Thank you, Stormflight, for the thoughtful review and your high hopes for this story. I will try my best. :)
There you go, the second chapter.
Chapter 2: Hunter
In the distant jungle deep in the Kumungu plains, a doe bent down near a stream to take a drink. This region of the jungle was close to the hot, burning deserts of Shurima, and it was proven true if one were to notice the scarcity of plants or trees. The canopy of leaves provide little shade, given how strong beams of sunlight were still able to pierce through the shade and heat up the jungle floors.
The doe's ear twitched, as though sensing movement. It looked over its shoulder, eyes blinking and looking for potential threat. Later, it bent down towards the stream again, drinking as much as it could.
Among the bushes hid the young half-dragon, watching the doe carefully as she made not a sound. It was near, just a few feet away from her.
Stealth is a hunter's best weapon, she remembered what her father said. And patience a hunter's biggest challenge.
Shyvana hated being patient. Aggressive was her nature, and she preferred to get things done quickly instead of waiting for the best chance. But if she wanted a full meal, she had no choice but to wait for the right moment to attack.
The moment the doe dismissed all worries of a lurking predator, Shyvana summoned all her fury, flames starting to dance across her blue-grey skin. She could feel her body surge with power, anger filling her mind and soul. When she was ready, she leapt out of the bush, roaring as flames swirled around her. Claws and talons and horns tore through her human skin, wings expanded and she grew a tail. Her bright red hair ran down her spine like a fiery red mane as she felt her limbs grow longer and stronger. Her face lengthened into a snout with a maw filled with two rows of sharp teeth and her eyes narrowed into golden reptilian slits. Her voice went from a girl's high-pitched cries to a fearsome rumble of a dragon. Her size doubled, and she was now larger than her prey.
Shyvana extended her wings and glided through the air, landing on the poor doe with her claws and talons aiming for its vital points. Her claws sank into the doe's pelt and flesh, blood seeping as the doe whined piteously. She clamped her jaw on her prey's neck, her fangs plunging into the animal's veins. A coppery scent filled her mouth, and the taste of blood awakened her bestial instincts. Shyvana did not relent until the doe gave up and its legs gave way, dropping dead to the ground as blood flowed freely from its wounds.
Shyvana reverted back to her human form, heaving slightly as she felt the muscles in her limbs throb with pain. Her father had taught her to rely on her dragon's instincts and channel her draconian strength to control her transformation. It had proven difficult, and it had taken a few months for her to harness her power as a dragon. Even if she had mastered her transformation, it would tire her the instant she became human again, giving her sore muscles and a pounding headache.
It had been a year since she and her father ran away from their home. Since her mother had chased her out of their house.
Since then, her father had always taken her from one place to another, through the Great Barrier and through the Mogron Pass, showing her the wonders of Valoran. They were sights to behold, but they never settled in one place for far too long. As beautiful and wondrous those places may be, Shyvana still longed for a home. Shyvana had never asked why they had to go from place to place, and whenever they were near human civilization her father would insist that she pull up her hood and keep her head down. The reason behind it? She knew that a normal human did not have blue-grey skin covered with scales or bright golden eyes, but she did not understand the consequence if humans were to see her, a half-dragon.
When she asked her father why they were in the Kumungu jungles, he only answered with that solemn voice he had adopted since he left home, "To train you, my child,"
Over the months, her father taught her how to hunt, how to distinguish edible nuts from poisonous fruits, how to be resourceful and how to fight. Training was good. It kept her from thinking about her mother. Thoughts of her mother always left her feeling sad and hateful.
Shyvana tied up the doe's legs and dragged it across the forest grounds, heading back to the cave where she and her father currently resided. She counted paces as she walked through bushes and between trees, already knowing every nook and cranny of the Kumungu jungle.
It was almost dusk by the time Shyvana had reached the cave, a wide, cavernous and moist terrain where Shyvana's father had made it as their temporary settlement. Her father was in his human form, a pile of firewood in one hand and a makeshift axe in another. At the mouth of the cave laid a heap of game - three rabbits, a snake and a large elk. All except the elk were skinned, and judging from the puncture in their eyes and the absence of blood on the elk's pelt, her father must have shot them through the eye with his makeshift bow and his makeshift arrows.
Shyvana looked down at her kill. A small, mangled doe that was only half the size of the elk, with its tongue lolling about and blood staining its pelt. She had to use all her draconic strength to bring down her prey, yet her father only needed his heightened dragon senses and tools made from resources in the forest. She could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"You're back," his father smiled and took the doe from her, producing a knife that was once a piece of rock. With deft hands, he started skinning the doe, noticing the stains of blood and small puncture wounds. "A little messy, but practice makes perfect,"
"You always say that," Shyvana pouted, sitting on a large boulder as she watched her father work on their meal.
