Swiftshadow was on the hunt. Her golden talons lightly treaded the dusty earth. The late afternoon sun bore down on her black scales. She carefully wove around dried shrubs. Her eyes and nose worked in unison to follow her preys trail.
A line of tracks led her to her goal. She tested the breeze to ensure that she was down wind. She did not want to alert her prey. She was close.
She carefully stalked the dry scrubland. She soon spotted her target. A jack rabbit happily gnawing away at some grass. Swiftshadow cautiously inched forward. She desired to get closer before striking.
A raven cawed somewhere overhead. The hare sat upright. Swiftshadow realized that she had been spotted. Shit.
She pounced but the rabbit was quick. The hunt was now a chase. Predator and prey ran through the bush. Swiftshadow was as fast as the rabbit was agile. The dragon snapped at the rabbit only to come up empty. The rabbit swerved around a tree. Swiftshadow followed in hot pursuit.
The chase had came to end when the rabbit fled into a hole in a rock outcropping. Swiftshadow skidded to halt with inches to spare. She reached into the hole but only grabbed air.
She huffed in frustration. Yet another failed hunt. She briefly considered sending down a fireball. But that would only leave a dead rabbit where she couldn't reach. She considered that a waste. She clawed at the rock. She determined that digging would take too long.
Shaking her head she sought out a nearby creek. If she wasn't going to have dinner then she would at least have something drink.
She wandered over the creek. It had been a little over three days since she left the Autobots and Unit E. She wondered what Jack, Miko, and Raf were doing. Where they playing video games? Listening to Miko 'rock out' on her guitar? Maybe looking for her? She thought about Ratchet. Did he miss her? Was he also looking for her?
She momentarily thought about going back. She quickly put it down. She was on a mission. A mission to find her home and more importantly her brother. The mere thought of having a brother sent thrills of excitement down her spine. Though she didn't quite remember his name or face, she still wished to meet him. To let him know that she was alive and well.
As she dipped her muzzle into the water a raven perched itself on a nearby tree. It gave a chortling caw. It was if it was laughing at her.
"Laugh all you want," She told the bird, "But don't think I didn't notice that you were the one who alerted that rabbit,"
The raven gave a short croak. It's smug expression seemed to say 'I know something you don't.'
Swiftshadow rolled her eyes and finished her drink. She deliberated on what to do next. She could camp out here for the night. But she only had a couple granola bars left. So unless she was going to catch something to eat she will be going hungry, again.
The other option was to find a town. She still had yet to touch the cash she packed. She could buy food at store somewhere. But she had only a small amount and didn't want to spend it all so soon. Who knows when she'll get her hand on more.
Her stomach growled a complaint. It wanted food and wanted it now. She sighed in defeat.
"You wouldn't know where a town or village is?" She addressed the raven.
The bird ruffled its feathers and pointed its beak.
"East, eh?" Said swiftshadow. She looked In that direction. She could only see an endless expanse of scrubland, "Well, good of a direction as any,"
She spread out black and golden wings and lifted into the sky. Her flying skills had improved considerably since she departed the hanger. She didn't wobble as much and was getting better at correcting for wind currants. She could feel the wind beneath her wings.
The ground fell away as she gained altitude. She found a thermal and rode it to greater heights. She settled at a lofty several hundred feet.
She spotted a highway in the distance. There was most certainly a town somewhere along it.
With a couple of mighty flaps she accelerated and followed the road.
It was sunset when she finally came upon a village. Though she barely see the sun through the over casted skies.
Her wings were starting to ache. Swiftshadow surmised that they weren't used to long distance flights. She hoped that she would eventually develop the stamina. Right now, however, She needed somewhere to land.
She studied the village. It was a small place. Only a few dozen buildings including a convenience store, much to her delight.
What really caught her attention was a mangled wreck of a truck. Its front half was propped up on the remains of a long dead tree.
Swiftshadow circled around to make sure no one was around. She landed next to the truck. She could smell the spilt oil and gas that seeped into the ground. She peered into the cab and found no sign of the driver. She did find a few droplets of blood mixed with shattered glass. The scent told her that whoever drove this truck was a adult male. There was also the heavy sent of alcohol.
She bristled at the implication. A part of her wanted to find the owner and smack him.
She then took an other whiff. She realized that scents were over a day old. The wreck was in the middle of town. Surely someone should've noticed this by now? Where were the authorities? where was everyone?
Another scent caught her attention. She found the source in the pit where the tree once stood. A shimmering green ooze rested in the bottom. It had a bitter acidic smell. The toxic scent sent chills down her spine.
She was instantly keenly aware of the villages oppressive atmosphere. It was if a blanket of darkness fell upon the area.
She shifted into human form.
"Hello," She called, "Any one here?"
An eerie silence was here only answer. She wandered the village. The sun was nearly below the horizon and casted everything in shadow. Swiftshadow could sense that there was something wrong with this place.
She peeked into one of the houses. The light was on but there didn't seem to be anyone home. She knocked on the door. There was no answer. She looked through a window. Everything seemed normal. The furniture sat empty. Nothing was broken or thrown about.
Where were the villagers?
A crash echoed around a corner. The hair on the back of her neck. She slowly crept around the corner. She was prepared to transform back into a dragon in an instant.
She soon found the culprit. a large animal was prowling the streets. The darkness left behind by the sun concealed it. All she could see was a silhouette and a pair of glowing eyes. Swiftshadow was certain it wasn't a bear. It was some kind of feline. But it didn't look quite like a cougar.
She was so focussed on the beast that she almost missed the crunching of grass behind her. She turned to find herself confronted by another beast. She narrowly dodged its claws.
She immediately shifted into her draconic form. The beast lunged. Swiftshadow leapt out the way. The other beast alerted by the scuffle joined the fray. It pounced at the dragon. Swiftshadow wrestled it off. She felt it sharp claws rake across her scales.
Her heart and mind raced. The two beast circled her. Swiftshadow swayed her tail, keeping its blade ready. She had to get out of here. She sprung into the air as the two beasts pounced. She managed to get out reach in time.
However victory was short lived. A massive weight landed on her tearing out the wing in her wings. She hit the pavement hard. She fought with the assailant. She broke free from its hold.
She found herself facing off with three beasts. Swiftshadow looked up to see several more on the roofs of houses. Their eyes glowed menacingly.
How many of these things are there? Swiftshadow was out numbered. Fly out of here would be incredibly difficult as she would have to get past the beasts on the rooftops.
She spotted a house nearby. Its windows were boarded up. Perhaps she can shelter there. At least until Either the beasts left or until she can come up with a strategy.
She made a run for it. The beasts fell in pursuit. Swiftshadow could feel them nip at her tail. She rammed through a window. Wood splinters and glass shards scattered across the hardwood floor.
One of the beasts followed her in. It slashed at her. Her thick metallic scaled protected her. She clawed a gouge into it shoulder in return. The beast yowled in pain. Before it could recover swiftshadow found an exit. A door to a basement stairwell.
She bolted for it. The beast lunged. Swiftshadow slammed the door before the it could make it past the threshold. She held the door shut as the the beast clawed and rowled at the door.
Swiftshadow found a latch and bolted it. She cautiously let the door go. It held as the beast continued to beat against it. It continued for a solid minute before giving up. Swiftshadow didn't need to look to know that it was still there, waiting. It was her turn to be the rabbit.
She sighed a breath of relief. She was safe for now. She deliberated on what to do next. She hadn't gotten very far when a voice rang out from the dark basement.
"Hello? Anyone there?"