After walking for what seemed like hours, you stopped and leaned your body against a tree. Your legs felt like they had lead bars strapped to them, weighing them down. The sun had risen long ago, and was currently in the middle of the now baby blue sky. With a heavy sigh, you glanced over at Nightsong and smiled slightly. The night colored dragon lightly nudged your hand, brushing your palm against the moon-like scale pattern. Your heart skipped a beat, your body still not accustomed to the feel of the dragon's body.
Glancing at your surroundings, you took notice that the trees had gradually thinned. Though the terrain had smoothed out, it provided less protection from the scorching heat. An irritated groan slipped from your lips as you realized you had no water. You didn't have anything but the clothes you wore and the sword on your back. Your stomach growled loudly, a reminder you had not eaten in over 21 hours. Cursing your stomach, you pushed off from the tree and began your journey once again.
Your stomach continued to complain, leaving a dull pain in your stomach accompanied with a dizzying headache. The heat was no help to the sick feeling in your gut, rather making it worse. Placing the back of your hand to your forehead, you wiped away the sweat that stung and blurred your vision. Shaking all thoughts of food away, you tried to concentrate on discovering where you were. The large, scaled reptile glanced at you, a flash of worry in it's eyes as it watched your form sway slightly. Pressing your palm into the rough bark of a tree, you took deep breaths and tried to cool yourself down. Only a single solution stood out; you had to strip the thick clothing you wore which concealed your secret.
Double checking the area, making sure that the only one around was Nightsong, you took a slow breath and began to shed the jacket. The air instantly felt a few degrees cooler, a rather big relief to your overheated body. Checking one more time, you glanced at the scales running from your knuckles to your elbows. They started as a pale, yet bright red, slowly fading to a deep grey. You flexed your fingers, watching the scales move with the muscles under the skin. Sighing softly, you proceed to remove your shirt, your wings unwrapping themselves from your torso and stretching towards the sky.
Now only in your chest wrapping, you flapped your wings gently to create a breeze. The scales that coated the wings matched the ones on your arms, the stretched skin a greyish white, becoming darker near the top. Content with the feeling of giving them a good, needed stretch, you gather your discarded clothes and set off.
An hour had passed when you came to halt, finding a small lake in an equally small valley. You knew what had to be done. Carefully, you unwound your thin tail from around your leg in your pants, and freed it from it's wool confines. Taking a breath, you gave your wings a few test flaps before leaping over the cliff side. Wings beating gently, and with quite some effort, you landed on the ground with a soft thud.
Picking yourself up, you gazed up to Nightsong. The dragon simply looked at you, doing what you could only guess was laughing at your landing skills. After it's own jump, Nightsong landed gracefully beside you, tucking it's wings in against it's sides. "Show off..." you muttered under your breath. "Now that I think of it... I don't know your gender, do I?" The deep blue dragon shook it's head, peering at you with its heterochromatic eyes. "Well... you like to show off like a guy, but you're graceful like a female... are you both?" You asked jokingly. Clearly unamused, the dragon whipped your leg with it's tail, huffing in irritation.
"Ow! I was kidding!" Mumbling, you could feel a welt rising on your thigh. "Given the offense you took, you must be a female." Giving you a more gentle glance, Nightsong gave a nod and a swift flap of her wings. You two proceeded to the clear water, both in need of a cool drink. Looking at the surrounding rock walls, you were thankful for once that you had your wings, getting out without them would be a challenge. Propping yourself against the trunk of a tree, you watched your newfound companion try but fail to catch the fish that swam just out of her reach. Laughing softly to yourself, you lean back against the bark and close your eyes.
Once things had fallen silent, the splashing of Nightsong's failed attempts to catch a fish ceasing, you open your eyes curiously. Finding her face to face with you, you let out a startled shriek and press your body against the tree. The female dragon looks at you, amused by your reaction. Looking at the sun's position in the sky, you decided to continue with your exploration. Opening your wings, you beat them gently, a small smile curling on your lips. As your body lifts, you aim for what you hope is a safe destination to land.
In the distance, you could see faint, almost white traces of smoke drifting into the air. It was not the smoke of burning homes, but the smoke that came from chimneys or fires used for cooking. Stopping momentarily, you stare at the nearly invisible smoke. Snapping yourself out of your trance, you resume walking in that direction. It quickly became more evident there was a village nearby: traps laid out for animals hidden by leaves had caught your eye. Daring, you ventured a bit further until you could see the rooftops of the buildings. You looked on in curiosity.
Taking in a small breath, you look to your companion, curious on her thoughts. She appeared unsure, her ears pinned back. Giving a reassuring smile, you turn your attention back to the faint traces of smoke. "As long as we don't get too close, we'll be okay. We just have to stay hidden." Nightsong simply stared at you, looking from her scales and back, her expression one of annoyance. "Yeah... I guess a dark dragon couldn't hide very well during the day." Her wings ruffled in reply, her stare fixated in the direction of the smoke.
