6. –Snake dagger
I spiraled down through the clouds, twisting round, relishing the feel of the sharp wind batter against my scales.
The day was warmer than others the past month, but when I dove, the wind turned into an icy blast that sent tears streaming down my face.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making the free fall even more thrilling.
Dorran was spiraling through the sky next to me, his eyes shining with tears and the pure joy of being free to do anything.
As the ground grew increasingly close a strange scent filled my nostrils.
I opened my wings slightly and winced as the wind yanked them from my body and threw them into the air behind me.
I managed to get my wings back under control and slowed myself down for (hopefully) a graceful landing. Or at least one that didn't shatter my bones.
I sailed to the ground but still managed to land with a crash. I stumbled a bit, but then regained my balance and looked up to see that Dorran was coming in to land as well.
His wings swept up and he landed smoother than I had and for that I was jealous.
"You do know that I can read your emotions, right?" He chuckled after seeing my facial expression. Of course I hadn't known that!
I growled at him then turned to investigate the strange smell that was coming to me through the forest.
"Do you smell that?" I asked Dorran. He inhaled deeply and I saw recognition flash across his face.
He bared his fangs and growled, as if warning me to do the same.
He crouched down and his tail thrashed from side to side in anger. He crept forwards, head low and his silken wings pressed tight against his side.
Get down, he snarled, the anger in his voice swimming in my mind. I obliged and copied his stance, lowering my head and lining my wings against my body.
We crept forwards into the forest as silently as possible, watching our every footfall so that we didn't disturb any of the forest floor.
We traveled deep into Grimshaw, the trees thickened until some were almost wider than Dorran. The forest seemed dead from the lack of woodland creatures.
The quiet was unnerving, as if the whole world held its breath in suspense for what we were about to come across.
The smell grew stronger until I could identify it. It smelled like smoke, strong and chocking. It grew thicker until we couldn't see the trees in front of us. We stayed close so we didn't lose each other in the darkness.
The smoke was strangling me, I could barely breathe without coughing, my eyes streamed, but we carried on.
Why don't we fly? I asked, but it was obvious why we couldn't, the tree canopy was too thick and we would be able to find a space to escape out of.
Dorran, sensing that I knew the answer to my own question did not respond to it.
We are almost at the source of this pollution to the forest, he thought to me.
And sure enough, after a few more minuets the trees began to thin out a bit to reveal a sight that stung my eyes and made tears spring to them.
Before us was our house.
But all that was left of it was a pile of rubble.
Tears streamed down my face and all I could think about was one thing.
My grandmother.
I stumbled down the hill, tripping over every single blade of grass, until I reached the edge of the smoking pile.
"GRANDMOTHER!" I screamed, the fact that I was still a dragon made the shout even louder than possible for human vocal cords.
I crashed into the crumbling foundation of the once-standing house where I had lived my entire life after my parents had died.
I could still make out some of the cupboards and the tiny kitchen table as I trudged through the room in a trance.
I couldn't believe this had happened, who would do something like that?
I kept screaming for my grandmother over and over, not even realizing that I was doing so.
Doors had been blasted off their hinges and now lay in smoking piles of ash.
The piles upon piles of plants used in my grandmothers art had been charred and were beyond rescuing.
My whole face was wet from crying, but I didn't care, the only thing that mattered to me was finding the one person that had ever loved me. My parents never had.
I entered the wreckage where the healing room would have been and instantly say my grandmothers giant cooking pot that she had been mixing her mystery potion in.
It was on its side and half of it was missing, the contents spewed everywhere.
I sniffed around, my sensitive nose picking up the faintest of scents.
The smell was so familiar that I had no trouble recognizing where it came from. It was the smell of my grandmother.
"GRANDMOTHER!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, my now dry throat making a rasping sound as I did so.
My stronger-than-human ears heard a barely audible moan come from somewhere to my right.
I flicked my head round and gasped as I spotted one of my grandmothers withered hands sticking out from under what looked to be a collection of the different cabinets from around the room.
I rushed over, not caring about the pain in my feet as I accumulated many splinters and other wounds.
I nuzzled the aged skin with the tip of my smooth nose. The hand was cold. Way to cold for a living person.
I tilted my head back and roared to the sky with all my might. The trees around shook with the power. Every ounce of my grief flooded in that one howl.
Tears blinded my vision, but I didn't care. The only thing in the world that mattered to me was gone. That was they only thing that mattered to me at that moment.
Dorran appeared at my side and brushed my muzzle with his, trying to comfort me, but failing.
After almost an hour I had finally calmed down enough to be able to say something other than my grandmothers name.
Help me lift this stuff off her, I gulped, turning to face Dorran. He nodded and pushed his shoulder against the wooden frame. I copied him and we both pushed at it at the same time, leaning all our weight into it.
The broken wood shifted off of my grandmother after a few heaves and crashed to the floor. I stared at the unmoving face of my grandmother, he sightless green healers eyes gazing back at me.
Her silver hair lay in knots around her shoulders matted with her own blood.
More tears escaped the corners of my eyes and dripped down my nose and onto the body of my grandmother.
Help me move her, I said, gripping her upper-half in my front talons. Dorran followed suit with her back-half and we braced ourselves for takeoff.
We faced each other so our wings didn't get in our way and then we leapt into the air.
My grandmothers weight slowed us down a bit, but not much. We flew over the countryside, looking for a place to bury her.
Dorran said nothing the entire time, I could sense him secretly wondering where we were going to take her, but his question never left his mouth.
I looked down and signaled with my head to Dorran that we were going to descend when we passed the clearing where I had met Dorran this morning.
We landed bumpily, but that didn't matter. We placed the old woman onto the soft grass and proceeded to dig her a grave.
I silently wept the entire, but said nothing. We scooped away at the soil with our talons until we had dug a good-sized pit.
"If it's ok, I would like to spend a bit of time alone with her before we…we…." I couldn't continue, I still couldn't fully except that she was really gone, forever.
Dorran nodded and silently left, blending into the shadows. I sat on my haunches next to my grandmothers body and just looked down at her with swollen eyes.
Her weathered, wrinkled skin was dull and lifeless. As were her eyes.
"Oh grandmother," I whispered, " I'm going to miss you so much." I had much more to say, but couldn't seem to get the words out. I closed my eyes and recounted all the good times we had had in the past. From her teaching me how to walk, to learning which mushrooms would kill you if consumed.
She had always been patient and wise. And now she was gone, forever to rot in the earth. That was probably the way she would have wanted it though. It was the way of the healers, they used earths resources to heal.
It was their way of life. And now the way of mine.
Dorran came back after a few minuets, sensing from me that it was all right to.
Without another word we gently lowered her down into the deep depths of the earth. Just as the last of the sunlight played across her face a glint of brightness shone off her hand.
I motioned with my tail for Dorran to pause then I glanced down at her right hand. It was clenched around something.
I reached in and gently pried open her hand with a claw. In it was the dagger I had given to her to rip Dorrans' shirt open with.
The snake that entwined the hilt shone dully, even in the sunlight. Its sapphire eyes glared coldly at me. As if loathing me for letting this happen to its owner.
I sucked in a sharp breath at that thought.
I was the reason she was dead, if I hadn't been flying around having fun this would never have happened.
Thanks to me, she would never be coming back.
She was lost, forever.
And it was all my fault.
How's that for guilt? Yes, I had to kill the grandmother, but it was for a purpose, I didn't just do it because I felt like it.
Hope u like the chapters so far! Things are about to get very interesting...
- always, Firesilk :D