Her father looked up. "And I will keep saying that until your hunting skills are perfect. Go build a fire," he gestured to the pile of firewood.
She obeyed and gathered the wood, using two rocks and grinding them together to make a spark. She had been doing this ever since they were here, and she couldn't help the growing curiosity in her heart.
At night, they had a fire going as they feasted on the doe that Shyvana had hunted. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. That night, she finally asked the question that she had always wanted to ask ever since her father began her training, to quench the curiosity in her.
"Father, we are dragons, aren't we?" she asked, taking a bite out of her meal.
Her father looked at her and frowned, nodding his head.
"If we could produce flames at will, why would you still have me build a fire? If we are dragons, why do we still have to hunt and use tools like a human?" she asked.
Her father was quiet for a while. He laid his meal down and took a swig from his flask, his fierce yet weary golden eyes fixed on Shyvana's. "Supposedly said, you are on your own in a forest, and you stumbled upon a band of human travelers and they wanted to stay with you for a night, you can't just conjure flames out of nowhere, can you?"
Shyvana said nothing.
"And," he continued. "You have to keep your identity to yourself, when you're with humans, you have to be human. Even if you're just half-human. You can't let them suspect you, and the only way to do that is to try to be as human as possible, rely on your human instincts and try to survive like any other human would. As long as you keep your hood up, wrap yourself in a cloak that covers your skin and do what humans do, they won't even know that you're only half of what they are,"
Shyvana looked down and ate in silence. Her father's brow only furrowed even more. He could tell that she wasn't satisfied with his answer.
"Shyvana. What is your question, truly?"
"Nothing,"
"Something's bothering you, I know," he sighed. "Speak, child,"
Shyvana kept quiet. Then, she spoke in a small voice. "Why do the humans hate us?"
He thought for a while before answering, "They don't hate us, they just... fear us," he paused. "Our strength surpasses theirs, and they don't understand our power. Dragons have always seen themselves as a majestic race, and it is because of this that other races try to stay as far away from the dragons as possible. This gives humans fear. And fear does miraculous things to humans. It makes them frightened, yet it gives them strength that they never possessed. Have you heard of tales of the dragonslayers?"
Shyvana shook her head nervously.
"They are humans who slay dragons for the sake of glory and fame, to prove themselves mighty and heroic," he chuckled as he saw Shyvana shudder. "If any human in any human civilization that we've walked upon learns of your existence, I don't doubt that word would spread far to the Kingdoms of Demacia or far into the tribes of Freljord. They would send people to hunt us down, just for the sake of proving themselves and carving their names into the history of Runeterra,"
"Then, why didn't we go live with the dragon-kin? If we are dragons like they are, surely they would accept us, right?"
Her father's mouth fell open, yet no answer came out. He stared at her daughter and tried to think of a reasonable answer, but he could not find one that wouldn't wound his daughter's heart.
It's because I laid with your mother, he thought sadly. They view you as nothing more than an abomination, a taint in the dragon's bloodline that must be removed. If they know of your existence, they would kill you.
His silence was noted, and Shyvana smiled sadly. "Is it the same reason as to why mother left me? They don't want a child that's not entirely a dragon?"
He kept quiet. He could hear disdain in her voice every time she spoke of her mother, yet he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. It hurt him to see his daughter that way, yet he could do nothing about it.
Your mother loves you, he wanted to tell her. She always will, and so will I.
He threw the remains of his meal into the fire. Shyvana did the same, as she lost her appetite during the conversation. He stood up and gestured for her to follow him. "Come, Shyvana. I would like to show you something,"
And so she followed him as they climbed to the top of the cave. It was a tedious and dangerous climb, the jagged rocks jutting out and the slope was steep. When they reached the peak, Shyvana was panting. Her father prompted her to look up, and so she did. She gasped.
On the forest grounds, the trees usually covered up the sight of the night sky, but up there on the cave, she could see and point out every stars that littered across the skies, bright and shimmering with the moon slightly covered by wisps of cotton clouds. The view was beyond spectacular.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" her father said, smiling at her shocked expression. "It's one of those rare days where the clouds don't cover up everything,"
"Cover up everything?" she looked at her father innocently.