You cautiously proceeded forward, keeping to the cover of trees. To your disappointment, and Nightsong's, little to no trees were near the village. This meant being noticed was now a high risk, something you didn't want to take. Not with your first friend in danger of being killed. You kept to the outskirts, though the sweet smell of roasted lamb, mutton, vegetables, and fish swirled around you, beckoning you both closer. The food smelled so good, you hadn't realized you had stepped into the village. Only when the tail of the female dragon wrapped around your leg did you notice.
You quickly retreated out of sight, though your stomach's growling alone was almost loud enough to give you away. Nightsong glanced at you curiously, then back to the cooking meat. Sighing, you stepped back into the shadows, wrapping your wings around your body. Once they were snug, you replaced your worn out shirt and looked up. Nightsong was watching the vikings carefully, her eyes flickering from one to the other as they moved. Momentarily, they had slipped inside, talking about adding more to the fire.
Watching the meat and fish cook, rotating on the hand cranked roaster, you licked your lips and held your stomach. The scent was torture, teasing and sickening to your malnourished body. Your gaze traveled to a moving shadow on the left, sneaking towards the food. Only seconds passed before you whipped your head to where Nightsong had been, but she was no longer there. Panic swelled quickly in your gut, watching her slink closer to the open fire roasting.
In one swift motion, when all were distracted, the female reptile snagged the meat with a speed you didn't know was possible, even for a dragon. She had moved silently, with precision and stealth you wouldn't had believed without seeing it for yourself. You stared on in shock as she made her way back to you, glancing over her own shoulder to ensure she had gone unnoticed. You would have to thank her for the food, and scold her for being so reckless. With a shaky breath, you gave a smile as she sat in front of you.
Looking to the sky, the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky a mixture of blues, pinks and purples. The sight relaxed your mind, and slowed your racing heart. Quickly, and as silently as you could with an angered stomach, you retreated to the treeline with Nightsong beside you. Judging the distance, you made sure it was safe before sitting to eat. You gave a stern glare to Nightsong, dividing the rations evenly for both of you. "Don't do that anymore. You could've gotten hurt! I don't wanna lose my first friend..." Nightsong looked at you, then, for the first time, she gently nuzzled your cheek with her nose. Her tail gingerly wrapped around you, her eyes seeming apologetic. Your heart fluttered and raced again, excited about the new affection she showed.
Setting her portion down, you sank your teeth into tender meat, an explosion of flavor bursting from the mutton. It was unlike anything you had eaten. Each time you chewed, the flavor seemed to get stronger. It was savory and juicy, with a hint of hickory flavor. You closed your eyes, enjoying each bite you took. Once finished, you smiled brightly at your companion. She appeared pleased as well, her tongue stuck out between her lips while her eyes were half closed. You giggled to yourself and relaxed against a tree.
The sky's color soon faded, matching the scales of Nightsong. Had she not been on the ground, she would be invisible against sky. You were now more grateful than ever that she was a friend, not an enemy. If that were the case, you thought, you wouldn't stand a chance. She was fast, precise, and stealthy, no one would see her coming under the cover of night. You wondered what her firepower was. Some dragons used fire, others boiling water. Some attack from beneath the ground, or by using spikes from their own body. The curiosity sparked all the knowledge you had on dragons, what you had learned running through your mind.
Closing your eyes, you slowly lean against Nightsong, judging her reaction. Startled at first, she looks at with her ears perked up. Relaxing, she lowers her head onto her paw like feet and purrs faintly. Your lips twist into a smile as you lean into her, slipping yourself under her wing. Yawning softly, you place a hand over your mouth out of habit. You give one more look at the dragon, hoping with all your willpower that this wasn't a dream your subconscious had conjured up. Shutting your eyes once more, you drifted into a light slumber.
Shortly after, you were awoken by the screams of the nearby village. You jumped to your feet and looked over, eyes wide with panic. One word sent you into overdrive; they were shouting "Dragon!". Your eyes followed where they had pointed. They sky was now littered with wild dragons, each one diving down and attacking. The villagers countered with their own weapons. Axes, maces, swords, shields and daggers were seen clashing with the beasts. All the vikings were fighting, all except one.
A boy, around your age, was being dodged by the others, working around him. You couldn't quite make out his features, but something was... different about him. The only distinguishable feature was messy brown that swept across his forehead. Captivated by him, you stared for a moment until a fireball had been hurled towards the forest. You were about to run, when Nightsong growled loudly from behind you. Slowly, you turned your body towards her, a Monstrous Nightmare staring you down.