragon I was only passing through it swooped down so it was only two feet above me. I went to move down to get more room in between us but as I did the other dragon extended it's back legs and dug claws into the softer spot where the wings met the body.

I roared in pain and struggled. The other dragon threw all his weight down and slammed me into the ground. He flew up as I went into a break-neck roll. I started to get up, dazed.

"Hiei! What's happening!" Matt cried.

/…dragon…/ Was the only coherent thing I could manage before the dragon's attack resumed.

He used a back claw to hold my left wing down and his front claws to slam my head into the ground and hold it there. Then I felt long, needle sharp fangs bite into my neck.

I snarled in pain and rage then my tail whipped around, catching the dragon around the neck and it pulled.

As the dragon struggled with my tail I spun around and bit down on his front leg. He roared and I went to bite his neck but another dragon swooped in and used her back legs to catch my left wing and drag me by it.

I flapped my wings to get free but suddenly felt a burning pain in my left wing. The first dragon flapped his wings once and flew at me. He tackled me and the second dragon waited for her moment to attack.

I managed to get away from the first dragon only to encounter the second. Finally, I flew away from the second one to run into the first. I folded my wings and dived under him then flew as fast as I could, ignoring the pain in my wing.

"Hiei!"

/Shut up/ I half screamed at her. Talking would distract me and I didn't need to be distracted right now.

My older self scolded me in disgust.

You're running! You damn coward! Since when do you run? You stay and fight even if it mean you'll die for it! Turn around and fight them! They're chasing you so if you turn around really fast you can take them by surprise and kill one of them quickly. Then it'll be one on one. Ignore the pain from your wing and attack them.

I continued to try and escape and soon noticed they stopped following. My vision blurred and I suddenly thought the ground sounded real nice right now…

I tried to remain conscience but couldn't. Soon my wings stopped working and the last thing I remember if falling and darkness.

I woke up and didn't want to move.

"Hiei? Oh my God! You're alive! I thought I was going to die in here. Let me out!" I opened my mouth and let her climb out. "Holy crap! Hiei, look at yourself!"

/I think my wing's broken…/ I said, my voice sounding flat and tired.

"Are you sure? How do you know?" Matt asked.

/Because it hurts like hell, that's how I know/ I snapped.

"Okay, okay. I'll be back."

/…okay…/ I said, already falling into a light sleep.

Later on I figured out that Matt had gone back to the dragons' territory and was almost eaten except the dragons had kits and the dragon mother somehow recognized Matt as a mother and let her go.