"Yes," he nodded. "Some days, the dark clouds would cover up the skies, swallowing everything from our sight. The stars, the moon. Taking everything away from our sight, just like our lives did,"
Shyvana's eyes twinkled with sadness. She thought of her mother and her home, for unknown reasons she was chased out of her house. Her cruel fate claimed her happiness, her home and her love for her mother. Until now she did not understand the reason behind her mother's rejection.
"But remember, my sweet child," he knelt down so that he was at the same height as his daughter's, looking into her eyes while cupping her cheeks with both hands. "If you ever look up to the skies and find that they're looking bad; if your heart ever loses all its hope, consumed by misery and grief and hatred, just remember. After dawn approaches, the sun will shine, and all the dust will go. Then, the skies will be clear and beautiful once again. No sadness lasts forever,"
Her eyes brimmed with tears. "She left me. She said she didn't want us anymore. How can I ever forgive her?"
"Your mother did what she thought was right," he said sadly. "Sometimes, life does not always look up to you. Nothing is fair, but if life is all about happiness, then it would be meaningless and we would not value it as much as we do now," he combed his fingers through her red hair, thinking of her mother. "Remember the happy times we had together as a family, cherish those memories. Then you will find it in yourself to forgive her,"
Suddenly, Shyvana threw her arms around her father's neck, locking him in a tight embrace. "You wouldn't leave me like mother did, right? You would always be around for me, right father?"
I am old and worn, sweet child, his lips curled into a grimace. I want to protect you, but I can't keep you safe forever. It is only a matter of time before my own kind seeks me out and execute me, just to get to you.
But he heard the desperation in her voice and he could not bring himself to hurt her anymore. He returned her embrace and planted a kiss on the top of her head, smiling sadly. "Silly girl," he chuckled. "I will always be here for you. You are all that matters,"
Shyvana only sniffed. He kept holding her, dreading that one day he may have to do what her mother did - leaving her behind just to keep her safe.
It came in the middle of the night.
The villagers did not have the chance to alert the Kingdom of Demacia about the attack. It came suddenly without warning. Waves and waves of flames poured from the dark, night sky, lighting houses and watchtowers on fire. Soldiers in the village screamed and ran as they burned, dropping dead as nothing more than a charred corpse.
Soon all the villagers were awake, whether by the heat or the screams or the ridiculously bright lights that shone from outside their windows, no one cared. All they knew was that the village was under attack and they had to run for their lives. By whom, though, it was none of their concern.
And so they ran as more fire rained down upon them. There were screams and death everywhere, cries of children and wails of dying elders. Only a handful of soldiers were left, and they still held their weapons aloft, ready to face the threat like a true Demacian would.
What they were not prepared to face, though, was a huge reptilian monster that landed with a thud in front of them. Its scaly skin was pure black from its snout to its tail, with silver-tipped horns. Its fangs were as long as their swords, its claws curved like scythes. When the behemoth expanded its wings, it shrouded the men in darkness, even blocking the bright light of the burning chaos around them. When it stood on its hind legs, it was as tall as the watchtowers themselves.
"Dragon!" one of the villagers screamed. The dragon opened its maw filled with treacherous teeth, and breathed fire upon the villagers, burning all in its path.
"Where is the child?!" it bellowed, its voice full of rage and hatred, disgust and spite.
The remaining soldiers cowered in fear, their hands trembling and legs shuddered with fear. One of them wet himself, and the dragon stared with its red eyes, amused.
"Tell me," the dragon strode forward, its snout close to the men. "Where is the child?"
"Wh-what child?" they quivered.
"The Half-Dragon. The abomination. I know she's here, I know she lived here. I know," the dragon feigned a look of disgust. "I was told she was born here. Give her to me,"
"The Halfling?" one of the soldiers answered. "She isn't here! I swear, she left with her father a year ago. We burnt her mother for her crimes, please, we're telling you the truth!"
"Left? You allowed that abomination to walk the earth freely as she likes?"
"It... it was none of our concern, her mother paid for it. Her father is a dragon, we can't just..." the soldier yelped when the dragon roared with frustration, its eyes of molten gold glaring at them.
The dragon growled with irritation. It had taken him years to find out where the half-dragon lived, yet when he came they had already left. The Celestial dragon must have wiped away their trails, covering their scent so the dragonkind could not tail them. Clever. It would take him even longer to hunt down the half-dragon throughout Valoran.
He swiped his claws at the men, slicing them into shreds of flesh and blood. "Petty creatures," he spat in fury. "Can't even capture a girl. You will all pay for that child!"
It opened its mouth and let loose another torrent of flames, destroying houses and buildings and towers, leaving nothing but ruins and death behind. On that night, no one was left alive. None was given mercy.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are very much appreciated.